L. A.
F. F. Email:
laffadupre@yahoo.com
Website: laffnet.org
A
Publication of the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals
Al Dupré, Jr., Editor
Convention 2008 Edition
2008
Convention Jim
Meaux elected President of L.A.F.F.
Jim Meaux (Etouffee Festival) was elected
President of LAFF at the annual convention in Baton Rouge.
Serving as Vice-President and 2009 Convention Chairman will be
Equilla Victorian (Allen Parish Fair). Paul McGee (LA Pecan
Festival) will assist as Past President. Barbara Horaist (LA
Cattle Festival) continues as Treasurer and Curtis Hue
(Thibodaux Firemen’s Fair) returns as Secretary. Directors are
Faron Molaison (LA Gumbo Festival – Chackbay, District #1),
Ronnie Lougon (Gueydan Duck Festival, District #3); Kaye Ladner
(Washington Parish Free Fair, District #4); Brandon Keene (State
Fair of LA, District #5); Alisa Yelverton (Natchitoches Meat
Pie, District #6) at this point District #2 is open due to
Equilla’s election and will be filled by Board appointment.
Deltus Mitchell (Mitchell Brothers
Carnival), Neal Horaist (LA Pageant Judges Association)
continues and Aaron Brasseaux – (International Entertainment,
Talent) returns, after many years “break”.
Bob
Odom and Kaye Ladner inducted into LAFF Hall of Fame
Bob Odom – past Commissioner of
Agriculture and Forestry and long time supporter of LAFF and
Kaye Ladner (Washington Parish Free Fair) past LAFF President
were inducted into LAFF Hall of Fame recognizing their many
years of contributions to the fairs & festivals of Louisiana and
service to LAFF.
Deltus
Mitchell inducted into LAFF (Associate) Hall of Fame
The Associates noting the long service to
LAFF honored Deltus Mitchell (Mitchell Brothers Carnival)
inducting him into the LAFF Hall of Fame. Deltus continues his
service to LAFF as Carnival Supplier Director.
Brandi
Stout crowned 2008 LAFF Queen of Queen’s
A contest, not to select “a queen from a
group of representatives”; but rather a contest to “select a
representative from a group of queens” continued the more than
thirty year tradition of the annual Queen of Queen’s pageant at
the LAFF convention, Brandi Stout , daughter of Eric Stout and
Glenda Etheridge; representing the Zwolle Tamale Festival was
selected Queen of Queen’s.
First alternate was Lindsey Cooper – LA
Yambilee Festival; Second alternate was Ashley Kristine Wilking
– River Parishes Fall Festival; Third alternate and Interview
Award went to Morgan Victoria Murray – Contraband Days; Fourth
alternate was Amanda Kate Sills – Rayne Frog Festival.
Miss Congeniality was Amy Johnson – LA
Cotton Festival; Evening Gown Award went to queen of queens
winner Brandi Stout, People’s Choice Award went to Erin Frances
Hymel – Patterson Cypress Sawmill Festival and Haley Falgoust –
Cajun Hot Sauce Festival was selected as having the “best door
decoration”.
“Rounding out” the Top 15 were: Hope Lee
Mestayer – Church Point Buggy Festival; Mollie Jordan – Robeline
Heritage Festival; Melissa Kay Yocum – Celebration on the Cane;
Leah Denise Leto – Amite Oyster Festival; Brandi Elizabeth
Millet – St. John Parish Andouille Festival; Paige Elizabeth
Legendre – LA Gumbo Festival; Lyssa Littleton – West LA Forestry
Festival; Alexa Nicole Martinez – Westwego Cypress Swamp
Festival; Meghin Frazier – Swamp Pop Music Festival and Devin
Angelle Babineaux – Evangeline Oil & Gas Festival.
PRESIDENT’s MESSAGE
Hello To All LAFF Members
I hope everyone had a wonderful & memorable time at the 2008
convention and that you learned a few things while being there,
but now that the convention has been completed it is time to
move onward to the 2009 convention.
I look forward to serving the members
of LAFF as their president this coming year. I think that
communication is very important in an organization like this
one. With all of today’s technology the board and I are as close
as your neighbors. Call or email us at anytime you feel that
something needs to be addressed. We are here to listen to what
everyone has to say.
