Archive for the ‘Mardi Gras’ Category

Tips for watching a Mardi Gras Parade for the first time

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

For millions of people around the world, parades are the highlight of a day, week, or even year. Parades are parties where everyone get’s involved. One of the best examples would be Mardi Gras, where several parades a day can take place. It is one big celebration and everyone is involved, whether you are working with the city to prep for and regulate the parade, a Krewe member who is tossing parade throws to the crowd, a member of the marching band, or just one of the parade goers waiting anxiously to see what treasures they will go home with. Today, we want try and provide some tips for the parade goers, specifically newcomers who may not know how to properly prepare for the enormous celebration known as Mardi Gras.


Watching and participating in a Mardi Gras parade can either be one of the most memorable events you attend or it can be one of the most disastrous experiences. It all depends on how you plan for it. We have searched the web and asked veteran parade goers what they think are some important things to keep in mind when planning to attend a Mardi Gras Parade. The following are just a few of the things that you can keep in mind that will help make sure your night of Mardi Gras Bead hunting is a memorable one in a positive way.

1.Lodge near the parade route.

Probably one of the best things you could do for yourself is to have a place to stay that is within walking distance of the parade route. This eliminates the need for having to drive and also takes care of one of the other tips, which is having a preplanned meeting place should you separated from your party. If you are one of the lucky ones to get a room on the parade route then that is all the better. Watching the a parade from your balcony has some unique advantages. To get the best rates and location be sure to plan far enough ahead when booking the room.We can tell you that in the world of Mardi Gras, a month or two before Mardi Gras is not planning ahead, think more like a year in advance.




2. Carpool

If you are not lucky enough to get lodging near or on the parade route, try to carpool. The more people that car pool the less congestion there is before and after the parade. This cuts down on delays and potential accidents from happening. Make sure the person driving your carpool is a “Designated Driver”. Know the local laws and regulations for parking, you do not want to end the night by finding out you car has been towed. Also be sure to educate yourself on where the safe place to park for a parade is, you don,t want to end the night finding out your car has been vandalized either. Be sure you know your way back to the car, you do not want to end the night carrying around a bunch of parade throws while searching for your car.




3. Know the area

Before immersing yourself into the crowds and confusion of a Mardi Gras Parade, take the time to learn the layout of the area you will be in. Kno the names of the main streets that run through the area. If at all possible have a map of the area saved on your phone or at least a pocket map. Here are a few examples of some things you will want to be able to locate.

  • Police Station – In case of emergency
  • Medic Station – In case of emergency
  • Starting and ending point of the parade – Most of the time you can use this knowledge to see the same parade at least twice.
  • Where you parked – so you can get home
  • Coffee Shop – For the pick me up
  • Store – Never know what you need to buy on the go


4. Camera

Make sure you bring a camera! Whether it is video or photo, you will want to have this experience recorded. Be sure to bring along a comfortable sized camera that you can strap to your wrist or waist. The crowds go into a frenzy when the Mardi Gras Beads start flying and you do not want to get bumped into and see your camera hit the ground. Make sure you have an empty memory card with plenty of memory. Once you start seeing all the crazy floats, costumes and different outfits people will be wearing you will find yourself snapping way more pictures than you intended to.




5. Dress appropriately for the weather and amount of walking you will be doing.

After you have figured if you are staying on the parade route or if you are parking near it, the next thing you need to do is try and estimate how far you will be walking total. If it is more than 100 feet then you need to make sure you wear comfortable shoes. Mardi Gras parades will generally involve quite a bit of walking for the average person. Walking around during Mardi Gras is kind of like being out in the sun, sometmes you are burned before you realize how long you have been out there. Same with the walking, you can walk a mile or two and not even realize it. You do not want blisters keeping you from scrambling for all the cool Mardi Gras trinkets that will be thrown your way. Also make sure you know what the weather is going to be and dress for it. you do not want your fun interrupted by constantly having to rub your arms because you are cold. You also do not want to spend the parade lugging around extra coats and jackets you really didn’t need.

 


These are just 5 of many tips that can be followed to make sure your Mardi Gras Parade experience is the best possible. The key to it all is to make sure you plan, plan, plan. Stay safe and Happy Mardi Gras!

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Mardi Gras Parade Schedules & Routes in Mobile, AL

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

It’s Mardi Gras time once again, well for some it is here. It may seem that it is still a long time away for others, however for people in the industry, Mardi Gras is well under way. Mardi Gras has many attractions including Masquerade Balls and Parades. Today we are talking parades! Parades allow you to hit the street s and be showered with Mardi Gras Beads, Moon Pies and many other types of Mardi Grow throws. However, if you do not know when and where these parades are, well then you will be left empty handed. But don’t worry we are here to tell you all about where to stand for the parades in Mobile, AL “Home of the Original Mardi Gras”.


Parades can take place during the day as well as during the night. As with anything in life it is all about location, location, location. If you want to make out with the most Mardi Gras Beads then you need to be in the know about what day Mardi Gras Parades in Mobile, AL take place. You also need to know where they will be rolling so you know where to stand.


