MCCA Captain Don Spiers said Wednesday that the plan is still for the MCCA XXXVIII parade to roll on Saturday at 1 p.m., although he and other organizers are keeping a close eye on the weather forecast.

“At the time of this writing on Wednesday, Feb. 7, we in MCCA are in close communication with the National  Weather Service, and greatly hoping for an improvement in the forecast,” Spiers said. “We are not terribly averse to getting wet, but wind and lightning present another story.”

Spiers said that if the start time is changed, it will be announced in time for publication in the Friday, Feb. 9, edition of The Daily News. If there is no schedule change, the parade will continue to roll at 1 p.m.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service’s forecast called for an 80-percent chance of rain for Bogalusa.

Spiers said that this year’s MCCA parade will be one of the biggest and best yet.

“Following our ‘introductory’ procession of 100 roaring motorcycles, our plans include 41 authentic tractor-pulled Carnival floats, carrying approximately 600 costumed revelers, tossing over 1 million pairs of Mardi Gras beads, 2,000 MCCA beanie bears, and hundreds of souvenir throw items, to our spectators, amid a dozen marching bands and musically equipped floats,” he said. “Our parade column will stretch to 1-1/2 mile long, start to finish, when the 73 units with over 2,000 participants is fully moving. A stationary spectator can traditionally watch the parade pass for one hour and thirty minutes.”

Spiers noted that MCCA has been featured in the Inside Northside Magazine as the most phenomenal Mardi Gras happening on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. It has also been featured on a National Travel Company’s website as No. 3 of  “Ten Best Mardi Gras Parades Not in New Orleans,” he said.