Ascension Advocate 02-19-2025 by The Advocate

Darlene Denstorff

AROUND ASCENSION

Ascension Mambo set to parade

Krewe of Ascension Mambo rolls at 2 p.m. Saturday. The parade theme is Parading through the Decades. The parade starts on Irma Boulevard, turns onto Cornerview and then proceeds down La. 44 to La. 30.

Boat parade Saturday

The 30th annual Krewe of Diversion Mardi Gras boat parade ﬂoats starting at noon Saturday All proceeds beneﬁt St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Registration will be at 6 p.m Feb. 21 at Manny’s, and the cost will be $35 a boat.

Mardi Gras Sock Hop Friday

Celebrate the season from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Mardi Gras Senior Sock Hop at Lemann Memorial Center in Donaldsonville. DJ BJ will provide music.

Faulkner to speak to group

Leslie M. Faulkner, community outreach specialist with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, will be the featured speaker at the February Ascension GOP Roundtable, sponsored by Ascension Republican Women.

The Roundtable is at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 20 at the Clarion Inn, 1500 W. La. 30, in Gonzales. Cost for the lunch is $30. Guests can prepay at paypal. me/ARW225. To RSVP, call (225) 921-5187 or email arwrus@aol.com.

Egg Your House fundraiser

Cara’s House volunteers are hosting a fun Egg Your House fundraiser in which stuffed plastic eggs are left in someone’s yard on Easter morning April 11 is the deadline to register for the April 20 “egging.” Packages are from $20 for 25 eggs to $85 for 150 eggs. Visit Cara’s House Facebook page for registration information Bulls, Bands & Barrels coming

Tickets are on sale for the March 15 Bulls, Bands & Barrels at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. The event will include bull riding, barrel racing and live music featuring Sammy Kershaw with Vincent Mason For tickets, visit tinyurl.com/yu83kp3e.

Second chance job fair set

The Ascension Parish Reentry Coalition and Ascension Parish Library are hosting a second chance job fair from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 25 at the library’s Gonzales branch.

Second chance candidates include anyone facing hiring barriers, including a criminal record. Participating businesses include FedEx, Express Employment Professionals, River Parishes Community College, The Lifehouse University and Louisiana Workforce Commission. Trip to Greece planned

The Donaldsonville Area Chamber of Commerce is planning a trip to Greece June 1-9. The nine-day trip includes stops in Athens, Santorini, Pelponnese, Poros, Hydra and Aegina. The cost is $3,799. For information, call (225) 473-4814. Contact Darlene Denstorff by phone, (225) 388-0215 or (225) 603-1998; or email, ascension@theadvocate.com or ddenstorff@theadvocate. com. Deadline: 5 p.m. Friday

CAPITOL CROSSROADS

200 years ago, Donaldsonville briefly became Louisiana’s political seat. Now, the town strives to retain its historic culture.

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer

Strolling Railroad Avenue in Donaldsonville, you’ll see the second-oldest Jewish synagogue building in Louisiana, now housing an Ace Hardware. Across the street is Louisiana Square, there’s an open park of live oaks and Spanish moss hanging from crepe myrtles at the site of the state capitol

from New Orleans to Ascension Parish.

Mayor Leroy Sullivan said the signiﬁcance of the city’s history “is monumental.”

“That’s history that could never be rewritten,” he said of the little city being the Louisiana capital from 1830-1831. “It’s something that no one can take away from the city.”

As that milestone anniversary approaches, Donaldsonville ﬁnds itself at an inﬂection point.

Following decades of declining economic and political power — despite its status as the parish seat new industries are looking to move into the region on the east bank of the Mississippi River How this wave of economic development shakes out could determine the community’s trajectory for many years.

ANIMALS, HANDLERS COMPETE

Goats, poultry, sheep, swine, mini cattle on exhibition at AgCenter Livestock Show

BY WENDY LOUP Contributing writer

4-H students from around the state spent a week showcasing their animals for competition during the 90th annual LSU AgCenter Livestock Show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.

The weeklong event, held Feb. 11-18, featured beef, dairy, goat, poultry, sheep and swine categories.

