By BRENDAN KIRBY
Staff Reporter

DAPHNE -- The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to ban imported marshmallow pies from its Mardi Gras parades.

After two years of staging parades during the Carnival season, council members decided it was prudent to adopt formal regula tions governing behavior of the paraders. The ordinance regulates the height of floats, prohibits alcoholic beverages on the parade platforms, requires organizations to provide for security and mandates post-parade cleanup.

It prohibits throws made of glass or hard rubber balls and other items that may cause injury.

It also requires that all marshmallow pie throws be made in the USA.

Daphne leaders said they based their regulations on cities with established traditions of Mardi Gras festivities such as Fairhope, which also bans foreign-made marshmallow pies from its parades. They acknowledged, however, that they did not know the logic behind the rule other than speculation ranging from the promotion of health to patriotism.

Council members passed the ordinance with little discussion. Only Councilman John Gwin made even a oblique reference to the Moon Pie rule.

"Despite the fact that we've had some fun with some of the provisions, the ordinance itself is very important to establish for the safety guidelines and safety parameters for the paraders, and it's something we had to put in place," he said. [...]