Around Acadiana for May 22, 2012

Atchafalaya paddle route presentation Wednesday

Paddle routes within the Atchafalaya Basin will be featured during a 6 p.m. Wednesday presentation at Pack & Paddle by Dean Wilson, the Atchafalaya basinkeeper.

Maps of each route will be available.

At the event, photographer Greg Guirard will discuss his work capturing images of the basin.

The event is free and open to the public.

Veterans group to meet

The Veterans Action Coalition will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Clifton Chenier Center.

Dr. Mark Stellingworth will give a presentation on heart health and an update on the progress of expanded specialty health services offered in Lafayette will be given.

For information, visit. http://vacoalition.com.

Manns to perform at Cité

Jazz singer Charles Manns is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. Friday at Cité des Arts.

Manns’ performance includes a Big Band-style repertoire of jazz, swing, Broadway show tunes and classic love songs.

Tickets may be purchased at the door. For information, visit: http://citedesarts.org.

Emigration focus of talk

French historian Jean-François Mouhout will offer a free public presentation on the Acadian people’s emigration from France to Louisiana at 6:30 p.m. June 4 at the South Regional Library.

His lecture, “From France to Louisiana: Acadian Refugees’ Emigration in the 18th Century,” will explore leaders of the movement and the differing factions.

The event is sponsored by the Center for Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. For information, visit: http://cls.louisiana.edu.

Event benefits scholarship

The O’Bryan Akeem Parker Scholarship Fund will hold a silent auction fundraiser from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 16 at The Louge Art Gallery, 412 Jefferson St.

The fund was established in memory of Parker, a former Carencro High School student, who died June 15, 2008. Proceeds support local student scholarships.

Event features advocate

The president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy, Karen Harbert, is the featured speaker during the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Over Breakfast event at 7 a.m. June 26 at the Cajundome Convention Center.

Harbert, an advocate of ending the moratorium on offshore exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, will address current energy realities and potential solutions.

During the event, the local chamber will present its mid-year progress report.

To register for the event, visit http://www.lafchamber.org or contact events director Angelle Theriot at (337) 408-3657 or Angelle@lafchamber.org.

Submit items to Acadiana bureau chief Richard Burgess at rburgess@theadvocate.com or by fax to: (337) 269-0410.