Mobile, AL has 4 main parade routes. There is Route A, Route B, Route C, and Route D. Most all of the parades that you will see on the parade schedule provided on our site roll on Route A unless otherwise noted. On our Mardi Gras Parade Schedule page you will find links to interactive Google maps that have each parade route outlined so that you know exactly where to go. If you see any changes or additions that need to be made, just drop us a line! Happy Mardi Gras! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE PARADE SCHEDULE AND ROUTE PAGE.

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Toomey’s Seasonal Store in Baldwin county

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

It is December and the Christmas parades are in full swing. We see people coming and going everyday planning for these parades. Mixed in with the Christmas parade shoppers is the Mardi Gras crowd gearing up for the season. This year has flown by and Mardi Gras 2010 is staring us in the face. We service patrons all over the United States via our website, www.toomeys-mardigras.com. In addition to this, our surrounding area sees more and more people getting involved in the Mardi Gras tradition every year. The growth is so much so that every year we open a seasonal store in Baldwin County that services our customers on the Eastern Shore. We have even made some permanent expansions in our Mobile store.


Every year there are more and more people that get the Mardi Gras bug. Whether they have just come of age to show interest just moved to the area or just finally attended a parade the foot traffic in the store grows. In answer to this we have expanded our Mobile store to give our customers more room to shop and also to make room for all of the great new things that we have added this year. When you visit our store for Mardi Gras 2010 you will see that we have taken the mask wall and made into a mask store. We will even be adding a register this year to help everyone get in and out as quickly as possible. Even though to a lot of people, part of the fun is standing in line and “talking shop” with others in line.


Also, to help accommodate our customers we open a seasonal store in Baldwin county every year. This saves a lot of people a long drive and lets more people see all the great items we have who might not get a chance otherwise. There are a lot of factors that go into deciding where our seasonal store will be. Once we do find the ideal store for that year it is an exciting announcement as we are able to answer a lot of customers who have been eagerly waiting to see where Toomey’s will land on the Eastern Shore each year. This year you will find the Toomey’s Seasonal Store on HWY 98 in the old Rex/Appliance Direct building beside NFL Lumber in Daphne.

All in all we do as much as we can to help bring Mardi Gras to as many people as possible every year. If you have suggestions or requests just let us know. We are always happy to look at any way to improve our services.

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Mardi Gras Colors

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Purple, green and gold–are you ready for Mardi Gras? The annual celebration is just around the corner–February 16, 2010. Plan ahead a bit so you won’t have to scurry around to find worthy outfits and beads in those all-important Mardi Gras colors!

Not everyone who attends Mardi Gras, or Carnival, knows the story behind the festival, or the colors. Mardi Gras (meaning “Fat Tuesday”) began as a pagan festival in Europe. People partied to excess in anticipation of doing without during Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The Carnival season actually begins in early January, on the feast of the Epiphany, with Mardi Gras being the final, culminating event. In New Orleans, it has now been celebrated for over 300 years, and is actually observed in many other places, as well.

Initially, Mardi Gras consisted of small parades of townspeople dressed in simple costumes. In 1872, some of the wealthy businessmen decided to upgrade by appointing a king of the carnival season to lead the parade. The king became known as the Rex, and the first title was awarded to Grand Duke Alexis of Romanoff, who happened to be visiting from Russia that year.

The Grand Duke was known for throwing gold coins to the crowds of parade-watchers, and this rather expensive habit eventually evolved into the tossing of purple, green and gold beads. He actually chose these colors for Mardi Gras, probably because he liked their “royal” hues. There was no significance attached to the colors at the time, but we do know he later chose them for his own family crest.

If we fast forward 20 years to 1892, the significance of the colors was revealed in the theme of the parade that year—The Symbolism of Color. Purple stood for justice, green stood for faith, and gold represented power.

And so it continues today at Mardi Gras time in New Orleans. The beautiful colors of purple, green and gold come alive in the costumes of the revelers and fly through the air in the form of glitzy beads.

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HERE COME THE MOONPIES!!!!

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Folks, the season is getting closer and closer and things are starting to hum around Toomey’s Mardi Gras. The season for us never really ends it just slows down a little bit. During that slow time we catch our breath, bring in more inventory and shop for the new and exciting products that we will have for you the following season.

For months now we have been taking orders for custom medallions, poly stones, and doubloons. We have shipped beads to South Florida, Northern Connecticut, to the North tip of  Oregon and every where in between. We are really looking for this to be a huge year for everyone’s Mardi Gras, we are watching it grow everyday.

There is not a week that goes by that we do not get a call from a new city or town that is starting up the Mardi Gras tradition. They always have the things they need in mind- beads, masks, doubloons and all the throwables such as cups and frisbees. Unfortunately, they are not always aware of the Moonpie!!!

