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THE ST.TAMMANY
ADVOCATE
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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2, 2015 H
COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL THENEWORLEANSADVOCATE.COM
Sharon Edwards TAMMANY TIMES
Lighting up the holiday nights It’s the opening weekend of free Christmas events throughout St. Tammany Parish. So, grab your stocking caps and get ready to share in the spirit of the season. MANDEVILLE: St. Tammany Parish government will light up the night with the 16th annual Holiday of Lights opening Friday at the Tammany Trace Trailhead, 22154 Koop Drive, Mandeville. There will be live entertainment from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and again Dec. 11-12. Local student musicians and singers will present familyfriendly entertainment each evening at the pavilion. Due to construction of Kids Town at the site, the lights will only be on during the Holiday of Lights. SLIDELL: The city of Slidell presents Christmas Under the Stars from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and again Dec. 11-12 at Griffith Park, 333 Erlanger St., Olde Towne Slidell. Santa Claus will be riding into town on an antique fire engine, and parents can bring their children and take pictures during their visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the park gazebo. The city transforms the park into a winter wonderland with festive music, a Christmas village and nativity, and the annual Parade of Trees. Local groups and schoolchildren decorate the trees each year with unique and localized themes. There will also be a letterwriting booth with a magical mailbox that sends the letters directly to the North Pole, said Alex Carollo, director of the Department of Culture and Public Affairs. This is the 20th year of Christmas Under the Stars. The live entertainment portion has been carried over to the Bayou Christmas program, held Dec. 17 to Dec. 26 in Heritage Park. But the displays have remained as popular as ever, Carollo said. “It brings so much joy to the community; it’s something really special,” Carollo said. The park will be lit and the displays available for viewing every night through Jan. 3. MADISONVILLE: A Merry Madisonville Tree Lighting will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at Madisonville Town Hall, 403 St. Francis St. The town rings in the Christmas season with a holiday parade, Christmas caroling and children’s activities at Santa’s Workshop. A highlight is the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus by water, on their holiday boat. The celebration concludes with the lighting of the oaks. COVINGTON: The Deck the Rails Kids Event will be held from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire St., Covington. Families can enjoy a visit from Santa, join in Christmas caroling and an outdoor screening of the movie “Frozen.”
Photo provided by Ballet Apetrei
ABOVE: Trey Mauldwin as the Nutcracker Prince. BELOW: A scene from last year’s ‘The Nutcracker’ at Ballet Apetrei.
The Sweets life ‘The Nutcracker’ comes to life with local dancers
BY TARA E. SMITH
ing Nutcracker Prince to the Land of Sweets. The production, which will be held at With a snowy winter wonderland in 7 p.m. Friday and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. the background and visions of the Sugar Saturday at Mandeville High School AuPlum Fairy twirling on stage, Ballet Ape- ditorium, showcases the ballet company’s trei’s dancers will once again enchant dancers, professional guest dancers and, St. Tammany residents as they perform of course, the children of the community. “I think that ‘The Nutcracker’ is a very “The Nutcracker” for the 27th year. The family-favorite ballet follows the magical journey of Clara and her charmäSee SWEETS, page 7G Special to The Advocate
Balls still bouncing at Pelican Park during the holiday season
Advocate staff photo by SCOTT THRELKELD
Anita Faucheux, left, reaches for a colored pencil as she and her sister, Joellen Perniciaro, work on their pieces.
Showing their colors: Adult art time lets grown-ups in on fun BY TARA E. SMITH Contributing writer
Kelly LaRocca, assistant director of the Covington library, has a way for adults to release the heightened stress of the holidays: coloring. With adult coloring sweeping the country, the library recently offered a free session, providing intricately designed sheets and multitudes of col-
ored pencils and markers. Pam Spencer has been coloring for four years. “I think it softens the edges of reality,” she said. “It can be a meditation.” Spencer, a mixed-media artist in Covington, gathered with others at the Covington branch library Nov. 23 for its first adult coloring group event. According to many experts, “color therapy” can help one relax and
may actually provide health benefits. “It’s something to try with the holidays because the holidays can be very stressful,” said LaRocca. Whimsical doodles, inspirational quotes, intricate landscapes and nature scenes are just a few of the numerous designs for coloring sheets and äSee ART TIME, page 7G
The holidays can be a very slow time for recreation activities. Consider, after all, the many obligations that go with this time of year — extra cooking, cleaning, visiting, etc. REC & But at PeliLEISURE can Park near ANDREW Mandeville, the CANULETTE action rarely stops. The hub of activity in St. Tammany Parish Recreation District No. 1, Pelican Park has more than 1 million visits a year. And though the visitors might be coming less frequently during the holiday season, they continue to show up for the wealth of recreation and leisure events the park offers. For starters, youth basketball leagues began play again on Nov. 14, which means the park’s two gyms are filled with roundballers. According to Pelican Park recreation supervisor Julie Stempel, 553 boys and 184 girls signed up to play this season, which means that 737 youngsters ages 6-12 are getting in some good workouts this fall. The season will continue until the playoffs begin sometime in mid-January. Ninetytwo teams are taking part in the regular season. On the horizon, registration for boys’ basketball ages 13-
18, girls’ volleyball ages 9-15, and co-ed lacrosse ages 7-12 will begin on Dec. 28 and last until Jan. 12. Games in each league will begin shortly after registration closes. Complete information on how to sign up your child for a league is available on the comprehensive Pelican Park website, www.pelicanpark. com. Stempel noted that because of the wonderful weather we’ve experienced here in St. Tammany Parish the past few weeks, the dog park and skate park on site have been seeing increased usage — and they were fairly busy on a regular basis anyway. But don’t let that deter you from visiting. Both are great places to make friends and to share in common interests; whether it be “ollies” or collies. If indoor activities are more your style, make sure you check out the list of dozens of leisure activities at the park. There’s everything from arts and crafts, to classes on well-being and personal development, to classes for kids. Many are free; a few are fee-based. Check out the listings online and you’re sure to find something to bide the time well during the holidays. Stempel noted that the park’s popular Breakfast with Santa already is sold out. äSee PELICAN PARK, page 2G