Shangri-La’s Strolling Revelers Honor the City That Care Forgot
The Mystic Krewe of Shangri-La anxiously waits February 6, 2010 when it will offer a grandiose French Quarter Carriage Parade and Stroll beginning at 2:00 p.m. Founder Mary Katherine Lonatro-Tusa says, “We are really pumped about our 2010 French Quarter Carriage Parade and Stroll. We like to think that our 2009 event was an outstanding success. We have no doubt that it brought back to the French Quarter some of the ambiance of Mardi Gras in days gone by.”
The 2010 “Stroll” will offer a traditional Imperial Court led by Queen XXXVII, Charlotte Lillian Matthew, Principal of Benjamin Franklin Elementary Mathematics and Science School. The 2010 Grand Marshal is Sammy L. Steele, a community leader and West Bank businessperson. Again in 2010, the revered Shangri-La Phoenix will appear. The Phoenix marks “the rising from the ashes” or a person or thing that has become renewed or restored after suffering calamity. This is a fitting symbol following the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.
The Shangri-La 2010 “Stroll” will increase by 133 percent over 2009. Members of the Krewe are excited about returning to the French Quarter as there is nothing like the intimacy of being at the level of the parade-goers. Being able to reach out to the people allows participants to truly experience the carnival spirit. Revelers will present beads, flowers, and other Mardi Gras trinkets to tourists and Stroll-goers along the route. Special musical offerings are planned at Jackson Square on Decatur Street.
The Krewe’s Founder assures the City that the 2010 Stroll will surpass previous events. Shangri-La continues to focus on the flavor of the days in New Orleans when revelers strolled through the French Quarter to celebrate the Mardi Gras season, a time during which we became known as “The City that Care Forgot”.
The Krewe of Shangri-La will begin its carnival day with a formal Imperial Luncheon at the Astor Crowns-Plaza Hotel, including the Presentation of the Court. The Riverside Ramblers will “second-line” the Krewe to the staging area. After strolling through the French Quarter streets, the Krewe will return to the hotel for its Wok ‘n Roll Celebration, a non-traditional ball complete with the joy and revelry of the season, and including fine dining and dancing.
