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KREWE OF MCCA 201422 FEBRUARY 28, 2014 The Daily News

KREWE OF MCCA 2014The Daily News FEBRUARY 28, 2014 3

BY MARCELLE HANEMANNTHE DAILY NEWS

Today, as the Magic CityCarnival Association celebratesits 34th season, the rewe’s ori-gin is reflected along the streetwhere its annual parade beginsits three-and-a-half-mile rollthrough Bogalusa.

Columbia Street is now expe-riencing a renaissance, andthat’s exactly what a couple ofMCCA founders, Jack Wempeand Don Spiers, were trying toinitiate on Jan. 14, 1981.

Wempe was the manager ofthe downtown J.C. Penneystore, and Spiers was in the realestate business. The two werechatting and Wempe was“brainstorming to find ways toput the brakes on the demise ofthe Bogalusa downtown shop-ping and activity, particularly athis J.C. Penney store,” Spiersrecently recalled.

“Jack asked, ‘Why don't y'all

have a Mardi Gras paradehere?’" he said. “The idea wasright there born-to have aMardi Gras parade starting onand parading right up the mid-dle of downtown's ColumbiaStreet!”

Fat Tuesday fell on March 3that year, so the men decided tohold the Bogalusa parade on thepreceding Saturday, Feb. 28.Then they started gatheringrecruits.

“We thought of several namesright away, like Bill McGeheewho had just been namedYoung Man of the Year, andLloyd Baudier, who was a riderwith Endymion in NewOrleans,” Spiers said. “DixieGallaspy was a great organizer,and our obvious choice as firstqueen, so we asked her to locatea king. She enlisted Mr. VertressYoung, who was a wonderful,widely known and respectedbusiness leader. His serving asMCCA King I gave us instant

credibility.”Just six weeks after the idea

was hatched, the first Carnivalparade in Washington Parishrolled up Columbia Street andthrough Bogalusa.

Pulled by pickup trucks, 80krewe members paraded inseven rented floats, and KingYoung and Queen Gallaspyeach had a float of their own.They were followed by some ofthe MCCA members’ wives,who formed the first two ladies’groups.

“One ladies' group paraded ina borrowed National Guardthree-quarter-ton vehicle wear-ing borrowed army uniforms,”Spiers said. “They called them-selves MASH after the mostpopular TV show of that time.

“The other paraded in a bor-rowed and decorated graveltruck from Lakeview Sand andGravel. They costumed, deco-rated and rode in the graveltruck, naming themselves the

Gravel Girls.“Both the ladies' groups still

ride with MCCA, as MASH andthe GGs.”

The MCCA I parade alsoincluded the four local highschool bands followed by deco-rated cars, bicycles and motor-cycles, he said.

“The Krewe and the commu-nity were delighted,” Spiersrecalled. “We had a wonderfulday, and it was clear that MCCAwas here to stay!”

Wempe rode as MCCA’s firstcaptain, but only weeks later hemoved to manage a J.C.Penney’s in Kentucky. Before heleft, he called Spiers to list hishome for sale, then he handedhim the reins and the position.

“He advised only one thing —keep it flexible," Spiers said. “Ihave been trying to continuethat strategy for the ensuing 33years.”

Over the course of thosedecades, MCCA membership

has grown to include about 200men in 11 dens, individual floatclubs under the MCCA umbrel-la. The number of ladies’groups has increased to morethan a dozen, and now five civicclubs, most of them co-ed, fol-low the ladies’ groups in theparade.

“It always seems to me thatwe are getting more and moreyoung people in the Krewe,” hesaid. “But I suspect that this isdue to more and more memberslike me getting older quicker.”

In fact, 14 of the 80 originalMCCA members are stillinvolved. Those who haveretained continuous member-ship are Ovett Branch, MikeBreland, Merlin Duke, StephenGenco, Horace Hayden, GeorgeJohnson, Bill McGehee, JoeyMelancon, Larry Miller, BobNeilson, Spiers, TommyStephens, Tim Tullos and JerryWade.“We’re still standing,”Spiers smiled.

