Mardi Gras 2016 In Soulard Begins With Tonight's 12th Night Celebration

The official 2016 Mardi Gras poster

Islanders will congregate tonight outside on Russell Blvd outside the birthplace of Soulard Mardi Gras for a highly anticipated announcement. At approximately 7 PM tonight, Mardi Gras Inc. Director Tim Lorson will emerge from the front doors of Johnny's at 1017 Russell. The crowds will hush as Lorson announces the Mardi Gras Board's decision. If revelers have their way, glorious words will emerge from Lorson's lips.

"The Board Has Decided That We Will Have Mardi Gras 2016", he will boom.

With those words, a joyous tradition will take place. Islanders, Mardi Gras revelers and other St. Louis dignitaries will march through the streets of Soulard singing the praises of the men who started the party, Bob Brinkman, Hilary Clements, Bill Coleman, Jim Rabbit and Bill Stubbs and the many who have kept it going in the years since. Barkeeps and restaurant owners will emerge from their establishments to give toasts to Soulard and the Mardi Gras season.

The parade will end at Rudy Commons in front of Soulard Market Park in honor of longtime Soulard and Mardi Gras friend Rudy Piskulick. More speeches will be made and the 2016 Rex will be crowned.

As the Soulard Mardi Gras flag is then raised over this glorious island neighborhood we call home, the 2016 Mardi Gras season begins in St. Louis. The next month will be marked with parades, concerts, a Family Winter Carvnival, parties and more. More than a few gallons of Bud Light and Southern Comfort Hurricanes will surely be consumed as well.

For more on the 2016 Mardi Season in St. Louis, check out this calendar over at RealLifeSTL.

We'll see you at 7 PM tonight in front of Johnny's. Be sure to bundle up.

2015 GO! Marathon Soulard Cheer Station This Sunday

Do you know someone who is running in the GO! St. Louis Marathon on Sunday, April 12? Do you just want to hang out with your awesome Soulard neighbors? Are you just really bored around 7:30 am on a Sunday? No matter what your reason is, come out to the corner of 9th and Victor this Sunday morning at 7:30 am to cheer on the runners.

For several years now, a group of islanders has been gathering on a corner of the neighborhood on a Sunday morning to cheer on those running in the Go! St. Louis Marathon. For the first couple of years the event organizers held a competition among neighborhoods along the route to see who could put on the best cheer station. There is no longer a competition after our Soulard group kept trouncing the competition. Event organizers still make a generous donation to the Soulard Restoration Group each year to thank the neighborhood for delighting runners with its antics.

The route for the 2015 Go! St. Louis marathon has changed a bit and will make its way through Soulard at a different point. The Cheer Station will be located at Mile 10.25 on the route. The theme of the Soulard Cheer Station will again be pajamas. Neighbors are asked to show up in their best bed attire to cheer on the runners. You're also asked to keep in mind that you will be in public for 1 and for 2, we don't want to scare the runners.

The event is traditionally a Breakfast Potluck, so feel free to bring a breakfast dish to share with the group. Don't have a dish? Don't fret, just bring yourself and maybe a noisemaker. Neighbors and other supporters are also asked to bring a canned good to donate to the Trinity Lutheran Church food pantry. Cans will be loaded into the bed of Dave Perry's truck for delivery to the church.

With the change of venue this year, the Cheer Station is now located in front of a business rather than on a random street corner. The Good Luck Bar & Grill has graciously agreed to open early for the event to provide bathrooms and server beverages.

Check out the 2015 Go! St. Louis Marathon Soulard Cheer Station on Facebook. We'll see you Sunday morning.

2014 Soulard Restoration Group Membership Party May 7

The annual Soulard Restoration Group Membership Party is coming up this Wednesday at the Great Grizzly Bear on Geyer. The event takes the place of the May General Membership meeting. A regular meeting will not be held and it will instead be an evening for neighbors to mingle and have fun. A paid membership is good for an all-inclusive evening from 6:30 pm - 9 pm.

Dues are $20 per individual and $30 per household. Senior (65+) memberships are $1.

The SRG is one of the oldest neighborhood associations in St. Louis. It's open to anyone who lives in the area, home-owner or renter. This is a great, cheap time you don't want to miss.

Questions? Go here. or you can email me. Ryan (at) iLoveSoulad.com