When 24 Finnish girl basketball players come into town – hide the Oreo cookies.
“They went nuts for the aisles and aisles of candy and cookies,” said Duane Foret, director of St. Charles Parish Parks and Recreation. “Oreos … they loved Oreos, Skittles, and Now and Later candy. Also, they wanted Fruit Loops cereal.”
The players recently visited the parish as competitors in the 2015 International Biddy Basketball Tournament and were treated to some Louisiana lifestyle. As part of the agreement to host the tournament at the Edward Dufresne Community Center, the parish houses, feeds and entertains the Finnish teams during their recent week stay in St. Charles Parish.
“We took them to Shoe Dept. and Rue 21 in Boutte and I had trouble getting them out of there,” Foret said.
They wanted to shop – and they did it and more.
They went to Lakeside Mall, visited Café DuMonde in the French Quarter and rode the trolley car to the Riverwalk. On the way back, they walked along the river and were fascinated by the Mississippi River, the Greater New Orleans Bridge and tugboats. On Wednesday night, they took them to the Pelicans game and really loved it.
But Foret said what they loved the most was the Walmart in Boutte.
They went crazy for the aisles of candy and cookies, especially Oreos, he said.
“They also loved licorice,” said Jeanne Arabie, sports management clerk with the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Arabie, who cooked for the players everyday, treated them to local favorites, including red beans and rice, shrimp pasta jambalaya and many other local dishes which she said they also loved.
“Wednesday we prepared a meal not just for the girls, but for the RSVP volunteers who helped us all week long,” Foret said. “Parish President [V.J.] St. Pierre came by and said a few nice things to the girls and praised the department for seeing to the girls in such a beautiful way, and he was pleased they seemed to be having such a nice time.”When it came time to say goodbye, Arabie and Foret both said it was a special moment and difficult to part for both of them.
“Tell you the truth,” Foret said. “Some of the girls had tears in their eyes, and honestly, so did we.”
The parting became even more emotional when the players presented gifts for the Parks and Recreation staff. Yes, it was candy – Finnish treats.
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