March-April 2013 Issue of Inside Northside Magazine

450

$

CHS CENTENNIAL • HOT HUSBANDS 2013 • WORTHY CAUSES REVISITED • OUTDOOR LIVING

MARCH-APRIL 2013 VOL. 28, NO. 2

March-April 2013

Vol. 28, No. 2

The community magazine of the northshore, serving St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes.

Publisher Lori Murphy ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Associate Publisher Poki Hampton Editor Jan Murphy

Art Director Brad Growden

Managing Editor Stephen Faure

Editorial Assistant Lauren Smith

Contributors are featured on page 12.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Business Manager Jane Quillin Advertising Account Executives Brenda Breck

Poki Hampton Candice Laizer

Barbara Roscoe Hali Ungar Intern Alexandra Wimley –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For advertising information phone (985) 626-9684 fax (985) 674-7721 email sales@insidenorthside.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Please send items for Inside Scoop to scoop@insidenorthside.com.

Photos for Inside Peek, with captions, should be sent to peek@insidenorthside.com. Submit items for Inside Input or Dining Guide to editor@insidenorthside.com.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Contact Inside Northside P.O. Box 9148

Mandeville, LA 70470-9148 phone (985) 626-9684 fax (985) 674-7721 website www.insidenorthside.com

Subscriptions 1 Year $18 2 Years $30 email subscriptions@insidenorthside.com ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

On the cover Artist John Goodwyne –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– INSIDE NORTHSIDE MAGAZINE is published bi-monthly (January, March, May, July, September, November) by M and L Publishing, LLC, PO Box 9148, Mandeville, LA 70470-9148 as a means of communication and information for St. Tam­m any and Tangipahoa Parishes, Louisiana. Bulk Postage paid at Mandeville, LA. Copy­r ight ©2013 by M and L Publishing, LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written consent of publisher.

Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and artwork.

contents table of

page 86

page 32

page 104

features

14 Staying Loose Cover artist John Goodwyne.

32 Lion Pride Covington High School’s 100 years.

46 Hot Husbands 2013 72 Still Life Making Spirits Bright in Louisiana.

departments

108 Wow! Renovation Creating the new from the old.

10 Publisher’s Note

medical profile

12 Contributors

84 Center for Women’s Health

18 Inside Scoop

page 72

29 Insider

Bill Bennett.

30 IN Better Health Sarah Alford.

page 94

56 Worthy Causes Worthy Causes Revisited.

64 Another Side Of… Scott Ballard.

68 IN Good Company Franco’s Athletic Club.

86 Flourishes Treasures for your pleasure.

92 IN Love and Marriage Notable northshore weddings.

114 Inside Peek 16 IN the Spotlight 1 President’s Arts Awards.

20 IN the Spotlight 1 Starry, Starry Nights in the East.

123 Northshore Living Custom Closets.

94 Inside Look Petal Pushers.

26 IN Great Taste 1 Delicious Easter Fun.

104 Outdoor Living Garden Ornaments.

128 Inside Dining 133 Ad Directory

112 IN the Spotlight Carnival 2013.

134 Last Bite Pinkberry.

March-April 2013 9

It takes a village.

by Lori Murphy Every spring, committees of parents feverishly work to tie together the loose ends of a very special celebration. Though the planning for the following year begins just two weeks after the event, it is in full swing right now for Project Graduation planners across the northshore. Some schools have as many as 30 people on their year-long planning committee, but the actual event can require up to 250 volunteers.

Project Graduation is a parent-and-community sponsored all-night, alcohol-free, drug-free celebration for high school graduates. The concept, now adopted nationwide, began in Maine more than 20 years ago after 19 graduates died in alcohol-related accidents there over a two-year period.

Linda Simeon, a long-time friend and one of the planners for Fontainebleau High School’s celebration, hopes that 90 percent of the graduates join them for the event this year. “It is a great party!,” she says.

Just like any worthwhile project, Project Graduation requires the input and generosity of many people and organizations to pull off. Fundraisers are held all year to offset the costs associated with an all-night party for teenagers. It requires a lot of food, games, prizes and entertainment to keep them engaged on such an exciting night.

If you would like to partner with a high school in your area on this important project, please call the school office and ask about Project Graduation opportunities—you can make a financial contribution to help offset the ticket costs for kids who might not be able to attend otherwise, you can provide prizes or food, or perhaps work a shift on the night of graduation.

As Linda says, “Our goal is to protect our young graduates, celebrate their achievement and encourage and support them in their transition to college and careers.” You can help make a positive impact on the lives of our young adults. Together, we can give them a night they will live to remember!

p.s. Check our Scoop calendar listings for information on many of the fundraisers for Project Graduation happening this spring.

Contributors

Contributors Ann Gilbert Ann Gilbert became immersed in history as a walking tour guide in the Garden District, French Quarter and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. A long-time newspaper lifestyle editor, Ann enjoys her five grandchildren and extended visits to the mountains of western North Carolina. Her contributions to IN over the years include historical profiles of northshore places and people; for this issue she takes us along as Covington High School celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Stephen Faure Stephen Faure is IN’s managing editor and has contributed many of our feature stories over the past 12 years. Born in Houma, La., Steve considers himself a native New Orleanian who just happens to live on the northshore. He is a descendant of a family that immigrated to New Orleans in 1809 and his feature stories often focus on the area’s unique history, its artists and culture. Steve covers all three with his feature on Louisiana distilleries in this issue.

Mindy Cordell Mindy Cordell is a mother, writer and marketing consultant. A long-time observer of people and all of the things that make them interesting and unique, she now has the opportunity to illuminate these things through her writing and marketing. Mindy lives in Mandeville with her husband Tony, son Dylan (10) and daughter Ava (6).

Contributors: Kaley Boudreaux, Alice Fielding.

Now 78 years old, Goodwyne’s only been painting for 12 years in this go-round in life. He painted for 10 years starting when he was 25, but let it go when he went into business as a builder.

“When I first started painting, if I sold 10 pictures in 10 years, I sold plenty,” he says.

Goodwyne and his wife, Lynn, raised two children on the West Bank of New Orleans, in Algiers. He had a few other hobbies then. At times, he’s kept horses and cattle at his farm in Picayune and showed dogs, Weimaraners and an English Pointer.

Goodwyne was already retired for almost 16 years and he says, “I used to watch this guy Bob Ross paint all the time on TV,” referring to the popular PBS star. Eventually, he recalls, “I said, ‘I’m going to go back to painting.’ I started using Ross’s technique, and I loved it because you could complete oil paintings quickly. Then Lynn persuaded me to do watercolors, and I fell in love with that.”

Goodwyne still owns the first watercolor he painted. “I won’t sell it because it taught me a

Staying Loose

by Stephen Faure IF THERE’S ONE CONSTANT in cover artist John Goodwyne’s drive to paint, it’s that he wants people to enjoy his work. As he noted when we talked to him for his cover piece that appeared on our JulyAugust 2007 issue, “A painting isn’t finished until it’s hanging on somebody’s wall.”

Goodwyne makes sure his watercolors—most with nautical themes—find good homes not only by painting beautiful images, but also by doing all he can to make them very affordable. His prices are often met with surprise by gallery owners, especially since his works are sold complete with mat, frame and glass.

It’s not that he’s not proud of his work; he is, but Goodwyne maintains his humility. “None of us paint a masterpiece. We paint something nice and when somebody likes it, that’s good. Now paint another one.”

14

Inside Northside

valuable lesson.” He entered the painting into a senior show held by the West Bank Art Guild, an organization he helped create back in the 1960s during his first iteration as an artist.

“I had painted it just like I was painting a photograph,” he says. “I put it in the show. There was one by a guy named LeBlanc that I looked at from a couple of feet away, and I didn’t like it. After the judging, we came back in and the one I hated won best of show. So I went back to it, looking at it closely again, and said to myself, ‘What the hell was the judge thinking?’ I walked about 15 feet away, turned around, looked again, and then I saw he was the best in show. The movement in that picture changed the way I paint.”

What Goodwyne learned from that experience was to paint loose, something he has to remind himself to do every time he picks up a brush. He

>>

photo: STEPHEN FAURE

Cover Artist John Goodwyne

Meet cover artist

John Goodwyne and see some of his favorite works on display at

Arabella Fine Gifts and Emma’s Shoes 3902 Hwy. 22 Mandeville, La.

Thursday, March 21, 2013 5:30-7:00 p.m.

For more information, call

626-9684

Everyone’s Invited!

has to, because his paintings do, in fact, contain a lot of detail. That’s supplied by the first step in his process—making a detailed, and not loose at all, sketch of the central scene and objects, usually boats, houses and/or lighthouses, he’s going to paint.

“I never paint the same day I sketch. I’ll look at it for a day or so and decide what I want. I sketch in great detail. Then I still have to tell myself ‘stay loose’ as soon as I pick up that paintbrush, because I still want to paint a photograph. That’s not painting. Get a camera for that,” Goodwyne says He describes his style as “realistic impressionism.” It’s not a contradiction.

“I want it to be realistic, but I want that impressionism in there so people can do their own thinking about how it really looks to them.” Painting loose gives a picture motion, and as he tells students in the workshops he’s given over the years, movement is the best thing they can create in their pictures.

One workshop student pointed something out to Goodwyne that he hadn’t realized. “She said, ‘Mr. John, you don’t really paint.’ I asked her what she was talking about, and she said, ‘Have you ever noticed that painters

make strokes? I never see you stroke.

You just push the paint around with your brush. I said, ‘You’re right. I never go back into a section once I put the pigment down.’”

Painting on an inclined board that’s almost flat, rather than an easel, lets Goodwyne control how much the paint will dribble down and mix with neighboring colors. When it’s just right, he levels the board and breaks out a hair dryer. “If I don’t dry it quickly, I’ll get ripples in the paper, and once they’re dry, those ripples are staying.”

What he’s become known for are his watercolors executed on nautical charts, like the one hanging in his studio of a lighthouse—in Boston Harbor, one of the first in the country— on a chart of Boston Harbor. These present their own challenges. “It’s not watercolor paper; it’s paper like the magazine is made of,” Goodwyne says. This coated paper will begin to bubble when paint is applied, and the hair dryer again comes to the rescue.

He stops painting and dries the paper several times during the process.

Those embellished charts and matted watercolors come to the buyer in rustic frames that Goodwyne makes

himself, an exercise of his frugal nature and love of making things.

“Spending so much money on frames used to eat me up. I said, ‘I gotta start making my own frames.’ Plus, I learned how to do something, and it keeps me busy,” he says. “My frames come from old fence boards. When I had the farm, I had about 700 or 800 fence boards that were made of cedar or redwood.” He collected the boards throughout his old neighborhood on the West Bank. Neighbors would tip him off to homeowners putting in new fences, and he’d collect the old boards.

Goodwyne and Lynn have lived on the northshore for seven years. He had an idea, way back when, to retire to Wyoming. The West is a favorite topic for him. “I got to be a cowboy on my own farm in Mississippi.” He has two Frederick Remington bronzes, and remembers a visit to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyo. “After I sold the building business, I thought maybe we could move up there and when it got too cold, we would come back to the farm in Mississippi. Lynn didn’t want to do that, and we moved to the northshore because our daughter lives up here and our son was going to move here as well. He’s in Tennessee now, though,” Goodwyne says.

Other than some pesky geese that have adopted the ponds in their neighborhood near Bush, the couple is enjoying it.

“It’s peaceful to me,” Goodwyne says.

John Goodwyne’s work is available at the Three Rivers Gallery, 333 E. Boston St.; Abita Gallery, Gifts and Framing in Abita Springs; and by calling him at 886-9059.

March-April 2013 17

poster: © 2013 ART4NOW INC. TM N.O.J.&H.F., INC. & JAMES MICHALOPOULOS

Jazz Fest Two-time Inside Northside cover artist James Michalopoulos’ painting “Heart Song” captures the essence of singer Aaron Neville’s spiritual performances. It is the poster for this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the sixth time Michalopoulos has been chosen as the poster artist.

April 26-May 5 New Orleans Jazz photo: STEPHEN FAURE

INSIDE

and Heritage Festival. Fair Grounds Race Course, 1751 Gentilly Blvd., New

the definitive guide to northshore events and entertainment

March 1 Mandeville Live Concert Series. New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Company. Mandeville Trailhead, 675 Lafitte St. 6:30pm. Free. cityofmandeville.com.

1-2 Ponchatoula Trade Days. Arts and crafts fair. Downtown Ponchatoula. 9am–5pm.

Free. 386-2536. ponchatoulachamber.com.

1-3 Weekend Painting Workshops with Alan Flattmann. Pastels. St. Tammany Art Association, 320 N. Columbia St., Covington. $300/session; $270/STAA & DPS members. 10am-noon; 1-5pm. 892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

1-16 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Cutting Edge Theater, 747 Robert Blvd., Slidell. Fri, Sat, 8pm. $20. 64918

I n s i d e N o rt h s i d e

3727. cuttingedgetheater.com.

Orleans. 11am-7pm. nojazzfest.com.

2 Memories in Tin with Becky Burt.

Create a one-of-a-kind memento from found

1-31 Culinary Kids. Activities and classes

objects. St. Tammany Art Association, 320

for children and adults. Call or visit the website

N. Columbia St., Covington. 10am-noon;

for more information and reservations. 727-

1-5pm. $85 plus $10 materials. 892-8650.

5553. culinarykidsNS.com.

sttammanyartassociation.org.

2 Arts Evening 2013. A night devoted to the

2 Ozone Spring Run. St. Paul’s Alumni

fine and performing arts. 5-9pm. Olde Towne

Association. Wolfdome, St Paul’s School,

Slidell. 646-4375. cityofslidell.org.

Covington. Registration, 7am. 892-3200.

2 Art Opening. Oil paintings by Carol Hallock.

2 Yard Sale. Benefits the Youth of Hosanna

“Outposts in Eden: Audubon and City Parks of

summer camps. Hosanna Lutheran Church,

New Orleans.” Jean Bragg Gallery, 600 Julia

2480 Hwy. 190E, Mandeville. 8am-2pm. 727-

St., New Orleans. 6-9pm. Gallery hours Mon-

9200. hosannalutheran.com.

Fri 10am-5pm. 895-7375. jeanbragg.com.

2-29 Mandeville City Hall Artist of the 2 Swimwear Trunk Show. Bra-sized

Month. Mandeville Junior High art students

swimwear by Fantasie, Freya and Elomi. Bra

of Mary Elaine Bernard. Mandeville City Hall,

Genie, 2881 Hwy. 190, Mandeville. 10am-

3101 E. Causeway App. Mon-Fri, 9am-

3pm. 951-8638. thebragenie.com.

4:30pm. Free. Nancy Clark, 626-3144.

>>

2-30 Covington Farmers Market. Wed and Sat; Wed, Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire St., 10am-2pm; Sat, 609 N. Columbia St., 8am-noon. Free. 892-1873. covingtonfarmersmarket.org.

2, 9, 16, 23 Camellia City Market. Robert and Front Sts., Slidell. 8am-noon. Free. camelliacitymarket.org.

2, 9, 16, 23 Hammond Farmers Market.

W. Thomas St. and S.W. Railroad Ave., Hammond. 9am-3pm. Terry Lynn Smith, 2775680 ext. 2. dddhammond.com.

2, 9, 16, 23 Mandeville Trailhead Community Market. 675 Lafitte St., Mandeville. Sat, 9am-1pm. Free. mandevilletrailhead.org.

3 Chef’s Evening. Southeastern Louisiana University Foundation gala. Pennington Student Activity Center, SLU campus, Hammond. 5:30pm. $75-$100. Andrew Hickman, 549-2420.

4, 11, 18, 25 Microderm Mondays. Azure Spa, 2040 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville.

Limited appointments available. $69. 7277799. theazurespa.com.

5 STAA Membership Meeting. For all members. 320 Columbia St., Covington. 6:30pm.

892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

6, 13, 20, 27 Botox Wednesdays. Dr. Kelly Burkenstock’s Skin•Body•Health, 2040 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville. Limited appointments available. $265/area, $665/ whole face. 727-7676. skinbodyhealth.com.

6, 13, 20, 27 Wednesday at the Square.

Young Leadership Council concert series.

Lafayette Square, New Orleans. Free. 5-8pm. wednesdayatthesquare.com.

7 Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, 220 E. Thomas St., Hammond. $32-$40. 7:30pm.

543-4366. columbiatheatre.org.

7 Community Partners Breakfast.

Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West.

Free fundraising event. Clarion Inn, 501 N. Hwy. 190, Covington. 8-9am. 893-3172 habitatstw.org.

7 Preparing for Childbirth.

9 Easter Bunny. Free bunny

Lakeview Regional Medical

photo, treats and giveaway.

Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd.,

Silver Plum and 1, 2 Buckle My

Covington. 6:30-9:30pm. Free.

Shoe, 2891 Hwy. 190, Ste. A,

1-866-4LAKEVIEW.

Mandeville. 1-4pm. 674-4343.

Y 7, 14, 21, 28 New Baby

9 Gallery Opening.

Support Group. Birth to 7 mos.

Photographer Harriet Blum,

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N.

“Cloud Nine.” 6-9pm. Three

Florida St., Ste. B, Covington.

Rivers Gallery, 333 E. Boston

11:15am-noon. Free. 898-4435.

St., Covington. Gallery hours

stph.org.

Thur-Sat 12:30-5:30pm and by appointment. 892-2811.

8 Mandeville Live Concert

threeriversgallery.com.

Series. The George French Band. Mandeville Trailhead,

9 Krewe of Erin St. Patrick’s

675 Lafitte St. 6:30pm. Free.

Day Parade. Downtown

cityofmandeville.com.

Ponchatoula. 10am. Myra Marc, 507-7823.

8 Northlake Newcomers Luncheon. Speaker: Pat Brister.

9 Madisonville Art Market.

Benedict’s Plantation, 1144 N.

Tchefuncte riverfront, Water St.,

Causeway Blvd., Mandeville.

Madisonville. 10am-4pm. Free.

10am. 792-4926.

madisonvilleartmarket.com.

8-10 Independence

9 Madisonville Garden Club

Sicilian Festival. Downtown

Garden Show. Benefitting

Independence. Fri, 5pm-midnight;

town beautification. Town Hall

Sat, 11am-11pm; Sun, 11am-

and riverfront on S. Water St.,

6pm. indysicilianfest.com.

Madisonville. 9am-4pm. Free.

Molly Stillinger, 845-7348.

8-24 Lend Me A Tenor.

Comedy. Playmakers Theater,

9 Our Journey. Concert to raise

19106 Playmakers Rd.,

awareness for NAMI. Fuhrmann

Covington. (Except the 10th)

Auditorium, 317 N. Jefferson

Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Adults,

Ave., Covington. 7:30-9:30pm.

$15; Students, $10. 892-9767.

$15. Jan Gardner, 792-1392.

playmakersinc.com.

npassingers.org.

9 Abbey Youth Festival. St.

9 Pel-I-Can Race and Pelican

Joseph Abbey and Seminary

Palooza. Woodlake Elementary’s 5K

College, Covington. 9am-9pm.

race and fun run followed by Pelican

On-site registration, $30. 867-

Palooza fair. Mandeville lakefront.

2233. abbeyyouthfest.com.

Race, 8am; fair, 10am. Registration form at woodlakepta.org.

9 4th Annual Day for Girls Health. Girls are pampered and

9 Tangipahoa Spring Garden

learn healthy habits. Door prizes,

Day. LSU Ag Center, 2154 Old

giveways and beauty treats.

Covington Hwy., Hammond. 9am-

Sponsored by the Junior Auxiliary

3pm. Sandra Benjamin, 748-9381.

of Slidell. Slidell Memorial Hospital Cancer Center and Founders

9-30 Easter Bunny. Easter

Building, Robert Rd. Q&A panel,

Bunny arrival and kids activities,

1:15-2:30; open booths, 2:45-4:30;

March 9. 11am-3pm. Easter

fashion show, 4:30. Free. Wendy

Bunny hours, Mon–Sat, 11am-

Harpster, 768-0531. jaslidell.org.

7pm; Sun, noon-6pm; March 28-30, 10am-8pm (extended

>>

March-April 2013 21

Inside Scoop hours). North Shore Square Mall, 150 North

Y 12, 19, 26 Play and Learn. 16 mos to 4

Shore Blvd., Ste. 2020, Slidell. 646-0661.

yrs. STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida

15-17 Amite Oyster Festival. Downtown

northshoresquareonline.com.

St., Ste. B, Covington. 9:30-10:15am. $15/

Amite. Fri, 3pm-midnight; Sat, 11am-10pm;

members; $24/child for nonmembers. 898-

Sun, noon-5pm. Carol Brooke, 800-617-4501.

4435. stph.org.

amitechamber.org.

Association, 320 N. Columbia St., Covington.

14-April 11 Visual Arts Juried

15-17 Audubon Pilgrimage Spring

Tue-Fri,10am-4pm; Sat 11am-4pm. 892-

Exhibition. Opening reception, March 14,

Festival. St. Francisville. Daytime tours, $30,

8650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

5-7pm. Southeastern Louisiana University

9:30am-5pm; Fri night entertainment, $20,

Contemporary Gallery, 100 E. Stadium,

6-9pm; Sat night entertainment, $40, 7pm.

10 St. Joseph Altar. Our Mother of

Hammond. Mon, Tue, Thur, 8am-4:30pm;

audubonpilgrimage.info.

Perpetual Help Chapel, St. Scholastica

Wed, 8am-4pm. 849-5080.

9-April 6 Covington Bicentennial Invitational Exhibit. St. Tammany Art

16 Hammond Rotary Club 10k Shamrock

Academy, 122 S. Massachusetts St., Y 14, 21, 28 Cuddle Buddies. 8-15 mos.

Run. Southeastern Louisiana University, 500

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St.,

Western Ave., Hammond. 5k, 7:45am; 10k,

11 Mandeville Project Graduation Spring

Ste. B, Covington. 10:30-11am. $6/month

8am. Early registration, $25; late registration,

Golf Scramble. Sponsorships/hole signage

for members; $12/month nonmembers. 898-

$30; race day, $35. rotaryshamrockrun.com.

available. Beau Chêne Golf Course. 12:30pm.

4435. stph.org.

Covington. 10am. 892-2540. ssacad.com.

16 Live Auction. Estate jewelry and European

mhspg1@gmail.com.

15 Mandeville Live Concert Series. Four

merchandise from multiple select local estates.

12 Professional Women of St. Tammany

Unplugged. Mandeville Trailhead, 675 Lafitte

Northshore Antique and Auction House, 334

Monthly Luncheon. Speaker Eric

St. 6:30pm. Free. cityofmandeville.com.

N. Vermont St., Covington. Preview at 10am,

Skrmetta. Beau Chêne Country Club, 602

auction at 11am. northshoreauctionhouse.com.

N. Beau Chêne Dr., Mandeville. Networking,

16 Sunset at the Landing Concert.

11:30am; lunch, noon. $24, members; $29,

Columbia Street Landing, Covington. 6-9pm.

16 Raising the Roof for Charity Raffle

nonmembers and guests. pw-st.org.

Free. cityofcovingtonla.com.

House Easter Egg Hunt and Early Bird Prize Drawing. St. Tammany Home Builders

Association. 769 S. Corniche du Lac, Maison

17 Chef Soirée. Youth Service Bureau

20 Opera on Tap. Abita Brew Pub, 72011

du Lac Subdivision, Covington. 10am-

fundraiser. Bogue Falaya Park, Covington.

Holly St. 7-8:30pm. Free, reservations

12:30pm. Easter egg hunt, 11am; drawing at

5-9pm. $125. 893-2570. chefsoiree.com.

recommended. neworleansopera.org.

noon. 882.5002. sthba.org.

18 SAV Golf Tournament. English Turn

21 Chamber After Hours. Hosted by the

16 SSA Falaya Fling. Silent and live

Golf & Country Club, 1 Clubhouse Dr., New

Strawberry Festival Board. 5:30–7pm. Festival

auctions, dinner and live entertainment.

Orleans. saintandrewsvillage.org.

Building, Memorial Park, Ponchatoula. 386-

7-11:30pm; patron party, 6pm. Castine

2536. ponchatoulachamber.com.

Center, Pelican Park, 63350 Pelican Blvd.,

Y 18, 25 Children in the Middle. For

Mandeville. $65. 892-2540. ssacad.com.

children of divorcing parents. Ages 6-12 yrs.

21 Chick-fil-A Night. Sales benefit Slidell/

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St.,

Pearl River Project Graduation. 1645 Gause

16 Take a Walk in the Park. Mandeville

Ste. B, Covington. 7-9pm. Register by 1 p.m.

Blvd, Slidell. 5-9pm. Amanda Guerrero, 768-

Trailhead, Kids Konnection. Sponsored by

Friday, March 15. $10/per child (max $20 per

8352.

the UP21 Foundation. 9am-2pm. Check-in,

family). 898-4435. stph.org.

21 Inside Northside Cover Artist Party.

9am; walk begins at 10am. Food, music, raffles and more after the walk. Register at

Y 18, 25 Children in the Middle. For

Featuring the work of John Goodwyne.

up21foundation.org/the-walk.

divorcing parents. STPH Parenting Center,

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Arabella Fine

1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington.

Gifts and Home Decor and Emma’s Shoes,

16-17 St. Joseph Altar. St. Anselm Catholic

7-9pm. Register by 1 p.m. Friday, March 15.

3902 Hwy. 22, Mandeville. 626-9684.

Church, 306 St. Mary St., Madisonville. Sat,

$30/members; $35/non-members; $10/add’l

following 4pm Mass; Sun, food service 11am-

for couples. 898-4435. stph.org.

3pm. Free. stanselmmadisonville.org.

21 Newborn Care Class. Lakeview Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge

19-Apr 2 Art Exhibit. Tangi Public Schools

Tanner Blvd., Covington. 7-9pm. Free.

17 Abita Springs Earth Fest. Abita

Talented Arts Program. 217 E. Thomas St.,

1-866-4LAKEVIEW.

Trailhead park. Music, food. Free. Noon-5pm.

Hammond. Tue-Fri, 1-5pm; Sat, 11am-3pm.

Eva Jenkins, 373-6415. abitapark.com.

Melissa Griffin, 542-7113. hammondarts.org.

22 Columbia Street Block Party. Columbia Street, Downtown Covington. 6:30-9:30pm. >>

March-April 2013 23

Inside Scoop Free. cityofcovingtonla.com.

22 Mandeville Live Concert Series.

Witness. Mandeville Trailhead, 675 Lafitte St. 6:30pm. Free. cityofmandeville.com.

22-23 Hammond Smokin’ Blues & BBQ Challenge. Downtown Hammond. Eric Phares, 969-8172. hammondbluesandbbq.com.

22-23 Hogs for the Cause. Helping families cope with pediatric brain cancer.

Festival grounds, 1 Palm Dr., City Park, New Orleans. Fri, 4-11pm; Sat, 11am-10pm. $15-$250 advance, $20-$300 at gate. hogsforthecause.org.

22-24 Strawberry Jam & Toast to the Arts. Benefits arts programs at Tangipahoa Parish schools. 46468 River Rd., Hammond.

For times and ticket information, visit strawberryjam.org.

23 Abita Springs Whole Town Garage Sale. With flea market in front of the town hall, 8am-5pm. abitagaragesale.com.

23-24 Jazz on the Bayou. Fundraiser for Easter Seals, STARC and more. Chateau Kole on Bayou Liberty, near Slidell. 3-7pm. $100. jazzonthebayou.com.

24 Once Upon A Vine XIX. Gourmet food and wine tasting by Martin Wine Cellar. Arbor Room at Popp Fountain, New Orleans City Park. 4-7pm. $60. martinwine.com.

24 Third Sunday Concert. “Go Green with Musaica.” Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S. New Hampshire St., Covington. 5pm. Free.

892-3177.

27 Empowered Parents Network Group.

10am-noon. STPH Family Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 898-4435. stph.org.

29-31 Easter Service. Church of the King, Little Creek Campus, 22205 Little Creek Rd., Mandeville. Fri, 5 and 7pm; Sat, 3, 5 and 7pm; Sun, 8, 9:30 and 11:30am. churchoftheking.com.

31 Easter Service. Church of the King, North Causeway Campus, Fleur de Lis Center, 24

I n s i d e N o rt h s i d e

1645 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville. 9:30 and 11:30am. churchoftheking.com.

April 1-30 Culinary Kids. Activities and classes for children and adults. Call or visit the website for more information and reservations. 7275553. culinarykidsNS.com.

1-30 Mandeville City Hall Artist of the Month. Keep Mandeville Beautiful antilitter artwork by students of Susan Russell.

Mandeville City Hall, 3101 E. Causeway App. Mon-Fri, 9am-4:30pm. Free. Nancy Clark, 626-3144.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Microderm Mondays. Azure Spa, 2040 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville.

Limited appointments available. 727-7799. theazurespa.com.

2, 9, 16, 23 Rockin’ the Rails.

Spring concert series. Covington Trailhead. 5-7:30pm. Free. 892-1873. cityofcovingtonla.com.

3-7 Rich Mauti Tennis Classic. Benefits the Rich Mauti Cancer Fund. Stone Creek Club & Spa, 1201 Ochsner Blvd., Covington.

Registration, richmauticancerfund.com.

3-27 Covington Farmers Market. Wed and Sat; Wed, Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire St., 10am-2pm; Sat, 609 N. Columbia St., 8am-noon. Free. 892-1873. covingtonfarmersmarket.org.

3, 10, 17, 24 Botox Wednesdays. Dr. Kelly Burkenstock’s Skin•Body•Health, 2040 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville. Limited appointments available. $265/area, $665/ whole face. 727-7676. skinbodyhealth.com.

3, 10, 17, 24 Wednesday at the Square.

Young Leadership Council concert series.

Lafayette Square, New Orleans. Free. 5-8pm. wednesdayatthesquare.com.

Y 4, 11, 18, 25 New Baby Support Group.

Birth to 7 mos. Child development and parenting tips. STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 11:15amnoon. Free. 898-4435. stph.org.

5 Mandeville Live Concert Series. Amanda >>

Inside Scoop Shaw. Mandeville Trailhead, 675 Lafitte St.

7 Tuscany Under The Seven Sisters

food, special events. French Quarter, New

6:30pm. Free. cityofmandeville.com.

Oak. Delicious “Intermezzo” benefitting

Orleans. Free. (504) 522-5730. fqfi.org.

the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

6 Covington Art Market. Juried art

200 Fountain St., Lewisburg. 2pm.

12 Get Lucky! Golf Tournament.

market of work from local and regional

symphonyvolunteers.org.

Benefiting the St. Tammany Hospital

artists. Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New

Foundation. Covington Country Club.

Hampshire St. 9am-1pm. 892-8650.

7 Woofstock. Benefiting the St. Tammany

sttammanyartassociation.org.

Humane Society. Pet clinic, activites. Castine

6 Fourth Annual Crawfish Cook-off.

Center, 63350 Pelican Dr., Mandeville. 892-

12 Northlake Newcomers Luncheon.

PETS. sthumane.org.

Benedict’s Plantation, 1144 N. Causeway

St. Paul’s Alumni Association. St. Paul’s, Covington. 11:30am-5:30pm. 892-3200.

Registration 11:30am. 898-4141. stph.org.

Blvd., Mandeville. 10am. 792-4926.

9 Paul Taylor Dance. Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, 220 E. Thomas St.,

12 Raising the Roof for Charity Raffle

6, 13, 20, 27 Camellia City Market.

Hammond. $36-$44. 7:30pm. 543-4366.

House Early Bird Drawing. St. Tammany

Robert and Front Sts., Slidell. 8am-noon.

columbiatheatre.org.

Home Builders Association. 769 S. Corniche

Free. camelliacitymarket.org.

du Lac, Maison du Lac Subdivision, 9 Professional Women of St. Tammany

Covington. 2pm. 882.5002. sthba.org.

6, 13, 20, 27 Hammond Farmers Market.

Luncheon. Speaker Michele Daigle. Beau

W. Thomas St. and S.W. Railroad Ave.,

Chêne Country Club, Mandeville. 11:30am;

12-14 Great Louisiana BirdFest. For

Hammond. 9am-3pm. Terry Lynn Smith,

$24, members; $29, nonmembers and

experts and novices. Birding trips, social

277-5680 ext. 2. dddhammond.com.

guests. pw-st.org.

and photo workshops. Multiple locations.

6, 13, 20, 27 Mandeville Trailhead

10-17 J. W. Marriott Hotel Showcase

Community Market. 675 Lafitte

Artist event. Artist Jax Frey. Lobby, 614

13 Annual Crimson & Navy Gala and

St., Mandeville. 9am-1pm. Free.

Canal St., New Orleans. Free. artbyjax.com.

Auction, Escape to Paradise. Archbishop

northlakenature.org.

mandevilletrailhead.org.

Hannan High School, 71324 Hwy. 1077, 11-14 French Quarter Festival. Music,

Covington. 7pm. Patron Party, 6pm. $60.

Patron sponsorships available. hannanhigh.

Athletic Club, 1170 Meadowbrook Blvd.,

19 Sunset at the Landing Concert.

org.

Mandeville. $50/player entry fee. 626-3706.

Columbia Street Landing, Covington. 6-9pm.

thepac.com.

Free. cityofcovingtonla.com.

“Transitions,” new en plein air pastel work.

15-16 Northshore Garden Show and

19, 20 Art in the Park. Christ Episcopal

6-9pm. Three Rivers Gallery, 333 E. Boston

Plant Sale. St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds.

School, 80 Christwood Blvd., Covington.

St., Covington. Gallery hours Thur-Sat 12:30-

9am-4pm. $3. 875-2635.

Fri, 7:30-11pm—opening party, student

13 Gallery Opening. Artist Mary Monk.

5:30pm and by appointment. 892-2811. threeriversgallery.com.

show, silent auction; Sat, 10am-4pm—BBQ 17 Hammond Business Expo.

contest, activities and more. 871-9902.

Southeastern’s University Center, Hammond.

christepiscopalschool.org.

13 Madisonville Art Market. Tchefuncte

4-8pm. Hammond Chamber of Commerce,

riverfront, Water St., Madisonville. 10am-4pm.

345-4457. hammondchamber.org.

20 Hospice Foundation of the South Crawfish Cook-off. 11am-6pm. Fritchie

Free. madisonvilleartmarket.com.

18 Chamber After Hours. Hosted by

Park, 901 W. Howze Beach Rd., Slidell. $25

13-15 Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival.

Evergreen Ministries and Blumberg &

advance, $30 at gate, children 12 and under,

Memorial Park and N. 6th St., Ponchatoula.

Associates. Festival Building, Memorial

$5. Tickets at northshore Whitney Banks.

Fri, 4-10pm; Sat, 10am-11pm; Sun, 11am-

Park, Ponchatoula. 5:30–7pm. 386-2536.

hospicefoundtionofthesouth.org.

6pm. lastrawberryfestival.com.

ponchatoulachamber.com.

13-May 11 Jean Seidenberg Solo

19 Art In April with Champagne.

Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner

Exhibition. St. Tammany Art Association,

Downtown Hammond. 6pm-10pm. Terry Lynn

Blvd., Covington. 10am-12pm. Free.

320 N. Columbia St., Covington. 892-8650.

Smith, 277-5680. dddhammond.com.

1-866-4LAKEVIEW.

20 Newborn Care Class. Lakeview

sttammanyartassociation.org.

19 Mandeville Live Concert Series. The

20 Spring for Art. Live music, artist

15 Aces Against Aneurysms. Tennis

Soul Revival. Mandeville Trailhead, 675 Lafitte

galleries and merchants in downtown

tournament to benefit aneurysm awareness.

St. 6:30pm. Free. cityofmandeville.com.

Covington. 6-9pm. Free. 892-8650.

Sponsored by the NORTH Institute. Pelican

sttammanyartassociation.org.

>>

March-April 2013 27

Inside Scoop 21 Third Sunday Concert. Concert Choir of Southeastern Louisiana University. Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S. New Hampshire St., Covington. 5pm. Free. 892-3177.

23 Raffle Drawing. Benefits Lakeshore High School Project Graduation. $2/ticket, 3 for $5. Louise Pashkevich. 674-8519 for tickets.

24 Empowered Parents Network Group.

10am-noon. STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida Street, Ste. B, Covington. 8984435. stph.org.

25-May 15 Spring 2013 Senior Exhibition. Opening reception, Apr. 25, 5-7pm. Southeastern Louisiana University Contemporary Gallery, 100 E. Stadium, Hammond. Mon, Tue, Thur, 8am-4:30pm; Wed, 8am-4pm. 849-5080.

26 Columbia Street Block Party.

Columbia Street, Downtown Covington.

6:30-9:30pm. Free. cityofcovingtonla.com.

26 Trunk Show: La Vie Est Belle by Wendy Mignot. Emma’s Shoes and Accessories, 3904 Hwy. 22, Mandeville.

778-2200.

26-28 Tickfaw Italian Festival. Our Lady of Pompeii Church, Tickfaw. theitalianfestivalorg.com.

26-May 5 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Fair Grounds Race Course, 1751 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans.

11am-7pm. nojazzfest.com.

27 Richard Murphy Hospice Foundation Gala. Pennington Center, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond. 7pm-1am. richardmurphyhospice.com.

28 A Sunday with Scholars. Dinner benefiting the Northlake-Mandeville Rotary Club’s Scholarship Program. Beau Chêne Country Club, Mandeville. 5-9pm. $125.

John Caulking, 845-4765. mandevillerotary. org.

28

I n s i d e N o rt h s i d e

Insider

Bill Bennett

by Kaley Boudreaux

photo: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

BOATING CONNOISSEUR BILL BENNETT is no novice when it comes to safety on the water. Serving as the commander of the local Flotilla of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, he spends his free time promoting safe boating to the public.

“Boating is a very important part of the lifestyle in Louisiana, and we want it to be done as safely as possible,” Bill says. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is a national volunteer organization of more than 30,000 members who are dedicated to ensuring just that.

Bill’s unit, Flotilla 42, was formed in 1984 by the late William Robert “Bill” Wellemeyer. The 25 members offer a free, eight-hour safe boating class at their office in Covington about one Saturday per month.

“Louisiana law says any person born after Jan. 1, 1984, must complete a safe boating class before they can operate a boat in Louisiana,” Bill says. Although the class is also offered online, Bill believes the live version is more informative and helps boaters better prepare for life on the water.

The Flotilla also provides free safety inspections to boat owners. The check-ups are for vessels of any size and no citations are issued if the boat does not pass.

According to Bill, the biggest problem he encounters while patrolling is boaters without life jackets. “Most boating fatalities are caused by drowning because people do not wear life jackets. We encourage people to wear a life jacket at all times. It is the one thing that will save your life in the case of a boating accident.” Bill adds, “The law says that anyone age 16 and under must wear a life jacket at all times. The device must have the U.S. Coast Guard sticker on it and must fit the child correctly.”

The Auxiliary receives no federal funding, nor are members paid for their services. Bill and his colleagues use their personal boats to patrol and even pay for their uniforms. Monetary support comes from membership dues, fundraisers and grants from local companies.

For more information, go to cgaux.org.

March-April 2013 29

IN Better Health

by Kaley Boudreaux

with Sarah Alford According to Sarah Alford, becoming the mother of her biological child is nothing short of a miracle.

“My story is about the absolute healing power of God, supported by really good medicine,” Sarah says.

“All kids are miracles, I know, but my doctors told me I was unable to become pregnant or carry a child to term. Now I have a bright, beautiful daughter, and she is proof of what God can do.”

Sarah was diagnosed with insulin-dependent, or type 1, diabetes at age 7. While she needed medicine and an insulin pump, she lived an otherwise healthy life. But she wondered if her diabetes would prevent her from becoming pregnant. “Everyone has seen Steel Magnolias and how Julia Roberts struggles with diabetes while she’s pregnant,” Sarah says.

30 Inside Northside

After Sarah met and married Matthew, they decided to try for children. The results of routine checkups and blood work showed she was suffering from premature ovarian failure. Her body was not producing the hormones necessary to conceive and carry a baby.

“The news that we would never have our own biological child was very upsetting. We were young, newly married and heartbroken,” Sarah says. “We knew we were supposed to be parents—we knew that was a plan from God.” The couple prayed and looked into adoption, and Sarah began hormone therapy for POF. “During that time, we heard a speaker talk about believing in God’s power. I felt like God was telling us to create a place in our hearts for a miracle,” Sarah says. At a follow-up lab visit, Sarah’s blood work revealed she was pregnant.

“My OBGYN took me into the ultrasound room, turned on the machine and her face became white with disbelief,” Sarah says. “She told me there was an 8-week-old baby inside of me and that unfortunately, it was a miscarriage.”

Full of optimism, Sarah and Matthew were able to move past the sadness of their loss. It was a sliver of hope proving that it was indeed possible for them to conceive. Sarah’s gynecologist referred her to a fertility specialist, who prescribed a medicine to help her ovulate, which in turn would help her chances of conceiving.

Three months later, she was pregnant again.

Having moved from Mississippi to Hammond, Sarah needed a new gynecologist. She scheduled her first prenatal appointment with Dr. Gary Agena.

photos: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Health Concern: Insulin-dependent diabetes, premature ovarian failure and infertility Treatment: Prayer and fertility treatment

“Under his care, I literally had a perfect pregnancy. I never had any of the traditional pitfalls—no morning sickness, no heartburn. I just had this humongous stomach,” Sarah says. “Dr. Agena was an amazing doctor. He was so supportive. I would come into his office a nervous wreck with lists of questions, and he and his staff helped to calm me. It was a great environment for me to grow out of that fearful place and into a more joyous pregnancy.”

Dr. Agena says, “Sarah’s pregnancy went very well. People who have diabetes in pregnancy are at an increased risk from complications, if it is not managed appropriately. Extensive surveillance of the pregnancy is required, and the patient must be very compliant with taking medicines, going to follow-up visits and monitoring the baby more carefully. Sarah has type 1 diabetes.

With this, we are more concerned about early diagnosis of pregnancy and a very tight control of blood sugar levels. If the levels are not controlled, there could be significant impact on the development of the fetus early in pregnancy, including birth defects. Sarah was so focused on the health of her pregnancy and her baby that it really motivated her to stay as compliant as possible. That was very special.”

Because her baby was growing at an alarmingly fast rate, Sarah had a Caesarean section two weeks early. Baby Candice weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces, the largest Dr. Agena had ever delivered.

“I want people to know God still does miracles—it’s not just old Bible stories,” Sarah says. “Miracles come in different forms, and for us, it was Candice.” She adds, “When people say, ‘Wow, you had an 11-pound baby,’ I have this great opportunity to share God’s love. I am making a story with this kid, and I want it to be a story that’s retold over and over.”

Lion Pride

by Ann Gilbert

Covington High School students moved into their new school building, now the St. Tammany Parish School Board offices on Jefferson Street, in 1914.

32

The first Covington public school, which opened in November 1901, was a wooden pavilion with partitioned classrooms at the four corners. The pavilion also served as the town’s dance hall and community gathering place. Thirsty students all used the same ladle to dip and sip water from a bucket.

Some would arrive at school riding a horse or in a buggy pulled by a horse. Elmer E. Lyon was the principal at that first school, and he also taught, as there were only two teachers.

Covington High School is celebrating its centennial this year because in 1913, the St. Tammany Parish School Board passed a resolution

Inside Northside

officially designating that original little public school a high school. The old pavilion had seen many graduates, including Bertha Perre and Neff and Philip Burns, according to the History of Covington High School written by Charlene Sanders and CHS faculty member Marilynn Hawkins. Neff was a retired legal secretary and longtime archivist in the Clerk of Court office, indexing the earliest parish records.

The town raised $35,000 in 1914, moved the old wooden building and erected a new school on the same site on Jefferson Avenue. High school classes were held on the second floor, and elementary students met in the basement and on the first floor.

photos courtesy: COVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

Covington High Celebrates 100 Years

illustration courtesy: Fauntleroy Latham Weldon Barré Architects, APC

The new school had an auditorium with theater seating. This building served as a school for 85 years, most recently as C. J. Schoen Middle School, which closed in 2001. It now houses school board offices.

Retired Schoen teacher Charles Adler wrote The History of the C.J. Schoen Middle School Building with his 2000-01 gifted students. It notes that because the area was an agricultural community, early students attended classes only three to four months a year.

Absenteeism was high, as vaccinations were not mandatory, and epidemics were rampant. There were also frequent drainage problems. But for all these years, it has been recognized by Covington area residents as the first real public school in the area.

In 1925, a grand, three-story brick high school was erected at the other end of Jefferson Avenue where William Pitcher Junior High now stands.

Framed by large oak trees, it was embellished with a clock and bell tower. In 1928, it was named the Elmer E. Lyon High School, after the much-revered then St. Tammany Superintendent of Schools.

The Depression years were a tough time for the high school. State support dropped from $8 to $5 per student. The number of teachers at Lyon was reduced from 13 to nine and one-half. Teachers were given certificates or scripts for unpaid salaries, but they found they couldn’t cash them on the due date. Lyon would say of those tough years, “It seems that the more discouraging conditions became, the harder the

The first photo of the Elmer E. Lyon High School building, which saw its first students in 1924. The name was changed to Covington High School in 1945.

The school was severely damaged by fire in 1974.

teachers worked and the more earnest they became in their effort.” (Hawkins/Sanders) In the 1930s, when Eleanor Rayne was principal, the school was recognized nationally for its innovative teaching methods, which Rayne learned at Columbia University summer programs in New York. The state gave the school a commendation for its extra-curricular and social activities. During the Depression, there was little money for recreation. The >>

Groundbreaking for the commemorative Centennial Bell Tower will be held April 19 at 6 p.m. at Covington High School.

>>

March-April 2013 33

school became the center of social life for the town with Friday night dances.

(Hawkins/Sanders) After the Depression, Lyon asked for help in building additions and renovating areas of the school. A new stadium, affectionately called the “Cow Dome,” was built in 1941 by the WPA. From 1928 to 1941, unmarried women on the faculty lived in rented rooms in a house called the teacherage, where they shared expenses. Rosemary Barton Pfeffer, who taught from 1935 to 1937, wrote that out of her $80 monthly salary came her share for utilities, food, the cook and the housekeeper, sometimes $25. She also had to put aside money for the summer, when there would be no checks. Shocking as it may seem today, those young teachers had a chaperone living in the house— the principal, Rayne—and they were allowed to date only on weekends!

The high school name was changed back to Covington High School after a law was passed in 1945 that an educational institution could not be named after a living person.

When Rayne became a professor of education at a Texas university, James Plummer replaced her, serving from 1939-63. He bonded with the teachers over coffee in the cafeteria and entertained them at duck and quail dinners after his hunting trips. Hawkins writes, “Plummer was his own truant officer, often taking his car to patrol the streets of Covington.”

Segregation and integration Before black and white students were combined at Covington High, they were segregated at two different schools.

The whites attended Covington High while the blacks attended Rosenwall.

After a brief period during which the 34

Inside Northside

Tragedy strikes Just before midnight on Saturday, Oct. 13, 1974, as the school neared its 50th year, the call came in to

photo courtesy: COVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

black male and female students attended separate schools, Rosenwall and Pine View, respectively, the black students once again formed a coed student body, this time at the newer Pine View school. Pine View High School remained open from 1965 to 1969 until it merged with Covington High School.

The fully integrated schools opened quietly with no major incidents on Aug. 29, 1970. Soon, problems did occur, however—mainly in the high school and junior highs, as teenagers who had never sat in a classroom together took sides during the many fights in the halls. The second year of integration was easier than the first. By 1973, when all incoming classes had been integrated in the earlier grades, most of the difficulty was over.

The play, What Fire Could Never Burn: A Story of CHS, written by theater teacher Gary Mendoza and performed in fall 2012 by the CHS Theater Department, pinpoints the reality that integration was a tough time. A performer recalls, “As you can probably guess, it didn’t go very well at first, but eventually they just all learned to get along ...” (See sidebar.)

the Covington Fire Department—smoke and flames at Covington High. Crowds gathered on Jefferson Avenue, many weeping openly, as they watched their cherished school building burn. Oiled and re-oiled old wood floors helped to feed the flames. The cause of the blaze was never determined.

Some areas of the school did not burn, and classes continued at the site. Dividers separated large spaces into classrooms. Portable buildings were moved in, and some students attended classes in school buses. Plans had already begun for a new high school and it opened in 1975.

As another student in Mendoza’s play says, “Covington High was not destroyed by fire. It is a fire that burns inside all of us. Lion Pride is not a myth. It is something instilled in every person ...”

photo: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

After the fire The years since the fire have seen many changes and additions to CHS in both its physical plant and educational offerings. Only some are mentioned here.

In 1980, a new stadium was built that included a track around the football field. The theater and baseball diamond were added in 1988. Also in the 1980s, CHS began offering special education programs, including classes for gifted and special-needs students. >>

Above: Covington High in 1964.

Left: Principal Deborah McCollum and theater teacher Gary Mendoza.

March-April 2013 35

in curriculum design and learning strategies—have combined to spark the fire, that Lion Pride, that is “instilled in every person,” as the line in the play notes.

The school’s true history is written by the lives of the people of the Covington High community—every student, teacher and staff member. We are privileged to present some of their stories and memories.

Honored coaches

Into the 21st Century

Above: The school’s band in earlier times.

Right, top: Long-

CHS Principal Deborah McCollum is in the lead as students and teachers prepare to meet the challenges of a new century. “Since I became principal, we’re really working on integrating technology. We’ve built a very strong technical career program, and we also offer a dual enrollment program, which was not done in the past. Students leave here college-career ready,” McCollum notes.

“I am excited about our improvement; we’re very proud. We do our best to prepare every child for life after high school.”

time coach Hubert

Lion Pride

“Hubie” Gallagher.

Below: Coach Jack Salter from the Lions’ state championship season of 1975-76.

36

Over the past 100 years, the components that constitute Covington High School—including, but not limited to, the bricks and mortar that have made up the physical plant; the textbooks, computers, library resources and sports equipment; and the latest

Inside Northside

photos courtesy: COVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

In the 1990s, advances included the transition from Macintosh to PC computer technology. Computer science students did the wiring and installed hubs in the school under the direction of Dewitt Perry. The ’90s also brought a new math building, expansion of the cafeteria and a new science building.

According to Mendoza’s play, 2005’s Hurricane Katrina turned the theater into “an indoor swimming pool.” A new library and a new school entrance were added in 2007.

Three CHS coaches have been inducted into the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame: Hubert “Hubie” Gallagher, Jack Salter and Allie Smith.

Coach Hubert “Hubie” Gallagher joined the faculty in 1939 and remained until 1969, leading the boys’ basketball team to state championships in 1946 and ’60, and winning 10 district titles. His assistant coaches included Salter and Smith. Gallagher was a graduate of Notre Dame, and Smith, a member of the Lions’ football team in the late 1950s, remembers “the songs and cheers, as well as the techniques the coach brought from his alma mater.” (Hawkins) Gallagher introduced selling ads in the football program, as a source of funds for the school’s athletic department.

When he initiated practices after school, he often drove the school

bus to take his players home. Gallagher was active in community life, serving on the Covington City Council for 16 years and as mayor pro-tem for eight years.

He also brought Little League and Biddy Basketball to Covington. Gallagher died in 1992. A Covington City Park is named after him. The St. Tammany Parish School Board recently agreed to rename the Covington High School gymnasium in Gallagher’s name as the school celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Jack Salter is a Mr. CHS. He led the Lions to a state football championship in 1976, and no one in St. Tammany has forgotten it, especially not Darryl Graham, current CHS athletic director.

(Graham quarterbacked that team, and behind his desk in the administrative wing of the school hangs his framed black jersey, No. 10, from that very game.) Salter was named National (High School) Football Coach of the Year in 1981 and recognized in 1996 by the Nokia Sugar Bowl and New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame for outstanding achievement on the football field. His alma mater, St. Paul’s School, Class of 1949, inducted him into its Hall of Fame. The Louisiana Sports Writers Association recognized him, and in 2001, the St. Tammany Parish School Board named the Cow Palace the Jack Salter Stadium. His 34-year coaching career with the Lions produced a 258-110-8 record. Thousands of students burst with Lion Pride because of Coach Salter.

Allie Smith is yet another former Lion Coach to garner accolades while coaching at CHS from 1964-2002.

Taking the reins as head football coach upon Salter’s retirement, he led the Lions to state playoffs five times, winning runner-up three times. His track and cross country teams were consistent district winners and often captured the title of state champions >> March-April 2013 37

or runner-up. He was named District Coach of the Year in two sports, track and cross country, a total of 32 times.

Homecoming Queens Stephanie Riley Boudreaux writes, “This story begins in 1984 when I was elected Homecoming Queen for Covington High School. With this honor came the fun of getting outfits ready for the parade, the game and the dance. It was a tradition that members of the court wear suits to the game, so my mother sewed a suit for me to wear that night. Years later, my niece, Beth Cooper, was a senior member of the 2008 Homecoming Court. When it came time to shop for her suit, conversation led to the question, ‘Could she wear the suit my mother had made for me?’ I pulled the suit out of the closet; Beth tried it on, and it fit. Beth was also crowned Homecoming Queen.”

There is a story behind Beth wearing the suit that her aunt had worn.

“My mother, Beth’s grandmother, is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, so we treasure anything that reminds us of the person she was before ‘Alzie’ attacked her memory. Because this was a special night for my niece and my mother and me, my brother Yancy Riley wrote a song as a gift to Beth. Our memories of serving as Homecoming Queen are even more special because we wore the suit that was made by the loving hands of Lois Riley, mother and grandmother.”

Mark Thompson As a Lions football team member in the early 1980s, Mark Thompson says, “Community activities for all generations revolved around Covington High and Lions football. When playing at the small, old stadium (called the Cow Dome—the new stadium was called the Cow Palace), families and students

Coach Gallagher’s 1954-55 Lions football team.

hurried after school or work to get their seats, bringing fried chicken or poboys to eat while they waited for the game.

That was THE place to be on Friday night. Young boys grew up dreaming of playing football for the CHS Lions.

Support was strong. A large contingent of family and friends travelled to all the away games.”

Many other traditions surround CHS football. Mane Event is a night during Homecoming Week when the school invites the public in and showcases all that CHS has to offer. One of the coolest traditions is the lighting of the CHS letters before a home football game, followed by the band striking up with the alma mater. Covington High still holds a Homecoming Parade, which closes with a bonfire.

photo courtesy: COVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

The Pfeffers Rosemary Barton met and married Philip Pfeffer (Lyon High, Class of 1927), when he was the CHS band director and she taught Latin. Their twin daughters, Susan Pfeffer Latham and Elizabeth Pfeffer Williams, were majorettes in the 1960s. Elizabeth remembers the majorettes twirled fire only twice a year—at Homecoming and at the game with arch rival St. Paul’s.

She served as assistant principal and principal at Mandeville and Madisonville

junior high schools, respectively, and was with the school system for 33 years.

Their brother Philip Pfeffer played basketball under Coach Hubie Gallagher in the ’50s. “Our father never missed a basketball game, even after Phil graduated,” says Susan Latham, who taught for 32 years in St. Tammany.

She married Kenneth Latham, member of the Lions football team in the ’60s, whose architectural firm would design several schools in St. Tammany. Their daughter was the first CHS graduate to make the LSU Golden Girls dance team, and their son Daniel was on the all-state baseball team, played for Tulane, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins and is now the pitching coach at SLU.

Belinda Stein Pennison “One of my fondest memories at Covington High (Class of 1995) was a volleyball match against Mandeville for the district title. Coach Jack Salter always supported female athletics, and encouraged his team to support us as well. The football team had a game later that same night. Coach got his team dressed in uniform (no pads), and they entered the CHS gym single file, proudly wearing that old ‘gold and navy.’ They sat together in the stands and cheered for us, the way crowds rallied around the Lions on Friday night in the Cow >>

Ralph Menetre

Pat Fuhrmann Clanton, a CHS majorette who graduated in the Class of 1947.

40

Many know Ralph Menetre, Class of 1945, as the “Voice of the Lions.” He served as teacher, coach, principal, supervisor and assistant superintendent for St. Tammany Parish School Board for more than 39 years. He also announced the CHS football games for 40 years.

Menetre remembers four graduates older than he who died in World War II, like so many others from St. Tammany. Raymond Schroeder perished in Guam; George Koepp died as his Navy plane crashed while landing on a carrier; and Ivan Huval went down on the battleship Arizona on the day Pearl

Inside Northside

Harbor was attacked. Brandon Fuhrmann graduated from Lyon High in 1936 and joined the Army in 1940, because he saw the need for volunteers. He survived the Bataan Death March, but died in a Japanese prison camp.

Living through the war while in high school, students were involved in scrap metal drives and suffered through the rationing of certain foods, recalls Menetre. “Triple dating was the norm, cramming as many friends as possible into the car borrowed from Dad, and then having to secure a ‘C’ ration stamp to purchase gas, which was then about 17 cents a gallon.”

One memory Menetre has of the old high school is the long, metal, tube-like fire escapes on both sides of the building. “Every guy yearned for the lucky chance to be in one of the classrooms on the top floor near the fire escapes when a drill was called, because you got to climb out of the window into the tube and slide down.”

The Fuhrmanns A CHS graduate of 1947, Pat Fuhrmann Clanton broke barriers in her hometown of Covington. She was the first woman on the city council, the first woman president of the council and the first woman executive director of the Greater Covington Chamber of Commerce. The 83-year-old just published her memoir. As a majorette for all four years of high school, she remembers, “When they would strike up the band, and we would parade down the field, it was always a thrill. Learning to twirl the baton meant days of bruised elbows and sore muscles. Learning to throw the baton was easy, but learning to catch it was another story. Finally, it became second nature.”

A 1940 graduate of CHS, Rosemerry Fuhrmann Hanian was born on New Year’s Eve, which her mother thought was a “merry time of the year.” Rosemerry was a gifted, talented and beautiful dancer, who studied with the best that New York had to offer, and >>

photo courtesy: PAT FUHRMANN CLANTON

Palace. It was awesome. We won. I will never forget the roar of that crowd. Friends on the Mandeville team told me later that it was quite intimidating.

“My grandfather, father and brothers, Blake and Ben Stein, were all graduates of CHS. My brothers played college baseball, and Blake went on to play professional baseball for the Oakland A’s and Kansas City Royals. Both now serve as high school administrators, in Alabama and Mississippi.

“I went to the University of Mobile in Alabama on a full softball scholarship, and now teach and coach at CHS. [Belinda is one of 37 alumni who have returned to teach at Covington High, out of a faculty/ staff of about 160.] I remember the pep-rallies, especially the ones where the teachers did a spirit dance. I now participate in those as a teacher, because I enjoyed them as a student.

The gym would be packed; we wore ribbons, painted our faces and never missed a game. Friday night football at CHS was a given!

“The role of CHS was to prepare all of us for the real world and for college. It is much the same now, with different challenges, but the same goals.

We had our fair share of problems, but nothing more than any other school. We have always had a diverse school population, ranging from high economic class to low economic class, from country folks to city residents. It didn’t matter. We were ONE at Covington High School.”

danced her way onto the Broadway stage, appearing in Camelot with Julie Andrews and Richard Burton.

Returning to Covington, Rosemerry opened the Creative Dance Center and touched the lives of the many young women who studied with her. The community enjoyed dozens of ballet performances, with original choreography, including the moving presentation of the Christmas story in dance, which was staged at several churches each December.

The Fuhrmann Auditorium in the Greater Covington Center is named in honor of Rosemerry and her father, Sidney Fuhrmann, who opened a silent movie theater in 1912, no doubt attended by decades of CHS students.

He would later own four theaters in western St. Tammany, and encouraged the development of young talent by sponsoring regular competitions.

Jimmy Inman

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Inside Northside

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“I vividly remember the old school burning. We lived in an upstairs apartment across the street. My aunt, Monica Lane (now Monica Lloyd), a student at the school, was in her room with friends. What struck me was their extreme sadness as they spent the night watching and crying.

“An outstanding classmate of mine (Class of 1985) is Dr. Robert ‘Bo’ Landry, who is an equine veterinarian with a practice at Churchill Downs. He shoveled stalls at the track during summers while attending LSU Veterinary School. His work ethic was noticed, and upon graduation, he went to work there for the owners and trainers of the horses. He was the vet for three Kentucky Derby winners: Monarchos in 2001, Funny Cide in 2003 and Big Brown in 2008. Bo and I played baseball together and joined the Navy together. Another gentleman of note is David Fortman, a music producer who

has overseen the work of such artists as 12 Stones and Evanescence.

He was in the band Ugly Kid Joe and was the guitarist on the hit remake of Cats in the Cradle. After traveling the world with his music career, he set up shop as a producer. David and I rode the ‘Cheese Wagon’ (school bus) together for a number of years.

“Nursery owner Mrs. Bea Fussell donated tulip poplars to the school; they are referred to in the first line of the alma mater. When she was in school, the ‘stately poplars’ on the school grounds were killed by Dutch Elm disease. Ms. Sammie Whittington, an alumna and former teacher, shared with me her memories of the aroma of bananas and nutmeg coming from the magnolias in the old school courtyard. I planted some of those around the school, and have requested that both trees be planted at the site of the new Centennial Tower.

“The action of Mrs. Fussell and the memory shared by Mrs. Whittington are examples of how the school is part of the heart and psyche of this community. It’s what makes Covington High so special.”

photo courtesy: COVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

Mike Strain, DVM “When I look back at CHS (Class of 1976), I am thankful not only for a first-rate public education, but also for the teachers who had a distinct influence in my life.

“Emile ‘Chic’ Danna, my FFA Advisor, guided my path to a college education and veterinary medicine. FFA develops character, leadership and a sense of duty greater than oneself.

Mrs. Alford, geometry and calculus, challenged our intellects with a kind sternness, and prepared me for mathematics at LSU. Mrs. Ward, English, demanded excellence and gave me the skills to navigate college courses. In short, Covington High gave me the foundation that enabled me to excel academically.

“The lowest point was when our school Mike Strain, DVM, Class of 1976. burned. I have heartfelt sadness to this day at the loss of the facility where I, as well as my parents, attended school. Upon graduation from vet school, I was welcomed back home and started my practice. My wife and I were greeted by CHS FFA members helping us to landscape our first clinic. Although I work in Baton Rouge, Covington High is never really far away. I have fond memories ‘of the way we were.’”

(Mike is the Louisiana Commissioner of Forestry and Agriculture.) >> March-April 2013 43

Judge James J. Brady, Class of 1962.

Judge James J. Brady Judge Brady, Class of 1962, recalls that there was “a good mixture (of students), although all of us were Caucasian.” He remembers carefree years, but the events of the ’60s loomed.

“The old un-air-conditioned building was warm, and we sweated in the steam heat even when it was 30 degrees.” He was “blessed with a number of good teachers … and felt well prepared to enter college.” Especially vivid memories are participating in sports under Hubie Gallagher and winning state in basketball. “I am proud to be an alumnus of Covington High School.”

(Judge Brady is a federal district judge serving in Baton Rouge.)

“When I began teaching at Covington High School in 1978, I found myself in awe of some of the teachers who were at CHS when I attended (Class of 1967.)

I wasn’t sure that I belonged because of the enormous respect that I felt for those people who had taught me years earlier.

Another aspect of my teaching at Covington High is watching former students return and become part of the faculty and CHS family. I am extraordinarily proud of these young people who have chosen educational professions.”

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Inside Northside

photo courtesy: COVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

Kenneth Byrd

Stanley Jacobs “My most memorable teacher was Lela Menetre in English. I had opportunities for a basketball scholarship at other colleges, but knowing me, she recommended LSU, and it was great advice. CHS gave me the educational background to graduate from both LSU and Loyola Law School.�

(Stanley is a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors.)

Upcoming Centennial events To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Covington High School, ground will be broken for a Centennial Bell Tower on April 19 at 6 p.m. at the school.

The tower will house the old school bell that hung in a cupola on the building that burned. Funded solely by donations from alumni, parents, grandparents and friends of CHS, the tower, designed by Fauntleroy/ Latham, will not only beautify the campus and serve as an identifying symbol for all who drive by on the Hwy. 190 Bypass, but will also bind together generations of alumni who have memories of attending the schools. The bell is a piece of history, not only of the school, but also of the city of Covington.

On May 8 at 7 p.m., CHS will hold its 100th graduation ceremony.

Details of the opening of the former time capsule and the interment of a new capsule are not yet available.

DVDs of the production of What

Fire Could Never Burn: A Story of CHS, written by theater teacher Gary Mendoza and performed last fall by the CHS Theater Department, are being sold by the school along with other CHS Centennial items.

Check the Covington High School website (covingtonhighschool.stpsb.org) for more information about the Centennial.

March-April 2013 45

2013 INSIDE NORTHSIDE PRESENTS Hot Husbands 2013! For the sixth time, northshore women have responded to our call for Hot Husband nominations, and this year’s selections do not disappoint. The heartfelt letters written by their wives really showcase what makes these mean truly hot–their dedication to their jobs, their families and our community. As in past years, because there are so many responses, we could not include all submissions. Here, we present edited selections from the chosen letters. We are honored to send a belated Valentine to the men who are the fortunate subjects of these love letters.

Ben Haindel Ben Haindel, clothing by Bastille’s Clothing Company.

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Inside Northside

Submitted by Courtney Haindel When we got married four years ago, Ben inherited not just me, but my two little girls–then ages 3 and 8–and we now have a third daughter together. A lot of men would be overwhelmed with all that estrogen in the house ... I mean, at any given moment it’s likely that one of the four of us is crying about something. But Ben doesn’t miss a beat. He is the constant, steady, firm, loving and stable presence in a house full of drama and hormones. Not a day goes by that Ben doesn’t do something for me—a note tucked away in a secret place telling me I’m beautiful, a fresh Sonic Diet Coke delivered to my desk at work—and he does it all with a huge smile and a kiss on my forehead.

He’s the same way with our girls. Ben throws the softball, fixes hair, gets sippy cups of milk, wipes little hineys, says night-time prayers, encourages good grades, coaches soccer, invites his daughters

out for a snowball, reads books and watches an inordinate amount of dance performances, clapping for each one like it’s the first.

Even after all he gives at home, Ben goes to work and enriches the lives of teenagers as a teacher at Northlake Christian School and director of Camp Northlake. One of my favorite things about Ben is his appreciative heart. He knows that God has blessed him greatly, and he’s happy to give credit where credit is due.

Dan Buras, clothing by Jos. A. Bank.

photos: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Dan Buras Submitted by Kelley Buras I feel truly blessed to be married to my husband of 19 years. I can honestly say that Dan is the most dedicated father and family man I have ever known. Although he runs his own law firm in Mandeville and is also in the Navy Reserve, he has never missed a sporting event or a school function. In fact, Dan often finds himself up until the wee hours of the morning MM arch arch -A-A pril pril2013 2013 47 47

finishing his work because he spent the afternoon on a school field trip, the evening at football practice and the night helping any of our four children with a school project, homework or studying for a test. He never seems to run out of energy, and no matter how tired he may be, Dan is always there for us if we need something. He shows the same dedication when it comes to his friends and will do whatever it takes to help someone in need.

Dan is an awesome role model, not only for our children, but for everyone who knows him, because he holds integrity in such high regard, and he consistently speaks words of encouragement to those around him.

He is a rock of stability, and the word “can’t” isn’t in his vocabulary.

To sum it up, some of the reasons why I think Dan is the hottest husband on the northshore is that he is funny, sexy, charming, faithful, honest to a fault, loyal, exciting and intelligent—and those characteristics definitely make him HOT!

Eric Boegel Submitted by Tasha Boegel My husband is HOT inside and out.

For starters, he is willing to offer anyone a helping hand, even strangers. After Hurricane Katrina, Eric picked up three strangers, drove them to Hammond and gave them $60. That was all the money he had.

Born and raised in New Orleans, my husband has been a resident of St. Tammany for more than 20 years.

He and his father own a successful construction business. Every customer has nothing but words of praise for him. He and his father make customers/ 48

Inside Northside

photos: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

friends for life.

Eric is a perfectionist, not only in his work but in his relationships and parenting. We have four beautiful children. We met in college and dated briefly. I moved on, married and had two children. I later divorced, and Eric and I reunited at the Wooden Boat Festival in 2000. He melted my heart when he connected with my then babies.

My husband takes pride in his family, his work and his relationships. He always keeps his promises. When times get tough, he pulls me close and assures me with patient words. “We are going to get through this,” he says. And we always do, because of his hard work, perfectionism, patience and persistence.

