Krewe of Carrollton Mask Pin.

Green Mask, Purple KofC, Gold Outline

The next meeting of the Krewe of Carrollton will be held on Tuesday, August 10^th at the Lions Club of Metairie (1627 Metairie Road) for 7:00 pm. Chef Brad and crew is preparing dinner – we have had Mexican and Italian-I don’t know what nationality he is planning this month. Please make every effort to attend. Of utmost importance, bring a friend with you to the meeting. RECRUIT, RECRUIT, RECRUIT!!!!!!!!

Make your plans for October 30^th. That is the night of our Coronation Ball where the Court will be introduced. It is also the night we find out who will reign as King Carrollton LXXXVII-that’s the 87^th for our less intelligent members (probably most of you were already asking your wife). The format this year is the same as last year-Open Bar and cocktail buffet following the presentation. This year’s event is being held at the Crowne Plaza Airport (originally, the Holidome). Free Parking.  Also a new band is booked –The Rat Pack. Tickets are $60 per person and Not available at the door. Please get your groups together and start reserving your tables at the meeting. Please show your support of our Court. King Circle members are reminded to wear tuxedo.

Prior to our Coronation, the King Circle will hold its drawing party on September 11^{th .} This year’s party is being hosted by Joe and Lisa Larocca (hopefully Joe is aware of this)  Invitations will be mailed to all current and honorary members of the Kings Circle-but mark this date on your calendar.

Throw order forms will be available at the meeting. We will have a new look to some of our throws and bead packages. Remember, throws are sold on a first come basis-when they are SOLD OUT that means there are NO MORE-----ORDER EARLY. Buy your throws through the Krewe and they are loaded on the float for you. Also save money as they are priced RIGHT!

Progressive raffle will be restarted as Joe Knecht walked away from the last meeting with a little deeper pockets (Hopefully he told Jane or she knows now – over $600) Let’s build it back up!

Thanks to those members and their wives who attended the National Guard meeting and passed out beads to the soldiers and their wives.

Now that the summer is basically behind us and the kids are almost all back in school, the Mardi Gras season is that much closer. Many members did take notice of my last notice and have either mailed their dues or some have paid online. Please keep in mind that our roster must be completed following the September meeting for our costumer. No dues….No spot. Please take care of business. Float lieutenants are again requested to clean up any problems on their individual floats. This is the year we want to increase our membership-Get a new member and either receive a $100 credit on your account or pass on the $100 to the new member. Get over 5 new members and earn a chance to get a free ticket to the Supper Dance. See you on the 10^th

2011 Carrollton Weekend Feb. 25-27 

2010-2011 Meetings

• Krewe Meeting - Tuesday, July 13, 2010
• Krewe Meeting - Tuesday, August 10, 2010
• Krewe Meeting - Tuesday, September 14, 2010
• Krewe Meeting - Tuesday, October 12, 2010
• Krewe Meeting - Tuesday, November 9, 2010
• Krewe Meeting - Tuesday, December 14, 2010 
• Krewe Meeting - Tuesday, January 11, 2011
• Pre-Parade Meeting - Monday, February 21, 2010

2010- 2011 Events

• Coronation Dance -
  • Saturday, October 30, 2010, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
  • Crown Plaza Kenner, Williams Blvd. at Veterans Blvd.
  • Coat and Tie - (Tuxedo King Circle) - Cocktail Dress
  • Tickets Required - Open to all 
• Tableau Ball & Supper Dance -
  • Friday, February 25, 2011 - 8:00 PM –2:00 AM
  • Tuxedo and Long Evening Gowns
  • Tickets Required - Open To All 
• Float Loading -
  • Saturday, February 26, 2011 -10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
  • Oak St and the River 
• Breakfast -
  • Sunday, February 27, 2011 -7:00 AM
  • House of Blues
  • Tickets Required - Open to all 
• Parade -
  • Sunday, February 27, 2011 -12:00 Noon

New's to come shortly

King Circle -- Events.

  Dates to remember:

• Christmas Party -
  • Saturday December 3, 2010 - 7:00PM
  • Location Plimsoll Club atop Westin Hotel
  • Tuxedo and Coctail Dresses - Members and Spouses 
• King's Dinner -
  • TBD
  • Coat and Tie - Members only
• Royal Walkabout -
  • TBD
  • Casual - Open to all
• Open House -
  • Sunday, TBD
• Carrollton Weekend - February 25-27, 2011

 2010 King's Circle Board of Directors

Chairman - John White; 1st Vice Chairman - Denis VanGeffen; 2nd Vice Chairman - David Bruce; Scribe - Kirk Leonard; Treasurer - Lee Catoya; 1Yr Board Members - Jim Blackmon; 2 Yr Board Members - Tom Quintini & Joe Larocca; 3 Yr Board Members - Frank Knecht & Roch Eschelman.

 King's Circle -- What it's all about!

The King's Circle is a group of members (a maximum of 60) from the Krewe of Carrollton who's express purpose is to provide the Krewe with a King for its annual parade and Ball.  This group of men pay a seperate dues that is set by the King Circle Board of Directors.  This dues is used for the following functions: The Annual Seafood Party, The Drawing Party, and the Annual Christmas Formal.  Another use of this dues is given to the Parent club to help defray the expenses of the King. 

The King also provides a party for the King's Circle members 6 weeks after the parade, as a start of the next Mardi Gras Year.  This Group also gets together for addittional Pay-As-You-Go functions throughout the year.  Most of these functions include spouses or guest.  Over time this group has been seen as one of the foundations of the Krewe. 

