Mudbugs and watermelon... What do they have in common?
It’s not a trick question.
But it is a question that the Shreveport Airport Authority (SAA) board should answer.Waynette Ballengee, Margaret Shehee, Mary Jackson, Grant Nuckolls, and Jonathan Reynolds are board members.
The SAA has funded Mudbug Madness to the tune of $32,500 since 2015. Evidently, crawfish fly into and out of Shreveport regional airport–or maybe its red-headed stepsister the Downtown Airport.
The Watermelon Festival received SAA sponsorships totaling $4200 during the same period. Not sure about the connection between melons and planes...
SAA also paid Christmas in the Sky a total of 20 grand, The Strand 15 grand and the Shreveport Symphony $7500 in these 4 years.
Public records request for the written criteria for sponsorships was futile. The response from the marketing director was that there are none.
Hmm...maybe it’s a fishbowl that the SAA board members drop in suggestions. The board members then draw straws to see who gets to pull out the lucky winners.
Oh well, it's only $116,200—all public funds–over 5 years.
Now ‘bout the connection of crawfish and watermelons—after eating spicy mudbugs, watermelon cools the tongue.
The next SAA board meeting is Thursday, Sept 19 at 10 am in the conference room at the regional airport.
