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| 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 1700s’ | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| LET US NEVER FORGET... WERE WE CAME FROM … LIGHTHOUSE KREWE | |
| 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! Was the theme. 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 | |
| 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 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 | |
| Theme was "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 | |
| Theme this year was "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. | |
