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Bowl draws fans near, far
Dec 22, 2005
Author: Dan McDonald
Bowl draws fans near, far
Locals, visitors share New Orleans Bowl excitement
Amanda McElfresh
amcelfresh@theadvertiser.com

It's not often that Cajun Field is busy in mid-December, but on Tuesday afternoon, fans from across the South gathered for the New Orleans Bowl, which was moved to Lafayette this year because of Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans resident Claire Stephens, a native of Hattiesburg, Miss., was tailgating Tuesday and rooting for her hometown team of Southern Mississippi. Although she has visited Lafayette before, Stephens said the excitement of a college bowl game in town made for an especially fun atmosphere.


"It's a good location," Stephens said. "We'd rather be up at Southern Miss, but Lafayette is a great city. We love it here."

Stephens said she and her family especially enjoyed lunch at Prejean's Restaurant, a local favorite.
"It was fantastic," she raved. "Crawfish enchiladas, those were great."

Louis Falgout, a Lafayette resident and Ragin' Cajun fan, said although the UL team wasn't playing in the game, he enjoyed being able to mingle with fans from other schools.

"It's pretty nice out here," Falgout said. "I wish they had a bowl game here every year. It's going to give Lafayette some really good national exposure."

Lafayette native Rachel Lokitz was back in her hometown to cheer on Southern Miss, where her husband is attending graduate school. Lokitz said the best part of being back in her hometown was having a chef ready to provide tailgating cuisine.

"My dad came out here and cooked for us," Lokitz said. "It's great having family down here. It's definitely a nice atmosphere for people. People are always nice down here."

Although many Southern Miss fans already were familiar with the Lafayette area, some Arkansas State supporters were making their first trip to town.

"It's a pretty nice town," said ASU fan Keith Thomas. "It has the same kind of food and culture as New Orleans. The atmosphere isn't quite the same, but there's only one New Orleans."

Fellow ASU fan Josh Allison said that despite the nine-hour trek from Jonesboro, Ark., to Lafayette, he relished the opportunity to be a part of ASU athletics history.

"This is their first bowl game, so it's sort of history in the making," Allison said. "It's good to see a lot of people here make the trip to root on the team."




Originally published December 21, 2005

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