There was plenty of fun going on at the Epworth House on Tuesday as the residents celebrated the end of Mardi Gras.

The common room at Epworth was filled with loud zydeco music, bright decorations, sparkling masks, and lots of laughter as residents enjoyed a afternoon of fun.

During the party, Epworth Director Betty Dunkin served up heaping bowls of red beans and rice, sparkling grape juice, and slices of the Mardi Gras King Cake for dessert.

Dunkin said special parties like these are held monthly at Epworth, with each one carrying a different theme.

It’s parties like these that not only keep residents entertained, its something they enjoy doing.

Dunkin said when she first became head of the seniors resident facility, fewer than 10 people would bother to attend the various functions.

Randy Allen, from the Birmingham office of the Methodist Home for the Aging, brought most of the decorations for the party to Epworth and spent the afternoon partying with the residents.

Next month, Allen says, he plans to come back to Selma for a St. Patrick’s Day-themed party for the residents and take them kite-flying in the parking lot of the Selma Mall.

The residents seemed to agree. They all had high spirits and tapped their feet to the music throughout the party.

By the end of the event, they left wearing Mardi Gras beads and ready to start the Lenten season.