BATON ROUGE - Mardi Gras kicks off in a big way this weekend, and safety is top of mind for organizers and law enforcement.

Friday night, the Krewe of Artemis winds through downtown Baton Rouge, and because of last week's shooting in Clinton, organizers said there's no such thing as being too cautious.

After more than two decades of madly helping organize celebratory chaos, Joanne Harvey has parade prep down pat.

Harvey started the Krewe of Artemis twenty-five years ago, before she gave birth to her daughter, Alexis.

"Everybody laughs that this was my first baby," Harvey said.

Now this year, Alexis is the parade queen.

On Friday, Harvey put the final touches on the 29 floats, called the 26 marching bands, and checked on all 750 members.

"It's kind of a dream come true," she said.

A dream coming true as it has for 25 years, but this year, something else weighs on her mind: last weekend's nightmare shooting at a similar parade in Clinton, where five people were shot.

"They had a meeting and were going to talk to their part to be on the streets to give a closer eye to anything that they notice to try and head anything off," Harvey said.

Artemis Friday is a huge celebration, and with so many preparations happening, police say they're getting prepared. They said the department will be in plain clothes in the crowd.

Because parades like this can be what security experts call a 'soft target,' Harvey has been having serious conversations with the Baton Rouge police and EBRSO about safety and taking extra precautions, some visible, some less visible, and behind the scenes.

"All of our floats are so well-lit. There's no place along the route that's not well lit," Harvey said.

Marie Esquivel joined Artemis as soon as she could, and this year, her kids will ride with the royalty.

"When I was old enough to join Artemis, I was in," Esquivel said.

While Harvey checks every last float, getting ready for a night of Mardi Gras beads and revelry, she also remains committed to making this tradition safe for everyone.

"We've never had a Krewe incident. And I just pray we do not ever," Harvey said.