PRESENTING
2020 Grand Marshal Todd
Graves and Pat Shingleton
toast the upcoming parade
on Halfway Day.
TODD GRAVES – 2020 GRAND MARSHAL
BY MICHAEL SHINGLETON
T
HE WEARIN’ OF THE GREEN ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Parade welcomes Todd Graves, Baton Rouge native
and Owner of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers as the
2020 Grand Marshal.
of cars, a truck or two, dozens of walking groups – one
actually pushing lawnmowers, only one lane of Perkins Road
closed, and a fraction of the size and regard it has today. That
is where we were 35 years ago.
Todd Graves was 14 years old attending Episcopal High
School in Baton Rouge. Recently, he described his memories
as a bit fuzzy during the early years of the parades, but
nonetheless he was there.
“I can remember watching from a friend’s house along the
route near the Garden District,” Todd said. “It wasn’t nearly
what it is now, but it was exciting.”
Todd is the kind of guy always looking for a lot of
excitement; perhaps more than the average joe can handle.
His journey after college took him to some of the more
extreme and exciting corners of the world; earning money
12 wearinofthegreen.com
From inside the original Zee Zee Gardens
(now The Merchant), patrons were able to
see Pat and Todd after they rode the parade
route on Halfway Day.
would become the original Raising Cane’s, ‘The Mothership’
at the North Gates of LSU in August of 1996.
“I was there and worked non-stop,” Todd said. “We were
open until 3 o’clock in the morning every night but Sunday.
People knew I was the one frying their chicken, cleaning the
tables, doing all of that.”
Around that time, he lived just off the parade route close to
the bars and restaurants near the overpass.
“That was our area,” Todd explained. “I can remember
Gwen and me dating and walking down through the ‘dales’
to watch the parade. There were always a lot of parties,
It’s family. It’s friends.”
Eight short years and a ton of hard work later, Cane’s had
expanded to 17 restaurants total – most of them in Louisiana.
of the Green St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
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