New Orleans Cajun style food, jazz music, jugglers and an area to make Mardi Gras masks were featured in the Multipurpose Room, while a henna tattoo artist was set up outside the room where the event was held. ‘Free food is always a big draw,’ Rachel Browne, sophomore and UAO event staff member, said. The turn out for the event was better than UAO had hoped for, with the food being the main drawing point. Students sat at big round tables, eating their food and socializing with one another while either wearing masks or watching the jugglers. There were many types of food offered, including jambalaya, red beans, and Cajun hush puppies. ‘The hush puppies were a bit dry,’ senior Sharon Chittock said. Besides dry hush puppies, students agreed the food was generally very good. But food wasn’t the only big draw at the celebration. Henna tattoo artist Jodie Fleming-Arnold had a line that never dwindled during the celebration. Students who were unwilling to wait in line for a tattoo took advantage of the event by making their own Mardi Gras masks with feathers, while others learned to juggle. ‘I’m really klutzy, but I might try to juggle,’ Browne said. Signs decorating the room made references to real New Orleans streets, like Bourbon Street, where the celebration is held every year. And even though a majority of students enjoyed the Mardi Gras atmosphere, some thought it could have been a little more realistic. ‘What would make this complete is a live jazz band,’ senior Katie Hartman said.