Six Frenchman celebrated their bicentennial here

In 1976 Fayette County celebrated the country’s bicentennial by hosting a wagon train traveling from Stone Mountain, Georgia, to York, Pennsylvania. York was the site of the British surrender.

While unfair taxation was one of the root causes of both revolutions, and a king was involved in each one, the overthrow of being ruled by a king in the United States was successful from a democratic point of view.

Beheading the king and nobles in France seemed like the thing to do by the peasants. They did not have anything to gain as far as their personal lives were concerned. What they did accomplish unknowingly was to bring about the turning point in the history of Western democracy.

The slogan of the French Revolution, “Liberty, equality, brotherhood, or death,” far outlived the event, later becoming a rallying cry of those promoting the overthrow of oppressive governments.

Though the two revolutions were 13 years apart, the end result is celebrated on July 4 in the United States and July 14 in France.

In 1989 six Frenchmen decided to celebrate their country’s bicentennial by visiting seven towns with their countryman’s name attached to it – General Marquis Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert duMotier de LaFayette.

I personally counted them on the map one time, and there are over 50 communities with his name.

The Frenchmen, well there were five men and one woman, named their excursion “Air Raid LaFayette.”

Five of them were pilots and they flew on a commercial flight from Paris to New Orleans. They rented three two-seater, single engine Cessna’s and began a two week journey.
They visited Fayettevilles in Arkansas, Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, which is the first town so-named, and of course, Georgia.

Also on the agenda were LaFayette’s in Louisiana and Tennessee. By-the-by, Georgia also has a LaFayette.

The actual date of Bastille Day is July 14. They landed at Falcon Field on July 13, and were met there by then Fayetteville officials, Mayor Roger Marietta and councilman, Rick Eastin, along with Fayette County Historical Society President, Ed Bradford.

An open house was held at the historical society late in the afternoon, and the City of Fayetteville hosted everyone for dinner at the Fayetteville Train Depot.

The event was catered by Kenny Melear, who commented “Barbeque snails aren’t on our menu, but we did treat them to some fine barbeque pig.”

It must have gone over well, as Jean-Louis Roux commented, “We love Georgia and love its barbeque.”

There was even wine served at the event – one wonders if that would be allowed now.
Fayetteville, Georgia was the last stop on the Air Raid tour. They flew out on July 14, back to New Orleans. But Fayetteville, Georgia treasures the fact that this is where they were on the actual Bastille Day.

Said Jean-Marie Lehoreau when leaving, “It’s been marvelous, simply marvelous. We feel honored that your community is named after our hero, LaFayette. I don’t believe we have a George Washington community, but it would be good idea.”