Eunice Mardi Gras keeps tradition alive

The Eunice Mardi Gras tradition stayed alive with thousands of people filling the city’s downtown participating in parades, parade-watching, dancing, shopping and eating.
Interim Mayor Scott Fontenot said it was the biggest crowd he had seen in the downtown.
“Steve Riley told me the same thing,” Fontenot said. “He has been playing in Eunice for I don’t know how many years. He said that was the biggest crowd he’s ever played for downtown.”
The day offered a brilliant blue sky, but windy with a high in the 50s for the crowd estimated at 5,000 people.
The Mardi Gras party began at 6 a.m. when the Eunice Mardi Gras Association opened up registration for its run from the Northwest Community Center, through the countryside and back to Eunice for a 3 p.m. parade of horse, floats and walkers.
“We had about 750 people to 800 on trailers,” Pat Frey, courir captain, said. “That’s a fair estimate. I haven’t really gotten to the numbers, but that’s what I’m gathering we had.”
There were about 150 horses and 45 trailers in the courir, he said.
There were no injuries and only a few scuffles, Frey said.
The number people on horseback has gone down in recent years, he said.
Frey said the association struggles with keeping the riders in traditional costumes.
Frey emphasized the courir is not a trail ride. “They don’t get the picture,” he said of riders show up without the traditional Mardi Gras garb. “It is not a trail ride, not at all.”
The Eunice Mardi Gras tradition dates back to the late 1800s, he said.
Frey said he dedicated the run to George Coleman. “He’s always been a good runner,” but did not participate this year for health reasons, Frey said.
Those who paid $30 to register for the run eventually consumed 425 pounds of boudin at noon and a gumbo at the end of the day that included 350 pounds of chicken and 175 pounds of sausage, he said.
Barry Soileau, an association member, pointed out the young people participating as a reason the Eunice Mardi Gras tradition is likely to continue.
“It is just tradition and the Eunice Mardi Gras is well run. We have a good Mardi Gras. It is a safe Mardi Gras. It is good traditional Mardi Gras,” he said.
Lazo Pavich, 29, reinforced Soileau’s comments.
“I like being out there running around and having fun with everybody and just getting into a bunch of shenanigans, the revelry, the jokes. I like fooling with the crowd,” Pavich said.
Pavich said it was his 12th year running the Mardi Gras.
Les “Pe-Te” Johnson, a Eunice native who has a Cajun music radio show in Houston, said after living in Houston 61 years, Eunice remains his home.
“I don’t miss Mardi Gras. That’s one thing you don’t miss around here,” he said.
Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot said the Mardi Gras celebration that ran from Friday to Tuesday included four arrests for minor crimes releated to the holiday.
“That’s really all we had,” he said. “Other than that everything went smooth.”
This was the first year in many years that a single stage was in place downtown and that may continue, said the mayor.
A committee will be formed to plan the next Mardi Gras, but Mayor Fontenot expects the single stage at Walnut and 2nd streets will remain.