My friends and I were excited to travel to Livingston, LA, about 3 hours, to attend the Home Visit for our Bayou Boy, Laine Hardy, for American Idol 2019.
We arrived early in the small Louisiana town, and had an awesome lunch at G & J Drive In, and it was awesome!
We pulled into the fairgrounds as soon as the gates opened at 3:00 PM, to line up for the parade, which was to start at 5:00. We each bought T-shirts and CD’s at the “merch” tent, and received a free iced tea from Lipton.
The lineup was early out on the highway, and the parade was late, close to 2 hours late, starting, but people just kept rolling in and rolling in by the thousands!
We were nearly overheated by the time the parade actually started, but the excitement quickly helped us to forget our wait! We met some new friends from Gonzales, LA, and everyone exhibited Southern Hospitality, of course!
Boats, 4 wheelers, side-by-sides and other LA-mobiles of locals paraded the streets, giving Laine a happy homecoming!
We even made it onto the local news!
We didn’t even realize that Laine’s boat was in front of us, until we saw his Mama waiving! (She went to school in our hometown, and was friends with my friends.)
As soon as Laine passed, the crowd started walking toward the stage, and the music actually started before we made it all of the way back inside! It was a long walk for an old woman!
There was electricity in the crowd as Laine and his brother sang for us, and Laine thanked everyone time and time again. I loved it when he pointed out his “Paw Paw Blansett” and other family members in the tent. The city even gave him a “paddle” to the city. It was a real Louisiana celebration and homecoming for our Bayou Boy!
Laine sang us 5 songs before bidding his farewell, and the crowd ate it up.
A good time was had by all, and now, we await the finale, tonight at 7:00 PM!
UPDATE: Our Bayou Boy IS the next American Idol! Congratulations, Laine!
