Nouvelles de Villes

Maurice

Trill Chill

A 1,500-square-foot frozen yogurt venue, Chill-House, opens in May (9611 Maurice Ave. in Maurice) with ample seating designed to accommodate patrons gathering for sweet treats while listening to live bands performing. Chill-House is partnering with local vendors to offer special native flavors

chill-house / facebook.com/ChillHouseFROYO

Breaux Bridge

Prêt, Feu, Partez!

Owners are lining up their pet crawfish for a nail-biting, 8-foot crawfish race at the annual Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival (May 1-3) featuring dance lessons and competitions, crawfish eating contests, a crawfish etouffée cook-off (free samples) and abundant crawfish creations. Three stages of Cajun and zydeco headliners include Chubby Carrier, Wayne Toups, Corey Ledet, Geno Delafose and Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys (bbcrawfest.com).

Lafayette

Going Wild

Wildcat Brothers Distillery, operated by David Meaux and Tait Martin (Rank Wildcat Spirits), has acquired the Gator Cove Restaurant property after the owners, Peggy and Jay Voorhies, ended their 40 years in business. Plans include reviving the building into a larger “craft culture concept” with a modern twist. Chef Paul Ayo, who closed his Avec Bacon Café Feb. 2, has been appointed Chief Culinary Officer of Wildcat Brothers (wildcatbrothers.com).

Rayne

Bravo to Robichaux

Mayor Chuck Robichaux of Rayne has been elected vice-chairman of the Louisiana Energy and Power Authority board of directors for 2020. LEPA is a joint-action agency comprised of 17 member municipalities, each owning their own municipal electrical systems.

Music

Michael’s Makeover

BeauSoleil’s leader, Michael Doucet (recipient of Folk Alliance International’s 2020 Living Artist Lifetime Achievement Award) has dropped a transformative new solo album, Lâcher Prise (“Let Go”), with his new ancillary band, Michael Doucet avec Lâcher Prise. The Grammy-award-winning Cajun fiddler recorded an eclectic mix of 10 songs in just three days at Dockside Studio in Maurice. His new “Southwest Louisiana music” fuses energetic swamp-soul with New Orleans R&B and French Caribbean vibes (Compass Records).