[225] Magazine - August 2021

AUGUST 2021 • FREE FLOOD PLANS 21 FÊTE ROUGE 58 BANDITO FEST 69 225BATONROUGE .COM

y a d e Gam r again e e h c o t y d a e r is Baton Rouge

+ TIGER PRIDE

2021

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Meet the Doctors Who Help the Tigers Fight All the Way Stephen W. Etheredge, M.D. Sports Medicine Physician; Head Team Physician for LSU Specialties: Non-operative Sports Injuries, Musculoskeletal Injuries Dr. Etheredge treats both adult and pediatric patients at Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic’s Bluebonnet location.

BRORTHO.COM

Brent Bankston, M.D.

Carey E. Winder, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgeon; Team Orthopaedist for LSU Athletics; Team Physician for University High School

Orthopaedic Surgeon; Team Orthopaedist for LSU Athletics

Specialties: Sports-Related Injuries, Hip & Knee Replacement, Adult Reconstructive Surgery Dr. Bankston currently practices at Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic’s Bluebonnet location.

Specialties: Treatment & Surgery of SportsRelated Injuries, Arthroscopic Surgery (Knee & Shoulder), Cartilage Restoration and Knee Arthroplasty Dr. Winder currently practices at Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic’s Bluebonnet location.

BATON ROUGE | GONZALES | ZACHARY | WALKER | BRUSLY

Wame Waggenspack, M.D. Orthopaedic Surgeon; Team Orthopaedist for LSU Athletics; Team Physician for Catholic High School Specialties: Treatment & Surgery for Shoulder, Elbow, Knee & Sports-Related Injuries Dr. Waggenspack practices at Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic’s Bluebonnet & Walker locations.

Don’t Forget! BROC has an After Hours Clinic on Bluebonnet at the Surgical Specialty Center for all your breaks, sprains and sports injuiries.

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5

UPFRONT //

It’s tailgating time IT’S THE BEST time of the year: Tailgating is back, baby!

I can’t believe this fall will mark nearly two years since the last time we could all gather on campus together.

I personally can’t wait to get back out there and cheer on the Tigers. I can already smell the jambalaya and hear the sounds of Tiger Band marching down Victory Hill. It’s going to be so good to be back.

That’s why we’ve dedicated this month’s cover story to one of Baton Rouge’s biggest rituals.

We talked to some local tailgating groups to find out how they are prepping for the fall.

Because it’s been a while since we’ve all done this, the groups had to make sure they weren’t rusty. So they started early. DVA Tailgating held a practice tailgate this past July. There was gumbo, dirty rice, beer, music and

BY JULIO MELARA plenty of fun to be had.

Lifelong LSU fan John Richardson says he can't wait to set up again in the same spot on the Parade Grounds he’s tailgated at since the 1980s.

But tailgating won’t only be happening on campus this year. That’s right— travel is back, too. The Traveling Tigers group is making the journey to LSU away games in California, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama this year.

Packages include lodging, game tickets, transportation and pregame activities, and it’s all managed for travelers by the LSU Alumni Association and Tiger Athletic Foundation. We interviewed the Traveling Tigers about how it is taking Tiger pride on the road.

And because music is one of the most special parts of game day, we talked to the Golden Band from Tigerland about what a typical fall Saturday looks like for the performers.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be tailgating without the food.

One of our favorite game-day Issue Date: August 2021 Ad proof #1 experiences is seeing all the creative • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. ways Tiger fans have found to eat • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours the deadlines. opponent. We interviewed local from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees. restaurants and tailgaters about the

tradition of grilling alligator, whole hog and chicken.

Turn to page 28 for the full cover story.

And don’t forget to check out our special issue of Tiger Pride. We’ve been publishing Tiger Pride for 10 years this fall, and it is 225’s annual celebration of the passion and pageantry of LSU football.

In this year’s edition, we have a 2021 season preview; exclusive interviews with the brand-new LSU Athletics head coaches for basketball and baseball; features on some all-star players to watch; and so much more.

The issue starts on page A1.

Whether you are cheering on the LSU Tigers or Southern University Jaguars this fall, we hope you have a great, safe season!

Shopping on wheels Urban Traders, a new retail park with shops, restaurants and more, is bound to make a splash when it opens in Mid City this fall.

Developer Melanie Way was inspired by Austin’s food truck parks and wanted to build a similar retail experience for Baton Rougeans. When the first phase of the space opens, it will house six different businesses in vintage airstreams and mobile trailers.

“I think when visitors step into our lot, they’re going to see a welcoming space—a place to meet their friends and bring their kids,” Way says.

It turns out she is onto something— the past year has seen a proliferation of mobile boutiques. In 2020, we saw the launch of Barlow, a mobile boutique offering dressy casual women’s clothing. And earlier this year, a colorful mobile shop called Art to Geaux debuted.

Both boutiques travel regularly throughout the parish, popping up at events.

“I’d been following similar (fashion) trucks out of Dallas, but I hadn’t seen anything like them here in Baton Rouge,” says Barlow co-owner Susan

Charlet. “I love it because we can take it anywhere.”

Turn to page 43 to meet the boutiques and learn all about the trend.

Still flooding This month marks five years since the August 2016 flood. The slowmoving storm that dropped 19 inches of rain on Baton Rouge—and even more in nearby communities—forever reshaped our region.

This past May, another flash flood swamped the Capital Region, inundating subdivisions, restaurants and businesses—devastating and disrupting many lives and businesses.

225 took a dive into what’s being done to address the ongoing problem.

We talked with the mayor and city officials about the status of the Comite River Diversion Canal, the 20-year Stormwater Master Plan, the Five Tributaries Project and several other projects that are removing debris and obstructions in flood-prone areas.

The story begins on page 21.

Show time The River Center Performing Arts Theatre is finally coming back.

After three years and $16.2 million in renovations, it will start hosting events again in September.

What’s new at the building? An updated entrance and exterior, a larger lobby, improved acoustics and roomier seats.

The new amenities aim to attract more touring acts to downtown.

Local performing arts groups also couldn’t be more excited to return to the theater’s stage. Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra will kick off its 75th season at the theater. And Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre will stage the local favorite, The Nutcracker, A Tale from the Bayou, this fall.

Read on for more starting on page 65.

Enjoy the show!

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DO YOU HAVE A GAME PLAN FOR TODAY’S REAL ESTATE MARKET? CALL JERRY DEL RIO FOR ALL OF YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS. BUYING. SELLING. PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

Put their little hands in the hands of our experts.

Children’s Hospital New Orleans brings a world of expertise to make sure your little ones have everything they need to get back to being happy and healthy kids again. From ENT to Dermatology and Cardiology to Orthopedics, Children’s Hospital New Orleans offers unmatched pediatric expertise, sized just for kids in Baton Rouge and beyond.

Specialty Care Baton Rouge

Learn more at chnola.org/BatonRouge

225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

7

CONTENTS //

Features

56

16 Take a flight at these

local restaurants and bars

27 How this Christian rocker

bounced back from a brain injury

43 Step inside the mobile

boutiques hitting BR’s streets

69 What to expect from this year’s Bandito Fest And much more …

Departments 12 What’s Up 21 Our City 27 I am 225 28 Cover story 43 Style 51 Taste 65 Culture 70 Calendar ON THE COVER

Game day returns On Saturday mornings in the fall, there’s nowhere else like LSU. It’s been almost two years since fans could tailgate on campus before a football game, but that will all change come September. As early as this summer, tailgating groups were back at it, hosting “practice tailgates” to get ready for the season. Read all about it in our cover story, starting on page 28. And the 225 crew will be back covering the games this fall, just as contributing photographer Jordan Hefler previously captured all the fun for this month’s cover image.

PAGES OF

TIGER PRIDE Starting on page A1

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

SEAN GASSER

PLUS: 72

Issue Date: August Ad1 proof #1

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless revision requests are received within 24 hours.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

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A S K T H E S TA FF

Your fave drink for outdoor entertaining or tailgating Publisher: Julio Melara

EDITORIAL

Editorial director: Penny Font Editor: Jennifer Tormo Managing editor: Benjamin Leger Features writer: Maggie Heyn Richardson Digital content editor: Mark Clements Staff photographer: Collin Richie Contributing writers: Cynthea Corfah, Julia-Claire Evans, Lee Feinswog, Anna Jones, Tracey Koch, Dillon Lowe, Elle Marie, Zane Piontek, Stephanie Riegel Contributing photographers: Ariana Allison, Sean Gasser, Amy Shutt

ADVERTISING

Sales director: Erin Palmintier-Pou Account executives: Manny Fajardo, André Hellickson Savoie, Jamie Hernandez, Kaitlyn Maranto, Olivia Robb Advertising coordinator: Devyn MacDonald

“Enjoying High Noons on a boat or on the beach!”

—Erin Palmintier-Pou

CORPOR ATE MEDIA

Editor: Lisa Tramontana Content strategist: Allyson Guay Multimedia strategy manager: Tim Coles Client experience coordinator, Studio E: Nicole Prunty

MARKETING

“I love a cold rosé in the summer heat. There’s also some great options in cans these days for tailgating.

Move over, beer!”

—Melinda Gonzalez

Chief marketing officer: Elizabeth McCollister Hebert Marketing & events assistant: Taylor Falgout Events: Abby Hamilton Community liaison: Jeanne McCollister McNeil

ADMINISTR ATION

Assistant business manager: Tiffany Durocher Business associate: Kirsten Milano Office coordinator: Tara Lane Receptionist: Cathy Brown

PRODUCTION/DESIGN

Production manager: Jo Glenny Art director: Hoa Vu Graphic designers: Melinda Gonzalez, Emily Witt

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

“Anything Abita!”

—James Hume

Rush | Gameday | Events | Everyday Style HERRINGSTONE’S BATON ROUGE Call Haley Herrington to schedule your own personal shopping experience 7474 Corporate Blvd Ste C | 225.239.5239 | www.herringstonesboutique.com 10

[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

“Shiner has this peach wheat beer right now that is so tasty and refreshing!”

—Emily Witt

Audience development director and digital manager: James Hume Audience development coordinator: Ivana Oubre Audience development associate: Jordan Kozar A publication of Louisiana Business Inc. Chairman: Rolfe H. McCollister Jr. Executive assistant: Tara Broussard President and CEO: Julio Melara Executive assistant: Brooke Motto 9029 Jefferson Highway, Suite 300 Baton Rouge, LA 70809 225-214-5225 • FAX 225-926-1329 225batonrouge.com

©Copyright 2021 by Louisiana Business Incorporated. All rights reserved by LBI. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. Business address: 9029 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Telephone (225) 214-5225. 225 Magazine cannot be responsible for the return of unsolicited material—manuscripts or photographs—with or without the inclusion of a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.

F E E D B AC K / / W H AT ’ S O N L I N E / /

“They are SOOOO fear driven!

I am getting really good at my own cooking, and ordering to go!

Restaurants need to GET OVER IT. COVID IS DONE, THANK YOU, LORD!”

Ready to cheer LSU TIGER FANS are as excited as ever for the return of a normal football season, and we’re right there with you. The 225 team will be documenting all the game-day action on our social media channels, so be sure to follow along on Facebook and Instagram for images and videos from the tailgates, the Tiger Walk down Victory Hill and from the sidelines inside Tiger Stadium.

And also be sure to keep up with all the latest news and analyses of LSU football through the weekly Tiger Pride Podcast hosted by digital content editor Mark Clements. He’ll share exclusive interviews with players and coaches throughout the season.

Follow along with us, and Geaux Tigers!

“Take the worthless masks off people.”

—Bailey Pwitz, on Facebook

COLLIN RICHIE

​​​​KELLY MCDUFF / COURTESY LSU ATHLETICS

—Rachel Zoe Linebaugh, on Facebook

Bistro Byronz’s Willow Grove location in fall 2020

Service with a mask OUR JULY 6 story on local restaurants weighing whether or not to keep their servers masked generated an impassioned response from our social media followers, some of whom are ready to put the COVID-19 protocols behind them.

“This mindset is exactly why Louisiana has one of the worst vaccination rates. It sucks that we have so many ignorant, selfish people!”

—@SunGoldtomatoes, on Twitter Editor’s note: As of mid-July, the Governor’s Office still encouraged even vaccinated people to wear masks and social distance when gathering indoors to avoid community spread. Louisiana was among the five states the CDC singled out as most at risk for the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, which has increased hospitalizations and outbreaks among unvaccinated people. Go to coronavirus.la.gov for more information.

CO R R E CTI O N In an article from our July issue on Black men stepping into leadership roles in education, we incorrectly identified Baton Rouge Community College’s leadership. Philip L. Smith Jr. is executive director of Baton Rouge Community College’s Foundation—not the college, as was previously published. He also serves as vice chancellor of BRCC. Willie E. Smith was named chancellor of BRCC in May 2020. 225 regrets this error.

CONNECT WITH US facebook.com/225magazine

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youtube.com/225magazine

Now accepting patients!

Kyle Champagne, MD Internal Medicine Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Picardy 8119 Picardy Avenue Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Eric Frusha, MD Internal Medicine

Specializing in internal medicine, Drs. Champagne and Frusha serve as healthcare guides for their patients, helping them manage their health through preventative medicine, healthy lifestyle guidance, health maintenance, patient education, and more.

Call (225) 765-5500 or visit OLOLPhysicianGroup.com to schedule an appointment.

Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Dutchtown 14225 Highway 73 Prairieville, LA 70769

225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

11

August

Stand-up comics ‘Blerd-ish!’ highlights the indie side of comic books

PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

Keith Cooper (pictured) and Mark Wallace host the Blerd-ish! podcast exploring independently published comics, and they also sell curated comics and merch at local festivals and markets.

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

KEITH COOPER and Mark Wallace enjoy Marvel and DC Comics as much as any other comic book fan, but their real passion is helping to expose less-known Black comic book writers and artists.

Five years ago, the Baton Rouge friends launched their Blerd-ish! podcast, a romp through what’s happening in the world of independently published comics and other genres with a focus on Black talent. The brand has grown to also include merchandise, an online bookstore and participation in regional comic conventions and local pop-ups.

“I grew up watching Bill Bixby as The Incredible Hulk on television and reading comic books with my older brothers.

We would go to flea markets to buy them,” Cooper says. “With Blerd-ish!, we wanted to do a podcast not on the usual nerd takes, but on independent Black writers and artists who don’t have big distribution.”

There’s no shortage of material. Blerd-ish! podcast episodes have featured numerous interviews with writers, authors and fellow blerds–short for Black nerds, Cooper says. Guests have included Infinitum author and Mississippi Delta native Tim Fielder; New Orleans native and Los Angeles-based author and illustrator Jason Reeves; NASA rocket scientist and children’s book author K. Renee Horton; and Lafayette-based Eisner Award-winning artist Rob Guillory, who co-created the comic book series Chew.

When they don’t have a guest, Cooper and Wallace banter about new and emerging material, including books, TV shows, movies and video games.

Cooper says the podcast isn’t boxed into the comic genre. The duo is also interested in animé, science fiction, graphic novels, young adult fiction, Afrofuturism and other forms of literature and entertainment. They meet to tape the show after hours at the Uppercuts Barber Shop on Staring Lane, a business owned by a friend.

The Blerd-ish! website includes an online bookstore run in partnership with bookshop.org, a virtual retail space for independent titles. Cooper and Wallace also sell merchandise, and a variety of books, including comics and graphic novels, at regional fairs and festivals, and at the MidCity Makers Market. They’ve held pop-ups at French Truck Coffee, Vegan Friendly Foods, Red Stick Reads and Simple Joe Café.

“We’re multi-faceted,” Cooper says.

“These are things we feel passionate about, and we want to help get the word out.” blerd-ish.com —MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON

W H AT ’ S U P / /

Candy girl High school student launches spicy candy business

‘It’s valuable property, and it’s owned by the people.”

PHOTOS BY MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON

Caroline Sanchez has been running food businesses since age 11.

STOCK PHOTO

LIKE SO MANY inventions, Caroline Sanchez’s Crazy Cajun Confections was born by accident. Sanchez, a homeschooled high school student from Gonzales, was making crawfish pepper jelly one evening in February 2020, filling orders for the canning business she’d started at age 11. However, Sanchez’s longtime ease in the kitchen notwithstanding, she overcooked this particular batch.

“I had completely the wrong ratio, and I noticed it was hardening on the spoon,” Sanchez recalls. “But we put it on a pan, and it was kind of like the peanut brittle my grandmother makes.”

An idea for candy was born.

Like the sweet and spicy flavor of her crawfish pepper jelly, Sanchez aimed for a profile that brought unexpected heat to something ordinarily sweet. She started playing around with ideas for her own candy line, incorporating hints of cayenne, clove, celery salt, black pepper and other spices into candy brittle, pralines, caramels and popcorn. Crazy Cajun Confections was born.

After pitching her idea to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy in Baton Rouge, Sanchez landed start-up funding for the project, along with mentoring from Gaye Sandoz, director of the LSU AgCenter Incubator, recently rebranded Foodii. Sanchez now manufactures her Bayou Brittle, Crawmels, Craw-lines and Cajun Corn there. Look for her at area festivals and the Red Stick Farmers Market.

Find her at @crazycajunconfections on Instagram

The weight of the world?

How to make sure your kid’s backpack fits right “It’s a huge problem,” Brooks says. “In middle school, kids start changing classes, and they have to carry books and binders for every class, and usually some type of device. It’s compounded by the fact that they’re hitting puberty and growing at a time when backpacks are putting pressure on their spine.”

Brooks says investing in good habits now can ward off back and shoulder problems later.

5 TIPS

to minimize the impact of a heavy backpack 1. Encourage kids to secure the straps across the chest and hips, even if they don’t seem cool.

These straps help distribute the backpack’s weight evenly and reduce the load on the shoulders.

2. Select a backpack that doesn’t hang lower than a child’s hips.

Don’t buy a backpack that’s too big now just so they can grow into it later.

3. Be sure a child uses both shoulder straps. Using only one strap will put pressure on the spine and could exacerbate a spine curvature.

4. Distribute the backpack’s weight evenly. Use different pockets to ensure it’s not overloaded in one area.

STOCK PHOTO

FOR MANY KIDS, the return to school this month also includes the return to carrying hefty backpacks.

Physicians and physical therapists say it’s become increasingly more important to make sure backpacks fit correctly and don’t exceed 10-20% of a child’s body weight, the ratio recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

This is especially important in middle school, says local pediatric physical therapist Angela Brooks.

5. Don’t carry anything in the backpack you don’t need. Clean it out at the end of the week to eliminate unnecessary items.

—A comment made to The Advocate by Louisiana state Sen. Bodi White, referring to the scores of high-value cypress stumps and logs at the bottom of University and City Park lakes, and other lakes in the six-lake system.

The cypress stumps were left behind when trees were felled in the early 20th century to convert the area from swamp to lake.

White, as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, inserted language in a $10 million appropriation for the lakes improvement project that makes it clear any sinker cypress, found when the lakes are dredged, is publicly owned.

The material could potentially be sold at public auction to help pay for the project, which includes improving the health of the bodies of water, building cycling and walking trails, and connecting the recreational area to the surrounding neighborhoods.

225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

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W H AT ’ S U P / /

W H AT ’ S N E W

Buzz feed

By Anna Jones

A ‘TikTok bakery’ Crumbl Cookies, a national brand that has garnered attention for its use of social media to unveil weekly specials, opened in June on Siegen Lane. The cookie delivery and takeout company boasts a menu of more than 120 rotating weekly cookie flavors, including Muddy Buddy, Biscoff Lava, Coconut Lime, Rocky Road, S’Mores, Pumpkin Pie and more. crumblcookies.com

“Electric Depot BR” 1509 Government St, BR, LA BORU - Ramen Restaurant (225) 283-1148 www.boruramenbr.com SWEET SOCIETY - Asian Inspired Desserts (225) 283-1148 instagram.com/sweetsocietybr

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is the first step

[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

2021 2022 SCHOOL YEAR

Social Coffee’s Social Shirley is a bubbly blend of cold brew, Topo Chico and grenadine topped with a layer of foam and a cherry. socialcoffeebbr.com Reve Coffee Lab’s Hibiscus Fizzy Lifter is a mixture of fruity and floral “Ruby Slipper” iced tea, housemade vanillalime syrup and chilled Topo Chico. revecoffeeroasters.com Try asking for Highland Coffees’ secret menu item, a double shot of espresso with Topo Chico and half-andhalf. It’s not on the official menu, but the baristas told 225 they can likely make it for you if you ask nicely. highlandcoffeesbr.com

ArtPlacer Baton Rouge Gallery is visiting art-lovers at home through its partnership with this free augmented reality app. As viewers browse through pieces, they can click on something that piques their interest and preview what it would look like true to scale in their own home.

Non-smartphone users can still take advantage of the technology by sending a photo of their home to the gallery, and a digital mock-up will be created for them at no cost. batonrougegallery.com BellyFire Studios An upcoming free app by David Rollins aims to be a hub for artists and crafters to connect with clients and vice versa. Through the app, artists can teach lessons in their respective fields, sell their work, book commission projects and more. bellyfirestudios.com

E GALLER Y

Two new apps are changing the way locals interact with art:

N ROUG

This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

Artwork apps

Champagne, beer and sparkling waters aren’t the only ways to get bubbly beverages anymore. Local coffee shops have started making fizzy coffees and teas, too.

Here are three to try.

SY BATO

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Fizzy summer

COURTE

• Please by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

(225)respond 767-2288 ichibanbr.com • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

ISON

Issue Date: August 5741 Essen Lane @ Perkins,Ad BTRproof #1

COURTESY CRUMBL COOKIES

ARIANA ALL

REWARDS

Issue Date: August Ad proof #1 W H AT ’ S U P / /

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

Gear up for

Cheese, please

COURTESY BITES & BOARDS

The first brick-andmortar location of the popular Bites & Boards cheese and charcuterie shop celebrated its Village at Willow Grove grand opening in June.

Patrons can enjoy cheese samplings, purchase and order retail items, or pick up a graze-to-go box.

Game Day

DIGITS

$300 million

The estimated annual amount a bill approved in the latest state legislative session would dedicate to Louisiana’s transportation infrastructure projects.

Advocates of the project say this would shave two years or more off the timeline for a new Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge.

A deli walks into a bar ...

SEAN GASSER

The newest City Pork location opened in June in the former Adrian’s space at Highland Park Marketplace. It combines everything Baton Rougeans have come to know the brand for over the years: a rustic deli, a full-service bar, old menu favorites like pies and smoked chicken fried steak, plus plenty of outside seating. Be sure to order a meat-loaded bloody mary from the restaurant’s Wild Boar Bar.

City Pork’s meat-loaded bloody mary!

Corporate Blvd at Jefferson • 225.925.2344 townecenteratcedarlodge.com • HEALTH • BEAUTY • DESIGNER SHOPPING HOME DECOR • GOURMET DINING • AND MORE 225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

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W H AT ’ S U P / /

COLLIN RICHIE

The Vintage’s beignet flight with a matcha beignet, raspberry beignet and s’mores beignet.

16

[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

Issue Date: August Ad proof #2 W H AT ’ S U P / /

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

Show Me The Pound Cake

ORDER THIS

Taking flight Flights aren’t just for beer anymore. Here are some interesting tasting experiences to try around town

1 year of proudly baking specialty pound cakes.

By Julia-Claire Evans

DO YOU EVER find yourself looking at a menu and wishing you could order more than one thing?

Food and drink flights have become the answer to that, allowing guests to taste several menu items at once.

While most restaurants stick to drink flights, The Vintage serves up an enticing dessert flight at its downtown cafe.

Its beignet flight allows customers to sample three flavors, choosing between s’mores, matcha, raspberry, cinnamon sugar or traditional beignet.

Bite into the powdered sugar-topped

matcha beignet for a taste of the rich matcha-flavored bavarian cream filling. Move on to the raspberry beignet for a more tart raspberry jamstuffed center. The s’mores beignet is a nostalgic experience, filled with gooey marshmallow cream and dipped in chocolate and crushed graham crackers.

“We had developed so many different approaches and recipes, all so good,” owner Bernard Stolberg says, “we naturally had to feature a ‘flight,’ because we couldn’t just choose one.” thevintagebr.com

Other flights to try Mimosa flight at Leola’s

Leola’s mimosa flight is seasonal and comes with four fizzy cocktails. Some flavors include the blood orange mimosa; a peach bellini; the Pretty in Pink with Champagne and fresh strawberry puree; and Blueberry Bash, with Champagne and tropical blueberry juice.

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Beer flights at Mason’s Grill

Beer flights are always a favorite, and Mason’s has a long list of draft beer. Choose four from the menu, and enjoy.

Coffee flight at Light House Coffee

Wake up with Light House Coffee’s caffeinated flight of three 5- to 6-ounce samples. Guests are invited to try the cold brew, espresso and Light House’s own drip coffee.

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Rum flight at Three Roll Estate

Switch it up and sample some locally produced rum! Three Roll Estate’s Rum Flight includes three different tastings. Try the Distilled Tasting, featuring six different samples of drinks: the distillery’s vodka; its Rhum Agricole, rum from fresh pressed cane juice; white rum; dark rum; spiced rum; and finally, the cinnamon rum.

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Beer flight at Mid City Beer Garden

Since its opening nearly two years ago, Mid City Beer Garden has become a fast Baton Rouge favorite, taking home this year’s Best of 225 Award for Best Bar. With one of the longest beer lists in Baton Rouge, you can choose four of your favorites to create a flight experience that’s custom made just for you.

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W H AT ’ S U P / /

YOUR FLAVOR Your favorite hobby

Direct flight route you’d love to see at the BTR Airport

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Will you be tailgating this fall?

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I N S I D E : Local news briefs

Water world Five years after the Great Flood, Baton Rouge is still vulnerable to increasing weather events.

Here’s what’s happening to address drainage B Y M AG G I E HE Y N R I C HA R D S ON

FILE PHOTO BY COLLIN RICHIE

Residents navigate floodwaters after the August 2016 flood.

OUR CITY //

COLLIN RICHIE

Pat and George Strain in their Morning Glen home, which narrowly escaped flooding in 2016 —only to flood this May.

GEORGE STRAIN remembers well what his Morning Glen neighborhood off Siegen Lane looked like during the flood of 2016.

“Our street flooded up to the level of the bottom of the mailboxes. It was about 3 to 4 feet deep, and vehicles couldn’t get through,” says Strain, professor of neuroscience at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. “My son, who lives down the street, and I had to use a kayak and canoe to get us out.”

Fortunately for them, the Strains’ houses were some of the few in Morning Glen that escaped flooding that year. But this May, when the Capital Region experienced an unexpected flash flood, the family wasn’t so lucky. Both Strains houses flooded this time due to a backup in Ward Creek, which runs behind the subdivision and absorbs water from its culverts.

As George Strain watched the water continue to rise and creep into his home, he and his wife, Pat, bagged what they could and got out, walking

22

through thigh-high water until they found the closest high ground their daughter could reach by car.

What happened the next day at the Strains’ home, and in hundreds of homes and businesses around town, was the same narrative that had played out thousands of times in August 2016: the long, tedious process of cleaning up. Friends and family descended on the Strains’ home and removed saturated sheetrock, ruined household items and furniture, piling it all up on the curb to be hauled away.

“Those piles represented years of

our lives,” Strain says. “It was very emotional. But we’re trying to look forward, not backward.”

Five years ago this month, an unnamed, slow-moving storm system camped out over the region for two days, unloading record rainfall, including more than 19 inches in Baton Rouge, according to NOAA. Areas to the east of the Capital City saw higher totals. The city of Watson saw more than 31 inches of rain, and Denham Springs was inundated by more than two feet of downpour.

