Week 9

Parade night! 

We convened early in the evening at the home of Kerrie Ramsdell, who lives just a few blocks from the start of the parade.  While the majority of Chewbacchus krewe members relish the all-day lining up process (which unfolds as a sort of a prolonged block party/costume ball), the STOMP Troopers are, generally, not fond of waiting or milling around in a crowded area with limited bathroom access.  We are eternally grateful to Kerrie for providing us with a quiet space to eat pizza, play Minecraft, change clothing, nap, use the bathroom and generally relax before the start of the parade.

Ashley, our liaison with the Preservation Hall Foundation, gallantly stood in our place in the lineup along with the band itself until it was time to start.  As the parade officially began rolling at 7:30, she gave us the signal, and the STOMP Troopers, parent escorts and NOLArts staff and volunteers made our way to the parade lineup, with drums, drumsticks, parasols, water bottles, doublooons and headphones in tow.

The parade itself was a blur of cheering, drumming, doubloon tossing, photos and high-fives.  The STOMP Troopers themselves stayed in tight formation at first, but were soon running up to people in the crowd to hand out doubloons, shake hands and pose in their selfies like true celebrities.  Many people in the crowd seemed to recognize the krewe from our media coverage, and called out "STOOOOOMP TROOOOPERS!"

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The Preservation Hall Band put on a spectacular show, with musical selections from the New Orleans cannon, as well as a handful of songs from the Star Wars soundtrack.  The krewe members occasionally forgot to keep the beat in their excitement, then fell back into the rhythm as they hear a tune they recognized.  While the route seemed to tire the parents out entirely, the STOMP Troopers themselves kept up their energy, tirelessly marching and dancing the whole three mile route.  The whole experience was, in the words the STOMP Troopers "epic", "awesome" and "fun".

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!

Next week, we will convene for our final wrap-up celebration, and reflect on our accomplishments with a highlights slideshow and potluck party.

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