Elijah Thornton, 8, of Gonzales, La., one of many visitors Friday morning at the Texas Travel Information Center in Orange, gets a close-up look of a small alligator during the sixth annual “Orange Means Safety” event. The yearly event, which is sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation, promotes safety education to motorists on Interstate 10. (Dawn Burleigh/The Orange Leader)

Elijah Thornton, 8, of Gonzales, La., one of many visitors Friday morning at the Texas Travel Information Center in Orange, gets a close-up look of a small alligator during the sixth annual “Orange Means Safety” event. The yearly event, which is sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation, promotes safety education to motorists on Interstate 10.