First of all, I must thank God for a beautiful day to have a Mardi Gras Celebration. Although it was windy and chilly, we were still blessed with some warm sunshine. The streets of Stonewall were lined with happy people, young and old. I am so thankful that everything turned out to be awesome. The vendors either sold out of their items or made a noticeable profit from sales. Thanks to the vendors for setting up and filling up the bellies of the crowd. Special thanks to Brooks Wood for entertainment and to our Disc Jockey/DJ Cory Moe.
I want to take the time to thank the teams of individuals who made it all possible:
The Clarke County Mardi Gras Parade Committee members: Kimberly Dickerson, Rita Duncan, Dana Smith, Kaila Lawson, and me (Lynnita Bartee).
Sponsors:
Town of Stonewall
Terrall Insurance, Inc.
Simply Irresistable
Bartee Auto Repair
Cozette’s Restaurant
Rita’s Tax Service
The Crowe’s Nest
Clarke County Ballers
Outreach Health Services
Grace Law Firm
First State Bank
Battle for the Texas Hospital, Inc.
State Farm (Brian Ginn)
MidWay Service Center
Citizen’s National Bank
AccentCare (formerly Sta-Home Health)
Up Close Photography, LLC
SunSouth
Unforgettable Beats by Kai
Coach Jarvis and the Black Dynasty Dance Team
Clarke County Tribune
The Media: Clarke County Hot Topics/Chad Allen; Sign/Scotty Allen; SuperTalk Mississippi Media/Lindsey Hall and Shelley Whitehead; The Clarke County Tribune; and B & I Uniforms for the T-shirts.
A special thanks to Mayor Jerry Rich, The Board of Aldermen for the Town of Stonewall, Stonewall’s Chief of Police/Chief Stephens, The Clarke County Sheriff’s Department, Fire Departments, and LaToshia Evans with Clarke County Emergency Management.
To the participants: Our Grand Marshal, William Price; King Ricky Carpenter and Queen Diane Gates; Duchess Porsche Jones, and our Princes and Princesses; The Meridian High School’s Color Guard and Battalion, led by ROTC Instructor, 1st Sgt Marvin Nance and Chief Deric Mitchell, those on floats, decorated vehicles, antique cars and trucks, 4-wheelers, horse riders, and the Battle for the Texas Hospital, Inc.’s cannon exhibition on wheels, Clarke County Distinguished Young Woman 2023, Calen Richardson and 1st Alternate, Laura Kate Robinson, and 95.1 Radio personality, Jatara Smith.
We were welcomed and received with opened arms! See you all next year! The next Clarke County Mardi Gras Parade date will be the second Saturday after Fat Tuesday, which will be Saturday, March 4th, and we will be back in Stonewall, MS (by popular demand).
Again, thanks to everyone!
Lynnita Bartee
Clarke County Mardi Gras Parade, Coordinator
