Inside Northside Magazine May/June 2011

450

$

DO-IT-ALL MOMS • CLASS OF 2011 • NURSERIES • WOMEN IN BUSINESS

MAY-JUNE 2011 VOL. 26, NO. 3

Co ron a Girl s !

DRINK SPECIALS • GREAT FOOD • FOLK DANCERS • DJ • PRIZES & SHIRTS

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May-June 2011

Vol. 26, No. 3

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 Editorial Staff Writer Stephen Faure Editorial Assistant Katie Montelepre Contributing Photographer Abby Sands Miller Contributors are featured on page 14.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Business Manager Jane Quillin Advertising Account Executives Brenda Breck Poki Hampton Shawna Hunt Candice Chopin Laizer Jolie McCaleb Barbara Roscoe Graphic Designer Julie Naquin Interns Akila Ananth Lane Fernandez –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 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 Lauren Murphy –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 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. Tammany and Tangipahoa Parishes, Louisiana. Bulk Postage paid at Mandeville, LA. Copyright ©2011 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.

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I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

featuring Women In Business 2011 (Follows page 66)

table of

contents

page 54

126 Inside Peek 128 IN the Spotlight Hogs for the Cause 2011.

132 IN the Spotlight Chef Soirée 2011.

138 IN Great Taste The English Tea Room Jan and Tim Lantrip. page 106

departments 10 Publisher’s Note 14 Contributors

139 Inside Dining 143 Real Estate Spotlight Northshore Home Values.

146 Another Side of…

Roger Mitchell.

page 58

features

20 Inside Scoop 34 Worthy Causes The Mwana Mission Project.

12 Young Artist, Ancient Venue New faces at the Pirate’s Alley art show.

38 IN Better Health Dalton Welch.

16 The Sanctuary for Art Home Tour Benefit for Habitat’s Women Build.

84 Book Report Crazy U, by Andrew Ferguson.

40 Keep Your Baby in Style Nursery design.

102 IN Good Company Raffaele Furs/Dolci Modi Boutique.

46 Do-It-All Moms Making it look easy.

106 Flourishes Treasures for your pleasure.

54 Back to the Beach The sand, sun and water beckon.

110 IN Fashion With Martha Goodson.

58 Stealing Home Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.

115 Inside Look Beach Blues.

page 16

profiles

122 IN Love and Marriage Notable northshore weddings.

100 Katherine Williams, MD

125 IN the Spotlight NOCCA’s Emeril Lagasse Foundation Culinary Arts Studio Ribbon Cutting.

129 The Heart of the Forest Louisiana Polo Farms

120 Dr. Chevies Newman, OB/GYN

133 Pan American Power

69 Outstanding Seniors Celebrating 2011 graduates.

81 Choosing a Career in this Economy Planning for a successful future.

86 WYES The voice of New Orleans.

96 Knot By Knot The ancient tradition of rug making.

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

9

A glimpse of the future

by Lori Murphy What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we celebrate the accomplishments of another school year with receptions, recitals, hugs and handshakes, it is natural to feel wistful and somewhat sad. At least I think it is.

These celebrations are all about what is coming to a close, marking the end of a childhood, an adolescence, the teen years and, ultimately, the searching and self-realization that is college and beyond. This season indicates a moving forward as much as a closing, but that is hard to see in an auditorium in May. I am attending my baby’s high school graduation in the coming days. Rationally, I know it is time, but emotionally, I am definitely not ready. I’ve never thought of myself as an empty nester. As parents, we hope for a glimpse of the future—their hopes and dreams in action— before they fly the coop. This issue’s front cover is my glimpse. I hope you won’t mind indulging me as I celebrate my Lauren, her talent and her future.

She has always been willing to do the work. She has a great ability to decide on her desired outcome and do what it takes to get there.

During two years of long days filled with homework from Mandeville High and projects for her classes at NOCCA, she has kept her focus on her future. She has blossomed as a student, an artist and a beautiful young woman. She heads off to Dallas in the fall to study at Southern Methodist University and has already been accepted into their prestigious arts program. Rick and I are proud beyond measure.

Congratulations, Lauren!

p.s. As Emerson said, it is what lies within us that tells the long tale.

The members of the Class of 2011 are filled with possibilities.

We wistfully wish them well!

Young Artist, Ancient Venue

by Stephen Faure THERE MAY NOT BE ANY PLACE in the United States more steeped in artistic lore than Pirate’s Alley in the French Quarter. Running alongside iconic St. Louis Cathedral, Pirate’s Alley has inspired generations of writers, painters and musicians and for 80 years it has been the scene of a New Orleans institution, the annual Pirate’s Alley spring art exhibition. What started as a casual showing by local artists was then adopted by the Spring Fiesta Association.

In 1980, the New Orleans Art Association began organizing the show, which has been held in conjunction with the French Quarter Festival since the fest’s inception in 1984.

Pirate’s Alley show co-chair Jane Brown says the Art Association is making an effort to involve more of the area’s young artists in the show. As IN publisher and proud mother Lori said in her note (p. 10), our cover artist, Lauren Murphy, is a young artist and a high school senior. Lauren is just the type of artist Jane wanted to be involved with Pirate’s Alley, and Jane invited her to show there this year.

“A lot of our members have been doing it for 30 or 40 years; they started when it was with Spring Fiesta. We have a lot of senior artists in the show, so we’re trying to promote young artists so we can go on another 80 years.

“When they’re young, and there’s no place to show their work, it kind of gets stuck in the closet and they just don’t pursue it. So if they get the bug of being in a show, especially one with a great reputation and history that promotes the city of New Orleans, it gives them that extra inspiration to keep painting.

And that’s our focus, to promote the artists of New Orleans,” Jane says.

Lauren’s interest in art began at the age of 8 with her first visit to the Musée d’Orsay. It sparked a unique interest in art history, particularly the works of the French impressionists. Soon after, she enrolled in art classes under the direction of Diana Schayer and has been studying ever since, attending the half-day program at NOCCA for the last years of high school, receiving instruction in painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, photography and graphic design.

Her style is characterized by collage and the layering of many media. Her work has expanded to fashion, and she has recently created a line of dresses inspired by the pop art works of Roy Lichtenstien and Sigmar Polke. Her piece Sounds from the Rooftops appears on this issue’s cover.

Lauren had a great experience at Pirate’s Alley this spring, showing her work for two days to crowds of festive people, and, most encouragingly, eight pieces of her art were sold and will be enlivening the walls of their new homes and the lives of their owners.

If you missed Lauren at Pirate’s Alley, you can catch her work on the web at LaurenMurphyArt.com.

Contributors

Cindy Harlan Cindy Harlan is an educational consultant with Collegiate Admissions Consulting Services, LLC, where she facilitates comprehensive admission processes for high school and college students based upon their academic record, extracurricular interests and career goals, providing insights into financial aid, scholarships, itineraries and college essays. She launched a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Collegiate Capstones, which identifies and provides resources for underrepresented students to attain their higher education and career goals.

Cindy is also a contributor for several publications in the region. She and her husband, Mike, have three children and they reside in Covington.

Stacey Paretti Rase Our former managing editor was delighted to return to this issue with a piece revealing the busy lives of northshore moms. Since leaving IN, Stacey has been a busy mom herself, coordinating the schedules of four active kids who attend three different schools. When not carpooling, she volunteers with various organizations including Leadership St. Tammany West and the St. Peter School Cheerleaders. She also bleeds purple and gold and is active in the Tiger Athletic Foundation, Tammany Tigers and the LSU Band Task Force. A northshore native, Stacey and her husband, Mike, are raising their children in Covington.

Margaret Hawkins Margaret Hawkins has contributed features and photography to Inside Northside since 1992. She says, and it is true, that she has been with our magazine “longer than anyone on this planet!” After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky, writing and being a professional photographer for 30 years, she ‘took a vacation’ several years ago and is now very content growing vegetables and flowers, playing golf, knitting, going places with her grandchildren and cooking for husband Bill—but not necessarily in that order.

Contributors: Mindy Cordell, Maria Davis, Poki Hampton, Megan Hill, Abby Sands Miller, Ashton Ray and Terri Schlichenmeyer.

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“Touring pretty houses and viewing pretty art just goes together, I think,” says artist Alice McNeely, whose work will be on display at the Sanctuary homes with that of artists Marcia Holmes and Jim Seitz. All three have graced Inside Northside’s cover: McNeely, in May/June 2009; Holmes, February/March 2004; and Seitz, October/November 2006.

Elegant works of design in their own right, three lovely homes in the Sanctuary will provide the setting for the art: Brett and Paula Davis’ home, which was featured in the January/February 2011 issue of Inside Northside; Susan and Pierre Villere’s Country Frenchinspired residence; and the Northern Italian-style home of Dr. Denny Taylor and Claire Freidrichs Taylor, which was featured in the December 2010 Holiday issue of IN. Co-chair Zahn says, “These homes are just exquisite. We’re really looking forward to it.”

The Sanctuary for Art Home Tour Benefitting Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West Women Build

by Stephen Faure ON MAY 13 AND 14, you’ll have the opportunity to tour three great homes and view the work of three great artists. The Sanctuary for Art Home Tour is being presented by The Sanctuary, Latter & Blum Realtors and Inside Northside. Proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West Women Build. Platinum sponsors include The Lake House, Mercedes-Benz of New Orleans, NOLA Lending and Stewart Title of Louisiana.

Latter & Blum’s Cindy Saia co-chairs the event with Marlene Zahn, also with Latter & Blum. Saia says, “The proceeds from this particular event are going towards building one particular house by Maddie’s Horse by Marcia Holmes.

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Women Build. We hope to raise a substantial amount of money so they have the funds to do that.”

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

The Artists It’s going to be a reunion of sorts for the artists featured in the Sanctuary for Art Home Tour—at one time, works by McNeely, Holmes and Seitz were shown together at a Covington gallery.

It’s been a busy time for McNeely since her work appeared on Inside Northside’s cover. In addition to being a real estate agent, she paints by commission and sends some paintings to an Atlanta gallery. Alice’s work is featured in two large commercial installations, the Southern Surgical Hospital in Slidell and the new Cypress Pointe Surgical Center in Hammond. She adds, “I have a few exciting things going right now, including another commercial space I’m being considered for and I’ve been approached by a gallery in New York City.”

She’s looking forward to the tour. “It’s actually worked out great because now we’ve got the three of us together again. And Latter & Blum is my company;

Inside Northside came on board, which is fabulous; and I’ve built houses for Habitat. So, it’s great.”

Despite coming from an artistic family, Holmes didn’t begin painting until the late 1990s. She is a self-proclaimed abstract expressionist whose work runs from botanical to equine to figurative. Holmes works mainly in pastels (she is treasurer of the Degas Pastel Society), but does paint in all media.

For the Sanctuary tour, “I’m planning to do a large oak tree,” she says. Some exciting things of note: American Art Collector Magazine featured her floral work in March and an equine work in its May issue.

Also, in June this year, she will be honored by induction into the Master Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies.

Seitz has also been incredibly busy, both artistically and with his “day job.” He has a problem

artists love to have: his work sells almost as fast as he can paint it. Luckily, for the Sanctuary tour and other events, he says, “I’ll work on four or five at a time, and set aside at least one from each cluster of paintings.”

Seitz began his artistic career drawing meticulously detailed medical illustrations in college.

Now, he’s known for his semi-abstract landscapes with warm tones set by his use of acrylics over gold leaf that’s been applied to a textured canvas, with skies that are sometimes welcoming, sometimes threatening. While still specializing in these tonal

landscapes, his art has evolved since his Inside Northside cover appearance in 2006.

“If you like an artist’s work today, go ahead and buy it, because in two years, it’s probably going to be different,” Seitz notes. “Mine has changed; some I use gold leaf, and some I don’t and use silver leaf. The skies have changed, you’ll notice that.”

Habitat for Humanity The proceeds raised by the Sanctuary for Art Home Tour will benefit Humanity St. Tammany West Women Build. Coming on the heels of Habitat’s >>

Top: The Davis home.

Above: Hidden Treasures by Jim Seitz.

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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• • • • • • • • • • •

Hedges Screening Shade replacement Ornamentals Specimen plants Running Clumping ‘Giant’ varieties Wind resistant Over 100 species 24-acre nursery

SALES BY APPOINTMENT

38124 Hwy 440 Mt. Hermon 6 miles west of Franklinton

985.795.2300 www.bamboogardensla.com

annual Mother’s Day Women Build on May 6, the tour provides Habitat another opportunity to raise awareness of its mission in the community.

Jeff St. Romain, Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West president and CEO, says Habitat’s Women Build efforts aren’t intended to exclude men, but to bring women together to work on a home so they can feel part of the change Habitat is making in this community. “By getting people out to the work site, we’re able to get them engaged with Habitat and also to teach people about Habitat,” St. Romain says.

This year is a milestone for Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West. Established in 1981, it was the tenth affiliate of the organization in the United States. In addition to celebrating its 30th anniversary, St. Romain says they will soon be witnessing another of the organization’s high points.

“On May 20, we will be closing on the 200th home that Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West has built.”

St. Romain sees the Sanctuary for Art Home Tour as not

e Mother’s Uniqu Day

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I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

only a fundraising opportunity, but also as an opportunity to

& Gra dutation Gifts

educate members of the community about Habitat’s mission and to help dispel some of the common misconceptions people have about the organization. Examples, he says, include beliefs that “we give away houses, and that the people living in Habitat houses don’t work.”

The organization takes every opportunity, whether at fundraising functions or at the worksite, St. Romain says, “To let people know that everyone who moves into a Habitat home receives an interest-free mortgage that they’re required to pay every week and that the people we serve are the working people of this community; they’re working in banks and in hospitals, in dentist’s offices and grocery stores.”

Co-chair Zahn notes that St. Romain paid a visit to Latter & Blum. “He took a lady who’s building a home through Habitat. By the time they left, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.” Zahn says the firm’s agents are fully committed

to the tour and, among other tasks, “They will be volunteering in the homes on the day of the tour.”

Sanctuary developer and event organizer Tommy Crosby agrees. “Not only is the tour a fundraising event, it’s an awareness event.” After meeting with St. Romain, Crosby says, “He made me aware of some things that I had no clue of.” Crosby is thrilled Habitat is the tour’s beneficiary and has been impressed with the group’s dedication to its mission and the role it and the other sponsors have played in putting Sanctuary for Art together. He says, “The people from Habitat have really got their act together.

There’s been great involvement from everyone, from the sponsors all the way to the charity.”

St. Romain notes that from March 2010 to March of this year, “This organization has completed 20 brand new homes. We’ve also rehabbed two other homes and sold them to Habitat homeowners and currently have seven homes under construction.” Two of the homes in the past year were completed under the auspices of Women Build.

Zahn notes, “It’s a win-win all the way around—for the sponsors, for Habitat and it’s great for the community.”

All of which, St. Romain observes, will help Habitat for

Save The Date!

Tickets for The Sanctuary for Art Home Tour, May 13-14, are $10 each and are available at select Latter & Blum offices or by calling (985) 674-7500.

Humanity’s mission. “It says a lot for the volunteers and financial supporters who help us that we’re able to keep up this pace of 20-plus homes a year.”

For more information on artists Alice McNeely, Marcia Holmes and Jim Seitz, visit them on the web at AliceMcNeelyArt.com, MarciaHolmes.com and JimSeitz.com.

A Patron Party ($75 per person) will be held May 11, 6-8 p.m. at The Lake House, 2025 Lakeshore Dr., Mandeville. Tickets for both are

May 13-14

available at select Latter & Blum offices; the Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West office, 1400 North Lane in Mandeville; online, at habitatstw.org/sanctuaryforart; or call 674-7500.

Above: Seated Figure

by Alice McNeely.

Left: The Taylor home.

Opposite: The Villere home.

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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INSIDE The definitive guide to northshore events and entertainment.

May 23 1st Annual Golf Tournament. Four-person scramble benefiting Safe Harbor and Jay Rink’s Defensive Line Lou Gehrig’s Disease; live music, food and drinks, contests and more. Sponsored by PJ’s Coffee and WOW Cafe and Wingery.

Tchefuncta Country Club, #2 Country Club Park, Covington. Registration, 7am; tee times, 8am and 1pm. $100.

Kim or Colleen, 626-5710.

May 1 Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles.

Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, 220

Month. Tammy Morris. Mandeville City Hall, 1-Sept 12 Holding Out and Hanging On:

3101 E. Causeway App., Mandeville. Mon-Fri,

E. Thomas St., Hammond. 4pm. Balcony, $28;

Surviving Hurricane Katrina. 14 gelatin silver

9am-4:30pm. Free. Nancy Clark, 626-3144.

orchestra, $32; loge, $36. 543-4371.

print portraits of storm survivors by

columbiatheatre.org.

photographer Thomas Neff. The Presbytere,

3-14 Hanging by a Thread. Contemporary

751 Chartres St., New Orleans. Tues-Sun,

Fiber Artists of Louisiana. St. Tammany Art

1 Toy Story 3: From Screen to Skates.

10am-4:30pm. Adults, $6; children under 12,

Association, 320 N. Columbia St., Covington.

Disney On Ice. Lakefront Arena, 6801 Franklin

free. (504) 568- 6968. crt.la.gov.

Tues-Fri, 10am-4pm; Sat, 11am-4pm. Free.

Ave., New Orleans. 11am, 3pm, 7pm. $15-$65.

(504) 280-7171. arena.uno.edu.

892-8650. sttammanyartassociation.org.

1, 6-8, 13-15 Hairspray. Slidell Little Theatre, 2024 Nellie Dr., Slidell. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm.

3-June 10 Salad Days Juried Student Art

1-4 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage

Adults, $19; children, $14. Reservations, 641-

Exhibition. The Slidell Cultural Center, 2055

Festival. Fairgrounds Race Course, 1751

0324. slidelllittletheatre.org.

Second St., Slidell. Tues-Fri, noon-4pm; Sat, 9am-noon. 646-4375. slidell.la.us.

Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans. nolajazzfest.com.

2-18 Members’ Gallery Group Exhibition.

1-July 17 The Orient Expressed: Japan’s

St. Tammany Art Association presents oil,

4 Expo 2011. Trade show featuring over 90

Influence on Western Art. Mississippi

acrylic, photography, mono-prints and mixed

businesses. River Chase Shopping Center, Hwy.

Museum of Art, 380 S. Lamar St., Jackson,

media creations. Hancock Investors Bank, 4070

21 at I-12, Covington. 3-7pm. Free. Kellye, 273-

Miss. Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, noon-5pm.

Lonesome Rd., Ste A, Mandeville. Mon-Fri,

3008. sttammanychamber.org.

Adults $5; seniors (60+), $4; students through

9am-4pm. sttammanyartassociation.org.

college, $3; children 5 and under, free. (601) 960-1515 or 866-VIEW-ART. msmuseumart.org.

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I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

4-6 Cinco de Mayo 2011 at La Carreta.

2-31 Mandeville City Hall Artist of the

Bands at all locations. Hammond: Groovy 7

(May 4), The Dominos (May 5) and Chris Leblanc (May 6); Mandeville: Stormy (May 5). carretarestaurant.com.

4-25 Botox Wednesdays. Indulge yourself with the gift of youth. Dr. Kelly Burkenstock’s Skin•Body•Health, 2040 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville. Limited appointments available. $265/area, $665/whole face. 727-7676.

4-28 Covington Farmers Market. Wed, Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire St., 10am-2pm; Sat, 609 N. Columbia St., 8am-noon. Free. 966-1786.

4, 11, 18, 25 Louis Prima Nights in the Carousel Bar. The Carousel Bar, Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., New Orleans. 8pm, 10pm. Free. hotelmonteleone.com.

4, 11, 18, 25 Rockin’ the Rails. Concert: Covington Trailhead. 5-7:30pm. Free. 8921873. cityofcovingtonla.com.

5 Carreta’s Celebrates Cinco de Mayo.

Mariachi band, folk dancers, DJ, drink specials, prizes and shirts at Covington, Slidell and Metairie locations; costume contest and live music by Weathered at Slidell location. carretasgrill.com.

5 Preparing for Childbirth. Birth process, epidural anesthesia and postpartum care.

Lakeview Regional Medical Center, Covington.

6:30-9:30pm. Registration, 866-4LAKEVIEW. 6 Take it to the Tracks. First Friday block party and Hammond’s Hottest Talent singing competition. N. Cate and W. Thomas Sts., Downtown Hammond. 6-10pm. Free. 5423471. dddhammond.com.

6-8 En Plein Aire Art Exhibit and Sale. Abita Springs Trailhead Pavilion, 22049 Main St. Meet the Artists Reception: Fri, 6-9pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-5pm. Free. 893-2418.

6-8 St. Peter School Party at the Pavilion: Peace Love & St. Peter. Bingo, raffles, live and silent auctions, games, food and music. Fri, 6-11pm; Sat, 10am-11pm; Sun, 10am-5pm.

Free. 892-1831.

6-8 Slidell Art League’s 46th Regional Juried Art Exhibit. Summerfield Retirement Community, 4104 Dauphine St., Slidell. ‘Meet the Artist’ reception and awards: Fri, May 6, 79pm; Sat, May 7, 10am-5pm; Sun, May 7, >> 10am-4pm. Free. 847-9458. slidellartleague.info.

Inside Scoop 6-21 Dancing with the Mom. Cutting Edge Theater, 747 Robert Blvd., Slidell. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, May 15, 2pm. $18.50. Brian Fontenot, 649-3727 or Brian@cuttingedgetheater.com. cuttingedgetheater.com.

