Mardi Gras ‘Coronation’ held at Crescent Hotel

EUREKA SPRINGS — The 1986 Crescent Hotel and Spa hummed with activity and glittered with glitz the night of Feb. 17, just as it must have in the golden years of the lavish Victorian parties.

The occasion was the 2012 Krewe of Krazo’s annual Coronation Royalty Ball, during which the reigning King Krazo and Queen Eureka give up their crowns and toast to their replacements. The whole affair brings a bit of New Orleans Mardi Gras pageantry to the Ozarks.

Guests in glistening gowns and starched tuxedos filled the main floor of the Crescent, with eager attendees stretching from the Crescent’s conservatory across the lobby to the Crystal Ballroom.

Inside the ballroom, Mardi Gras beads dripped from every surface, not the least of which were the tables surrounding the dance floor. Eureka Gras royalty and guests were in charge of decorating their own tables, explained Karin Boudet, an assistant event organizer.

Boudet, a Louisiana native, came to Eureka Springs after Hurricane Katrina forced her out of her New Orleans home. The storm took everything, she said, but she still maintains a positive attitude and throws her energy into making her new home a little bit like her old one.

Local swing band A Swing and A Miss provided the evening’s entertainment. Torch singer Maureen Alexander said the group has only been performing together for about a year, but they try their hardest to maintain the integrity of the big band era.

In contrast to some of the other, less formal annual Eureka Gras events, the Coronation Royalty Ball is known for its pomp and grandeur. Members of the royal court are taught to how to bow properly, and each wears a rhinestone brooch emblazoned with their royal title. Involvement in the ball is not only a great honor, but a great responsibility.

Dan Ellis, event coordinator and Louisiana native, acted as “Captain” and announcer for the event. Kings and queens, dukes and duchesses — past and present — processed into the great hall to the much applause, all bowing to the 2012 King Krazo (OZARK spelled backward) Scott Smith of the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and Queen Eureka Mary Popovac, a loan assistant at Cornerstone Bank.

After the processional, out came the umbrellas for a second line dance, a New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition. The rest of the evening was filled with swing music, dancing, Cajun food and champagne toasts to the royal court.

Missing in action from the ball, and all the other festivities leading up to the big weekend, was Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin, who accepted duties as Eureka Gras’ grand marshal. Still more activities are planned for Fat Tuesday (Feb. 21)in Eureka Springs.