Loose Leaf Notes

~ The following first appeared in the March 6, 2014 issue of The Floyd Press with a larger spread of captioned photos.  

The Blue Mountain School (BMS) community knows how to throw a party.   The 5^th annual Mardi Gras Costume Ball, a BMS signature fundraiser, was celebrated Saturday night in three festively decorated rooms at the Floyd EcoVillage.  There were three live bands featured, a Gyroscopic Belly Dance Troupe performance and a New Orleans-inspired menu prepared by the Blue Mountain High School students and Chef Jason Loftus, who is teaching a culinary arts class at the school.  

Billed as the most fun you can have at a fundraiser this side of the Bayou, the event was also a parade of carnival color, as attendees went all out for the occasion and were decked in beads, feathers and glitter masks.  Event organizer Jamie Reygle said the crowd turnout was better than was expected.  “The costumes get better every year,” he said.  

Jayn Avery, who volunteered at the entrance ticket station, said the line to get tickets didn’t slow down till after 10 p.m. and took three volunteers to manage.  Volunteers directed parking and sold tickets for beverage, food and student-made mask purchases. EcoVillage co-founder Jack Wall estimated that about 300 people attended. 

Announcing this year’s Mardi Gras King and Queen from the Celebration Hall stage, Reygle said that the high school’s first year would not have been possible without the support of the honored couple, Kamala Bauers and Jack Wall.  Bauers and Wall are founders of the EcoVillage, where the BMHS is housed. Reygle is a BMS parent and a board member for the elementary school, which has a 30 year long history. Will Griffin, the town mayor and last year’s king helped with the crowning. Griffin wore the coat that the late Tom Ryan wore at the inaugural Mardi Gras Ball.  Ryan, 1st Mardi King, conceived of the event and helped to promote the first few events. 

A Silent Auction of items to benefit the school included original Mardi Gras poster art by Emily Williamson, gift certificates, a pedicure, pottery, Floydfest and YogaJam tickets and more.  A Kiddie Gras Pajama Party was supervised on the EcoVillage grounds, and the rocking music of Time is Art, Spoon Fight and Lagniappe kept the crowd dancing from 6:30 to midnight.  

A few more photos:  Dancers and decorations frame a performance by Spoon Fight, a local band made up of past students of BMS. 

Blue Mountain High School students, Vivianna Lynch and Alex Hicks hold up the King Cake students made with Chef Jason Loftus in the EcoVillage kitchen.  Loftus, a former House of Blues Lead Saucier, is heading up a Blue Mountain High School Culinary Arts class at the school.  Proceeds from the food served at the Mardi Gras will go to a class trip to New Orleans. This photo appeared on the front page of the  paper.

Buster and Julie Mowles came from Salem to attend the ball after reading about it in The Roanoke Times.  From a café booth, they sampled the Mardi Gras menu and agreed that the jambalaya was delicious.

Elvis, aka Ann Shrader, dances with Katie Roberts.  Shrader, who stayed in costume all night, won the best costume prize (Chef’s choice for two at Mickey G’s Bistro) and sang a number on stage with Lagniappe (see first photo.)

See you next year!  More pictures of this year’s Floyd Mardi Gras are HERE. Read about last year’s ball to beat all HERE.

___________Our World Tuesday