Ocean Springs parade ‘an all-day party’

Live from Ocean Springs, it’s the Elks Mardi Gras parade!

The Coneheads were there Saturday, along with lots of other of your favorite “Saturday Night Live” characters in accordance with the parade’s theme.

Thousands lined the parade route, including at least a couple of first-timers.

Kaitlyn Jones, who was celebrating her sixth birthday, and her family drove down from Paulding, Mississippi, for the parade.

Ellen Ferguson came from Orlando, Florida, to spend some Mardi Gras quality time with her sister, Paula Klaser of Ocean Springs, and see some other relatives who were riding in the parade.

Ferguson said she had attended a Mardi Gras parade at Universal Studios, but the sisters agreed it wasn’t the same.

“This is the real deal,” Klaser said as they waited for the parade to roll down Porter Avenue.

Down the road, Gary and Dana Brown of Moss Point had settled in to watch the parade in front of the office of one of their sons.

“We grew up in New Orleans doing Mardi Gras with our grandparents,” Dana Brown said. “It’s been a big a family tradition.”

The couple would later be joined by other family members, including five grandchildren.

“It’s just an all-day party,” she said.

This story was originally published February 11, 2017 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Ocean Springs parade ‘an all-day party’."