For those who think that the third annual Max’s Mardi Gras Parade, scheduled for April 28 in the village of Brockport, couldn’t be bigger or better than the first two, think again.

Organizers are adding a festival on to the end of the parade for the first time. "There was a feeling that things were anti-climatic at the end of the parade last year," committee member Bill Andrews said. "So we came up with the idea of a festival with music, activities and food." Co-sponsored by the Brockport Student Government, the festival will be held at Special Olympic Park on the SUNY Brockport campus immediately following the parade.

Some of the activities already scheduled for the festival are a puppet show, scrap art, demonstrations of the sheriff’s canine unit, state police demonstrations, a Civil War re-enactment group, antique and classic car displays, and possibly helicopter demonstrations from Mercy Flight and the National Guard. In addition there will be children’s games, some specifically designed for children with special needs, band and performers and food booths.

Of course, the original and still main attraction is the Mardi Gras parade. Two years ago, Max Monaghan, now a seventh grader at Brockport’s A.D. Oliver Middle School, received the parade from the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Max has AIDS.

At first Max wanted to attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans. But then he, his family and the Make-a-Wish staff decided to throw a Mardi Gras Parade in Brockport that all his friends and family could enjoy with him. Like "real" Mardi Gras parades, Max’s parade included crazy costumes and floats, and thousands of authentic beads and candies tossed to spectators. The first parade was such a success - there were over 1,000 participants and 4,000 spectators - that community members decided to stage it again.

Last year, two other organizations that serve children - Lifetime Assistance and Camp Good Days and Special Times - joined the event as sponsors. This year, a fourth organization, the United Cerebral Palsy Association, will be added as a sponsor. Each of the four groups will have 10 special guests who will either ride a float or sit in the reviewing stand.

Sixty units – from marching bands to elaborately designed floats to performers – participated in the parade. So far, almost all the groups have committed to returning, Andrews said, and some new ones have enlisted. Andrews predicts that the number of units will surpass last year’s mark.

Max’s Mardi Gras Parade banners will be hung in the village in the middle of April to remind residents and visitors of the upcoming event. As usual, the best viewing spots will be along Main Street.