By: HEATHER BOGARD
Associate Editor
Tony Marks, president of the Evangeline Parish Tourist Commission and editor of the Ville Platte Gazette, was the guest speaker for the May 28, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club. Marks noted he was appointed to the board last year by Mayor Ryan LeDay Williams. He was recently elected president of the board in March. Marks also shared the day marked his fifth anniversary as editor of the Ville Platte Gazette.
Marks shared one of the most important jobs of the commission is outreach and bringing people to our parish communities. He stated Ville Platte has a twin city in Durbuy, Belgium, and expressed the idea of visiting Belgium or inviting them to visit us here in Ville Platte. As president of the commission, Marks said it is important to represent each area of the parish because if one area does well, the parish does well.
Marks talked about the Mardi Gras event in Bastrop, Texas, which was a joint venture between the Evangeline Parish Tourist Commission and the City of Bastrop. The idea came about after residents of Bastrop attended Mardi Gras in Mamou and wanted to bring something similar to their city. He noted the event was very special, and the residents of Bastrop enjoyed all of the local culture brought to their city. The event was complete with a parade and guinea chase, and Marks shared how fun it was to watch the street dance as Steve Riley played “Bon Reve.” The board brought many local items such as festival t-shirts, coozies, Mardi Gras beads and more to throw during the parade, and the attendees enjoyed all of the souvenirs. Marks stated watching the people of Bastrop having so much fun at the event made him and other members of the parish’s tourist commission appreciate what we have here in our parish even more. It was the first time they ever had dancing on the streets in Bastrop, and local business owners said it was the best day of business they ever had.
In addition to the update on the tourism commission, Marks gave an update on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame located in Natchitoches. Marks serves as a proxy voting member of the Hall of Fame, and he announced this year’s Hall of Fame honorees include former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, former McNeese quarterback Kerry Joseph, former LSU women’s basketball player Seimone Augustus, as well Mixed Martial Arts fighter Daniel Cormier and jockey Ray Sibille, both from the Acadiana area. Marks added one of this year’s recipients of the Distinguished Service Award is Bobby Ardoin of Opelousas. The induction weekend is June 20 through June 22.
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