New royalty for the 31st annual Christmas Parade in New Iberia was recognized Monday night by the Downtown Business Association at Lagniappe Too.

Local teacher and Iberia Performing Arts League director Donald “Doc” Voorhies has been chosen as King Christmas. He said it was a “real honor.”

“I figure I’m symbolic of a lot of people,” Voorhies said.

11/17//08 Cathy Indest, from left, Doc Voorhies and Mayor Hilda Curry get ready for the Downtown Business Association's annual Christmas Parade. Lee Ball/The Daily Iberian Advertisement

New Iberia Mayor Hilda Curry is Queen Christmas, an honor she said she was “excited” to have.

Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal is the grand marshal. Attorney Steve Elledge, who was attending the event for Ackal, his client, said Ackal was “full of Christmas joy” and excited about directing the parade. Iberia Cultural Resources Association president Cathy Indest is the honoree.

“I’m honored, but what I do for the community isn’t because I want to be honored, just because I feel so strongly” about it, Indest said.

Paul Schwing, Downtown Business Association president, said the association gets names from different merchants and then picks those they believe will be best.

Francine Garzotto, who was on the committee to help pick the royalty, said each person is chosen based on their contribution to downtown.

As president, Schwing called them to let them know and “didn’t have any refusal at all.”

Ackal has done “everything he can to help get our downtown businesses crime free,” said Garzotto.

Indest, with the recent dedication of plaques at nine historical downtown buildings, is continuing her mother Jackie Voorhies’ work and making a “good contribution to the community,” Curry “has always been supportive of downtown merchants” and Voorhies is “a highly educated and a kind human being.”

The parade will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 1 and will travel from Prairie Avenue to Railroad Avenue, after a lighting ceremony on the steps of City Hall at 5:30 p.m.