Lafayette, LA (KPEL News) - Louisiana parade goers expect articles of every ilk to be tossed from floats and vehicles but, when strange favors started flying at a parade in Whitehouse, Texas, attendees reacted with both outraged and hilarious comments. Whitehouse sits just south east of Tyler, about an hour and a half from Shreveport.

Mardi Gras revelers in Louisiana understand that they may catch everything from cheap beads to thong underwear to more lewd offerings. Christmas parades tend to be a tamer affair, but we know the general "anything goes" mindset may seep into those events as well. We are Louisiana. Fun is relative.

Texas? Not so much, as we discovered following a recent Christmas parade where the alcohol started flying. Literally.

A guy in a truck hopped into the parade lineup between floats and joined the lineup. According to a responder in a town Facebook group, the driver had a child who was participating in the festivities, but they were running late to get there. She described the accidental entry as "unintentional."

The real problem began when less-appropriate, according to Texas standards, items started being hurled out of the truck windows.

One parade goer:

 we got an air freshener.

Yet another:

we got glass wipes.

Another, with a laughing emoji:

we got half a pen

A lady in the crowd smilingly reported:

he gave us a package of pens from his console

One poster offered a swap:

I'll trade you! We got men's deodorant

Unclear if this was the one with which she was suggesting a trade:

Can we trade ? I got a can of "gaps and cracks" spray foam

Another festivity-chaser caught things the owner is certain to miss:

Sunglasses and phone charger

Then, it got even more interesting when small bottles of alcohol flew onto the streets.

 I got a busted bottle of Apple Crown Royal.

As a matter of fact, several commenters reported catching mini-bottles of Crown.

The following post prompted comments that ran the gambit from outrage to hilarity, with people offering to post bail for the driver if he was arrested. For the record, he would have been covered to at least $300.

A light-hearted response to a comment about having these bottles in the hands of children stated:

Most 4 year olds can’t even open a Capri Sun, much less a mini liquor bottle

As a Louisianan can imagine, a number of the people posting were saddened that they missed the parade.

The list of unexpected items is long, varied, and hilarious, for those who have a sense of humor.

If the posts are to be believed, when the truck accidentally joined the parade, the children inside began grabbing whatever they could and tossing it to the cheering crowd.

The Whitehouse Police Department did investigate and released the following statement:

After the 2023 Whitehouse Christmas Parade, the Whitehouse Police Department received reports of at least one airplane-sized bottle of alcohol being thrown from a vehicle during the event.

Upon reviewing all the facts in this case, we found insufficient supporting evidence to establish that the driver of the vehicle was aware that the children (ages 3 and 4) had thrown out at least one bottle of alcohol during the parade. While it may be argued that one would likely know if their child engaged in such behavior, our investigation lacks the evidence needed to confirm the driver’s awareness.

Our investigation concluded that the driver did not intend for the alcohol to be thrown during the parade and that he would not have allowed it to be thrown had he been more aware. The driver confirmed that he should not have entered the parade since he was not part of it.

 

We understand that there may be differing opinions related to this incident. However, it is our responsibility to remain as fair as possible when investigating cases. This means we must review the case based on the facts and the laws.

Texas, welcome to parading Louisiana style. You're welcome.

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