Swollen rivers, creeks and tributaries

O N V IE W

‘Water/Ways’ Care to see a Smithsonian exhibit in Grand Isle, of all places? “Water/Ways,” a Smithsonian Institute traveling exhibition, aims to start a conversation in rural communities around the impact of water on our landscape, industries and resources. The Grand Isle Community Center hosts the show, which includes videos, touchscreens and educational panels, until Aug. 20. From there, it heads off to Madisonville, New Iberia, Natchitoches and Ca-meron through March 2022. The exhibit’s tour of Louisiana came about through a Louisiana Endowment of the Humanities initiative to educate locals about issues facing coastal communities. leh.org

[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

simply couldn’t hold the continuing rainfall, their banks overtopping and pushing floodwater into scores of homes and businesses. When it was all over, the freakish weather event had uprooted tens of thousands of families, totaled cars and cost homeowners untold sums in repairs.

But it also revealed the area’s tireless generosity. Neighbors helped neighbors. Churches and volunteer groups provided labor and meals.

Millions of dollars were raised from local and national donors that went to flood victims and area nonprofits.

The storm was categorized as an anomaly—a one in 1,000-year event in the hardest hit locations—but it foretold the vulnerability of an area awash, quite literally, in bodies of water. Greater Baton Rouge is its own water world, its mostly flat topography crisscrossed by bayous, canals and channels that take on rainfall and water flowing from the north, sending it on to destinations to the south.

But just like Baton Rouge’s

OUR CITY //

E XP LA I N E R

In the works A look at some of the major flood-related projects happening around the parish Stormwater Master Plan A $15 million assessment of the entire drainage system in East Baton Rouge Parish, which FEMA began funding after the 2016 flood. Expected to be completed in late 2022 by engineering firm HNTB, it will identify problem spots and potential solutions, though it will not include funding for the projects to correct those issues.

Comite River Diversion Canal A long-gestating Army Corps of Engineers project to reroute floodwaters from the Comite River west to the Mississippi River rather than south into communities like Zachary, Baker and Central. Many residents complained that the canal could have prevented some damage from the 2016 flood, had it not been mired in decades of federal red tape. In June, it hit another snag over the costs and logistics of relocating a major gas pipeline in its path. The obstacle could delay the project past its initial late 2022 completion date.

STOCK IMAGE

Five Tributaries Project Another Army Corps of Engineers project that aims to improve conditions in Jones Creek, Ward Creek, Bayou Fountain, Blackwater Bayou and Beaver Bayou.

These five waterways, which are considered “sub-basins,” handle three-quarters of the stormwater drainage through the parish. Work is already beginning to clear and widen the channels of Jones Creek, Ward Creek and Bayou Fountain.

Beaver Bayou and Blackwater Bayou are still under environmental review.

Louisiana Watershed Initiative projects In May, East Baton Rouge Parish secured $14 million through this statewide initiative to acquire 200 acres of land along Bayou Duplantier extending from the southern end of University Lake to Ward Creek, and 140 acres along Ward Creek at Airline Highway Park. Both conservation projects will keep the areas from being developed and aid in flooding mitigation.

When morning came to Louisiana, we were wide awake.

Ready for what’s next. And as we begin anew, Blue Cross stands ready to support you. bcbsla.com

01MK7553 04/21

225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

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OUR CITY //

D IGITS

14 inches Amount of rain dumped on the Capital Region this past May 17 and 18. The flooding damaged more than 1,200 homes in the area—many of which had not experienced flooding during 2016’s “onein-1,000-year event.”

71 Number of times you could fill up LSU’s Tiger Stadium with the amount of water BREC’s parks held during the August 2016 flood. Since the disastrous flooding event, BREC has touted the importance of its green spaces, conservation areas and parks, which temporarily held floodwaters—causing only minimal damage to its facilities—and spared nearby neighborhoods. brec.org

70 feet Length of the litter-trapping boom the fledgling Louisiana Stormwater Coalition purchased to place across Bayou Fountain just upstream from the paddle boat launch at BREC’s Highland Road Park. It’s a first step for the group, which formed earlier this year to address trash buildup in Baton Rouge area waterways—a problem that can clog up drainage canals and contribute to flooding. louisianastormwater.com

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A National Guardsman surveys a hard-hit subdivision after helping clear out homes in August 2016.

gridlocked roads, its bodies of water are choked with obstructions. Solving the complex problem of how to improve the manner by which water drains through the parish continues to be one of the biggest issues facing the community.

“I knew when I took office that my administration would need to roll up our sleeves and get to work to address our drainage infrastructure,” Mayor Sharon Weston Broome says.

“We’ve started to roll out some of those projects, certainly not as soon as everybody would like. But contrary to popular belief, we’re going at a pace and a process that, for the most part, has been dictated to us.”

East Baton Rouge Parish currently has more than $750 million in drainage work underway that includes the long-awaited Comite River Diversion Canal, the Five Tributaries Project and several hazard mitigation projects that remove obstructions in a handful of problematic locations.

The slow pace, say Broome and EBR Director of Transportation and Drainage Fred Raiford, has been influenced by the requirements that accompany federal funding, including

[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

conducting environmental surveys to ensure any work doesn’t affect the natural landscape.

“The length of time it takes to get it done is frustrating,” says Jim Urdiales, whose Mestizo Louisiana Mexican Cuisine has flooded four times since 2016, including during the May storm.

The South Acadian Thruway building home to Urdiales’ popular restaurant was constructed in 1969 and sits at a lower elevation than most buildings in the immediate area, Urdiales says. It’s especially vulnerable to flooding when nearby Dawson Creek rises.

“The silver lining of the May event is that it’s on a lot of people’s minds,” Urdiales says. “This is a long-term problem, and it needs long-term thinking.”

An ambitious 20-year Stormwater Master Plan for the parish is using FEMA funding to better understand the flow of water around the city. And while we won’t see the final draft of that assessment for another year, the city is currently trying to create a clean slate in preparation for any resulting projects.

In late June, the Metro Council approved allocating $20 million in

In moratorium IN JUNE, PARISH councils in Ascension and Iberville approved moratoriums on new developments as both parishes struggle to manage drainage issues following the May flood. In contentious public hearings, Ascension’s council trimmed parish president Clint Cointment’s suggestion of a year-long moratorium down to nine months. But the night before the moratorium went into effect in July, the council quickly approved two new subdivisions.

Iberville’s parish council, however, voted unanimously for a one-year moratorium on new development in parts of its jurisdiction, thwarting concerns from businesses and developers that such a move would deal a blow to economic growth.

“Can you guarantee the people who buy your house that that water is going to stay out of there? I don’t think you can,” Matthew Jewell, chair of the Iberville Parish Council, told developers at the meeting.

—FROM NEWS REPORTS

OUR CITY //

S AY W HAT?

“As we saw (in May), things are not going to get better, so we cannot keep spending money on flood risk reduction in the same way we have before.”

—Pat Forbes, executive director of the state Office of Community Development, which oversees federal funds for watershed projects

FILE PHOTO BY COLLIN RICHIE

COVID relief package funding toward drainage projects, which are now underway. That includes clearing vegetation from Dawson Creek, Ward Creed, Claycut Bayou and Elbow Bayou and for cleaning 2,400 storm drains, clearing 1,300 roadside ditches and filling in 1,100 drainage cave-ins, according to Mayor’s Office spokesperson Mark Armstrong.

The Army Corps of Engineers will also begin construction on the Five Tributaries Project in the next few weeks, with “clearing and snagging,” or removing debris, logs and other obstructions from Jones Creek, Ward Creek and Bayou Fountain, Raiford Issue Date: August Ad proof #2 says. Two other tributaries, Beaver • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

Bayou and Bayou, are • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 Blackwater hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.under environmental review currently • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

“Some of these storms, you talk about 50-year storms or 100-year storms, well, they’re happening two times, three times a year, and that ain’t good.

You’ve got to look at some ways to reduce the flood risk.”

—Fred Raiford, city-parish director of transportation and drainage, in a July 7 article by The Advocate

and will be addressed later. All told, the project addresses issues along 66 miles of tributaries that drain into the Amite River, and ultimately, Lake Pontchartrain. These waterways are responsible for carrying stormwater from three-quarters of East Baton Rouge Parish, Armstrong says.

The city has also secured funding to create two watershed conservation projects at Bayou Duplantier and Ward Creek. The areas will be maintained as floodplains and future development will be prohibited within their boundaries. Environmental recreation could be introduced at Bayou Duplantier, which connects the LSU Lakes to Ward Creek.

Future flooding across the parish is a likely possibility, admits Broome,

whose own home flooded in 2016.

Extreme rain events increased by 27% between 1958 and 2012, and their frequency is projected to increase everywhere in the United States, according to the federal government’s National Climate Assessment.

“Water is a way of life for us here, and we have to continue to manage it,” Broome says. “The drainage projects that are underway will help us build a more resilient community.”

In the meantime, families like the Strains—and many others—will be focused on putting their lives back together and preparing for the next big weather event.

Stay on top of the city’s progress in improving drainage by visiting stormwater.brla.gov.

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OUR CITY //

STO

CK IM

AGE

Escape artist THE TWITTERSPHERE LIT up like fireworks in early July with news of a critter escape from the Blue Zoo aquarium in the Mall of Louisiana. Initial media reports were that the mall had to be shut down because a 12-foot yellow Burmese python named Cara had gotten loose from her enclosure and was nowhere to be found. The reports were soon corrected to say that the July 5 escape only caused the closure of the Blue Zoo, which remained closed until the slithering reptile was apprehended roughly two days later.

But that was not before national media jumped on the story, and before long, Cara even had her own satirical Twitter handle, @PythonCara, which remains active with nearly 2,000 followers.

Snake handlers and Blue Zoo employees suspected the python, which is not venomous, had disappeared into crawl spaces above the Blue Zoo itself, which later turned out to be the case.

Video circulated online July 8 showing multiple handlers gently pulling Cara from what appeared to be a ventilator shaft near the ceiling inside the Blue Date: Zoo. SheAugust was then transported the LSU Veterinary School for Issue Ad proofto#2 a medical evaluation before being returned to the mall attraction—where • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. staff hadRUN already added extraorfortifications toreceived her enclosure.

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4.45%

State sales tax that’s to be eliminated from the sale of feminine hygiene products and diapers after the legislature passed a bill on the matter in June. The “pink tax” exemption will go into effect in July 2022.

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26

E FIL

—Former Gov. Edwin Edwards in some of his last words, according to family spokesman Leo Honeycutt’s statement to the Associated Press.

The four-term governor died July 12 at age 93.

An early rendering for a proposed promenade along Dalrymple Drive

BEST FRIES AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT

O

BACK IN 2013, when the Government Street road diet was little more than a vaguely understood idea, planners held a “Better Block” event temporarily taking over multiple blocks of the street to help residents imagine what it might look like once redesigned.

Planners for the LSU and City Park lakes project are organizing a similar pop-up event this month with hopes of generating ideas from the public and exploring how people envision the project going forward. That includes plans for everything from bike and pedestrian lanes to green spaces, pavilions and boardwalks over the water.

Residents will have the opportunity to share feedback on the project during the free event, as well as check out local art and family-friendly activities. The event is set for Sunday, Aug. 8, noon-6 p.m. Find out more at ​​ universitylakesproject.org.

PH

“I have lived a good life, had better breaks than most, had some bad breaks, too, but that’s all part of it. I tried to help as many people as I could, and I hope I did that. And I hope, if I did, that they will help others, too. I love Louisiana, and I always will.”

Designing the lakes

RENDERING COURTESY BRAF

News briefs

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2021 WINNER

BATON ROUGE • BROUSSARD • DENHAM SPRINGS • LAFAYETTE

I AM 225 //

Benny DiChiara THERE’S NOT MUCH that scares Benny DiChiara.

When you escape death by as slim a margin as he says he did, it brings a lot into perspective.

In October 2015, the Christian rock singer suffered a traumatic brain injury. He fell flat on his back on the hardwood floor of his south Baton Rouge home, fracturing the back of his skull and crushing the frontal lobe of his brain.

The injury left him recliner-ridden for months—to keep pressure off his head, he had to rest in an upward position, so even sleeping in a bed wasn’t an option. His wife, Donna, had to take up the role of live-in nurse, giving DiChiara medicine, Powerade and Ensure protein shakes every three hours.

DiChiara says people constantly ask him if his faith was shaken during that period. And while he was certainly plagued by questions and uncertainty as to what function such a traumatic and painful experience could serve, his short answer is: absolutely not.

“Even through all of that, when God lives in you, you don’t sweat the ultimate outcome,” he says, “because you know you’re taken care of.”

One day, about a month after the fall when he was still working through a fog of delirium, he says he suddenly heard a man’s voice echoing in his living room. DiChiara says the voice assured him not only that he would recover from his injury, but also that his God had serious plans for his life moving forward.

The experience inspired him to write “Jeremiah 29:11,” the third song on the Three Days album, which is the latest project from his band, Empowered.

Three Days has enjoyed critical acclaim since its release in June 2019. The first two songs, “Listen to Children” and the title track, “Three Days,” have both charted twice at No. 1 on the Christian nonprofit and music website, IndieGospel.net.

“My hope and my prayer is that the reason these songs are going number one and that this record is getting some recognition,” he says, “is because God is speaking right now, and he’s trying to get everybody’s attention.”

Now, he’s gearing up for the opportunity to once more spread that message through his favorite medium: live concerts. Empowered has yet to play a show since the onset of the pandemic, but once that changes, DiChiara and his bandmates will hit the stage with renewed vigor and enthusiasm for truth, Jesus and rock ‘n’ roll.

“I just hope the audience is ready for that,” he says, “because it’s going to be a party.” rockin4jesus.com

“When you’re miraculously healed—a walking miracle—you’re not afraid of much.”

225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

COLLIN RICHIE

—ZANE PIONTEK

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C OV E R S T ORY

y a d e m a G

K C A IS B

MG MILLER / COURTESY LSU ATHLETICS

r again e h t a g o t y d a e r Baton Rouge is

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

C OV E R S T ORY

BY MARK CLEMENTS

IGER STADIUM has been described in many ways.

