Party Girl

Party Girl

by Jill Norman LeBlanc

Party Girl has never seen this many cute dogs in one place before. As if the 8th Annual Bark in the Park held by the Lafayette Animal Aid wasn't enough to bring out the cutest tail-waggers in town, this year they were joined by the Krewe des Chiens. On a sunny and beautiful Saturday afternoon in Girard Park hundreds of hounds snapped at a chance to become royalty for a day. King, Queen and the whole barking court for the 2007 dog parade "Ain't Nutin' but a Pound Dawg" were chosen from among hundreds of canines. If you thought that local grown-ups go crazy over their Mardi Gras outfits, you should have seen what they do to their best friends. Pooches of all shapes and sizes were sniffing each other's tiaras, robes and boots. In fact, there were so many cute and furry ones that the judges, lead by KLFY TV-10 anchor Blue Rolfes, had a hard time picking winners. My personal favorite was this cute Chihuahua in a lobster costume. Rounding out the day was a cakewalk featuring homemade cakes, great food and fun jumps for humans only. Of course, let's not forget the usual Bark in the Park festivities ranging from a pet blessing to a doggie wash. I thought of entering the best kisser contest myself until I saw the first contestants ' a pit bull and a poodle. What a great way to support a local animal shelter and rescue organizations. I left with my heart warmed and my ears ringing.

I don't know what your 13th birthday party was like, but I can honestly say I've never seen a cuter bash than the one thrown by the parents of birthday girls Catherine Estoppinal, Kristen Guidry, Caroline Joseph and twins Kellie and Kristen Seaux. The entrance to Townhouse was filled with a cascade of balloons up the stairs in colors of gold, vanilla, chocolate and aqua, along with a perfectly color coordinated table of honor ' a framed pic of each girl and sign-in book for her guests. I think all of Cathedral Carmel's seventh grade class (along with a host of friends from other schools) got to see the quintet turn 13. Those in attendance included Don Oliver, Alex Stringer, Jacqueline Mills, Kate Eddie, Dominique Giosa and Emily Lerille; Mathew Flores was the perfect gentleman as he greeted each of the birthday girls with a long stem rose. Everyone danced the night away to DJ Murphree, and the cream-colored cake was not only delicious but beautiful, with a flowing aqua bow and chocolate accents featuring each girl's name. It was a night all of these teens will remember ' and the parents will have a hard time topping when these adorable girls turn into young ladies for their Sweet 16 birthdays.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems children are getting so creative with their social outings lately, and you never know when you might have an opportunity to stumble upon one of their parties. On a recent Sunday, I grabbed my ebonite bowling ball and matching ebonite bowling shoes (everything has to match) and headed to Lafayette Lanes to knock down some pins. Much to my delight, the Krewe Des Jeunes Amis was in the midst of its fall social when I arrived. This Mardi Gras krewe of young friends, including their parents, socialized for hours. Fun was had by everyone ' perhaps even more so by the parents. The krewe's motto is providing the opportunity for making new friends while renewing old friendships, and anyone in this krewe is sure to make new friends with 42 families and 64 children among its members. After four slices of pizza and a huge piece of cake, it was time for me to retire home. But I'm anxiously awaiting the krewe's 11th annual ball, "Dance to the Music," at the Grand Ballroom of Lafayette's Hotel Acadiana. There I'll dance the night away with my new, albeit younger, friends.

Party On! - PG