Fifty Funny Fellows (founded 1927) Mardi Gras Logo |
Fifty Funny Fellows Queen Kimberly Savannah St. Clair |
It was my loss. And now we’ve had the opportunity to make it up, for this year—thanks to a great honor bestowed on our family—we had the very happy circumstance of being invited to Mobile to attend our granddaughter, Kimberly Savannah St. Clair, who was selected as the queen for the grand ball of the Fifty Funny Fellows, one of Mobile's famous mystic societies.
For us St. Clairs, it was an invitation that could not be resisted. And since both sons were brought up in Mobile and Austin—the father of the queen—still lives there, we all (except for one granddaughter who could not get away from her studies at university) made our way to Alabama’s famous “Port City” (sometimes called—as will be very evident to anyone visiting Mobile any time in the next few weeks—“Azalea City”). It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience we were offered and certainly for us it turned out to be a week never to be forgotten.
Queen Savannah and Dad George Austin St. Clair |
Stage Setting for the Entrance of the Queen |
Proud "Queen's Mom" Denise |
Granddad Andrew and Granddad Guy |
Another characteristic of this fabulous multi-week experience (and remember that Mobile goes on from Twelfth Night to the last day before Lent) is the food. When you think about the number of people noted in Roberts' telling of the story, you're not surprised to discover that almost every eating establishment is packed with celebrants. And it's a logical assumption when we think about Mobile's location on the Gulf Coast, for there are amazing seafood delicacies available We were able to eat at several of the better-known places in Mobile, including Wintzell's Oyster House. Roberts describes it well:
Wintzell's Oyster House dates from 1938, but the building, the oldest wood-frame commercial building in the Lower Dauphin Street Historic District M, was built in 1892 and named the New Era Saloon to bring in the new century. Saloons were so popular into the early 1900s that women became upset with their "menfolk" going out every night and getting "sloshed," and it led to the temperance movement and eventually Prohibition.
Granddaughter Claudia |
Another fun place for our gang, not nearly so historical as Wintzell's, was Butch Cassidy's Cafe, where we gathered for one of our lunches and I took this photo of Granddaughter Claudia. And happy I did so, too, as for some reason I did not get around to taking her picture at the ball.
And speaking of food at Mardi Gras, to the delight of all of us attending the ball the next day's Mobile Press-Register included reportage about the Fifty Funny Fellows Ball, noting that the article was prepared by "a mysterious denizen of the Leisure Class who covers the local Mardi Gras." His or her anonymous description of the meal gushed that "in gorgeous Queen Savannah's room the crew from Mudbugs at the Loop had catered fresh gumbo, baked potato salad, and crawfish dip." Quite a lovely—and local—meal indeed!
So there's a lot to think about and observe and, yes, even though some of us were a little unsure about how to refer to this event, what we call this good time hardly matters. As
pointed out in much of the literature about the festival, “Mardi Gras”
is properly only the name of the last day before Lent (“Fat Tuesday,” “Shrove
Tuesday,” etc.). The overall season, with all the balls, parades, and parties is—again, properly—supposed to be called “Carnival.” But let’s not kid
ourselves. In Mobile, everyone talks about the whole thing as “Mardi Gras” and since we’re
all in this to have fun, let’s not get too pedantic this early in the
game.
One of the valuable texts I got to know is Roberts’ Mardi Gras in Mobile (mentioned above), published just three years ago by History Press in Charleston, South Carolina. The other is The Art and Design of Mardi Gras, published in 2014 by the Mobile Museum of Art. This latter work is a collection of insightful essays from authoritative specialists at the Mobile Museum of Art, the History Museum of Mobile and the Mobile Carnival Museum. These materials—along with many stories and conversations taking place during Carnival—provide a wealth of information. While I can’t ascribe any scholarly learning on my part, all of these resources have contributed to my taking on a fascinating perspective about “Mardi Gras,” “Carnival,” or whatever we want to call this particular experience in entertaining ourselves. And in doing so, in making sure that we—along with in this instance everyone else in attendance at Mardi Gras in Mobile—are having a good time.
One of the valuable texts I got to know is Roberts’ Mardi Gras in Mobile (mentioned above), published just three years ago by History Press in Charleston, South Carolina. The other is The Art and Design of Mardi Gras, published in 2014 by the Mobile Museum of Art. This latter work is a collection of insightful essays from authoritative specialists at the Mobile Museum of Art, the History Museum of Mobile and the Mobile Carnival Museum. These materials—along with many stories and conversations taking place during Carnival—provide a wealth of information. While I can’t ascribe any scholarly learning on my part, all of these resources have contributed to my taking on a fascinating perspective about “Mardi Gras,” “Carnival,” or whatever we want to call this particular experience in entertaining ourselves. And in doing so, in making sure that we—along with in this instance everyone else in attendance at Mardi Gras in Mobile—are having a good time.
