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Watauga County Arts Council is Hosting 3rd Annual Mardi Gras Celebration, Feb. 18

On the 18th eve of the month of February in the quaint little village known as Blowing Rock there will be held a festive celebration filled with merriment, dancing, music, and festive attire.  This event, known as the Mardi Gras, is being put on by the Watauga County Arts Council and will be held at the Meadowbrook Inn, located at 711 Main Street in Blowing Rock.

The Mardi Gras is a rare opportunity to enjoy frivolity, dress up (if one so wishes) in wild and crazy attire, dance to the syncopated jazz tunes performed by the Todd Wright Jazz Band until one’s feet complain, and possibly even indulge in games wherein additional prizes might be awarded if one’s fortune allows them the opportunity! There will be traditional Cajun fare, the requisite “King’s Cake”, and a cash bar as well to round out the event.

The honor of royal status has this year been bestowed upon one wild and crazy artist by the name of Alan Gordon.  King Alan will be presented at the start of the festivities by the effervescent emcee Raney Rogers, who will once again lead in the merriment and keep the activities moving from the starting hour of six o’clock until the guests depart at nine o’clock.   

To lend a special touch to the festivities, by order of His Majesty, King Alan….King of the 2018 Mardi Gras….let it be known that the painting, “don’t fence ME in!” has been donated to the Watauga County Arts Council. The Arts Council has established a royal raffle, the likes of which can only result in a very happy patron who will enjoy this magnificent, framed work of art for a lifetime by mere chance…and a $5 raffle ticket.

The fanciful and yet royal painting of watercolor, pen, and ink is encased in a solid wooden black frame and protected with conservation glass. Its size is 18×24 inches (plus the frame and mat) and its value is $650!  Until the evening of the Mardi Gras it may be seen at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace, located at 377 Shadowline Drive in Boone.  The joyous patron who wins this rare treasure doth not have to be present at the Mardi Gras, wherein the winning ticket shall be drawn, but it sure does make things a lot more fun!!!

A certificate for right of entry (better known as a ticket) to the Mardi Gras festivities can be obtained by merely clicking on the website located at www.watauga-arts.org and completing the requisite payment process (or just call the Arts Council at 828-264-1789 or come by Blue Ridge ArtSpace). Passage through the doors to frivolity is a mere $45 per person, but when one brings along seven of their most faithful party-loving friends, the cost for all of the eight persons at the table is reduced by $5 per patron (or a total of $320 for the lot of you).

While the festivities are planned for the 18th of February, should there be frozen confetti falling from the clouds, an alternative date has been pre-selected and has been declared for the 25th of February.  

And if the above description, while perhaps entertaining, has served merely to confuse, following are the basic details in plain English:  

The Watauga County Arts Council is hosting its 3rd annual Mardi Gras Celebration at the Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock. The event will take place on Sunday, February 18th from 6-9 pm.  In the event of inclement weather, the snow date is February 25th. Music will be provided by the Todd Wright Jazz Band and costumes are optional.  Tickets are available at the Arts Council’s website at www.watauga-arts.org , by calling 828-264-1789, or by visiting the Arts Council offices at Blue Ridge ArtSpace at 377 Shadowline Drive in Boone.  Tickets are $45 per person or $320 for a party of eight.   And, to add a special touch to the event, Alan Gordon, who will be the King of the Mardi Gras, has donated a painting which is being raffled off for $5/chance.  Raffle tickets are also available online and the drawing will take place during the Mardi Gras event.  For more information contact the Arts Council at 828-264-1789.