Monica Hernandez / Eyewitness News Reporter
Email: mhernandez@wwltv.com | Twitter: @mhernandezwwl
NEW ORLEANS- On its 35th anniversary, thousands lined the streets as the Krewe of King Arthur's 28 floats rolled past.
"I loved it, enjoyed it, had a wonderful time!" said Yul Brown, Sr. "[The best part was seeing the smile on my daughters face on the float for the first time. She enjoyed herself so I enjoyed myself."
But there was a problem on the float on which Brown and his 11-year-old daughter rode. It was one of several floats in the parade that didn't initially pass inspection before the parade rolled. According to fire officials, those floats didn't have enough harnesses for their riders.
"As far as having safety for the little boys and little girls and whoever was on the float, that's what its about, safety first, got to worry about these kids," said Brown.
"They just said you can't roll today, you're not going to roll," said Philip Fricano, Jr., Captain and Founder of Krewe of King Arthur.
But with 500 riders, and tens of thousands of dollars invested in this year's parade, not rolling wasn't an option for the Krewe. Instead, members rushed to buy ropes to make makeshift harnesses, delaying the parade an hour and a half.
'Like 30 minutes into it, we were like, 'What's wrong,'" said Danielle Resendez, of Metairie, who watched Krewe of King Arthur with her family. "But it wasn't that bad."
"It is significant when you have people on the street just waiting with a large gap in between parades," said Scott Autin, who is in charge of the Krewe of King Arthur's float maintenance.
The fire department said it routinely inspects every float as a parade lines up. They check for fire extinguishers, ladders, and harnesses. But Fricano, a long-time float builder who works with several different krewes said harnesses have never before been an issue.
"They've never ever asked me in 35 years, this is what you need, and then why all of a sudden today that they wanted this, I don't know," said Fricano, frustrated.
Harnesses can protect riders from losing their footing, and if it means the difference between rolling or not, Fricano said, the ropes will be there next time.
"We spent $4,000 on ladders, almost $,3000 on fire extinguishers, so if it's a matter of a $10 rope, I'll give it to you, just tell me what you need before hand, don't wait till the day of the parade," said Fricano.
Officials say the rule that each rider must have a harness has been on the books for years.
But Fricano said this is the first time he's seen it enforced. He hopes other krewes are being held to the same standards.
