What is thestory behind BR’s RoumainBuilding?
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
The clock may not have been part of the original Roumain package, but for Ina Bridges, the timekeeper has always been aThird Street fixture in downtown Baton Rouge.
“I remember looking up at it while holding my mama’s hand when we’d shop on Third Street,”the Baker residentsaid.
“I was small,soittowered over
me.Itwas so tall.” Because of this early memory mixed with other sightingsofthe clocks through the years, Bridges was curious aboutits back story
“Whydid they build aclock on the sidewalk?” she asked.
Somedelivery truck drivers have alsoaskedthisquestion throughthe years after afew
ä See CURIOUS, page 2G
ä Formore information, read thefull reportat aspeninstitute.org/ wp-content/uploads/2024/11/State-of-PlayBaton-Rouge-FINAL.pdf.
be publicly released on Dec. 11).
The report found eight major challenges facing Baton Rouge youth sports, including:
n Distrust in governmenthas contributed to the privatization of sports,leaving behind children who lack access (Pay-to-play private leagues).
n Climate change is impacting how children play sports.
n Transportation is limitedfor children to access sports.
n Toofew quality indoor play spaces exist, especially forchildren in low-incomeareas.
n Local youth aresocially isolated and struggling with mentalhealth.
n Free play has all but disappeared in Baton Rouge.
n Families lack informationabout available sports programming.
n Girlsplay sports andmove their bodies less than boys.
conducts adeep dive into communities’ youthsportsprograms.
In Baton Rouge, after 14 months of research, the team compiled the data gathered to complete the 50-page State of Play Baton Rouge report (released here earlybut will
The report takes adeep dive into each of the challenges, offering insights like: Louisiana ranks second to last in theU.S.insports participation rates for girls (39%), behind only
The clock does not appearin this linen postcard, the earliest depictionof the Roumain Building on Baton Rouge’sThird Street.
JOANNA BROWN| Staff
PROVIDED PHOTO BY JOHN SYKES
GIFTING
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Belton Richard,“The Essential Collection,”Vols. 1&2:When master accordionist Belton Richard passed away in 2017, Cajun music’smost cherished voice died, too. Richard’swidely imitated baritone caresses countryflavored, romantic French songs like “Give Me Another Chance,” “Let Me Talk to Your Heart”and
“Un Autre Soir D’ennui,” aCajun versionofJimmyClanton’spop hit, “Another Sleepless Night.” The 72 songs on these discs will keep the Cajun Frank Sinatra crooning in yourheart for a longtime.
Herman Fuselier is awriter, broadcaster and tourism director living in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” radio show airsSaturdays at noon on KRVS 8.7 FM and online at KRVS PublicMedia.
CURIOUS
mishaps with the timepiece. One driver parked his van alittle too close to the curb in 1971, thereby knocking the clockoff its cast iron pedestal. Apparently,the clock was felledbyyet another truck in 2016, but stands tall today. Its outer frame andcastiron pedestal have been painted red,and thehands are frozen at 12:50 facing north and 11:58facingsouth
Whywas aclock added?
So, why did Joseph Kyle Roumain place aclock in the middle of the sidewalk directly in front of his building? No one knows.
“I haven’tfound any documentation as to why he placed the clock there or when he placed it there,” local historian John Sykes said.“Idoknow that it wasn’t there when the Roumain Building openedin1913, but it shows up in photos shortly after that.”
Sykes is the director of BREC Magnolia Mound: Museum + Historic Site and is working on awalking tour guide book of downtown Baton Rouge.
“I have apostcard of thebuildingafter it opened, and there is no clock on the sidewalk,” Sykes said. “I also have ametal ashtray with the Roumain Building etched intoit, and the clock isn’t there, either.But Ihave another postcard that isn’tdated,and the clock is standing in frontofthe building in that one.”
Information beneath a2002 photo from the newspaper’sarchives puts the clock at 89 years old, which would mean that Roumain placed it on the sidewalk in 1917. Thisinformation could be speculative,but what’sknown for sure is that the Roumain Building, itself, was declared Baton Rouge’sfirst skyscraper at six stories in 1913. Naturally,itattracted lots of outside attention.
Aspider anda fly
“The Advocate published two articles about two different men —one who called himself the ‘Human Spider’ and the other who called himself the ‘Human Fly.’”Sykes said. “The first came to Baton Rouge in 1919 and the second in 1921.”
Their appearances were of the populardaredevil genre of the day.Stunt flyers wereshowboating in some parts of the country, and Harry Houdini wasmaking death-defying escapes in other cities, including New Orleans. Baton Rouge attracted aspider and afly, both of whom promised to climb the city’sfirst skyscraper using only their hands and feet.
