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January 31, 2025It’s the diamond anniversary for the Krewe of Terreanians and this 75th year is more special for some than others. King Terre LXXV is Terreanians legacy Charles Kornegay. Born and raised in Houma, Louisiana, Mardi Gras has been significant to Charles his whole life. His earliest memories of the occasion include being a page for King Terre 37 in 1987 with his best friend at the time, Jason. The sales manager at Trapp Chevrolet for nearly ten years, Charles comes from a long line of Terreanians.
His grandfather, Merkle Kornegay Sr., was one of the founding fathers of the club. He started out as vice president and then served as president for around four years but was never king. Charles’ father, Merkle Kornegay Jr., also known as Skipper, was president for ten years and was King Terre 50. His brothers have also been a part of the Krewe of Terreanians as pages and dukes. But even beyond the men, many other members of Charles’ family participated in a number of Mardi Gras events over the years. His sister served as Queen Terre 42 after having been a page, as well as his niece who was Queen Terre 61. For the Kornegays, Mardi Gras has always been a big family affair.
“We always say that Kornegays, we don’t hunt or fish, we Mardi Gras. That’s our passion. When you’re born into something, just like my dad was, like I was, it’s just one of those things that hopefully I can pass down to my son. He’s been a page, but when he turns 21 hopefully he’ll join,” Charles proudly shared.
Being a part of Terreanians has granted Charles—and many other members— a strong sense of camaraderie and purpose within the community. He has had the opportunity to serve in various positions within the club from float captain to vice president. Charles was president of the board for five years, ball captain for five years, and has served on different committees such as their fishing rodeo committee. And it is events such as the fishing rodeo that make the Krewe of Terreanians more than just a Mardi Gras krewe, but also a staple of the community year-round. The money the club raises from these events go to various charities within the community. They host a family day as well and because they are ultimately a non-profit organization, the Terreanians tend to work with other philanthropic organizations in the area such as Junior Auxiliary and CASA.
When Charles first joined the club, he was in it for a good time. Inviting around 15 or 16 of his friends to join him in riding, they built a float from the ground up and it is still their float today. It wasn’t until he was around 27 years old that the influence his dad imparted on him sunk in and he got more involved, beginning as a float captain and then transitioning to the board, to his time serving as president, and so forth. Although his father was King Terre 50, Charles did not originally expect to be King Terre 75, but after his older brother passed away, he knew someone had to keep the tradition going.
“I was putting my name in the hat when 75 came around so luckily no one else put their name in the hat,” Charles shared. “It was a respectful thing, I guess, for my family and me.”
As of now, Charles remains an active board member, after taking a break from his position as ball captain after five years. Because it’s a busy, year-round position, he wanted to enjoy having a year off in order to avoid burnout and go into his year as King Terre 75 feeling refreshed and appreciative. Although, he did enjoy his time as ball captain because of the ways he was able to watch the court commune and begin lasting relationships as well as his hands-on involvement in the community fun.
While there may have been moments when Charles thought he was close to burnout, he’s spent more of his life in this club than out of it, and sees himself being a part of Terreanians until the end so long as he finds that he is still being helpful. A huge connection Charles has to the club relates to the connection he has with his father who passed away nearly six years ago.
“When I’m here, I feel like I’m still connected to him, y’know? I’ll never lose that. Up until the day he died, he was actually a board member, and was still very involved with the club,” Charles said. Riding in the parade just three weeks after his father passed away was the most challenging year for him, and he credits one of his best friends, Jay Schnexnayder, the parade captain, for getting him through that time. “My dad would’ve told me to ‘Toughen up, buttercup and figure it out,’ but I had a lot of support. My wife has been a great support. You have to have a wife that’s understanding to be involved in this club. She’s awesome and without her, it’d be tough.”
For the 75th anniversary, the king’s float has been completely redone and while Terreanians’ dukes usually ride on convertibles in the parade, this year they are going all out and reviving the chariots for the dukes. Charles is looking forward to his 23rd ride this year and finds that he gets the most enjoyment out of seeing the crowd’s excitement.
“You can throw them [kids] something as simple as one of those oversized, fake toothbrushes and they’re all excited, or a football, or a pretty bead, it’s the joy you get out of that. That’s consistent every year. It’s like you’re a celebrity for a day even though you’re really not,” Charles shared.
As of this year, the president and vice president of the club are Chris Smart and John Poiencot. The ball captain and parade captain are Jared Toups and Scott Hebert. The Queen Terre 75 to Charles’ King is Miss Ryan Elizabeth Bordelon. But none of this present day legacy would have been possible without an informal gathering of prominent Houma businessmen back in 1950.
In the Mayfair Club on Main Street in Houma, the meetings began with the idea to start a new carnival club and parade in town at night. Although many might credit the first night parade to the Krewe of Aphrodite, the Krewe of Terreanians actually staged the first night parade in Terrebonne Parish. These parades included flambeaux—a number of men who carried wooden torches that evolved into oil-burning lanterns mounted on metal trays and long poles—which were necessary for revelers to see the parades at night. The floats were also drawn by mules.
For about ten years, the Terreanians paraded at night, but it was only that first year when they rode the night before Mardi Gras. Afterwards, from 1952 to 1960, the Terreanians rode on the Saturday night before Mardi Gras, and in 1961, their parade was changed into a day parade on the Sunday before Mardi Gras. There was only one year since its conception and the 2021 Covid ban on Mardi Gras that the krewe did not ride and it also happened to be the first year with the hottest new throw: doubloons. The parade was rained out in 1967, and because there was no rescheduling, the parade was canceled.
An important symbol for Terreanians is the magnolia blossom and that is due to the challenges the club encountered when attempting to establish float building in Terrebonne Parish. They needed a den to house their floats and acquired the land from Mrs. C. Grenes Cole [Hallette Barrow Cole], a Terrebonne Parish native, who added ten extra feet of land onto the bargain price in order to stop the grand magnolia tree on the property from getting cut down. With the tree still standing today, the club adopted the magnolia as their royal emblem and a magnolia blossom has been incorporated into the king’s scepter.
Between the years of 1951 and 2000, the Krewe of Terreanians also moved the locations of their tableau and ball from the old American Legion home to the Houma municipal auditorium to the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. Their corporate name was changed from Greater Houma Carnival Club, Inc. to Terre Carnival Club, Inc. in 1966. Their dukes transitioned from riding convertibles in the parades to being pulled in chariots by Volkswagen Beetles and then back to convertibles.
King Terre 66, Gary Chatagnier, has vivid memories of his own from his years spent riding with the Krewe of Terreanians. “We used to start off on the East Side, at the old A & P shopping center, and the parade would go up Grand Calliou, take a left on Main Street, and you would cross the East Main Street bridge, and when you crossed that bridge, your heart would start beating fast because you could see that mass of humanity down Main Street,” Gary shared.
Gary, as well as King Terre 39, Randy L. Bethancourt, can still easily reminisce on collecting glass beads and peanut butter kisses, old throws from the parades over the years. And mostly every member can recall a time when the king’s crown and costumes were rented and not bought, when the colors were thematic and not necessarily always green, purple, and gold as they tend to be these days. Every little detail that has changed and the evolution of the krewe that can be seen through every photo speaks to a community built and a staple of Louisiana culture that has continued to thrive for 75 years, connecting families to one another, and these men to their homes and to their lineage.