More than 50 Ascension 4-H exhibitors participated at the state show

“This show features student exhibitors from all over Louisiana,” Sarah Moore, LSU AgCenter Assistant Extension Agent with 4-H Youth Development said. “Students come and compete here in Gonzales. Each parish with livestock exhibitors put on a parish livestock show for kids to practice

Floats, marching bands, royalty reign at Donaldsonville Mardi Gras parade

Community news report

The Krewe of Donaldsonville’s Mardi Gras Parade rolled Sunday afternoon through the streets of the west bank city State Rep. Ken Brass rode as grand marshal with John Diez serving as king and Louise Lewis as queen. LaTrent White was the duke and Jannet Chavez served as duchess.

The parade committee members were

FILE PHOTO

This is a photograph of the Donaldsonville Courthouse ca. 1915 from the Frank C. Read Collection.

PHOTO BY WENDY LOUP

Lorelei Begnaud, 13, of Carencro, practices walking with her market swine during Saturday’s LSU AgCenter Livestock Show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center

Tamiko Francis Garrison, Michelle Ashby, Ashley Gaignard, Jeffery Henry, Steven Joseph, Kee Kee JulienJudson, Tyrone Madison Jr and Juanita Pearley More than 30 entries took part in the parade.

John Diez rides as king in the Donaldsonville Mardi Gras parade.

ä More photos. PAGE 3G

PROVIDED PHOTOS BY CHUCK MONTERO

The Donaldsonville High band marches Sunday in Donaldsonville.

See COMPETE, page 2G

before the district and state competitions.”

The annual state show includes vendor booths, and special events for each species.

Each species has parish groups which allows exhibitors to compete as a parish against other parishes with their animals, Moore said

This year’s show introduced a new category: miniature show cattle.

“Miniature show cattle are gaining popularity because they are easier to manage and require less space and feed than full-sized cattle,” Moore said. “This makes them ideal for smaller farms and 4-H or FFA programs, who may be new to livestock.”

Miniature Cattle Judge Monte Williams, a retired Agriculture Science teacher, said the new category provides another opportunity for students.

“The miniature cattle category is good because the students can handle the smaller cows and gives them the chance to compete,” Williams said.

Baylie Clopton, 18, a senior at Sulphur High School, won Grand Champion Bull and Grand Champion Louisiana Bred in the miniature zebu bull category with 2-year-old Dark Bourbon.

“I’ve been raising pigs since I was nine years old, but I also wanted to show little cows,” Clopton said. Clopton, who has autism, has found raising animals to be a helpful form of therapy

“When I graduate high school, I’m going to continue working with animals to help others with their therapy,” she said.

Moore said 4-H attracts students for various reasons. The beneﬁts of being in 4-H last for a lifetime

“All the different species are important in providing youth with hands-on learning, teaching responsibility, animal care, life skills, and good sportsmanship,” Moore said.

“Numbers in each species grow or decrease depending on what the exhibitors want to show.”

“With 4-H, we believe that every child has the potential to thrive, and we work tirelessly to create opportunities for them to do so,” Moore said. “Through our programs, we help youth develop important life skills such as leadership, communication and critical thinking.

“We also encourage them to explore their interests and passions, whether that be in agriculture, STEM or the arts.” Lorelei Begnaud, 13, traveled from Carencro to compete with her market swine. Begnaud’s father, Kalen Begnaud, said Lorelei is a fourth-generation 4-H student.

“My wife and I were both in 4-H and saw this as a good opportunity for Lorelei,” Kalen Begnaud said. “She’s getting lifelong lessons in terms of starting to finish raising the animals. She’s responsible for something that

is living and that she needs to care for.”

Home-schooler Ceceilia Roy, 11, of Batchelor, said being a part of 4-H gives her a chance to make friends while learning about animals.

“I really like it because we feed them, give them water and we practice outside and are able to show them in the arena,” said Roy, who showed both poultry and cattle at the livestock show Eleven-year-old Olive LaCour, also of Batchelor, enjoys being a part of 4-H and has made a lot of memo-

ries while thinking about her future.

“I love raising animals. Being in 4-H and raising the animals is helping me decide if I want to have a farm,” LaCour said.

