Mardi Gras krewes prepping ahead of weekend parades

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - Carnival season is here and preparation is underway. Mardi Gras krewes around the coast have been working for months prepping floats and costumes. And, of course, krewes place special emphasis on assuring they stock plenty of throws.

Friday afternoon, members of the OS Lumber Krewe unloaded more than 30 cases of beads as they staged their float for Saturday’s annual Elks Mardi Gras Parade in Ocean Springs.

“We start preparing for this almost a year ahead of time,” Heather Abigail said. “I think we went and bought all of our beads almost six or eight weeks ago.”

Abigail says their krewe is known for throwing their signature blue beads each year.

“Blue and white are the OS Lumber and Supply colors and then, of course, Ocean Springs is blue and grey. So blue just kind of naturally fits into this float,” she added.

David Lewis is also a member of the OS Lumber Krewe. He admitted parade prep is hard work for the team, but says it’s worth it to witness the excitement from the community year after year.

“When you’re walking down the street with a float, and you’ve got people screaming at you... Here in Ocean Springs most people know each other, so I’ll see a lot of people I know,” Lewis said. “It’s just real fun to go around and do the parades.”

Jack Power seconds Lewis’ enthusiasm. Power is a long-time member of BPO Elks Lodge #2501 and will serve as this year’s captain.

“It’s Mardi Gras, baby! It’s Mardi Gras! I love it! We do this every year, and I can’t ask for anything better,” Power exclaimed. “The weather’s going to be beautiful, and we hope to have a great time.”

The Elks Mardi Gras parade rolls this Saturday, kicking off at 1 p.m. The parade route will begin at the intersection of Front Beach and Porter Ave and wrap up Holcomb Blvd.

To see a list and maps of all this season’s Mardi Gras parades across the Gulf Coast, visit GulfCoastWeekend.com.