Joe Sanford Jr. and Natalie Bourgeois reigned as King and Queen Hephaestus LXIV at the krewe's annual Mardi Gras ball on Saturday at the Morgan City Auditorium.
The queen is the daughter of Gerard and Ruth Bourgeois.
The ball theme was "The Spectrum of Art and Emotion." Kenneth Conrad, the 2024 captain of the krewe, depicted the Great Artist.
The dukes and maids, representing various colors and works of art, were purple and “The Lilac Rises,” Ryan Landry and Madison Landry, daughter of Ryan and Stacey Landry; red and "The Dessert-Harmony in Red," Steven Clements and Madison Porth, daughter of Charles Porth and Michelle LeBlanc; orange and "Willows at Sunset," Kawaki Kai and Mary Grace Garber, daughter of Scot Garber and Deborah Garber; gold and "The Kiss," Scott Berry and Peyton Skiles, daughter of Patrick and Emily Skiles; blue and "Starry Night," Terry Aucoin and Grace Marcel, daughter of Robert and Mary Marcel; green and "After the Ball," Dr. Bill Cefalu and Emily Wise, daughter of Michael and Jennifer Wise.
Pages to the king were Archer Bergeron, son of Paul and Emily Bergeron; and River Leonard, son of Devin and Elizabeth Leonard.
Pages to the queen were Gianna Morice, daughter of Dr. Trey Morice and Jennifer Morice; and Hazel Daigle, daughter of Dane Daigle and Sissy Daigle.
Amelie Cefalu, daughter of Drs. Bill and Abby Cefalu; and Sawyer Hebert, daughter of Carl and Dru Hebert, were gift bearers.
Court heralds were Joseph Drewe Mallinckrodt II, son of Joseph and Rachael Mallinckrodt; Guy Written, son of Kody and Lauren Written; and Raymond “Tre” Wade III, son of Raymond “Peetey” II and Heather Wade.
Knights of Hephaestus were Dwayne Aucoin, Gary Hover, John B. Hover and Garret LeBlanc.
A royal breakfast was served to guests after the ball.
Hephaestus is the city's oldest Mardi Gras krewe.