Immaculate Conception School is set to throw a big party on Valentine’s Day.

The school is hosting a Mardi Gras event on Feb. 14 that includes plenty of food, music and fun. It will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Montgomery City.

IC will host Mardi Gras for the second year in a row. Last year, the school brought back the event for the first time in several years. Immaculate Conception Church hosted it for a couple of years before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 put it on hold.

“It’s a really fun event,” said IC principal Dana Schroeder, who is part of a committee that includes Anna Harrell and Gina Smith. “It’s fun to get out and about. I know a lot of parents use it as a date night so they could kind of get out of the house. Last year was a really good event. I know we’re hoping that this year is even bigger.”

Doors open at 6 p.m. A social hour with dinner that includes jambalaya, wings, dips and dessert is scheduled from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Trixie Delight, a cover band from the St. Charles area, returns to play music from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Members of the band include lead vocalist Kelly Wild, guitarists Clint Wilson and Richie LeMoine and drummer Brian Zielie.

Schroeder said the band plays a wide variety of music.

“I know that a couple of parish members followed them around,” she said. “So when they saw that we were actually having them, they made sure they showed up to support it. I watched them several times around the state. I saw them at the Lake of the Ozarks before and I saw them at the Cedar Lake Cellars.” 

Mardi Gras will also include a live auction, a 50/50 raffle and a booze wagon raffle. 

“Last year, we had some really good items,” Schroeder said. “We’re hoping to get some similar items there (this year). We’re sending out donor letters. Some people can help sponsor, like the band and help sponsor and donate to the cause. The band is very good, so people like to donate to help pay for that, so it’s very nice.”

Mardi Gras is a fundraising event. The cost is $40 a person. Participants must be 21 and over to attend and bring their own beverages.

“We have lots of things that we want to continue to do,” Schroeder said. “So we at school fundraise basically to help with operating costs. We are not in our diocese. We are a tithing diocese. Our non-Catholics pay a tuition, but our parish picks up the rest of the cost, so they pay about half the cost of their tuition and then our parish helps pick up the rest of it to help keep costs down. Catholics tithe to our parish, but our tuition is very low, compared to the St. Louis Diocese because our parish picks up the cost. This is a way to keep our tuition lower and not have to raise tuition to help cover operating costs.”

For more information, contact IC at 573-564-2679 or immaculateconception@icschool-mc.org.