MCCA XXXIV reflects Carnival Krewe’s origin


• BHS ROTC Unit/BPDlead

• The Attitudes march-ing group

• Washington FarmBureau Queen

• Washington ParishFair Queen

• Washington ParishFire District Queen • American LegionPaper Queen, MissDixie, Sweetheart

• Bogalusa High SchoolBand, Homecoming

Queen • MCCA Captain

• BogaLucys steppergroup

• MCCA King • Franklinton High

School Band• MCCA Queen • MCCA Dukes • Royal Court

• Bailey MagnateSchool Band

• Mardi Gras Indians• Parade Marshal

• MCCA Past Pages• Kentwood High

School Band• Roogaroo• Pegasus

• Dionysus• Varnado High School

Band• Zeus

• Triton• Amite High School

Band• Magic Chaos

• Jesters• X-Caliber• Centaurs• Wahoo• Venus• Ailea

• Les Cheres Aimies• Vogue

• Calypso

• Aphrodite• Cleopatra

• YaYa• GGs

• MASH• Hera• Diva

• Athena• Rhea

• Neptune• Richardson Town

Gang• CONFUSHON• Confushon Too

• MARS• Toulouse

• BAST

Parade kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 1, and will be introduced by Mardi Gras motorcycle riders followed by antique vehiclesMCCA XXXIV Parade Lineup


BY MARCELLE HANEMANNTHE DAILY NEWS

Over the 34-yearcourse of its reign inBogalusa, the MagicCity Carnival Associa-tion has brought in abroad assortment ofcharacters and digni-taries to ride as itsparade marshal.

Those so honored inthe past include PeteFountain, Archie Man-ning, Hank Stram, RichMauti, Bob DelGiorno,Frank Davis, NashRoberts and JimHenderson.

But this year’s mar-shal is likely thebiggest character/dig-nitary of them all.Former Gov. EdwinEdwards, who afterserving the state forfour terms served eightyears in a federal peni-tentiary on a racketeer-ing conviction, hasbeen tagged to assumethe position for MCCAXXXIV.

The choice is particu-larly appropriate be-cause the colorful andwidely beloved 86-year-old, who is currentlyexpected to make a runfor a Congressionalseat, recently starredwith his young wife,Trina, in the reality tel-evision show, “The

Governor’s Wife.” TheMCCA XXXIV paradetheme is Reality TV onParade.

Kick-off for what isbelieved to be the lar-gest Carnival parade ina city of Bogalusa's sizewill be at 1 p.m.

Besides the rascallyformer governor, theparade will includebeauty queens in con-vertibles, six bands,four marching groupsand 35 floats depictingTV shows like DuckDynasty, Dancing withthe Stars, Bridezilla,Dog the Bounty Hunter,Survivor and My BigFat Gypsy Wedding.

MCCA Captain DonSpiers said the paradetypically draws crowdsnumbering in the tensof thousands, and thatEdwards will add to theattraction.

The notoriously flir-tatious former politi-cian who was governorof Louisiana longerthat anyone else in thestate’s history is a localfavorite, he said

“In each election, hereceived an overwhelm-ing 63 to 67 percent ofthe vote in WashingtonParish,” Spiers said.“That’s pretty popular.Edwards is obviously,very well known. He isboth famous and infa-mous.”

Even aside from theillustrious marshal, theMCCA parade, which isknown for its abun-dance of throws, is sureto please.

“The parade will beintroduced by a columnperhaps 100 motorcy-cles followed by con-vertibles featuring fes-tival queens and an-tique vehicles,” Spierssaid. “And 30 of ourfloats have onboardmusic systems, makingus very likely the mostmusical parade in all ofCarnival.

“We are excited andproud of our achieve-ment and all the amaz-ing support and en-couragement. We trulyhope that our commu-nity and visitors have agreat fun-filled and safeday.”

