Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Tuesday, October 8
Most people associate Mardi Gras with New Orleans, or perhaps Brazil, home of the largest Carnival in the world. Possibly last on the list would be the Germans, but the Karnevalsgesellschaft Rheinische Verein, otherwise known as the Mardi Gras Society of Chicago, has been celebrating the day before Lent with style since 1890. (They also celebrate Mayfest and Oktoberfest.)