Meet the cousins making over Mardi Gras for a new generation of Long Beach revelers
One of the most prominent Mardi Gras celebrations on the Coast is at Long Beach and for this year’s king and queen it’s about so much more than ball costumes and a parade — it’s their legacy.
Cousins Jenny Levens and Michael Levens are just 37 and possibly the youngest king and queen in the 60-year history of Carnival Association of Long Beach.
They were born just six months apart, went to school together, had the same friends and the same idea for carrying on their family tradition.
Together they applied to become king and queen, not the first cousins to do so, but the first cousins with the same last name.
Friday is the coronation and ball for “Team Levens” and Saturday is the annual Mardi Gras Night Parade starting at 6 p.m.
“We are excited to serve as King Scott and Queen Rosalie LXII,” she said. It’s a tradition in their family every decade.
Their reign comes on the 40th anniversary of their aunt, Queen Rosalie Bernadette Levens Tolson (1983), 30th anniversary of King Scott Earl Levens, Michael’s father, (1993), 20th anniversary of their grandmother Queen Rosalie Mary Levens (2003) and the 10th anniversary of their aunt Queen Rosalie Margaret Levens (2013).
Life of the party
While this new generation of “Team Levens” continues the traditions of their family and their city, they are putting new life into the party.
Tickets to the ball sold out weeks ago and a post on the Carnival Association’s Facebook site said, ”We have never had this happen before.”
Mardi Gras in Long Beach is a campaign to raise money for good causes, primarily for St. Vincent de Paul School.
The campaign began in August with a Mardi Gras kickoff party that drew 200 people rather than the usual 50, Levens said.
They built on that success with a series of events and promotions — a draw down and silent auction, a poker run, poker night, fall fest a tea with Santa and a school dance.
They hosted the town’s second annual Jeep-A-Gras that brought young families and fans of Jeeps out to Long Beach for one of the first Mardi Gras parades of the season.
From the events and the sale of Mardi Gras T-shirts and merchandise, Team Levens raised a record $130,000, which came to $97,000 after expenses.
Family and friends plan
“It is a huge time commitment,” said Jenny Levens. “I wondered how I would balance it,” she said, with her family and work that already keep her busy.
She and Michael selected the members of their court from those who had ties to Mardi Gras and would bring energy to the mission.
“They really have been a dream team to work with,” she said, helping with all the events and selling advertisements and tickets.
Their kids will be the pages, keeping it in the family. Jenny’s daughter, Anniston Brown, Michael’s children, Reid and Ella Kate Levens, along with Edith, Eric and Megan Williams are the pages.
Jenny said she is most proud of bringing in the younger generation while keeping the older generations involved.
She recently spoke about the changes with her grandmother, Mary Levens, and said, “She’s proud to see it carry on.”
On Friday at St. Vincent DePaul Catholic School, Jenny Levens will dress the part of queen in the traditional ball gown with gold and Michael Levens in the kingly outfit with long jacket, knickers and boots.
Their court dress will follow the Egyptian theme to add to the color and pageantry of this makeover of Mardi Gras in Long Beach.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 8:00 AM.
