Slidell City Council Proposes Alcohol-Free Zone for Parade Routes

The Slidell City Council at its meeting tonight will propose creating a permanent alcohol and smoking free zone for Carnival parades.

Slidell City Council 2010-2014

If council members later vote to approve the legislation, the zone’s boundaries would be Gause Boulevard, 8th Street, Louisiana Avenue and 9th Street, in front of Bethany Lutheran Church. Anyone caught drinking or smoking there, except for authorized parade participants passing through, would be cited for a misdemeanor.

Councilmen Buddy Lloyd and Landon Cusimano, who respectively proposed and seconded the ordinance, said on Monday that the measure was designed to provide families a haven from rowdy behavior that breaks out along the city’s parade routes at times.

The council is set to vote on whether to adopt the legislation on Feb. 22.

If it passes, the only Carnival parades this year during which the zone would be in effect are the Krewe of Titans on Feb. 25, the Krewe of Dionysus on Feb. 27 and the Krewe of Selene on March 4. However, for future Carnivals, the zone would be in effect for all parades.

The zone would not affect Mona Lisa and Moon Pie, on Feb. 25 this year, and Krewe de Paws, on March 6, since those krewes parade on a different route through Olde Towne.