6, 13, 20, 27 Art Uncorked! Create your own masterpiece with help from guest artists. The Shops at Madisonville Marketplace, 408 Covington St, Madisonville. Bring beverage and snacks. $35/person includes canvas, paints and instruction. Reservations, 845-1001.

7 Causeway Police Charitable Foundation Hawaiian Luau. Food, wine and beer; music

by Harvey Jesus & Fire. Ponchartrain Yacht Club, 1501 Lakeshore Dr., Mandeville. 7-11pm. $100/couple. Joy Dillard, (504) 813-9323; Al Weysham, (504) 813-9391. ª 7 TLC’s Derby for Cancer Care. Kentucky Derby party benefiting cancer services at St. Tammany Parish Hospital. La Maison, 21516 Hwy. 36, Abita Springs. 4-7pm. Individual tickets, $60; pre-sale reserved tables of 10, $600. Susie O’Mahoney or Judy Heiman, (504) 715-3656 or derbyforcancercare@yahoo.com. sthfoundation.org.

7-8, 14-15, 21-22 St. Tammany HBA Parade of Homes. Tour new homes in St. Tammany Parish. Noon-5pm. 882-5002 or jessica@sthba.org. sthba.org.

7-28 Camellia City Market. Griffith Park, 333 Erlanger St., Slidell. Sat, 8am-noon. Free.

Danny Blackburn, 285-3599. camelliacitymarket.org.

7-28 Mandeville Trailhead Community Market. 675 Lafitte St., Mandeville. Sat, 9am1pm. Free. Donna Beakley, 845-4515 or mandevillemarket@gmail.com. mandevilletrailhead.yolasite.com.

8 Mother’s Day Brunch. Large buffet, fullservice bar, complimentary champagne, live music and a gift for mom. Benedict’s Plantation.

1144 N. Causeway, Mandeville. Seatings at 11am, noon and 1pm. Adults, $28.95; children 6-12, $14.95; children 5 and under, free. 6264557. benedictsplantation.net.

8 Mother’s Day in Mandeville Home Tour: “Shotguns and Sidehalls.” 8 historic homes >>

Inside Scoop with artists and artisans on the galleries

ª 10, 17, 24 Pre-K @ Play.

presented by the Old Mandeville Historic

Parents/caregivers and children 2 1/2-4 years

12 St. Tammany Photographic Society

Association. Tickets at the Gazebo, 2100 block

have fun and learn together. STPH Parenting

Meeting. St. Tammany Art Association, 320 N.

of Lakeshore Dr., Lakefront, Old Mandeville. 2-

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

Columbia St., Covington. 7pm. Free. 892-8650.

5pm. $12. Adele Foster, 626-7206 or

9:30-10:15am. $24 per month; members,

stphotosociety.org.

adelefoster03@bellsouth.net.

$15. 898-4435.

oldmandevillehistoricassociation.org.

ª 12, 19, 26 Cuddle Buddies.

11 Opera Returns to Bourbon Street.

Parents/caregivers and infants 8-15 months,

8 Raising the Roof for Charity Raffle

Vocalists from Bon Operatit! The Inn On

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St.,

House Early Bird Drawing. Prize: five-day

Bourbon’s Puccini Bar, 541 Bourbon St., New

Ste. B, Covington. 10:30-11am. $12 per

cruise for two. 800 Green Leaves Circle, Bedico

Orleans. 7pm. Free. Beth Ables, (504) 524-

month; members, $6. 898-4435.

Creek Subdivision, Madisonville. 3pm. Tickets,

7611. innonbourbon.com.

$100. 882-5002 or jessica@sthba.org. raisingtheroof.net.

13 Northlake Newcomers Luncheon.

11 The Sanctuary for Art Patron Party. The

Reservations required. 845-0013 or

Lake House, 2025 Lakeshore Dr., Mandeville. 6-

infonewcomers@aol.com.

10-June 1 Art Classes. Four-week class with

8pm. Tickets available at select Latter & Blum

artist Tanya Dischler. Tues, 9am-noon; Weds, 6-

offices, online or by phone. 674-7500.

13 Who’s on First? Block Party. Live

9pm. $175 plus supplies; class size limited to

habitatstw.org/sanctuaryforart.

entertainment, artists, shopping, food and drink.

six. 624-5175 or (504) 577-1949. tanyadischler.com. ª 10, 17, 24 Play Pals. Parents/caregivers

1st and Erlanger Sts., Slidell. 5:30-9pm. Free.

12 St. Tammany Cancer Fund Patron

Gene Duvic, 639-3340.

Party and Auction. Fine wines, cocktails and cuisine; entertainment by Cool Rayz. Money Hill

13-14 The Sanctuary for Art Home Tour.

and children 16-30 months have fun and learn

Club House, 100 Country Club Dr., Abita

View three beautiful homes and the work of

together. STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N.

Springs. 6:30-9:30pm. $100. Sharon Landry,

three talented artists while supporting Habitat

Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 10:30-11:15am.

674-6949 or

for Humanity St. Tammany West Women Build.

$24 per month; members, $15. 898-4435.

sharon@sttammanycancerfund.org.

The Sanctuary, Mandeville. 11am-4pm. $10

sttammanycancerfund.org.

(tickets available at select Latter & Blum

offices, online or by phone). 674-7500. habitatstw.org/sanctuaryforart.

13-14, 20-21 The Secret Garden, Spring

14 Jazz’n the Vines. Outdoor concert by New

14, 28 Hammond Market. 2 W. Thomas St.,

Orleans blues legend Luther Kent. 81250 Old

Downtown Hammond. 8am-2pm Free. 542-

Military Rd. (Hwy. 1082), Bush. 6:30-9pm (gates

3471. dddhammond.com.

Edition. The Swan, 70326 Hwy. 59, Abita Springs.

open at 5:30). $10; 12 and under, free. 892-

Fri, 7pm; Sat, 2pm and 7pm. $10. Creative Arts of

9742. winery@pontchartrainvineyards.com.

15 Third Sunday Concert. Pfister Sisters.

St. Tammany, 590-3645. dramaandmusic.com.

pontchartrainvineyards.com.

Christ Episcopal Church, 120 S. New

13-29 The Tavern. Playmakers Theater, 19106

14 Madisonville Art Market. Tchefuncte River

Playmakers Rd., Covington. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun,

Front on Water St., Madisonville. 10am-4pm.

2pm. Adults, $15; students, $10. 893-1671.

Free. 624-7216. madisonvilleartmarket.com.

ª 16, 23 Children in the Middle—Adult

14 Reimer’s Musical Theater. Musical variety

divorcing parents. Register by 1pm on 5/13.

14 Annual Physical Day. Free complete sports

show. Reimer’s Theater, behind First Christian

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St.,

physical, including echocardiograms, for students.

Church, 305 E. Charles St., Hammond. 6:30-

Ste. B, Covington. 7-9pm. $35/person;

Fairway Medical Surgical Hospital, 67252 Industry

9pm. Donations welcome. Jake Drude, 345-

$45/couple. 898-4435.

Ln., Covington. 8-11am. 373-3464.

3752 or 345-0374.

Hampshire St., Covington. 5pm; reception follows. Free. 892-3177.

Session. (2-part series) How to help children of

playmakersinc.com.

freewebs.com/reimersmusicaltheater/index.htm.

14 Code School. Learn to write in five secret

ª 16, 23 Children in the Middle—Children’s Session. (2-part series) Help for children of

code languages, send Morse code, test your lie

14 Second Saturday Evening Stroll.

parents in (or have completed) Children in the

detection abilities and experiment with recipes

Coordinated art galleries. Downtown Covington.

Middle sessions. Register by 1pm on 5/13.

for invisible ink; ages 8-12. The National World

6-9pm. Free. 892-1873. cityofcovingtonla.com.

War II Museum, 945 Magazine St., New

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 7-9pm. $10/child (max

Orleans. 10-11:30am. Pre-registration required,

14 Second Saturday Sidewalk Sale. District-

(504) 528-1944, ext. 229 or

wide sales event in conjunction with the

$20/family). 898-4435.

lauren.handley@nationalww2museum.org.

Hammond Market. Downtown Hammond.

18 Refresh Leadership Live Simulcast.

nationalww2museum.org.

8am-2pm. 542-3471. dddhammond.com.

Speakers Peyton Manning, Walter Bond and

>>

Inside Scoop Ken Blanchard; continental breakfast provided.

Tchefuncta Country Club, #2 Country Club Park, Covington. 8am-noon. Free; donations to the Children’s Miracle Network appreciated.

Registration required, Mel Elliott, 809-9696.

19 Green Tea Tasting. The English Tea Room, 734 E. Rutland St., Covington. 6-9pm.

898-3988 or info@englishtearoom.com. englishtearoom.com.

19 Live & Local Series. Free beer tasting of three Abita Beer brews and live musical performance. The Inn On Bourbon’s Puccini Bar, 541 Bourbon St., New Orleans. 6-8pm.

Free. Beth Ables, (504) 524-7611. innonbourbon.com.

19 Women of Infinite Possibilities Meeting.

Women from all walks of life socialize, network, tackle community projects and empower one another. Christwood Retirement Center, Hwy. 21, Covington. 10am-noon. First-time guests, free. womeninfinitepossibilities@gmail.com. wipgroup.org.

20 10th Annual Goodyear Memorial Golf Tournament. Benefiting St. Tammany Cancer Fund. Money Hill Golf & Country Club, 100 Country Club Dr., Abita Springs. Shotgun start, 1pm. Various sponsorship levels available.

Sharon Landry, 674-6949 or sharon@sttammanycancerfund.org. sttammanycancerfund.org.

20 Concert in the Courtyard. Otra. The Historic New Orleans Collection, 533 Royal St., New Orleans. 5:30-8pm. $10; members, free.

(504) 523-4662. hnoc.org.

20 Director’s Dialogue Series. Bonnie Pitman, director of the Dallas Museum of Art. New Orleans Museum of Art. 6pm. Museum admission, $10. Katie Truxillo, (504) 658-4127 or ktruxillo@noma.org. noma.org.

20 Sunset at the Landing Concert.

Columbia Street Landing, Covington. 6-9pm.

Free. 892-1873. cityofcovingtonla.com.

21 Abita Springs Opry. Live Louisiana roots music. Abita Springs Town Hall. Doors open, 5:45; show, 7-9pm. Reserved, $18; general admission, $15. Kathy Armand, 892-0711. abitaopry.org.

26

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

21 Breastfeeding Class. Lakeview Regional Medical Center, Covington. 10am-noon.

I N S U R A N C E

Registration, 866-4LAKEVIEW. 21 Living History Corps. World War II re-

The Professional Insurance Agency

enactors share about the day-to-day lives of

Serving our customers and our community on the Northshore since 1938.

military men and women and the broader lessons of World War II. The National World

Superior customer service

War II Museum, 945 Magazine St., New Orleans. 11am-3pm. (504) 528-1944, ext. 243.

is more than just a great price...

nationalww2museum.org.

it’s the foundation of our relationships.

21-22, 26-27 Art Workshops. Two-day workshop with artist Tanya Dischler. Beyond the Bayou, Old Mandeville. 9am-4pm (break for lunch). $175 plus supplies; class size limited to six. 624-5175 or (504) 577-1949. tanyadischler.com.

22 Music in the Park. Tyler Kinchen & The Right Pieces. Cate Square Park, Hammond. 36pm. (Rain day: June 5). Free. Hammond Chamber, 345-4457.

23 1st Annual Golf Tournament. Four-person scramble benefiting Safe Harbor and Jay Rink’s Defensive Line Lou Gehrig’s Disease; live music, food and drinks, contests and more. Sponsored

by PJ’s Coffee and WOW Cafe and Wingery.

Tchefuncta Country Club, #2 Country Club Park, Covington. Registration, 7am; tee times, 8am and 1pm. $100. Kim or Colleen, 626-5710.

24 A Musical Night in Provence. Benefit for Louisiana Philharmonic efforts on northshore.

Evening of food, wine and music. La Provence,

C ALL US ABOUT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SERVICES : H OMEOWNERS • P ERSONAL AUTO • L IFE & H EALTH R ECREATIONAL V EHICLES & WATERCRAFT

25020 Hwy. 190, Lacombe. 6:30-8:30pm. $100/person. Reimer Priester, (504) 523-6530, ext. 109 or reimer.priester@lpomusic.com.

24 Books Sandwiched In. Lunchtime book club (bring a lunch; tea and water provided). St. Tammany Parish Library, Covington Branch,

B USINESS & C OMMERCIAL I NSURANCE PACKAGES : P ROPERTY & L IABILITY • LOSS OF I NCOME • B ONDS G ENERAL L IABILITY • B USINESS AUTOMOBILE C OMMERCIAL EXCESS LIABILITY • WORKERS COMPENSATION C OMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY

310 W. 21st Ave., Covington. Noon-1:30pm.

Free, registration requested. 893-6280. sttammany.lib.la.us.

Trust all of your insurance needs to our professional team.

26 Newborn Care Class. Lakeview Regional Medical Center, Covington. 7-9pm.

Registration, 866-4LAKEVIEW. 27 Columbia Street Block Party. Street festival and classic car display. 200-500 blocks of Columbia St., Covington. 6:30-9:30pm. Free.

892-1873. cityofcovingtonla.com.

602 Willis Avenue Bogalusa 985.732.7164

1018 Main Street Franklinton 985.839.4495 800.845.4495

>>

Member LA Homebuilders Association

Inside Scoop 28 Jazz’n the Vines. Concert by Big Al & the Heavyweights, goodtime New Orleans rhythm and blues. 81250 Old Military Rd. (Hwy. 1082),

Causeway App., Mandeville. Mon-Fri, 9am-

June

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

Bush. 6:30-9pm (gates open at 5:30). $10; 12

1-10 Salad Days Juried Student Art

1-July 17 The Orient Expressed: Japan’s

and under, free. 892-9742.

Exhibition. Slidell Cultural Center, 2055 Second

Influence on Western Art. Mississippi

winery@pontchartrainvineyards.com.

St., Slidell. Tues-Fri, noon-4pm; Sat, 9am-noon.

Museum of Art, 380 S. Lamar St., Jackson,

pontchartrainvineyards.com.

646-4375. slidell.la.us.

Miss. Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, noon-5pm.

30-June 4 Summer Drama Camp.

1-17 SSA Summer Camps. Sports,

Performance/acting training for ages 10-17;

academics, music, dance, cheerleading and

960-1515 or 866-VIEW-ART.

recital performance. St. Michael’s Episcopal

more. St. Scholastica Academy, 122 S.

msmuseumart.org.

Church, 4499 Sharp Rd., Mandeville. 9am-3pm

Massachusetts St., Covington. 892-2540 or

(extended hours available, 8am-5pm). $125.

esimmons@ssacad.com. ssacad.com.

Adults $5; seniors (60+), $4; students through

517-6637 or louisianatheater@gmail.comlcta.biz.

college, $3; children 5 and under, free. (601)

1-Sept 7 Joe Beyrle: A Hero for Two Nations. Story of an American Airborne

1-29 Botox Wednesdays. Indulge yourself

soldier who fought in both the American and

with the gift of youth. Dr. Kelly Burkenstock’s

Russian Forces during World War II. The

31-June 17 SSA Summer Camps. Sports,

Skin•Body•Health, 2040 N. Causeway Blvd.,

National World War II Museum, 945 Magazine

academics, music, dance, cheerleading and

Mandeville. Limited appointments available.

St., New Orleans. Sun-Sat, 9am-5pm. (504)

more. St. Scholastica Academy, 122 S.

$265/area, $665/whole face. 727-7676.

528-1944, ext. 237. nationalww2museum.org.

Massachusetts St., Covington. 892-2540 or esimmons@ssacad.com. ssacad.com.

1-29 Covington Farmers Market. Wed,

1-Sept 12 Holding Out and Hanging On:

Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire

Surviving Hurricane Katrina. 14 gelatin silver

31-July 28 Kool Summer Camp: Art and

St., 10am-2pm; Sat, 609 N. Columbia St.,

print portraits of storm survivors by

Recreation Classes. Ages 9-12. John Davis

8am-noon. Free. 966-1786.

photographer Thomas Neff. The Presbytere,

Park Community Center, 61100 N. 12th St.,

751 Chartres St., New Orleans. Tues-Sun,

Lacombe. Jacki Schneider, 778-9528 or

1-30 Mandeville City Hall Artist of the

10am-4:30pm. Adults, $6; children under 12,

jmslacombe@att.net. blartcenter.com.

Month. Jax Frey. Mandeville City Hall, 3101 E.

free. (504) 568- 6968. crt.la.gov.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Louis Prima Nights in the

William Ludwig. Oak Street Gallery, 111 N. Oak

Balcony, $22; orchestra, $26; loge, $32. 543-

St. Hammond. Opening reception: June 3, 6-

4371. columbiatheatre.org.

Carousel Bar. The Carousel Bar, The Hotel

8pm; gallery: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm. 345-0251.

Monteleone, 214 Royal St., New Orleans. 8pm

theoakstreetgallery.com.

and 10pm. Free. hotelmonteleone.com.

4 Senior Citizens’ Fair and Expo. Free health screenings, live entertainment and door prizes.

3, 10, 17, 24 Art Uncorked! Create your own

Picayune High School Gymnasium, 800 5th

2 Friends and Family CPR Class. Lakeview

masterpiece with help from guest artists. The

Ave., Picayune, Miss. 8am-1pm. (601) 798-

Regional Medical Center, Covington. 6:30-

Shops at Madisonville Marketplace, 408

4835 or wrjw@charter.net.

9:30pm. Registration, 866-4LAKEVIEW.

Covington St., Madisonville. Bring beverage and snacks. $35/person includes canvas, paints and

4 Sibling Class. For big brothers- and sisters-

instruction. Reservations, 845-1001.

to-be, ages 3-12. Lakeview Regional Medical

competition. N. Cate and W. Thomas Sts.,

4 Jumpin’ Into Summer at the Covington

866-4LAKEVIEW.

Downtown Hammond. 6-10pm. Free. 542-

Trailhead. 419 N. New Hampshire St.,

3 Take it to the Tracks. First Friday block party and Hammond’s Hottest Talent singing

3471. dddhammond.com.

Center, Covington. 10am-noon. Registration,

Covington. 10am-noon. Free. 892-1873.

4-5, 23-24 Art Workshops. Two-day

cityofcovingtonla.com.

workshop with artist Tanya Dischler. Beyond the Bayou, Old Mandeville. 9am-4pm (break for

3 The City of Slidell’s Kids Fest. Song, dance and hands-on art projects. Heritage Park,

4 Raising the Roof for Charity Raffle

lunch). $175 plus supplies; class size limited to

1701 Bayou Ln., Slidell. 3:30-6pm. Free. 646-

House Drawing. Prize: 4-bedroom/3-bath

six. 624-5175 or (504) 577-1949.

4375. slidell.la.us.

home in Bedico Creek Subdivision. 800 Green

tanyadischler.com.

Leaves Circle, Bedico Creek Subdivision, 3-4 The Little Mermaid. Summer Theater

Madisonville. 3pm. Tickets, $100. 882-5002 or

Camp Show. The Swan, 70326 Hwy. 59, Abita

jessica@sthba.org. raisingtheroof.net.

Springs. 7pm. $7. Creative Arts of St. Tammany,

4-25 Camellia City Market. Griffith Park, 333 Erlanger St., Slidell. Sat, 8am-noon. Free. Danny Blackburn, 285-3599. camelliacitymarket.org.

590-3645. dramaandmusic.com.

4 Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters. Columbia Theatre for the Performing

4-25 Mandeville Trailhead Community

3-30 June Exhibition. Bronze sculptures by

Arts, 220 E. Thomas St., Hammond. 7:30pm.

Market. 675 Lafitte St., Mandeville. Sat, 9am- >>

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

29

Inside Scoop 1pm. Free. Donna Beakley, 845-4515 or mandevillemarket@gmail.com. mandevilletrailhead.yolasite.com.

6 The Northshore Kiwanis 12th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament. Four-person scramble. Money Hill Country Club, 77120 Money Hill Parkway, Abita Springs. Shotgun start, 9am. Individual registration: $140 (by May 20) or $175; four golfers: $550 (by May 20) or $600; includes cart, green fees, ditty bags, lunch and refreshments. David Lindsey, 801-0107 or dlindsey@bankonresource.com.

6-10 Jared Montz Mandeville Youth Soccer Camp. Pelican Park, 63350 Pelican Blvd., Mandeville. 9am-noon. Emily Montz, (847) 630-4739 or Emily@JMsoccer10.com.

OnlineSoccerAcademy.com.

6-July 22 Hannan Summer Camps.

Volleyball, soccer, cheerleading and more.

Archbishop Hannan High School, 71324 Hwy. 1077, Covington. 249-6363. hannanhigh.org.

7-29 Art Classes. Four-week class with artist Tanya Dischler. Tues, 9am-noon, or Weds, 69pm. $175 plus supplies; class size limited to six. 624-5175 or (504) 577-1949. tanyadischler.com.

9 St. Tammany Photographic Society Meeting. St. Tammany Art Association, 320 N. Columbia St., Covington. Free. 7pm. 892-8650. stphotosociety.org.

9-11 Disney’s 101 Dalmatians, Kids.

Presented by CLAPS. Performing Arts Center, Covington High School. 10am. $5 (available 30 minutes prior to curtain). 893-9843.

9, 16, 23, 30 Lamaze. Natural childbirth process. Lakeview Regional Medical Center, Covington. 6:30-9:30pm. Registration, 8664LAKEVIEW. 10 Second Saturday Evening Stroll.

Coordinated art galleries. Downtown Covington.

6-9pm. Free. 892-1873. cityofcovingtonla.com.

