Ala Mardi Gras off to slow start on coast

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Mardi Gras celebrations are off to a modest start on the Alabama coast.

The weather was nice in Mobile this weekend, but area businesses say the crowds were smaller than anticipated.

Downtown bar employee Dawn McAleer tells WALA-TV (http://bit.ly/Vq7vB0 ) she hasn't seen business so slow in previous years of Mardi Gras.

McAleer thinks crowds may have been smaller this weekend because the Senior Bowl was held on Saturday at Mobile's Ladd Stadium.

Vendor Joshua Bear says people love Mardi Gras, but they also love football.

Mardi Gras celebrations are also held far inland. Several thousand people turned out for a parade Saturday in the central Alabama city of Prattville.

Next weekend's festivities in Mobile will compete with the Super Bowl, which is being played Sunday in New Orleans.

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