St. Mary Parish’s oldest & most prestigious carnival organization

Mr. John B. Hover & Miss Lucy Hamer, King & Queen LXV

About Us

tradition

Hephaestus has a rich heritage, dating from 1914, of outstanding royalty, innovative themes and gorgeous court and ball presentations. Traditional Mardi Gras day parade route is shown to the right, starting at 2:00 pm.

History

Mardi Gras began in Morgan City in 1914 with the first king and queen being Joseph Dyer and Mrs. Leta Prohaska Miller. For many years there was no formal celebration, and in 1927, more formal celebrations began again, with sponsorship of the Morgan City Parent-Teacher organization using the name Cervus. In 1961 the Ladies’ Fire Auxiliary instituted their own krewe with a court and ball, under the name Krewe, Hephaestus, the god of fire and metal working. For six years, there were two kings and two queens with each group having their own court and ball, until 1966 when the groups merged. When they asked Lee Vaccari to serve as king in 1969, he decided that the Krewe of Hephaestus should be a formal organization with a membership and a kings’ club and queens’ club. He reinstituted Mardi Gras parades and included all former kings and queens as part of the history and membership of Hephaestus. The Krewe celebrates its anniversary date as 1961 when the Ladies began Hephaestus. This year we are celebrating our 62nd year. Kings and Queens are known by their anniversary date. King and Queen Hephaestus LIXII (62) will reign this year.

Membership

A few of the many advantages of Hephaestus membership are:

Hephaestus is for both spouses, or for singles and his or her guest.

Hephaestus is the carnival organization in our area having its ball the Saturday evening before, and its parade on, Mardi Gras.

Hephaestus has an ownership interest in its floats, and its Mardi Gras parades are outstanding and fun for all who participate.

Hephaestus membership dues are very reasonable and entitle its members to exciting annual functions including the ball, before-and-after parade parties, parade riding and other Krewe events.

LXV

2025 Court and Ball

With the theme “Realms Beyond Reality,” John Barrett Hover and Lucy Hamer reigned as King and Queen Hephaestus LXV over the royal court at its ball on Saturday.

Krewe Captain Michelle Giordano Aucoin depicted The Enchantress. The dukes and maids represented the six realms as follows: “The Land of Oz,” David Fuhrer and Charlie Ann Fuhrer; “Pandora,” Joshua Sanford and Sarah Radtke; “Neverland,” Darrin Robicheaux and Brooklyn Duay; “Narnia,” Raymond “Peetey” Wade II and Sophia Saleme; “Hogwarts,” Chad Ross and Victoria Kirkpatrick; and “Westeros,” William Bostic Lukken and Genevieve Lukken.

Pages to the king were Griffin Dozar and Jules Adams. Pages to the queen were Juliet Reasoner and Charlotte Murray.

Gwen Sala and Charlotte Gottung were gift bearers. Court heralds were Jacques Carreré and Jack Murdock.

Dwayne Aucoin, Gary Hover, Garret LeBlanc and Barrett Hover were knights of Hephaestus.

Born and raised in Morgan City, Hover is a 1988 graduate of Morgan City High School and vice president of operations for B&G foods. Hover’s ascension to the throne is particularly significant as he is the first legacy king to share this honor with both of his grandfathers, HS Hover and Edward Patterson. He has also served as a knight of Hephaestus, a position he has held for more than 10 years. Hover and his wife Tracie have three children.

The queen is the daughter of Gregory Hamer Jr. and Shannon Hamer. She is a 2022 graduate of Central Catholic High School and attends LSU, where she's studying in the College of Human Sciences and Education, Kinesiology Exercise Science and Human Performance.

Krewe of Hephaestus