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 that will have its first parade and ball this year on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday.

“It’s been awesome the way the other organizations have welcomed us and helped us along,” the founder said. “It really is a Mardi Gras community.”

Named after the Saraland High School Spartans, the Krewe of Sparta has an emblem, known simply as The Messenger, and will have 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 2023 Krewe of Sparta parade was held February 18 at noon. It included five floats rented from the Mobile Mystics and Neptune's Daughters. Grand Marshal was the University of Alabama's Big Al. Costumes were by D&D Creations of New Orleans.

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.