There's no French Quarter in Muncie, but Walnut Street will resemble New Orleans' Bourbon Street Saturday as community members celebrate Fat Tuesday at Muncie Gras 2007.
Muncie Gras is Downtown Development's biggest annual event, Cheryl Crowder, director of special events for Downtown Development, said. Since its inception in 2001, Muncie Gras has attracted an average of 11,000 people each year, Crowder said.
New to the 2007 celebration will be a carousel, which will replace the mechanical bull the group has rented in years past.
"We're thinking of it sort of as a circular Mardi Gras parade," Crowder said. "Good place to throw beads and catch them."
Because of the cold weather, the bull was hard to maintain. The carousel will also accommodate more people at once, Crowder said.
The cold weather is an issue that Downtown Development addresses every year.
In 2001, weather was warm for the February event, and since then, Downtown Development has worked on ways to keep the people who attend the event comfortable.
More warm places to eat will be available this year, Crowder said. But she advises that people dress for the weather.
"As long as you stay in the crowd, dress appropriately to begin with and keep moving, it will be fine," she said.
Planning for Muncie Gras started the day after last year's celebration when Downtown Development asked Mojo and the Bayou Gypsies to return for the 2007 event. The band is one of 17 that will perform Saturday.
Mister MOJO, singer and accordion player for the six-piece band, said the band enjoyed last year's festival so much they had to return for another year. The members of the band have spent the past three months preparing for the weather, though.
"We had a ball," he said. "It's a wonderful festival. A little crazy cold, but the party was hot. It was just great, nice people."
Last year, the band members couldn't feel their fingers by the end of the performance, MOJO said, but they were promised more heaters on stage for this year's event.
"It's really hard to play when you can't feel your fingers," he said.-¦
Also, MOJO said he bought a new costume for the performance so he could wear layers of clothing.
"It will be my Mardi Gras finest," he said.
Keeping warm wasn't a problem for the audience last year, he said. About 10 minutes into the performance, audience members were taking off their coats despite the low temperatures, MOJO said.
"The government's investigating us because we might be responsible for global warming," he said jokingly. "Our show's too hot."
Mojo and the Bayou Gypsies are internationally known for their unique sound and performance style.
"Our band is the most fun you can ever have without getting hurt or in trouble," MOJO said.
Other performances will add to the diversity Downtown Development is looking to add to the festival.
Jennie DeVoe, a Ball State University 1991 graduate, will be performing for her fourth consecutive year. She will be one of the opening acts for the event.
"It's kind of a neat thing for such a small town," DeVoe, who is from Muncie but lives in Indianapolis, said.
"That street just that one night, like 10,000 people came out," she said. It's just a phenomenon."
DeVoe has never gone to the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but she said she imagines Muncie Gras is similar to it, just a little colder.
"I think it's a good money-maker for Downtown Development," she said. "It's also kind of a good thing for the community to bring people together."
DeVoe said she would be performing some songs from her upcoming albums, but will probably also cover some Led Zeppelin and Janice Joplin.
Catch the event
WHEREDowntown Muncie
TIME7 p.m. Saturday
COST$10 in advance, $15 at the door
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