Bringing Year-Round Enchantment to Shreveport
THE KREWE OF HIGHLAND WILL SOON BEAUTIFY:
• Highland Park
• The triangle at Marshall Street and Gilbert Drive
• Boulevard Street between Southern and Fairfield Avenues
• Robinson Place between Fairfield and Line Avenues
• Pinehurst Boulevard at Robinson Place
• Columbia Street between Thornhill and Line Avenues
• Kings Highway at Creswell Avenue
• Linden Street at Wheeless Avenue and the circle
• Madison Park Boulevard circle
• Slattery Boulevard between Line Avenue and Madison Park Boulevard
• Gilbert and Ockley Drives at the Bayou Pierre bridge
Imagine turning an under-utilized park into an urban forest of fresh food, and a drought-stressed median into a lush oasis. Such are the dreams of the Krewe of Highland’s Board of Directors. They have organized the planting of more than three-hundred pear, fig, plum, and apple trees in Highland Park and the beautification over a dozen medians throughout the Highland, South Highland, and Madison Park neighborhoods this fall.
The Krewe of Highland is best known for its popular Mardi Gras reimagining. In 1994, they launched a family parade with a mission to promote the area’s historic beauty and bring neighbors outside of their homes to meet each other for a day full of wonderment. The zany parade’s popularity has exploded since its humble start, extending to three neighborhoods and attracting around 35,000 people this year. Its unusual throws are legendary, from packaged Halloween costumes and VHS tapes to ramen and pickles. Its success stems from decades of talented and devoted patrons, royalty, and volunteers, including Linda and Joe Dame, Robin Drury, Emily Hamann, Dillon Haynes, Rick John, Cliff LeBlanc, Lisa and Matthew Linn, Brandon Manning, Bob Marak, Michelle Marcotte, Bill McGill, Marsha Millican, Robin Ramsey, and Cyndie and Chuck Reid, just to name a few.
The Krewe also has a long history of philanthropy. Even if you haven’t made it to their parade, where they annually underwrite local high school marching bands, you’ve likely enjoyed the Krewe’s community contributions. In 2003, they began sponsoring another popular annual event, the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival at Columbia Park. To amp up the amps, the Krewe rewired the entire park. If you’ve used Columbia Park’s bicycle repair station or enjoyed its LED-lit paths, thank the Krewe. If you’ve enjoyed the brassy beats of C.E. Byrd High School concerts, you heard instruments purchased by the Krewe. If a police officer used a trauma kit to save your life, the Krewe of Highland may have provided it. They even updated forty-year-old wiring at Shreveport Fire Station 7 at Wilkinson Street and Line Avenue to help first responders save us.
Like so many cultural institutions in Louisiana, this Krewe is also serious about food, from offering decadent delights at its Mardi Gras Ball to filling Thanksgiving baskets so Shreveport families can feast together. Some of the most unusual parade flavors in the state are tossed from Highland Parade floats. In addition to heaps of candy, you might walk away with a hot dog or spaghetti and meatballs. Their latest food fixation stems from a partnership with District 4 Commissioner John-Paul Young, who secured funding to beautify the Parade’s three neighborhoods and transform public green spaces into food-producing hubs.
It’s a vital project. Food insecurity plagues twenty-five percent of children in Northwest Louisiana and is a contributor to negative physical and mental health outcomes. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children facing food scarcity are sick and hospitalized more often and recover more slowly. As a result, school performance can drop and behavioral problems increase. Imagine if every Shreveport park produced food. How would that improve scarcity, supply chain fears, food deserts, and community health? Entrepreneurial kids could upscale their lemonade stands with higher ticket items like fruit-filled baked goods, sauces, and jams.
Many Highland and South Highland neighbors are fortunate to be located within walking distance of a park. When cities are ranked nationally, access to parks and food are frequent metrics used to assess their livability and health. In study after study, well-tended and attended parks and green spaces improve community life and wellness. Urban trees help cool down neighborhoods, clean the air, and even improve mental wellbeing. During COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, people with access to neighborhood parks commonly reported less depression and anxiety.
This fall, the Krewe of Highland’s regenerative project, spearheaded by Commissioner Young, will address erosion, improve soil quality, eradicate dead and diseased plants, and add maintenance-free groundcovers and pollinator-attracting bushes. The plan wouldn’t be possible without the support of Smith’s Lawn and Landscape, Mayor Arceneaux’s office, Caddo Parish, Shreveport Public Assembly & Recreation (SPAR), landscape architect Katie Martin, neighborhood groups, and volunteers. Central to its success will be a group dedicated to supporting the Highland neighborhood for more than a century, namely the hardworking Boy Scouts of America Troop 15. They’ve already planted fifteen bald cypress trees in Highland Park with the Krewe. The current project is so extensive, Scouts could pick up merit badges in Environmental Science, Forestry, Gardening, Landscape Architecture, Nature, Plant Science and Soil and Water Conservation in the process.
So, here’s to our visionary, eccentric, neighbor-loving Krewe of Highland. May they let the good times—and fruit—roll for years to come!
