December 2023

A New Year’s Bonne Fire
Halfway down Hwy. 74 in
Gonzales, across from Hebert
Steel, sits a 150-yearold
home that exudes
Southern charm, and I’ve often
admired it as I’ve driven
by. After meeting the family
who lives there, I could write
a story solely on the history
of the home itself, but it’s
what’s behind the home that
sets the tone of this piece.
I first met the Duplessis and
Laiche families in December
of 2012, when I wrote an article
on a cultural tradition
they partake in annually as
a way of ringing in the New
Year. I was concerned the
state-wide burn ban would
impact them this year, so I
reached out to Cody Duplessis
and Courtney Laiche.
It turns out they’d had the
thought the tradition may
go by the wayside, as well.
Each weekend in December,
Cody Duplessis (left) and Courtney Laiche (right)
the Laiche and Duplessis
families join together with
friends and volunteers, and
they create impressive bonfires
for an entire community
to enjoy. The land they
build these structures on is
immense. Green grass and
open fields span many an
acre. And smack dab in the
middle, for the past twenty-five
years, they’ve built
willow wood structures as
a way of seeing in the New
Year in their own personal
blaze of glory. Knowing
that tradition will continue
this year brings me a sort of
peace. That’s just the thing
needed to see in the newness
of another year.
“We’ve never had to postpone
our bonfire before,”
said Cody Duplessis. “It
wouldn’t have been the
same if we had to this year,
so we’re happy that didn’t
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LMR | DECEMBER 2023