Cajun-themed decorations set the tone for night of fundraising for Chez Hope. 

CADE — Teche Area residents turned out Friday night  at the Cade Community Center for a good cause that hopefully will make progress toward establishing a women’s shelter in New Iberia. 

Chez Hope’s second annual Trivia Night Fundraiser was an unqualified success as public officials and women’s advocates turned out for the fundraising event. The event did encounter some air conditioning problems, organizer Sharon Russo said, but they were resolved by the end of the night. 

“It definitely met our theme of ‘Louisiana Summer Night,’ ” Russo said with a laugh.

Teams of six paid $150 for a table during a trivia competition, with the winner ultimately garnering a $500 cash prize. 

Apart from the trivia, there was also a raffle, live and silent auctions and a competition for the best Cajun-themed table for “Louisiana Summer Night.” 

Emcee Tracy Wirtz said at the event that the fundraiser will aid women who are victims of abuse in Iberia and St. Martin parishes. 

“We are here to raise that money that will specifically serve those folks who need our help in Iberia and St. Martin who are victims of domestic violence,” Wirtz said. 

After years of serving in the St. Mary area, Chez Hope opened its doors in Iberia Parish more than a year ago, after Iberia’s SNAP shelter was forced to close. 

Since then, the group has been making headway into the Iberia Parish community, advocating for women’s rights and providing shelter for those that need it. 

“We want to start a building fund so we can realistically establish a building to serve Iberia and St. Martin because work hasn’t slowed down” Russo said. “It’s been difficult because the shelter in Franklin stays busy.

Although a tally of how much was raised won’t be completed until later on in the week, Russo said she estimated more than $10,000 raised even before the event started Friday.  

The trivia event had very specific rules that also were used for last year’s event. Once a question was asked, teams had to write the exact answer as the judge’s score sheet. If the answer was a name, the first and last name had to be identified. 

All questions had a time limit of 30 seconds. 

There was also a strict no cell phone policy so contestants couldn’t look up an answer on their cell phone. If participants had to use a cell phone, they had to leave the table and not sit down again until the next round. 

Approximately 35 teams competed in the event, Russo said. First place went to Poo Doo Fas Tras Cajun Band and second place went to Winner Winner Crawfish Dinner. 

Best Dressed team went to Louisiana Legends and Best Table Decorations went to Poo Doo Fas Tras Cajun Band.