Mardi Gras in CB! If you’ve never experienced a Mardi Gras, Crystal Beach is a good place to get your feet wet! If you’re going to want to ride in the parade up Hwy 87, you’d better begin planning several months before February. The Crystal Beach Local News will actually come out on Fat Tuesday. The next day is Ash Wednesday, when all you Catholics go get some ashes rubbed on your forehead and on Friday, NO MEAT!
We chose Not to ride in the parade but hang out on the side of the highway with our Crystal Canal friends. This group keeps increasing year by year. We’re simply Canal Crashers, but this year, I thought I’d try to buy our way in by bringing some yummies, Zumo sausages and a Praline King Cake. Totally not necessary, there was way a lot of food, and some of the loveliest concoctions. Baked stuff by Marsha and Elaine and Dennis was cooking pepper poppers on the grill stuffed with meats picked out by Mary Ann and Elaine from Yellow Rose.
When we heard the first honk, we all gathered there on the street, ignoring the “stay behind the white line” orders relayed by Chris and Danny, Crystal Beach’s finest patrol cops on duty. Marsha, with her 6’ wingspan guarding the perimeter and nabbing beads before they even entered grabbing distance and Mary Ann running out to the moving vehicles to be handed the prized beads. I did the same when I saw my EMS Ambulance vehicle approaching. Gotta grab the glory when the occasion arrives, right?
The parade seems to have grown too, and the floats and golf carts and ’58 corvette, the old fire trucks, the Shriners doing show off maneuvers on the street, it was all spectacular.
I had a neck full of beads already from the night before. We were asked for about the 5th year in a row to judge the Crazy Hat Contest put on by the Eagles. No, we’re not Eagles, but treated quite nicely despite. I think 88 contestants entered the contest, hats like you’ve never seen before.
The DooDah Parade to begin the show was a riot of color and loudness. Since we were at the Judge’s table, we received a lot of “sucking up to” in the form of beads. The hats this year were far more inventive than I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t difficult to choose the winners, but the actual counting of votes was/is always a bit tedious. Thank goodness Shauna was there again, I yell out the scores from the ballot sheets as Shauna tallies the numbers. I’m not sure who we’ll ever turn that part over if we decide to retire. We probably won’t, it’s so much fun! And I found out the bartender knows how to make a really mean Old Fashioned. A friend at the other end of the bar ratted her out!
Oh, by the way, my donation to the food frenzy on the highway was practically untouched, so on the way back home after the parade, I stopped by the Fire Station to drop off the King Cake. Come to think of it, on Monday, when I went back to work, there was no King Cake in sight. Dang it, I was going to have a slice for breakfast with my coffee.
Happy y’all got some to enjoy!
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler
