Church Point, LA: Chicken run and Madri Gras Parade

We arrived at Betty’s RV Park in Abbeville, LA. on Saturday. Our last stop, Clute Elks Lodge, was uneventful except for a day trip to Galveston. We had lunch and walked the Strand in downtown. Now we are glad to be at Betty’s where there are many Boomers and Escapees. More about Betty’s in the next blog.

Yesterday, Sunday March 6, most of Betty’s residents went to Church Point. Betty is well connected in this area and we got to set up our chairs at Mr. John Sanford’s farm where all the action was. It was a cold and windy day so he put us between two barns to stay out of the wind. One of the Escapee’s brought out the grill and soon he was grilling up chops, sausage, ribs, and shrimp, quite a feast. Check out the Sanford pig roaster shown in the one of the pictures below.

This is the 50^th annual parade and chicken run at Church Point. The parade is out in the country and I think that half of Louisiana was there. When the parade got to the Sandford farm the revelers (mainly college age guys in costume and with beer in hand) arrived first and danced with the audience. A tractor pulled wagon with a live Cajun band (complete with generator for the amplifiers) accompanied the revelers. Then the Grand Marshall on horseback came into the center of the revelers with a chicken. He tossed the chicken on the ground and the revelers jumped on the chicken. I don’t think that the chickens were hurt today, but in the old times they caught the chickens for their gumbo that night. After the chicken race the parade passed in front of us. The floats were filled with people in dressed in costume, drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages, dancing, and throwing beads. Each float was well stocked with liquor, porta-john, and generator for the amplified music. If you were really lucky they threw you a cold beer or Jell-O shot. We really got into the beads and ended up with about a 30 lb sack. Now everyone back home knows what he or she is getting for souvenirs. The parade was about 2 hours long and lots of fun.

Boomers getting ready for the party.

The Sanford Pig Roast

Boomers getting ready for the revelers

The cajun band

Revelers in costume

The Grand Marshall and chicken

When the chicken is tossed it is a mad scramble

One of the floats

The revelers and their wagon

Joyce Space gets a ride with a local in parade.

Bobbi and Jim Chapman with their beads

Dean and Judy with only a small part of their beads.