They partied until an hour before midnight and raised a whole lot of money doing it. Some 300 revelers turned out Saturday in Clarkesville for the city’s third annual Mardi Gras celebration. They were treated to dinner, drinks, dancing and, yes, beads.
The event is sponsored by Main Street Clarkesville and serves as a fundraiser for the city’s facade grant program. Main Street Director Mary Beth Horton says preliminary figures show $11,636 was raised from ticket sales, sponsorships and a silent auction. That figure exceeds Main Street’s fundaising goal of $10,000.
This year’s Mardi Gras King and Queen were Joshua and Lindsay Brackett of Clarkesville.
Horton says she’s thrilled with how things went Saturday. “I couldn’t have asked for a better night. There was just a tremendous energy among the guests, everyone was having a great time. Anytime you can combine a community-wide celebration with a great cause- it’s just a win-win for everyone.”
Clarkesville’s facade/sign grant program offers 50/50 matching grants to businesses in the historic downtown district that want to enhance the look of their building(s). Such improvements can be pricey and that makes fundraisers such as Mardi Gras a vital part of the program. “It’s a highly successful event for downtown and the proof is in the many businesses that have received grant assistance through the funds raised,” she says. “We hope this (Mardi Gras) continues to be a signature event for Clarkesville, and we are already getting requests for tables for next year!
