30 Students Get Ready for a Mardi Gras in August

Members of the Dragon Krewe applied glue, sparkles and feathers to construction paper on Monday at Calvert Street Elementary School in Woodland Hills to prepare for a Mardi Gras celebration later this month.

The krewe, a group of about 30 elementary schoolchildren who belong to the West Valley Boys & Girls Club, have worked since mid-July under the direction of the Valley Cultural Center to get ready for a visit from Queen Ida and her zydeco band on Aug. 16.

The club’s Mardi Gras festivities are happening a little late--or much earlier--than usual. In New Orleans Mardi Gras--French for Fat Tuesday--is marked by feasting, carnivals and parades on the Tuesday before the beginning of the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday, which falls in February.

But that didn’t deter members of the Dragon Krewe, who were in high spirits Monday as they applied sequins to their masks and hats.

“We’ve been learning about everything from king cakes and krewes to differences between Mardi Gras in the cities and in the countryside,” said Suzanne Hackett, executive director of the Valley Cultural Center. “What’s really cool about these kids is that some of them that I didn’t think would be into this keep coming back to do more.”

Since July, Hackett has met with the students for about an hour a week to help in the design and preparation of the Mardi Gras-style garb.

The children have also studied how to dance to zydeco music, so that when Queen Ida arrives to play a free concert at the Calvert School auditorium, she will find a receptive audience, Hackett said.

The costume-making project has many students excited about celebrating Mardi Gras.

“I knew the design already when I started,” said Bryan Sperber, 8, of Northridge, as he showed off his brown hat adorned with silver and gold sparkles and blue feathers. “It makes me want to go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.”