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| Photo courtesy of The Associated Press |
Mardi Gras. It brings to mind beads, parties and fancy floats in New
Orleans as people cram in all the fun they can before Lent begins.
In reality, Mardi Gras has long been celebrated in coastal towns from Texas to Florida. And it means big business.
"It is more of a regional thing, Mardi Gras is, from Texas down to (the) Gasparilla
(pirate festival) down in the Tampa area," said Stephen Toomey, whose family started a chain of Mobile, Ala.-based Mardi Gras party supply stores.
In reality, Mardi Gras has long been celebrated in coastal towns from Texas to Florida. And it means big business.
"It is more of a regional thing, Mardi Gras is, from Texas down to (the) Gasparilla
(pirate festival) down in the Tampa area," said Stephen Toomey, whose family started a chain of Mobile, Ala.-based Mardi Gras party supply stores.
