by Ezabelle Janssen, Staff Writer
LONG BEACH (GG) — Long Beach rolled into the Mardi Gras season on January 9th with four-wheel drive, as Jeep-A-Gras put the “car” in Carnival. The weekend revved up Friday evening at the official Jeep-A-Gras hub, Coastal Daiquiri Bar & Grill, where Jeepers gathered for the Jeep-a-Greet, cranking up their volume and lighting up the night for the Sound System Contest and Glow Show.
Saturday morning swapped wheels for sneakers with the 5K King Cake Krawl down Magnolia Street. From there, it was back to four tires with the Jeep the Beach Crawl and Social, cruising, parking, and soaking in the Gulf Coast views.
Live music spilled through Downtown Long Beach from Coastal Daiquiri throughout the afternoon, while Jeeps returned dressed to impress for the Best Dressed Jeep contest, all gearing up for parade time.
The Jeep-A-Gras Parade rolled out from the Long Beach High School stadium parking lot, making its way to Jeff Davis Avenue before finishing strong to party at the hub. The route was lined with sparkling spectators, catching beads and waving as decorated Jeeps rolled past in full Carnival fashion, from dominating inflatable ducks to dancing crawfish, Jeep-A-Gras had it all.
This year’s Grand Marshal, Chloe Carter of WXXV 25, led the procession, and the familiar local television presence quickly became a Mardi Gras favorite. King and Queen Elect Ryan and Ashleigh Seal beamed over the weekend’s success.
Ashleigh Seal gleefully shared:
“Ryan and I are having so much fun as this year’s king and queen elect. We’ve been working hard hosting events and raising funds for our non-profit since June, but we feel like this weekend truly kicked off Mardi Gras.”
“The 5K was a huge success. Kortney McCaffrey is our team member that took charge of that and did an outstanding job. Tommy Parker and Joey King headed up the Jeep-A-Gras events and we couldn’t be more proud. Riding in the parade and seeing the amount of people that came out was the icing on the king cake! People from as far as Nebraska drove in to join the festivities. The Beach Crawl was an addition to the parade this year and everyone seemed to love it. We hope these events carry on for years to come. We of course couldn’t do any of this without our amazing team and members of the community. We also want to thank Coastal Daiquiri for always being the best host. They truly love Long Beach and we are so thankful for supportive businesses that give back in big ways.”
Even the weather got the memo, clearing just in time and giving organizers the long-awaited green light to roll forward. From glowing Jeeps to packed sidewalks, Jeep-A-Gras proved that Mardi Gras in Long Beach knows how to let the good times roll, four tires at a time.
(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)