Moore said the Ascension 4-H will hold a fundraiser on March 17 with Raising Canes. Mention Ascension 4-H at certain Raising Canes and a percentage will go to the Ascension 4-H foundation.

For more information about Ascension 4-H, visit https:// www.lsuagcenter.com/portals/our_offices/parishes/ascension/features/4-h.

PHOTOS BY WENDY LOUP

Olive LaCour, 11, of Batchelor (first row, right), Ceceilia Roy, 11, also of Batchelor (first row, center) and 13-year-old Brayden Kee, of Lafourche (first row, left) hold poultry for the judges during Saturday’s LSU AgCenter Livestock Show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center

Vernon student Liam Wellman, left, and Baylie Clopton, a senior at Sulphur High School, listen as Miniature Zebu Bull Judge Monte Williams discusses their animals.

East Feliciana student Brice Adams walks with his miniature zebu

4-H students await instructions for the poultry competitions during the LSU AgCenter Livestock Show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center

Companies such as CF Industries hope to construct new ammonia plants in the area, while carbon sequestration proposals have brought signiﬁcant pushback from residents. Some local leaders think the city should prioritize smaller businesses and tourism in light of its historic appeal.

Capitalizing on small-town allure

The push to move the capital to Donaldsonville was driven by multiple factors including an attempt to draw power away from New Orleans, LSU history Professor Alecia Long said.

“The city had, you know, a very powerful dynamic, a growing economic reputation. And for a lot of people up country, they considered New Orleans had too much inﬂuence over the state’s politics,” Long said.

“And so moving the capital in some ways was an attempt to equalize the inﬂuence of the more rural parts of the state versus the city of New Orleans.”

Passed Feb. 4, 1825, the original law ordered the seat of government to be moved from New Orleans to Donaldsonville on Dec. 1 of that year

Two weeks later, on Feb. 19, the state legislature passed another law postponing the move until 1829. The legislature ﬁnally convened in Donaldsonville in 1830 the capitol building, now home to Louisiana Square across from the Ascension Parish courthouse.

But Donaldsonville’s time in the sun was brief.

“They meet in Donaldsonville only very brieﬂy and come back. It’s kind of like

a pyrrhic victory,” Long said of the legislature. “They win, but it turns out it’s not really what they want.”

State lawmakers moved the capital back to New Orleans in early January 1831, and Long said one reason was the capitol building itself had a leaky roof. In 1846, Baton Rouge became the Louisiana capital city and remains the government seat.

“Of course, there were lots of nonsubstantive reasons to go back (to New Orleans) in terms of being a cosmopolitan area with a lot of creature comforts,” she said. “… Those were very different kinds of locales at that period of time.”

Shifting political, economic power

The Donaldsonville community remains the government seat of Ascension Parish, but most local political operations occur in Gonzales, emblematic of the political and economic power shift.

Ascension Parish council member Oliver Joseph recalled different times when he lived in Donaldsonville in the 1970s.

“Back in my early days growing up, it was a very, you know, popular town. The population was higher there, more business and more community involvement,” he said. “In the ‘80s and the ‘90s, the economics changed.”

Joseph mentioned the construction of Interstate 10 on the Mississippi River’s west bank as a factor in the economic decline across the river in Ascension.

“When that happened, the community started losing population. And when you lose population you don’t have the tax base,” Joseph said.

‘Really flowing and growing’

Mayor Sullivan agreed.

“Donaldsonville has a rich history. There’s so many things that were here, so

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many things that could have come to the city of Donaldsonville,” he stated. “You hear all the time about before the interstate was built on the east bank, the west bank of Ascension Parish was a place that was really ﬂowing and growing.”

Donaldsonville also lost signiﬁcant political power within the parish, when the population boom in Gonzales and Prairieville led to the creation of more council districts there.

In 1960, the west bank had four police jury representatives, while the east bank had six. Now, Joseph, the Ascension council member, represents the entire west bank and a portion of the east bank north of the Sunshine Bridge.

Historic city depends on the future

Throughout its history, Donaldsonville played host to several important ﬁgures and moments.

