The 'Mardi Gras of the North' Toledo's King Wamba Carnival
Inspired by the Mardi Gras traditions of New Orleans, Mobile and elsewhere, Toledo pulled out all the stops for its King Wamba Carnival, an August 1909 wingding touted as "the Mardi Gras of the North." King Wamba and Queen Sancha arrived by royal barge on the Maumee River to preside over six days of parades, parties and masked revelry unequaled in Toledo before or since.