Down by the Rivers

At the heart of Louisiana’s Northshore, Covington is growing fast and staying grounded thanks to a close-knit community of makers and doers.

- SYMIAH DORSEY

ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL AND CULTURE

IT WAS a cloudy morning in Covington, Louisiana, a rare break from the sunshine I’m used to seeing the town dressed in. The streets still held the past night’s rain, and the air was quiet. But all of that changed as I started up the stairs at Bogue Falaya Fitness and heard the familiar beat of a Meghan Trainor song pulsing through the gym.

People Make the Place

(From left) Mayor Mark Johnson greets every local he passes. The Marianne Angeli Rodriguez Gallery brightens up North Columbia Street with contemporary art.

I followed that sound to a mirrored studio where an 8:30 a.m. Zumba class was already underway. Dozens of residents moved in near-perfect sync, sporting everything from light-up sneakers to shimmery gold headbands. In the center of it all was Mark Johnson, known to locals as Mayor Mark, looking perfectly at home in his gym shorts and ball cap. The playlist hopped from Latin pop to zydeco, and it wasn’t long before I was in the mix, too, trying to keep up in my business casual flats. I had never felt so joyfully offbeat, and that’s when I realized: This town is more than just friendly. It’s a place where people fold you in with no hesitation, where the mayor dances beside you and nobody minds a bit if you miss a step.