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First off, let me start by wishing all you mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day! Two of last week’s biggest events were all about our four-legged friends, and they both took place on the same day. The Crowne Plaza quite literally … Continue reading →
Two of my favorite spring events took place on the same night, April 27, which meant I had to miss one of them. Fortunately, co-worker Karen Martin was headed to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s 12th annual Denim & Diamonds Gala and agreed to take photos for me. That left me free to experience Big … Continue reading →
The sun was beginning its descent and a nice breeze was keeping things cool for the Jefferson Beautification’s annual Parkway Promenade soirée at the Chateau Golf & Country Club in Kenner April 7. The theme for this year’s fundraiser, chaired by Joy Shane and Diane Hollis, was “Going International.” Proceeds from the event are … Continue reading →
The week before Easter was a socially slow one, and the Baton Rouge Opera Guild’s annual scholarship recital tea was a nice break. Listening to some of the best voices in LSU’s nationally and internationally recognized opera program perform on a beautiful late afternoon was the perfect end to a busy workday. Continue reading →
Wow, what a week this past one was! Several of my favorite events took place, beginning with the Baton Rouge Symphony League’s Mad Hatters luncheon and wrapping up with Baton Rouge Ballet’s “Dancing in the Street.” Chairwoman Jenny Gray and her committee transformed the Crowne Plaza … Continue reading →
For many years, I’ve heard about the Women’s Guild of the New Orleans Opera Association’s Mad Hatters luncheon, so I was excited to finally get to check it out. You can check out the fun of Mad Hatters and all my other stops via the photo gallery online at http://theadvocate.com/columnists/pambordelon. Continue reading →
Don’t you just love it when you have days with nothing to do and then two days of non-stop partying? That was my social calendar last week. It all started in the Big Easy at Anthony Ryan Auld’s runway show for New Orleans Fashion Week on March 6 … Continue reading →
With spring knocking on our door, thoughts of colorful frocks, short sleeves, cheerful prints and sandals begin to occupy our minds — at least the minds of the fashion-conscious. Toward that end, several organizations always hold style shows to provide a glimpse of what’s hot this season. Fashions from … Continue reading →
With the Lenten slowdown, I took the opportunity to go and visit family in Alabama last weekend. While there, we celebrated my brother-in-law’s 60th birthday. That meant I had to rely on co-workers to help me out. Thanks to Karen Martin and Heather McClelland. Mardi … Continue reading →
Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge shuts down on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday. Not so in neighboring Lafayette, where the parties and parades continue until midnight brings the beginning of Ash Wednesday and Lent. The Krewe of Gabriel fêted its king and queen with a pair of luncheons … Continue reading →
Mardi Gras 2013 is now history but boy, did it go out with a bang! Specifically, the 10th anniversary celebration of the Baton Rouge Symphony’s Irene W. & C.B. Pennington Foundation Great Performers in Concert featuring the one and only Diana Ross Feb. 8
A weekend full of Mardi Gras balls and parades, in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Washington, D.C., along with the Super Bowl in the Big Easy made the first weekend in February one for the books. In keeping with tradition, Gov. Bobby Jindal and wife Supriya … Continue reading →
What a weekend to close out the month of January! There was the have-to-experience-to-fully-understand Spanish Town Mardi Gras Ball and the 20th anniversary celebrations of 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge and Baton Rouge General’s Father/Daughter Sweetheart … Continue reading →
What a week Jan. 14-19 was! I’m still on a natural high from all the excitement. Celebrating Mardi Gras with my Apollo boyfriends and witnessing Anthony Ryan Auld win “Project Runway All Stars II” were just the tip of the iceberg, and best of all, the sun finally came out. Continue reading →
“Rain, rain go away. Come again another day!” I’ve found myself singing this childhood ditty recently as constant rain has tried to put a damper on the Capital City’s party scene. I say tried because we’ve not let that happen. Leonard Augustus and his flash mob filled … Continue reading →
