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New Cattle Festival President Karen Guilbeau (second from left) speaks to the Abbeville City Council during Tuesday’s regular meeting. Guilbeau is joined (L-R) by Cattle Festival Vice President Victoria Bourque, 2022 Cattle Festival Queen Sydney Bertrand and 2022 Junior Cattle Festival Queen Kamille LeBlanc. Ms. Cattle Festival Queen Morgan Mooney, Deb Cattle Festival Queen Emily Guidry and Baby Cattle Festival Queen Remi Joiner also attended the meeting. The group attended to speak about the future of the festival.

Cattle Festival has new president

Tue, 01/24/2023 - 10:22am

There’s always plenty of excitement surrounding the Louisiana Cattle Festival, as it is one of Abbeville’s main annual attractions.
Preparation for the 73rd Annual Cattle Festival, which will take place later this fall, is well underway.
That preparation is being led by a new face. Karen Guilbeau is the new Cattle Festival President. She takes over for Francis Plaisance, who held the role for 26 years.

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American Legion member Gerald Gaspard (left) and the Post 29 honored Francis Plaisance (right) for all his hard work he did for the city of Abbeville and the Cattle Festival.

Plaisance served as the Cattle Festival president for 26 years

Tue, 01/24/2023 - 10:19am

After dedicating 26 years of being president of the Louisiana Cattle Festival, Francis Plaisance is no longer the president of the Cattle Festival.
Last month the Cattle Festival Board elected Karen Guilbeau as the new president. She was introduced at Tuesday night’s Abebville City Council Meeting.
Plaisance, meanwhile, posted something on his Facebook Page about serving as president for 26 years.

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Native American artifacts from the Morgan Mound Collection are currently on display at the Vermilion Tourist and Cultural Center on Magdalen Square, Abbeville.

Archaeologists to speak at Vermilion Historical Society

Tue, 01/24/2023 - 8:48am

The Vermilion Historical Society will present a program on local Native American culture to be given by Dr. Chip McGimsey, Louisiana’s state archaeologist and director of the Louisiana Division of Archaeology; along with Ms. Karla Oesch, MS APA, who is the collections manager of that division of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism.

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Amelia Detraz works her pig, Champ, during the livestock show.

Emotional Day for Detraz

Mon, 01/23/2023 - 1:42pm

Saturday was an emotional day for Amelia Detraz, a senior at Kaplan High School.
Amelia participated in the 2023 Vermilion Parish 4-H Livestock Show and Sale, held in the Cecil McCrory Exhibit Building in Abbeville.
The money generated from the sale of the livestock show goes back to the student to help pay their expenses for raising the animal.
Amelia’s first auction of the day was a 199-pound hog named Champ. A hog typically auctions for $8 to $9 a pound. However, Champ went for an incredible $43 a pound.

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Preston Castille, Holly Boffy and Ronnie Morris

Holly Boffy new BESE Board president

Mon, 01/23/2023 - 1:38pm

Abbeville’s own Holly Boffy was elected president of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Wednesday morning.
The vote was 6-5, which is unusually close for the board's top job.
Boffy will hold the job for 2023 and she succeeds Jim Garvey, of Metairie.
“I am humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity,” said Boffy. “My goal is to unite our Board and our state in serving our students through incredible education opportunities. Our schools are the only place some of our students find hope. We owe them our best.”

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