Ah, Mardi Gras. The lively, sometimes rowdy tradition whose origins can be traced all the way back to 1699.
When people think of Mardi Gras, New Orleans might be the first thing that comes to mind, but St. Louis has been participating in the festivities since the early 1980’s. Locals and visitors alike cherish the Grand Parade, along with the accompanying smaller celebrations that pop up around the city.
Soulard Mardi Gras Origins
The Grand Parade Creative Director of Soulard Mardi Gras, Bonita Leiber, has been with the organization since 1986. Leiber reflected on how much smaller the first parades were in the mid 1980’s, with an intimate group of locals walking down one street in the historic Soulard neighborhood.
Passionate about the celebration becoming a staple in the area, Leiber and other local volunteers worked diligently with city officials for years to form the parade into the huge celebration it is today.
“We worked out of somebody’s kitchen, and it was volunteers only for a while, but it kept growing and growing,” Leiber said. “It was still fairly small the last time it went through just the neighborhood—that was in ’94. We had Tiny Tim as our grand marshal. It was a very beautiful year, and [since then] the parade [has grown] by leaps and bounds.”
Leiber said 1994 was the year she knew they “finally made it” and all the volunteers’ hard work to establish this parade as an integral part of the Soulard neighborhood had paid off.
Image courtesy of Mardi Gras Foundation
Going from crowds of around 10,000 people with a small parade in just a section of the neighborhood, it now stretches all the way from Busch Stadium through Downtown South and Soulard, drawing in massive crowds of people from all over every year.
The boisterous groups walking in the parade are known are Krewes, originated in 1857 by New Orleans’ the Mystic Krewe of Comus.
“The Krewes have come a long way from what we call ‘drunks on a truck,’ which was a bunch of people in the back of a pickup truck, maybe a trailer, and a few decorations riding in the parade. Now these Krewes spend a lot of money [and time] on their floats and have really upped their game,” Leiber said.
Getting to Know a Krewe
Krewe De Jonque started out as your typical Mardi Gras attendees, showing up and just enjoying the party. But each year of attendance they found themselves dressing up and accessorizing in “weirder” things that the Krewe founder, Katie Lappe, picked up from thrift stores.
“One year one of my friends heard about a junk parade held somewhere in the Midwest, and it made her think of our group and calling us Krewe De Jonque because we were always wearing some junky stuff,” Lappe said. “Once we decided on [the name], that’s when we really started creating and wearing costumes. Eventually, Bonita reached out to us and asked us if we wanted to walk in the parade and we decided to try it.”
Now more than just attendees, Lappe started to organize. Their annual get-together, referred to as the “initial junking,” is hosted out of a Krewe member’s garage, where they gather to create all the items for the parade.
“We go to the Goodwill bins or gather stuff we might just donate and organize it into like these kinds of chaotic piles, plug in a bunch of glue guns, and everyone just comes over and we start crafting,” said Lappe. “It’s just total freedom, no rules, just whatever you want to put together.”
Simply put, the artistic and creative process is just getting the group together to play around with the junk until it feels right.
“Some of our friends [in the Krewe] are actual artists by trade, like Jess, Troy, and Austin, but many of us, not so much. Many people [in the Krewe] are like, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize how badly I needed to decorate an outfit with junk,’ and it’s therapeutic and fun. Everyone’s crafting together, and it’s absolutely silly and all just for the sake of Mardi Gras,” Lappe said.
Prior to the Krewe De Jonque’s first parade debut, they focused heavily on the use of reclaimed materials. Lappe said this derives in part from St. Louis historic role of upcycling.
“One reason [we use reclaimed materials] would be St. Louis’ rich history of other artists and people using trash in a cool way,” said Lappe. “Places like the City Museum, Venice Café, and Joe’s Café –– these are places we love and are inspired by. It was not an intentional thought, but I imagine they helped us see the potential.”
She also notes the Krewe’s “Why not?” attitude toward using reclaimed materials aligns with the spirit of the parade and Mardi Gras as a whole. In addition to floats and costumes, the beads they throw are also a bit unique.
“People go crazy for the pasta beads,” Kappe said. “They are biodegradable, and it is a very cheap material. We use yarn that we get from the [Goodwill] bins. We also just have fun making the pasta necklaces –– we will put on a movie, and everyone is just making necklaces.”
When asked about the overall vibe of Soulard Mardi Gras, Lappe said it is best described as “debauchery in the streets.”
“It’s a free-for-all in a way that is really wonderful,” Kappe added. “After [the parade] we head into the streets, musicians will start playing and people just gather around in mobs and start dancing with strangers. It’s a very cool, organic party in the street that is completely spontaneous.”
Every year, Soulard Mardi Gras hosts events starting in January through early March. In addition to the beloved Grand Parade and street party in Soulard, other notable events include the annual Cajun Cook Off and adorable Purina Pet Parade. More information about Soulard Mardi Gras can be found at stlmardigras.org.
Krewe De Jonque members: Katie Lappe, Tommy Nagel, Austin LeMoine, Troy Chebuhar, Steve Carr, Kathleen Sweeney, Dan Nieuhaus, Mary Porzelt, Will Linhares, Arica Laurel, Georgia Rheinhardt, Ella Gross, Gina Henseler, Pat Henseler, Jackson Ramsey, Jess Elfrink, Connor Elfrink, Jess Bremehr, Kevin Kuhlmann, Lauren Woll, Matt Garvey, Missy Preston, Mark Waterman, Rachel Waterman, Peter Heagney, Cadence Hodes, Claire Greene, Mike Binetsch, Jess Binetsch, Katie Duffie, Lane Stultz, TJ Hallam, Allie Samata, Coleman McIntyre, and Beth Lappe and Tobe LeMoine aka “the mother truckers” –– the moms who drive the truck in the parade.
