and the winner is....

Inspired by the recent academy awards where both Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is Born showed the way the musical staff here at Mile 14 southern bureau decided to critique the Carnaval Parade 2019. It's kinda hard to pick favorites when every thing is so coooool....the coolest thing was simple, thousands and thousands of people milling and sharing and laughing and....not problem 1. Great vibe, thank you Mazatlan....SO HERE WE GO.

Best in Costuming:  well it helps that I'm in the pic. 1st goes to my new friend GuitarMan and the runner up is Radio Waves. Radio Waves is iconic here in Mazatlan . He shows up everywhere and blasts Banda music on FM 89.7,,,,some time I'll tell you about being invited to play music by them.

Best Beauties:   Mmmmm, everyone nows that the code of the west runs my life, loyalty is my thing. so even though this is toughest category at this academy I'm going with the past Carnaval Queens.  So just like the locals who revere their elders I loved these ladies energy...

Runner up in the Beauties is this Gal...if she wasn't Queen of the whole Mary Ann then she should have been and we at Mile 14 deserve a seat table next year.

Best connection to The Curse of Oak Island :   It makes perfect sense to me that if the cultural memory of middle america remembers the Knights Templar being in Mexico then it's perfectly possible that they also buried the treasure and built the flood tunnels to baffle future treasure hunters. I personally think the treasure will be found next Tuesday night on the History Channel. Be watching. 

Best Vendor Food :   Well the Cotton Candy and the Peanut guy didn't have a chance when the Jicama guy arrived. This stuff was selling like hot cakes. I personally think it tastes like a radish that was left in your garden until October BUT, people here love it. It's sliced just right and then smothered in the red after it's dipped in the red is all I know, I ain't tasted that part...All I know is that is you want to be colorful for Carnaval just have this guy help ya out and you'll be wearing enough of that stuff that people will ask where you got the red plaid shirt.

Best Use of Common Sense :   I've always had a soft spot for carpenters, I tired to be one at a time in my life and realized my heart just wasn't in it...at least for 30 or 40 years worth. But if they had told me I'd get to ride on the top of 40 foot float at Carnaval in Mazatlan I mighta stuck with it a bit. I think they fold down the really high stuff and prudence dictates a carpenter with a fist full of grabbers and a 20v DeWalt be close by to keep the thing from getting out of control....don't need that....well played Mazatlan, do you guys know anything about Salmon Fisheries management ???

Best Smile :  The staff took hundreds of pictures and after close review and 3 Pacificos we agree it's a tie. Of course we were all kinda smiled out because it's just what everybody was doing so it made this an impossible category. 

Best Float :   This is a big one. But staying in theme we had to go with Ol Smiley. good ol Smiley. He could have won by himself but throw in a doublea and it's game, set , match.

Best Mardi Gras Float :   It's huge, it's got a pretty girl, flowers AND it's purple....all the ingredients. 

Most comfortable in his own skin and likely to be a motorcycle cop in real life :

Best Dance Troupe : another tough one....but these young people had it seriously goin on. Perfect timing, costumes and energy.

Best Fish : Now this is important. If this staff can't pick a winner well we ought just head for the Blue Gill pond and bait up a maggot. It goes to the Dorado's, or are they Mahi Mahi or maybe Dolphin's,,,,anybody got a pan fish set up I can borrow ?

Best What the Hell is that :   I got no idea....but the hair looks kinda familiar.

Best Music :  This is my serious typed print now...Banda El Recodo stole the show. Big Banda sound by one of the most renowned Bands in Mexico. They played to a sold out crowd at the baseball stadium and then became the first time I'd ever seen this caliber of music in person. As the Float moved along the malecon Hundreds of people followed along filming and dancing. WOW.  I have video and if I remember I will post when I have internet strength to do it.

Best Mary Lou Reton :  

Best Beer :  We all know that Pacifico owns this town, it's made here. I'm sure the first thing that Radio Wave or Guitar man reached for when pulling off their suits was a Pacifico....BUT.... as the parade ended the trail sweepers arrived by the dozens who was there with empty trucks to help ? Corona ! So Corona gets the nod because you know that we here at Mile 14 are really just unabashed liberal greenies in search of clean air, clean water and ahhhh....a few fish. So mucho Gracias Corona, Mazatlan and of course my running buddy who just celebrated 41 years of marriage with me  over a wonderful hamburger supper on our outdoor deck...until the automatic sprinklers came on. Oh well.

Best in Love :