Pastor Brothers Cajun Excursions

Pastor Brothers Cajun Excursions

Sunday Bayou Cruise with T-Julips & Cajun Dancing!! Two Boat Launch times 12:30 (order lunch from out back) or 3pm. Come on and enjoy Live Cajun Music and Dancing, and take a ZYDECO BAYOU COCTAIL CRUISE!!
WALK UPS WELCOME, $25 PER PERSON, INCLUDES ENTRANCE INTO VERMILIONVILLE AND COCKTAILS. Nothings better on a sunday... Check out website for online booking www.pastorbrothers.com or call 337-205-3276



Saturday - Fall Swing and Roll Fest
6-9 p.m., Tokyo Live


Join Tokyo Live and the Pastor Brothers Cajun Excursion on this sunset dinner cruise that launches from the restaurant on Pinhook. Enjoy live music by Luke Winslow-King and a dance floor, as well as a variety of sushi and other food. $10 per person grants you access aboard the Couyon Queen. Presented by Tokyo Live and the Pastor Brothers Cajun Excursion. These sunset dinner cruises, which launch from Tokyo Live, includes live music by Luke Winslow-King. Entrance is $10 and gives you access to food and the deck aboard the Couyon Queen to dance. Tokyo Live. 1601 W. Pinhook Road, Lafayette. 236-6251.

Pastor Brothers Cajun Excursions: Pastor Brothers

Pastor Brothers Cajun Excursions: Pastor Brothers:   Pastor Brothers Excursions is your answer to having an authentic cajun experience visiting southwest louisiana. From Cruising Down the Laz...

Deep South Sundays Starring Green Monkeys!!!

Deep South Sundays
Tickets & Games
Yellow = Games Blue = Louisiana Beer
Most Yellow tickets at 9pm and Most blue tickets at 12am get entries into hat to win saints tickets.
Bourree = begins at 6pm till winner is declared = 1 ticket to enter tournament. Tournament Starts at 6pm. Winner of tournament wins 30 game tickets.
Ring Toss = Duel of Skill. Bet your tickets against other players or bet on the side… don’t matter. You can bet as many as you’d like but you can only win as many as you bet!
Trivia Questions = About Cajun and French culture asked sporadically all evening for tickets prizes and giveaways.
Cajun Dance Lessons = Given outside from 6pm - 7pm
- Dance Contest = for 20 game tickets at 9pm
Cajun French Culture = Movies playing (Gumbo - La - La series) starting screening at 5pm in French with English subtitles. French Speaking Promoted and denoted with Buttons given at door.
Specials = 2 for 1 Louisiana Beer/ Cajun Special Food Dish / La 31 Glass for $10= 1st beer free every time you enter on Sundays
Green Monkeys = Join Green Monkeys, Buy Shirt, Get in Free every Sunday when you wear your shirt. Help the world in the process!



Deep South Sundays
Tickets & Games
Yellow = Games Blue = Louisiana Beer
Most Yellow tickets at 9pm and Most blue tickets at 12am get entries into hat to win saints tickets.
Bourree = begins at 6pm till winner is declared = 1 ticket to enter tournament. Tournament Starts at 6pm. Winner of tournament wins 30 game tickets.
Ring Toss = Duel of Skill. Bet your tickets against other players or bet on the side… don’t matter. You can bet as many as you’d like but you can only win as many as you bet!
Trivia Questions = About Cajun and French culture asked sporadically all evening for tickets prizes and giveaways.
Cajun Dance Lessons = Given outside from 6pm - 7pm
- Dance Contest = for 20 game tickets at 9pm
Cajun French Culture = Movies playing (Gumbo - La - La series) starting screening at 5pm in French with English subtitles. French Speaking Promoted and denoted with Buttons given at door.
Specials = 2 for 1 Louisiana Beer/ Cajun Special Food Dish / La 31 Glass for $10= 1st beer free every time you enter on Sundays
Green Monkeys = Join Green Monkeys, Buy Shirt, Get in Free every Sunday when you wear your shirt. Help the world in the process!
Deep South Sundays
Tickets & Games
Yellow = Games Blue = Louisiana Beer
Most Yellow tickets at 9pm and Most blue tickets at 12am get entries into hat to win saints tickets.
Bourree = begins at 6pm till winner is declared = 1 ticket to enter tournament. Tournament Starts at 6pm. Winner of tournament wins 30 game tickets.
Ring Toss = Duel of Skill. Bet your tickets against other players or bet on the side… don’t matter. You can bet as many as you’d like but you can only win as many as you bet!
Trivia Questions = About Cajun and French culture asked sporadically all evening for tickets prizes and giveaways.
Cajun Dance Lessons = Given outside from 6pm - 7pm
- Dance Contest = for 20 game tickets at 9pm
Cajun French Culture = Movies playing (Gumbo - La - La series) starting screening at 5pm in French with English subtitles. French Speaking Promoted and denoted with Buttons given at door.
Specials = 2 for 1 Louisiana Beer/ Cajun Special Food Dish / La 31 Glass for $10= 1st beer free every time you enter on Sundays
Green Monkeys = Join Green Monkeys, Buy Shirt, Get in Free every Sunday when you wear your shirt. Help the world in the process!




