Rayne welcomes multiple Mardi Gras celebrations

RAYNE - Not one, but two Mardi Gras celebrations will be enjoyed by Rayne citizens in the coming days.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Rayne Chamber of Commerce will present its fifth annual Mardi Gras Parade and After-Party.
Grand Marshal Nikki Link and Junior Grand Marshal Brandon Auguillard will take their respective places to lead the Rayne Mardi Gras Parade slated at 3 p.m.
They will co-lead the fifth annual Rayne Mardi Gras parade when it rolls down the streets of Rayne on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m., ending at the Frog Festival Pavilion where events will be enjoyed by all during the After Party and Gumbo Cook-Off.
Link was selected as the 2020 Mardi Gras Grand Marshal -- a Rayne native and a major contributor of the resurgence of Mardi Gras in the city of Rayne.
A 1996 graduate of Rayne High School, Link studied secondary education, choreographic design and theatre at University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
She is also a graduate of Michelle Frederick Dance Academy, where she also completed her teacher apprenticeship, and then became a certified dance teacher. Afterwhich, she became the owner and director of her own dance studio, Project Dance, here in Rayne, that has been in operation for the past 18 years.
Link is the proud mother of a son, Jack, age 19, and a daughter, Eliette, 3.
Nikki is a member of the Rayne Chamber of Commerce and Krewe de Joie de Vie. Both organizations, as well as the City of Rayne, have been influential in bringing the spirit of Mardi Gras to our city.
Nikki has served on the Rayne Chamber of Commerce board of directors over the past two decades, and served as president 2015-2017. She has also served as chairperson, co-chair and committee member for many community events, including Frog Festival, OST Day Celebration, Rayne Mardi Gras Parade and After Party and Mardi Gras Gumbo Cook-Off.
Nikki is a charter member of Krewe de Joie de Vie and Krewe of Rio. She has served on the board of directors since 2013 and was captain of the Krewe’s ball from 2014-2017. She was an entertainer and served as production co-chair for the 2019 ball festivities. Link also participated in this year’s Krewe’s production as a bon ami.
Link’s love for Mardi Gras and the love for her community is what inspired her to conceptualize the idea of having a Mardi Gras Ball in Rayne. With the help of the City of Rayne and the Rayne Chamber of Commerce, this became a reality in 2010.
The Mardi Gras Ball concept was to recognize outstanding men, women and youth in the community and to raise funds. Profits from the ball are allocated to the Chamber of Commerce and to local high school students in the Rayne area. Over the past 10 years, the ball has been a huge success and she hopes that it continues to grow so more scholarships can be given to future high school graduates.
In 2015, Link was honored as she was chosen Grand Queen V as she reigned with Grand King V, Samuel Babineaux, one of her most memorable Mardi Gras experiences.
Link has been a vital team player for the City of Rayne and community events over the years playing a significant roll in bringing Mardi Gras festivities to the city. She enjoys “everything” Mardi Gras, but is especially fond of the meaningful colors of the season -- purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power!
She is excited to see everyone at the parade and after party and also wishes everyone a safe and joyful Mardi Gras season!
Auguillard (known as OG Bobby) will co-lead Saturday’s Mardi Gars Parade as Junior Grand Marshal.
The son of Gwendolyn Mouton, Auguillard is a senior at Rayne High School with plans to further his education and athletic talents.
Auguillard states, “I love sports a lot and I’m blessed to have achieved so much so far.”
He was named 1st Team all Acadia Parish, all state and I also received numerous All-District honors in football .
Relating to his Mardi Gras traditions, Auguillard states, “I was convinced to massing ‘dressing out’ about three years ago and I’m 17 now. But, I was involved with the tradition before that time watching one of my friends, Darien Harmon, and his older brother, Dannie Harmon Jr.
“Growing up in Rayne, Mardi Gras has changed big time in the past few years from the 90s and early 2000s. The tradition went from old school crate paper suits and capes to more of a Mardi Gras-Indian costume, which leads to our history being left behind that most people don’t know about.
“I got the craft from my group B.I.N., who showed me the basic skills of building a costume at the age of 13. Since then, I’ve been dressing up. I love the tradition we have in the City of Rayne.
“As your 2019-20 Jr. Grand Marshal, I want to honor my group B.I.N. who encouraged me throughout the past years and the final four years of high school.”
All parade participates must complete the entry form available at the chamber office at 107 Oak Street (334-2332).
Deadline to enter is Thursday, Feb. 20, with an entry fee of $25 per team. Entry fee for all political candidates seeking office is $75.
The parade line-up will begin at 2 p.m. on American Legion Drive. Parade will begin at 3 p.m., travel along The Boulevard and South Adams and end at the Frog Festival Pavilion for more fun.
The “After Parade Party” will be held again this year, immediately following the parade at the Frog Festival Pavilion, between 4 and 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to come enjoy a “Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Cook-off” entries, BBQ hamburgers, cold drinks, live music and more, all at no admission.
The Chamber is now taking entries for the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Cook-off. Entry fee is only $25 per team of businesses, non-profit organizations or individuals.
Gumbo dishes will be judged with plaques given to the first, second and third place finishers, plus a “People’s Choice” award (voted by the public for $1 each).
