Krewe de Bonne Terre moves parade to Sunday
February 5, 2016
Mardi Gras morning hit and run proves fatal
February 10, 2016
Hopefuls lined the streets near St. Bernadette School on Friday afternoon for a chance to catch beads from a unique parade.
The school held a small Mardi Gras parade featuring kindergarteners as the main krewe. The tykes drove electric toy cars decked out in carnival decorations, and they showered friends and family alike with beads.
Kindergarten teacher Reagan Oncale organized the parade with colleague Emily Peerson, which has been around for more than 25 years. The parade sprung from now-principal Lydia Landry’s brain when she taught the five-year-olds, and the leadership has since been passed onto the current kindergarten teachers.
According to Oncale, the students have taken to calling their event “Baby Bacchus,” and their anticipation was at a fever pitch.
“It’s very hard to contain their excitement. They’ve been thinking about it now, they’ve been counting down for the parade for about two weeks now,” she said.
Oncale said that her students’ focus last week was on making sure they were ready to put on a great show.
“This last week’s been a lot of preparation, a lot of practice. Their homework has been to practice driving while throwing, so they’ve had it easy,” Oncale said.
The class did not score a 100 on the real test, as a few kids turned the street into a momentary bumper car float. However, a minor nudge here or there was not enough to keep smiles off the faces of the drivers or the attendees.
The royalty also received some special company with Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove serving as master of ceremonies. After the parade, Dove stood in a review stand and presented the royalty with statements from the parish government. Dove said he plans to be back every year, even if he is not the grand marshal again.
“It was an honor and a pleasure to be the master of ceremonies of this great occasion. It was so wonderful to see little battery cars coming along, and the band and everyone,” Dove said. •
