LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment – Michael Juan Nunez: “I don’t know very much about the place, except for the fact that I played a dance there one Lundi Gras (my first ‘professional’ gig as a musician) and it wasn’t long after that the doors closed. It has been a while since I’ve been in that area…over the Intercoastal Bridge immediately to the left (heading toward Cameron) in Forked Island. Last I saw it, it was in pretty bad shape, they may have torn it down a by now, I’m not certain. Surely there are a load of people in Vermilion Parish that can elaborate on the place much better. The night I played, I was 19-20?! Years old. I had just begun playing with a band lead by a singer who went by the name ‘Woody James’ (about 15 years my senior at the time) he played swamp pop, a little country, and rock-n-roll (real rock-n-roll, like dancehall rock…Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc. stuff people would dance too.) It was the standard bar band set at the time…songs that everyone played if you were in a working band. 4 hours of music. That was the norm. Anyway, I came up ‘sheltered’ I guess you could say. I hadn’t had a whole lot of experience in bar rooms. When we got there they were taking down a little fenced in area they had set up on one side of the building where they had rooster fights earlier that day. They took down the fenced in area so that the band could set up. (I’m not sure what I was expecting when I became a musician, but it wasn’t like this in my mind…haha) As the evening went on…People began pouring in…all dressed in country Mardi Gras outfits…faces covered…and most of them intoxicated and rowdy and looking to continue the party that they had already started. I was young and nervous. I just knew that this was the night I would be shot or stabbed, or something. To make matters worse our singer became intoxicated beyond what would be ‘normal’ and couldn’t even sing by the end of the first hour. No one else in the band sang. 3 hours to go, and these ‘wild’ , intoxicated, patrons were wanting to dance. I took the microphone, and lead the band through the remainder of the evening. Marking the first time I had sang, much less lead a band. It probably was horrible, but the people danced and partied like it was the best thing in the world. I ended up meeting many, and finding out that these were really some very nice people, enjoying the tradition of Mardi Gras…Cajun style.”   ...

Paul Breaux: “This is where the second of the two nice places in Abbeville, was located at and was named Royal Ann’s. During my era, Kaplan and Abbeville, had a hatred for each other, and if someone from either place was ID’d, they became the enemy to the people in that town. Alex’s was a much more cordial and less intimidating place than Royal Ann’s was, but if you really wanted some excitement, Royal Ann’s had it…, just don’t say you were from Kaplan. I can’t remember when the place was removed, but you can still see the foundation it was on, that the trailor is parked on. It was at the intersection where S. State street and Hwy. 82 met up.” ...

Paul Breaux: “This one is known as Prim’s, and is found on Hwy. 14 in Kaplan, next to Church Street, and the Sonic is right across the street from it. Prim’s was an older crowd type, until after my time, when people would go, and play organized card games.” ...

Paul Breaux: “La Chaudier (the POT) was one of the very best dance places in Kaplan from the 80’s on, until it burned down 5 or 6 years back. A man named Roger owned it, and had bands every weekend, even some from out of state. It was a success, (until an unfortunate event where a drunken underaged driver died after leaving one night and her parents sued the owner). Well, the place was never the same again, and like I said, it burned down some 5 or 6 years back (around 2010). It was located on main street, Cushing, in Kaplan, and right across from it, was the Kaplan Fire Station. Go Figure. The closest side street, was 6th street. ...

Paul Breaux: “It was located on Hwy. 82/35, right before the Intracoastal Canal. Coming from Kaplan, it was on the right side of the road and was about 1/4 mile past the Rock-a-Bye. The Rock-a-Bye was a place that was well known for fights, and if hunters or fisherman stopped, they’d better behave themselves. I remember some hunters stopped one night and were from upstate somewhere, and one of them thought it’d get a laugh, if he started blowing on his duck call. Ambulance had to come pick the three guys up, because those inside, felt like they were being INSULTED, and that was a NO-NO. The Jolly Inn, was even worse. If you knew people, you were usually okay, but if not, DON’T GO. One night, the place was packed, as usual, and three big guys, who supposedly were wrestlers who had done a job in Lafayette, came into the place, and because of their size, felt they had nothing to fear. They bumped and jostled folks, until they did it to the wrong guy. They made him spill his drink on himself, and THEY NEVER TRIED CALM HIM DOWN… when the drink was spilled and the three guys ignored him, he made them realize they had made a mistake. He took on all three of them, by himself and knocked one out inside the place. It rolled outside, where he took the second one out, and by that time, he was running out of gas from the fighting. The third guy probably would have got him, if he hadn’t jumped up on the hood of a car, and as the wrestler was reaching for him, gave a kick to the guy’s head, and God knows, it should have killed the guy. (He) was wearing COWBOY BOOTS, so when he planted his kick in the guys face, he did damage. The guy hit the ground and didn’t move. Everyone was yelling and clapping about, until we all realized, this was something the police would come to, and the ambulance, and we better not be around. We all took off at the same time, and had a long line of vehicles, heading towards Kaplan.” From information at the Kaplan Museum: “Jolly Inn: This club was located in Forked Island. It was on the east side of the Forked Island Bridge.” ...

Paul Breaux: “This is a place that has been there for some time. Located at the intersection of Hwy. 14 and Hwy. 13 out of Crowley, it was mostly for the older crowd. Bands did play occasionally, and they had a good turnout, but it wasn’t one of Kaplan’s best.” ...

Paul Breaux: “To me, this was the very best night spot around the area. Today what you see here, is Hebert’s Restaurant, and that is what killed the night club part. Initially, and for years, it had a small area with some 6 or 7 tables in it, and the food was delicious. But the night clubs side, maybe 3 times larger in area, was where it really counted. Bands did not play very often, but a guy named Charley M., who worked for the city of Kaplan, DJ’d Thursday, Friday, Saturday and most Sundays. Charley had a talent for picking good music, and his thing was ONE slow song, then ONE fast song. ALWAYS, the songs were played in that style. And I have never seen such a demand and response, for Jitterbug music. If you couldn’t dance it, you were really at a loss. Jitterbugging always had people trying to do things, to impress everyone, and when someone did, someone else would try to out do it. The dancefloor was big, but so many people at times wanted to jitterbug, there was hardly any room, to move around… When the owners wife won her way, the lounge part was closed, they remodeled, and the whole place was then a restaurant. Great food…, but a loss to so many of us. It’s located on Hwy. 14, in Nunez, which is half way between KAPLAN AND ABBEVILLE.” ...

Paul Breaux: “This is a place, that was very popular for a long time. It’s located on Hwy. 14 (1st) and N. Jackson, and had an old cafe that NEVER closed, next to it, named the Vermilion. This place was so popular, as I said, that my 1970 High School Graduation party was held there. Later on, other clubs opened and competed, but the Bonanza to me, at least, was the best place in Kaplan for those my age. It is now the Broken Spoke Saloon.” ...