RSS Feed

The annual Daylily Festival in Abbeville is more than a celebration of beautiful flowers — it is a tribute to a rich horticultural tradition deeply rooted in the community’s history and identity.
The latest edition of the event will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday in Magdalen Square in downtown Abbeville.
Created to honor the daylily’s importance in Abbeville, the festival recognizes the lasting influence of local horticulturist W.B. MacMillan and the generations of gardening enthusiasts who helped cultivate a love for these vibrant blooms across the region.
“Having grown up with daylilies in my mother’s yard, I didn’t fully appreciate them until I realized what bringing color and beauty to homes, gardens, and public spaces could mean,” Abbeville Main Street Manager Charlene Beckett.
Daylilies are adaptable, and their endless variety makes them especially popular among local gardeners. In Abbeville, however, the flower became something even more meaningful — a symbol of civic pride and horticultural excellence.
As colorful daylilies once again bloom across the city, the festival stands as a living tribute to W.B. MacMillan, the local horticultural community, and the enduring beauty that continues to grow in Abbeville year after year.
The Daylily Festival is presented by Abbeville Main Street and the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce. It was created not only to showcase the flower itself, but to preserve and celebrate gardening and all it has to offer.
“Set in beautiful Magdalen Square in downtown Abbeville,” Beckett said, “we can showcase our city, our friendly community and welcoming spirit.”
Sponsors for the event are the Abbeville Garden Club, the City of Abbeville and Gulf Coast Bank. For more information, please contact Charlene Beckett at 337-652-2239 or call the Chamber office at 337-893-2491.
“Please come and visit our many vendors,” Beckett said, “the Master Gardeners located in the Gazebo, or sit and listen to our educational speakers in the Cultural Center. Get a bite to eat at the festival or dine in one of our area restaurants.”

List of Vendors for Saturday’s Daylily Festival

2 Cajun Quilters — Quilts of Valor Raffle and Miscellenous Items
Abbeville Garden Club — Master Gardners, Kids Activites & Plants
All Caps Gourmet Mushrooms — Locally Grown Gourmet Mushrooms
Bonsai Society — Bonsai Display
Boudreaux's Woodworking — Outdoor Cypress Furniture Swings & more
Cajun Native Plants — Louisiana Native Plants
C.J. Snowball Food Truck — Snowballs, Burgers, Nachos & Fries
Color Riot Photography & Art — Original Photographs, custom handmade frames
Daylilies by Sharon — Daylily Plants
E. Greig Natural Crafts — Wooden Bowls, Utensils & Pecan Products
Flightline Market — T-Shirts & Assorted Items
For the Birds Art — Stained Glass Garden Art
Gammies Beads — Jewelry
Granny's Junkyard Art — Mosaics Garden Items
Guidry's Daylilies — Daylily Plants
Henri's — Bakery Items
Hobby Garden — Shepard Hooks, Plant Hangers
I Cater Events Food Truck — Chicken salad & Cheese Fries
Jay Mac Tropicals — Bromeliads
Jo Joe"s Coffee Bar & Café — Hot & Cold Coffee
Judice Woodworking — Cypress Garden Plant Boxes, Bird Feeders
KatKaw Landscaping — Perennials, Tropicals
KatKaw Nursery — Variety of Plants
Lets Get Poppin — Caramel Corn
L4S Farms Fresh — Tumeric & Ginger
Lake Tasse Arts — Jewelry
Lil Bits of Home — Homemade Jellies, Preserves, Salsa
Lucy's Daylily Garden — Daylily Plants
Lunar Chic — Women's Casual Wear Batik Fabric
Paradise Plantscapes — Assorted Plants
Potteryt Gardens — Garden Items
Rachel's Creations — Wire Sculptured Bonsai Trees
Reedemed Woodworks — Planters, driftwood, art on Wood Pieces
Resting Hammers — Wood Art, Birdfeeders & Bird Houses
Revive Health Solutions — Elderberry Syrup, Hand & Laundry Soap
Sew Crafty — Fabric Items, Aprons, etc.
Soft Touch Bakery — Baked Goods
RAPHA Tallow Creations — Tallow Soap & Moisturizers
Sweet Tea Y’all — Sweet & Unsweet Tea
The Funny Farm Tillandsia
Whimisical Gardens — Assorted Plants
Worm Lady Recycles
Wright Honey— Honey, Creamed Honey, Candles
Young Land Designs ‚ Assorted Plants

Most South Louisiana home gardeners have started their planting. Some plants are already producing. Boo bought fresh cucumbers and tomatoes last weekend at Erath’s Grub Lot. I must say the tomato flavor was very close to my dad’s of years ago.
Often in summer, I get offers of fresh squash and zucchini because these plants are prolific. There are so many delicious ways to prepare zucchini that I never refuse them. A gardener’s household can not use all the veggies one garden produces.

