Section Living Ind

Humble Abodes

If Lafayette is the next Austin, then Arnaudville is the next Marfa. The attention Houses will eventually produce a line of five different opportunity, according to Marks, for artisanal fixtures.

Hats Off

A New Iberia hat maker comes home.

Giver Guide

Nonprofits in need, a community willing

In The Music Garden

Melissa Stelly Stevenson's commitment to invest in the future of creative and critical thinkers and art makers through music instruction extends from the classroom to her new studio

Rising

The floodwaters may have subsided, but the struggles of thousands of flood victims across South Louisiana will continue for weeks if not months.

DOUBLE RIPPLE

A pair of popular Lafayette basketball coaches will sling cocktails for a great cause.

Ça c’est bon

Herb Roe understands Cajun culture — courirs, boucheries, festivals and everything in between — and he conveys far more than just its novelty.

TRUE BEAUTY

THE FACE THAT’S CHANGING THE GAME

AN ARIA BY ANY OTHER NAME

Aria Fowler, lead singer and pianist for Lafayette rock band The Other LA, talks music and Asperger’s Syndrome.

A DAY at the MUSEUM

University Art Museum director aims to introduce one of our community’s greatest assets to children long before they enter elementary school, creating a lifelong template of education.

Festivals of the Teche

Saturdays in Breaux Bridge are a rare collage of nature, history, culture and art. On Oct. 17, Teche Fest and Shake Your Trail Feather festivals bridge the mammoth diversity of Cajun, Creole and Teche-centric goodness with a day-long event filling the streets and the bayou waterway in celebration.

PACKED IN THE WAREHOUSE

Lafayette’s newest music venue flirts with a bright future. Oh, and Cuban sandwiches.

Jillian Johnson’s legacy will grow

The financial seeds have been planted for a Victory Garden park project adjacent to Downtown not far from where the designer-entrepreneur-musician lived.

LEAVING LAFAYETTE

Jeffery McCullough comes from a very small town in Georgia. Educated at Georgia Southern University as a designer, he has divided his time among Atlanta, New York City and Lafayette over the last decade. Though sadly he is relocating to NYC, the show isn’t over, as McCullough will continue to call Lafayette his part-time home.

Big Design Small Footprint

When you work for yourself there are few limits. Paul Allain knows this. The architect whose vision is responsible for the revolutionary Tensas Towers in New Iberia is bringing a fresh new take on waterfront property done modern.

THE EVOLUTION OF AN ARTIST

Troy Dugas is an Acadiana local. He was born in Rayne and grew up in Duson, attended Acadiana High School, UL Lafayette for a BFA, and took an MFA from Pratt in New York City.

The Trash Man

The Vermilion River Alliance has formed to give the waterway new protections in the vein of the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper.

Get Well Songs

A constellation of South Louisiana musical stars descends on Parc Sans Souci to honor an ailing David Egan. A constellation of South Louisiana musical stars descends on Parc Sans Souci to honor an...

Less is More

Downtown Alive! trims down to just seven concerts but draws bigger crowds and seasonal attendance. Downtown Alive! trims down to just seven concerts but draws bigger crowds and seasonal attendance. By...

Of Good Cheer

Lafayette sisters head to LSU cheerleading squad If you told Emile Joseph he'd be sitting in Tiger Stadium waiting for his child to run from the end zone onto the field in Death Valley he imagined it...

Get Shorty

The short story for summer The short story this summer is the high-waisted short. Done with a throwback vibe and usually uber short, it is that rare micro trend that's caught fire with no sign of...

Walking the Walk

An artist goes super green Lori Henderson has no idea where she's going. Because she can go anywhere. The artist and shaman is taking the gypsy life and doing it the green way. She's converting a van...

We Got Our FIL

It was a Festival International de Louisiane for the ages. Again With temps hovering in the low 80s and a mostly cooperative Mama Nature, Festival International 2014 was once again a brilliant swell...

Hand-crafted

Local porcelain artist preps for The Big Easel Hand-crafted Local porcelain artist preps for The Big Easel Photos by Robin May Susan Chiquelin creates beauty with her bare hands. The Lafayette...

'A Sort of Homecoming"

Lafayette native screenwriter returns The halls of NP Moss were buzzing with life on a recent Sunday afternoon. A junior and senior were in one class with a chess board ready for battle, both full of...

Roe on ‘the Run'

Lafayette artist explores the light and darkness' of the Courir de Mardi Gras. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014 Considering it fits pretty squarely in the realism genre - hyper-realism, arguably - Herb Roe's...

All Together Now

It might seem like playtime, but Music Together is serious fun with lifelong benefits for kids. It might seem like playtime, but Music Together is serious fun with lifelong benefits for kids. By...

Come Together

Right now. Over food. Surf and turf was taken. Pig and Plough works just fine. The supper series slash fundraiser, which commences in mid-September, is a thankful development in the Lafayette food...

Go, Girl

A program for pre-adolescent girls heads to Acadiana to teach self esteem while training for a 5K road race. Nine-year-old Kayden Guilbeaux doesn't suffer bullies lightly. "It makes me feel...

Archiving Nostalgia

When the good times fade away, check 'em out online. When the good times fade away, check 'em out online. By Nick Pittman Wednesday, May 1, 2013 If you remember the 1990s, chances are you weren't...

The Crazy

The singer-songwriter is making available to fans for five days only an unreleased track from the Le Fou sessions, "Bonsoir, Bonsoir." Photos by Robin May Zachary Richard [Editor's Note:...

Arnaudville: Small Town, Big Ideas

Photo by Robin May The Little Big Cup, which specializes in the classic Louisiana plate lunch,' is representative of the tides of change now being felt in the tiny Cajun-French community. The Little...

Saving Saturday Night

An effort to restore a shuttered dancehall and document other vacant or razed honky-tonks could serve as a model for saving an endangered species of entertainment.

A Place for Tommy

The Friends of Tommy Comeaux group erects a memorial dedicated to the physician-musician's other love: cycling. It's been 15 years since Dr. Tommy Comeaux died when he was struck by an out-of-control...

Lincoln Log

Famed Louisiana-born playwright Tony Kushner turns his pen to our 16th president, and Oscar takes note. Famed Louisiana-born playwright Tony Kushner turns his pen to our 16th president, and Oscar...

The Right Combination

Deirdre Gogarty's determination to enter women's boxing, and her skill once she arrived, made for a world-championship career. Deirdre Gogarty's determination to enter women's boxing, and her skill...

Zombies, Arise!

The Lafayette Science Museum will host a first-ever Zombie Walk down Jefferson Street on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. If Michael Jackson's "Thriller" isn't the theme song for this cavalcade,...

Hard Core Horror

Approaching its fourth go-round, the Lafayette Science Museum's Museum of Fear is bigger and more horrifying than ever. Approaching its fourth go-round, the Lafayette Science Museum's Museum of Fear...

The Artist

After decades designing couture, Harold Clarke brings his panache for dressing women to the Oil Center and talks with IND Monthly about his plans to make Lafayette the headquarters of his...

PARLEZ VOUS?

French immersion isn't just a cool idea; it helps students excel and preserves the local culture. By Zachary Richard August 15, 2012 "I am going to say this in English so that everybody will...

LÂCHE PAS

Event raises funds for CODOFIL The Independent Staff August 15, 2012 If there's one thing Acadiana's cultural economy does well it's rally around a cause and git 'er done. Event raises funds for...

Back to the Present

![living1](images/stories/Ind 080812/living1.jpg) Boho-chic jewelry designers get their inspiration from the most unexpected places. A free spirit with anchors to the past. That's how jewelry designer...

Word Up

Poets, authors find a home in a blue house. By Dominick Cross Words. In a word, that is why poets and writers - locally and nationally known - and others with a keen interest in them and their work...

All the World's a Stage

Now in its 10th year, a Shakespeare camp for youth brings intensity to the AcA. Love's Labour's Lost isn't just another of Shakespeare's plays about to close out its run at the Acadiana Center for the...

Summer Suds

The AcA's major annual fundraiser, Gulf Brew is a tasty, time-tested event. By Dominick Cross It'll be beer here, there and everywhere come rain or shine when the sixth annual Gulf Brew gets to...

He Likes it Like That

By Dominick Cross Photos by Dominick Cross July 11, 2012 For years, Wayne Blue' Burns was known for his bass playing. But four decades later he is back to his first love - guitar - and leading his own...

Crazy

Joseph Aranza's song catches eye, ear of Nashville By Dominick Cross • Photos by Robin May A couple of weeks ago, Joseph Aranza was just another Lafayette dude with a guitar and a knack for writing...

Lights, Camera, Cutting Room Floor?

It's the life of an extra and, understanding that, Bruce Schultz has no great expectations. Bruce Schultz and life as a movie extra By Dominick Cross Wednesday, June 27, 2012 He's been there before,...

Long and Winding Bayou

Bayou Vermilion is 72 miles long, with 33.5 miles of it winding its way through Lafayette Parish. It continues on through Vermilion Parish into Vermilion Bay. Lots of litter, lots of hope for Bayou...

My Three Sons

"I don't want to just tell them what to do or how to live, I want to show them, lead by example. A father is required to provide for his kids, be there to help them get up when they fall, and...

Amen!

On God's Acres in Loreauville, St. Joseph Catholic Church has A. Hays Town written all over it. Hays Town church near completion 50 years later. By Dominick Cross Photos by Robin May Wednesday, June...

No end to Graham's world

Lafayette's Lauren Graham spent two consecutive nights in May shooting a scene for the upcoming star-studded apocalypse comedy The End of the World by first-time directors Seth Rogen and Evan...

BluesBerry Thrill

It came to her last spring in a St. Francisville blueberry orchard, and now the BluesBerry Festival and Cookoff is set for its second go-around Saturday. Interactively inclusive fest returns. By...

A Manny for All Seasons

Jolie's Louisiana Bistro chef Manny Augello's culinary star is ascending. Jolie's Louisiana Bistro chef Manny Augello's culinary star is ascending. By Tommy Thomassie    Photos by Denny...

Return of the 'Angry Young Man'

Pub-rock master and songwriting legend Graham Parker in Lafayette? The Rumours are true. Pub-rock master and songwriting legend Graham Parker in Lafayette? The Rumours are true. Interview by Scott...

It Takes a Village

A Northside institution opens its ovens on Kaliste Saloom Road. A Northside institution opens its ovens on Kaliste Saloom Road. Photos and story by Denny Culbert Wednesday, March 9, 2012 It's...

Fantastic Festival

After all of the hype and accolades, Festival International de Louisiane lived up to and even surpassed it all during its whirlwind tour of downtown Lafayette last week. A great mix of music, art,...

Eat Your FIL

There are seldom times when snacking on fried boudin balls, sampling melt-in-your-mouth catfish smothered in seafood étouffée, indulging in alligator sauce piquante and chasing it with a chicken...

