MINETTO – Mardi Gras will be celebrated at Minetto United Methodist Church on March 3, 3 to 6 p.m., to herald the season of Lent.
There will be fun, games, music, and refreshments, including King Cake, for all ages.
Jeffrey Martin will serve as master of ceremonies.
Participants are welcome for all or any part of the scheduled time.
Admission is free, but there will be a free-will offering to help support the church’s Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift ministry.
The Sounds of Brass will perform New Orleans style music, beginning at 5 p.m.
Selections will include St. Louis Blues, Beale Street Blues, Oh When the Saints go Marching In, Bill Bailey, Tiger Rag, Lassus Trombone, and other similar tunes.
The group consists of Dave Brown and Ray Sturge on trumpets, Ray Bratt on French horn, Colleen Dailey with trombone, Paul Sherman and Frank Bickel on tubas, and Jim Myers at the drums.
Mardi Gras, meaning Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday, grew out of ancient peoples’ spring and fertility rites.
Early Christian leaders found that it was easier to incorporate the pagan celebration into their religious practices than to outlaw it.
Hence, the precursor to Lent consisting of parties, costumes, music, food, and parades is enjoyed to this day.
Some cities, like New Orleans, have turned it into a month-long festival.
Mardi Gras concludes with Fat or Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, because people were forbidden to eat animal products during Lent, so they had to consume all the supplies they had on hand that day.
Mardi Gras has a moveable date and may occur on any Tuesday from February 3 to March 9.
It is always the day before Ash Wednesday and always 46 days before Easter.
The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870.
A King Cake is an oval-shaped bakery delicacy, resembling the combination of coffee cake and French pastry that is rich in history and flavor.
It is decorated in royal colors of purple to signify Justice, green for Faith, and gold for Power.
These colors were chosen to resemble a jeweled crown honoring the Wise Men who visited the Christ Child on Epiphany.
The church building is fully accessible, and the sanctuary is equipped with individual listening devices.
The church is located at the corner of State Route 48 and County Route 8, one block south of the Stewarts Shop, midway between Oswego and Fulton, in the village of Minetto.
Its physical address for GPS purposes is 2433 County Route 8, Oswego, NY 13126.
The mailing address is PO Box 217, Minetto, NY 13115.
