BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss., Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2012 — The good times roll again at the Mardi Pardi 2013 5K / 10K Run in historic Bay St. Louis, Miss., Saturday, Feb. 9. More than a race, the event is a Mardi Gras weekend party with bands from New Orleans and Memphis, second line dancing in the streets and plenty of great local food and beer.
The music line-up features Memphis-based pop-folk Star & Micey on Friday. Saturday’s lineup is all New Orleans—brass-rock Jeremy Mojo Phipps and Minutehead open for the Irene Sage Band. New Orleans own Dancing Man 504 will lead a second line for kids and grown-ups alike.
All events take place at the Mockingbird Cafe on 2nd St. Proceeds from the race benefit the Recycling in the Schools program sponsored by Live Oak Alliance Mississippi in Hancock County.
Race Details
Racers can pick up registration packets on Friday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Mockingbird Cafe on 2nd Street. Day-of registration begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, Feb. 9. The race begins at 9 a.m. The course goes through Old Town Bay St. Louis, along Beach Blvd. and concludes back at the Mockingbird.
Registration fees are $25 for the 5K and $30 for the 10K until Jan. 31. From Feb. 1-8 the fees are $30 for the 5K and $35 for the 10K. Day-of registration fees are $35 for the 5K and $40 for the 10K.
Custom Mardi Pardi medals will be given to male and female 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in multi-age categories, including age 13 and under. All first place winners will receive special trophies, and runners will receive a t-shirt at registration while supplies last.
No Limits Timing will manage the race. Runners times will be tracked using an electronic chip by ChronoTrack Electronic Timing which allows friends and family to follow the runners’ progress through social media.
Participants are encouraged to wear their Mardi Gras “racing best” for the Mardi Pardi multi-prize costume contest on the day of the race.
For more information or to register, visit www.MardiPardiAdventure.org or contact event manager Stephen Burrell at 228.342.5660 or asjburrell@yahoo.com.
The Pardi
Registrants receive a $5 discount on a Mockingburger and a Lazy Magnolia beer at the registration party on Friday evening. The Silver Slipper Casino is catering the runners’ feast on Saturday, with some help from Mississippi’s own Lazy Magnolia Brewery and Cathead Vodka. Everyone is welcome to come second line down Second Street, cheer on the runners and enjoy the music.
The Music
Friday, Feb. 8
Memphis folk-pop trio Star & Micey will play the Mockingbird Cafe on Friday evening, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. Known for the unique blend of soul, folk and pop found on their debut record, Star & Micey recently released a new EP “I Can’t Wait” produced by Dennis Herring (Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse, Buddy Guy, Counting Crows). Star & Micey have been compared to the Avett Brothers and the Decemberists. Bear, the Gentlemen will open for them at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9
New Orleans’ Irene Sage and her band will play after the awards ceremony around 10:45 a.m. A Jazz Fest veteran and New Orleans star, Sage’s powerful, sexy voice and big-sound band will rock the house. Sage has sung and toured with Allen Toussaint, and she appeared in the movie “The Pelican Brief,” which also featured two of her original songs. The big brass-rock sound of Jeremy Mojo Phipps and Minutehead—a mixture of rock, funk and second-line music—will blast at 9:30 a.m.
Dancing Man 504, aka Darryl Young, will head over from the New Orleans Mardi Gras to show you how to “shake what your momma gave ya” in a second line down Second Street at 11 a.m. A pioneer in teaching second-line dancing to youth, Young has taken his New Orleans dancing magic around the world, from Paris to Brooklyn and back again. He has visited Bay St. Louis several times, where he held a workshop with students at Waveland Elementary.
Following Hurricane Katrina, Young started the “Heal 2 Toe” program in New Orleans. The Heal 2 Toe program, in conjunction with the city’s best brass bands, teaches second line dance and culture to youth, providing an outlet for creative self-expression and appreciation of New Orleans culture.
Sponsors
The Mardi Pardi 5k and 10K Run weekend is currently sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield Mississippi, Silver Slipper, Fox 25 & NBC 25, Cathead Vodka, Holiday Inn Long Beach, Southern Graphics, Serious Bread, Rainbow Water, Coast Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Mockingbird Cafe and AdLib Communications.
Make it a weekend in Bay St. Louis
New Orleans Blues legend Walter “Wolfman” Washington will play Saturday evening at the 100 Men Hall, an official stop on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Saturday is also Second Saturday Art Walk, a open house in Old Town Bay St. Louis hosted by local art galleries, bakeries, bookstore and more. The 83rd annual Pass Christian Mardi Gras Parade rolls at noon just over Bay bridge in neighboring Pass Christian. Make it a weekend. Stay and play in the Bay.
About Hancock County, Mississippi
Hancock County, Mississippi, is a unique, Gulf Coast eco-tourism destination with public beaches and piers, fishing, boating, water sports and miles of public greenways and blueways that open its rivers, shoreline and marshes to hikers, runners, bikers, paddlers and birdwatchers from across the region and around the world.
Live Oak Alliance of Mississippi (LOAM) is a nonprofit environmental group created in Hancock County, Mississippi, to foster economic prosperity and enhance the area’s quality of life by coordinating community-wide green programs and nature tourism. LOAM is a fund of the Hancock Community Development Foundation, a 501c3 non profit charity, and the donation less benefits received is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information, visit www.liveoakalliance.com.
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Caption for Dancing Man: Dancing Man 504, aka Darryl Young, will head over from the New Orleans Mardi Gras on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 10 a.m. to show you how to “shake what your momma gave ya” in a second line down Second Street at the Mockingbird Cafe in Bay St. Louis. A pioneer in teaching second-line dancing to youth, Young has taken his New Orleans dancing magic around the world, from Paris to Brooklyn and back again. His appearance is part of the Mardi Pardi 5K / 10K Run after party and is free and open to the public.
