And we’re off! The summer slowdown on the social scene is over. In one day, I went to four events, starting with the Bengal Belles season kickoff luncheon.

The cherry on top of my social to-do list last week was the Grandparents Day celebration with grandson TJ Kennon at Woodlawn Elementary School. He’s in Ms. Lakeisha Bergeron’s first-grade class — one of five at the school, so there were lots of gr…

The Nu Gamma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority’s Rites of Passage ceremony is beautiful. The debutantes and sorority members don brightly colored African attire for the celebration.

LSU plays its first football game of the season Sunday night, but Mardi Gras events are already filling our calendar, and Fat Tuesday isn’t until March 5.

With the Labor Day holiday looming, summer is pretty much done for, except for this weather. When will it end? What it does mean, though, is that the local social scene is heating up and our calendar is filling up fast.

One of the perks of this job is getting asked to judge wine and food events. Such was the case Aug. 17, when the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society hosted its 12th annual Fête Rouge Food & Wine Fête.

The crowd of 1,400 that filled the Raising Cane's River Center Exhibition Hall on Aug. 11 were dressed almost as well as those honored on stage for the 51st annual Best Dressed Ball benefiting the American Cancer Society.

In the past couple of weeks, one group of young ladies had a special moment in the spotlight while a group of young professionals began a life-changing journey.

Kickoff for LSU’s first game of the 2018 season is a mere 21 days away, and already the Tiger faithful are dreaming in purple and gold.

This past week was all about CASA and kids, United Way and the community and a first — an arts summit.

Aprons, pink wigs, art and all things Italian starred in last week's round of events. Fortunately, everything was inside because no one wanted to be outside for any reason!

There are many ways to serve your community. You can volunteer for your favorite nonprofit, serve on the board of a civic organization or collect items for those in need. Today, we turn the spotlight on some of our fellow citizens who stepped up t…

We've had lots of events lately that put the accomplishments of others in the spotlight. So let's get to it.

I don’t know about you but I’m getting tired of thunderstorms every afternoon turning south Louisiana into one giant steam room. It’s making it really hard to plan outdoor fun, and you know how we all like backyard get-togethers. Hopefully, this w…

Baton Rouge is home to one of the world’s largest Rotary Clubs, and on June 27,  I joined a small group of members at an off-site luncheon at Cangelosi Dance Project.

Several hundred parishioners, friends and family filled St. Joseph Cathedral on June 24 for a special Mass of Thanksgiving celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ordination of Bishop Robert Muench. The Mass was followed by a lovely reception in t…

Every summer, Theatre Baton Rouge stages a special performance of its summer musical to benefit Volunteers in Public Schools. The theater was packed for this year’s June 14 performance of "Mamma Mia," which quite literally had the audience dancing…

Thirty-two years ago, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber began a leadership program to help train up-and-coming members of the community how to be better volunteers and have a positive impact on the many issues facing our community.

Sipping some fabulous wines and celebrating some great accomplishments topped last week’s social calendar.

Has it been hot enough for you? Our weather seems to have skipped June and gone straight to August-like temps. So, pour yourself a glass of iced sweet tea to enjoy while you read today's column.

School’s out, and graduations are done. While there are always events on our social calendars, at this time of year they tend to be backyard barbecues and poolside cocktails with friends and family. So, enjoy the lazy days of summer before things …

Several area nonprofits as well as private and governmental agencies were honored by Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge at its sixth annual Solaris Awards Gala on May 9 at the L’Auberge Event Center. The awards recognize teamwork as opposed to ind…

Last week's party scene sent us back to the '80s with the Emerge Center, to sip cocktails at the Governor’s Mansion and poolside at L’Auberge, to hang out with the BigWigs, to meet a lovely group of debutantes and to celebrate the Silver Magnolias…

Do you remember what downtown Baton Rouge looked like in 1998? There were acres of parking lots, boarded-up buildings and, at 4:30 p.m. when state workers left for the day, it became a virtual ghost town. There was no Shaw Center for the Arts, no …

Looking for something fun to do Thursday night? Join The Advocate and L’Auberge Casino & Hotel for Cocktails at Sunset. At the poolside event, which runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., you can sample the six finalists in the annual contest. The cost i…

The long Memorial Day weekend is getting here just in time! It's been a very busy spring social scene so we need to pump the brakes and start the slower pace that is summer in south Louisiana. That doesn't mean there isn't anything to do around he…

Happy Mother’s Day. I hope you’re having a wonderful day, surrounded by your loved ones and getting a bit of pampering.

For 28 years, the Rispone family and a group of friends have celebrated “What’s Good in Baton Rouge” with a spring luncheon to honor the area’s religious, civic and sports leaders. What started out as a father-son event has evolved into a much-ant…

If you missed the 12th annual Dancing for Big Buddy, you missed a night of big fun for a great cause. It was one of several great events last week.

Champions of Service honors were bestowed on eight Louisianans, one service club and one corporation by Volunteer Louisiana and Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser at an April 18 gala at the Capitol Park Museum.

The craziness that is the spring social scene here has us running from one end of the parish to the other. Thanks goodness Mother Nature has cooperated and given us lots of sunshine and cool weather.

Can you feel the excitement in the air? It's almost time for the 12th annual Dancing for Big Buddy!

Spring break is over and the race is on to get all the social events on the calendar before graduation and summer. One reason I know this for sure is because Dancing for Big Buddy is just around the corner — April 28 to be exact. I’ll be judging a…

Songs from “The Wiz,” “West Side Story,” Godspell” and “Flight” performed by members of LSU’s Musical Theatre Club entertained the Baton Rouge Music Club and guests at the group’s annual Scholarship Luncheon on March 22.