Float Prep Fury

Mardi Gras Floats With an earlier start to Mardi Gras season this year many local groups are scrambling to make sure their floats are done on time.

by Chad Petri

Published: Tue, January 08, 2008 - 4:12 am CST Last Updated: Tue, January 29, 2008 - 6:36 pm CST

The Mystics of Time's Dragon Master is taking stock of his fleet of floats. This year the majestic monsters are being put together almost a month earlier than last year. That's because Fat Tuesday is also earlier this year.

“Whenever you have Christmas and New Year's anything like that people are not ready for Mardi Gras” says the masked Dragon Master. “When it comes that quick, it really makes a big factor in the whole thing.” As one of Mobile's oldest carnival groups, the Mystics are bringing back every queen from previous celebrations and promise a really big show.

“We don't want to come out here short, we want to come out here with a first class parade if we can,” says the Dragon Master. The clock on father time's float continues to tick down to Mardi Gras. One of the people racing to beat it is Emily McCrackin. She's been giving color to most of these fire breathers since 2000. She learned how to paint here and isn't phased by the earlier deadline.

“It really doesn't make any difference,” says McCrackin. “It just means we start a little bit earlier.”
Some of these floats are further along than others, there's something you could possibly change or touch up, but by the time they hit the parade route you're not even going to notice.

“I mean I could add more red to something I could do a little bit more,” says McCrackin. “It's just that you have to learn when to stop painting.”

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