Hey Ya’ll, It’s Mardi Gras!!! Post #11

The next several posts, will skip from early summer and fall – when Mom was dying – till Mardi Gras, since it is that time again and memories from our first Mardi Gras are flooding back, loud and clear.

The Parade-Before-the-Parade
Post #11, MG post #1

        One of the first things newcomers to MoBEEEL are told about is Mardi Gras. Nearly every native MoBEEELIAN  will tell you that Mardi Gras did NOT originate in 'Nal 'lins'.   It was started by Joe Cain, right here in out own city and spread to Nah'lins, who claim it as their own brainchild, by a man named Joe Cain.   He later went over there and showed his friends and cousins how to celebrate.

          The other thing a native will tell you is, “You are a “Mardi Gras Virgin!” Then they proceed to tell their own version of the season, all of which sounda like a strange fairy tale.   I couldn’t imagine  January and February as the most active months in an already, extremely active community. In New York – especially Syracuse - it is depression and hibernation season for those like myself, who can't bear the lack of sun,  cold winters, and snow. Before moving here, we knew NOTHING about Mardi Gras and I had no comprehension of what that would mean to my life here or how big of a role it would play.


As Christmas season ended and Mardi Gras drew near, we were excited about the first Mardi Gras preview parade that was to take place the day before the GMAC bowl. We had heard about the extreme traffic during Mardi Gras so Shanon and I went downtown three and a half hours before the parade.  Luckily, Mobile's definition of traffic is very different than the rest of the world, which is a good thing because our downtown barely has any. So, needless to say, we easily found a parking spot and plenty of things to do in ahead of time. We explored the various hotels before landing at Serdas, our favorite coffee shop, where we could watch the parade right out in front.

           At 6 p.m. we claimed our spot though it still was not crowded. The parade routes are four miles long (seven during the last weekend through Fat Tuesday).  At 6:15, a parade began; but not the one we expected!

          Throughout the 6 months we had been here, I noticed signs all over the streets that say, “No parking 2 hours before or 2 hours after a parade”, and a picture of a car being towed away but hadn't given them much thought.   Even that day, it still didn’t register because these are on side streets as well as the parade route.

          At 6:00 p.m., motorcycle police began randomly (so I thought) sounding their sirens and we noticed them circling around, signaling trucks. 'Thank God those kind policemen were helping these poor truckers maneuver through what was now becoming a crowded downtown!' 

          Soon, police cruisers and cycles came driving through the parade route with lights flashing and sirens wailing. Behind them was a long line of beautiful, shiny new tow trucks with one or more cars loaded on the back of each.  But I still wasn’t getting why they would be in a Mardi Gras parade! And furthermore, where were the floats?

            Then people next to me began cussing and I realized what was going on. The cars on the trucks were those that were illegally parked!! They paraded the cars through the parade route then to impound. Therefore, if you see your car go parading by on the back of a tow truck, you know that after the parade(s), your first stop will be at impound! We watched in amusement, scouring every car hoping and praying that ours would not be one of them!

         Now, Mobile is not a greedy town at all, nor is it one of those places where you feel like the Gestapo is on your tail waiting for you to make a mistake just so they can fine you. However, they are serious about having clear exit routes for emergencies during the parades! Yet many people still park in those spots only to see their own car parading proudly by, announcing to their owners "Hey!   Look at me!  
Meet me at the Impound when the parades are over...And by the way, bring your wallet!!!