“They’ll eat anything they can catch,” said the artist, who is also displaying a panel of Roseate Spoonbills, Port Arthur’s pink birds.

Area churches and homes display Briscoe’s sturdy works of glass. A Buffalo Soldier and Egyptians are other subjects he has on display in February.  The museum is never without a Briscoe, because his tribute to the Space Shuttle Challenger serves as a permanent window at the Museum on Cultural Center Drive, near the Port Arthur Public Library.

Art and education match like his cut glass works. Briscoe has taught high school students to create their mascots in glass. He’s traveled to Africa to teach young people his craft.

Make sure to visit Museum of the Gulf Coast for ¡CARNAVAL! , a traveling exhibit featuring festival exhibits from around the globe, featuring what we in Port Arthur call Mardi Gras.  The Museum also highlights Port Arthur’s personalities from Janis Joplin to Jimmy Johnson.

“There’s magic in the air . . . the beads . . . the costumes . . . People have fun,” Toups said. “I just can’t get enough.”

From Feb. 16-19, lighted night parades with bead-tossing revelers fill the schedule in downtown Port Arthur, along with chicken and motorcycle parades. Elaborate costumes , Cajun music, a carnival and street food make a family-friendly event in downtown Port Arthur. Toups will play the 20^th annual Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19.

Toups called Mardi Gras a “joyous” time and says he thinks it is celebrated now more than when he was young. Toups has 14 recordings and  is honored the music hall of fame at Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur.  He said he’d try to stop by the museum to visit ¡CARNAVAL! , a traveling exhibit featuring festival exhibits from around the world.

“It’s really catching on,” Toups said about Mardi Gras spirit.

Kevin Fowler, Jivin’ Gene Bourgeois and the Ken Marvel Band, Stoney Larue, Geno Delafose and Ryan Foret and Foret Tradition are among other performers.

Visit mardigras.portarthur.com for more information.

Longneck Road’s bassist Ron Arceneaux says revelers will get a mix of the band’s original Texas and classic rock. In 2011, the Southeast Texas band opened for Chuck Berry, Ronnie Milsap and national touring guitarists.

Dick LeMasters, lead singer, said the band is ready to rock this 20^th annual family Mardi Gras that will fill downtown Port Arthur with lighted parades, concerts, a carnival and food from Feb. 16-19.

“We love events like Mardi Gras, where everyone is there to have a great time,” LeMasters, lead singer, said.

Sharing the bill with Mardi Gras headliners such as local legend Jivin’ Gene Bourgeois is also a highlight for Longneck Road.

“One of the best things about playing bigger shows is getting to meet artists that we’ve looked up to,” said Longneck Road lead guitarist Miles Sykes.

Being a part of the statewide marketing campaign for Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas has also helped to raise Longneck Road’s profile around the state.

“Two years ago, we were a local band,” said drummer Adam King. “Thanks to events like Mardi Gras, our name gets spread across Texas in magazines like Texas Monthly, and all of a sudden we’re known state-wide.”

Visit mardigras.portarthur.com for more info and make sure to visit Museum of the Gulf Coast for ¡CARNAVAL! , a traveling exhibit featuring festival exhibits from around the world.

All that New Orleans research must have been so hard on Jan Walker, but her Majestic Krewe of Aurora want the 20^th anniversary of Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas to go down right.

“We’ve reached back to the roots of Mardi Gras and will be honoring all the traditional symbols of the season. Don’t be surprised if you encounter a little Cajun Spice; a Jazz Man; some Justice, Faith and Power, and maybe even a Jester or two,” Walker said.

Wayne Toups, Kevin Fowler, Geno Delafose, Jivin’ Gene Bourgeois and Ryan Foret are among performers set for concerts Feb. 16-19 in downtown Port Arthur. Lighted parades, a carnival and bead catching make this a family affair.

“In researching fun traditions related to my Royalty costume, which harkens back to Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen, I was intrigued by the Mardi Gras coconuts created by the Zulu Krewe,” Walker said. “I ordered a bag of plain black coconuts from New Orleans, from the same business that supplies many of the coconuts used by the actual members of the Zulu Krewe.”

Friends adorned the treasures and Walker says that if you’re “very lucky, you just may score one during this year’s Royalty March.” The march is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18.

If you can tear the kids away from festival grounds, visit nearby Museum of the Gulf Coast for  ¡Carnaval!, an exhibit of the festival season throughout the world.

Port Arthur’s also your home port for a Texas fishing vacation and beach bird watching at Sea Rim State Park. More info is at  www.portarthur.com/mardigras, www.facebook.com/mardigrassetx and www.facebook.com/kreweofaurora.

In Laza, Spain, celebrants might throw dirt and ants at neighbors. On the other side of the Atlantic, in Brazil, throngs gather to play frevo music or dance the passo, while in Tlaxcala, Mexico, men dress as French dandies and perform a burlesque dance.  In New Orleans, the famed Mardi Gras krewes don outlandish costumes and parade the streets.

