ARTICLE I. BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

The Board is responsible for the policies and direction of the Krewe, and delegating the responsibility of day-to-day operations to the Krewe committee chairs and at large. The Board will not receive any compensation other than reimbursement of reasonable expenses associated with Krewe business. All board members are required to fulfill their position responsibilities as well as work closely with the person holding their backup position to be able to fill in as needed. 

1. BOARD POSITIONS 

A. President

The President handles general leadership of the Krewe for the term of his/her duties. The President shall convene members for all scheduled Board meetings and Krewe meetings and shall preside over or arrange for another member of the Board to chair each meeting in the following order: Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The President will provide leadership and ensure performance of the Board of Directors and be responsible for Krewe functions. In voting matters, the President will remain neutral, unless in case of a tie, then they will determine the ruling. The President is responsible for assisting and supporting the Choreography committee leader. If the President is unavailable, the Vice President will serve as backup. 

B. Vice President

The Vice President will preside over meetings during the absence of the President and is the second in command of the Krewe. The Vice President is responsible for assisting and supporting the Parade committee leader and for new member

orientations. If the Vice President is unavailable, the Secretary will serve in their place. 

C. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall prepare the annual budget, help develop fundraising plans and make financial information available to Board members upon request. The Treasurer is required to produce an annual financial statement and have the report ready for review at least 7 business days prior to the Annual meeting. The Treasurer will also give a financial report/budget update at all meetings to keep members informed of how the Krewe funds are being utilized. The Treasurer and Secretary are responsible to ensure all due payments are collected and recorded. President, Vice President and Treasurer shall be authorized signers on Krewe accounts. If the Treasurer is unavailable, the President will assume these duties.

D. Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for keeping records of Board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and agenda to each board member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained. The secretary must maintain a current membership roster as well as membership applications. The Secretary is responsible for assisting and supporting the Membership/Recruitment committee leader. The Treasurer will serve in this role if the Secretary is unavailable. 

E. Founding Member 

The Founding Member shall consist of the creators of the Krewe of Axe-idents. This is the individual that gave birth to the ideology, vision, and values that formed the Krewe. If a founding member should choose to leave the Krewe, their seat on the advisory board will be considered forfeited. The Founding Member shall have a single consensus vote that can be counted toward any new amendment or removal of Krewe or Board Member. 

2. BOARD ELECTIONS AND TERM LIMITS 

The election of any member to the Board of Directors will be the first item of business at the Annual Meeting of the Krewe. Cut off for nominations will be one week before the annual meeting. Positions will be elected by a majority vote of current members. To be considered for the role of President of the Krewe, you must currently hold or have previously held a position on the Board. 

1. Inaugural season (2025-2026) board members will be appointed by the Founding Member. 

2. President and Treasurer shall be voted on every 2 years, beginning 2028. Inaugural year positions shall be a term of 3 years .

3. Vice President and Secretary shall be voted on every 2 years, beginning 2027. 

3. QUORUM 

A quorum will exist with at least 3 members of the Board. No business may be transacted without a quorum. 

4. BOARD VACANCY 

In the event of a Board position vacancy, the Secretary will take nominations from members to fill the seat. Once nominations have been received, there will be a special meeting to hold an election for said position(s). Until the position is filled with new member, the backup board member will be responsible to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

5. RESIGNATION 

Resignation from the Board must be in writing and delivered to the Secretary. A Board member can be dropped for excess absences from the Board. If they have three  unexcused absences from Board meetings in a year, a Board member may be removed or  for other reasons by a majority vote of the Board.

6. BOARD MEETINGS 

Board meetings will be open to “All members of the Krewe” except for some executive Board Member meetings for confidential conferences. Each meeting will have an agenda item opening the floor for any hand to address the board with any concerns. The concern may result in an action item and not resolve in the meeting. 

A. ANNUAL MEETING 

The date of the annual meeting shall be on or before April 30th of each year. The date, time, and location shall be set by the Board of Directors at least 30 days prior to the  meeting. Each member shall attend this meeting to receive all available information for the upcoming year.

 

B. MONTHLY MEETINGS 

The Board shall schedule monthly Krewe meetings to conduct the business of the Krewe.  Members in good standing are strongly encouraged to attend all meetings and take an active part in making decisions with the Krewe. 

C. SPECIAL MEETINGS 

Special meetings may be called by the President of the Krewe or a majority of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE II. COMMITTEE STRUCTURE 

The Board shall create committees as needed. The committee leader will be voted on by the Board. The leader will be responsible for providing status reports at Board meetings each month. Committees report directly to the assigned board member as defined in these bylaws and as indicated on the organizational chart. 

1. PARADE

The Parade Chairman reports to the Vice President. This leader is responsible for the Krewe float, parade registrations, communication to Secretary on parade logistics, and Hauler management. They will be responsible for securing a driver for the support vehicle. The Parade committee will organize maintenance of the support vehicle, including but not limited to construction, maintenance, speakers and sound system and paint. The Parade Chairman is also responsible for scheduling  workdays to ensure that the vehicle is ready for the parade. 

2. FUNDRAISING

The Fundraising Chairman reports to the Treasurer. This leader is responsible for the planning and execution of all fundraising events to help raise money for the Krewe. They will work directly with the Marketing & Social Media committee. 

3. MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

The Marketing and Social Media chairman reports to the President. This leader is responsible for the creation and upkeep of website, social media sites and product marketing of the Krewe. They are also responsible for collecting and organizing all Krewe images and videos on the Krewe drive. 

