I have to go back to the old high school football games in Berwick to tell you these tales.
I remember when Berwick was playing University High School of Baton Rouge in a big playoff game. About a week before that playoff game, University High was playing Amite in Baton Rouge. Typically, Merval Landry, Tarvil Davis, my brother Baby and myself – the big four – took off for Baton Rouge to see the game. We told everybody that we were going to scout University High and see how good they were.
Well, about two o’clock on the day of the game, we were driving through Baton Rouge and saw a man on the other side of the road with a flat tire. Well, you know us, old country boys, ready to help anybody who needed help. We stopped and asked the old gentleman if he needed some help. He answered graciously and said he needed somebody to jack up the car. We helped him and got him all fixed up. He was so glad of the help. He asked us where we were from. We told him we were from Berwick and that we were going to the University High and Amite football game. We said that we were really scouting University High because that was to be our next game. Well, we all shook hands and asked him what business he was in. He put a big grin on his face and said: “Well, I’m the coach at University High School, but I wish you the best of luck!”
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I attended the Berwick-Bayou Vista Mardi Gras parade earlier this year. It was very nice and colorful. It brought back memories of the first Mardi Gras parade that Berwick had back in the ’80’s. Charlie Savoie, Rusty Mayo and myself started it.
I was on the corner of Francis and Texas streets to see the parade. It seemed to me that there were thousands of people there. Do you know that I didn’t know anybody there? I felt like a total stranger. Mrs. Opal Guidroz asked Ruth and I to come to their house for the parade. At the time, we told Opal we were through with Mardi Gras. But I don’t like to be a stranger in my own town, so the next parade in Berwick two years from now, if everything goes right, we’re going to “C” and Opal’s house to see the parade. I know that “C” will have plenty to eat and drink. And, most importantly, I’ll know the people there. “C” and Opal were always so friendly and nice to visit with.
* The End *