Rapping out the message: Officials push mitigation measures in video

St. Mary Parish leaders took the message of social distancing and sanitizing during the COVID-19 pandemic to the community in a different method recently as they participated in a music video.
The local leaders were in different settings dancing and some performing different actions while hand sanitizer was used or displayed.
Those who participated were Parish President David Hanagriff, Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director David Naquin, Parish Coroner Dr. Eric Melancon, Sheriff Blaise Smith, Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard, Patterson Mayor Rodney Grogan, Berwick Mayor Duval Arthur and Morgan City Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi.
Courtney “Schola” Long, owner of Scholar Designs & Consultation in Morgan City, produced the video available on Facebook as a way to remind the community that they need to continue practicing social distancing, even during the Easter holiday.
“I knew coming upon the Easter Weekend … people would be tempted to break the whole social distancing and gathering, so I wanted to try to stay ahead of it,” he said.
Long said that he shared his idea with local parish officials and they agreed to participate. He instructed them on what he wanted them to do, and they did the rest, filming the video themselves and submitting it.
Grogan’s video featured him at Patterson City Hall with gloves on ready to sanitize the office area.
He said once he learned Hanagriff was participating in the video, then he was going to do it.
“After I saw the finished product and could see Duval, then I was glad I did participate,” he laughed.
Arthur’s clips showed him in the bathroom, donning a shower cap and sanitizing, while he also made a clip at a local gas station at a gas pump.
He said he had fun making the video
“We laughed about that,” Arthur said. “Afterwards, we replayed it and replayed it before we turned it over to the people who edited.”
In Morgan City, Grizzaffi’s video featured him tossing a ball for his dog Belle to fetch before sanitizing his hands.
While Belle only needed one take to get her part right, Grizzaffi said he had to do several takes to perfect his dancing skills.
“Definitely out of the comfort zone, but once I knew everybody was taking part, then (I knew) I was going to be no worse than the next guy,” Grizzaffi said.
Everyone said the video helped lift morale.
“It was a good light-hearted thing to do while everybody’s dealing with all the pressures of this COVID-19,” Grizzaffi said.
As for if he has anything else planned for the public, Long didn’t rule it out.
“Well, it depends on how long this thing spans out. … I’m big on the community,” he said. “I’m big on uplifting the community, so any way that I can pitch in and help lift people’s spirits or help out in any way, I’m going to do it. I’m all in.”