OVERTIME OUTDOORS: ‘The Passion’ by Kalman captures our coast’s beauty; DU events scheduled

Published 5:45 am Sunday, September 19, 2021

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I believe any beholder, particularly outdoorsmen around here, will appreciate a video by Paul Kalman Jr. It’s called “The Passion.”

Kalman entered it in The Stimmies, presented by Fly Fusion Magazine. The link, sent to me this past week by my friend Henry Mouton of Lafayette, is www.flyfilmfest.com/stimmies/.

The Passion is beautiful, a tribute by Kalman to his father, the late Paul Kalman, a journalist who co-founded the New Orleans Big Game Fishing Club. No you really don’t have to be a fly fisherman who targets redfish along our scenic coast to enjoy it immensely.

There are breathtaking scenes taken by cameras in the boat, on the water, on land and, yes, by drone of this coast that capture the essence of the estuaries, the bays, duck ponds, beaches.

I knew Mr. Kalman, who died in 1986. As a young journalist in the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association, I met him at our conventions and he always had kind, inspiring words for me.

His son filmed the video, one of 12 entered in The Stimmies. The winning film will be included as an official selection in the 2022 International Fly Fishing Film Festival.

The Passion’s descriptive graph on the link says it “is a true ongoing story about transferring a very deep fly fishing legacy from a father to his son. A very beautiful sport becomes intertwined in surviving loss, encouraging healing and seeding rebirth.”

Yes. You feel that emotion in the video narrated by Kalman.

Go ahead. Click on “The Passion.” It’s only a few minutes long. They’ll be rewarding minutes. Then vote for it.

The winning video will be announced Oct. 8.

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The Teche Area’s Ducks Unlimited fundraising events have cranked up with the Jeanerette DU Chapter’s Sponsor Banquet held on Sept. 14 at the Marsh House on Avery Island.

Two more big fundraisers have been scheduled. You might want to circle the dates on your calendar and support the conservation organization.

The New Iberia DU Banquet is set for 6 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Isle of Iberia RV Resort, 911 NW Bypass. A corporate table for eight, which includes one Bronze Sponsor, seven adult memberships and a corporate table gift, is $2,500. A sponsor table for eight includes one Bronze Sponsor and seven regular members.

A Bronze Sponsor ticket, which is $350, includes a Bronze Sponsor and an additional member to attend the banquet. A single adult ticket at $50 includes a one-year membership while a youth ticket (under 18) for Green Wings is $35.

For more information call Jason Foster at (985) 637-3469.

The Jeanerette DU Chapter’s next fundraising event is the Jeanerette DU Banquet scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 4 at the West St. Mary Civic Center, 1472 Louisiana 318. For more information call Larry Gaspard at 380-4641.

Support these local chapters that raise bucks for ducks.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.