The Human Spider livedup to his promise. He was a North Carolinian named Bill Strother who used his death-defyingfeats to raise money for the Victory Loan Drive for American troops in World WarI
“Not only has the HumanSpider climbed the tallest buildings throughout the country,but he performs daredevil students on the edge of the roof, such asbalancing himself on the edge of the cornice with chairs and tables, standing on his head, climbing to the top of the flag pole and balancing on one foot on the very tip of the knob,” an April 30, 1919, Advocate article stated. The spider also promised to ride abicycle to each of the four corners along the building’sedge.
Mississippi, according to the National Survey of Children’sHealth. Far more Louisiana boys (55%) participate in sports. Asimilar gender gap exists in Baton Rouge. High school sports participation opportunities at East Baton Rouge Parish schools are dominated by boys (63% of roster spots) compared to girls(37%), according to 2021-22 data, the most recent available.
Baton Rouge is the 15th city Project Play has done aspecial report on, and only thesecond cityin theSoutheast.
The American FitnessIndex, which scores cities on acomposite of health behaviors, health outcomes, infrastructure andpolicies thatsupport an active lifestyle, rankedBaton Rouge 81stout of 100 American cities,citing low scores in multiple categories, including biking,proximitytoparks anda lowper resident park expenditure —the averageofthe cities surveyed was $102 for parks per resident,and Baton Rouge spends $45.
Jon Solomon, aformer college football reporter, works as the communityimpact director of the Sportsand Societyprogramfor the Aspen Institute. Solomon is wellacquaintedwith the BatonRouge sports scene and Tiger Stadium.
also,childreninNorth BatonRouge played less sports than thosein South Baton Rouge.”
Recommendedsolutions
The State of Play report doesn’t just point out challenges. It also explainsand highlightspossible solutions.
Local Baton Rouge change makers whohave implemented solutionsare featuredthroughout the report —including Gardere Youth Alliance whostarted aleagueafter Katrina designedfor area kids whodidn’thave transportation to reach sports programs and has evolved into alarge soccer program that partners with Baton Rouge Soccer Club.
The report recommends the creation of aBaton Rouge athletic council that would bring different stakeholders to one table to discuss issues, seasons, facilities and improvements.
Solomonsays many communitiesare “programsrich andsystems poor,” whenitcomes to youth sports —meaning that there are well-intentioned people out there withleagues andqualityprograms, but overall, the programs are disjointed and lack communication.
had moreofa focus of broadening the net and the scope of what youth athletics can do and what they can be, we would all be better forit.”
AboutProject Play
Project Play putskids first by surveying children about their experiences playing sports through focusgroups or youthprofiles. The report includes key data that analyzes youth sports participation across the city’sneighborhoods. The data includes the type of sport, gender and race.
Mukul Verma, founderand owner of Throughline Communications, wasinstrumental in much of the on-the-ground research in Baton Rouge.
Vermasaid the participation of experts on issueslike climate change and health made the report successful. Cooperationamong different leagues in both private sports in town and the public realm wasimpressive.
If theinformation below the 2002 Advocate archive photo is correct, the clock would have beenstandingbelow theHuman Spiderduring hisBaton Rouge appearance.
“TheHuman Spider came through onhis promise,” Sykes said. “He climbed to thetop of thebuildingand all the way to the top of the flagpole, did some tricks andmade all kinds of noise. Butthe Human Fly didn’t comethrough in 1921.”
Maybe snobbishness played into Robbie Simpson’sappearance.
TheNew Yorker had climbed the tallest buildings in his home city, buthe said the window frames onthe Roumain Building weren’t made right for climbing.
“So, he took an elevator to the topand rode hisbicycle around the edge of the roof,” Sykes said.
Astunningdesign
Contrary to Simpson’sdistaste for the windows’ cornices, the building’sBeaux-Arts style designbyNew Orleans architects Favrotand Livaudais was considered top notch
The Roumain Building’sdesign is still stunningtoday,and the clock was its finishing touch. Somehow,the building would appearnaked without it.
Roumain,aprominent businessman,built the structure at 343 Third St. He settled in Baton Rouge in 1888, was awatchmaker byprofession and became the town’sfirst wholesale jeweler
Astory in The Advocate on Jan. 3, 1913,describes Roumain as having an “idea that jewelry could besoldbywholesale from a smalltownaswell as abig one.”
He opened ajewelry store in Baton Rougelongbefore he built the Roumain Building, and oneparticular advertisement in theJan.2,1909, Advocate highlighted thefinely etched pocket watches madebyRoumain.
