The first - and hopefully annual - St. Peter Rocks Out Mardi Gras event was held Feb. 18 in the social hall of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, 4 S. Fifth St., Coplay.

The event was sold out, with about 200 revelers enjoying a decorated space in a Mardi Gras theme.

The event opened with a dragon procession, its long tail held up by seven committee members. A large number of attendees followed it through the social hall as they sang “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

That set the tone for an evening of merriment and enjoyment.

Attendees wore colorful garb in green, gold and purple, adorned with multicolored beads. Many women also wore popular Mardi Gras masks.

Mike and Beverly Sobchak led a team of 19 coordinators to assemble the celebration, marking the day before Lent begins.

A highlight of the evening was the appearance of Elvis Presley - aka Mike Sobchak - singing a number of hits.

Hors d’oeuvres, Louisiana-style cuisine and other foods, refreshments and beer were included in the ticket price. The event was also BYOB.

This well-thought-out event had a king cake circling the centerpiece at each table. King cake is a New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition. It is a braided cinnamon bun decorated with sanding sugar. Green represents faith, purple symbolizes justice and gold signifies power.

There was a tiny plastic baby Jesus hidden inside each table’s cake. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby Jesus is said to have good luck the rest of the year.

The person at each table who got the baby Jesus won a bottle of wine.

There was also a 50/50 drawing and door prizes.

Entertainment by the Joseph Kroboth Band had many on their feet dancing to an eclectic array of music.

Fun and fellowship filled the room for five hours - right until the event concluded 10 p.m.

In attendance were current St. Peter Monsignor and Pastor David L. James, who is also the Allentown Diocese vicar general, and retired former St. Peter Pastor Monsignor John J. Martin. Both appeared delighted by the friendship and fellowship on full display.

In French, Mardi means “Tuesday” and Gras means “fat.” That’s why the day is also referred to as Fat Tuesday.

The word originated in France and was what people used to describe the day before Ash Wednesday, when people would binge on rich foods such as meat, eggs, milk and cheese before Lent began.

It is believed the first American Mardi Gras took place March 3, 1699, when French explorers landed near present-day New Orleans.