Former Gov. EdwinEdwards slated to ride asMCCA parade marshal

FORMER GOVERNOREDWIN W. EDWARDS


MCCAMCCAXXXIVXXXIVRRooyyaltyalty

KingRussell

Lambert&

QueenCharmaine

ReevesPhoto by Burt Burr


1981 Vertrees Young and Dixie

Gallaspy

1982Donald Lee and Shannie Thigpen

1983Joseph Black and Georgia Spiers

1984Dr. Glenn Waldrup and

Barbara Hayden

1985Alcous Stewart and Jane Tonner Wade

1986Dr. Wayne Lemaire and

Mary Boulware

1987Dr. Mitchell Massey and Dree Seal

1988Jimmy Jenkins and Etta Arata

1989Jerry Carney and Ann Pierce

1989Greg Genco and Vicki Evans

1990Cook Byrd and Karen Jenkins

1992Larry King and Carol Bush

1993Larry Miller and Holly James

1994Wally Rosenblum and

Cynthia Melancon

1995Stephen Genco and

Kennette Mehle

1996Merlin Duke and Linda Moseley

1997Dr. Jay Appurao and

Lawana Penton

1998Joey Melancon and Candy Rosenblum

1999Mickey Mitchell and

Freda Billings

2000Alan Black and Dawn Amacker

2001Buck Moseley and Eleanor Duke

2002Ricky Dale Crain and Mary Helen Williams

2003Dr. Roger Casama and

Sylvia Gourgeot

2004Max Gourgeot and Glenda Byrd

2005Dr. Mark James and

Joannie Miller

2006Tom Stephens and Lisa Tanner

2007Tim Augustine and

Regina Runfalo

2008Milton Perrette and Stacy

Gallaspy

2009Sidney Joseph Arceneaux III and

Melissa Weintritt

2010Doug Ritchie and Lisa Crain

2011Richard Slade and Janene Dunaway

2012Will Branch and Carmen Jones

2013Claude Bloom and Beth Breland

Past MCCA Royalty


Attendants to the Kingand Queen of MCCAare, from left, thirdrow: Connor Slocum,Libby Lyons, BrendanSlaughter, MadisonCrain and AidenFleming; second row:Madison Lumpkin,Kadie Seal and AllieMcGehee; and firstrow: Jennings Scottand Brayden Ladner.Ashlyn Vining is seenbelow.

Photo by Burt Burr

Pages to the King and Queen


Queen Charmaine Reeves enjoying MCCA reignBY LUCY PARKERTHE DAILY NEWS

For Queen CharmaineIngram Reeves, the MCCAXXXIV season has been anexciting and fun-filledadventure with many twistsand turns.

The excitement of peoplein the community about theMardi Gras season hashelped her and King RussellLambert to enjoy the seasoneven more, she said.

During the season, they’vealso learned more abouttheir community and bond-ed with the different groupsthey’ve visited. She saidthey’ve had a full calendarthroughout the season, withstops at a number of clubsand organizations.

Also, Reeves said everyparty has been a unique

experience. They’ve all beena blast, from the ones with 20people present to the oneswith hundreds of partygo-ers, she said.

“I think the best part ofeverything is the time thatwe spend with our dukesand duchesses, maids,guards and pages,” she said,adding that they’ve allbecome like family.

There are also many closefriends or family memberson the court, includingReeves’ nephew, ShelbyCulpepper, a guard, andLambert’s niece, CarlieLambert, who is a maid.

The season kicked off withthe Jan. 4 announcementparty. Reeves said the reveal-ing of the king and queenwas a fun event and fit inwith this year’s carnivaltheme, “Reality TV on

Parade.”The final rose ceremony

from “The Bachelor” wasreenacted with Lambert indisguise so no one wouldknow his identity.

“He selected several ladiesto give a flower to and thengave the final rose to me,”she said. “Then we revealedhim as the king.”

Reeves has been a memberof Venus for about sevenyears and is the group’s cur-rent president. Her husband,Darren, is a member of X-calibur.

Reeves, a curriculumcoach at Central Elementary,said she loves her job.

“I work with fabulousteachers and wonderful chil-dren,” she said.