10 Who’s on First? Block Party. Live entertainment, artists, shopping, food and drink.

1st and Erlanger Sts., Slidell. 5:30-9pm. Free.

Gene Duvic, 639-3340.

30

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

10-11 King Midas’ Golden Touch. Summer Theater Camp Show. The Swan, 70326 Hwy. 59, Abita Springs. 7pm. $7. Creative Arts of St. Tammany, 590-3645. dramaandmusic.com.

10-11 Tara Keely Trunk Show. Fall 2011 gowns from one of the most sought-after designers in the wedding industry. Olivier Couture, 1901 Hwy. 190, Ste. 24, Mandeville.

Fri, 10am-5pm; Sat, 9am-5pm. 674-6994.

10-25 Outside In. A new comedy by Bud Faust. Cutting Edge Theater, 747 Robert Blvd., Slidell. Fri and Sat, 8pm. $18.50. Brian Fontenot, 649-3727 or brian@cuttingedgetheater.com. cuttingedgetheater.com.

11 Jazz’n the Vines. Concert featuring Latin jazz, salsa and Caribbean sounds by Javier Guttierez & Vivas. 81250 Old Military Rd. (Hwy. 1082), Bush. 6:30-9pm (gates open at 5:30). $10; 12 and under, free. 892-9742. winery@pontchartrainvineyards.com. pontchartrainvineyards.com.

11 Madisonville Art Market. Tchefuncte River Front on Water St., Madisonville. 10am4pm. Free. Additional info, 624-7216. madisonvilleartmarket.com.

11 Northshore Blondes vs. Brunettes: Let’s Tackle Alzheimer’s! Benefits Alzheimer’s Association. Two teams of women compete in flag football. Bulldog Stadium, Fontainebleau High School, Mandeville. 2-5pm. Heather Jones, 727-4011.

11, 25 Hammond Market. 2 W. Thomas St., Downtown Hammond. 8am-2pm Free. 5423471. dddhammond.com. ª 13, 20 Children in the Middle—Adult Session. (2-part series) How to help children of divorcing parents. Register by 1pm on 6/10.

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 7-9pm. $35/person; $45/couple. 898-4435. ª 13, 20 Children in the Middle—Children’s Session. (2-part series) Help for children of parents in (or have completed) Children in the Middle sessions. Register by 1pm on 6/10.

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 7-9pm. $10/child (max $20/family). 898-4435.

>>

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

31

Inside Scoop ª 14, 21, 28 Play Pals. Parents/caregivers and children 16-30 months have fun and learn together. STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 10:30-11:15am. $24 per month; members, $15. 898-4435. ª 14, 21, 28 Pre-K @ Play.

Parents/caregivers and children 2 1/2-4 years have fun and learn together. STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington.

9:30-10:15am. $24 per month; members, $15.

898-4435.

16 Fruit-Herbals-Tisanes—An Iced Tea Tasting. The English Tea Room, 734 E. Rutland St., Covington. 6-8pm. 898-3988 or info@englishtearoom.com. englishtearoom.com.

16 Live & Local Series. Free beer tasting of three select Abita Beer brews and a live musical performance. The Inn On Bourbon’s Puccini Bar, 541 Bourbon St., New Orleans. 6-8pm.

Free. Beth Ables, (504) 524-7611. innonbourbon.com.

16 Women of Infinite Possibilities Meeting.

Women from all walks of life socialize, network, tackle community projects and empower one another. Christwood Retirement Center, Hwy. 21, Covington. 10am-noon. First-time guests, free. womeninfinitepossibilities@gmail.com. wipgroup.org.

16-18 A Year With Frog and Toad, Kids.

Presented by CLAPS. Performing Arts Center, Covington High School. 10am. $5 (available 30 minutes prior to curtain). 893-9843. ª 16, 23, 30 Cuddle Buddies.

Parents/caregivers and infants 8-15 months, Merrick Lanaux, Wheeler Penick and Hynson Lanaux.

North American provides protection for: • General liability • Buildings & business personal property • Business income & employee dishonesty • Contractors’ equipment • Computer equipment

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• Money and securities theft • Employee benefits liability • All types of marine and auto coverage • Workers comp • Umbrella coverage

2255 N. Hwy. 190 • Covington • (985) 871-5480 • (800) 229-2789 www.naiala.com 32

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

STPH Parenting Center, 1505 N. Florida St., Ste. B, Covington. 10:30-11am. $12 per month; members, $6. 898-4435.

17 Concert in the Courtyard. Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots. The Historic New Orleans Collection, 533 Royal St., New Orleans. 5:308pm. $10; members, free. (504) 523-4662. hnoc.org.

17 Sunset at the Landing Concert.

Columbia Street Landing, Covington. 6-9pm.

Free. 892-1873. cityofcovingtonla.com.

18 Living History Corps. World War II reenactors share about the day-to-day lives of military men and women and the broader lessons of World War II. The National World War II Museum, 945 Magazine St., New Orleans. 11am-3pm. (504) 528-1944, ext. 243. nationalww2museum.org.

18 NAACP Juneteenth Family Picnic.

Bogue Falaya Park, Covington. 11am. Free.

264-8721.

18 Newborn Care Class. Lakeview Regional Medical Center, Covington. 7-9pm.

Registration, 866-4LAKEVIEW. 20-24 Jared Montz Madisonville Youth Soccer Camp. Coquille Park, 13505 Hwy. 1085, Covington. 9am-noon. Emily Montz, (847) 630-4739 or Emily@JMsoccer10.com.

OnlineSoccerAcademy.com.

23 Theology on Tap. Summer speaker and discussion series for young adults ages 21 to 35. The Abita Brewery Visitor’s Center, 21084 Hwy. 36, Abita Springs. 6:30pm. Michelle Seghers, 373-2656.

23-25 Annie, Jr. Presented by CLAPS. Performing Arts Center, Covington High School.

10am. $5 (available 30 minutes prior to curtain).

893-9843.

23-25 Believable Bob’s Traveling Side Show Circus. A one-act play presented by CLAPS. Performing Arts Center, Covington High School. 7pm. $5 (available 30 minutes prior to curtain). 893-9843.

24 Columbia Street Block Party. Street festival and classic car display. 200-500 blocks of Columbia St., Covington. 6:30-9:30pm. Free.

892-1873. cityofcovingtonla.com.

25 Jazz’n the Vines. Concert by The Iguanas.

81250 Old Military Rd. (Hwy. 1082), Bush.

6:30-9pm (gates open at 5:30). $10; 12 and under, free.. 892-9742. winery@pontchartrainvineyards.com. pontchartrainvineyards.com.

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

33

Worthy Causes The Mwana Mission Project

by Poki Hampton and Akila Ananth

Sawa on a recent trip with a group of Malawi students.

Below: Oxen and cart are typical transportation in Malawi.

34

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

GROWING UP IN AFRICA is not something many northshore residents would identify with, but a sense of community and family is something we all understand. Mandeville’s Jan Sawa spent her first 19 years with her parents in the small African country of Malawi, where witchcraft, leprosaria and rabies were a part of everyday life, along with birth, death and snakes. “I learned to drive a truck with a stick shift by dodging warthogs and hyenas,” says Jan. In 2007, Jan and her husband, Greg, returned to Africa after 30 years. It was as though time had stood still. “Many of the people I knew back then had died of AIDS or malaria, but a few remained.

Factories had rusted away, mills had ceased to produce and the people were poorer than ever,” says Jan. She saw that many people were disabled and elderly and often had no place to go.

While in Malawi, Greg said to Jan, “We can help these people.” With that, like a light in the wilderness, Jan’s plans began to take shape and the Mwana Mission Project was born.

photos: COURTESY OF JAN SAWA

Above: Mandeville’s Jan and Greg

Mwana Mission Project has set into motion a variety of undertakings. The project supports select artisans by providing supplies for individual crafts and then purchasing the finished products to sell in the United States.

Through partnerships with Malawi businesses such as a papermaking factory and a weaving factory, the disabled sell finished goods. Students pursuing academic excellence receive school uniforms and school fees, and the project provides electricity for the elementary school at Monkey Bay. The acquisition of land in Monkey Bay and Zomba will help to build more schools and housing for the

Jan and Greg have helped a Mandeville couple adopt 4-year-old Tabatha from Uganda. Because she has blue eyes, her tribe thought she was cursed. Sometimes these children are used as a sacrifice.

Tabatha is learning English, thriving and is in protection until her adoption is complete.

elderly. Mwana has also partnered with Vision Ledd and Rotary International to sponsor water bore holes in rural villages.

Perhaps the most heartfelt

Greg and Jan Sawa with a small

accomplishment for Jan and Greg is that

group of women who have set

they have made it possible for 11 people

up a knitting company.

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

35

Worthy Causes

A Malawian woman making paper.

to start their own small businesses, which often employ several other persons at the grass-root level.

“Individuals can start a small business for as little as $200,” says Jan. “One of the best we have helped set up is a crocheting and knitting company.

“These ongoing projects are monitored in Malawi on a regular basis through our field director. With our

the field without administration fees,” says Jan. Reports and photos of Mwana’s projects are sent to them via e-mail from the field director, providing documentation for the board of directors and donors.

Jan, Greg and another team of volunteers will be returning to Malawi in June of this year to continue their mission to provide basic needs to orphans, the disabled and the destitute people of Malawi.

To find out more about the Mwana Mission Project, please contact Greg and Jan Sawa at (985) 237-5467 or e-mail mwanamission@yahoo.com.

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photo: COURTESY OF JAN SAWA

501(c)(3) status, we have bank accounts in Mandeville and in Blantyre, Malawi, allowing us to send money directly to

The Warm Heart of Africa Although Malawi, located in southeast Africa, is a country polluted with AIDS, overpopulation and poverty, the true authenticity and compassion of the people shines through, justly giving the country the nickname “The Warm Heart of Africa.”

The country is full of age-old traditions, sacred rituals and, most importantly, a truly diverse culture. This diversity caused friction after the British colonials left. When the colonials took over the government, they changed the people’s traditional system of chieftaincy. After the Malawians rebelled and regained control of their own land, they were not sure how to govern themselves. Various groups tried to rule, causing friction, which has now died down. Ethnic distinctions have diminished to a point where there is mostly peace in the country. There is always a spirit of cooperation among family members, because most Malawians live in group huts with their extended families. Although English is the official language, the common tongue is “Chichewa.” Dance plays a large part in Malawi’s culture. The nation’s traditional music and dance can be seen in marriage ceremonies, initiation rites and rituals. The rural tribes of Malawi continue the traditions of basket making and woodcarving.

The harsh circumstances that exist in Malawi make one wonder how it could be called “The Warm Heart of Africa.” It is one of the world’s most populated but least developed countries. The economy is based mainly on agriculture; the chief crops are tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea and corn.

The government still relies on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for financial aid. With a high infant mortality rate and a low life expectancy, the character of this nation is truly defined by the ability of its people to push through all of these obstacles and survive.

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IN Better Health

by Stephen Faure

Health Concern: Hearing loss from complications due to chronic ear infections.

Treatment: Surgery and hearing aids.

serious procedure, it resulted in a very uncomfortable recovery for Dalton. A protective device had to stay in place over the left side of his head for some time, making it difficult to sleep.

While the surgeries were successful in halting the infections, Dalton’s left ear

with Dalton Welch While riding his bike or scooter, shooting basketballs or running around the neighborhood with his friends, Dalton Welch is just like every other energetic 12-year-old boy.

However, Dalton was born with William’s Syndrome, a genetic disorder. His mother, Lisa, explains, “It causes developmental delay and a lot of craniofacial issues.”

Dalton has malformed ear canals. Fluid would settle in them, and he had chronic ear infections that required years and years of tubes. Because of the constant infections, he developed a cholesteatoma, a cyst-like growth, in his left ear.

Lisa says, “We were finally referred to a surgeon at Ochsner, Dr. [Timothy] Molony.” Dr. Molony performed two surgeries, the last a mastoidectomy of the left ear. A 38

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ear is medium-to-mildly hearing impaired. Dr. Molony referred Dalton to the Istre Hearing Care Center to be fitted with hearing aids.

Dr. Clifton Istre noted that because the ear had grown back in a different position after the mastoidectomy, plastic surgery was needed before the hearing aids could be fitted. He helped to make the needed arrangements with Ochsner, and when Dalton healed from that surgery, he got the hearing aids.

Lisa says that the moment Dalton’s hearing aids were turned on was priceless. “It was a moment I’ll never forget. Dr. Istre would clap and say, ‘Do you hear that?’ And clap! ‘Do you hear that?’” Dalton says he remembers

photo: STEPHEN FAURE

was filled with scar tissue, causing profound deafness in that ear. His right

humming to himself in the car the whole way home.

Dalton’s newfound hearing proved life changing for his family. It solved some minor irritations: “[Before,] he would watch TV like an old man. It would be blasting! We would yell, ‘Turn that down! Turn it down!’” says Lisa. It’s also made it easier for Dalton, an avid gamer, to play video games on his Xbox and Wii. The most important thing for Lisa as a mom of an active boy is that he can hear traffic coming. “I was really concerned about that. I do have the ‘hearing-impaired child’ signs outside, but it doesn’t make a difference to some people. Just being able to let him go outside without worrying about his not hearing a car coming up behind him was major for me.” Dr. Istre adds that the ability to tell direction is also a help.

Dalton’s ability to do well in school, both academically and socially, has benefitted tremendously. “He’s paying attention instead of zoning out because he can’t hear anything in class. He’s participating more, and he’s not as frustrated.” Also, Dalton’s friends are less frustrated with him, as he no longer asks “What?” all the time in conversation.

Dr. Istre says this is very important for schoolchildren and ties in to their self-esteem. “When you have a hearing a loss like he has, it gives the impression that you’re not that swift.”

Lisa believes her experience with Dalton can be a valuable lesson to other parents. “This could really be any kid who has chronic ear infections that might develop a cholesteatoma and cause permanent injury. People think, ‘Oh, it’s just ear infections,’ but even kids without all the other issues Dalton has can really have some damage done to their ears.”

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Keep your baby in style.

by Poki Hampton

Laura and baby Caroline enjoy the pink and cream room decorated down to the last detail by Jennifer DiCerbo.

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CREATING JUST THE RIGHT NURSERY that reflects the personal style of the parents and is peaceful and restful for the new baby is a job Jennifer DiCerbo of The French Mix relishes.

“Working with mothers-to-be is such a labor of love,” says Jennifer.

Laura and Clark Todd wanted to keep the gender of their new baby a secret, so Laura selected everything for both a boy’s room and a girl’s room in advance. The only people who knew the baby was a girl were the doctor and Jennifer. “When we got home from the hospital with baby Caroline, the

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nursery was completely decorated. It was a great surprise to us and big brother Cooper,” says Laura.

Jennifer complemented the feminine, Frenchstyle ivory furniture with a duvet, throw and bumper in luxurious satin-piped cotton velvet. The curtains are in whisper-soft gossamer linen, as is the crib skirt, which has an 18-inch drop and a 5-inch ruffle. A silk velvet throw on the slipcovered glider is monogrammed with Caroline’s initials and birth date, and each oversized pillow has a “C.” Playful bunnies, frames and a birdcage fill the corner shelves, and that theme is carried throughout the

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photos: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

Sam while big sister Lily plays on the rocking horse in this sophisticated nursery.

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Taupe bows, matching the luxury bedding, tie the bumper onto the crib. The glider rocker is upholstered in a dark mocha faille, while the super-soft rosette throw is used as an accent.

Topped with a ball fringe-trimmed lamp and a taupe-bowed picture frame, an end table provides extra storage. An oversized rocking horse and an antiqued painting of mother and child complete the picture.

As Amanda and Scott Catalanotto and big brother Branson wait for the arrival of baby Carsyn, her chic, ultra feminine room is ready for her. Blush pink, ivory and gray are the colors in the incredibly charming nursery. Early on, the Catalanottos knew the baby was a girl.

“We wanted soft muted colors and elements that were personalized,” says Amanda, who, with Jennifer, planned the nursery to complement >>

photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

Robyn cuddles baby

room. A frilly tutu on a tiny mannequin adds a decidedly feminine touch. Anchoring the floor is a striped cotton rug, which picks up all the colors in the room. “Doing this room was so much fun because of the surprise factor,” says Jennifer.

Robyn and Brad Williams knew they were having a baby boy. “We wanted a handsome nursery for baby boy Sam that was masculine and still calming enough for a baby,” says Robyn.

“We wanted a space that was comfortable and appealing to the whole family, with simplicity and sophistication, while still being a place big enough for big sister Lily to play on the rocking horse. Jennifer helped me choose espressocolored wood furniture as a base.”

Two shades of chocolate and taupe form a timeless palette for the bumper and bed skirt.

the style of the rest of the house.

Details such as the timeless iron crib with curlicue finials and the floral swirl pattern of the rug combine a vintage feel with updated sophistication.

Gossamer linen smocked-top curtains and a woven-wood blind provide shade from the afternoon sun.

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photo: THOMAS B. GROWDEN

The same gossamer linen is used on the dust ruffle and on the duvet, which is embroidered with bell flowers and scrolls that create a crisp yet delicate feel. On the linen glider/rocker is a pillow in the same soft pink. A glass-topped table holds a gray ceramic lamp, which Jennifer decorated with an ivory-wired bow to match the hanging picture frame. Perhaps the most striking feature in the room is the custom French-style

faux-pearl and antique-pewter balloon chandelier. Baby Carsyn’s initials in pearl hang above the crib.

Designing a nursery can be as exciting as decorating the rest of your house. “Helping moms with the details that make their nurseries special, collaborating with them to create their dream room and having them love the outcome are my favorite parts,� says Jennifer.

Baby Carsyn will arrive home to an ultra-feminine and charming nursery all ready for her.

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THERE ARE CERTAIN MOMS who just make

their family business. You could know her from her

everything look easy. They’re the ones who always

work with the Madisonville Chamber of Commerce, as

seem so pulled together, calm and organized, even as

she served as president for three years. If you don’t

they’re running in a million different directions and

know her from any of those places, it’s almost certain

taking on a multitude of responsibilities. We look at those women and often ask ourselves, “How does she do it?” Well, here’s a little secret: If you’re a mom who is reading this sentence, then you can bet that somewhere, at some time, someone has seen those qualities in you. That’s because every mom has unique talents, whether it’s knowing how to papier-mâché a

you’ve passed her on the highway at some point. She travels up and down Highway 21 in Covington so often that she claims she should install a mini-kitchen in the back seat. “All I do is drive and drop off. Then I drive some more and pick up. Then I start all over again,” she laughs, describing the task of carpooling that is dreaded by so many northshore moms.

Do-It-All Moms

by Stacey Paretti Rase

volcano for the science fair, roast the perfect

Thanksgiving turkey or simply balance her own checkbook. The problem with most of us moms is that we’re often quick to recognize the talents of others, while magnifying our own faults and limitations. The reality is that every mom leads a hectic and busy life, but each has her own way of keeping it all under control. So on this Mother’s Day, we challenge you to celebrate the ways in which you keep it all afloat. To help you, we present four northshore moms who, by all accounts, make “it” look easy. But you just might find a bit of yourself in their stories and realize we’re all doing the very best we can.

Life in the Carpool Lane If you don’t know Kimberly Hahn personally, chances are you’ve probably seen her face around town. Maybe you’ve spotted her painting backdrops at Kehoe-France for her son’s school performances. Or perhaps you’ve seen her at the Madisonville Drug Store, where she and her pharmacist husband Kristian run 46

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Making it look easy

Being constantly on the go is understandable, considering the busy schedules of Kim’s two kids: Madison, age 13, and Mason, age 6. The children’s current activities include soccer, karate, dance, theater, gymnastics and baseball, to name a few. So it’s just as likely you’ve seen her waiting in the wings at a dance studio, dojo or recreation park. Kim admits she brings the busyness upon herself by allowing her children to be involved in so many activities. “I never want to take an opportunity away from them, because that one missed opportunity may just be the very thing they find themselves good at,” she reasons. “I never want to tell them ‘no,’ which I think a lot of moms can relate to. It’s so much different from when I was growing up. When I was a kid, if you couldn’t ride your bike or a bus to whatever it was you wanted to do, you just didn’t do it!”

Kim somehow finds time to fit in volunteer work, noting that giving back to the community is

photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

Kimberly Hahn.

something she’s simply drawn to do. She currently serves as co-chairwoman of St. Scholastica Academy’s annual fundraiser, the Falaya Fling. She has also worked diligently for more than a year with a group whose goal is to build and sustain the Milne Home for Women, a residence with facilities for mentally challenged women in southeast Louisiana.

What makes Kim so remarkable is that throughout all her activities she exudes boundless

energy. When her lawn needed landscaping, Kim hopped atop a Bobcat to spread dirt and even learned to lay her own sod. When her home’s bathrooms required renovation, Kim dug in and learned how to install a toilet with her own two hands. And throughout her neighborhood, she’s known as the ultimate party planner. She’s hosted everything from murder-mystery-theme parties to full-blown scavenger hunts—sometimes even removing all the

>>

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furniture from her living areas to set the scene.

When asked if there’s anything she doesn’t do well, Kim’s eyes grow wide. “My son’s gone to school with a lunch packed with chips, a Twinkie and a Slim Jim. And the folks at Menu Express know me by name. And I sometimes tell my kids when they’re getting out of the car to just ‘tuck and roll’ because I’m in too much of a hurry to fully stop the car,” she quips. “Does any of that count?”

