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JANUARY 2005 Edition
PRESIDENT’s MESSAGE:
As
we begin another year, I hope you all had a blessed holiday season.
With the holidays over, we now look forward to the 2005 convention. The
Holiday Inn Select has been booked solid, so if you have not already
made reservations, you will have to make arrangements in our overflow
hotel. Rob has worked hard with his committees and I promise you that
you won’t be sorry for making this convention.
As most of you know, I have been in
the hospital from November 19th through December 14th.
I have been diagnosed with Guillains-Barre Syndrome. I have been
confined to a wheelchair until the muscles in my legs and arms can be
strengthened and allow me to walk. I apologize to the Claiborne Parish
Christmas Parade and the Plaquemines Parish Orange Festival for being
unable to attend. I would like to thank the Officers for filling in
doing my absence. It is most annoying to be unable to ambulate on my
own. No one knows what it is like to be walking one moment and then
having no leg strength at all. All I ask for is your prayers so that I
will soon be able to walk again and be my old boisterous self once
again.
I look forward to seeing all of you
at the 2005 conference in Baton Rouge, and hope you are all ready for
good education and fun times. I hope you all have gotten into the
swing, and are ready for our Friday Night theme party and dinner. I also
hope that you will be ready to support your queen in the Queen of Queens
competition on Saturday.
Please remember the Officers of
this organization are here to serve you. Even though I am becoming a
member of the Past Presidents, if they accept me, I am available as a
pageant judge or for anything you feel I can assist you with. I again
look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming convention. So keep your
smiles bright, your shoes shined, and your costume for our 30’s and 40’s
theme ready to go.
s/Warren
Deemer
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VICE-PRESIDENT’s
MESSAGE:
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
As we all get our top hats and
canes and our ladies select their finest wear as we prepare to go
“STEPPING OUT WITH LAFF” for 2005, let us stop to take time to remember
all our military so far away from home to keep us free and safe. May
God grant them peace and keep them safe. Our thoughts and prayers are
with each of them and their families.
I had
the privilege of representing LAFF at the IAFE Convention in Las Vegas
November 28th thru December 2nd. This was my
first time to attend IAFE and I was amazed at how much there was to
learn. Al Dupré and I coordinated events and workshops in order to get
the most information available. We also inquired into purchasing the
tapes for our LAFF Library. This will be discussed at the LAFF Board
meeting on January 22nd.
The
Holiday Inn Select notified us on December 8th that it is
sold out for our convention. The Embassy Suites and the Hampton Inn are
located adjacent to the Holiday Inn Select. I have been in contact with
the Embassy Suites and they are prepared to offer us a $92 rate, which
includes a continental breakfast and evening cocktails. The Hampton Inn
has also been contacted but has yet to return any information on rates
or availability as of this time.
Janet
had her back surgery on December 17th and we are happy to
report she is doing fine. She guarantees me she will be up and running
by Convention. She made her doctor guarantee her that she could be
sitting up at the computer during the month of January to complete all
the necessary paperwork plus the Pageant Program book. We’re sorry that
her injury prevented us from attending events during this past month but
we are ready and willing to get back on the road as soon as possible.
Our
thoughts and prayers are also with Warren Deemer, our President, as he
continues to improve on his health as well.
We
encourage everyone to get your registrations and ticket orders in early
to Al Dupré, Jr. because these too are going fast. NO TICKETS WILL BE
HELD FOR ANY ONE so get your orders in NOW!
Make
certain your queen has sent in her paperwork and photograph as well.
The deadline is JANUARY 15, 2005 and it will be here before you know
it. If your queen’s picture is not received in time, it will not be in
the Pageant Program book.
We
look forward to seeing everyone at Convention 2005 and wish you and your
family a very safe and happy holiday season.
SECRETARY’s REPORT
First
of all, you should have received your convention packet. If you have
not, let me know NOW! Remember to get your completed convention packet
orders in soon - as your Friday and Saturday evening seating is
determined by when your packet (with check) is received. Also, I expect
Saturday night to be “sold out” before we get to convention.
I want
to thank the association for allowing me to attend the IAFE convention.
I attended both the State Secretaries workshop/meeting in addition to
the general convention workshops, roundtables, programs and trade show.
I brought back information and some ideas for LAFF.
The next
LAFF business meeting will be January 22nd at the Holiday Inn
Select in Baton Rouge. If you have some thing for the agenda, please
let me know.
Mona
& I wish everyone a very Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you
at the convention.
s/
Al Dupré
DISTRICT
#3 DIRECTOR
I would
like to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a Happy
New Year. My wife Natalie and I have thoroughly enjoyed traveling this
year to different fairs and festivals, meeting new friends, and meeting
with old friends.
See you at the 2005 Convention.
s/ Dennis
Mouton
D3D
>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<
PAGEANT COORDINATOR
We
encourage every organization to make certain they have booked the hotel
room for their queen. It is heart-breaking for any queen when she
arrives at the hotel to find out she has no room. Please, check with
your pageant directors to be certain your queen has a room.
