Monroe and West Monroe’s Mardi Gras festivities officially kick off Saturday, Feb. 11.
The Krewe of Janus 2012 Mardi Gras parade, “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” starts at 6 p.m. on the corner of Natchitoches Street and 8th Street in West Monroe. It will travel up Trenton Street and turn right to cross the bridge into Monroe. From there, the parade route will continue down Louisville Avenue and eventually end on Breard Street.
“Around 3 p.m., we go to tailgate and wait for the parade,” said Robin Greer, a senior psychology major from West Monroe. “I look forward to it because its one of the biggest parties in the Twin Cities.”
Other students like Storm Ridgway, a senior history major from Start, don’t make special plans to go to the local Mardi Gras parade and may even avoid going all together.
“…I just do not enjoy the crowds and the baggage that comes with large groups of people acting like a child and showing their ignorance.”
Since 1984, the Krewe of Janus has hosted a themed Mardi Gras parade in the Twin Cities. This year’s parade is ‘50s themed and dressing up in costume is encouraged.
Other events celebrating Mardi Gras on Feb. 11 include a children’s parade at 10:30 a.m. at Pecanland Mall, the PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society) pet parade, which begins at 1:30 p.m. on the corner of Commerce Street and Antique Alley in West Monroe and a children’s art project at Masur Museum where children are welcome to drop-in from 2 to 5 p.m.