TIME TO CELEBRATE!
Texans' Roy Lopez to serve as Grand Marshal at Mardi Gras! Galveston celebration
Feb 2, 2022, 4:31 pm
Mardi Gras! is right around the corner. Photo courtesy of the Houston Texans.
GALVESTON ISLAND, Texas (Feb. 2, 2022) – If you’re looking to catch some beads this carnival season, look no further than the 111th celebration of Mardi Gras! Galveston.
Taking place Feb. 18 - March 1, Galveston’s Mardi Gras celebration will feature 22 parades and 22 concerts as the island’s krewes prepare to throw more than three million beads and other trinkets to throngs of revelers. For tickets, visit www.mardigrasgalveston.com.
Houston Texans defensive lineman Roy Lopez, a standout rookie and one of just 24 Latino players in the NFL in 2021, will serve as Grand Marshal of Mardi Gras! Galveston’s fifth annual Fiesta Gras celebration of Hispanic heritage on Sunday, Feb. 20. Lopez will lead a parade through the Galveston Historic District at 4 p.m. to close out the day's festivities. Fiesta Gras also will feature a 12 p.m. concert by San Antonio-based Tejano group La Dezz, a 1 p.m. parade and 2:30 p.m. headlining performance by Latin Grammy Award-winning Tejano group Siggno.
Other music headliners at Mardi Gras! Galveston include multi-platinum Mississippi rock group 3 Doors Down on Saturday, Feb. 19; and country artist Matt Stell on Friday, Feb. 25, on Mardi Gras! Galveston's First Responders Day, which offers free admission to first responders and anyone with a military ID plus a guest.
Mardi Gras! Galveston also has announced its inaugural Bead Recycling Program, with a goal to recycle one million beads in 2022. The program was launched to get Mardi Gras beads out of the trash while providing Life Skills students from Galveston's Ball High School the opportunity to collect, clean, sort and repackage the beads and raise profits for a future community center.
Founded in 1867, Mardi Gras! Galveston is the third-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States and the largest in Texas. Festival organizer Yaga’s Entertainment donates a portion of proceeds to charitable causes such as The Sunshine Kids, Shriners Hospital for Children, Galveston Education Foundation, Texas A&M Maritime Academy and local firefighters.
About Mardi Gras! Galveston
Mardi Gras, the traditional festival of feasting and merrymaking that precedes the season of Lent, was first publicly observed on Galveston Island in 1867. Following a sabbatical imposed in 1941 by war and challenging times, Mardi Gras! Galveston was revived in 1985 by Galveston-born preservationist and developer George P. Mitchell. The largest celebration of its kind in Texas and the third largest in the nation, Mardi Gras! Galveston brings the island’s streets to life with parade viewers shouting for beads, lively tunes played by the colorful marching bands, and the infectious merriment that dominates the island for two full weeks. The Island’s 111th annual Mardi Gras celebration, to be held Feb. 18 to Mar. 1, 2022, is expected to draw more than 350,000 attendees. For more information, visit https://www.mardigrasgalveston.com/.
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Astros show signs of life in blowout win over Brewers
May 7, 2025, 3:25 pm
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a strained muscle at the top of his right hand, a diagnosis that instills optimism he won’t have a prolonged stay on the injured list.
The three-time All-Star went on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Saturday, and returned to Houston for an MRI that revealed the muscle strain.
“We look at it as good news,” Astros manager Joe Espada said before their Wednesday afternoon game with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Espada expressed hope that Alvarez wouldn’t have to stay on the injured list longer than the required 10 days. He also said the hand issue may have played a role in Alvarez’s slow start.
Alvarez, 27, is hitting .210 with a .306 on-base percentage, three homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games this season. He batted .308 with a .392 on-base percentage, 35 homers and 86 RBIs in 147 games last year while ranking ninth in the AL Most Valuable Player balloting.
He has posted an OPS of at least .959 and has finished 13th or higher in the MVP voting each of the last three seasons.
“Once he heals, once he gets back, I think we’ll see a more aggressive at bat and be not as cautious,” Espada said. “I think it had something to do with it, yes.”
His potential return could go a long way toward boosting an Astros lineup that hasn’t been as productive as usual this season. The Astros entered Wednesday’s action ranked 21st in the majors in runs (136) and 23rd in OPS (.676). Houston has ranked 11th or better in both those categories each of the last four seasons.