Just for the record, the towers in the center are light stands in the adjacent baseball stadium.
Or football hooligans, as they call them in Europe, particularly England. Over there, they are known for drunken violence at and around matches, or simply games as we say here. The St. Louligans make a joke of the term. They aren't shy about the beer but support local soccer teams at every level, raising money for charity at every event (and quite a lot).
Our city just got a new franchise in American Major League Soccer and these guys are ready to roar for them. The team, St. Louis City (I know, really dull name, aping some English Premier League teams) has a beautiful new stadium on the edge of downtown. City won its opening match on the road a couple of days ago and has its first home game in a few days. These people, and the crowd, will go wild.
I get some of my best parade pictures in the staging area. The groups and floats aren't moving, there is no thick crowd at the curb and everyone is happy to pose. One of the floats in the Mardi Gras parade had a Wizard of Oz theme. My guess is that these two were dressed as Dorothy and Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Something is bothering Dorothy - envious of Glinda's pink costume or crown, who knows what.
I have the privilege of having a sister-in-law named Dorothy who grew up and still lives in Kansas. And thinking about the prairie, I have two brothers-in-law named Melvin, one on each side of the family, both of whom were born in Nebraska. Beat that.
Recreational use of marijuana recently became legal in our fair state. Not surprisingly, since intoxication is a major theme of the event, some folks were out hawking their wares during the Mardi Gras parade. The double entendre on the billboard is cringe-worthy.
I expected the parade route to reek of the stuff but the dominant aroma was spilled beer. When I returned home I went online and found that use is only permitted in private homes and never in a public place. It was surprising that no one was testing the limits.
The costume of one of the Krewe de Junque at the Mardi Gras parade. The lettering across the top may be hard to read depending on your screen. It says The Buffalo Bill Stories, Devoted To Far Western Life. Published in New York, price 5 cents.
It reminds me of a family story. Many years ago we spent a couple of days at Disneyland Paris. We went to a dinner show in a U shaped horse arena featuring Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley and fables of the American west. The audience was divided in four sections, each having a rodeo clown/cheerleader. Ours was from Kansas City and we hit it off. Towards the end of the show there was a shooting contest with four audience members versus Annie Oakley. Our cheerleader picked me. Bill asked me something like "Eh bien, mon ami, d'où viens-tu ?" My French was up to that and I answered in my coarsest Midwest twang, "J'habite à Saint Louis, Missouri!" Bill put the microphone aside and muttered, "oh shit, an American." The contest proceeded and I graciously let Annie win.
