A brace of old-line Carnival krewes, the Atlanteans and the Knights of Momus, which date to 1891 and 1872, held their glittering balls in the Orpheum Theater (respectively on a Tuesday and a Thursday), tapped toes to the music of the Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra led by Robert Maxwell, spotlighted debutante queens, and concluded with a Queen’s Supper. Merriment made its mark.
A Burgundian Jaunt
“Let Us Raise Our Glass to the Wine-Dark Sea,” recalled the Greek poet Homer and marqueed the masked revels of the Atlanteans. The thematic trek was to Beaune, the town in France’s Burgundy region renowned for wine, by the mythological Poseidon, which is also the name of the krewe’s king. The identity of the Atlanteans member who portrayed him was announced at the gala pre-ball dinner in the Waldorf Astoria Ballroom of The Roosevelt to hearty applause.
In the spirit of the Burgundian theme, La Paulée was part of the parlance. A post-harvest celebration, it has now expanded to bring-your-own wine sharing. And that’s what many Miltonians, Atlanteans members, did for the dinner that started with Salad Lyonnaise, and moved on to hanger steak frites and profiteroles. Then it was on to the Orpheum.
Reigning in full Carnival glory was Miss Caroline Grace LeBourgeois, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Claiborne LeBourgeois Jr., and called Nina. Last year, the royal honor befell Miss Flora Elizabeth French, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Fenner French, and in 1976, Mary Neilson Watters wore the crown. She was hailed at the ball as the 50-year queen.
Maids to her majesty Nina, whose aunt, as Eleanor Terhune Ballard, ruled in 1986, were Misses Sarah Crusel Henry, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Edmund Ruffin Henry – Mrs. Henry, as Miriam Crusel Wogan, held the Atlanteans scepter in 1991; Susan Anne Le Clercq, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Theodore Le Clercq; Brooke Coleman Reiss, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Joseph Reiss III — some of her lineage dates back to queens Catherine Reiss and Lady Catherine Reiss (in 1961 and 1997); and Kelsey Grace French, daughter of Mr. William Darwin French and Ms. Kara Van de Carr, and stepdaughter of the latter’s spouse, Mr. Daryl Byrd. Kelsey is a cousin of the 2025 monarch.
The pages were Masters Paul Sanders Saulsbury and Scott McDonald Milling, whose parents are Mr. and Mrs. Albert “Chip” Orrell Saulsbury IV and Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Milling.
In keeping with “A Burgundy Journey,” the krewe favor was a tastevin, a wine tasting cup and symbol of Burgundian wine making. Poseidon added another favorite, a gilded cafard.
The pins were seen on numerous ladies, whose ranks included queen mother Helen LeBourgeois, in a blue ball gown that paid chromatic tribute to the aqueous nature of Atlanteans, and Mmes. Richard Bullard Montgomery IV, Charles Claiborne LeBourgeois, William Walter Prentiss, Randall Logan Walker, Edward Louis Levert, Robert James Whann Jr., Lawrence Noel Johnson Jr., Lynes R. Sloss, George Perry Eastman IV, Michael Livaudais LeBourgeois, Paxton Legier White, Edmund England Redd, Vaughan O. Fitzpatrick, Benjamin Arnold Dupuy, James Joseph Reiss III, William F. Grace III and John Donelson Werner. All were in admiration of queen Nina, who caught every eye in a gown by Katie Johnson of Royal Design House. Cut with an A-line skirt and a train of shimmering silver lame, the regal gown featured a strapless neckline of scalloped, hand-beaded lace. Custom appliques in swirling patterns of twisted bugle beads, pearls, Austrian crystals and glittering seed beads embellished the bodice. A faux-drop waist, a beaded scalloped hem and a train were further features.
Capping the Carnival effervescence was the Queen’s Supper in the above Waldorf Astoria Ballroom, where the food was plentiful and the lights dimmed. Her majesty’s presence added luminosity, as did lots of blinky accessories. Guests relished food stations, along with the passed grilled cheese sandwiches and beignets. Sweetness had a say and a play, thanks to the tables full of such goodies as cookies and macaroons, and the song “Sweet Caroline,” as rendered by the show band BRW, which got everybody dancing. Their “I’ll Be Around” resonated royally with regards to queen Nina, whose joy and gratitude fused with fun as she charmed the supper’s crowd.
Nocturnal Momus
The god of Laughter and Ridicule, Momus, the son of Night, was busy with his knights at his annual masked ball, the 154th one. They had to find a court and a queen, who would accompany the ball’s monarch, called Momus, on the throne. Whereas the Carnival organization was founded in 1872, there was no queen until 1881, when Elise McStea was selected by his majesty to reign. Not long after that, the Momus queen was decided on the ballroom floor. A year ago, a surprised and thrilled Miss Sarah Butler Sumrall, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. William David Sumrall III, was chosen. The same honor embraced Mrs. Alice Blakemore Parkerson, who appeared during the 2026 bal masqué as the 50th anniversary queen.
The recent ball in the Orpheum opened with spotlights on the Momus stage set, where the group’s motto, “Dum Vivimus Vivamus, “While We Live, Let Us Live,” caught every eye. The selective eye turned to the debutantes, all clad in white gowns, who sat on a second row of the theater. As proceedings unfolded, the general chairman of the ball committee headed to the callout section with a scroll bearing the new queen’s name. It was Eliza Brandon Favrot, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Brandon Favrot. Beaming in delightful surprise, and outfitted in a silk satin ball gown with beaded appliques, she was promenaded about the white-canvased floor by the ball’s captain and then whisked away to don the accoutrements of royalty.
Additional scrolls were given to Misses Cameron Sinclair Andrews, Patricia Randle Aucoin, Lyden Henriette Bland, Ashley Conner Ellis, Sarah Crusel Henry, Caroline LeBon Henry, Caroline Grace LeBourgeois, Annabel Katherine McCarthy, Lucile McGlinchey Monsted, Brooke Coleman Reiss, Elizabeth Kathleen Robert and Lucie Ellann Williamson. Half of them wore crowns for other organizations during the Mardi Gras season. At a significant point during the ball, the Maxwell musicians played “Camelot.” No doubt, the king, Momus, was smiling
Among those noted were queen mother Catherine Favrot, whose banded-collar gown featured the colors of sky blue and azure, and Mmes. W. David Sumrall III, Dabney M. Ewin Jr., Richard B. Montgomery III, Moylan Feild Gomila, Graham A. Wogan, Michael K. Fitzpatrick, Lawrence F. Smart, Christopher Ewin, Peter Commette, Kenneth Conner, Michael B. Whealdon, Gerard A. Plauche, Peter M. McEnery, Peter H. Dupuy, Kevin C. O’Byron and Oscar M. Gwin III. And, Misses Lauren Catherine Favrot and Elinor Mitchell Ives Dupuy, one of the dozen or so former Momus queens present. She reigned in 2005.
The 2026 ball favor was based on the Queen of the Night, whose fragrant white flowers bloom only at night and fade at dawn. Yet another artistic creation was the handsome ball program by Patricia Hardin that depicted a fully armored knight astride a white steed and traveling at night toward a fairy-tale castle. This imagery furthered the theme, “Momus Owns the Night.”
Almost by staff “magic,” and done with alacrity, the ballroom was transformed to accommodate the supper. The buffet offerings, all tasty, were set up in the Orpheum’s foyer. For dancing, the HitList band revved up the revelry described by the appreciative queen as the best surprise she had ever had and “a fun-filled night from start to finish.”
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