By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – With the New Orleans Saints now only five days from taking the field against the Indianapolis Colts for the club’s first ever Super Bowl appearance, River Parishes-area fans without a ticket to the game are gearing for a party that is 43 years in the making.

“Honestly, I’d rather be here to witness the pandemonium that is certain to ensue,” said LaPlace resident Darren Stout. “Considering what happened after the championship game, when people ran out into the streets of our neighborhood, I can’t wait to see it.”

Stout said he and his wife Carol have been putting together a barbecue with friends and family to watch the game. The couple is expecting to host about 30 people.

“We’ve got fireworks left over from New Year’s Eve that we plan to finish off if they win,” Stout said. “Did I say if? I think I meant when they win.”

Others, such as Garyville resident Bernard Duhe, opted against going to the game in favor of taking in the excitement of the French Quarter.

“I didn’t get picked in the ticket lottery, but it didn’t really matter to me,” he said. “I say this in hindsight, but I think I would have turned down or sold the tickets. I want to be in the middle of it all at the end of the game Sunday.”

Duhe and a host of other friends plan to spend the day in New Orleans staking out the perfect bar to take in the game. The group is planning an all-day party that will probably include doing what they can to save bar stools.

“I can see the bars filling up fast, so we plan to go early and claim spots all day,” Duhe said. “We missed out last game and watched it all unfold on television. I don’t want to miss out this time because who knows when the Saints will get back there again.”

With the game scheduled for late Sunday evening, those with early morning work schedules, such as construction employee Franklin Temple, are opting for a low-key evening at home.

“Just me and the family at home,” Temple said. “I can’t afford to be out all night celebrating with work scheduled for 4 a.m. I’m pretty certain though, especially if (the Saints) win, that we won’t get much of anything done in that first couple of hours. How do they expect us to not talk about it?”

Even those who don’t regularly watch football, such as Joyce Gros of LaPlace, will be tuned in to the Black and Gold Sunday night.

“I normally catch a movie with other girlfriends on Super Bowl Sunday, but not this time,” Gros said. “I don’t watch the games, but I keep up with how the Saints do throughout the year. I just feel like this game is going to be something big. You can’t help but get caught up in it.”

Kickoff for Super Bowl XLIV is set for 5:25 p.m. and can be see locally on CBS affiliate WWL-TV 4.