<\/p>\n
Two Carnival balls, the Krewe of Hermes and the Knights of Babylon, held forth on the same Thursday evening, respectively in the Hyatt Regency and the New Orleans Marriott. The first tableau balls were for Hermes, in 1937, with Marjorie Lee Smith reigning, and Babylon, in 1940, with Julia H. Peyral as the queen. Each organization also produces a brilliant night parade.<\/p>\n
\u201cFabled Lands of Myth and Legend\u201d bannered the Thursday ball and the Friday night parade for Hermes, whose name is attributed to Greek mythology\u2019s wing-footed messenger and courier of the gods. His parents were Zeus and Maia.<\/p>\n
Another set of parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Walet Holmes<\/strong>, were duly proud when daughter Ada Schoen Holmes<\/strong> strode forth as the 2026 queen of Hermes. Her natural radiance was completed by her stunning gown by Katie Johnson<\/strong> of Royal Design House, which was fashioned of shimmering silver lame, overlaid with re-embroidered lace, and inspired by the royal robe of her in-attendance grandmother, Susan Schoen Holmes<\/strong>, who ruled in 1966 as Miss Schoen. Her majesty of 2025 was Miss Margaret Sinclair Smith<\/strong>, daughter of Mr. Randall Alan Smith<\/strong> and Dr. Diane Mary Sinclair.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A Champagne reception with music by the John Parker<\/strong> Traditional Jazz trio initiated the formal festivity that ensued with the ladies of the 2025 court escorted by their fathers, the national anthem, and significant entrances, including that of the ball captain, king\u2019s pages, and Hermes LXXXVI, the 2026 king. The ball\u2019s general chairman, Mr. Robert M. Midkiff<\/strong>, was assisted by Messrs. H. Britton Sanderford Jr., Fortun\u00e9 A. Dugan Jr., Robert E. Smith Lupo, Rick S. Rees<\/strong> and Dr. George B. Morris IV.<\/strong> Another name to note was Manuel Ponce<\/strong>, who designed both the invitation for the grand ball and the program.<\/p>\n Maids to her majesty Ada were Misses Devron Blais Barreca, Mia Ann Bhatia, Isabella Maris Dennis, Samantha \u00c9lan Dugan, Grace Ryan Gootee, Charley Colette Halpern, Kagan Pulitzer Levine, Meghan Elizabeth McMahon, Eloisa Brooke Patron, Parker Anne Piacun, Mason Elisabeth Poole, Kathleen Brewer Ready, Paige Elizabeth Sarrat<\/strong> and Ellison Shaw Vosbein.\u00a0<\/strong>Misses Jane-Owen McKenna Coleman<\/strong>, Bearer of the Flowers, and Eloise St. Clair Puckett<\/strong>, Bearer of the Scepter, were spotlighted, as were ladies-in-waiting Abigail Jules Bertucci, Eleanor Cecile Clark, Emeline Monica King, Cecilia Elizabeth Louapre, Charlotte Ann Marsac, Virginia Lilly Marsac, June Frances Mayer, Susan Stiel Newton, Connely Elizabeth Piper<\/strong> and Quill Carolina Randle.<\/strong> They processed to the music of the Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Completing the court were pages James Hamilton Clark, John Leland Davies, Barrett Schoen Holmes, Jaan Jolly, Vincent Charles Madeira<\/strong> and Waller Norwood Randle.<\/strong><\/p>\n All received effusive applause from the audience, especially such prominently seated ladies as royal mother Melissa Holmes<\/strong>, who donned a black Adrianna Papell gown with a striking front detail, and grandmothers, the above Susan Holmes and Karen Matthews<\/strong>. Also, Brandie Holmes, Melyne Holmes, Anne Matthews, Kaitlyn Levy, Kelli Leithead, Gwen \u201cGiGi\u201d Burk, Jackie Johnston Burk, Lacey Stalter Holdsworth, Ellie Burk Glennon, Maddie Burk Rees, Millie Loraine McMichael, Sarah Marie Lazaro, Cali Randall Burk, Lorie DeMarcay<\/strong> and Jennifer Midkiff.<\/strong> Many wore the thematic lady\u2019s ducal pin of a compass and the krewe favor depicting a map of a fairy-tale coastline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At the conclusion of the gallivanting in the Empire Ballroom, the Parker trio returned to lead a second line to the supper dance for more Maxwell music. There, silver and gold linens topped the tables that were centered with arrangements of white hydrangeas and roses, as well as lighted chandeliers. Charcuterie board appetizers, salad, a duet of beef tenderloin steaks and crab cakes, and king cake cheesecake energized the ballgoers, who bounded to the floor for the sounds of the Atlanta Showstoppers. \u201cNew York, New York\u201d was a favorite number for dancing.<\/p>\n Recalling her family\u2019s legacy as Hermes royalty, queen Ada related how grateful she was to enjoy her regal role with them and friends. Delighted that his daughter will carry on the legacy, her father, John, said about her reign, \u201cIt was a great experience for all of us.