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DURHAM – They’re out there. Revelers and musicians dressed as jesters, some as gladiators, others as clerics in colorful garb, and, this being the Bull City, at least two in full matador regalia. One gentleman walked on stilts and everyone danced as the Mardi Gras parade made its way from the CCB Plaza, north on Foster Street, then east on Geer before winding up at Fullsteam Brewery on Rigsbee Avenue.
At the end of the parade, Chuck Davis, founder of the African American Dance Ensemble and king of this parade, led the parade participants in a chant, “Peace for the planet.”
Davis, who rode in a rickshaw at the head of the parade, and tossed beaded necklaces at onlookers, told his “subjects” that they were “disciples for peace,” then tossed peace necklaces to the crowd.
“Enjoy, enjoy,” he said. “Eat a lot because tomorrow all your calories will set in.”
This is Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, celebrated the Durham way. The revelers were getting in their final piece of cake, sip of beer, or other treat they planned to give up for the season of Lent, which begins today and leads up to Easter.
The celebration started late in the afternoon at Fullsteam, where the owners put out masks and necklaces for participants to wear in the parade. Eliza DuBose of Carrboro was wearing a hat and headdress and costume she had put together – “a composite of many things,” she said. “I’m so psyched that they’re [celebrating Mardi Gras] here,” DuBose said, who added that she sees New Orleans as a symbol of rebirth and renewal.
Linda Nathanson was wearing a costume that included part of a traditional Balinese traditional wig in the spirit of the goddess Ranga. She made the boots, and fashioned the skirt from a wall hanging. “It all kind of came together organically,” Nathanson said.
Nathanson plays fiddle in Durham’s High Strung Jammers, who were participating in the parade.
Nathanson, DuBose and two members of the Bulltown Strutters – trombonist John Huisman and vocalist-percussionist Chauncey Taylor – made their way up Foster Street to The Pinhook. Along the way, Taylor told people getting off work “Happy Mardi Gras,” and made sure they knew about the parade.
At The Pinhook, the Bulltown Strutters, a local street band, warmed up a crowd in New Orleans fashion. Earlier in the day, a few of the Strutters had played for a group at Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse, Huisman said. At Pinhook, they played some percussive, funk arrangements of “Mardi Gras Day,” “Rock Around the Clock” and “Little Liza Jane.”
After “Liza Jane,” Taylor asked the dancers and revelers at Pinhook, “How many of you are ready to go to the water?” The crowd cheered, and the Strutters launched into the traditional hymn “Down By the Riverside.”
The Bulltown Strutters range from a few players to about 15 or more, Huisman said. Tuesday, the Strutters had a full line of brass, saxophones, drums, percussion, banjos and other instruments.
The official parade began at 7 in CCB Plaza, but an unofficial parade began about a half our before, just after the Bulltown Strutters finished their set. A krewe calling itself The Banished Fools gathered outside the Pinhook on Main Street. Chris Turner, dressed in a coat and hat decorated with Spanish moss, played the blues harmonica as the Strutters gathered outside. Playing “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the Strutters led a parade west on Main, visiting the Beyu Caffe, where they continued the parade inside the restaurant, exiting back onto Main, then working their way onto Market Street and finally to CCB Plaza.
Artist Jim Kellough led a percussion troupe that welcomed the Strutters. At the plaza, a sizable crowd was gathering for the parade. Among the parade participants was Mark Zumbach, who made his own costume, and walked on a pair of jumping stilts. Also at the plaza were former Beaver Queen contestant Cherry Cherry Bang Bang, in red boots, and former Beaver Queen Fishscenta.
The arrival of the Bulltown Strutters, joined by the High Strung Jammers and other musicians who joined along the way, signaled that the parade could begin in earnest.
Through a crisp February breeze, several hundred people danced, strutted and celebrated this season of renewal in Bull City fashion.
