Mardi Gras in the Miss-Lou will climax Friday as the Krewe of Phoenix parade rolls through downtown. Reigning over the parade will be Rex XVIII John Carl Bergeron and Rosalie XVIII Mary Berryhill Lessley. This year’s theme is &uot;Stars and Stripes Forever.&uot;

The 18th annual parade will begin at 5 p.m. and will feature former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley and her husband, actor and television talk show host Gary Collins, as grand marshals.

Mobley, a Mississippi native, was named Miss America in 1959. After her reign as Miss America, Mobley went on to achieve success in film, television, theater and a documentary film maker.

She had recurring roles in such television shows as &uot;Diff’rent Strokes,&uot; &uot;Falcon Crest,&uot; &uot;Hearts Afire,&uot; and &uot;Hardball.&uot;

Collins hosted Hour Magazine for nine years and for five years hosted The Home Show.

Mobley and Collins have been married for 31 years.

The parade will lineup on Broadway Street and begin rolling at Orleans and Canal streets. The parade will travel down Canal to Main Street.

Participants will turn right on Main and travel to Commerce. The parade will turn left on Commerce and continue to Franklin Street.

The parade will travel down Franklin Street to Martin Luther King Street where it will disband.

Parking along the parade route will be prohibited at 3:30 p.m. and the Natchez Police will begin towing unlawfully parked cars at 4 p.m.