Northshore residents refuse to let poor weather rain on their Olympia Parade

By: Caroline Fussell

The Krewe of Olympia Mardi Gras parade was not canceled on Saturday, Feb. 23, despite the suspected weather conditions.

Scattered showers and storms moved into the Covington area during the afternoon and evening. Temperatures were in the upper 60s. Residents from Covington and the surrounding areas still gathered in downtown Covington to enjoy the parade.

Tyler Fussell and Nicole Goodyear, local residents and owners of Fussell and Goodyear Insurance Advisors, decided to open their office on East Gibson Street to the public to allow those in need of shelter and a restroom to enter as they pleased.

“Since the parade was not canceled and I had already extended the offer to family and friends, I figured it would be appreciated by all to have a dry place for shelter if the rain got too bad,” explained Fussell.

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Covington and had a blast parading with other local residents, despite the nasty weather conditions.

“All of the residents were so appreciative and respectful of our office,” said Goodyear, adding, “we wouldn’t mind doing this every year.”

The Krewe of Olympia was formed in 1965 by a group of businessmen who wanted to bring a New Orleans-style parade to the Northshore. The Krewe parades through Covington in the evening two Saturdays before Fat Tuesday.

The parade began at the intersection of North Columbia Street and Jefferson Street in Covington.

The parade continued down North Columbia Street south until it reached East Boston Street, where it turned west. From East Boston, the krewe paraded southwest on South Jefferson Avenue. At the intersection of South Jefferson and East 15th Avenue, they turned northwest and followed 15th street.

On South Taylor Street, the floats turned northeast and continued until it reached West 23rd Avenue where the parade turned southeast and ventured back down to North Jefferson Avenue. From North Jefferson, the krewe went back to East 21st and continued east. The parade ended where it began. This is the same route the Krewe of Olympia follows every year.

“We love our parade. Covington only hosts one per Mardi Gras season, so we didn’t want to miss it,” said Jana Pond, a resident of Covington.

Originally published at medium.com on March 15, 2019.