Designing Woman For Michelle Braswell, life went from busy to 48

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extremely busy practically overnight. She had been accustomed to life’s daily demands, maneuvering from the role of schoolteacher to bookkeeper for her husband Josh’s contracting business to stay-at-homemom to now 6-year-old son Connor and 4-year-old daughter Caitlin. But it wasn’t until she and a friend decided to dabble in designing and marketing children’s clothes and accessories that her busy life grew exponentially.

They started out small, selling their felt hair clips and simple A-line dresses with homemade character at local school fairs and festivals, before making the

photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

Michelle Braswell.

leap to showcasing at a retail store in Mandeville. “The first order sold out in a week,” remembers Michelle. Soon they were traveling to Jackson, Miss., where they met a rep at a children’s clothing show. Shortly after that, their Blue Juniper clothing line was placed in stores spanning eight states across the Southeast. “It was virtually overnight.

We went from six stores to around 30 in a matter of months. Now we’re traveling to New York to try and expand our market. Sometimes I think my biggest fear is that we’ll be even more successful and won’t be able to manage it all!”

While the clothes are manufactured in North Carolina, just about every other aspect of the business is homebased. In a modest office in downtown Covington, the partners pick their own fabric designs and styles. Upon receiving the assembled clothing, they do their own ironing, labeling, tagging and shipping. The kids are often found at the shop. Young Caitlin plays nearby while Connor digs in to help mom with the work. “He labels dresses for me and it keeps him busy,” says Michelle. “And girls in his class wear the clothes and call them ‘Connor’s Dresses,’ so he’s pretty proud of that!”

Michelle is familiar with the carpool scene, delivering kids to dance rehearsals, golf lessons, soccer practice and T-Ball games. And this spring saw her dedicated to Josh’s campaign for a seat on the Covington City Council. She says life is hectic, but she finds ways to keep it all in check. “I used to sleep two to three hours a night, but I fit in five to six hours nowadays,” she quips. “I realize this is all a self-inflicted busyness.

At any point I can take a step back.”

The biggest trick up her sleeve to >> M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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managing it all is accepting help from family. Michelle and Josh truly share parenting responsibilities, and their extended family provides unmeasured support. Josh’s parents live three doors down, and Michelle’s are a mere six blocks away. “I couldn’t do it all without them. They help me fill orders. They help with carpool. They do whatever it takes.”

One of Michelle’s other biggest allies is her smart phone. She says she sets alarms to go off throughout the day to keep her on track and remind her of even the smallest duties that must be completed. “My entire life is on my phone! I set alarms all over the place,” she chuckles, admitting to setting them also on her husband’s phone for important events. “Josh is way more relaxed than me. He’ll take a break on a Sunday afternoon and just sit there and relax. I can’t remember the last time I sat down and did nothing. My days are pretty tiring, but I keep pinching myself because I’m having so much fun.”

Busy to the Sixth Degree

Dr. Kevin M. Plaisance Obstetrics & Gynecology 200 Greenbrier Blvd., Covington 985.893.3777

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Lisa Pellegrini does it all—and then some! A well-respected dentist with a practice in Madisonville, she has served as president of the Northlake Dental Association. Lisa was named St. Scholastica Academy’s Alumna of the Year in 2004 and is recognized for her involvement in many local charities, including the JL Foundation and Kids Wanna Help. She can paint, play tennis and golf and even throws pottery. Oh— did we mention she’s raising six children all under the age of 14?

Lisa is mom to daughters Isabelle, Caroline, Natalie and Gabrielle and sons Jack and Max. She says the primary key to keeping everything on

track is their hands-on dad. “Greg and I make a good team, and I couldn’t handle my day without him,” she says, just before acknowledging their secondary key to survival—organization. Five of the kids are involved in two after-school activities, in addition to

placed the child there. She moves on to do other things in the house and not only forgets the child, but also often forgets what the punishment was to begin with. “I’ll leave Greg home with the kids but forget to tell him that one is punished. I’m gone for a couple of

weekly religion classes, so Lisa keeps a master calendar that lists everyone’s activities. The kids are also used to a very fixed schedule at home. Weekday bedtime is 8 p.m. sharp, when the house “shuts down” to allow her quiet time with her husband (or with a pile of needed-to-be-folded laundry). “My friends say I’m too strict at times, but the kids always know what’s going on without too many surprises, which makes for happy kids.”

She also says giving her kids independence is not only a necessity in their home, but an added help to the family as a whole. Lisa laughs when she admits that her four-year-old knows how to make microwave macaroni. “But with six kids, that’s all they know—to help themselves—or they would be sitting around waiting on us. We are very nurturing, but we don’t hold their hand for things they can truly do themselves.”

Lisa learned to create a successful balance own mother, a pediatrician who left private practice to work in a more flexible hospital setting in order to spend more time with her family. “Having my own dental practice allows me to set my own schedule where I can pick the kids up from school four days a week and take them to all their activities,” she notes.

“Family is so important, and I like spending every moment I can with them. My greatest hope is that when the kids are all grown they will want to come back home every Sunday for family dinner.”

Of course, even though life sounds perfect in the Pellegrini household, there are times when Lisa admits being a busy mom takes its toll. Several such times have come when one of the kids needs to be disciplined. Lisa puts the child in “time out,” which is a designated room just off the living room that has no door. The child is placed on a chair in the room for an amount of time based on his or her age. The arrangement works great—until Lisa forgets that she

photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

between motherhood and career by watching her

hours, and when I get home, the kid is still in there and has fallen asleep waiting for me to get them. Or sometimes, the other siblings have walked by the room and asked me why someone is in there and I play it off like I didn’t forget and giggle inside knowing that I did it again!”

Lisa Pellegrini.

An Educated Success Mandeville’s Sharon Leumas is a mom who’s lived the lives of the previous three women and is living to >> M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

Sharon Leumas.

tell the tale. She and her husband, John, have raised two very accomplished daughters. Caitlin is a 20-yearold kinesiology major who not only plays soccer for the University of Southern Mississippi, but was recently selected the team’s MVP. Hannah, a senior at Fontainebleau High School who will enroll at Auburn this fall, serves as president of the FHS Student Council, works multiple after-school jobs and recently scored a 34 on the ACT. Both girls maintain perfect 4.0 grade point averages, all while keeping up with their busy schedules. But, as they say, the apples didn’t fall far from the tree. “I remember fussing at one of my daughters to slow down, saying she was too ‘go-go52

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go,’” Sharon laughs. “And she looked right back at me and asked, ‘Just who do you think I get that from?’”

Growing up, both of her daughters played competitive soccer and Sharon was beside them all the way. She worked as an administrator for the Mandeville Soccer Club while John volunteered to coach his daughters. The two believe that the recipe for raising successful kids begins with being involved in their lives. “Get involved with sports and school. Make dinner together a priority. Go to church together,” she says. “And don’t be afraid to tell them ‘no.’ You’re their parent, not their best friend. That’s my best advice.”

A certified teacher, Sharon has been involved in

education on various levels. She taught in Indonesia when her husband’s job as an engineer took them oversees. She was an active school volunteer when the girls were younger and pioneered the Artist in Residence program at Magnolia Trace Elementary in Mandeville, where she now works as a long-term secondgrade substitute teacher. Her love for teaching unquestionably inspired her girls to excel. “I always tell my girls that school comes first; activities second. If the grades aren’t there, then all the activities go away. It must’ve paid off.

Now, I’ll call my oldest daughter and find her studying in an airport waiting to board her flight to a soccer match.”

The list of volunteer activities Sharon is involved with grows longer every day. She is active with her church’s Angel Tree program, Relay for Life, Project Graduation and various food drives. “I’m always finding myself on some committee,” she chuckles. Yet she still finds time to bake and decorate cakes for family and friends and is a talented potter whose work is sold in retail stores on the northshore. Her most notable fault is self-admittedly one that many busy moms share. “I’m horrible at keeping the house clean. I would rather sit on a sofa full of unfolded clothes and hug on the kids.”

Now that her youngest is about to leave the nest, Sharon spends a lot of time reminiscing about her busiest years of parenting and wondering about how life will be without kids in the house. “It’s hard to think about, but John and I have plans to travel together.

We’ll go see a lot of Caitlin’s soccer games and visit Hannah. I’m sure I’ll be as busy as ever.”

Move Beyond Your Limits

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BackBeach

by Poki Hampton

to the

NORTHSHORE FAMILIES have vacationed on Florida’s panhandle for a hundred years, sinking their feet into the white sugary sand at the Beaches of South Walton and Destin. Each year, there seems more to do than ever. From exploring the

area’s scenery and shopping to basking on the beach and trying the newest rage, YOLO boarding, there is no shortage of activities. (YOLO boarding is stand-up paddle boarding—and it means “You Only Live Once!”)

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The Beaches of South Walton are listed among the top beaches in the world for 2011 by Yahoo Travel and are named as one of Trip Advisor’s FamilyVacationCritic.com’s Top 10 Beaches for Families.

“We experience a 90 percent occupancy rate from Memorial Day to Labor Day,” says Tracy Louthain, director of public relations for the Beaches of South Walton. “Because of our four-story height restriction on Scenic Highway 30-A, we have

almost no towering condos. Forty percent of the land is protected, as are the sand dunes, making the area seem virtually unspoiled. Families love to come here because we are very kid friendly. Recently, Sandestin Resort started Club KZ for kids from 3 to 12 years of age. Age-appropriate fun includes a ropes course, zip-line and bike riding. The clubroom has a 12foot-tall sand sculpture, a salt-water aquarium and a high-tech area that is great for a rainy day.”

Mark Bellinger, executive director of the Tourist Development Council for Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island says, “We have placed the oil spill behind us in all of our marketing. Although the national media painted the entire Gulf Coast as being affected, our area was fortunate to have escaped oil on our beaches.”

Henderson Park Inn If you are looking for a romantic beach get-away, the Henderson Park Inn is the perfect retreat to relax and reconnect with your significant other.

Located in the heart of Destin next to the unspoiled beaches of Henderson State Park, the tranquil Henderson Park Inn is reminiscent of historic hotels and bed-and-breakfasts on the East Coast.

The inn’s exceptional staff greets guests with roses, a bottle of fine wine, grapes and chocolates in each room and graciously responds to their requests.

Most of the 36 luxuriously appointed rooms have balconies with views of the private sugar sand beach.

Some rooms have a fireplace, and all have microwaves, coffee makers—and a fully stocked (complimentary) minirefrigerator that will satisfy anyone’s midnight-snack attack. The baths are spacious, and some have a whirlpool tub.

Whether a mini-suite or the Presidential >> M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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Get Ready for Summer Exclusive Laser Hair Removal Savings from Eric N. Tabor, M.D.

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Slidell, LA

2780 East Gause Blvd.

985/641.5198

Madisonville, LA 393 Hwy 21, Suite 550 985/792.5959

www.northshorederm.com

Picayune, MS

6353 North Hwy 11 601/749.9500

Suite, furnishings are high-end, with custom linens. The Presidential Suite has two bathrooms (complete with towel warmers), a living area with a largescreen television and a dining area.

Community refrigerators near the lobby are stocked with sodas, water and candy bars to enjoy while relaxing under a complimentary umbrella on the beach. More venturesome guests can take a ride down the beach road on one of the available bikes. And nothing beats walking on the beach at sunset!

The dining room, which overlooks the water, serves up the most scrumptious fare around. “We take the thinking out of your vacation,” says Innkeeper Ryan Olin. “We invite our guests to enjoy a complete breakfast in the dining room with omelet and Belgian waffle stations along with fruit, scones and muffins. A lunch is also provided for guests, which they are free to take to the beach or out onto the deck.”

The Happy Hour at the Tiki Bar on the deck takes advantage of the evening sunset, but dinner is the inn’s crowning touch. “Sheff” Charles Lee, who is retired from the Air Force, creates incredible dishes. Lee’s extensive travels during his service and the interaction he had with chefs from other countries make his menu both unusual and intriguing.

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my bread pudding, and I always use brown eggs at room temperature to make my cheesecakes. The Key Lime Cheesecake is so light and fluffy that you can’t

photos: COURTESY HENDERSON PARK INN

imagine there are any calories in it at all!”

He adds, “We have recently started offering gluten-free meals. We have had many requests to do special meals, and we can do whatever a person needs.” The inn provides a luxurious setting for a beach wedding, reception or anniversary party. The highly skilled catering staff is available to design a party for you and your guests with exceptional attention to each detail.

If you go to the inn, pick up a copy of Exceptional Taste, Tales and Recipes, a history of the inn with a collection of recipes. A great coffee table book, it is sure to be a lasting treasure of your getaway experience at Henderson Park Inn.

With the help of young chefs Joseph and Alawna, exciting appetizers such as the Creoleseasoned broiled lobster tail with mango chutney make a great start to a sumptuous meal. The varied entrées are comprised of the freshest local ingredients, such as small-farm vegetables. A member of the staff meets the fishing boats as they dock to get the freshest catch of the day. A popular staple on the menu is the unusual filet of pan-roasted New Zealand venison with a wine, basil, tomato and garlic reduction sauce. The desserts finish the meal with aplomb, leaving the diners with an appreciation of the extremely fine cuisine. Lee shares two of his secrets. “I use Krispy Kreme donuts and raisin bread to make M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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AUGUST 29, 1998—late in the Major League Baseball season that is captivating America as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa race each other to beat the singleseason home run record set by Roger Maris in 1961. McGwire’s St. Louis Cardinals are the home team against the Atlanta Braves; rookie umpire Hunter

Wendelstedt continues, “[Dad] says, ‘Listen. I’m going to handle everything else.

I need a couple of things.’ He looked at me and the other guy on the field, an umpire named Rich Rieker. Dad says, ‘Rich, Hunter, after every half inning, you’re going to meet me right behind second base. No one has that good of an arm. If they want to throw

Wendelstedt is working third base in the

stuff at us, they’re not going to reach us

second game of a three-game series. The

behind second.’”

sellout crowd of 47,627 has come to see

Wendelstedt says his dad then

one man, McGwire—who gets ejected in

turned to Holbrook. “‘Sammy, I’ve

his first at-bat of the game.

worked with you all year. You’re one of

“The crowd went berserk. They were throwing stuff on the field I didn’t know

the better young umpires in the big leagues. I need you to bear down now for the next eight innings and do the job that I’ve seen all year long. Block it out. Every pitch

Stealing Home Umpire Hunter

by Stephen Faure

they made any more,” Wendelstedt recalls. “They’re throwing the little bottles of Coke and Sprite I hadn’t seen since I was a kid.” He had the privilege of working on his dad’s (legendary umpire Harry Wendelstedt’s) crew for that game

photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

and for the last few weeks of the 1998 season. A landmark year for the Wendelstedts, 1998 was not only Hunter’s first season in the big leagues, but was also the season that Harry retired.

“Dad was great. I was on the field with him for a couple of different situations that were amazing.” How Harry handled the McGwire ejection is a great case in point. The umpire called a strike and McGwire lost his cool.

Hunter says, “The home-plate umpire, Sammy Holbrook, did everything to keep McGwire in the game. The manager, La Russa, was ejected first; then, pitching coach Duncan went; and finally, Mark went.” As the crowd grew increasingly dangerous, Harry took control, calming Holbrook (also a rookie umpire) down, and laid down a plan for the rest of the game.

Wendelstedt

that you call, right or wrong, they’re going to scream at you. Don’t worry, go out there and do the job I know you can.’” Harry then strode over to the Cardinal’s dugout, where, Wendelstedt says, his dad laid down the law: “‘You’ve got a sellout crowd here. This game’s going to be forfeited in about one minute if you do not make an announcement to stop throwing stuff on the field. We can either play baseball, or I’ll end the game right now.’” They made the announcement, Wendelstedt says.

“He had that kind of respect.”

A Misplaced Gator Wendelstedt, who calls Madisonville home, is one of just 68 Major League Baseball umpires. “There are fewer big league umpires than there are United >> M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

59

presentation and went up and talked with him afterwards. He said to come in for a visit. We hadn’t planned on any other trips,” Wendelstedt says. He’d already toured the other schools he had applied to. “I convinced mom and dad to go to New Orleans.”

It was love at first sight. “The minute I checked in, I felt, ‘I’m going here.’ I hadn’t even set foot on campus. I just fell in love with the city.” Brian Berrigan, Loyola’s admissions director, befriended Wendelstedt and took his dad, Harry, fishing rather than have him endure Hunter’s boring orientation session. Berrigan’s friendship would become pivotal in

Above: Hunter Wendelstedt.

Right: Ball-boy Hunter after handing his dad, legendary umpire Harry Wendelstedt, a ball during a bigleague game.

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After 12 years of participating in many activities with Berrigan’s family—Saints games, fishing, crawfish boils and becoming a member of and riding in Endymion—Hunter married Berrigan’s sister Katherine and officially became part of the family.

When he came to New Orleans, Wendelstedt had been umpiring Little League, high school and college games since he was about 12 years old. “Back then, it was a good way to make 20 bucks. I could work two or three games in a day, making $60 at 12 and 13 years old,” he says. “When I got to high school, it was great because I could work all around town. Every once in a while, I’d go out and work the bases at a college game and try to blend in—it was kind of hard

States Senators,” he points out. Raised in Ormond

to fit in if you were a high schooler among a bunch of

Beach, Florida, just north of Daytona Beach, Wendelstedt came to New Orleans in 1988 to scout

college kids—but I could go out and work the bases.”

He joined the Veterans Umpire Association to pick up

out Loyola University as a possible, although highly unlikely, college choice. He had attended a Florida Gators-sponsored punt, pass and kick clinic at the Daytona Speedway when he was about 5 years old. “I went out there, got my first Florida Gators hat, met all the players and knew I was going to the University of Florida.” He notes, “[That] makes my wife and all the Louisiana people cringe.”

He remained resolute that Gainesville would be his future academic home, but his high school guidance counselor insisted that he apply to more than one university. Two schools he had visited during his time on the school debate team, Boston College and Washington and Lee, made his list. Then, one day—just to get out of class, he says— Wendelstedt sat in on a presentation by a representative from Loyola. “I thought it was a good

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

photo COURTESY HUNTER WENDELSTEDT

photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

cementing Wendelstedt’s ties to the New Orleans area.

some extra cash while in school at Loyola.

“All my fraternity brothers were going into pre-law or pre-med, and I’m a history major and I don’t know what I’m going to do. Am I going to be a teacher? I love teaching. But I decided to take a semester off and go to umpire school.”

He went to the school and says, “The rest is history. I came through and finished at the top of the class. It steamrolled into moving up year after year, then making it into the big leagues.”

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Directing our National Pastime The umpire school he attended (Wendelstedt Umpire School) not only bears the family name and was run by his father, Harry, but also has a long and storied history. “The school was started in 1932 by a guy named Bill McGowan. From him, it transferred over to Al Somers. Dad became a part of the school in 1962 and took it over in 1976 when Somers got into a bad car accident. Dad’s been in some bad

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health, so I’m kind of running things now. I call him the Bobby Bowden of the program. Technically, he’s the main man, but everybody behind the scenes is taking care of it,” Wendelstedt says.

Harry umpired in the big leagues for 33 years and trained hundreds of umpires.

“He worked five World Series, five AllStar games and countless playoffs. He’s a future Hall of Famer, no doubt,” says Wendelstedt. When enshrined in Canton, Harry will join only nine other umpires honored there. Harry’s reputation was as a fair, firm and accurate umpire.

The school trains everyone from amateur umpires looking to sharpen their skills in calling games on the playground to experienced umpires looking towards a career in the big >> M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

61

leagues.

“Every single baseball game, no matter what level, is important to somebody.” Hunter says he stresses this to his students at umpire school. “That t-ball game is important to the kids playing, it’s important to the grandpa watching his grandson—that’s the way every single umpire needs to look at it.

The guy working that Little League game is just as important as I am working the Boston/New York game.

People don’t understand that. If I’m

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working a game with the two worst teams in the league, to somebody that game is important.”

Umpire school is about more than the nuts-and-bolts of the game. “Sure, it’s about day one, when I stand up there and go, ‘Here’s a baseball. Here’s a bat. Here’s a mask. This is how you take your mask off.’ That progresses to bean balls and obstructions and interference and missed plays and appeals.” But, Wendelstedt says, “Umpire school is also about life, and something that people need to realize about life is that you have to be honest with yourself. I think that’s where umpires are the best.

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I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

with ourselves and have to be honest with other people, too.”

Unlike other sports, baseball allows players, coaches or managers to come onto the field and question the umpire’s decision if they believe it is in violation of the rules. If a football coach leaves the sideline to question a referee, the team will get a 15-yard penalty. In basketball, a technical foul would be called on a coach who comes onto the court. However, Wendelstedt says, “In baseball, if they come out and want to talk about a possible misapplication of a rule or something they saw differently, as long as they conduct themselves like gentlemen, we’re going to listen.”

sacrificing time with my loved ones, my family.”

Major-league umpires spend almost half the year on the road, calling the three-game series teams play in the cities that are home to the 30 Major

happened), they’re going to be removed from the

League Baseball franchises.

game, because it’s usually followed up by—well, you can fill in the blank.”

So, in situations such as the McGwire ejection,

“We get certain weeks off throughout the year to come home and live a

photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

But, “There are parameters. When they start to throw their arms up and down to incite the crowd or take their hat off, we’re going to tell them to put it back on. There are different things we’re not going to let them get away with. One is verbal abuse directed at the umpire. When they preface anything with ‘you’ or ‘you are a _____’, unless it’s ‘you are the best umpire I’ve ever seen, Hunter’ (which has never

umpiring is a matter of maintaining control.

normal life, but usually,

Wendelstedt says that he, like his father, had to “earn his spurs, so to speak,” standing tall against players and coaches challenging his calls. He recalls that at one of Harry’s games, “[NBA player] Charles Barkley came into the umpires’ locker room, and after all the introductions and pleasantries were done, my old man said, ‘You know what. I’ve watched you and I’m a big fan. But you sure do give those NBA refs a lot of trouble.’ Barkley looked back at him and said, ‘Harry, I only give trouble to the ones that will take it.’”

every three days we’re doing the same thing. It’s Groundhog Day for us.

We’re checking out of the hotel, dropping off the rental car. Jump on a flight, take a nap, go work the game and two days later, we’re doing the same thing. I could be in Seattle on Monday and New York on Thursday and back in L.A. Sunday night.”

This is where having a strong family helps.

“Every single baseball game, no matter what level, is important to somebody.”

Wendelstedt has a family of sorts in the crew he travels and calls games with, but says, “For every umpire, photo COURTESY HUNTER WENDELSTEDT

there has to be a strong influence at home, because this is where it all starts, right here. I’m lucky that I have Katherine. She is my support system that keeps everything going. The hardest thing is being away from

Wendelstedt has always kept that in mind as players and managers test his limits. “There is a line there with me that up until that point, I’m going to be real fair. Once you cross that line, you’re going to be gone. As an umpire, we have the hammer. But if you use it too much, you’re going to crack your thumb.”

Umpiring, he says, is also about being willing to make sacrifices. “If you’re the umpire calling t-ball, you’re not getting paid. You’re sacrificing your time for the love of the game. If you’re the one doing college, you are getting paid; you’re sacrificing all of your weekends during baseball season to help the greatest game in the world. As for me,” Wendelstedt says, “I’m

home when something goes haywire. Every umpire has the same story. We’ll leave; it never fails. Two days out and you know you’re not going to be home for another 10 days, and the toilet overflows. It’s just something else that gets thrown on the wives.”

A Dangerous Game Baseball presents dangers beyond those presented by clashes with players, coaches and fans. Just being on the field can be hazardous to one’s health.

Wendelstedt explains, “You know going into the season that you’re going to get hurt at some point.

Bats are breaking at record levels now. Getting hit by a 100-mile-an-hour fastball—that’s not fun.”

Developing an “umpire’s instinct” is part of learning the craft, but it requires one to override one’s natural instinct. “It’s human nature, when there’s a >>

Above: A sampling of Hunter’s collection of autographed baseballs.

Left: An umpire-intraining learns the ins and outs of calling “out” at the Wendelstedt Umpire School.

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

63

photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

projectile coming towards you, you’re going to want to flinch or get out of the way,” Wendelstedt says.

“But the worst thing an umpire can do is turn. All the equipment is placed on the body to protect you in the front. By turning, you expose yourself to serious injury.” He says that despite training and experience, “You hope and pray it’s going to hit your shin guard

Katherine, and their daughters Bridgette and Haley goofing around at the ball fields in Madisonville.

64

“What’s the old saying?—‘Baseball has been berry

or chest protector or even your mask and not the bare

berry good to me?’” he says, putting on the comedic

part. But for some reason, it always finds the elbow or

accent that made the phrase famous. “It really has.” It’s

the arm where you don’t have protection.”

allowed many memorable experiences, among them a trip to China and Japan in 2008 to call a series of games in each country before the Summer Olympics that year.

“It was great seeing things you’ve only read about. The Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Summer Palace in China; it was really interesting. To see the differences between China and Japan was amazing.”

His baseball career also allows him to keep his home base in his adopted state. He’s only one flight away from most cities in the country, and says, “I’m living in Louisiana, a place that I love. I’m sending my children to good schools; they’re going to get a quality education.

“My wife asked me if I had any regrets—do I ever want to go back to Florida? And I told her heck no!

But I’m lucky to get to go back to Florida for umpire school and spring training and see my friends each year. I love Louisiana. It’s great. You will never get me out of here.”

Bringing It Home

Hunter, his wife,

me that comes up first on Google,” Wendelstedt says, adding, “I tell my wife, if you see me leading off Sports Center, just go ahead and turn the TV off. It’s not because they’re going to say, ‘Hunter Wendelstedt did a fine job tonight.’ Nothing good has happened if you see an umpire on Sports Center.

While it’s difficult for everyone in Wendelstedt’s life during the baseball season, he is blessed with having almost unlimited time with them during the off-season.

He gets to enjoy Saints games (as well as his Gators) and LSU games with his in-laws. He spends every day with daughters Bridgette and Haley. “I drive them to school every morning, and I pick them up from school every afternoon,” and makes up for the time away from wife Katherine. What does it take to be the wife of an umpire? “It takes a special woman. You have to have a lot of trust, you have to have a lot of faith and you just have to look at the big picture,” he says.

It can be tough, being in a profession that gives little recognition for the 99 percent of the time he’s right. “Controversy sells. Every single picture, it’s always me yelling at someone or someone yelling at

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by Katie Montelepre

INSIDE NORTHSIDE’S Outstanding Seniors are just too outstanding! The response from area high schools to our call for recognition was enthusiastic and overwhelming. The result is a delightful assortment of talented graduates with a variety of interests.

The young men and women featured on the following pages have excelled in many areas throughout their high school careers. The graduates’ interests range from academics and athletics to service and

the

arts.

Their

accomplishments

and

contributions to their schools and communities have been have been recognized by numerous awards.

Congratulations to the entire Class of 2011! We are proud of your successes and encourage you to continue to excel and pursue your dreams in the next phase of your life. We wish you luck in your future endeavors!

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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Covington High School Above: C-4 News Production team member Jay Bickham, basketball, football, Freshman Mentor. (international business). Daniel Thompson, Junior Jersey Assn. president, baseball, LSU Architectural and Interior Design Scholarship Award. (ULL-civil engineering). 2010 Homecoming Queen Rachel Smith, 2010 All-Star volleyball, basketball, softball. (dental hygiene). Student Council President Morgan Bollinger, NHS, Baseball Statisticians captain. (LSUstatistics). Top right: Kaitlin Bateman, Lion’s Roar editor, TP columnist, NHS VP, “I Dare You” Award winner. (SLU-education). National Merit Finalist and CHS Student of the Year Evan Rodick, CHS Swim Team, NHS. (mechanical engineering). Golden Silks Captain Traneshia Stormer, NHS. (pharmacy). Ben Conlin, Marching Lions Band, Eagle Scout, Boy’s State. (BYU-business management). Drama student Victoria Sumrall, NOCCA President’s Award winner, NHS member. (Yale-theatre studies and linguistics). Right: Ashley Vicari, Class President, Dancin’ Darlin’s captain, NHS, Girl’s State. (LSUdermatology). Justin Cannon, NHS, MOS and IC3 Certification. (SLU-computer science). Ashley Miller, NHS, MOS Certification. (SLU-nursing). Quenton Belanger, CHS website and DVD multi-media editor, school-wide tech support. (network administration). Talented Theatre student DeAngelo Renard, Show Choir, Literary Rally. (Northwestern State-theatre and music education).

Pope John Paul High School Left: Dance Team captain Karleigh Barkemeyer, Citizenship Award, NHS, Student Ambassador. (LSU-pediatrics). Rachael Noto, Student Council, Math Club, Student Ambassador, 2A Powerlifting State Champion. (LSU-fine arts). Jennifer West, NHS, Sanctity of Life club, Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony Award, Academic All-State in swimming and soccer. (LSU-animal science). Basketball and softball senior captain Nicole Saucier, Art club, Sanctity of Life club, choir, AllDistrict honors in softball. (Miss. Southern-pharmacy). Homecoming Queen Erin Wingerter, tennis team, enjoys running and painting, Randolph-Macon Book Award. (Miss. Southern-nursing and international studies). Below: Student Ambassador Austin Chautin, NHS, Liturgy Team. (pre-med). Nick Schaefer, Tulane Book Award, Outstanding Youth Award, choirs, retreat teams, Student Council and NHS. (Spring Hill College-business). Clyde Perkins, football, basketball and baseball teams, varsity football captain and Offensive MVP. (industrial engineering). Calvin Durel, Kevin Haynie Award, Student Ambassador, Student Council, National Youth Leadership Forum. (LSU-medicine or engineering). NHS president Austin Puntila, Wendy’s High School Heisman winner, 2A State Powerlifting Champion, Student Ambassador, basketball team, retreat team. (Spring Hill College-secondary education).

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Northlake Christian High School

RCHAL (Roman Catholic Homeschool Association of Louisiana) Right: TORCH Youth Group president Mary Seghers, Haller Classic Ballet, performs in St. Paul’s plays, helps in local community. (DeSales-dance). James C. Bertucci, local worship band, CCRNO youth events, full scholarship to SLU. (LSU or SLU-business/marketing). Rebecca Persigo, OLL Outstanding Young Adult Award, OLL Young Adult Choir, artwork featured in Spring for Art Festival. (SLU-business).

Rebecca A. Bourliea, Holy Ghost Youth Ministry, volunteers for Vacation Bible School, enjoys gymnastics. (Delta Collegemassage therapy and reflexology). Below: Bryant Matthew Scott, St. Peter Parish Teen Choir, plays and teaches guitar, lead role in To Kill A Mockingbird with Nicholls State University Players. (music). Alexandra Doucet, VP of TORCH Youth Group, St. Peter Parish Teen Choir, $10,000 Spanish scholarship from University of Dallas. (University of Dallaspolitical philosophy, Spanish). Crusaders for Life president Kathryn Theriot, Youth Leadership Award, square dancing with Y-Knots of Hammond. (SLU-elementary education).

TORCH Teen Council member Dustin Williams, vocalist in the Shady Characters band, Southeastern Scholars Program.

(SLU-computer science, information technology).

Above: Emily Bounds, Variety Show, Yearbook, a lead role in Fly, choreography for elementary musical Seussical. (SLU-special education). Baseball player Josh Vasalech, West St. Tammany’s Student of the Year Award, Sinceritas Award, NHS, Praise Team. (La. Tech-engineering). NHS officer Autumn Latour, Top 30 Louisiana College Scholarship, Randolph-Macon Woman’s College Book Award. (La. College-mathematics) Left: Micah Agresta enjoys football, basketball and golf; NHS Mission Trip Scholarship to Prague, Czech Republic. (game design). Derek Williams II enjoys sports and community service.

Division 2A and All-District Coach’s All-State Running Back. (La. Tech or Millsaps-vet medicine). Student Body President and varsity cheerleading captain Carli Bodnar, NHS, publications editor, PJ’s Bible Study leader. (LSU-public relations). Jackie Gross, NHS officer, George Eastman Young Leaders Award, DAR Good Citizen Award, Ignatian Scholarship to Loyola. (biochemistry).

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St. Scholastica Academy Above right: Golf team co-captain Lauren Barattini, St. Peter Parish KC Youth Leadership Award, Coach’s Award for golf, Covington Rotary Club Christmas meal delivery. (liberal arts). Susan Broadbridge, Student Minister, cross country. (Miss. Southern-photojournalism).AP Scholar Allison Dastugue, Notre Dame’s Summer Scholars Program, NHS, varsity basketball, varsity softball. (Notre Dame-physical therapy). Caroline Dussom, Excalibur Science Honor Society, NHS, Student Council,AP Scholar with Honor and Emory Scholarship Honor nominee. (Tulane Universitychemistry). National Merit Finalist Sophie Giberga Senior Class President, swim team captain, Color Guard, Regional Non-Public Student of the Year, National Hispanic Scholar. (pre-med, liberal arts) Above: Science Club president Elizabeth Holzenthal, a Color Guard lieutenant, Quiz Bowl co-captain,AP Scholar with Honor. (engineering). College Board AP Scholar Laura Iverson, co-president of Spanish Club, Library Club, Mu Alpha Theta, Emile Navarre Scholarship. (engineering). National Merit Finalist Carly Loveland, cross country, piano, Excalibur Science Honor Society president,AP Scholar with Honor. (biomedical engineering). Kristen McDaniel, NHS president, Student Council Executive VP, softball, volleyball, track,WWL A+ Student Athlete, Emory Scholarship Honor nominee, Gold Sports Award. (pre-med). Student Council Homeroom Class Officer Olivia McNulty,Teen Cross New Orleans, St.Anselm CYO. (Guarlet Award Scholarship from Spring Hilleducation). Varsity tennis MVP Elise Michaelis, Student Minister, NHS, Excalibur Science Honor Society, Gold Sports Award. (Samford University). Right: Color Guard captain Ashleigh Pichon, Student Council, NHS, Mu Alpha Theta. (LSU). Student Council President Catherine Schroeder,AP Scholar, state finalist for U.S. Senate Youth Program, committee director of Spanish Club, Annie, Marguerite Celestin Scholarship. (pre-med).AP Scholar Payton Spell, secretary of Spanish Club,Times-Picayune reporter, Benedictine Players. (U. of Texas at Austin-broadcast journalism). Cross-country athlete Mallory Stubbs, created Senior Class candle. (Miss. Southern-graphic design). Sarah Thiel, Cross Country Coach’s Award, Student Council, NHS, Cross Country State Championship team. (Miss. Southern-physical therapy).

Archbishop Hannan High School Above: Ryan Deffes placed first at the 2010 Powerlifting Invitational Meet, Mu Alpha Theta, NHS. (LSUkinesiology). Basketball Letterman Katelyn Donnelly, 2010-11 Student Council Executive Board, NHS, Tulane Book Award. (LSU-pre-law). 2010 Homecoming Queen Meaghan Jeansonne, Senior Class President, NHS president, Student Ambassador president. (LSU-law). Student Body Secretary Melanie Hogan, cheerleading secretary, NHS, Principal’s Award winner. (LSU-nursing or psychology). Stuart Seiler, Student Council President, All-District baseball and football, Student Mentor Award winner. (LSU-medicine) Right: Blaize Bacas, NHS, Campus Ministry, Pro-Life. (St. Joseph Seminary). Baylé Jenkins, cheerleading officer, Student Body VP, NHS secretary, English award winner. (Spring Hill-biology). Brandi Wozniak, St. Peter Parish Teen Choir, NHS, Student Council Executive Board, School Choir. (Loyola-music therapy). Courtney Allbritton, Spirit Club president, SADD president, NHS VP, volleyball Coach’s Award, Principal’s Award winner. (La. Techmechanical engineering). Student Ambassador William LeBouef, Vocal Music and Drama Club, Boys’ State.

(SLU-political science) Below: Stephanie Barré, Student Council Executive Board, NHS, Spirit Club, Best Attitude Award and Ambassador of Kindness Award winner. (LSU-pharmacy). Football Letterman and Senior Class VP Steven Lambou, NHS, 1st Team All-District football. (LSU-biological sciences). Kayla Rebouche, 1st Team All-District basketball, Student Council Executive Board, SADD, Pro-Life, softball Coach’s Award, Patrick F. Taylor Award. (UNO-hotel restaurant and tourism). Basketball Letterman Joshua Thibodaux, pole vaulting district champion, NHS, Campus Ministry, Mu Alpha Theta. (SLU-nursing). Kelsey King, NHS PR Officer, Campus Ministry, Student Ambassador. (USM-psychology).

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Northshore High School Above right: Back row: National Merit Scholar Andy Zhou, First Robotics Team 1912, varsity tennis. (Stanford-electrical/biomedical engineering). Mu Alpha Theta president Michael Fishman, National Merit Scholar, varsity soccer captain, NHS. (pre-med). Student Council Secretary Martin “Julian” Nunez IV, band, crosscountry team. (Loyola-education or composition). Front row: National Merit Finalist Alyssa Lessing, Robotics Club, Senior Class Representative. (Franciscan University-computer science and theology). Creative Writing Club president Iva Cramer, National Merit Scholar, Beta Club, Art Club. (engineering). Michelle McElroy, National Merit Finalist, Student of the Year, Student Body President, Prowler editor-in-chief, NHS parliamentarian. (LSU-kinesiology, physical therapy).

Karen Carney, 2009-2010 Outstanding Band Officer of the Year, Girl Scouts, NHS. (LSU-elementary education) Top: Varsity cheerleading co-captain Jaime Jackson, Juniors in Service, NHS, Key Club. (Miss. Southern). Trina Morris, Miss NHS, marching band letterman, captain of Lady Panthers’ basketball team, FCA. (SLU-nursing). Varsity cheerleader captain Sara Hazelwood, Leadership Award from Universal Cheer Association, yearbook editor, NHS. (LSU-mathematics).

Victoria Peterson, cheerleading cocaptain, broadcasting editor, Talented Theater, NHS, Thespian Society. (Miss.

Southern) Above: Chris Miller, 2011 Louisville Slugger All-American Watch List, three-year baseball letterman, Fellowship of Christian Athletes. (Nicholls-business).

1st Team All-District Pitcher Jacob Corbin, Student Council, Key Club. (LSUengineering). Tim McGrath, Eagle Scout, NHS, Key Club, co-president of FCA, WWL-TV A+ Athlete, winner of Wendy’s Heisman. (Miss. State-aerospace engineering). Andre Smedstad, cocaptain of the Panthers’ swim team, USA Swimming Scholastic All-American in 2010, Greater New Orleans Metro Swim League Outstanding Male Swimmer of 2010. (East Carolina-biological sciences).

Mandeville High School Above left: Back row: Nichole Freeman, Executive Officer of JROTC Marine Corps, volleyball team captain, NHS, track and field team. (Air Force Academy-aeronautical engineering). Football player Ryan Niedermair, Best Buddies VP, Camp Tiger Paws counselor, ABC26 Student Athlete of the Week, All-State Academic Football Team (premed). Key Club President Francesca Rosato, Spirit Club officer, Class Senator, Skipper Scholar. (LSU-kinesiology). Front row: NHS VP Lori Gentile, Most Outstanding Student in Medical Terminology, Most Dedicated Cheerleader, cheerleading co-captain, Life on Purpose member. (LSU-biology). Senior Class President Elijah Levee, NHS member, four-time state wrestling champion, WWL/McDonald’s A+ Athlete, Wendy’s High School Heisman Finalist. (Air Force Academy-wrestling, aviation and/or medicine).

Above right: Back row: Drum major Adrian Rotondo-McCord, first chair in Louisiana All-State Symphony. (music education). Life on Purpose President Matthew “Matt” Duris, varsity football, varsity track and field, Academic All-State Football Team, Principal’s Award. (LSU-psychology). Front row: Student Council President Annette Hebert, Talented Art, Academic Achievement Awards, 2009-2010 Outstanding Student Council Member. (LSU-biochemistry). Left: Back row: Catherine Tucker, National Merit Finalist, Science Club president. (biochemistry). Alex Nisbet, College Board Siemens Award, Youth and Government Club, Political Thinkers Club. (mathematics). Melissa “Missy” McGuire, culinary competition team, varsity soccer co-captain. (Nicholls-culinary arts). Front Row: Madeline “Maddie” Miller, Talented Music student, Encore Show Choir, NHS, All-State Mixed Choir. (LSU-music education).

MHS Student of the Year John “Tyler” Morgan, Outstanding Male Actor award.

(Alabama-business management).

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Salmen High School Above left: Catherine Callan, DECA, NHS, Beta Club, Interact, Mu Alpha Theta, first in Emerging Business Issues for FBLA District Competition. (LSU or Loyolasystems engineering). Kick-Off Mentor Arionne Pierce, DECA, most service hours for Juniors in Service, started First Priority at Salmen High. (Dillard-international business). Crishawn Dupuy, Kick-off Mentor, football, power lifting, track, Beta Club. (full athletic scholarship U. of Miami in Ohio). Beta Club VP Rebekah Hodges, NHS, cross country, tennis, Kick-Off Mentor, National Leadership Achievement Award. (Miss. Southern-elementary education). Jackie La, Interact VP, DECA treasurer, Kickoff Mentor, NHS, National Leadership Award. (full scholarship to Xavier University-pre-med). Above right: Shelby Bowman,Times Picayune student columnist, ROTC Color Guard,VFW and DAR awards for Academic Excellence and Leadership. (SLU-pre-vet). Penny Lala, Kick-off Mentor, Mu Alpha Theta tutor, NHS, Beta Club, first in calculus at District Literary Rally. (engineering). Timothy “TJ” Price, Kick-Off Mentor, numerous athletic

scholarship offers, Basketball All-District, 2010 All-State basketball MVP, football AllDistrict. Superior ROTC Cadet Rebekah Grommon, soccer Academic All-Star, Interact, Juniors In Service. (English). Cheerleading Rookie of the Year Brandy Campbell, broadcasting,VOICE club, First Priority, Student Council. (mass communications). Left: Student Council President and Spanish Club secretary Ariel Glover, state finalist for America’s Homecoming Queen, yearbook, Basketball Sweetheart. (Xavier-pre-law). NHS president Alan Cox, Student Council VP, crosscountry captain, Cross Country Coach’s Award, first in Business for DECA State Competition. (SLU-nursing). FBLA VP Nadezhda “Nadia” Raskina, Spanish Club, Interact, Beta Club, cross country, first in the National Figure Skating Championship and in Free Enterprise at the District Literary Rally, National Leadership Achievement Award. (UNO-finance). Kick-off Mentor Eddie Brooks, football, power lifting. (Southern of Baton Rouge-mathematics teacher). Shannon Crochet, cheerleading captain, Coach’s Award for Cheerleading, Student Council Class Representative, Kick-off Mentor, NHS member. (SLU-Nursing)

Pearl River High School Left: Gabrielle Walker, basketball, NHS, track and field state finalist, MVP in field events. (LSU-pre-med). NJROTC Commanding Officer Chelsea Adams, NHS, soccer, Principal’s Award, Outstanding Jr. Cadet. (LSU-civil engineering).

