The Chicken Run is a favorite among the children. Photo credit Lindsey Janies
The Children’s Parade promises candy and beads thrown. Photo credit Lindsey Janies
Mardi Gras Beyond Parades Everyone loves a parade, but Lake Charles goes beyond that with the pageantry of their Royal Gala. Open to the public for a nominal fee, the Royal Gala held on Lundi Gras each year is the only event in the state that allows the public to see all the Krewe's Royal Courts in costume. Although the Krewes are in fancy clothes, the attire for visitors is strictly casual. Open all year and located on the second floor of the historic Central School building (now the Central School Arts & Humanities Center), the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu has the largest collection of Mardi Gras costumes on display in the South, and perhaps in the country. Visitors wander through a warren of rooms that had been classrooms to view the gorgeously ornate creations. Although most are for adults, the museum also exhibits costumes designed for children. There’s a section of the museum where the children can try on some masks, and an animatron describes part of the process of fabricating these bejeweled constructions. Going Beyond Mardi Gras Built literally around a lake, take a peaceful drive along Margaret Place and Shell Beach Drive to soak up the beauty of the lake and the views along the shores—and
grand parade sponsored by all of the Krewes. Restaurants and bars are open along the route, and enjoyed by the adults, but there is also that family-friendly zone where alcohol and smoking is not permitted. Chicken Run One of the most unusual events takes place in nearby Iowa (pronounced I O WAY). It’s certainly a parade, but much more. The Chicken Run tradition reaches back to when communities would come together to gather ingredients for a big community gumbo dinner. The parade includes all kinds of vehicles and even horses. After everyone has assembled, the lineup starts visiting local businesses and farms that have chosen to participate by donating food for the pot. Everyone is invited to get down and dance to zydeco music, played with an accordion and scrub board. As part of the tradition, and the source of the name Chicken Run, a live chicken is literally thrown into the air, sometimes multiple times or multiple chickens. As the bird lands and takes off flying, the children (and a few adults) scramble after it. In the past the birds were the donations to the gumbo pot, but now the activity is just fun for the kids, and a chance for the chickens to escape the farm. Spoiler alert—most are eventually found and returned.
FAMILY FRIENDLY MARDI GRAS
COAST TO COAST SPRING MAGAZINE 2021
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