Selucrey Article
From
The Courier
Date Unknown
by
Amy Melancon

        Merry making and revelry are part of what makes Mardi Gras so much fun. What some don't realize that alcohol doesn't have to be consumed for someone to "get wild." Just ask any member of the Selucre Walking Club. "People don't realize it. You don't have to be drunk to do this," said vice president Joey Duplantis.

        "A lot of people see us and say 'You're drunk.' They don't know me. They don't know I don't drink. I just like to have a good time," said founding member Ed Herron.

        Started in 1984, the group was formed by a group from the Krewe of Hercules. The name was derived by spelling Hercules backwards. The "H" was dropped from the end of the name years later to help the group become an autonomous organization. "Even though we are not affiliated with the Krewe of Hercules, it started out with them," said president Greg Landry. "We're our own organization." The club is strictly non-profit, donating its annual dues to charity organizations, as well as holding annual fund raisers such as a bowling tournament and Halloween dance. "What we charge to be in a parade, we donate to charity," said Duplantis.

        The sole purpose of the club is to make sure Mardi Gras is a fun time for everyone. "When you see the expressions on... kids' faces, it makes their day and makes your day," said member Wayne Lirette.

        One of the biggest attractions for the crowd, besides the decorated umbrellas, tuxedos and a souped-up'66 Cadillac hearse with a mega sound system, are the extra long beads the group is known for giving out. "We're selective to who we give'to," Herron said. "We don't throw beads like they do on the floats. We can't carry all that."

        Members of the Selucre Walking Club dance along the parade route. Besides the costumes, car and beads, the club is remembered for something unique. "We are also known to have the largest pair of underwear in the world," Lirette boasts. "They are one-size-fits-all as in all the cheerleaders, all the schools, all the clubs."

        Savoy said people along the parade route who don't seem to be having a good time, or the ones who can't seem to catch much on their own, are the ones they give to the most. "You'll find everyone here will try to give to the old ladies and kids," head clown Dude Savoy said. "You just do it for the fun of it," Herron said. "We have more fun than those other guys on the floats. I quit my membership in Hercules because it is more one-on-one and it is more enjoyable."

        This year, the group will perform its second-line antics in six Terrebonne parades - Hercules, Bayou Petit Caillou, Bayou Boulette, Hyacinthians, Terreanians and Cleopatra. The group never marches on Mardi Gras Day. "That's a day for us to spend with our families," Duplantis said. 'Whenever, we don't walk in the parade, people will as why we haven't marched."

        The club only accepts invitations from six parades each season. "We limit ourselves to six parades," Savoy said. "We vote on it and send letters of apology to the rest. We get invited to a lot of other places." What really drives this group of 60 men to taking on six parades each season is the special magic only found during Mardi Gras. "When you put that tuxedo on and pick up that umbrella, you change," Duplantis said. "It gives you a license to make an ass out of yourself," Herron said.

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