Emile and Beatrice Buras, this year’s king and queen of Lul, will have to search out plenty of people in the crowd when they roll this Saturday in the Krewe of Lul.
More than 100 family members will be in attendance to see them when Lul rolls this weekend, and the Luling couple is excited to begin the festivities.
“Oh yeah, we’re gonna have a large group,” said Emile. “This has always been a big thing in our family.”
Added Beatrice, “It’s going to be like our family reunion.”
The couple have long been a part of the Lul celebration, Emile noting they’ve been in that picture since the start of the Lul tradition more than 40 years ago.
“I remember our old house on Gassen Street, we’d have our family come over and we’d all walk down to Paul Maillard for the parade,” Emile said.
Still, being crowned came as a surprise.
“Because we’re in our late 80s, I didn’t expect anything like this,” Emile said. “But we’re really happy about it. We’ve always had big family gatherings at Christmas and during Mardi Gras, and this will be another big one.
“I’m looking forward to having the chance to see all of our relatives we don’t get to interact with every day. They’re all excited about coming down for it. We’re getting RSVPs from different ones each day. It’s overwhelming but it’s good.”
Emile is recently retired after a long tenure in the workforce – he called it quits at 87 years old. He’s worked with Lion Oil, Monsanto, St. Charles Parish’s wastewater department and as a design engineer. He also spent time with the Army Corps of Engineers before taking on some engineering work in Kenner.
“I worked as a quality control inspector for them,” Emile said. “Two years ago, I retired for the last time.”
Beatrice, meanwhile, grew up in a big immediate family. She’s one of 11 siblings.
The couple moved to St. Charles Parish in 1954, upon Emile joining Lion Oil.
They have five children who “take care of us like you wouldn’t believe.”
“They do everything for us. We’re exceptionally lucky,” Emile said.
The two will be throwing a few different things when they take their “thrones,” including a few specialty bags for their great grandchildren who will be in attendance. Footballs, swords, umbrellas and other fun items will be in their arsenal as well.
The couple will also have their grandson Eric on route with them, helping out with throws.
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