BY KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE-The 200th anniversary celebration is ready to be kicked off as the slogan for the year-long celebration has been announced.

The slogan will be &#8220From Sugarcane to Andouille, 200 years of St. John the Baptist Parish.”

The book will be entitled &#8220Precious Gems From Faded Memories- A Pictorial History of St. John The Baptist Parish.”

Director of Economic Development Julia Remondet said that there were many good submissions and that the Economic Development Committee asked that members of the St. John Business Association (SJBA) come up with some suggestions that would really tell the story of the parish.

&#8220The result was that we really feel the phrases picked by SJBA give everyone a feel for the history and culture that will be portrayed,” she said.

&#8220We were very glad to have creative people on the team who really knew what we are trying to accomplish,” she said.

The 200th Anniversary celebration will include a steamboat boat ride on the river reminiscent of what transportation was used in the early days of St. John Parish to travel the river to the plantations. A mock trail and a fireworks display will be among other events.

The book will be nine chapters at about 195 pages and give a history of the people, places and culture of St. John the Baptist Parish.