Joshua Mesman, president and co-founder of First Priority, NHS historian, Mu Alpha Theta VP, Excellence Medal in ROTC. (LSU-pre-med). Ryan Laughlin, Freedom Foundation Award, George Washington Honor Medal, NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, St. Peter and Paul Bible School volunteer. (Loyola-economics). Sigma Rho Pi president Miranda Craddock, Mu Alpha Theta,Academic Allstate volleyball, Principal’s Award. (LSU-pre-law). Below left: NHS president and National Merit Commended Student Luke Stark, delegate for the Congressional Academy for American History and Civics, Mu Alpha Theta, FFA Treasurer. (Cornell University-food science). Heather Polk, First Priority, NHS, Coach’s Award for softball,Academic Athlete for basketball and softball, Amplify Leadership Conference. (ULL-exercise science, physical therapy). Dance team captain Hillary Nunez, Mu Alpha Theta, Beta Club, community service at STARC, Principal’s Award. (SLU-engineering or pharmacy). Beta Club officer Kaitlyn Fickle, Juniors in Service, Mu Alpha Theta, Principal’s Award, National PTA Reflection’s winner in Film. (SLU-business/marketing). Matthew Flores, Scholar Athlete Award, enjoys football, Spanish Club, Mu Alpha Theta. (UNOfilm arts). Below: Louisiana Girls’ State Representative Nancy Scott, Foreign Language Club, Rebel HD Media Club, Principal’s Award. (McNeese-mass communication). John Dillon, Mu Alpha Theta, enjoys track and skateboarding.

(LSU-general studies). Class Treasurer Whitney Harris, Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta,Academic All-State volleyball team. (SLU or LSU-business).

St. Paul’s School Above left: Seated: Eagle Scout Ryan Harlan, Mu Alpha Theta, Marching Wolves, 2010 Overall Regional Science Fair Winner, Brother Alfred Baltz Service Award. (Washington University-chemical engineering). Josue Breaux, Marching Wolves,Air Force Junior ROTC, Licensed Private Pilot, Commander of Civil Air Patrol Unit. (U.S. Naval Academy-military career). Standing: Student Council Executive Board Member Elliott Thompson, George Washington National Writing Award, Mu Alpha Theta, NSHSS, varsity swim team. (medical research, medical practice). Blake Jurasin, Concert Band, Marching Wolves, Jazz Band, Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence from the U.S. Marines. (Berklee College of Music-music business, guitar).Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Commander Korey Miller, three-time State Wrestling Champion, four-time Louisiana Classic Champion, member of the Varsity Iron Wolves. (pharmacy). Above right: Bradley Hollingsworth, Marching Wolves, Sax Quartet, Catholic Youth Leadership Award, Knights of Columbus Patriotism Award, Order of Saint LaSalle Service Award. (theology and philosophy). J.D. Gardner,Art Hero for Literary Rally, enjoys lacrosse, art and computer technology. (Pratt Institute for Digital Arts). Harrison Richard, president of Student Council and Mu Alpha Theta, Habitat for Humanity, Louisiana Student Council. (economic law and public policy). Lasallian Youth Leaders president Adam Grashoff, District III Governor of Mu Alpha Theta State Board, Eric Kolb Memorial Scholarship. (LSU Honors College-mathematics). In-line hockey team captain Alexander Sibley, Marion Players, liturgical band, Eagle Scout, Eucharistic Minister. (Spring Hill-medicine).

Right: Seated: Beau Gambel, Spanish Club president and Quiz Bowl team captain, small-business owner, Darren Boudreaux Scholarship, Order of Saint LaSalle Service Award. (Tulane or University of Texas at Austin-finance). Carew Ferguson,Youth Leader at First Baptist Church of Covington, World Changes mission trips, Mu Alpha Theta, Brother Alfred Baltz Service Award.

(Miss. State-architecture). Standing: Lasallian Youth Leaders VP Craig Henry, Eucharistic Minister, District IX Honor Band, John Philip Sousa Award, Outstanding Drum Major at Lafayette Music Drum Major Camp. (Alabama). Thomas Read, NHS, state championship soccer team, Student Host Leader. (scholarship to Texas A&M-petroleum engineering).

Slidell High School Above Left: Senior Class President Paul Rivera, FCA worship leader,Tiger of the Month,Tiger Achievement awards. (SLU-communications). Nicholas Ferguson, Mu Alpha Theta, cross-country, track,Tiger Achievement Award. (LSU-mechanical engineering). Senior Class VP Kevin Roark, Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award, Mu Alpha Theta, NHS. (Columbia-engineering). Baseball letterman Nicholas Wiebelt, FCA, NHS, 1st Team AllDistrict Baseball Team. (ULL-mechanical engineering).

Chris Burch, football letterman, All-State Academic, Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta, NHS. (LSU-pre-med). Below left: Rachael Welborn, Swingerettes Dance Team captain, NHS, Creative Dance Competition Team. (LSU-business management).

Student of the Year and St. Tammany Parish finalist Alyssa Johnson, Mu Alpha Theta president, NHS Tutoring chairperson, AP Scholar, First Violin section of Greater New Orleans Youth Symphony. (Tulane or Rhodes College-premed). Swim team letterman Jared Meredith, high point male swimmer, placed first in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle at state championship. (RIT and UNO-engineering or science). NHS president Amy Braud, cheerleading co-captain, Mu Alpha Theta secretary and Louisiana Girls State Representative. (LSU-petroleum engineering). Tiger Achievement Award recipient Alexander Pierce qualified for the 2010 State Cross Country Championship, track team, Thespians, Beta Club.

(LSU-engineering). Above right: Hannah Manetta, FCA Huddle Leader, cross-country state competitor, Tiger Mascot, NHS, Times-Picayune columnist. (Lewis & Clark College-international affairs). SHS Choir president Emily Wright, NHS, FCA, SAGA court. (SLU-choral music education). Beta Club president Myles Brumfield enjoys track and field, American Legion Boys State. (LSU-communications, law school). National Merit Finalist Mason Varnado enjoys reading and keeping his classmates entertained. (history/political science). Taylor Bennett, Mu Alpha Theta, Beta Club, soccer, Louisiana Girls State. (New York University-biology).

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Fontainebleau High School Top left: Back row: Alan Tipton, All-District soccer, Soccer Pride and Cross Country Coach’s Award. (LSU-civil engineering). Trumpet section leader Zachary Sirera, Jazz Band trumpet section leader, head of residential design, Architectural Drafting. (LSU-architecture or civil engineering). Derek Weidlein, National Merit Finalist, swim team captain. (Texas A&M-chemical engineering).

Front row: St. Tammany High School Student of the Year Morgan Laurent, LYS Outstanding Delegate, Voice of Democracy state winner. (Tulane-theatre and pre-physical therapy). Sarah Grace Sirera, goalie for the District Champion Girls’ soccer team, Academic All-State soccer team. (LSU-law). Top right: Back row: Cody Love, Jazz Band. (SLU-history and creative writing). Carley Furlan, Exchange Club student of the year, musician, National Forensics League qualifier. (SLU-nursing). Carson Cromartie, Talented Theatre Student of the Year. (U. Connelectrical engineering and theatre production). Front row: Ashley Grillot, cross-country team leader award, Literary Rally first place winner. (USM). Katherine Barrack. (accepted into early-entry pharmacy school at Ole Miss).

Below: Back row: Stephen Patin, Crimson Band drum major, Boys State, Easter Seals Team Captain. (LSUbiochemistry). Aubrey LeMaire, class VP, cheerleading captain, Tiger Excellence Scholars award winner. (LSU-nurse anesthetist). Casey Adkins, Homecoming Court, soccer.

(USM-nursing). Ryan Brooks, football team captain. (LSUkinesiology). Front row: Katherine Pashkevich, crosscountry team co-captain, NHS. (Auburn).

St. Thomas Aquinas High School Above left: Laken Sciortino, Diocesan St.Timothy Award, Neighbors Way Sisterhood Award, NHS, Diocesan Youth Board, STA Ambassadors. (SLU-science education). Ted Hudspeth Jr., STA Ambassadors, NHS, Beta Club, has his own business as a DJ, volunteers at the Ponchatoula Strawberry Jam and Toast to the Arts. (LSU-medicine).

Michael Davis, National Merit Finalist, plays bass in church band, NHS, placed twice at the State Literary Rally in Science.

(Georgia Tech or LSU-bio-medical engineering). Jordyn Becerra,Academic All-State in track and cross country, Key Club president, NHS historian, Beta Club, all-metro crosscountry team. (Millsaps College or SLU-biology). STA Ambassador Katie Durham, NHS, Beta Club,Academic AllState in Cross Country. (Furman, Rhodes or Baylor-biology).

Above right: Kneeling: Rebecca Hausknecht, volunteer at North Oaks Hospital, NHS, Campus Ministry, Holy Ghost Church Youth Group. (ULL-psychology and pre-med). Sitting: Student Council Secretary Becky Mannino, drama, Campus Ministry, NHS, designed dance backdrops and dance team costumes. (SLU-graphic design). Student of the Year Andrew Wisecarver enjoys cross country, NHS. (LSU or Birmingham Southern in Alabama-pre-med). Elizabeth Gambel, NHS, Beta Club and STA Ambassadors, page for Louisiana House of Representatives, created “Tangi Cause for Paws.”

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(veterinary medicine). Standing: Richmond “Beau” Morrison films STA football games, basketball games and drama performances, creates end-of-season highlight films. (LSU-mass communications). Below Right: Hank Perrilloux, football team captain,Academic All-State in football and baseball, NHS, Beta Club, STA Ambassadors, Campus Ministry. (Appalachian State University or University of South Alabama). Student Council VP Carmen Brothers,Academic All-State in cross country and track, STA’s 10th consecutive Individual State Champion in cross country. (Miss. State). David Cox,Academic All-State in baseball, NHS, Holy Ghost Church Choir and Louisiana District 9 Honor Band, Louisiana All-State Band and nominated for National Honor Band.

(SLU-chemistry). Rebekah Greer, MVP for the 2010 District 8 2A Girls Basketball State Championship Game, 1st Team All-District in basketball,Academic All-State in track, NHS, Campus Ministry. (Loyola Universitypsychology and pre-med).

Above Left: Lauren Scardina, Beta Club Reporter, NHS, soccer. (USM-pre-dentistry/biological sciences). Senior Class Secretary Blakely Aucoin, Beta Club, softball. (LSUbusiness). Brittany Arnold, NHS treasurer, Flag Team captain, Beta Club. (ULL-education). Crystal Gonzalez, Student Council President, Class VP and Beta Club VP, NHS, basketball, 2011 Junior Beta Scholarship recipient, Homecoming Queen. (SLU-kinesiology). Below: Rose DePaula, President’s Shining Star award, Student of the Year, Torbotics Team #2080, Key Club, Octavians. (SMUbiomedical engineering). Vernell Banks, A+ Athlete, Torbotics Team #2080, NHS, All-State Academic football team. (civil engineering). Millard McElwee, Torbotics Team #2080 captain, Beta Club president, Key Club, NHS, soccer. (Columbia-civil engineering).

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First Baptist Christian School Above: Front row: Basketball and volleyball team captain Hannah Jones, Beta Club, Student Council, SADD, Passion for Purity, Academic All-State for basketball and volleyball.

(SLU). Kaila Kelley, Student Council, Beta Club, SADD. (SLU-nursing). Back row: Daniel Benasco basketball, cross-country state championship team, Beta Club (SLU-pre-med).

Heisman State Finalist Caleb Earhart, cross-country champion, basketball, Beta Club, SADD, Student Council. (UNO-engineering). Right: Front row: Brady Sehmi, State Literary Rally, Student Council, Beta Club, SADD. (SLU-nursing). Yearbook editor, Hillary Carter, Beta Club, SADD, Passion for Purity. (SLU). Cheerleader Victoria Colgan, Student Council, Passion for Purity, Beta Club. (SLU-criminal justice). Back row: Homecoming King Donovan Fredericks, basketball, Beta Club. (SLU-industrial engineering). Craig Schayot, crosscountry state championship team, basketball, track. (SLU-pre-med or biochemistry).

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St. Stanislaus College Above: Front row: Garrett Muckleroy, Youth Legislature, NHS, 2010 State Championship soccer team.

(Washington & Lee University). Brent Murphy,Youth Governor of Miss.

YMCA Youth Legislature, SSC swim team captain. (psychology and biology).

Back row: FCA member Daniel Grieves, District 8-4A basketball MVP, 2011 State Championship basketball team, track team, Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen basketball team. (U.S.Air Force Academy-behavioral science).

National Merit Finalist and Mu Alpha Theta president Alec Szczechowski, Speaker Pro Tem of YMCA Youth Legislature, swim team captain, recipient of the Coach’s Award. (Miss. State-aeronautical and mechanical engineering). Eagle Scout Morey Wood, National Merit Finalist, STAR student, NHS, Key Club,Youth Legislature. (computer science). Right: Front row: Brandon Bunol, Most Outstanding Lobbyist of YMCA Youth Legislature, NHS treasurer, Student Minister. (U. of Miss.-biology). Eagle Scout Patrick Stovall, President Pro Tem of Senate at YMCA Youth Legislature, NHS, 2009 State Championship football team. (U. of Miss.-biomedical engineering).

Eagle Scout and golf team captain Christian Hymel, 2010 State Championship soccer team, FCA, Diocese of Biloxi SEARCH team, Outstanding Legislature Award from YMCA Youth Legislature. (Miss. State-aerospace engineering,Air Force ROTC). Back row: Key Club president Ryan Weitzel, NHS, Speaker of the House for YMCA Youth Legislature. Jake Forstall, a strong leader, 2010 State Championship soccer team. (Millsaps Collegepsychology). Below: Chris Frigo, Student Council President and FCA VP, Clarion Ledger All-State football player, MS/AL All-Star Game captain. (LSU-political science). Robotics Team captain Alex Lalejini, interned two summers at the Naval Research Laboratory, first in Computer Science at the Miss. Math and Science Competition. (Miss.

State-computer science). Andrew McGinity, FCA, 2010 State Championship baseball team, soccer, Student Ministry. (Miss. Southern-nursing). Kollin Cannon, 2009 State Championship football team, 2010 State Championship soccer team, 2010 State Championship baseball team. (Pearl River Community College-education).

National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar James Kergosien, varsity football statistician, soccer team, Holy Trinity Elementary basketball coach. (Clemson or Colorado School of Mines-engineering).

THE ECONOMY HAS UNDERGONE tumultuous times lately, and we have seen many changes in the workplace as a result. Some industries are thriving, while others are now dwindling. There are also new entrants that did not even exist before now. For example, take the creation of green jobs. For someone interested in the environment, jobs in this new burgeoning industry are a bright option for those properly educated and trained. Green jobs are those that help the environment, such as agricultural and environmental engineers, conservationists, environmental scientists and technicians, geoscientists, hydrologists, landscape architects and

Choosing a Career in this Economy

by Cindy Harlan

urban planners.

With change comes the need to adapt and take action. For some, it may mean choosing a career in an

Can any of the jobs realistically be converted into your career?

When you have explored your career choices and

entirely different field. For others, it means changing

discovered a good fit, you will find many jobs that

the way we think about our career and modifying our

will keep you pointed in the right direction.

path accordingly or even acquiring additional training

Remember that a job is not always a career. Many

and education.

Many students today are questioning what their

people have jobs, but not necessarily a fulfilling career. When you begin, you may be looking for any

futures will hold. They not only wonder where to study, but what to study. Following your passions and seeking careers that align with your skill set will help to create your own career path. Choosing a career is a complex process that involves learning enough about yourself and potential occupations to make an informed decision. Take a look inside yourself. Decide what you can and cannot do to be effective in the world. The process is a self-discovery, and most students find that they love learning about themselves and their own strengths and weaknesses.

A good starting place is to complete a personality and skills assessment. Once completed, carefully review the results and analyze their accuracy. Can you draw connections between your personality type and the career clusters reported to you? Would the recommended jobs produce a sense of fulfillment?

job, but by seeking employment that aligns with your skill set and areas of interest, you will be creating your own career path. It takes a combination of talent, skill, education and experience to achieve success; even taking an entry-level position in the appropriate field moves you forward in your career goals. While money does not necessarily lead to job satisfaction, you should always consider earnings when evaluating career choices. However, enjoying what you do is more likely to lead to satisfaction, success and lasting fulfillment.

Another great start in the evaluation process is to shadow someone in the field you are considering.

Many businesses allow students to spend a day or half-day shadowing an employee in order to gain a firsthand view of the day-to-day workings of their company. Summer internships are also available for >> M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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students willing to invest their time and talents. Many summer internships are nonpaying but can be invaluable experiences for learning what is and is not a good career fit. Take advantage of opportunities to ask questions about what people like and dislike about their jobs and what has changed or will be changing in their industry. Remain flexible and be prepared to adapt to changing trends.

Research the ties between academic pursuits and career objectives. Students considering a banking or finance career should acquire a broad understanding of political developments around the world as they have a direct effect on our financial markets. A degree in foreign language is desirable in today’s workplace because of our global economy. Students that major in subjects involving a rigorous amount of reading and writing, art history, the classics or literature are at a distinct advantage for a career in business and law. Even theatre majors acquire skills that are applicable to the courtroom for future litigators. Proficiency in writing is

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a sought-after skill and is a large component in medical school admissions because the health industry is so keyed to patient care. If students can prove themselves through articulate writing, it is viewed as a transferable skill for professional communications or scripting a business plan.

Today’s students are ideal candidates for tomorrow’s jobs because of their energy and enthusiasm. New college graduates are an investment in the future if they remain willing to learn and to take on a variety of roles and responsibilities. Some professionals would even suggest that this is the best time to enter the workforce, as new hires will be well positioned for the next phase of growth and expansion.

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Book Report

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course In Getting His Kid Into College

by Andrew Ferguson

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ON ANY NORMAL DAY, your teenager

mail, Ferguson knew what was

couldn’t care less about the Postal Service. Oh, sure, there’s some interest around his birthday when the mail might hold a card with a “little extra” from Grandma, but e-mail and text are his main communications tools. Snail mail is old school.

But then there’s that period in life when the mailbox is your teen’s favorite hangout, the postal carrier is his best friend and e-mails are forgotten in favor of thick catalogs and fat letters. In the new memoir, Andrew Ferguson’s Crazy U, you’ll find out how one father helped his son push the envelope right into college.

When the glossy brochures and hefty viewbooks began arriving in the

happening: his 16-almost-17-year-old son had landed on a national list of high school juniors. And it was time for Junior to start thinking about college.

But things were different from when Ferguson was in high school. What had been a “fairly brief and straightforward process” had become complicated, confusing and expensive. It was no longer possible to apply for school, get accepted, then leave home without leaping through several hoops and over piles of paper. Ferguson went on a mission to find out why.

Not long ago, he discovered, college leaders looked at the future with lumps in their throats: not everybody aspired

to higher education and jobs were plentiful without a degree. Faced with possible declining enrollment in the 1970s, administrators used “every technique of modern marketing” to urge high schoolers to matriculate. Today, about 60 percent of 18-to-21-year-olds attend college.

By sitting in on a high-priced seminar with a notable college admissions counselor, Ferguson learned that applications need a nuanced touch and that the money you throw at fancy lessons may be wasted. From the man behind the U.S. News & World Report magazine, he discovered that college ranking numbers can be “massaged” and conflicting.

Ferguson took the SAT test with his son, who had a higher score. He slogged through an Olympian pile of catalogs and a maze of bank-baring financial forms. Together, father and son tackled essays and campus visits. Then, in a blink, all that was left to do was wait and hope that the longed-for college liked what they saw …

Does a college-bound child mean an emptier nest in your future? Then you’ll surely see your own household inside Crazy U. With a journalist’s eye for facts and a father’s eye for the absurd, author Andrew Ferguson shoves aside pomp and circumstance to explain why getting into college has become such an ordeal and how harried parents can survive the process. While those explanations can get bogged down by minutiae now and then, Ferguson keeps his audience’s attention by liberally applying his sense of humor about the whole thing. That makes this book funny as well as useful.

If there’s a future Class of 2017 member in your house, read this book.

You’ll both need help to keep your sanity, and Crazy U does that to the letter.

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by Stephen Faure

FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, local public television station WYES-TV has worked “to inform, teach,

illuminate and inspire” its audience by offering programs and other activities focusing on education and public and cultural affairs—as well as entertainment. Its high-caliber national program service, coupled with productions that showcase our distinct local culture, has earned Channel 12 the largest television audience in its history. As many as one million viewers in the area centered in New Orleans that includes Southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Thibodaux to Hammond and Biloxi tune in each week.

The station’s impact is not limited to its local audience, however. Over the years, many of its unique An auction scene from the days when WYES was on Channel 8.

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award-winning programs have been seen nationally—and 80 percent of public television stations across the country have committed to run the station’s newest effort, Chef John Besh’s New Orleans, which premiered April 2 of this year.

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IN’s Stephen Faure was given the opportunity to talk one-on-one with several of the station’s key personnel, who graciously shared the WYES story for our readers.

“It’s so ironic that I’m sitting here,” Randall Feldman says, as he looks out over the 17th Street Canal from his Metairie office in Heritage Plaza. “This canal broke about a mile up and sent water down to Navarre Avenue and flooded us with 5 feet of water, which is why I’m sitting here right now. This is our third set of temporary offices.” President and general manager of WYES-TV, New Orleans’ first public television station, Feldman and his staff have battled challenge after challenge since Katrina’s flood tore in half the building that Channel 12 had called home for nearly 50 years.

“We’re still trying to recover,” Feldman says. All in all, though, the station has coped remarkably well.

