2003 was the 12th year of Mardi Gras on Dickson St. and saw major changes for the Demented Krewe.  The year began as usual, but, with two weeks to go, Bellards Event Management decided that they could not pull through on the Parade of the Ozarks that they had managed for three years.  The Demented Krewe met with members of Krewe Olympia and Krewe Garcon De Partie as well as the Bellards (Krewe De Cajuns).  All wanted the parade to continue in some form and it was decided that the Demented Krewe was in the best position to field it.  A lot had to be done, and quickly.  Event proposal forms were resubmitted to the city, who worked diligently to get them pushed through in time for the parade to roll, approval arriving finally on the day before the parade.  The Krewe engaged Atty. Rusty Hudson to push through paperwork on a non profit Arkansas corporation (The Committee for Mardi Gras, Inc.) these papers also came through in the nick of time.  On the morning of the Saturday before Mardi Gras, it became soon evident that there were far too few volunteers and plan ‘B’ went into action, moving volunteers as the parade passed their position, quickly from the top of the route down into the lower positions.  Krewe members walking in the parade assumed unmanned positions as they reached them, thereby giving at least the appearance that all positions were manned. It was a shaky solution, but it worked.   The newly renamed Fat Saturday Parade of Fools rose like the phoenix from the ashes of its predecessor and rolled, on schedule at 2:00 pm, for the first time.  Led off by Tom Dooley with his parasol and Mayor Dan Coody as Grand Marshal, the parade tooled around the Fayetteville Square, down Block St. and Dickson to the Walton Art Center parking lot, where Krewe Olympia took the prize for the best float.  Krewe Garcon De Partie had a flat tire and finished the Parade as walkers, but a fine time was had by all.

On the following Tuesday the Krewe assembled at Jose’s to crown Queen Nancy Couch and King Don McCollough, the parade route was long, including Powerhouse Restaurant (two blocks off Dickson) and due to the crowds the Krewe was separated many times, but finally arrived, more or less in tact, at Chester’s, marking the culmination of a very busy season.