John Schneider, who rose to fame in TV’s “Dukes of Hazzard,” will be the 2019 Grand Marshal for the Neptune Parade.
The actor, musician and filmmaker will ride in the March 2 downtown Biloxi parade, continuing a tradition that began a few years ago, when Neptune moved its parade to the Saturday night before Fat Tuesday, which Neptune organizers refer to as “Neptune Saturday.”
Schneider gained popularity in the late ’70s and early ’80s as Bo Duke on the CBS hit series “Dukes of Hazzard.” Over the years, he appeared as Jonathan Kent on CW’s “Smallville” and most recently as a celebrity contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Schneider has also had a successful career in country music, topping the Billboard country charts four times.
The Neptune Parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the corner of Main Street and Esters Boulevard, traveling south on Main to U.S. 90. The parade will turn north on Lamuese Street, passing Biloxi City Hall before turning left onto Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and proceeding to Howard Avenue. At Howard Avenue, the parade will turn right and then make an immediate right on to Caillavet Street, disbanding at the corner of Bayview Avenue and Caillavet Street.
After the parade, the krewe stages “Neptunalia” at Hard Rock Live, an open-to-the-public party, with tickets ranging from $16 to $35. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Headlining Neptunalia this year is multi-platinum recording artist Juvenile, known for his hit singles “Back That Thang Up” and “Slow Motion,” as well numerous hits while performing with the hip hop group the Hot Boys. Opening for Juvenile will be national recording artist 69 Boyz, known for the hit singles “Tootsee Roll” and “Kitty Kitty.” Tickets are available to the public for Neptunalia at www.neptunalia.eventbrite.com.
Map: See the Neptune parade route
Gallery: See dozens of photos of the 2018 Neptune parade
See the Krewe of Neptune website
Buy tickets to Neptunalia
Employees recognized for years of service
Chief Administrative Officer Michael Leonard, on behalf of Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich, recently recognized 27 employees for their years of service during a longevity awards presentation at Biloxi City Hall.
Those recognized were:
35 years of service: Adam Kozlowski, Public Works Department
30 years of service: Anthony Murphy and Anthony Shook, Fire Department
25 years of service: Klint Krieger, Police Department
20 years of service:Christopher De Back and Michael Wheeler, Police Department
15 years of service: Jill Moore, Parks & Recreation Department
10 years of service: Frederick Mannino, Administration Department; Christopher Bellais, Fire Department; and Melvin Bethea, Tashia Foxworth, and Gaius Medley, Parks & Recreation Department
Five years of service: Deborah Cuevas, Administration; Clint Fore and Bryan Wallace, Police Department; and James Booker, Howard Griffith, Alicia Kimble, Frank Lassere, Charles McClantoc, Dianne Merrill, Linda Phillips, Bryan Reville, Dawn Sullivan, Joshua Thomas, Paul Thompson, and John White, Public Works Department
The presentation took place during the Jan. 29 Biloxi City Council meeting. Employee longevity awards are presented quarterly.
Photo: See an image of those present during the meeting
News & notes: Podcast, Benachi, registration, Clydesdales
Trees and more: Carroll Campbell and Bernie Marinovich, leaders of the Biloxi Tree Committee, discuss the role of the city-appointed committee in this week’s City Desk podcast. To listen to the 30-minute program – yes, 30 minutes – click here.
Benachi Avenue residents: The City of Biloxi will host a public meeting tonight at 6 at the West End Hose Co. No. 3 Fire Museum on Howard Avenue for Benachi Avenue residents, south of Howard, to discuss the infrastructure work. A contractor will be present to answer any questions.
Biloxi baseball and softball registration: The Biloxi Parks & Recreation Department will hold its second round of registration for youth baseball and softball on Saturday at the Donal M. Snyder Sr. Community Center, 2520 Pass Road, from 9 a.m. to noon. For more details and to view the flyer, click here.
Clydesdales: About a thousand people turned out at Biloxi City Hall to get an up close look at the world-renowned Budweiser Clydesdales, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for several days this week, directly from the, ahem, Super Bowl in Atlanta. To see photos from the City Hall visit, click here.
