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Regular Session, 2013 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 54
BY SENATOR MILLS AND REPRESENTATIVES TERRY LANDRY AND BARRAS
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To commend the city of New Iberia, Louisiana, for being nationally recognized as a 2013
historic rebound town by Cable News Network (CNN).
WHEREAS, in March 2013, CNN reviewed small towns across the nation that were
commended for their inspirational, small town come back tales; and
WHEREAS, CNN writer, Jordan Rane, listed New Iberia, Louisiana, as a historic
rebound town, naming the city as "Reborn on the bayou"; and
WHEREAS, in 1779 the city of New Iberia was founded by a group of five hundred
colonists who established a settlement around Spanish Lake, and originally called the town
"Nueva Iberia" in honor of the Iberia Peninsula, and the French referred to the town as
"Nouvelle Iberie" while the American settlers called it "New Town"; and
WHEREAS, the vintage bayou town's main street was a barren row of boarded-up
shops for an estimated ten years, with decaying landmark art deco theaters like The
Evangeline; and
WHEREAS, the city's latest renaissance has produced a Great American Street
Award and a revitalized commercial district featuring popular Cajun and Creole eateries,
rows of exciting new shopping experiences, as well as the beautifully restored Evangeline
Theater, renamed the Sliman Theater, that hosts live concerts that attract fans from across
the United States and abroad; and
WHEREAS, numerous high points still color New Iberia, including the pin-up
antebellum mansion known as Shadows on the Teche, the world-renowned Tabasco factory,
and the two-hundred fifty acre Jungle Gardens at Avery Island, Louisiana, seven miles south
of New Iberia; and
WHEREAS, New Iberia, Louisiana, is listed as one of eight cities across the country
noted for its community efforts to revive the local economy, making the city and its people
a popular attraction; and
WHEREAS, the city is listed alongside Coronado, California, "The little peninsula
that could"; Paducah, Kentucky, "Small town with big art"; Frederick, Maryland, "After the SCR NO. 54 ENROLLED
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flood-cute, shopping"; Ely, Nevada, "The mettle of nowhere"; Deland, Florida, "Classic
revivalist"; and El Dorado, Arkansas, "Raising the boom"; and
WHEREAS, Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Janet Faulk-
Gonzales, indicated that in 2005, New Iberia was the first city in Louisiana to be awarded
the Great American Main Street Award; and
WHEREAS, credited for her planning and zoning, City Director Jane Braud works
to make New Iberia a tourist destination to visitors and residents alike; and
WHEREAS, New Iberia Mayor Hilda Curry indicates CNN's spotlight is a
tremendous honor for the city and praises all investors, business owners, workers, residents
and visitors who contributed to this distinction; and
WHEREAS, Jane Braud indicates by 1993, twelve historic buildings were vacant and
in dire need of repair, while business owners, the Main Street Program, and local
government were asked to invest in restoration projects; and
WHEREAS, what is unique about New Iberia's revitalization is that investors are
moving into restored buildings and remain deeply invested in the city; and
WHEREAS, Fran Thibodeaux, executive director of the Iberia Parish Convention
and Visitor's Bureau, indicates this is the second time that CNN has recognized New Iberia
as an amazing city.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
extend its highest commendations to the city of New Iberia, Louisiana, for being recognized
as a 2013 historic rebound town by Cable News Network.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Chamber President, Janet Faulk-Gonzales, City Director of Planning and Zoning, Jane
Braud, Mayor Hilda Curry, and Executive Director of the Iberia Parish Convention and
Visitors Bureau, Fran Thibodeaux.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES