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Members of the Bainbridge Rotary Club met at the Kirbo Center for their weekly meeting. The guest speaker of the day was Jennifer Cannon, president of the Mardi Gras Society of Southwest Georgia, accompanied by the Society’s Secretary, Summer Confer.

The pair introduced themselves, with Cannon briefly going over the organization’s history.

“Believe it or not, the Mardi Gras Society of Southwest Georgia started because I wanted to have a Mardi Gras golf cart parade,” Cannon laughed. That simple desire would quickly expand into the Society, and its host of Mardi Gras events. This includes not just the golf cart parade, but the Pawrade of Barkus, where pet owners can dress their dogs in Mardi Gras costumes for a contest; the Run for the Beads 5k/Fun Run; as well as sports tournaments, including the Let the Good Times Roll Golf Tournament and the Mambo Grand Slam Tennis and Pickleball tournaments.

The Society donates the proceeds and sponsorships to other non-profits in the community; according to Cannon, in the two seasons the program has existed, they have donated almost $20,000.

The highlight of the pair’s presentation was the reveal of the Society’s newest event, Rouxlin on the River, a regional gumbo and Brunswick stew competition. The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 9. Cannon and Confer were joined during the meeting by the event’s mascot, Gumbo the Gator.