Prichard City Councilman Derrick N. Griffin founded the Prichard Carnival Association in 2015 to give area high school students another way to become Mardi Gras royalty. Griffin knows plenty about being a Mardi Gras royal. In 1998, he was king of the Prichard Mardi Gras Association, and in 2006, he was King Elexis I of the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association. “A lot of kids reached out to me, saying they wanted to participate — be a part of the courts — but there were only so many opportunities for that,” Griffin said.
This year’s court includes King Augustus I Simeon De Andre Pruitt, a senior at Mary G. Montgomery High School, and Queen Aniya Shanice Williams, a senior at Blount High School. Expect 16 floats, three built by the group, the rest rented from Mobile Mystics.
In 2025, the Queen is J’Hailah Shamia French, a senior at Blount High School, and the King is Demarkus Boykin Jr., who is a senior at Mary G. Montgomery High School. The PCA paraded behind the Krewe of Goats on Saturday, March 1. The parade included 16 floats, three built by the group, the others rented from Mobile Mystics.