While the office staff has led somewhat of a nomadic life, the production team at the Navarre Avenue studios near City Park has made the best of the

vintage photos: COURTESY OF WYES

WYES

The Voice of New Orleans

photo: STEPHEN FAURE

crippled facility and began producing the local and national programming the station has become known for almost as soon as the water receded.

“It was really important to let people know that we [and the people of New Orleans] were still here,” says Beth Utterback, the station’s director of broadcasting. When Lakeview was basically still a ghost town, WYES began production of Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Always Cooking! “Chef Paul got on board, and we did 26 parts. There was nobody staying at the studio, and most of the houses in Lakeview still hadn’t been gutted.” The flood had caused the front half of the building, the station’s office space, to detach from the other half, which houses the production facilities. The office half could not be salvaged, and the first floor of the production area had flooded. The Prudhomme show was taped in the studio, but everything had to be done with a mobile production unit and trucked-in generators. “To get

that on the air was a big thing mentally, physically and financially,” Utterback says.

The Beginning of a New Orleans Voice In the early 1950s, the Federal Communications Commission began setting aside television channels for educational purposes. Feldman says, “A group of people in New Orleans decided that would be good to do. Three women got together: Pokie McIlhenny, Marion Abramson and Elizabeth Selley. They approached Darwin Fenner Sr. for a grant, and they were on their way. In 1953, the Greater New Orleans Educational Television Foundation was founded. In 1957, we went on the air.”

Utterback says, “This was the 12th public television station [in the country]. It was only on a few hours a day.”

Long-time viewers may remember that WYES >>

Steppin’ Out, hosted by Peggy Scott Laborde, is in its 25th season.

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part of. I used to race home so I’d be in time for Mr. Rodgers, because I thought Mr. Rodgers was speaking just to me,” Utterback recalls. “He liked me the way I was. Even then, I was pretty self-confident, but it was always nice to hear that.”

Children’s educational programming has remained the backbone of WYES’ daytime broadcasts. But, Utterback explains, public television has had to adapt to changes in media. “For years, we used to air the GED. Now people go online to do that. So we evolved. Our [daytime programming] has become more narrowed to children’s education. We also do outreach in schools.”

Showcasing our Culture WYES has excelled in producing shows that spotlight the unique flavor of our community, and continuing that legacy is important to station leaders.

Peggy Scott Laborde, senior producer, notes, “Certainly the role of public TV is to provide public TV programs, and a lot of stations nationally do just that. We’re very fortunate in that we also do a lot of local productions that hold a special place in the hearts of our audience.” with the ABC network affiliate on Channel 12. This

series is something that fits the nature of public television,

was important, because at that time almost every

in contrast to the local commercial network stations

television set had a dial that had to be physically turned to change channels; WYES was now unique,

whose local programming revolves around newscasts.

apart from the commercial networks at the other end of the dial. “The switch from Channel 8 to Channel 12 was one of the first things that saved WYES,” says Utterback. The ABC commercial station, in exchange for being placed with the other commercial networks, agreed to shoulder WYES’ transmitter expenses. “I was still a kid; I remember watching the changeover with my family. You had Channel 4, Channel 6 and Channel 8 over here, and then you had to go over there to change to 12. [WYES] liked not being in the middle of the network stations. It was a win-win situation.”

A Lakeview native, Utterback has been with the station for 30 years. “This year is my 30th year with WYES and 30 years since I met my husband,” who worked at the station and showed her around her first day. “Mr. Rodgers, The Electric Company and Zoom were all shows I grew up on and really wanted to be a 88

The ability to produce such in-depth, locally oriented

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“While news people are under the gun every single day, we have the luxury of really taking time in doing the research and pulling things together,” says Utterback.

“People look at these shows for years and years; they buy them and give them to their kids and grandkids for Christmas. It’s something that we’re proud of.”

“We work on local cultural legacy programming.

It is the core of what we do,” notes Feldman, who says that mission really hit home after the storm. “We thought that it was important, but we had no idea that it was an essential service until after Katrina, when viewers saw these shows on our air. They sent e-mails, stopped us on the street and made phone calls, all [sending the same message:] ‘Thank God, we’ve not lost our past.’”

Paul Combel is another long-time WYES employee. “I planted that big oak tree out front,” he jokes about the length of time he’s been there.

photo: COURTESY OF WYES

started out as Channel 8. In 1970, it swapped places

Combel came to the station in the early 1970s after finishing a tour of duty as an Air Force combat photographer in Vietnam. He recalls the general manager at the time told him, “‘You’re the only guy that’s applied for this job without long hair and a flowing gown,’ because of all the hippies at that time.”

Starting as a cameraman, Combel has been involved, in one aspect or another, in almost every show WYES has produced since. Now he’s an allaround handyman, set dresser, lighting technician and director of photography, and he ultimately provides quality control for everything shot in the studio.

His ingenuity helped breathe life back into the studio and keep it alive with limited resources after Katrina. “I throw all this together from what I have. It’s primitive, but it looks good on the air.

No matter what you see in here, it’s deceiving—the illusion, the smoke and mirrors that we pull off.” He’s not without help, though, to make things picture-perfect. “All our cameras are high-def, and also our monitors, so we’re pretty much up to speed with the technology.”

During his career, Combel’s made the transition from film to videotape to high-definition digital video. He shot much of the footage out in the field for Channel 12’s early documentaries, which set the standard for the level of local programming the station maintains today.

Many of those local documentaries were produced by John Beyer, who Combel fondly remembers as a creative genius. “Beyer’s method of producing the show was to go out and shoot it. The concept was there, and it was building as we shot it. He’d view all of the footage, and then he’d go away and write it.” >> M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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photo: COURTESY OF WYES

Prima. We’d use these shows to hustle the bucks for public television. We’d have membership drives. For the one we did with Pete Fountain, we had Pete on the show, appealing to the community to pledge money for more shows like that.”

Combel says Beyer was ahead of the curve in his productions. A memorable Beyer production Combel shot footage for was Observations From 10 Below.

Combel also says, “Beyer beat the Food Network.”

Hot Stuff: The Restaurants of New Orleans, a Beyer documentary, aired in 1980. “He started Hot Stuff, that led to the Great Chefs series and then Great Chefs spooled off onto the world,” Combel says. “We did so many shows. Hot Stuff was the first one. Then we did a documentary on Pete Fountain and one on Louis

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WYES produced other cooking series, including Justin Wilson’s early show. Paul Prodhomme’s show remains on the air, and Combel was involved in the station’s latest entry, Chef John Besh’s New Orleans, which premiered April 2 of this year, and appears throughout the country. “Not only is it a great cooking show because he’s a wonderful chef, but he’s also promoting our area and our culture,” says Utterback.

Keeping Beyer’s spirit alive are Laborde and WYES’ other talented producers, including Terri Landry and Marcia Kavanaugh, as well as independent producers who work with the station.

Over the years, they’ve produced a litany of documentaries and series highlighting the area’s

New Orleans, the Italian and German and Jewish communities and the show about the northshore.”

Laborde produces Steppin’ Out, a weekly series, and her husband, Errol, produces another weekly series, Informed Sources. Both shows focus on current events in the community. Peggy’s show features upcoming happenings in the arts, entertainment and culinary world, while Errol’s recaps the week’s news headlines.

The Labordes, along with artist Henri Schindler, also host WYES’s showing of the Rex Ball and meeting of the courts of Rex and Comus every Mardi Gras evening, giving otherwise-ordinary citizens a glimpse into the secretive world of Carnival pageantry.

photo: STEPHEN FAURE

unique culture. Laborde says, “I’ve done shows on shopping, Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, Canal Street, St. Charles Avenue and Uptown. Terri Landry has done those cultural heritage shows which are really good—the Irish in

YES Productions One reason WYES has been able to afford to do so much local programming over the years is the income provided by its television production operations, under the banner of YES Productions, a subsidiary of WYES. In the early ’80s, the station started YES Productions, a mobile-unit company that also manages the station’s facilities. Feldman says, “Now we have two major mobile units, 18-wheelers.

We’ve literally been around the world—to the >>

Peggy Scott Laborde keeps the New Orleans area informed about local happenings every week on Steppin’ Out.

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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country were holding auctions. “So we started one here, and the auction is one of the great philanthropic stories of our region,” says Feldman. “Lots of volunteers got their training here and went off to serve at other non-profit organizations.”

Since its beginning, the auction has been an intimate way for the community to get involved in public television. All types of organizations pitch in to >>

Government Funding for Public Broadcasting While WYES keeps as busy as it can, cultivating its membership and earning money through YES Olympics in Korea, to everywhere, doing a variety of things. Mostly sports, some entertainment and the occasional program for WYES. But it pumps funds into the TV station.” (When you’re watching a Hornets’ game, it’s likely being broadcast on YES Productions equipment.) YES Productions may employ as many as 300 people during the course of a year.

The mobile units are based out of the Navarre

Productions and the auctions, government funding

Avenue facilities, which YES Productions also lets out

Louisiana Public Broadcasting, which operates public

as studio space for movies, commercials and internet

television stations throughout the rest of Louisiana,

video providers. “When a movie comes in, we’ve had the whole parking lot filled with production trucks,

retained its state funding, albeit at a reduced level.

grip trucks and craft services. They use some of our instruments, but the grip trucks bring most everything,” Combel says.

“YES Productions also gives our staff interesting things to work on from time to time,” notes Utterback. “They’ve done some Treme episodes; Peggy was even in an episode. They got the idea to put her in when they saw her at the studio. Ernest Borgnine was there one day. I walked in, and he was working on a movie scene.”

reduction or elimination of federal funding for public

for local stations as well as the national Public Broadcasting System network remains vital to keeping public television on the air and fulfilling its mission. That funding is decreasing and/or threatened at the state and federal levels.

In Louisiana, state funding for WYES has been eliminated for the first time in over 25 years, while

On the federal level, bills have called for the broadcasting, even though it is less than two tenthousandths of the federal budget.

These actions have been taken in spite of studies that document the positive effects of PBS programs such as Sesame Street on children’s literacy and math skills and the findings of polls such as the annual Roper Poll on public affairs and media.

In 2010, that poll indicated that Americans believe

La. Gov. John McKeithen participates in an early auction on WYES. 92

Auctions

in the country; that it is “mostly fair” (when asked to

Another source of income for WYES is its auctions, where viewers can bid on items donated by other members of the community. In the 1960s,

choose among “liberal,” “mostly fair” and

volunteers looking for alternatives to membership drives for income saw that other stations around the

the entire budget, next to the military.

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

“conservative”);

and

that

funding

public

broadcasting is the second-best use of tax funds in

photo: COURTESY OF WYES

public television is the most trustworthy media outlet

the air at one in the morning. But we do make really good money late night. People are laying back and watching,” she says. “For fall, we have a general merchandise auction, a dining and entertainment auction and a travel auction. We end the year with a wine auction.” Andrews hopes to get at least 800 items donated this year.

Varsity Quiz Bowl was a mainstay of WYES programming until the mid-1990s.

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After Katrina, the art auction moved to June and

reason Utterback was attracted to the station as a

the others to late fall, when the worst of hurricane

career choice. “I felt a connection to WYES, not only

season is over. More than 800 donated items were

because it was in our neighborhood, but because my family would always watch the auctions,” she says.

“We would bid on things and get so excited that we’d pile in the car to go and pick them up.”

Melanie Andrews is auctions manager, also known, as she jokes, as “One Who Obeys the Volunteers.” Art Collection 12, held each June, is the largest televised event of the year, with a three-day preview and then, a few weeks later, seven nights of live prime-time auctioneering. “We try not to be on

awaiting the September preview show and the October auction in 2005 when the flood destroyed everything.

The most valuable work Andrews recalls coming up for sale was a statue by sculptor Enrique Alferez. After a bidding war, it was sold to his estate for about $6,000.

“We cried and cracked open champagne for that one.”

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

The Future WYES is ready to break ground on a new production facility. Phase I is to rebuild at Navarre

photo: COURTESY OF WYES

work the phones and the auction boards. It’s one

Avenue. Once it’s built, the production equipment in the old building can be moved without much interruption to operations. Then, the old building will be demolished and new offices and garage space constructed as Phase II. “We have the money for Phase I. We’ll have to do a capital campaign for

with the broadcast being more of a promotional vehicle to drive people to the website.” Currently, WYES has two websites. In addition to WYES.org, viewers can catch the latest installments of Steppin’ Out and Informed Sources at WYESonDemand.org.

As it moves into the future, WYES will continue

Phase II,” Feldman says, “although Phase I is much

to fulfill its unique mission to serve the community

more expensive.”

by presenting children’s educational programming

Feldman is also looking to the future on the

and producing in-depth shows on local culture and

internet, saying, “There’s a huge paradigm shift here

public affairs. Feldman says, “That’s not only for us

in media. It’s all because of digital.” Marcia Kavanaugh, WYES’s director of local initiatives, is considering the web as one new way of interacting with the community on subjects like coastal restoration and government accountability. Feldman says, “Part of our long-range plan is to figure how to do more with [the web], how to make that a rich environment. The web has content that you can take time to interact with and really learn from. You can’t do that on a TV show. So we’re thinking web first,

now—it’s so that all our children in the future can know where we come from and why we value what we do. Nobody else does that.”

To support WYES, tune in to Ch. 12 on your television and visit WYES.org for show schedules, program and auction information as well as membership and volunteer opportunities. Many of the programs featuring our local culture produced by WYES are available online for sale on DVD; sales also support WYES.

because the techniques used to make it and the complex patterns it contains reflect what must have been an already well-established manufacturing tradition. More remarkable is that the techniques used to make rugs remain basically unchanged.

The Pazyryk rug was knotted with what is known today as the Turkish knot, a symmetrical double-knot. According to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the Pazyryk rug is exhibited, it contains more than 1,250,000 knots.

Schenck explains the process. “Each little knot is a hand-tied knot that they weave on a vertical loom.”

Starting only with the vertical strings [warp] fixed to the loom, “They tie a knot on each two strings at a time—knot-knot-knot-knot all the way across.” Once

Knot by Knot

by Stephen Faure

YOU WOULD THINK that the last thing you’d do

Above: Sharon Schenck amid a field of rugs drying in a Turkish village.

Right: Turkish weavers.

96

a row of knots has been completed, “They put several wefts in, pack it down and then tie the next row of knots. You can change the design knot-by-knot, so

with an original work of art costing thousands of

you can literally weave any design.”

One reason the Pazyryk rug is still around today

dollars is put it on the floor of your living room and

is a miracle of preservation. The tomb in which it was

walk on it—and freely allow your guests, kids, dog

located is in a permafrost zone; a hole dug by ancient

and cat to walk on it, too. But that’s exactly what happens every day with even the finest Oriental rugs.

grave robbers let water in that froze, encasing the rug

It is, after all, what they were made for.

Built up by hand, row by row, knot by knot, into colorful and complex geometric and figurative patterns, the rug becomes both a work of original art and a utilitarian object of the basest order. Rug making is an art form that’s changed little over millennia.

“I think the first rug fragment anyone’s found [the Pazyryk rug] is from around 500 B.C. It was really a sophisticated little fragment. It’s an art that’s been around for over 2,000 years,” says Sharon Schenck of NOLA Rugs. She has been working with rugs for more than 30 years, first with an antique-rug scholar in London and then with another in San Francisco. She’s owned NOLA Rugs for nearly 10 years now, after opening a store earlier in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Schenck says that it’s obvious that ornate woolen rugs were around even before the Pazyryk rug,

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

photos: COURTESY OF SHARON SCHENCK

The ancient tradition of rug making

in ice until its discovery. Another reason for its longevity and that of the rugs that came later is the way they are made.

Rugs made in the 16th and 17th centuries, while rare, are not that uncommon. “There is no machine that can tie a knot. There’s no way to reproduce rugs to be as structurally sound as a hand-woven rug,” says Schenck. Handcrafting makes each rug unique in its own way. “People don’t understand that these are hand-woven objects. Nothing’s perfect, and that’s one of the beauties about them.”

While the technical aspects of rug making interest Schenck, she tries to stay in touch with the people and the culture of the areas where, for thousands of years, rugs have been traditionally woven. “One of the favorite things I do is travel to other parts of the world where the rugs come from: Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan,” she says.

Decades of turmoil in Afghanistan have ensured a steady population of Afghan refugees in the areas of Pakistan near the two countries’ border. The Turkish villages she visits are much more politically stable and are especially interesting because of a renaissance of traditional dyeing and weaving.

With the help of Western buyers like Schenck, Afghan refugee villages have a way to finance schools and medical clinics. It wouldn’t be possible, however, without Afghan rug producers like designer Rahim Walizada. A close friend of Schenck’s, he has won international recognition for his designs, including a showing in the prestigious Venice Biennale. Schenck says, “I’ve tried my best to help with the designs and the colors that are the most popular here so the rugs will be really saleable.

[But] it really takes an Afghan to deal with the weavers and all the challenges with the refugees and in Afghanistan.” >> M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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Schenck and designer Rahim Walizada in Afghanistan.

Schenck notes how the recent turmoil in the area affected the rug-making industry. “When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, you had three million Afghanis flee the country and live in refugee camps, mostly in Pakistan. You had an unusual situation where you had all these different tribes, and they were all great weavers. A nomadic people, they traditionally made small rugs, and this became a wonderful cottage industry for the refugees. A lot of times, the women can still weave at home and take care of their babies. It’s part of traditional life, rather than tearing apart that fabric—which one hates to see happen.”

Western markets, however, demand big, room-sized rugs.

The refugees were always moving around, so it was difficult to organize them enough to give them big looms. Producers who know they can sell rugs to the West take the risk and put up the resources needed for weaving the larger rugs. Schenck says, “A dealer fronts them the money to buy the steel to build a loom large enough to weave a room-sized carpet. It’s hard to do that with a wooden loom, and it costs a lot of money to make a big loom. Then there’s the problem that the rooms in their homes aren’t big enough, so you have to build a tent or a workshop. It takes a very complex business to weave a big, room-sized rug.

Organization and supervision are critical, because one little mistake and you’ve blown a year of work.”

Providing refugees with a better quality of life became an important aspect of Schenck’s business. “The better producers and I really tried to help some of these people, built schools for the kids and brought in medical clinics. It became part of a whole life for the refugees centered around their weaving. Weaving rugs that could be sold in the West was the key to providing them a livelihood and some sort of education for their kids.”

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While the rug industry has added some much-needed stability to the refugees’ lives, rug making was never that easy for them. “If you want to weave a good rug, you need high-quality wool before anything else,” says Schenck, “but the wool isn’t very good in Pakistan.

When the Russians still had control of

would be this real discontent, with the kids wanting to go to Istanbul and somehow try to work.”

Up until about 80 years ago, the dyes used to color wool were obtained from natural sources. In the late 19th and early in the 20th centuries, synthetic dyes became available. “Some of those are OK,

Afghanistan, they had to smuggle the

if you know how to read the instructions,

wool over the Khyber Pass to the

which are in English. They didn’t, so most

refugees.” Flooding in Pakistan this past

of the dyes woven were fugitive. They

year destroyed much of the Afghani’s

faded if you got them wet; the colors ran.

wool that was stored there in warehouses.

Big cities and refugee villages are not the only source of Afghani rugs, as tribal peoples continue weaving in rural areas. “A city rug would be more likely to be a rug that can be sold. They’re more commercial. The tribal rugs were woven to use for themselves. In a way, they’re more pure, in terms of just pure art.” Many rugs destined for sale are made by weavers following a pattern, called a cartoon, while others are woven without any instruction or drawing.

“They just weave a pictorial scene of their village life. We call them ‘folk-lifes.’

You find all kinds of funny things in them. In the more tribal rugs, they’d

In the 1980s, a German professor,

often weave what they see everyday; it’s

Harold Bohmer, analyzed antique rugs

portraits of their world.”

from around the world and came up with methods of reproducing the natural, or vegetal, dyes used before the days of chemical dyes. “I was fortunate enough to travel with him,” Schenck says. “He retaught a number of villagers in the western Aegean [region] how to gather the dyestuff, how to boil it, how to dye the wool, how to mordant the wool and how to use those old wonderful colors. It started a renaissance of rug weaving that spread to Afghanistan, to Iran and to different parts of Turkey. It’s still probably only five percent of all the Oriental rugs that are woven, but to me there’s really no comparison.”

Bohmer’s work led to the DOBAG project of the Marmara University in

Rugs From Turkey

photos: COURTESY OF SHARON SCHENCK

It was really a low point in rug weaving.”

In Turkey, a renaissance of traditional dyeing and weaving is helping to revive the fortunes of rural villages that have seen young people flee to big cities in search of both money and a more modern lifestyle. Schenck observes, “The whole cohesion of village life would start to break up. It was so obvious. You’d literally see the electric lines progress year after year. The minute they’d get electricity, they would get televisions and often they’d stop weaving. They’d sit and watch TV and want what’s on the television and there

continued on page 125

E L I F R P

O

L A C I D E M

Katherine Williams, MD Center for Women’s Health She’s not what you’d expect,

her parenting and her patient care, but her tenacity also

this petite blonde woman

comes through in her determination to maintain the integrity

with the soothing voice and

of her profession when it is threatened by complacency,

the easy smile sitting behind

political whims or less than exemplary standards of care. “I

her massive cherry wood

hold people to the same standards that I hold myself,” she

desk in surgical scrubs and

explains, “and I’m very hard on myself.”

looking far younger than her 42 years. Don’t

Always one for a challenge Williams’ past leadership roles made her an obvious

underestimate. Katherine

choice to be the STPH Chief of Staff. She has been the voice

Williams happens to be the

of her profession to our legislature as far back as residency,

Chief of Staff at St. Tammany

when she was President of Charity Hospital’s House Staff

Parish Hospital—the first female to hold this title. She is a

Association. More recently, she was President of the St.

pioneer in robotic surgery, an advocate and an educator, a

Tammany Parish Medical Society and Vice Chair for the

keen diagnostician, and the axis and origin of the Center for

Council on Legislation for the Louisiana State Medical

Women’s Health, a busy OB/GYN practice in Covington.