I would like to welcome and
congratulate the newest board members. From District 1 we have
Faron Molaison from the Louisiana Gumbo Festival. From the
District 5 we have Brandon Keene from the State Fair of
Louisiana. Also as our associate member of Talent we now have
Aaron Brasseux of International Entertainment Agency. We also
have a new secretary this year and he is Curtis Hue. Curtis is
back as our secretary after a few years of retirement. Welcome
back Curtis. All remaining board members will stay the same but
they are all as important.
We now have a new Queen of Queens and
her name is Brandi Stout of the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta. I know she
will do a great job as she travels around our state representing
LAFF and all its members. I ask everyone to be cordial when she
attends your festival or fair.
Equilla Victorian has been named our
vice-president for 2008-2009. She will also be the 2009
convention chairperson. She will be naming all her convention
chairman positions at our April meeting. She has named Alisa
Yelverton as the new pageant director of the queen of queen’s
pageant. She will do a great job with this pageant so look for a
few changes.
I need to remind everyone from
District 2 that the director seat is vacant. Equilla has one
year left on her three year term. We are asking anyone who is
interested in filling the seat that they have their festival or
fair send a letter nominating them to this position. At the
April meeting the board will vote on one person to fill the
seat. At the 2009 convention a person will be elected to a
three year term. You need to send your letter to our secretary
Curtis Hue. His address is 601 Oak Lane Thibodaux, La. 70301
or email him at
laffhue@bellsouth.net . The letter must be in by April 12,
2008 to be considered. Once the deadline has passed then Curtis
will send a letter to everyone informing them of the meeting and
the location and inviting them to attend the meeting if they so
choose. Good luck to everyone.
/Jim Meaux
VICE-PRESIDENT’s
MESSAGE
Hello LAFF Family,
I want to say “thank you to Jim for such a
wonderful convention this year” I had fun trying to sing at the
start search, even though I didn’t win, I will have a year to
practice and will come back stronger next year. LOL!
Congratulation to Brandi Stout and her court. All the
contestants were truly beautiful and did a great job.
With the smell of spring in the air it’s a
sign for festivals and fairs gearing up through out our lovely
state of Louisiana. I invite each one of you to take a day out
of your busy schedule to visit another event out of your
district. If you see something working at there event that you
like, keep a open line of net working by sharing.
I want to reiterate what Curtis Hue said
about getting your event information in to him on the State
Guide book before the deadline date of JULY 2008 ( or
Curtis was the date JUNE ?). Think about it, what a great way of
advertising your event and your only cost is the stroke of a few
keys and hitting the send button. Don’t forget to put the exact
dates of your event not just the (second or third weekend of the
month) and give a little extra information about your event.
Next year’s date for convention will be 2/
5-8 /2009. The theme will be LAFF GOES HOLLYWOOD.
I can’t wait to see who will come down the
red carpet for the Oscars. This is a theme that is wide
open to anything to do with Hollywood. Think about your favorite
actor, actress, entertainer, and don’t forget Disney is a part
of Hollywood. You never know who you might see; Elvis, Marilyn
Monroe, Pebbles & Bam Bam, Alice in Wonderland, or Jerry Lee
Lewis. With that, I want to remind the directors to make your
queens rooms reservation early Amber Dore will be taking them
March 1, 2008 her contact number is 225-930-0174. email: GOTOBUTTON
BM_1_ adore@executivecenterbr.com or fax 225-930-0136. The cut
off date is January 05, 2009. All reservation must go directly
through AMBER DORE.
If there’s anything I can assist
your event with please call me.
s/Equilla Victorian
Vice President 08
TREASURER’s MESSAGE:
I am very excited to again be serving LAFF and its members as Treasurer -- thank you for your vote of confidence! I truly do have LAFF at
heart and enjoy helping its festivals/fairs. Should you need any help with judging, etc., please feel free to call upon Neal or me. We would be very pleased to assist.
s/Barbra T. Horaist
(outgoing) SECRETARY’s MESSAGE
To everyone that helped through the years
and especially for your efforts at convention THANK YOU!!! A
special THANKS for all her help and support to “my LAFF Queen”,
my wife Mona. Thanks to everyone for allowing me to serve as
secretary, the past few years. Congratulations to Curtis Hue
for his return to serve you as your Secretary. If there is
anything I can do as a past president/interested member of LAFF;
or if you need a pageant judge,auditor, etc. - please call. The
home number is 985-447-4658.
