Press Release Summary = With wind gusting up to 30 miles per hour, the weather at Saturday\'s Mardi Gras felt chillier than at many recent celebrations.
Press Release Body = With wind gusting up to 30 miles per hour, the weather at Saturday\'s Mardi Gras felt chillier than at many recent celebrations. But to the many northerners who traveled here for some southern hospitality, St. Louis is a tropical paradise.
\"It\'s like 30 degrees warmer here than in Wisconsin,\" said Matthew Pope, who joined 35 buddies here from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. \"Believe me, this is not cold.\"
Soulard Mardi Gras attracted hundreds of thousands of revelers, many of them first-time visitors from nearby states. The crowds drank Hurricane cocktails, cheered the parade and trolled the streets looking for new friends and the occasional peep show. Most women, however, opted for warmth over beads.
\"It\'s been a good day,\" said Mack Bradley, a spokesman for organizer Mardi Gras Inc. \"We\'ve got a big crowd, but no significant problems.\" Advertisement
Pope\'s friend Matt Krische decided at the last minute to make the 500-mile road trip here. Like his pals, he didn\'t bother to wear a warm coat as he roamed the streets of Soulard.
\"I love it here,\" said Krische. \"It\'s like Madison (Wis.) on Halloween night only bigger and better.\"
\"And with no tear gas,\" added Pope.
Police are thankful for that. Though officers reported the usual problems - minors drinking, men urinating in alleys, drunks vomiting - most folks kept their conduct in check.
\"We\'ve seen the typical Mardi Gras behavior, but there have been no major incidents,\" said Capt. Larry O\'Toole.
As of 8 p.m., when the sales of alcoholic beverages outside ended, police issued 216 summonses and arrested 23 people, police said. Most summonses - 176 - were for underage possession of alcohol. Police arrested 14 people for driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Mardi Gras officials have no way to estimate attendance, but clearly turnout was huge. Revelers endured long lines for food and booze and even longer lines for portable potties. At Russell Boulevard and Seventh Street, 54 people waited for 45 minutes to use two small and, by all accounts, stinky portable toilets.
\"When I got in this line, I really didn\'t have to go, but by the time I got to the front I was like, \'Will you please hurry up,\'\" said Jason Davis of Springfield, Ill.
Davis came decked out in a Scottish kilt and a large hat shaped like a pint of Guinness. On his arm dangled about 400 strands of beads he planned to \"give to the needy.\"
\"If someone doesn\'t have as many beads as they need, I\'ll help them out,\" Davis said.
Maybe that explains why business was off for vendor Mike Burch, aka the bead guy. Though many customers took a pass on beads and feather boas, he did sell out 250 pairs of gold, green and purple evening gloves.
\"Overall business has been a little disappointing,\" said Burch. \"But the gloves - they went quick.\"
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