Location: Covington, LA, - Downtown Covington
Date: February 3, 2024 - Time: 6:00 p.m.
Year Founded: 1965
Krewe Website: www.kreweofolympia.net//

In 1965, a group of friends were having lunch at The Galley Restaurant across from the Covington Courthouse. Among them were Lieutenant Colonel Earl Wilson, Warren Illing, Sr. pharmaceutical sales manager, H. M. “Ole” Olson, a Delta Airline Pilot, and James Heinritz, a local insurance agent. It was shortly after Mardi Gras, and the conversation turned to the Lions Club parade on Mardi Gras morning in Covington.

Colonel Wilson commented that many St. Tammany residents in rural areas probably had never seen a “New Orleans style” parade, adding “wouldn’t it be great to bring one to the community?” By the end of the meeting, plans were under way to form a carnival organization in Covington. Each participant in the project was given the task of signing up 25 members for the organization. By the end of the week, approximately 100 enthusiastic members had formed the Mystic Krewe of Olympia.