Turkey Creek Council celebrates making final payment on center with ceremonial burning of note

TURKEY CREEK -- The Village of Turkey Creek did things a little differently at their council meeting last Tuesday.
Instead of coming together to discuss town business at their regular meeting place of the Village Hall, they came together at the Village’s recently paid off community center.
To celebrate what Council member Neal King called “a big accomplishment for our small community,” the council held a special bank note burning ceremony just like back in the day.
King, who was a member of the council that approved building the facility, said, “I don’t know if anyone remembers this, but when I was young we use to have note burnings. If we paid off the church or if we paid off a car we would burn the bank note.
“It was symbolic and it was a feel good thing. I’d like for us to do that tonight with the bank note for this community center.”
This project, which Turkey Creek Mayor Heather Cloud called the brain child of King, began about 15 years ago when he saw a need for a center that would provide a place for the people of Turkey Creek to gather for special events like wedding receptions and senior bingo.
King though, gives all the credit for the center to the people of the community and public officials at the time.
King said, “I’d just like to thank all the people of Turkey Creek for this community center. We’ve got something that’s paid for and something to be proud of. There were a lot of other people involved in making this happen like Kurry Stewart (current council member), who was instrumental in hauling in the dirt to get the foundation ready, Earl Deville, Dr. John Tassin, Kathleen Blanco (governor at the time), Eric LaFleur (senator), Keith Campbell (council member at the time), Blaine Janet (mayor at the time), W.L. Chapelle (council member at the time), Sidney Fontenot, Hill Johnson (police juror at the time) and many others. We are very thankful for what each of these people helped make happen.”
Following King’s words, council members King, Stewart and Joey Ducote, Mayor Cloud, Police Chief Robert Leggett, village attorney Greg Vidrine and people from the community gathered outside the doors of the community center, where a fire pit was lit.
Together, the council members and the mayor gladly dropped the bank note into the pit.
With smiles on their faces, the group then watched as the Turkey Creek Community Center bank note went up in flames and burned until it was completely gone.