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When you were young, you and your family rode around and looked at Christmas lights; many people did. There aren’t many people who do not look at a Christmas decorated home and feel the holiday spirit in their hearts.
There aren’t many people decorating their homes with lights anymore, but it’s become a tradition for one local couple, not from a generation of decorating within their family, but for the sole purpose of putting a smile on a kid’s face.
David and Tammy Roy, of Leroy, didn’t necessarily grow up with a ton of lights on their homes for Christmas, at least not nearly as much as they do for their home now. David wasn’t too fond as a young boy when it came down to putting up lights.
“We didn’t put up many lights growing up, but I never liked putting them up, ironic, isn’t it,” he said, “because I thought it was just too much work.”
What he does remember, though, is how his parents drove around every year to see the light displays on people’s homes.
“Everyone used to decorate their house and yards, and it was so fun to see all the lights as a kid.”
David recalled that memories like that would last forever, but he wondered why there weren’t many people decorating anymore. “It’s hard to find Christmas decorations lit up these days,” he said, “so hopefully, by us doing this display, it will help create those memories for kids today, something they can remember for a lifetime as I do.”
So what changed in those years for him to not only put any lights up outside but to have his entire yard and house decorated in a large synchronized light show?
It ended up being someone else’s “fantastic display” a few years ago.
“It was in Jenerette on Hwy 90 and was called Ragin Cajun Redneck Christmas,” said David, “and I was hooked. David Landry does a great job with that display and spreading the Christmas spirit.”
He began researching on how to do something similar, and in 2014, it all started. “like my granddaughter who was born that same year, it just keeps growing every year.”
David has the help of his wife Tammy, who helps him prepare the props and set them up.
“She puts up with me all year doing this,” he said. “Couldn’t do it without her. It takes a special kind of person to tackle this with me all year!”
Since many do not put up any yard decorations for the kids to see, it’s a hidden gem when you find a home heavily decorated, but David and Tammy’s Country Christmas Lights and Music show will blow you away.
After a year off due to hurricane damage, the light show generally takes David a whole year to prepare.
“Having a background in both music and computers, it’s a necessity to pull off this type of show,” David explained. “I start in January to work on the show for December, and it usually takes the entire year to get it right.”
Many late nights and weekends for the building and sequencing to get everything correct is what it takes for David to prepare to perfect since programming all of the songs takes an extreme amount of time.
“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult as much as it is time-consuming,” he said, “building all of the props is fun, but the programming is the kicker.”
Many of the hardware comes from other countries, like China, for the RGB pixels and each light with a mini-computer chip to accept the addressing. Then there are the controllers that come from Australia and some of the networking and prop pieces come from Houston, Texas and Greenwell Springs, Louisiana.
But how does it work? With a voiceover person from San Diego, California, getting everything mentioned before to communicate and syncing the timing to each song, everything has to come together ideally to make it all coexist in the right way.
Located at 5735 Tee Robe Road in Kaplan (actually Leroy), the lights and music show, a show that takes around 3-4 weeks to get everything set up, can be viewed between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m each night; weather permitting, the show will get your hearts a fluttering and your grooves a grooving.
What’s more is the best part, according to David and Tammy.
“Seeing all of the smiles on the kids’ faces and hear them singing and dancing to something that I created,” David said, “We also have a small donation box at the front of the display with 100% of the donations going to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.”
David said that the community has been great with contributing to the cause.
“We are so thankful for that and to be able to forget about the world and all its problems for just a brief moment in keeping the Christmas spirit alive in all of God’s Children as long as we can,” he said, “Christmas is the BEST time of the year.”

ABBEVILLE — A Memorial Mass for Mr. F. Dale Broussard, 81, will be held at 1:00PM on Monday, December 13, 2021, at Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church of Abbeville. The Internment will be private.
The family will gather from 12:00 PM until the time of service on Monday, December 13, 2021, at Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church.
