From Maritime Celebration to LSU Baseball
If Mobile is home to the earliest Mardi Gras
celebrations in America and New Orleans is home to the biggest, Slidell has
recently found itself in a very nice position somewhere between the two. Having
considerably grown in recent years, the St. Tammany Parish Carnival has
escalated both in the membership counts of many of its krewes as well as in the
amount of detail and artistry present in their krewes' productions, rivaling
both the massive super-parties of the New Orleans Mardi Gras as well as the
stately celebrations along the Gulf Coast.
The Krewe of Poseidon, established in 2015, has become
a mainstay of the St. Tammany Parish Mardi Gras scene. Named after the Olympian
sea god and in respect of the deep maritime culture that permeates Slidell and
the surrounding Northshore and Gulf Coast, Poseidon has energized the Mardi
Gras scene while also sparking year-round community engagement.
The 2024 riding theme, "A Child's Imagination,"
encapsulates the somewhat unofficial Mardi Gras tradition of wide-reaching yet
light parade themes, motifs that celebrate classic stories and characters.
Elaborate float designs in the New Orleans tradition showcase a mixture of
fairy tales, classic children's books, and vintage cartoon characters.
A special honoree of this year's parade is local
Slidell sports star Brayden Jobert of LSU Baseball's National Championship
fame and, recently, the St. Louis Cardinals. "The most satisfying part of my
career is definitely winning a national championship for LSU," Brayden tells Where
Y'at in an exclusive interview between the pre-parade King's Party and the
big Saturday night roll. "It was my dream as a young kid to not only play for
LSU, but to win National Title. We put in hundreds of hours of time and work
into our game to create such a winning environment. This championship team was
so special and I made everlasting friendships forever."
Riding as Grand Marshall, Jobert's honor comes both for the Louisiana sports scene and, as a Slidell native, a special commitment to Poseidon's local community as well. "Slidell has had my back and supported me since day one," Jobert says. "I'm so grateful and thankful for the support the community has shown me and my family. Growing up playing at a venue like SBBA [Slidell's Bantam Field] with all of my friends, I had so much fun and that's where my love for baseball was created. It's been a full circle moment for me and I'm beyond thankful."
Beyond Mardi Gras, Mr. Jobert's been giving back to the Louisiana sports community as well with his "Brayden Jobert Camp" helping to teach sports participation for young athletes. "I've had two camps here in Slidell over the past two years at SBBA where I played as a kid," Jobert says. "To have the young talent of Slidell come out and try to upgrade their game from some great players that Slidell has produced has been a super cool experience. I remember going to camps as a kid and loving every second of them so I'm very blessed to be able to give that opportunity to kids in my hometown!"
The Krewe of Poseidon rolls through downtown Slidell
at 6 p.m. on Saturday, January 26. The parade route begins at Berkley Street
and Spartan Drive, continues down Spartan Drive, Highway 11, and Gause
Boulevard through the intersection at Kensington Boulevard. For more
information, visit the
parade's website.
