LET US NEVER FORGET... WERE WE CAME FROM... LIGHTHOUSEKREWE
1991
Our first parade: Anne Willis, the Queen, rode parade style as A.C. Hilton, our Sheriff, drove
his convertible through the subdivisions of Crystal Beach, calling on all to join in the festivities.
1992
That was the year! Our parade consisted of a few floats and the Krewe Official Float, with six Revelers
in the back of a pickup truck, prancing and dancing the whole course of the Parade to Cajun Music!
and we started our Parade that year in Bolivar - 10 miles to Crystal Beach! The cows in the pastures
were amused.
1993 Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales!
Bobby Sue Faggard and Easy Ezzell were our first
King and Queen! We had our Mardi Gras Ball at the Crystal Palace, 
with beautiful decorations, a festive crowd and lost of merrymaking.
1994 The Hollywood Year!
Billy Sharp and Peggy Land were our King & Queen. After a lavish Mardi Gras Ball at
the Crystal Palace ballroom, the Parade drew many beautiful floats, and happy spectators.
1995 Salute to the 50 States!
Frieda Brown & Irl Unruh were crowned the King & Queen
1996
The year of MUSIC! Margo & Andrew Johnson were the "ROYALS" the year of '96. They were
resplendent in the beautiful newly acquired majestic robes.
1997 Carnivals Around the World!
Great Theme for a great King & Queen - King R.W. Hailey and Queen Jean Altemus
1998 Somewhere in Time!
Lots of Clocks all around Theme - Anne Willis Queen Finally got to wear
a real crown and Don Black was King
1999 Cartoons!
Tweedy Bird and Mickey Mouse welcomed - Brenda Blessing was Queen and
Larry Lee was King
2000 Millennium Madness!
Mardi Gras of the Millennium - Great Year King was Pat Rogers
and Queen was Dee Pedraza
2001 Holidays!
Celebrated many holidays with&nbsnbsp;King Mike Drury and Queen Tammy Drury
2002 Treasures from the Sea!
Had a lot of treasures including our King Harold Pollard and
Queen Linda Kramer
2003 Literature!
We saluted many books - Our King was B.B. Young and Queen was Sherrye Hatch
2004 Texas!
This was a great tribute to our STATE - King was Todd Dinkins and Queen was Patty Pollard
2005 That's Entertainment!
King was Bob McMeekin and Queen was June Peveto They Saluted
Entertainment with style.
2006 Anything Goes!
Was a great Theme that made a perfect match for the rainy weather the entire
Parade route, King & Queen were Troy & Rita McDaniel
2007 I'd Rather Be!
what else would you rather be then King & Queen of the Lighthouse
Krewe King Mac McDonald and Queen Ellen Kennedy. This year marked the participation of
Krewe BABALOU from Galveston. The parade had 36 floats entered was a great day for all.
2008 Rock N Roll At The Beach!
King Ralph Mizell and Queen Mary Young
Highway 87 was Rock N Rollin on a beautiful day for all, The year also marked the third year the
Lighthouse Krewe participated in Krewe BABALOU's Parade in Galveston.
2009 Ships at Sea!
This was a very special year for the parade - Hurricane IKE had just devastated 
the Bolivar Peninsula, every one thought there would not be a parade this year. This one was
a very special parade for all on the Peninsula. The parade was truly one of the biggest ever
in the history of the Lighthouse Krewe parades. At a time when so many people displaced by
IKE needed a normal feeling like before IKE. The King was Jerry Mittendorf and Queen was Tangy Atwood
2010 Lighthouse Krewe LOVES Mardi Gras!
Was a cold day for all the spectators and float riders.
But the turn out was GREAT! King Larry Skiles and Queen Bekki Salling showed our LOVE for Mardi Gras.
2011 Thru the Years! - 20th Anniversary
King Jerry Mittendorf and Queen Mary Mitchell
The day was bitter cold for all, but the excitement was in the air for many spectators and float riders. Being the 20 years
they have watched friends and family from a float or on the ground reaching for beads.  
2012 Heroes & Villains!
King Robbie Byus and Queen Anne Willis - A great time was had by all,
This year the Lighthouse Krewe Float made the Galveston paper for the FAT TUESDAY PARADE. 
2013 Endless Summer!
King Larry Campbell and Queen Terry Molloy - The day was perfect for a parade Temperature was 69F.
The King and Queen road proudly and threw beads to all.
2014 Seas The FUN!
King Matt White and Queen Bobbey White - a great time was had by all Float Riders and watchers!
The temperature was an incredible 73F!
2015 25 YEARS OF BEADS AND BLING!
Sunshine glittered off the silver fringe of the 25 YEARS OF BEADS AND BLING Lighthouse Krewe Float
King: Ed Riley and Queen: Fran Skiles - threw commemorative coins beads to the crowds!
The "After Party" continued the Mardi Gras Celebration into the afternoon
2016 "ALL About the BEADS"
Highway 87 was lined with kids small and BIG. Hands raised high waiting on the Commemorative Monedas
King: Matt Pace and Queen: Gladys Pace - threw commemorative coins beads to the crowds!
