These days when you see the term "recession-proof" you sit up and take notice. What are some of the things that are weathering the recession with little or no impact? Nursing, software design & development, accounting, business analysis research have all been mentioned in Forbes Magazine among the Top Ten Recession-Proof Jobs.

What about events? People were cutting back on Valentine's Day when it came to spending on their sweethearts.

So what about the Soulard Mardi Gras? Can we expect smaller crowds? Less spending?

Organizers say the sales are actually up this year compared to previous years when it comes to the ticketed events. If you thought Mardi Gras consisted of:

The Pet Parade (rated G)

The Grand Parade (rated PG-13)

The "Hanging-out-in-Soulard-After-the-Parade" (sometimes rated R)

...then you're mistaken. There are actually 14 events over 7 weeks, such as a Cajun Cook-off and wine tasting.

I like to hear that people are still spending money. I'm probably like you when it comes to hearing about job losses night after night on the news--I hate it. I've got my fingers crossed that the economy is going to turn around and I want it to happen now.

The Soulard Mardi Gras started as a (somewhat) small get-together 30 years ago. Today it brings in about $25 million dollars to the St. Louis economy. That ain't chump-change. Also, consider that the Grand Parade can attract hundreds of thousands of people (especially if the weather is nice) and one-quarter of those people are coming into town from outside the St. Louis region.

When you hear numbers like that you might think: Party on Dude! (but be safe).

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