Parade route changes

The estimated thousands of revelers planning to celebrate at Southern University’s homecoming parade Saturday morning can expect to see a big change.
Instead of the parade going through the two-way streets in Scotlandville neighborhoods, drawing crowds on the lawns of private homeowners, it will run along Harding Boulevard, a four-lane highway with a grass median.
“The parade has grown so large,” said Helen T. Rutledge, parade coordinator.
“It was going on small neighborhood streets and wasn’t flowing smoothly,” Rutledge said.
Rutledge said the revelers influxed in different parts than others, which caused the parade to take longer to get through the streets. Floats had to stop often to wait for people to back out of the roads. School bands were especially affected because when they preformed they also needed more space.
The parade is slated to begin at 8 a.m. and the route will start on Kaufman Street and Scenic Highway, making its way to Harding Blvd.
It will then make a U-turn at Pembroke Street and go back down on the opposite side of Harding Boulevard and back to its starting point.
SU alumnae and former band member Damien Heard was in support of the route change.
“More people could enjoy it, it’s not confined to the neighborhood,” said Heard, 23, of Mansfield. “They could now accommodate more people. Now all of Baton Rouge could enjoy it.”
The cymbals player recanted his days of the stop-and-go-traffic while performing in the parade.
“Once you got started, you just wanted to finish,” he said. “When you keep stopping, you just start to drag and people get tired of watching.”
Rutledge said over 90 floats, bands and drill teams are expected to participate in the parade and be judged for first, second and third place prizes.
The grand marshal for the parade will be former SU queen for 1942-43 Thelma Weathers McDonald. The homecoming festivities will also honoring the SU class of 1955.