A Mardi Gras to remember: Nora Rae Hess presented as Krewe of Iris Lady-in-Waiting
Published 9:41 am Friday, February 24, 2023
- Nora Rae Hess and her grandmother, Theresa Barnett. (Special to the American Press)
“It was so exciting. There is nothing else I would have rather have been doing, not even playing soccer and softball, which I really like to do,” said Nora, who is planning a future in sports.
Krewe of Iris is the oldest and largest all-female Carnival organization. Established in 1917, the Krewe of Iris has grown to 3,500 world-wide members and boasts 35 tandem floats. On Saturday, Feb. 18, Hess was on one of them, greeting the crowd and throwing out the Krewe’s signature throw, sunglasses. She also threw bathtub fingerpaint and doubloons, watching the crowd carefully for people who may not have snagged anything thus far from the Krewe of Iris and making sure they did.
Nora’s grandmother, Theresa Barnett said this was the first year the family has had three generations ride together.
“Ladies-in-Waiting are daughters or granddaughters of a krewe member and submit a resume with age, school activities, social organizations and community involvement,” explained Nora’s mother, Claire Hess.
Krewe titles, including Lady-in-Waiting, spring from the cotillion tradition of preparing young ladies for their future roles in society. Nora will have the opportunity to be presented as a Junior Maid, a Mardi Gras debutante role when she is 16 to 21. She’s ready, and if she gets the opportunity to run the show, she’ll make sure there are plenty of doubloons to go around, she said.
The week before the parade, Nora was formally presented at the Iris Ball by her father Robert U. Hess. Her gown is a one-of-a-kind gown, designed and fitted by the Krewe costumer. More than a hundred people were at the ceremony.
The third-grader admitted, “I was a little nervous. When I put on my dress for the very first time, it was a little hard to walk in it,” Nora said. “But it got easier.”