Through theyears, Roumain constantly touted his watches, including women’s gold wristwatches, in promotions and advertisements.
Did he place the clock outside theRoumain Buildingtosomehow remind passersby that his store not onlysold the finest of jewelry but also the area’sbest custom watches? Or did he put it there as alandmark that would be associated only with his building?
While there’snodocumentation for this,one can always speculate. Roumain achieved his lifelong dream of building askyscraper, which the Jan. 3, 1913, article describes as a“magnificent concrete, steel and marble fireproof structure, six stories in height, in theheart of the city’sbusiness section, representing an investment of brains, energy,pluck and about $150,000 in money.”
Changesthrough theyears Throughthe years,former governors Huey and Earl Long maintainedoffices in the building.The skyscraper was once home to adentist’s office.
Thebuilding’sowners have changed handsthrough the years —the current proprietor is Tony Clayton, of thelaw firm Clayton,Fruge &Ward, who bought it in 2022 for $2 million Clock and all.
Do you have aquestionabout something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Emailyour question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com.Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.
He sees BatonRouge’s passion for sports as one of itsgreatest assets, which is agreat starting point. He says that people in Baton Rouge care about the benefits that come from sports— social, emotional, physical and academic —aswell as competition and building discipline.
“That said, when we look at the study,” said Solomon, “notenough children really can accesssportsto enjoy all of thesebenefits.One of the takeaways, particularly is that there were notably lower participation rates amonggirls throughout theEastBaton RougeParish, and
‘TOOTTOOT’
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The song has been covered by artistsaroundthe world, andis instantly recognizable in German, Spanish and English; yet retains its immutable foundation in Louisiana roots music, recalling therollicking emotionsand good-time accordion licks of such musicians as Clifton Chenier and Buckwheat Zydeco.
“Itverymuch was agame changer,” according to Todd Ortego, who hosts“Swampand Roll” on KBON 101.1FM on Thursdays. Ortego has been playing Zydeco on air for almost 40 years now,and credits “My Toot Toot” with exploding the genre’sfan base—even if those fanscame to the song throughcovers by thelikes of R&B giant Fats Domino, rocker John Fogerty or soul singer Denise LaSalle.
“It’s areal waker-upper of asong, and probably opened the door for peoplewho maybe weren’tfans before they got to see Rockin’Sidney.Before, you had Clifton, who was terrific, but didn’tnecessarily have the crossover appeal that Sidneydid with ‘Toot Toot.’ It was on country,pop —itwas everywhere,” says Ortego.
Simien recorded thetrack in his homestudio in LakeCharles, playing all of theinstruments himself. No one initially expected the relatively simple ditty to becomeahit single. In fact, Simien and his producer,Floyd Soileau of Ville Platte, thought thatanother song on the album, “My Zydeco Shoes Got the Zydeco Blues,”was destinedto takethe lead spot
“Wewerewrong,” saidSoileau, whoat86years oldcalls himself “semi-retired” from Ville Platte’s Flat Town Music Company Founded by Soileau in 1957 as an umbrella companyfor hisrecord labels, Flat Town is still the world’s largest publisher of swamp pop, Zydeco, and Cajun French music.
“Westartedhearing that they were playing Zydeco acrossthe river.Icalled up Sid, and it turned out he had sent acopy of the record to E. Rodney Jones, who wasa well-known DJ in Baton Rouge. He told us that thekids would request ‘MyToot Toot’ anddance to it all night long.”
Jones playeda keyroleinpopularizing R&B on theradio in Chicago, before moving to WXOK in Baton Rouge. Known for selecting hit tracks, he was oneofthe first to promote“My Toot Toot” beyond theAcadiana prairies.
The versionofthe song Simien hadsentout hadalreadymadeits way to the Baton Rouge and New Orleansmarkets, but Soileau realized that the album’shiddengem needed morepolishing before it wasreadyfor prime time. Simien hadheldonto the song for years, recording it at the last minute to round off thealbum.
“I told him we had to fatten it up,” said Soileau.“That’sthe song
“The strengthofanathletic council is in theknowledgesharing,” he said. “Ifyou have theright people at thetable, it forces all the group members to sort of see beyond thenarrow interests of the groups that they represent.”
The report recommends the council should create an online directory of sportsprograms in Baton Rouge, so children and families know what’savailable, and they only have to go to one site. Boston has put asports directory online, and the user-friendly sorting tools makefinding information simple.
Godfrey likes the ideaofa sports council, saying, “It would be agreat benefittohave amore focused and consolidated effort on ensuring access and quality for more folks. If we as acommunity
“The most important part of this report was talkingtothe kids,” said Verma. “Wedid alot of focus groups, andthe children who participated gave us adiverse range of opinions about howtheyplay, whathappens when they play, howoften they get to go outside andplay, whetherthey can walk to alocal park and safely cross thestreet to play.”
