CANTON – Kids can make a mask and join the parade at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association’s Second Saturday Children’s Program Mardi Gras festivities at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 12 in Silas Wright House, 3 E. Main St.

Children 4 to 10 years old will get a chance to listen to a Mardi Gras story, learn about the history and traditions of Mardi Gras, make a Mardi Gras mask to take home, and march through the museum in a Mardi Gras parade.

Parents, grandparents and other caregivers are welcome to attend this free program. Parking is available in the back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.

Mardi Gras, and its English equivalents Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, trace their roots back to ancient Rome. By the Middle Ages, carnivals were pre-Lenten festivities and celebrations throughout Europe in honor of newly conscripted knights. The word carnival, which today make us think of merry making and festivals, comes from the Medieval Latin word “carnelevarium,” which means to take away or remove meat. In the United States Mardi Gras is synonymous with the city of New Orleans, but it is celebrated throughout the world.

The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is a membership organization open to anyone interested in St. Lawrence County history. For more information, or to become a member, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org.