Party Girl

Party Girl

by Jill Norman LeBlanc

While I'm not accustomed to laboring, I admit to enjoying helping clean up the Vermilion River with employees from Total Safety U.S. on Saturday, Aug. 11. Along with many volunteers, this project was in conjunction with the Lafayette Parish Bayou Vermilion District, which works diligently all year to revitalize the waterway and its surroundings. One way the BVD continues its effort is by setting up booms at catch points along the river's tributaries in Lafayette Parish to contain most of the larger trash. As a part of the effort to help the community, the employees of Total Safety volunteered their time, boats and energy to assist in trash retrieval. Party Girl's often reminded of the saying, "giving is receiving," but in this case the giving was easier said than done ' especially when that particular day's temperature was hovering just over the 100 degree mark. Thankfully, Total Safety employees know all about safety and made sure plenty of refreshments were on hand. Along with 23 other people, I managed the heat with no incidents due to their handy work. By the end of the day, the Total Safety volunteers, along with BVD Operations Coordinator Paul LaHaye, and his staff members ' Dave Sanders and Matt Buckelew ' filled several barrels of garbage. Well done guys and gals. The river has never looked so clean.

Every girl wants it because it's one of the best ways to feel pampered. Having someone else throw you an engagement party is the ultimate, and that's just why six couples got together Aug. 4 to honor Beth Zuschlag and her fiancé Ross Leblanc at Townhouse Restaurant. The hosting couples are actually the bride-to-be's mother's weekly lunch group and their husbands, who wanted to do something nice, not just for the couple but for their parents as well. Talk about taking some work off of the parents, freeing them up to spend more time planning for the big day. Host couples were Stephen and Carol Baker, J.J. and Monique Burdin, Pat and Anne Dickens, Raymond and Janice Beyt, George and Wendy Rodrigue, and Mike and Lisa Breaux. Beth Zuschlag is the daughter of Richard and Elaine Zuschlag, and Ross Leblanc is son of Dr. Ken and Faye Leblanc. The wedding will be next spring, and the couple will reside in Washington, D.C., where Beth is finishing her master's degree at Georgetown University. The bride-to-be was glowing as her more than 100 guests wished the couple well.

Party On! - PG