4. Community Service & Events 

The Community Chairman reports to the Secretary and is responsible for planning and organizing all Krewe community service projects and Krewe parties. They will ensure Krewe connections are made with each member of the Krewe at least once per month.

5. Choreography 

The leaders of this team will report to and work in conjunction with the President.  Choreography Committee duties include musical choices, design of dance routines, hold practices, and management of audio equipment. The music chosen will be presented to the board for final voting.

6.Membership and Recruitment 

The Recruiter reports to the Secretary and is responsible for proposing and organizing all recruitment events, they will maintain a new  recruitment roster and current membership roster.

 

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP 

Membership period is April 1st – March 31st.  Anyone that is 27 years of age or older shall be eligible to apply for membership.  All interested individuals will apply for membership through our website .  All individuals that accept the tenets and credence of the krewe will be accepted once membership dues have been paid.

1. MEMBERSHIP 

2. HAULERS 

These folks are our parade helpers and support crew. All people participating as Haulers must receive approval prior to parade  participation. Haulers are members who participate by assisting with  parade logistics and the overall needs of the members.  They must wear the approved costume at all parades and public performances. Additional duty expectations will be disseminated prior to all parades and/or public performances.  Haulers will be coordinated through the Parade Committee, which will designate a lead Hauler to manage all parade coordination and communication. 

3. DUES 

A. Krewe member annual dues are $180 (includes t-shirt) for Lumberjacks and are due by August 1st. A copy of these bylaws will be presented to  any member prior to their making the dues payment.   Dues for Haulers shall be $50 (includes t-shirt) to be paid by August 1st. 

B. Annual dues cover the cost of music equipment rental, practice facility rental, parade beads, annual website hosting fees, parade banners, and additional  items as determined by the Board.

C. Member dues do NOT cover costume costs, food and/or beverage (including alcohol). 

D. Dues are non-refundable.

 

ARTICLE IV. CODE OF CONDUCT 

1. PROHIBITED ACTIONS 

A. Transportation, possession, or use of any illegal drugs or substances. 

B. Any action that could cause physical harm to other Krewe members, guests, or spectators. (ANY KREWE MEMBER WHO PARTICIPATES IN PHYSICAL ALTERCATION IN WHICH THEY ARE NOT DEFENDING OR PROTECTING THEMSELVES WILL HAVE THEIR MEMBERSHIP TERMINATED.) 

C. Possession of any items deemed dangerous, including but not limited to, fireworks, firearms of any kind, ammunition or other weapons that could be deemed hazardous or harmful to other persons. 

D. Any action considered to be an offense under the Federal, State or Local 

laws/ordinances. 

E. Violations of the specified policies, regulations, and/or procedures defined in the bylaws of Krewe of Axe-idents. It is the responsibility of the individual Krewe member to be familiar with all applicable policies, regulations, and 

procedures. 

F. Lewd, vulgar, or distasteful conduct which is deemed inappropriate. 

G. Physical or verbal intimidation of any person. 

These rules extend to all Krewe members and their conduct during activities related to and associated with any Krewe of Axe-idents event in which you participate. These rules also extend to non-active members.  These rules also apply to all social media activities, on any platform, related to and associated with Krewe of Axe-idents. Lewd, vulgar, distasteful, or otherwise inappropriate posts or comments are strictly prohibited. Any form of threat, intimidation, or defamation of character to any person(s) on any social media platform related to Krewe of Axe-idents, regardless of the relationship with Krewe of Axe-idents, will not be tolerated. Such actions, upon discovery, will be subject to Board review and possible disciplinary action or even termination of membership.  If a member of Krewe of Axe-idents has their membership revoked because of a decision made by the Board of Directors, it is understood that this decision will not have a negative impact on Krewe of Axe-idents itself. The terminated member understands they cannot post, comment, or display anything negative, insulting or damaging to any person(s) related to Krewe of Axe-idents or to  Krewe of Axe-idents itself for the sole purpose of defamation. These actions, upon discovery, will result in the pursuit of legal action against terminated member. Future acceptance of application to Krewe of Axe-idents once terminated is left up to the discretion of the Board. 

2. KREWE EVENT CODE OF CONDUCT 

Members (and Haulers if applicable) are prohibited from the following during the parade route:

A. Intoxication affecting performance quality and/or the representation of the Krewe. 

B. Breaking formation to throw beads. 

C. Smoking of any kind while in formation 

D. Conducting herself/himself in any way that detracts from the Krewe Mission/branding. 

E. Inviting non-members to participate unless serving/dressing as a hauler and have received prior approval from a Board member. 

3. COSTUME 

Krewe colors consist of hunter green, black and deep purple. Materials used should look appropriate to lumberjack character.  Agreement to adhere to the costume requirements is assumed when the member makes their annual dues payment. We also want to portray a unified and  cohesive vision and brand.  Failure to follow costume requirements may result in removal from parade(s). 

 4. REHEARSAL 

Members must learn the dance routines. Attendance of a minimum of 6 practices and 1 mandatory practice is required.  Failure to attend the required number of practices will result in exclusion from parade participation. Members are encouraged to attend as many practices as possible to facilitate a cohesive look of the Krewe. 

 

ARTICLE V. MISCELLANEOUS

1. DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. Any remaining assets shall be distributed to a nonprofit organization with a similar mission, or to the federal government, state government, or a local government for a public purpose. No part of the assets shall inure to the benefit of any private individual or member.