A native of Erath and a resident of Abbeville, Mr. Dale passed away at 9:45 PM on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center. Mr. Dale retired after 42 years of service as the Executive Director of the USDA-FSA. He was a lifelong cattle farmer and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He was proud to be a founding member of Les Curious. Mr. Dale was a longtime member of the board of directors of Vermillion Parish Farm Bureau, The Cattlemen’s Association, and the Fritz Lang Scholarship Fund.
Mr. Dale is survived by his wife of 60 years, Faye P. Broussard of Abbeville; one son; F. Chad Broussard and his wife Tammy of Erath; two daughters; Kim B. Bourgeois and her husband Neil of Lafayette and Patti B. Douglas and her husband Bruce of Orlando ,FL; seven grandchildren; Jacob Bourgeois and his wife Mallory, Matthew Bourgeois, Brittany Bourgeois, Katelyn Broussard and her husband Blake, Chad Broussard and his wife Jaclyn, Natalie Douglas, and Luke Douglas; three great-grandchildren; Sawyer Bourgeois, Jude Bourgeois, and Finley Broussard.
Mr. Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Lovelace Pierre Broussard, and Dorothy Suire Trahan; and two brothers; Ronnie Broussard and Bradley Broussard.
Condolences may be sent to the Broussard family at www.davidfuneralhome.org
The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, that a donation can be made to, Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital at 262 Danny Thomas Place. Memphis, TN 38105-3678, in Mr. Dale’s honor.
David Funeral Home of Abbeville at 2600 Charity Street (337) 893-3777 is in charge of the arrangements.

ABBEVILLE — A Home-going Celebration of Life for Mrs. Lola Mae Brailey Taylor, 79, will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, December 11, 2021, at Greater Rose Hill Baptist Church with Pastor John Allen officiating.
She will await the resurrection in Saint Paul Cemetery in Abbeville, LA.
A public visitation will be held at the church on Saturday, December 11, 2021, at 8:00 A.M. until the time of the service.
Masks are required to worn by attendees at the church and cemetery.
A resident of Abbeville, LA, she passed at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, December 2, 2021, at her residence.
Lola Mae accepted Christ as her Savior and remained an active member of Greater Rose Hill Baptist Church where she was known as the Mother of the church, served as an Usher and member of the Mission ministry.
She leaves to cherish her memory, two daughters, Lisa (James) Narcisse of Abbeville, LA and Alberta Citizen Minnix of Church Point, LA;  three sons: Nelson (Tonia) Citizen, Donald Brailey  and Ronald Brailey all of Abbeville, LA; one sister: Penny Brailey Coleman of Abbeville, LA; six brothers: Nolan (Sandra) Brailey, Sr. of Nunez, LA, Argis (Leona) Brailey, Sr., Ryanel (Sarah) Brailey, Sr., Roland Brailey, Sr., Dalton Brailey, Sr. and Darson Brailey, Sr. all of Abbeville, LA; three daughters whom she loved and raised as her own: Victoria Howard, Audrey Derouen and Patricia Harrison; seven sons who she loved and raised as her own: Jermaine Brailey, Joseph Citizen, Sr., William Darby, Jr., Earnest Darby, Sr., Charles Darby, Clarence Darby and Felton Darby;  twenty six grandchildren; thirty great grandchildren; four godchildren: Billy Comeaux, Jr., Argis Brailey, Jr., Nolan Brailey, Jr. and Myana Narcisse as well as a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, church family and friends.
She was preceded in death by two daughters: Cora Ann Caffery and Veronica Brailey;  one son: Russell Brailey and Joseph Citizen, Jr. whom she raised as her own; her parents: Lawrence and Mabel Plowden Brailey, Sr.; three sisters: Orgene Polk, Martha Rea Brailey Rideaux and Patricia Brailey; two brothers: Floyd Brailey and Alton Brailey, Sr.