Walking into the River Center Jan. 5 to take photos of Le Cercle de Bacchus debs, I found a pair of long white leather gloves — the kind the debs wear during their presentation — laying on the sidewalk. It had just started to rain, and I knew that in a few short minutes, as these girls were … Continue reading →
Happy New Year! I like to look at the new year as a chance to start fresh, maybe not make a full-blown resolution, but try and do things better — eat healthier, exercise a little more, be more thoughtful of others, be more fiscally responsible — you know the list. So, here’s to hoping that 2013 … Continue reading →
Just as we’re all about to recover from Christmas, it’s time to ring in a new year. I hope 2013 is a blessed new year for you and yours! And if you’re out and about New Year’s Eve, please be careful. Take Mockler Beverage Co. up on its offer of a safe ride … Continue reading →
Only two more days until Santa comes a calling. Have you been good or are you getting switches in your stocking? Me, I’m pleading the fifth. Anyway, I hope you and yours have a blessed holiday season. More than 1,300 women, including a few men and children, … Continue reading →
“Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. Please put a penny in the old man’s hat ...” Those are the opening lyrics to one of my favorite Christmas songs, and if you’ve been attending as many holiday events as I have, you’re probably like me and feeling a bit like that … Continue reading →
Christmas came a bit early this year for the Old State Capitol docents and for several staff members of the YMCA of the Capital Area. Old State Capitol Associate Chet Coles did a bit of Santa role playing recently and purchased 15 “courtroom chairs” at a … Continue reading →
I always love any excuse that lets me attend a Baton Rouge Symphony concert so, when publisher David Manship asked me to stand in for him at the Nov. 29 holiday concert, I was more than happy … Continue reading →
One of the Thanksgiving holiday traditions around here is the presentation of several debutante coteries. One by the Baton Rouge Assembly took place on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Two more took place the following evening. … Continue reading →
I hope you and yours celebrated an enjoyable Thanksgiving, and I hope you’ve got plenty of time to spend on this Sunday’s “Party Line” because it’s full of social happenings. A health issue cut last week’s column a bit short so it all landed here, so pour yourself an extra cup of coffee, snuggle up and … Continue reading →
It’s always nice to start off your day with something inspirational, and the McMains Children’s Developmental Center’s annual Developing Dreams Breakfast Nov. 8 at Boudreaux’s did just that. Sister Helen Prejean, a Baton Rouge native, author and outspoken critic of the death penalty, spoke about how her stand on the death penalty and providing … Continue reading →
Since The Advocate began publishing a New Orleans edition, I’ve had multiple invitations to party in the Big Easy. With Baton Rouge’s jam-packed October social calendar, that proved impossible. But then Alabama rolled into town for a showdown with LSU Nov. 3, and all partying moved to Tiger Stadium for the weekend. That left my schedule … Continue reading →
Last January, Baton Rouge lost one of its great civic leaders when Darian Chustz died following a brief illness at age 42. As the president of Gulf Coast Region of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United and member of more boards and organizations than you can count on fingers and toes, Darian knew a lot of people so … Continue reading →
Every now and then the Capital City’s social swirl can make you feel like you’re running in circles. The fact that I was recently partying at both the old and new Governor’s Mansions one evening didn’t help matters. One of my favorite events each fall is … Continue reading →
Downtown Red Stick was red hot the night of Oct. 5. There was the usual kick-off-the-weekend crowd and the fifth installment of the oh-so-popular Live After Five street dance party combined with two huge fundraising galas. Louisiana Art & Science Museum celebrated its golden anniversary with a packed house … Continue reading →
There were a couple of days last week that I had all my meals provided for me. I had lunch two days in a row at Boudreaux’s — ah, those rolls — and dinner twice at the Renaissance Hotel. The Renaissance was the setting for … Continue reading →
