Colorful costumes, sparkling beads, Caribbean rhythms, arts-and-crafts . . . The group gathered at Decas Elementary School on Sunday chased away the February weather with a children's Mardi Gras celebration.

Children created floats, hats, and masks for a parade. They participated in limbo, hula-hoop and musical-chair contests. And they were entertained by volunteers from local businesses and community organizations and by clowns from the Onset Youth Center who created their signature balloon sculptures.

The event was hosted by the Massachusetts Children's Relief Project, an organization formed by Decas speech and language teacher Sally Morrison and her students after Hurricane Katrina devastated their penpals in Slidell, LA.  Friends in Slidell collected thousands of beads for the celebration, which Wareham children caught as they paraded through the school gym.

The celebration raised $300 for the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, and over $400 worth of non-perishable or baby items were collected for Damien's Pantry and Baby Point.  Food and beverages were also shared with St. Patrick's Table.