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BANDS: Lil' Wayne and the Same Ol’ Two Step
(hear their music on their MySpace page!), 9-midnight
and Slippery Sneakers 6:30-9:00

6 pm Zydeco Dance Lessons with Roger Fudge and Cheryl Ihrig

Mardi Gras Flyer

PLACE: CYO Center, 53 Federal Street,Woonsocket, RI

EMCEE: WNRI's Jeff Gamache

King Jace contest sponsored by Dave Richards of WOON Radio


Tickets: $25, $30 at the door (if available)

King Jace XVII will be introduced at Mardi Gras Guess who is behind the famous costume! Clues to King Jace’s Identity 1. Loves to read -- mostly fiction. 2. Long ago toiled in the printer’s trade. 3. Folds many things, including his pizza. 4. Lets someone else do the hunting. 5. Won’t be found curling. 6. Often blue, likes it that way. 7. A fan of basketball and cats in a cradle. 8. Will send the steak back if there’s broccoli on the plate. 9. Like Bob Seger, you’ll never see him at a disco. 10. Even in The Big Apple, he’s Deep Dish. King Jace XVII, the Mysterious Monarch of the Woonsocket Mardi Gras has been sighted all around the area! AND THE KING IS.... Barry Mechanic, publisher of The Woonsocket Call newspaper The King and his Court before the unmasking The King surrounded by Queen and Pricesses right after his unmasking. (Left to right: Michelle Tessier, Amanda Corriveault, Kali Darling and King Barry Mechanic, sitting) The King (Barry Mechanic) and Queen (Amanda Corriveault) of Mardi Gras 2011 have their first dance.

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Buffet

Served 6:30-8 pm
Catered by Gary McLaughlin
MENU (subject to change)

Chef Gary McLaughlin puts the final touches on his Bourbon Rice Pudding in front of an appreciative audience.

Appetizers (6 pm)
Crawfish
Shrimp Cocktail
French Onion Soup
Entrees

Shrimp Etouffée with White Rice
New Orleans Style Pulled Pork

Jambalaya
Creole Chicken
Accompaniments
Hot Red Bliss Potato Salad
Tossed Salad
New Orleans Style Spicy Cole Slaw
Rolls
Cornbread
Bourbon Rice Pudding

Mardi Gras Children's Celebration

Saturday, February 26, 2011
2 - 4 pm (Doors open at 1:30 pm)
Free admission - event limited to first 60 children

See pictures at:
February 27, 2011 • Festivities Begin With Children's Mardi Gras by Michelle Higgins (article from WoonsocketPatch.com)

Museum of Work and Culture, Market Square, 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket, RI

Includes children's costume party & parade
Prizes for best costume/most original for girls and boys, grades K to 4
Catered by Gary McLaughlin (macaroni and cheese, cookies, popcorn, and beverage)

Special Guest Paws, Mascot of the Pawsox, is introduced by Paul Plante
and signed autographs for all the kids

Great Costumes!	Linda Trudeau leads the kids in song and dance
The King and Queen of the Children's Mardi Gras Celebration -- Justyn Lopez and Gabriella Fontaine
Kids meet Paws!	Mardi Gras Queen Amanda Corriveault and Princess Kali Darling get to meet Paws too!
Children's Mardi Gras photos courtesy of Louise Boulanger

Green Sponsors ($100+)
(click on logo or link to visit our sponsors' websites)

John Boucher Real Estate Property Management, Inc., 600 Cass Avenue Woonsocket, RI


1300 Park Avenue, Woonsocket, RI


67 Eddie Dowling Highway, North Smithfield, RI

Club Lafayette, Woonsocket, RI




Fournier & Fournier, Inc., 99 Cumberland Street, Woonsocket, RI

Frere Andre ACA Division of Arcanum courtesy of Julien Bessette

Raymond Gaboury, Woonsocket, RI

194 Fortin Drive, Woonsocket, RI

389 Old River Road, Manville, RI

Manville Sportsmen's Rod and Gun Club, 250 High Street, Manville, RI

Museum of Work and Culture, 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket, RI

1005 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, RI


Meet Thursdays at 12:15 PM

2190 Mendon Road, Cumberland, RI


664 Front Street, Woonsocket, RI

Friends
(click on logo or link to visit our sponsors' websites)