Eric is perfect to me. His friends named him “Easy” because he is always so relaxed. Anything goes for him. He makes things happen with ease and simplicity and maintains perfection on the inside and out. That is why he’s hot!

Garett Schlink, clothing by The Mix.

Garett Schlink

Eric Boegel, clothing by Bastille’s Clothing Company.

Submitted by Tracey Schlink My husband has devoted his life to our family. We have been married for more than 10 years now, and after two children, several stressful job changes and a severe health blow, our love is stronger than ever.

Garett developed back pain 13 years ago. He suffered depression, weight loss and constant pain. At one point, he mentioned taking his own life.

It was excruciating to watch a young man who was once filled with inner and outer strength and pure compassion for life practically wither away. The hardest blow was when he told me that he did not want children because March-April 2013 49

clothing by Dillard’s of North Shore Square Mall.

He is kind, compassionate and always puts others first. He has a great sense of humor. Jason is smart, yet always willing to learn new things.

Jason serves as a local music minister, often working nights and weekends, but he loves what he does. He has amazing musical abilities, yet remains completely humble. He sees these gifts as an opportunity to serve God and serve others.

My husband never ceases to astound me with his continual love and support. He calls, texts or emails me every morning, and does other sweet things: a gift, date night or just a sweet note. He recently sent me an e-vite for a fun day in New Orleans. He always knows just what to say or do to make things brighter when I’ve had a bad day. No matter what my weight, if I have on no makeup or if I haven’t washed my hair in three days, he can make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. His unconditional love and support mean the world to me.

he would never be able to play with them. This was devastating—anyone that met Garett could see his love for children.

After several years, countless back procedures and a huge financial strain, Garett has learned to live life in pain. Now we are blessed with two beautiful children that bring him joy every day.

Garett has been a godsend to me. Despite the pain when sitting for any extended time, he drives several hours a day for work and never complains.

He frequently works more than 50 hours a week to provide for our family. He will never realize how much he has taught us about life, faith and love. His compassion and thoughtfulness for other people set an example for everyone. My children have a hero sleeping under their roof every night. I will forever be grateful that he chose me to be his wife!

Jason Brooks Submitted by Capri Brooks Jason and I met in 2001 while working for Lifeway Christian Ministries at Centrifuge Camp and were married eight months later. I feel so blessed to have married a man who surpassed all my dreams.

Everyone who meets Jason falls in love with him.

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Inside Northside

Jason Brooks, clothing by The Mix.

photos: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Kirk Benson,

There are some things in life that cannot be described in words, no matter how hard you try. Jason and I call those “wow moments.� He is my wow moment!

Kirk Benson Submitted by Melissa Benson Kirk is not the kind of guy you would expect to see acting on stage, but that is where I met him. We auditioned for the same production at Slidell Little Theatre and both won parts. We became friends, learned that we had much in common and began dating. We have continued acting together, logging more than 20 shows since then. Sharing a hobby and a passion with your husband is HOT! Kirk and I designed a budget for our family that works. He is very creative and open minded, so being his financial partner is rewarding and fun.

Never having to fight over money is HOT! Kirk and I have a blended family with six children. Nothing warms my heart more than witnessing the love and care he shows for my children. They love and respect him, too, because he treats them as if they are his own. He is fair with them and communicates openly. He helps them learn, encourages them, builds tree houses and reminds them to turn off lights. Having a family guy for a husband is HOT! Kirk spent 20 years as a U.S Naval officer, is now retired from that career and still works for the U.S. Navy. He has exceeded every goal he set for himself and has forged meaningful and productive relationships with his colleagues. In addition, he still looks incredibly handsome in his naval >> March-April 2013 51

uniform … now that’s HOT! My marriage to Kirk has been my dream role in life.

Laurence Hansen Submitted by Sherri Hansen My husband is a fully dedicated man–dedicated to me, his children, his family and his country.

A retired naval helicopter pilot with five tours of duty in Iraq, Larry serves his community as an emergency medical

Laurence Hansen, clothing by Jos. A. Bank.

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Inside Northside

see his aging parents in California and a job with eight-hour shifts. He is a true humanitarian and a good old American family man—and he’s adorable to boot!

I truly admire my husband’s ability to teach our boys to be strong, kind and curious. I pray that each one of them turns out to be just like him when they grow up … what a blessing he is to all >> of us!

photo: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

services helicopter pilot, providing medical evacuations and hospital transfers for severely ill and injured people. His calm and reassuring demeanor, coupled with military training and attention to detail, make him a great match for working through medical emergencies— and great when handling our household of four boys ages 7, 5, 4 and 4 months!

We own two small businesses, including our newest, Culinary Kids.

Larry is the resident technology expert as well as the all-around handyman. Our second son has celiac disease, and Larry does all he can to provide a place where children and adults can enjoy the art of cooking without the hassle of dietary concerns.

Larry helps coach the kids’ soccer, basketball and football teams and is active in Cub Scouts as well. He fits it all in with midnight diaper changes, visits to

clothing by Jos. A. Bank.

visiting old ones. Nick loves card games, especially Texas Hold ‘Em. A few years ago, we presented Marriage Encounter Weekends to couples for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. This was great for our own relationship.

We may be in our 60s, but we still care for newborn babies in our home who are in the process of being adopted. There’s nothing sweeter than watching that man holding those tiny babies in his big burly arms.

Nick is very easygoing and thoughtful. Some days he brings me flowers for no reason, and he gives the best hugs—ask anyone! Yes, I love him, but I also like him. He’s one of my best friends. We’ve been married for almost 47 years, and I still see Nick as my blue-eyed, handsome, sexy man and look forward to spending many more years with him.

Nick Knauf Submitted by Tricia Knauf Nick and I met in the Army and have been married since 1966. We have a son, Rick; two grandsons, Nicolas, 21, and Nathan, 15; and two granddaughters, Emily, 19, and Lily, 16. Sky, our “adopted” granddaughter, is 18. She came to us when she was about 4 months old and is still in our life today. We lost our daughter, Brandi, in an accident in 1990.

Nick was and is a salesman. He owned his own company, which sold business machines and ATMs, but retired about a year ago and is loving it!

We have a great time traveling in our motor home making new friends and 54

Inside Northside

Nick Knauf, clothing

by Dillard’s of North Shore Square Mall.

photos: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Noel Haro,

Noel Haro Submitted by Kelly Haro My husband is by far one of the greatest men I know! The term “hottest husband” incorporates so many of his qualities. He is caring, helpful, smart, handy, loving, funny and sexy, just to name a few.

A savvy businessman, Noel has owned his successful audio/video company, Complete Audio Video, since 2004. He goes above and beyond for his customers and is highly recommended by his loyal clientele.

Noel is an exemplary father and stepfather. Our blended family includes his two sons, Mason, 11, and Jackson, 8, and my two children, Christian, 14, and Cheney, 12. Our schedules are complicated, yet my husband never complains! He makes sure he spends time with all of the children and plans exciting things for us to maximize the fun during our family time. Noel also helps with the cooking, cleaning and laundry. I never have to ask; he is always one step ahead of me!

I teach second grade, and without Noel’s support I don’t know how I’d get through the year. In August, he helps set up my classroom desks and computers, and after helping me, he does the same for my colleagues.

Noel grade papers weekly and lends a much-needed ear. He is loved by so many at my school, and shows he cares by doing special things “just because.” The day before we got out for the holidays, four dozen chocolatecovered strawberries were delivered to school with a note from him saying, “To the best teachers around! Merry Christmas!”

March-April 2013 55

by Lauren Smith

worthy causes OVER THE PAST YEARS, Inside Northside’s Worthy Causes department has presented the stories of many of the charitable organizations that serve our community. Here is an update on some of the organizations we have featured in the past that make the northshore a better place to live.

Above: Robby

Habitat for HumanitySt. Tammany West

Fritscher, JoJo’s Hope; Victoria Kreeger, St. Tammany Humane Society; Mary Slazer, CASA; and Dianne Baham, STARC. 56

Last featured: September-October 2010 Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with local people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses are then sold to qualifying families at no profit and with no interest

Inside Northside

charged, allowing many to enjoy the pride and dignity of home ownership. Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West was formed in 1981, the first affiliate in Louisiana and the 10th in the nation. Since then, the group has built more than 200 homes, most of these since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The most recent accomplishment of Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West is the completion of 10 new homes in The Groves at Mile Branch located north of Covington. The first of its kind in St. Tammany Parish, the development has 92 apartments and 35 single-family lots. Following the completion of the 10 homes, Habitat held a special ceremony for the families who occupy them and many of the

photos: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

revisited

volunteers who helped to build the houses.

“It’s a unique development,” says Jeffery St. Romain, Habitat’s president/CEO. “The architecture of the apartments and houses matches, and so do the colors. It’s a very well-planned community.”

A common misconception about Habitat for Humanity is that homeowners do not hold jobs. Putting this misconception to rest, Jeffery says, “All our homeowners must have an income. They are working people, retired or disabled.” One such example is of a home completed for an elderly retired couple last spring. The couple had been living in a 40-year-old trailer that did not meet all their needs, including large enough hallways and an accessible bathroom for the man, who is in a wheelchair. “We built them a home that is ADA accessible,” says Jeffery.

“That is the kind of thing we get to do.”

Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West is one of four recipients of this year’s St. Tammany Home Builders Association House Raffle. The raffle is June 1, 2013. For more information, visit habitatstw.org.

The Richard Murphy Hospice Foundation Featured: August-September 2005 The Richard Murphy Hospice Foundation in Hammond provides funding for hospice care for patients who do not have the means to pay. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina delayed the Foundation’s plans to open the Richard Murphy Hospice House, but the house is now open, caring for three patients at a time.

The Hospice House is unique >> March-April 2013 57

because it is not supported by a medical facility, does not receive any state or federal funding or reimbursement for insurance and offers its services at no cost to the patient or their families.

The Foundation raises the money to run and maintain the house, including paying for a certified medical staff.

“We provide the 24-hour staffing,” says Patricia Westmoreland, the Foundation’s executive director. “The patients receive the same care they would if they were at home and receiving hospice care there.”

Located on South Chestnut Street in Hammond, the house offers three suites with private bathrooms and rooms for families to stay with their loved ones. A living room, dining room and kitchen are also available. More than 230 patients have been served since the Hospice House opened.

Patients are referred to the Hospice House if they have been diagnosed as terminally ill—six months or less to live—and do not have an adequate home environment for home-based hospice. The house administrator and the hospice team determine whether the patient is an appropriate placement.

“The Hospice House has blessed so many lives,” says Patricia. “We knew there was a need for a place for patients who did not have caregivers or the right situation to stay at home, but we never realized the positive impact on the patients and families. They are so grateful. The house has touched so many lives in the community, and continued support from the community has made this dream a reality.”

The Foundation’s largest fundraiser, its annual Foundation Gala, is Saturday, April 58

Inside Northside

27, 2013, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., at the Pennington Center of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. For more information, visit richardmurphyhospice.com.

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

CASA Featured: June-July 2005 The Youth Service Bureau in St. Tammany and Washington parishes serves at-risk youth and their families. YSB’s Court Appointed Special Advocates program trains and supervises volunteers from the community to be a voice in court for abused and neglected children and to help judges find them safe, permanent homes.

Inside Northside featured CASA two months before Hurricane Katrina. Following the storm, CASA’s headquarters had to be rebuilt. Since then, CASA has provided more than 300 volunteers who serve more than 1,200 children. “We’ve come back just as big as before,” says Mary Slazer, CASA director.

“In a typical month, our program supervises an average of 85 advocates serving about 150 children.”

Generally, advocates spend about eight to 10 hours a month on their cases. They visit the children at least once a month and attend court hearings about once every six months. Volunteers are given close, on-going supervision and participate in bi-monthly in-service trainings.

Training opportunities for volunteers have

increased to three times a year. These sessions are geared toward working professionals, and it is possible to become a certified advocate while working full time. After an initial screening, trainees complete a 42-hour program, with continuous education conducted by judges, social service workers, medical and mental health professionals, and attorneys, as well as the YSB staff and other CASA volunteers.

“It’s really a privilege and a joy to advocate for a child in foster care,” says Mary. “Many of our CASA volunteers say this is absolutely the most rewarding volunteer work they have ever done, and the judges presiding over these difficult cases always express their appreciation for our volunteers’ unique perspective.”

April is Child Abuse Prevention month. To request a blue ribbon to wear in support, call 649-4092. Mark your calendar for Youth Service Bureau’s popular Chef Soirée on Sunday, March 17, at Bogue Falaya Park in Covington. Tickets are available at ysbworks.com.

Above: Jeffery St. Romain, Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West;

STARC

Donna Landry

Featured May-June 2006 STARC stands for “Services, Training, Advocacy, Resources and Community Connections for a lifetime for individuals with disABILITIES.” Organized in 1972, STARC celebrated 40 years of service last year. >>

and Patricia Westmoreland, Richard Murphy Hospice Foundation and House.

March-April 2013 59

“Much of STARC’s success is due to the caring, compassionate, generous-hearted people in our community, as well as clubs, organizations and local, parish and state officials who are committed advocates and supporters,” says Dianne Baham, director.

When it first opened, STARC served three children in a donated space. Today, 394 employees serve more than 1,250 individuals in 14 different programs.

Through STARC’s Work Training Program and Supported Employment Program individuals learn specific areas of work and earn a paycheck. “It helps them become contributing members of our society,” says Dianne.

Other programs include the STARC Elderly Service, which helps people ages 60 and older with basic housekeeping and personal care assistance; an inclusive childcare program, Noah’s Arc; in-home services; residential services; and STARC’s Commercial Linen Service, a complete rental and laundry facility. “We launder bed linens, table linens and also rent and deliver a variety of items to the public,” says Dianne.

“Our services are affordable, dependable and professional.”

There are many ways to become involved with STARC, including volunteering; hiring a STARC work crew to provide services; donating cell phones, Mardi Gras beads and picture frames; and by becoming an annual support member. Dianne says, “I have been blessed to be a part of STARC’s work and ministry in this community for 39 of the 40 years that STARC has been in existence. What a joy, what a blessing!”

Despite recent budget cuts, five in an 18-month period, STARC continues to serve its families. “We may have to do things differently, but STARC’s commitment is for life,” says Dianne.

STARC offers tours on its West Campus in Mandeville from 8:30-9:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Friday morning through the end of April. Call 641-0197. Visit STARC’s web site at starcla.org and on Facebook. Also, mark your calendar for STARC’s Jazz on the Bayou fundraiser March 23-24. Order tickets by March 15. jazzonthebayou@aol.com.

St. Tammany Humane Society Featured: March-April 2009 Now in its 61st year, the St. Tammany Humane Society, Louisiana’s largest not-for-profit, no-kill animal welfare organization, offers veterinary care, fostering and adoption services.

Two new programs offer additional benefits. Since February 2010, the mobile adoption campaign, Waggin’ Wheels, has secured homes for >> March-April 2013 61

more than 200 dogs in the Northeast and transported them there in 10 trips.

These dogs otherwise would have been euthanized or lived a shelter life until adopted. “It has been a very successful program,” says Victoria Kreeger, the society’s executive director. “We work with six organizations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. About 15-20 dogs go on a trip; when a generous pilot offers, the animals are able to fly.”

Through the society’s foster program, families can foster puppies or kittens for a certain amount of time to teach them all the things they need to know. The program also allows potential adopters to foster their selected dog or cat for a week. “This is helpful for families that already have pets,” says Vicki. “You have to know that your new puppy or kitten will get along with other animals. It’s good to see how it will all work.”

While the society’s staff and number of volunteers have grown over the years, the size of its facility, built in the 1950s, has remained relatively the same. Space is definitely limited. Vicki says. “We have been able to redo some parts of the building, like adding a cat patio. On a sunny day, they love to go out there.”

Plans include a larger facility.

The St. Tammany Humane Society holds many events and fundraisers

throughout the year, including Unleashed, Yappy Hour, Fine Wine for Canines, an Ugly Christmas Sweater Competition and a Poker Run in the summer. The society’s biggest event of the year, Woofstock, is a day for anyone in St. Tammany to bring their dogs in for low-cost vaccines. There are also multiple competitions, including a costume contest for animals and humans!

For more information, visit sthumane. org or call 892-7387. Mark your calendar for the 24th annual Woofstock on Sunday, April 7.

JoJo’s Hope Featured: July-August 2008 JoJo’s Hope is a non-profit organization that teaches special-needs children how to swim.

Robby Fritscher, JoJo’s Hope creator, says his life changed when his 3-year-old nephew, Joseph “JoJo” Fritscher, drowned in 1998. Robby pursued a career in swimming instruction and started JoJo’s Hope in 2001. In 2005, Robby became an aquatics instructor at Franco’s Athletic Club in Mandeville and brought JoJo’s Hope to the northshore.

Today, Robby is the aquatics director at Franco’s and JoJo’s Hope has seen much growth, including a 25 percent increase in enrollment and a 15 percent increase in the number of volunteers. Among its other accolades, JoJo’s Hope has seen its Special Olympics participation double, has sent the youngest swim team to the Special Olympics and has had one of its swimmers, Emily Hinrich, go to the state swimming championships twice.

Swimmers at JoJo’s Hope attend an average of four U.S. swim meets a year. One of its swimmers represented Louisiana at the 2011 Zone Swim Championships. These are not specialneeds swim meets; JoJo’s Hope swimmers compete against what Robby calls “typical” swimmers. The kids compete in all strokes. “Before, we were limited in the number of events we could enter,” says Robby. “But now we can teach kids multiple strokes.”

Two years ago, the organization obtained a lift that gives wheelchairbound swimmers the ability to get into the Franco’s pool. Improvements such as this and the ongoing work of JoJo’s Hope are made possible by people who donate to the program, like 11-year-old Audrey Miller from Ruston, La. She was at a swim meet as swimmers from JoJo’s Hope. Each year, in lieu of gifts for her birthday and Christmas, Audrey asks her friends and family to donate to JoJo’s Hope. So far, she has donated $8,500.

Robby’s current goal is to see the number of year-round swimmers rise on the northshore. “We just want to get more kids swimming. Right now, we only have one kid that swims yearround. The No. 1 goal is to get more people in the pool.”

To find out more about JoJo’s Hope, visit jojoshope.org.

March-April 2013 63

by Stephen Faure

COVINGTON BUSINESSMAN SCOTT BALLARD is known for applying his passion and energy as a community leader toward helping organizations like Project Red Light and Hope House, and by serving on the boards of St. Tammany Parish Hospital

Above: Scott Ballard.

Right and following page: Renderings of the new University Medical Center; its construction is underway in New Orleans.

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Inside Northside

Foundation and the St. Paul’s School Alumni Association. Ballard and his brothers Paul and Steven own Ballard Brands, LLC, a company that encompasses WOW Café and Wingery, PJ’s Coffee, New Orleans Roast, City Diner and Boardhouse Serious Sandwiches.

For two years, Ballard served as a member of the Louisiana Board of Regents, which oversees all of the public higher education systems in the state—the University of Louisiana, Southern University and the Louisiana Community and Technical College systems.

Also under the Board of Regents purview is the state’s higher education flagship system, the Louisiana State University System. In July 2012, Gov. Bobby Jindal appointed Ballard to the LSU Board of Supervisors.

Ballard was eager to help, first when appointed to the Board of Regents and with his subsequent appointment to the LSU Board of Supervisors.

“Higher education is something I truly think is a major priority for our state,” he says. “I was tired of seeing Louisiana at the bottom. I was born here; I was raised here; I came back here to raise my family and run our business.”

That first appointment exposed Ballard to the big picture of higher education in the state. “I learned a lot on the Board of Regents; I was on many subcommittees, including finance and education. That taught me a lot about policy, how policy is set and implemented into the systems,” Ballard says. He notes examples of policy issues the regents dealt with: ways of increasing transferability of credits between schools

photo courtesy: LSU HEALTH SERVICES CENTER

Scott Ballard – Member, LSU Board of Supervisors

photo: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Another Side Of…

in the different systems, reducing the duplication of courses among schools and developing curricula that better fit the needs of Louisiana employers.

“I feel we made some tough decisions that undoubtedly will make us a better education system,” says Ballard. “We’re raising the bar so that when you take something at Delgado or Eunice or SUNO, it can transfer. We don’t need the waste.

Most people are struggling to afford to go to school anyway. It would be horrible to have to pay to go, take an English or math class and it won’t even transfer.”

It’s a completely different experience for Ballard since starting on the LSU Board of Supervisors, which operates the Louisiana State University System.

“In that capacity, it’s more about taking the policy and managing it,” he says.

“It’s very much hands-on, managing the chancellors and the presidents and the provosts, managing the budgets that are given down by the Board of Regents and the legislature. I believe that as goes the flagship school of any state, so goes the rest. We have to get the flagship right.

Your general has to be leading correctly for the others to follow correctly.”

Members of the Board of Supervisors are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate for a six-year term. There are two from each U.S. congressional district. Ballard and New Orleans attorney Stanley Jacobs (who happens to be a Covington High graduate featured in our story on page 32) represent the 1st Congressional District. One at-large member and one student member are appointed as well.

While the LSU system is one cog in the entire state higher education complex, it encompasses a statewide network of schools, hospitals and research centers, each presenting unique management challenges, especially during these turbulent political and >> March-April 2013 65

66

Inside Northside

photo courtesy: LSU HEALTH SERVICES CENTER

economic times. “Right now [December 2012] we are in the middle of hiring a new chancellor of LSU’s main campus and are in the process of combining the president of the system and the chancellor at LSU into one position, which not only saves money and streamlines operations, but gives everyone the opportunity to be on one playing field. In that, we will create a new management system,” says Ballard.

Louisiana’s public health system operates under the Louisiana State University System, with hospitals in New Orleans, Amite, Bogalusa, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Amite and Lake Charles.

It is facing significant budget shortfalls.

“It’s a big challenge and an awesome responsibility that we take very seriously,” Ballard says. “My step-mother was president of Charity Hospital, a pediatrician at Tulane for 43 years. My brother and sister did their residencies at Charity. I grew up understanding the Charity system, the value it has to our city, to our state— and that’s not going anywhere.”

Public-private partnerships, such as the one recently announced for the new teaching hospital in New Orleans, are one means of reforming the system for the better, says Ballard, with the supervisors looking to other teaching facilities as examples. “Ultimately, we, the Board of Supervisors and LSU, need to concentrate on the students and education. We don’t need to concentrate on managing

hospitals. That’s not what we do best. Harvard does not own a medical center; they have a medical school and partner with other systems.”

Ballard says that state taxpayers will still own the properties under the LSU banner, but they will be leased. He says, “Whether it be to Children’s or Ochsner, Touro or HCA, we would provide the [medical] residents,” he says. “What this would ultimately do is allow our residents to see more patients. The more patients they see, the better training they get, the more hands-on experience they have—and therefore they become better doctors. It’s like anything in life. Practice makes perfect.” Additionally, Ballard says, “In my opinion, it will create more jobs. From an indigent care perspective, Charity is still there, but it will be a system used everywhere else, and the Medicaid dollars will follow the patient.”

