Polka Dots roll through downtown Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - To the theme of some of your favorite funny pages, the Polka Dots rolled down the streets of Mobile. Starting at the Civic Center, they sprayed the area with all your favorite throws: candy, moon pies, stuffed animals, and of course, beads!

"It’s maybe not as hectic as some of the later parades, there's always a great crowd," said Terry Ankerson, whose wife was on the float. "It's a beautiful parade; the ladies do a wonderful job. It's an all ladies organization. They work hard all year long to prepare the parade tonight, and they'll be pretty active on the floats."

The ladies delivered, not missing an inch of the downtown streets.

But some didn't need stuffed animals; they brought furry critters of their own. One person with a furry friend was Lexica Holifield and her pet monkey Cyrus.

"He might not be used to the new sounds he's going to hear, like when they honk the horns and all that," Holifield said.

But as fun as the Polka Dots made tonight, there was much more weighing on the minds of Mobile natives. The wounds from the death officer Green still sting.

"It gives people something to get and do and try to take their mind off of things, even though it's still real big on every body's minds,” said resident Debra Harris.

Mardi Gras started in Mobile, it's the citizens pride and joy every year. But maybe given recent events, it means more than ever in 2012.