Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012
C'est Bon
The president of Kaplan’s Chic-A-La-Pie Krewe says the group plans to formalize rules about Mardi Gras float themes to ensure that floats like the one Dr. Glenn Stewart entered in Lafayette’s Independent Parade last Tuesday don’t roll, according to a story published on the Kaplan Herald’s website. “We have a rule that does not allow vulgarity on floats,” Linda Vincent says. “While that float did not have any vulgarity, it was in poor taste. Our parade is family oriented. His float is a personal attack between two people.” And kudos to The Daily Advertiser for echoing Vincent’s sentiment in a Saturday editorial urging organizers of Lafayette’s family-friendly Mardi Gras to bar floats like Stewart’s in the future.
Pas Bon
How safe is the food at your favorite restaurant, or at the restaurant you’re considering trying for the first time? It’s fairly easy to find out at the Department of Health & Hospital’s Eat Safe website, which posts some details of restaurant inspections at dining establishments statewide. But after much fanfare following its launch last year, traffic at the website has fallen off precipitously, likely due at least in part to DHH’s unwillingness to promote the site — to make restaurant patrons aware of it, in other words. But as The Advertiser detailed in an investigation last year and again in a recent follow-up, DHH has a way-too-cozy relationship with the Louisiana Restaurant Association, a powerful lobby in a state known for its abundant eateries. DHH granted the LRA a seat at multiple planning meetings for Eat Safe and, in the words of DHH Secretary Bruce Greenstein, the LRA has a “collaborative and close relationship” with the agency charged with policing it. Cue the indigestion.
Couillon
When we put an image of Lafayette resident Mark Henderson taken by a speed camera — flipping off said camera, no less — on the cover of our Aug. 3, 2011 issue, Henderson had rung up an almost $13,000 tab in speeding and red-light violations via the city’s SafeLight/SafeSpeed program, the most among a handful of lead-footed scofflaws. That cover story, “A Fine Mess,” detailed how ineffective the city has been at collecting fines issued through the program. The Advertiser reported in a story Sunday that Henderson has now eclipsed the $13,000 mark because, as he admits in the daily’s story, he intentionally runs red lights and speeds through intersections because he’s opposed to the program. No matter what your opinion of SafeLight/SafeSpeed is, we should all agree that in his bid to make a point Henderson has become a menace to public safety. Someone needs to get this jackaloon off our streets asap!
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Members of the Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association board met recently to review the 2012 Mardi Gras season and to begin planning for next year’s celebration. “The board usually meets right after Mardi Gras to evaluate the completed season and to determine how we can improve Mardi Gras for the citizens of Lafayette,” said Paul Beaullieu, board president. “We are very proud of some of our accomplishments this year, including the development of the GPS parade tracker app, the rescheduling of the Children’s Parade, and the continued success of our Festival and City Ball, but we are always looking for ways to improve,” Beaullieu added. Among other planned improvements, the board agreed to review and strengthen the rules regarding parade participation to maintain the fun and family-friendly atmosphere for which Lafayette’s Mardi Gras is well-known.
The Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association was established in 1934 to foster, promote and coordinate the annual Mardi Gras celebration in Lafayette. The Association is not a krewe, but is a board of volunteers who serve as the organizing body for Lafayette’s Mardi Gras celebration. The Association coordinates the parades, secures the floats, obtains the marching bands, buys insurance, and coordinates all of the work of the Public Works, Police and Fire Departments, as well as other governmental agencies which are required to produce the festivities which the local population and visitors enjoy. The Association also produces the “Le Festival de Mardi Gras a’ Lafayette” at Cajun Field, which is the group’s major fundraiser. Funds raised are used to underwrite the costs of the parades, the City Ball, and other Mardi Gras activities.