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ALMONDS ACTIVATED RE: 2525 ST. CHARLES AVE., NEW ORLEANS

Been digging this house fire a little, followed lead from CDAN and Anons here, finding this house is important to one of the biggest/oldest Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. This parade has been going on since 1872, has a "secret" mask master of ceremony (and "ceo" of the club that organizes the parade) called "Sir Bathurst", Russian royalty attended year one, (Used to be a "Whites Only" parade), British royalty BOW to the REX (the King) of the Parade at the ball, has a weird "theme song" that mentions sheep heads growing in trees and all of us turning to cats and dogs, have their own flag with colors purple-gold-green, and there is a formal ball at the end of parade (haven't been digging that yet, not sure what's there)…

BUT the main thing that I find strange at the moment is HOW IMPORTANT THIS HOUSE IS IN THE PARADE. It's featured, there may be other houses featured also, but this on is key.

Any N.O. Anons around to help with background on the Rex Parade? Local info?

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HOUSE FIRE AND IMPORTANCE TO THE REX PARADE

https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_7925423e-352a-11e9-b72b-db35e6041adc.html

AFTER DEVASTATING FIRE AT HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS HOME, A LOOK AT MANSION'S PLACE IN MARDI GRAS LORE

The Montgomery-Grace House, also known as the Morris-Downman House, at 2525 St. Charles Ave. is a mansion closely associated with the Rex Organization [THEY THROW A BIG MARDI GRAS PARADE EACH YEAR SINCE 1872] and has been home to several notable New Orleans families, including many past Kings of Carnival…

…By 1906, the Queen Anne-style mansion was owned by Charles H. Downman, who would reign as Rex the following year. At the time, he was the fourth resident to take up the scepter as King of Carnival.

Six generations of his family continued to live in the historic house for the next 100 years…

…As of 2011, it remained in the hands of the Downman-Kock family, occupied by family members Anne Montgomery, and Bill and Anne Montgomery Grace, the PRC said. Bill Grace reigned as Rex in 2002… [ANONS DUG ON BILL GRACE AND FOUND MK-ULTRA INFO]

…The home started a Mardi Gras tradition that dates back to 1907, when the original Downman owner was king [REX]: that year, members of the Rex Parade crossed St. Charles from the river side to the lake side of the street in order to stop and toast at the house, AND THE PARADE HAS DONE SO EVERY YEAR SINCE. [OTHER ARTICLE SAYS THEY TOAST "TO" THE HOUSE…WHY?]

"What I hate to think about is the collectibles [EVIDENCE] in that house probably being destroyed," Laborde said.

TOAST "TO" THIS HOUSE

https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/historic-downman-home-built-more-than-150-years-ago-steeped-in-carnival-tradition/289-ffdfec71-6f75-48ee-a817-16f599448665

The home is now known as the Downman mansion… It is famous during Mardi Gras as a toasting stop during the Rex parade… Charles H. Downman bought the home in 1906 and was Rex in 1907… Lawrence Beron and Howard Hunter used to play in the home as kids.

"We'd go over here and have a great time, especially on Mardi Gras," Beron said. "Rex would stop here and toast. REX DIVERTS FROM THE RIVERSIDE OF ST. CHARLES OVER TO THE LAKESIDE TO MAKE A TOAST TO THIS HOUSE."

(cont…)

>>5650478

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SIR BATHURST - CAPTAIN OF REX

http://www.myneworleans.com/New-Orleans-Magazine/February-2011/THE-REX-CAPTAiN/

The identity of this masked man? "Sir Bathurst" – the fancy, formal name for the captain of Rex. His real name is never revealed. As the captain, he ensures this parade and the Rex organization, also known as "The School of Design", continues its tradition of entertaining Mardi Gras crowds since 1872.

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GENERAL REX PARADE SHIT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_parade

"Traditionally, the secretive membership was restricted to New Orleans residents of European ancestry for most of its history, including the first Rex, Louis Solomon a Jewish businessman."

"However, in 1991 the New Orleans city council passed an ordinance that required social organizations, including Mardi Gras Krewes, to certify publicly that they did not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation, in order to obtain parade permits and other public licensure. In effect, the ordinance required these, and other, PRIVATE SOCIAL GROUPS TO ABANDON THEIR TRADITIONAL CODE OF SECRECY AND IDENTIFY THEIR MEMBERS FOR THE CITY'S HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION. The Comus organization (along with Momus and Proteus, other 19th century Krewes) withdrew from parading rather than identify its membership. REX DECIDED TO COMPLY WITH THE NEW ORDINANCE, RATHER THAN DISAPPEAR FROM THE MAIN EVENT OF MARDI GRAS DAY. Two federal courts later declared that the ordinance was an unconstitutional infringement on First Amendment rights of free association, and an unwarranted intrusion on the privacy of the groups subject to the ordinance."

"One member of the Rex Organization is each year chosen to be the monarch of the organization; he is often incorrectly referred to by the (technically redundant) phrase "King Rex". The correct title is simply "Rex". The identity of Rex is made public on Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi Gras. Rex is always a prominent person in the city, one who is usually involved in several philanthropic and civic causes. Being chosen Rex is one of the highest civic honors a person can receive in New Orleans.[citation needed] The Mayor of New Orleans traditionally hands over a symbolic Key to the City of New Orleans to Rex for Mardi Gras Day.

A consort is also chosen each year for Rex and she is titled the "Queen of Carnival". The queen is always a debutante of the current season. Like Rex, the queen is chosen in the spring of the previous year, and must keep her identity secret until Lundi Gras."

"In the 1950s, this ball made headlines when the Duke and Duchess of Windsor bowed down to Rex and the Queen of Carnival."

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IF EVER I CEASE TO LOVE

Theme song of the Rex Parade -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B96K8qd4QR4

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REX PARADE WEBSITES

https://www.rexorganization.com/Parade

THIS YEARS KING (REX) AND QUEEN

https://www.rexorganization.com/News/2019/rex-announces-2019-carnival-royalty

>>5650593

Well done