Deep South Sundays
Tickets & Games
Yellow = Games Blue = Louisiana Beer
Most Yellow tickets at 9pm and Most blue tickets at 12am get entries into hat to win saints tickets.
Bourree = begins at 6pm till winner is declared = 1 ticket to enter tournament. Tournament Starts at 6pm. Winner of tournament wins 30 game tickets.
Ring Toss = Duel of Skill. Bet your tickets against other players or bet on the side… don’t matter. You can bet as many as you’d like but you can only win as many as you bet!
Trivia Questions = About Cajun and French culture asked sporadically all evening for tickets prizes and giveaways.
Cajun Dance Lessons = Given outside from 6pm - 7pm
- Dance Contest = for 20 game tickets at 9pm
Cajun French Culture = Movies playing (Gumbo - La - La series) starting screening at 5pm in French with English subtitles. French Speaking Promoted and denoted with Buttons given at door.
Specials = 2 for 1 Louisiana Beer/ Cajun Special Food Dish / La 31 Glass for $10= 1st beer free every time you enter on Sundays
Green Monkeys = Join Green Monkeys, Buy Shirt, Get in Free every Sunday when you wear your shirt. Help the world in the process!

ghomeless

____________________________Green Monkeys says, He must have slept here..._______________


Between the compressor and the back wall of the restaurant, there was almost a soothing hum and numbing blast of air, were about 10 empty 40 oz bottles of cheap beer and a new stretch of cardboard. Upon stumbling upon this “nest” our hearts were saddened.. But that story will continue later.

The Green Monkeys launched their Festival International 2010 off with a bang. We arranged to set up our information booth and recycle home base in the parking lot of Dons Seafood and Steak House, downtown. It was quite a site. We gathered at about noon on Saturday the 25th at the tent and set up our inquiry information distribution. The mission for the festival was simple. To educate the public through example and show as many festival goers that there were green groups with a presence in the festival. We were also slotted to pick up trash at designated times during the day in “group pickups” and make an attempt to make the world a more beautiful place. It was funny watching the people walk by. They were scratching their heads wondering what a green monkey was and some even ventured up to ask. Yafoo from AOC came and did an interview on the Saturday between his poetry sets and we were documented publicly about who we were and what we stood for. All in all, it was an amazing time and a huge success.

Two new recruits came across our paths and what I found was that these people shared our vision. Their point was to get involved and make a difference. That was heart warming. Jude was a new member of our group introduced by Samantha and Raena came to us with questions and a heart to help the world. Hopefully we can make a difference in their lives and make the world a better place. Special thanks to Rocky Landry for allowing us to use his parking lot of downtown Dons to accomplish our goals as to where without the support of our volunteers and the kindness of the community, our dreams would never be realized.

We spread the good word in shifts at the tent for the most of the two days. Our big cleanups happened at 6pm on both days. Approximately 10 people came for each cleanup and we gathered about 200 pounds of trash in total. It was during these trash pickups that the discovery and the real article came about. It was here, this nest for the homeless person who’s name we would never know made a mark on all of us. It is funny in our group how we can affect people around is in many ways. To the new recruits, the young ones, I saw the look in their eyes. Kind of like a curious disgust. Then again the point of our group is to educate the public about environmental issues. As far as homelessness goes, for people who are put out at the end of their rope it is often times that they simply have more to worry about than the environment. Mainly, where their next meal is coming from. For people who have given up on living or ever to believe again in the chance to be socially accepted as “normal” littering may not be a concern. Sad but true. I saw the look in our fellow green monkeys eyes. When we found the nest. Kind of like coming across a grave.