Jolie Blon Steps Aside for Mammoth Waltz

Lost Bayou Ramblers' latest release is new in the old-fashioned way. Lost Bayou Ramblers' latest release is new in the old-fashioned way. By Dominick Cross Photos by Robin May Wednesday, April 18,...

20 Years of Marching Funk

Ceux Qui Marchent Debout, celebrating two decades of touring and performing, is returning to Festival International de Louisiane for the fourth time when Festival gets up and running for the 26th year...

Wrist Watch

Dive into summer style with a splash of arm color. Dive into summer style with a splash of arm color. By Leslie Turk    Photo by Robin May Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Color, color, everywhere. Deep, rich...

It's the Culture, Stupid

The vast majority of New Jersey Italians aren't at all like what's broadcast to the country on the reality show Jersey Shore. Likewise, there's more to Louisiana Cajuns than America sees on Swamp...

The Chosen One

You may call them scrap yards or junk yards, but Joseph Jilbert considers them shopping malls. What are nuts and bolts to everybody else are gold nuggets to Jilbert. Such is the point of view of a...

A Change in Perspective

Fate, or simply life itself, has a way of changing one's chosen course. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, either. Fate, or simply life itself, has a way of changing one's chosen course. And...

Thick and Thin

Opera singer André Courville is admittedly gangly. His celebrated voice is anything but. Opera singer André Courville is admittedly gangly. His celebrated voice is anything but. By Walter...

Fresh!

"You can tell how healthy your meal is by how many trips you take to the garbage can." LA Seafood House's fare is at once delicious and nutritious. By Anna Purdy - Photos by Robin...

Mercy, Mercy

The only thing missing at a Mercy Brothers' gig is the revival tent. Then again, it's still early. The only thing missing at a Mercy Brothers' gig is the revival tent. Then again, it's still early. By...

That's So Kinky!

Texas' famed Jewish cowboy riffs on hard times, the music biz and stray dogs. Texas' famed Jewish cowboy riffs on hard times, the music biz and stray dogs. By Dominick Cross Wednesday, Feb. 15,...

Love Alive

Downtown Alive! is more than a free, outdoor concert; it's also a springboard to love, and here are two couples who prove it. Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 Downtown Alive! is more than a free, outdoor...

Feeding a Need

From supplying grain to sound, one venue on the wrong side of the tracks has turned out right. Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2011 From supplying grain to sound, one venue on the wrong side of the tracks has...

Playboy Interrupted

A king of Cajun drumming is back on his throne after a gory accident. A king of Cajun drumming is back on his throne after a gory accident. By Dominick Cross Photos by Robin May When a cane knife...

Long Gone Daddy

Decades after his death in the backseat of a Cadillac, Hank Williams’ legend gets new life.

Eat Your Heart Out

It's cool, colorful, eclectic, relaxed, and funky. And it's got a bar. If you haven't been to Lafayette's newest hip eatery, The Saint Street Inn, you need to check it out, especially if you're more...

Resident Aliens

The Acadiana Center for the Arts' resident theater company finally comes home to play. Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012 The Acadiana Center for the Arts' resident theater company finally comes home to play. By...

Brush Strokes

Herb Roe painted himself from Appalachia to the Gulf. By Anna Purdy Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011 Herb Roe painted himself from Appalachia to the Gulf. By Anna Purdy The waiting list is long for folks...

Pieces, Love & Music

An autism diagnosis isn't the end of the world - it's the beginning of a journey. Ask Cal and Melissa Stevenson. Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011 An autism diagnosis isn't the end of the world - it's the...

A Tisket, A Tasket

Whether green and yellow or red and gold, CUPS' Christmas baskets are a grand' endeavor. Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 Whether green and yellow or red and gold, CUPS' Christmas baskets are a grand'...

Master of Malleability

Drive past a metal fence etched out in the shape of a tree or walk up a neighbor's stairwell complete with an iron railing, and chances are Randy LeBlanc and his staff of two other artists at Metal...

Backstage Pass

How Dralion artists make it all look so easy By Emily Henagan Men balance upon each other while jump roping in unison, acrobats bounce to and from high-rise planks to low-level trampolines with the...

Music is the Medicine

Dr. Tommy Comeaux's legend plays on. By Anna Purdy If the measure of a man is how well he treats his friends, a new ruler needs to be made for the late Tommy Comeaux. Fifteen years after his death,...

A Year of Shakespeare

Local theater troupe Acting Up (in Acadiana) kicks off a year of activities celebrating the world's most famous bard. By Erin Z. Bass Led by Amy Waguespack, Acting Up (in Acadiana)'s Summer Youth...

Facing the Music

How one hometown hero deals with making it big By Emily Henagan    Photos by Scott Clause Wearing a midnight-colored henley and faded dark denim as he's greeted with deafening screeches from his...

Fur Your Consideration

One nonprofit creates fur pieces that might make PETA proud. By Emily Henagan. Photos by Robin May Those big-toothed creatures that resemble a hybrid between a beaver and a rat, gliding through Girard...

Digging Deep

Mississippi bluesman Paul Thorn brings his authentic vibe to Lafayette. By David Egan Paul Thorn is a rare and exceptional singer-songwriter who draws from a colorful palette of redneck preachers,...

Reaching Out

Located in the heart of downtown, the Lafayette Science Museum wants to be Lafayette's epicenter for everything science and beyond. By Emily Henagan    Photos by Robin May The Lafayette Science...

Cajun Cabinetmaker

With ties to the original settlers and an abiding devotion to Acadian and Creole furniture, cabinetmaker Greg Arceneaux sets up shop for the first time at Festivals Acadiens et Creoles. By Walter...

Art & Fleas

The place to find vintage clothing and jewelry, Lafayette's newest flea market piggybacks ArtWalk. By Erin Z. Bass "This is a different kind of art, but it's art," says Twila Trahan about...

Beauty and the Brush

Melissa Bonin, like all artists, doesn't ever remember a time when she wasn't one. Like most children, she scribbled and drew, divining inspiration from the landscape around her and realizing that...

Magic Flute

A lifelong stutterer, flutist Roldon Brown speaks eloquently through his music. By Emily Henagan   Photo By Robin May When Roldon Brown ordered two mini chocolate chunk cookies at CC's Coffeehouse, he...

Step Lively

With menswear-inspired footwear returning for its sophomore season, women are again embracing this trend. By Emily Henagan Fall has finally arrived, and it's time to tuck away those sandals and...

Principled Dancer

Her professional dance career derailed by scoliosis, Gina Hanchey spun her love of ballet into a vibrant new enterprise. by Emily Henagan When Gina and Matt Hanchey transplanted their labor of love,...

NATURE, BY DESIGN

Wortman Pottery is at once fine, fanciful and functional, drawing inspiration from earth and sea. By Anna Purdy The path to Emily and David Wortman's home is named Potters Road. It's not a...

CASTING A WIDE NET

FoodNet is marking a quarter century of service to the less fortunate with a new leader and a renewed focus on its core principles. By Andrea Gallo Lemel Jones laughs as she recalls her college days...

LIVE. LOVE. ART

For more than five decades, Mike and Andrée Stansbury have enjoyed a passionate love affair - with each other and with their art. By Anna Purdy In this world of mawkish sentimentality - think Anne...

FREETOWN FRESH

An evening alternative joins line-up of local farmer's markets. By Nancy DeVille Have trouble waking up early Saturday mornings? Can't make it in the wee hours on Tuesdays either? Well fear not, all...

LOW CLASS & KICK ASS

Bas Clas is headed back to Lafayette for a pair of gigs and its first real' recording session in more than two decades. By Walter Pierce If you're from South Louisiana and are of a certain age - say,...

Table Manners

When it comes to landing the perfect job, dinner table etiquette could count for more than you might think. By Sue Schleifer When I volunteered to be a table host at a recent etiquette dinner...

Readin' and Eatin'

A Delta chef turns Southern cuisine on its head, and writes a couple of books along the way. By Anna Purdy Ask Martha Hall Foose which of her experiences made her a chef of note - and the highest...

LET IT SN?!

The sno-cone machine is a Louisiana invention, and there is no shortage of choices in Lafayette to beat the heat and paint the tongue. By Anna Purdy Snowballs, snoballs, snow cones, sno-cones or the...

A Chicken in Every Yard

Marcus Descant brings urban farming to Lafayette. By Nancy DeVille It's early Monday morning and Marcus Descant is standing proudly over his griddle. I'm sitting in the corner, secretly salivating in...

Patriot-Palooza

Red, White & BOOM fills downtown with music, games and activities to celebrate Independence Day. By Anna Purdy Downtown Lafayette and the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra are teaming up to provide...

Transcendent

Country superstar Vince Gill returns to Louisiana for food, fellowship and an intimate performance at the Heymann Center. By Andrea Gallo "Authenticity, to me, is the key to any music that you're...

The Home of Your Dreams

Thanks to a bevy of designers and two big-hearted home builders, Lafayette's St. Jude Dream Home is move-in ready. By Erin Z. Bass Last year, Bryan and Sylvia McLain of McLain Homes decided to donate...

Vintage Vanity

One of Lafayette's Taco Sisters turns her love of bygone beauty into a clever side business. By Anna Purdy Katy Richard, co-owner of Lafayette's treasured Taco Sisters restaurant on the corner of...

THE ‘ARCHIVIST'

A retired professor turns his lens on indigenous Louisiana music and compiles an impressive catalogue for posterity. By Andrea Gallo Fiddles wailing, accordions oscillating, dancers two-stepping -...

Take Me Out to Fabacher Field

Youngsville's baseball park gets a facelift in preparation for a new summer league. By Erin Z. Bass At 7 p.m. on June 3, the Acadiana Cane Cutters will take on the Victoria Generals at Fabacher Field...

FLAMING

The downtown fire fighter statue is due for repairs and, although he will soon be behind bars, he'll always be out of the closet. By Anna Purdy You may have noticed the gigantic red plastic mass on...

SIMPLE SAVOIR-FAIRE

Marcelle Bienvenu's new batch of recipes makes alfresco fantastic. By Anna Purdy Anybody who recommends "a splash of brandy to bring along" to pour over fruit is my kind of person. When it...

Festival's Soul Mates

For some international musicians, five days of festival foster a lifetime connection with Lafayette. By Heather Miller & Anna Purdy Locals lining the streets and stages of downtown for Festival...

A Little Shade and a Light Snack

The UL campus adds fruit trees to its impressive catalogue of flora. By Marie Labro In April 2010, UL Lafayette was awarded the title of Tree Campus USA and was one of five colleges across the country...

Friendly Reminder

In words and photographs, Carl Brasseaux and Philip Gould reintroduce us to the enduring and often fragile beauty of Acadiana. By Anna Purdy The test of a remarkable coffee table book is simply this:...