While budget shortfalls may be driving the LSU health system’s reform, Ballard says, “We shouldn’t have to wait until times like this to make smart decisions. There are efficiencies we should always look at, across the board, whether it be in education or health care.” What’s really needed, he adds, is a major constitutional change.

“In our state, and this is the Cliffnotes version, the state constitution does not allow anything to be cut if there’s a contract involved,” he says. “The only things that aren’t contractual are health care and education. That’s insane. We sit on an island by ourselves with that policy. It needs to make sense. It needs to be tweaked. Education and health care don’t need to be the only things— they should be the last things—that we should cut for our citizens, the people who actually pay the bills.”

March-April 2013 67

IN Good Company

with Sandy and Ron Franco

Franco’s Athletic Club celebrates 25 years

Above: Ron and Sandy Franco, and right, circa 1986.

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THE 25-YEAR HISTORY of Franco’s Athletic Club is rich with inspiration and motivation. It is filled with memories that are the stories of life—the stories of a community brought together in the name of health and fitness.

It all began with a newlywed couple’s unwavering dream and their tenacity to see it through. In 1986, Ron and Sandy Franco married and moved to Mandeville from Baton Rouge to purchase the 28,000-square-foot Bon Temps Racquet Club. Ron and Sandy had worked in health clubs for more than a decade. They loved the fitness industry and knew it well.

The Bon Temps was a typical ’80s racquetball club—swinging doors, suntan beds flanking the entrance, orange shag carpet, thick clouds of cigarette smoke, popcorn on the floor, patrons drinking at the bar between racquetball games, a cat lounging on the counter. Aside from the less-than-healthy environment, the club’s management was neglectful; the business was faltering.

The size of the club then was a fraction of what Franco’s is today. A small weight room and solitary

Inside Northside

aerobics studio were overshadowed by 10 racquetball courts. The area designated for childcare was a tiny room tucked away in an upstairs corner. Only four of the 11 tennis courts and one of the four pools seen today were part of the original club. The Bon Temps was far from the family-oriented health and fitness club that Ron and Sandy envisioned creating, but they loved the area and knew the location had great potential.

“When you’re young,” Ron begins, “the world is yours to have,” Sandy finishes. She was 27. He was 32.

During the two-year process of trying to buy the club, Ron and Sandy encountered more than their fair share of naysayers. Some questioned them directly: “What makes you think you can make it successful when no one else has?” Others assured them they were misguided: “I know y’all keep saying you’re going to do this, but it’s just not going to happen.” Bankers and investors offered a simpler chorus: “Sorry, too risky.”

Sandy was dumbfounded. “It just blew my mind that they would think that we couldn’t do this,” she recalls. “It confused me.”

On April 4, 1988, two months after the birth of their first child, they finally sat down to close the sale.

But even this day did not come without challenges.

Before they could sign the papers to purchase the

photo courtesy: RON AND SANDY FRANCO

photo: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

by Mindy Cordell

club, Ron and Sandy were told that they would have to put down significantly more money than they expected. It was a do-or-die moment. They politely excused themselves, went into another room, got on their knees and prayed. They would have to use the money they had put aside for start-up expenses. So on a wing and a prayer, they went for it. They had their club at last!

Ron and Sandy worked around the clock to remodel the building and to get their new club ready. Two weeks later, Franco’s Athletic Club opened for business. The Francos had a goal: 500 members by the end of year one. They met that goal in their first month. By the end of the year, Franco’s membership was up to 2,500.

Focus on Children As they were venturing into the world of health club ownership, Ron and Sandy were also venturing into parenthood. From day one, they knew they wanted Franco’s to be about families, a place where memories were made, where children would beg to go and plead to stay. Sandy’s experience with childcare in the clubs where she had worked years before haunted her. “They had this giant playpen with cross bars, and that’s where the children would scream for an hour while some poor girl sat with them until their parents came back to get them.”

Sandy and Ron decided that they would build a place where kids would cry to leave, not cry to come.

The importance of cherishing each moment with our children was driven home early for the young couple when their first child, Danielle, was diagnosed with leukemia in her second year of life.

The devastation of her diagnosis was compounded by the memory of Sandy’s >>

brother, who battled leukemia for three painful years and died at the age of 15, when Sandy was 14. “You have no idea what we are about to go through,” she told Ron when he tried to reassure her.

The entire community rallied around them. Compassion poured in from students and teachers who had come to know the Franco family from events the club had hosted to support their schools.

Sandy says, “When they found out Danielle was sick, it was just like Miracle on 34th Street, when that guy busts into the courtroom with all those mail bags!

We literally had classrooms full of children writing her get well cards!” Ron and Sandy were so touched that they made a commitment to always do something that gives back to the community.

Danielle would have her own three-year battle but would pull through and emerge a confident, fearless and cancer-free child. Ron and Sandy were forever changed. “I think when you walk through cancer, death, possible death … you just get a whole different perspective on what’s important. And though I would never wish what we went through on anyone and would never want to go through it again, I truly believe that that perspective is a blessing. It’s a chance to live differently,” says Sandy.

Ron and Sandy had three more children: Mackenzie, Nick and Shea.

As the Franco family grew, so did the kids’ attractions and activities at the club. As promised, they built a first-class childcare facility, plus more swimming pools, a kids’ rock-climbing adventure room, sand volleyball courts, a skate park, water slides and a children’s theme pool, plus a 10,000-square-foot gymnasium. Franco’s held summer camps, cheer camps, dance camps, tennis camps, swim meets, babysitter classes and a host of recreational activities. The Franco children became 70

Inside Northside

The original Franco’s.

their parents’ barometer. Because they grew up at the club, it became harder and harder to impress them and to hold their interest. ”Our kids trained us well,” Sandy says. ”Maybe that’s why we try so hard to keep coming up with new and exciting ways to keep members motivated and coming back.”

photo courtesy: RON AND SANDY FRANCO

Reasons to Celebrate Today, Franco’s 250,000 square feet of fitness and recreational space and long list of cutting-edge programs and amenities keep more than 15,000 members coming back. The affection and allegiance that Franco’s members have come to express for the club are testament to Ron and Sandy’s success in creating something that is more than just a health club. Similar equipment and amenities can be found in some large, upscale health clubs around the country, but the club’s warm, personal atmosphere is what makes many of its members refer to it as their “second home.” Monique Hebert, former group exercise director, credits its owners. “Ron and Sandy totally get that this is about community.” She says this is something Franco’s is known for across the country. “I’ve travelled coast to coast to participate in managerial and fitness conferences and seminars, and people in the industry would always come up to me and say ‘You have no idea how good you have it!’”

Ron and Sandy Franco have many

moments of reflection and amazement at all that Franco’s has become. One in particular stands out in Sandy’s mind.

“On our 15th anniversary, I remember standing on the outside stairwell overlooking the pools with Ron, looking out at the sea of people that showed up to celebrate this night with us. I was overwhelmed! There must have been over 2,000 people below us! Laughing, dancing, celebrating—all having a good time. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that we would be so blessed to be surrounded and supported by so many people who were cheering us on and truly happy to see the club succeed! I stood there with tears in my eyes; my heart was deeply struck with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

That’s when I knew that our dream had been surpassed by something far greater and much bigger than we could ever imagine. It was like it has a life of its own, a work in motion with a purpose and a plan.”

As Franco’s celebrates 25 years of “creating a culture of health and fitness for all generations,” the anticipation of another big anniversary party is growing. “We know that we could never take credit for what has transpired at Franco’s over the last 25 years,” Sandy says. ”There’s something bigger than us happening here. We honestly feel that we are just along for the ride. And what a ride it has been!”

Still Life

by Stephen Faure

Barrels that once held Kentucky bourbon await a taste of Old New Orleans rum, which Celebration Distillation ages in the recycled whiskey barrels.

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LOUISIANANS—THE PEOPLE of the New Orleans area in particular—have a reputation for raising the celebratory consumption of any and all alcoholic beverages to an art form. One distilled spirit, however, has a unique connection to the state—rum.

Regulations regarding rum require that it be made of sugar cane products—sugar, syrup or molasses, the thick, dark and sweet liquid left after sugar crystals have been removed from sugar cane juice. Given that the state’s 400,000 or so acres of sugar cane produced almost a million and a half tons of sugar and nearly 70 million gallons of molasses in 2011, it’s a wonder that the state is not awash in rum.

The question is, “Where’s the rum, Louisiana?”

The answer is that it’s here, and there’s more

Inside Northside

coming your way, along with some vodka and absinthe for lagniappe. A distillery in New Orleans has produced rum for almost 20 years, and distilleries in Thibodaux, Lacasine and Lafayette began production within the past year.

Author Wayne Curtis wrote the book on rum, well, at least one really good book about rum, called And A Bottle of Rum, A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails. “One of the things I talk about is whiskey being the distilled essence of beer, brandy the distilled essence of wine and rum the distilled by-product of industrial waste. When you crystallize sugar, you make molasses; molasses isn’t that valuable, and it’s harder to ship than the dried sugar. Molasses in the early days was thrown away. The French would just

photo: STEPHEN FAURE

Making Spirits Bright in Louisiana

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

photo: STEPHEN FAURE

dump it into the ocean; there was no market for it; but most sugar planters figured out they could take the molasses and convert it to rum and sell it.”

Curtis says that although rum was probably first distilled by the Spanish or Portuguese colonists in South America in the 1600s, the island of Barbados gave birth to modern rum production after the British established sugar plantations there.

The more time that sugar cane has to grow, the more sugar accumulates in its juice and the easier it is to extract in crystal form.

Crops do best in the tropics, like in the Caribbean, where cane can grow for 12 to 18 months or more.

With a shorter growing season due to annual frosts (sugar cane cannot survive a freeze), juice from Louisiana sugar cane was difficult to concentrate and crystallize. Then, in 1795, Étienne de Boré devised a successful method to granulate sugar from cane grown on his plantation upriver from New Orleans, which is now Audubon Park, and sugar cane plantions boomed in Louisiana afterwards.

“A lot of these early West Indies sugar manufacturers made rum,” says Curtis. “There’s no doubt that happened outside New Orleans on the sugar plantations as well.” As in modern times, though, he says it doesn’t seem there were ever large quantities of rum produced in the state. “In my research I see references all the time to tafia and aguardiente [both crudely produced

spirits; aguardiente translates to ‘fire water’] and rum coming from the sugar plantations, but it never really took off, like it did in the Caribbean, as a major export product. It seems to have been largely consumed locally, and I don’t see it as a significant enterprise coming out of Louisiana.”

Rum Revivalist Rum is produced in industrial amounts in the Caribbean, with Bacardi’s Puerto Rico plant pouring out more than 100,000 gallons daily. Barbados, Jamaica, Haiti and the Virgin Islands are also home to some top producers.

About 20 years ago, artist James Michalopoulos, an American rum revivalist, established the first distillery to produce rum in the United States since the 1970s. His New Orleans-based Celebration Distillation produces Old New Orleans brand rums in four varieties: Crystal, Amber, Cajun Spice and a 10-year-old reserve rum that is available only at the distillery.

When something fascinates Michalopoulos, he runs with it. This particular fascination began in Europe, where he was a guest of one of his patrons in Switzerland. “One day, after a meal, she served a digestif, which she >>

Above: A sampling of some of the spices used to flavor Cajun Spice Old New Orleans rum.

March-April 2013 73

had made from fruit from their own backyard,” Michalopoulos remembers. “I just was taken by how close to the earth they were and how wonderful the things they were eating were.”

He was fortunate to observe when a travelling still master came to the village with a still mounted on the back of a truck. After the harvest, farmers would make a mash and ferment their excess fruit, which the master would distill into fruit brandies, or eau de vies. “That’s how my friend would make that step from a wine to a concentrated alcohol,” Michalopoulos says. “It was very impressive to see that.”

Many of his friend’s recipes for liqueurs and cordials came from America, and that fascinated Michalopoulos. “People just don’t make those things anymore. I became very interested in it, and thought that maybe I would become a winemaker.

After thinking about it, and doing some studying, I became convinced of the difficulty of growing grapes in Louisiana. It wasn’t a great leap to see that the state was filled with sugar cane, and that it made a lot of sense to go in that direction.

We had so much sugar cane; I could give a try at making some rum,” he says.

A long process of recipe experimentation, permitting and construction ensued. Michalopoulos says, “There are a lot of hurdles to get over to open a distillery. Not the least of them was a long legal process, a lot of things that are hangovers from the Prohibition era. We had to be very careful and watch all our p’s and q’s. I had a lot of legal help to get us through it all, and also some good engineering talent. We were very persistent and patient and managed to pull it off, one step after another.”

While he has some new products from Celebration Distillation on the horizon, the latest addition is a low-alcohol sparkling beverage called Gingeroo. “We love the way our rum tastes with ginger ale,” Michalopoulos says. They experimented with ginger ale and ginger beer recipes before coming up with Gingeroo. “We were ready to go with it before Katrina, but that knocked us out for a while. We went back to it and spent a couple of years refining the recipe and slowly wound our way into production. Now, we’re selling it over the entire state.”

Starting from scratch Celebration Distillation is the oldest continuously operating rum producer in the United States, but in 2012, four more distillery operations were licensed in Louisiana. Three— Donner-Peltier Distillers in Thibodaux, Louisiana Spirits in Lacassine and Rank Wildcat in Lafayette—are producing rum from Louisiana sugar cane products. The fourth, Atelier Vie 74

Inside Northside

photo courtesy: JAMES MICHALOPOULOS

photo: STEPHEN FAURE

in New Orleans, is refining sugar cane alcohol and processing it to produce vodka and absinthe.

The Donner-Peltier distillery is the result of an idea that came to a group of friends in Thibodaux, a town surrounded by sugar cane and is home to one of the state’s 11 sugar mills.

Tom and Beth Donner, along with friends Henry and Jennifer Peltier, might be the last people you’d expect to find brewing up hootch. “I’m a neurosurgeon, Henry’s a pediatrician, Beth and Jennifer are both professional women—Jennifer ran Henry’s practice and Beth has an MBA,” says Tom, adding, “And we have zero experience in distilling.”

They started tossing the idea of a distillery around a few years ago and began learning everything they could about the business, visiting many of the craft distilleries that have popped up all over the country. The interest in distilling that has grown exponentially in the last decade is a natural offshoot of the home- and craft-brewing movements, although home distillation of beverage alcohol in any amount is illegal without the proper federal and state permits.

Donner-Peltier’s owners made up for their lack of distillery experience by hiring John Couchot, who was the master distiller at Rogue Ales in Oregon for six and a half years. He got his start in home brewing.

“I’ve been brewing for 27 years and distilling for 10 years. I also have a degree in chemistry and worked in the pharmaceutical business for 10 years. I got tired of traveling,” Couchot says. When the Thibodaux group asked him to join them, he jumped at the chance.

“I love Louisiana,” Couchot says. “I’ve always wanted to move to Louisiana. When Jennifer sent an

email at three in the morning asking, ‘Is Louisiana too far?,’ I replied within about two minutes. My wife and I flew down the next weekend; they offered the job, and we decided to take it.”

Cochout’s experience includes producing a variety of whiskeys, gins and rums at Rogue Ales. The Donner-Peltier team knew they wanted to use local sugar cane products to make rum, and also vodka.

Henry Peltier wondered if you could make rum out of another abundant Louisiana product—rice.

After some experimentation (Couchot’s uniform shirt labels him as “Master Distiller/Mad Scientist”), they came up with a formula that worked very well.

Couchot says that they first cook the rice with natural enzymes, which convert the grain’s starches to sugars,

Left: A traveling still in Switzerland, which inspired James Michalopoulos to start up Celebration Distillation.

Above: A small patch of sugar cane greets visitors at Celebration Distillation.

>>

March-April 2013 75

then cool the mix down, add yeast and let the fermentation magic begin.

“We didn’t know what it was going to taste like until we ran it through the still. I was getting off work late that day and came in; everybody’s eyes were this big because the vodka was really good,” Tom says.

The company’s large still apparatus gives off an almost intimidating steampunk vibe, but it’s a precise, complex machine that does, in fact, run off steam. Rectifying plates in the still’s two columns allows for almost infinite adjustment to the character of the vapors being captured. By law, vodka has to be produced at 190 proof (95 percent pure ethanol), requiring several runs through the still to achieve that level

of purity.

“With this still, you can bypass a lot of its complexity if you want to make other products,” Henry says. “It gives you that flexibility.” The company’s rum, Rougaroux, for example, is produced at a much lower proof than 190 and maintains more of the flavor characteristics produced when the blackstrap molasses and raw sugar mixture (called “wash”) is fermented.

They produce Rougaroux (from Cajun werewolf legend) in two varieties—a clear, 101-proof variety they call Sugarshine, and an 80-proof amber rum.

photos: STEPHEN FAURE

The distiller’s art Whether it’s a “hard liquor”—distilled spirits such as whiskey, tequila, vodka, brandy, gin or rum—or the “softer” wine or beer, all beverage alcohol is made when tiny yeast cells feed on sugars present in the drink’s raw ingredients (known as fermentation). With wine and beer, once the yeast is done, you basically have your final product, which can be anywhere from 5 to 14 percent alcohol. For the hard stuff, the distilled

Opposite: Donner-Peltier’s Rougaroo Sugarshine rum and the imposing distillery equipment that produces it.

Above: Jennifer and Henry Peltier, distiller John Couchot, and Tom and >>

Becky Donner take a break from a busy day bottling their product.

March-April 2013 77

spirits, there are some extra steps involved that take that small amount of alcohol and raise it to a much higher strength.

While there’s a lot of science behind the distillation process, there’s also art.

With Old New Orleans rum, that’s a literal statement, as each label bears a unique Michalopoulos painting visible through the clear glass. The distiller’s art is also one in which Michalopoulos is well-versed; it lies in two areas. The first is making sure the flavors you want are the ones captured in the distillation process; some of the many compounds produced during fermentation may be undesirable. The second area is blending rums from several different barrels to produce the 3- and 10-year-old versions of Old New Orleans rum.

Distillation is the relatively simple process of heating a fermented liquid and capturing and condensing the vapors that are released. Different substances vaporize at different temperatures, and alcohol can be separated from water because it boils at a lower temperature. Since this happens in a continuous process for each batch, the distiller has to know which vapors to capture at which point in the process. The first to condense out are called “heads,” the second the “heart” or “center cut,” and the last vapors are called “tails.” The heads are usually discarded; the heart is the most desirable portion. While the tails may contain some heavier compounds that add character and flavor, especially with aging, Michalopoulos says, for the most part, tails are not included in the center cut but are added to the next batch, as they contain more ethanol that can be extracted.

“That’s where the art of distillation comes in. The flavor profile is affected by where you take your cut,” says Michalopoulos. “Heads, tails, center 78

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cut. This is one of a number of different things that gives any distilled product its character. How the cut is made and how those rums are treated after the distillation process account for the differences in rums.”

More New Orleans flavor Unlike the Louisiana rum distillers, Atelier Vie in New Orleans doesn’t start with fermentation. In a unique operation, alcohol made in Louisiana from sugar cane is used to make vodka and absinthe. Owner Jedd Haas, distiller Jascha Jacobson, “bean hunter” Skylar Rosenbloom (who’s quick to point out he’s a St. Paul’s guy) and brand ambassador Brennan Steele work on a smaller scale in the converted American Beauty egg-packing facility under the Broad Street overpass in Mid City.

While the folks in Thibodaux are making rum with sugar cane grown in fields right outside their front door, the guys at Atelier Vie are reviving a New Orleans tradition by becoming the city’s first absinthe producer in 100 years, using herbs from the northshore and Metairie.

“There’s this long connection between New Orleans and absinthe— the Old Absinthe House, the French absinthe being imported and the number of absinthe manufacturers in New Orleans back then. It seemed like a great thing to start with,” says Haas.

Toulouse Red is the company’s first absinthe offering. It’s unusual, as it’s bright red, rather than clear or the green color you’d expect. “We follow the traditional method,” Haas explains.

“It’s a three-day process that starts with a hot infusion of high-proof alcohol and herbs.” The key flavoring ingredients of absinthe are anise and fennel seeds and grand wormwood leaves. Rosenbloom says, “We’re currently working with High Tail Farms in Tangipahoa and >> March-April 2013 79

Atelier Vie’s products, Toulouse Red absinthe and Buck 25 vodka, are made in New Orleans in a converted eggpacking plant.

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Vintage Garden Farms in Metairie so we can locally source our herbs. They’re growing much of what we need from seeds. It may be a year before there’s an actual harvest. The seeds have been planted— literally.”

After the steeped herb and alcohol mixture is distilled, they do an additional infusion with a natural coloring agent—hibiscus flowers—which turns it red. They hope to soon offer classic green and clear Swiss versions of the absinthe as well.

Their vodka is called Buck 25, and it’s touted as “125 Proof ‘Professional Infusion Grade’” vodka.

The high-proof sugar cane alcohol they buy is filtered twice through a six-foot activated-carbon filter and then through a pharmaceuticalgrade particle filter, which makes “it something entirely different coming out than going in,” Haas says. It’s

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diluted to 125 proof, which would be a potent drink if taken straight.

“We see Buck 25 as a secret ingredient for bartenders and chefs,” says Rosenblum. He explains that rather than buy flavored vodkas, professionals, or even home cooks and mixologists, can make however much of whatever flavor vodka they wish.

“We’d much rather give everyone the power to control what they want. You’ll get much better flavor out of fresh fruits and fresh vegetables and spices. You might need two ounces of vanilla-flavored vodka, but why buy a whole bottle? You take the Buck 25 and make a little infusion, just as much as you need.”

Local bars are busy experimenting with Atelier Vie’s products, with bartenders concocting red absinthe cocktails and using the Buck 25 to make

bitters and other infusions. One idea was to infuse the vodka with celery and pickled beans to give Bloody Marys an extra kick.

photos: STEPHEN FAURE

Acadiana With sugar cane production all over South Louisiana, it wasn’t too long before folks in Cajun country decided it was time to make some rum as well.

Rank Wildcat is a small, self-described “grass roots” operation in Broussard, right outside of Lafayette. They have a homemade pot still they’ve christened “Lulu” after a pot-bellied pig owned by one of the distillery’s founders, David Meaux. He and Cole LeBlanc obtained the necessary licenses in early 2012 and have been making a light rum called Sweet Crude, which is distributed in the Lafayette area.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Louisiana Spirits, down I-10 from Lafayette in Lacassine, La. Aiming for a June opening, owners Tim Litel, Skip Cortese and Trey Litel are >>

Brennan Steele and Skylar Rosenblum prepare a batch of Toulouse Red at Atelier Vie.

Louisiana Spirits’ Bayou Rum will be available in mid-2013.

putting the finishing touches on a $5 million facility, with the distillery, a visitor’s center and gift shop; the site incorporates a 100-year-old farmhouse moved from Iowa, La. Louisiana Spirit’s Bayou Rum will be distributed throughout the state starting in June or July.