Active pallbearers are Joshua Citizen, Jamyre Narcisse, Diante Citizen, Dominique Narcisse, Alex Matthews, K’Yla Prejean and Ryanel Brailey, Jr.
Honorary pallbearers are Roland Brailey, Sr., Nolan Brailey, Sr., Ronald Brailey, Donald Brailey, Nelson Brailey, Darson Brailey, Sr., Dalton Brailey, Sr., Argis Brailey, Sr. and Ryanel Brailey, Sr.
The family extends a special appreciation to Tonia Citizen for the care rendered to her mother-in-law at the time of her need, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center staff and the Heart of Hospice staff.
Condolences may be expressed at www.fletcherfuneralhomes.org
Arrangements are entrusted to Fletcher Funeral Home (337-893-2440) 1116 Greene Street, Abbeville, LA 70510.

Earlier this week, the Louisiana Department of Education released the 2020 Simulated School Performance Scores. Vermilion Parish School Superintendent Tommy Byler was not too worried about how the parish scored because of what the school system went through the last year.
“Despite the loss of instructional time during COVID, hurricanes and ice storms, the state decided that a simulated school performance score would be issued regardless of these factors,” Byler said. “In addition to this, 25 percent of our Vermilion students completed the year as virtual students, which meant a completely different type of instruction. Despite this, we are pleased to announce that Vermilion Parish once again ranked in the top 5 school districts in the state with a simulated district performance score of 88.5. Letter grades were not assigned to any of this year’s scores. Therefore, this is not an official score, but rather a score for data analysis for each system.”
The parish dropped four points based on the 2021 Simulated Score. Last year Vermilion Parish had a score of 92.5. This year it is 88.5.
High schools such as Erath High, North Vermilion, Kaplan and Gueydan made an A grade even though no letter grades were given.
Erath High scored 108.7, followed by North Vermilion High (106.9), Kaplan (105.1) and Gueydan (90.1). Abbeville High scored an 84.0
Forked Island E. Broussard Elementary had the highest elementary score in the parish, with a 95.7. Cecil Picard Elementary (90.4), Kaplan Elementary (90.0) and Dozier Elementary (90.3) all scored in the 90s.
Indian Bayou Elementary scored a 94.1
“As a district, we had areas in which we experienced growth and some in which we had a slight dropoff in scores. We had schools whose SPS went up and others that slightly declined. However, all of our schools experienced growth in at least one subset of their score,” he said.
“Knowing the lost time we went through with the hurricanes and the lack of 1:1 technology for virtual learning days, we were not completely surprised by the slight decrease. However, I am pleased with the outcome all despite the obstacles. 75% of the districts in the state experienced score drops. Vermilion was right in line with the rest of the state. We will continue to look at the data and are confident that our students will continue to work hard and give their best efforts to excel as we work towards our score for 2021.”
According to the Department of Education, “The 2020-2021 school year was a year unlike any other, and the state results cannot be accurately compared to the previous years.”
All policies related to school and district performance scores have been waived, which means the official letter grades, performance, and district performance scores will be carried over from the 2018-2019 school year.
Across the state, 70% of schools and 71% of districts received simulated performance scores lower than the 2019 scores. Declines were especially prevalent in high-poverty and high-minority schools where virtual learning was widely used.
Louisiana’s overall performance score — out of a possible 150 points — declined 1.8 points to 75.3. Corresponding letter grades are typically awarded using the following scale: A, 90.0-150.0; B, 75.0-89.9; C, 60.0-74.9; D, 50.0-59.9 and F, 0-49.9.
Vermilion Parish did not have any “F” schools.
Abbeville’s Herod Elementary (54.1) and Eaton Park Elementary (56), and J.H. Williams Middle School (58.5) scored the lowest in the parish.
Byler said, “A big thanks to all the students, teachers, and parents who went through a most trying educational year. But, all in all, we know that we have the systems in place and will continue to work on making up lost learning and move forward to greater successes in the coming years.”