Applications being accepted for Laurel FOP Mardi Gras parade | Free News
Each Christmas season, the Fraternal Order of Police’s Laurel chapter treats young children in the community to a Christmas shopping spree at Walmart.
Law enforcement officers and less-fortunate children traverse the aisles, looking for the perfect gift for themselves — and oftentimes others in the family.
One of the ways these shopping sprees are paid for is through the annual Laurel Mardi Gras parade and organizers are again asking the community to get in the spirit of Mardi Gras, while giving the needed finances for the FOP to continue its Shop with a Cop program.
This year’s Laurel parade is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 3, one of the earliest Mardi Gras parades ever. The FOP is seeking participants for this year’s downtown parade, which will begin lining up on Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m. with the parade set to roll through the usual downtown route at 6:30 p.m.
Float entry fee is $150, and $100 for vehicles. There is a $50 entry fee for four-wheelers, side-by-sides and go carts. Checks can be made payable to the Fraternal Order of Police, Laurel Lodge No. 2. Applications can be picked up and delivered to the Laurel Police Department at 317 South Magnolia St. In addition, float applications can be downloaded at leader-call.com with a link inside this story.
“Without the help and support of so many organizations and individuals, none of this would be possible,” Layne Bounds of the FOP said in a story about Shop with a Cop.
The Carnival season begins today (Saturday) with the observance of 12th Night, or the Epiphany, and will conclude on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at midnight. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and leads to Easter on March 31. Unlike many holidays with fixed dates, Easter and Mardi Gras are determined by phases of the moon. The earliest Mardi Gras can fall is Feb. 3, and the latest is March 9.
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