One of the best parts ofthe parade experience is see-ing all the children she’s

taught and her current stu-dents standing along theroute screaming her name.She said that’s who she mostenjoys throwing to.

A 1985 graduate ofBogalusa High and a 2003Southeastern graduate,Reeves is currently enrolledin the university and isworking on her master’sdegree in educational lead-ership.

Reeves said she wanted tothank her husband for beinga great consort and for givingher all the support she hasneeded throughout the sea-son and expressed a thankyou to her son, Dylan Reeves,as well.

“It’s been very busy forthem. Their lives have beenchanged quite a bit,” she said.

On behalf of herself andthe king, Reeves also

expressed her appreciation tothe “royal entourage” ofStacy Culpepper, Frank Foretand Kelly and Glynn Hebertand to Ann and JoeCulpepper for serving astheir photographers this sea-son.

Past Queen Lisa Crain wasalso there with great adviceand helped Reeves do every-thing necessary to be pre-pared, she said.

Reeves said she feels fortu-nate Lambert selected her asqueen. She said he’s made theseason fun and has eliminat-ed any stress she might have.He is the only person shecould have shared this expe-rience with, she said.

“I was never going to havethis opportunity again,because I would not havedone it with anyone else,” shesaid.


Lambert looking forward to riding as MCCA king

BY LUCY PARKER THE DAILY NEWS

MCCA XXXIV King RussellLambert said his royal season hasbeen an amazing experience.

He said people in Bogalusa andthroughout the parish have beenextremely nice, and the krewesand dens have been great aboutworking with his and QueenCharmaine Reeves’ schedules toensure they could make all theirobligations.

He said all the parties have beendifferent and fun, and he’s also en-joyed events like Bark for Life, towhich he and Reeves both broughttheir dogs.

The dukes and maids have beengreat this year, and Lambert saidhe couldn’t imagine there being abetter group.

Lambert is the owner of RussellLambert Construction Co., whichdoes industrial maintenance workin paper mills and power plantsthroughout the United States andCanada. He is a 1984 BogalusaHigh graduate and a 1986Louisiana Technical College grad-uate.

He has been a member of Wahoosince 2006 and was a duke in 2008.

His fellow duke that year wasDarren Reeves, the queen’s hus-band. He said they’ve all been life-long friends and spend vacationsand holidays together.

Charmaine Reeves has been anamazing queen, Lambert said.

“I cannot begin to say enoughgood things about her. She is awe-some,” he said. “I could not havechosen a better one.”

Lambert said riding down the

MCCA parade route is an inde-scribable experience, and he islooking forward to his rideSaturday as king.

Something that will make iteven more special is that he will bewearing the costume Dr. WayneLeMaire donned as king of MCCAVI. Lambert, who is friends withLeMaire’s daughter, Mitou, andher husband, Shane Scott, said thecostume will be worn in LeMaire’shonor and memory.

In addition to Mitou Lemaireand Shane Scott and many otherswho helped throughout the sea-son, Lambert said his thank youswould also include Larry Packand April Crain.

“They’ve been there with mefrom day one,” he said. “You canjust mention something to them,and they make sure it happens.”

DAILY NEWSPHOTO/Marcelle

Hanemann

Stephen Gencodebuts the 2014MCCA XXXIVBears, Tiger andLily. Gencoannuallydesigns andnames the sig-nature stuffedthrows and pres-ents his ideas tothe board forapproval.


MCCA XXXIVBears


Bloom reflects on MCCA XXXIIIBY LUCY PARKERTHE DAILY NEWS

Being able to share theexperience with QueenBeth Breland is whatmade the MCCA XXXIIIseason most memorable,2013 King Claude Bloomsaid.

Bloom said he remem-bers so many thingsabout the season leadingup to the parade — theparties, the people andthe time spent withfriends. He said he partic-ipated in a number ofactivities such as theMother Goose parade andvisits to local hospitalsand organizations.

He said the whole expe-rience was made morespecial by having BethBreland as his queen. Hesaid she taught many peo-

ple within the communi-ty during more than 30years in the Bogalusa

City School System andleft a wonderful legacy asa teacher.

