Hercules Partners Revelry With Charity

by Mary Downer

Mardi Gras usually brings to mind thoughts of beads, music and fun. For one Houma carnival club, Mardi Gras is so much more. For the Krewe of Hercules carnival time also represents a way to give back to the community.

Hosting the first parade in Houma each year, Hercules is responsible for officially welcoming carnival to Houma. Members enjoy setting the pace for celebration. Over the years they have also set the pace for community involvement.

For more than 15 years the Krewe of Hercules has provided holiday dinners for the elderly and needy in Terrebonne Parish. Those in attendance also enjoy entertainment by a live band. “As the people in our community age, they don’t get out as much,” says Danny Picou, club Captain. “These dinners help to bring them back together. They get to visit and enjoy one another’s company.”

The krewe also reaches out to children in the community by offering tours of their den. For an entire week before the Hercules parade rolls, over 2,500 students from 18 different area schools visit the Hercules Den. Inside an unassuming metal building on the outskirts of town is where Mardi Gras comes to life for many local school children. Members of the krewe visit with children and give them special tours of the monstrous floats that they will see on the parade route. Parade safety is also an important topic of the tour. Each tour group even gets to select a king and queen who lead the group in a second line parade around the den.

The children are allowed to board the floats and to throw beads to their classmates. “Every child gets a chance to get on the float and see what it’s like. If they are on crutches, if they are wheelchair bound, whatever the case, we help get them up on that float,” Picou proudly states. “To make the kids feel special; to be able to do this for them, that’s what it’s all about. The look of joy on their faces makes it all worth it.”

When the sun rises on the first day of carnival, there is a definite sense of excitement in the air for the entire city. On that day another special group of people are privy to a unique ceremony. Hercules invites the Council on Aging to the East Houma Bingo Hall to welcome the current year’s grand marshal to Houma. Over 300 people attend the celebration. The parish president presents the grand marshal with a key to the city and the krewe passes out beads and trinkets. For many in attendance this is their only opportunity to celebrate carnival.

Next, the krewe boards open top busses for a ride to the eastside of town to pay a visit to some of their biggest fans. The Krewe of Hercules is welcomed with open arms onto the private campus of TARC. The circular drive is lined with cheering fans as the entire campus anticipates the krewe’s arrival and celebrates their own personal parade. As the buses line up outside the gates, loud music and shouts of excitement fill the air. When the parade begins most of the riders get off of their floats and interact with parade goers by placing beads on their necks and putting trinkets and stuffed animals into the arms and laps of those confined to wheelchairs. The men wave back and forth, stop to dance with their new friends and delight in the happiness of the crowd.

“This is a 365 day organization. Not just one night of revelry,” explains Picou. “Belonging to Hercules is something special. You have to have more than just the energy. It is something that comes from the heart.”