Tallahassee's own version of the Mardis Gras festival happened on Saturday, Feb. 16 in Tallahassee's Railroad Square Art Park. Dubbed "Artis Gras" the local event has been celebrated since 2009.
Railroad Square's various shops and studios host the happening. Among them is the Savvy Salvage Thrift Store owned by Justice Barnes.
"Anytime there's a big event here in Tallahassee where families can come out and communities from every direction can meet in the middle, it's a fantastic opportunity. And Railroad Square is the perfect place to do it; where better than the art district?"
Still, music is the big festival draw. Jan De Cosmo is a Railroad Square art studio owner who was helping coordinate the entertainment.
"We have 4 local bands and one band from southwest Louisiana to play some Zydeco music and washboard," she said. "We're going to have dance lessons, we have a parade at 4:00 p.m. and then an afterparty with two bands. One of them is out-of-town and the other is a local band, Soul Collective, from Tallahassee."
That afterparty went well into the wee hours of Sunday.
