Published March 4, 2000, Winter Haven News Chief

Mardi Gras or Mardi Mess

Will it be Mardi Gras or will it be Mardi-Mess in Lake Wales this weekend?  The Mardi Gras event has grown over 16 years into something that is quite big for our little town.  The question is; Has it grown Up?

It has grown into something big.  The various Krewes do spend a great deal of time preparing floats for the parade, developing great costumes and are putting a a pretty good parade… so I am told.  There are events starting on Friday and going right through “Fat Tuesday” with the crowning of the Prince of Wailes at the coronation Ball at the Lake Wales Country Club.

There has been a growing gnawing thought on the part of the churches in Lake Wales that the Mardi Gras celebration is not just right.    After all it is a religious based event and should what appears to be a drunken brawl be part of a religious event.  Mardi Gras is ages old, starting in the second century after the birth of Christ; it is a celebration preceding the 40 days of Lent.  Basically all of the things you might give up for Lent are done during Mardi Gras.

So some in the religious community went to the city commission to ask them to deny the parade permit for Mardi Gras.  The commission thought through the situation and decided rightly that it was too late to make this change.  Many of the Krewes had long ago been working on the floats and costumes for the Parade and all the other events.

The problem is deeper than religions consideration…. Sure there are some religions overtones in the protest, but I think what really brought the concern to a head was the Mardi-Mess in the downtown Church parking lots that greeted the worshipers at the early services.  This is the result of the all day music and partying that goes late into the evening, of course complete with ample amounts of beer and other adult beverages.  And quite frankly the partiers got out of hand and the mess was evident on Sunday morning.  This also presented a problem for the police… how do they handle the problem?  They had to strike a balance to allow the people have a little fun and listen to the music and not let it get out of hand. 

The Commission and the organizers of the Lake Wales Mardi Gras know the problem.  The organizers have made an effort to keep control and even to get downtown on Sunday to help clean up the mess.  But they have not cleaned up the mess in time for the early services. 

The commission has done right, the organizers understand the problem and are trying to work out a good solution for Lake Wales.  The test will be come Sunday morning.  Has the street party been responsible?  Has the party and mess spilled out across the town? 

The religious element has done right in raising the question; Is this right?  Should we take a religious event and turn it into what has become a drunken brawl?  It is their obligation to raise the question in the minds of the community.  It is their obligation to make us think and some have realized that this event is not for them.  It is not their right to demand the elimination of the event.  

So the event will come to a cross roads this year.  After 16 years it is time for this event to grow up and be responsible.  The commission has provided the opportunity and the willingness to work with the event organizers to do just that. 

The event can go one of two ways…. Will it grow up and be something even the non participants can tolerate? Or will it degenerate into a something that is ugly and unsightly and degrading to the community?

A great deal will be determined on Sunday morning and the condition of the church parking lots.