Mardi Gras madness at Suffolk Center

Published 8:40 pm Tuesday, February 25, 2020

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Masks, feather boas and strings of colorful beads were the order of the day on Saturday at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts.

The center’s annual fundraiser was themed “Arts in the Big Easy,” and it was Mardi Gras to the max inside the festively decorated building.

During the first part of the evening, guests mingled in the upstairs galleries and enjoyed a bourbon tasting, munched on New Orleans-themed delights provided by Holland’s including jambalaya, shrimp and grits and mussels, bid on silent auction items and enjoyed the sounds of the band Connected.

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For the second phase of the evening, guests marched to the ballroom to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The band Spare Change was there to greet them, as well as more food, dancing and a live auction.

The Plaid Turnip stayed open late to provide partygoers with late-night breakfast food before they headed home.

“Of course, all of this is to raise money for the center,” said Susan Rawls, who chaired the event again this year. She mentioned the center’s various arts education programs, including summertime camps for children focusing on music, theater, arts and STEM.

“I think it’s been very successful,” she said.