By Sarah Stephens
Photos by Amanda Pevey. Kate McAndrews
With wispy white clouds and a beautiful blue sky, the Prattville Mardi Gras Parade rolled through town Saturday afternoon, with a huge crowd and plenty of enthusiasm. Leading the way was local children’s book author and philanthropist Elisabeth Gardner, as parade grand marshal. This marked the 21st annual Mardi Gras Parade celebration for Prattville.
Parade officials chose Gardner as she is heavily involved in the community. She owns Cloud 9 Aviation at Prattville Airport, along with her husband Paul. The couple hosts numerous events throughout the year including Christmas, Easter, and Halloween that are wildly popular with families. These events have raised over $20,000 for the charities in the river region. She and Pual hope to have a record-breaking year in 2025, just their fourth year in business. Gardner is a big animal lover and has transported around 700 animals to safety from overcrowded shelters to new homes through her work with Pilots and Paws.
Gardner also volunteers for several rescue groups and shelters and is an Ambassador for the Prattville Chamber of Commerce. She is working on her pilot’s license as well.
Prior to the parade, the festival grounds opened, with plenty of shopping and visiting opportunities.
Thank you to all of the participants, vendors and residents who made this a wonderful day. Thank you to all the hard work from City of Prattville staff and volunteers. Job well done!
Check out our huge gallery of photos from Saturday’s Mardi Gras celebrations! We had an amazing time, and we couldn’t have done it without our incredible Mardi Gras Advertisers!
A huge thank you to our sponsors and community—your support makes all of this possible!
Happy Mardi Gras Y’all. Let the good times continue to roll.
