True Life: My First Mardi Gras, Part 1

This past Saturday, I got my first taste of Mardi Gras at the Krewe of Centaur parade.  I got to enjoy the parade aboard the Townsquare Media float with my colleagues from across the cluster.  Some parts of the celebration I anticipated, others, not so much.  So, this week, I will be doing a series on what the Shreveport-Bossier Mardi Gras experience was like for a newbie to the local culture.

Many of you know, or now know, that I hail from the states of New York and New Hampshire, both states with their own wonderful traditions and cultures.  But for both of these states, Mardi Gras is something fun that "happens in New Orleans." My first Mardi Gras was quite the unique the experience during the Krewe of Centaur Parade.  Beads, floats, marching bands, I don't even know where to begin.  So we will break up my experience over the entire week.  So today, we'll talk about the overall experience.  What made the parade so great was being on the float and seeing everyone along the parade route, seeing everyone having a great time.  As with other parades I have attended or been a part of, I expected a decent sized crowd, but I didn't expect the RVs, the tailgating, nor the pre-parade festivities.  Another aspect I enjoyed was the high school marching bands.  I, like many of you may have also been, was part of marching band in high school and the style is different down here.  We'll look more at that tomorrow.  In the end, this is hopefully the beginning of something great and an event I can be a part of every year.  We'll chat again tomorrow, about Southern marching bands!