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By: Darryl Richardelle

Three festival queens representing Vermilion Parish and the surrounding areas recently attended the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians Mardi Gras Ball in Washington D.C.
Sydney Bertrand of Kaplan, Sydney Richardelle of Erath, and Cassie Aloisio of Morgan City represented their respective festivals at the 71st annual event held in the nation’s capital.
Sydney Paige Bertrand is the 68th Delcambre Shrimp Festival Queen. She is the 17-year-old daughter of Patches Bell and Darryl Bertrand of Kaplan. Sydney is currently a senior at Kaplan High School where she is a cheerleader and was a member of the 2018 homecoming court. After graduation, Sydney plans on attending Nicholls State University in Thibodaux to major in biology. A fun fact concerning Syd’s title is that she is the youngest Delcambre Shrimp Queen on record. She surpassed the minimum age requirement for contestants by only two days.
Sydney Marie Kay Richardelle is the 60th Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival Queen. She is the 23-year-old daughter of Darryl and Lisa Richardelle of Erath. Sydney is a 2014 graduate of Erath High School and a 2018 graduate of Nicholls State University. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in higher education administration at Nicholls. She is employed as an area coordinator in the dormitory system at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.
Cassie Kay Aloisio is the 70th Louisiana Cattle Festival Queen. She is the 19-year-old daughter of Amico and Anna Aloisio of Morgan City. A 2017 graduate of Morgan City High School, she is currently a sophomore at LSU in Baton Rouge majoring in Pre-Med. Upon graduation, she plans to attend medical school at Texas A&M.
The four day event entitled “Louisiana: A High Note” was held at the Washington Hilton. After a royal breakfast at the governor’s mansion and a quick, charter flight to D.C., the girls enjoyed a steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
Louisiana’s best foods provided by vendors from around the state were the main attraction on the second night. This was a tasty mixer which allowed the queens and their guests to sample foods from the state’s various festivals. It also gave the girls an opportunity to meet many dignitaries from around Louisiana and Washington D. C.
Twenty-three festival queens and thirty-seven krewe princesses were introduced at a formal dinner on the third night. The main event occurred on the final evening. All festival queens were presented in full, formal regalia. They paraded around the ball room wearing crowns, banners, trains, and mantles. The Krewe of Louisianians then put on its mini-Mardi Gras parade. Krewe members rode mini-floats and walked through the ballroom while showering their guests with beads, stuffed animals, and keepsakes.
A traditional call-out dance was held for specially selected guests of members. This year’s King and Queen were Ray Brandt of New Orleans and Alexandra Reese Pharr of Lafayette.
Dignitaries in attendance included Governor John Bel Edwards, Senators Dr. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, and Congressman Clay Higgins.
Along with the Mardi Gras festivities, the queens and their guests enjoyed many sightseeing opportunities. Queens were given a private tour of the capitol building where they were able to meet their state senators and district representatives. Festival royalty were also given a snowy tour of Arlington National Cemetery where they laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They were also able to visit the National Archives where they saw the original Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. Other historic destinations included Ford’s Theater (site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination), the World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Washington Monument.
Bertrand, Richardelle, and Aloisio will next represent their festivals at the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals (LAFF) Queen’s Pageant and Convention to be held February 21 – 23 in Baton Rouge.

Dustin Bertrand, a Catholic evangelist of Abbeville, has shared his story with audiences all over Louisiana; a story most-often read or watched on television. The story is of a son and his Father and the problematic details of his life that led him to become a speaker of motivation.
Growing up, Bertrand recalls being different, but not knowing how or why. Comments from schoolmates led him sometimes to wonder.”I didn’t know my race for years; or my father.”
The 29-year-old tells his journey to spread positive messages as well as corroborating with those who need.
Being raised by only one parent until the age of six; when his mother married his step-father, was a difficult thing to adjust to.
“When my brother Shay was born, I was urged to call my step-father ‘dad’,” he said. “This made me think more about my identity and who my real father was; something I never thought about until then.”
At that time, Bertrand’s mind was scrambled, and he remembers asking himself why his step-father was the only one with whom he gave the title to. Although he never found his biological father, his decisions moving forward was based on being a good person and role model without having his father there for guidance.
Bertrand had to overcome physical problems at a young age.
Bertrand recalled being in his sophomore year feeling depressed and tired. Knowing he was born with three holes in his heart; only two of them closing on their own, he knew something just wasn’t right.
“There’s this hole in my heart that just lingered,” he said. “Plus, I have a kidney disease, which will most likely cause them to fail at some point.”
In college, Bertrand had a choice to wait for his heart to give him problems in the future, or have surgery. “Doctors weren’t concerned about my life, but I was,” he said. “I decided to have surgery right away.”
He knew his body would heal quicker as a young man compared to age 50.
“Before my heart surgery, my mom and I had a conversation that needed to happen just in case I didn’t wake up,” he said. “After that, I was done with searching for my father.”
Thoughts of wanting to be a great role model for his brother, wanting to be a good husband and father one day was something he thought about often, and soon, he began to plan.
Instead of using someone else’s platform, Bertrand decided to assemble his own with the aid of the father he was closest to - God. He thought about the times he did not know of his race, being teased because his hair was different, as well as telling his mom that he was going to help people when he grew up.
“Through trial and error as a kid, I was trying to create myself as a man,” he said. “I dated a girl whose father did not approve of my ‘dark tan;’ mind you, I did not know I was biracial.”
This confused Bertrand and raised questions.
“I thought I was just a tan guy with thick hair. The incident messed with my identity.”
Bertrand recalled being on a three-year identity crisis after revelations came to surface.
“I was a broken man trying to figure everything out,” he said.
During his senior year in high school, he became close with his religion teacher who aided him in the process of finding whom he wanted to be.
“At that point, I ended up going to McNeese, walking on the golf team and earning a scholarship,” Bertrand said.
This experience led him into his ministry journey.
“My peers and superiors noticed how I processed things on a much deeper level and how I loved helping people despite the baggage I held.”
After a mentioning of priesthood by someone he trusted, Bertrand decided to pray about it. He soon began to attend retreats with the Catholic Church. Three years later, he went to the Catholic seminary to start priesthood.
“Six months into the seminary, I realized that no matter how much I admired it, knowing that I grew as a person, grew closer to God and understood more about myself and my relationship with God, I respectfully backed away from the opportunity of the priesthood,” Bertrand said.
God was still a large part of Bertrand’s life, and that was something he knew would remain.
“Whatever God wants me to do, I listen,” he said. “He allowed me to golf again, and wanted me to share my testimony and the gospel with athletes, so I did that.”
He said he enjoys talking about the word of God because, “I’ve experienced the love of God through my deepest sufferings and I want others to experience the healing power of what Jesus passed down to others. I’ve seen supernatural occurrences that science can’t describe so as I preach about God I know I’m leading others to a higher calling than what is seen,” said Bertrand.
The feeling was infectious for Bertrand. He knew he always wanted to help people, so why not help them the way God helped him, through the word. “Golf faded away when I wanted to learn more on the new journey of ministry.”
Today, Bertrand is in the process of writing an autobiography titled “The First Thirty.” He hopes to publish on his 30th birthday, which is August 22. He is the founder of a non-profit organization called “God Made, Self-driven,” which is a community that partners with different churches, individuals, schools, and organizations that share in their mission to bring Christ and goodness to people’s lives.
“My motivation and goal are to be the man God wants me to be; to the woman he created for me, and to be the type of man my mom never got to see.”

