Order of Inca brings weird, fun Mardi Gras mix to rainy night

It’s not every day you get a Revolution, a Rebellion, a couple of Republics and an Empire hobnobbing in the atrium of Mobile’s Government Plaza, but Mardi Gras is a special time.

The city’s festivities kicked up a gear despite wet weather on Friday, and it all started with a slightly surreal gathering in a building that, we remind you, has occasionally been referred to as “R2-D2″ because of its styling.

The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps had been paying a visit to Mobile, making appearances at a variety of institutions including schools and USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. The band, part of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, is a unique unit that wears uniforms patterned after those worn by musicians of Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army.

The 501st Legion, in contrast, “is an international costuming organization dedicated to celebrating ‘Star Wars’ though the creation and use of quality costumes that portray the villainous, morally ambiguous, or non-partisan characters from the ‘Star Wars’ universe.”

Both the Army unit and a detachment from the Legion were to be featured in Friday’s Order of Inca Parade, so both showed up at Government Plaza Friday afternoon. The moment featured some unusual cultural juxtapositions, to say the least: “Baby Yoda” riding on the Mandalorian’s hip, swaddled in Mardi Gras beads; a Tusken Raider taking in a Fife and Drum Corps performance; a Corps musician softly playing a period-incorrect John Williams theme.

Both groups were honored by the Mobile County Commission for their participation in the city’s Mardi Gras.

If all that wasn’t enough to convince a visitor that Mobile is a little different, what came next surely did the trick for a few: The Excelsior Band, marching in the rain, led a second line procession from the direction of the Battle House south along Royal Street. A member of the local delegation to the state legislature, spotted in the group, said a gathering of state legislators had been taking place in Mobile, giving north Alabama lawmakers a chance to familiarize themselves with such institutions as Austal USA’s shipyard. They were on their way to a reception, she said, not to line up for the Inca parade.

“They’re crazy down there,” is what those folks are going to say when they get back home.

Excelsior was far from the only brass band to be working on this chilly and damp evening, as light rain came and went. A half-dozen of them were performing in Cathedral Square as part of a mini-fest presented by the city.

The rain was far from heavy enough to stop the Order of Inca, though it inevitably hurt the crowd count. Let’s just say that if you wanted a spot on the barricades, your chances of finding one were good.

As it turned out, the Fife and Drum Corps and the 501st Legion weren’t the only exotic participants: Among the marching units was Magic City Disco, “Birmingham’s Groove Crew,” dancing their way along Route A.

The weather might not have been the best, but for anyone looking for reassurance that Mardi Gras was going to stay weird in 2023, the evening provided an energetic affirmative.

Saturday brings a slate of parades to the area: In Mobile, the Mobile Mystics, Mobile Mystical Revelers and Mobile Mystical Friends roll at 2 p.m., followed by the Maids of Mirth at 6:30 p.m. and the Order of Butterfly Maidens, Krewe of Marry Mates and Order of Hebe at 7 p.m. In Fairhope, the Mystic Mutts of Revelry dog parade takes place at 3 p.m. and the Knights of Ecor Rouge roll at 6 p.m. The full schedule is available here.

For continuing coverage, visit www.al.com/mardigras.

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