According to famed writer and former LSU player John Ed Bradley, “Tiger Stadium is haunted, and all the ghosts favor the home team.”

SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt called it “the best environment I have ever seen for a sporting event in any sport, ever.”

And former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow put it simply by saying, “LSU is just different.”

But when the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year—and the raucous crowds and vibrant atmospheres were traded in for a deserted campus and limited-capacity stadium—“different” took on a whole new meaning.

Words like “quiet” or “empty” aren’t typically associated with Death Valley on game day. But they became the new norm not only in Baton Rouge but on campuses across the country, changing the entire dynamic of a college-football Saturday night.

225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

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C OV E R S T ORY

In July, DVA Tailgating held a practice run to get ready for the season, cooking up dishes like baked beans, smoked mac ‘n’ cheese and pulled pork.

COLLIN RICHIE

“It was not what I was used to, and it’s obviously not anything that LSU has been used to,” senior quarterback Myles Brennan tells 225. “Seeing an empty campus and getting to the (Tiger) Walk and there’s nobody on the barricades—it was definitely a different atmosphere.”

As challenging as it may have been for the players on the field—who have grown accustomed to feeding off the energy of the crowd—the impacts of last season’s safety protocols extended well beyond the concrete Coliseums of Tiger Stadium and A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Part of what makes the local game-day environment so special are the festivities that take place hours, days and even weeks before the opening kickoff.

From the over-abundance of food being prepared and drinks being consumed at tailgates, to the tens of thousands of fans who line Victory Hill for the Tiger Walk, to hearing Southern University’s Human Jukebox perform like no other band in the country, game day in Baton Rouge is a unique experience you just can’t find anywhere else in the country.

“I’ve been all over the world for work—and I’ve been to sporting events all over, as well—and I’ve never seen anything like a Saturday near Tiger Stadium,” says lifelong LSU fan John Richardson, who has been tailgating in the same spot on the Parade Grounds since the 1980s. “After touring a lot of other SEC schools and games, there’s just something special about the beauty of the campus, mixed with the freedom that the tailgaters have actually got (from LSU) for so many years that allow it to become the greatest spectacle in college football. And that’s before you get into the stadium.”

To call tailgating in Baton Rouge a pastime would be selling it particularly short.

Around here, it’s an art form. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a lot more than just another way to spend your Saturday.

Families are formed at tailgates. Lifelong friendships are founded. Careers are cultivated.

And after a year of socially distanced, limited capacity, mask-filled events, game day is finally back in Baton Rouge.

“It’s going to be wild,” says Zach Rau, daydreaming about the first “normal” football game in Baton Rouge in nearly two years. “You’re going to have a lot of pent-up emotion and then just kind of a release.”

Rau, a longtime member of the DVA Tailgating—which stands for Death Valley Adventurers—sums up the anticipation that most people around town are feeling.

After what will essentially be a two-year calm before the storm, that first full home game back in Tiger Stadium on Sept. 11 will inevitably carry some extra weight for LSU fans itching to get back in the action.

Campus will be brimming with excitement again, and those first tailgates will feel bigger and better than ever before.

And a performance like that—similar to LSU’s on-field showing—requires some much-needed practice time.

That’s why Rau and his crew, probably not unlike many other groups, got together in early July for the first tailgate “practice” of the offseason.

The menu looked similar to what Rau might dish out on a standard Saturday: pulled pork, smoked drumsticks, corn grits, baked beans and smoked mac ‘n’ cheese, just to name a few. It’s nothing Rau had forgotten how to cook or hasn’t made in the past two years, but it did help him Continued on page 32

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

Tailgaters setting up

before an Alabama gam

e back in November

2018.

JORDAN HEFLER

OFF-SEASON TRAINING

I ’m with the band

Members of the Golden Band from Tigerland watch the games more closely than perhaps anyone else in the stadium

L

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SU SENIOR ECONOMICS major Nicholas Robichaux remembers getting chills the first time he saw the Golden Band from Tigerland perform. The Thibodaux native was 8 years old and he’d come to Baton Rouge with his family to see LSU play Ole Miss.

“Watching the pre-game was something I will never forget,” Robichaux says. “I knew one day I wanted to be in the marching band.”

Robichaux became a member of the LSU Tiger Marching Band’s trombone section three years ago. This fall, he will serve as the band’s drum major, the student band member who leads the 325-member troupe and ensures its painstakingly crafted gameday agenda is carried out.

Home games are especially demanding, because the fan experience so heavily depends on the band’s execution of musical markers meant to set the mood before, during and after the game. From the march down Victory Hill, to the pregame and halftime shows, to closing songs for die-hards who remain after the game is over, Tiger Band’s contributions to the game-day experience are indispensable. Fans might level insults at players and coaches, but they feel terminal affection for the band.

For band members, game-day starts about six hours before kick-off with a two-hour practice in their indoor facility. After grabbing a bite and changing into their uniforms, they march in formation to the LSU Greek Theatre for section warm-ups.

“Each section of instruments has its own little concert,” Robichaux says. “A lot of friends and family come see us there.”

About 90 minutes before kick-off, LSU’s most emblematic football tradition unfolds. From the Greek Theatre, the band marches down Dalrymple Drive to Field House Drive, pausing at the roundabout before beginning its moving descent down Victory Hill. The drumline keeps time, and when the band’s members are stretched down the hill in perfect formation, four notes boom, filling the air and energizing the crowd of fans with the prelude to a powerful song referred to simply as “Pregame,” a medley fused from two songs, “Tiger Rag” and “Touchdown for LSU.” —Nicholas Robichaux, “There are thousands of people Tiger Band’s drum major on both sides of the hill,

“There are thousands of people on both sides of the hill, and they’re there to see us. It’s really indescribable.”

GARRETT M. EDGERSON / COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

JORDAN HEFLER

Tiger Band performs ahead of LSU’s 2019 season opener against Georgia Southern.

Nicholas Robichaux, Tiger Band’s drum major

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Number of members in the famed Southern University Marching Band, nicknamed the Human Jukebox.

Led by Director of Bands Kedric D. Taylor, Southern’s marching band is known for its heavy brass sound and tightly coordinated dance steps. Every year, the Human Jukebox goes head to head with the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band in the nationally televised Battle of the Bands halftime show during the Bayou Classic, held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Southern-Grambling football game is Nov. 27.

PHOTO COURTE

SY NICHOLAS

ROBICHAUX

and they’re there to see us,” Robichaux says. “It’s really indescribable.”

But whatever thrill a band member might feel, they must suppress it. Marching bands are steeped in military traditions, Robichaux says, and musicians aren’t allowed to smile. Instead, they have to present a uniform, focused front.

As the pregame tune recognizably picks up tempo, fans scream and cheer. The band runs down the hill and heads for the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to put on a small concert for members of Tiger Athletic Foundation.

A short while later, they head to Tiger Stadium, marching through their own dedicated entrance. Once in their seats, the band plays “Zarathustra” by Strauss, the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, before heading onto the field for a pregame performance that excites the crowd.

“The pregame has been the same since the 1950s,” Robichaux says. “People get so excited.”

The band members take their seats again, and the game begins. Perhaps more than any other spectators in the stadium, band members are dialed into each play on the field, staying ready to perform corresponding tunes for first, second, and third downs, touchdowns and extra points and times when the opposing team crosses the 50 yard line.

The halftime show is, of course, a fan favorite, showing the band’s dexterity and talent. But what band members find especially meaningful, Robichaux says, is performing when the game ends. The band plays the alma mater for anyone left in attendance, followed by the moving spiritual, “Let Us Break Bread Together.” Afterwards, they put down their instruments, link arm in arm, and sing the alma mater.

But it’s still not over for Tiger Band. They must return to the band hall and review tape to learn from the day’s on-the-field performances.

Then, finally, they are able to hang up their uniforms and call it a day.

—MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON

225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

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to “knock the rust off” as the group gears up for the fall.

“I hate to say it was nice to get a breather, but it kind of was,” says Rau, reminiscing in the wake of the long and crazy 2019 season that saw LSU make a 15-0 run to the national championship. “I mean, now I feel very refreshed, and I’m ready to get back at it. It’s going to be a wild season. I’m really, really looking forward to it.”

And he’s not just talking about the food, either.

Rau has the unique perspective of having formerly been a member of the Tiger Band while he was a student at LSU from 2008 to 2012. He’s seen firsthand some of the wildest atmospheres Baton Rouge has to offer, including several massive matchups throughout LSU’s run to the national title game in 2011.

He knows how rowdy the crowd can get, and he’s basked in the same energy the players feel walking down Victory Hill into Tiger Stadium before each game surrounded by a sea of purple and gold. “(The Tiger Walk) was without a doubt my favorite part of being in the band,” Rau says. “You’re limited in

what you can see because no matter what, you’re looking forward. So you’ve effectively got blinders on. And all you see … is just walls of people, and you don’t know how far back they go. It’s all on top of you, and it is an indescribable feeling. It’s something that if you could bottle it, you could sell it and be a millionaire.”

The only thing that rivals it?

The pregame march out onto the field, followed by the iconic “dun, dun, dun, dun!” that draws a unanimous roar from the crowd.

Without it, football in Tiger Stadium just simply isn’t the same.

“I mean, that’s game day right there,” Rau says. “And you didn’t have that last year. And I think no matter what—even though they played—no matter what they did in the stadium or outside of it, it was going to be a half-measure, just because it had to be.”

Thankfully, this season will be a different story.

By the end of the spring sports year, LSU had reopened its athletic venues to 100% capacity, and masks were no longer required.

Official plans have not been released for the fall, but athletics director Scott

Pulled pork sandwiches were on the menu at DVA Tailgating’s summer practice party, shown here with member Angelle Leger.

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C OV E R S T ORY

C OV E R S T ORY

Woodward said in a WAFB interview earlier this year he was “very optimistic” that game day will be back to normal.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN It’s not just Baton Rouge that will be back to its old self either.

Campuses across the country are

“It’s going to be wild. You’re going to have a lot of pent-up emotion and then just kind of a release,” says DVA Tailgating member Zach Rau, daydreaming about the first “normal” football game in Baton Rouge in nearly two years.

DVA Tailgating’s Adam Henderson and Terence Delaine toast to the Tigers.

opening up, and after months of travel restrictions, what better time to take a trip to see the Tigers play an away game?

Along with its standard SEC schedule of rotating opponents, LSU also makes its first-ever trip to the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, on Sept. 4 to play UCLA for the first time in school history.

It’s a rare opportunity for the Tigers to play against an uncommon opponent in a legendary stadium, similar to LSU’s trip to Lambeau Field in Wisconsin in 2016.

The LSU Alumni Association’s Traveling Tigers group, which just celebrated its 35th anniversary, takes a little extra pride in planning these unique road trips. It’s not every day you get a plane full of LSU fans bound for Los Angeles for a weekend full of fun and football.

“It’s definitely a little more work because we don’t plan it every two years, like our other schedule. But for us, it’s a new city that we get to introduce our fans to,” says Vice President of Alumni Engagement & Marketing Sally Stiel. “We (work) with other Continued on page 35

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Got

gator ?

N THE DAYS leading up to this year’s LSU vs. Florida game Oct. 16, Chris’s Specialty Foods owner Tressy Leindecker knows her Baton Rouge and Prairieville stores will be inundated with requests for one particular meat.

Alligator.

Chris’s sells Louisiana farm-raised alligator tail meat by the pound, which fans will purchase in large quantities for fried or blackened nuggets and for gator etouffée, she says. And many will request it another way: whole.

“Recently, we’ve seen this trend of people ordering whole gators with the head and tail on, and putting the entire thing on a pit,” Leindecker says. “It makes for a great conversation piece.”

Indeed, in 2019, when ESPN featured the LSU-Florida faceoff on College Gameday, producers asked local restaurateur and veteran tailgater Jay Ducote to smoke a whole alligator for the show.

He obliged, attracting plenty of attention from fans and guests, including actor John Goodman, who posed for pictures with Ducote and his handiwork.

“One of the first things you do when you plan your menu is look at who we’re playing,” says Ducote, author of Jay Ducote’s Louisiana Outdoor Cooking.

A battle with the Mississippi State Bulldogs inspires a play on hot dogs or corn dogs, he says, and one with the South Carolina Gamecocks invites chicken wings and beer-can chicken.

Duking it out with Alabama can trigger an eye-catching elephant fashioned from grilled pork chop “ears” and a pork loin “trunk.” No surprise, playing the Arkansas Razorbacks means specialty butcher shops will see requests for whole hogs.

“Yes, we sell a lot of them for the Arkansas game,” Leindecker says.

“People smoke them whole in Cajun microwaves or on pits.”

There’s plenty of similar action in restaurants, too.

“We definitely see an increase in alligator sales for that week,” says The Chimes manager Brent McLellan about the LSU-Florida game. “We also add specialty items for that week, as well, like grilled alligator sausage and gator chili.”

McLellan says the restaurant’s Chimes East location has also served housemade alligator sausage corn dogs, coopting both Florida’s mascot and the still-puzzling LSU-smells-like-corn-dogs

34

The Chimes’ Gator Bites

insult Alabama fans have hurled at Tigers.

Sammy’s Restaurant also sees healthy sales of blackened and grilled gator when LSU plays Florida, says Kevin Kimball, operations manager for Wayne Stabiler Companies, which owns the restaurant.

Kimball says the restaurant group’s other eateries can get really creative with game week dinner specials.

[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

COLLIN RICHIE

I

LSU tailgaters always find creative ways to eat the opposition

After LSU’s 42-28 “pounding” of Florida in 2019, Palermo briefly added gator picatta, made with Louisiana alligator pounded thin, pan-fried and topped with lemon butter caper sauce.

Kimball says this year is no exception.

“Stabs Prime might do a Louisiana gator and andouille gumbo, and you might see a gator fettuccine dish at the Little Villages,” he says.

Even teams whose mascots don’t convert well to the plate can influence what’s served on game-day.

“When Texas A&M comes to town, I might do Texas-style brisket,” Ducote says. “Or when it’s Tennessee, you might see Nashville hot chicken or Jack Daniels in a sauce. The idea is to get as creative as you can.”

—MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON

C OV E R S T ORY

The LSU Alumni Association’s Traveling Tigers program has been roadtripping to away games for 35 seasons.

PHOTOS COURTESY

TRAVELING TIGERS

UCLA and Kentucky trips were sold (tourism) bureaus, hotels, restauout, but the Traveling Tigers don’t just rants and alumni-owned businesses stop at traveling. in those cities. There’s a ton of LSU The group also plans tailgates on alumni located in most of these cities the road—as big and as elaborate as the we travel to, so where it’s possible, we kind you’d find outside Death Valley— try to get them involved.” so LSU fans can bring that little piece For 2021, the group is planning of Baton Rouge to the opponent’s city. trips to UCLA, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Alabama, offering packages of various Issue Date: August Ad proof #1 “I think everybody understands that home game feel and that you can’t sizes forrespond fans. by Ate-mail the time the or minor • Please or fax of withprint, your approval revisions.

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JORDAN HEFLER

duplicate that, but we do our best to bring that on the road with us,” Stiel says. “We want our tailgates to feel like you never left Baton Rouge—that energy, that passion, that purple and gold kind of chills on your arms when you walk onto campus on a game day.”

Even fans who don’t make the trip through the Traveling Tigers are welcome to attend the group’s tailgates. Ticket prices vary depending on city and location—some are even free to the public— and information will be announced a few weeks prior to the game.

It will be especially important to make people feel at home again, with some tailgaters traveling for the first time since before the pandemic.

“It’s in our culture to want to gather. I think that’s why last year with COVID—and still today— it’s so hard especially for people from (LSU) when we limit that kind of interaction,” Stiel says. “(That’s why) our goal is to replicate that on the road so you don’t feel any different no matter which campus you’re on. You’re feeling that purple and gold kind of passion.”

The Chosen Krewe Tailgate tailgating before an LSU game.

Dyslexia is NOT my Disability, it’s my

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JORDAN HEFLER

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING It feels like forever ago at this point, but not even a year and a half prior to the start of the 2021 season, LSU tied the record for having the most players taken in an NFL draft with 14.

On top of that, there were a handful of other departing seniors who went undrafted and a few additional players who opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. All of that turnover resulted in the Tigers turning to a lot of newcomers to play major roles on the field.

True freshmen like Max Johnson, Kayshon Boutte and Elias Ricks became household names by the end of last year for their stellar performances, while transfers like Jabril Cox, Liam Shanahan and Ali Gaye all provided some added experience to the roster despite being first-year players in Baton Rouge.

But what none of these fresh faces have gotten to witness in person is the special game-day atmosphere that makes LSU such a unique place to play.

None of them had a chance to do a

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C OV E R S T ORY

true Tiger Walk entering the stadium. None have gotten to the field with the crowd chanting every word to “Callin’ Baton Rouge.” None have heard the roar of 100,000-plus fans cheering them on after a game-winning touchdown or pivotal play.

After a frustrating 5-5 season that’s been compounded by several damning revelations about LSU’s off-the-field handling of sexual misconduct cases, the players and fans alike are more than ready to bring some good vibes back to campus.

And for all those new faces who are back in 2021, they’ll get to finally experience their first real dose of the real Tiger Stadium.

“I’m really excited to see a full Tiger Stadium with a full Tiger Walk and a full campus with everybody in it supporting us,” says Gaye, who transferred in from Garden City Community College. “I feel like last year, I just had a little taste of it.

It was sort of emotional for me because that was my first game, and (I was) thinking about everything it took me to get here and everything that I’ve been through. I feel like this is going to be a rewarding season on and off the field, just because of the mentality that I have now getting ready for a full season.”

Issue Date: August Ad proof #2

PHOTOS BY JORDAN HEFLER

LSU fans wait for the Tiger Walk on game day.

LSU cheerleaders leading the

crowd in traditional game• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. cheers on the hill.

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MORE THAN 260,000 VOTES were cast for the 2021 Best of 225 Awards. To celebrate, 225 Magazine threw a ‘90s-themed party! Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you to the 225 fans who joined us at the Best of 225 Experience at the River Center Branch Library in downtown Baton Rouge.

Attendees donned their best ‘90s looks and enjoyed tastings from eight local restaurants: Beausoleil Coastal Cuisine, The Francis Southern Table & Bar, Burgersmith, Elsie’s Plate & Pie,

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The future is mobile

Boutiques on wheels are bringing shopping to a neighborhood or event near you

B Y J E N N IFE R TO R MO // P H OTO S BY CO L L I N R I C H I E

David Aaron Smith and Katelyn Doherty own Art to Geaux, a mobile shop selling the couple’s artwork, handmade jewelry and furniture, and curated vintage clothing.

STYLE // Susan Charlet is co-owner of Barlow, a mobile boutique that began operating last spring.

Barlow worked with The Neon King to design a custom neon sign.

Frog Skin Graphics produced the shop’s signature striped wrap.

Barlow stocks women’s clothing from brands like English Factory, THML, En Saison, AG Jeans and Articles of Society.

SUSAN CHARLET HAS gotten used to it. When people first step inside her Barlow boutique, it’s always a chorus of the same exclamations: “Oh my gosh,” or “It’s so cute.”

And inevitably, the next reaction usually is: “This place is much roomier than it looks from the outside.”

The exterior looks like a compact box on wheels. Wrapped in stylish pink, yellow and blue stripes and crowned by a pink neon sign that reads “Barlow,” it’s the kind of structure that immediately catches your eye and makes you want to peek inside.

Whitewashed wood floors and built-in white shelving help the interior feel light and airy. An abstract mural in blue, pink and gold—painted on one wall by Charlet’s son, Cage— adds personality.

Like a well-organized walk-in closet, everything has its place.

Dresses and blouses hang neatly from

44

[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

rose gold-capped velvet hangers. Hats and bags are perched on shelves.

There’s even a private dressing room with a floor-to-ceiling mirror and a bench. Shoppers can try on dressy-casual shirts and dresses from brands like English Factory, THML, En Saison, AG Jeans and Articles of Society.

The stock caters to a variety of ages and backgrounds. “I can buy something, or my daughter can buy something,” Charlet says.

Charlet and her husband, Don, had long dreamed of opening a clothing boutique. They even had a name: Barlow, after a boat they’d sailed on in the British Virgin Islands.

In 2019, they started work on the store. But instead of opening a brickand-mortar, they decided to take a risk on a different concept.

“I’d been following similar (fashion) trucks out of Dallas, but I hadn’t seen anything like them here in Baton

Rouge,” Charlet says. “I thought: How fun would it be to be able to bring a boutique to a high school on a Friday afternoon, so the teachers can shop on their breaks? Or to a hospital, where staff might normally get off work too late to shop at a store? We could bring it to different neighborhoods or parties and make shopping into more of an experience.”

The Charlets originally planned to build Barlow inside an old airstream, but the ceilings turned out to be too low and the space too cramped.

Instead, they built a trailer from scratch. Don sketched to-scale drawings and worked with fabricators to build the shop’s body and interior cabinetry. The process took nearly a year, but the boutique was finally ready to open by April 2020.

Barlow’s home base is St. Francisville, parked outside of Corbel, the custom interiors and furniture studio the Charlets own. Eventually,

the Charlets plan to build a mixeduse development in downtown St. Francisville, which will also be home to a Barlow brick-and-mortar.

In the meantime, the boutique will continue venturing all over the Capital Region and beyond.

Opening in the midst of the pandemic derailed some of Barlow’s early travel plans, but it finally hit the road to the Round Top Antiques Show last fall and this past spring.

Sitting in the open fields of rural Texas, leisurely sipping margaritas at 4 p.m., the Charlets met people from all over the world—and plenty of visiting Louisianans, too. Next, they’ll drive to Nashville for a summer pop-up. More road trips are sure to come.

It’s just what the Charlets dreamed of when deciding to open a mobile shop.

“We can take it anywhere,” Charlet says.

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A growing trend Baton Rouge’s food truck culture has evolved consistently over the past decade. Now, other types of companies are getting in on the mobile business model.

A handful of cocktail carts roam the region, available to rent for events or parties. More recently, moveable boutiques like Barlow have begun selling items such as clothing and art.

The biggest growth yet will come with the fall 2021 opening of Urban Traders, a retail park with leasable vintage trailers in Mid City.

Pink- and yellow-hued trailers will rest underneath sun-shielding canopies in a lot adorned with murals, says developer Melanie Way. There will be picnic tables and a large screen for movie nights. Eventually, Way imagines hosting events like fashion shows.

“It’s going to have a nostalgic feel.

Everybody just loves vintage campers, whether or not you’ve camped in one.

They’re great spaces to be creative in,” she says.

Work for the first phase is currently underway on Government Street, about two blocks from Curbside.

Initially, the park will feature four boutiques, two food and beverage venues, and green space for music and movies. It is expected to be completed by September or October.

Phase two of construction will begin next year, adding more event space and trailers.

Way has pre-leased two of the spots to her own concepts: Red Stick Edit, a T-shirt and gift boutique with curated local goods; and Coffee Star/ Snow, a shop serving cold coffees and snoballs.

As of press time, she was in talks with a vintage shop, a regional boutique and a specialty ice cream shop about possibly leasing some of the open slots.

“I wanted to make opportunities for creative entrepreneurs and budding business owners,” Way says. “A brickand-mortar store is so expensive.

From a business standpoint, this makes a lot of sense.”

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FOR LOCATIONS + COST + MORE INFO: brec.org/ARTunWINEd Must be 21 to join the fun!

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Is a food truck park coming to BR? Baton Rouge has tested weekly food truck roundups before, but now a permanent roundup could be on the way. Selam Negatu is working on plans for the Baton Rouge Food Truck Village, a 0.75-acre food truck park at the University Terrace subdivision. Negatu hopes to house at least six food trucks on the property.

“We want to create a centralized location for the community to go and visit the different types of food trucks we already have in the city and try their different cuisines,” she says. instagram.com/br_foodtruckvillage

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RENDERING BY PLUSONE ARCHITECTS / COURTESY URBAN TRADERS

YOUR LOVED ONES DESERVE SERENITY

A rendering of Urban Traders after both phases of construction are completed.

Susan Charlet, who envisions someday opening a storefront for Barlow, had a similar perspective. She says she was attracted to the mobile model because it is much more cost effective than buying or leasing a building.

Way has been working out of an Airstream she converted into a home office more than 10 years ago, so she’s familiar with building, designing and decorating mobile spaces. She’ll outfit all the trailers herself and then lease them to tenants.

And just like Charlet drew Barlow’s inspiration from Dallas—where mobile boutiques have rolled around the city for the past decade—Way has looked to Austin’s food truck parks for ideas.

In some parts of the Texas capital, you’ll find multiple food parks within blocks of each other.

At Urban Traders, Way hopes to combine the energy of signature Baton Rouge events like MidCity Makers Market with the Austin-style parks: colorful, communal spaces with picnic tables, string lights and locally produced goods.

“I think when visitors step into our lot, they’re going to see a welcoming, inclusive space—a place to meet their friends, bring their kids,” Way says.

Parking will be limited at the Urban Traders, but Way hopes the recently completed

“My son went through both the inpatient and outpatient treatment programs at Serenity and the transformation he made and education and coping skills he learned leaves me incredibly hopeful for his future. From my first week visit I saw the center making a difference in him. Thank you to the staff and administration for their help – you were a light for me when my family was in a dark place and for that I am grateful” —Parent Testimonial

COURTESY SIP, A TRAVELING TAP

BAR CARTS A few cocktail trailers around town: SIP, A Traveling Tap 1967 Fleetwing travel trailer with three taps for wine and craft cocktails instagram.com/sip__225 Sweetbay Botanical Company Cocktail cart and flower wagon with four taps and ever-changing floral installations sweetbaybotanical.com

Right here, Right now, Life changes for the better Addiction Recovery and Treatment Center

Tin Lily’s Mobile Bar & Event Services 1959 Shasta camper serving all types of beverages instagram.com/tinlilysmobilebar

pedestrian-friendly upgrades to Government Street will be perfectly timed for its grand opening.

“We have to get people used to walking somewhere rather than driving,” she says. “The more development we have here, that synergy will just sort of happen.”

A walkable, shoppable park seems just the kind of thing to help change people’s minds.

225.361.0899 • On call 24 hr. 225.241.9471

Baton Rouge, LA • www.serenitycenterla.com 225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

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STYLE // Art to Geaux was constructed from a 1950s canned-ham-style trailer.

From Death Valley to Death Valley Nearly 2,000 miles from Baton Rouge, in the middle of the Mojave Desert, David Aaron Smith and Katelyn Doherty fell in love.

The couple met while working together at Villa Anita, a two-acre Airbnb property in the remote Death Valley town of Tecopa, California.

All of its buildings are made from repurposed materials, including one rental made from pieces of a salvaged boat and another suite made entirely of glass bottles. “It’s like being inside a kaleidoscope,” Doherty says, describing the village’s “Bottle Cottage.”

During their three years together at Villa Anita, Smith and Doherty fell in love not just with each other, but with a lifestyle that emphasizes simplicity and sustainability. With little cell service and not even a grocery store in town, their days revolved around making pieces for the on-site nonprofit art museum, cooking from the village’s garden and getting lost in conversation with travelers from all over the world.

It’s the same kind of living they wanted to replicate when they relocated during the pandemic to Smith’s hometown of Gonzales. One

of their first quarantine projects was converting a 1950s canned-ham-style metal trailer to a mobile art boutique.

After they gutted and restored the interior, Doherty painted the floors sage green and covered the walls and ceilings with a swirled mural.

The couple affixed their artwork to the walls in carefully arranged mini galleries, each one fitted in secondhand frames. In one corner, they installed a clothing rod to stock with vintage clothing finds. A rug and some secondhand storage furniture provided the finishing touches. Art to Geaux was ready to hit the road.

Since launching earlier this year, the shop has traveled around south Louisiana, from Holden to New Orleans. The couple’s favorite experience so far was the BRtistic Festival at Tin Roof Brewery in April.

