Pink Flamingos have been attacking Baton Rouge neighborhoods and parks for 25 years now, and as disturbingly tacky as that should sound, it is great news to many residents.
“Poor taste is better than no taste at all,” said Bill Brumfield, president of the Society to Preserve Lagniappe in Louisiana.
The society puts on the Spanish Town ball, parade and golf tournament, Brumfield said.
SPLL lets the community know Spanish Town events are coming up by sticking giant pink flamingos in parks and SPLL members’ yards, Brumfield said.
The SPLL parade will be held at noon Saturday, Feb. 5 in downtown Baton Rouge, said David Applegate, SPLL board member and member of Wasted Krewe, a SPLL parade krewe.
The SPLL-sponsored parade has 90 krewes each year, but interest to participate is growing; the SPLL had to turn away 45 krewes this year, Applegate said. “It grew from those humble beginnings to having 100,000 people in the downtown area and 90 floats. We’re not your typical Mardi Gras parade,” said Brumfield, who rides with the Generic Yo Yos Krewe.
The parade started in 1981 in Spanish Town, a Baton Rouge neighborhood, said Bob Applegate, SPLL and Wasted Krewe member.
Anyone can participate if they sign up early and pay the SPLL between $300 and $500, David Applegate said.
The floats have been well-decorated and show great creativity, Brumfield said.
Each krewe competes to win prizes, such as “Best Overall,” “Worst Overall” and “Best Float” for their floats or presentations, David Applegate said.
Smiley Anders and other local celebrities serve as judges, Bob Applegate said.
“For many of the folks that come, the ‘Worst Overall’ float is the most sought-after,” Brumfield said.
The Wasted Krewe, a “Worst Overall” winner and 17-year SPLL participant, makes a tasteless addition to the Spanish Town parade as Baton Rouge’s only all-male krewe with themes including Neverland Ranch Day Care, Aliens in Gonzales, and a re-elect Edwin Edwards campaign, Bob Applegate said.
“We are a little bit better than the other krewes,” David Applegate said of the 20-person krewe. “We’re the bad boys.”
The SPLL is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping and assisting local charities, Brumfield said.
“One of the big deals for the SPLL is how much money we’ve given away,” David Applegate said. “It helps us look good, and helps with hangovers.”
The SPLL gives more than $100,000 from parade entry fees to charities such as the city food bank and the battered women’s clinic, David Applegate said.
The SPLL encourages members to have fun, be creative and be generous, but all with a healthy dose of tackiness, Brumfield said.
“We’re like Hooters Wings,” Bob Applegate said, “delightfully unrefined and tasteless.”