Today The Festivities Begin

Summerdale, AL.

67 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 73F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Weather wise, the day didn't start out very good yesterday. There was heavy rain for a good part of the morning, but then skies started to clear some and the sun even came out for awhile during the afternoon.

Jim and Linda didn't do much. Linda read some, fooled around with the computer and watched some TV. Jim did basically the same thing except he read a magazine, fooled around with the other computer and watched some TV.

For dinner, since the weather was co-operating, Jim got out the grill and cooked a couple burgers while Linda prepared some carrots on my stove.

Today, the Mardi Gras festivities start here at the park, with a dinner this evening, followed by the selection of a Mardi Gras King and Queen. After that, there'll be the "Rainbow Ball".

Did you know that historians differ about how exactly Mardi Gras was brought to the United States, but all agree it was due to French influence in the territory of Louisiana?

Some think the French explorer Sieur d'Ibervilled introduced Mardi Gras when he landed in what is today Louisiana in 1699. Others say that early French settlers to Louisiana introduced Mardi Gras to the Americas. While others argue that the first Mardi Gras was celebrated by French soldiers back in 1703, in the city of Mobile, Alabama. Either way, by the 1820s, Mardi Gras was firmly entrenched in New Orleans culture.