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Southdowns Mardi Gras Parade
2010.02.12
The fires were lit early on a cold night.
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A brass band provided the warm-up music.
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Parading organizations are called "krewes".
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The parade theme was Southdowns is Cookin'.
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The queen's float was fairly elaborate for Southdowns.
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The torches are called "flambeaux".
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Local politician and military veteran Mike Futtrell was the King of Southdowns.
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Nutria are unpleasant little rodents, imported from South America more than a century ago, that clog Louisiana's drainage canals with their dams. If only they really did taste like chicken.
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I love the nutria headdresses.
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This float poignantly honors The Caterie bar, which burned now in a recent fire.
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Even port-a-john's aren't safe from Mardi Gras humor.
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This score won't be soon forgotten in south Louisiana.
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You gotta love Senor Chili Pepper - no relation to the Red Hot band, I assume.
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That's one big vehicle.
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Little LSU fans ride in style.
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Pigs might be smart enough to be insulted by this float. A cochon de lait is a young pig.
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The swamp comes to Southdowns.
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This slightly macabre float honored fallen soldiers.
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We love dat Colt gumbo!
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Burning Christmas trees is a Southdowns parade tradition.
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Let me stand next to your fire.
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Surely you can get closer than that.
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Bundled up.
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Flame on!
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The silhouetted figures were supposed to provide perspective, but they only succeeded in melting a jacket sleeve.
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Flambeaux everywhere
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The concert didn't last long. It was too cold to keep the fingers loose.
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We moved the fire away from overhanging utility lines.
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Redistributing the coals.
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Here are some photos from the Southdowns Mardi Gras parade in Baton Rouge, LA. This is a neighborhood parade. It was c-c-o-l-l-d-d the night of February 12.
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