Connie Anderson, 68 South Main Street, Woonsocket, RI

Athena's Home Novelties, 640 Winter Street, Woonsocket, RI

Roger and Roberta Baillargeon, Woonsocket, RI 

The Burrito Company, 104 Cass Avenue, Woonsocket, RI

Bella Restaurant, 1992 Victory Highway, Glendale, RI

Romeo & Diane Berthiaume, Uxbridge, MA

The Cakery, 91 Main Street, Woonsocket, RI 

Carmella's Coiffures, 643 Saint Paul Street, North Smithfield, RI

Sharon Charette, North Smithfield, RI

Chelo's Hometown Bar & Grille, 490 Clinton Street, Woonsocket, RI

Chez Monique Beauty Salon, 108 Harris Pond Road, Blackstone, MA

Paul & Jeannette Collette, North Providence, RI 

10 Nate Whipple Highway, Cumberland, RI  

Ralph Coppola, Warwick, RI

Cornerstone Deli, 191 Social Street, Woonsocket, RI

Senator Marc A. Cote, Woonsocket, RI

Eggs Up, 2378 Mendon Road, Cumberland, RI

Excel Salon, 800 Providence Street, Woonsocket, RI      
Marlene Gagnon, Harlequins Costumes, 97 Main Street, Woonsocket, RI

Joan Gahan, Woonsocket, RI

Donna Guilbert, North Smithfield, RI

Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant, 4077 Mendon Road, Cumberland, RI

Image Maker, 37 Main Street, Albion, RI

Italian Workingmen's Club, 947 Diamond Hill Road, Woonsocket, RI

Kiwanis Club of Woonsocket, Inc., 84 Social Street, Woonsocket, RI

Connie Lemonde, Woonsocket, RI

1850 Mendon Road, Cumberland, RI

Sue Tessier MacKenzie, Seasonal Sweets, Woonsocket, RI

Roxanne A. Menard, Woonsocket, RI

2130 Mendon Road # 4, Cumberland, RI

830 Cumberland Hill Road, Woonsocket, RI     

Walnut Hill Plaza, 1500 Diamond Hill Road, Woonsocket, RI

Retired Senior Volunteer Association, Inc., 84 Social Street, Woonsocket, RI

74 South Main Street, Woonsocket, RI

Carolyn Smith, Cumberland, RI

  595 Smithfield Road, North Smithfield, RI

Therese Tessier, Woonsocket, RI

Tina's Treasures, 99 Main Street, Woonsocket, RI

Whistle Stop Restaurant & Ice Cream Shoppe, 119 Main Street, Albion, RI

25 South Main Street, Market Square, Woonsocket, RI

MEET THE MARDI GRAS QUEEN AND HER COURT

A regal event was held The Cakery at 91 Main Street, Woonsocket on the Sunday before this year's Mardi Gras celebration. The fair maidens of the area gallantly sold raffle tickets to add gold to the coffers to offset the cost of the city’s Mardi Gras celebration, which originated in 1954 and was renewed in 1995 by The Northern Rhode Island Council of the Arts. Though all worked valiantly, alas there can only be one queen. The Queen's Contest chairperson, Jeannette Cousineau announced the winner of the contest to a crowd distinguished by past queens and kings and subjects of the royal realm. The Queen, her Court, and the fair maidens were graced by a visit from the Mysterious Monarch of Mardi Gras, King Jace XVII. All are looking forward to meeting their subjects on February 26th at the Mardi Gras Celebration, to be held at the CYO Center in Woonsocket.

This year's Queen's Coronation was dedicated to Donna Leigh (Dalti) Gallant, 1999 Mardi Gras Queen.

Mardi Gras Queen Contestants Chosen by Michelle Couchon (1/7/11 article from WoonsocketPatch)

