The official design of the Al Copeland memorial, a tribute to the late businessman who grew rich with the Popeyes fried chicken franchise and grew fame with his spectacular weddings and multiple divorces, will be presented to the public Friday, Jefferson Parish Council member Ben Zahn said. He said he will join Copeland's son and Lafreniere Park boosters at...
The official design of the Al Copeland memorial, a tribute to the late businessman who grew rich with the Popeyes fried chicken franchise and grew fame with his spectacular weddings and multiple divorces, will be presented to the public Friday, Jefferson Parish Council member Ben Zahn said. He said he will join Copeland's son and Lafreniere Park boosters at a news conference to show off illustrations for the memorial, which is planned in conjunction with a performance stage in the Metairie park.
Jefferson Parish officials have agreed to allow the Copeland memorial in the park as part of a package deal that has his family also paying to building a stage for musical entertainment. Park backers have long sought a permanent stage in Lafreniere.
The family's initial concept for the memorial repulsed many people, including some influential members of the Parish Council-appointed Lafreniere Park Advisory Board and the nonprofit Patrons of Lafreniere Park. The drawing showed eight columns surrounding a plaza with a pedestal supporting a life-sized statue of Copeland holding a box of Popeyes fried chicken and a checkered racing flag, a speedboat at his feet.
Eventually a deal was struck in which the family would rework the design, and pay for the stage. Neither Zahn's office nor that of Copeland's son, Al Copeland Jr., would release a copy of the design Thursday.
Zahn, however, said the family's donation includes "a sprawling serenity garden, memorial statue and performance stage that better fits the park's master plan." The stage is said to boast a 50-foot proscenium, narrowing to 40 feet in the rear, and 40 feet deep. A parish official estimated the Copeland family's total contribution to the park at $500,000.
"Though we were pleased and eager to employ private funding toward park upgrades, we could not approve the Roman amphitheater design that was not complimentary to the park's master plan," said Zahn, whose district includes the park. "We worked closely with the Copeland family members, its management team and the loyal members of the park's volunteer boards to agree upon an appropriate design that would memorialize the achievements of one of our area's most successful entrepreneurs while improving park grounds for generations to come. We have achieved our mutual goals."
Said Patrons Chairman Bob Emery: "We will present a refined design that will enhance the park's beauty and use. We have come a long way from the original renderings to approve a distinctive and discriminating tribute to a successful Jefferson Parish businessman's legacy. Specifically, the stage will add value to the park and attract more live performances to the area. The construction of the stage will save taxpayer dollars, and citizens will be able to enjoy the amenity upon completion. We believe that the public will embrace our final design, and we also believe appropriate private-public partnerships will further develop Lafreniere Park into one of Louisiana's premiere, peaceful and picturesque attractions."