The brick streets and Western architecture of Deadwood might be 1,500 miles from the French Quarter in New Orleans, but the Black Hills will bring a bit of Bourbon Street to South Dakota this weekend with Mardi Gras.

Deadwood’s Mardi Gras, of course, is a bit smaller, which makes things like parking, walking and getting a table at restaurants a sane activity. Expect some crowds and plenty of things to do – after all, Fat Tuesday is one of the most popular winter events in Deadwood – but you won’t have a problem jostling for the red beans and rice come dinner time.

Speaking of which, there is a Cajun cook-off scheduled this weekend, but not before the People’s Parade on Friday at 7 p.m. on Main Street. This is a family-friendly event, with floats, live music and dancing. The public is even invited to join in and participate along the parade route.

On Saturday, the cook-off runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. across town, with plenty of opportunities to taste. The Parade of Lights starts at 7 p.m., when more than 40,000 sets of beads will be tossed out to the crowds.

If you’re headed up to Deadwood this weekend, consider parking in one of the free lots (the lot on the lower end of Sherman Street near First Western Bank is my favorite) and ride the trolley into town. The trolleys always run more frequently during special events, and it’s a lot cheaper than feeding the meter. The forecast says it’s going to be in the 30s during the day and around 20 at night, so be sure to layer up.