Spanish Town Mardi Gras

I am very excited today has finally arrived! I was hoping to get up early and get a workout in before the madness takes over my neighborhood but Walmart must have drained me last night because I didn't wake up until almost 7. There were people last night tailgating up and down the streets of downtown with RV's, campfires, food and I am sure alcohol. The streets of downtown are lined with lovely "Tiger Toilets" and soon to be vendors selling anything you can imagine that is pink flamingo.
Why Spanish Town? Why the Flamingo? I am posting a clip from the Parade's website that will give you a general idea...

Spanish Town is historic because it is the oldest neighborhood in Baton Rouge. It was founded in 1805, two years after the Louisiana Purchase took place. Baton Rouge wasn't part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Instead, it was part of the "Province of West Florida." West Florida included East and West Feliciana Parishes, East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes. Today, we call these the "Florida Parishes" because they have a different history from the rest of the State. The rest of Louisiana was purchased by the American government, but West Florida was owned by Spain. Many of the people in West Florida were Anglo; in other words, they had English ancestry, and they disliked having Spanish rule. They really wanted to be part of America rather than Spain. So they started a rebellion, which lasted until 1810, when they finally became part of the United States.

During these years of unrest, people from the Canary Islands settled along what is now called Spanish Town Road in 1805. The Canary Islands are located off the coast of Spain, near North Africa. Unlike Anglo residents of Baton Rouge, Canary Islanders enjoyed being part of Spain, since they had Spanish heritage. By living in "Spanish Town," the residents could keep their own identity, their Spanish language, and community.

Today, the neighborhood still has a unique sense of community—a sense of difference. To symbolize our difference from the rest of Baton Rouge, my neighbors and I have adopted the pink flamingo as our mascot. Why such an unusual mascot? Because our worldview is that "poor taste is better than no taste at all!" Some people think flamingos show poor taste!

Perhaps your own aesthetics—your sense of what is "beautiful" or "appropriate"—tell you that pink flamingos are "poor taste." After all, plastic pink flamingos have been decorating American lawns for many years. But these plastic flamingos are often called "kitsch" by American society. Kitsch is inexpensive stuff, mass produced, and considered by "cultured people" to be of "poor taste." Velvet paintings of Elvis Presley would definitely be considered kitsch by many people. But, remember, some people, with a different aesthetic, prefer kitsch! In Spanish Town, we really like kitsch.

Time to get ready for the party...HAPPY MARDI GRAS to all!