The "After Party" continued the Mardi Gras Celebration into the afternoon
2017 Roaring 20's and "ALL that Jazz"
Highway 87 was lined with kids small and BIG. From Jack's Road to Gregory Park
King: Danny Butts and Queen: Shelly Butts - threw commemorative coins & beads to the crowds!
The "After Party" continued the Mardi Gras Celebration into the afternoon
2018 "VIVA LAS VEGAS"
The rain poured delaying the parade an hour but that didn’t stop the crowd from filling up Highway 87
from Avocet to Gregory park. King Bobby Spirko & Queen Lydia Spirko threw commemorative beads,
balls & cups to excited spectators. Memories with fellow Kings, Queens & Krewe members were made at
a “Pre-Party” in Las Vegas. An “After Party” traveled through businesses on the Bolivar Peninsula,
to Galveston Fat Tuesday Parade & to Lousiana.
2019 "ISLAND FEVER"
It was a beautiful day for the parade and all had a great time that attended. Highway 87 was filled with
people anxious for the parade to begin many dressed in Mardi Gras attire. King Jimmy Dinkins
& Queen Linda Calvey threw commemorative beads and balls to the crowd. The festivities continued
at the Fat Tuesday parade in Galveston.
2020 "30 YEARS OF BEACHES & BEADS"
What a wonderful day for a parade. Highway 87 was lined with spectators on both sides of the road
waiting for their chance to catch some beads. We had a champagne toast to King JR James Ferguson
& Queen Terry Molloy and then the parade began. Spectators awaited their chance to catch
commemorative Krewe beads thrown from our float. The surprise for the day was a huge ship that
entered the parade that almost took up both sides of the highway. All had a great time that attended.
Milestones New Orleans

Milestones New Orleans

1699
A French nobleman and his crew of explorers conducted the first recorded Mardi Gras celebration
on a small island in the Mississippi River just downstream from the site of modern New Orleans. He
then continued upriver to found the site of the city of NEW ORLEANS.
1700
In 1718, New Orleans, under French rule, celebrated pre-Lenten holidays with masked balls and parties
Late 1700's
Spanish rule banned street dancing & masked balls in New Orleans.
1803
United States assumed ownership of New Orleans as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The ban continues.
1827
Louisiana Acadians finally persuade Americans to reinstate balls. Masking on the street became legal again.
1837
A group of costumed revelers marched in the street as the first documented "parade"
1850
The city's elite staged elegant Mardi Gras balls and parties and were quite a contrast to the wild partying and near rioting in the streets. The city's elite staged elegant Mardi Gras balls and parties and were quite a contrast to the wild
partying and near rioting in the streets.
1857
The Mistick Krewe of Comus was formed by six wealthy Orleanians. They knew that Mari Gras
could be preserved with planning, organization & management of the celebrations. The group
coined the term "krewe" for its secret organization, presented a themed parade with floats and
costumed riders and staged a tableau ball.
1872
The Krewe of REX formed in 1872 to welcome the Russian Grand DUKE Alexis Romanoff. Since
America did not have royalty to properly welcome the Grand DUKE…the men of REX created a
"KING for the day" so the DUKE could be royally received.
REX Krewe shaped many traditions. They organized the first daytime parade and decided that
carnival colors would be purple, green and gold.
1877
After a brief interruption for the Civil War, parades with political themes were held to voice patriotism.
1890
The first Carnival marching club, the Jefferson City Buzzards, was formed.
1895
The first black Mardi Gras organization, the Original Illinois Club, wasformed. And is still going strong.
1916
ZULU, a black Mardi Gras organization, which had been poking informal fun at REX for almost a
decade, was officially incorporated. The first KING ruled with a banana stalk scepter and a lard can
crown. REX arrived at the city via steamboat, ZULU via oyster lugger.
1934
Alla became the first group to parade on the West Bank.
1941
The Krewe of Venus became the first parade to have all female riders. Crowds hurled refuse at the
maskers on board.
1942-45
Mardi Gras Parade cancelled during World War II
1949
Louis Armstrong rode as KING of ZULU.
1950
Real royalty, the DUKE and the DUCHESS of Windsor bow to mock royalty: the KING & QUEEN
of Comus at the Comus Ball.
1969
The new Krewe of BACCHUS changed Mardi Gras by naming a Hollywood celebrity, Danny Kaye
KING, and launching a parade with the biggest floats ever to hit the streets of New Orleans. It was
copied by other krewes.
1987
REX resurrected the idea of Lundi Gras, an official arrival to the city on "Fat Monday", the day
before Mardi Gras, (translated "Fat Tuesday" in French) which the krewes had observed from 1874
to 1917.
1992
New Orleans enacted a city ordinance requiring all parading krewes to open their private
membership. Comus, Momus & Proteus protested by canceling their parades forever. REX opened
membership to blacks, as many other krewes already had done.