Entrance to The Queen's Reception Room |
Monogram over Another Entrance to The Queen's Reception Room |
And offering those dates brings up what is probably the most-talked-about subject when Mobile's Mardi Gras comes up in conversation. Is Mobile’s Carnival older than the Carnival in New Orleans? For longevity, Mobile wins, as the city was established as the first capital of colonial La Louisiana in 1702. La Nouvelle Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in the spring of 1718 so it's a bit younger. As for the celebrations, Mobile's Cowbellion de Rakin started New Year's Eve parades as early as 1831 and by 1849 these had become an "ornate nighttime spectacle with floats," according to Steve Joynt, Editor/Publisher, Mobile Mask, in his note in The Art and Design of Mardi Gras. Other mystic societies came along, including the aforementioned Strikers, and as Joynt puts it, their efforts were responsible for "cementing Mobile's title as Mother of Mystics." Some members of these societies were in New Orleans for a Mardi Gras event on FatTuesday 1857, and led by Mobile's Joseph Stillwell Cain, they returned to Mobile inspired to parade through the city on Fat Tuesday 1858. And lest anyone think Mobile doesn't honor it's own, Cain is a very serious hero in Mobile history, with his own special day—the final Sunday in Carnival—and I was fortunate to attend one of the big parties on Joe Cain Day many years ago).
So who was first? Truth to tell, nobody really cares, and since people celebrating Mardi Gras in Mobile are committed to having a good time, it doesn’t really matter does it? Having a good time is what it’s all about, and while most mystic societies have both balls and parades, FFF limits itself to the ball, a grand affair if there ever was one. This year there were about 2,500 attendees, but it still is not the largest of all the balls, possibly because the Fifty Funny Fellows Ball is quite exclusive, with admission by invitation only.
So our family was extremely honored to have granddaughter Savannah as Queen of the Fifty Funny Fellows, and it was a splendid event. The “official” biography introducing Savannah to the attendees and distributed at the ball notes:
Queen Kimberly Savannah St. Clair is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Austin St. Clair and the late Mrs. Kimberly Hinton St. Clair. A Mobile native, Savannah attended Murphy High School, where she was yearbook editor (among other accomplishments). She went on to the University of Alabama where she was a member of the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Delta Zeta sorority. In 2016 Savannah was presented at the Mobile Ballet’s Nutcracker Charity Ball. She graduated from the University of Alabama in May 2017 with a dual degree in Early Childhood and Special Education. Queen Savannah works as a special education resource teacher at Hollinger’s Island Elementary School, and she is now pursuing her master’s degree in Collaborative Special Education K-6 at the University of West Alabama.Family members in attendance to honor Savanna (some pictured here) included sisters Bayley St. Clair (pictured below when we learn about the parades), Claudia Bryan (pictured earlier at our "pre-party" luncheon at Butch Cassidy's) and brother Mal Bryan (pictured later having fun at the parade).
Granddad Andrew, Will Villani, Madeline St. Clair, Suzanne St. Clair, and Gil St. Clair |
Coming from out of town to Mobile to attend Savannah on this occasion were Austin’s brother, Guy Gaillard (“Gil”) St. Clair and Mrs. Suzanne St. Clair, with their daughters Jacqueline and Madeline, with her gentleman friend Will Villani. As noted, daughter Margaux was sadly unable to attend because of her studies. My husband Andrew Berner and I made up the New York contingent, with the grandchildren delighting in referring to us as “Granddad Andrew” and “Granddad Guy.”
Dragon Float at The Crewe of Columbus Parade |
Crewe of Columbus Pinta Float |
Granddaughter Bayley, at the FFF Ball |
Mr. Potato Head Float |
But don’t get the wrong idea. Collecting swag is not the purpose. It’s not why we’re here. The whole idea is to have a good time, that commitment I referred to earlier, that love of Mobile’s citizens for each other and for their way of life. They work hard to cut away at dissention and discord (I’ve seen them doing it, and doing it very successfully, most likely simply out of their respect for one another). And it is a commitment. Hours and hours of work, to say nothing of all that “private” funding, goes to make Mardi Gras the success it is. While Andrew and I cannot speak for others visiting Mobile for Mardi Gras, we were certainly made to feel welcome, to feel loved, and—not to be dismissed lightly—to be given as much leeway as we need to have our own good time. And so we did, and after all, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, that’s what Mardi Gras in Mobile is all about, isn't it?