Student Government’s Program Board provided another year of Mardi Gras at the MacArthur Campus on Friday, Feb. 18, 2005.

On either side of the campus breezeway were large flags of pastel colors and white tents housing different activities and food. At 4:00 p.m. there was already a sizeable crowd of students, faculty, and staff, all dressed in beads and jester caps.

As the afternoon progressed, the attendance grew as the event’s carnival performers captured most of the crowd’s attention. Their acts, which often incorporated the audience, included walking on stilts, making balloon animals and performing magic tricks. The fire-eater offered onlookers the opportunity to taste the fire-on-a-stick, a challenge Long Ho took. He commented, “It had an interesting taste. It didn’t feel hot, though, because the fire is red, not blue; the blue will burn you instantly, but the red will not.”

Other performers taught juggling or traded jokes and insults with the crowd. For instance, the fire-eater, referring to the court jester on stilts, said, “This is why you should stay in college!”

The jester replied, “I did! I graduated from FAU!”

While the performers engaged in their dialogue, long lines were forming at the booths for food and entertainment – especially since it was free. Food and drink included alcohol for visitors over 21 years of age as well as Italian ice, cotton candy and funnel cake that was decorated with a multicolored frosting.

Alba Medrano, a student, said, “I enjoyed getting all the goodies. I got a sand art, a bracelet, my photo on a t-shirt, a hat and coffee mugs.”

Other activities included caricatures and the psychic’s booth. Shawn Beard had his fortune read and found it to be appropriate: “Apparently, I would be a good teacher, which is good since that’s what I want to be.”

Students also decorated themselves with airbrush tattoos while Residential Student Association was doing sand art and face painting. At this booth, Rachel Zech was handling double-duty as she promoted MacArthur’s Japanese animation club, the Anime-niacs, by painting kanji (Japanese characters) on students. She commented, “We haven’t had a lot of traffic, but it’s been really fun.”

The Anime-niacs also had their own table at Mardi Gras where Ashley Hydrick and Kristin Schwab were giving martial arts lessons alongside the fencing demonstration presented by Salle D’Armes.

Hydrick said, “So far tonight we’ve been doing martial arts techniques, mostly sword techniques.”

Schwab, who has been practicing martial arts for many years, joked, “We’ve been goofing off, beating each other up with swords.” She then returned to training two children on wooden sword techniques.