By Rick Harvey
Lovely County Citizen
It’s hard for Dann Richardson to contain his excitement.
Mardi Gras season is back and at its full capacity.
“It’s extremely, extremely exciting,” said Richardson, who is part of the Krewe of Krazo, the largest and oldest Krewe in Eureka Springs. “We’ve been working hard on this for the last two years with no outlet. This year we’re just going to go crazy.”
Mardi Gras events did take place in Eureka Springs the past two years, but this year will be the first time since 2020 and COVID-19 that all traditional events — and some new ones — will be celebrated around the city.
Starting with the King’s Day Kickoff and continuing with the announcement of the 2023 Royal Court to the Coronation Ball, night parade, masquerade ball and Mardi Gras day parade, the next handful of weeks will be busy for the 65-member Krewe of Krazo.
“For two years we’ve been working on our floats, making new floats, bumping up the old floats,” Richardson said. “It’s also been a financial hardship because these are Krewes with dues-paying members. And they didn’t have to pay dues when we’re not having Mardi Gras.
“But you still have to maintain the Krewes, so you can imagine financially how difficult that has been because we’re a non-profit. We don’t make any money from anything that we do. We just do it for the city of Eureka Springs.”
Richardson said Mardi Gras in Eureka Springs “really started in 2006,” when a group of people from the New Orleans area relocated to Eureka Springs after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
“A bunch of people escaped the horrible, terribleness of what was Katrina at the time,” he said. “I was living there, and I lived through it, so I understand. But it was 2006 when it kind of kicked off here with those Katrina expatriates from New Orleans.”
The season started gaining support from local merchants and really ignited in 2012, Richardson said.
“We’re the one that actually put on what people consider to be Mardi Gras,” he said of Krewe of Krazo. “Our Krewe is without a doubt the biggest and the oldest, but our hat’s off to all the Krewes It’s going to be a great Mardi Gras season.”
Another Krewe that is putting on many events to celebrate the season is Krewe du Kork, which organizes the traditional bead tree on Spring Street that gets the Karnival season started.
Krewe du Kork, established in 2017, is hosting a Lundi Gras Beans and Rice event on Monday, Feb. 20, and the Steampunk Eureka Gras Benefit Wine Dinner at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, at Basecamp Event Venue with proceeds benefiting the Eureka Springs Historical Museum.
“Even during the COVID years we still had our benefit wine dinners, we just did them as a to-go dinner,” said Ilene Powell, co-founder of Krewe du Kork. “We still do our Mardi Gras bead tree and our new tradition, the Lundi Gras Red Beans and Rice party will be at Basecamp this year.
“Being from New Orleans, we have a tradition on Mondays that it’s laundry day. You start cleaning that day and put a pot of red beans on the stove and let them simmer all day. So, for Lundi Gras, it became a tradition to do red beans and rice and we brought that tradition to Eureka.”
Tickets for the Eureka Gras Benefit Wine Dinner can be purchased at https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/ krewe-du-korks-steampunk- eureka-gras-dinnertickets- 476736440527.
The Krewe of Krazo events kicked off Saturday, Jan. 7 with the Kings Day Kickoff, which included the presentation of the 2023 Royal Court.
At 2 p.m. Saturday Jan. 14 the Jack Rabbett’s Whiskey Bar at Basin Park Hotel will host the “Taste of N’Awlins,” which will include New Orleans-style food and a jazz band. The cost is $20 per person and tickets can be purchased at the door.
At 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, the Krewe of Krazo Coronation Ball takes place. The King and Queen of Eureka Springs will be crowned. That event is already sold out, Richardson said.
The following night, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 will be the return of the Krewe of Krazo Night Parade and the following week, at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, the Mardi Gras Ball will be held at the Inn of the Ozarks, including a DJ, dancing, and food.
Tickets for the ball are $60 and can be purchased at eurekaspringsmardigras. com.
The main Mardi Gras day parade down the streets of downtown Eureka Springs will return at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18. Steve Grant, news anchor for Springfield-based TV station KY3, will be the parade marshal.
“This year is going to be a special year, a special parade and we encourage everyone to bring their friends and family and be a part of it,” Richardson said. “Both the night parade and the day parade, those are our two biggest things. People are going to come from all over the place and those are not to be missed because the floats this year are going to be fantastic.
The season will come to a celebratory close when all Krewes, along with the public, come together for the Mardi Gras party from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the Gravel Bar at Wanderoo Lodge. That tradition started last year when the Krewe du Kork hosted the Fat Tuesday event at the Gravel Bar.
“We contacted the guys over at the Gravel Bar [last year] and they loved the idea of doing that,” Powell said. “Then we were meeting with the other kaptains of the other Krewes just to talk about the calendar and schedules … and the other Krewes wanted to do Fat Tuesday events as well. So, we just morphed the event into an all-Krewe event.
“Anybody celebrating Mardi Gras in town, everyone, all Krewes, are welcome to come celebrate.”
Richardson agreed.
“Get your favorite Mardi Gras mask, grab your beads, bring out those costumes and come party gras,” says a Facebook post about the event.
“It’s going to be very fun on Mardi Gras day when we all get together at the Gravel Bar with all the Krewes,” Richardson said. “I have a feeling it’s going to be just packed and will wrap up as far as the whole season.”
