Krewe of Centaur prepares to roll Saturday

The finishing touches are being made to local Mardi Gras parade floats.  Beads are being hung with care, and krewe members are feeling the rush that only parade season can bring.  The Krewe of Centaur Parade rolls in just two days.

"The better the weather, the better the attendance," said Angie Costakis.

Things are looking good for parade Saturday in Shreveport.

"We want to see 'em jumping up and down.  We want to hear them say 'throw me something, mister'.  We love signs," said Costakis.

You can feel the adrenaline in the Centaur Den as the countdown to parade day continues.

"We're doing float loading right now.  Some of the riders have already done that.  We're catching up on that," said Shawn Sanders, Centaur.

However, hanging beads is just the beginning of what has to happen before this krewe can roll.

"All the floats need generators loaded onto them, sound systems loaded onto them," said Costakis.

Then, every float and every truck that hauls them are checked from top to bottom --- so nothing stops the parade.

Every float offers something special. A Viking Boat float has a dragon named Wesley with special effects like eyes lighting up and smoke blowing out into the crowd.  Tina Rose is proud of what her float crew came up with this year.

"I'm a float lieutenant.  I've got the best krewe in Centaur.  We love it," said Rose, Centaur.

With good weather on tap, and folks from across the ArkLaTex planning to come, the Krewe of Centaur members can't wait to experience another Mardi Gras parade.

"I think its probably turning from Shreveport-Barksdale onto East King's Highway where you see 50 to 60 people deep... They're screaming and yelling... It's such a rush," said Costakis.

"It's when they first start - when the float first starts moving is probably one of the best parts," said Sanders.

The Centaur Parade begins at 4:30 Saturday afternoon.  It starts downtown and ends up at Preston and East Kings Highway.  This year's theme is "Festivals Around the World".