Another year, and another successful Mardi Gras Parade in Lansdale. The weather was a little chilly, but not cold enough to keep everyone away from the festivities. The Mardi Gras Parade has been marching through our community for 69 years now, and has become a key component in our local holiday traditions; one that we need to keep alive not just because it is fun, but because it plays an important role in building our community each year.
First, let’s dispense with the questions about the name. Obviously, the Mardi Gras Parade has little to do with Mardi Gras—although this year, you did see some of that. It doesn’t take place on a Tuesday or, for that matter, in February when Mardi Gras normally takes place. The parade was named “Mardi Gras” in the 50s after crowd sourcing a name from a list of possibilities that were, let’s say, underwhelming. Back then, the parade was organized by the Jaycee’s (Junior Chamber of Commerce) and the Lansdale Merchant’s Association. In the 50s and 60s the parade included thousands of people, many floats and the arrival of Santa by train.
Today, the parade is a little smaller in scale and Santa arrives on a fire truck. But that is to be expected when you find out that the whole is event has been organized and put on by just a handful of people, lead by Leigh Ann Tursi. Leigh Ann and her team of dedicated volunteers have been keeping this tradition alive for all of us. Organizing the participants, planning with the police, seeking the appropriate permits/approvals to close streets and the hundreds of other challenges that go into the event.
To be clear, we owe Leigh Ann and her team a deep debt of gratitude. Their dedication and passion to Lansdale is greatly appreciated, and something we can all strive to live up to.
However, looking forward, this cadre of volunteers cannot do this event forever. They let me know at the beginning of the parade that they are ready to transition the event to other groups in Lansdale. Next year, the 70th year, will be their last organizing the event.
As mayor, I do not want the parade fade into the past. So, together, Leigh Ann and I will be organizing a meeting between a few local non-profits to discuss how the event can continue to be put on year after year. If you were looking for something to volunteer for, now would be the time to step up and get involved. Without the passion and drive of volunteers to help put on events in Lansdale, they would, undoubtedly, fizzle out and our home would lose some of the great personality that attracts so many to live here and call Lansdale home.
It is my hope that by bringing in other organizations to help plan the parade, we might be able to not just keep it going, but actually build onto our traditions and help expand it to the scale it was in the past. Again, it cannot be said enough, Leigh Ann and her team have done a true service to the community by keeping a holiday tradition alive for so many years. It is now up to all of us to help make sure it stays alive for all the future generations in our community.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert.)
See also:
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