Woman and Mardi Gras Spirit Killed

Melinda Palacio

Wednesday, marked the last week of Carnival in New Orleans and what would have been the beginning of six days of nonstop parades. A tragedy, which has yet to be explained put a halt to the Nyx Parade, famous for throwing purses to Mardi Gras revelers. A woman who decided to find a shortcut by passing in between two tandem floats died. She tripped over the hitch for the floats.  There's so much ugliness of Mardi Gras that goes by in the name of fun and revelry, but I often wonder if it isn't time for big changes to come to Mardi Gras. Does the city need giant parades, sometimes four in one day or evening, all throwing beads and plush toys made in China, all wrapped in plastic. It's rare that this kind of accident happens. Fat Tuesday is in a few days. I'll write a little more on my next post. The woman's name was Geraldine Carmouche, she was 58. I hope her family and friends find peace within this terrible accident. I was going to write more about Wednesday's kick off of the last week of Mardi Gras. I'll pause to gather my thoughts. The parade was appropriately cut short. Thursday's parades were cancelled due to bad weather. It's hard to let the good times roll among such tragedy.