Two Civil War battles were waged around the city and Black troops from the Louisiana Native Guard helped build Fort Butler in 1863. Years later, a militia of freemen mobilized to protect their votes following a contested election in 1870.

The community was also the first in the nation to elect a Black mayor Pierre Caliste Landry was elected in 1868. And Leonard Julien Sr. and his brother Harold invented the ﬁrst mechanical sugar cane planting machine, which revolutionized the sugar cane industry

Now, the town depends on potential economic changes, the mayor said.

“We’re at a crossroad,” he said. “(It) is incumbent upon me and the rest of the elected ofﬁcials and leaders of this community to make sure that we cross over into an area where there’s prosperity for those that live here in the city.”

Several industries and businesses — in-

cluding ammonia plants, carbon sequestration and automaker Hyundai — want to move into areas near Donaldsonville. Some local leaders think they can bring jobs, although many residents fear pollution from additional manufacturing plants. Hyundai promises 1,300 full-time jobs, while Ascension Clean Energy ammonia plant ofﬁcials say they would add 350 full-time jobs.

A cultural or industrial economy?

There’s divergent opinions on ways to improve the city’s economic condition. Many officials, like Sullivan, view the plants as providing good jobs. To that end, River Parish Community College runs a night school job training and welding program in town that strives to give residents the skills for industrial careers.

But many citizens object to the industrial projects, especially carbon sequestration.

Louis Boudreaux, who’s lived near the city for 88 years, said a proposed carbon capture test well would be situated right near where he lives.

“When I came up money was tight. If you had a dollar you had something,” Boudreaux said. “... All we’ve got now is the pollution, you see?”

L’Oréal Evans, executive director of the nonproﬁt River Road African American Museum, said Donaldsonville could prioritize its location and history to “clutch that sunshine” and attract ﬁnancial resources and visitors.

“They have a great opportunity to develop a cultural economy that can bring in some of that money and foster an appreciation for the people who are there,” she said. “Because the people who are there have many talents. They have to be drawn out.”

PROVIDED PHOTO BY MICHAEL TORTORICH Lionel Franklin, center, and Wanda August, right, announce during the Donaldsonville Mardi Gras parade from the grandstand. Looking on, at left, is Donaldsonville Mayor Leroy Sullivan.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY MICHAEL TORTORICH

The royal court for the Donaldsonville Mardi Gras parade stands in front of the city hall grandstand along Railroad Avenue, from left, Ken Brass, John Diez, Louise Lewis, LaTrent White and Jannet Chavez

PROVIDED PHOTO BY CHUCK MONTERO

The Krewe of Prevost float rolls Sunday in the Donaldsonville Mardi Gras parade.

Ascension football players sign to play at next level

Shaq visits

DTHS baseball

Athletic programs around Ascension Parish have been busy in the past few weeks

thanks to national signing day, the beginning of some sports and the season ending for others

At East Ascension High, signing to play football at the next level were Jahmere Smith, Butler Community College; Caleb Davis, Mississippi Prep; Mervin Ragas, Butler Community College; Demarcus Gant, Coffeyville Community College; Preston Baker, Louisiana Christian; K.J. Green, Millsaps; Ernest Mitchell, Louisiana Christian; Jeremiah Wilson, Louisiana Christian; and Justin Oubre, Louisiana Christian.

At Donaldsonville High, senior Tahj Williby signed with Southwest Mississippi Community College

Dutchtown baseball gets visit from Shaq

Dutchtown High baseball players were visited by basketball great Shaquille O’Neal on the opening day of the season.

Coach Chris Schexnaydre

said freshman football coach Todd Black, whose son is on the team, arranged for the visit. O’Neal was in town

Smith signs to play football at Butler Community College.

for his child’s birthday and agreed to stop by for a visit.

Schexnaydre said. “Todd was Shaq’s roommate his ﬁrst year at LSU, I’m pretty sure. He was in town for one of his kids’ birthdays and Todd asked him to come and see our team. It was just good timing with the birthday and opening day that it all worked out.”

Troy LeBoeuf covers sports for the Ascension Advocate. He can be reached at troyleboeuf @hotmail.com or ascension@theadvocate. com or on Twitter @Troyleboeuf