A small Krewe of Tesla vehicles was a part of the Krewe of Orpheus parade in New Orleans this week on Lundi Gras, which is the day before Mardi Gras. The Krewe of Orpheus was founded by Harry Connick, Jr. and his father, Harry Connick, Sr., who was a former New Orleans district attorney.
Krewe of Teslas are leading the Krewe of Orpheus in New Orleans today. Many thanks to @ecomomma3 for sharing these with me. More coming in a @cleantechnica article! $tsla #MardiGras #Orpheus The Teslas are escorting marshals who are over safety pic.twitter.com/Mre3D2PgJK
— Getting Stoned 💎 (@JohnnaCrider1) February 24, 2020
Members of the Tesla Louisiana Owners and Dreamers group on Facebook were escorting Parade Marshals and there were a total of six Tesla Marshal cars throughout the parade. Ann Vail was the lead car in her grey Model S. Casey Meyer was car number 6, which was towards the end, behind Float 26.
I made it! Lead car for #Orpheus pic.twitter.com/SDY32QzEeV
— Ann Vail (@ecomomma3) February 24, 2020
At the very beginning of the parade, there was a moment in which everyone came together to honor America. The National Anthem was performed where the parade started — at Tipitinas.
More fromtheb #Tesla crew at #orpheus Here is how it all begins at @Tipitinas pic.twitter.com/1r6uOqnD0S
— Ann Vail (@ecomomma3) February 25, 2020
The best thing was that people loved the Teslas. Ann Vail shared in her tweet below that little kids were screaming “I love your Tesla!” Another Tesla owner who was a part of the Tesla brigade, Cherie Gauthier, says, “We heard ‘Tesla!!!’ a lot!”
Best thing about tonight? All the little kids screaming “I love your #Tesla!” #Orpheus #NOLA This photo is from the beginning of the parade before we got rolling. pic.twitter.com/ceKKttBV7s
— Ann Vail (@ecomomma3) February 25, 2020
Celebrity spotting at #Orpheus– @HarryConnickJR 🥰 and his lovely wife Jill! pic.twitter.com/Ep2zVMupWh
— Ann Vail (@ecomomma3) February 25, 2020
Photos from the Krewe of Tesla and Krewe of Orpheus
The photo above was taken by Ann Vail. The float is called The Trojan Horse. The one below shows some of the New Orleans cityscape and a shot of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage stand.
The photo above shows the Krewe of Tesla getting ready to roll. This was taken by Casey Meyer, whose matte blue Model X is the last vehicle in this little krewe. “We had a blast as a Parade Marshal car in Orpheus. It was really fascinating seeing just how much planning and how much work goes into a huge parade. I have a much greater appreciation for parades now. We loved being able to tell and show people how amazing Teslas are,” she told me. Below, she took the photo of the Tesla New Orleans Service Center as seen from the vantage point of the parade floats.
The photos above and below were provided by Cherie Gauthier, another member of the Tesla Louisiana Owners and Dreamers group.
How Tesla Got to be a Part of the Krewe of Orpheus
@elonmusk did you team up with @HarryConnickJR for #orpheus there were so many @Tesla out there. pic.twitter.com/zhzEab69Gu
— Matthew (@mknkachow) February 25, 2020
In January, Casey, who is one of the admins of the Tesla Louisiana group, shared that The Orpheus Parade was planning to use Teslas as their Parade Marshal cars and were looking for volunteers who would drive the Parade Marshal around during the parade. While she was waiting in front of Tipitina’s, Ann Vail told me that she was parked and waiting for the guys she was driving. She explained they were in charge of safety, so they had to keep jumping out and running around to make sure things were pretty much going as planned.
When I asked her to share how it came to be, Casey explained that the Krewe of Orpheus reached out to Tesla’s new service center to borrow a few vehicles. “Corporate said that they couldn’t provide any but that they could reach out to owners, so that’s when I was contacted and I put the word out on the Facebook group.”
And that’s how the Krewe of Tesla was born!
At @Tipitinas watching all the VIPs arrive pic.twitter.com/jF3RmmC8Yl
— Ann Vail (@ecomomma3) February 24, 2020
You may recognize the face in the photo below. Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White in Breaking Bad, among many other roles, was decked out in a green velvet jacket with a purple bowtie.
It was good to see members of the local Tesla community getting involved. Someday, there will be more Teslas involved in parades and that will help curb the pollution that is left over. (After the parades have ended and the crowds have left, there is a mess for city officials to clean up — trash, broken beads, streamers, broken toys, and other forms of litter.
Mardi Gras is a part of our culture here. It’s fun, it’s festive, and it celebrates the art of revelry. Introducing clean energy by using vehicles such as Teslas to escort the Parade Marshals is a great start. Hopefully next year we will see more EVs in Mardi Gras parades.
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