Caroline Green looks on her reign with fondness

As the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival Labor Day weekend event nears, the 86th Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival Queen Caroline Green will crown her successor on Saturday.
The coronation pageant will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. Tickets, available at the door while seating lasts, are $8 for adults and $6 for children.
Also bidding farewell will be the 86th Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival King William “Billy” Hidalgo Jr.
Green, 20, is a graduate of Central Catholic High School and attends Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge pursuing a degree in nursing.
At LSU, she is a sisterhood chair and historian for Sigma Alpha and is an LSU Residential Life tour guide and desk assistant.
While keeping up with her studies, Green kept busy with the duties of promoting the local festival across Louisiana.
The daughter of Greg and Crystal Green of Morgan City, offered this farewell letter:
“Being able to reign as the 86th Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival Queen was a dream come true, because to me, it is so much more than a festival. It is a celebration of the foundation our community was built on, and it highlights industries that brought us all together.
“Having ties to both the seafood and the oil field industries, you could say my love for shrimp and petroleum is quite literally in my blood. This past year I have had the opportunity to travel Louisiana and share my love for this town, this festival, and our heritage. In return, Louisiana gave me the opportunity to learn.
“I learned about the hard-working farmers across our great state and their tireless efforts to get the highest quality produce on our tables. I learned about things that are impacting our unique ecosystem here in South Louisiana and ways to combat this to ensure our industries continue to thrive. And I learned that the best gumbo comes from the Gumbo Capital of the World: Bridge City, Louisiana. But don’t worry! During all this learning, I also had a lot of fun.
“I picked the sweetest strawberries in Ponchatoula, climbed bonfires and slid down levees in Lutcher while they lit the way for Papa Noel, explored Fort Jackson in Plaquemines Parish, got my head in the game at LAFF, and even kissed a frog in Rayne. I also had the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Washington, D.C. and represent the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival at the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians 73rd Washington Mardi Gras Ball. Traveling to our country’s capital to share a slice of my hometown with so many different types of people was something I will cherish forever. However, after traveling to over 30 events, I can honestly say there is no place like Morgan City, Louisiana during Labor Day weekend.
“To the city of Morgan City, you are my people. Without you, this festival would not be as amazing as it is, because it is your history and traditions that we celebrate, and you are the reason that this community is so loved. It has been an honor to represent not only our festival, but each and every one of you in my travels, and I hope I have made you all proud.
“All my love from the tallest oil rig to the deepest shrimp trawl,
Queen 86”
See Friday's edition of the Morgan City Review for a story and photos of the 87th Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival maids vying for the crown.