Every now and then the week’s events seem to have an unplanned theme. Such was the case recently, which is why I’ve proclaimed the third week of September as culture week — with an emphasis on music. The cast of Opéra Louisiane’s production of “Falstaff” entertained at Baton Rouge Area … Continue reading →
Well, we’ve about caught up with all the events rescheduled from Hurricane Isaac’s visit. And, that’s a good thing because the closer to October we get, the more jam-packed our social calendar gets. A few teams had to bow out of this year’s CANstruction competition because of … Continue reading →
When the party scene cranked back up, it really cranked up. I felt like I spent the entire day at the River Center Sept. 6 — first with those wild and crazy Bengal Belles (ya, just gotta love ’em!) for lunch and then back at dinner time for the 30th anniversary of Capital Chefs’ Showcase. I … Continue reading →
What is it about Labor Day weekend and hurricanes? Seems they just love to blow through as we’re trying to celebrate summer’s last hurrah. Those rabid women LSU fans affectionately known as the Bengal Belles had to reschedule their kickoff luncheon from Aug. 30 to Sept. 6. I’ll have photos in next … Continue reading →
Debutantes and Mardi Gras royalty top the agenda this Sunday. It’s a clear sign that the Capital City’s social season is about to blast off to hyper speed. Twelve senior members of Les Jeunes Amies de la Symphonie were introduced as members of this year’s debutante coterie at … Continue reading →
When I said the social lull was short-lived last week I had no clue just how right I was. The night of Aug. 11, which was also my father-in-law, Louis Bordelon’s, 90th birthday, had me party hopping all over town! Naturally, it began with the birthday boy, but then I had to hit the road.
All honors are nice, but they’re especially meaningful when they come from your peers. The Baton Rouge Chapter of the American Institute of Architects handed out its prestigious Rose Awards at a gala July 27 the Old Governor’s Mansion. The evening’s big winner – Holly & Smith Architects, of Hammond, which won … Continue reading →
I’m assuming the back-to-school rush is responsible for the virtual halt in the city’s social scene last week, not that I’m complaining. That said, my announcement in last week’s columns about The Advocate’s new Red Stick Social calendar proves the lull will be short-lived. I got a ton … Continue reading →
Labor Day, which is supposed to be the official end of summer, is still weeks away but here in Baton Rouge summer ends Wednesday when students head back to school. So, please pay extra attention as you head to work that morning — school buses, school zones, teenage drivers and lots of harried parents trying to … Continue reading →
OK, all you gala-planners and nonprofit worker bees, I need your help. I’m starting a new project that will hopefully make life a little easier for all of us. It’s called Red Stick Social, and it’s a comprehensive calendar of all the upcoming galas, dinners, teas, luncheons, coffees, breakfasts, etc., that make Baton Rouge the social … Continue reading →
This past week had me doing a bit of traveling — not far, just down the interstate to Gonzales where I found Pelican Point Golf Club awash in a sea of pink. The occasion was the fifth annual Ascension Pink Ribbon Scramble, which raises funds and awareness to combat breast cancer. This … Continue reading →
While multiple events on the same day are quite the norm in the fall and spring, summer tends to be slow. So, you’d think event planners could manage to spread things out instead of having them all on the same night, wouldn’t you? Ha! They had me running all over Baton Rouge on … Continue reading →
Ughhh — the humidity, the heat, the rain! Please let there be some relief on the horizon because I’m quite bored with this routine. Fortunately, there are some fun distractions around town. The skies of downtown (and elsewhere) lit up as the Capital City celebrated the Fourth of … Continue reading →
I know the calendar just flipped to July, but I swear it feels more like the middle of August these days. So, I hope you found some way to stay cool for the Fourth of July — a pool or something involving water, ice cream, nice cold watermelon maybe? Continue reading →
For many years, coworker Smiley Anders has bragged about his “well-deserved” vacations, so I decided to take a page from his playbook since not much happened when I took one of my own the third week of June. Husband Jim, friends Melanie and André Uzee and I again headed to California wine country, … Continue reading →