Krewe du Market children’s wagon parade returns

Published 9:38 am Saturday, January 28, 2023

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DESTREHAN — The German Coast Farmers Market’s “Krewe du Market” children’s wagon parade is returning for the first time since 2019 on Saturday, February 11.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. at the welcome booth, and the parade will commence at 10 a.m. at the St. Charles Parish East Regional Library, located at 160 W. Campus Drive in Destrehan.

This will be the 14th annual Krewe Du Market parade, according to German Coast Farmers Market Board member Mary Keller. Families have enjoyed the tradition for many years, and some of the children who once rode through the market in elaborately decorated wagons are now college students.

Keller especially enjoys seeing the creativity and attention to detail that goes into decorating the wagons. Prizes will be awarded for first and second place floats.

Floats must be pulled by an adult, and throws must be provided by the participants.

“The first parade was in 2006, and our last parade was in 2019. We didn’t have a parade in 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to COVID and recovering from Ida. This will also be our first parade at our new permanent location at the St. Charles Parish East Regional Library. We’re inviting everyone to come out,” Keller said.

Pets are also welcome to participate in Krewe du Market. Owners are encouraged to deck their furry friends out in Mardi Gras gear for the occasion.

The Feb. 11 market day will also feature live entertainment by musician Kyle Labat, in addition to a selection of handmade and homemade goods from talented local vendors. Vendor line-ups can be found each week at germancoastfarmersmarket.org.

According to Keller, the community can also look forward to live entertainment from American Idol contestant Kevin Gullage at the market on February 18.

The market is held each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Destrehan Library and each Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the West Bank Bridge Park in Luling.

“The Bridge Park was closed for a few months after the hurricane, so when we came back to that spot, people had kind of lost the habit of going there,” Keller said. “We are really trying to build that West Bank Market back up.”

For more information about the Krewe du Market wagon parade or the German Coast Farmers Market, call 985-764-9762 or email daabfamily@yahoo.com.