New Iberia was the place to be Monday afternoon as the Iberia Veterans Association pulled out all the stops to put on a Memorial Day ceremony that everyone could be proud of.

Patriotic music from the Iberia Jazz Band could be heard all through downtown New Iberia when the event kicked off at 5 p.m. in the Steamboat Warehouse Pavilion, where more than 100 showed up to give proper respect for the Memorial Day holiday and the servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country.

“We’ve been working on it for a couple of months,” Iberia Veterans Association President Percy Barrilleaux said. “This is an amazing and wonderful event because we owe the men and women who gave their lives to this country. We need to remember them and thank them. That’s why we’re here.”

Although the cool breeze of Louisiana spring weather was long gone, dedicated veterans and local residents alike still managed to fill up the Steamboat Warehouse Pavilion despite the humid weather that the Teche Area is just seeing the beginning of for the summer.

Along with the musical accompaniment, local parish and state officials were invited to say something in regard to the holiday, including Iberia Parish President Larry Richard who served as master of ceremonies, Sheriff Tommy Romero, Parish Council Chairman Warren Gachassin and State Rep. Beau Beaullieu.

Barrilleaux said the event had a slight change location. Although the IVA usually puts on their events at the gazebo in Bouligny Plaza, organizers decided to change the venue to the Steamboat Warehouse Pavilion after last year’s Veteran’s Day ceremony proved successful in the pavilion following a huge turnout of more than 200 people.

The work put into the event was evident for all to see. Barrilleaux said that the IVA have had events in the past where only a dozen people showed up, and organizers have decided to step up their efforts in order to live up to the importance of the holiday.

“We were doing a lot of work in past years for only 10 people to show up,” Barrilleaux said. “We decided to get a lot of people here or we weren’t going to do it because there was just too much work involved.”

The results spoke for themselves. Along with the event itself, Bouligny Plaza also hosts a Veteran’s Memorial showing the names of Iberia Parish residents who served in the military. Many attending were able to get a closer look at the memorial, and even more enjoyed the music and ceremony of the Memorial Day event.

“A lot of people think this is about the veterans,” Barrilleaux said. “It’s not. It’s about the people who gave their lives, so this (holiday) means a lot to us.”