DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT
THE ASCENSION
ADVOCATE T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
AROUND ASCENSION
Jambalaya Cluster Dog Show coming to Gonzales
PROVIDED PHOTO
Longtime JFA president, title holder known as ‘Mr. Jambalaya’ dies at 80 BY DARLENE DENSTORFF Community News Editor
PHOTOS BY WENDY LOUP
Tanner Louquette, 7, stirs his mini pot of jambalaya during the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival Saturday. Louquette won first place in the children’s division of the mini pot competition.
Tet Dur is playing at 5 p.m. Sunday at the VFW Post 36 at the post hall on Churchpoint Road. Tickets are $10 and will be on sale at the door.
Highway 621 Outdoor Market The Highway 621 Outdoor Market, 39275 La. 621, Gonzales, opens at 8 a.m. every Saturday until the end of July. Shop vendors’ booths and purchase locally grown produce.
Food distributions set Ascension Parish’s commodity distribution is set for the second Tuesday of each month in Donaldsonville and the second Wednesday of the month in Gonzales. Distributions are from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Frank Sotile Jr. Pavilion in Donaldsonville and the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. All recipients must be prequalified by visiting the Ascension Parish Health Unit, 1024 E. Ascension Complex Blvd., in Gonzales or the Donaldsonville courthouse, 300 Houmas St. Contact Layne Melancon at (225) 450-1006 or layne.melancon@fmolhs.org. Contact Darlene Denstorff by phone, (225) 388-0215 or (225) 603-1998; or email, ascension@theadvocate.com or ddenstorff@theadvocate. com. Deadline: 5 p.m. Friday.
Prairieville High wins top honors in 5-5A All-District Prairieville High baseball receive honors for 5-5A pitcher of the year Maxwell Sanchez and Coach of the Year Kade Keowen.
ASCENSION SPORTS
1GN
Wally Taillon, lauded Louisiana jambalaya maker who has been making the dish for more than 40 years, died Monday.
Swamp Pop at the Post
Troy LeBoeuf
W e d n e s d ay, M ay 27, 2026
A family affair
Darlene Denstorff
The Baton Rouge Kennel Club and Riverside West Kennel Club of Greater New Orleans are bringing dog lovers the annual Jambalaya Cluster Dog Show starting Friday. Hundreds of dogs and their owners will strut their stuff in the show ring from Friday through Monday, June 1, at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, starting at 8:30 a.m. each day. During the show, the Baton Rouge Kennel Club is also holding a book drive to support Bailey’s Book Club, a program sponsored by the American Kennel Club Inc., designed to provide dog-themed books to K-12 Title 1 schools, while also providing children an opportunity to learn about the importance of the human-canine bond. Spectators are invited to meet a variety of dog breeds, learn about responsible dog ownership, and speak with breeders, owners, and handlers. Visit on-site vendors to purchase treats, leashes, or other gifts. Find full event details here at https://www.onofrio. com/jp/xbat126jp.pdf.
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District 5-5A Baseball First team
n Kason Johnson, pitcher,
Dutchtown, senior
ä See LEBOEUF, page 4G
Cooks prepare jambalaya in tiny pots at Jambalaya Festival BY WENDY LOUP Contributing writer
More than two dozen cooks sizzled, stirred and stoked the flames vying for the perfect, yet challenging, miniature size pot of jambalaya Saturday during the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival. Held under the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center pavilions, steam wafted around while cooks bent down carefully concocting a small serving of pork, sausage, and rice. Despite Saturday’s soggy weather, children and adults participated in the mini pot competitions, sponsored by VFW Post 3693. The rules: jambalaya had to be cooked on wood; pots no larger than 1 quart were allowed; the ingredients must include one cup of rice, one cup of pork, and a half-cup of sausage. The mini pot competitions are designed for cooks to create the best tiny serving of jambalaya possible. However, the annual event has become a tradition for many families who want to teach their children how to cook the popular Cajun delicacy. Seven-year-old Tanner Louquette, of Prairieville, won first place in the children’s division. Louquette, along with his brother Tate, 10, learned how to cook jambalaya from their father, Toby. “We were in a contest in Lutcher, and we’ve practiced several times at home to prepare,” Toby Louquette said. The Louquette brothers even had the
Owen Braud, 9, right, was the secondplace winner of the children’s division in Saturday’s Mini Pot Competition at the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival. Braud learned how to cook jambalaya from his father, Daren. proper cooking apparel for practice, said their mother, Kelly. “They are all decked out in glasses and gloves,” Kelly Louquette said. Owen Braud, 9, the second-place winner in the children’s mini pot competition, is from a family of jambalaya cooks. Owen’s father, Daren, has made the big pot finals several times, along with his brother, Michael.
ä See COOKS, page 3G
The man known by many in Gonzales as “Mr. Jambalaya,” Wally Taillon, longtime Jambalaya Festival Association president and jambalaya-cooking title holder, died Monday at his Gonzales home. He died the day after the Jambalaya Festival Association’s 59th festival ended. “He breathed jambalaya,” said current JFA President Mike Gonzales. “I thought he would die facedown in a pot of jambalaya.” Taillon, 80, won his first title at the 1993 Jambalaya Festival and captured another title the next year at the first Champ of Champs contest, where past title holders compete. “We started (volunteering with the association) in 1998,” Gonzales said. “He was the president and I was treasurer.” Taillon led the festival through its growing years. In addition to presiding over the association business, he hired the festival bands and grew its musical selections each year. Gonzales said Taillon cooked jambalaya “for anyone who asked.” “He was generous with his time,” Gonzales said. “We really will miss him.” The JFA donates jambalaya for many nonprofits and Taillon prepared many of those jambalayas. Jambalaya Festival announcer Todd Long paid a tribute to Taillon during Sunday night’s festival. Visibly upset at Taillon’s failing health, Long called Taillon a legend in jambalaya and asked for festivalgoers to keep him in their prayers. Taillon also cooked his famous jambalaya at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for many years. He made it to the New Orleans Festival a few days this year to oversee his cooking
ä See MR. JAMBALAYA, page 4G
An East Ascension High graduate celebrates during commencement. PROVIDED PHOTO BY DANIELLE EVANS
ä List of EA graduates and more photos. PAGE 2G
ON THEIR WAY