The Mardi Gras parade in Foley is scheduled for March 5 and will begin at noon near city hall.

At Monday’s meeting, the Foley City Council voted unanimously to change the parade route. The parade will begin at the Armory behind City Hall and head west to Alabama 59, and then turn south to U.S. 98. The parade then will head go on 98 to Alston Street and turn south before ending at Griffin Park.

The parade originally was supposed to begin at the Alston Street and Roosevelt Avenue intersection near Griffin Park and head north to U.S. 98. Then it would head west on the highway before turning south on Oak Street and then turning east onto Roosevelt Avenue to finish where the parade began.

The change was requested to the city so the route would pass more merchants with balconies, Foley Councilman Charles Ebert said.

Charles Thompson, a Foley resident and member of the Krewe of Les Beau Geste, said the parade is the only parade in the city during Mardi Gras.

“We’re the ones that get it going,” he said of the krewe.

The parade currently has 22 units participating, but Thompson said they “plan on having more.”

“I don’t think we’ll cap it, but I think we’ll get over 30. If you’re a car, truck or marcher it’s $25 and float it’s $50. It pays for basic costs,” he said, noting $1,000 for insurance and expenses for the after-parade event at American Legion. “We put out food and have a band for the krewe members and others.”

Thompson said the krewe is a non-profit organization and all additional money goes to the krewe’s charity, Make-A-Wish foundation. Make-A-Wish is a national, non-profit organization that grants wishes to children who have severe medical conditions. The krewe gives the foundation $1,000 a year, according to Thompson, and he also said one of the grand marshals for the parade will be from the foundation.

Thompson said the original deadline is Saturday, but “we will go a little longer than that.”

“We’re going to call organizations that “I’ve already had a conversation with to remind them,” Thompson said, noting that if somebody was to approach him the Thursday before and ask to be in the parade they would be accepted. It’s a local thing. We just have a good time.”

Organizations have to fill out an application to be part of the parade, Thompson said, and some of the organizations and people participating include the Foley Police Department, the Foley High School Color Guard, the Foley High School band, Ms. Senior Baldwin County, Foley Mayor John Koniar and WHEP 1230 AM. Thompson said the Foley Fire Department is not participating, because, “they want to be ready to respond” in case of a fire.

Thompson said the city has had the parade for 14 years, but it’s only the second time he organized it. He said the city has not told him yet about the route change even though he is the one organizing the event.