Feature
December
1
Parades, Festivities Usher In Christmas Season
by Terry Trahan Jr.
Christmas cheer will hit the streets of Houma and Thibodaux this weekend as parades and other holiday-themed festivities usher in the yuletide season.
The Once Upon a Cajun Christmas Parade will roll through downtown Houma Dec. 2, while Christmasfest, which also features a parade Dec. 4, will offer events in downtown Thibodaux throughout the weekend.
On Friday, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government sponsors the Once Upon a Cajun Christmas Parade. The parade begins at 7 p.m. as bands and 20 floats leave Terrebonne High School, make their way down Main Street to Barrow Street, then turn onto School Street before disbanding behind the Courthouse Square. Once Santa and Mrs. Claus finish the route, they count down the seconds until the Christmas tree lights up the square. Carolers also fill the air with traditional tunes as families celebrate the season together.
The inaugural Christmasfest will kick off the season in Thibodaux with a farmer’s market, shopping spotlight and a community parade that culminates in the lighting of the Dansereau House.
The farmer’s market has offered fresh foods and goods weekly since Oct. 1. Each Saturday morning, local farmers and and craftsmen set up booths near Jean Lafitte Park to sell what they harvest or make each week.
When the seed for a Christmas-themed farmer’s market was planted, Cody Blanchard, executive director of Thibodaux Main Street, met with locals about making the event happen as part of a larger celebration like Christmasfest. The idea gained support among community members and will feature the market, local retail venues, a Christmas parade and the lighting of the Dansereau House to ring in the season in Thibodaux.
“It’s to create an attraction to bring people into the bayou region and downtown Thibodaux,” Blanchard said. “They can have a day trip.”
The farmer’s market will be open 7-11 a.m. Dec. 3 to allow shoppers to browse through a selection of homegrown foods like preserves and pies, as well as handmade crafts and toys. The vendors will feature both items for the holidays and traditional items with their own Christmas touch. There will also be music to keep the mood festive, and even Santa will stop by to check a few more items off of his list.
“It showcases local artists and their talents,” Blanchard says.
Retail venues in downtown Thibodaux will also participate in Mistletoe Madness, an event similar to a jingle trail that spotlights local retailers and helps to attract shoppers to the stores to find the right gift for that special someone. Participating stores will offer refreshments, sales and other incentives to get customers in the holiday spirit throughout the weekend.
On Sunday, the Thibodaux Christmas Parade begins its new route at 4 p.m. The Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce sponsors the parade, which leaves the Nicholls State University campus at John L. Guidry Stadium, proceeds north on Audubon Drive, turns onto Menard Street, crosses Canal Boulevard and heads down West Fifth Street before finishing at the Dansereau House. The parade used to disband at City Hall.
Last year, the parade featured about 30 units, according to Kathy Benoit, president and CEO of the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce. Benoit said the parade also features the Thibodaux High School marching band, dance teams, fire trucks and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus. Anyone is invited to participate.
“It’s all about the excitement of the season,” Benoit said. “It’s all about the children.”
To round out Christmasfest, the Dansereau House will flip the switch on its Christmas lights display as the parade wraps up at the historic downtown landmark. The house, decorated with thousands of white lights, welcomed about 150 people to the lighting of the house last year. Paul Worrell, innkeeper of the house, expects that number to rise and has been working for the past month to get the site ready for the event.
In addition to the house’s traditional display, Worrell has synchronized the lights with Christmas carols this year. He has also been busy decorating a 20-foot tree in the front yard with 6,200 multicolored lights. To complete the festive mood, snow will fall around the house that night, and Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for parents to capture a snapshot of what is becoming a Christmas tradition in Thibodaux.
“When you can help to put a bigger smile on people’s faces, it makes the work worth it,” Worrell said.
