By Toni Miles
The Carnival Association of Long Beach (CALB) is preparing to roll out the red carpet and announce this year’s CALB Royal Court, unveiling King Scott LXIV and Queen Rosalie 2025, who will both be officially stepping into the roles held by last year (2024’s) CALB King Scott LXIV Junior Husband and Queen Rosalie Lisa Frazer. The new king and queen will be the focus of the 2025 CALB Royal Ball, scheduled to take place on February 21, 2025.
The next day, on Saturday, February 22, the streets of downtown Long Beach will come alive as the 2025 CALB’s annual Mardi Gras Parade rolls out. Parade applications for 2025 have already opened for those who wish to participate and register a float for the parade.
Application drop off locations for this year are: Exclusive Cleaners, located at 100 West Railroad Street; Allstate: Chris Boudreaux’s office at 7100 Menge Avenue in Pass Christian; and at Riemann Family Funeral Home on 9113 Kiln DeLisle Road in Pass Christian. The cost to register is $125. Applications must be received on or before January 31, 2025.
The parade will roll out on February 22 at 6 p.m. Roads along the parade route will shut down at 5:30 p.m. Floats will gather at the Long Beach High School Stadium at the staging area before the parade begins, then the procession will head south on Cleveland Avenue, turn west down Railroad Street, turn south on Jeff Davis Avenue, turn east at the intersection of Jeff Davis and Highway 90 to run along the Long Beach Harbor, then turn north back up Cleveland Avenue, with a final turn west on 1st Steet, ending at the Harper McCaughan Town Green in downtown Long Beach.
The parade is free to attend, and revelers will be sure to walk away with a lot of Mardi Gras throws; so those who plan to attend are advised to bring a bag to collect their parade throws. Parade-goers are also encouraged to stake out a spot on the parade route early for the best view.
CALB, headed by Team Stirrat Brown for the 2024-2025 season, has been holding numerous events and fundraisers over the past year as Carnival season approaches.
Long Beach did not have its first official Mardi Gras celebration until 1961, although the spirit of the season was always present in the area. The preceding year, a small group of mothers of children attending St. Thomas Elementary School recognized a need for a source of continuing funds to finance the betterment of the quality of education for their children; so they undertook the task of sponsoring an annual Carnival Ball to coincide with the Mardi Gras season.
By 1964, the small club of ladies had generated so much interest that it had become a community affair, and the name was changed from the St. Thomas Mother's Club to Carnival Association of Long Beach. By 1979, the organization had spread coast-wide and became incorporated by obtaining chartered status as a legitimate tax-exempt charitable organization.
Now, men and women of all faiths and professions join together for the common benefit of worth-while charities in the coast area, as well as St. Vincent de Paul School (formerly St. Thomas School). Through their efforts, more than one million dollars have been donated to countless charities, such as The Special Olympics, d 'Epee Deaf Center, South MS Regional Center, North MS Regional Burn Center, Harrison County Heart Association, Senior Citizens, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, St. Jude's Hospital, and many others.
The first CALB parade rolled through the streets of Long Beach in 1971, with the participants tossing doubloons made of wood, which are now considered among the most sought-after of collectibles, as have the .999 silver doubloons minted each year in a limited quantity.
