The turnaround from Super Bowl to Carnival is a bit of a tight one, especially if you have anything to do with the production of the spectacle.
Barry Kern, CEO and President of Kern Studios, already had his hands full with the three to four hundred floats he and his team readies for a regular carnival season, but now they have to make sure NBA Legend and 2025 Bacchus Monarch, Shaquille O'Neil, can fit down St. Charles.
"We have to make sure he doesn't hit his head on the Oak trees!"
Kern says without hesitation that everything will be done so that Mardi Gras goes off without a hitch, but this by far has been a custom fitting for the books.
"By the time we're done, it will be about an eight-foot throne."
Mardi Gras season rolls Friday with parades in Slidell and every weekend until Fat Tuesday, March 4th.