It’s been two years since the Krewe of Lul let the good times roll through the streets of the community.
At noon this Saturday, Lul rides again – finally.
The parade was cancelled in 2021 out of safety concerns due to rising COVID-19 cases in St. Charles Parish at the time, but the parade is back in action this weekend, with 20 floats and 60 total parade units scheduled for the event, which will be the 45th parade in the Krewe’s history.
Russell and Angell Diggs reign as King and Queen. Fay Caire is Grand Marshall and Fr. Anthony Odiong is the parade’s Chaplain.
“We’ve really had a strong interest in the parade this year,” said parade organizer Debbie Dufresne Vial. “We’ve been getting calls, hey, is it still on, are we still doing it … I think everyone is so ready for this.
In September, of course, additional obstacles were added to bringing the parade back. With so many rebuilding and adjusting to life after Hurricane Ida, the Krewe lowered the price for float entries – something that Vial said was already in the works due to COVID and the hardships people have suffered from that.
“We wanted to encourage people to participate, but also we knew there were people out of work, impacted by COVID, and then you have the storm hitting after that,” Vial said. “When that happened, people are assessing their houses, and then you have damage to your float … and you ask, ‘Are we going to have the parade? Will we even have the float ready? We said, we’re going for it.”
Beginning at Winnwood Shopping Center, the parade route will turn onto Paul Maillard Road, take a right onto River Road, a right onto Sugarhouse Road, another right onto Angus Road and circle back to the same shopping center.
Per Krewe of Lul tradition, there is no parade theme. Each float will have its own theme and throws.
The Hahnville High School band, dance team, cheerleaders and ROTC will participate as they have traditionally. Representatives from the Luling, Killona and Paradis fire departments, St. Charles Parish Sheriff‘s Office and EMS will also be riding, as will be Parish President Matt Jewell.
A horse-riding group hailing from Houma, Papa’s Ranch Riders, will also be part of the parade, as well as several dance groups.
“It’s been a few years since we had some horses in the parade,” Vial said.
There will also be several festival queens as part of the day’s event. St. Charles Parish Hospital’s Mr. Peanut truck will once again be collecting jars of peanut butter to donate for food bank distribution (parade goers are asked to bring jars of peanut butter to donate).
Vial noted that five years ago, the Krewe added a Chaplain to preside over the festivities for the first time in the event’s history – Father Bernard C. Francis, retired pastor of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Hahnville. That move was made to commemorate the parade’s 40th anniversary, so with the 45th here, the call was made to Odiong to bring back that tradition.
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