COVINGTON — Nearly two years after a rowdy Mardi Gras prompted the cancellation of the public celebration, the MainStrasse Village Association hopes to resurrect the party in its traditional format — with some changes.

        The association plans to apply for a festival permit by week's end, Operations Director Paul Wolgin said. He added that a representative of the group may make an informational presentation to Covington City Commission at the end of tonight's meeting.

        “We want to show the city and the community that we're definitely addressing their concerns,” Mr. Wolgin said Monday.

        Covington Mayor Butch Callery said city officials are willing to listen to the MainStrasse Village Association's proposal. However, he added: “We don't want to discuss it on the floor without any input from the police and fire chiefs.”

        Last February, a Mardi Gras pub crawl prompted some business people to call for a more public event in 2002. The 2001 event saw nine arrests, mostly for disorderly conduct.

        Mardi Gras 2001 was in stark contrast to the previous year's celebration, which drew a record crowd of more than 60,000 over two days, and resulted in 53 citations and arrests for public urination, underage drinking and disorderly conduct.

        While some businesses heralded the 2000 celebration as an economic success, the rowdy celebration prompted Covington officials to cancel the public street festival this year.

        For 2002, the MainStrasse Village Association hopes to bring back the traditional pre-Lenten party, complete with parades and street closings, while making changes to address public concerns, Mr. Wolgin said.

        Although the details are still being worked out, Mr. Wolgin said one possible change would be to limit attendance by selling tickets in advance, not during the event.

        Another possible change would be increased security to guard against property damage, underage drinking and public nudity, Mr. Wolgin said.

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