Due to the “no burn” ban issued in the parish, as well as the state, many communities in the parish banned fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday. The Town of Mamou was one of those communities to ban fireworks for safety purposes, but the town and the Mamou Volunteer Firefighters will conduct their annual Fourth of July fireworks tonight, July 5.

Residents interested in attending the fireworks display are encouraged to be at the site by dusk. Officials utilize the area at the town’s sewer plant to ignite the fireworks. They are encouraging residents to park at the Mamou Recreational Complex area (also known as the skating rink). This is a great event for the entire family.

Residents are reminded of the state enforced burn ban, which was also issued by the Evangeline Parish Police Jury. Despite some rain, dry, hot conditions remain.

The National Weather Service of Lake Charles recently released a map of the U.S. Seasonal Drought outlook for the summer of 2009, and southwest Louisiana looks like it will remain in this weather cycle of hot and dry.

Roger Erickson, warning coordination meteorologist with the weather service issued a statement with the map. “The drought is strengthening over southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. Parts of central and south central Louisiana are now in a moderate drought, while the remainder of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas are progressing that way. It is a dry forecast for the remainder of the summer across the region.”

The jury’s “cease and desist order” prohibiting any type of private burning in the parish and municipalities stated the ban would remain in effect until the jury deemed enough rain had fallen to end the dry spell.

Parish officials said this area would need a significant amount of rain before the ban could lifted. They are very concerned what a burning trash pile or any other type of fire could do to the surroundings if the fire got out of control. Because of these conditions, the “no burn” ban was necessary.