Daily World from Opelousas, Louisiana • Page 11

WWW.DAILYW0RLD.COM DAILY WORLD SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 2005 A eadiana Sheryl Cormier launches CAJUN CO MEBAC Indomitable I'm excited to be playing primed and ready for European adventure 5 again." 1 "rt t. 1 it. i i accordionist the mid-1990s when my friend, Lynn August, arranged a tour of Switzerland, Germany and Austria. I went every other year or so, and I stopped about four years ago," Cormier said. She said she has many good memories of performing in Europe, and some of those memories revive mixed emotions.

"One year, we were playing at a festival with Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. I went to talk to him when he was by the stage, and he said he could not talk to me because he was pressed for time. I told the man with him that he just refused to talk to the 'Cajun Queen' from Louisiana," she said with a laugh. "Later, when we were in the musicians area, one of his musicians came up to me and asked if I was Sheryl, and he said Robert wanted to meet me. I told him I could not meet him because I was pressed for time.

The security guards nearly fell down from laughing." The Cormiers will perform with R. Cajun and the Zydeco Brothers and the Flatville Aces, a zydeco and a Cajun band, respectively, from the United Kingdom. She said they play wonderful traditional Louisiana music and have a real understanding of Cajun culture. Sheryl Cormier also said European people love the Cajun music. "They love both the Cajun and fzydeco music," she said.

"You would not believe the dancers they have. Some of them come here for our festivals, and if they are not learning how to dance, they already know how to dance. Some of them would give a right arm or leg to be Cajun." for seniors IN On Campus About On Campus On Campus is a twice-weekly briefing from St. Landry Parish schools. Schools were contacted and invited to submit 25- to 30-word articles from their school twice a week.

The content of the news is open to the schools. Suggestions to principals included contest winners, events and even notes on teaching techniques used in the schools. Principals were asked to submit articles via e-mail. E-mail should be sent to On Campus will be published in the Wednesday and Sunday editions. Beau Chene High School A Financial Aid Workshop will be held in the library at 6 p.m.

Tuesday. The parents of seniors-eligible for TOPS are encouraged to attend. Opelousas Catholic The OC Ministry Team leaves today for Washington, D.C., in anticipation of their participation in the National Right-to-Life March and their many educational and spiritual activities during the next few days along with their teacher and religion coordinator, John Braham. Many other OC seniors will be participating in the "Walk for Life" in Lafayette at Teurlings Catholic High. They will be accompanied by their teachers, Mrs.

Johnson, Mrs. Pitre and Mrs.Stelly. On Friday, the first-grade class will be taking a field trip to KATC-TV3 in Lafayette. They were treated this past week with a visit from Dave Baker, Channel 3 meteorologist. Fifth-graders also will celebrate their DARE, graduation on Friday.

Catholic Schools Week plans are being finalized at Opelousas Catholic and at all Catholic schools throughout the nation. On the weekend of Jan. 29-30, students, parents and school staff will be speak- ing at the local Masses about Catholic education and the activities set for Catholic Schools Week. A special opening Mass will be at 5 p.m. Jan.

30 in St. Landry Catholic Church with students, faculty and staff participating in the Mass. Friends are asked to tune in to KSLO radio from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Feb.

1 as the station holds a special broadcast from the school campus. On Feb. 2, a special day of prayer will be held in the school chapel, where parents, grandparents and family can join the students throughout the school day for prayers of appreciation for Catholic education. That evening, the annual Tasters' Dinner, Auction and Culinary Competition will be held at 6 p.m. in the Yambilee Building.

On Feb. 4, a closing Mass will be held at 8:15 a.m. in St. Landry Catholic Church. At the end of the Mass, John Clary Sr.

will be recognized as the NCEA Distinguished Graduate from the school. Other honorees include Judy Courville and Christie Vercher, Teachers of the Year, Angelita Lou-viere, Achiever of the Year; and Perry Fontenot, Administrator of the Year. It should prove to be a great week of celebration for Catholic education in Opelousas! Committee members for the Tasters' Dinner, Auction and Culinary Competition are finalizing plans for the special evening on Feb. 2. Many See Campus Page 2B Engaged? Wedding and engagement announcements must be received at the Daily World office by noon Tuesday in order to run in the Sunday edition.

Black and white or color photos will be accepted. All photos may be picked up after they run in the paper. Forms are available at the front desk. Photo by Freddie Herpin Renowned Cajun musician Sheryl Cormier belts out a tune prior to departing on a musical tour of Europe. After a heart sidelined her for about a year Cormier says she is "sick and tired of being sick and tired" and ready to thrill music lovers again.

Fitness club owner unveils mobile gym By Alain A. de la Vitlesbret alaindailyworld.com When Cajun music star Sheryl Cormier of Carencro makes a comeback, she does it in grand style. Cormier and her husband, Russell, are jetting to England on Tuesday to perform in the Gloucester International Music Festival. Then, they will hop across the channel to play 14 dates on the European continent The popular accordion player and bandleader of Sheryl Cormier and Cajun Sounds has been out of music for almost a year because of a heart attack that required five separate hospital stays in 2004. It was the first time in 22 years she stayed away from the stage.

