Mardi Gras event in Elkins to feature musical parade downtown

ELKINS -- A decision in 2022 by a group of local musicians to bring the feel of Mardi Gras to the downtown streets of Elkins created a community buzz that has led to a return performance in 2023.

On Friday, the Appalachian Jazz Project will again head up the Mardi Gras Celebration, which will once again include the band parading through downtown Elkins streets.

The second annual event will get underway at 7:30 p.m. with the parade. From the alley behind the Elkins-Randolph County YMCA, the band will make its way up the sidewalk of Fourth Street and then along Davis Avenue to Beander's Restaurant and Jimbo's Place.

"We did everything spontaneously last year and didn't even plan on doing it," Appalachian Jazz Project band member Jeff Caplinger told The Inter-Mountain. "But by the time we got to our final destination, everyone was waiting for us because they had already seen us playing on Facebook at some places downtown. It was just a huge success and everyone was talking about it."

The Appalachian Jazz Project, made up of Caplinger, Rob Masten, Seth Maynard, Seth Young, Jerry Franks and Chris Newsome, will dress the part of a New Orleans brass band and play through the streets of downtown Elkins, while making several stops along the way.

"We got the idea last year to do the celebration and decided to do it on the Friday before Fat Tuesday," Caplinger said. "We do a second line, which is like a parade, from the alley behind the YMCA and El Gran. We head downtown from there, playing our instruments on the way to some downtown establishments."

Caplinger said patrons at both Beander's Restaurant and Jimbo's Place, both on Davis Avenue, were delighted when the band invaded both businesses last year.

"Last year we stopped at Beander's and then went next door to Jimbo's," said Caplinger. "We went through both places and everyone at both locations really enjoyed watching us play."

After making stops downtown, the band will parade back to El Gran Sabor where they will play music throughout the establishment before making their way to the back stage for a two-hour set of music.

"We will play our way through the restaurant and work our way to the back," said Caplinger. "When we take the stage, we are going to play about two hours of Dixieland jazz, no other kind of jazz on Mardi Gras night other than Dixieland, New Orleans style."

El Gran Sabor will be helping celebrate the occasion by offering Mardi Gras beads along with drink and food specials relating to the traditional New Orleans party.

Caplinger said this year's parade will have an additional feature, noting the band could be making more than one stop during its trek downtown.

"A couple of people who do costumes for Fasnacht reached out to us and said they are sending some people to dress up and march behind us," he said. "We are also checking with another business to see if they would like us to stop and play some music for them."

Fasnacht is held each year in the small Randolph County town of Helvetia. It is a celebration of winter that dates back to 1520 in Switzerland. It's held on the Saturday before Mardi Gras, which is traditionally celebrated on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and scheduled for Feb. 21 this year.

"Doing the Mardi Gras celebration is probably the most fun we have all year," said Caplinger. "El Gran Sabor is going to give out a bunch of masks as well that night, so it really is going to be Mardi Gras on Friday night. I have a feeling it's going to be even cooler than we imagine."