“We’ve been all around the region, but the best response and support we saw was here in Baton Rouge,” Smith says.

During an event like BRtistic, shoppers enter the trailer to the sounds of a scratchy record playing on the turntable. Doherty’s jewelry is spread on a console table, each piece handmade from recycled beads, wood or metal carved into stars, swirls and

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STYLE // Doherty painted the floor-to-ceiling mural inside the shop.

zigzags. Suede fringe jackets, crocheted sweaters, camp shirts and matching sets hang from the clothing rack.

A mix of the couple’s artwork is for sale on the walls.

Doherty makes airy collage art and funky mixed media pieces, including mirrors framed by cassette tapes, flowers and alligator figures. Smith’s paintings are pastel-hued, ethereal depictions of mythical creatures and people. He also makes furniture and clothing.

They keep extra artwork tucked away in drawers. Once something gets sold, a new piece goes up on the wall.

“The space keeps evolving each hour we sit there,” Doherty says.

When Art to Geaux is not traveling, it’s parked on Smith’s family’s property in Gonzales, a sprawling lot with two bungalows and vast green fields full of leafy trees and buzzing bugs.

Just down the road, there’s a vacant building that once housed the family’s antique shop.

Art to Geaux has given the couple a taste for running a shop, and now they are thinking about reviving the old antique store in some way, too.

Smith and Doherty are not sure yet what that looks like—whether it’s restoring the store, figuring out a way

to incorporate antiques into the mobile model, or even selling furniture and art directly from their home.

But if the past year has proven anything to them, it’s that nothing is off the table.

“Retail is changing,” Smith says.

“Now, we’re thinking: How do we (provide that) estate-sale experience, where people can buy things off the walls?”

The couple is certain of one thing, though. Creating a mobile shop has already opened new doors and connected them to so many people.

It’s a similar feeling of limitless opportunities Susan Charlet describes when thinking of the places she’s brought Barlow. It’s how Melanie Way envisions Urban Traders building bridges within and beyond our community, too.

This is surely only the beginning of the road.

ONLINE barlowfashion.com instagram.com/ urbantradersbr instagram.com/arttogeauxx

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I N S I D E : Food incubator vendors / Fete Rouge / A unique take on shrimp boils

Small wonders

Finding a new culinary experience and a variety of shareable options at the revamped Beausoleil

COLLIN RICHIE

The Smoked Burrata salad is adorned with green pea puree, roasted Brussels sprouts, candied prosciutto and asparagus all sprinkled with a vegetable ash seasoning.

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• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless revision requests are received within 24 hours.

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TA ST E / /

R E S TA U R A N T R E V I E W

Beausoleil Coastal Cuisine

BY D.J. BE AUTICI A // P H OTOS B Y COLLIN R IC HI E

Our food critic’s name may be false, but the credentials are not. This gastronome has studied the history, cultivation, preparation, science and technology of food for more than 30 years. beausoleilcoastal.com 7731 Jefferson Highway Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

BEAUSOLEIL USED TO be a go-to spot for me, but over time, my interest waned. To say that the restaurant has now shifted its focus under City Group Hospitality is an understatement. I was blown away with the upgrades to the menu and the space that took place late last year. The once-familiar restaurant has now adopted a whole new dining style focused on elevated seafood dishes.

Similar to restaurants across the country, Beausoleil has jumped on the small plates trend. Shareable offerings allow a table to get a sampling of the chef’s strong suits before moving on to the main entree. At Beausoleil, those small plate offerings range from raw to cold and hot choices—and we decided to make a meal out of them.

We started with the Golden Sun Roll, which was presented as a sushi roll. Before I dove in, I was drawn to the red smear in the center of the plate. This curry gochujang sauce was a perfect representation of both ingredients. Tropical fruit was listed in the menu description but was lost with all the mayonnaise and opulent

lobster, crab and shrimp. A crown of pickled jalapeños and a slice of raw tuna capped the roll perfectly, offering a cleansing counterpoint to the luxurious interior.

In the Smoked Burrata salad, a huge ball of burrata cheese was sauced with a gorgeous pea purée that was light and lovely. A scattering of salty candied prosciutto surrounded the burrata, while halves of crisp, roasted Brussels sprouts added a nice vegetal component.

Deviled Lobster Boudin sounded so intriguing. It was sauced with a kind of sweet mole-barbecue sauce that surprisingly did not overwhelm.

But the spice mixture in the rice completely masked the lobster, and it was the least favorite dish for everyone at our table.

From the “On Toast” section, we tried the Mushroom Sauté. An enormous mound of local mushrooms was piled high atop ciabatta smeared with a savory truffle compound butter. One would think the extra butter would be overindulgent, but in fact it made the dish’s flavor and

THE BASICS: Beausoleil reopened under new management in November 2020 after City Group Hospitality took over the local trailblazer for elevated Southern cuisine. Chef David Dickensauge, known previously for an inventive menu at Bin 77, has added his stamp to Beausoleil’s seafoodfocused cuisine layered with interesting flavors and textures.

WHAT’S A MUST: Do like our reviewer did and make a meal out of small plates. Try the restaurant’s take on sushi with the Golden Sun Roll, or cut into the creamy Smoked Burrata salad. Want some carbs?

Munch on the Mushroom Sauté on housemade ciabatta.

For dessert, the restaurant brought back its classic, decadent Pot de Creme.

composition sing. Textural contrasts abounded, with some mushrooms chewy while others were tender. This and a tossed salad would make for an excellent light supper.

Less light and more sumptuous was the Chicken + Dumplings dish.

Shredded chunks of tender chicken were paired with light, pillowy sweetpotato gnocchi, making this appetizer worthy of an entree. Subtle truffle notes colored the rich dish, while firm, earthy mushrooms added more heft.

Hidden underneath puff pastry, a crispy pork cracklin and colorful garnishes, the Chicken + Dumplings featured shredded chicken and sweet-potato gnocchi in a rich truffle sauce.

225batonrouge.com | [225] August 2021

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TA ST E / /

The French Onion Consume was the most luxurious-sounding item on the menu. It included foie gras-stuffed wontons, so I couldn’t resist ordering.

Crisp cauliflower was a surprise, as were the slices of tofu. Though dark, the sauce was refined and refreshing.

As for those wontons, they were ridiculously lavish and luscious. I didn’t want to share, but I couldn’t eat more than one bite, it was so obscenely indulgent.

Surprisingly, all of our small plates came out at once rather than at a more spread-out pace. Our table was tiny and the large dishware left little room as food kept coming. We rushed to eat, but unfortunately some hot items had cooled off by the time we were able to enjoy them.

The menu is so ambitious, and we were all concerned whether it could consistently be executed. We wondered if the kitchen team might be doing too much at one time, especially given the lasting strains the pandemic has left on the restaurant industry.

Nonetheless, we were overall impressed and still more than ready to indulge in dessert by the end of our meal.

Starting with Pot de Creme, this old favorite of the original Beausoleil menu was brought back to raves

Served in a small, chilled silver pitcher, the Pot de Creme dessert hides decadent chocolate under a mound of whipped cream.

and whoops. Ambrosial, chocolatey, mousse/pudding magic is still served in a demure silver pitcher perfect for two to share or one selfish chocoholic to hoard. It’s topped by, dare I say, an unnecessary dollop of whipped cream.

Bananas Foster Creme Brûlée was our server’s favorite. It was extremely boozy from banana liqueur but truly delightful. We thought the roasted sugar on top was wholly delectable.

Made by a local baker, the Red Velvet Cake was an apparent must-have for my friend and consequently was ordered for our table. It was extremely moist but with an overabundant sugary sweetness. If cloying sugariness is your thing, this is the cake for you.

Described as a lava cake, Mexican Mink Cake was anything but. Crumbly airy chocolate cake was highlighted with tinges of chili powder that heightened the chocolate flavor. Shards of peanut brittle were scattered around offering crunch and whimsy to this requisite curious dessert.

With the wide variety of dishes, it’s clear the new and improved Beausoleil is trying to modernize both ingredients and preparation styles. And based on the dishes we tried, the restaurant is definitely on a great path lined with interesting flavors.

The Golden Sun Roll features boiled shrimp, po ached lobster, crab, tuna, eel sa uce and a complex curry go chujang sauce.

The updated and airy interior turned the cramped former bar into a full-service raw bar.

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TA ST E / /

Launch pad

By Maggie Heyn Richardson // Photos by Sean Gasser

Here’s a look at some of the food businesses getting a boost from LSU AgCenter’s food incubator, now rebranded as Foodii MAYBE THE PANDEMIC gave people a new lease on life or a chance to pursue their passions, but there’s been a wave of interest in food startups, according to Foodii Operations Manager and R&D Chef Jason Gilfour.

Opened in 2013 as the LSU AgCenter’s food business incubator, it rebranded in June as the Food

Innovation Institute, or Foodii. The facility is currently home to 39 food start-up tenants, helping culinary entrepreneurs from Hanley’s Foods to Davey’s Treasures figure out how to produce, package and launch new products.

“We’re seeing more minorities and women interested in starting food

businesses,” Gilfour says, “and we’re seeing restaurant owners want to start a product line in order to create a new retail revenue stream.”

The incubator has also expanded to five different facilities, including its flagship production facility at Ingram Hall on LSU’s campus, a food lab and baked goods division, a show kitchen

Chilly treats

for demos and tastings, a dairy facility and a bottling plant that can produce as many as 25,000 bottles a day.

Here are a couple of recent additions to Foodii’s roster of businesses, which you’ve probably already seen represented on the shelves of local grocers. lsuagcenter.com/FOODii

Ready to pop

Lake Charles-based Boom Box Frozen Pops and Ice Cream shifted production to the incubator and dairy facility after Hurricane Laura slammed into southwest Louisiana and shuttered business last fall.

Founder Nick Villaume moved Boom Box’s production to Foodii while the company bounces back and expands.

Check out flavors like the salted caramel “I Caramelt With You” and the “Worm-Up!” featuring lemonade and gummy worms.

When it comes to fancy popcorn, sisters Bailey and Harper Galloway believe that butter, caramel and cheese don’t go far enough.

Along with their mom, Ebony McCallister, these Baton Rouge entrepreneurs created Posh Pop, a boutique popcorn venture that blends popcorn with a mash-up of flavors and textures, including cereal, pretzels, marshmallows and candies.

Two of the most popular flavors: Praline Paradise and Campfire S’mores.

The spicy stuff

Sisters Bailey and Harper Galloway and mom Ebony McCallister of Posh Pop

Ponchatoula Pepper Company founder Kevin McKlveen uses the Foodii facility to bottle several varieties of his small-batch pepper jelly. Besides his classic pepper jelly and spicy flavors like orange habanero pepper jelly, McKlveen also produces candied jalapenos.

Jonathan Francis of Pranam Superfoods Antioxidant-Rich Nutrition Bars

Super food Pranam Superfoods founder and research scientist Joseph Francis and his son, Jonathan, created a line of vegan, antioxidant-rich nutrition bars, made with berries and other superfoods. Known as Pranam Antioxidant-Rich Nutrition Bars, it features flavors like blueberry and quinoa, mango and a Chinese fruit known as the yumberry.

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

DESIGN • BUILD • MAINTAIN

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IRRIGATION • LIGHTING • LAWN CARE MAINTENANCE • LANDSCAPING

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TA ST E / /

EVENTS

Ready to fete Fête Rouge is back, determined to be better than ever

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For 43 YEARS, we’ve been driving happy couples, bridal parties, and special guests on the Big Day.

IMPECCABLE SERVICE. STYLISH VEHICLES. ELEGANT DETAILS. THAT’S THE RIVERSIDE LIMOUSINES WAY. Call 225-928-5466 or visit www.riversidelimos.com to book today.

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

Participants enjoy sampling dishes at the 2018 Fête Rouge

FILE PHOTOS

restaurants, whose teams THE BATON ROUGE Epicurean Society’s will prepare a dish in 14th annual food and wine gathering, one of four categories: Fête Rouge, is returning this month meat, seafood, Louisiana after the pandemic sidelined it in 2020. flavor and dessert. Each Organizers have been working to make category will be judged, sure this year’s culinary gathering, which with first, second and third will attract about 1,000 guests, will be place prizes awarded. splashier than ever.

Expect to nibble dishes “We’re expecting to sell out, as we from Houmas House, Rouj always do,” BRES board president and Creole, Mestizo, Lucky Mestizo Louisiana Mexican Cuisine Dogs, Calandro’s, Chef owner Jim Urdiales says. “We’ll have Don Bergeron, City Pork food tables and wine tables for tasting, and the forthcoming City and we’re planning a very festive, party Group Hospitality restauatmosphere.” rant Spoke and Hub, Urdiales is working with August Events which is in the works on Government to stage a flow that encourages both a Street. social and culinary experience for guests, Regional wine distributors will be on he says. The food and wine celebration hand to offer samples of 200 different will be returning to the events center wines, including varietals from domestic inside L’Auberge Casino & Hotel. and international producers. The wines “Coming off of last year, people are will also be judged and awarded prizes. very anxious for a real party,” he says.

Fête Rouge will be held Friday, “We want your jaw to drop when you Aug. 27, at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel. walk in.”

It’s one of several annual events hosted Along with about 30 tasting tables,

by BRES, a nonprofit intended to event planners will create a central expand the Baton Rouge culinary scene gathering area where patrons can while raising money and awareness for regroup and visit with friends before childhood nutrition initiatives, education heading back out to taste more.

Issue Date: Ad2Pa-proof and #3scholarships. bresbr.org/fete-rouge And the tastingNovember will be significant.

• Please respond by e-mail or faxfrom with your approval or minor revisions. trons can sample portions regional —MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless revision requests are received within 24 hours.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless revision requests are received within 24 hours.

• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

THANK YOU BATON ROUGE! VOTED BEST CATERER FOR 8 YEARS!

