OUR VIEW: Good times begin to roll across region this week

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For many of you, the most wonderful time of the year has arrived.

And for many of you, the time to get out of dodge and enjoy your annual early-year vacation has arrived.

That – of course – is because 2015 Carnival season is here.


And what many in the former category may or may not realize is that some in the latter category feel the way they do because of the actions of some in the former category.

In other words, Carnival season brings out the worst in some of us, and that, in turn, causes some others of us to neglect our south Louisiana tradition and stay far, far away.

On the front page, as well later in the issue, you can find local law enforcement’s take on the way to behave during Carnival season with lots of rules, regulations and tips.


And as great as it is to specifically know the don’t’s of Carnival season, many of the things you shouldn’t do don’t have to come from a rule, a regulation or a tip. They should come from your brain in the form of common sense.

If you don’t think you should be doing something, you shouldn’t do it. It’s really as simple as that, and that’s basically the gist of what the don’t’s should be at a Mardi Gras parade.

Of course local laws in various areas state that you can’t throw glass bottles from a Mardi Gras parade, can’t possess a confetti canister or even can’t possess a whip, among many other laws, due to the obvious safety concerns.


But all of these laws stem from the simple and obvious underlying understanding of common sense and the ability to not do anything stupid.

Please respect the work our local law enforcement entities do and don’t do anything that’s going to make their jobs harder this Carnival season. And you shouldn’t need a book of laws to tell you what those things may be.

To our credit here in the Bayou Region, we’ve kept Mardi Gras parades tame and family friendly. Many of our celebrations are great for the whole family, and they are fun traditions to engrain in the minds of our youth from a very young age. After all, Mardi Gras parades make up a large portion of the fabric that bonds our region’s culture together, and it’s a shame that some of us choose to neglect it’s celebration because of the debauchery it’s become in some areas.


And it must be reiterated that it’s certainly not us here in Terrebonne and Lafourche that have given Carnival season such a nasty reputation nationwide.

You just have to go about an hour east to find a place ripe, full of that.

But it’s undeniable that there are a minority here in the Bayou Region that gets too rambunctious and ruins what should be a great time – a celebration of our French roots – for everyone whose family tree reflects a Cajun or Creole background.


So as we get set to enjoy fun Mardi Gras celebrations here in our corner of the Pelican State, please remember to do so moderately and respectfully to those around you.

If so, maybe we can get a few more locals to stick around instead of fleeing to the Colorado slopes or the Florida gulf coast during our area’s signature time of year.