Mardi Gras King & Queen are revealed
WOONSOCKET – The city’s Mardi Gras mystery ended Friday Night at Savini’s Pomodoro Restaurant on Rathbun Street Friday night as Joyce LaPerle was named this year’s queen and Bob Billington unveiled as king Jace XXIV.
The festivities also included selection of the queen’s court, her princesses Kim Blais and Tammy Irwin, for this year’s Mardi Gras Ball next Saturday and other Mardi Gras appearances.
As is now Woonsocket Mardi Gras tradition, the queen was crowned first at Pomodoro after tabulation of the contestants’ fundraising efforts on behalf of the Northern Rhode Island Council of
the Arts, Mardi Gras’s organizing body, and then LaPerle unmasked Billington from his King Jace costume that had effectively hid his identity.
The five young women from the area vying for the Queen’s Crown sold tickets as part of their fundraising work for the past few months. They are Irwin, Amanda Girard, Ellen Cloutier, Laperle, and Blais.
Billington is founder and president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, an organization promoting the cultural, business and natural resources of the Blackstone River Valley and its surrounding communities.
Among the many reasons cited for Bob’s selection this year was a desire to honor him for his yearly successful Polar Express event which brought tens of thousands of visitors to Woonsocket during the past holiday season, according to WOON Radio’s Dave Richards, King Jace’s longtime and loyal prime minister.
Billington is also responsible for bringing the Blackstone Valley Explorer river boat cruises to Woonsocket and the towns up and down the Blackstone River, entertaining and educating countless thousands to beauty and history of the river, its environmental systems, and overall place in the lives of valley residents, according to Richards. .
Richards explained the ten clues prepared to help residents guess the identity of the King and their connections to Billington as follows: 1.—King Jace has never met a fish he liked.
“A simple one. Bob doesn’t like eating fish or seafood,” Richards said. 2.—King Jace is an Outdoors Man.
“Among Bob’s favorite activities are walking, hiking, and being outdoors,” he said. 3.—King Jace often says, “Pasta Bucatini.”
“We mentioned Bob doesn’t care to eat fish or seafood. But his favorite food is pasta. And among the various versions of pasta, Bucatini is his favorite,” Richards said. 4.—King Jace has ridden the rails.
“An obvious reference to his work on the Polar Express ™ event,” he said. 5.—King Jace has a trashy side.
“We didn’t put the word ‘trashy’ in quotations in this clue because we were actually referring to trash. When Bob takes his walks for exercise, he will usually stop to pick up trash on the side of the road,” Richards said. 6.—King Jace has sailed the seas.
“Well, this clue has two sources. Yes, Bob has, like many, enjoyed a vacation on a cruise ship. But what some do not know about is Billington’s early career defending our country as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard,” Richards said. 7.—King Jace might ticket you when you travel.
“Together with Clue #9, we had some people thinking King Jace was being played by a police officer. But we were actually referring to Bob’s role on the Polar Express as the train’s conductor,” Richards said. 8.—King Jace gets down to Rock n Roll.
“Those who know Bob know he has always had a love of music and is a drummer in his private hours. His favorite type of music? Rock n Roll,’’ Richards said. 9.—King Jace is happy when he’s Blue.
“By now, you’ll probably have guessed that the color Blue is Bob’s favorite,” Richards said. 10.—When King Jace is here, “The Doctor Is In.”
“This clue refers to Bob’s earned doctorate in education. He doesn’t really wear it on his sleeve, so we thought it would make a clever clue,” Richards said.
As for Billington’s view of taking on a “dual identity,” the King said,
“Well, it is of course a great honor to be asked to play King Jace, but more than that, I have always admired the people who organize the Mardi Gras, all of them, going back over the years to the late Jack Lawhead,” Billington said. “Mardi Gras is always an enjoyable event, but to be chosen to be a part of it with these wonderful people this year was very, very special for me,” King Jace XXIV Bob Billington said.
King Jace and Queen Joyce and her court will reign over the Woonsocket Mardi Gras Ball on Saturday February 3rd at the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center on Cumberland Street.
The evening will feature two bands. Locals Jeff Gamache and Runaway Train will start the festivities at 5:30pm and Squeeze Box Stompers will play next until 1:30am.
Richards said a full Cajun Buffet will be provided by Morin Caterers and there will be a Costume Contest with a cash prize for men and women over 18.
Tickets for the Ball on February 3rd are available from Lorraine Cloutier at 401-762-9072 for $30 in advance. A limited number of tickets may be available at the door for $35 each.
King Jace and the Queen and her Court will also ride a float in this year’s Autumnfest Parade in October.