The Military Officers’ Wives’ Club of Greater New Orleans recently gathered for the royal dinner to select the court for the upcoming Carnival ball.
CAMAN stands for Coast Guard, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy. The krewe was started 51 years ago by the Navy Officers’ Wives’ Club as a way for military members who did not have connections to New Orleans to experience Mardi Gras festivities.
The names of the ruling monarchs are kept secret until the ball, but the five maids representing the five branches of the services were tapped for the 51st ball to be held Jan. 20.
The maids selected were Reyna Smyth for the Coast Guard, Chelsea Slack for the Army, Enid Randall for the Marine Corps, Jessica Saddler for the Air Force and Lt. Cmdr. Janette Arencibia for the Navy.
Ball Captain Theresa Crean pulled names from bags, assisted by the reigning monarch, Yvette LeMaire. Also assisting in the presentation of tiaras and tokens were members of the 50th CAMAN court: Jennifer Keene, Sharon Jones, Stephanie Burkett, Julie Bannon and LaDonna Pillsbury Delgado.
Past queens, kings and maids were also in attendance at the event, decorated to reflect the theme of the 2024 ball, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.” The club’s ambassador of fun, Emily Davenport Trehubenko, left small lollipops and witches' hats as gifts for the attendees.