The facility is a highly visible attraction on the Interstate, and Trey Litel says it will be a boon for tourism in the area, as travelers to and from Houston and New Orleans and the Alabama and Florida beaches looking for something interesting to do can stop in. Tourists will be able to see how their rum is made and learn about Cajun culture and the sugar cane industry.

The adults in the group, of course, will be able to sample and purchase the distillery’s Bayou Rum.

Raise a toast!

In the end, all of our spirited producers want nothing more than for everyone to be their guests; the goal they all share is to make something that they would be proud to serve anyone who comes into their homes. That starts with their toughest critics—themselves.

“What drives me is making something that I love to drink and 82

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that we are proud to make,” says Michalopoulos. “I love the challenge of the craft, and the thought of making the best rum in the world is thrilling to me.”

So let’s raise a toast to those working hard to raise our spirits in Louisiana!

Distillery Information Our featured Louisiana distillers’ products are available at most local retailers. Their facilities may be open for tours and/or bottle sales on premises.

Please call or check their websites for visiting information and for new products as they become available.

Celebration Distillation, maker of Old New Orleans Rum, is located at 2815 Frenchmen St. in New Orleans. Call (504) 945-9400 or visit oldneworleansrum.com for information and tour availability.

Donner-Peltier Distillers, maker of Roogaroux rums and Oryza vodka, is located at 1635 St. Patrick Hwy. in Thibodaux. Call (985) 446-0002 or visit dp-distillers.com for more information.

Atelier Vie is located at 1001 S. Broad St. in New Orleans. They are open only at limited times for bottle sales of Buck 25 vodka and Toulouse Red absinthe.

Check ateliervie.com for dates and times.

Starting with its opening date in June, you can visit Louisiana Spirits at 20909 S. Frontage Rd. in Lacassine (take exit 48 on I-10, about 57 miles west of Lafayette).

Go to bayourum.com for their latest information.

Rank Wildcat Spirits’ Sweet Crude rum is available in the Acadiana region and may become available statewide. Check their website, rankwildcat.com, for the nearest vendor.

March-April 2013 83

M E D I C A L

P R O F I L E

Top, left to right: Dr. Hadar Waldman, Nurse Practitioner Kelly Brewster and Dr. Rachael Cresap.

Seated: Dr. Katherine Williams.

For Women. By Women.

Center for Women’s Health “FOR WOMEN. BY WOMEN.”

This is the motto of the Center for Women’s Health (CWH)

in Covington, the only all-female OB/GYN practice on the northshore. Dr. Katherine Williams started the practice in 2005, with the dream of building a health care center that would combine quality medical care with compassion. Kelly Brewster joined her as a woman’s health nurse practitioner at that time. After CWH’s move to its new location on Innwood Drive, they expanded the practice to include two additional CWH gives that same attention to detail to all patients

and Dr. Hadar Waldman rounded out the group in 2012. Thus

during their visit. “We really do see every aspect of a woman,”

was born a well-rounded group of providers able to meet the

says Brewster. “Not just the physical component that is

needs of a diverse patient population. “We can give patients

associated with her annual exam or hormone changes, but also

that one-on-one service to assist them in achieving their health

the emotional issues that we as women deal with. We feel like

care goals,” says Dr. Williams.

we do have that advantage, as women, to care for women.”

The focus on patient care is so integral to their mission

Dr. Cresap continues, “I know we take great care of our

that it’s evident even in the design of the building. “The goal

patients. We try to get acquainted with our partners’ patients so

was to create a spa-like environment,” Dr. Williams says.

that they feel comfortable in the rare event their physician is not

“The prospect of having an exam can be an unnerving thing

available.”

for many women. I wanted to create an environment where

Dr. Waldman shares her unique experience: she was a

patients would feel relaxed.” Patient rooms are painted in

CWH patient before she joined the group. “When I was asked

soothing colors, and each one is decorated with a different

to join, it was really a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t I want to be in

theme depicting women at various stages of their lives.

a practice where I enjoyed being a patient? A place where

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photos: RODDY ORGERON

physicians. Dr. Rachael Cresap joined the practice in 2010,

M E D I C A L

I felt safe, secure and well cared for. This is one of the many

P R O F I L E

“The cornerstone of our approach is patient education,”

aspects I love about practicing here– providing that same level

says Brewster. “How can you beat the disease if you don’t

of comfort and care to my patients.”

understand it?” She runs a polycystic ovarian syndrome clinic,

Not only is the Center for Women’s Health a state-ofthe-art facility, so is its equipment. CWH recently purchased

and patients travel long distances to attend an informative class about the disease and its long-term management.

a Samsung Accuvix XG ultrasound machine, which allows the group to acquire better information with greater detail. “It’s an incredible machine,” says Dr. Cresap. “The images are so much clearer; the quality is amazing. We’re all really excited.” The patients are excited, too. Some of the services available to patients include 3D/4D photographs and “sneak peek” ultrasounds to find out the sex of a baby several weeks before the scheduled anatomy scan. The new ultrasound machine has the capability of printing pictures as well as the option of saving the images on a CD, DVD or thumb drive.

The doctors feel patient education is so important that they chose to hire three registered nurses for each physician to help with patient care and education. “Their higher level of formal training and expertise allows them to deliver the quality care that we want for our patients, the level of care that we would want for ourselves,” says Dr. Williams. “I truly believe the doctors and staff here at the Center for Women’s Health The group practices a teamwork approach with a

are amazing. I think we’ve done a great job of selecting

collaborative method for treating patients. “If one of us encounters

employees who really excel and are able to show their

a patient with a complicated problem, we will often discuss the

strength through their daily tasks. Working with my

case and put our minds together so the patient benefits from the

partners and our staff is a joy. I can honestly say this does

wisdom and experience of four providers,” says Dr. Williams.

not feel like a job; it’s a passion I truly enjoy.”

“We see women in all stages of life from adolescence to senior,” adds Dr. Waldman. “We care for both low- and highrisk pregnancies and provide comprehensive gynecologic care.” Conditions treated include pelvic pain, incontinence, menstrual disorders, menopausal symptoms and polycystic ovarian syndrome. The physicians are trained in both robotic and laparoscopic surgery.

The Center for Women’s Health is located at 104 Innwood Dr., Covington. 249-7022. www.klwmd.com.

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1. Gardening made easy. Verdigris-finish decorated pot with faux cherry tomato plant. Plant, $48; pot, $58. deCoeur Gifts & Home Accessories, Covington, 809-3244. 2. Brighten your room.

Handcrafted Ebie table lamp by Stonegate, $481. Available in buffet and floor lamp styles. Berger Home, Mandeville, 624-3433.

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3. Work of art. Original 48” x 24” oil painting titled Step Child

by James Michalopoulos, $12,000. Michalopoulos Gallery, New Orleans, (504) 558-0505. 4. Soap on a rope. Turquoise faceted soap necklace by Soap Baubles, $42.99. OSpa at Franco’s, Mandeville, 792-0200. 5. Easy updo. Crease-free ribbon hair bands with hanging charm, $10.95 each. Studio 311 Salon, Covington, 327-7775. 6. Stylish serveware. Acacia wood serving

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bowls with fig leaf mesh lids from Michael Aram. Small, $150; large, $195. Arabella Fine Gifts & Home Décor, Mandeville, 727-9787.

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1. Blessings. Madonna and Child holy-water plaque, $12.95.

St. Joseph Abbey, Covington, 892-1800. 2. Perched pelicans.

Metal wall art, 36” x 30,” $179. Outdoor Living Center, Covington, 893-8008.

3. Set sail. Driftwood lamp with linen shade, $225. Perino’s Garden Center, Metairie, (504) 834-7888. 4. Picture this. Treasury of photography and prose from North Carolina to Covington and beyond. So Much for the Mountains, by local author Maurice LeGardeur, $20 when purchased at the gallery. Three Rivers Gallery, Covington, 892-2811. 5. Freezer ready. Plastic martini glasses, $8 each. Simplee Gourmet, Covington, 892-8370. 6. Picture perfect. 4” x 6” frame, $45. Niche Modern Home, Mandeville, 624-4045. 7. Old World ambiance. Italian balustrade lamp with parchment shade, $518. St. Romain Interiors, Madisonville, 845-7411. 8. Drive in style. Patricia Green leopard print driving moccasins, $169. Hestia Luxury in Linens, Covington, 893-0490.

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1. Foreign elegance. 1940 church chandelier from Belgium, $325. Lynn Stirling Antiques, Mandeville, 626-7704. 2. Gerber Daisy folding umbrella, $22.

Assorted patterns. The Grapevine, Covington, 8932766. 3. Spring has sprung. Acrylic glassware in assorted spring colors, from $16. Hazelnut Mandeville, Mandeville, 626-8900. 4. Beautiful glow. Antique iron lamp with pale blue filigree accent, $275. Rug Chic, Mandeville, 674-1070. 5. Let there be light.

Portsmouth candle lantern with glass cylinder hurricane shade. Small, $54.50; large, $78.50. the french mix, Covington, 809-3152. 6. Shining star.

Bamboo lantern, $60. Melange by kp, Mandeville, 807-7652. 7. Porch dĂŠcor. Finial, $47.95. Florist of Covington, Covington, 892-7701. 8. Give the gift of taste. Gift basket with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, gourmet pasta, pasta sauce, handmade olive oil soap, handmade

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chocolate truffles and alabaster dipping dish, $100. InfusĂŠ Oils & Vinegar, Mandeville, 778-0903.

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The wedding of Angelique Hebert and Shawn Ledig, held in New Orleans, was officiated by Joseph Perrone. Seth and Stella Ledig joined the ceremony as ring bearer and flower girl. The bride wore a one-shoulder ivory silk chiffon gown accented by a birdcage veil and vintage jewelry.

Jeanine Malbrough designed the bouquet of deep red peonies and calla lilies, which was accented by an antique broche.

Following the intimate ceremony, family and friends joined the bride and groom for a formal dinner. The couple honeymooned in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, and currently reside in Mandeville.

photo: AINSLEY SHERRIE CUSTOM PORTRAITS

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Hebert-Ledig

Heather Cherie Roper and Travis Todd Oalmann were married in Metairie in a ceremony presided over by Brother Ron Allen from Landmark Church of God. They read vows they had written themselves. The wedding flowers were in beautiful blues and purples, including those in the bridesmaids’ bouquets. Heather gifted her attendants with presents from DeLuca’s Expressions in Gold. At the reception, guests were surprised by Heather and her dad, who danced together to Twist and Shout and Jump on It. The couple honeymooned in Cabo San Lucas and now live in Bedico.

They recently opened Studio 311 Salon in Covington.

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photo: JOHN MICHAEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Roper-Oalmann

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PETAL PUSHERS 1. Lady’s white 14kt modern design cluster pendant with 1.00cttw round brilliant diamonds on an 18” white gold box chain, $5,400. Champagne Jewelers, Slidell, 643-2599. 2. Venise lace and satin sheath with scalloped cap sleeves, beaded illusion bateau neckline, keyhole back and

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pleated satin waistband, $798. Southern Bridal, Mandeville, 727-2993. 3. Silky floral print blazer, $62. POSH Boutique, Covington, 898-2639.

4. Bed Head 100% fine cotton New York Botanical Vanilla three-fourth-sleeve pajamas with capri pants, all trimmed in grosgrain ribbon, $140.

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Bra la Vie!, Hammond, 662-5065.

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5. Coral flower print dress by Daniel Rainn, $76. Three Sisters Boutique, Ponchatoula, 386-8680.

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6. 100% silk button-down shirt from the Vacation in Paradise collection, $109.50.

Jos. A. Bank, Mandeville, 624-4067. 7. Flower leather bracelet made with Swarovski elements, $92. Bastille’s, Mandeville, 626-4220.

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PETAL PUSHERS 1. Bixby freshwater cultured pearl

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pendant set in sterling silver and 18kt yellow gold with amethyst, blue topaz and diamond suspended from a sterling silver and 18kt gold necklace with diamond accent. Pendant, $2,090; necklace, $775. Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers, Mandeville, 626-1666. 2. Bird print peasant blouse by Joy-Joy, $82. Paisley, Mandeville, 727-7880. 3. TOMS shoes, $54. With every pair you purchase, TOMS gives a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Columbia Street Mercantile, Covington, 809-1789. 4. Spanish lace poncho dress by Nightcap, $350. The Mix, Mandeville, 727-7649. 5. Alice and Trixie tunic top in creamy white with hot pink on the neckline and sleeves, $268. Eros, Mandeville, 727-0034. 6. 1.00cttw diamond floral design drop earrings set in 18kt white gold, $3,800. Lowe’s Jewelers, Mandeville, 845-4653. 7. Breanna flower

by Sara Gabriel in diamond white or pale ivory, $107. Olivier Couture, Mandeville, 5

674-6994.

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PETAL PUSHERS 1. 14kt rose- and white-gold pendant/locket with 1.5cttw diamond, $1,995. DeLuca’s Expressions in Gold, Covington, 892-2317.

2. Sleeveless spring dress with ruffled neckline and embroidered lace floral skirt by ark & co., $64. brown eyed girl, Mandeville, 626-0100. 3. Chelsey St. Gaudens designed mocha rose top with high-low hemline and keyhole back for Show Me Your Mumu, $126. Laurier, Covington, 875-0823. 4. 100% cotton Vineyard Vines Classic Polo with short sleeves, $69.50. Bastille’s, Mandeville, 626-

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4220. 5. Lattice-back, flowy bell sleeves top. Izabella’s Villa, Slidell,

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649-5060. 6. Treena Turk tunic, $238. Fleurt, Covington, 8098844. 7. Beige wedge shoe with ankle strap and floral heel by 7 For All Mankind, $228. Emma’s Shoes and Accessories, Mandeville, 778-2200.

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8. Tallulah bra-sized underwire swim top by Panache in navy 8

floral, under $100. Also available in bandeau style. Sizes 30-38, E-H. Bra Genie, Mandeville, 951-8638.

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PETAL PUSHERS 1. Multi-sized flower bracelet with iridescent accent stones, $38. Azure Spa, Mandeville, 727-7799. 2. Antonio Berardi

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dress, $2,425. Saks Fifth Avenue, New Orleans, (504) 524-2200. 3. Lapis cuff bracelet by TONOBI, $98.

Accents & Things, Slidell, 649-4273. 4. Alicia Bell blouse, $284. The Villa, Mandeville, 626-9797. 5. Pretty in Pink petal wedge from Seychelles, $120. ShoefflĂŠ, Covington, 898-6465.

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PETAL PUSHERS 1. Floral printed Molly Dress of the Tea Time Collection by LeZaMe, $60. Sizes 2-6X; Pink Willits shoes, $46.

Sizes 4-12. The Silver Plum and 1, 2 Buckle My Shoe, Mandeville, 674-4343. 2. Five-pocket, zipfront floral denim short, $32. Sizes 0-13.

Available in two prints. Ju Ju’s Boutique, Mandeville, 624-3600.

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3. Terry cloth bathing suit or shower coverup and plush slippers.

Cover-up, $28; plush slippers, $15. Many colors. Blossom Girl, Mandeville, 626-6280.

March-April 2013 103

Outdoor Living

by Poki Hampton

Garden Ornaments “GARDEN ORNAMENTS PROVIDE emphasis and accent in a garden, drawing the eye in a particular direction. Most ornaments, because they are solid and static objects such as urns, seats, columns or statues, provide a contrast with the living things around them,” wrote David Hicks, famed English designer of the 20th century.

As far back as the ancient Greeks and Romans, bronze was used to create statues of the gods. Both large and small English gardens imitated those of Italy by incorporating a variety of features that 104

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added to their beauty.

Today, statuary is one of the many options we have to choose from for our landscapes. Concrete, marble, resin and metal are used—everything from formal statues of angels to an informal bronze of a horse can be found. Kim Bantom of Perino’s Garden Center in Metairie says, “We are seeing a lot of interest in whimsical and classic statuary. Orbs, finials and spheres in concrete are some of our best sellers.”

Choose statues or ornaments that complement the style and feeling of your home and your

personality. Style and proportion in keeping with both the house and the garden make for a harmonious scheme. By studying your yard, you will discover the natural locations for focal points. Create a focal point by placing an ornament in a prominent area of your garden with foliage as a background. This type of setting enhances the whole garden, adding beauty and visual interest.

One example of an ornament that can be used in a focal point is an oil pot. “Cast concrete oil pots in a variety of sizes and finishes look like antique oleo jars from France. They are great for indoor or outdoor use,� says Tom Dicerbo of the french mix in Covington.

A walkway through the lawn leading to the focal point is another way to create visual interest. Flat stones, pavers, manufactured stepping stones in a variety of shapes, along with gravel, concrete, brick and decomposed granite can be used.

Plants on either side form an allĂŠe, >> March-April 2013 105

Outdoor Living

softening the hardscape and drawing the eye to the walkway. Adding annuals softens the look even more.

“Garden benches beside a path create a restful place to sit. Oversized wire plant baskets for annuals are popular as well. Antique concrete and cast-iron birdbaths, busts and statues are a great way to bring the antique look into a garden,” says Terry Adams of Lynn Stirling Antiques in Mandeville.

Water features, such as ponds or fountains, are very appealing garden ornaments, creating tranquil spaces with flowing water. Materials are more varied than ever—metal, bamboo, concrete, marble and stone are just a few. Water lilies add color to any water feature. When planning, you must again think of the style and proportion of your yard and home.

Structures such as arbors, pergolas, gazebos and cabanas extend the outdoor living space of a home. Creating a cool, comfortable 106

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place to relax makes any outdoor space more enjoyable. Ceiling fans help to keep the air moving, while umbrellas, canopies, trellises and sun sails provide protection from the sun. Flowering plants in containers and colorful cushions add pops of color to the space. Adding antique windows, vintage mirrors or shutters to the structure helps to make it more personal.

“Wood-burning or gas fire pits on a patio are very popular,” says Anna Papp of the Outdoor Living Center in Covington. “They should be in an open

area and not too near vegetation.”

There are many do-it-yourself projects available for garden ornaments that can add visual interest to your garden, but the advice and experience of a landscape professional is invaluable.

The most important concept to remember in decorating your home’s exterior is to make it your own and make it comfortable for your lifestyle and enjoyment. Incorporate elements that are pleasing to the eye and ear, while creating a haven for your family and friends.

by Poki Hampton

Wow!

Enterprises because, she says, “Glenn let me see four projects he had completed. Not only did that demonstrate his workmanship, it showed me his relationship with his past clients.”

Glenn likes to share his past clients’ work with new prospects. His relationship with his clients is well known. “My clients are very proud of their new spaces,” he says. “Creating relationships and trust with clients is very important.”

Belinda’s new bath is stunning, with luxurious finishes, elegant marble and marble tiles creating architectural interest. Glenn was able to re-work the footprint into an open and airy space, with a spa-like atmosphere. He moved the tub and created a beautiful marble walk-in shower with a modern frameless glass door. The new soaker tub has mini-bubble jets for relaxation. New cabinets, with fine-furniture details, new plumbing fixtures and a flat-screen television dramatically transform the gutted space, creating a modern, yet timeless, look. A

Shower walls in marble subwayshaped tiles create a luxurious walk-in shower. Carrera marble countertops on an espresso wood cabinet.

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BELINDA JANECKE’S OLD MASTER BATH was decidedly dated, with run-of-the-mill, basic buildergrade cabinets, cultured marble sinks and 1990s tile.

“It was dysfunctional,” she says. “Fifteen years old, with a high vaulted ceiling, two vanities divided by a closet that stuck out into the room and an odd plant ledge running around the entire bathroom.”

Belinda was well aware that remodeling and changing the footprint of a bathroom is a large, expensive job that requires the help of a licensed contractor. She chose Glenn Jones of Etan

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sparkling crystal chandelier over the tub and customframed mirrors complete the look.

Glenn’s custom-home background is what sets him apart from most remodeling contractors. He is meticulous in his planning and execution of each project he takes on. He starts with a verbal estimate to the clients without even taking out a measuring tape. “I can look at the layout and configuration of the house with the projected remodel in mind and give the client a verbal estimate; we go from there.”

After the demo is finished, Glenn lays out the >>

photo: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Renovation

new footprint for the space and gets the client’s approval. He then makes up a line-item estimate with a materials and labor list. Working within the budget set forth and allowing the client to choose the fixtures keeps everyone on the same page. With an average time of four to five weeks to complete a project, Glenn’s clients rely on him to give them smart options.

“I picked out the Carrera marble at Stone Source. I found just the right slab with the grey veining I wanted. Then I found subway-shaped tiles in marble to do the tub surround and shower,” says Belinda.

Suppliers like Southland Plumbing and Stone Source put their packages together and deliver them when everything is in. “Glenn is one of the contractors we like to work with,” says Ben Fielding of Stone Source. “He says what he will do, The addition of the tall armoire-style cabinet in espresso adds extra storage to this luxurious master bath.

and he does what he says. We have a very good working relationship.”

Glenn says, “Because of the economy, vendors are not warehousing as much product as they did during the housing boom. I want to have everything ready for installation before I start. When we are renovating a home while the owners are living in it, we have to be very sensitive to their dayto-day lives. Scheduling the various vendors to complete their work when all of the fixtures are in house is one way of avoiding chaos. Keeping the space clean is another.”

Now that she is enjoying her new bath, Belinda sums it all up. “I really wanted the WOW! factor—and I got it!”

By working in an open, honest, detailed and systematic manner, Glenn Jones was able to give her just what she wanted.

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IN the Spotlight Carnival 2013 Northshore royalty reigned during the 2013 Carnival season. Here are photos from a sampling of this year’s regal extravaganzas.

Queens Margaret Krewe of Lyra Stewart (Twelfth Night Revelers) and Margaret Murphy (Caliphs of Cairo) ruled over two southshore bal masqués. St. Tammany Royal Highnesses included: Marrisa Lee Discon, Olympia; Corinna A. Hayden, Eve; Toni McCord, Lyra; Queen Andromeda of Perseus, Mary Beth Landreneau; Queen Samaritan of Slidellians, Kathy Lowrey; Shannon Lipps, Titans; Brittany Kastner; Dionysus; Queen Neptune of Bilge, Darian Christi Varnado; Maria Natal, Selene; Jodi Pelloat O’Berry, Tchefuncte; and Dancing Queens Lee Kastner Ducote and Rosemary Clement led Mona Lisa and Moon Pie’s parade.

Krewe of Olympia

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Krewe of Tchefuncte photos: SARAH TRAPAGNIER

Krewe of Bilge photos: JENNIFER BELSOM PHOTOGRAPHY

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INside Peek

Jill and Joel Champagne with Steve and Connie Hart, winners of Champagne Bev erage and Anheuser-Busch ’s “Home Delivery by the Clyd esdales” sweepstakes.

Mila Isabelle Miranda, STPH ’s first baby of 2013 , delivered by Dr. Gary M. Agena, w ith parents St efanie Jamieson an d Ray Mirand a.

Chamber 2012 St. Tammany West Award winner ip rsh de Lea ity Commun Laurie Spurlin, h wit i Willie Parett d Kim Melvin. an on rts be Ro Steven Send your submissions to peek@insidenorthside.com.

