Mardi Gras, Mardi Gay

BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER

    The Carnival season is again at hand and Mardi Gras, as it must from time to time, falls in early February with coats and hats being the costume of choice over scantily clad women and shirtless men. But the cold has never stopped revelers of every stripe—both gay and straight—from converging on historic Soulard. This year marks the 31 - annual celebration of what has become a destination event for our fair city—where the beaded and bedazzled celebrate day and night.

    It is widely known that loosely translated, "Mardi Gras" is French for "Fat Tuesday" (the day before the Christian fast of Lent) and was celebrated in many parts of Europe since the Middle Ages before being brought to New Orleans over 200 years ago by French immigrants.

    A lesser known fact is that Mardi Gras was recognized right here in St. Louis throughout the 1800s by the French Catholic settlers of Soulard (our city’s oldest neighborhood). Still, it proved a short-lived celebration as all of the fun abruptly ended when more conservative immigrant groups replaced them at the turn of the century.

    In fact Mardi Gras celebrations would remain relatively quiet until a local character by the name of Hillary Clemments came along to shake things up. Clemments was well-known for hosting spirited Mardi Gras parties but soon discovered they were outgrowing their Russell boulevard home. In 1979 the rehabber took the party to the streets of Soulard, and along with a band of friends, paraded in Carnival dress from McGurk’s to Clemments' home. That four-block trek is considered by many the first modern Mardi Gras Parade in St. Louis.

    Since that time the Soulard Mardi Gras celebration has grown to include well over 500,000 revelers and is now the third largest celebration of its kind behind "Rio" and "New Awlins." The once intimate lope through Soulard’s side streets has now been replaced by the more conventional and much larger parade down Seventh street and even a nighttime Fat Tuesday event through downtown’s Washington avenue.

    Indeed, Mardi Gras is one of the few holidays where the gay and straight worlds collide here in the Gateway City. In the late 1970s we were fortunate to have an already established lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Soulard which continues to this day. The historic neighborhood is home to Clementines (St. Louis’ oldest gay bar founded in 1978), Bastille, and for many years, The Front Page. For over three decades the LGBT community has been instrumental in Mardi Gras’ planning and participation all the while living, working and playing in the shadow of the brewery.

    It’s only appropriate that we’ve been able to maintain and grow a proud gay presence at Soulard Mardi Gras to mirror the New Orleans celebration. We have our own "lavender lane" or "pink alley", if you will, in the stretch of Menard between Bastille and Clementines. It’s our community’s home-base where queer revelers congregate and well-known as one of the hottest areas post-parade.

    The LGBT community has certainly put its stamp on Soulard Mardi Gras. Clementines continues to play host to the high-camp High Heel Drag Race, now in its 23-year as well as one of Mardi Gras’ most popular events, the 17-annual Beggin’ Pet Parade and "Tail" Gate Party. For the love of shoes and animals is universal (he said ironically) and nothing brings folks together like our dogs, cats and other domesticated pets dressed to the nines in their Mardi Gras best.

    So bundle up, work those beads—and "Let the Good Times Roll."

You can email Colin Murphy at colin_murphy@sbcglobal.net