Robert Cheyenne McCormick and his two pages, grandchildren Emily Zwick and Rosemary McCormick, along with his wife, Darnell McCormick, and grandchildren Peyton Luke Hebert and Katelynn Marie Hebert. The couple were the 2015 king and queen of Le Belle Femme. The theme that year was “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
Its members’ ages span five decades, with several mother-daughter and sister duos among its ranks.
And as an all-female Mardi Gras krewe, says president Darnell McCormick, Le Belle Femme is something special.
“It is more of a sisterhood (that) celebrates the accomplishments of each member,” McCormick says. “With Le Belle Femme, we celebrate all women and allow all women to participate.”
Five founding members created the krewe in 2012, starting with nothing but determined to defy the odds and plan a carnival ball in less than a year.
Ever since, “each ball is meaningful, organized, innovative, creative and carries an emphasis on special details,” according to a written history of the krewe. “The previous three balls have sold out in just one day.” Past attendees have called the annual soirees “extraordinary” and “elegant.”
The most recent, held Feb. 2, was themed “Le Belle Femme Celebrates the Coast.” The krewe has a membership of 23 (capped at 25), while more than 200 people perform each year in groups of 10 for the ball, according to McCormick.
Carnival revelry aside, the president says the group has grown and changed dramatically since its inception — adopting bylaws, timelines and other measures that help the group run more efficiently. Plus, the krewe has made giving back part of its mission. According to the president, the group helps needy families and contributes to various causes annually.
“My favorite thing about our krewe is that we have evolved into more than just a Mardi Gras krewe with all of our philanthropic events throughout the year,” McCormick says, “(which) allows us to make donations to local charitable organizations and our annual scholarship awards to local high school students.”