Mardi Gras group celebrates 30-year-old New Orleans party tradition

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A group of Houstonians who call themselves Texas Krewe of Jager have been going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans together for 30 years.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is an experience like no other. And even in a big crowd, it's easy to pick out the Texas Krewe of Jager.

Everyone in the group is 49 years old.

Mardi Gras attendee Mo Hood explained, "We got together when we were in college and first started coming. It was just a small group of us from Houston going to school in north Texas and we would come back to go to New Orleans."

Some years it's the same group of friends, some have missed a few.

The Krewe just drove in from Houston with trucks filled with beads. They'll be riding the floats this week.

One of the Krewe said, "There's something when the parades roll down St. Charles Avenue, and you see people screaming lady or mister, throw me something. They're forgetting what's happening in the world and it's in that moment and the biggest thing is a three-cent trinket that they may catch. When they catch it and they're like, 'Ah ha! I got this,' you're a kid again."