By SUE ELLEN ROSS Staff Reporter

RESERVE – The fire engines and decorated cars were out in full force Saturday, but it wasn’t your usual hometown parade. This event paid tribute to the champion Louisiana State University football team, which took national honors with their recent Sugar Bowl win.

Organizing the event was Reserve firefighter Houston Remondet. Although he had been happy with the team before the big win, the long-time LSU fan wanted to wait until their latest victory to plan the event.

“I had a brainstorm – why not have a parade to show our support for LSU?” he said. He added that this was the perfect opportunity for the community to show their support to not only the players and coaching staff, but to the school and the state of Louisiana as well.

“They (LSU fans) were going crazy over here. They couldn’t wait for the parade.”

The first step in planning the Reserve celebration was to secure approval from the St. John Parish president’s office. That done, flyers were passed through the neighborhoods and word of mouth advertised the event.

Not wanting to conflict with the scheduled parade in Baton Rouge, Remondet said that this second Saturday of the new year fit right into the plans. The sports play-off games are over and the Carnival season hasn’t revved up to full speed.

Everyone is overjoyed with the result of the amazing game at the Superdome, according to Remondet. The Sugar Bowl victory put LSU on the list of sports team greats, while shinning the national spotlight on the state of Louisiana.

Although Saturday’s procession was small, it was nevertheless fun to watch for those taking advantage of the sunny day.

“This is nice, it shows that we support the team,” said Yvette Oubre. She and son, JoJo, 6, were first in line along the parade route.

As the fire engines began to sound their sirens, firefighters threw out junior Fire Chief hats to children lining the streets. The cars that trailed behind, some decorated with LSU banners and flags, tossed colorful beads and small stuffed tigers.

Dell Williams wasn’t able to see the LSU championship game at the Superdome in person, although he tried to get tickets at the last minute. The LaPlace resident had been running errands in Reserve Saturday when he saw the parade coming down the street. “I watched this team (LSU) every chance, they are the best. What better way to show them that we are proud?” he said.