Tania Dall / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS -- With rain in Friday's parade forecast, a half dozen Krewes are hoping they won't have to reach for their umbrellas.
"We have good crowds. We're the first parade to hit the street in Metairie," said Krewe of Excalibur Captain Diane Brown, who said this will be the krewe's 11th year.
Brown's full-time job is creating head dresses and elaborate costumes at her Kenner-based business. She fills orders not only for Excalibur members but for other Krewes.
"These are the capes the Endymion will be wearing. We're actually lighting the capes this year," said Brown.
However, the costumes aren't rain-proof gear, and Browns says cancelling any parade is always a worst-case scenario.
"We're talking about hundreds and hundreds of man hours and thousands and thousands of dollars. You don't just put it in a truck and say, oh well, it's going to rain. You want to make sure it is going to rain to have to keep the public from seeing it," added Brown.
Across town in Gretna on Thursday night, the Krewe of Cleopatra began loading up their parade floats with goodies.
"We pray, we pray very hard," said Krewe of Cleopatra Captain Dolores Kepner of Friday's weather forecast.
"We hope that they'll give us a rain out date if there's such a thing, but we're not counting on that. We know God is going to let us have a good night," added an optimistic Kepner.
Prayer for divine intervention combined with planning ahead for potential raindrops that might not ease up.
"We have ponchos so it's all good. My hair will frizz but whatever," joked 17-year-old Ashley Hebert, marching alongside Cleopatra floats.
"I bag my stuffed animals so they don't get wet for the children," said Jerilyn Richoux with Krewe of Cleopatra.
The West Bank krewe was staying upbeat and shrugging off whatever the rain clouds might roll in on Friday.
"I ride with a group of friends and we have a really good time. We have rain more then we have sunshine but it doesn't matter we still have fun," said Richoux.
A Jefferson Parish official says it generally takes severe weather with thunderstorms and lighting to push the parish to cancel parades for the safety of riders and spectators, which is always a worst-case scenario
