Children will parade Monday through downtown

The annual Children’s Mardi Gras Walking Parade will roll through downtown Biloxi on Monday at 11 a.m., with dozens of costumed children on decorated bikes, trikes, wagons and skate boards.

This year’s theme: “The Best of Times.”

The parade will form between 10 and 10:30 in the parking lot on MLK Boulevard, immediately north of the Saenger Theater, and will travel around MLK Boulevard, south on Lameuse Street and end at the Biloxi Town Green, where a costume contest will be conducted. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department also will treat participants to free refreshments.

Applications for children to participate – ages 12 and under — have been distributed through Biloxi schools.

The parade is sponsored by the City of Biloxi, the Mardi Gras Museum, and Gulf Coast Carnival Association. Details: 228-435-6339 or email kmiller@biloxi.ms.us.

News and notes

Council preview: Winners in the annual Mardi Gras Shoe Box Float Contest will be recognized today at City Hall during the City Council’s 1:30 p.m. meeting. The council also will face an agenda of three dozen issues. Among them: measures involving Lighthouse Park, Waterfront Park and the Seafood Museum, fishing docks and sponsorship of upcoming community events. To see the complete agenda and supporting documents, click here.

Mardi Gras route: To see a map of the downtown Biloxi Mardi Gras route for Gulf Coast Carnival and Neptune, click here.

City Desk: Biloxi Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols reviews the recent Mississippi Municipal League convention in Jackson, discusses Mardi Gras traditions, and previews other city topics in the City Desk program taped last week. To listen, click here.

Shrimp Fest vendors: The 84th annual Blessing of the Fleet and Shrimp Festival doesn’t take place until Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2, but the organizing committee is already accepting applications for vendors for the Fais Do-Do. Crafts booths are $55; seafood vendor booths are $50, and all other food booths are $75. Vendor application deadline is May 17. For an application, call 228-435-6339 or click here.

Elections 2013: To see the key dates and ward maps — existing and proposed — along with a list of candidates for 2013 municipal elections, click here.

Site down: The city’s website, which serves thousands of online visitors each day, was unavailable for several hours over the weekend because of server issues. Apologies for the unplanned inconvenience.

Community calendar: To see the February edition of the city’s Community Calendar, click here.