The Mardi Gras Krewe, Treasures of the Isle (TOI), recently honored their King and Queen at the 2011 Mardi Gras Ball in Orange Beach. Shown here are King Ralph Elders in the TOI ceremonial robe and Queen Gloria Bridges with the TOI Queen’s train.

Members of the Krewe and their guest dined on a feast prepared by Nancy’s Haute Affairs Catering and then danced to the music by The Second Coming Band until the morning hours. The theme for the ball this year was Safari Nights and many of the revelers enjoyed having a picture taken with our surprise guest, Dehli, a 14-week-old Bengal tiger from the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo!

The King’s robe and Queen’s train were designed and made by Gloria Bridges, with the assistance of several ladies in the Krewe (Connie Baker, Deena Pennington, Jane Coe, Cheryl Lanning, and Debra Lonza).  Each year the robes are passed down through generations of royalty with the initials and year of the reigning royalty added to the robes in Austrian crystals.

The King’s robe is emerald teal velvet, boarded in faux fur with the monogram of the Crewe in the center back made of gold sequins and crystals, with emerald and gold roping.  Above the monogram is a crown fashioned of silver bugle beads and crystals. Silver medallions of pearls, bugle beads and begets, are placed throughout the boarder of the cape.

The Queen’s train is 15 feet in length, in ivory with embroidered gold swirls. The border is gold lace embellished with gold, emerald, ruby and sapphire sequins. The top of the train has a crown representing each Queen since the beginning of the Crewe in 2007. Each year the bottom piece of the train is removed and given to the Queen as a gift. It is a 19-inch pillow shape that has the reigning Queen’s initials, TOI and year.

The Queen’s dress and collar are fashioned of the same gold lace.