Good Times Are Rolling In New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Roll out the king cakes, plastic beads and
Mardi Gras masks ... the Carnival season has kicked off in New
Orleans.
January 6th, the 12th night on the Biblical calendar, marked the
beginning of the 153rd annual pre-Lenten celebration. Before it
wraps up February 24th, almost 100 parades will have rolled in the
area and thousands of riders will have thrown tons of glitzy
gee-gaws to what organizers hope will be huge crowds.
Mary Beth Romig of the Greater New Orleans Visitors and
Convention Bureau says Mardi Gras generates more than 1 billion
dollars in spending each year.
Similar but smaller celebrations are held along the
French-influenced Gulf Coast.
Despite the financial downturn nationally and a sluggish tourism
economy, Mavis Early, executive director of the Greater New Orleans
Hotel and Lodging Association, says hotel bookings for Mardi Gras
are ahead of last year's pace.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)