When asked whythey play sports, theBaton Rouge children surveyed chose having fun and playing with friends as the top two reasons.
LocalBaton Rouge stakeholders on the State of Play Baton Rouge Advisory Group included the PenningtonFamily Foundation, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSUAthletics, Baton Rouge CommunityCollege, YMCA,BREC, East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Visit Baton Rouge, Baton RougeSoccer Club, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Athletes for Hope, Traction Sports and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
FILE PHOTOBYBEVIL KNAPP Rockin’ Sidneyperforms hishit song ‘My Toot Toot’ forcrowds at the NewOrleans Jazzand Heritage Festival in April1985.
that’shappening on this album, and it won’tgofar with that sound on it. With morebody,more hand clapping —itwas there.Now we hada song we could sell. Iremastered the album, sent it to DJs, and told them to destroy the old stuff.” ‘Zydeco’slonemillion seller’
Theinitial cutwas released in late 1984. By thetime Simienhit the stage at theNew OrleansJazz andHeritage Festival in April the following year,the song had become ahuge hit, prompting outlets like The Washington Post to report that“my toot toot” was aCajun saying referringtosomeonewho is “myeverything,” derived from theFrench “tout.”
That year,Simien himself had theopportunity to give anational audience alesson in Cajun French on the televised Ralph Emery country music show, saying that “toot toot” wasaspecial term for your “best girlfriend.”
Accordingtomusic and cultural journalist Herman Fuselier,“My Toot Toot” would eventually go on to become Zydeco’s“lone million seller.” It won aGrammy award for best folk recording, made it to theNo. 19 spot on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Singleslist, and went platinum.The song even produced life-changing hits for some of the artists who covered it. One version,titled “Mi Cucu,” became atop 20 hitonthe Spanish-language charts forMexican and Columbian band La Sonora Dinamita.
“Somepeople probably don’trealize the impact that littlesonghad on my company,myrecord label and music from my area worldwide,”Soileau says. “It’sbeen a fantastic roller coaster.”
Thecelebrity that exploded around Simien and “My Toot Toot” even impacted music industrylocals, like Ortego. He had opened theMusic Machine record shop in downtown Eunice in 1978, and by 1984 needed more room. Ortego built another store and invited Rockin’Sidney to come play at the grand opening, creating araucous Eunice block party in the process —tothe displeasure of anearby business owner,who asked if they had receivedpermissiontoblock off the street.
“People still ask me about the time we putRockin’ Sidney on the
street in downtown Eunice, with no permission,” says Ortego. He went on to develop Music Machine into a destination shop forCajun music, before the store closed in 2007. The success of his biggest hit enabled Simien to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams —owning aradio station. He used royaltiestopurchase KAOK AM and KEAZ FM in Lake Charles and started his own record label, but onlygot to enjoy the evolution of his career for ashort while before dying from throat cancer in 1998.
Theanatomy of ahit song It’shard to describe what made “My Toot Toot” work—much less what drove its crossover appeal to country radio,amovethathelped launch the song’sglobal success. Soileau says, “It’saninfectious melody.Itjustgrabs you. It’s not complicated.You can sing along. There’sall the ingredients for a fabulous Cajun/Zydeco gumbo.” JohnFogerty agreed.The former lead singer for Creedence Clearwater Revival wasinthe audience watching Simienplay at Jazz Fest, and decided he wanted to record a cover for“JohnFogerty’sAll Stars,” which aired on Showtime in December1985. Hisversion was recorded in Crowley andbacked by Simien on the accordion, along with other Louisiana musicians. To create alively ending forthe Showtime special Fogerty and Simien filmed a“My Toot Toot” music video in theAtchafalayaBasin,showingthe entire country aLouisiana-style good time. As it turned out, everyone wanted in on thesound coming from south Louisiana’sswamps. In the flurry of coversand excitement around “My Toot Toot”, Columbia Records asked to release it through its Epic Records imprint as acountry song, which stayed on the Country Top40rotation for18 weeks in 1985. In response, Simien bought atour bus and installed a sign identifying him as the “Toot Toot man.” While traveling to gigs, Soileau says that Simien regularly answered CB radio calls from truckers wholoved the song. He continuedtorecordand perform in the next decade before his death, although Simien never managed to recreatethe successof“My Toot Toot.” But even as aone-hitwonder,Soileau says that the star “deserved every bit of happiness and money he got from it.”
