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MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2017
the
Football
issue
I
t’s 8 a.m. on gameday, and David
Dugas is fiddling with the laptop/dual
speaker PA system that acts as his DJ
station. Above his head a banner reads:
“WELCOME TO RAGIN’ CAJUN
TAILGATING A TRADITION OF
JOIE DE VIVRE WHERE THE
ROADKILL MEETS THE ROUX AT
THE HANDS OF THE KREWE DE
CHEW.” This slogan embodies what one
of UL Lafayette’s oldest tailgating groups is
all about: good times and good eats.
Before the day is over, thousands of fans will
walk by the krewe’s spot on Reinhardt Drive.
Many will stop in to dance to Cajun music,
grab a plate of BBQ and visit for a while. On
any given gameday, the krewe feeds around
125 people, and rival teams usually receive an
invitation to stop by for a bite.
“Visiting fans say, ‘We’ve never seen
anything like this before,’” says Dugas, who
serves as pitmaster along with his DJ duties.
It’s his job to cook the BBQ chicken and
pork ribs for the first game of the season,
when it’s still too warm for gumbo. A
UL Lafayette alum and oilfield executive,
Dugas tows his large pit behind his truck
and slathers his ribs with a concoction of
Sweet Baby Ray’s® BBQ Sauce, brown
sugar and several secret ingredients.
While Krewe de Chewmembers meet weeks
before the opening game to discuss the
season’s menu — home-cooked appetizers,
entrees, sides and desserts — this group of
about 15 couples is just as well-known for
its unleashed revelry. Co-founder Randy
Monceaux remembers how one of their most
popular traditions began.
“The rooster dance started at my house
when we had a supper one night,” he
says. “We played the song and everybody
started dancing with their arms.” The song
Monceaux refers to is “You Can’t Rooster
Like You Used To” by Zydeco Joe. The
“rooster” grew into a dance party every time
the song was played at their tailgating spot.
“It got so popular,” says Dugas, “everyone
would stop by and ask ‘When are you doing
the roosta dance?’” Now Krewe de Chew
posts a “Rooster Call” schedule so other
tailgaters will know when they can see the
show. Twice on gamedays, the DJ plays the
signature song. Krewe members don rooster
masks, flap their arms and throwMardi Gras
beads to visiting fans brave enough to shake
their tail feathers.
The camaraderie of this party is what attracts
fans to the 20-plus-year-old krewe’s shindig.
“We invite everyone,” says Monceaux, a
retired alum. “Cheerleaders come chicken
dance with us, and everybody in the Sunbelt
Conference loves to come to our tent.”
“We have a few folks from other conference
teams that we’ve gotten to know,” says
Dugas. “They say, ‘If you’re gonna make one
away game, UL is the place to come.’”
Since that first Cajun BBQ spread, the
krewe’s menu has ranged from Boston butt,
gumbo and red beans & rice to jambalaya
by
Mike Bass with contributions by Erin Z. Bass
photos by
Travis Gauthier
Tailgreats