The Knights of Nemesis Fifth Anniversary Parade is scheduled to hit the streets of St. Bernard Parish on Saturday, February 6 at 4 p.m., marking the first night parade of the organization as well as for the parish since Hurricane Katrina. This year's parade will feature 20 floats with 30 marching units and 250 riders. The riders will be throwing a special parade T-Shirt, Medallion Beads, Cups, FEMA Beads and other novelty items.

New this year, the Knights of Nemesis is proud to sponsor a pre-parade concert that is opened to the public on the Jean Lafitte Parkway side of the St. Bernard Civic Center from noon to 3 p.m. with music by The Wiseguys. An official toasting of our Royalty will take place at 3 p.m., and the parade will roll at 4 p.m.

Goddess Nemesis V, Melissa Showalter Jurisich, and Royal Knight V, Craig P. Taffaro, Jr., will be throwing a special medallion bead from their floats.

This year's Goddess Nemesis V, Melissa Showalter Jurisich, is a life-long resident of St. Bernard Parish and is the daughter of Susie Showalter and founding board member Robby Showalter. Melissa resides in Meraux with newly-wed husband Nick Jurisich and their two Labrador retrievers, Diogi and Stella. Melissa currently works for The Gambit Magazine as an Advertising Account Executive. In 2004, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a concentration in Advertising and a minor in Graphic Arts from Loyola University of New Orleans, where she was a member of the Wolfpack volleyball team, the Ad Club of New Orleans, and the Theta Phi Alpha Sorority. A 2000 graduate of Archbishop Hannan High School, Melissa was a two sport athlete, President of the Student Council, Homecoming Queen, a member of the National Honor Society, and a Eucharistic Minister; among other activities.

This year's Royal Knight V, Craig P. Taffaro, Jr., is a lifelong resident of St. Bernard and has been St. Bernard Parish President since January 2008. Before that, he served as the District D Parish Councilman from 2004 to 2008 and from 1996 to 2000. Craig lives in Meraux with his wife Debbie and their eight children, Meghan, Craig III, Emma, Grace, Paolo, Mollie, Luca, and Antonio. He spent over 20 years as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He also held a Faculty Appointment in Psychology at Nunez Community College, was the Founder of Straight Street Group Home and Non-Profit Counseling Organization and the Treatment Director of St. Bernard Parish Drug Court. Craig graduated from Holy Cross High School, earned a Bachelor's Degree from University of Louisiana-Lafayette and a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. As an active resident of St. Bernard, he is a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Violet and several community organizations. As Parish President, Craig has initiated hundreds of recovery projects. Under his tenure, the parish has completed five fire stations and there are five brand new ones under construction. There are now two new gyms and two repaired gyms in addition to four renovated ball parks. The Val Reiss Complex project Phase I is completed with four new fields, a new concession/restroom building, new bleacher and visitor covers, new lighting, and a new walking/jogging path under construction, with Phase II which includes four additional fields, an additional concession/restroom building and climate controlled bistro, additional bleachers and visitor covers, additional parking, lighting, and batting cages. Improvements to a vacant and blighted Hannan Complex began and now include new lighting, three new football fields/five new soccer fields. Torres Park and its restroom facility have been restored; a Youth Center for newly established youth group, Fuel, and the Fred Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette is nearly repaired as is massive improvements at the Islenos Museum Complex. More than $65 million of roadway construction and $6 million of repairs to sewer lines is underway. In addition to public works projects, Craig has overseen programs that eliminated blight from about 1,500 overgrown properties with an aggressive grass cutting program, demolished over 30 additional commercial structures and demolished more than 8,500 residential properties.

Nemesis will follow the traditional Carnival route, with the parade starting at Dr. Meraux Boulevard. It will travel west to Rowley in Arabi and head east to Campagna Drive, where it will turn and head west back to the Civic Center.

For more information, contact Billy Showalter at 504-583-3998 or visit knightsofnemesis.org.

Goddess Nemesis V is Melissa Showalter Jurisich.

Royal Knight V is Craig P. Taffaro, Jr., St. Bernard Parish President.