MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Joe Cain’s Merry Widows are ready to put their claws up and fight over who exactly was his favorite.
Cain’s Merry Widows, a women’s mystic society, celebrates Mardi Gras in a very different way than most Mardi Gras organizations. The women of the society, as you probably guessed, are called Joe Cain’s Widows and they gather on Joe Cain Day (the Sunday before Fat Tuesday).
The women wear all black mourning clothes with veils to wail over their “departed husbands” grave, and to fight over who he loved best. They then travel to what was Joe Cain’s house on Augusta Street to offer a toast and eulogy to their “Beloved Joe.” Once all these activities are over, the lead the Joe Cain parade in the first float that is dubbed the ‘Widow Wagon.’
The Widow’s have shared their schedule for Joe Cain day with WKRG News 5:
- 11:25 a.m. Arrive at Church Street Graveyard
- 11:45 a.m. Leave Church Street Graveyard
- 11:50 a.m. Arrive at Joe Cain’s House – 906 Augusta Street
- 12:20 p.m. Leave Joe Cain’s House
- 2:30 p.m. Parade Begins
Cain’s Merry Widows love to keep his memory, and how Mardi Gras got started, alive. An interesting fact about the Merry Widow’s is that they don’t go by their real names. They bear other names such as Savannah, Magnolia, Tara, Georgia, Sue Ellen, Shelby Marie, Zelda, Samantha, Victoria Angelica, Salome, Mahalla, Edna Pearl, Anna Lee, Daisy, Josie, Modesta, Isabelle, Emanuelle, Eva Mae, and Delta Dawn, all names of sweet, southern belles.
