A St. Charles Parish son will reign over Mardi Gras in Washington D.C. next year.
The Mystick Krewe of Louisianians, a D.C. Mardi Gras krewe, recently named Glen Smith as king of the 2011 festivities.
Smith, a Norco native, is the CEO of Magnolia Companies, a 16-company conglomerate based out of St. Rose.
The new krewe queen is also from the River Parishes. Leah Aucoin is a junior at LSU and a native of Thibodaux.
“The River Parishes will be represented for the first time front and center,” Smith said of the D.C. krewe. “It’s the first time that the River Parishes will reign over the festivities from the king and queen’s end.”
Smith is a 30-year member of the Jerusalem Shriners and his family’s company sponsors the organization’s charity car show, Louisiana Custom Cruisers, each year. He was also a torchbearer for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games and volunteers regularly in the area with disadvantaged children and senior citizens.
He has been a member of the krewe for 20 years and is very excited to be chosen as king by this year’s krewe chairman, Senator Mary Landrieu.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity and I’m very humbled by the choice by Sen. Landrieu,” Smith said. “My family will be going up to enjoy the festivities and represent the River Parishes of our state in the D.C. area and showcase what we have.”
Joe Broussard, a senior lieutenant with the krewe, has been to every ball in D.C. since they began in 1944 and said he can’t remember another time that both the king and queen were from the River Parishes.
While Broussard said the krewe first started with only 40 members, it now has over 500 members and the events boast some of “the most sought after tickets” in town.
Broussard said that about 3,000 people attend both the ball and annual dinner dance.
“It will have every element of Mardi Gras from New Orleans,” Broussard said of the events. “It’s a very typical scene that you might see on Canal Street during Mardi Gras.
“In fact, (Krewe of) Bacchus was, in some sense, patterned after what we do in Washington. It’s a wild affair and it’s very, very fun.”
The Washington D.C. Mardi Gras ball will take place on February 12. For more information on the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians, visit www.mkofl.com.
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