DISTRICT #6 NEWS
Congratulations to everyone involved on
making this year's convention successful. I think everyone had
a great time and enjoyed the convention. This year we offered
several quality workshops which proved to be beneficial for many
festivals and fairs. Congratulations to Brandi
Stout, Miss Zwolle Tamale
Fiesta, on being crowned the LAFF Queen of Queens. I am sure
she will do a great job. A special thanks to Paul McGee on
selecting me as the recipient of the President's Award. This
award was based on the work I did in my district. I have enjoyed
traveling visiting festivals and pageants in District 6 and look
forward to a new year. I was also appointed pageant director of
the Queen of Queens pageant. I will work with the pageant
committee to insure another successful pageant for our 2009
convention. I welcome all suggestions and comments on improving
our convention and pageant. Please feel free to contact me by
email or phone. I would like to welcome new board members:
Curtis Hue, Secretary, Faron Molaison, representing District 1,
Brandon Keene, representing District 5, and Aaron Basseaux,
Talent Director. I have enjoyed working with Al Dupre, David
Bourdier, Chris Giordano and Norman Land on the board and wish
them the best of luck. A pat on the back goes to Kaye Ladner
and her crew for the "groovy" decorations we had this
year. Thanks to Linda Comeaux, LA Cattle Festival, for helping
me with the Country Store. I look forward to working with our
new Vice President, Equilla Victorian. I am sure she will do a
great job planning the 2009 convention, just as Jimmy Meaux did
this year. The new theme is "LAFF goes
Hollywood".
March will be a very busy month for me. I
have about three festivals I will visit along with several
pageants I will be attending. If anyone needs any
help in District 6 with their festival or pageant, please feel
free to call or email me. I will do my best to be available for
your event.
s/Alisa Yelverton
DISTRICT
#7 NEWS
Thanks go out to Jim Meaux our new
President for his great job of making the 2008 Convention such a
great success. Jim worked hard to make this convention a
success through cooperation and communications with the board.
Thanks Jim, for a job well done. Welcomes go out to some new
faces and a few returning (old) faces on the board. Welcome to
Brandon Keen, from the Louisiana State Fair, as the new District
5 Director, Faron Molaison as our new District 1 Director, and
welcome back to Curtis Hue as our Secretary. Congrats to
Equilla Victorian our new Vice-President and convention
coordinator. Equilla will be accepting help from anyone who is
willing to offer, so get involved and let her know what you’d
like to do. Congrats to our new Queen of Queen’s, Brandi Stout
of the Zwolle Tamale Festival, she is a lovely young lady and I
am sure she will be seen all over the state during the coming
year.
The workshops seem to have been quite
successful as many attendees were talking about what they
learned and how impressed they were with the topics. This
convention is YOUR convention, so let your district directors
know if you feel a need for a specific workshop you would like
presented.
District 7 was well represented at the
convention, not quite to the number from Gueydan Duck, but we
all had a great time. Many things are happening within LAFF and
one of the most important is the new Fair and Festivals guide
for 2009. Please, if you have not already turned the
information in to Curtis, do so as soon as possible. The only
person you have to blame for your Festival or Fair not being
listed is yourself. We discussed this during the District
workshop and it is up to you to get it to Curtis or myself. It
shouldn’t take very long to prepare, all we need is the event
dates, event name, contact person, phone number, e-mail address,
website and a 100 word paragraph about your event. Please make
every effort to get this done so we can have this new guide
ready to go to print by late summer.
I am very proud to serve the 7th
District as your Director and want you to know that the entire
board works for you, to make YOUR organization the successful
group that it is. If I may be of assistance to any member or
member organization please contact me at:
laffdistrict7@cox.net , or by phone at (504) 328-5686.
s/Warren Deemer
SUPPLIER
DIRECTOR
It was a great
pleasure to see everyone at the LAFF Convention -- it looked
like all were having a great time! The Trade Show was a great
success. Many thanks to everyone who assisted with the Trade
Show! It is a pleasure to serve LAFF again as the Supplier
Director for the upcoming year. Please let me know your
suggestions for improving the Trade Show or if I can be of any
assistance to any festivals –fairs -associates.
s/Neal Horaist
Convention 2009
“LAFF GOES HOLLYWOOD
Holiday Inn Select Baton Rouge February 5th
– 8th 2009
See you on
the red carpet……………..