\u201d He then added, \u201cShe was beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Knights of Babylon, which traces its establishment, as the Jester\u2019s Club, to June 24, 1939, got a glorious 2026 reincarnation under the marquee \u201cA Night at the Opera\u201d and the reign of Miss Lillian Clare Brown,<\/strong> daughter of Dr. and Mrs. John Franklin Brown Jr.<\/strong> The Mardi Gras Ballroom in the Marriott was beautifully enhanced by Perfect Presentations Floral and Event Designs and such features as a silver and gold lam\u00e9 backdrop accented with the Babylon crests, the traditional throne, and abundant flowers on the stage.<\/p>\n Adding feminine florescence were court maids Guidry Greer Mann\u00e9, Addison Renee Perry, Avery Grace Hudson, Paige Isabella Duffard, Marissa Jewel La Cour, Payton Katherine Fournier, Mary Skylar Grace Gettys, Emma Landry Theunissen, Allie Kathleen Jones, Allyson Marie Boackle<\/strong> and Abigail Elizabeth Brown.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The princesses were Misses Aubrey Claire Hudson<\/strong> and Emma Louise Wilson<\/strong>; the ladies in waiting, Misses Ramona Mae Fink, Marilyn May Persich, Sadie Jane Smith, Elise Judith Casey<\/strong>\u00a0and Maya Elizabeth Millsap<\/strong>; and the pages, Masters Johan Alexander Larsson, Mattias Vincent Larsson, William Cullen Glennon<\/strong> and William Cooper Sanderson.<\/strong> Wearing the crown in 2025 was Miss Hadley Elizabeth Mary,<\/strong> daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cameron Mary Sr.<\/strong><\/p>\n As she joined King Sargon LXXX on the throne, her majesty Lillian made a lovely picture in a dazzling beaded gown with a full train that was fashioned of French Alen\u00e7on lace. Her heavily embellished white velvet mantle matched that of his majesty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Vocal beauty came from Sarah Jane McMahon Briscoe<\/strong>, an internationally acclaimed soprano (and New Orleanian), who performed to great applause at the ball. Among those relishing her presence, the evening\u2019s amazing pageantry, the court, and the royalty were queen mother Celeste Brown, Valerie Hemphill, Rosalie Hemphill, Mary Hemphill, Brenda Connolly, Peggie Brown, Birdie Jacob, Julie Jacob, Caroline Berger, Sarah Elizabeth Seal, Heather Seal, Gloria Jones, Randi Mary<\/strong> and Julie Jardine.<\/strong><\/p>\n CARNAVAL! Orchestra, under the direction of B.J. Perez,<\/strong> played; the Color Guard featured the United States Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard from Washington, D.C.; guests admired (and wore) the thematic krewe favor of the tragedy and comedy masks by India Stewart<\/strong> Designs; and all perused with interest the ball program that featured miniature versions of each float in the 2026 \u201cA Knight at the Opera\u201d parade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Immediately following the bal masqu\u00e9 in the Marriott, the supper dance commanded late-night attention with a four-course dinner. The Wiseguys band got the crowd boogieing until 4 am.<\/p>\n \u201cI have dreamed of being queen since I was a little girl,\u201d said monarch Lillian. Both viewing the parade and seeing her court all together were paramount memories for which she will be ever grateful. As for the unnamed king, he related how honored he was to further Babylon\u2019s storied history. \u201cLeading our Knights through the streets (as he held forth on the king\u2019s float of the parade) while celebrating the Operas of New Orleans was an experience like no other.\u201d He finished with, \u201cHail Sargon LXXX!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Two Carnival balls, the Krewe of Hermes and the Knights of Babylon, held forth on the same Thursday evening, respectively in the Hyatt Regency and the New Orleans Marriott. The first tableau balls were for Hermes, in 1937, with Marjorie Lee Smith reigning, and Babylon, in 1940, with Julia H. Peyral as the queen. Each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2322761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2322760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nell-Nolan-Hermes-ball-Babylon-ball-EntertainmentLife.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2322762,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322760\/revisions\/2322762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2322761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Babylon<\/h2>\n