July 24th, 2010
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Author: Published: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 7:58 PM Updated: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 8:01 PM
GRAND ISLE, La. — For a day at least, life in this barrier island town reverted to something resembling normalcy Saturday as the fight against the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was set aside.
In scenes reminiscent of times before the Deepwater Horizon disaster changed the fabric of life on Grand Isle, women in bathing suits rode around on golf carts while men in pickup trucks tooted their horns and shouted to get their attention.
“This is the way Grand Isle is supposed to be but hasn’t been this year,” said Anne Leblanc, of Metairie, La., who said her family has been visiting the island for years. “This is the first time we came this year. With the oil spill there hasn’t been a reason to come, no swimming, no fishing.”
But the spill was not forgotten.
The Island Aid concert took the place of the annual tarpon rodeo, a fishing tournament wiped out by the oil spill.
A large swath of beach was ringed with palm trees, while a bright orange plastic fence kept people away from the water.
Stands selling beer and catfish filled the grounds. At one, Bud Dill, a member of the Tarpon Rodeo Association, and helpers sold bright orange, green and yellow shirts, with “Island Aid” emblazoned on them. A T-shirt cost $15, while a pair of fishing shorts could be had for $40.
“We just changed the name on them from the rodeo to this,” Dill said.
Heavy rain and frequent lightning from the remnant of what had been Tropical Storm Bonnie interrupted the concert during the morning, clearing the stage and sending fans scrambling for tents on the beach.
“It scared me,” said Benton Allister, from Jackson, Miss. “We got under a tent, but it was scary stuff.”
Intermittent rain did not damper the affair. Some wrapped up in plastic, putting grocery bags on their heads and kept dancing throughout the storms.
“On a day like this, a little rain feels very good,” said Doug Matheson, 45, of New Orleans.
Island leaders toyed with the idea of canceling the concert on Friday when Bonnie appeared more threatening, but decided to go ahead with it.
“We planned to come to it from the minute we heard about it so we didn’t want it canceled,” said Darlene Charvet, of Kenner, La. “We even got a dog sitter so we could stay late.”
Along Louisiana Highway 1, leading to the concert gates, signs blasting BP had multiplied with such phrases as “We want out beach back” and “We want our lives back,” in reference to an ill-timed and much-maligned remark by BP chief executive Tony Hayward.
Bryan Miguez sat in a hot tub filled with cold water in front of his camp. “Might as well,” he said. “We have no beach, no fishing, nothing to do since the spill.”
Next door, Craig Castrinos and Kevin Vega of New Orleans sat in a child’s wading pool, surrounded by a steadily growing scattering of beer cans.
“It’s all there is to do down here these days,” said Brian Vega, 26, of New Orleans, who sat beside the pool. “Gotta have our fun somehow.”
Despite police saying the Gulf water was still off limits, early in the morning, as waves rolled in ahead of the storm, surfers rode their boards ashore as nearby fishing boats bobbed in the swell.
The island has been hit by waves of oil from the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
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