Best in show
21 Apr 2015
Have you heard the one about the policewoman, carpenter, cowboy soldier and bikie? Members of the Ladies Probus Club of Loxton recently dressed up as the Village People and went on a float in the annual Loxton Mardi Gras parade.
The Loxton Mardi Gras is an annual event held on the last Saturday of February. It includes a parade and other events, the culmination of many months of fundraising which benefit the community. It is not affiliated with the Sydney Mardi Gras.
Just ten day before Mardi Gras, I suggested we dress up as the Village People. What the heck? Gay people on a float in the Loxton Mardi Gras? OK - decision made!
But where to find a trailer big enough? How do we make it look like a stage? What do we decorate it with?
Ken Jaeschke came to the rescue and lent us his trailer and fitted it with carpet and generator. We were just so thankful!
As for the costumes, here’s a list of what we dressed up as:
Police Person - Sheila Wright
Bikie - Doreen Linke
Soldier - Gloria Pluckhahn
Carpenter - Jean Bone
Cowboy - Pat Luitjes
Indian Jenny Kruschel
Next, we had to find a music player and speakers. Things fell into place with the help of trusty Ken.
On the morning, all the ladies started arriving in their costumes and looked just fabulous. As our float moved along the street we noticed the crowd clapping, singing and dancing with us. We were hot and exhausted and needed a cold drink - but we kept on keeping on! On the day, several young women asked us, “How old do you need to be to join Probus?”
But the most exciting thing was we won the award for the Most Outstanding Float - whoopee - and $500 to boot!
Let’s celebrate this and the many, many wins our ladies have had over the 28 years of our club’s history!
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