LAFAYETTE
Headliners and Hot Bands
Festival favorites like Grammy award-winners Wayne Toups, Steve Riley and Chubby Carrier and three-time Grammy nominee Roddie Romero return to Festivals Acadiens et Creoles (festivalsacadiens.com) Oct. 11-14, joining such newcomers as Daiquiri Queens, Mason Trail and Autumn Wild (performing tunes from a new CD honoring their legendary grandfather, D.L. Menard).
Celebrations include the 30th anniversary of Grammy winners at the opening night fais do-do and the 50th anniversary of CODOFIL (Louisiana French: Myths and Movements exhibit). Catch the Veillée reunion or join in the jam sessions with Horace Trahan and other greats in Girard Park. A concert at Warehouse 535 (warehouse535.com) Oct. 11 features hot bands and Grammy winners in a big musical revue plus various artists on the Legacy of Caesar Vincent album. Sample wild game jambalaya, BBQ boudin and shrimp-on-a-stick, cool off with Geauxcicles and see live cooking shows before two-stepping the night away.
FOOD APP UPDATE
UL Lafayette graduates Thomas Trahan and Gerald Huffman have created a new and improved version of their real-time, user-friendly PLATE app (theplateapp.net) featuring the best local bar and restaurant deals. Launched in Lafayette, expansion plans across Louisiana and beyond are in the works.
CROWLEY
Rice, Frogs and Fiddles
A non-GMO high-protein rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar called Frontière was recently developed. It’s the first high-protein rice cultivar developed for commercial application anywhere in the world, say professors at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in Crowley.
PLAYLIST REFRESHER
Grab those earbuds and pick up the pace in this lovely fall weather with energetic new albums: “Madness” by Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, “Kreole Rock and Soul” from Sean Ardoin, Yvette Landry’s “Louisiana Lovin’” and “Blackpot” by Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band. You’ll be dance-walking in no time.
LAKE CHARLES
Loving Paula, Aaron
Multi-platinum recording artist, Grammy Award winner and dancer, Paula Abdul performs hits like “Straight Up” at Golden Nugget Oct. 19 (goldennuggetlc.com). Early tickets are advised for A Magical Cirque Christmas Nov. 30 and Aaron Neville’s Christmas Show Dec. 14.
ST. LANDRY, EVANGELINE, ACADIA, BATON ROUGE
Yams of Distinction
As we ponder recipes for Thanksgiving turkey and the Cajun Holiday Trinity (rice dressing, maque choux and yams laced with Steen’s 100% Pure Cane Syrup), there’s a buzz going around about a sassy new sweet potato. LSU AgCenter’s Don LaBonte says they’ve developed a promising new line that has excellent eye appeal. The LA 13-81 (current name) has showy, bright-red skin that maintains its sheen and flavor. Such new and improved sweet potato varieties started emerging 27 years after the state’s first commercial sweet potato district originated near Sunset in 1910. Prevailing as the leader: the copper-skin 1987 Beauregard yam with sweet, deep-orange flesh, a favorite among other varieties grown in St. Landry, Evangeline and Acadia parishes. Could the LA 13-81 possibly ascend as the new king of yams? Watch for updates.
CAMERON, VERMILION, LAFOURCHE, TERREBONNE
Directly from the Docks
Want the freshest seafood for those Thanksgiving dressings and casseroles? Check out a handy new website, louisianadirectseafood.com/ to find fresh-from-the-boat seafood near you. Access the “Fresh Catch” messages in each region as fishermen post what they’re selling, in real-time, and how to buy their fresh catch just as it arrives on the docks. Info is also posted automatically on the Facebook pages of the four program areas: Direct Seafood hubs in Cameron, Delcambre, Lafourche-Terrebonne and the Southshore.
HUNTING MADE EASIER
Hunting licenses for the 2018-2019 season may now be purchased online at the following link: la-web.s3licensing.com. The e-license can be printed or saved to an electronic device which is kept with you while hunting.
ACADIA, EVANGELINE, IBERIA, LAFAYETTE, ST. LANDRY, ST. MARTIN, ST. MARY, VERMILION
Philanthropists Celebrated
A Leaders in Philanthropy Award is given to individuals in each of the eight parishes of the Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA) service areas each year. Designed to honor those who have made a major philanthropic impact on their communities, the 2018 CFA awards for Leaders in Philanthropy will be honored Nov. 15 in the Cajundome Convention Center (visit cfacadiana.org/ for a list of honorees and ticket info).
