Dive into the closet for the purple, green and gold. Mardi Gras colors, masks, beads and boas will be in order Friday evening when the 21st annual Market Street Festival (MSF) kicks off at the Columbus Riverwalk with a Second Line parade and two high energy bands from the Big Easy.
Stilt walkers will work the crowd as the Big Fun Brass Band from New Orleans leads the 7 p.m. procession presided over by Grand Marshal Steve Schill and Grand Madame Mother Goose, Edwina Williams. The family-style celebration opens the city’s two-day festival.
“The Big Fun Brass Band is aptly named,” said MSF Music Committee Chair Dawn Barham. “They’re one of New Orleans’ most sought-after brass and Second Line bands.” Following the Big Fun band, which entertains until 8:30 p.m., Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters take the stage from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Zydeco’s infectious melodies are blended from Cajun/Acadian music, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and blues.
“We strive to find music with mass appeal,” said Barham. “Who doesn’t love zydeco!”
About the headliner
The Dopsie (pronounced Doopsie) brothers — David Rubin, Anthony Rubin and Alton Rubin — carry on the legacy of their father, Dopsie Sr., known as “the king of zydeco.”
Flamboyant frontman and rub board player Dopsie Jr., David Rubin, “can turn a house upside down on a moment’s notice,” said Offbeat magazine. He has packed the House of Blues, boogied with James Brown and played at the White House.
The band performed on “That Was Your Mother (Standing On the Corner in Lafayette, Louisiana),” released on Paul Simon’s multi-platinum Grammy-winning album “Graceland.” They have also recorded with Cyndi Lauper and Bob Dylan and were the guest house band on “The Gayle King Show” and “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.”
Friends from Mississippi
Dopsie Jr. energizes audiences with “explosive” sets likely to erupt in dancing, jumps and splits.
“A party seems to break out whenever and wherever he and his band show up,” said the American Press.
Jimmy Galloway of Columbus can vouch for that. He and a group of friends and music fans remember their Labor Day weekend road trip to a Louisiana festival concert in 1989. Relaxing in a reception area of their hotel one night, the local crew watched an impressive-looking fellow walk in wearing a cowboy hat.
“I thought it had to be Dopsie Jr., and it was,” Galloway recalled. The group introduced themselves and had a good visit with the dynamic performer.
“The following day when we got to the concert, we were out in the middle of a big field, no trees, 100-plus degrees … and when he finally came on, he got to the microphone and said, ‘Where are my friends from Mississippi?'”
The shout-out from the stage just added to enjoyment of the music, Galloway said. Several alumni of that local group will be in the audience Friday for a long-awaited encore.
How to go
Friday night’s Riverwalk concert is free. Food vendors will open at 6 p.m. Portable chairs are recommended. No coolers or pets are allowed.
The Mardi Gras theme extends to some of Saturday’s festivities May 7, which begin with the Mardi Gras Madness 5K at 8 a.m.
Live music Saturday from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. boasts a wide variety of performers, including former O’Jays member and Grammy winner Nathan Best. Best performed songs for the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou.”
Find the complete music lineup at marketstreetfestival.com.
More than 245 arts, crafts and food vendors will open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday throughout 12 blocks of downtown Columbus.
Festival Coordinator Amber Brislin stressed that the event is the largest fundraiser for Main Street Columbus.
“And Main Street Columbus is critical to the Downtown we know today, from special events like Wassail Fest, Sounds of Summer and Noon Tunes, to beautification projects, to the promotion and revitalization of Downtown businesses.”
Generous sponsors and hundreds of volunteers contribute to the festival’s success. Brislin’s husband, Quinn, is one of those volunteers, one she described as “the glue that holds things together.”
The community’s collaborative effort results in the festival named a Top 20 Event in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society for 17 years.
“It’s a labor of love, and one that I and so many others take to heart,” Brislin said.
It all begins with Friday’s family-friendly Mardi Gras party.
“Wear your Mardi Gras colors and gear and be ready for a fun-filled evening,” said Main Street Columbus Director Barbara Bigelow.
For more information, visit marketstreetfestival.com, follow the festival on Facebook or contact Main Street Columbus, 662-328-6305.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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