A IS FOR ANNA’S APPLE CAKE

So delicious.
It can be tedious and time consuming to peel and cut the necessary amount of apples. The baked cake is worth the time preparing the apples.
I used to make apple cake, but all I did was cut the apples into consistent sizes. The peelings make the cake denser, my kind of cake. Anna says people offer to prepare the apples for her to bake a cake. I would gladly take that job. I have baking problems lately.

INGREDIENTS

-2 cups sugar
-2 eggs
-1 1/4 cup cooking oil
-2 tsp vanilla
-3 cups chopped apples
-3 cups flour
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp soda
-1 cup pecans

MISE EN PLACE

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Grease a Bundt pan or a 9x13 pan
-Cream sugar and eggs together.
-Add oil, vanilla, and chopped apples.
-Mix well.
-Add flour, salt, and soda.
-Fold in pecans.
-Pour batter into prepared pan.
-Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
You can use tart apples, like Granny Smith, to balance sweetness of batter.
Peel the apples if you want a smoother texture.
-Leave the peels for added nutrition and texture.
-Chop apples into 1/2-inch pieces for even distribution.

ZUCCHINI

When I was working for Frank Godchaux, the magazine “Rural Montana” was delivered quarterly. There was always a two-page recipe section. Surprisingly there were always a few recipes that I tried out or at least kept for future trials. Reading some of the Montana magazine recently, I remember why I was surprised. No pepper! Montana is very far from Louisiana. Feel free to add seasoning to your taste.

SQUASH CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

-1 tsp salt
-1 lb. Butternut squash
-1 medium onion, cut up
-1 cup sharp cheese, grated
-1 cup crushed cracker crumbs
-1 cup milk

MISE EN PLACE

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Butter a casserole dish.
-Cook salt, squash, and onion together.
-Turn off flame.
-Drain and mash.
-Add remaining ingredients into the squash mixture.
-Mix all ingredients together until blended.
-Bake 1 hour.

ZUCCHINI COLESLAW

Note that this recipe calls for “mild” picante sauce.

INGREDIENTS

-2 cups zucchini, coarsely shredded
-2 cups cabbage, shredded
-1 medium carrot
-1 medium red onion, sliced
-1/3 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
-1/3 cup mild picante sauce

MISE EN PLACE

-Press shredded vegetables between layers of paper towels.
-Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
-Blend thoroughly.
-Put into a covered container.
-Chill at least 1 hour.
-Makes 6 servings.
Bagged Angel Hair Coleslaw is a convenient substitute instead of shredding cabbage yourself.
Bagged shredded carrots are also available in most grocery stores.

ZUCCHINI CAKE

One of my favorites

INGREDIENTS

-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-3/4 tsp salt
-2 tsp cinnamon
-3 late eggs
-1 1/2 cups oil
-1 cup packed light brown sugar
-1/2 white sugar
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 cups finely shredded zucchini
-1 cup chopped pecans or raisins, both or neither

MISE EN PLACE

-Prepare oven and cake pan.
-Mix together dry ingredients.
-In a large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.
-Stir flour mixture into the large bowl until combined. Do not over mix.
-Stir in pecans or golden raisins if using.
-Pour into Bundt pan or loaf pans if you prefer.
-Bake Bundt pan 48 to 52 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If using 2 loaf pans, bake for 35 minutes.
-Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes before turning out on cooling rack.
Enjoy! Now while warm or later if you can wait!
Ms. Nellie Chaisson usually had zucchini cake at her Demi Tasse parties. Always delicious! This is not specifically hers, but it’s a good try.

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD

Similar to above recipe
Chocoholic’s delight

INGREDIENTS

-2 cups grated zucchini
-4 cups flour
-1/2 cup cocoa
-1 1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-3/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-1 1/2 cup oil
-3 eggs
-1 1/2 cups milk
-3 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

MISE EN PLACE

-Heat oven to 350 degrees.
-Grease 2 (8x4) inch loaf pans*
-Grate zucchini.
-Combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg (if you are using) in a large bowl.
-In another bowl, combine zucchini with remaining ingredients, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract, except chocolate chips, until well blended.
-Stir into dry ingredients until blended.
-Stir in chocolate chips.
-Pour into prepared pans.
-Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour.
*If you do not own 8x4” pans, you can bake in one 9x13” pan. Will it still be called bread? I don’t know. I call it good.

