CLEVELAND — Northeast Ohio residents James LeBlanc and Sydney Martin are newly engaged, and their story is nothing short of unique.
LeBlanc is from New Iberia, La., and Martin is from Cleveland. The two met in the swamps of the state down south where LeBlanc was working at the time.
“I was paid to slap somebody in the face with the catfish,” Martin added. “And he got mad at me. But so that was our first interaction there.”
James LeBlanc and Sydney Martin. (Spectrum News 1/Taylor Bruck)
LeBlanc is proud of his strong Cajun heritage but being a man in love, he moved to Ohio.
He said February is his favorite time of year; not because of Valentine’s Day, because of Mardi Gras.
“Mardi Gras is, it’s more of a spirit more than any event,” LeBlanc said. “You know, it happens once a year but it’s a month or two long — call it Carnival season. But for me personally Mardi Gras is everything to love about the culture I grew up in, my heritage, my roots.”
Mardi Gras at its roots is a Catholic celebration based around Lent. It’s the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the period of prayer and fasting. LeBlanc grew up going to authentic Mardi Gras parades and wasted no time engulfing his soon-to-be wife in the culture.
This year, Cleveland is hosting its first Mardi Gras Parade, and LeBlanc and Martin were selected to be the inaugural king and queen.
“The flights down to Louisiana are so expensive for this time of year, naturally, so to hear that they were bringing a piece of that here made me feel really at home and kind of took some of that homesickness away for the season,” LeBlanc said. “All my friends back home are really excited for me. They all wish they could be here, my parents and whatnot. So, you know, we couldn’t be more excited.”
The Flats East Bank has been working with the couple to help make sure the experience properly honors tradition.
“This is going to be the most authentic Mardi Gras celebration you could find, you know, north of I-10 Louisiana,” LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc and Martin said if you’ve never been to Mardi Gras, now is your chance, and it’s not just for adults. LeBlanc said Mardi Gras is fun for the whole family.
“It’s kids, it’s your grandma, it’s your grandpa, it’s, you know, everybody out there trying to have a good time together,” LeBlanc said.
The Flats East Bank. (Spectrum News 1/Taylor Bruck)
The Flats East Bank plans to turn into a Bourbon Street look-alike, with everything from large floats, to brass bands and the colors purple, green and gold everywhere you look.
“Families are welcome to come down for lunch,” said Lauren Wheatley, the director of Marketing for Flats East Bank. “Several of our locations are going to be opening their doors at 11 a.m. to have a Mardi Gras-themed lunch where there’ll be crafts for kids to do in preparation for our parade at 1 p.m. Everybody can join the crowd outside and watch the entertainment live here at Flats East Bank.”
They want everyone to experience what the holiday is all about: fun, food, family and friends.
“I’m just so excited that we’re integrating my love of Cleveland and where I’m from and his traditions and bringing that all into one place and just kind of making it a little melting pot for us,” Martin said.
Registration for the annual bar crawl starts at Margaritvaville from 2 to 4 p.m. You can buy tickets here.
