Mardi Gras krewe named after Tucumcari

Earlier this month in Louisiana's capital of Baton Rouge, that city's oldest Mardi Gras carnival organization held its elaborate annual Tableau Ball in front of an estimated 700 people.

That organization is called the Krewe of Tucumcari, founded in 1947.

Yes, the organization is named after the Quay County seat. But how did this happen in a city 900 miles from Tucumcari?

It turns out several of the Krewe of Tucumcari's founders were traveling west to visit relatives in Albuquerque in the late 1940s and had stopped in Tucumcari during their journey.

Beverly "Boots" Oliphant, 80, is a granddaughter of one of the Krewe founders and became a "young queen" of the ball herself in 1964.

She said in a phone interview last week her grandparents, Lionel and Lucille Champagne, plus two other friends were taking a trip from Louisiana to the Land of Enchantment in 1947.

"Probably the second or third night, they ended up in Tucumcari and spent the night," she recalled, "then just got the idea that this would be a perfect name for the krewe that was just starting up in Baton Rouge."

Oliphant said her grandparents also were enticed by the so-called "Legend of Tucumcari" tale that has circulated locally for generations. That's the story of the doomed romance of Tocom and Kari and an obstinate Indian chief reminiscent of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

She also cited nearby New Orleans and its Mardi Gras Indians -- black carnival revelers who dress up in elaborate suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel. That tradition dates to least the mid-1800s.

"It could be that's what spurred my folks on, with the Indian name (of the town) and the folklore," she said.

Mardi Gras, which translates from French to "Fat Tuesday," is the final day of Carnival before Ash Wednesday. Huge celebrations and parades occur in many Southern cities during that time, especially in New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama.

Oliphant said she didn't travel with her grandparents during that journey to New Mexico because she was only three or four years old.

"But I've heard the story; I grew up with it," she said.

The first Krewe of Tucumcari ball in 1948 carried an "Indian Village" theme, with a wigwam as its centerpiece and war dances and a ballet by a local school of dancing.

"It's probably stereotypical based on today's standards," admitted the Krewe's current vice president, Darrell Ourso, during a phone interview.

The Krewe of Tucumcari's annual ball uses a different theme each year. The 2024 event's theme was "Rock & Roll," with a giant jukebox in the center of the pageantry and the royalty's costumes inspired by the rock acts KISS, Foreigner, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Blondie and Cyndi Lauper.

Ourso said the Krewe of Tucumcari balls take a lot of planning.

"Our krewe and every other krewe is basically a year-round event," he said. "We're already working on next year's theme. I have three or four kings and queens down the road. It's a multiyear thing."

The only time the Krewe of Tucumcari didn't hold a ball was 2021, during the COVID-19 shutdowns.

Ourso said he and other Krewe members have traveled through Tucumcari several times during their lives and are aware of the city's history with Route 66.

Oliphant said she knows of Tucumcari in other ways.

"Our daughter lives close to Joshua Tree, California," she explained. "And when we drive there, our first stop is Tucumcari. We spend the night.

"I like the town. It's a small little town, but the food was very good."