Eunice Transformed By Seasonal Tourism
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
Eunice is striving to grow a downtown economy by emphasizing cultural preservation, says city tourism director and main street development coordinator Alicia Mire.
Mire told the Opelousas Noon Rotary Club on Tuesday that the strategy behind that effort lies in seasonal celebrations which keep the Eunice downtown area continually focused with a coordinated series of celebratory events.
The major downtown event each year, Mire said, is the expanded Eunice Mardi Gras celebration which has become a five-day event that has attracted over 50,000 and provided about $795,000 in sales tax revenue.
If there is anything, Mire said that’s unique to the Eunice area, it’s the cultural Mardi Gras that has remained an indigenous event that has attracted national recognition.
“It (the Eunice Mardi Gras) had untapped potential. When we rebanded into the Cajun Mardi Gras Festival, it became a multi-day celebration with more music, vendor presence and family-friendly activities,” Mire said.
The five-days of festivities have also allowed more of an identity for Eunice, which now has the celebration captured longer and advertised more on social media platforms, said Mire.
Mire estimates that the five-day Mardi Gras provided Eunice with 3.5 million social media views, which helped lure out-of-state visitors to the city.
Other Eunice events involve a fall Halloween downtown celebration, a Christmas parade with floats, lights and music and a spring downtown business event that is highlighted by the annual antique car show which Mire said attracted about 180 vehicles.
“The slogan we adopted is every season brings a reason to have some sort of downtown celebration that is going to impact the community,” Mire said.
Mire agreed that the current Eunice population of just over 9,000, is somewhat static.
However Mire said that the geographic position of the city which borders Acadia and Evangeline parishes, provides Eunice with a larger outreach.
“(Eunice) is like a hub and with our economic effort. We are constantly learning and studying about what people are looking for. On our Facebook page, we are highlighting our businesses,” Mire added.
State lawmakers whose election districts include Eunice, have provided about $100,000 in funding which has allowed the city to hire consultants and architects with planning development for the downtown area, according to Mire.
The reopening earlier this year of the Jean Lafitte National Parks center located on Park Avenue and Third Street in Eunice has helped boost the downtown economy, Mire pointed out.
Mire added that local businesses have continued to develop relationships with LSU-Eunice.
The downtown Eunice library, which is now independent of a former partnership with the Opelousas Library, is benefitting from federal funding in order to provide an external facelift, said Mire.
Work is continuing on redeveloping the Downtown Liberty Theater on the corners of Park and Second streets.
“The remodeling effort (on the Liberty Theater) is continuing. Once it is completed, we are going to explore ways to bring it out,” said Mire.