“It couldn’thavehappenedtoa nicer guy,” said the producer.“He wasaworker.Heworked hard at his show.When he started getting play on country radio, he knew he’d be gettingcalls to play countryjointsall over the country,so he learnedseveral country songs to be able to entertain that crowd for an hour andahalf, at least Plus, theyhad to play‘My Toot Toot’ probably three or four times before getting off the stage.
“He wasacountry star.Hewas aCreole Zydeco star.Hewas aCajun star and apop star.Itjusthit on all corners.”
STAFF FILE PHOTO BY HILARYSCHEINUK
Daniel Roy, of Roy’sPainting and More, adds afreshcoat of paint to the clock outside theRoumain Building on Third Street on Nov. 10, 2022, in downtown Baton Rouge.
TrailofLightsleads to holidayfun in north, centralLa.
BY JUDYBERGERON Staff writer
Its official title is the Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights, but in typical Pelican State fashion, there’s lotsof lagniappe.
Having been around for more than 30 years,the trail connects 10 cities and towns, or seven areas, across northern and central Louisianain celebratingthe Christmas season.The communities include Shreveport-Bossier,Monroe-West Monroe, Natchitoches, Ruston, Minden, Alexandria/Pineville and Logansport.
The lagniappe?Not only are there twinkling, brightly colored light displays formiles,there arealso festivals, aChristmas tree billed as the world’slargest, parades, Candy Cane Lane, fireworks, markets and more.
“The Holiday Trail of Lights collaboration brings business and tourism to each of our cities,” said Serena Gray,marketing chair of the Holiday Trail of Lights Board and vice presidentof marketing and communications at Visit ShreveportBossier.“Visitors love the diversity of events and holiday charm that each community brings to the season It also makes for afantastic weekend getaway during the holidays.”
Abby Tingle is this year’s Trail of Lights president. Tingle has worked with Discover Monroe-West Monroe since 2018.She started as acollege intern and now serves as the tourist bureau’ssocial media and website manager Tingle is “seeing red” these days as festivities hit full swing in Monroe-West Monroeaswell as in the other Trail communities. We caught up with her about the big celebration Howdoes teamingupwith other cities help tourism in your particular area?
The Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights highlights the power of regional col-
funfor the whole family
Also,Candy Cane Lane in Calhoun is amust-see magical mile-long drive featuring over 1millionlights, open nightlythrough Jan. 4. For families, Santa’sChristmas Village at the Northeast Louisiana Children’sMuseum is afavorite, with visits from Santa,holidaycrafts and snow shows. Christmas at the Biedenharn Museum andGardensoffers beautifully decorated rooms,a model train exhibit and the serene Bible Museum. In DowntownWest Monroe, Land of Lights is another highlight, with sparkling displays and fantastic photo opportunities.
Are there any figures available on how many people visited the places on the trail last holidayseason? While we don’thavespecific figures, each destination can confirm that the holiday season is bustling with visitors enjoying the trail’s manyattractions.
Do youadvertise theTrail outside of the state?
laboration. Partnering with 10 cities allows us to create unforgettableholiday experiences that attract visitors, boost local economies and strengthen community connections. Each citycontributes unique traditions, making the trail aspecial
way to celebrate the season. By promoting the trail as agroup, we’ve introduced Monroe-West Monroe to new visitors who might nothave discovered us otherwise.
Avisitor has only one dayand evening in your cities during the holidays. What are afew not-to-miss
events?
The Christmas on the RiverFestivalweekend is Monroe-West Monroe’s largestholiday celebration, held during thefirst weekend of December each year Don’tmiss the quirky Baw-
comville Redneck Parade, where you might catch prizes like toilet paper or ramen noodles! The weekend also includes dazzling fireworks and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Ouachita’sChristmas Parade, offering festive
Yes, we target families both in-state andout-of-state to showcase the incredible experiences along the trail. We also work with group tour planners to reach larger audiences.
Whatdoes yourjob as trail president entail?
We have an incredible team of board representatives, which makes my role easy.Ihelp provide direction throughout the year and ensure we stay aligned with our marketing plan to maximize the trail’ssuccess.
Do you have anytips for first-time visitors?
Our website is the ultimate resource for planning your trip. Visitholidaytrailoflights com forevent listings, blogs and sample itineraries for each destination. We share information early,sovisitors have plenty of time to plan their holiday adventures.
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
CandyCane Lane in Calhoun, near Monroe, is amust-see magical mile-long drive featuring over 1millionlights, according to Louisiana Trail of Lights president AbbyTingle. It’sopen nightly throughJan. 4.
Santa and Mrs. Claus optfor aboat float in the Minden Christmas Parade. The Christmas in Minden Festivalruns Dec.13-14.
