Mardi Gras Parade brings New Orleans whimsy to Central Park on March 5

The MOMS Mardi Gras Parade — an annual ritual that brings a bit of New Orleans whimsy to Homewood — returns to Central Park on March 5.

Participants will gather at the park’s pavilion at 3:45 p.m., and the parade begins at 4 p.m., according to Melanie Peeples Lewis, event co-founder. Lewis is a member of the MOMS Club, Over the Mountain Chapter, the parade sponsor.

Moms, kids and other participants will make a lap or two around the park — making noise, playing musical instruments, showing off funky Mardi Gras costumes and tossing beads and Moon Pies to spectators. They will then return to the pavilion to enjoy snacks, including Moon Pies, muffins and king cake.

The MOMS Club started the parade, now in its eighth year, after Lewis moved to Homewood from New Orleans and realized she missed the parades.

The event also “comes at a great time of year, when everyone has been stuck inside all winter — especially moms with small children,” Lewis said.

The event, fed by positive word-of-mouth, has grown each year, according to Lewis. The parade drew about 125 people to Central Park in February 2018, despite overcast skies, and Lewis believes the 2019 parade should be well-attended.

“We’re hoping with Mardi Gras being in March this year, it might be a little bit warmer, and therefore more people turn out,” she said.

Moms and kids also have fun making their costumes and parade “floats,” including wagons and strollers, she said.

For details, check out the “MOMS Club of Birmingham Public Page” at Facebook.