Ville Platte celebrates back to school with community event
VILLE PLATTE, La. (KLFY) -- With music in the air and snow cones in hand, hundreds of families gathered at Northside Park for the annual Back to School Splash Bash, hosted by Mayor Ryan LeDay Williams. The event brought together kids, parents and community leaders for an afternoon packed with food, fun and free school supplies.
“This year, I figured we’d do something a little different,” said Williams. “We have school supplies sponsored by the City of Ville Platte, Acadian Ambulance and the fire department setting up. We basically just want to give back to our community.”
The biggest highlight of the day was the school supply giveaway, with enough backpacks, notebooks and classroom essentials for at least 200 students.
“We’re pretty creative in how we do things in Ville Platte,” Williams added. “We’re just thankful that the support is the way it is.”
But beyond the water slides and dunking booths, the day carried a deeper purpose: bringing people together and reinforcing the value of education.
“I hope they walk away seeing family, seeing community, seeing involvement,” said Carleen Bellard, Executive Director of Ville Platte Evangeline Community Action. “It takes a village to do the things that we do. It’s about having fun—but also helping them understand the importance of education and how it feels to know and be successful.”
The event closed with a signature Ville Platte tradition—a community-wide bike ride through the city, golf carts included.
From face painting to fun jumps, The Splash Bash served as both a celebration and a send-off, uniting families and reminding students they’re not going back to school alone.