Folk art, costumes, video, masks and memorabilia will be on view through March 18. For information, call (409) 982-7000 or visit www.museumofthegulfcoast.org.

Parades and entertainment

Thursday, Feb. 16

• 4:45 p.m.  - Curir du Mardi Gras, to begin at Rose Hill and Lakeshore Drive, ending at festival grounds.
• 6 p.m. –  Longneck Road
• 8 p.m. –  Joel  Martin Project

Friday, Feb. 17

• 6 p.m. –  Longneck Road
• 8 p.m. –  Joel  Martin Project
• 7  p.m. ­-   Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie
• 7 p.m. – Valero Krewe of Krewes  Parade from Rose Hill to Procter Street  to Houston Avenue.
• 7  p.m.  - Golf card and ATV Parade, from Rose Hill to Procter Street to Houston Avenue.
• 10 p.m. – Kevin Fowler

Saturday, Feb. 18

• 1 p.m. – Krewes Royalty March, inside festival grounds
• 3 p.m., –  Jivin’ Gene Bourgeois and the Ken Marvel Band
• 5:30 p.m. – Leroy Thomas & The Zydeco Roadrunners
• 5:30 p.m. –  Motorcycle Showcase Parade, from Rose Hill to Procter Street to Houston Avenue
• 6 p.m. –  Total Krewe of Aurora Grand Parade, from Rose Hill to Procter Street   to Houston Avenue.
• 8:30 p.m. ­-  Champagne Room
• 10 p.m. ­- Stoney Larue

Sunday, Feb. 19

• 2 p.m. – Munchkin Parade, costumed children, inside grounds
• 3 p.m. – Ryan Foret and Foret Tradition
• 4 p.m. Richard Industrial group Motor Parade, from Rose Hill to Procter Street to Houston Avenue.
•  6:30 p.m. – Wayne Toups & ZydeCajun

Tickets range from $5 to $15 and are available at the gates and at The Mardi Gras Store, 3830 FM 365, (409)721-8717.

Janis Lyn Joplin was born on January 19, 1943 in Port Arthur, Texas. She would later become one of the most influential musicians in American music history. This iconic singer and artist has been given the informal title “Queen of Rock.” Although Joplin’s early years which included attending Port Arthur Schools, Port Arthur College and Lamar University in Beaumont were not uncommon, Joplin was a true individual. Stepping out from the conformity of the 1950s, she eventually found herself in California.
The Museum’s Music Hall of Fame features a permanent exhibit on the life and career of Janis Joplin with a wide array of artwork, personal effects, photographs and memorabilia as well as a replica of Joplin’s painted Porsche. Audio-visual touch screens as well as an old fashioned juke box allow visitors to see and hear Janis’ soulful performances. The Museum’s gift shop offers a wide variety of souvenirs commemorating Joplin’s influence and worldwide impact.

Visitors may also enjoy seeing Port Arthur sites related to the life of Janis Joplin. A downloadable driving tour brochure is available on the Museum’s website: www.museumofthegulfcoast.org and hard copies are available at the Museum and the Port Arthur Convention & Visitors Bureau located at 3401 Cultural Center Dr., Port Arthur, Texas 77642.

The Museum of the Gulf Coast is owned and operated by the Port Arthur Historical Society in partnership with Lamar State College – Port Arthur and the City of Port Arthur. It is located at 700 Procter Street in downtown Port Arthur. The Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information or to schedule a tour,  call 409-982-7000.

In January, Texas Artists Museum is also hosting Lamar University Students and work of  Slava Protopopov. For more art in Port Arthur, visit Museum of the Gulf Coast, and remember Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas is set for Feb. 16-19 in downtown Port Arthur.

Ahsan Tariq, a native of Pakistan and a library employee, helped assemble a display that includes dolls in  traditional garments. He said he hopes   Holidays Around the World will promote a better understanding of people  who call Port Arthur home. Port Arthur Noon Sertoma Club sponsors the exhibit.

The library is at 4615 Ninth Avenue. While in town, soak up more history at historic homes along Lakeshore Drive, such as Pompeiian Villa and Rose Hill.

The Villa has again set out its collection of hundreds of Santa Claus figurines. Docent Pamela Walters says children and their families are welcome to admire Santa in poses from pilot and golfer to beach lover and list maker. Eudora Haber left her collection to Pompeiian Villa and it comes out each Christmas.
“We’re usually pretty busy at this time of year,” Walters said.

Admission is the usual $2.

The Port Arthur Historical Society operates the Villa. For group tours, call Walters at (409) 983-5977.

For more on the museum, visit www.museumofthegulfcoast.org   or call (409) 982-7000.