Krewe of Endymion
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The Krewe of Endymion is the largest of the krewes participating in New Orleans Mardi Gras. It was founded in 1966 and named after Endymion {en-dim'-ee-uhn}, [1] from Greek mythology.
It has a tradition of being generous with its throws, tossing millions of beads, cups, doubloons and trinkets during its annual parade, held the weekend before Fat Tuesday. The parade is followed with a huge party called the Endymion Extravaganza, held from 1974 to 1980 at the now demolished Rivergate Convention Center and from 1981 to 2005 in the Louisiana Superdome. The Extravaganza was held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in 2006 due to the Superdome being damaged from Hurricane Katrina but returned in 2007. In recent years, the krewe has had over 2000 members and 10,000-15,000 guests at its extravaganza.
Starting in 1974, Endymion began its tradition of celebrity grand marshalls:
- 1974: Doc Severinsen
- 1975: Dyan Cannon, Bobby Vinton
- 1976: Alice Cooper, Wolfman Jack, Jerry Vale
- 1977: Gino Vanelli, Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Vikki Carr
- 1978: Cheryl Ladd, Wayne Newton, Fats Domino
- 1979: Charo, K.C. and the Sunshine Band
- 1980: Engelbert Humperdinck
- 1981: Neil Sedaka, Suzanne Somers
- 1982: Captain & Tennille, Kool and the Gang
- 1983: Lou Rawls, Crystal Gayle, Kool and the Gang, Doc Severinsen
- 1984: Tom Jones, Kool and the Gang, Fats Domino, Doc Severinsen
- 1985: Wayne Newton, Fats Domino, Melissa Manchester
- 1986: Paul Anka
- 1987: Kirk Cameron, Jeremy Miller, Tracey Gold
- 1988: Dolly Parton, Heather Locklear, Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson, Spuds MacKenzie, Miami Sound Machine
- 1989: Fred Savage, Hall and Oates
- 1990: John Goodman, Chicago, Four Tops
- 1991: Michael Bolton
- 1992: Kenny Rogers, Patrick Duffy
- 1993: Steven Seagal, Beach Boys
- 1994: Stephen Stills, Jeanne Cooper, Corbin Bernsen, Frankie Valli
- 1995: Chuck Norris, Huey Lewis, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Richard Karn
- 1996: Kool and the Gang, Jonathan Silverman, Donna Summer
- 1997: David Schwimmer
- 1998: Jerry Springer, Jack Wagner, Ian Ziering, K.C. and the Sunshine Band
- 1999: Emeril Lagasse
- 2000: Britney Spears
- 2001: Frankie Muniz
- 2002: Jason Alexander
- 2003: Aaron Carter
- 2004: LeAnn Rimes
- 2005: Marisa Tomei
- 2006: Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi
- 2007: Taylor Hicks
[edit] Notes
- ^ The mythological name "Endymion" is commonly pronounced "en-dim'-ee-uhn" in English, although some names have a different pronunciation in ancient Greek; see "Encyclopedia Mythica: Pronunciation guide" webpage: Pantheon-pronun.