DELCAMBRE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Mr. Nelson “Pete” Decuir, 59, at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, February 8, 2019, at St. Martin dePorres Catholic Church with Fr. Buddy Breaux, Celebrant.
He will await the resurrection in Our Lady of the Lake Cemetery in Delcambre, LA.
A gathering of family and friends will be held on Friday, at the church at 8:00 A.M –until 9:45 A.M. with rosary to be recited at 9:00 A.M.
He was a member of St. Martin DePorres Catholic Church.
He leaves in God’s care. one son, Logan Weekly of Delcambre, LA; three sisters, Tammy Butler (Thomas) of Lafayette, LA, Lorena Montgomery of Scott, LA and Marisha (Roy) St. Julien of Delcambre, LA; two brothers, Charles (Lita) Wilson of New Iberia, LA and Terryl (Charlene) Decuire of Edmond, OK; very best friend, Sharon Shelvin of Lafayette, LA and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Clyde Decuire and Olivia Gilbert Decuire and one sister, Barbara Mouton.
Active Pallbearers are Thomas Butler, Jamar Comeaux, Thomas Dozier, Martin Chambers, Tony Boyance and Travis Chambers.
Honorary Pallbearers are Logan Weekly, Charles Wilson, Roy St. Julien, Loveless Decuir, Terryl Decuire, Glenn Bernard, Glenn Butler, Aaron Montgomery, Harris Comeaux, Jr., Kevin Gilbert, and Antoine Olivier and Jason Roy.
Condolences may be expressed at www.fletcherfuneralhomes.org.

Growing up, Abbeville native Brandon Smith had the greatest of influences in his mother Sabrina. Smith; who now lives in Lafayette, grew up here in Vermilion Parish and credits his mother as someone who had always taught him to always be prepared; something she tended to make ease of, as if it were as simple as that. “She was and still is my greatest influence,” he said “Despite any hardship we faced as a family, I never felt like I’d made a mistake bad enough not to get through it.”
Smith, who graduated from Abbeville High in 2006, was elated to be out of school; as most students are. “At this point, I was contemplating what the rest of my life would hold.”
The birth of his son not long after he graduated, nudged him along his path; a path that he knows was always meant for him.
“My life became more about being a good role model,” he said “I began asking myself what kind of man I wanted to be. At the age of 25, Smith graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, working in Training and Development.
“With parenthood having such a profound effect on me, knowing I wanted to help people discover the best within themselves, I started getting involved in community efforts,” he said. Those efforts included food and clothing drives, Toys for Tots, as well as other initiatives to give back.
Smith, along with two others, partnered with UL Lafayette and the Lafayette Parish School System to create a camp for middle and high school students in order to teach them the basics of computer building and programming. This camp is called the Annual STEM Camp.
All of these accomplishments thus far not only navigated a path for others, but for Smith as well. He went on to be the recipient of the 2017 ’20 Under 40 Acadiana Young Leadership Award’. Smith was ‘humbled’ and ‘grateful’ for such recognition.
In 2018, Smith graduated again, this time with an MBA, hoping to use these new skills to make a greater impact.
“Today, I work at Waitr as the Product Owner of Operations,” he said. At Waitr, Smith manages software development teams, and as busy as he is, he still finds time to do his part to help his community. The businessman is also ‘much honored’ to serve on the Board of Directors in two great organizations; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana and the Leadership Institute of Acadiana.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana is a one-to-one mentoring program pairing great role models with kids who want to realize their full potential and the Leadership Institute of Acadiana is dedicated and committed to building leaders for the Acadiana Region.
“My son is now 13, and I am proud of the example that I continue to set for him,” Smith said. To those who are young and wondering where life will take them, Smith has a message, “Every one of you should just take a step each day without focusing too much on the destination,” he said “Enjoy the adventures along the way, find what you’re good at and what makes you happy.”
Brandon Smith plans to continue taking advantage of every opportunity to help someone. “I urge our young to do the same, once you do that, everything else falls into place.”