By Kevin Chiri

I like using that term, “the social event of the year.”

It just has a nice ring to it, and I know I say something close to that in various forms when I talk about a variety of social events that are held in the River Region, and of course, which I usually attend.

I know I have mentioned several things for being the biggest around, or the most popular event, or whatever.

But I guess I need to revise all those former adjectives when talking about important events, since there is now a new one on the scene. I used to say that Wayne Jones had the “most popular” golf tournament in the region, while the United Way golf tournament for St. John was probably the “biggest” event of that kind.

And then there are the annual social events in the evening, when groups like the Chamber of Commerce, or an inauguration party, or the gala opening for a hospital, or the fundraiser for the River Region Arts and Humanities, are held.

All of these things are big. And oh yea, don’t forget what I have already touted as the thing that will undoubtedly be “the biggest social event of the year” since this fellow was “the most eligible bachelor in the River Region.” I used that one when talking about Joey Scontrino proposing to his longtime girlfriend Summer Hodges, and what a big deal their wedding will be. (And hopefully most of my readers know I am just having a lot of fun in saying these things.)

Now that I have gone on and on about the way I have purposely tried to add a little excitement to some of the fun stuff we do around here, let me point to what was undoubtedly, unquestionably the “biggest social event of the year” that was held this past Saturday, right here on the property of L’Observateur. And if you missed it, then shame on you, since it was the party of the year.

That’s right, the annual L’Observateur crawfish boil will probably have folks around town talking for weeks for the fabulous party we held.

Yessirree, there was Parish President Bill Hubbard and his lovely wife Sherry, along with former St. John School Superintendent Michael Coburn, and Sheriff’s Office PIO Mike Tregre. Parish PIO Buddy Boe came by and stayed quite a while, especially drawing big props for his dance moves once again (the guy has so many hidden talents).

And of course it was great to see our first confirmed candidate for district attorney of St. John show up. Kerry Brown, the local attorney here in the parish, came with his equally lovely wife Shari, and then my buddy James Wagner from State Farm was here with his wife as well.

I could go on and on, since the celebrities and highly recognized faces in St. John Parish all knew that the “social event of the summer” let’s say, was right here at L’Observateur, so of course they didn’t dare miss it.

I was the guy getting too much sun as he BBQ’d burgers and hot dogs to go with the crawfish boil. Of course I wanted all my guests to be completely happy with the food and drinks, so we offered a variety of goodies for them all.

And then the real action got going on the basketball court when Tregre, Wagner, myself and my sports editor Ryan Arena took the court with Mike’s son Jared and Clint Tassin. Let me just say it was quite a big game, and probably got more attention than the Hornets’ playoff game that night. I don’t want to brag or anything, but the long shot I hit to win the final game was just as good as anything Chris Paul had to show later that evening in the Arena.

But enough about me!

This massive party we put on was, in fact, only for special guests that we invited, so if you didn’t get called, then you need to work a little harder at being my best friend in the coming year. Now that the cat is out of the bag about the REAL “biggest social event of the year,” I can just imagine trying to figure out the guest list for 2009.

Oh well, what do you do when the whole town loves you.

Back to serious things, I actually did go to a real social event on Friday night when I stopped by St. Charles Hospital to see the debut of their new, 3-story building which is about to open for services.

In a word, “beautiful” would best describe how it looked, and “technologically savvy” would be the best way to describe what it will offer the community there, and for the surrounding region. They have thought of things to improve patient care that I would never even thought existed, no kidding!

I talked with CEO Federico Martinez for a moment, since he was spending his evening greeting all the guests, and I could tell he was very satisfied with the final product that had come out. You could tell that his interest is in providing the best hospital possible for his patients, and this new wing certainly will help get that done.

Congratulations to all who had a hand in the big project. Well done!

Kevin Chiri is Publisher of L’Observateur and can be reached at (985) 652-9545 or at kchiri@bellsouth.net