At this point, you can call John Schroder a professional parade rider. The former state representative from St. Tammany Parish and former state treasurer who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2023 has ridden in more than 130 parades, by his best estimation.
“Once I started riding, I enjoyed it and really used it in my business to meet a lot of people initially, then did a lot of fund-raising for non-profits through Mardi Gras,” Schroder said.
The 63-year-old Schroder says by the time this year’s Carnival season is over, he will have added an additional 16 parades to his total.
“I retired last January, so this Mardi Gras is the first Mardi Gras that I’ve been able to really fully participate in,” Schroder explained.
Schroder has ridden in parades from more than 50 different organizations.
“I walked with the Dead Rockstars one year, then Muses, drove different chaperones in a couple of different female parades,” Schroder said.
Schroder says his ultimate goal is to ride in every Carnival parade, including the King of Carnival. He says one of the best parts about the parades is raising money for non-profit organizations.
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