It is my hope not to save or change the world but simply to educate our members and possible the public. I hope to change our members for the better and make the world greater one person at a time. I feel that the greatest good in our lessons from this occurrence would be done in an attempt to delve into the parts of Lafayette that some people may not see or be too afraid to look at. The homeless

To dissect the problem may be harder than people may think. I decided to tackle the issue from a different angle. One less used and driven by our strong economy. 100 years ago we lived in shacks. Half the population didn’t wear shoes and started working in the fields at age 12 and were married at 14. I know that in the grander schemes the old expression “ times have changed” can apply but perhaps down here in cajun country things are different than they may appear. Of coarse I can blame oil, and now with the oil explosion in the gulf and the devastation to our coast line immanent. I would like to think what would have happened if this “times have changed” may be the reason for this grave behind the air compressor. The fact is that 100 years ago there were homeless people. Perhaps many more than today, but that’s just how the times were. We just made some kind of make shift bed and managed. I think its because that was the norm of the time. Cajuns slept in the dirt, drank what ever they could find and smiled and sang all day. It was all we could do to cope with the hard existence of this new land we were so graciously given. With the introduction of oil which made money fall from the sky the division between those that slept under the trees and those that bought houses was exponential. Now with the current situation when we are born into a society where we all have our own beds and creature comforts, it is easy to look down on the homeless. A lot more difficult to look at it that way when you think of the homeless person as your great grandfather or your uncle. The fact is that this is who we are, where we come from. The difference between now and then was not that the living situation was difficult it was that it was more easily accessible. Our world and economy has grown so fast that it has left behind the people. The real problem is that there is a severe lack of affordable housing, or in the old days, a decent tree to build a shelter under. I would like to say that if we simply didn’t have apartments that cost 1000 a month and someone could make a living picking up cans and afford a decent place to live, our homeless situation would be a LOT more manageable.

Typically when people hear affordable housing they instantly conjure up images of poorly maintained and crime-ridden areas that should be located as far away as possible. They envision affordable housing as a magnet for the homeless and the indigent. But what most people don’t is that the need for affordable housing — right here in Lafayette — is significant and should not only be addressed, but should be supported by leaders in our community. Also referred to as Workforce Housing, this housing is critical for the hundreds and thousands of working, tax-paying individuals who work in our community but can’t afford to live here.

The general guideline is that housing costs should not exceed 30 percent of a household’s gross income. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "Families [and individuals] who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care." Remaining within the recommended 30 percent becomes challenging as a person’s income level decreases.

To diminish this challenge, HUD has developed various affordable housing programs for low-income individuals and families. So what constitutes low income? HUD has defined low income as those families and individuals earning less than 80 percent of the average median income. The formula is calculated on a four-person household, with numbers being adjusted as the household contracts or expands. HUD goes on to further quantify the varying levels of affordability by: low (80 percent AMI); moderately low (60 percent AMI); very low (50 percent AMI); and extremely low (30 percent AMI). Federal dollars are generally provided for those developments serving a population at 60 percent AMI or below.

In real numbers that means the 2009 median income for Lafayette Parish was $57,500, placing the moderately low (60 percent) income limit for a four-person household at $34,500. As the size of the household decreases, so does the income limit. A one-person household, at 60 percent AMI, has an income limit of $24,180.

In practical terms, based on the information provided, someone making $24,000 per year should be paying about $600 a month for rent and utilities. On average, a one-bedroom/one-bathroom apartment in Lafayette rents for $630/month – exclusive of utilities. As the household size increases, so does the discrepancy in financial means versus asking rents. Based on these income and rent limits, it becomes apparent there is a shortage of adequate, affordable housing within our own community. In its Louisiana Housing Needs Assessment, the Louisiana Housing Finance Authority estimates that Lafayette will be in need of 2,977 affordable rental units between 2008 and 2013 to meet the existing/projected demand.

Understand we are not merely talking about minimum wage earners; we are talking about firefighters, substance abuse counselors, bank tellers, retail personnel, police officers, court reporters, community and social service specialists, food services personnel. These individuals — this cirtical workforce — maintain full-time employment, pay taxes, and continuously support our local community through the on-going purchase of goods and services.

There’s this huge misconception that affordable housing and public housing are interchangeable, and they’re not. People need to understand there will always be a need for public housing, but beyond that we are faced with a much larger and farther-reaching challenge. For working families and individuals, there still exists a huge gap between wages/earnings and market rents.

"By helping working families and individuals close the gap between the housing their wage allows for and what the market provides," explains Milton Bailey, president of the Louisiana Housing Finance Authority, "they can enjoy a solid foundation on which they can build a more prosperous future."

