When you think of bigtime celebrating in Louisiana, most people automatically think “New Orleans.”
I get it.
A town with few rivals. Internationally appreciated. A culture all its own. Can’t walk down its streets without overhearing several different languages.
I love it.
But if you want to celebrate without the traffic, the potholes, and a less likelihood of your car getting jacked, you getting mugged, or your toilet getting backed up, I’ll take Natchitoches any day of the week.
(I’d take Ruston, Minden, and Farmerville too, and we haven’t even gotten out of northwest Louisiana yet.)
Louisiana is blessed with small-town goodness.
But today, for a special reason, the salute goes to charming, quaint, welcoming Natchitoches.
Of course there are the annual Christmas lights. (I might be the only person in a five-state area who’s never been.) Eeeeeeeverybody loves the Christmas lights.
But Natty lights up each summer too.
The annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class is inducted each June, usually on the fourth weekend. The welcome mat, the red carpet, the good times are rolled out and one of the South’s finest small towns says, “Come on and getcha some!”
Last weekend was no exception, and my encouraging word would be to consider going next summer or the next or as soon as you can to a Hall of Fame weekend. All the deets — plus a replay of the ceremony and video intros of each inductee, all produced by the team of all-stars at Louisiana Public Broadcasting — are at lasportshall.com.
The weekend never disappoints.
If you haven’t studied just how the actual LASHOF works, the induction side of it, please be encouraged to read this effort by Doug Ireland, the chairman of the Hall. The road to the sports hall of fame in your state is significantly steeper than the road to the sports halls of fame in most any other state. Most states are trying to scrape together a couple of inductees each year. Louisiana’s selection committee has year-long knock-down drag-outs to figure out which eight stars should be inducted that year.
And each year, some deserving candidates are left knocking on the door. It’s fascinating that in Louisiana, you can’t swing a cat without it hitting a Super Bowl winner, All-American, Pro-Bowler, Olympic medalist, national champ, All Star … and the list goes on.
And on and on.
And each year, more stars and studs become eligible.
The setting is always a no-doubter. Natchitoches. The actual Hall of Fame on Front Street. (Don’t forget to go upstairs! It’s a state history museum, not just sports.) The Cane River Right There, even though it’s not a river. The awnings. The bricked street. The food.
The flowers. The hospitality.
It’s a movie set.
And then the Events Center, decorated more beautifully each year. (One member of this year’s induction class didn’t “get it” until Saturday night when he saw the joint. “Wait a minute,” he said. “I thought … I didn’t know it was going to be like this.”
Oh, it’s a big deal. Done right.
And if you walk downtown a couple of hours after the Saturday night induction, all is calm again. Like walking in a painting.
Because of the pandemic in 2020, two ceremonies were held in 2021. In the same summer. Both were full throttled. Natty didn’t skimp. Sponsors, volunteers, organizers: everyone showed up with their A-games. The whole town is like a living Statue of Liberty.
And this year’s inductees? Humble. Authentic. Seldom does an inductee disappoint. They get what ball means to Louisiana, and maybe through the ceremony and the weekend, they begin to get how they each fit into the state’s Phenomenal, Stunning Sports Story.
The Hall’s a place where legends live, and Natchitoches keeps the lights on and the fire burning so you can meet them any time.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu