The 37th annual Krewe du
Lac Mardi Gras Ball was held
on Saturday, February 15 at the
Lake Charles Civic Center. Captain
John C. Owen welcomed his
members and guests. An Information
Technology Program Manager
in the Aerospace & Defense
Industry, Captain Owen. He and
his wife of 24 years, Kathy, have
three daughters.
Captain Owen, along with the
Krewe’s dedicated Board of Directors
(Chad Bertrand, Joan
Bloomfield, Summer Boudreaux,
Keith Green, Clarice LaFosse,
Jon LaFleur, Alicia LeBlanc,
Donnie Martin, Robbie Ortego
and Tina Reggie), strive to ensure
that Krewe du Lac members enjoy
fun-filled activities throughout
the year. Don Menard serves as
the Krewe’s Webmaster and Communications
Manager, while Debbie
Carlin, Colvin LeDoux and
Brenda Wilkinson serve as advisors
to the Royal Court.
The emcee for the night’s presentation
was John Paul Timpa,
a skills development specialist
at First Federal Bank of Louisiana.
He started off the evening by
introducing the first Royal pairing,
Duchess Angelica XXXVII
and Duke Andrew XXXVII.
Duchess Angelica XXXVII is
Heather Ann McLanahan Sarver
of Lake Charles. The wife of Daren
Michael Sarver (King Charles du
Lac XXX), they have four girls,
Madeline, Emma, Amelia, and
Lillian. Heather has worked for
the Calcasieu Parish School Board
for the past 23 years, teaching at
F.K. White Middle School. She is
a member of St. Martin de Porres
Catholic Church, Krewe of
Athena, Pelican Coast Parrot Head
Club and alumni member of Alpha
Upsilon Pi Mu sorority. Duchess
Angelica has been a member of
Krewe du Lac for 13 years.
Duke Andrew XXXVII, Marc
Christopher Benton, has been
married to his beautiful wife Kelly
(Duchess Caroline XXXI) for 29
years. They have three children:
Chris and his wife Faith, Katie and
Kamryn. Marc is a lifelong resident
of Sulphur and is employed
with Citgo as a pipeline operator.
He is a member of Immaculate
Conception Catholic Church and
is currently in their RCIA program.
Fishing and traveling with
his wife and their children crowns
his list of special times in his life.
Duke Andrew has been a member
of Krewe du Lac for 9 years.
Next to be presented were
Duchess Caroline XXXVII and
Duke Edward XXXVII. Duchess
Caroline XXXVII, Christine
Guidry, has been married
to Mike (Duke Andrew XXIX)
for 25 Years. They are the proud
parents five children: Julie Fontenot,
Melanie Ellis, Phil Guidry,
Beau Guidry and Lori Dumas,
13 grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.
She is a graduate of
LaGrange High School and retired
after 45 years from PPG Industries
as a customer service coordinator.
34 • MARDI GRAS SOUTHWEST • FEBRUARY 24, 2020
Chris is a member of Our Lady
Queen of Heaven Catholic Church
where she serves as a Eucharistic
Minister. She is a 10-year member
of Krewe Des Pirates and the
Pelican Coast Parrot Head Club.
Duchess Caroline has been a
member of Krewe du Lac for 12
years and has served on the Board
of Directors.
Duke Edward XXXVII, Richard
Long, is married to Cindy and
they live in Central Texas. Richard
is retired from Sears, but is also
a licensed pest control technician
and has worked for his family’s
land and cattle company. He is a
member of the Krewe des Pirates
and Krewe de Danseurs Fou. He
enjoys the Pelican Coast Parrot
Head parties and music. Richard’s
hobbies are fly-fishing and wading
mountain streams for trout, back
country canoe trips and camping..
Duke Edward has been a member
of Krewe du Lac for 10 years.
The final couple to be presented
was Queen Katherine XXXVII
and King Charles du Lac XXXVII.
Queen Katherine XXXVII
is Ginger Gomez. She was married
to the late SJ Gomez (Duke
Andrew XXVIII) and is the proud
parent of Michelle Fuoco and Kelly
Langley. Ginger has four grandchildren,
John, Kaleigh, Kade and
Kaycie.
Queen Katherine, was born
in Sherman, Texas and has lived
in Corpus Christi, Houston and
Oklahoma City before moving to
Lake Charles in 1974. She was a
flight attendant for Continental