St. Mary rolls out 'Bikers on the Bayou'

Bikers on the Bayou took place Saturday in Franklin on Main Street and Teche Drive despite looming possibilities of day-long downpours forecasted by local meteorologists.
The sunny event marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Easy Rider, the biker/counterculture blockbuster starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and featuring Jack Nicholson.
As St. Mary Parish was highlighted in the film, especially Franklin, event coordinators arranged the 50th anniversary celebration with film-site tours, circa 1969 downtown Franklin building facades, an Easy Rider exhibit at the St. Mary Parish Courthouse, and two showings of the movie at Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts.
The event also included food booths, merchandise vendors, photo ops, a car/rat rod/motorcycle shows, and live music.
Dawn Kaiser-Melancon, event co-coordinator, said of the turnout, “Under the circumstances, and with all the factors we had to deal with, we pulled off a great event.
“The thing for me is the longevity of it. It is tourism. It is bringing people to the area. It is making sure that people know St. Mary Parish, because the tour takes them from one end to the other.
“There’s an evergreen brochure that Cajun Coast put out that marks all the (filming) locations; and at some point the Lieutenant Governor’s office is going to put out permanent markers.”
Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard said, “It was a great day not only for the city of Franklin, but for the parish as a whole.
“I enjoyed seeing the comradery and the spirit of community at its best, downtown on Saturday. I think it was a great family event, and we are looking forward to next year, as well.”
Franklin Public Relations Director Ed “Tiger” Verdin expressed as his favorite aspect of Saturday, “Seeing the families of St. Mary Parish and of Franklin coming out to support the event.
“I think we are on a great uptick of revitalization here now in Franklin, and just seeing the support to make the event a success, and from out of town, too, was just phenomenal.”
Kaiser-Melancon estimated that 400 bikers were in attendance.

*See more photos on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/franklinbannertribune/?eid=ARA4RMfjIztF1v55sjgj...