thrice all american: Mardi Gras Festival at Freighthouse

Mardi Gras Festival at Freighthouse

· Posted Monday February 12, 2007 by jamie

I came across this, of all places, from an music-related search feed from Craigslist. Freighthouse Square will be hosting a Mardi Gras festival this coming Saturday, February 17th. This sounds like a good time: costume contest, stiltwalking, belly dancing, dixieland jazz (I know a lot of these guys and they’re the real deal), and, last but certainly not least, female impersonators. Details below…

Freighthouse Square announces A Family Mardi Gras Festival, Saturday February 17, 2007

Parade at 2p starting at the corner of 2501 E D street processing thought the middle of the Square—With BEST COSTUME Contest Prizes for best Adult and Best Kid (ages 4-12) Costume.

Events Include:

Janet Rayor’s stilt walking in her stunning characters which include a Peacock, Sugarplum Fairy, Butterfly, Dragonfly, and Giraffe. Often compared to a Cirque du Soleil act, Janet has the amazing ability to engage, stay in character and dance with grace as though she isn’t really on the tiny tips of two 2’ x 2’ poles. Janet designs and creates all her own stilt walking costumes and performs roving and short shows for all ages sizes. Her past engagements include: Seattle Seahawks’ games, St. Louis Arts Festival, Wildflower Music Festival in Texas, Los Angeles County Fair,and Seattle Symphony’s Benaroya Hall. (Janet’s site http://www.gigmasters.com/StiltWalker/Ellarella)

Also in the parade and on the program will be, Melody, an award winning Gypsy style belly dancer with 15 years of experience. Her sassy skirt work impresses her audience while she balances her 38” sword on her head. You may even see her dancing with one of her many silk fans or FIRE! Melody is a owner/produce of Emerald Rain Belly dance Co. and the driving force behind the group. She keeps it energized and positive while keeping the dance form fun. She has appeared on a variety of TV shows, and in international magazine publications, as well as, at many Puget Sound festivals, conference and convention.

Freighthouse Square’s Fat Mardi Gras Celebration will feature members of Tacoma’s longest running Dixieland Jazz Band, the Traffic Jammers. Formed in the late1950’s, Traffic Jammers, founded by trombonist Gary Aleshire and the late Wayne Simon, entertained Tacoma audiences for 30 years. Original members of
thegroup; Robert McNamara, (bass player), and Gary Aleshire, (trombone), will team up with notable jazz musicians; Bud Schultz (legendary pianist), Nick Prasch, (trumpet virtuoso/ vocalist), Eric
Stevens,(multitalented drums and trombone), and Paul Leary (ballet or dixie clarinetist). This Six Piece Dixieland Band will be an All-Star lineup performing renditions of romping, stomping swing music.

No Mardi Grad would be complete without a little bit of tongue in cheek fun—that fun will be provided by the female impersonators of the Court of Tacoma, affectionately known as Drag Queens of the Court of the Tacoma. The Court of Tacoma will perform a variety of numbers for the event. Founded in 1978, the Imperial Sovereign Court of Tacoma, operates as a 501©3 organization. The Court of and is one part of a large network of non-profits called the International Court System which was founded by female impersonators in San Francisco. With a vast collection of talents and resources, the organization prides itself on the diversity of its membership and has hosted a large array of fundraisers and provides financial assistance to a variety of other community-based organizations in the counties of Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap, Grays Harbor, Pacific and Lewis.

The Freighthouse Square Family Mardi Gras will have games and prizes, live music and a food court full of food specials. For more information of this event contact Freighthouse Square Event Coordinator, Robert Guerrero at (253) 468-6003.

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