Beads will fly, pooches will strut and superheroes will surface when South Main Street hosts a day full of Mardi Gras-style fun Saturday.
"We're working towards a true Mardi Gras experience," Hillis Schild, Southside Main Street Project board member and Mardi Gras committee member, explains. "Right now it's a SoMa-tized Mardi Gras experience."
SoMa Mardi Gras
Saturday, South Main Street, Little Rock
Parade: noon, free admission
Masquerade Ball: 7-10 p.m., Villa Marre, Scott Street and Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive, $50
(501) 412-3768
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The centerpiece of the day's activities is the big parade, starting at noon at 24th and Main streets and heading north to 12th Street, with walking groups, the McClellan High School marching band and grand marshals Rodney and Jean Block. Renee Shapiro will be the day's master of ceremonies, set up outside Moxy Modern Mercantile at 15th Street.
The Academy of Holistic Arts, Esse Purse Museum and River City Comic Expo are just a few sponsors who will take part in the parade itself.
"I am sure that it is going to have superheroes," Schild promises.
Other groups are welcome to enter the parade and compete for cash prizes. The deadline is Friday and the entry fee is $25.
Some Mardi Gras parades have a reputation for getting a bit R-rated, but South Main makes an effort to keep this one family-friendly.
"This isn't so much on the bead-throwing for nudity or things like that," Schild says. "We hope everybody will come and bring their families and just join in the fun."
As far as the weather goes, as long as it's not pouring rain with thunder and the streets aren't covered in ice or snow, the parade will march on.
Immediately following the parade, people will gather in the Bernice Garden for the Root Cafe's beard-growing contest judging and awards ceremony. Judges Mayor Mark Stodola, Capi Peck and Amber Brewer will judge categories such as Best Natural Beard, Fullest Beard, Most Original Beard and Best Bearded Pirate. And, yes, there is a women's category.
"That is worth the free entry right there!" Schild says.
The stores along South Main Street will also host special events and deals during the day, most starting at 10 or 11 a.m.:
• The Green Corner Store will have face painting and Loblolly Creamery inside will serve up special Mardi Gras ice cream and sundaes. They'll also have an ice cream photo booth.
• Boulevard Bakehouse and Community Bakery will have king cakes and treats.
• Sweet Home & Clement will offer free Mardi Gras beads, apple cider and gingersnaps.
• The Bernice Garden will have a Mardi Gras Craft Beer Garden.
• Local artists and artisans will set up booths at South on Main's HeART of the Bar, selling handmade crafts and gifts.
Parking can be tight in the area, but Schild assures visitors there are plenty of spots to be found for the persistent.
"You can feel free to park along any of the streets off Main Street. We're accustomed in our area for people parking in front of our houses!"
That night, the Villa Marre at Scott Street and Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive will host the first-ever South Main Masquerade Ball, 7-10 p.m. Guests can expect dancing, a Mardi Gras-style drink and a "most festive hairdo" contest. There will also be the official announcement of the Mardi Gras king and queen for 2017.
They're already getting ready for next year, Schild says: "We're working on moving towards a more true Mardi Gras theme, which is, you kind of have events all through the year to get ready for the parade. This year we hope to have some other events that lead up to a bigger Mardi Gras event every year as we move forward."
The day is a party, but also a chance for people unfamiliar with SoMa to explore what the area has to offer.
Schild says, "We would love to have people come out, join the fun and also showcase our neighborhood which we're very, very proud of and hope people will come to more often."
Weekend on 02/04/2016