Where are the fireworks?

    If you’re wondering who’s offering a pyrotechnic show this Fourth of July, here’s an easy run-down on fireworks displays for Lafayette and surrounding towns.

    Lafayette — Fireworks begins at 9:15 p.m. in Parc International downtown, part of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra’s “Red, White and Boom!” performance and celebration which begins at 5 p.m. (Read our previous blog!)
    Youngsville — Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. at Sugar Mill Pond Town Center, 101 Waterview Road in Youngsville.
    Broussard — Fireworks kick off at 9 p.m. at Home Depot, 213 St. Nazaire Road in Broussard. Hot dogs and drinks will be on sale at the store beginning at 5 p.m., with all sales benefiting Miles Perret Cancer Services.
    Eunice — For almost 30 years, the former Mayor and licensed pyrotechnic, Kenneth Peart, orchestrates a 30-minute display beginning at 9 p.m. at Eunice Recreation Complex, 461 Sittig Road in Eunice.  
    Krotz Springs — Fireworks on the River begins at 9 p.m. at Nall Park, 562 Front St. in Krotz Springs. Prior to the fireworks, there will be music, children’s activities, hot dogs and watermelon.
    Erath – The 67th annual Erath Fourth of July celebration includes a 9 p.m. fireworks display, but you might want to get there early for the 10 a.m. water fight between area fire departments or the July Fourth parade at 5 p.m. with live music afterwards.
    New Iberia - The New Iberia Independence Day Parade begins at 6 p.m., followed by music and fireworks, at Main Street and Bouligny Plaza.

What’s on your summer bucket list?

    We’d like to know.

    However, if you could use some help with ideas, let us offer a few:
    Ride the Acadian Ambulance at the Children’s Museum of Acadiana.

    Eat a banana split at Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe at Jefferson Street and Johnston, the last Borden’s store of its kind in existence.  
    Visit alligators up close and personal at Lake Martin.

    Eat gourmet food from a truck at any of the dozen or more gourmet food trucks of Lafayette.
    Walk the Horse Farm and visit its century-old live oaks after enjoying the Saturday morning Farmers’ Market.
    Sip wine, view artwork and listen to the Cajun jam session at the Second Saturday ArtWalk throughout downtown Lafayette.
    Dance in the San Souci water fountain, which is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day!
    Bike the Attakapas-Ishak Multi-Use Trail from downtown Lafayette to Beaver Park.
    Take a hike through the Acadiana Park Nature Station.
    Learn about solar energy and sustainable living at the UL-Lafayette BeauSoleil House and then feed the ducks in nearby Girard Park.

University Art Museum

    At noon on Wednesdays meet Planetarium Director David Hostetter at the Lafayette Science Museum and use his telescope to view sunspots.
    Play in the rain (unless it’s lightning). It usually happens every afternoon during the summer.
    Step inside the giant egg, also known as the LITE Center (Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise).

San Souci Fountain

    Listen to experts discuss art at the Paul & Lulu University Art Museum.
    Practice your French at one of the many French Tables held throughout Acadiana.
    Travel back in time to learn how Cajuns and Creoles lived at Acadian Village.
    Take thee out to a ballgame — the Acadiana Cane Cutters play baseball at Fabacher Field at Southside Regional Park in Youngsville.
    Canoe the Vermilion — guided canoe trips are offered at Vermilionville and a put-in spot is now available at the Acadiana Park Nature Station.

    Visit the office of Downtown Development District and pick up a walking brochure of downtown, then enjoy gelato and espresso at Carpe Diem Gelato & Espresso Bar.
    Try to sample as many of the EatLafayette restaurants as you can until Sept. 2, when the campaign ends.
    Eat a snow cone.
    Wow, we could go on forever. What’s on your bucket list?

A fun-filled Fourth scheduled for downtown Lafayette!

