WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) – The cold wind didn’t stop one tradition in Texoma. The annual Mardi Gras Nocona-style parade was held Saturday afternoon.

We tend to think of New Orleans or other big cities when it comes to Mardi Gras festivals
but one Texoma town has continued to bring fun to us for 13 years in a row.

“Well every year, it’s something for all of us to have fun with and to really experience and for those who come here it’s new for them, like her, it’s something they’re interested in,” Brooke Hester, parade attendee said.

Mardi Gras, Nocona style, the streets were covered in yellow, green, and purple and crowds gathered around the fences to watch floats come by throwing beads and candy, this hour-long parade brought in people from all over Texoma.

“I was born here, but I actually live in Oklahoma, and I work at the Red River Casino, and we kinda go hand and hand with Nocona. It just reminded me of when I was a young girl, I would come with my family, and we would just hang out, always see everyone we knew,
there’s always someone you know when it’s this small of a town, you always run into someone you know,” Brittan Pierce, a native Noconan said.

One woman comes all the way from Lake Arrowhead to enjoy the event with her grandkids.

“It’s just a great time for everybody to get out and enjoy it, they are throwing the candy and the beads, and the kids are screaming,” Debra Pryor, parade attendee said.

She hopes the parade brings more activity to Nocona.

“I’m hoping that they’d be able to incorporate a lot more things around here like that, because it is a wonderful small community, and it’s family-oriented, and everybody knows everybody, or you’d think, everyone tends to know everyone, I’d love for the city to get a lot more things around here,” Pryor said.

Another successful year of a week-long tradition still bringing in hundreds of people all over Texoma.