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community PONCHATOULA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL RETURNS Did you know that Ponchatoula, Louisiana, is known as the “Strawberry Capital of the World?” That is why the town hosts a huge, annual event in honor of this tasty fruit. This year, the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival will return for its 50th anniversary from Friday, April 8 through Sunday, April 10. You won’t want to miss this berry entertaining family event. Bring your friends and family to this sweet festival where you can enjoy a weekend of parades, carnival rides, strawberry eating contests, the Strawberry Strut, and, of course, lots of strawberry-based food. There will also be live performances by Clay Cormier, Category 6, Nashville South, Beaucoop Bougie, and Amanda Shaw. The festival is free and open to the public. ■ lastrawberryfestival.com
WOMAN’S NAMED A WORLD’S BEST HOSPITAL
Once again, Newsweek has recognized Woman’s Hospital on its list of World’s Best Hospitals for gynecology and maternity care in 2022. Woman’s is one of five hospitals in the world to receive such recognition, and is the only hospital in the country to be recognized for those specialties. “I truly believe our team at Woman’s is one of the best in the world, and being recognized on a global level for our patient satisfaction scores and medical outcomes is a reminder that our community believes it too,” says Cheri Johnson, MSN, RNC-OB, Woman’s senior vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer. “We love taking care of women and babies and helping to bring new life into the world.” ■ womans.org
ASCENSION’S MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS APP
A group of volunteers from The Leadership Ascension Foundation, called Team U Matter Ascension, is creating an app and website that will be a resource for the Ascension Parish community that will increase access to mental health resources and awareness. With 1 in 5 Americans experiencing poor mental health, Team U Matter knows the importance of increasing access to, educating, and developing such a resource for its community. The app will personalize mental health content for individual users, while the website will have a directory of resources for topics such as drug abuse and depression. This project is in need of donations for its development, which you can make at their events. ■ umatter ascension.com 14
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OF MOVING COLORS WILL DANCE THROUGH TIME
Of Moving Colors Productions (OMC), a Baton Rougebased contemporary dance company, will continue to move through time with the premiere of their spring performance, Clock Tower. The performance will feature works choreographed by Artistic Director Garland Goodwin Wilson, along with company dancers Anna Schwab and John Allen. Clock Tower is inspired by Wilson’s time in Eastern Europe and is based on one of the oldest astronomical clocks in the world located in Prague. You can watch the dancers light up the stage with this masterpiece starting Thursday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Manship Theatre at Shaw Center for the Arts. Tickets are available online or at the Manship Theatre Ticket Desk. ■ ofmovingcolors.org
