By MELISSA PEACOCK

LAPLACE – When Louisiana Lt. Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco traveled to France to ask for French participation in the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial, leaders and diplomats told her, “We did not think that Napoleon’s decision was very smart at all.”

In Spain, diplomats said, “At least France got the money.”

But at the invitation of Louisiana leaders, both countries have generously agreed to participate in the year-long commemoration of the purchase, Blanco said. With strong historic and cultural ties to the state, France and Spain have agreed to send artifacts and art for display during the celebration.

Why not? After all, the Louisiana Purchase was one of the biggest real estate deals in history.

Lt. Gov. Blanco was in LaPlace Monday to present members of the St. John the Baptist Parish Council and other local leaders with a $7,500 check. The money, Blanco said, was from a $250,000 federal grant aimed at funding Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial celebrations in every parish in Louisiana throughout the year.

“Parishes can apply for up to $7,500,” Blanco said. “There are 64 parishes in the state. It is a rough division of the money.”

Planning for the bicentennial commemoration started as early as 1999. The project gained importance, however, when state tourism declined following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The state pulled in $8.7 billion in tourism in 2000 – an all-time high. In 2001, the state lost more than $200 million in tourism revenue.

Blanco said state tourism revenue may be back up to normal in 2002 and 2003 thanks to marketing tactics aimed at increasing vacationers from neighboring states (a drive-in campaign started in the wake of Sept. 11) and promoting state history through the bicentennial celebration (2003).

“We believe we were able to bring it up to the $8.7 billion mark (in 2002),” Blanco said. “We were well positioned to get it to the $9 billion mark. We should have been at $9 billion, but 9/11 impacted that revenue.”

In St. John Parish, the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Celebration will include a theatrical production of Earl Long in Purgatory in May, an “Evening Out with Napoleon,” at San Francisco Plantation, a re-enactment of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase (Edgard), essay contests and more.

Local events start in March and will continue throughout 2003. There are currently 450 events registered statewide.

There was a Louisiana Purchase commemorative anniversary about 50 years ago. But the event, Blanco said, never reached the magnitude of the 150-year celebration.

“This is the first time Louisiana will be totally engaged, parish by parish,” she said.

The year will end with a final reenactment of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase at the Cabildo, the real historic backdrop to the signing, in New Orleans.

President George W. Bush and the French President have been invited to attend the final celebration. There is no word yet as to whether either will attend.