Spanish Town Parade

It was a very wet and Pink day in Baton Rouge!

Pink Flamingos represent the yearly parade and are used as a symbol that the parade is coming soon!   

Before I moved here or before I attending my first Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade if you mentioned flamingos I would think of the zoo. Not anymore, I was initiated last year at this wacky unconventional parade in our local Baton Rouge. Yes, there are fabulous traditional Mardi Gras parades throughout the state during the season but I had the most fun 15 minutes right up the road.  

The parade each year focuses on themes, themes that allow the floats to express political commentary, or even to be "tacky" such as:

"Everyman a King" (1982)

"Poor Taste is Better Than No Taste at All" (1986)

"Louisiana's Dirty Laundry" (1992)

"Politically Incorrect" (1998)

"Louisiana Purchase: Name Your Price" (2003)

"Flamingos Gone Wild" (2004)

25 Flockin' Years

FEMAture Evacuation

Quit Flocking Around and Pink Your Own Theme

Flamingeaux Phil Predicts

Buy Yeaux Bailou

     XXXpress It (our first year)

This year's theme:

We didn't attend this year as planned because of the torrential rains and our tornado warning. When our patio furniture started flying, the purple martin house about crashed and someones patio umbrella landed in our front yard, we took it as a sign that it wasn't a good idea to leave the house!

So unfortunately I do not have pictures for you but here is some of what our local paper had to say about the event...

The Advocate, Baton Rouge:

  

The rain was light when the parade rolled at 11:30 a.m., but after about an hour, heavy winds and hard rain forced many revelers to take cover.

Members of the Greater Baton Rouge Drum and Dance Corps dashed for cover after the winds blew something into the eyes of one of the dancers.

“Our banner’s destroyed and the kids are scattered,” Contina Joseph said. “We’d like to return, but I don’t know if we can make it.”

The group did not return to the parade.

The traditionally irreverent parade did not disappoint parade-goers with slogans such as  “BP can I have my life back” and “Oiled not Boiled.”

“These are some of the best floats I’ve ever seen,” Constantine said.

Floats poked fun at politicians Sarah Palin, Gov. Bobby Jindal and even former Gov. Edwin Edwards. Former BP head Tony Hayward was the target of many floats. Floats featured makeshift oil skimming devices and some floats were wrapped in plastic.

The irony, parade judge and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said, is that most of the parade-goers have no idea the money raised from the parade and group’s ball is used for area charities. Childers said that each year,  the group — which held its first parade in 1981 — donates between $60,000 and $80,000 to local nonprofit groups.

“They’ve outdone themselves this year. The floats are so creative, I know you can’t print most of it in your newspaper,” Dardenne said.

Photos from The Advocate:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/photos/117468918.html

So until next year...who knows what headline lays ahead to become the 2012 covenanted theme.

Gratefully,

Deborah...xo!