Strangest Things Caught at Lafayette Mardi Gras Parades
When it comes to Mardi Gras parades, most of us think of hanging with friends and family, catching a few great beads, lots of cheap beads, and maybe a plastic cup or two.
But Mardi Gras parades can deliver much more than that. In New Orleans, you'll catch anything from beads to coconuts to Moon Pies.
Working for a radio station, I've had the opportunity to participate in dozens of parades, and we would often throw promotional items from our radio stations: cups, t-shirts, king cakes, event tickets - all sorts of items.
I reached out to my Facebook friends to find out what kind of crazy items they have caught while attending a Mardi Gras parade, and the answers did not disappoint.
I received dozens of responses to the question, so I thought I'd share some of the better answers with you.
UNDERWEAR
It appears that underwear (panties, in particular) might be the most common "strangest" thing that people in Acadiana have caught at a Mardi Gras parade.
I, too, have been blessed Mardi Gras thongs, one green, one purple (I'm only missing the gold ones for the trifecta. Or is it hat trick?).
And then you have this guy:
CHICKEN WING
Not any chicken wing, but Sandy claims that it was slightly...um... used?
I've got so many questions about this: Did the float rider intend to throw the wing, or was it a mistake? Did Sandy catch the wing not knowing what it was? Did Sandy catch the wing knowing full well that it was from a Popeye's 3-piece? And after she caught the wing, did she finish the job? SO. MANY. QUESTIONS!
FULL BOTTLE OF LIQUOR
Having ridden in so many parades, I can tell you that one of the rules that has been in place for a number of years is that you can not throw any type of illegal substance from the float, nor can you throw any alcoholic beverages. With that being said, Janie must have been at a parade some years back, or she personally knew the person "throwing" the liquor.
I would assume, again, that she received the bottle from someone she knew personally (I've only known one person to ever throw Crown Royal from a float, a guy named John. I wonder if that is who gave Janie her liquor??)
Can you imagine if a full bottle of Crown Royal (or any other liquor, for that matter) were something that was thrown regularly during Mardi Gras? We would have hundreds of thousands of VERY ATTENTIVE people at EVERY parade!
RAMEN
This one has me scratching my head, and I hope that someone can provide some insight as to why anyone would throw Ramen noodles.
I mean, I like Ramen, but 1) it's not something that I would look forward to catching at a Mardi Gras parade, and 2) where are you gonna keep that until it's time to go home?
TARP
Lynda said that she once received a blue tarp at a parade, and hearing that made me chuckle. Is it funny that people in South Louisiana can always use a blue tarp? Not at all. I chuckle because I am, like many others in the area, tired of crying about all of the flooding.
CLEANING SUPPLIES
Stephanie once caught a decorated toilet brush. A. Decorated. Toilet. Brush. WTH??
WAIT, WHAT?
Matty posted something that caused me to dig for more information.
Matty's Facebook page provided a little more information as to what he was referring to when he said "Lots of video of people committing fraud". You see, Matty used to be a Fraud Investigator for an insurance company. I would love to hear some of those stories!
MOON PIE
Robbeaux posted that he once caught a Moon Pie at a parade, which has happened in Lafayette and New Orleans, but it was a tradition that started in Mobile.
According to a post from Southern Kitchen, the Moon Pie tradition started in Mobile in the 1940s or 1950s. The reason they threw Moon Pies is that float riders wanted to throw something softer. What were they throwing before they switched to Moon Pies? Kracker Jack. Boxes and boxes of Kracker Jack.
PRESERVED CUCUMBERS
My friend Asche chimed in with her strange catch:
Not a regular pickle, but a spicy pickle, because Asche always turns it up to 11.
A DASH CAM
I don't recall Darrel, the "A-V Man" from Audio Video Innovators ever having a float in the Mardi Gras parade, but I guess it's possible. Darrel, were you drumming up business??
So, what have we left out? Is there anything you've caught at a Mardi Gras parade that beats these items?
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