Saraland never had a mystic society or Mardi Gras parade that anyone can seem to remember. So when one person posed the possibility on social media, response was swift and positive.

Suddenly the person who proposed the idea became the founder and president of the Saraland Mardi Gras Society in 2018, and that spawned the Krewe of Sparta, a co-ed mystic society.

Named after the Saraland High School Spartans, the Krewe of Sparta has an emblem, known simply as The Messenger, and has a king and queen each year. The cap on membership is 200.

The organization emphasizes community service and has already taken on several projects, from donating supplies to local schools to taking part in the Adopt-a-Mile program.

The 2025 Krewe of Sparta parade will be held March 1 at noon. It will include four floats rented from the Mobile Mystics. Grand Marshal will be Saraland High School's head football coach, Jeff Kelly.

To see the Mask's exclusive photo album of the 2023 Sparta parade, place your cursor on the image below and click on the arrows.