Additionally, she andher husband, Mike, madea big impact on the com-munity and gained therespect of many throughteaching swimming les-sons for more than 25years. Bloom said hisgrandchildren wereamong the Brelands’ stu-dents.

Breland passed awayFeb. 3 after a battle withcancer.

Bloom remembers Bre-land’s strength and posi-tive attitude during herseason as queen.

“Through the season,she was so strong to beable to deal with her ill-ness and still be a greatqueen,” Bloom said. “Shenever missed an event.She never complained.

SEE BLOOM, PAGE 28

MCCA XXXIII KING CLAUDE BLOOM AND QUEEN BETH BRELAND


BY LUCY PARKERTHE DAILY NEWS

MCCA XXXIII QueenBeth Breland, who passedaway in January, is beingremembered for theimpact she made on theorganization and hercommunity.

In November 2011, dur-ing the family’s annualtrip to the beach, Brelandtold her daughter, AmyBreland Williams, shewas going to be queen ofMCCA 2013, as ClaudeBloom, that season’s king,had asked her.

Then, Williams said,Breland didn’t feel well inthe spring and was diag-nosed with cancer thatMay. She said everythingwas put on hold until

about August, whenBreland had recoveredfrom surgery and decidedshe wanted to do it.

Williams said being

queen gave her momsomething else to keepher mind on, and sheenjoyed every minute ofthe experience. She got to

dress up, dance and visitwith people, which werethree of her favoritethings, her daughter said.

A member of FirstBaptist Church of Boga-lusa, her strength camefrom her faith, and that iswhat got her through,Williams said.

Teaching was also a bigpart of Breland’s life.Williams said the majori-ty of her more-than-30-year teaching career wasat Bogalusa High School,where she was a Paper-dolls sponsor for manyyears, and she and herhusband, Mike, alsotaught swimming lessonsfor decades.

Breland and Mike had

Beth Breland remembered

SEE BRELAND, PAGE 29

Shown, from left, during last season’s MCCA beadloading party are Matt Breland, Amy BrelandWilliams and Beth and Mike Breland.


Krewe of MCCA XXXIV


2014 Mardi Gras Ball


GGuuaarrddssooff

MMCCCCAAXXXXXXIIVV

WILLIAM ARATA JR. DAVID CRAIN II

CONNOR GALLASPY AUSTIN HUNT

SHELBY CULPEPPER AUSTIN DURDEN

GAGE O’KEEFE DRAKE PIERCEPhotos by Burt Burr


MMaaiiddssooff

MMCCCCAAXXXXXXIIVV

ANJELICCA ARCENEAUX KATELYN CAPO CLAIRE DUNAWAY CAITLYN GALLASPY CARLIE LAMBERT

TYLER MARTIN MORGAN MILEY NATALIE PIERCE SHELBY ROUTZAHN MCKAYLA SANDIFERPhotos by Burt Burr


BLOOM: Loved spending time with dukes

“She always had fun,always had a smile foreveryone. The best partof the season wasbeing able to share itwith her.”

He said they enjoyedplanning the variousevents, from theannouncement partycomplete with a sleigh

and Bloom in a SantaClaus suit, to the regalball and everythingthat came in between.

He said he wouldn’tbe able to single outone party he mostenjoyed, because theywere all his favorites.

Bloom said a high-light of the season wasalso spending timewith the dukes. He said

the duke trip to NewOrleans, in particular,was a fun event.

A member of MCCAsince 1998 and a cur-rent member ofRoogaroo, Bloom willbe riding in the paradeon his den’s float, andhe aid he hopes to seeeveryone there whenMCCA rolls onSaturday.

FROM PAGE 18


been involved withMCCA since the krewe’sbeginning and filmed thedifferent parties andevents. Williams said hermom, a member of GGs,wasn’t the kind of personwho felt the need to be inthe spotlight, but shethought serving as queenwould be fun.

“She was thrilled to beasked and was excitedabout it,” Williams said.

