Mardi Gras aux Bastrop

By: HEATHER BOGARD
Associate Editor

Last fall, Bastrop, Texas, Assistant City Manager Trey Job discussed the idea of the City of Bastrop hosting its own Mardi Gras celebration to Bastrop Special Events Manager Kathy Danielson. Following that conversation, Job and Danielson began researching the history of Mardi Gras in Louisiana and first visited Louisiana last fall, hoping to get assistance with getting their Mardi Gras plans up and running. To help get the project off the ground, Danielson called Evangeline Parish Tourism board member Opal Andrus to introduce the idea/concept. Andrus shared a wealth of knowledge with Danielson and was key in presenting the idea to the Evangeline Parish Tourism Commission, who were quickly on board with partnering with Bastrop to bring Mardi Gras to Texas. While here, they learned more about Cajun Mardi Gras and culture with a goal of hosting a version of the traditional Cajun Mardi Gras in Bastrop.
Danielson, along with Bastrop Main Street Manager Candice Butts, visited Fred’s Lounge on a Saturday morning. Danielson shared her experience on social media, noting what a great time they were having, and a resident of Bastrop replied, “Kathy, please bring that back to Bastrop.”
Danielson and Butts, as well as a few others, returned to Louisiana the Saturday of Mardi Gras to get a better look at how Mardi Gras in Mamou was celebrated. Danielson recalls, “The people were wonderful and welcoming, and the idea grew into inviting Mamou and Evangeline Parish to celebrate their culture, heritage and Mardi Gras fun with Bastrop, Texas, in 2024.” She added, “We will be working with the Town of Mamou to teach us about the traditional Mardi Gras run. We hope to incorporate it as much as possible into our celebration.”
While in the area, Danielson and Job visited with local residents and learned about the history of the local Mardi Gras, including the music, food, chicken run, and other traditions. They also experienced a morning as guests on KVPI’s morning show, La Tasse de Cafe’; tasted boudin, cracklins and smoked sausage and took a tour of a crawfish farm. In addition, they attended a meeting of the Evangeline Parish Tourist Commission (EPTC) where they addressed the board of directors to inform them of the ideas they have for bringing the culture of Evangeline Parish to the City of Bastrop.
As fans of Swamp Pop and Cajun music, they also visited the Swamp Pop Museum and plan to highlight the traditional music during their Mardi Gras events. Danielson said, “We would love to feature a Swamp Pop exhibit from your museum at our Bastrop County Historical Museum on Main Street during our celebration.” Danielson shared, “We plan on having a Mardi Gras Ball on Friday, February 2, 2024, at the Bastrop Convention Center. We also plan on having music on the streets on Saturday, February 3, and have already hired Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys and Jamie Bergeron.” In addition, Danielson said Elizabeth West, Marketing Manager with the Evangeline Parish Tourism Commission, invited them to attend the annual Swamp Pop Reunion in February 2024.
Danielson said this Mardi Gras event will be a City of Bastrop event, noting, “We will partner with our assets such as the Main Street Program, Museum, Lost Pines Art Center, Library, Bastrop Opera House, Visit Bastrop, local businesses, and residents to bring this event to life.” She also noted the residents of Bastrop are looking forward to the event. “The excitement and enthusiasm is building with each conversation. We are 25 miles east of Austin, Texas, and expect this event to be a regional favorite from the very beginning.”
During their most recent visit to Evangeline Parish in July, Danielson and Job spent time in Ville Platte and Mamou touring the Swamp Pop Museum, Fred’s Lounge and other local businesses. She admits, “Trey Job and I had a wonderful time. In just 48 hours we felt like we made lifelong friends. Each meeting, meal function, radio show and introduction was a delight, and everyone made us feel right at home.” Danielson said while working on their celebration plans, she, along with Jobs and other Bastrop community leaders plan to make another trip to continue working out the details as they host Mamou and Evangeline Parish at their Mardi Gras celebration next February.
EPTC President Opal Andrus is excited bout the partnership, saying, “We were very pleased to welcome Kathy Danielson and Trey Job from the City of Bastrop, Texas to Evangeline Parish. Kathy and Trey explained to us that they are on a mission to learn as much as they can about Mardi Gras and how we celebrate Mardi Gras in Evangeline Parish. They are particularly interested in learning how the Mardi Gras Association conducts its Mardi Gras run in and around the Town of Mamou. I look forward to working with Kathy and Trey as they learn more about our culture and traditions. I am very excited to see how they use that knowledge to put their own Bastrop spin on celebrating Mardi Gras in Texas.”
While in Evangeline Parish, Danielson and Job also met with Mamou Mayor Leisa Deshotel, who said, “It was a pleasure to meet with our friends from Bastrop. We look forward to visiting them in February (for their event) and are excited to partner with them on culture and tourism.”
West noted Danielson and Job want to share our culture with the people of Bastrop and in return share their culture with us. She stated, “Tourism is all about promoting what we offer to create a desire in people to come to our parish and experience what we are all about. This new partnership with our friends in Bastrop, Texas, will hopefully do just that. The Evangeline Parish Tourism Commission will help Bastrop bring its community and visitors a taste of our culture in an effort to make them want to come to Evangeline Parish to see the real thing. At the same time, our locals are learning more about the City of Bastrop, which could potentially make it a destination spot for people from Evangeline Parish. Endeavors like this can be a win-win for everyone involved.”