Yes, our famed and beloved Moonpie does not always get the recognition it deserves. However, when people call and tell us that they are going to start up the tradition in their town then ask, “What kind of beads and toys do I need to throw?” we gladly enlighten them about all of the Mardi Gras Beads and Mardi Gras Throws, then we let them in on one of the main ingredients…. the MOONPIE!!

You would be surprised how many times I have sat on the phone and described to a customer what a Moonpie looks like. I once even sat on the phone and ate one for a customer so that I could describe the look, smell, taste and texture of it so that they could get a real good idea of what a Moonpie is. This particular customer bought a large number of cases for their parade, then decided that they need an extra case of each flavor for the house. Since they are so good and last so long they knew it would be a great addition to some lunchboxes. We are always happy to introduce someone new to a Moonpie!

Most of the time they will go ahead and order a case to get their first taste of the Moonpie. Usually within two weeks they are calling back wanting more to be shipped to them. This is especially true with one of our new favorites- the Peanut Butter Moon Pie.

Being released last year, the Peanut Butter Moonpie was a sensational hit. When people walked into our store and tried one, they almost always bought a case right then and came back later for more. We are already getting phone calls about the Peanut Butter Moonpies from people wanting to make sure we will have them again. We still have some of those in stock and will be getting more in the near future.

Right now, we are expecting a new shipment of the 150 count Mini moonpies to arrive either on Friday or Monday.This is yummy news as we have been waiting to have these for a while now. They will be the 150 count mini moonpies in Chocolate, Orange and Banana Flavors. We hope to see you soon and if we cannot see you we are sure happy to ship Moonpies to where ever you are!

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What do we do to get ready for Mardi Gras?

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Mardi Gras in Mobile, AL, “Home of Mardi Gras” in the U.S., is the colossal event anticipated by thousands every year. With each passing year this event gains more fans and followers. The event itself is also spreading across the U.S. to places such as Lake Havasu Arizona, Anchorage Alaska, and even Michigan. Here at Toomey’s we have watched this growth every year and every year we make any changes that we see will benefit the customer and us. This year has seen a large amount of changes and renovation to our brick & mortar store as well as our website. All in an attempt to ensure everyone that shops at Toomey’s has the best possible experience.

Renovations to our brick and mortar store started with giving the outside building a bath and some new clothes, that is, a new paint job. It is amazing how much crud can build up on the exterior walls of a building, especially when you live in a rainy city such as ours. However, in the name of Mardi Gras, holidays, and parties this monumental task had to be taken on. The power washing and scrubbing was a lot of hard work and sweat. However, after the new coat of paint was applied it was easy to see that it was all worth it as the building looked new and fresh, ready to handle a whole new season of party goers and revelers. Now as everyone planning Mardi Gras balls, birthdays, weddings, corporate functions or any other event pulls into the parking lot they will be welcomed by our bright new shiny building.

On the inside of our building we have made it easier for you shop for Mardi Gras Masks, Mardi Gras Beads, birthday party supplies, Halloween decorations or whatever the event might be a lot easier by expanding our floor area.

This is the new doorway into our expanded showroom that leads to masks, costumes, decorations and much more.

This is the new doorway into our expanded showroom that leads to masks, costumes, decorations and much more.

Our mask department used to be tucked away in a cozy corner, however with the growing traffic and the whole new line of merchandise we are bringing in, we needed more room. With this in mind, we called in the demo crew! Of course the demo crew wore two hats, because they also did some building while they were here.

Upon arrival the first order of business was to knock holes in the wall and install entry ways into about 7000 sq. ft of new space that we have used to display everything you need to party. Now, when you enter the store and walk past the Mardi Gras decorations, where the Boas used to be you will see a whole new path that will take you to our expanded area. In this area we have dedicated it largely to masks, hats and costumes.  This department has really been given a lot of attention this year as we brought in a large amount of new and exciting merchandise.

New line of Mardi Gras Masks

New line of Mardi Gras Masks

This also includes dressing rooms for our customers to try on costumes and wigs that they will be wearing to the Halloween party or Mardi Gras Ball. Hopefully you can visit our store to see these improvements and many more to come.

In addition to all of our land store improvements we have also given our on-line store a face lift. If you have shopped with us before you may have already seen our new and exciting look. The site has been redesigned to make navigation easier so that now you are only three clicks away from any one bead, moon pie, costume, or throw.  The site is alive with beautiful colors and pictures that make the products you want to purchase easier to view.  Since Toomey’s Mardi Gras ships anywhere in the U.S.A., we have also included a new live shipping calculator so that you can get shipping estimates as you shop. Also, once you have decided on the decorations, party supplies, throws, and Mardi Gras beads you will be pleased to see that checkout is now a cinch with our new 1 page checkout.

All in all we have made a lot of necessary changes in an effort to make shopping with Toomey’s Mardi Gras a memorable event and not a chore. We will not stop here, as we are always on the lookout for anything that can be changed to benefit our customers. Your feedback and input is always appreciated and we look forward to hearing from you. Toomey’s thanks each and every one of its’ customers and hopefully it is you who we have the chance to help next!

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