WEDDINGS REHEARSAL DINNERS ENGAGEMENT PARTIES CORPORATE EVENTS TAILGATES EVENT PLANNING

CHEF DON BERGERON

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DINING IN

Different kind of boil We’re taking the classic shrimp boil to the grill with this menu fit for a backyard hangout or the tailgate party B Y TR AC E Y KO C H A N D STEPH ANI E R I EGEL P HOTO S BY AMY S HU T T

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• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.

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Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

AUGUST IS SUCH a long, hot month. We wanted to come up with a menu that would be quick to throw together and would not require spending too much time over a hot stove or steamy grill. Our main course is a fun shrimp boil that is low stress and can be prepped way in advance. Better still, it takes only minutes to cook on the grill. Everything is cooked in individual foil packets, so it takes even less time to clean up. Paired with our fizzy twist on a margarita and a sweet, chocolatey dessert, this is a great menu to bring to a potluck supper, enjoy poolside or even take out to a tailgate.

On the menu • Boiled Shrimp on the Grill • Cocktail Sauce • Beer Margaritas • Candy Bar Bark Recipes by Tracey Koch

Boiled Shrimp on the Grill 1. Bring the water to a rolling boil.

Boiled shrimp always seem to be in season around here. They are a treat to eat and a real crowd pleaser. We love this recipe because the shrimp and other ingredients are cooked in their own juices as opposed to boiling in a large amount of water, which tends to dilute flavors. This rendition of a shrimp boil takes about 30 minutes of prep and is a great dish to take out to a tailgate, picnic, beach trip or backyard barbecue. The individual packets lend themselves quite well to casual entertaining at home or on the go.

The cocktail sauce we paired with the shrimp is a snap to throw together and is the perfect dipping sauce. No plates or utensils required, which makes cleanup a breeze.

4. In a small sauce pot, melt the butter. Then add the garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire and dried seasonings. Saute for 1 minute, turn off the heat and set it aside.

Servings: 6

5. Peel the onion, cut into 6 wedges

4 quarts water ½ cup liquid seafood boil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 pound small new potatoes, cleaned and cut in half 3 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut in half 1 stick butter 3 teaspoons minced garlic ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 1½ teaspoons dried Creole or seafood seasoning blend ¼ teaspoon dried Italian herbs 1 large sweet onion 1 pound smoked andouille or smoked regular sausage cut into 2-inch slices 2 pounds large shrimp (peeled and deveined with tails on) 6 (12-by-12-inch) pieces of aluminum foil

Add the seafood boil and kosher salt.

2. Add the new potatoes and corn,

and bring back up to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or just until the potatoes begin to become tender.

3. Drain the corn and potatoes. Set them aside.

and place into a large mixing bowl.

6. Add the potatoes, corn, sausage and shrimp to the bowl.

7. Pour the melted butter mixture over everything and toss to coat.

8. Divide everything between the

6 pieces of foil. Fold up the foil to create 6 individual packets and crimp the edges to make sure each one is sealed.

9. Place the foil packets into the

fridge until you are ready to grill them. This may be done several hours ahead.

10. Heat the grill to 400 degrees and place the packets on the hot grill.

Cook for 12 to 14 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve immediately.

Note: The shrimp boil packets can also be cooked in a 400-degree oven, as well.

Reveal beautiful skin before the summer is over & lounge poolside with confidence

Cocktail Sauce Servings: 6 1 cup ketchup ½ cup prepared horseradish sauce ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ¼ teaspoon Creole seasoning 1 teaspoon hot sauce

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine everything together and stir until well blended.

2. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.

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TA ST E / /

Beer Margaritas We love making homemade margaritas and serve them often when entertaining. A good margarita on the rocks is a great cocktail for a crowd, and this recipe is a delicious and refreshing take to help get any party started. There are many beer margarita recipes out there, but we shy away from most of them because they use frozen limeade concentrate, which makes the margarita a bit too sweet. Our version uses fresh lime juice and a little simple syrup, which produces a more tangy, refreshing cocktail. We recommend using a lighter beer, such as a lager or pilsner, to ensure a nice balance of flavors.

Servings: Yields 32 ounces, or around 6-8 servings ¾ cup (6 ounces) simple syrup 1 cup (8 ounces) fresh lime juice ¾ cup (6 ounces) silver tequila 12 ounces cold beer Ice ½ cup kosher salt Lime wedges for garnish

1. In a large pitcher, combine the simple syrup, lime juice and tequila.

2. Slowly add in the cold beer and gently stir to combine.

3. Pour the kosher salt into a shallow dish.

4. Dip the rims of 4- to-5-ounce glasses into water and

then kosher salt. Fill each glass with ice and divide the beer margaritas between each glass.

5. Set a lime wedge on the edge of each glass and serve.

Candy Bar Bark A good candy bar brings out the kid in all of us, and this little gem of a sweet treat will not disappoint. The buttery, crunchy graham cracker toffee base has just the right amount of sweetness and is the perfect complement to the chocolate. We like using a mix of both dark and milk chocolate, along with dry roasted peanuts— though this recipe works well with almonds, pecans or walnuts. This is a fun recipe for changing the topping up to suit any sweet tooth.

Servings: Makes 1 8-by-8-inch pan 12-16 graham crackers 1 stick butter ½ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup dark chocolate chips 1 cup milk chocolate chips ½ cup chopped dry roasted peanuts ½ cup crushed pretzels ½ cup peanut butter or caramel chips

1. Line an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan with nonstick foil. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the graham crackers side by side along the bottom of the lined pan.

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3. In a heavy sauce pot, melt the butter and

brown sugar together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir mixture as it boils for 4 minutes to create toffee.

4. Carefully remove from the heat and pour the

toffee over the graham crackers. Use a butter knife or small metal spatula to spread this out evenly.

5. Place this into the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the edges begin to bubble.

6. Remove from the oven, and spread both the

dark and milk chocolate chips over the bubbly toffee. Allow the chips to begin to melt, and then use a knife to spread the chocolate out smoothly.

7. Sprinkle the warm chocolate layer with the

chopped peanuts, crushed pretzels and peanut butter chips.

8. Allow the candy bark to cool in the pan for 5

minutes. Then use the foil edges to gently lift the candy bark out of the pan. Place it onto a cooling rack for another 10-15 minutes to set.

9. Place the bark into the fridge to cool

completely. When you are ready to serve, remove it from the fridge for 5 minutes, and then use a sharp knife to break it into pieces. Store the bark in an airtight container for up to one week … if it lasts that long.

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CULTURE I N S I D E : Jessica Roy’s mixed media art / Bandito Fest and more local arts and music events

A rendering of the theater’s improved exterior

Dim the lights The River Center Performing Arts Theatre reopens this fall, just in time to welcome returning shows and guests to the renovated space

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za was still under the River Center Pla ce area The exterior facing stly concrete entran mo the up g nin e, ope by. constr uction in Jun ural light to the lob nat re mo and els ss pan to add plenty of gla

BATON ROUGE PERFORMING arts fans have a lot to be excited about this fall—and not just because pandemic restrictions have eased. After a three-year renovation, the River Center Performing Arts Theatre is finally set to reopen in September, just in time for a full slate of events.

The $16.2 million renovation project includes significant updates to the interior and exterior of the 44-year-old building, including a retooled façade and entrance plaza, an expanded lobby, improved acoustics and larger seats with center aisles that allow for better movement.

The refreshed performance hall will help the Capital City attract more touring acts. Its reopening also means local arts organizations that perform here can return to their home stage.

“We’ve been vagabonds for the last few years,” Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Eric Marshall says. “It’s going to be huge to be back in the facility.”

The symphony, which will kick off its 75th season in November at the theater, spent the last three years playing in smaller local venues, namely First Baptist Church in downtown Baton Rouge. Marshall says the organization was grateful for the chance to keep playing, but its musicians are clamoring to get back into the larger, more acoustically appropriate space.

Similarly, Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre had to find a temporary home for its signature annual event, The Nutcracker, A Tale from the Bayou, which was staged at the Raising Cane’s

A render ing of

COURTESY POS T ARC

COLLIN RICHIE

C U LT U R E / /

the new lobby

River Center Arena in 2018 and 2019.

The performance was canceled last year due to COVID-19.

“We’ve had patrons tell us that it didn’t feel like Christmas to them without coming to see the show at the theater,” BRBT co-artistic director Molly Buchmann says. “We can’t wait to get back in. The audience is going to be much more comfortable, and the experience is going to be a lot more elegant.”

The theater’s former austere, utilitarian exterior has been softened by an overlay of glass and metal. There will be a new drop off lane on St. Louis Street for guests, and depending on the show, there could also be valet parking.

The plaza surrounding the theater, formerly reachable by disconnected sets of steps, is now on one level.

The new plaza design is intended to welcome patrons, and will serve as spillover space to the updated lobby.

The lobby, in fact, saw some of the biggest changes, says project architect and Post Architects owner Lisa Nice.

“One of the things I kept in the back of my mind throughout the process was I didn’t want anyone to wonder, ‘Was this here before?’” Nice says.

Inside the lobby, ’70s-style wood paneling has been replaced by painted sheetrock. Throughout, the color palette features cool grays and blues with champagne accents. Patrons will also find new flooring and finishes, updated and expanded restrooms and two public elevators, part of a thorough overhaul that has made every aspect of the building ADA compliant. Concessions

areas—crowded chokepoints in the past—have been expanded to include 16 point-of-sale stations that include both full-service and digital kiosks.

By installing glass on the front of the building, and by shifting the front entrance slightly toward the Mississippi River and away from the City Hall building opposite the plaza, visitors will have a wider, more appealing view of Repentance Park, the Old State Capitol and the river itself, Nice says.

While the theater already had favorable acoustics for the symphony orchestra, it needed updating for other kinds of shows, like dramas, musicals and stand-up comedy. Grace Hebert Curtis architect Damien Job, who worked on the project’s auditorium changes, says acoustical wiring has been added along the walls of the performance hall to improve the sound clarity of these kinds of experiences.

The wiring will be hidden behind fabric panels. Back of the house controls for the stage manager and tech crews have also been updated.

The former continental-style seating, defined by long, uninterrupted rows, has been replaced by seating punctuated by central aisles. This will make it more convenient for patrons to get up and move around when necessary, Job says. The seats themselves will be larger, a jump from between 17 to 19 inches to between 20 to 22 inches.

There will also be new higher-end box seating with beverage consoles and easy access to concession stations, he says.

The River Center Theatre is the only

local facility with around 1,800 seats, a “sweet spot” for attracting a big range of touring performers and shows, says Les Crooks, Regional General Manager of SMG, which manages the facility.

By comparison, the Manship Theatre seats around 300, and the River Center Arena seats up to 12,000.

“Being open again gives us the ability to book acts that want to be in a space this size, and there are a lot of them out there,” Crooks says.

The River Center Theatre’s 20212022 season should feature more than two dozen different events this fall alone. The season also includes five Broadway shows, three of which have never been staged in the Capital City, Crooks says.

“We’re bullish on the theater and the business it’s going to bring,” he says.

“Updating it is going to make it a lot easier to attract many popular acts to Baton Rouge.”

Check it out While the River Center Theatre is set to reopen in September, some dates for performing arts events had not been made public by 225’s press deadlines. Below are some fall events previously confirmed for the venue. Find out more at raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

OCT. 9-10: Paw Patrol Live, “The Great Pirate Adventure” OCT. 15: An Evening with C.S. Lewis, starring David Payne NOV. 21: John Crist’s Fresh Cuts Comedy Tour

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ALL MONTH Baton Rouge Gallery features a selection of paintings, sculpture, interactive installations and photography from artists Anita Cooke, Audra Kohout, Hye Yeon Nam and Thomas Neff for its August exhibition. The show begins Aug. 3 and runs through Aug. 26. batonrougegallery.org AUG. 1 + 26 The LSU Museum of Art is hosting a series of virtual and in-person discussions and demos on the art of clay working and ceramics, led by artists whose work is featured at the museum. It’s tied to the ongoing exhibit, “Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection.” lsumoa.org

A

You can find Jessica Roy’s work at the Baton Rouge Arts Market or the MidCity Makers Market, as well as at madenewstudio.com or Instagram, @madenewstudio.

ARTS BEST BETS

TE SY LSU MO

About the artist

UR

IMAGE COURTESY JESSICA ROY

C U LT U R E / /

CO

Lisa Orr’s “Large Rabbit Bowl”

AUG. 20-22 + 26-29 Head to Theatre Baton Rouge for a hilarious production of Clue, a theatrical interpretation of the cult-hit 1985 movie based on the classic board game. theatrebr.org AUG. 21 Baton Rouge Gallery features a screening of Shaun the Sheep, accompanied by a live performance by members of Baton Rouge Music Studios for the Kids Night edition of the Movies and Music on the Lawn film series. batonrougegallery.org AUG. 28-29 Manship Theatre hosts several performances of Circus Louisiana’s Hook: Across Neverland, a cirque retelling of the classic Peter Pan story. manshiptheatre.org

ARTIST’S PE RS PECT IV E

Jessica Roy

The collage piece “Psalm 18: 16, 19”

The artist’s mixed media collages create new meaning from old finds

MUSIC BEST BETS

FORGET THE STENCILS, brushes and acrylic paints—Jessica Roy’s artist toolbox is filled with worn encyclopedias, outdated medical books and long-forgotten yearbooks. She designs jewelry, greeting cards, prints and totes, among other things. But her forte is using vintage papers to create mixed media collages. It’s how she came up with the name of her studio: madeNew. “I love to find ways to use old things and recycle them,” Roy says. “The illustrations are so beautiful in those kinds of books, but the information is really outdated.”

She credits her grandmother and mother for encouraging her artistic inclination from an early age. Her grandmother was known for her creativity, Roy says, and was the first one to teach her how to make color paints.

“Art is in my genes,” Roy says.

But her lifelong hobby hasn’t always been a full-time focus. Prior to hitting her 40s and finding herself single again, she was a stay-at-home mother to her son, Jack, and daughter, Juno, who was ill and spent a lot of time in the hospital.

She tried nursing school for a year, but balancing that with caring for her children made for long days and ultimately dissuaded her from that route.

