BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
The 18th annual Millbrook Reveler’s Mardi Gras Parade is in the books for another year, and this year the Grand Marshal was the amazingly talented writer Sean Dietrich, sometimes better known as Sean of the South.
I have admired his work for years. My late journalism professor Wiley Hilburn would have approved of Sean a great deal. Wiley told me many times that when it comes to writing, there is one thing you have to master. “You have to be able to make people laugh and cry in one column.”
Sean Dietrich is the master of it, and I want to be him when I grow up.
To show my appreciation, I voluntarily handed over my giant Mardi Gras Balls to him just before the parade started. I found him in the parking lot of Dollar General, with a huge crowd waiting to start the parade. I handed him the giant necklace with the words, “If you want to be a writer, sometimes you have to have big (Mardi Gras) balls. I would be honored if you would accept these.”
A giant smile creased his face and he gave me a hug. He put them on and wore them proudly.
“What have I done to earn these?” he asked with a laugh.
“You are an amazing writer, and that is enough for me,” I told him.
Then the calls to get ready to go began and I had to rush across the road to get into place for pictures. So is the life of a reporter and newspaper owner in a small town.
Thank you Sean and a huge thank you to the Millbrook Revelers for, once again, putting on one heck of an event and parade. It never ceases to bring a lot of joy to town, along with around 10,000 or more people catching “throws.”
Everyone did, indeed, pass a good time. We will be uploading hundreds of photos from the vendors, the activities at the park and the parade later today. So, stay tuned! Happy Mardi Gras errrrybody!
To see the work of Sean, visit his website at https://seandietrich.com/
