Slim's Y-Ki-Ki Goes Smoke-Free Starting Friday
Breath Easy Tour with Lil' Wayne & Same Ol' 2-Step
March 10, 2015
Cheryl Devall
The Daily World
There's nothing like an evening of live music with a jumpin' dance floor.
The beat that radiates through your whole body. The vibe that animates your spirit. The sociability of spending time with old friends and making new ones. The sound that only southwest Louisiana bands can create.
Now, imagine all that without the smoke.
Slim's Y-Ki-Ki, the legendary zydeco dancehall in Opelousas, is going there starting this Friday.
That's when it will open as a smoke-free venue with a concert by Wayne & Same Ol' 2 Step from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Tony Gradney, who's helped operate Slim's for 40 years, said he's doing it for his health — and everyone else's.
"Employees and the band members and a lot of the customers want to get away from all that smoke like there was for years," he said. "They've been breathing all that smoke and they're starting to complain."
Slim's effort to clear the air results from a partnership with the Healthier Air for All campaign and the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation. Those organizations work with bar, casino and music club owners to educate about the dangers of second-hand smoke and promote the venues that choose to eliminate it. A list of places that have signed onto the campaign throughout Louisiana is online at healthierairforall.org.
State law does not require nightspots and restaurants to ban smoking. But local officials in some cities including Alexandria, Monroe and New Orleans have taken steps in recent years to go smoke-free in such places. Last year the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Grambling University in Monroe and Louisiana State University campuses in Alexandria, Eunice and Shreveport adopted smoking bans on campus.
Gradney said he doesn't expect the change to hurt his business. "I was in the process of doing it anyway," he said, adding that he had already removed most of the ashtrays from Slim's.
"You get a lot of people calling about it," he said. "Some of them won't come if there's smoke."
He understands firsthand why they'd rather not. "I quit smoking seven or eight years ago," Gradney said. "That was a hard job."
The Healthier Air for All campaign helps business owners cover the costs of re-launching as smoke-free venues, said René Stansbury, the campaign's regional manager. Smoking bans can help reduce the costs of cleanup and maintenance, including air filters, she said.
It's also good for musicians, singers and their equipment, she said, because the chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage throats, instruments and sound systems over time.
Then there are the lungs of everyone who spends time in a venue — entertainers, bartenders, waitstaff, kitchen employees and customers. "Spending 30 minutes breathing second-hand smoke is equal to smoking a cigarette yourself," Stansbury said. Using that information, in the late 1990s nonsmoking flight attendants who worked before the airlines banned smoking on board sued the tobacco companies over their illnesses and won.
The smoke-free nightspot campaign isn't designed to chase anyone away from a good time, Stansbury said.
"We encourage smokers and nonsmokers to come out," she said. "We're just asking smokers to step outside. Because everyone has a right to clean air."
Breath Easy Tour with Lil' Wayne & Same Ol' 2-Step
March 10, 2015
Cheryl Devall
The Daily World
 |
| Lil' Wayne Singleton & Same Ol' 2 Step perform on Friday, March 13, 2015 at the Legendary Slim's Y Ki-Ki. www.SameOl2Step.com www.SlimsYKiKi.com |
The beat that radiates through your whole body. The vibe that animates your spirit. The sociability of spending time with old friends and making new ones. The sound that only southwest Louisiana bands can create.
Now, imagine all that without the smoke.
Slim's Y-Ki-Ki, the legendary zydeco dancehall in Opelousas, is going there starting this Friday.
That's when it will open as a smoke-free venue with a concert by Wayne & Same Ol' 2 Step from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Tony Gradney, who's helped operate Slim's for 40 years, said he's doing it for his health — and everyone else's.
"Employees and the band members and a lot of the customers want to get away from all that smoke like there was for years," he said. "They've been breathing all that smoke and they're starting to complain."
Slim's effort to clear the air results from a partnership with the Healthier Air for All campaign and the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation. Those organizations work with bar, casino and music club owners to educate about the dangers of second-hand smoke and promote the venues that choose to eliminate it. A list of places that have signed onto the campaign throughout Louisiana is online at healthierairforall.org.
State law does not require nightspots and restaurants to ban smoking. But local officials in some cities including Alexandria, Monroe and New Orleans have taken steps in recent years to go smoke-free in such places. Last year the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Grambling University in Monroe and Louisiana State University campuses in Alexandria, Eunice and Shreveport adopted smoking bans on campus.
Gradney said he doesn't expect the change to hurt his business. "I was in the process of doing it anyway," he said, adding that he had already removed most of the ashtrays from Slim's.
"You get a lot of people calling about it," he said. "Some of them won't come if there's smoke."
He understands firsthand why they'd rather not. "I quit smoking seven or eight years ago," Gradney said. "That was a hard job."
The Healthier Air for All campaign helps business owners cover the costs of re-launching as smoke-free venues, said René Stansbury, the campaign's regional manager. Smoking bans can help reduce the costs of cleanup and maintenance, including air filters, she said.
It's also good for musicians, singers and their equipment, she said, because the chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage throats, instruments and sound systems over time.
Then there are the lungs of everyone who spends time in a venue — entertainers, bartenders, waitstaff, kitchen employees and customers. "Spending 30 minutes breathing second-hand smoke is equal to smoking a cigarette yourself," Stansbury said. Using that information, in the late 1990s nonsmoking flight attendants who worked before the airlines banned smoking on board sued the tobacco companies over their illnesses and won.
The smoke-free nightspot campaign isn't designed to chase anyone away from a good time, Stansbury said.
"We encourage smokers and nonsmokers to come out," she said. "We're just asking smokers to step outside. Because everyone has a right to clean air."
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