December 2023

cial. Family and friends were bundled
up, hot cocoa in hand, joining together
as they began completing something
truly built out of love. Beaming from
ear to ear, Courtney Laiche told me
how it’s a special project for them all.
He said just being in each other’s company
at this time of year is something
not only important but heartwarming
to them all.
Twenty-five years ago, the families
started their New Year’s Eve tradition
with only a small brush pile. The following
year, they found themselves
building a 42 ft. tall tee-pee. Each year
since, the theme has changed, and the
structures have taken on scales they
once only dreamed of.
Chad Duplessis does most of the
sketching, and ideas have come from
all over. Among the designs have been
a carousel, a custom Winnebago (complete
with a carved-out Play Station
3, television, and steering wheel), a
50 ft. x 30 ft. Tiger Stadium, the Sunshine
Bridge, a jambalaya pot, and that
space shuttle I mentioned earlier. This
year, it’ll be a giant chainsaw as a salute
to builders across the state. The
goal is a structure some 25 feet wide
by 12 feet high, but as often happens
when this group gets together, things
get bigger and bolder.
The most meaningful structure and
perhaps the group’s favorite, according
to Duplessis, was a tribute to a
cousin, Luke Villar, who was murdered
in a store robbery. Luke was a musician
and a beacon of light to those who
knew him.
“We built a guitar and an amp as a tribute
to him,” he said. “It was something
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LMR | DECEMBER 2023