Chatterbox: Meet the king and queen candidates for Carnegie Carnival

In 2012, the Carnegie Visual Arts Center created Carnegie Carnival, a Mardi Gras-style celebration to promote the arts and raise funds for the center. This year the fun has already begun and will culminate Feb. 18 with a half marathon, children’s activities and games, children’s parade, canine parade and Carnegie Carnival parade.

On Jan. 6, King John Allison and Queen Ginger Vandiver took their respective thrones for the Twelfth Night Celebration signifying the beginning of the season. Crews participated in the “Petition,” performing for the king and queen and bearing gifts for their rightful place in the parade. The Magnolia Room was filled to capacity.

This week I had the opportunity to talk to the candidates for the next king and queen.

Kiya McRae hails from New York and has lived in the area for about 10 years. She is excited to partner with the Carnegie. She has always loved and respected the way the Carnegie pushes community outreach and inclusion. As someone who is super social and loves to make new friends, this was the perfect opportunity for her to make an impact in the community. She has five big events planned to raise funds for the Carnegie. On Jan. 29, she will host a Bag Lady Brunch at Josie’s at 11 a.m. On Feb. 4 at 7 p.m., she will hold the Real Queens of the Carnival at the Princess Theatre. On Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at AMF River City Lanes she will hold a Royal Bowling Tournament. On Feb. 11 at 6 p.m., the Royal Season Fashion Show will be held at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center. On Feb. 13 at 7 p.m., she will host a Paint Me Royal event.

Kadie Long chose to run for Carnegie Queen this year because the Carnival season has always been her favorite time of the year. She has long admired those who have run and their commitment to the cause. With only a week into the season, she said she and the other two candidates have formed a unique bond. She said no matter the outcome, it is a great feeling to have gained the support of such strong women. Kadie, who holds a culinary arts degree from the University of North Alabama, held a Dinner en Blanc on Jan. 13. The evening consisted of a three-course dinner with wine pairings. With her attendees dressed in black for the occasion, she served the meal on a table decorated in all black with hints of gold. Guests for the event were Rachel Howard, Carrington Kelly, Mark Moody, Joey Crews, Brittney Turner, Jennifer Long, Taylor Hill, Candice Blackwood, Taylor Burnett, Anita Cross, Laura Dodd and Paul and Elizabeth Martin. They were able to preview Kadie's silent auction items and took home a piece of artwork from a local artist. On Jan. 30, you can join Kadie for Buds and Bingo at Moe’s in downtown Decatur. On Feb. 9 she will hold a spirit night at The Brick and has plans for a Bourbon and Cigars and a Crawfish Draw Down.

Melissa Parker is a teacher. She lives her life giving back to a community that means everything to her. She has been part of the Carnegie and a member of Bacchus by the River for several years. Her first event was held last week at Cross-Eyed Owl. Those on hand included Rona Blevins, Bob Eaton, John Allison, Natalie and Matt McDaniel, Braxton Higdon, Robin and Michael Higdon, Michele Preiswerk, Anne and Jon Palmer, Jennifer Brown, Carlos Southward, Suzanne and Bryan Johnson, Cathy and Pat Nalan, Mary Kate Nalan, Steven Devan, Charlene McLaughlin, Bill Graves, Donna Leonard, Ronnie Moore, Theresa and Jeff Poludniak, Beth and Emily Noblit, Kim and Greg Fasking, Kristina Beard, Laurie Fraser, Mary and Steve Reed, Nancy Case and Charles Papenburg. El Palomino food truck was on site and so was Ginger Vandiver as emcee for Twisted Trivia. The Noblit/Fasking team took home first and Mary Kate Nalan took second. In addition, Melissa's fundraising includes the sales of decorated Mardi Gras trees to adorn homes. She will deliver and set them up for a $40 donation to the Carnegie. On Feb. 4, she and Charles Papenburg will host a Steak Cookoff at Ingalls Harbor with ancillary categories for cocktail, muffuletta and a Kids Q competition. For more information, go to steakcookoffs.com. On Feb. 10 she will have a Speak Easy event, and on Feb. 11 she will hold a mask auction at the Brick.

Philip Wright is a realtor and a foster parent. He loves downtown Decatur and especially when Carnegie works together with CASA. He is already hard at work having hosted a well-attended spirit night at the RailYard and an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. His next big event is the Lip Sync Battle hosted at the Brick on Saturday at 7 p.m. with Beau Goss as emcee. He will also be bringing back the Gospel Brunch on Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. at the Carnegie and has plans for a Decatur Crime Tour on Feb. 9 at Simp McGhee’s, a wine tasting event and a dinner at an exotic location.

Juan Penuelas knows firsthand about commitment and community. As a police officer, he values organizations that give something back to our community. Last week, he hosted spirit nights at Alfonso’s Pizza and Buffalo Wild Wings as well as a Trivia Night at Cross Eyed Owl. He will be presenting Drag Queen Bingo with the date and time to be set soon and Super Bowl Spirit Night at BB Perrins on Feb. 12 at 5 p.m.

Charles Papenburg was born and raised in Decatur and is a firm believer in giving back to the community. As a child, he attended Mardi Gras celebrations in Fairhope and loved looking at the pictures of the king, queen and court. He would tell his mother that someday he wanted to be king. He will host a Sip and Paint with Rickie Higgins on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Carnegie. He will hold a “Yellowstone”-themed party at the Hard Dock on Feb. 9. His candidacy is a family affair with his mother, Vanessa Sivley, taking orders for carrot souffles for $25 and his sister, Grace, making charcuterie boards for the Super Bowl. On Feb. 2, his mom will host an art show with local artists at 5:30 p.m. at her home. Interested artists can call 256-654-8226.

For a listing of all candidates' events, visit carnegiecarnival.org.

Souper Women

The Pilot Club of Decatur met in January and prepared baskets of cleaning supplies for elderly clients of NARCOG. They kicked off the new year with a “Souper” meeting, feasting on soups, chili and desserts. The club will be sending a $700 scholarship to Camp ASCCA for a summer camper and will be sponsoring two campers for the Alabama District Traumatic Brain Injury Camp in April. They received a matching grant of $2,000 for a special project at Walter Jackson Elementary School and a Pick Me Up Grant of $200 from Pilot International to be used at their February meeting. Plans were put into place for a Swamp John’s event on March 9 to benefit Project Lifesaver for the Decatur Police Department and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. The event will be held at the Elk’s Club parking lot on Centron Drive.

Plans were started for the annual golf tournament to be held on May 20. The group finished the night with line dancing instruction from Shelia Childers and had tons of fun in the process. For more information, contact decaturpilot71@gmail.com.