Downtown Mobile’s Mardi Gras season delivered no shortage of memorable moments this month, from a surprise celebrity sighting on Royal Street to a costume-filled society ball themed around outer space, along with the usual parade of pirates, brass bands and late-night antics that make Carnival season in the Port City one of a kind.
The buzz of the week centered on a report that actor Matthew McConaughey stopped into the Royal Scam on Royal Street on the evening of Monday, Feb. 9, where he was seen ordering a Ketel One vodka and tonic. Witnesses described the Oscar-winning actor as friendly and unassuming, noting he appeared to be “just passing through” town rather than on any official business. The sighting comes as another Hollywood production, a new film starring Bruce Willis, began shooting in the Mobile area the same day, though no connection between the two has been confirmed.
Just a few days earlier, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, patrons at Moe’s Original Barbecue downtown got an unexpected show during the restaurant’s “Beer, Bands and Bingo” night when the Prancing Elites, Mobile’s nationally known dance troupe, showed up to film a segment for their upcoming reality series on the Oxygen Network. The crowd reportedly erupted when the group launched into an impromptu routine, and members stuck around afterward to take photos and sign autographs for fans.
Moe’s picked up another dose of pop-culture attention this month when the barbecue chain, which has a location in Tuscaloosa, was referenced on a recent episode of the long-running animated series “The Simpsons.” In the episode, a bartender character promotes the barbecue joint during a scene set at a city meeting, complete with a musical number. The reason behind the shoutout remains unclear, but it added one more offbeat headline to an already eventful Mardi Gras stretch.
Carnival season traditions were on full display the same night downtown, as members of the Joe Cain Marching Society held their annual pub crawl through the streets of Lower Dauphin Street and Old Government District. Participants dressed as pirates, Indians, mistresses and skeletons paraded behind a brass band, drawing curious looks from out-of-town visitors. Members of the Wild Mauvillians, one of the groups taking part, were seen presenting a visitor from France with one of their signature oyster shell necklaces, a coveted keepsake among Carnival regulars.
The Mardi Gras spirit continued into the weekend, as the Mauvillians were spotted parading from Callaghan’s Irish Social Club to Joe Cain’s historic home in the Old Government District on Sunday, Feb. 8. The group paused to toast Cain, the man credited with reviving Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebrations after the Civil War, and sang traditional songs in his honor.
Mobile’s Order of Osiris, the city’s first all-inclusive Mardi Gras mystical society, held its annual ball the previous Friday, Feb. 6, with a space-travel theme titled “A Journey Through Space.” Emcee Darwin Singleton welcomed guests to the celebration, and King Howard and King Mel opened the evening by greeting the crowd on the dance floor before the group’s traditional emblems, including Horus, Isis and Osiris, took the stage in elaborate costumes.
The ball’s tableaux carried guests through a series of space-themed scenes, featuring performers as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia rescuing each other with the help of R2-D2, along with appearances by Elton John, astronauts, and the Jetsons complete with robot maid Rosie. The evening closed with the ball captain, dressed as Princess Leia, crowning new monarchs King Judson the 34th and King Peter the 34th to lead the organization for the coming year.
Not every Mardi Gras moment downtown was quite so polished. Late Sunday night, Feb. 8, a 60-year-old man was seen riding a motorcycle nude through downtown streets after midnight, an incident that drew attention, and no shortage of cellphone cameras, from bystanders at a nearby bar. No injuries were reported.
With more balls, parades and society events still ahead on the Carnival calendar, downtown Mobile shows no signs of slowing down before Fat Tuesday arrives.