Fat Tuesday is here at last! Mardi Gras Day in Covington is a lively time. Everyone is out enjoying the city and a few local businesses are joining in the fun. The Lion’s Club will start off at 10 am, following its traditional route. This year’s theme will be “Bicentennial on the Bogue Falaya”, celebrating this special year for the city. The 50 float parade will be headlined by the Covington High School Marching Band, and the Club’s President will reign as Grand Marshall. The Knights of Columbus’ Mystic Krewe of Covington will follow with the theme “Valentines from the Heart”. This parade, originally the Krewe of Kaa Cee, first rolled in 1952 and was founded by the local Knights of Columbus. The name was changed to the Mystic Krewe of Covington in 1998, still continuing the “KC” tradition. The King’s identity is never revealed publicly, and the Queen this year will be Mrs. Thomas E. McCain.
Last but not least, Covington will be welcoming a new krewe this year! Formerly of Mandeville, the Krewe of Lyra’s constellation has shifted, landing it on the streets of Covington! Established in 2010 as a women’s social networking organization, the Mardi Gras Krewe opened their membership to men this year for more inclusive carnival fun! In light of this, the original theme “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was changed to “Girls and Guys Just Want to Have Fun”, a nod to Cyndi Lauper. This year’s Queen is Toni McCord, and Elizabeth Moore will serve as Grand Marshall over the seven floats and three royal floats.
