SAB to hold Mardi Gras celebration

A Mardi Gras celebration, put on by SAB, will be held on Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the third floor of the student union.

"I expect students to have a good time, bring their friends, get some free prizes and make some memories," said the vice president of SAB and director of student union events, Sierra Burris, a senior chemistry major of Piggott.

"We love to have something fun for students to get involved in on campus, and something fun to get students together," she said.

Burris said one of the main activities in the celebration would be the hypnotist show.

Chris Jones, a hypnotist, will have a show in Centennial Hall from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

According to Burris, Jones will put people who are coming to the show into a trance by hypnotizing them.

"He's going to entertain people," Burris said. "His show will definitely be one you don't want to miss."

The black light casino will also be a big activity. In Centennial Hall, different poker tables will be prepared with black lights shining on them, essentially making them glow in the dark. All light colored clothing also glows, Burris said.

"We're also going to have live jazz bands present," she said.

Burris also said there will be palm readers and tarot card readers telling people's fortunes.

SAB is going to give away many different prizes, including T-shirts, beads and other ASU and Mardi Gras themed prizes, throughout the night.

"On that day, the [Acansa Dining Hall] is going to be decorated for the celebration," Burris said.

She said she is not sure what kind of food will be served in the cafeteria, but they might serve food colored with purple, yellow and green, which are Mardi Gras symbolic colors.

The whole union is also going to be decorated on that day.

"It's going to be a really big, fun day," Burris said. "We will incorporate the fun spirit of Mardi Gras into all of our festivities."

Coordinator of Student Services, Jodie Cherry who was in charge of the celebration last year said students had a great time at the celebration last year.

"My expectation is that students will love this year's celebration because ASU has never had a black light casino to my knowledge," Cherry said.

She also said hypnotists have always been very popular at past events.

"Mardi Gras is celebrated all over the U.S. and I think the students really love getting to experience it at ASU," Cherry said.

"The Mardi Gras Celebration has been occurring for a number of years," said Natalie Eskew, an advisor of SAB. "It is traditionally an event that celebrates the end of the Mardi Gras week, and we have it so students are able to have an activity during the month of February to have a little fun."

Eskew said as long as the attendance at this event stays up every year, it will continue to be a traditional event that the Student Activities Board plans.