Santa books appearances at the library; Check It Out ä 7G
THE ST.TAMMANY
ADVOCATE
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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 9, 2015 H
COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL THENEWORLEANSADVOCATE.COM
Sharon Edwards TAMMANY TIMES
Home builders add to efforts for charity For 25 years, the Northshore Home Builders Association has built a home and raffled it to benefit local charities. Now it’s introducing the Year-Long Raffle. Every Sunday in 2016, beginning Jan. 3, the association will give away one of 52 prizes, including a Large Green Egg, hunting rifles, a fishing charter, seafood boiling set and a spa day. The complete prize schedule and ticket information can be found at www.northshorehba.org/yrr. “The Year-Round Raffle is a non-dues revenue producer we are doing for the first time this year,” said Candace Watkins, executive officer. This has been a big year for the NHBA. It was the first year for Watkins as executive officer. The association grew to more than 900 members as the St. Tammany Home Builders Association merged with the Tangipahoa Home Builders Association to form the Northshore group. “We’re now the third-largest home builders association in Louisiana,” Watkins said. It has almost completed a 4,000-square-foot office building at 28603 Krentel Road in Lacombe. And, on Nov. 17, it broke ground on a 2,687-square-foot, fourbedroom, three-bathroom home for the 2016 Raising the Roof for Charity. To help administer these activities and, indirectly, the Raising the Roof for Charity, the NHBA is selling 1,000 tickets to the Year-Round Raffle. Ticket are numbered 000999. Numbers that match the Louisiana Lottery PICK 3 number every Sunday in 2016 will win the scheduled prize. A ticket costs $100, which makes each weekly chance cost less than $2. In the 25 years association members have built and raffled a home, they have brought in more than $4.5 million for local charities. The group didn’t build a home to raffle in 2015. “We spent last year building our own office building in Lacombe,” Watkins said. Members hope to move in next week. But with the office building nearing completion, NHBA has begun construction on the 2016 Raffle House. Members provide most of the construction free or at reduced cost. It’s a tradition that the past association president builds the next house. Outgoing President Dodie Adams of Integrity Builders is building this year’s home in Spring Haven subdivision in Madisonville. The 2016 Raffle House will benefit the Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana, the Tammany Trace and the Covington Food Bank. The Raffle House Grand Prize drawing will be held at the house on June 4. For information, call (985) 882-5002.
Humane Society’s new chief wants to expand facility BY ANDREW CANULETTE Special to the Advocate
Scott Bernier is a sucker for animals, so when a fluffy 6-week-old black puppy came into the St. Tammany Humane Society office a few weeks ago, he knew it would be coming home with him. When they got to his Covington house, the pup ran around and Bernier’s young son pursued. They named the dog Chase, and he’s sure
INSIDE: Things to consider before adopting a pet ä 7G to be a lifelong member of the Bernier household. There are dozens of other dogs and cats at the St. Tammany Humane that Bernier is caring for these days. As the new chief executive officer of the facility, it’s äSee HUMANE, page 7G
Advocate staff photo by SCOTT THRELKELD
Scott Bernier, the new chief executive officer of the St. Tammany Humane Society, plays with Chase, an 8-week-old puppy he fostered and recently adopted.
Santa heads outdoors at Wildlife Refuges Center
terials, Heyd likes to leave some gingerbread showing. “I like to use as much candy and decoration as I can but show the gingerbread itself so people can see that it’s edible. I try not to use a lot of fondant to cover the baked gingerbread.” There will be fondant piping aplenty, though, to replicate mold-
The holiday season is a time for family, friends and fellowship. So if you have the opportunity to combine all that with the wonder of south Louisiana’s great outdoors, wouldn’t you jump at the chance? Of course you would. With that in mind, consider visiting the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center in Lacombe on Dec. 12. There, you can explore the REC & beauty of the LEISURE land and waANDREW terways upon CANULETTE which the visitor center sits. But the kids also can enjoy a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. that day. Mrs. Claus will read Christmas stories throughout the afternoon to get everyone in the holiday spirit, while Santa will greet families at his “Cajun Cottage” outpost inside the visitor center. Everyone will have a chance to take a photo with the Jolly Old Elf, and the picture is complimentary. Still, parents are encouraged to bring their own cameras to snap a few extra shots. There will be hot chocolate and cookies for all, and the snacks are free. There is no charge for admission, either. The event is sponsored by the Friends of Louisiana Wildlife Refuges — a volunteer group that supports the refuge complex’s staff with programming assistance and much more. Though a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus is exciting for the children, they may be equally thrilled with the refuge headquarters and surrounding property. Inside the center, the entire family can learn about ongoing marsh restoration projects and local ecology. They also can learn about area wildlife, which always seems to be a hit. The trails and grounds of the wonderful Bayou Gardens also will be open for exploration. The trails on site are lined with a variety of camellias, many of which are in bloom. The entire property is filled with different types of trees and birds, and there are countless quiet
äSee SWEET, page 6G
äSee CANULETTE, page 4G
Advocate staff photo by MATTHEW HINTON
Pastry chef Deborah Heyd, of the Roosevelt Hotel, is constructing a gingerbread house that’s a replica of the hotel. It is on display in Teddy’s Cafe.
A SWEET JOB Chef’s gingerbread hotel offers all the decorative amenities BY KAREN TAYLOR GIST kataylor@theadvocate.com
Deborah Heyd puts more detail into her gingerbread houses than the average dabbler in holiday-inspired edible architecture. For most of us, having four walls that stay upright and are roughly parallel would do the trick, but her justcompleted creation is a replica of the Roosevelt Hotel, the place where she works as head pastry chef. “I just rolled out the sugar dough to make the bay windows,” she said. “It’s almost like a hard fondant I’m using so that I can put it on the building and it hardens, and I can put lights through it. Gingerbread won’t hold up to all the decorating.” Because Heyd’s mini-Roosevelt is about 5 feet tall and
INSIDE: Chef Deborah Heyd shares her recipes and building tips ä 5G
about 6 feet wide, it started with a wooden frame. She’d already baked the gingerbread, let it cool and glued it to the wooden walls. “I did two colors, white and dark gingerbread, because both sides of the building are different. The lobby side is white marble; the other is brown brick. Then the decor can match the building and not cover it.” Now it was down to the fun part: decorating. Within a couple of days would come the finishing touches — sidewalks, plants and tables around the pool. And maybe people, or at least gingerbread men. Surely the challenges are
Associated Press photo
Advocate staff photo by JOHN McCUSKER
The exterior of the iconic The massive gingerbread replica of the Roosevelt Roosevelt Hotel many when trying to reproduce a complicated building. But the artistry seemed to come easier to Heyd than the engineering. “The bay windows are the hardest part — I’m not an architect. I waited until the last minute to decide on how I’m going to construct them (to make them) stay on.” Like an artist who favors an emphasis on the raw ma-