Dancehalls in Vermilion Parish

Suire’s Camp

Ray Abshire told me: Warren Storm’s dad- drummer played there- South of Erath. DL Menard- “I played there a good while. Sometimes people rent it for parties- no more dances there. But it is still there!” LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment – Michael Juan Nunez: “‘Suires Camp’ and ‘Boni’s Club’ are one and the same. It’s a cinder block hall, in the woods south of Erath. I have been to numerous functions there.” ...

Tuxedo Club

D.L. Menard: only Big bands played there- all orchestras- no Cajun or string bands- I was young but I went in there once. Erath, found on list at Kaplan City Museum. ...

Unknown Dancehall

Newspaper item mentions Abbeville residents going to dance there, 1905: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88064005/1905-09-23/ed-1/seq-1/ ...

Belvedere Club

Hwy 14- between Erath & Delcambre- Ray DuBois- “The old people would go on Saturday nights & they’d leave their walking canes on the porch and go inside dancing.” From information at the Kaplan Museum: “Belvedere: This club was located in Erath and many from Kaplan enjoyed dancing and the music there. Country and Western music was the main sound heard in this dance hall.” ...

Curve Lounge

J. Choate: “The curve lounge is still there & has dances every once in a while. It is owned by Danny Fredrick of Forked Island. It started as Sellers Bar (owner named Harris Sellers) in the early 1970’s. It was then Wally’s Lounge (Carol & Wally Leblanc- which is DJ Larry Lynn’s parents), then it became the Curve Lounge when it was purchased by William Hebert. Melinda Marceaux (Pa-Bony) owned it for a number of years until she sold it to it’s current owner. It is located right in the middle between Forked Island & Cow Island on the big Curve thus it’s name. Jay Suire & the Midnight Riders were one of the bands to draw the crowds to this place.” ...

Simeon Breaux Dancehall

Mentioned in “History of Vermilion Parish, La., Vol. 1”: Alcee Simoneaux had his wedding dance there on April 16, 1904. He said that it was one of the earliest dancehalls built around the turn of the century or before. He described it as being 100 feet by 60 feet- including the wings. Mardi Gras meetings were held there, runs ended there, as well as the Mardi Gras dance. The owner, Simeon Breaux, had a brass band comprised of his family. Notable dances drew as many as 200 to 500 buggies and surreys. ...

Cheniere-au-Tigre Dancehall

Discussed in Zoe Sagrera Lynch’s book: My Memories of the Island: Remembering Life on Cheniere-au-Tigre, Louisiana, Claitor’s Publishing, 2010 Zoe Sagrera Lynch: “Liquor was not allowed in the dancehall. Many visitors hid their bottles of wine in the prickly pear bushes. They would sneak out to take a few sips, then return inside to dance. Bob Tasco sold his homemamde wine for $1.25 a gallon. Pete Petry says Daddy used to spike the eggnog or punch with a fifth of whiskey. People would swim across the Freshwater Bayou or walked across the marsh from Pecan Island to go to the dance. If they were too tired to go home and couldn’t afford a bed (25 cents), they slept on the dancehall floor.” ...

Cowboy Club

Owned by Bois-sec Ardoin- Nick Spitzer picture ...