By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – If the Krewe of Towahpasah is St. John the Baptist Parish’s irreverent Krewe of Tucks, then Krewe du Monde would be its Rex.

Parading for the 37th time this year, du Monde continues to grow.

“We’re going to have a really large parade this year,” said organizer Melynie Wright.

She said version 2011 will feature about 80 separate units, including about 27 floats, 15 dance groups and two high school bands. She said there will be well over 600 riders in this year’s parade.

Wright noted, “We’ve got double the dance groups we did last year.”

The dancers will come from as far away as Houma and Thibodaux, she added.

Additionally, Green Bay Packers fullback Quinn Johnson, who hails from Edgard, will have his own float in this year’s parade. This will be the second ride of the Carnival season for Johnson, who had a parade thrown in his honor on the west bank Saturday.

This year’s theme is “Du Monde Celebrates Homecoming,” and in keeping with this theme, krewe officers will be tossing miniature footballs from their floats.

Other throws include beads, cups, stuffed animals and other toys and du Monde’s signature stuffed lions.

The floats themselves will feature the gods of mythology, and they are contracted from a professional float company. The individual mini-krewes that make up du Monde, however, are in charge of coming up with costumes and making the floats their own.

One float that will be making a re-appearance in 2011, however, is the Lions Club float, which features riders consisting of Lions Club members and local special needs children.

Du Monde is put on by the Lion’s Club, which Wright noted is the largest service organization in the world. The group supports several charities, including the Therapeutic Riding Center, the Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation and the Louisiana Lions Camp for physically and mentally disabled children.

“The funds that are raised through the parade and ball are funneled back into some of these programs,” said Wright.

The parade itself is sponsored by a number of local businesses.

Du Monde’s festivities will begin Saturday evening with its annual ball, where the king and queen, Stephen Flynn and daughter Megan, will be crowned. The ball will be held at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.

Then, on Sunday, it is show time. The parade will begin at the St. John Civic Center at noon, and it will follow its traditional route through the streets of LaPlace, finally ending at Belle Terre and Madewood.

On Saturday, the Krewe of Towahpasah will kick off parade season in St. John. The informal truck parade starts at Riverside Academy at 1 p.m. and winds its way through Reserve, finally ending at the Reserve Recreation Center.