While most college kids were wearing beads at Mardi Gras, Davidson Junior Polly Ukrop was donning a crown, specter, and an elegant white gown paired with a bedazzled set of wings. Amongst all those photos with #SprangggBraaaake #BourbonStreetNOLA #Beaaaads #FLAWLESSSb2k14 filling your Instagram news feed, photos of Polly in a regal getup at what appeared to be a debutante ball on steroids commanded everyone’s attention and roused the question, “Is Polly actually the Queen of Mardi Gras?”
For this week’s Campus Celebrity Royal, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Queen herself to learn more about Polly’s experience as this year’s Queen of Mardi Gras. However, after talking with Polly, I learned that there’s a lot more than meets the eye with being Queen for a day. We started off the basics of the event – in the words of King Curtis, “Who made you the Queen and us the sorry people?” Polly recalls how last January, after spending the fall semester studying in Cape Town, South Africa, she was settling back into life at Davidson when she got a call from her parents saying they had some news. It was over FaceTime that Polly learned that in the 2014 celebration of Mardi Gras, Polly would represent her family as the Queen of Comus.
So what does any of this even mean? The rich history and the traditions associated with Mardi Gras run much deeper than the extravagant parades and the throwing of beads normally associated as the main traditions of Mardi Gras. The Ukrop family has had a long history of involvement with Comus Crew, one of the two main organizations (the other being the Rex Crew) that are responsible for putting on the various parades and celebrations that make up the quintessential Mardi Gras festivities. Polly’s appointment as the Queen selected to represent the Comus Crew at this year’s ball was not only an honor to her family, but also a recognition of the Ukrop family’s’ longstanding contributions and ties to the organization of Mardi Gras.
After being informed of her Queen status at the following year’s event, Polly had to then keep her regal status a secret from everyone for an entire year before she was able to unveil the news to her friends. What her friends thought would your typical Spring Break trip to Mardi Gras (as typical as they can really be), they would also receive the opportunity to get dressed up and hail their friend as the Queen of Mardi Gras.
Polly describes the whole experience of the ball as simply “surreal”. Prior to the ball, Polly’s only training consisted of four private training lessons with a woman who has been working with Comus and Rex Queens for years, teaching them the skills needed to be “queenly,” such as how to handle a scepter, proper etiquette, how to curtsey, as well as learning the ‘script’ outlining the procession of events the night of the ball. Polly describes the ball itself as more of a theatrical production or presentation as opposed to the tradition of a Debutante ball, and she spent the day of the ball participating in the parade processions before entering hair and makeup to prepare for her presentation to the court. Dancing and “the Queen’s Supper” proceeded the presentation and the greeting of the Courts of Comus and Rex.
So what did Polly’s boyfriend Kacy think of watching his girlfriend become the Queen of Mardi Gras right before his eyes? Polly recalls how when she told Kacy about her participation in the Mardi Gras event, she had to say that “it was no big deal, don’t worry about coming,” only to learn she would be the QUEEN of the whole event. Despite his initial shock at hearing the news, Kacy joined Polly, her family and a group of her Davidson friends at the Ball, although she admits he seemed a bit ‘hesitant” about approaching the Queen while she was performing her regal duties.