Sit On It

A new coffee table book celebrates the coffee tables - and armoires, dressers, cabinets and chairs - of Louisiana's Cajun and Creole past. By Anna Purdy Seven years and thousands of miles traveled to...

Brew U.

Top of the Hops seeks to educate the public on the nuances of beer. By Wynce Nolley The 2nd Annual Top of the Hops Beer Festival is coming back to the Cajundome Saturday, April 9. The event is...

Retro Modern

A Lafayette fashion team celebrates classic women's fashions. By Krista Richmond Erin Shelton is a modern-day Audrey Hepburn. Much like her idol, she has perfectly coiffed brunette curls, wide eyes, a...

Say It Isn't Faux!

A Hilliard University Art Museum exhibit has been shortlisted for a prize. By Sue Schleifer Two weeks ago, Mark Tullos (above), director of the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, learned...

The Fighters

A new documentary brings Acadiana's MMA pugilists to the fore. By Anna Purdy "I grew up watching men who work hard, who party hard. And on Friday or Saturday night, they weren't scared to fight...

The Junk Lady

The Ind's newest blogger, Cheryl Cockrell has all the right stuff. By Leslie Turk Cheryl Cockrell can help you pile some junk in your trunk. But it's not the kind of junk you might be...

Going Green

You can't go wrong with Mother Nature's favorite. By Krista Richmond It is, without a doubt, the color of the season. You see it outside in the growing grass and blooming flowers. You see it paired...

The Magic of Making it Up

Members of the Elephant 6 come through Lafayette on a Holiday Surprise Tour. By Dege Legg In a decade characterized by faux grunge merchandising, false-hearted, alt-rock gold rushes, gangsta rap,...

The New 'Old School'

Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Chris Botti, who cut his chops playing the clubs and the pubs, brings his chill to the Heymann Center. By Anna Purdy Adding to its track record of stellar talent...

V:

stands for Valentine's Day, Café Vermilionville and Lafayette's Veron family. By Mary Tutwiler On a winter night dedicated to lovers, there is nothing quite so romantic as a roaring fireplace to set...

Bright Ideas

Like art, the right lighting is an integral part of any space. By Erin Z. Bass "When is the last time you bought a lamp?" asks Cecilia Blanchard, who opened Lafayette's Lamp Designs with her...

SUR L'EAU

Cinema on the Bayou brings the best in independent filmmaking to Lafayette. By Walter Pierce If you haven't heard British funk instrumental band The New Mastersounds, get thee to iTunes. Wednesday,...

ZYDECO NATION

The inaugural Zydeco Music Awards honor the past, present and future of zydeco music in all forms at the Heymann Center. By Dege Legg It isn't just another word for snap beans anymore. Since its rural...

A Shoe for All Seasons

Spring shoes hit local stores' shelves in February, but transitional styles will put your best foot forward now. By Annie Bares In south Louisiana, seasons follow no rhyme or reason. Depending on the...

Sunstruck

A local independent film, made on a shoestring budget, heads to Sundance. by Jerome Moroux Begin with Fyodor Dostoevsky. Add a casting call placed only in local newspapers. Throw in a little Beowulf....

Wünderbar

Keep the cocktails coming for a New Year's Eve to remember (if you can). by Mary Tutwiler Popping fireworks and clinking glasses. Lounge lizard music, showers of confetti and big sloppy smooches....

Twinkle, Twinkle

Glitter and glam are moving from evening to afternoon. By Hope Rurik As fall fades into winter, things start to sparkle. There are twinkling trees, shining decorations, glowing fires, sparkling...

Sticky Fingers

Wild horses couldn't keep me away from this brown sugar delight. by Mary Tutwiler Gingerbread comes all kinds of ways here in Acadiana. There's the "heavy belly" stage planks from LeJeune's...

Acadiana Sings

A 200-piece children's choir joins the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra during its Hometown Christmas Concert. By Erin Z. Bass Acadiana Symphony Orchestra Music Conductor and Director Mariusz Smolij has...

Hide Bound

Tis the season for leather and fur. By Hope Rurik They are the immortals of the fashion world - always present, classic and finding their way out of specialty stores and into the display windows of...

Turning Water into Wine

Louisiana's imperiled coast inspires a California winemaker. By Mary Tutwiler Susie Selby loves wine. She grew up under the tutelage of her father, David Selby, a wine connoisseur before wine was...

Amazing Graces

Jewelry designer P.J. Naomi takes inspiration from Acadiana Outreach Center's Three Graces program to create tonight's top auction item. By Krista Richmond Palates and Pâté is known for bringing...

Gathering of the Vibes

Acadiana's newest music fest seeks to join an ecological consciousness with commerce and, of course, live music. By Dege Legg There's a new music festival in town. And this one is big. LAfestival is...

Foot Fetish

A hard-to-find line of footwear makes its way into Lafayette's retail market. By Hope Rurik It has been more than a year since Breaux Bridge native Cherise Angelle dazzled and tantalized Lafayette...

The Gospel According to Horace

October 27, 2010 Cajun standard bearer turned zydeco mixologist Horace Trahan is back with his best record yet. By Dege Legg Some musicians take the straight road - smile when told to smile, jump when...

Hard Knock Life

October 20, 2010 Part theatrics, part athletics, roller derby brings girl power to the skating rink. Story and photos by Hope Rurik The roster reads No. 79 Eat My Poussiere, No. 11KO Pink Panther...

More Than a Kiss

October 13, 2010 Upcoming play at UL is at the center of a cultural battle field. By Walter Pierce When 18-year-old Tyler Clementi jumped to his death Sept. 22 from the George Washington Bridge after...

Born on the Bayou

Zydecajun great Wayne Toups headlines Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. By Dege Legg It started as a noble effort to keep Cajun culture alive and thriving in 1972 and has evolved into the largest Cajun...

Horse, Of Course

September 29, 2010 Local documentarians chronicle Acadiana's equine traditions. By Walter Pierce The man who will be king is skill and valor in a silver tunic astride his horse, galloping break-neck...

Bang Agog

PASA in the Park presents New York quartet So Percussion. By Dege Legg Music is everywhere and in all things constantly swirling around us. According to the aesthetic creed of Brooklyn drum ensemble...

Swamped

A 130-mile adventure race down Bayou Teche draws serious paddlers and dilettantes alike. By Mary Tutwiler Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010 Bayou Teche has inspired all sorts of works. Take the 19th century...

Tribal Tribute

Saturday's Fall Fest ArtWalk celebrates the life and lasting contribution of Elemore Morgan Jr. Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010 Written by Walter Pierce They're known informally as "the tribe," a...

Sneak Preview

The AcA atrium, theater and café are in the home stretch of construction, anticipating a fall grand opening. Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010 Written by Mary Tutwiler MEETINGS The Acadiana Center for the Arts...

Katrina, Remembered

New books and documentaries recall the storm and its aftermath. Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010 Written by Mary Tutwiler For those of us in the Bayou State, time is divided into two epochs: Pre-Katrina and...

Through a Glass Darkly

Angelle-Leigh creates portraits out of space and out of time. Aug. 11, 2010 Written by Mary Tutwiler Even as a child, Angelle-Leigh Breaux was surrounded by romantic deshabille. Her mother's house on...

Pure Pork Heaven

Sicilian charcuterie takes its place at the Cajun table. Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010 Written by Mary Tutwiler Biting down on Manny Augello's pork terrine with caper berries is a unique culinary...

Boogi Nights

Earl "Boogi" Hebert finds inspiration, and the spirit of his late father, painting through the night on his back porch. Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Written by Nathan Stubbs Earl...

Going a Little Batty

Mysterious cow disappearances, evangelical tent revivals and a bat-human mutant hybrid take the stage at Cite des Arts. July 21, 2010 Written by Annie Bares Song, dance and jazz hands are standard...

LemonAid for the Gulf

Kids across the South are making lemonade to help wildlife affected by the oil spill. Wednesday, July 14, 2010 Written by Erin Z. Bass It's a story as old as time: A brother and sister decide to open...

Postcard from the Past

Two decades in the making, the Bayou Teche Museum opens its doors in New Iberia. **Wednesday, July 7, 2010 Written by Mary Tutwiler Photos by Robin May ** Time seems to stand still under the oaks that...

Trouble-free Troubadour

Back from the abyss, Scott Alan Stagg is clean and sober and staging a comeback. Wednesday, June 30, 2010 Written by Dege Legg Each man has his own myth. Sometimes the man is larger than the myth....

Let Them Eat Cake!

**At Sophie P. Cakes, Jennifer and Dustin Melancon find a niche in going over the top and out of the box. ** Wednesday, June 23, 2010 By Nathan Stubbs Two weeks, ago, Jennifer Melancon and her husband...

Papa Does Preach

Carencro High alumnus Lee Papa - aka the Rude Pundit - is finding a niche in America's (un)civil discourse. Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Written by Kevin Allman "What's wonderful about the Louisiana...

Lens Crafter

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 Written by Walter Pierce Exhibition celebrates remarkable eye' of Kent Hutslar. Memorial art exhibitions have a dark patina. Someone has to die. This Saturday, the Acadiana...

Artmospheric Change

Wednesday, June 4, 2010 Written by Madeleine Hebert The funky art bistro sets its sights on becoming the next Lafayette live music mecca. If you've been to Artmosphere lately, you know the place has...

Awesome, I Shot That!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Written by Madeleine Hebert AOC and Downtown Alive! partner with Lafayette's hottest party band to create a collaborative, multimedia event. Anyone who has ever attended a...

Earth Realm

**Written by Mary Tutwiler Wednesday, May 19, 2010 UL prof Lynda Frese embarks on a spiritual and environmental journey in the creation of a new series called Pacha Mama.** There is something to be...

Hunt Slonem on the Bayou

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 Written by Walter Pierce Haunted by South Louisiana, the widely collected painter opens his most ambitious exhibition ever at UAM. When painter Hunt Slonem's one-man exhibition...

In Living Color

**Wednesday, May 5, 2010 Written by Nathan Stubbs **Photo by Jillian Johnston Feufollet's defining new album, En Couleurs, takes the band to new creative heights. Like many bands in the traditional...

Rock Revival

Written by Dege Legg Wednesday, 28 April 2010 Grant Street Dancehall returns to its live music roots with a full month of shows in May. The building is over 100 years old. Built of brick and cypress...

Whittlin' Time

Written by Megan Wyatt Photo by Robin May** Wednesday, April 21, 2010** Stickman Joe turns hobby into profit. Tucked inside a quiet Carencro neighborhood is a dynamic artist who not only creates...

O Brother Dege, Where Art Thou?

Written by Walter Pierce Wednesday, April 14, 2010 The Ind's own Brother Dege Legg preps for a solo tour in support of his new record with a CD-release party Saturday at Blue Moon. Every office, like...

Where in the World is Rockapella?

Written by Walter Pierce Wednesday, 7 April 2010 On the Heymann stage April 13 Being a vocal percussionist, otherwise known as a mouth drummer, has its advantages. First and foremost, you're a member...

Meet James Dupre

Written by Walter Pierce Wednesday, 31 March 2010 Rising country talent is a best-kept secret in his own backyard. When Kyle Lehning and Jerry Douglas co-produce your record, you've arrived. When...

Controlled Burn

Written by Dege Legg Wednesday, 24 March 2010 Lafayette rock band Wildfires inject some sound and fury into a growing indie music scene. Over the years, many young men have trekked over desert,...

Orchestral Roots

Written by Walter Pierce Wednesday, 17 March 2010 Native talents team up with ASO for special concert. Few cities Lafayette's size have their own symphony orchestras; fewer still have music...

Our Own Way

Written by Walter Pierce Wednesday, 10 March 2010 6@549 reunites half a dozen of Lafayette's best for ArtWalk We can thank the Children's Museum of Acadiana in a roundabout way for the exhibition...

Independent Girls

Written by Dege Legg Wednesday, 03 March 2010 Free from the shackles of a record label, long-running acoustic duo The Indigo Girls plays Grant Street Dancehall. Way before Lilith Fair and Riot Girls,...

Still Going Strong

Performing Arts Society of Acadiana celebrates its 20th anniversary with Alvin Ailey. Twenty years ago the torpor of the oil bust held fast in Lafayette. Residents were fleeing the region in search...

Walk About

Painter Melissa Bonin journeys along the songlines that connect Louisiana landscapes and Aboriginal art. It started out as an ordinary day. Melissa Bonin was looking at a collection of Aboriginal...

What Men Want

For a smokin' Valentines day, turn up the heat Women are so easy to please. Dark chocolate, a red red rose, a bottle of bubbly and she's putty in your hands. When it comes to Valentine's Day girls...

Skin Deep

Saints fans express the ultimate commitment to the Black & Gold. Old man Webster may insist "skin deep" means superficial, but for Lafayette native and longtime New Orleans Saints fan...

State of the Basin

A group of environmentalists, with an eye to the health of the largest wetland in the U.S., crosses the Atchafalaya Basin by canoe. It all began innocently enough when Stacey Scarce, director of...

POSTHASTE WITH CHRIS THOMAS KING

1. In the movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou, you play a killer version of Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues.” Explain to the laymen why Skip James was so unique. First of all, his music is...

Going Down to the Crossroads

Baton Rouge bluesman Chris Thomas King plays Lafayette’s hippest music series. From the Delta blues you can trace the roots of rock and roll, rockabilly, southern rock, punk rock, alt-country, modern...

Hoops There It Is (video)

Hula Hooping comes around and around and around again. Remember Hula Hoops? The striped plastic rings went on sale in the U.S. in 1958, energized beach parties and made Wham-O a heap of money. Then...

Outside Looking In

The Grinder Creative Arts Expo hosts Lafayette’s fringe arts during ArtWalk What is art? What indefinable quality magically transforms matter into something that gives one insight into the reality of...

No Witches Need Apply

Hansel and Gretel couldn’t have resisted nibbling on this front door. Neither can you. Lucky little Patrick Poupart, his mother was a baker. Every Christmas, Louise Poupart built an edible house out...

Tommy, Can You Hear Me?

Medicine Show has turned tragedy into triumph Medicine Show needs little introduction, but here’s the short form: The annual concert fundraiser at Grant Street Dancehall was first held in December...

With a Cherry on Top

Kackie Lerille ices a historic restoration of a local landmark. Photos by Robin May Last week, chief scooper Miss Ella May Meaux celebrated her 79th birthday in the same spot she’s been sung to for...

Les Bons Mots

A team of linguists publishes a long-awaited, all-encompassing dictionary of Cajun and Creole French Father Daigle, a 90-year-old Catholic priest, created the first dictionary of Cajun French,...

Honey, Pie!

Sail across the Atlantic to be where you belong. Photo by Robin May Mention mincemeat pies, and most folks wrinkle their noses in horror. “Meat and prunes,” I remember thinking as a child, a...

Eat, Drink and Be Charitable

Local art and cuisine simmered to perfection for the past eight years at Palates & Paté, but keeping that momentum going is a challenge in 2009. Photo by Robin May As the economy has softened a...

Acting Up on the Fringe

Local theater company headed to New Orleans festival Photo by Isabel LaSala The audience reaction to PLAY.MUSIC.HEAL. is visceral — cringing one moment, laughing another, welling up with empathy the...

Dancehall Daze

Grant Street Dancehall is ready to reclaim its title as Lafayette’s premier live-music venue. Photo by Isabele LaSala Everyone’s been wondering what happened to Grant Street. Its 2008 incarnation...

Ghost Busters

A local group searches for spirits in some of the area's favorite haunts. Written by Erin Z. Bass Like most high school kids in small towns, Brad Duplechien's first ghost hunting experience took...

Country Come to Town

Legendary crooner Clint Black headlines an outdoor concert next week to help raise funds for one of Acadiana’s worthiest non-profits When country crooner Clint Black takes the stage next week in Parc...

Sacred Grove

Sculptor John Geldersma returns to Louisiana with a powerful exhibit that explores the emergence of consciousness. Photo by Robin May John Geldersma is quick to lead you around the room, explaining...

Barefoot in the Park

Festivals Acadiens et Creoles returns for its 32nd season Photo by Robin May Fall is here. That can only mean three things: an end to the crushing brutality of summer, dreamy autumnal thoughts, and...

Remember the Alamo

New artist alliance reinvents, reimagines, reuses Houndstooth jacket and lace jabot constructed from five articles of discarded clothing; designed by Suzanne Chaillot, clutch by Deborah Elberson,...

Fear Factory

Museum explores the science of fright Photo by Robin May Fear is the body’s natural response to a threat. Fear exploitation is the business of haunted houses and dishonest governments. One is done...

Wrench, then ride

Enthusiasts keep antique cars on Acadiana’s roads. (with video) The Ford Model T was the automobile that started it all. Mass produced, easily maintained and affordable, it was the spark plug that...

Fight like Crazy

Lafayette’s Tim Credeur seeks UFC glory, one gnarled knuckle at a time. Tim Credeur Photo by Isabel LaSala Meet Tim Credeur and it is hard to believe he makes a living fighting. Credeur comes off...

Platinum Performances

PASA Celebrates its 20th year with an invigorating new season Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Doing anything for 20 years is pretty respectable. No doubt: It takes tenacity, dedication, skill,...

Brains and Brawn

Athletic supporters get a boost at JockSmart weekend Curtis Hollinger Photo by Isabel LaSala Curtis Hollinger knows a thing or three about the value of a good education. Now a Lafayette attorney,...

Great Scott

Lafayette native is living the dream in Los Angeles, and Honolulu, and Vancouver, and Seattle, and London, and Amsterdam, and ... Photo by Isabel LaSala Scott Eric Olivier, Lafayette High class of...

Soul of a Shoe

Buy a pair of TOMS and this compassionate company will donate a pair to a needy child. Photo by Robin May On a trip to Argentina in 2006, former “Amazing Race” contestant and world traveler Blake...

Play it Again and Again

Instrument drive helps stock school band rooms across Acadiana  The great Louis Armstrong grew up in extreme poverty in New Orleans. After dropping out of school at 11, he began singing in the streets...

An Antebellum Betsy

Book chronicles the destruction of a La. coastal resort Long before meteorologists and satellites, before television and radio or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were...

All about the beer, man

AcA’s Gulf Brew returns for another round of specialty brews. Photo by Travis Gauthier It could be argued that the invention of beer has been responsible for AC/DC, the mullet, unemployment, white...

Asleep my love? What, dead my dove!

A student production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens at the AcA Chance Briant as Oberon and Brooke Gleason as Titania, king and queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s...

Antique Road Show

Re-bike shop finds niche among cycling enthusiasts (video included) Photo by Robin May “I’ve had a passion for bikes my whole life. My father and I have been riding bikes since I was a kid.” William...

House of Mouse

The latest star from the Disney machine rocks the Cajundome tonight. One of the trademarks that is developing with Disney as the company continues to introduce the teen market to a steady stream of...

The Creative Class

Lafayette’s between-the-cracks creators find home on the Web In the past five years social networking Web sites have exploded over the Internet, becoming incredibly popular resources for people to...

Guts, and a little glory

The Acadiana Mudbugs vie for the public’s attention — and dollars — in inaugural season. (with video) Photo by Robin May It’s Friday evening in Blackham Coliseum. A group of men in their early to...

Back to his rouxs

Native chef stirs up Cajun Country in new cookbook  Call it Cajun confidence. About six months after Hurricane Katrina tested New Orleans’ will to live, when just about the only tourism in town was...

Chew on this

Lafayette artist’s story board goes big time with debut comic. (with video documentary) Rob Guillory is breathing some pretty rarefied air these days, and he doesn’t have to leave sea level to do it....

Transformer

Artist Cody Bush approaches perfection at the AcA (with video documentary) Forgive the man who stares at your neckline too long. Embellished with a design by Cody Bush, it is to be expected. Strong...

What a long strange trip it's been

Vendor finds niche with the Grateful Dawg (video included) Photo by Robin May Finally, an old-time hot dog vendor on Jefferson Street! Russell Hiltz first trundled out his Grateful Dawg cart the...

Post-Americana

'Pack rat’ turns love of junk into a business. Photo by Robin May Jimmy Menutis is a class act. And he knows show business. Real show business, that is, not this stuff with the kids screaming and...

By Any Other Name

Acadiana Center for the Arts curator Rose Courville ends her career in Lafayette with a blockbuster show. Photo by Robin May The third annual Southern Open, a juried art competition, will preview...

Don't sleep outside without a cover

Brothers seek to save relics of a quirky burial tradition The living are fascinated by the dead. Ancient Egyptians left food and drink for the deceased to ease their journey on the ship of death to...

A Cajun Boy Comes Home

Zachary Richard hits FIL stage, new record in hand. Sit down with singer-songwriter Zachary Richard for a Q & A and it’s a little bit of Q and a whole lot of A. The dude can talk. An idle...

In Search of The Promised Land

The Louisiana debut of the Lil’ Band O’ Gold documentary highlights the Acadiana Film Festival. C.C. Adcock was tired of the blank stares whenever he described Lil’ Band O’ Gold. “The basic idea was...

It's the Crawfish, Stupid

Crawfishermen predict a short season this year, so get ‘em while they’re hot. Photo by Robin May While Easter is revered as the most holy week in the Catholic calendar all over the world, here in...

Workin' the 'Angle

Christine Balfa is at the forefront of American pop culture with a mammoth new record deal and a year-long world tour. Just her and her triangle. Photo by Lucius Fontenot It's so simple and yet so...

The South Will Roll Again

Cinema on the Bayou brings a dozen Southern indie cult classics to the big screen Pat Mire wants you to really see Acadiana. Certainly, he has given audiences a lens through which to peer into the...

Blast Radius

Suffocation, one of the godfathers of extreme metal, comes to town. Can’t tell the difference between heavy metal, death metal, black metal, or grindcore? Don’t beat yourself up; not many people...

Human Interest

Philip Gould’s latest show brings the land and its people into focus. The bride is no spring chicken. But her smile overshadows the lines in her face as she hikes up her dress and hoists herself into...

Old Soldiers Never Die

In the Electric Mist is held over on the big screen. Tommy Lee Jones Photo by Dawn Jones, ©2007 Electric Mist Joint Venture LLC (UPDATE: In the Electric Mist has been held over again at New Iberia's...

Hittin' the Blue Note

The Blue Note 7 rolls into Lafayette for an evening of jazz. If there ever was a record company that deserves a tribute tour to coincide with its anniversary, Blue Note Records is the obvious...

Mardi Gras Mayhem

The barricades are out, so it must be time for Mardi Gras in Lafayette. Photo by Robin May It’s not the big city, and it’s not the country. Lafayette is its own breed of Mardi Gras, full of...

Love Hurts

There’s no better way to say “I love you,” than an intimate evening spent with Quintron and Miss Pussycat. If you genetically spliced Nikola Tesla with Devo and Ed Wood, you’d get something that...

O Captain! My Captain!

Louisiana celebrates the birth of Abraham Lincoln with a week of literary events. If you want to know how Louisiana is uniquely related to Abraham Lincoln, the Louisiana Poetry Project is for you....

Bikes, Boards and a Bowl

After six years of working with Lafayette Consolidated Government, Ooti Billeaud’s dream of a public skate park is coming true. Ooti Billeaud photo by Robin May The sun’s shining. The wind’s...

Drawing Attention

BBR Creative’s Denise Gallagher garners an International Society of Illustrators Award. Gallagher's illustration of the pattern "Double Dutch" There’s nothing like a deadline to get you in...

At The Circus

An interactive show introduces painter Marc Chagall to the children of Acadiana. At the Circus, 1976 Oil on Canvas Private Collection, St. Paul de Vence, France © 1995 ARS, New York/ADAGP,...

Making Her Mark

Baton Rouge artist Billie Bourgeois opens a cheery new show at Galerie Eclaireuse. “A poem should not mean, but be,” is the famous closing line of Archibald MacLeish’s poem, “Ars Poetica.” That’s the...

Punch Drunk

Much like the holidays, egg nog comes but once a year. So drink it up while you can. Photo by Robin May Like fruitcake, eggnog is one of those once a year treats, and you either love it or hate it....

C'est Jolie

Inspired by the Bayou State’s bounty, Jolie’s Louisiana Bistro opens its doors. Owners Steve and Suzi Santillo, and the other jolie blonde in their lives, their daughter Isabella. Photo by Allison...

Let There Be Light

Catholic High brightens up its new chapel with art glass. New Iberia’s newest art installation may be one of the best kept secrets in town. Catholic High has just set a series of stained glass windows...

Coffee Break

Breaux Bridge coffee shop offers a lot more than just a regular cup of joe. Photo by Conni Castille It’s hard to walk past a place with rockers out front — the kind your great grandmother had on her...

Knockout Artist

Jarred “The Lethal Weapon” Leblanc is ready to rumble with local boxers and musicians at Blackham Coliseum for two good causes. How do you knock someone out? “Hit them with an overhand right to the...

Everything is Illuminated

Jantje Visscher works in the most elusive medium of all, light. photo by Angelle-Leigh Breaux You sit, staring at enlightened forms that come in and out of focus. There’s no beginning and no end....

A Helping Hand

P.J. Naomi has outdone himself with this year’s design for a one-of-a-kind Palates & Paté auction item. photo by Terri Fensel Believing in the potential impact Acadiana Outreach could have on...

Water Color

Melissa Bonin’s canvases capture world light, reflected on water. The long gnarled fingers reach with urgent stillness. Growing side by side for centuries, always just out of reach of one another,...

Green Machine

This year’s weirdest Halloween costume comes from a pair of 23-year-old Lafayette entrepreneurs. Not everybody who watches It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a slacker. Take Colin Grussing. He was...

Whatcha Got Cookin'?

The third annual Black Pot Festival returns to Acadiana for a weekend of music, food and camping. The South Louisiana Black Pot Festival & Cookoff returns this weekend with great music, dancing,...

The Missing Link

Finally, a boudin festival makes its debut in downtown Lafayette. Rocky Sonnier at Bayou Boudin & Cracklin photo by Terri Fensel When it comes to boudin, don’t ask what’s in it. It’s all good....

Zydeco Zaré

Elisa Monte Dance translates a Creole tradition from the dance hall to the concert stage. It’s a very touchy subject when an artist from outside attempts to interpret the essence of local culture....

On the Marc

Marc Broussard’s back in town in support of his latest release - Keep Coming Back. Carencro native Marc Broussard is back in town, fresh off the road, touring in support of his new Atlantic Records...

GraHAM Burger

Ad exec George Graham goes for gold on a national scene with his Bluesiana Burger. photo by Terri Fensel Spicy, saucy, crunchy, colorful. There’s nothing ordinary about George Graham’s Bluesiana...

Shades of Fall

Worn year round in these parts for protection from the sun, designer shades are also a high-fashion statement. Two pieces of tinted glass in a simple plastic, acetate or metal frame. Not so fast. When...

Elemental

Kathy Reed and Steve Breaux explore the connections between Mother Earth, man and machine. Artists Kathy Reed and Steve Breaux had an interesting summer vacation. First thing, every morning, they...

Chic in Soy

New, environmentally sustainable fabrics make it easy to go green. Photo by Isabel LaSala Green is the new black. The new silk. The new cashmere. Fashion trends shear with the wind, and right now...

Bedfellows

Lafayette indie rockers Brass Bed weave together a self-described alt.country, indie noise pop. For Brass Bed, it’s been a year of rarities. It’s next to unheard of for a Lafayette rock band to play...

Slow Ride

Take it easy. With the price of gas still through the roof, those little scooters are looking better and better. Nolan “Scooter Bruce” Broussard photo by Terri Fensel Tired of feeling like a ragged...

Self Portrait

UL architecture and design students populate an art show with soul-baring sculptures. photo by Isabel LaSala When architecture professor Hector LaSala challenged his students with a project to build...

Conversation Pieces

A familiar name comes home to leave his markon the walls of La Fonda — and it’s all for a good cause. photo by Terri Fensel Richard Chappuis, Brother Marine, Floyd LeBleu, Lou King Patin, Pat Olson,...

Ringside

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey returns to the Cajundome with an intense circus performance. Who hasn’t thought about running off and joining the circus? Tigers. Trapeze artists. Clowns. Now...

Sharp Laughs

Facelift queen and acid-tongued comedienne Joan Rivers comes to the Heymann Center. “This face has seen more knives than a Benihana! Am I smiling? I can’t tell. I can’t feel my face.” In legendary...

Day to Night

Forget about switching purses. The latest styles will take you everywhere you want to go. Let’s admit it: We all have a few handbags lying around filled with old lipsticks, ink pens and nail files,...

The Flower Ladies

For two Carencro sisters, a hobby turns into a blooming side business. Watch the video above about the Flower Ladies By day, Marilyn Arton tends those at the end of life in her job as a hospice nurse....

Musical Fireworks

The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars team up for a free July 4 concert. When it comes to celebrating Independence Day, America has a traditional soundtrack. The...

The Right Stuff

Known for her Creole’s Stuffed Bread, Merline Herbert celebrates 25 years in business with her Creole Lunch House. photo by Terri Fensel Merline Herbert found her recipe for success folded inside...

Gone to the Dogs

Mike Spears’ side business started out as a way to make his own pets more comfortable, but it may be poised for a luxurious takeoff. photo by Terri Fensel While the economy may be in the tank in some...

Dreamscapes

A new exhibit by Lafayette artist Mary Beyt is a magical mystery tour. Artist Mary Beyt is more than a painter — she’s a poet as well. I am a visual storyteller. My paintings are portals for these...

Raised on Rice and Gravy

A new film explores the dark brown depths of our daily lunch tradition. photo by Terri Fensel If you ask filmmakers Conni Castille and Allison Bohl why they chose to follow their award-winning...

Be My Guest

Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Dr. John, Jimmy Buffett and more lend a hand to Sonny Landreth’s new CD, From the Reach. photo by Jack Spencer It starts with an insistent high-pitched echoing reverb...

Welcome Home

UL Lafayette’s School of Architecture and Design unveils its plans for the BeauSoleil Louisiana Solar Home. photo by Terri Fensel Every half-inch of the small basswood model equals 1 foot of a bigger...

Metal Urges

Combining his artistic talent with fashion, Lafayette native Shaesby Scott has launched an international jewelry sensation. Photo by Terri Fensel It was just a couple of years after he’d started...

Making the Cut

This year’s Southern Open exhibits some of the Gulf Coast’s most innovative artists. New works from artists across the Gulf South challenge what we know about ourselves and our environment. That’s...

One More Time

This weekend’s Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is the last major local music festival before the summer heat kicks in. Your legs are still recovering from all that dancing you did at Festival...

The Bard of Barbs

Legendary songwriter Randy Newman reflects on his life in music, his Louisiana connections and his upcoming Lafayette performance. The second live performance of Randy Newman’s controversial song...

Wild About Harry

Iconic mockumentary actor and Simpsons mainstay Harry Shearer is honored by this year’s iDiDx festival. You know him as the Machiavellian Mr. Burns on The Simpsons and the gardening bassist Derek...

Garden Party

A Lafayette backyard paradise briefly opens to the public to benefit Family Promise of Acadiana. It isn’t easy to find Sarah Schoeffler’s garden. Tucked back behind a screen of trees facing Simcoe,...

The Flame and the Flower

Two festivals — one dedicated to fire and the other to flora — come together this weekend Blackham Coliseum. Fire and ice. Oil and water. One would think the searing heat of a kiln has little to say...

Stir the Pot

Expect some heated competition at this weekend’s 23rd annual World Championship Crawfish Etouffée Contest. Photo by Terri Fensel Back in 1980, when Curtis Joubert was elected mayor of Eunice, the...

Last Ride

Johnson’s Bike Shop hangs up its wheels after 55 years of old-fashioned sales and service. For his sixth birthday in 1958, Al Ducote’s grandfather bought him a bright red and chrome Schwinn Wasp from...