Cayman Sinclair and Chris DeCelle, director of the Artie Lange Show, at the DIR ECTV Super Bowl studios at Mardi Gras World.

nne Kelly Blackwell, Lea Ratcliff and Heather Oalmann enjoy Jim Seitz’s IN cover artist party at Hazelnut and Jos. A. Bank in Mandeville.

Blake and G ina Powell.

Hazelnut owners Bryan Batt and Tom Cianfichi with cover artist Jim Seitz (center).

Connie Seitz, M arta Bragg and CJ Ladner.

Maurice Le Gardeur, Joel his wife Meg Kern, y wle Ha n llee Co Rutter, ez and Candace Rodrigu at Jos. A. Bank.

IN the Spotlight President’s Arts Awards

photos courtesty: St. Tammany Parish Comission on Culutral Affairs

The Louisiana Medical Center and Heart Hospital in Lacombe was the setting for the 8th annual President’s Arts Awards. Parish President Pat Brister and Cultural Arts Commission Chair Stephen Cefalu inducted the honorees for 2012.

Receiving awards were literary artist Eve Brouwer, performing artist Brian Fontenot, visual artist Bill Binnings, musical artist Alissa Rowe and culinary artists Keith Frentz and Nealy Crawford-Frentz. Dianne Winston was honored as Patron of the Year, and the President’s Award went to the Slidell Little Theater.

Constantin Apetrei received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The awards are presented by the St. Tammany Parish Government and the St. Tammany Commission of Cultural Affairs.

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INside Peek Judy and R ory Helmse tter at Lancaster El ementary’s Cookies and Canva s painting event.

Students at Woodlak e Elementary, which was an officia l drop-off location this past ho liday season for the U.S. Marine Co rps’ Toys for Tots.

r es students from Ou giment band includ r, he As The St. Stanislaus Re rick Pat ving varsity letters are h Lady Academy. Recei d Todd Williams, wit an n an ttm Wi Sam Hanna Freeman, Pierson. band director Taylor

Regiment mem bers Charley Graves, Alex Denette, Sam Reeder and H enry Halphen , pictured with band director , Taylor Pierso n, receive varsity letter jackets.

ille High The Mandev aker n in Sp l o Scho mpeted co dance team ersal in the Univ ciation’s o ss Dance A ition in et p m co e stat . d Hammon

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s Trey St. Stanislaus junior way na Co a hu Jos r, he As ski at ow otk Gr and Jimmy Youth ck nco Ha 13 20 the y.

Leadership Academ

Lancaster Elem entary’s Student of th e Year Ellie Latiolais and her homeroo m teacher, Gin a Inman.

II Champion SSA’s State Div. Team members im Sw Aqua Doves iott. n and Emma Ell Aubrey Patterso

Aqua Doves; front: Lauren Sherar, Rose Simoneaux, Claire Ma sson, Frankie Tarantino and Abbie Lutenbacher; back: Caroline Gallas py, Elizabeth Lyon, Amanda Chatry and Ashley Pribyl.

, Madison Emma Hodgins, Lauren Lilly SSA Student Council members art and Stew inia Virg Ruli, Taylor Sims, Robert, Regan Robert, Emily thern Sou the at co Toc beth Eliza erator Catherine Walker and mod Fla. , ndo Orla ncils conference in Association of Student Cou Send your submissions to peek@insidenorthside.com.

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IN the Spotlight Starry, Starry Nights in the East The East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce celebrated more than 50 years of success at its Membership Awards and Appreciation event, Starry Starry Nights in the East.

In addition to the many awards presented, the 2012 Board of Directors was recognized for its outstanding work, including obtaining and recruiting 1,050 investors and hosting more than 260 events, and the 2013 board was installed.

About 400 guests at the Northshore Harbor Center in Slidell enjoyed cocktails, dinner and dancing to the music of the band Witness.

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Come find out more and meet Camp Director Susan Hooks: March 2: Education Expo - Lakeside Shopping Center Metairie, LA 10:00-4:00 March 23: Kids Day & Family Expo - Castine Center - Pelican Park, Mandeville, LA 10:00-4:00 March 26: Franco’s, Mandeville, LA 3:30-5:30 March 27: Tchefuncta Country Club, Covington, LA 5:00-7:00

ACTIVITIES Horseback Riding Swimming Ropes Course Tennis Canoeing Golf Basketball Gymnastics Dance Archery Arts & Crafts Outdoor Living Campfire Fun Rope Swing Volleyball Soccer Riflery Aerobics Chorus & Drama Trip Day Counselors-In-Training Climbing Tower River Water Blob Cheerleading Flag Twirling Sports Riverview Camp for Girls is a community where your daughters grow in confidence and maturity - all while having a great time in a safe, carefree and wholesome environment.

Susan and Larry Hooks, Owners and Directors • For more information, call (800) 882-0722. Riverview Camp for Girls, P.O. Box 299, Mentone, AL 35984 www.riverviewcamp.com 122

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LONG-TERM SESSSIONS 1st Session: June 9-June 21 2nd Session: June 23-July 5 3rd Session: July 7-July 19 4th Session: July 21-August 2

A B C D E F

SHORT-TERM SESSIONS Session: June 9-June 14 Session: June 16-June 21 Session: June 23-June 28 Session: June 30-July 5 Session: July 21- July 26 Session: July 28-August 2

Northshore Living

Custom Closets

by Poki Hampton

HAVING A LUXURIOUS CUSTOM CLOSET is every fashionista’s dream. Being able to see everything at a glance reminds you of what you have and enables you to put items together that might not otherwise be seen. No more “out of sight, out of mind!”

A closet where there is a place for everything and everything is in its place makes for a very organized fashion life. “Women want their daily lives to be simpler and more organized,” says Don Wise of Louisiana Custom Closets. “That may include a place for shoes; drawers to organize lingerie, jewelry, sunglasses, t-shirts, socks, etc; and having all hanging

clothes separated by color, season or from formal to casual.

“One of our goals in designing and building a custom closet is to use every cubic inch of space,” says Don. “Our installations normally take one day, and that includes the demo of the existing closet, spackling and touching up the paint and the complete install. This lets our client take their clothes out of the closet in the morning and replace them in the new closet in the afternoon.”

The variety of cabinet styles, colors and moldings available makes it possible for the closet to >>

A perfectly organized closet designed

by Louisiana Custom Closets utilizing the space of the existing closet.

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A “before” picture of the closet.

blend with the style of your home. There are many materials, styles and organization storage solutions to choose from.

Floor-mounted and wall-mounted options abound. For a truly built-in look, go for floor-mounted cabinets. Wall-mounted are more budget friendly, and you can vacuum under them with ease. Keep in mind, ball gowns and long coats require about 10 percent of your space. There are also options for folded clothes. If you have a lot of shoes—and what fashionista does not!—you can display them on flat shelves, slanted shelves or in cubbies.

“LED lighting for shoe shelves, inside drawers and under cabinets is now more affordable and makes a closet really pop,” says Wise. Mechanized units for revolving shoe shelves, wardrobe lifts coming down from the ceiling and automatic door openers are just some of the newest bells and whistles we offer.”

If you are converting a small bedroom into a closet, an island increases the amount of storage while providing a surface to lay out your outfit, put your suitcase on while packing or fold clothes. Chairs or ottomans can be added for seating. Tilt-out laundry baskets let the clothes practically sort themselves.

Planning for a custom closet is very easy. Schedule an appointment for a consultant to measure your space and give you options. Discuss your needs and wants for your dream closet. Most companies use computer-aided design, which allows you to see a rendering of what your closet would look like. At that time, you can make any changes necessary. Once the design is complete, you are ready to have your new closet installed.

With the help of a qualified custom closet professional, you can have your dream closet—and a very organized life.

Who doesn’t want that?

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IN Great Taste

Delicious Easter Fun

photo courtesy: KELLY BURKENSTOCK

photo: MICHELE R. SIMONS

“I dress up as the Easter Bunny and ride through our neighborhood on our golf cart throwing candy. I also make a three-dimensional Easter Bunny cake. The final stop in the neighborhood is to deliver the cake to my family and friends at our annual Easter cookout.”

- Kelly Burkenstock, Dr. Burkenstock’s Skin. Body. Health

“Every Easter morning, my brother and I would hunt for peanut butter and Heavenly Hash eggs hidden all over our house. We used to race around to collect as many as we could in our baskets. My favorite treat in my Easter basket was always a panoramic sugar egg, all glittery and hollowed out with sweet little bunnies and chicks inside. They were always too pretty to eat!

Panoramic sugar eggs are hard to find these days, so I’ve tried my hand at making my own. It takes a good deal of patience and a very steady hand!”

- Sherri Hansen, Culinary Kids

“Every Easter, my sister and I get together with our mom to bake a cake in the shape of a lamb. Our lamb mold was passed down from our grandmother, and now our daughters join us in this tradition. We use coconut dyed green for the grass around the lamb, raisins for the eyes and a cherry for the nose. The only problem we have (and it happens every year!) is that the head usually falls off before we can serve it! But that never prevents us from enjoying our Easter dessert.”

- Gina Powell, brown eyed girl

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Guiltless, Good for You and Delish!

A great idea for Easter brunch is to add Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup to Champagne for a delicious raspberry-flavored cocktail. For dessert, indulge by topping your favorite cheesecake with the syrup.

To save time, purchase a good quality cheesecake, then garnish with quartered, half or whole flowers.

Drizzle with syrup if desired. Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup is available at Arabella Fine Gifts and Home DĂŠcor, Mandeville, 727-9787.

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INside Dining MCC: Major credit cards accepted ME: Menu Express delivery RR: Reservations recommended

ABITA SPRINGS Abita Barbecue, 69399 Hwy. 59, 8920205. Ribs, brisket, chicken, pulled pork and boudin. MCC. Abita Brew Pub, 72011 Holly St., 8925837. On the Trace. Good food, great beer. Lunch, dinner. abitabrewpub.com.

MCC. Abita Springs Café, 22132 Level St., 867-9950. Southern cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tues-Sun. MCC. Breakaway Cafe, 71667 Leveson St., 809-8998. Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm.

Camellia Café, 69455 Hwy. 59, 8096313. Traditional seafood and New Orleans cuisine. thecamelliacafe.com. MCC. Mama D’s Pizza & More, 22054 Hwy. 59, 809-0308. Great pizza, sandwiches, pasta, fresh homemade bread. Lunch, dinner. mamadspizza.com.

COVINGTON Acme Oyster House, 1202 Hwy. 190, 246-6155. Established 1910 in New Orleans, 1995 on northshore. Seafood, sandwiches, local favorites. Lunch, dinner. mamdspizza.com. MCC. Albasha, 1958 Hwy. 190, 867-8292.

Mediterranean cuisine. albashabr.com. MCC. Annadele’s Plantation, 71518 Chestnut St., 809-7669. Yellow fin tuna, domestic lamb & much more. annadeles.com. MCC, checks.

Bear’s Restaurant, 128 W. 21st St., 892-2373. Best po-boys in the world.

Buster’s Place, 519 E. Boston St., 809-3880. Seafood, po-boys, steaks.

Lunch, dinner. MCC. Carreta’s Grill, 70380 Hwy. 21, 8716674. Great Mexican cuisine and margaritas served in a family-friendly atmosphere for lunch and dinner. Kids eat free every Wednesday! Private events and catering also provided. carretasgrill.com. MCC. The Cheesesteak Bistro, 528 N. Columbia St., Covington, 875-9793.

Original cheesesteak sandwiches, soups, salads, gumbo and super spuds. Breakfast, lunch. All under $10.

MCC, checks.

The Chimes, 19130 W. Front St., 892-5396.

Lunch and dinner. thechimes.com. MCC. Coffee Rani, 234-A Lee Ln., 8936158. Soup and salad specialists. coffeerani.com.

Columbia St. Seafood, 1123 N. Columbia St., 893-4312.

Seafood platters and po-boys. columbiastreetseafood.com.

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Columbia St. Tap Room & Grill, 434 N. Columbia St., 898-0899. Daily specials, appetizers, sandwiches, salads, soups and burgers. Live music Thurs-Sat nights. Lunch, dinner. covingtontaproom.com. MCC, ME. Copeland’s, 680 N. Hwy. 190, 809-9659.

Authentic New Orleans cuisine. Lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Online takeout orders at copelandsofneworleans.com.

MCC, ME, RR. Dakota Restaurant, 629 N. Hwy. 190, 892-3712. Contemporary Louisiana cuisine using local and seasonal ingredients. thedakotarestaurant.com.

MCC, RR. Del Porto Restaurant, 501 E. Boston St., 875-1006. Northern Italian cuisine. delportoristorante.com. MCC, RR. Di Martino’s, 700 S. Tyler St., 2766460. Great food and reasonable prices.

Lunch, dinner. dimartinos.com. MCC.

Megumi of Covington, 1211 Village Walk, 893-0406. megumirestaurant.net.

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers, 1645 Hwy. 190, 327-5407.

Salads, pizzas, calzones. MCC. mellowmushroom.com.

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, 104 Lake Dr. #1, 898-6362. menchies.com.

New Orleans Food and Spirits, 208 Lee Ln., 875-0432. Grilled fish, smothered rabbit and voodoo crawfish rolls. Family owned and operated. neworleansfoodspirits.com. MCC.

Sicily’s Pizza, 301 N. Hwy. 190, 8930005. Pizza, lasagna, salad bar, dessert pizzas. MCC, ME. Sweet Daddy’s, 420 S. Tyler St., 898-2166. Pulled pork, brisket and ribs. sweetdaddysbarbq.com. MCC, ME. Thai Chili, 1102 N. Hwy. 190, 809-0180.

Thai Spice, 1581 N. Hwy. 190, 8096483.

Thai Taste, 1005 N. Collins Blvd., 809-7886.

Thai Thai, 1536 N. Hwy. 190, 809-8905.

Nonna Randazzo’s Italian Bakery and Caffè, 2033 N. Hwy. 190, Ste. 5, 893-1488. Full service, year-round bakery. Luncheon salads, panini, catering, donuts, kingcakes, cupcakes and wedding cakes. Tues-Sun, open at 7am. nonnaskingcakes.com. MCC.

Tony Bosco’s at TerraBella, 141 TerraBella Blvd., 612-7250. Authentic Italian cuisine. Lunch, dinner, private meeting room, catering. tonyboscos.com.

North Island Chinese, 842 N. Collins Blvd., 867-8289.

Vasquez Seafood & Po-Boys, 515 E. Boston St., 893-9336. Cuban sandwiches and more. vazquezpoboy. com. MCC, checks, ME.

Northshore Empress, 31 Louis Prima Dr., 871-6975. northshoreempress.com.

WOW Café & Wingery, 501 N. Hwy. 190, 892-9691. Wings, burgers, wraps and more. MCC.

Don’s Seafood Hut, 126 Lake Dr., 327-7111. Lunch and dinner. donsseafoodonline.com. MCC.

Osaka 21 Japanese Restaurant, 70340 Hwy. 21, 809-2640.

El Portal, 1200 Business 190, 867-5367.

Osaka West Japanese Restaurant, 804 N. Hwy. 190, 871-8199. osakawest.com

Yujin Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, 323 N. New Hampshire St., 809-3840. Japanese cuisine and sushi in a casual atmosphere. MCC.

DiCristina’s Restaurant, 810 N. Columbia St., Ste. C, 875-0160.

Conveniently located next to the new Covington Courthouse. Italian and seafood. dicristinas.com. MCC.

The English Tea Room, 734 Rutland St., 898-3988. Authentic English cream teas. Special event teas, English scones, crumpets and cakes. Serving breakfast and lunch. Mon-Sat, 7:30am-6pm. englishtearoom.com. MCC, RR. Four Seasons Chinese Buffet, 600 N. Hwy. 190, 893-3866. MCC. Gallagher’s Grill, 509 S. Tyler St., 892-9992. Lunch and dinner, Tues-Sat. gallaghersgrill.com. MCC, RR. Isabella’s Pizzeria, 70452 Hwy. 21, Ste. 500, 875-7620; 1331 Hwy. 190, 809-1900. Salads, gourmet pizza, sandwiches, paninis, calzones and pasta. isabellaspizzeria.net.

Pardos, 69305 Hwy. 21, 893-3603.

An American bistro with a blend of multi-cultural cuisine with local flair.

Frutta del mar pasta, rosemary-grilled shrimp, roasted chicken. Lunch, TuesFri; Dinner, Tues-Sun; Happy hour, Tues-Fri, 4-7pm. Private parties and catering. pardosbistro.com. MCC.

Brady’s, 110 SW Railroad Ave., 5426333. bradysdowntown.com.

Peck’s Seafood & Grill, 70457 Hwy. 21, Ste. 108, 892-2121. Po-boys, seafood, burgers and lunch specials. MCC.

Cocoa Bean Bakery and Cafe, 910 E. Main St., 345-2002.

Specialty cakes, pastries. Serving breakfast and light lunch. Specials. thecocoabeanbakery.com. MCC.

PJ’s Coffee & Tea Co., 70456 Hwy. 21, 875-7894. Catch your morning buzz at this convenient drive-thru!

Catering. MCC.

Jerk’s Island Grill & Daiquiri Bar, 70437 Hwy. 21, 893-1380. jerksIslandgrill.com.

Pizza Man of Covington, 1248 N. Collins Blvd., 892-9874. Checks, ME.

Mattina Bella, 421 E. Gibson St., 8920708. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

McAlister’s Deli, 206 Lake Dr., Ste. 15, 898-2800. Great sandwiches, salads, overstuffed potatoes. mcalistersdeli. com. MCC, checks.

HAMMOND Adobe Cantina & Salsa, 1905 W. Thomas St., 419-0027. Fine Mexican cuisine, good spirits, great friends and fun. Ceviche (marinated fish) and Mexican pasta. Live band. adoberestaurant.com. MCC.

Pat’s Seafood Market and Cajun Deli, 1248 N. Collins Blvd., 892-7287.

Jambalaya, gumbo, stuffed artichokes.

MCC, checks, ME.

Italian Pie, 70488 Hwy. 21, 871-5252.

Pizza, salads, pasta, sandwiches. Dine in or carry out. italianpie.com. MCC, checks.

Lola, 517 N. New Hampshire St., 892-4992. Lunch, Mon-Fri; Dinner, Fri-Sat. Closed Sundays. Daily lunch specials, local produce, Louisiana seafood, everything housemade. lolacovington.com.

Zea Rotisserie & Grill, 110 Lake Dr., 327-0520. Inspired American food. zearestaurants.com. MCC.

Renaissance Antiques & Gifts with the Original Soda Fountain & Café Cabaret, 322 N. Florida St., 892-7220.

Nostalgic soda fountain for lunch and after school, six days a week.

Sala Thai, 315 N. Vermont St., 2496990. Special salads, spring rolls, soups, noodle and curry dishes. SunThurs, 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-10pm.

Lunch buffet weekdays, 11am-3pm. salathaibysu.com. MCC. Schwing’s Restaurant, 1204 W. 21st Ave., 893-1899. Fresh seafood and home cooking. schwingsrestaurant.com. MCC.

Don’s Seafood & Steak House, 1915 S. Morrison Blvd., 345-8550. donsseafoodonline.com. MCC. Jacmel Inn, 903 E. Morris St., 542-0043.

Casual fine dining including Creole, Italian, Caribbean and Southern cuisines. Handtrimmed steaks, seafood and specialties.

Dinner, Tues-Sun; Lunch, Wed-Fri; Sunday Brunch; Closed Mondays. jacmelinn.com.

MCC, checks.

Kirin Sushi, 221 E. Cate St., 5428888. First Japanese sushi restaurant in Hammond! Dragon roll, Kirin roll, sake. kirinjapanesecuisine.com. MCC. La Carreta Authentic Mexican Cuisine, 108 N.W Railroad Ave., 419-9990. Festive Mexican atmosphere, fresh food from traditional recipes, outstanding service and value. Live music. Lunch

i and dinner seven days a week. carretarestaurant.com. MCC.

Bear’s po-boys and more. bearsgrillandspirits.com. MCC.

Old MacDonald’s Smokehouse, 1601 N. Morrison Blvd., 542-7529.

BBQ brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage. oldmacdonaldsmokehouse.com. MCC, checks.

Benedict’s Plantation, 1144 Lovers Ln., 626-4557. Traditional New Orleans cuisine. Dinner, Sunday brunch. benedictsplantation.net. MCC.

Tommy’s on Thomas, 216 W. Thomas St., 350-6100. Pizza, pastas. Lunch, dinner. tommysonthomas.com. MCC, checks.

Tope là, 104 N. Cate St., 542-7600.

Contemporary delights. topela.com. MCC. Trey Yuen Cuisine of China, 2100 N. Morrison Blvd., 345-6789. Innovative quality Chinese food served in Imperial surroundings. treyyuen.com. MCC, checks.

VooDoo BBQ & Grill, 2108 W. Thomas St., 345-1131. “Taste our Magic.” voodoobbq.com. MCC. Yellow Bird Café, 222 E. Charles St., 345-1112. A great place to start your day. Breakfast, lunch. MCC, checks.

LACOMBE Janie Brown’s Restaurant, 27207 Hwy. 190, 882-7201. Casual dining with a great atmosphere. MCC, checks.

La Provence Restaurant, 25020 Hwy. 190, 626-7662. Owner John Besh combines hospitality with French cuisine and welcoming hearths. Dinner, Sunday brunch. laprovencerestaurant.com.

MCC, checks. RR. Sal & Judy’s, 27491 Hwy. 190, 882-9443. Great food and line of retail products. Family-owned for 27 years. Veal is the house specialty. salandjudys.com. MCC, RR. MADISONVILLE Cafe Madisonville, 410 Covington Hwy., 792-4506. Soups, salads, sandwiches and lunch specials.

Frog’s Pizzeria, 302 Hwy. 22, 8459500. frogspizza.com.

Hook’d Up Riverside Bar and Grill, 100 Marina Del Ray Dr., 845-8119.

Burgers, wings, hot dogs and specials.

Keith Young’s Steakhouse, 165 Hwy. 21, 845-9940. Steak, crab cakes. Lunch, dinner, Tues-Fri. keithyoungs.net. MCC. Morton’s Boiled Seafood & Bar, 702 Water St., 845-4970. Relaxed atmosphere, seafood, daily specials.

Lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

Water St. Bistro, 804 Water St., 845-3855. Casual ambiance on the Tchefuncte. Lunch and dinner, WedSun. mortonsseafood.com. MCC. MANDEVILLE The Barley Oak, 2101 Lakeshore Dr., 727-7420. Serving 130 styles of beer, call and premium liquors. Lunch and dinner. thebarleyoak.com. MCC. Bear’s Grill & Spirits, 1809 N. Causeway Blvd., 674-9090.

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Bosco’s Italian Café, 2040 Hwy. 59, 624-5066. boscositalian.com.

Broken Egg Café, 200 Gerard St., 624-3388. Excellent choice for brunch!

Pasta, specialty salads, sandwiches. anotherbrokenegg.com. MCC. Café Lynn Restaurant and Catering, 3051 E. Causeway App., 624-9007.

