Alexandria plans Mardi Gras fun

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel editor
• Published: Feb 8, 2009 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Mardi Gras madness almost consumes Louisiana this time of year. Partying and parade going is an art form here, and most residents know you don’t have to go to the big cities to have plenty of fun.

Alexandria invites people to central Louisiana for “Mardi Gras au Coeur de la Louisianne,” a celebration in the heart of Louisiana. Most activities are designed to be safe and family friendly. Activities include the Woodworth Mardi Gras Parade, 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14; LSU Alexandria Mardi Gras Parade, noon Wednesday, Feb. 18; and the Krewe of Kolbi Bow Wow Ball at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Alexandria Zoo.

Activities kick up a notch Friday, Feb. 20. The College Cheerleaders and Classic Cars parade begins at 4:30 p.m. in downtown Alexandria. Afterward, head to the Riverfront Center for a Taste of Mardi Gras sponsored by the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Reserved tables open at 5 p.m. and general admission at 7 p.m. Featuring 38 local restaurants, caterers and beverage suppliers, the event includes live entertainment, auction and a second line Mardi Gras parade. Following food, there will be a citywide dance featuring Stormy of Baton Rouge from 9 p.m. to midnight. The event will benefit the local charity, the Christus Cabrini Children’s Miracle Network.

Saturday, Feb. 21, join the crowd for the annual Children’s Parade at 10:45 a.m. downtown. And don’t miss the King Cake Party at the Alexandra Zoo featuring Julie Hanna as grand marshal and the Budweiser Clydesdales.

Don’t miss the Alexandria Mardi Gras Association’s krewes’ parade Sunday, Feb. 22, with floats, music and more. Actress Faith Ford will be grand marshal. Raised in Pineville, Alexandra’s sister city on the Red River, Ford moved to New York City at 17. Her successful television and movie career earned Ford five Emmy nominations and two consecutive Golden Globe Award nominations for her 10-year portrayal of reporter Corky Sherwood on the CBS series Murphy Brown. Most recently, Ford has participated in the Louisiana Tourism “My Louisiana” marketing campaign.

Visitors will find accommodations throughout the Alexandria and Pineville area. The Alexander Fulton Hotel, next to the downtown Convention Center, will put you on the main parade route. For information on lodgings, restaurants and attractions, contact http://www.theheartofLouisiana.com or (318) 442-9546.

BR Zoo Valentine
Visit BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo Saturday, Feb. 14, for a Valentine Extravaganza. The day will include Safari Amphitheatre programs featuring the sometimes-strange and amazing “birds and the bees” facts of some of the animals. Children’s activities will include making animal-inspired valentines.

Adults and kids can explore the zoo’s animal habitats, the Safari Playground, L’aquarium de Louisianne and ride the Cypress Bayou Railroad on a ride through the Louisiana habitat surrounding the core zoo. Regular admission applies. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Contact http://www.brzoo.org or call (225) 775-3877.

BRCVB board officers
The Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau recently named Leonard Wyatt chairman of its 2009 board of directors. Wyatt is Baton Rouge area retail manager of Whitney Bank. He also serves on the board of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce, Ascension Economic Development Corporation, Volunteers in Public Schools and 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge.

Other new officers include Claude Reynaud, vice chairman, a partner with Breazeale, Sachse and Wilson and board member of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge; Otis Washington, secretary-treasurer, who served as executive director of the New Orleans Police Athletic League, and a graduate of Xavier University.

Other members of the BRCVB board are Andy Blouin, Peter Couhig, Maury Drummond, Toni Hayes, Danny McGlynn, Ralph H. Ney and Scott Wilson. Serving as volunteers, the board members represent various areas of the community and help direct the CVB to increase all aspects of tourism and hospitality in Baton Rouge.

Germans in New Orleans
The Historic New Orleans Collection and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra will present An die Musik: The German Heritage of New Orleans Wednesday, Feb. 11, in the Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St. Mary Sue Morrow, musicologist at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, will give a lecture on 19th-century New Orleans singing societies at 6:30 p.m.

A concert in St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square will begin at 8 p.m.