Bayou Classical

Italian native and acclaimed classical violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg has a love affair with Louisiana. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg isn’t your typical concert violinist. The calm reserved world of...

Take it to the Hoop

The annual Top 28 boys basketball tournament returns to the Cajundome. March Madness catches on early in Lafayette. Just ahead of the frenzy of college hoops’ NCAA tournament sweeping the nation,...

Salvage Crew

A consortium of local artists turn recycled tin ceiling tiles into art works to benefit the Children's Museum of Acadiana. Give an artist a rusty, dented 88-year-old pressed tin ceiling tile and you...

Sexy Back

JT's jeans may be the hottest ones in mass production, but downtown Lafayette's also got a new jean shop that may soon be all the rage. Today’s blue jeans are as much about couture as comfort. Styled...

Back From the Brink

The third annual Eagle Expo celebrates the prolific return of the once endangered bald eagle. Photo by Chip Metz When wildlife photographer C.C. Lockwood began his campaign to save the Atchafalaya...

Swamp Bloom

The lotus flower and hurricane recovery efforts provide inspiration for a local jewelry maker. Jeweler Chris Des Jardins had only been back in Louisiana for six months when Hurricane Katrina hit. “I...

Premiere Weekend

After 25 years of boarded windows, the Teche Theater in St. Martinville reopens as a music hall and recording studio. As part-owner of Windmill Recording Studio in New Iberia from its inception in...

Still A Queen

Breaux Bridge beauty queen and actress Ali Landry reigns over Krewe of Carnivale en Rio this weekend. She first captured our attention by winning the Miss USA pageant in 1996, but it wasn’t until...

Wrap Party

Designer Kim Veillon transforms spaces small and large with his over-the-top Mardi Gras creations. Photo by Terri Fensel With an early Mardi Gras season already ramping up, folks might be too busy...

Straight from the Heart

A new collection of Acadiana folk art goes on display for the first time. Once Becky and Wyatt Collins started collecting folk art, it didn’t take them long to assemble a major collection - 300...

Sweet Collaboration

Thanks to the Sugar Bowl, BeauSoleil's David Doucet and Hawaiian guitarist George Kuo join together for a one-night only performance in Lafayette. While frontman and fiddler Michael Doucet receives...

Just Desserts

Pastry chef Sue Barras shares some of her favorite recipes for the holidays. Sue Barras doesn't go to work. "I go to play," she says. Her favorite toys are unsalted butter, good chocolate...

Reunion for a Cause

Atchafalaya reunites to help raise funds for the Tommy Comeaux Fund, now just $30,000 away from its $1 million goal. During the 1980s, you could hear Atchafalaya all across the Gulf Coast ' from...

Ram Tough

They fell to Destrehan, but the Wreckin' Rams did Acadiana proud with their third straight trip to the state finals. Back-to-back state championships are always difficult to pull off, but Acadiana...

A Fret-Free Christmas

A surprise family gift with no strings attached inspired this weekend's collaborative Ballet Acadiana Christmas program. One of the things I love most about Southwest Louisiana is the wealth of...

Aspiring Artists

Beggar's Banquet showcases the work and talent of students from the Lafayette Parish High School Arts Academy. For students who enroll at the Lafayette Parish High School Arts Academy, focusing on...

The Pie Guy

Since he was knee-high, Jim Romero has been rolling his own dough for his specialty pies. Jim Romero's mama was the cake specialist in the family. His grandfather baked biscuits in a black skillet in...

The First Hero Returns

Kody Chamberlain depicts Beowulf and Grendel in a new version of the archaic tale geared for young readers. In his downtown Lafayette office, behind a door with a small placard that reads "Sweet...

A Modern Day Johnny Appleseed

Bob Thibodeaux aims to reforest the coast, with a little help from his friends. Bob Thibodeaux had private plans for his birthday. A cancer survivor inspired by Lance Armstrong, he took up endurance...

All in the Family

Robert Randolph & The Family Band close out this weekend's blowout La Belle Journee festival honoring the Marquis de La Fayette. This weekend, La Belle Journee historic festival pays tribute to...

Can You Dig It?

Local musicians come together for "Donnalroo" to support Lafayette's favorite emcee, Uncle Donald Senegal. Once you've seen and heard Uncle Donald, you won't forget him. He's a tall gaunt...

Command Performance

The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra opens its Decorator's Showhouse. It's unusual to open the door of a house under construction and hear the strains of a Monteverdi opera rather than hard rock or...

Savoy Faire

This year's Festivals Acadiens pays tribute to Marc and Ann Savoy's musical family. Thirty-two years ago, Marc Savoy met Ann Allen at the National Folk Festival in Washington, D.C. Since 1966, Savoy...

En Fuego

A weekend of music and dancing brings the romanticism of Latin culture to Lafayette. Salsa, mambo, rhumba, bolero ' the fiery figures of Latin dance will erupt in a cultural fiesta celebrating...

Hail the Fat Man

A collaboration between Lafayette's Lil' Band O' Gold and legendary Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant is a highlight of a new Fats Domino tribute CD. Acadiana music circles were buzzing in late...

Sounding Board

Here's a twist: you can play Francis X. Pavy's latest work of art. Francis X. Pavy's painted his share of guitars. He painted one for Reeves Gabrel during his tenure with David Bowie and another one...

Birds and Blooms

Celebrate Acadiana's natural beauty with festivities highlighting fall flowers and migratory hummingbirds. We're used to swarms of giant mosquitoes here on the Gulf rim, but the current airborne...

Playing With Fire

Metal artist Ralph Goodyear uses raw materials and a new vision to forge Old World-inspired balconies and gates. Ralph Goodyear is standing on top of a 3-foot high welding table, ignoring the...

Silver Anniversary

The Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival celebrates 25 years as the state's premier zydeco extravaganza. Lena Charles remembers when a young Curley Taylor first came to the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco...

Red Moon at Morning

A pre-dawn total eclipse of the moon offers early risers an opportunity for celestial sky-gazing. A little lunacy can be a good thing if it gets you out of bed early in the morning ' real early, like...

Big Guns

A photography exhibit gives a new perspective into the lives of Hollywood's silver screen stars, with rare behind-the-scenes shots. Put together a mid-century Leica camera, a dusty location shoot in...

Armoire Amour

Rare French antiques are only part of the charm of a family's post-Katrina transformation in Lafayette. The lucky daughter of a wealthy man in 1870 Brittany would have received an armoire for her...

Artistic Barriers

A new art exhibit by two Southwestern Louisiana University professors reflects upon ' and raises awareness of ' Louisiana's disappearing barrier islands. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that in...

Making the C-List

Comedian Kathy Griffin stops in Lafayette for a one-night show to benefit Stuller Place. Kathy Griffin says she'll do just about anything to get media coverage in hopes of propelling her from...

Get The Led Out

The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra takes the stage to perform ... Led Zeppelin classics? If Jimmy Page and Yo-Yo Ma got together to jam, it might sound a lot like the The Music of Led Zeppelin. Creator...

Brew Debut

Wet your whistle and treat your taste buds to Lafayette's inaugural beer festival. Think of it as Oktoberfest, except that you're in Lafayette, not Germany, and it's July. Gulf Brew is Lafayette's...

Scultping Minds

A new art school is born in Arnaudville. The ever industrious George Marks has added yet another facet to the little jewel of an arts commune up in Arnaudville. This time it's an art school ' the...

Big Apple Bound

Two Lafayette plays are chosen for a New York arts festival ' now they need the funds to get there. In August, when the curtain goes up at the New York International Fringe Festival, North America's...

Exotic Dreams

The Acadiana Hibiscus Society hosts its seventh annual Hibiscus show and sale. Vibrant red petals and soft blooms mark the Hibiscus with a unique energy that distinguishes it from other inhabitants...

Playboy Preservation

Two generations of Mamou Playboys come together to honor historic recordings. In 1984, Tina Pilione had just migrated to Louisiana from Seattle when she discovered Maurice Berzas & The Mamou...

Freeze Out

Ice cream enthusiasts battle for the honor of Louisiana's best homemade ice cream in downtown Lafayette this Saturday. Jeff Regan makes more ice cream than he could possibly eat. "If I ate all...

Light in the Darkness

An auction to benefit the arts and a memorial show are part of Lafayette painter Guy Ransonet's legacy. Shortly after artist Guy Ransonet was diagnosed with a brain tumor last November, his friend...

Bayou Vision

Screening the second annual Cinema on the Bayou film festival. It took a hurricane to blow filmmaker Pat Mire back to Lafayette from his studio in New Orleans. In Katrina's aftermath, Mire realized...

A Lafayette Tradition

Judice Inn marks 60 years of serving up "the best hamburger in town" with a day-long celebration. On the back side of Judice Inn's menu, there's a page-long account of the Judice brothers '...

In Jacob's Honor

A fledgling Lafayette music festival honors a friend and raises awareness about suicide. "Jacob was the light of the party," says Elizabeth McElligott. "He lit up the room when he...

Production Value

The inaugural International Digital In-Development Expo features several Louisiana movie premieres including Low and Behold, as well as video games, animation and digital art. Lafayette is typically...

Musical Inspiration

The Soweto Gospel Choir brings sweet harmonies and awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, while inspiring "Get Up, Do Something Day" in Lafayette. On April 22, when the Soweto Gospel Choir...

Grand Reopening

Jennifer Grand's contemporary art gallery returns. Don't take Jennifer Grand for granted. Her affinity for contemporary art has been sorely tested over the past year, after losing her lease on the...

Pie Day

Fasting on Holy Friday pays a small penance in Catahoula. Good Friday is a day of fasting and penance. It's the day Jesus died on the cross, the darkest day on the Catholic calendar, followed by...

Take Wing

A weekend of birding, plantation tours, and outdoor activities in historic St. Francisville People will flock to St. Francisville this weekend for the sixth annual Audubon Country BirdFest....

Recycling Sounds

A fundraiser for the Friends of the Humanities offers a night with esteemed local musicians while raising money for the Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore. After Barry Ancelet was approached by...

Spirited Race

The Race for the Cure helps fight breast cancer. They're the two words every woman, mother, husband and child fears: breast cancer. This year, almost 40,000 women will die from breast cancer, and...

Waxing Ecstatic

Uncovering the layers of Christy Diniz Liffmann's paintings. Encaustic, the technique of painting with pigment-infused molten wax, dates back to Egyptian mummy portraits of the first century....

Arts Quarter

New Iberia's Artwalk kicks off a full weekend of festivities. With the scenic Bayou Teche, giant Spanish-moss draped oak trees and the classic architecture of buildings like Shadows-on-the-Teche and...

Through the Grinder

A downtown Lafayette arts expo seeks to gain exposure for "nontraditional" artists and help restock the shelves of the Cameron Parish Public Library. "It's a blending, a grinding of...