Everything that seasonrevolved around a bloomand bee theme, drawnfrom the royals’ lastnames. Williams de-signed a logo that includ-ed representation ofBogalusa with a pineconeand dogwood bloom, andprints of that design were

given throughout the sea-son as gifts.

In keeping with thattheme, Breland was theMCCA XXXIII “QueenB.”

Breland’s husband wasthe “Beekeeper.” Wil-liams said he filmed thatseason as he had duringthe previous years, but itwas even more specialbecause it was his wife’syear as queen.

Williams said herbrother, Matt, was excitedto be involved as well.Dubbed the “WorkerBee,” he attended all theparties and was the beadcarrier.

Breland also had agroup of close friends andfamily, known as the“Honeybees,” who werethere for support and

were ready to step in ifshe couldn’t make it to aparty or engagement.

Breland’s sister, JudyWamsley, said Williamskept everything organ-ized and wrapped all ofthe gifts so the queencould enjoy the experi-ence and not have toworry about things likethat. Williams’ husband,George, was also activebehind the scenes andwas a great source of sup-port during the season.

Wamsley also recalledsome of the specialmoments that season,such as helping Brelandsearch for the perfectdress.

Williams said she isgrateful that Captain DonSpiers and his wife,Georgia, Bloom and his

wife, Sandy, and everyoneelse with MCCA was wel-coming and supportivethat year, helping hermom have a great season.

She said it was touch-ing that so many peopleaffiliated with the krewe,even those she didn’tknow very well, andmembers of the commu-nity have been there nowto offer their support andcondolences.

Williams said her lov-ing, kind and givingmother taught her how tobe strong and live for eachday and each moment.

“She made sure that wehad a wonderful life andthat we were loved,” shesaid. “I’m going to missher not being there, butshe definitely left hermark on all of us.”

BRELAND: Beth was the MCCA XXXIII ‘Queen B’FROM PAGE 19


MCCA XXXIV Queen Charmaine Reeves


Mardi Gras is bestknown as a raucousevent that takes place inNew Orleans and otherareas around the worldin January and Febru-ary.

Fat Tuesday, the finalday of Mardi Gras, canoccur in March depend-ing on the calendar yearand how it correspondsto the Christian liturgi-cal calendar. WhileMardi Gras may be leg-endary for scantily cladrevelers in costumes,delicious food, over-flowing spirits andmany acts of debauch-ery, many people, par-ticularly non-Chris-tians, may not knowwhat the celebration istruly all about.

Roots of this holiday

actually lie in theChristian calendar.

Mardi Gras is sup-posed to serve as thelast day in a period ofmerrymaking that his-torically takes placeduring the Carnivalseason. For many Chris-tians, that Carnivalperiod starts with theEpiphany, or when itwas revealed that JesusChrist is the Son ofGod, which occurs a fewdays after Christmas.The tradition of theKing's Cake, or a cakebaked with a coin, beador plastic baby dollinside, that is commonduring Mardi Gras, hasits origins in Epiphanycelebrations. The "King'symbolizes the Christchild. Fun and good

cheer continue duringthe next month, and themerrymaking eventual-ly reaches its pinnacleon Mardi Gras. Theactual name "FatTuesday" comes fromthe tradition of slaugh-tering and feastingupon a fattened calf onthe last day of Carnival.To the very religious,Mardi Gras is alsocalled "Shrove Tues-day," from "to shrive" orhear religious confes-sions before Lent.

Many may wonderwhy good times mustend on Mardi Gras andnot continue thereafter.That's because Chris-tian Mardi Gras is thefinal day before Lentbegins. Lent is a periodof 40 weekdays that, in

the Christian Church,is devoted to fasting,abstinence and peni-tence.

The traditional pur-pose of Lent is to pre-pare believers for theannual commemorationof how Jesus gave uphis life for his followers,and the miracle thatwas His Resurrection,and his eventual ascen-sion into heaven. Par-ticipating in the Lentenseason is a practice thatis common to the manysects of Christianity, in-cluding Catholics, Pres-byterians, Anglicans,Lutherans, and Meth-odists. It has also slowlygained favor with otherdenominations thathave historically notparticipated in Lent.

