THOUSAND OAKS : King and Queen for Mardi Gras Keep the Spirit

There were no blood lines involved, no talent contests, no campaign flyers.

Betty Bennett and Lewis Drucker were at a loss to explain just how they were picked as king and queen of the Mardi Gras parade at a Thousand Oaks retirement home Tuesday.

“I guess they just thought we looked regal,” Bennett said, as she adjusted her tiara. “We’re trying to keep with the spirit of the day.”

Bennett and Drucker were chauffeured along the quarter-mile parade route where more than 200 seniors gathered to celebrate the annual festival at the Castle Hill Retirement Village.

Some participants pulled papier-mache floats built on plywood running boards while others tossed colorful beads and trinkets to the crowd. And music from a Cajun band permeated the quiet gated village where 180 residents live.

Residents said the parade is one of the highlights of their year--a welcome spark of color and joy.

“We look forward to this for months,” said 83-year-old Molly Lewis. “There are other parties here, but this one is special.”

The residents and the nursing staff at the group home spend the early part of the season working on crafts, building the floats and cooking the food for the Fat Tuesday celebration.

And at the end of the day, Bennett and Drucker lead the residents to the Mardi Gras ball, a pageant of costumes and dancing.