Field of Dreams

Visually stunning Mardi Gras costumes rule at Clark Field on Mardi Gras day. On Mardi Gras day, some of Acadiana's best-kept secrets are revealed. Since 1998, the most spirited and talented keepers...

King Ponch

Catching up with Erik Estrada, on the eve of his reign as the King of Rio. For the last 30 years, he's been known as "Ponch." In 1977, Erik Estrada had already landed a few acting roles,...

On The Mark

Virtuoso violinist Mark O'Connor swings into Lafayette. Violinist Mark O'Connor first met trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics, sparking an unlikely musical...

Hot Under the Collar

The debut film from UL's Cinematic Arts Workshop premieres at Bayou Bijou Theatre. Conni Castille may be the first director ever to make a film about ironing. It's such an unlikely topic, when...

Secret Genius

Dobro master Jerry Douglas returns to Lafayette. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jerry Douglas' phone rang whenever a Nashville country artist needed a dobro player for an album. Through his work...

Kindred Spirits

Artists Bryan Lafaye and Elemore Morgan Jr. collaborate on a joint show at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Bryan Lafaye and Elemore Morgan Jr. both paint the natural world of Louisiana. Morgan is...

Afternoon Tea

A tea room, scones and all, brings a taste of England to Lafayette. Novisi Haizel dreams of sugar plums. Treacle tarts dance through her head. So it wasn't really a stretch when she and her colleague...

Holiday Sparkle

Champagne by any other name tastes just as sweet. There is no substitute for a glass of bubbly when it comes to drinking in the New Year, but there are a lot of variations on the effervescent theme...

Merry Christmas to Yule

Few holiday desserts can match the French Bûche de Noël. When it comes to bribing Santa, French children have the edge. American kids put out a glass of milk and cookies in hopes of impressing Saint...

Away In A Manger

Lafayette's Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is home to a 300-year-old nativity scene. It's the season for créches. While most only appear during Christmas, the museum at the Cathedral of St....

Out of the Darkness

After a number of disturbing events and a three-year hiatus, acclaimed Lafayette rock band Santeria returns to the studio and stage. For the better part of a decade, the members of Lafayette rock...

A New Path

A Buddhist lama's journey brings her to Lafayette. Lisa Leghorn didn't set out to become a Buddhist lama. She was working with battered women in the Boston area, trying to establish shelters and...

Chili Dogs and Chai

Some unlikely culinary combinations fuel a new Johnston Street drive-thru. Lafayette's foodie population has developed eclectic tastes. We'll eat sushi while quaffing a margarita, or wash down nachos...

Thankful for Zydeco

For 20 years, El Sid O's annual Thanksgiving food drive has provided Lafayette with great zydeco and holiday meals and toys for local families. The first three years Sid "El Sid O" Williams...

Cookin'

The Red Stick Ramblers throw a weekend-long party of music, cooking and camping at Acadian Village. The idea for the South Louisiana Blackpot Festival and Cookoff originated in the Catskill Mountains...

Sweet Sips

A local chocolatier brings a taste of Europe to Lafayette. While vacationing in Italy this summer, Dawn Vo visited a small café and chanced upon a chocolate drink unlike any hot chocolate she'd ever...

Kick Out the Yams

The 61st annual Yambilee adds fine art to its cuisine. You can expect a sweet deal at the Yambilee this weekend. For the first time in its 61-year history, Opelousas's historic harvest festival...

NOJO: The Sound of NOLA

New Orleans trumpeter Irvin Mayfield rolls into Lafayette with his jazz orchestra. Irvin Mayfield has been compared with traditional New Orleans trumpeting icons King Oliver and Louis Armstrong and...

Cool Move

Festivals Acadiens makes its October debut this weekend. Planning a festival in south Louisiana is like taking aim at a moving target. Will it rain? Will it be too hot? Will a hurricane rip through...

Reality Check

A comprehensive Photorealism exhibit opens at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum. New Orleans art collectors Walda and Sydney Besthoff were looking for "some abstruse part of the...

Playing from the Heart

Kevin Naquin & The Ossun Playboys give back to Festivals Acadiens with a fundraiser performance. "It's not about if you can play 'Mustang Sally,' it's about playing from your heart,"...

Going Solo

A live performance by saxophonist Dickie Landry marks the release of his new compact disc and kicks off this season's Louisiana Crossroads music series. The liner notes of Dickie Landry's new compact...

Brother Act

The Hacienda Brothers bring their Western soul ' and songs co-written with legendary songwriter Dan Penn ' to Lafayette. When the Hacienda Brothers released their 2005 self-titled debut, it wasn't...

Catch of the Day (or Night)

Going Frogging in St. Martin Parish Most 14-year-olds resort to a movie when they have trouble sleeping at night, but Steven Thrower's dad doesn't mind when Steven slips out the house after midnight...

The Swamp Fox Returns

Louisiana music legend Tony Joe White appears in Lafayette for the first time in decades. Even if he never recorded another song, 1969's "Polk Salad Annie" assured Tony Joe White a spot in...

Posters with a Purpose

The Hurricane Poster Project opens a special exhibition at the Old State Capitol on Aug. 29. San Diego graphic artist Josh Higgins got an e-mail out of the blue last fall from Colorado design firm...

Role Models

The Cajun French Music Association honors the women of Cajun music. Women have always played an important role in Cajun music's history, from early Acadian ballads originally sung by women to Cleoma...

Tyger Tracks

The paintings of late bloomer Rosemary Bernard inspire younger artists. Rosemary Bernard already had a bachelor's degree in upper elementary education and a master's in creative writing when she...

Burnin' with the Burnsides

R.L. Burnside's hill country blues finds new life in the Burnside Exploration. In the hills of north Mississippi, far from Chicago's blues scene and Memphis' Beale Street, there's a hypnotic style of...

Okra! Okra!

Expect the unexpected at the African-American Museum's Okra Cook-Off Food Festival. This time of year, the back roads around New Iberia and St. Martinville are dotted with flowering rows of okra, and...

Window Dressing

Wheeling and dealing at butcher Tiny Prudhomme's meat market Tiny Prudhomme, great-nephew of Chef Paul Prudhomme, was looking for a location for his House of Meat butcher shop when he found a former...

Open Tab

Louisiana guitarslinger and bluesman Tab Benoit takes a country ride. Highway 90 has served Tab Benoit well. The 38-year-old Houma native is Louisiana to the core, a diehard sportsman who's lived on...

Jubilation

Louisiana's finest watermelon, straight outta Sugartown. Red, white and green is the other color trio of July celebrations. Long after sparklers and bottle rockets light up the night, the big kahuna...

Revival

Grant Street Dancehall re-opens its doors this weekend with a four-day blowout of prime live music. Dave Maraist looks like he's seen better days, or at least more sleep. Grant Street Dancehall's...

Dive In

Lafayette's public pools are open for swimming. As temperatures settled in the mid-90s last Tuesday afternoon, Girard Park's pool buzzed with activity. Two parents and their little girl lounged under...

Stacked

Lafayette woodworker Chad Aldridge draws inspiration from the female form. This is one chest of drawers you won't want to hide in your bedroom. Lafayette woodworker Chad Aldridge has chipped away the...

Food for the Soul

A new Lafayette soul food takeout stand feeds the appetite and the spirit. Heading west on Second Street, just after the railroad tracks, you can't miss the bright yellow portable building on the...

Lily of the Bayou

The Daylily Festival blooms in Abbeville. What started five years ago as a little flower festival under the oaks of Abbeville's Magdalene Square has blossomed into a day-long botanical event. The...

Making the Point

Cypremort Point is rebounding after Hurricane Rita. Cypremort Point has made a remarkable recovery eight months after Hurricane Rita pushed a huge storm surge and mountains of mud into the resort...

Dock of the Bay

Making the most out of a challenging and historic shrimp season. The inland shrimp season from Vermilion Bay to just east of New Orleans opened at high noon May 4. The unseasonably warm weather...

Funding Folklore

A stellar night of music, Archive Aid III benefits UL Lafayette's Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore. With a backlog of 1,200 recordings and at least 2,000 hours of work, the Archives of Cajun and...

Deceptively Simple

Bluegrass family sensation The Chapmans make a stop in Lafayette. In the late '90s, Len Springer met fiddler John Chapman when their respective bands shared stages at bluegrass shows across the...

Swing Time

Introducing Lafayette's new municipal golf course Architect Frank Burandt, an LSU alumnus and disciple of Jack Nicklaus' golf course design group, didn't look far for inspiration for Lafayette's...

Eggcellent

Easter Egg "pâquing" is still serious business in Acadiana. Every year on Easter Sunday after church, my mother's side of the family gathered on the front porch of our Cypremort Point camp...

Building Hope

Three custom playhouses and a doghouse go to auction to benefit Healing House. House for sale: Charming craftsman bungalow, front porch with gable, stained glass, hardwood floors, loft bed. This...

Like Father, Like Son

A new exhibition provides an overview of the work of Elemore Morgan Sr. and Elemore Morgan Jr. Elemore Morgan Jr. still spends his days out in the fields of Vermilion Parish armed with acrylic paint...

Art and Commerce

Bridge Gallery in Breaux Bridge is bridging the gap between artists and patrons. More is more, when it comes to the art business. That's the philosophy of Ginger Olivier and Dale Ziegler, owners of a...

Double Trouble

Former Stevie Ray Vaughan collaborator Doyle Bramhall teams with C.C. Adcock to close out Louisiana Crossroads' spring season. exas singer/songwriter/drummer Doyle Bramhall may not be a household...

Growth Spurt

It's behind schedule, but crawfish season is heating up. While Cajuns may be feeling the pinch of a lean crawfish harvest, one sure sign the season is turning is the advent of boiled crawfish on...

Poetry and Beer

The UL Lafayette Graduate Student Reading Series moves to 307 Downtown. Like medieval troubadours wandering from location to location to recite their narrative poems, members of the UL Graduate...

Mardi Gras Grooves

307 Downtown and Blue Moon Saloon crank it up for Carnival. It wouldn't be Mardi Gras without Louisiana bands cranking out a soundtrack that lasts into the wee hours of the morning for Carnival...

Figs in Flake

Honey and a local fruit delicacy make for a sweet pie at T-Sue's Bakery. T-Sue's sweet dough fig pie combines two quintessential Cajun flavors ' backyard figs and local honey ' into one homemade...

Through The Storm

How Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose captured the emotions of a city and state in crisis. Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose's e-mail address has become the mailbox for Louisiana's pain. Since...

Ice, Ice, Baby

Figure skating's alive and well in Carencro. t can be 70 degrees outside, but the ice inside Louisiana Hockeyplex in Carencro is always about 20 degrees. "It's not a seasonal thing for us,"...

Light and Life

A New Orleans jeweler honors her city and its rebirth with a new collection. The French word fleur de lis translates to "flower of the lily" and is said to signify perfection, light and...

Country Carnival

Tracing the history of Mardi Gras in Eunice. The first mention of Mardi Gras in Eunice dates back to 1896 in the Crowley Daily Signal. "Some Mardi Gras [riders] had come to town and made...

Rolling with Rio

Lafayette's newest Mardi Gras krewe looks south of the border for inspiration. The music, the colors, the costumes ' and now the cake. Lafayette's newest Mardi Gras krewe, Krewe of Carnivale en Rio,...

Thirty Years and Counting

BeauSoleil celebrates its 30th anniversary with a pair of special retrospective shows. From an unlikely launching pad ' a free gig at the Bon Temps Rouler Club in Holly Beach in 1976 ' BeauSoleil has...

Knockout Nog

The Townhouse's Al Massa puts his own spin on a venerable eggnog recipe. Lafayette Townhouse Chef Al Massa learned to make eggnog using the Esquire Bar Guide from 1956. "When I was growing up,...

Golden Holiday

Lil' Band O' Gold and friends get together for a special seasonal gig. C. C. Adcock can't even remember the last time Lil' Band O' Gold took the stage in Lafayette. "I think it was the...

Reunion for Tommy

Two storied Lafayette bands revisit their legacies for Medicine Show 9. This Saturday, Dec. 17, Robbie Bush and his fellow Rimrock members Mark MacDiarmid, Dave McBane, Mike Schwartz and Dave Bias...

Crafting Holiday Spirit

Acadiana artists put their spin on seasonal ornaments. Glass, wire, wood, metal, clay, beads ' all mediums are fair game for local artists to get into the holiday spirit. At Sans Souci Fine Craft...

Nouveau Tradition

The 2005 Nouveau Beaujolais hits Lafayette in limited quantities. While Cajuns never need an excuse to enjoy a glass of wine, the arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau each November calls for...

Lighting Up the Town

Lafayette gets its first "official" Christmas tree. The tree arrived downtown at 8 a.m., Nov. 21, at Parc Sans Souci, and a crew of about 15 stood ready to string it with more than 1,500...

Bowled Over

Tika Hasslock Valis's china designs bring Louisiana's beauty to the table. Some people are interested only in food. Others care equally for the china it's served on. So a set of dishes that prompts...

Parade with a Purpose

Project HEAL thanks Acadiana with a second-line parade and jazz funeral. It only took one week after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana for Project HEAL to come together. Co-founded by the Acadiana Arts...

Talk of the Town

UL Lafayette's latest theater production is irreverent and serious. Imagine a society where going to the john without permission is illegal. That's the scenario in Urinetown The Musical, winner of...

Halloween's Local Seeds

The enduring appeal of Creole pumpkins. Like local Cajun folklore legends of feufollet (lights in the swamp said to symbolize unbaptized babies) and the boogeyman tataille, Creole pumpkins have an...

Crossroads Conn-ection

Louisiana native Steve Conn returns for a pair of special concerts with his friends Michael Doucet and Sonny Landreth. Pianist and songwriter Steve Conn comes full circle when he returns to Acadiana...

Shakespeare in the Parc

PASA brings Hamlet outdoors and downtown For the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought unexpected challenges. With its 2005-06 season performances scheduled at the...

Cool Relief

The Bach Lunch music series helps usher in autumn temperatures. Bach Lunch usually signals cooler weather," says Marsha D'Aunoy, music coordinator for Lafayette Natural History Museum &...

The Rising

George Rodrigue turns to his Blue Dog for solace. Half under water, the Blue Dog floats on an American flag. His head and pointed ears rise above the swirling water, and his normally yellow eyes are...

Raising Cane

New Iberia's Sugar Cane Festival is still sweet fun after more than seven decades. A honky-tonk atmosphere and hay bales are the signatures of New Iberia's Sugar Cane Festival. One of the...

Standing Tall

Hurricane Katrina won't hamper Festivals Acadiens. The poster for this year's Festivals Acadiens (Friday-Sunday, Sept. 16-18, Girard Park and downtown), commissioned by co-sponsor the Lafayette...

Band Together

Local musicians and groups throw benefit concerts for the Red Cross. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it's no surprise that music has entered into the mix of Acadiana's charitable efforts. The...

Zydeco Central

It's time for the 23rd Annual Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival. If it's the first weekend of September in Acadiana, you can count on a convergence of two things: blazing temperatures and the...

Giant Robots Attack!

Anime comes to Lafayette. It'll be wall-to-wall otaku at the Lafayette Hilton this weekend for the debut of Mechacon, Lafayette's first Anime & Japanese Culture convention. Japan has long held...

Water on the Wind

Behind the puzzling schedule of Parc Sans Souci's fountain. The operation of one of downtown Lafayette's most beautiful attractions ' the fountain at Parc Sans Souci ' has always been a bit of a...

Harvesting A Dream

How Lynette Elizalde-Robinson created hope out of a tragedy. Lynette Elizalde-Robinson's resume is 14 pages long and her portfolio as thick as a textbook. Robinson is director and project coordinator...

On the Fly

Fly fishing bounces back in Acadiana. Dennis Vidrine's obsession with fly fishing began as a teenager in the 1950s while living in South Carolina. During frequent walks to his job at the local dry...

The Juré Is In

Creole musicians showcase one of Acadiana's earliest musical traditions in a special performance. When D'Jalma Garnier began researching juré a decade ago, he found people would talk about the...

Portraits of Polly

In her latest book, Polly, New Iberia native Debbie Fleming Caffery documents her longtime friendship with Polly Joseph. In 1983, during her trips to take photos along the Mississippi River, New...

Basket Case

A historic basket collection weaves its way to the Natural History Museum. Spruce root, river cane, cedar bark, white grass and pine needles are the tools of the trade for Native American weavers....

Charged Up

Matt Rock & the PowerBoxx sets off sparks in Lafayette's indie rock scene. When the alternative rock band Urbosleeks relocated from Lafayette to Athens, Ga., three years ago, Matt Roberts says it...

Dog Days of Summer

Loading up buns in Acadiana for July 4. By the time Hub City Diner owner Jimmy Guidry attended the National Hot Dog Association convention in Chicago, he'd already dreamed up a specialty hot dog. At...

Peachy Keen

Martha Galland's orchard is a juicy delight. Grocery store peaches are picked green for shipping, and can be hard as a baseball. But the tree-ripened peaches in Martha Galland's orchard in Duson are...

Sitting Pretty

A pair of UL grads are creating one-of-a-kind furniture designs. Since two 1991 UL graduates ' with interests as diverse as prehistoric Indians and welding ' joined forces in 2004, their business and...

Light of the Moon

The Acadiana Park Nature Station's night hikes offer sights and sounds galore. Whooo cooooks for youuuuu? That's the call of a barred owl, according to Rayna Berry, who leads the monthly night hikes...

Summer Relief

Cajun Sno's business takes off as temperatures rise. With the mercury topping 90 degrees and summer approaching with a vengeance, the scene outside Cajun Sno gets unruly sometimes. Customers jockey...

Living on the Wedge

Wedge heels are back with a vengeance. It isn't time to get rid of those spikes, but Acadiana's stylish ladies are rushing to mix wedge heels into their summer fashion wardrobes. Shoe La La owner Amy...

Slide Show

Bluesman Michael Juan Nunez is 'About to Snap.' You can tell a lot about a man from the company he keeps ' and in the case of Michael Juan Nunez, it's a telling barometer of his talent. Nunez is most...

Berry, berry good

Spring is prime strawberry time in south Louisiana. A lot of people around here have cucumbers, tomatoes, bellpeppers, banana peppers or okra, but you don't hear of many people having a strawberry...

Breaux Bridge Bash

Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival Festival International and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival get the lion's share of the headlines every spring...

Road Ragin'

UL's CajunBot has a new competitor: the Ragin' Bot. A bright red 2005 Jeep rolled down the west levee road of the Atchafalaya Basin last week ' with a satellite receiver mounted on its roof, a driver...

Hog Wild

Cyclists converge on the Bike Barn Saloon in Sunset. On any sunny weekend, at the midway point between Lafayette and Opelousas on the I-49 service road, the Bike Barn Saloon hosts a convergence of...

Tapping Into the Energy

This week's Tap City performance and related events have local dance aficionados clicking their heels. This week's upcoming performance of Tap City, a showcase of the best dancers of the annual New...

Bard in Brief

Compressing Shakespeare's entire body of work into two acts. Othello becomes a rap song, and Shakespeare's medieval history plays are compressed into a game of football. In The Complete Works of...

Golden Anniversary

Louisiana Crossroads goes back to its roots for its 50th performance. Without Vermont-based blues and folk guitarist Scott Ainslie, the Louisiana Crossroads concert series would never have taken...

Rock Solid

Renowned a capella group Rockapella's travels stretch from New York City to Japan ' and now Lafayette. The a capella group Rockapella started out as four guys singing on street corners in New York...

Ride On

Saddling up for Spring For her eighth birthday, Tricia Rabalais got a chestnut male quarterhorse named Gold the Great. Seventeen years later, Rabalais and Gold the Great still have that unique bond...

Flight Pattern

'Birdspace' spreads its wings at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. More than a century after his death, famed bird artist John James Audubon's work remains an inspiration to bird-watchers ' and...

Four on the Floor

Acclaimed singer/songwriters Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Joe Ely and Guy Clark join forces at the Heymann Center. Lyle Lovett gets top billing, but when it comes to songwriting, his co-performers this...

Vienna Voices

Austria's famed Vienna Boys' Choir brings Mozart ' and maybe Metallica ' to Lafayette. From Mozart and Metallica to Handel and The Talking Heads, the repertoire of the Vienna Boys' Choir spans more...

Good for the Heart

Local chocolate-dipped strawberries make for a sweet Valentine's Day. A dozen roses might be traditional Valentine's Day eye candy, but one of the quickest ways to the heart is chocolate. While the...

Country Roots

LeJeune Cove's courir revives Mardi Gras traditions. In its pre-World War II beginnings, LeJeune Cove's Courir de Mardi Gras included a group of 20 to 50 costumed riders on horseback visiting their...

Batter Up

Matt Hebert's pecan encrusted oysters are well traveled. Charley G's sous chef Matt Hebert created his Pecan Encrusted Oysters as an appetizer about six years ago while working downtown at...

Flower Power

Local artist Rosanna Pousardien Czarnecki earns a spot in the Smithsonian. Silk and orchids appear the most fragile of substances. But silk's toughness is matched in the botanical kingdom by the...

No Average Joe

Legendary singer Joe Cocker comes to Marksville. Joe Cocker's remarkable five-decade long career hasn't just spawned timeless hits like "Feelin' Alright" and "You Are So...


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