Westlake's Josh Ledet. (Michael Becker / Fox)
" />Fans get in line for tickets to the planned Homecoming pep rally on Saturday for "American Idol" contestant Josh Ledet on Thursday. The free tickets are available at the Westlake Rec Center and the McNeese State ticket office. There will be a two-ticket limit per adult. There are only 7,900 tickets available. (Karen Wink / American Press)
Ledet mania hits Southwest Louisiana (with parade route)
Last Modified: Friday, May 11, 2012 7:22 PM
By Johnathan Manning and Natalie Stewart / American Press
Joh Ledet Mania has officially hit Southwest Louisiana.
Local officials spent the past week getting ready for a parade that may not have happened, depending on whether the Westlake native survived another round of "American Idol."
He earned his homecoming Thursday night, advancing to the top three.
Click here for a copy of the parade route.
"Idol" sends the top three to their hometown for a parade and a pep rally.
The parade will be held at noon in Westlake, followed by the pep rally at 6 p.m. at Burton Coliseum. The parade has been moved up because there is an 80 percent chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service.
Both events are alcohol-free, said Jason Barnes, special programs and cultural affairs coordinator with the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury.
"The community is invited to see the parade and cheer Ledet on as he rides through his hometown," the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau said in a news release. "Parade viewers are strongly encouraged to bring posters and signage to wish Joshua good luck and let him know how proud his hometown is of his accomplishments. For more information and updates, please go to www.visitlakecharles.org/TeamJosh."
The parade route will begin at the Multipurpose Complex in Westlake, travel north on Sampson Street, turn left on Garden Drive and end at Westlake High School.
Westlake Mayor Dan Cupit said the city undertook the clean up of the parade route. If it rains, the parade will be moved to the Managan Center, Cupit said. The Westlake Police Department is handling parade security with assistance from other agencies, Cupit said.
There are 15 entries in the parade — "American Idol" originally proposed a five-entry parade, but were persuaded to add more entries because of Louisiana's parade culture, said Angie Manning, communications director with the Southwest Louisiana Conventions and Visitors Bureau.
Ledet is expected to perform at the pep rally, as will Zydeco acts Brandon Ledet and the Creole Touch (Brandon is Joshua's first cousin), and Grammy award winner Terrance Semien.
Tickets to the event, which were all general admission, were distributed Thursday evening. The doors to the Coliseum will open at 4 p.m., Barnes said.
Officials said they are expecting a crowd of 7,900.
Stitch Guillory, with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, said parking at the Coliseum will open at 10 a.m. Once the parking lot fills up, there will be buses on standby to shuttle people from the parking lots at McNeese.
Guillory said a "heavy security detail" is planned for the event, with 40-60 officers from various agencies pitching in. Because Contraband Days is also going on, the Sheriff's Office would have been stretched thin, had law enforcement agencies from around Southwest Louisiana not offered their assistance, Guillory said.
Early push for tickets
People started lining up as early as 4 p.m. Thursday to get the free tickets for pep rally and concert.
Ticket distribution started at 8 p.m. at the Multipurpose Complex in Westlake and the McNeese ticket office Lake Charles. By 9 p.m., the Managan Center had already run out of tickets and the supply at MSU was not expected to last much longer.
Laura St. George said the first time she heard Ledet sing on “Idol” she was “a die-hard fan.”
“My favorite song he has sung was “A Change is Coming,” but that was until (Wednesday night) when I heard him sing “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.’”
Debbie Davis said she’s an “Idol” fan and watches every season.
“The first time I heard him sing, I told my husband ‘he’s going to win, he is going to win and I can guarantee you that,’” she said. “He just blows me away. He’s never nervous, he’s very confident on stage, and he just has so much soul — he’s just awesome.”
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