Exploring the history of Mardi Gras


Have fun, but be safeIt’s Carnival time,

and for most people thatmeans a great big partyof a parade. InBogalusa, it’s a giftfrom the Krewe ofMCCA to the public,and it’s a present annu-ally received by thou-sands.

But large crowds, bigmoving vehicles and“laissez les bon tempsrouler” attitudes canpresent hazards, andchildren are especiallyvulnerable. The follow-ing tips from the LSUextension Service andthe Bogalusa PoliceDepartment can helpparade-goers keepthemselves and theirloved ones safe as theyjoin their neighbors inletting the good timesroll.

• Make sure all smallchildren are accountedfor before, during, andafter the parade.

• Make certain allchildren 10 or under aresupervised by a respon-sible adult.

• Children under 12should be tagged withtheir name address andphone number in casethey get lost.

• Children wearingcostumes should ad-here to the same safety

rules that apply duringHalloween.

• Masks should notobstruct children’s vis-ion. Face paint is rec-ommended as an idealalternative.

• Costumes should beshort enough to preventchildren from trippingor getting their cos-tumes caught on strayobjects.

• If your child will bewearing a hat, makesure it fits properly toavoid it falling downand obstructing vision.

• Look for flame retar-dant labels on cos-tumes, masks, and wigs,or any other itembrought to parades.

• It is very importantthat children not beallowed to run into thestreet to pick up beadsduring the paradebecause floats or vehi-cles can hit them.Because of the position-ing of drivers, they can-not see all the wayaround the floats andmay not be able to stopin time.

• Do not let small chil-dren wear beadsaround their necks dur-ing the parade becausebeads may get snaggedon something endan-gering the child with

strangulation.• If children are

watching the paradefrom atop ladders, besure that the seat andladder are both proper-ly secured and an adultis with the ladder at alltimes. Ladders can easi-ly tip over in bigcrowds.

• Many ladders havesafety bars across theseats and parentsshould be sure the childis safely secured toavoid tumbling outwhen no one is lookingand the child is caughtup in the excitement ofthe parade.

• Be careful when car-rying a child on anadult’s shoulders as achild can lose his or herbalance and fall. Adultsalso may suffer neck orshoulder strain.

• Stay clear of horsesthat are in the paradeor being used by lawenforcement for crowdcontrol.

• Finally, if the con-sumption of alcohol isto be a part of your cel-ebration, drink respon-sibly and arrange for adesignated driver.

Everyone should alsotake all their trash backhome or to a dumpsterfor disposal.


Where did those colors come from?

Starting on Twelfth Night inJanuary all the way to Mardi GrasDay, the colors of purple gold andgreen can be seen on king cakes,signs, flags, shirts and hats.

These are the traditional colors ofMardi Gras, and how they came tobee the official colors goes back 138years. A group of New Orleans busi-nessmen formed the Krewe of Rex in1872 to be the King of Carnival. Oneof the reasons they formed the clubwas also to impress the Grand DukeAlexis Romanoff of Russia, who wasvisiting New Orleans in pursuit of anactress named Lydia Thompson.Members of Rex asked the GrandDuke to chose its official colors.Romanoff picked purple as a symbolof justice, green as the symbol offaith and gold as the symbol ofpower. Not only did these colors come

to represent Rex and Mardi Gras, butthey also became the official colors ofthe House of Romanoff in Russia.

But the story does not end there.The colors were also important forthe two biggest college rivals inLouisiana, LSU and TulaneUniversity. The story goes that whenLSU was choosing its colors, thestores of New Orleans were stockedwith cloths of the Mardi Gras colors.LSU officials decided on purple andgold and bought up all the cloths ofthose colors in the city. That leftTulane with only the green cloth andthey combined that with white fortheir official colors.

If there are any rules of MardiGras one of them is supposed to bethat if you are not in costume MardiGras Day, then you should wear thecolors of purple, gold and green.


