Wait. Mardi Gras in February? In the Bavarian village of Helen, Georgia. Sure. Why not.
There are times when Helen is almost as weird as California — and, as a former resident, I say that with a smile. Take, for example, Helen’s version of Mardi Gras, fashioned after “fasching,” which takes place on Saturday, February 11, 2016.
According to the University of Chicago:
Fasching is Germany’s carnival season. It starts on the 11th day of November at exactly [11:11 AM] and ends at the stroke of midnight on Shroud Tuesday – often referred to as Fat Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday).
Fasching (also known as Karneval) is a time of festivity and merry making – a time to
break the rules, poke fun at those who make them and … make your own … rules.
The fun on Saturday, February 11th begins with a Sidewalk & River parade through town about 1:00 PM. Walk the parade route, then hop in a tube for the race to the finish. The Helendorf Conference Center hosts a Fasching Party that starts at 7 PM.
That’s about all we know, except for the fact that beer and schnapps will be involved. Pfft. What’s the worst that can happen?
