Galveston Mardi Gras - Number Nine 2021 Cristmas Tree Post

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

One aspect of the Galveston (TX) Mardi Gras parade is that there are several parades for each of the two week ends for the celebration.  

Back in the 90's when I was still teaching most years I was the lead sponsor for the business club, for us a chapter of Phi Beta Lamda.   PBL, as it was called for short, was a national college student organization, holding a national conference each year at various cities.  Most often I would attend with a couple of handfuls of business student members.  At the conference's student business knowledge competitions we would place high and often would win.  

For three years in a row I would take all the members who wanted to go to the Galveston Mardi Gras and have a "float" entry in the Business oriented parade.  Doing that was an attraction for securing club members.  The third year our club had 126 members, the most ever for our college and that year the club with the most members.  The parade was strictly a walking one, we were not allowed motor vehicles to ride or power "floats".  The fourth year we withdrew from activities as the function moved to the fun section of Houston and was renamed the Budweiser Celebration.  I instigated our withdrawal as I knew our college would not approve of us participating in a beer sponsored event.  

That didn't keep Mrs. Jim and me from attending the Galveston Celebration.  In addition to the parades there was a "Dickens on the Strand" celebration that lasted two weeks.  The favorite costume was old fashioned English dress.