Sword swallowers, belly dancers, mechanical bull rides, karaoke, great food and a go-go cage.
Scenes normally native to New Orleans will be found on Walnut Street Saturday as the city celebrates the eighth annual Muncie Gras in downtown Muncie.
The event features more than 15 bands at four different locations and a French Quarter tent sporting male reviews, drag shows and dancers.
"It's a big party in the streets in February in the middle of the Indiana cold," Cheryl Crowder, the main director behind Muncie Gras, said. "Even if it's chilly out there, we have huge heated tents, so it's all been taken care of."
Crowder, program manager for downtown development, has worked the past eight years putting Muncie Gras together to attract people to the businesses in downtown Muncie.
"The radio station actually brought the idea to us eight years ago because they have a sister station in Wilmington, Penn., in a really similar demographic to Muncie," Crowder said. "They do really well with it. They have a little arts and entertainment district that's similar to what we have downtown, and they'd been doing it for three or four years before they came to us with the idea. We were just starting events downtown at that point, but we've tried some interesting things before, and we sort of have the reputation of being willing to try anything once."
Downtown Development has teamed up with various other businesses and organizations to help pull Muncie Gras off this year, including FM Music, a local booking, promotions and merchandising company.
"We got hooked up with Downtown Development over the summer and started helping them out with Muncie Gras," FM Music promotions director Kim Gillenwater said. Gillenwater has designed all the advertisement graphics for Muncie Gras this year, including 2,000 Mardi Gras bead handouts and more than 1,000 fliers posted around Muncie.
"We've also sponsored the main stage, which means we've taken care of booking those bands and setting up their time slots," Gillenwater said. "We also do the setup, the sound and the promotions for our stage."
Other Muncie Gras sponsors include many of the downtown bars, such as Doc's Music Hall, the Fickle Peach and Center Stage, all of which have their own tent or stage at Muncie Gras. The local radio stations WLBC-FM, MAX-FM and WERK-FM have also been fundamental in the advertisement of this year's Muncie Gras. Downtown Development has worked with MITS to provide free transportation all night from Ball State University's campus to the downtown area. Crowder said Muncie Gras is a city-wide effort.
"A variety of people just like to volunteer with Muncie Gras," Crowder said. "The Sanitary District does set up and clean up the day of, and all of our gate workers are from the Sanitary District. I may be organizing it, but there are really so many people involved."
Weather seems to be promising for this weekend, Crowder said, and she expects more than 5,000 people will show up to participate in Mardi Gras this year.
"It really is Bourbon on Walnut Street," Crowder said. "We want everyone to come out and enjoy Muncie Gras, and we want them to come back next year."
Muncie Gras runs from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Muncie Gras is a 21 and older event.
"It's a time to let loose and be who you really are, or you get to be someone else completely different," Gillenwater said. "You can be whoever you want at Muncie Gras."
For more information concerning a scheduled list of activities, weather updates and other information, check out the event Web site at munciedowntown.com/munciegras.
Click here to create your own Muncie Gras Mask.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
