SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -
Mardi Gras in Louisiana means food, beads, and fun for many, but it can be more of a headache for others who do not celebrate. Getting stuck behind parade floats, or being detoured is enough to ruin the holiday for anyone. If you live or work along or near the route there is a good chance you will be inconvenienced.
"If you don't have business there on parade day, try to avoid that area if possible. This only goes on two days out of the year. Plan ahead, and know in advance you're going to have these folks down there, and there's the potential for some delays," said Sgt. Bill Goodin with the Shreveport Police department.
The Gemini parade starts on Clyde Fant Parkway at the intersection with Lake Street. The parade floats will travel down to Shreveport Barksdale Blvd. and take a right. From there the parade will go down to East Kings highway and take a left. The parade will end at the intersection of East Kings and Preston.
The Centaur parade was a huge success, attracting thousands to the parade route. The Shreveport Police Department also says it was a success. Preliminary reports showed only 15 arrests were made.
The Shreveport Police Department is doing everything they can to make sure everyone is informed. They are using social media to directly communicate with the community. This allows them to release routes, rules, safety tips, and other information that people can use to plan ahead.
"We've got our facebook page with all the rules and regulations, safety tips, things of that nature. We've got Twitter that we're utilizing also. We're using social media, we're using our local media outlets to get the information out there as well, community liaison officers, who are out in the public everyday, working with neighborhood groups, neighborhood watch organizations, business, civic groups. They're out there as well," said Sgt. Bill Goodin with the Shreveport Police Department.
Click here for a link to the Shreveport Police Department's facebook page.
As an added service, if you are caught at home and need to get out, but do not know the best way, there is a number to call. In some cases an officer could be dispatched to you to help guide you in or out by calling 318- 673-7300.
Partyers can get ready for several more Mardi Gras events leading up to Fat Tuesday. Three popular parades roll out this weekend. The "Krewe of Gemini" parade rolls Saturday at 4:00pm along Clyde Fant Parkway. It ends on Shreveport Barksdale highway.
The "Krewe of Highland" parade in the Highland neighborhood kicks off at 2:00pm this Sunday.
And then, on Fat Tuesday the "Krewe of Aesclepius" children's parade will be held at 6:30pm at Pierre Bossier mall.
Copyright 2012 KSLA. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2012 WorldNow and KSLA, a Raycom Media Station.