Casual fine dining for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch by Chef Joey Najolia.

Catfish remoulade, pasta du jour. TuesFri, lunch: 11am-3pm. Dinner, 5pm.

Catering provided. cafelynn.com. MCC. Casa Garcia, 800 N. Causeway Blvd., 951-8226. Redefining Mexican food one meal at a time. MCC. Causeway Café, 527 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-9997. MCC. Chili’s Bar & Grill, 3420 Hwy. 190, 727-2771. Fajitas and the Awesome Blossom. Lunch, dinner. chilis.com.

MCC, ME. Coffee Rani, 3517 Hwy. 190, 6740560. Soup and salad specialists.

Coscino’s Pizza, 1817 N. Causeway Blvd., 727-4984. New York hand-tossed pizza and Italian foods cooked on stone using the finest ingredients. MCC. Country Kitchen, 2109 Florida St., 6265375. countrykitchenrestaurants.com.

Fat Spoon Café, 68480 Hwy. 59., 809-2929. Breakfast, lunch, TuesSun. 7am-2pm. Breakfast served until 10:30am on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. Reserve Fat Spoon Cafe for your next party. fatspooncafe.com. MCC. Fazzio’s Seafood & Steakhouse, 1841 N. Causeway Blvd., 624-9704.

Fresh fish daily, aged beef, traditional Italian. Lunch, dinner. fazziosrestaurant. com. MCC, ME, RR. Franco’s Grill,100 Bon Temps Roule, 792-0200. Fresh organic foods for breakfast, lunch and takeout. myfrancos.com/dining. MCC. George’s Mexican Restaurant, 1461 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-4342. Family owned. Fajitas, George’s nachos, Carne al la Parrilla. Best top-shelf margaritas in town. georgesmexicanrestaurant.com.

MCC, ME. Gio’s Villa Vancheri, 2890 E. Causeway App., 624-2597. Sicilian specialties by 5-star chef Gio Vancheri. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat. giosvillavancheri.com. MCC. RR. Hong Kong Restaurant, 2890 E. Causeway App., 626-8222. MCC.

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Italian Pie, 4350 Hwy. 22, 626-5252.

Pizza, salads, pasta, sandwiches. Dine in or carry out. italianpie.com. MCC, checks.

Izumi, 2660 Florida St., 624-8664. Sushi, Japanese specialties. izumi.com. MCC. K. Gee’s, 2534 Florida St., 626-0530.

Featuring Louisiana seafood with raw oysters 1/2 price on Tuesdays. Express lunch and daily lunch specials under $10. Mon-Thurs, 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-10pm. kgeesrestaurant.com.

MCC. La Carreta Authentic Mexican Cuisine, 1200 W. Causeway App., 624-2990. Festive Mexican atmosphere, fresh food from traditional recipes, outstanding service and value. Live music. Lunch and dinner seven days a week. carretasrestaurant.com. MCC. La Madeleine French Cafe, 3434 Hwy. 190, 626-7004. lamadeleine.com.

The Lakehouse, 2025 Lakeshore Dr., 626-3006, events 807-5014.

Special events venue open 7 days for private events. Call for reservations. lakehousecuisine.com. MCC. Little Tokyo, 590 Asbury Dr., 727-1532. littletokyosushi.com.

Louie & The Redhead Lady, 1851 Florida St., 626-8101. louieandtheredheadlady.com.

Macaroni Grill, 3410 Hwy. 190, 7271998. Penne rustica, pasta Milano, other Italian favorites. Lunch, dinner. macaronigrill.com. MCC, ME. Mande’s, 340 N. Causeway App., 6269047. Serving breakfast and lunch, daily specials.

Mandina’s, 4240 Hwy. 22 in Azalea Square Shopping Center, 674-9883. Seafood, Creole and Italian. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat. mandinasrestaurant.com.

Maw Maw’s, 1461 N. Causeway Blvd., Ste. 11, 727-7727. Soups, salads, stuffed potatoes, sandwiches, po-boys.

Megumi Japanese Cuisine, 4700 Hwy. 22, Suites 11 and 12, 845-1644.

Yakimono and sushi bar. Lunch, dinner. megumirestaurant.com.

MiMamacita’s New Mexican Cuisine, 2345 Florida St., 674-1400.

Great food and margaritas. Lunch, dinner, catering. MCC. Monster Po-Boys, 1814 N. Causeway App., 626-9183. Lunch, dinner.

N’Tini’s, 2891 N. Hwy. 190, 626-5566.

Steaks, martinis. Lunch specials. Mon.Sat. ntinis.com. MCC. Nuvolari’s, 246 Girod St., 626-5619. In

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Old Mandeville. Gnocchi, escargot, filet mignon, linguini fruta di mare. Dinner.

Open seven nights a week. MCC. nuvolaris.com.

Old Mandeville Café (formerly Kickstand Café and Bike Rental), 690 Lafitte St., 626-9300. kickstand.bz.

Pal’s Ice Cream and Yogurt Shop, 2201 Eleventh St., 626-0293. “Only 8” all-natural no-fat yogurt, banana splits, smoothies. Soups, sandwiches. MCC. Petunia’s Place, 2020 Hwy. 59, 6743436. petuniasplace.com.

Pinkberry, 3460 Hwy. 190, 612-7306.

Sun-Thurs, 11am-10pm. Fri-Sat, 11am-11pm. Pinkberry is the original tart frozen yogurt that is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy paired with high quality, fresh cut fruit and premium dry toppings. pinkberry.com.

PJ’s Coffee & Tea Co., 2963 Hwy. 190, 674-1565. Catch your morning buzz at the convenient drive-thru!

Catering. pjscoffee.com. MCC. Rip’s on the Lake, 1917 Lakeshore Dr., 727-2829.

Ristorante Carmelo & Pizzaria, 1901 Hwy. 190, 624-4844. Family-oriented Italian cuisine. Lunch and dinner. MCC. Rusty Pelican, 500 Girod St., 778-0364. Lunch, dinner. rustypelicanbythelake.com. MCC. Sake Gardens Japanese Restaurant, 1705 Hwy. 190, 624-8955.

Sesame Inn, 408 N. Causeway Blvd., 951-8888. Finest Chinese cuisine.

The Scotts’ Coffee Bar, 201 Carroll St., 231-7632. Open seven days.

Gourmet coffee & tea. Breakfast and lunch items available. Evening tapas menu - Fri and Sat, 6-10. thescottscoffeebar.com.

Shuck & Jive, 643 Lotus Dr., 6261534. shucknjivemandeville.com. MCC Smoothie King, 1830 W. Causeway App., 626-9159. Smoothies. smoothieking.com. MCC, checks.

Subway, 1665 Hwy. 190, 674-0733.

Sandwiches, salads. Low-fat available. subway.com. MCC. Taqueria Noria, 1931 Hwy. 59, 7277917. Lunch, dinner.

Times Bar & Grill, 1896 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-1161. Famous hamburgers, starters, steaks and more. Lunch, dinner. timesgrill.com. ME, MCC. Trey Yuen Cuisine of China, 600 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-4476. Quality China cuisine with Louisiana flair.

Lunch, dinner. treyyuen.com. MCC, checks.

Vianne’s Tea House, 544 Girod St., 624-5683. A full café menu with over 120 loose leaf and speciality teas.

i Breakfast, lunch. viannes.com. MCC. VooDoo BBQ & Grill, 2999 Hwy. 190 E., 629-2021. “Taste our Magic.” voodoobbq.com. MCC. PONCHATOULA Middendorf’s Seafood Restaurant, 30160 Hwy. 51, 386-6666. middendorfsrestaurant.com.

Rox, 147 N.W. Railroad Ave., 370-0930. Crafted cuisine and martini bar Open 7 days a week. roxrestaurant.com. MCC. Sister’s Coffeehouse & Cafe, 18440 Hwy. 22 E., 370-9424. Warm, friendly atmosphere, unique food, gourmet coffees, teas. MCC, checks.

Taste of Bavaria Restaurant & Bakery, 14476 Hwy. 22, 3863634. Charming Bavarian bungalow, European-style breakfast, German-style lunch. tasteofbavariastaurant.com.

MCC, checks.

SLIDELL A Touch of Italy Café, 134 Pennsylvania Ave., 639-0600. Seafood, veal, steaks, daily specials. Lunch, dinner. kathrynandcompany.com. MCC, checks.

Assunta’s, 2631 Hwy. 190 W., 6499768. Italian food, extensive wine selection. Dinner. assuntas.com. MCC, checks.

Bear’s Grill & Spirits, 550 Gause Blvd., 201-8905. Po-boys and more. bearsgrillandspirits.com. MCC. Bistro de la Reine, 2306 Front St., 288-4166. Sunday brunch, live entertainment, fine wines and spirits. Open seven days a week. bistrodelareine.com. MCC. Bonnie C’s, 1768 Front St., 2885061. Home-style Italian, seafood, and barbecue.

Camellia Cafe, 525 Hwy. 190, 649-6211.

Traditional seafood and New Orleans cuisine. thecamelliacafe.com. MCC. Carreta’s Grill, 137 Taos St., 847-0020.

Great Mexican cuisine and margaritas served in a family-friendly atmosphere for lunch and dinner. carretasgrill.com. MCC. Eddie D’s, 39510 Hwy. 190 E., 847-1000.

KY’s Olde Towne Bicycle Shop, 2267 Carey St., 641-1911. Casual dining in former bicycle shop. Kids’ menu. Lunch, dinner. kysoldetowne. com. MCC, checks.

La. Pines, 1061 Robert St., 641-6196.

Meet under the water tower for Ahhhfullwaffles, Sugar Watcher specials.

Breakfast, lunch. lapinescafe.com.

MCC, checks.

Michael’s, 4820 Pontchartrain Dr., 649-8055. Steaks, seafood, veal, duck, eggplant au gratin. Extensive wine selection. Dinner.

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Nathan’s Restaurant, 36440 Old Bayou Liberty Rd., 643-0443.

Waterfront dining featuring seafood, steaks and pasta. MCC. Nola Southern Grill, 1375 Gause Blvd., 201-8200. Burgers, ribs, steaks, pasta, sandwiches and seafood. MCC. Palmettos on the Bayou, 1901 Bayou Ln., 643-0050. palmettosrestaurantslidell.com.

Peck’s Seafood Restaurant, 2315 Gause Blvd. E., 781-7272. Po-boys, seafood, burgers and lunch specials.

MCC. Phil’s Marina Café, 1194 Harbor Dr., 641-0464. philsmarinacafe.net.

Shenanigans Irish Pub & Restaurant, 2165 W. Gause Blvd., 288-5286.

Authentic Irish food, drink and entertainment in a traditional pub atmosphere.

Smoothie King, 150 Northshore Blvd., 781-3456. Low-fat health drinks. smoothieking.com. MCC, checks.

Steak Out, 1325 Gause Blvd., 6458646. Eat in or delivered to you. steakout.com. MCC. Tacos and Beer, 2142 Front St., 6414969. Lunch, dinner and late-night.

Times Bar & Grill, Front St., 641-4969.

Famous hamburgers, starters, steaks and more. Lunch, dinner. timesgrill.com.

ME, MCC. The Wine Market, 2051 E. Gause Blvd., 781-1177. Deli restaurant, lunch, 11am-3pm. Sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps. MCC and checks.

WOW Café & Wingery, 2170 Gause Blvd. W., 661-9692. Wings, burgers, wraps and more. MCC. Young’s Restaurant, 850 Robert Blvd., 643-9331. Steaks, seafood, nice wine selection. Dinner. youngssteakhouse.com. MCC, checks.

NEW ORLEANS/SOUTHSHORE Café Giovanni, 117 Rue Decatur, (504)-529-2154. Chef Duke’s New World Italian Cuisine. Dinner, SunThurs, 5:30-10pm. Fri-Sat, 5:30-11pm.

Live Entertainment Wed, Thurs, and Friday Evenings. Perfect Catering for next social or business event.

Cafegiovanni.com. RR. Criollo Resturant and Lounge at Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., (504)-523-3340. hotelmonteleone. com/criollo/. MCC, RR R’evolution, 777 Bienville St., (504)553-2277. Located at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Offering modern, imaginative reinterpretations of classic Cajun and Creole Cuisine. Triptych of Quail, Gulf Shrimp, Grits “Villages de L’est and Oysterman’s spaghettini.

Revolutionnola.com. RR.

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Directory of Advertisers ADVERTISER...........................CONTACT INFO PAGE 10/12 Properties.................... 985-626-8200 125

ADVERTISER...........................CONTACT INFO PAGE Fleurt..................................... 985-809-8844 99

ADVERTISER...........................CONTACT INFO PAGE North Shore Square Mall........ 985-646-0661 53

Accents & Things.................... 985-649-4273 87

Florist of Covington................ 985-892-7701 63

Northshore Academy of Dance... 985-893-1143 58

Agena, Dr. Gary M. - OBGYN.... 985-845-7121 34

Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter..........

N’Tini’s................................... 985-626-5566 132

American Factory Direct.......... 985-871-0300 81

............................................. 800-535-7891 55

Oasis Day Spa, The................. 985-624-6772 93

Arabella Fine Gifts.................. 985-727-9787 79, 93

Franco’s Athletic Club............. 985-792-0200 BC

Oil & Vinegar.......................... 985-809-1693 87

Artistry of Light...................... 225-247-8963 11

french mix, the....................... 985-809-3152 45

Olivier Couture,A Bridal Boutique.....985-674-6994 96

Asset One.............................. 985-727-2834 23

George’s Mexican Restaurant.... 985-626-4342 130

Outdoor Living Center............ 985-893-8008 105

Audubon Pilgrimage............... 225-635-6330 21

GNL Contractors.................... 985-288-5112 51

Paisley................................... 985-727-7880 102

Bamboo Gardens....... bamboogardensla.com 21

GNO Property Management... 504-525-2985 124

Pan American Power............... 985-893-1271 5

Bastille’s Clothing Company... 985-626-4220 100

Grapevine, The.... grapevinegiftsandgallery.com 87

Pardos................................... 985-893-3603 131

Bedico Creek Preserve............ 985-845-4200 111

Grieshaber Dermatology......... 985-893-1035 82

Paretti Jaguar.... 866-751-0237, 504-456-7558 51

Bella Cucina........................... 985-626-7886 88

Gulf States Real Estate Services.... 985-792-4385 82

Perino’s Garden Center........... 504-834-7888 24

Benchmark Investment Group.... 985-635-0770 78

H2O....................................... 985-951-8166 37

Pinkberry.................................pinkberry.com 132

Bennett’s Waterskiing and Wakeboarding School

Hazelnut................................ 985-626-8900 114

Plaisance, Dr. Kevin M............. 985-893-3777 24

............................................. 225-654-9306 102

Hestia Luxury in Linens........... 985-893-0490 93

Planet Kids Academy.............. 985-871-9400 69

Berger Home.......................... 504-733-4141 66

Honda of Covington............... 985-892-0001 IFC

POSH Boutique...................... 985-898-2639 99

Berry, Dr. C.M......................... 985-345-2555 60

Honey Hive............................ 985-662-6029 132

Private Beach......................... 985-674-2326 96

Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights..... 985-249-6040 25

Huntington Learning Center... 985-727-0000 57

Real Results Weight Loss and Aesthetic Clinic....

Blossom Girl........................... 985-626-6280 103

Infusé Oils & Vinegars............ 985-778-0903 37

............................................. 985-590-4061 15

Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers...... 985-626-1666 19

Integrity Builders, Inc.............. 985-626-3479 83

Rehab Dynamics .................... 985-871-7878 63

Bra Genie............................... 985-951-8638 101

Istre Hearing Care.................. 985-845-3509 70

Resource Bank...............bankonresource.com 65

Bra la Vie!.............................. 985-662-5065 95

Izabella’s Villa........................ 985-649-5060 3

Riverview Camp for Girls........ 800-882-0722 122

Broussard’s Pianos................. 504-621-1749 63

Jim Stone Co.......................... 985-882-5907 88

Ruffino Custom Closets.......... 985-809-7623 44

brown eyed girl...................... 985-626-0100 95

Jos. A. Bank............................ 985-624-4067 55

Rug Chic................................ 985-674-1070 76

Brown Family Orthodontics..... 985-626-8297 57

Ju Ju’s Boutique..................... 985-624-3600 96

St. Joseph Abbey......... saintjosephabbey.com 34

Café Lynn Restaurant............. 985-624-9007 129

K. Gee’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar......985-626-0530 130

St. Romain Interiors................ 985-845-7411 110

Carreta’s Grill........ 985-871-6674, 847-0020 22

KentJacob Color Salon............ 985-845-8011 115

St.Tammany Hospital Foundation.....985-898-4171 79

Cedarwood School & Camps... 985-845-7111 100, 102

La Carreta Restaurant............. 985-624-2990 129

St. Tammany Parish Hospital... 985-898-4000 41

Center for Women’s Health..... 985-249-7022 84, 85

Lake After Hours..................... 985-375-9979 48

Saks Fifth Avenue................... 504-524-2200 7

Champagne Beverage Co..............................

Lakehouse, The....................... 985-626-3006 131

Scott Sandage Homes............. 985-542-2724 107

............................. champagnebeverage.com 4

Lakeview Regional Medical Center.................

Scotts’ Coffee Bar, The............ 985-231-7632 127

Champagne Jewelers............. 985-643-2599 70

............................................. 985-867-3800 IBC

Shoefflé.....................................shoeffle.com 95

Chef Soirée............................ 985-893-2570 106

Latter & Blum - Stevie Mack... 985-626-5695 124

Silver Plum and 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe, The......

Christ Episcopal School........... 985-871-9902 45

Latter & Blum - Jennifer Rice.. 985-892-1478 125

............................................. 985-674-4343 103

Christwood Retirement Community...............

L’auberge Casino & Hotel.... lbatonrouge.com 13

Simplee Gourmet................... 985-892-8370 74

......................................... christwoodrc.com 17

Laurier................................... 985-875-0823 95

Slidell Memorial Hospital........ 985-643-2200 121

Church of the King................. 985-727-7017 65

LCI Workers Comp.................. 985-612-1230 77

Snow Financial Group............ 985-792-5232 42

Columbia Street Mercantile.... 985-809-1789 96

Louisiana Custom Closets....... 985-871-0810 67

Southern Bridal...................... 985-727-2993 92

Covington Cardiovascular Care.... 985-871-4140 38

Louisiana Heart Center........... 985-649-2700 28

Southern Pain Center............. 985-727-7275 43

Culinary Kids.......................... 985-727-5553 67

Louisiana Heart Hospital................................

Southland Plumbing Supply, Inc..... 985-893-8883 111

deCoeur...................................... decoeur.net 91

........................... louisianahearthospital.com 8, 20

State Farm Insurance - C J Ladner.... 985-892-5030 74

DeLuca’s Expressions in Gold.... 985-892-2317 92

Lowe’s Jewelers..................... 985-845-4653 83

Stone Source.......................... 985-892-0695 87

Designs in Windows............... 985-209-1689 132

Lynn Stirling Antiques............. 985-626-7704 16

Studio 311 Salon.................... 985-327-7775 93

Downtown Chic Salon............ 985-809-3860 102

Martin Wine Cellar................martinwine.com 27

Studio MV.............................. 985-867-5601 44

D.R. Horton............................ 225-362-0846 47

Mary Bird Perkins...............marybird.org/stph 80

Tchefuncta Club Estates.........tchefuncta.com 117

Dr. Burkenstock, Skin Body Health..................

Mélange by KP....................... 985-807-7652 88

Terrabella............................... 985-871-7171 105

............................................. 985-727-7676 62

Michalopoulos Gallery............ 504-558-0505 48

Three Rivers Gallery................ 985-892-2811 88

Emma’s Shoes and Accessories.... 985-778-2200 101

Mix, The................................. 985-727-7649 99

Three Sisters Boutique............ 985-386-8680 99

Eros Home & Clothing............ 985-727-0034 101

Moody Law Firm.................... 985-542-1351 66

Town & Country Travel, Inc...... 504-838-8702 78

Etan Enterprises..................... 985-966-7042 26

MoreSmiles-Dr. Jim Moreau ... 985-809-7645 118

Tran, Dr. David........................ 985-893-1070 10

Eye Care Surgery Center......... 985-892-4858 6

Niche Modern Home.............. 985-624-4045 12

Vantage Point........................ 985-259-7774 71

Fairway Medical Urgent Care...fairwaymedical.com 58

NOLA Lending Group, LLC...... 985-951-8479 109

Venous & Arterial Surgery Clinic... 985-893-5958 91

Fazzio’s Restaurant................. 985-624-9704 127

North American Insurance Agency....985-871-5480 42

Villa, The................................ 985-626-9797 101

Fielding Photography.............. 985-626-7549 91

NORTH Institute, The.............. 985-871-4114 31

Village Executive Office Suites,The....985-727-6700 125

Fitness Expo........................... 504-887-0880 39

North Oaks Health System........northoaks.org 119

Witt, Dr. Victoria..................... 985-643-5145 43 March-April 2013 133

Last Bite

by Stephen Faure

OLD ADAGE OR NOT, “Location, location, location” is something the Stumm sisters—aka The Pinkgirls, Courtney, Celie (Howard, she recently married) and Sibyl—took very seriously when they started one of the first Pinkberry frozen yogurt franchises in the country. After having opened two Felipe’s Taqueria restaurants in New Orleans, the sisters turned a dessert craving into their latest venture, which led them to the northshore.

“We decided that it was silly that we didn’t have any frozen yogurt in New Orleans,” says Celie.

“I had Pinkberry in California, and I knew it was the ‘it’ brand. I contacted them to see if they were franchising, and it was just at that time that they started to reach out. Howard Schulz of Starbucks had invested in Pinkberry; they were beginning to grow and looking for partners.”

After getting the area franchise, the sisters’ first store opened in April 2010 on Magazine Street with a line of hungry customers waiting for the product they’re so proud of, real dairy frozen yogurt with freshly cut fruit toppings. (Coming at the end of 134

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March is a new Pinkberry product—fresh, not frozen, Greek yogurt.) Later in 2010, the sisters opened a store on Canal Street near Harrah’s casino.

The standalone Pinkberry they built on Hwy. 190 in Mandeville was a family effort. Designed by their father, architect Rob Stumm, to be a special place, it’s unique in the Pinkberry world. Stumm incorporated as many “green” features as possible into the design; solar panels on the roof help power it, and rainwater is collected for the irrigation system.

“We put a lot of thought into real estate, and they’re great sites,” Courtney says of their wildly successful locations. A fourth Pinkberry opened in Elmwood in November; by the end of this year, a new Pinkberry and a new Felipe’s will be added.

Reflecting on their success so far, Courtney notes, “The stores are great, but we couldn’t do it without the team. We have some really amazing employees.

We all have something we’re very proud of and are working toward the same goals.”

Pinkberry is located at 3460 Hwy. 190 in Mandeville, 612-7306. www.pinkberry.com

photos: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Celie, Courtney and Sibyl Stumm of Pinkberry