Village of Grosse Tete names queen and grand marshal for 'Christmas on the Bayou'

The Village of Grosse Tete announced its dignitaries for the community’s annual “Christmas on the Bayou” celebration on Sunday, Dec. 3, which will begin at 1 p.m. with the parade.

The grand marshal for the parade will be Mrs. Ruby Duhon Hafford, a resident of Grosse Tete for the past 53 years and the widow of the late Eddie Hafford, a former member of the village’s Board of Aldermen. The two were married for 52 years and produced and reared four daughters together. She is now the proud grandmother of seven and the great grandmother of 11.

Reigning over the parade will be Queen Samantha Fleniken, the daughter of Karen and Patrick Fleniken. She attends St. John High School in Plaquemine where she maintains a 4.3 grade point average. Samantha is a cheerleader at the school and a member of its track team.

She is also the executive vice president of the Student Council, a member of the National Honor Society, the Beta Club and its chapter of Mu Alpha Theta, a national mathematics honor society. Samantha plans to pursue a career as a biomedical engineer.

The runner-up to Fleniken is Kayla Arceneaux, the daughter of Tasha Hoffman and Allen Arceneaux. She also attends St. John High School, is a member of the Beta Club and National Honor Society and currently maintains a 3.3 grade point average. She plans on becoming a teacher.

Hafford has served in many capacities during her 50-plus years living in Grosse Tete. After raising her family, she enrolled in National Beauty College and became a licensed beautician. She is also a very talented seamstress, an excellent cook and a master gardener.

She and her husband were longtime and very active members of the Grosse Tete/Rosedale Lions Club and she is one of the founding members of On the Bayou Garden Club a member of St. Joseph’s Church Ladies Altar Society.

Hafford also serves the church aa a homebound minister and eucharistic minister as well as being a member of its choir and she also hosts the St. Joseph’s Rosary Group in her home every Wednesday and once a month she prepares a meal for a senior citizens’ pot luck luncheon.