PHOTOS BY LAWRENCE DAVIDSON
pins on vests to show off their collection. “The more sparkle it has, the better it is,” said Revell. But while it is steeped in tradition and hierarchy, the organization is definitely a meritocracy. Forget family connections or even longevity for getting ahead in Springtime; it’s hard work that lands members in leadership positions. “The more you get involved, the more you get asked to do things,” said Revell. “Ours is a relatively smaller krewe, so when you join, you’re usually on a committee. You’re going to be in there helping, one way or another.” There are some vestiges of old-school thinking. Over the years, only one woman has served as president of Springtime Tallahassee, while the position of general chairman has always been filled by women. In another example, the Andrew Jackson Staff has a companion organization called Rachel’s Staff, comprised of the wives of the AJ group who chose to wear pink to represent their group. With women joining the AJ staff, their husbands are now in the Rachel group. “We put them in the pink and they’re good sports about it,” Revell said. But times are changing. When Susie Mozolic and her husband, Frank, joined the 20th Century Krewe 24 years ago, men usually held the leadership positions. She served as Springtime’s female-centric general chairman in 2008-09, but a year earlier was the first of the three-in-a-row run of female 20th Century krewe chiefs. “(It) was sort of an oddity, but it’s not an oddity now,” she said. When outsiders converse about Springtime Tallahassee members, the words “elite” and “party” tend to pop up. Revell lived in Tallahassee for 20 years before joining Springtime, and she cops to having similar thoughts. “I was one of those that was a little skeptical,” she said. “We’d go to the parades and sit on the sideline and I did, I thought ‘It’s a bunch of rich people and socially all they do is party.’ Totally wrong. Totally wrong.” For starters, the dental office receptionist and her sheriff’s deputy husband aren’t exactly one percenters. Springtime Tallahassee family membership dues for a couple are $500 a year, with discounts for those 35 and younger ($400) and singles ($350). Krewes, which can have up to 50 memberships, set their own dues, which run between $50 and $150. And although they were introduced to Springtime by attending a grand ball, Revell and her peers would rather focus on the year-
round charitable work the krewes provide. Each krewe selects a charity to support every year. Some stick with the same one every year — 20th Century continues to build wheelchair ramps through Ability 1st — while others let the chief pick the recipients of their krewe’s largesse. The Spanish Krewe rotates charities, supporting the Children’s Home Society this year. Recently, members were asked to bring a gift or gift card to the krewe’s Christmas party, which were gathered up and delivered to CHS. “A lot of people don’t know things like that that even happen,” said Brian Hobbs, owner of Twin Action Realty and a Spanish Krewe member. “We don’t ask for recognition for things like that. It’s just something we do. We’ve done practically every charity that we can think of in Tallahassee because everyone has personal connections.” But the krewes do know how to get together and have a good time. The Springtime Tallahassee organization sponsors gala-style events throughout the year, and each krewe has 10 or 12 meetings a year, most including libations and food after the business is done. “I don’t want to say we don’t party because we do,” said Mozolic. “If anybody in Springtime ever tells (they don’t), they ain’t telling you the truth.” She considers the social events a reward for what she calls the “give back” members provide to the Tallahassee community, both by sponsoring a festival attended by upwards of 150,000 people every year and giving a boost to the local economy. The all-play, no-work rap “is probably the biggest misconception,” said Hobbs. “I think that all the monies and the work that goes in isn’t seen. That’s how it supposed to work. It’s not supposed to look like work, it’s supposed to look like fun. And if you’re working and it looks like fun, then are you really working?” All agree one of the most enjoyable, yet valuable, experiences for Springtime members is float building, which usually occurs in the three months leading up to the festival weekend. Each krewe is responsible for designing and building a float — no paid professionals allowed — that are usually the highlight of Saturday’s Grand Parade. It’s a competition, and krewes can earn points for creativity, incorporating the year’s Springtime theme and historical references relating to their time period. Some start from scratch each year, while others work off of the same basic design every
TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM
March–April 2018
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