An offshoot of this group has been started by the wives of the King Circle members.  The Ladies of the Circle have gotten together to get to know each other and to add addittional fun and activities throughout the year.

If you are looking for more interaction with the Krewe, the King's Circle is probably the best place to start. Please see the King's Circle Chairman for information. 

The Krewe of Carrollton has a long and storied history. Formed by a group of Oak Street businessmen in 1924, the Krewe's modest beginnings over 80 years ago have been the foundation of a Carnival organization both widely known as a significant participant in the Carnival season, and was itself instrumental in fostering and assisting new organizations which adopted many of the Carrollton practices.

In 1924, a group calling itself "The Seventh District Carnival Club," presented its first parade on Mardi Gras day of that year with J.W. Fordyce as its King.

Parading down Oak Street and around the Carrollton Avenue area of New Orleans, this club would continue to grow and eventually, in 1947, become known as the "Krewe of Carrollton".

Carrolton is the Fourth oldest Carnival parading organization, behind (in order) Rex, Proteus, and Zulu. Even in its humble beginnings, Carrollton itself as an organization with bold and talented leadership. Carrollton's original floats were built on the frames of garbage wagons bought from the City of New Orleans when the city started using motorized trucks.

The Krewe made a lasting place in history for itself when in 1933, with rain forcing the cancellation of almost all parades in New Orleans, including Rex; Carrollton was the only daytime parade of that Mardi Gras season.

The Krewe fell on hard times in the late 1930's and coupled with the start of WW II, where Mardi Gras was cancelled in it's entirety, the Krewe almost disbanded. However after the war, in 1947, the surviving members reunited and returned to its place in the Mardi Gras lineup. In 1948, Carrollton switched to parading on the First Sunday of the Mardi Gras Season. Carrollton has been famous over the years for many traditions and practices started by the Krewe.

The original parade route, starting from its Den on Oak Street remained for many years. In 1974, the starting point was changed to Canal Street in the Mid City area of New Orleans, to avoid having the floats going over an over pass. The route changed again in 1977 to the basic Canal Street route. In 1995 the parade was allowed to once again start from its den and travel the Uptown route. Since that time the route used has been the traditional Uptown Route.

Carrollton held onto many longtime traditions and practices, one of which was pulling a flatbed truck in its parade of floats, full of stuffed animals, which they dropped off for the children at Charity Hospital. That tradition stopped only after the parade route was changed again in 1977 and no longer passed in front of Charity Hospital.

In a tragic accident during the 1970 parade, an extremely high gust of wind toppled a float on top of the Jefferson Davis Parkway overpass, causing a krewe member to fall from the float and off that overpass and receive injuries from which he died. Coupled With that and other injuries due to that accident, all float riders in all parades are now required to wear safety belts.

Many other continuing Mardi Gras traditions and innovations began with Carrollton. One such milestone in its rich history was when Carrollton along with a few other Krewes bought and started using farm tractors to pull the floats instead of mules. In 1950, Carrollton was the first parade to ever be pulled by tractors. These 50 plus year old tractors are still in use today.

In order to make sure that our Royalty has a memento to remember their special year as reigning King and Queen, Carrollton started yet another tradition that remains today. The Krewe presents each King, Queen and Captain with a porcelain doll that is dressed in an exact miniature replica of their costume for that year. This tradition was started many years ago and continues today. The public can view one of the original sets of these dolls as it is on permanent loan to the City of Kenner's Rivertown Mardi Gras Museum as one of their exhibits.

This Krewe has been instrumental in helping other parading organizations get off the ground. In 1957, the krewe assisted another notable parade, the Krewe of Zeus get started. Zeus was one of the first suburban parading groups, and recently celebrated its own 50th Anniversary.

Another notable parade had its beginning with the help of the Krewe of Carrollton. In 1967, the Captain of the Krewe of Carrolton helped a fledgling Krewe get started, the Krewe of Endymion. Carrollton's Captain assisted the Endymion Captain in many aspects, from writing the krewe's charter to the format of its printed Ball Program. Carrollton also rented its fleet of floats to Endymion for its inaugural parade. Endymion has gone on to be one of New Orleans "Super Krewes".

Carrollton's membership has expanded like the Krewe and now boasts of membership from across the country ranging from Boston to California.

Some of Carrolton's newest membership was recently signed up while serving their country in Iraq with the Louisiana National Guard.

Even more recently, after hurricane Katrina devastated many of the Carnival organizations, the leadership of Carrollton was instrumental in not only producing one of the few first class parades "post Katrina" but also in assisting others to parade. Additionally, several key Carrollton members from outside of Louisiana lead a financial assistance drive to help needy members from New Orleans hurt badly by the storm.

Lead by its 4th Captain since 1947, the Krewe of Carrollton parades today on the second Sunday before Mardi Gras Day. Its membership is over 350 strong, owning and parading its own floats and Den. Although the route has changed over the years from a neighbor hood event in the Carrollton section of town, to the Mid City section of town, to its current traditional Uptown New Orleans route along St Charles Ave to Canal Street, the Krewe has maintained its identity and its image of being a Family Parade. The weekend that the parade rolls has become known as "Carrollton Weekend".

We would like to cordially invite everyone to come and join us, and view our parade as we celebrate Mardi Gras, -- "Carrollton Style".