    In Lafayette, the Fourth of July celebration happens all day July 4, 2013, and includes a variety of fun-filled activities on three stages downtown.
    Grammy nominee Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band performs at 5 p.m. on the Freedom Fest Stage and continues with Lafayette’s Bayou Boys at 7 p.m.
    Families can enjoy the Conservatory KidZone in Parc Sans Souci with interactive children’s music every hour beginning at 5:15 p.m., an instrument petting zoo, face painting, patriotic arts and crafts, balloon animals, and more!
    The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music presents Red, White & BOOM! with Grammy winner Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band (above right) headlining the celebration at 6:30 p.m. in Parc International. Chubby Carrier, dubbed as “The World’s Premier Zydeco Showman,” will perform with the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra for the annual patriotic concert following Chubby’s opening act.
    The Grand Finale Fireworks show concludes the day, beginning at 9:15 p.m.
    Gates open and festivities begin at 5 p.m. Admission is $5 per person with access to all three stages.

    The Acadiana Symphony has partnered with FoodNet and offers one free concession ticket in exchange for five non-perishable food items. FoodNet’s most needed food items are boxed cornbread, canned tuna and peas. 
    Food and beverages will be sold on site, and please, no ice chests. Proceeds from Red, White and BOOM! support the Conservatory’s early childhood music education programs.
    For more information, call (337) 232-4277, Ext. 1, visit www.acadianasymphony.org, or the Symphony’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/acadianasymphony.

EatLafayette celebrates city’s unique restaurants

    EatLafayette is a summer campaign that celebrates the city’s unique locally owned restaurants. When it began nine years ago the campaign lasted two weeks and included 18 restaurants. This year, the campaign has been extended from June 17 to Sept 2, 2013, and now includes 72 locally owned restaurants!

    Being able to spotlight so many fabulous restaurants in an 11-week span is quite an accomplishment for a small city such as Lafayette. But that’s the beauty of this hub of Cajun and Creole country and why Lafayette was named “Best for Food” by Rand McNally’s 2011 “Best of the Road” contest and the 2012 “Tastiest Town in the South” by Southern Living magazine.
    The styles of participating restaurants run the gamut in tastes. In addition to its longstanding restaurants that have made Lafayette famous are new innovative ones that feature nouveau cuisine and farm-to-table fare.
    “We have a whole new generation of young foodies and restaurants,” said Julie Calzone of Calzone & Associates, the marketing arm of the campaign.
    EatLafayette not only offers special discounts at participating restaurants throughout the summer but gives visitors a guide to those Lafayette establishments that are locally owned, offer local products and provide a guide to different types of cuisines.   
    “It answers the questions, ‘Where do we go to eat?’ ‘What is local?’” Calzone said.    
    Are you ready to eat Lafayette?
    Visit the EatLafayette site for a list of participating restaurants, specials and more at http://www.eatlafayette.com or "like" the EatLafayette Facebook page and follow along on Twitter. Visit Lafayette Travel’s “Taste Lafayette” page for more information on Lafayette’s hot culinary scene and recipes at https://www.lafayettetravel.com/taste.

Take me out to the ballgame

The Acadiana Cane Cutters baseball team opens their 2013 season on May 30 and offer a fun-filled summer schedule at Fabacher Field at Southside Regional Park in Youngsville, just a stone’s throw from downtown Lafayette. The team is part of the Texas Collegiate League, a summer baseball league designed to give the top professional prospects a chance to play in a minor-league baseball atmosphere while maintaining their amateur status.

    Acadiana’s roster will be comprised of talent from the University of Alabama, Southern Mississippi, Texas A&M, Old Dominion, Cal State Bakersfield, Nicholls State, LSU-Eunice, Southeastern and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette among others.
    Games include special events such as Thirsty Thursdays with discounts on beer, post-game fireworks on Fridays, Fun Jumps on Tuesdays and waterslides on Sundays. Like Major League Baseball, some games throughout the season have special themes, such as Scout Night, Military Appreciation Night and Bobble Head Giveaway.
    The Hampton Inn & Suites Lafayette is the Official Hotel of the 2013 Acadiana Cane Cutters Baseball Club. To access the Cane Cutters’ Baseball corporate rate, call (337) 266-5858 or visit the hotel’s web site.
    For the complete schedule, special events and tickets, visit http://www.canecuttersbaseball.com.

Memorial Day Weekend in Acadiana

    Kids are out of school, temperatures are rising and the fun keeps on this Memorial Day Weekend. There are plenty of events happening in Lafayette and surrounding area for the long weekend. Here are a few to choose from:
    The Cajun Heartland State Fair opens Thursday, May 23, 2013, and continues with live entertainment, carnival rides and more through June 2 at the Cajundome. Rides include the giant Ferris wheel, Crazy Mouse and the Mega Drop. Performers include Bag of Donuts, Wayne Toups, Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie, Louisiana’s Leroux and more. Check the web site for special offers!

Cajun Heartland State Fair

    Looking for live music? Downtown Alive!, a weekly family-friendly free concert series held in downtown Lafayette, presents Sassafras Jubilee at 6 p.m. Friday, May 24, in Parc San Souci. In Opelousas, the Music & Market Spring Series continues with Bon Soir, Catin from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Courthouse Square.
    The Okra and Creole Zydeco Festival will be Friday and Saturday, May 24-25, at 203 N. New Market St. in St. Martinville, the first year in which the two original festivals (Okra Festival and Creole Zydeco Festival) are combined into a special two-day event that supports the African-American Museum.
    For families, there’s the Downtown Lafayette Movies in the Parc on Saturday at the Downtown Drive-In Parking Lot, 725 Jefferson St. “The Neverending Story” will be shown for $2 (free for children 5 and under) and food and beverages will be available on-site for purchase.
    Outdoor enthusiasts will want to paddle down Bayou Vermilion on Saturday, May 25, leaving at 8:30 a.m. at Vermilionville. Later on at 1 p.m. Saturday, Vermilionville offers its weekly Cajun jam session, so why not stay and dance! On Sunday, May 26, Vermilionville’s Bal du Dimanche (Sunday dance) features Carl Hollier and Cajun Company from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
    To honor those who have served, the Lafayette Concert Band presents “Songs of Remembrance” at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 26, at East Bayou Baptist Church. The concert is free.

    Zydeco Extravaganza with music, food and fun begins at noon Sunday,  May 26, at the Evangeline Downs Event Center in Opelousas. The music lineup includes Keith Frank, Chris Ardoin, Geno Delafose, Brian Jack, Leon Chavis, Same Ol' 2 Step, Cupid and many more. Admission is $15 pre-sale; $20 at gate.

Lafayette’s restaurant scene continues to evolve

La Carreta

    This spring, several new restaurants have opened or announced openings, expanding the city’s already vibrant and award-winning culinary scene.
    Social Southern Table & Bar opened at 3901 Johnston St., “a chef-driven bar” that combines a sophisticated menu along with specialty cocktails and upscale beers and wines.
    La Carreta now serves up Mexican dishes and margaritas, among other drink specialties, at 400 Jefferson St. in the heart of downtown Lafayette.
     Brick & Spoon unveiled the first of what will be its five restaurants in three states with its Lafayette flagship eatery in the Grand Pointe Village shopping center of Lafayette. The restaurant offers a breakfast, brunch and lunch menu featuring fresh ingredients, local farm produce and the most elaborate Bloody Marys on earth.

Deviled on the Bayou at Brick & Spoon

    Coming up on May 20, the Lafayette version of Ruffino’s opens in River Ranch, a popular Baton Rouge restaurant specializing in steak, seafood and Italian fare. Titled Ruffino’s on the River, the restaurant’s regional specialties will include a shrimp corndog appetizer and Louisiana crawfish ravioli. Ruffino’s is helmed by Chef Peter Sclafani, named “Restaurateur of the Year” by the Louisiana Restaurant Association for two consecutive years (2010, 2011), Baton Rouge’s Chef of the Year in 2004 and the city’s Marketer of the Year in 2011.
     Lafayette was named the town “Best for Food” in America in the 2011 Best of the Road Rally by Rand McNally and the “Tastiest Town” in 2012 by Southern Living magazine.
    For information on Lafayette’s restaurants, food tours, Boudin Trail, recipes and more, visit http://www.lafayettetravel.com/eat.