1. What does MCCA stand for?Magic City Carnival Association

2. What were the only years it rained on the parade?2006 and 2012

3. Why is the MCCA parade on Saturday rather than Fat Tuesday?MCCA was established to help revitalize Columbia Street. Rather than

shut down business on a weekday or risk attracting fewer spectators, thefounders decided to roll on Saturday.

4. Who had the coldest parade ride as MCCA royalty? Joe Black and Georgia Spiers as King and Queen MCCA III in 1983.

The temperature was 18 degrees.

5. What internationally known “half fast” entertainer paraded as MCCAGrand Marshal in 1984?

Pete Fountain

6. What years does MCCA Captain Don Spiers lead the parade on a whitehorse?

Anniversary years, said Spiers. “We started out doing it every 10years,” he said. “But we’re getting old now, so we’ll probably do it every fiveyears now.”

7. What is the earliest day of the year a MCCA parade could roll?Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, can occur as early as Feb. 3. So the local

parade, which runs the prior Saturday, could fall on Jan. 31.

8. What did MCCA riders who did not have time to purchase throws toss tospectators the first year?

Dollar bills. According to a newspaper account of the event, morethan $1,200 in one dollar bills was thrown by MCCA members that day.

9. How many floats were in the first MCCA parade?Six floats were rented from Blaine Kern and transported, with police

escort, across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway at about 4 a.m. the Fridaybefore the parade. The parade also included four bands.

10. Vertrees Young was ill at the time of the first MCCA parade, butagreed to act as king for Dixie Gallaspy who had been asked to be queen.The parade was on Feb. 28, 1981. Young passed away less than three monthslater, on May 16, 1981.

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Mardi Gras beads arean enduring symbol ofthe carnival celebration.Revelers will wait incrowds along paraderoutes eager to catch thebeads that are tosseddown upon them.

The meaning behindMardi Gras beads hasnever been entirely clear.In fact, the beads take ondifferent meanings de-pending on the person.Some people associatethe beads with good luck,while others believe the"jewelry" is reminiscentof royalty who couldafford lavish baubles.The less fortunate wouldstand on the side ofroads begging for trin-kets from the wealthy,and the phrase, "throwme something, mister"can still be heard duringMardi Gras celebrations.Others view the beads asa form of currency thatcould buy favors fromothers, perhaps even aglimpse of flesh duringmore raucous celebra-tions.

Mardi Gras beads wereonce made of glass, but

less expensive plasticbeads are now used.Some Mardi Gras festivi-ties feature large, noveltybeads that tie into a par-ticular theme.

Beads are just one ofthe many types of"throws" cast to partygo-ers during Mardi Gras.Krewes, or carnival or-ganizations that are partof parade planning, mayalso toss doubloons,money and other trin-kets. Some krewes alsohave other events, suchas private dances or par-ties, that may or may notfeature the distributionof throws. Krewes alsoare responsible for elect-ing the king of the par-ade. The Rex Krewe,founded in 1872, is one ofthe premier krewes ofthe Mardi Gras celebra-tion. Their traditionalcolors are purple, greenand gold, which havebecome the official col-ors of Mardi Gras Carn-ival. Their throws, in-cluding specially struckcoins like the gold Rexdoubloon, are sought-after pieces.

Many of the traditionsassociated with MardiGras have ancient ori-gins. Many of the festivi-ties enjoyed in New Or-leans, one of the morepopular places to enjoyCarnival, include Frenchcustoms brought byearly settlers to the area.Since Mardi Gras is thelast day before the startof the Christian Lentenseason, which is a time ofrepentance and remem-brance of Christ's ulti-mate sacrifice, revelersengage in a final partybefore the solemnity ofLent. Early celebrationsand processions wereimpromptu, but overtime Mardi Gras festivi-ties became more orderlyand were plannedmonths in advance.

Several different tradi-tions culminate to formthe Mardi Gras celebra-tions enjoyed today.Parades, parties, cakes,and feasting are some ofthe enjoyable activities,but Mardi Gras beadsremain one of the quin-tessential symbols of theCarnival.

Beads an essential element of Mardi Gras celebration

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