Vincents grand marshals of Erath Fourth of July Parade on Thursday

ERATH - Erath’s longtime residents, Jackie and Douglas Vincent, have been named the 2024 Grand Marshals of the 88th annual 4th of July Celebration.
They will reign over the grand parade that will roll through the streets of Erath on July 4th at 5 p.m.
The Erath 4th of July Celebration takes place in the heart of Erath at the intersection of North Broadway and East and West Edward Streets. It includes live music, vendor booths, and carnival rides. Unlike other “street fairs,” all the activities take place right on the pavement itself without any encircling fences or gates. As a result, there are no entrance fees for attendees to pay.
The Vincents moved to Erath in 1976, marking the 200th anniversary of America’s independence. The young married couple of four years began their life in a town that had a long tradition of commemorating USA Independence Day ever since 1936.
Children tend to follow their parents’ lead and get involved in similar activities. In the case of the Vincents, it was the other way around. Their son Robert became the 4th of July Association’s youngest member in 1995 and served for an unprecedented 17years before resigning in 2019 due to health reasons.
Robert was honored to serve as Erath’s 2015 Grand Marshal. It was his contagious enthusiasm that inspired them to join the association in 2003. Nine years later, Douglas and Jackie are proud to follow in their son’s footsteps as 2024 Grand Marshals.
Douglas,a longtime vendor volunteer, grew up on a farm south of Erath.
The fields of Henry were his playground. One of Doug’s many duties for the festival is to skillfully carve out a space for the vendor booths on East and West Edward Streets. Tensions sometimes run high among vendors as they each strive to occupy prime real estate for their booths.
Through the years, experienced vendors have depended on Douglas and his reliable old tractor to assist them. In addition, he relocates the stage and beer booth on the festival grounds for the next five nights which is an important task for the big event.
Jackie Vincent, a native of Rayne, cultivated her talent for art by studying at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette and the Schuler School of Fine Art in Baltimore, Maryland.
In 1999, she became active in community service as chairperson of Erath’s Centennial Committee, encouraged by her son Robert, then the 19-year-old Mayor Pro-Tem.
Her role included organizing residents, artists, and students for a year’s worth of centennial events. During the centennial, Jackie and other artists created wall murals for City Hall and the old Boudreaux-Gary Hardware Store, some of which still adorn Erath City Hall and the town’s Electrical building. She also designed Erath’s 1999 Centennial Pin, which evolved into the 4th of July pin and logo still used today.
In 2005, Jackie became the first “t-shirt chairperson,” utilizing her artistic skills to design t-shirts for 13 years before stepping down in 2018.
In 2020, after the death of her beloved son Robert, she carried on his duties on the town council. She fulfilled his request of recognizing the eight heroes of Hurricane Hilda by placing a plaque on the site where they died.
During the 1964 storm, the water tower fell on the building while they were protecting the town. She is an active docent at the Acadian Museum. She said, “I always like being involved in my community. It brings me great joy to help make Erath a better place to live.”
Jackie and Douglas are the parents of two sons. Their eldest, Joseph is the husband of Heather. Their youngest, Robert B. Vincent, died in 2020 due to complications from Muscular Dystrophy.

Past Grand Marshals of Erath Fourth of July

1975 - Billy Cannon
1976 - Henry Bernard, Sr.
1977
1978 - Dr. Edward LeBlanc
1979
1980- J.P. Landry
1981 - Richard Dubois
1982 - Eddie Shiner
1983 - D.L. Menard
1984 - Flo Sonnier
1985 - Leon and Nell Reed
1986 - Bill Comeaux
1987 - Clevie Thibodeaux
1988 - Romona Babineaux
1989 - Les Travailleuses, Catholic Daughters, & Jr. Catholic Daughters
1990 - J. Numa Broussard
1991 - 10 Area Veterans who served in Desert Storm:
Howard “Duke” Reaux, Kenneth Faulk, Andrew Dozier, William H. Stout, Larry Dozier, Clayton Richard, Timmy Fletcher, Roger Trahan, Ronald Menard, & John “Dob” Toups
1992- Rudy Lange
1993 - Dot Mergist
1994 - Ethel and Travis Kendrick
1995 - Warren A. Perrin
1996 - Sister Sonnier
1997 - Belva LeBlanc
1998 - Lee Bernard
1999 - Ada Schexnaider
2000 - Lester Champagne
2001 - Inez LeBlanc Vincent
2002 - Kelly Ruth Broussard
2003 - Roland Girouard
2004 - Gertrude Lawes Landry
2005 - Fireworks Crew
2006 - Ed and Rickey Domingues
2007 - Leona Poche’
2008 - Elwood and Claudette Lacour
2009 - Weldon Granger
2010 - Henry and Doris Songe
2011 - Mark Mencacci
2012 - George Dupuis
2013 - Stacy Bodin
2014 - Elwood Paul LeBlanc
2015 - Robert B. Vincent
2016 - General Curney J. Dronet
2017 - M.C. Dore
2018 - Fr. Gayle Nunez and Monsignor Charles Dubois
2019 - Terry Lancon
2020 - (Covid) No festival
2021 - Natalie and Dennis Mouton
2022 - Irene Champagne
2023 - Ronnie Lahasky
2024 - Jackie and Doug Vincent