The reality is communities need affordable housing in order to survive. Aside from providing safe and affordable housing to those who need it, affordable housing provides tangible benefits to the local community both in social outcomes and economic outcomes. Families and individuals that benefit from affordable housing tend to be:

• more financially stable

• less transient, becoming emotionally vested in the community

• involved in, and supportive of, the local economy

• committed to the local labor force

Additionally, it’s been shown that children who are afforded stabile housing tend to miss less school and perform better on standardized testing.

Aside from the substantial social benefits affordable housing produces, it also provides economic and fiscal benefits to the community at-large. The construction and development of housing generates income, wages, and local taxes through permits, utility connection and impact fees.

The individuals we’re talking about aren’t faceless people looking for a handout. They are hard-working people we work with, and come in contact with, everyday. It could be the bus driver who takes your kids to school, the firefighter who shows up when you’ve been in an accident, or the same lady who waits on you every day at your favorite lunch spot. By supporting affordable housing, we provide these neighbors with the opportunity to excel personally and professionally, and in doing so further increase the return on our investment — in our people and in our community.

अप्रैल इन लौइसिअन

Green Monkeys Louisiana have been rolling this year!! Thanks to our new crew, Jason Boudin and Courtney Jagneaux.

January was our spring fling. We set out and for two hours on an amazing day, played Frisbee and picked up trash. Awesome!!

February was our Mardi Gras 2nd Line. We followed the Kings Parade with signs like “ monkey see Monkey DO” and “you CAN do it”. We collected cans from the crowds and reinforced the ideals that you can have fun and do good for the world at the same time. We recycled the cans and donated the proceeds to Earth Share Gardens. 23 dollars isn’t much but it can do a lot when you put it to good use.

March was a huge success with an amazing turnout for our annual canoe trip. We set out at 1ish and paddled down to bayou tortue. From there we discovered that behind the airport, the wind from such an open area blew huge amounts of trash down to the southern wilderness areas. We pulled in and claimed a bank then got to work. We collected about 4 canoes FULL of trash from our one trip. Great Job TEAM!! We also participated in the annual bowl for kids sake. We were able to have two teams show up raising a whopping 400 dollars for the big brothers and big sisters program. Yet another great fun day and what a way to show the world how to have fun and help at the same time!!

April is a special month for south Louisiana. It is the host of one of the largest free festivals in the world. Festivals International. We managed to secure a booth on the festival grounds downtown! We will be putting up our tent and having a recycling booth . We will also be doing trash pickups at dusk and showing the town and the world who the green monkeys are!!





UPCOMING EVENTS!!

MAY 18TH TREE GIVEAWAY

MAY 23RD WHISKEY RIVER DANCE

JUNE 20TH SCAVENGAR HUNT

JUNE EVENT..( NOT YET DECIDED)

JULY 11TH CRAWFISH BOIL

JULY 18TH RUTHERFORD BEACH TREE PLANTING TRIP

Green Monkeys in November

Novemeber is a special month for everyone and their famileis. With the holidays fast approaching and the long awaited christamas vacation just around the corner, we are all feeling a little ancy. And what better way to relieve such aingst then passing free time with the people, food, music, and culture of Lafayette. The Green Monkeys of Lafayette Lousiana are pleased to present to you a few local events to pass a good time during this time. Come out, relax, have fun, and see what Green Monkeys is doing for our commnity!
November 16, 2009
America Recycles Day
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Quadrangle
10am-3pm
Promoted by Speak and Green Monkeys
In support of America Recycles Day (ARD), Novemeber 15 2009, Speak and Green Monkeys will be on ULL campus November 16 to help promote ARD awareness.
November 17, 2009
Leonid Meteor Shower
Churchpoint Louisiana
9pm- until
Green Moneky's Fun Event
How many times can you honestly say that you took the time to witness something in nature as great as a meteor shower?! Come out and experience nature at its most beautiful with us!
November 29, 2009
Go Green Fest
419 1/2 Brooke Ave
12pm-5pm
Green Monkey's Fundraiser for Speak
What a great way to pass a good time with great people and great music. There will be games like dogdeball, kickball, badmitton, horse shoes, and Green Monkey olympics for kids as well adults, a raffel, and food by Peppa Mellows.
Lineup for Fair on sunday november 29th. 12-5
12:00 signup for raffell begins
12:15 signup for tournaments. Badmittion, dodgeball, kickball and horseshoes.
12:30 outfit plays
1pm 3 man dodgeball tourament
1:30 farouche plays
2:00-3:00 Dj Plays 4 man Kickball tournament (1st to 5points). Scavengar Hunt for kids /or adults. Green Monkey Olympics.
3:00 Bonsour Catin Plays
3:30 - 2 man Badmittion Tournament and Horseshoe Tournament
4:00 - Dysel & Jane Doe play
4:30 - Announce Winner of Raffels - Give away prizes
5:00 - shut it down...

