Vermilion Parish represented on UL-L Homecoming Court

Vermilion Parish is represented on UL’s Homecoming Court.
Madeleine Claire Ortte of Thibodaux will reign as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s 2014 Homecoming queen.
Maids on her court are Kristen Michele Ashford of Port Allen, La.; Melanie Calyn Benit of Meraux, La.; Hallie Reneé Boudreaux of Lafayette; Alexandra Dardar of the North Vermilion area; Anna Katherine Devitt of Baton Rouge, La.; and Paola Mercedes Doria of Houma.
Nominees for the court are submitted by UL Lafayette student organizations. Senior Ragin’ Cajun football players choose the court after nominees have been interviewed.
The Homecoming Court will be featured on a float in the annual Homecoming Parade that begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Later that day, its members will be presented on the football field during halftime of the Homecoming game. The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will battle the South Alabama Jaguars at 4 p.m. at Cajun Field.
This year’s Homecoming theme is “Ragin’ Cajuns Ever After.”
Senior Alexandra Dardar was nominated for the Homecoming Court by the Institute of Management Accountants. The accounting major has been a member of that group since 2013 and is its vice vice president of communications.
She maintains a 3.89 GPA, has been named to the Dean’s list and the President’s list and is the recipient of B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration scholarships.
Dardar has been a member of Beta Alpha Psi accounting honor society since 2012 and was vice president of its service activities in 2013.
She volunteers at
Habitat for Humanity and St. Joseph’s Diner, and is a life teen leader for confirmation students and lector for St. Alphonsus Catholic Church.
Dardar is the daughter of Susan and Clayton Dardar.

Homecoming activities

Paint the Town Red contests for Lafayette businesses and schools also are planned. A panel of judges will choose the most spirited businesses and schools on Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Thursday, Oct. 30, respectively.
The Yell Like Hell Pep Rally is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30. Fans will gather at Cajun Field to show their support of the Ragin’ Cajuns.
On the Homecoming agenda Friday, Oct. 31 are a tennis tournament and the Bill Bass Open Golf Tournament. The University Wind Ensemble’s annual Homecoming Concert will be a treat Friday night, since it falls on Halloween. It will feature fairy tales, fables, and haunting stories. Concert-goers are encouraged to dress in costumes.
Homecoming Day begins with a Ragin’ Road Race at the Alumni Center, followed by an open house at the Alumni Center from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Homecoming Parade will roll at 10 a.m. on Saturday. It will start at Blackham Coliseum. A float carrying the Homecoming queen and her court will stop in front of the Alumni Center long enough for a toast by UL Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie.
Fans can register to win a Ragin’ Cajuns-themed golf cart. The Ragin’ Cajuns Athletic Foundation Golf Cart Raffle drawing will be held at halftime of the Homecoming game. Online ticket sales end on Thursday, Oct. 30, but raffle tickets can be purchased for $10 on game day at a tent near the ticket office at Cajun Field.