Near-freezing morning temperatures didn't stop gold, green and violet sparkling balloons, beaded necklaces, streamers and tinsel from drenching downtown in the spirit of Mardi Gras by Saturday afternoon.
As the day began to thaw out, hundreds or thousands of folks gathered along Front Street Festival Plaza during the Twin Cities' fifth annual Mardi Gras celebration.
Several vendors stationed on the plaza's north side drew patrons as residents swarmed the area to shop for top hats, masks and sunglasses in Mardi Gras colors while children took to the various bounce houses and amusement rides-a miniature Ferris Wheel, a small dragon roller coaster and a car carousel.
Texas-side resident Venessa Nicklas and her 3-year-old daughter, Stella Moon Nicklas, just enjoyed handing out multicolored Mardi Gras beads to the growing crowd of festival-goers.
"We've already been part of the Krewe of Centaur in Shreveport (La.), and we've also been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans," Venessa Nicklas said. "We've also been to every one of the Mardi Gras celebrations here since they started (in 2013)."
Besides offering the traditional crawfish and gumbo, many vendors cooked up such standards as cheese steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers.
April Starnes and Gini Ousley sold Pink Zebra Sprinkle wax fragrance products.
"This is actually our first Mardi Gras, but we plan to be back next year," said Starnes, who also sells the same product from her outlet on Summerhill Road.
Ousley, who sells the same product from a store on South Kenwood Road, said they offer this soy-based melting wax as a specialty fragrance producer.
The local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 278 was also represented at the event.
"The crowds seem to get here slowly, but things picked up just before the parade floats started moving," VVA Chapter 278 member Larry David said. "Everything worked out well, and we might be back next year."
This year's Mardi Gras Parade theme was "Decades to Remember," and many of the parade's automobiles clearly conveyed the early 1970s muscle cars. Some floats, such as the Texarkana Renaissance Faire's, went back centuries instead.
DeAnna O'Malley, event organizer, said last year's Mardi Gras had about 23 floats-but this year, 33 participated. She said 2016's event may have drawn 5,000 to 7,000 people and she hoped for the same this year. It at least appeared to be in the thousands.