A.J. Judice legacy honored by BC Chamber of Commerce

The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that A.J. Judice's Family Legacy was named as this year's Bridge City Christmas Parade Marshal. The "Christmas on the Bayou" parade will be held Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. taking its usual path down West Roundbunch Road starting at First Baptist Church and concluding at Bridge City Elementary.

Scot C. Shaffer said he asked many in the area who they think of when they hear 'Bridge City Bayou' and an overwhelming 75% said A.J. Judice. "I didn't ask just a few, I even posted it on Facebook and other social media," he said.

A.J.'s daughter-in-law, Michelle Judice read a statement at the announcement thanking the BCCC for honoring his memory this way and giving a little of the Judice family history.

"AJ and Lois bought their fish camp on Cottage Lane, in 1963," she said. "The people of Bridge City welcomed them with open hearts, and he met dozens of kindred souls who had Louisiana roots, those who also loved boudin and crawfish and shared his 'joie de vivre.'"

She said he retired in 1976 after remodeling the fish camp and moved to Bridge City from Port Arthur to live her full time. "He loved the grocery business but what he loved even more was

promoting the Cajun culture."

"He is still remembered for the crawfish races at area schools and local festivals, and for reading the Cajun

Night Before Christmas to generations of children, in person and on local tv."

He was named the Texas Crawfish Racing Commissioner by Texas Governor Preston Smith in the early 1960s.

"AJ was funny and kind, a sincere, mischievous, entertaining character who was genuinely interested in people. He would be so happy and proud to be named parade marshal," she said. "He would have had A LOT to say about this honor, and we would all be here for a second hour listening to his stories about his love of Bridge City and its people, his Cow Bayou adventures, and telling a few Boudreaux & Thibodeaux jokes."

His son Al Judice III relayed a couple of stories of his father. "Dad could be found heading down the bayou in his pirogue or in his motorized 8-foot-long fiberglass boat "La Petite Bateau," for pre-dawn coffee drinking

anywhere he saw a light on in a window, escorted by and speaking to the ducks, egrets,nutria rats, and an alligator every so often."

He talked about how his mother would tell his dad not to feed the raccoons, but he would slip them slices of bread and share his cat's food with them.

"They grew so comfortable being fed that one day a momma raccoon brought her babies into the house for a little afternoon snack when the bayou side door was left open," he stated.

Judice's legacy is certainly fitting for this year's parade theme of "Christmas on the Bayou." The entire Judice family will don his iconic white button down shirt and red beret. Michelle Judice said they were going to fill the pontoon boat, air boat and mud boat.

Al Judice III said his dad was involved in some of the earlier parades, which were held on Texas Avenue.

"He bragged he was the last person in the parade: the one who scooped up what the parade horses

left behind."

What a legacy. Laissez les bons temps rouler!