	2011 Mardi Gras Queen AMANDA CORRIVEAULT of Blackstone wants to help raise money for Mardi Gras because she thinks it is a wonderful community event. She is a 2005 graduate of Blackstone High School. Her present employer is Sovereign Bank and she also works at City Side in Woonsocket. Her hobbies include kickboxing and running. She has a five year old daughter, Hayley, and her parents are Christine and Buzz Corriveault of CC Plastic in Blackstone.
2011 Mardi Gras Princess KALI DARLING of Woonsocket is currently attending Rhode Island College studying Psychology and a 2005 graduate of Mt. St. Charles Academy. She is presently working at River Falls/City Side in Woonsocket. Her hobbies are photography, cooking and painting. She is the daughter of Renee Darling and Ronald Miller and has one brother, Elliot Darling.
	2011 Mardi Gras Princess MICHELLE TESSIER of Woonsocket grew up volunteering with Mardi Gras and her Mom, Sue, who chaired the event for many years. She feels this is her chance to give back and create more memories. She has studied dance with the Dance Co. in Blackstone for many years and still assists when needed. She graduated from Woonsocket High School and Lincoln Technical Institute in message therapy. She is the daughter of Sue and Ron MacKenzie and has a brother, Alex. She is employed at Amalgamated Life in Lincoln.
Mardi Gras Queen Contestants (left to right): Courtney Paquin, Angela Rondeau, Princess Michelle Tessier, Queen Amanda Corriveault, Princess Kali Darling, Elizabeth Valeika, Tina Rivard, Jaime Nunes, Sarah Gauvin & Brenna McCabe.
SARAH GAUVIN of Woonsocket wants to get involved in Mardi Gras and is a strong supporter of the arts. Proud of her French heritage, she would love to see this tradition continue in our “historically French City.” Sarah works at The Cakery in Woonsocket where she is a partner in this family owned business. She loves cake decorating and specializes in sculptured and three dimensional creations like animals and musical instruments and she still enjoys tap dancing and singing. She is the mother of Anthony Gauvin.
	BRENNA MCCABE of Providence, says she is honored to actually be a part of a longstanding tradition as opposed to being on the outside looking in. She jokes how she never got to be Prom Queen but being Mardi Gras Queen sounds like more fun. She is a staff writer for the Valley Breeze newspaper and former Editor-in-Chief of a student-run newspaper at URI. She is also a 2005 graduate of Portsmouth High School and graduated from URI in 2009 with a degree in journalism. She is the daughter of Francis P. McCabe and Marion L. McCabe. She enjoys writing and rooting for the Boston Celtics and URI Rams.
JAIME A. NUNES of Blackstone is a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service and has worked in Woonsocket for 11 years. She graduated from Woonsocket High School in 1994 and attended CCRI. She says she wants to help raise money for Mardi Gras and have fun doing it. Her hobbies are camping, fishing, cooking, bowling and just hanging out with her family and friends. Her husband is Greg and they have, a daughter, Solie and son Manny. She is the daughter of Lucien and Paulette Leclaire.
	TINA RIVARD of Woonsocket was a contestant for the Mardi Gras Queen contest when it first started and wants to do it again to get her family together for a night of fun. She has worked in the food and beverage industry for over 20 years and decided to shift her career to dealing with antiques and is a partner in a “specialty shop” on Main Street in Woonsocket. She enjoys reading and helping the less fortunate. Her husband is Michael and they have five children, Christopher, Matthew, Kathryn, Jacob and Tyler and two grandchildren, Madison and Nicholas.
ANGELA RONDEAU is a Woonsocket resident and wants to assist the community and hopefully expand to other venues. She has been employed by CVS/Caremark as an administrative assistant for 28 years. She graduated from Woonsocket High School in 1982 and is a volunteer worker at St. Ann’s Art & Cultural Center. She is an avid sports enthusiast and roots for The Pats. She loves traveling and the beach. Her husband is Mike and they are parents of two children; Eric who is in the Marines and will be deployed in May to Afghanistan and daughter Danielle who is a full time nursing student at RIC.
	ELIZABETH VALEIKA of Woonsocket says she has volunteered to join the Queen Contest to be involved in the community. She works at the Vintage Restaurant as a waitress and bartender. She is a 2001 graduate of Woonsocket High School and RIC graduating in 2006 with a bachelor degree in economics. She was a sonar technician in the U.S. Navy. Jazzercise, cooking and baking are her favorite hobbies and she is an avid New England sports fan. She is the daughter of Fran Valeika and has a sister, Laura.

The Queen's Coronation was held at
The Cakery, 91 Main Street, Woonsocket, RI
Sunday, February 20th, 2-4 pm

Raffle Prizes:

1st Prize: $300

2nd Prize: Overnight Stay at the Holiday Inn Express
3rd: Prize: Gift Certificate at River Falls Restaurant

This year's Queen's Coronation was dedicated to Donna Leigh (Dalti) Gallant, 1999 Mardi Gras Queen. Pictured are Donna's daughter and mother.	King Jace XVII looks on as the Queen and her court pose for pictures.
2010 Mardi Gras Queeen Linda Trudeau crowns 2011 Mardi Gras Queen Amanda Corriveault.	2011 Princess Michelle Tessier, Mardi Gras Queen Amanda Corriveault, Princess Kali Darling.

