West Bank fest delivers the goods
October 19, 2011
Voices of the Past
October 19, 2011
Disgruntled demons, grisly ghouls and other cranky creatures are taking over the streets of Houma for the fifth consecutive year.
The South Louisiana Center for the Arts’ (SoLA) annual Halloween Parade celebrates “The Movies” with this year’s theme. “Everyone is invited to dress up as characters from the movies,” SoLA’s Anna Roberts said. “We hope to see a lot of “Harry Potter,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and other familiar movie characters out there in the parade and the crowd.”
Offices, clubs, civic and school groups joining this melee get together and dress to delight onlookers.
Some transform into belly dancers, others into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Houma’s own Roller Girls “came as themselves last year because they said, ‘We’re scary enough in person’,” Roberts said.
The more fun and funky the idea, the better.
The thrilling procession gets under way at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at Town Hall on Barrow Street.
Otherworldly performers and masqueraders will swarm toward Main Street tossing treats to onlookers as they glide by. They’ll turn toward the Courthouse Square and once there, dissolve into the night.
The night parade coincides with Downtown Live After 5, which features Erroll & The Blue Boys performing free beginning at 7 p.m.
Everyone is invited to participate and join SoLA in having a safe, child-friendly event.
Participants need to be in the Town Hall parking lot at 6 p.m. for line up. Rounding up this crowd can be a challenge. “It’s a very interesting process. We have to get everyone in line and coordinate with police,” Roberts said.
The parade fee of $35 per group of two to 50 helps SoLa cover insurance and parade costs.
To register, call, drop by or email SoLA at http://solacenter.org.
Also, anyone interested in participating in a ghoulish rendition of the late Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is encouraged to contact SoLA. Rehearsals for volunteers are being held throughout October in anticipation of parade night.
For more information, call Anna Roberts at (985) 876-2222.
