Mardi Gras caters to Bookworms, Mutts

This Mardi Gras season, Tri-parish residents can enjoy another genre of kiddy and canine carnival krewes, which will parade around in various parking lots in the Thibodaux area.

The Krewe of Bookworms will roll on Feb. 7 through the parking lot of the Thibodaux Civic Center. Youth Service Coordinator for the Lafourche Parish Library Roxanne Rodrigue said the Krewe of Bookworms celebrates young readers.

In its early beginnings before 2002, the bookworm parade was comprised of a group of children who walked around the sidewalk of the Thibodaux library on St. Mary Street. According to Rodrigue, when she took over as youth services coordinator, she met with the staff and learned more about the parade.

“Coming from a parade backgroundnmy father is the captain of the Krewe of Cleophas n I thought that what the kids were doing wasn’t a parade. To me, they were really just marching around the parking lot,” she said.

Rodrigue said she felt the parade needed to a little reconstruction. Each year, the library administrators try to add a new parade item to make the parade bigger and more exciting for the children. In 2003, public officials and law enforcement employees from the City of Thibodaux were added to the kiddy parade. By 2004, the parade had high school marching bands, the Kajun Mambo and the Kajun Grotto.

In 2005 with the mayor’s permission, the administrators decided to move the parade to the civic center parking lot for the safety of the children because the parade was growing. “Nearly 120 people were participating in the parade. We needed more space and we didn’t want to downsize the parade,” Rodrigue said.

The krewe banner carriers, Harvahn Hill of Martin Luther King Head Start and Carlyn Smith of Marydale Head Start No. 2, will lead King Connor Degruise of Bayou Blue Head Start and Queen Emily Johnson, a storytime student, around the parking lot. The king and queen, followed by Duke Tiyan Southall of Marydale Head Start No. 1 and Maid Zaria Davis of Sycamore Head Start, will greet their loyal subjects from atop of their floats.

In addition, the Lockport Library’s Krewe of Once Upon a Time will roll on Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. in the Lockport Town Hall parking lot, where Lockport Mayor Richard Champaign will toast to the Once Upon a Time king and queen.

For all the animal lovers, the Humane Organization for the Protection and Education for Animals (HOPE for Animals) presents its first annual Mystic Krewe of Mutts, a day of food, music and canine second-lining.

In response to an epidemic of homeless and abandoned pets, HOPE for Animals began approximately 13 years ago in Thibodaux as a chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It was later re-organized as HOPE for Animals in April of 1994. In 1998, it became a federal tax-exempt 501(c) 3 organization.

The canine Carnival krewe will roll in Peltier Park on Feb. 10 at 11:45 a.m. The theme is “Disco Dogs.” Grand Marshall Johnny “Jambalaya” Percle will lead the canine and their owners through the park.

HOPE for Animals vice president Ruth Chiasson said the Krewe of Mutt parade will replace the “Strut Your Mutt” show that the animal foundation has in the spring each year. “So many other areas have a Mardi Gras function like this to raise money for their cause, we wanted to join in and do something with that pertains to Mardi Gras season too,” the vice president said.

Last year, nearly 50 to 80 dogs entered the “Strut Your Mutt” contest. If weather permits, Chiasson is hoping for that same turnout this year.

Chiasson said all participants must register between 10 and 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 10. The registration fee is $10. She said the parade contest will include five categories: best float, best disco costume, best group costume, best “plush” pet and best owner look-a-like.

Faye Adams, a member of the local animal foundation, said the canine king and queen have not been selected.

“Your animal could be king or queen. For more information visit the HOPE for animals Web site at www.hopeforanimals.com or call (985) 447-9454 for more details,” Adams said.