Feature
February
9
Family Zones Welcome Milder Mardi Gras Crowds
by Terry Trahan Jr.
Throwing floats, marching bands and enough lights and sirens to draw locals out of the woodwork will fill the streets of Houma and Thibodaux this weekend as the area’s first krewes usher in the Mardi Gras season.
But with the spectacle comes a public street party. And while some parade-goers revel in the almost-anything-goes scene, others prefer to just take in the cultural holiday without the added sights and sounds.
For the quieter crowds, the City of Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish School Board and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council for South Louisiana have the solution—family zones.
In Thibodaux, Mayor Tommy Eschete and the LFSB partnered to designate two locations along the parade route as family zones. The first is property that stretches from East Thibodaux Middle School to Thibodaux Elementary School on West Seventh Street. The other location is Chiasson Park, which is at the corner of Jackson and West 10th streets.
“Last year, LFSB was looking for a little help because people along East Seventh Street were getting a little out of control,” said Ryan Perque, Eschete’s administrative assistant.
As fights broke out and excessive alcohol consumption led to more disturbances, local police officials were called in to patrol the scene. In an effort to provide parade-goers with areas along the parade route that can be considered family-friendly and free of these disturbances, the city has prohibited the use of tobacco, alcohol, narcotics, firearms and vulgar music throughout the parades in these zones. While the public is invited to enjoy the parades in these zones, children under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
The two zones were chosen based on their locations, which are on opposite sides of the parade route. Volunteers and police officials will be in the zones to monitor behavior and enforce rules.
“We wanted to provide a place for locals and visitors to be able to enjoy the parades without having to worry about drugs, alcohol and loud music,” Perque said. “We’ll have plenty of light and enforcement of the rules.”
In Houma, for the past 11 years, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council for South Louisiana has provided an alcohol-free zone for parade-goers at the Good Earth Transit depot at the corner of Barataria and Main streets.
Alicia Toups, executive director of ADAC, said the community recognized a need for the zone along the parade route in Terrebonne Parish.
South Louisiana Youth, a peer-to-peer group sponsored by ADAC, decorates the area with banners that declare the location an “alcohol-, weapon- and drug-free zone.” The youth group has also helped to make the zone a permanent one along the parade route.
Toups said ADAC works to keep the downtown zone family-friendly because they recognize some families, visitors, elderly and other citizens with disabilities don’t want to be subjected to alcohol, profanity and excessive noise.
“This is a family atmosphere,” Toups said. “They want to be a part of the festivities, and they deserve to have fun without having to worry.”
Before Sunday parades, the youth group brings games to play with younger children while waiting for the bands and floats to arrive. The tradition has become a way for them to mentor these kids while enjoying a favorite community pastime—one that draws visitors to the area as well.
“We have had people from other states who were leery to be part of Mardi Gras,” Toups said. “A few of them said they wouldn’t have come without the zone.”