There
are several changes we made for the pageant this year from our
Directors’ meeting held on Friday night. Queens are asked to bring only
one gift this year for the Queens’ Chinese Christmas party on Saturday
rather than 75 items for ditty bags. In addition, we are still asking
for each queen to bring something from her fair or festival to be put
into the Queen of Queens’ trunk for the young lady that will be selected
in 2005.
Another
change is that the judges will not be in the banquet room on Friday
night. This way, the girls can really have fun and just enjoy the
moment.
Please
make certain that your queen has sent in a 5 x 7 black and white, or
color, photograph that is vertical for the program book. Every year I
have to make telephone calls to try to get every queen’s picture in the
program book. I NEED ALL THE PICTURES NO LATER THAN JANUARY 15TH.
Late entries will not have their pictures in the program book.
All
pageant program book ads should also be received by January 15th.
Remember that we give an award for the most ads sold as well. Our ads
are very reasonable and much appreciated.
If you
have any pageant questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to
contact me. The entry form is on our LAFF website –
www.laffnet.org.
s/
Janet Piraro
Pageant Coordinator
337-478-2355
robpiraro@aol.com
Elections 2005 !!!
We
will be electing President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and
District Directors in District One, District
Five & District Seven at the 2005 convention.
GUIDELINES FOR 2005 LAFF
ELECTION
1. Requires that an individual MUST be or have been a
“Board Member, Officer, Staff Person or Chairperson” of their current
active dues paying member Fair or Festival in order to be nominated for
the LAFF officer or board election.
2.
Nominations MUST be made in writing by the Convention
delegate (or a current officer) of the LAFF member fair or festival to
the nominating committee anytime prior to five (5) pm Friday afternoon
of the annual meeting.
3. Nominating committee shall present a slate of candidates
for all officer and board position including unexpired terms and
vacancies no later than the end of the Friday afternoon session of the
annual meeting.
4. Nominations from the floor may be made ONLY by the
Convention delegate (or a current officer) of the LAFF member fair or
festival.
5. The Secretary will prepare a ballot for the election of
Officers. The Secretary will prepare a ballot for the election of
Directors, which will include the names of the office nominees where
more than one person is nominated.
6. Recommend that Directors be elected from designated
areas of the state.
7.
Recommend that candidates for Treasurer and Secretary be
bondable.
8. Consider establishing a definite make-up of the
nominating committee. By-laws require that the President “appoint the
nominating committee for the election of officers and directors
consisting of not less than three (3) members but no more than five (5)
members.
9. The State of Louisiana will be divided in six (6) LAFF
District for the election of board members. Since there are two (2)
elected board members currently elected to two (2) of these now,
elections will be a follows for the following years:
1994 Elections will be held in District 2 & 6
1995 Elections will be held in District 3 & 4
1996 Elections will be held in District 1 & 5
10. Thereafter elections will be held every three (3) years
in the same order as stated above. Only members of the individual
districts will be allowed to vote in these districts.
11.
The election committee request that a letter from the
candidate’s events stating that the candidate is a member of their
organization. This will help the election committee know that this
person is from the right district and know that this person is a member
of a dues paying organization of LAFF,
12. District seven (7) will be elected with District 1 & 5.
ATTENTION, ATTENTION, ATTENTION!!!!!!!!
Still
looking for those gorgeous gal’s (I mean men) who want to
participate in the third annual Womanless Pageant. How exciting it would
be for if one of the contestants who was chosen as Queen would be from
your festival. Forms are on the web site too at laffnet.org. An
exciting news alert, there will be more than one Queen selected this
year. Maybe three.........
We would appreciate each festival
sending at least one contestant. The best news is that we are waiving
the entry fee. It is free of charge (what an incentive!). Dress
code: Please keep it rated PG-13
KEEP IT
FUN AND SAFE
For more information, please
contact Dennis Mouton - Dist #3 Director
EVENTS
TO ATTEND
January 6 - 8
Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival
Cameron
January 8
Rice Capital Championship Gumbo Cook-Off
Crowley
February 4 - 8
Eunice Mardi Gras Celebration
Eunice
February 6
Courir de Mardi
Gras
Church Point
March 5
Festival Ray*La*Ne*
Rayne
March 16 - 20
(pre-event)
Jubilee Festival
of the Arts &
Humanities of
Nicholls University
Thibodaux
March 18 - 20
Iowa Rabbit
Festival
Iowa
March 18 - 20
Washington Catfish
Festival
Sunset
March 19
Southdown
Marketplace
Houma
March 26
Ashland Spring
Festival
Ashland
March 29 - April 3
Patterson Cypress
Sawmill Festival
Patterson
March 31 -
April 3
Louisiana Crawfish
Festival
Chalmette
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