Green Monkeys visit Texas Road House and Survivor Oak Celebration

Green Monkeys and The Survivor Oak
Sunday September 20th 2009 the survivor oak, located in the field on the corner of bud st. and saul st. was the location for the survivor oak fundraiser concert. The goal of the concert/benefit was to bring together different groups which celebrate surviving against all odds. In the early 1900’s a hurricane knocked over a massive live oak tree which in turn grew a new tree from one of its branches and stands as a monument for perseverance and the indomitable spirit of life that refuses to end.
The Green Monkeys in attendance were John Pastor, Kent Labrey, Jason Doucet, Leah Abshire, Philippe Treguier, Charissa Borque and Johnny Miller. We spent the day in the sun with Frisbee throwing and dancing. The Drew Landry Band was playing their original songs of a easy melodic harmony and the crowd of blankets and festival chairs all swayed to the beats.
It was an amazing event for support and networking of everything from dragon boat racing to trees acadiana. Booths were set up on the parameter raising funds and awareness for all sorts of good causes.
The Louisiana Urban Forestry Council www.louisianaurbanforestry.org
Gulf Coast Restoration www.healthygulf.org grace@healthygulf.org
Le Dock sur le Bayou ledock@cox.net and www.ledock.com
Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise melissa@lite3d.com
Cajun Invasion Dragon Boat Team www.cajuninvastion.org or call Sharon Vernetti @ 337-984-7657
Trees Acadiana www.lsuagcenter.com
Written by John Pastor


Restaurants and the Environment
It was a Sunday and the television was on the saints game. The television had a bar right down the middle like the whole game was filmed from behind a goal post. The green monkeys met at Texas Road House on Johnston street at about 1pm. The place was buisy as usual and we were fortunate that the bar top was free. John Pastor, Johnny Miller, Leah Abshire, Kent LaBry and Philippe Treguier gathered to have lunch and have fun.
Stephen the manager, otherwise known as the teddy bear of the restaurant greeted us with a smile and made sure that everything was well taken care of. He is an unassuming person with a warm smile and not a bit of mean in his entire body. He has been a friend of the green monkeys for many years now. Working in the restaurant industry from adolescence his management skills are fine tuned and he is a venerated warrior of the lunch and dinner rush.
We were watching the saints game the evisceration of the eagles brought smiles to our faces and good times to all. We shared stories with the bartender and she told us about the boots for sale. The boot is a collectors item that you can purchase for $3 with a beer. However the ketch was that the boot was 12 ounces and you pay full price for refills while the normal mugs are 22 ounces. We figured it would probably be in our best interests to go with the 22 ounces and be more economical. We asked about the bar on the T.V. screen and she told us that the owner didn’t want to replace it until it was completely broken. Funny but I can see the point. The t.v. still works.
A sudden sound of clapping happened behind us and we were amazed to see a row of servers doing a line dance. Apparently on the hour every hour they do a cute little version of the boot scoot n boogie. We were so entertained and caught off guard that we started clapping with the crew. I know that pride and humiliation are all parts of any job and some people are hams for attention, but in a way it was kind of cruel. Still it added to the environment and it stuck in my memory. I asked Stephen what that was all about. He said that they do it on his command. Of coarse the idea hit me to have the green monkeys join in on the line dance and take pictures. He winked and said that he would do what he could. After we finished our food the sound of clapping began and came all around us… Stephen, you’re my hero… We jumped up and made the crew laugh at our poor rendition of their dance and had a blast doing it.
I pulled Stephen aside and told him who we are and what we do. He kind of shrugged about the notion that restaurants do anything environmental. Then it hit me. Restaurants produce more than 100 pounds of waste oil a week. All of the food you know and love from fries to chicken wings are cooked in vegetable oil. The question is where does the oil go? Hopefully not in the ground, I imagine. He nodded in agreeance that the oil is in fact recycled. Companies like mallard environmental. These companies do their best to use the recycled frying oil in an eco friendly way. They have huge oil trucks that come behind restaurants to the box called the grease trap. The oil gets transplanted to a huge processing plant where it is processed and filtered. Once filtered it is put into containers and sold. Most common uses are for fuel for lamp oil and also to fuel bio friendly engines.
Remember your fries and chicken wings are all part of the environment and when you eat them you are actually helping to fuel the world around you.
Written by John Pastor