Mardi Gras celebration has hometown roots

Mardi Gras celebration has hometown roots

Mardi Gras doesn't just take place in New Orleans, it has also happened annually for the past nine years in the Village of Brockport.

The event, which features a parade and festival for children and their parents, will take place April 28 with the parade stepping off at 10 a.m.

"This is a huge event for Brockport. It's the 'Mardi Gras with heart,' " Coordinator Bill Andrews said.

As in past years, the parade is the highlight of the day. Andrews said he didn't know how many floats had committed to the event but said he anticipates at least as many, if not more, than in previous years.

The parade begins at Market Street, heads down Main Street and west onto Adams Street. It will end at the Tuttle Athletic Complex where the festival kicks off. There will be face painting, games, activities and inflatables for the children to enjoy. A "cake walk," similar to the game Musical Chairs, will be featured again. Participants walk until the music stops, and whichever cake they are at when the music stops is theirs to keep.

As with the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Brockport event also features music. The festivities immediately follow the parade and are on the grounds of SUNY Brockport.

History
The village began hosting the Mardi Gras in 1999 when 10-year-old Max Monaghan, who is HIV positive, had his request granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He had wanted to go to New Orleans, but because of his health was unable to, so the event began in Brockport.

What started as an event to help one local child has turned into an annual community celebration.

During the Mardi Gras events, children from organizations such as CP Rochester and Camp Good Days and Special Times have the opportunity to ride on the floats and participate in a variety of special games.

Annually, the event chooses an organization that will be the recipient of proceeds. This year, Camp Abilities will be the beneficiary.

"The Mardi Gras celebration is truly a community event," said Coordinator Bill Andrews. "The fire department, local businesses, the Girl Scouts and other service clubs, as well as the school district and SUNY Brockport all come together to make it a very special day for everybody, especially the kids."

Additional information about the Mardi Gras event can be found on the Village of Brockport's website at www.brockportny.org., by calling Andrews at 637-3721 or co-coordinator Joseph Richards at 637-4133.

SUNY Brockport participates
in Max's Mardi Gras celebration

SUNY College at Brockport, Camp Good Days and Special Times, CP Rochester and Camp Abilities present the ninth annual Max's Mardi Gras Parade and Festival, Saturday, April 28, rain or shine. With "Children of America" as its theme, this year's Max's Mardi Gras Parade will highlight ways children have fun across America today and at various times in the nation's history. Camp Good Days and Special Times, CP Rochester and Camp Abilities use Max's Mardi Gras to entertain children who have life-threatening illnesses or severe disabilities.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. at Market Street and ends at the parking lot east of the SUNY Brockport Tuttle Athletic Complex. Max Monaghan, whose Make-A-Wish request launched the event in 2000, will once again be the parade's Honorary Marshall.

Immediately following the parade, the Max's Mardi Gras Festival will take place on the SUNY Brockport campus. Students from a recreation and leisure studies course at the college are organizing the festival under the direction of a Max's Mardi Gras Festival subcommittee. The festival will run from approximately 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be held on the lawn west of Cooper Hall, directly across from New Campus Drive. Everyone is invited to join in the festival.

Festival activities for families include games, such as a lollipop toss, football toss, parachute games and others. "This is an opportunity for students to put recreation programming principles into practice while supporting the community," said Lynda Cochran, assistant professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, whose class is organizing festival activities.