Once, while performing at a Wisconsin festival in 1999, she was injured when a section of the stage cover fell on her and injured her shoulder. But did that stop her? "I just moved my accordion strap to my other shoulder and kept on working," Cormier said. It took a heart attack to knock her off the stage, but now she said she is "sick and tired of being sick and tired," and very eager to do what she loves most: play great traditional Cajun music for adoring fans. "I've been through thick and thin and have not played any music in about a year," Cormier said. "I'm excited to be playing again." Cormier, a former hair stylist, is one of the first women to make a mark in Cajun music.

She has been performing for 22 years and in that time she has recorded an album and released several singles and a compilation CD. She is known as the "Cajun Queen" both here and in Europe. "I started touring Europe in Stella Thomas INSIDE VIEW and have worked hard to positively influence others as they shared their talents.serving as role models for youths. The setting for the event was the Yamatorium in Opelousas. Hundreds of well-wishers were on hand to witness the momentous occasion, and all left the activity dazzled by the performances by the beaus.

There was the traditional waltz, along with the official presentations. However, what always draws the Theresa a LAFAYETTE (AP) A Carencro fitness club owner has come up with a novel way of promoting health care for low-income elderly people a gym that will come to them. The idea came to him just three months ago, said Joseph Prejean, owner of Big Poppa's Fitness Center, because he was worrying about the high cost of health care for senior citizens. Prejean said he knows the benefits of exercise for any age, so he invested $25,000 of his own money to create a gym in a big trailer that is packed with exercise equipment. Then, Prejean called Walter Guillory, head of the Lafayette Housing Authority, and literally pestered other government officials to endorse the project and find the most effective way to use it.

It worked. Guillory said that 300 elderly people in Bix public housing developments have signed up, and he expects many more will also. The gym will visit each development several times a month. The gym-on-wheels made its first appearance this month at the Irene Street Development in Lafayette, and about a dozen seniors were on hand to try it out and hear speeches by local and state dignitaries. "I love it because I need to get in shape," said Theresa Willis as she walked on one of two treadmills in the portable gym.

"I need to exercise because I have high blood pressure. When I worked out at a gym, I always felt better, but it's been over two years." Thanks to Prejean's persistence, Guillory said, he's received grants from the state and the city Housing Authority that will pay gym memberships for all the older people, so the service is free to them. The older citizens also will receive advice from Big Poppa's fitness experts, including Joseph Alfred. "Here, they can use the treadmills instead of walking the streets where it's not safe," Alfred said. He pointed out several posters on the walls of the gym that also explain which equipment will work on which muscle groups.

The gym also includes free weights and machine weights, fitness stations for working different muscle groups, various hand weights even a television and refrigerator. The gym-in-a-trailer drew high praise from Godfrey White, Gov. Kathleen Blan co's secretary of Elder Affairs. He said he knew of no other program like it. "My office researched it and found not only does nothing like this exist in Louisiana, it doesn't exist in America," White said.

"We support the private sector bringing services to the elderly. It's right in conjunction with the governor's programs. It's a Louisiana first." State Don Cravins said it was Prejean's persistence that made the gym possible. "It sounded wonderful, but I wondered what was wrong with him," Cravins said. "He would call me early in the morning and late at night.

I thought it was a crazy notion, but through his persistence and Walter's, now this initiative is a reality." According to the Centers for Disease Control, a person of 65 will spend four times as much on health care as a person who is 40. The agency said older people who are physically active, eat healthy and refrain from smoking reduce their risk of chronic disease and have half the rate of disability over those who don't. "I had a poor background, but I had a vision," Prejean said. "I wanted to help the seniors who gave so much to their community." AP Photo Willis walks on a treadmill in mobile gym recently in Lafayette. Delta Beaus shine at gala event most attention is the group dance that shows the suave and versatile moves of the 11, choreographed by sorority member, Kimberly Smith Bibbins.

This year was no exception, for all members of the audience were on their feet with constant applause. Another feature that earned rave reviews was the style show, where beaus donned their favorite attire and sported it to the delight of the hundreds of young ladies present Chosen Mr. Beau 2005 was Alex Gerard Thibodeaux, son of William and Pamela Thibodeaux. The Northwest High School senior is an active athlete, who has participated in Sec Beaus Page 2B It was the actual birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Jan. 15 a day that Dr. King would have spent feeling proud. Eleven fine males were selected to participate in the Beautillion sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. due to their character, especially since these males embraced the concepts that King lived for.

The theme for 2005 was "Delta Beaus: On The Right Path To A Brighter Tomorrow." The theme was quite appropriate, for this crew of fine males had, for the past months, demonstrated that they were focused and ready to assume their places in society. Most of those being presented are committed to public service if Submitted Photo Chosen Mr. Beau 2005 was AlexThibodeaux, center. First runner-up was Jarred Bertrand, right, and second runner-up was DaMar-cus Chenier.The annual Beautillion, sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, was held Jan. 15 at the Yamatorium in Opelousas..