What's Happening??

Entering at 7th and Austin Ave., masqueraders will walk into a Mardi Gras atmosphere with 6 venues to experience.

  The Palladium will be “The Gold Room”. There the 10 piece band Elephants, a dance floor, cajun appetizers and drinks will jazz the evening. The King and Queen will also preside there. This year’s King and Queen are Kent & Beverley Keahey.

  The Hippodrome, “The Purple Room,” will feature jazz pianist Ronnie Lenamon. Hurricanes and shrimp surrounding the Mardi Gras Waco ice sculpture will greet you in this cabaret.

  Preservation Hall, the building between The Palladium and The Green Room Grille, will present Maiden Voyage with singer Lorna Wilhelm. Wine, beer, and cajun appetizers will be served.

  The Hippodrome Courtyard will be turned into Cafe du Monde. The mellow jazz of The Horton Duo will be accompanied by beignets, king cakes, cappuccino, espresso and coffee.

  The Cigar/Beer Garden will be on the other side of the Hippodrome. Richard Thomas and his hot sax and keyboard will liven that corner of Austin Ave. Cigars provided by Don’s Humidor.

  The Green Room Grille will have a special VIP dinner available. Reservations are limited so please call them at 756.7666. The band Mustard Seed, lead by Sherman Ayers, will be performing.

Entertainment including 2 caricature artists and a tarot card/palm reader will be out on the avenue .

Everyone attending has a chance to win the Best Costumed Masquerader contest. The Best Costume winner (does not need to be a couple) will receive a trip for two to the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans with round-trip airfare provided by Southwest Airlines. The 3 anonymous judges will announce the winner around 11:15 p.m.

The evening will be topped off by the raffle drawing for a 7 days and 6 nights trip for 2 trip to Nice, France, including airfare on American Airlines and accommodations at the Hotel Le Grimaldi in Nice, France. Raffle tickets for this trip of a lifetime are $100. Only 250 tickets will be sold so hurry because they are going fast. If there are raffle tickets remaining, they will be available at the Hippodrome box office until sold out.

Since this is a Masquerade Party, masks are mandatory, but costumes are optional. All attendees will be required to wear a mask to enter the festivities. If you arrive without a mask, a simple, generic mask will be provided for you. (hint: it won't win the contest!)

There is still time to order masks from www.GypsyRenaissance.net . They have a large variety of beautiful masks available. As a special bonus, if you mention in the COMMENT section that you are attending the Mardi Gras Waco event you will receive FREE Express Shipping on your order. The owner. Alexis Seepo, has also graciously offered to keep track of any duplicate orders and advise customers if any particular mask has already been ordered for our event. Hurry, time is running short! She may be able to ship them as late as Thursday, January 31 to still arrive in time, but call her quickly!

Please join us as we christen the revitalization of downtown with this amazing annual fundraiser. To purchase tickets and or tables of 8, call the Hippodrome Box Office at 752.9797. Come and unmask the marvels!

Laissez les bon temps roulez!
Let the good times roll!