Unmasking Carbon Valley’s 'Fat Tuesday' (which just happens to take place on a Saturday)

There’s no reason to doubt the motives of Jerry Denovellis, the namesake and owner of the popular biker bar, Jerry D’s.
    If he tells you it’s a Mardi Gras party he throwing, you should believe him — despite the fact that the Jan. 26 party at the bar is much closer on the calendar to his Feb. 2 birthday, 10 days before the little shindig in the Big Easy.

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    But here’s how Denovellis pitches it: “We have the earliest and coldest Mardi Gras party in the world!”
    “But yeah, it’s kind of like for my birthday, too, a little bit. My birthday is Feb. 1,” he adds getting more excited as he thinks about it. “And after that, we’re going down to Mexico!”
    Let’s stop here to point out two additional facts: Denovellis will be in Mexico for Mardi Gras, and no, he’s never been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
    “I don’t know, it’s also just a good idea to get together the week before the Super Bowl; nothing’s going on that week,” he points out.
    It’s impossible to fault a man for his bacchanalian urges when he sounds so happy recounting the former glories.
    “The party used to be a luau party, but it’s been Mardi Gras now for 12 years,” Denovellis grins. “But that luau party was fun. We had the best pigs for those.”
    As for attendance or party formalities, Denovellis is equally sanguine.
    “Has the party grown through the years? I guess it has, but sometimes it’s not as big, but I guess it’s always about the same. We have a lot of the same people who come out and party with us every year,” he muses. “And we’ll have floats for the Mardi Gras parade. I would guess about six. I don’t know, it could be eight, it could be one.”
    In the end, Denovellis is a genius: You don’t need marketing gloss for the easiest idea in advertising history.
    “Ha, well print this: Some women come out of here with a lot of beads,” Denovellis laughs. “You’ll just have to come over and find out about it.”
    This reporter declined to comment for the story.

Contact Ben Wiebesiek at
303-659-2522, ext. 205, or email bwiebesiek@metrowestnewspapers.com.