All the zucchini recipes come from the Montana magazine delivered to Abbeville August 2002. What a mess I make when I am trying to find a recipe somewhere in a pile of magazines or pages of newsmaker in a basket. I go through cookbooks that have scraps of paper marking a recipe I want to look at again. I have two recipes taken inside cabinet doors: banana loaf and almond flavored bread pudding.

I have 42 recipe books spread across Louisiana and Mississippi. One of my favorites is “The Cake Mix Doctor.” I’ve made about 100 cake layers and many, many 9x13” cakes with the recipes. “The Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor” is another book that has several recipes with paper scraps marking their location. My favorite time in the kitchen was always baking. Rice cookbooks have a special section in my library.

Jusqu’a la semaine prochaine!

billielandry@iosinces.com

October 1, 1962 - April 29, 2026

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 11 a.m. in Our Savior’s Church Broussard for Stuart Paul Touchard, age 63, who passed away on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette surrounded by his family.
The family requests that visitation be observed in Our Savior’s Church Broussard on Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 10 a.m. until time of services. Pastor Gabe Smith will conduct the funeral.
Survivors include his devoted wife of 40 years, Dorena Lynn Billiot Touchard; his son, Ashton L. Touchard and his wife, Caitlyn; his daughter, Katlyn M. Touchard; six grandchildren, Mason Paul, Londyn, Charles, Ireland, Caspian, Iris, and one on the way, Anastasia, and four siblings, Ross, Roxanne, Clark, and Bryan.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. Roy Anthony Touchard and Mrs. Rosalind “Sue” Fabre Touchard, and two siblings, Phillip and Claire.
Stuart was a native of New Orleans and a longtime resident of Delcambre. He was a proud graduate of Delcambre High School and went on to build a meaningful career as a boat captain, faithfully ferrying essential equipment and crew members to offshore platforms in the Gulf, work that reflected both his skill and strong sense of responsibility.
A devoted husband, father, and family man, Stuart found his greatest joy in the time he shared with those he loved, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed simple pleasures, gathering around bonfires, listening to music, tending to his yard, and spending time outdoors. He never met a moment outside he didn’t appreciate, and he carried that same warmth into the lives of those around him.
Stuart was a man of enduring faith and quiet strength. Despite the challenges he faced throughout his life, he remained steadfast, loyal, and dedicated, always persevering with grace and conviction. His life was a testament to resilience and faithfulness, grounded in his membership at Our Savior’s Church.
He will be remembered for his unwavering love for his family, his hardworking spirit, and the steady presence he provided to all who knew him.
The Touchard family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to the teams of both Acadiana Rehabilitation Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center.
View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com.
Martin & Castille Funeral Home - SOUTHSIDE, 600 E. Farrel Road, Lafayette, Louisiana 70508, 337-984-2811.

Vermilion Parish Sheriff Eddie Langlinais is happy to announce that Vermilion Parish native Grace Hebert has been named the recipient of an academic scholarship from the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Scholarship Program for the 2025-2026 school year.
Grace is a student at Erath High School and plans to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and pursue nursing. Grace is the daughter of Amanda Hebert and the late David Hebert.
The Sheriffs’ Scholarship is made possible by the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Honorary Membership Program (LSHMP). Louisiana Sheriffs provide scholarships to graduating high school students from each parish where the Sheriff is an affiliate of the Program.
Qualities such as academic achievement, leadership, and character are considered in making selections of Sheriffs’ scholarship recipients. The only limitations are that applicants be permanent residents of Louisiana; scholarships be utilized in higher education within the State; and students be enrolled as full-time, undergraduate students. Scholarships will be awarded in sixty-four parishes throughout the state.
In closing, Sheriff Langlinais said, “The Louisiana Sheriff’s Scholarship Program is more than a monetary award. It is an investment in the future of our communities. By recognizing the hard work, talent, and dedication of our students, we are helping open doors to opportunity and allowing them to focus on their education and goals. This program not only supports academic achievement but also helps shape the next generation of leaders who will make a meaningful difference in Vermilion Parish and beyond.”