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A horse’s tale

We’ve all seen so many westerns that we could easily see horses as motorcycles that never broke down. You hop on, steer them toward where you want to go, hit the gas and take off.

In real life, they’re not always that predictable.

When the Conde Cavaliers opened the Mardi Gras season for downtown Mobile Friday night, a horse carrying a Marshal reportedly fell to the ground during the procession. Video shared on Facebook shows a handler getting the horse back up with the rider aboard to continue the ride.

As you can expect, social media lit up. Much of the criticism was aimed at the size of the rider.

AL.com’s Greg Garrison reports that the Conde Cavaliers issued a statement to address the concerns, saying that the issue was not that there was a hoss on the horse.

“Though his costume makes him appear large, the Marshal involved in the incident was below the size limits established by the stable. Measurements for all Marshals were submitted prior to the parade and horses were assigned by their staff.”

The statement also said the horses are leased from a stable that provided trainers for the parade, and that the organization isn’t aware of any medical conditions regarding the animals.

It continued: “As explained by the trainer, the horse is healthy but became anxious due to the crowd noise and it laid down.”

Regardless, Mardi Gras 2024 is now underway in its birthplace. Laissez les bons temps rouler, Alabama.

Your bid?

If you’ve ever wanted to buy an iconic wedding venue in Birmingham, now’s your chance.

Gabrella Manor, on the edge of the Roebuck Springs neighborhood right off I-59, will be up for auction in February, reports AL.com’s Mary Colurso.

The 5-acre property includes an 8,591-square-foot, Spanish Colonial Revival-style house with five bedrooms, six bathrooms and murals and stained-glass windows all around.

The current owners are Brenda Jones and Steve Johnson. They bought the property and got married there in 1997, then opened it the next year as a venue for weddings and other occasions. If you’ve never been to a wedding there, you might’ve seen it during a tour of Roebuck Springs historic homes.

The bidding starts at $625,000.

Biopic in the works

Jazz legend Nat King Cole’s life is expected to be made into a movie, reports AL.com’s Shauna Stuart.

Cole was a native of Montgomery and it was in Birmingham, at what’s now Boutwell Auditorium, where he was assaulted by Klansmen in an event that is believed to have kick-started his civil-rights activism.

Colman Domingo talked to Variety about his plans to direct and star in the Nat King Cole movie. He’ll be making his debut directing a feature film. He’s currently up for an Oscar for his leading role in “Rustin.”

Quoting

“A man was gassed to death for 22 minutes Thursday with your permission but yes, tell us more about ‘never again seeing such evil carried out.’”

The Alabama Democratic Party, on its X account, referencing the nitrogen hypoxia execution of convicted murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith after Gov. Kay Ivey posted on the social-media platform for Holocaust Remembrance Day.

More Alabama news

On the calendar

Sunday was the 10th anniversary — 10th already! — of an event that here in Alabama we call “Snowpocalypse” or “Snowmaggedon.” It wasn’t as much snow as those words make it sound, but ice and weather circumstances wreaked havoc on roadways for days.

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