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Mardi Gras, Chestnut Hill style
by Kristin Pazulski
The annual celebration of Mardi Gras is most famous for its origins in
New Orleans, where the streets are full of celebratory parties and parades
each year. For 2006, Mardi Gras is also being celebrated in the streets
of the Chestnut Hill business district for colorful, musical and edible
festivities.
Saturday, Feb. 25, businesses along Germantown Avenue are offering sales
and treats with a Mardi Gras theme all day.
Chestnut Hill’s restaurants and bakeries are offering a variety
of specialty goodies. Cafette has Cajun lunch specials planned and Women’s
Exchange Bake Shop is selling goodies, moon pies and more. Chestnut Hill
Grill and Sidewalk Café and Solaris Grille have food and drink
specials. Roller’s Express-o and Roller’s Restaurant is offering
a variety of specials, including a frittata with shrimp creole topping
at Express-o, and chicken and seafood jambalaya at the Restaurant. More
specialty-themed cakes and baked goods will be available at Bredenbeck’s
Bakery.
The Chestnut Hill Hotel and the Baker Street Bread Company are collaborating
to present Mardi Gras’ traditional King’s Cake, a circular
cinnamon roll-like cake, in the Bombay room of the hotel. A prize will
be placed in the cake, and the person who receives that piece of cake
will win a free night at the hotel and breakfast at Baker Street Bread
Company.
Live and recorded musical entertainment will be present throughout the
day from members of the mummers performing along the Avenue to a New Orleans
jazz ensemble’s live performances and CDs. The music is provided
by the Chestnut Hill Business Association, the Chestnut Hill Gallery and
Frame Shop, Ten Thousand Villages, Community Audio and O’Doodle’s
Toy Store.
Other businesses offering special gifts or sales are: The Candle Shop,
Cookie Cutters, Tangled Web, Lemons and Limes, Quelque Chose, Joseph Murray
Opticians and Kitchen Kapers.
The Mardi Gras tradition was brought to America in 1699 and has developed
into a two-week party that culminates on Fat Tuesday, the day before the
beginning of the Christian season of Lent, a 40-day period leading to
Easter. This year’s Fat Tuesday is Feb. 28.
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