Yeah I know!  Christmas and the New Year just past but it is never to early to talk about Mardi Gras especially when you live in Louisiana.

Well the Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau is inviting the community to enter the Mardi Gras Shoebox Float Contest.

Angie Manning with the tourist bureau says:

The Shoebox floats represent a festive piece of Louisiana, and every family member can join in the creative fun and submit an entry into the Mardi Gras Shoebox Float Contest.

Simply decorate a traditional cardboard shoebox with items such as glitter, glue, feathers, beads, sequins and more.  There are school group divisions as well as divisions for amateurs ranging from child to adult, with an additional category for professionals, adult civic groups and organizations.

All entries should be in by Monday, Jan. 16. Floats at the Convention Center and Tourist bureau’s Welcome Center, 1205 N. Lakeshore Drive in Lake Charles.

Judging will take place on Saturday, January 28 and the awards ceremony will be at Noon that day!  Shoebox floats will remain on display at the bureau through Thursday, March 2, and the People’s Choice Award will also be presented on March 2 at 10 a.m.

For more details or info on how to enter the contest, head over to www.visitlakecharles.org/shoebox.

You can also contact Cindy Johnson with the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau at 337-502-4351 or cjohnson@visitlakecharles.org.

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