Despite the piles of snow that filled downtown Moscow Saturday night, students and Palouse locals endured the weather to celebrate Mardi Gras.
Enjoying the nightlife and the live music, many ended the evening smiling. But most did not know Moscow Mardi Gras Inc. changed its traditional plan for this year’s events.
Instead of scheduling day events, the nonprofit organization held a single event with several bars at 9 p.m. Saturday in downtown Moscow.
The celebration was held at the Garden Lounge, John’s Alley, Mingles and Moscow City Hall.
The Intentions band musician Jim Boland said before the band’s performance at the Garden Lounge to bring enthusiasm to the event.
“Come out to Mardi Gras and have a great time,” Boland said.
The local Mardi Gras celebration started in the late ‘70s and has been around for nearly 40 years. Parades and fashion shows were the spectacle of the event, said Genevieve Bode, president of Moscow Mardi Gras. The traditional celebrations like the float parade and day events were removed this year due to lack of funding from last year.
“Trying to get the parade going … it was a hassle,” said Jeff Spellman, event volunteer and City of Moscow accountant. “Mardi Gras is so much more than that.”
Bode said the nonprofit wants to revamp the event and rename it the Palouse Youth Project for next year to bring the fundraising efforts back to its roots.
“The funds that we raise go to youth organizations,” Bode said. “It goes to kids’ organizations to help them. It’s going back within the community.”
She said the fundraising committee is already strategizing on introducing new events for 2018, like day events to involve children — the main focus of the fundraiser.
“We’re going to make some structural changes this year,” Bode said.
She said the fundraiser will still have the Moscow Mardi Gras annual event.
Spellman said he has volunteered at the event for the past 10 years, and he wants to keep the tradition going.
“I just help the committee every year,” Spellman said. “I had a buddy that used to do this for the committee … then he just kind of turned it over to me.”
He said it is good to give back to the community, especially for children’s fundraisers.
Bode said she wants to emphasize who the fundraising would go toward. She said one source is the Washington State University Palouse Area Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH). PATH helps disabled individuals mental and physical health through therapeutic horseback riding.
Bode said the event pours more funding for youth nonprofits like PATH.
“So it’s going back into the community for the kids,” Bode said. “Yes, (the event) takes place in the bars, but it’s really about the kids.”
Catherine Keenan can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Ckeeneye