By BROOKE GOLDMAN

LAPLACE – The annual Mardi Gras parades in St. John the Baptist Parish bring in revenue and big business for local fast food restaurants and similar business entities.

According to Economic Development Director for St. John Parish, Julia Remondet, some businesses close early for the parade, excluding fast food restaurants such as the ever popular Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken and Church’s Chicken.

“People get on the parade routes early,” said Remondet. “I know myself, I get a box of chicken.”

She added, “Sales throughout the parish seem to be equal with what they are throughout the year. It just depends on the business.”

Remondet said the sales tax does not affect St. John the way it does in New Orleans.

“It’s just a great time to get together,” said Remondet.

Revenue also comes into the parish through hotel tax because sheriff’s deputies from other parishes stay in LaPlace hotels for added security before, during and after the parades. Jones said most of these officers come from parishes within a 75-mile radius.

“The past five or six years went off very smoothly,” said Sheriff Wayne L. Jones. “Last year we only had two arrests.”

Jones said 150 officers will be on the streets during the local parades. Thirty of these officers will be coming from the Louisiana Task Force, 20 from Reserve and 100 record patrolmen. Ten K-9 officers will also be along route with the deputies.

It costs the sheriff’s office approximately $18,000 to house officers from the task force and pay St. John officers over time. Jones said the money comes from the sheriff’s office’s general budget.

“The parade is a little smaller this year,” said Jones. “But we won’t decrease the number of officers.”

According to Jones, the Krewe Du Monde is only showing 14 floats as opposed to its usual 20.

State Police troopers come in the day of the parade to get traffic flowing and clear the intersections, Jones said.

An inmate cleanup crew cleans that day and Monday morning to get the parish back into “reasonable shape.”

“Police presence has been beneficial,” said Jones. “We haven’t had any substantial problems at all.”