Previous Kings & Queens

Past Kings and Queens of Mardi Gras include Dave Richards '02, Gloria Jean Roy '95,
Diana Glassey '98, Nancy Beauregard '00, Suzanne Beaulieu '01, Lorraine Jacob '02,
Roberta Baillargeon '04, Roger Bouchard '04, Lorraine Guilbault '06, Nancy Phillips '07,
Monique Noel '08, Steve Moreau '09, and Linda Trudeau '10.

Previous Queens and Princesses were in attendance!

2011
Mardi Gras
Committee

Roberta Baillargeon
Sue Beaulieu
*Romeo Berthiaume

Sharon Charette
Lorraine Cloutier
Paul Collette
Jeannette Cousineau
Charles Cross
Sharon Cross
JoAnn Ferschke
Marlene Gagnon
Joan R. Gahan
Wil Godin
Monique Jean
Clara L’Heureux
Bill Marrah
Ray Nolan
Carol Nolan Paul
Paul Plante
Carol Russo
Patrick Ryan
Carolyn Smith
Brenda Viscione-Ryan

*Committee Chair

Costume contest winners Doug Troughton and Monique Jean.

ARTICLES

February 28, 2011 • Gallery: Mardi Gras 2011 by Sandy Phaneuf (article from WoonsocketPatch.com)

February 27, 2011 • Festivities Begin With Children's Mardi Gras by Michelle Higgins (article from WoonsocketPatch.com)

February 23, 2011 • Children's Mardi Gras to be held at Museum of Work & Culture, The Valley Breeze

February 21, 2011 • Long live the Queen!, The Woonsocket Call

February 21, 2011 • Corriveault Crowned Mardi Gras Queen Coronation ceremony at The Cakery kicks off Woonsocket's Mardi Gras celebration. By Sandy Phaneuf (article from WoonsocketPatch.com)

February 17-23, 2011 • Hot music, spicy food: Heat up your winter with Woonsocket's Mardi Gras celebration on Feb. 26 by Kristin Russo, The Valley Breeze

February 12, 2011 • King Jace XVII: Let The Guessing Begin Dave Richards of WOON Radio has released all ten photos and clues regarding the identity of this year's King Jace. by Sandy Phaneuf (article from WoonsocketPatch.com)

February 3-9, 2011 • Who will be the next Mardi Gras Queen?, The Valley Breeze

January 27 • Finding King Jace: A Woonsocket tradition lives on with the start of the King Jace contest by Sandy Phaneuf (article from WoonsocketPatch.com)

January 26, 2011 • Mardi Gras queen contestants compete for crown, court, The Valley Breeze

January 7, 2011 • Mardi Gras Queen Contestants Chosen by Michelle Couchon (article from WoonsocketPatch.com)

A SHORT HISTORY OF MARDI GRAS

Many of the traditions of Mardi Gras have their roots in a Roman festival called the Saturnalia which celebrated the end of winter and the coming of spring. Over time, and with the spread of Christianity, the festival became a final binge of feasting and self-indulgence before the sacrifice of Lent. In 17th century Paris, the celebration came to be known as Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday – a way for Christians to fatten up before the long Lenten season.

French settlers brought their traditions to Louisiana in 1766. By 1857, New Orleans began to develop its own traditions of masked balls, organized parades, and “throws” (favors such as beads, doubloons, and cups thrown from parade floats). In 1872, the King of Mardi Gras selected the celebration’s official colors of purple, green, and gold. The colors’ meanings were defined as justice (purple), faith (green), and power (gold) in 1892.

In 1954, the Mardi Gras tradition was started in Woonsocket by the Junior Chamber of Commerce. The four days of festivities earned the celebration the title of “Mardi Gras of the North.” The Jaycees’ involvement in Mardi Gras gave our king his name – King Jace.

Since 1995, the NRICA and the Mardi Gras Committee, with the invaluable help of our sponsors, have worked hard to bring the authentic feel and the fun of a traditional Mardi Gras celebration to Woonsocket.

(c) 2007- NRICA. Updated March 1, 2011