IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

In 1909, a unique krewe began by doing what no others had done; satirizing Rex himself.  The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club began as a group of benevolent aid societies and various marching clubs and groups.  Benevolent aid societies were formed in the New Orleans Black community as a kind of insurance for the community, generally covering emergency needs and funeral costs.  The city itself is divided into separate 'wards', with each ward having its own Carnival groups.  One of these groups was called The Tramps, who had been marching on Mardi Gras since 1901.  In 1909, members of The Tramps attended the Temple Theatre in the Knights of Pythias building in the 200 block of Loyola Ave.   There, they saw a skit by the vaudeville act The Smart Set entitled "There Never Was and Never Will Be a King Like Me," about the Zulu Tribe.  After the performance, The Tramps walked to a saloon at the corner of N. Rampart & Perdido, picking up friends and members of the benevolent aid societies.  They met in a backroom of that saloon and emerged as the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Society.   Their first march as The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club proclaimed William Story as the first Zulu King. Whites and blacks have marched together in Zulu since the early days, which was illegal during segregation.  To allow everyone to ride in anonymity every member rode adorned in 'blackface' makeup, a tradition that continues to this day.  King Zulu the First wore a lard can crown and carried a banana stalk sceptre, with the members attired in rags and tatters.  Mocking Rex's arrival on the river, King Zulu arrived on an oyster lugger at the terminus of a bayou in the area now occupied by the Greyhound Bus Station.  The famed coconuts first appeared in 1910 in their natural hairy state.  It was another few years until a sign painter named Lloyd Lucas would scrape and paint the coconuts, to create the highly-collectable handcrafted coconuts seen today.

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During the bloody years of the first World War, Mardi Gras was cancelled, which began a long struggle for the celebrations.  Certain traditions were lost during this time, the most notable of which was the Riverboat arrival of Rex on the Monday before Mardi Gras, now commonly called Lundi Gras.  Prohibition put a large strain on a holiday designed for drinking and the crowds diminished.  No sooner had Prohibition been repealed than the Great Depression sent the country into a permanent money slump and Carnival fell victim again.  But by 1934, the festivities began to grow once more as the Krewe of Alla brought Mardi Gras parades to the Westbank of New Orleans.  Automobiles became plentiful, and the modern truck floats began to appear, beginning with the Elks Krewe of Orleanians in 1935.  The Krewe of Hermes started parading in 1937, followed in 1939 by the Krewe of Bablylonians.  World War II shut Mardi Gras down again in 1941, remaining dormant until 1946 where it once again exploded and flourished.

THE FIFTIES AND THE ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL

From 1946 on, Mardi Gras grew at an exponential pace, entering a new plateau that would continue until the early 1960's.  New krewes were being formed across the greater metropolitan areas, some for parading, others for social, civic, or benevolent purposes.  In 1956, legitimate royalty again visited New Orleans in the form of the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor.  The royals created an international sensation when they bowed to Rex and Comus at the ball that year, marking the first time in the modern era (or perhaps of any era) when members of the Royal family paid homage to the conjured royalty of Carnival.  Truly an historic event.  The Korean War put out the flambeau in 1951, but members of several krewes banded together to form the one-Gras-only Krewe of Patria.
Also during the 1950's, the old-style mule-drawn floats gave way to tractor-pulled ones, part of the nationwide push for progress and mechanization.  The Krewe of Zeus began parading in 1956, bringing the celebrations to the rural streets of Metairie.
Next up, the Sixties bring new faces, old problems, and a long lethargic period when Mardi Gras lost its shine.