This year was the first year I’ve truly experienced the Krewe of Highland. I attended the Krewe of Highland XXI’s Rocky Highland Picture Show bal last Friday at the Randle T. Moore Senior Center, and I volunteered to fill a role of Bike Marshal, along with a few other cyclists, which literally put me in the parade.
As I rode the route behind the vehicle holding this year’s Grand Marshal – aptly being homegrown rockers Seratones – I soaked everything up. The smiles, the homemade contraptions used for catching throws, the smell of food grilling, and the overall carnival spirit.
I didn’t witness a single sad face. Not even a crying baby. Yes, I know that’s one of the many side effects of the carnival season, and you will see the same at other Shreveport parades, but there is a special aura within the Highland parade; it a characteristic so indescribable yet so obviously apparent. Happiness abounds.
Every Highland neighbor is just that: a neighbor.
Fast forward to sunset. The Krewe gathered at Marilynn’s Place following the parade. It was there that I realized how much the whole weekend felt like one giant, exciting house party – complete with some of the best local talent the neighborhood has to offer. One such person was MP owner Owner Robert “Boz” Baucum and Highlander Alan Berry who did the whole annual let’s-throw-cash-money-off-the-roof thing.
The feeling I experienced was exactly what the Krewe of Highland founder Matthew Linn sought out to do back in the 1990s. When Linn was 25 years old, he moved back to Shreveport and bought a triplex on College Street. He engrossed himself in the neighborhood’s organizations and suggested Highland have its own Mardi Gras parade.
After some discussion, the Highland Area Partnership and the Highland Restoration Association were both on board to help, and with the financial support of a fellow neighbor, the Krewe of Highland (KoH) was born.
“I founded the Krewe of Highland to bring people from all over the community, including visitors, into Highland on a positive note and a positive day,” said Linn. “And to bring neighbors out of their homes to meet each other.”
The krewe’s first parade, which rolled on Sunday, February 26, 1995, had five parade entries. It started at Rutherford Street, traveled south on Highland Avenue, took a left on Olive Street, and another left on Creswell Avenue to head back to Rutherford.
More than two decades later, the nonprofit’s parade route has generously expanded, and this year’s carnival featured 107 entries, including floats, cars, Krewe subsets and marching groups.
But Linn hasn’t grown the KoH to be what it is on his own. With the help of neighborhood friends – most of which have been with the Krewe since the beginning – the Krewe and its subset Krewes have become what it is today.
Key players include Marsha Millican Gill, Chuck Reid, and Jeff Clark.
Linn describes Gill (who is the oldest Krewe member along with himself) as the behind-the-scenes backbone of the Krewe of Highland. She has been the KoH’s treasurer since 1997, and loves that it’s a parade open to anybody and everybody.
“You don’t have to have a lot of money to be in the Krewe,” she told me.
That’s true. It’s a whopping $25 to join the KoH. Today, the Krewe of Highland has 1,300 members.
“[Joining the Krewe of Highland] is a fantastic bang for the buck, just like buying a keg of beer with a group of friends,” added Linn. “You get way more beer with the $25 than if you would if you bought a case of beer for $25.”
Based on this past weekend’s festivities, I’d have to agree. Of course all of the Krewe members wouldn’t have a successful carnival if it weren’t for logistics. In comes Chuck Reid, a man who worked the Krewe’s first 17 years with Linn while with the Shreveport Police Department.
“Reid checks the highest a float can be without hitting a limb or street light,” said Linn. “He prints what needs to be printed, he draws maps, and he drops paying jobs in a flash to work for free on behalf of KoH.”
Volunteers for the KoH come in droves, including LeVette Fuller and Sherry Walker.
“All of our volunteers are the best,” said Linn. “LeVette took on many roles this year. Sherry and our entire board are angels that work tirelessly for the highest good.”
Another group that works tirelessly for the Krewe are its parade participants.
Jeff Clark, a land man of 34 years, heads the Krewe of BBQ, a subset of the Krewe of Highland. Did you catch one of the 5,280 hot dogs thrown this year? You read that right: 5,280 hot dogs. That’s a mile of hot dogs, and they still ran out! Clark and his Krewe, which has been with the KoH since the late 90s, woke up at the crack of dawn to get started before loading their custom 34-ft wiener float.
“You come to [the parade] hungry, and leave full,” said Clark, who was King of the Krewe of Highland VII. His queen, Mary Patric Baucum, is the reason you might catch a Moonpie at a KoH parade.
But it’s not just about the food for Clark (or any of us for the matter, amiright?) It’s also about the people and excitement.
“The thing about Highland is, you can get a lawn mower, take off the blade, and ride it in the parade,” said Clark. “That’s what makes it so much fun.”
Clark said this year’s crowd was phenomenal and gigantic, and despite how beat up his Krewe was Monday morning, they’re looking forward to the fun next year.
“Highland is where our heart is,” he added.
There’s also the Blanc et Noir Marching Society, a New Orleans-style marching krewe which was founded by Robert E. Trudeau and Jerry Davenport in the basement of artspace. The two had been presenting educational activities on the Faces of Katrina, and announced the society’s birth at a morning coffee meeting fall of 2006.
“Matthew Linn made it a point to be at the meeting,” said Trudeau. “He said, ‘Please march in the KoH. Security police, insurance, etc., will be taken care of if you are with the KoH.”
“Prior to that point I was planning on marching through the streets randomly and ahead of the parade, as do some of the Crescent City marching clubs,” Trudeau continued. “We have always been happy with the relationship between the society and the Krewe or Highland.”
This year’s Blanc et Noir march featured a new group of young street jazz players – all graduates of Grambling University. The Blanc et Noir Marching Society will continue playing second line for events around town between now and KoH XXII. Between floats, Krewe subsets, and marching bands, including from Byrd High School and Huntington High School, a KoH carnival-goer is in for a real treat, if not for a hot dog, Moonpie, or bags of spaghetti (yes, they have been thrown).
“What really keeps me coming back to the Highland Parade every year is the people,” said Keely McCole of Shreveport. “I love everything about the Highland Parade, especially the unique throws, the floats, and the awesome parties along the route! This year was super fun and I can’t wait for next year.”
This year was super fun. Not only will I go back for KoH XXII, I plan to join the Krewe. The bal will be tantalizing, the parade exciting, and the spirit of Mardi Gras encompassing.