COVINGTON, La. -- Longtime Covington parade goers report larger than normal crowds for the city's Mardi Gras celebration as thousands lined the streets on a beautiful Tuesday morning.
"It's a long running tradition here in Downtown Covington," Covington Mayor Mike Cooper said. "It brings families together, not just for the day, but it brings families together that organize the parade and decorate their floats and their automobiles to be in the parade."
Cooper celebrated his first Mardi Gras as Mayor by toasting Grand Marshall Carolyn Pearce from the East Boston Street reviewing stand. "May you have a wonderful day," Mayor Cooper told her, with champagne glass extended.
"I've been at these parades for many years," Cooper said after the parade passed the first time, "but it was great being from the review stand and toasting the King and Queen." Cooper watched the parade pass from the reviewing stand, then walked the streets, greeting his constituents as the parade turned around and headed back.
Families came to the northshore celebration in huge numbers, like the Resters from Mandeville. "It's just so family-oriented," John Rester said, as he stood with his son Jacob and daughter Sophie. "There's so many kids running around, it's just a good time. Nice, easy, without too much traffic. It's just a good day all around."
"Ah, he loves it," Covington's Scott Salter said of his son Will. "Every year he's a little bigger and he's liking it more this time."
"We come here for the kids," Colin Avery of Mandeville said. "Me and my wife are both from New Orleans and you can look around, you've got more kids than adults here and it's exactly where you want to be. You don't have to fight the crowds at all. He can have a good time. He's not scared of anything. All the floats have kids on there. This is where Mardi Gras is the next couple years for us until he gets to where he's going to ride, maybe somewhere in New Orleans, but for right now, this is it. This is wonderful."
"This is the best family friendly parade," Takamy Carty said. She came with her family from Folsom. "Safe for kids, and it's fun."
"She loves it. She's two," Katie Long of Covington said of her daughter Mia. " She just turned two, and she's been to three parades, and we couldn't pass it up."
