Let the merrymaking begin.
The 2007 Minerva Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball is set for Saturday, Feb. 17, 9 p.m. –midnight at College Park Hall, with free dance lessons beginning at 8 p.m. Sponsored by the Minerva Council, for all students, faculty and staff members of a Minerva, the event will feature dance performances, festive food, a cash bar and prizes for the best costumes. There'll be free babysitting, too.
“Last year's event was a lot of fun for faculty, staff and their partners as well as for students,” said Carol S. Weisse, director of Union's Health Professions Program, who is organizing the ball.
Mardi Gras – “Fat Tuesday” in French – is the day before Ash Wednesday and the final day of the public Carnival celebration held in New Orleans and many Roman Catholic countries just before the Lent season. This year, Mardi Gras falls on Feb. 20. For more information about the College-style celebration, e-mail Weisse at weissec@union.edu. If you're looking for something to wear, consider this: the Costumer stores in Schenectady and Colonie are giving 15 percent off all purchases and rentals with a Union ID.