The public will be able to sample the gumbo entries for only a $5 sampling fee. No ice chests with drinks will be allowed for entry. Entry forms are available at the Chamber office.
The Krewe of Kings and Queens Extraordinaire, in partnership with the City of Rayne, will host their third annual Krewe of Kings and Queens Mardi Gras Parade and Celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 25 (Mardi Gras day).
The entire family is invited to participate in the exciting, family-focused, energetic, costume-filled Mardi Gras parade.
The purpose of the annual event is to facilitate a safe, fun-filled, family-friendly Mardi Gras celebration that honors the history, legacy and pride of traditional Rayne Mardi Gras
Parade grand marshal for the 2020 special event is Elaine “Mama Wolf” Sias. The long-time civic leader, child advocate and self-proclaimed ambassador of Rayne as “Frog Capital of the World,” Sias has been involved in various civic activities for the last 40 or more years. She has long worked for positive change in the community and the city.
Sias is the eldest of nine children born to the late Dorothy Sias. Her siblings are Barbara, Donald Ray (deceased), Jessica (deceased), Janet Sias, and became mother to her younger siblings, Micheal, Karen, Amanda, and LaShonda due to the untimely death of her mother.
In addition, she is godmother and became mother to a niece, Renee`, who lost her mother, her sister, when she was only nine months old. Later, in 1986, she became guardian (MaDear) to nephew Floyd.
Sias received her primary education in Rayne schools and is a 1971 graduate of Rayne High School. She obtained her bachelor of science degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge and a masters of education in administration and supervision from McNeese State University.
She has been in education/coaching for nearly 40 years. For 33 of those years, she has been educating and mentoring the children in Rayne schools and serving as a child advocate.
Sias also worked for the city as director/swimming instructor at Rayne’s Clark Pool for 13 years. In addition, she has held the position of Recreation Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (Northside) for five years after the city pools were closed.
She was also selected the 2000 Outstanding Female Civic Leader of the City of Rayne and served on the Rayne Disaster Relief, Inc. Organization that was formed after a tornado devastated the community in 2011.
Among her other accomplishments, Sias is a 41-year charter member of the Ebonite Civic and Social Club that she served as president for two terms, was named “Ebonite of the Year” twice, instrumental in developing and increasing scholarships presented to deserving students at Rayne High School, have had membership in the Rayne Branch of the National Association of University Women for 37 years, was a NAUW national officer from 2000-2010, served as chair of the 2010 NAUW National Convention held in Washington, DC, selected 2000 Rayne Branch Woman of the Year and went on to be named South Central Regional Woman of the Year for NAUW. She was also the recipient of the “Excellence Award” presented by Lafayette Branch of NAUW for contributions made to the Rayne Community through her swimming program.
In addition, she served as chairperson of the Rayne City-Wide MLK Jr. Program, organizer of a city-wide prayer vigil held after the tragic loss of two young adults and four children of the community, recipient of the A & O 21st Century Club’s “Ronald Duplechain Community Service” Award in 1995 and 2007, member of the Rayne Krewe de Mardi Gras Creole`, selected parade Grand Marshal for 2008 and named Mardi Gras Queen for 2011.
Sias is a life-long member of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church and having served as Parish Council President, chairperson for the Parish Bazaar, lector and CCD instructor.
In addition to all of these activities, Sias has been a big supporter of Rayne High School athletics and the City’s rec programs, which is why she is fondly called “Mama Wolf”.
This “Wolf” will continue to “leap” forward for a better tomorrow for her community and is very appreciative of this honor.
The two honorees named king and queen for this year’s celebration are Antoinetta Cormier and John Davis, participants of recent Mardi Gras events and parades.
Cormier is the daughter of Bettie Ann Cormier, Felton Booze and stepfather Edward “Butch” Curtis Sr. The 44-year-old Mardi Gras fan began making costumes when she was only seven years old with her stepbrothers, becoming an annual family tradition.
“We enjoyed every moment of the time spent with family and friends, even with the sleepless nights,” Cormier states. “I decided to do it one last time after my stepfather and mother passed in honor of them. I had a great time doing this with my cousins, Don Charles and Keenan Charles. Keep the tradition alive and remember it’s about having fun!”
Davis, son of Rita G. Davis and John Davis Sr., has been “running” Mardi Gras since 1994.
The Mardi Gras parade will be filled with traditional Mardi Gras costumes, floats, dance teams, side-by-side vehicles and decorated vehicles as they roll through the streets of Rayne.
Everyone’s invited to participate in the parade including businesses, school organizations, church groups, dance teams, school bands, elected officials local and parish-wide.
Beginning at the Frog Festival Pavilion at 4 p.m., the parade will head south until Harrop, then north on The Boulevard and ending at the Pavilion where the follow-up festivities will be enjoyed.
Delicious food, music, a swing-out contest, dance team competition and much more will be provided for the community free of charge.
Anyone having questions concerning the events or would like to make a donation to ensure a most successful Mardi Gras celebration are asked to contact Ryan Breaux (337-304-2004), Ludy Bellard (337-322-5520) or any Krewe of Kings and Queens member.