After her daughter passed away in April 2019, she

AUG. 6 Loudness War celebrates the release of a new mini-album with a show at Mid City Ballroom featuring the bands CHEW and Tattered Rabbit. midcityballroom.com

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

—ANNA JONES

YL ’AU

AUG. 13 Acclaimed bayou-soul singer-songwriter Marc Broussard takes his musical talents to L’Auberge Casino & Hotel as part of a national tour.

Find the event on Facebook

BER GE

AUG. 12 Two Louisiana favorites, Dalton Wayne and the Warmadillos and Minos the Saint, take the stage for Manship Theatre’s 2021/2022 season kick-off party. manshiptheatre.org

TE S

started picking up more hours at her sister’s farm, Mushroom Maggie’s Farm, and pursuing art again.

“I still work for my sister and try to do the art on the side, but it’s sort of taking over and becoming a full-time thing,” Roy says. “I sell items as fast as I can make them.”

One of her latest pieces, “Psalm 18: 16, 19,” features a photograph of the moon from a worn encyclopedia and strips of paper cut from an antiquated map. The idea for the piece flashed into her mind after she read the Bible verse: “He reached down from on high and took hold of me: He drew me out of deep waters … He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”

“I just thought the idea that God delights in us was really beautiful,” Roy says.

Another one of her recent works has a special meaning: “LSU Gumbo 1972” is taken from a page of her parents’ LSU yearbook and showcases a photograph of her mother at the center. She loves quilts and their patterns but doesn’t know how to make them, so she mimics quilt designs with paper.

“It’s a lot of fun, and it feels really good to finally be doing this,” Roy says. “It’s never too late to start over and reinvent yourself.”

UR CO

Marc Broussard

AUG. 14 The New Orleans experimental electro-pop group People Museum takes the stage at Mid City Ballroom with local singer-songwriter Chloé Marie. midcityballroom.com AUG. 20 For decades, New Orleans band Bag of Donuts has been known for flamboyant, brash performances, and this month the group brings its signature energy to L’Auberge Casino & Hotel. lbatonrouge.com

C U LT U R E / /

EVE N TS

About the performers

Bandito together

Lucero

Downtown readies for the first major music festival to return to the city: Bandito Festival AT THE INTERSECTION of rock, Americana and alt-country, you’ll find many of the acts slated to perform at this year’s Bandito Food & Music Festival.

The event is returning to downtown’s Galvez Plaza this month after a pandemic postponement in 2020, making it the first major music festival bringing national acts to the city since COVID-19 put a halt to most public events.

Besides the roster of performers, the other half of the festival is focused on food—specifically barbecue and tacos with regional restaurants and vendors competing for top prizes with their dishes.

Bandito’s return is perfect timing, set to usher in a fall season packed with concerts, performances and more events as restrictions loosen and more people are vaccinated.

And while the pandemic put a hold on the 2020 revelry, the festival was also dealt a blow with the passing of organizer Eric Carnegie, who died at 38 in March.

IMAGES COURTESY BANDITO FEST

Some highlights from this year’s lineup

Carnegie had operated several restaurants and bars, including downtown’s Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar, and he established Bandito Festival and the Baton Rouge Oyster Festival.

“We know this has been a difficult year for everyone, especially for the Bandito Festival family,” festival producer Chris Brooks said in a statement. “(Carnegie’s) vision and ability to bring people together to work toward a common goal was incredible. We plan on honoring ‘E’ at this year’s festival and many festivals to come.”

Read on for more on what to expect from the 2021 Bandito Festival.

This Memphis quintet formed in the ’90s and has been entertaining crowds with a blend of country-folk, classic rock and Southern soul over the course of nearly a dozen albums.

Reverend Horton Heat

Jim Heath has been called “the godfather of modern rockabilly,” and his trio takes influences from old-school country, surf, punk and even big band sounds. They’ve toured with the likes of Johnny Cash and The Ramones, too.

American Aquarium

Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, this alt-country act led by songwriter B.J. Barham might be familiar to many Baton Rougeans—the band has played at venues like the Varsity many times over the years.

Elizabeth Cook

Cook is a multi-talented performer who has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and has seven indie-country albums under her belt. To top it off, she also hosts a Sirius XM radio show, “Apron Strings.”

—BENJAMIN LEGER

The basics Bandito Food & Music Festival takes place Saturday, Aug. 21, noon-11 p.m. at downtown’s Galvez Plaza. Get more info and find out which restaurants and vendors will be slinging barbecue and tacos all day at banditofestival.com.

Elsah

Songwriter Neil Werries founded his band in St. Louis, Missouri, but moved to Baton Rouge in 2001, where he continued to build the band and stake his claim in the Gulf Coast’s alt-country scene.

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CALENDAR //

August

Where play aro to Baton R und o this monuge th C ompiled b y Zane Pionte k

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GAME ON

The Harlem Globetrotters come to the Raising Cane’s River Center as part of the “Spread Game” national tour. This unique sporting experience will be chockfull of the Globetrotters’ signature antics, acrobatics and all-around on-court fun. Specialty “premium experience” tickets afford guests access to exclusive pre-game events, meet-and-greets with the players and more. harlemglobetrotters.com

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6 locations region wide • Online booking available

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20 +27 A LOCAL FAVORITE RETURNS

Baton Rouge’s premier live music event series Live After Five returns after a year-long hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The August lineup includes Rebirth Brass Band on Aug. 20 and Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble on Aug. 27.

These free events are held Friday evenings in City Hall Plaza in downtown Baton Rouge. downtownbr.org KRISTIN SELLE

ON THE ROAD NEW ORLEANS

AUG. 7: White Linen Night, neworleans.com

+

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

AUG. 13-14: Better than Ezra at House of Blues, houseofblues.com AUG. 31-SEPT. 1: Satchmo SummerFest, find the event on Facebook

504

Issue Date: Aug 2021 Ad1 proof #1 CALENDAR //

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines.

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Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS STOCK PHOTO

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ALSO THIS MONTH ALL MONTH La Divina Italian Cafe’s Original Music Fridays series features local and regional musicians performing exclusively original work. These concerts occur every Friday at La Divina and are great opportunities for anyone looking to hear original, local music, and for musicians looking to try out their compositions.

Find the event on Facebook

We Take Your Health Personally

ALL MONTH Every Sunday at Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar brings a specialty singer-songwriter showcase. Following the performances of a selection of local acts, the stage will open to anyone looking to perform their own original music. joliepearloysterbar.com

21

BARBECUE, TACOS AND LIVE MUSIC

Food and music extravaganza Bandito Fest features performances by Lucero, Reverend Horton Heat, American Aquarium and more, as well as cooking competitions for the best barbecue and tacos in town. This free festival is held in North Boulevard Town Square in downtown Baton Rouge. banditofestival.com

AUG. 6 Brush up on your language skills with fellow French enthusiasts. West Baton Rouge Museum hosts a guided conversation led by the museum’s director of education Gwenn Laviolette. westbatonrougemuseum. org

21

AUG. 12 + 26 Whether you’re an aspiring musician looking for an audience or a music lover looking for great live performances, head out to Tin Roof Brewery for Open Mic Nights every second and fourth Thursday of the month. Find the event on Facebook

TO MARKET

COURTESY MIDCITY MAKERS MARKET

MidCity Makers Market brings its August event to Circa 1857. Browse the market’s artisan, handmade wares, or head inside Circa 1857 to explore its vast selection of vintage and antique furniture, decor and more. midcitymakersmarket.com

FROM AUG. 21 The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s exhibition “The New Negro Motorist Green Book” comes to the Louisiana State Museum.

The exhibit gives an immersive look at the original “Green Book,” a travel guide detailing businesses that welcomed Black patrons in the Jim Crow South, as well as the lives of those who used it to navigate their travels. louisianastatemuseum.org

LAFAYETTE

AUG. 23: Les Vues Film Series, lafayettetravel.com AUG. 28-29: Louisiana Comic Con, find the event on Facebook

337

Take the first step in a healthier direction by scheduling your initial consultation.

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THE LOWDOWN

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FALL FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

T

his fall, the Baton Rouge Zoo is back with something for everyone. From family fun to after-hours libations—mark your calendar and get your tickets—these events are not to be missed.The Baton Rouge Zoo has been connecting people with wildlife through exceptionally engaging experiences and conservation efforts that impact our world both locally and globally for 51 years and counting. To learn more about special events at the Baton Rouge Zoo, visit brzoo.org.

BREW AT THE ZOO

OCTOBER 1ST - As temperatures wane and the leaves begin to change color, guests are invited to the Baton Rouge Zoo for some after-hours fun. A wonderful evening of food, beer, music and more. Sample dozens of craft beers and munch on pub favorites. Show off your “safari chic” style while enjoying the sounds of local musicians before meeting some of the Zoo’s animal ambassadors.

Tickets are limited, so get yours early! Ages: 21 and older, no children. Pre-purchased tickets are required for entry. Tickets go on sale August 1st at brzoobrew.org.

BOO AT THE ZOO

OCTOBER 16TH, 17TH, 23RD AND 24TH Halloween fun sponsored by Hancock Whitney.

From 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., the gates are open and Halloween costumes are encouraged for all.

Regular Zoo admissions apply, but it’s free for Friends of the Zoo members. Seasonal displays will be located throughout the zoo for festive photo opportunities. And everyone loves the holiday-themed enrichments with the Zoo’s animal friends throughout the day. Guests can also enjoy regular café service as well as additional vendor-sold refreshments in the Food Court.

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ZOO RUN RUN

NOVEMBER 13TH - Run like a cheetah to the 16th annual Zoo Run Run sponsored by Ochsner Health. Enjoy the scenery as you scamper, trot or gallop your way through the Baton Rouge Zoo. A two-mile race and half-mile kids’ fun run. All proceeds from the race support your Baton Rouge Zoo and international cheetah conservation efforts. All participants earn a medal. Only participants who are pre-registered

by October 22 are guaranteed a Zoo Run Run t-shirt in their size on Race Day. Early packet pick up will be on Friday, November 12 from 10am-5pm at Varsity Sports on Perkins Rd.

Join Friends of the Baton Rouge Zoo and enjoy free admission for an entire year. Become a member online at brzoo.org.

Other benefits include: • Members’ only events • Exhibit sneak peeks • Collectible Zoo magnet

• 15% discount at Safari Post gift shop • Wild Times members’ newsletter • Z-mail, the Zoo’s electronic newsletter

WRITE ON //

Light up completed Red Stick Social opened its ONE OF THE last great pre-pandemic doors so curious passersby could peek memories I have in Baton Rouge was inside. It was the talk of the event.

White Light Night back in 2019.

Even though 2020 felt a little The annual art hop that runs down different, more than 100 artists still Government Street each November participated in the event. Gov’t Taco always feels magical to me. The fall had just opened a few weeks before, weather is in the air, cool enough to and lots of people got to check finally put on a sweater. There’s art out Millennial Park, the shipping and music around every corner, and container park that had opened that restaurants and chefs are out cooking summer, for the first delicious food. time.

The holiday season is I looked through 225’s right around the corner, archives, and we have and you can tell everymentioned White Light body is out looking for Night in more than 300 one-of-a-kind gifts for articles, mostly in passtheir loved ones. There ing quotes or references. is just a warm, friendly Who knows how energy in the air. many budding busiIn 2019, I remember nesses have discovered running into so many new, long-term audifriends while walking ences there? Or how down Government Street.

By Jennifer Tormo many artists have found One woman was giving the confidence to launch out the most delicious creative businesses after finding supfresh-baked cookies, and we sat with port during White Light Night? her on her porch talking for a while.

As events come back in full force My husband bought a funky this fall, the 225 team has been ornament from an LSU ceramics thinking about what the Aug. 27 student, and it made us smile so hard return of Fête Rouge (Baton Rouge when we found it again while sorting Epicurean Society’s annual food and our boxes of holiday stuff in 2020. wine gathering) means to the chefs My coworkers and I collectively and restaurants who are spotlighted snagged tons of business cards with for their work. names of people we thought we We’re mindful of what Live After should feature in this very magazine.

Five, which comes back to downtown I was reminded of it all recently Aug. 20, and the Aug. 21 Bandito while interviewing Melanie Way, the Festival mean to the artists who developer behind Urban Traders: a perform there, and the businesses retail park made of vintage trailers who depend on them to bring crowds coming to Mid City this fall. downtown.

Way is designing the pink- and The same goes for the Sept. 18 Baton yellow-hued trailers to rent out to Rouge Blues Festival; the Sept. 30 tenants. She plans to fill the spaces MPAC event that will unveil the Arts with boutiques and food and beverage Council of Greater Baton Rouge’s new venues. She sees it as a more affordCary Saurage Community Arts Center; able alternative to buying or leasing a and so many more monthly, seasonal brick-and-mortar, and hopes it gives and annual happenings. opportunities to creative entrepreThese community events don’t only neurs. It will have picnic tables and exist to entertain people and improve space for music and movie nights. quality of life—but to also literally push “I definitely want it to be ready development forward. They give small before White Light Night,” she told me. businesses and nonprofits goals to aim It was an offhand comment, but I for and new ways to connect with the haven’t stopped thinking about it. community.

I wondered: How many other local And the best part about attending businesses give themselves White these events when they return? None Light Night as an opening deadline? of them will look exactly the same In 2019, MJ’s Cafe opened its doors as they used to. They will be new the same day as White Light Night, experiences, reminding attendees of a just in time to show off its stylish new constantly growing, evolving city. location on Government Street.

I already can’t wait for it all.

I remember 2018, when a partially

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FRAMED //

In every issue of 225, you’ll find a free print on this page. FRAMED celebrates life and art in Baton Rouge, each one featuring a local photographer, place or graphic designer. Cut it out to hang in your cubicle, or frame it for your home gallery wall. Show us where you hang them by tagging them on social media with #225prints.

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[225] August 2021 | 225batonrouge.com

PHOTO BY BRANDON GALLEGO, LSU ATHLETICS / lsusports.net GET FEATURED We love spotlighting local photographers, artists and designers on this page! Shoot us an email at editor@225batonrouge.com to chat about being featured.

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