Society. She is outspoken about issues ranging from fair

But Katherine Williams is also warm and welcoming,

reimbursement designations for the physicians of our parish

honest and open—real. She is the mother of two, learning as

to ensuring consistent quality of care at STPH through

she goes, as all mothers do. “It was difficult at first, but as my

physician peer review procedures. “I feel like you can’t get

children have gotten older, it is easier. With the addition of Dr.

upset about it unless you’re willing to do something.”

Cresap, I am now able to cook dinner twice a week. My children and my husband work with me as a team to create our family time. They are the best and I couldn’t do it without them.”

Williams’ commitment to excellence is most apparent in 100

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

Pioneering new techniques for better care Dr. Williams has been a pioneer of robotic surgery on the northshore. She has traveled around the country training in this state-of-the-art operating technique and has

performed more than 200 cases. The

comes in, it’s always a challenge to

advantages to patients who receive this

figure out what her problem is and the

type of surgery are tremendous. Less

unique way to fix it.” Williams’ history of

blood loss, less inflammation, less

developing trusting and enduring

tissue damage and fewer

relationships with her patients makes

complications add up to less pain and

her as good a fit for this field as this

a faster recovery. “Because it is

field is for her.

minimally invasive, with patients who

Despite her profession—or, as she

normally wouldn’t do well with

suspects (perhaps God had a plan),

laparoscopies, you can do it with the

because of it—pregnancy was no walk

robot and the recovery is absolutely

in the park for Williams. Ultimately, her

amazing. They go home the next day

own struggles made her stronger in her

and can be back at work in two

profession. “To be able to empathize

weeks.” Williams calls robotics “the

with [my patients] makes a big

future of medicine.”

difference,” she says, “I have been

In addition to her specializing in

through so much, personally, that I have

robotic hysterectomies, Dr. Williams also

overcome. It has helped me to be a

performs robotic sacrocolpopexies for

better doctor.”

women with pelvic prolapse. Vaginal prolapse occurs when the network of

Rachael Cresap, MD Dr. Rachael Cresap is a perfect fit

A welcome addition In July 2010, Dr. Williams brought a

for the Center for Women’s Health. Working seamlessly

muscles, ligaments and skin that hold

second physician into her practice, Dr.

alongside Dr. Katherine Williams,

the vagina in its correct anatomical

Rachael Cresap. “I interviewed a lot of

she shares the same love for her

position weaken. This can be due to

people to find her, and she is just

profession, for the relationship it

childbirth or poor vaginal tissue and

amazing. She just has the warmest heart

fosters and the challenges it

causes the vagina to prolapse (slip or

and a wonderful spirit. It’s always been

presents. She trained in

fall) from its normal position. Williams

hard for me to let go,” she laughs guiltily.

Louisiana, graduating from LSU

describes the advantages that the use of

“But with her, I know that [my patients]

with her undergraduate degree,

robotics allows, “The sacrocolpopexy is

are going to get the exact same care,

attending Tulane’s medical

one of the most challenging gynecologic

and it gives me such peace.”

school and serving her residency

surgeries to recover from. It’s usually

One theme remains constant with

at Ochsner. Having recently

done abdominally, involving long

Dr. Katherine Williams, and she says it

completed residency, Dr. Cresap

operative time and significant blood

often and with heart: “It’s always about

is well versed in the latest

loss. The robot allows me to accomplish

the patient.”

research, developments and —Mindy Cordell

this surgery in half the time with minimal

techniques of her specialty,

blood loss and my patient is usually able

including robotic surgery. The

to go home the next day.”

changing pace of medicine is

A people person

exciting for her. “It’s the nature of medicine-—as new studies are

Katherine Williams earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. In

done, recommendations change

medical school, she did research on

and better ways of treating

children with cancer. Obstetrics was not

patients are discovered.” This is

even on her radar until she did her OB

what makes it fun for her. Dr.

rotation. “And then I realized that I love

Cresap loves her specialty.

surgery and I love children and there is

The Center for Women’s Health is

“OB/GYN is perfect because you

a lot of psychology in my profession.

located at 104 Innswood Drive,

get to know your patients, to

Women are just so multi-faceted. Every

Covington. Telephone 249-7022.

make a difference in their lives.

patient is different and, when a patient

www.klwmd.com.

You really get to take care of the whole patient.”

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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INGood Company Italy, in 1970. “At the time, it made sense,” he says.

His American bride wanted to return to her hometown of Lafayette to be near her aging mother.

Raffaele’s parents had five daughters near them; they were in good hands. But they were devastated by their only son’s departure to this far-away land.

Raffaele wishes they were alive today to see his successes. “The fact that I am not struggling,” he says, with a heavy accent and emphatic gestures.

“That would be their repayment for their grief.”

Repayment didn’t come easily for Raffaele.

When he came to this country, he brought his craftsmanship with textiles and fur, but little else.

Born in Belcastro, a small town in southern Italy, he began apprenticing with a tailor at age 7. Learning a trade early was, in those days, part of the culture.

By the time he was 13, Raffaele was working after school in a bustling fur shop in Milan. There, he “fell in love with the process” of making fur coats.

He also formed friendships, which would lead him to his next job with Italy’s Meloni Furs. “To you

by Mindy Cordell Silver Linings Raffaele Furs / Dolci Modi Boutique “MADE IN ITALY” is a label applied to some of the world’s finest furs—and to one of its finest furriers.

Raffaele Raimondi, owner/buyer/designer/furrier of Mandeville’s Raffaele Furs and Dolci Modi, its women’s wear alter ego, pairs high-fashion readyto-wear with couture luxury fur. (“Couture” meaning made-to-order or custom.) His chic little boutique is the third of its kind born of four decades of one man’s tireless dedication, a man who saw more than his fair share of dark clouds along the way, each bearing its own silver lining, and each bringing him back to what he knows best—fur.

Raffaele came to Louisiana straight from Milan, 102

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

that name means nothing, but in Italy!” His voice rises, conveying importance. “That was the fur house that was designing furs for the royal family when Italy was a monarchy.”

It was with Meloni that he was able to work with a wide range of furs and learn a great many tricks of his trade. Fur, unlike fabric, is not simply cut to the desired size and shape. Pelts must be matched and pieces assembled masterfully for quality results. No two skins are alike, and different techniques are used for different furs. Before he was 18 years old, Raffaele had many of these techniques under his belt.

Raffaele arrived in New Orleans with this training and work ethic and landed a job in Godchaux’s fur department. “When you’re young, you’re full of this energy, this spirit, like you can do anything! But then, reality—it’s a different story,” he says, with a deflated tone. “To go across the ocean >> when you don’t speak the language, it’s like

INGood Company

1144 N. Causeway Mandeville 985.626.4557 benedictsplantation.net.

jumping off of a cliff.”

That free-fall feeling set in the moment that Raffaele approached his new boss with a dilemma—the $60 he was paid for a week’s work would not sustain him. “But, hey,” his boss answered, with a dismissive shrug, “you don’t speak any English.” They had him, or so they thought.

“It was like a window shattered and all the pieces were on the floor,” Raffaele recalls.

But Raffaele’s first American employer had done more than undervalue his talent; he had underestimated his determination. It

didn’t take long for Raffaele to take both to a nearby competitor. The fur department at Maison Blanche was leased by Evans, Inc. There, Raffaele’s talent and passion were recognized, so much so that after a few years, they began transferring him to places like Minneapolis and Cleveland to restructure faltering stores. Their corporate managers promised to move him back to New Orleans after the first transfer, then after the second. When it became clear that they would not make good on their promise, he returned on his own dime.

Once again, Raffaele found himself

in Louisiana, in search of employment and armed with only knowledge and

storefronts to take a chance on a guy who asked for an extension on the first

experience—this time not only of furs,

month’s rent. By the third month, he

but also of the business end of the

was out of the red and building a

luxury apparel industry. He began his

steady following. Then, the next dark

own designer labels, Milan

cloud drove right through his

International clothing and Bernini

storefront. Actually, it was a 20-foot-

shoes, and launched them in stores across the country.

Raffaele worked tirelessly to build his brands. “For four years, I saw highways and hotels,” he recalls. But when two of his Italian manufacturers unexpectedly folded, he couldn’t deliver his goods. “If I had only known in time, I could have saved the season,” he laments. In the competitive world of fashion, a lost season equals a lost business. Such was his next dark cloud.

Raffaele was devastated.

long Oldsmobile (he thinks). The car had lost its brakes and, to avoid turning into oncoming traffic, had turned into Raffaele’s store. His carpet was an accordion, his sidewalk lighting atop the car’s hood. His storefront was gone. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

And the disaster had a silver lining—free advertising. News of the incident was splashed across every local newspaper, news channel and

Downtrodden, he accepted a job offer

Window.” Before the insurance

that was about as far from his calling as

company could calculate the damages, everyone in town knew about his store. By the time he reopened, he was

it could be—insurance salesman. He made it as far as their aptitude testing.

The results were analyzed by a psychologist and recorded onto a cassette tape. Raffaele recalls the deep melodic voice that said, “You can assign anything to this guy, and he will fly high. You will be pleased with him.”

“That was like a shot in the arm for me,” Raffaele recalls. He went home that afternoon and began putting together enough borrowed money for a sewing machine, fur machine and a couple of tables. “Because I said to myself, ‘What is the thing I know how to do best?’ What I did was fur.”

Raffaele Furs opened for business in 1979 in a new Lafayette shopping center, one with enough empty

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radio program. The headlines read, “Local Furrier Opens Drive-In

working 16-hour days. Two years later, he opened the apparel side, Dolci Modi, which translates to “a sweet way of life.” Lafayette customers kept him so busy it would be 20 years before he began opening more stores, first in Baton Rouge, then in Mandeville in 2010.

These days, Raffaele is looking forward to continuing his expansion.

He has plans to open in Metairie and to launch a new designer line that features fur accents on high-fashion apparel. He doesn’t seem concerned about the possibility of more hard work or more dark clouds. He knows how to find the silver linings.

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Eat Delicious and Smile

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diamond ring, $26,487. DeBoscq Jewelry, Mandeville, 674-0007.

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Walking with winners. Men’s LSU flip flops, $29. The Who Dat Shop of Slidell, 641-1105.

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Weekender and accessory bags, $41; double compartment cosmetic bag, $12.50. Arabella Fine Gifts and Home Décor, Mandeville, 727-9787.

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Custom Indoor and Outdoor Kitchens, Bathrooms and Interiors.

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IN Fashion with Martha Goodson

by Maria G. Davis In honor of Mother’s Day, I wanted to dress my style icon: my mother, Martha Goodson.

My mother came to America from the small island of Skopelos, Greece, when she was just 9 years old. Her father had died of pneumonia when he was very young, leaving my grandmother with three girls under the age of 5.

After they spent several years alone in Greece, a relative helped to bring the family to America to create a better life for themselves. My grandmother poured herself into raising wellrounded daughters. Weekends were spent cooking, gardening and learning to sew so that the girls would have an arsenal of knowledge at their fingertips as wives and mothers.

As a result, my mother and her sisters are incredibly creative, and each in her own way

busy in the house and always beautiful.

To say that I never remember my mother underdressed, or dressed inappropriately, is an understatement. She has always been the most put-together, gorgeous and beautifully coifed woman I know. I’m biased, maybe, but I never saw a hair out of place, a lipstick smudge or an unpressed blouse. Never have I caught her rumpled or tousled or untidy. NEVER. She was quite simply perfect—and a perfect style role model.

Above: Antonio Melani taupe skirt, $119; taupe silk blouse, $119; jacket, $199. Dillards, Mall of Louisiana, North Shore Square and Lakeside Shopping Center. Max Studio Wanessa croc sandal, $126. Heel 2 Toe. Carelle lemon quartz and diamond earrings, $2,742; ring, $2,658. Reine Diamonds. Right: Lauren by Ralph Lauren pink linen camp shirt, $69; Jones New York navy pants, $74. Dillards. Bertolucci navy alligator strap watch, $2,100. Reine Diamonds.

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photos: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

have incredible memories of my mother, always

Dillards stores located at North Shore Square Mall, Lakeside Shopping Center and Mall of Louisiana.

continues my grandmother’s lessons every day. I

Jones New York white pants, $79; t-shirt, $30; navyand-white camp shirt, $79. Dillards. Faux pearl earrings, $49.95. DeLuca’s Expressions in Gold. Ceramic Couture white ceramic watch, $444. Reine Diamonds.

Of course, it is sometimes difficult living up to all that perfection. How did she hold her style together so well with two kids, a busy husband and an entire household to run? I wanted to know, because honestly, I have never really asked. So I sat down with my style-icon mother to ask her just that.

MD: I always remember you so perfectly put together.

MG: When I was young, my mother instilled in us that we should always be presentable, as it was a direct reflection of the pride you had in yourself. I wanted to project to others that I had pride in myself, and I did so by focusing on every element of what I wore.

MD: So it was not necessarily about fashion back then—it was about being presentable?

MG: Correct. I never knew what my day was going to bring or where I would be. I could go from the grocery store to getting gasoline for the car and then out to dinner. I never wanted to be seen as unpresentable, so I prepared for anything each day.

MD: But I would say that when I was growing up you were more than just presentable. You set such a

MG: I was excited to buy something new each

your signature look for a long time.

MG: Oh, yes! Every time I found a different wrap

high bar for me. Did you do that consciously, or

season, but I was never really driven by trends.

did you just fall in love with clothes?

I remember in the ’70s when the wooden

dress, I bought it. I thought it was the perfect

platform sandal was so popular. I don’t think I

complement to my figure, and it was

along the way I learned more about how to

bought shoes for two years, because I could

comfortable, which many clothes were not

dress, rather than just how to look

not picture myself in those shoes. The chunky

back then. You have to remember, that was

“appropriate.” I really paid attention to what

heel was half the shoe, and I hated them. They

before Lycra. The wrap dress could be dressed

worked for me and my body, and tried to buy

were not “me,” and I was depressed about

up or down, it could be casual, it was sexy and

only things that made me look better and set

that until the trend passed.

it was always appropriate on top of that.

MG: I did want to set a good example for you, but

MD: Well, my favorite image has always been of

MD: It’s funny how fashion really does come back

you wearing a Diane Von Furstenberg wrap

around. When you would wrap your hair in a

dress, a look I am still in love with today. When

silk scarf, almost like a turban, I always

how driven you were to always make your look

I bought my first one several years ago, my

thought it was so fashionable. I recently saw a

better each season. Is that a fair statement?

first thought was “Martha, 1975.” That was

magazine picture of a major movie star

off my shape. I was really just “accentuating the positive.”

MD: You are such a perfectionist; I can only imagine

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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111

IN Fashion

Jones New York white pants, $79; Sunset Road orange

842 Collins Blvd., Suite C • Covington • 985-892-2317 sequined top, $49; Chaus royal blue trench, $129.

Dillards. Smokey quartz-and-glass bead necklace and earrings, $144. DeLuca’s Expressions in Gold.

wearing one and I thought of you.

MG: If my hair was not presentable, I would just wrap a scarf around my head. It was colorful and chic at the same time. And I still looked neat.

MD: It is inspiring to me that you always knew what worked for you and never really deviated from that. We have not even discussed your love of red lipstick. When did your obsession with red lips come about?

MG: I saw that red complemented my face. I got a lot of compliments on it, so I kept it as part of the repertoire. I think I will always wear some version of red lips; it just makes me feel so put together.

MD: I am going to reveal your age because you look so great! You are turning 70 this year, and I still never see you with a hair out of place. You make 70 look amazing. It is incredible that you have only two gray hairs, and that your hair is your natural color.

MG: My mother was barely gray when she passed away at 96, so it runs in the family. Thank you for thinking I still look great. I look in the mirror and can see that I am growing old, but it is okay. I am still at it.

MD: Mom, I hope you know what a great role model you have been and how proud I have always been of having such a put-together mom. I love that you continue to challenge yourself to look your best.

1281 N. Causeway Blvd. Ste 2 Mandeville • 985-626-8188 112

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

MG: Thank you, dear. If you think I look good today, then I am still proud to be setting an example for you. I like that.

985.727.7649 4480 Hwy 22 | Mandeville, LA M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 1

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Philosophy Upon the Medical Management of Insomnia Q & A with OB/GYN D r. C h e v i e s N e w m a n

Q. Why would sleep problems be a focus of an OB/GYN practice?

health problem?

A. If you are not sleeping secondary to

life span if untreated. Lack of deep sleep does not allow muscles to relax to allow blood flow, exacerbating

A. There are multiple problems that can result in

temporary physical pain, jet lag, uncomfortable bed,

spasms and pain. Anxiety, insomnia, depression,

sleep dysfunction—and there are multiple problems

snoring partner or any easily changeable issue, then

diabetes, obesity and hypertension are just some of the

that sleep dysfunction can create or exacerbate. The

possibly not. If you return to sleep easily and are not

processes that are negatively impacted by this process.

window into brain health is sleep. It is a predominate

tired during the day, then it is not a problem. If you

feature for many suffering individuals and a good

are caught in a loop where you are tired all day, yet

Avoid exercising too late, too much alcohol and working

starting point for a conversation. A recent study by the

recurrently awaken throughout the night, this needs

in bed prior to sleep. Getting out of bed to read under

National Sleep Foundation found that 75 million

evaluation. Who among us is perfectly mentally

low levels of light if you do awaken may be helpful.

Americans have difficulty with sleep.

healthy? If you sleep well and are not often bothered

Rapidly changing hormones around the time of

with fatigue, mood and stress likely require no

menopause can be an easily treatable form of recurrent

medical intervention.

awakening. Some forms of psychotherapy produce

Q. You mentioned a starting point for a

wonderful results over time. For many patients, however,

conversation. What conversation are you talking about?

A. Nighttime hyper arousal with daytime lack of

Steps to improve sleep hygiene should be taken.

Q. What type of intervention?

medication can dramatically improve quality of life.

A. I would begin by seeing your physician. Some

arousal, followed by a lowered threshold of stress, is a

physicians feel comfortable evaluating problems that

Q. What about medications?

common pattern. The subsequent approach to the

are resulting in insomnia; others do not. Remember

A. It depends upon the individual. Insomnia should

world while existing in this state creates suffering.

that if you are already on a medication to help with

be addressed in the context of severity of daytime

Coping mechanisms can take many forms, many not

mood or stress, there is a 70 percent chance that you

sleepiness and levels of stress as well as sadness and

conducive to living a best course of life.

are not symptom free. Although many people using

guilt. We do not want to treat only insomnia if it is

medication do feel better, 70 percent will still have the

chronic and a result of depression. It can make

mood seem to be increasing. The phenomenon

residual symptoms of insomnia, daytime fatigue or

depression worse if not combined with medication to

extends beyond having more names for problems or a

both. If you are on a medication for mood and not

help the mood.

subtle weakening of the human psyche. The rapid

sleeping at night, that problem should be treated.

increase of mental processing required in our modern

Remission of all symptoms should be the goal.

The incidence of problems with stress, sleep and

environment likely plays a role. Changes in our

One important thing to discuss is snoring. If you

technologies are not only increasing, they are

are always fatigued and snore badly, you may need a

Medications such as Ambien, Sonata and Lunesta are called the “Z” drugs and can be effective for sleeplessness. (Zolpidem is a generic form of Ambien, and the difference in price is important.) For patients

increasing faster. Modern stressors are different from

sleep study. This involves going to a lab to be

with a long history of insomnia or anxiety problems,

our ancestors, but the burden upon the brain has been

evaluated during sleep. Also available are tests that can

however, these medications are often not adequate by

increased by the complexity of daily life.

be mailed to your home and then returned to the

themselves.

In 2006, the National Institute of Mental Health

company to be interpreted. However it is done, if you

Within the context of a well-designed regimen of

estimated that at any given time 25 percent of adults

have excessive snoring and daytime fatigue, sleep

medical therapy for mood, I like clonazepam. If

could benefit from some form of psychiatric help. The

apnea needs to be addressed. Inadequate oxygen

comparing our brains to a car, the previously

statistic was prior to the economic crises and was not

during sleep does not allow restorative sleep. When

mentioned “Z” drugs turn off the ignition, but may not

centered in a post-hurricane zone. The rate is roughly

muscular relaxation occurs during deep sleep, tone in

effectively stop the engine. They are selective to the

twice as high in reproductive-age women.

the throat decreases. This creates the need for arousal

brain’s version of the ignition switch. If the engine is still

(not always awakening) to keep airflow moving. Sleep

running, however, you may find breakfast prepared that

apnea is a miserable condition that negatively affects

you do not remember making. Many people get good

Q. Are you saying that I have a mental 120

I N S I D E N O RT H S I D E

relief with the “Z” drugs, but some will not get good

Would you mind summing it up? We need a

maintenance of sleep.

take-home message.

Clonazepam is a longer-duration benzodiazepine,

A. The platform for the best course of life lies in

A. A well-trained psychotherapist can help improve interpretation and reaction to our experiences.

The well-trained psychotherapist is comparable to a

a relative of Xanax. It helps to maintain sleep better for

being deeply asleep at night and deeply awake during

thought surgeon. Identifying self-defeating thoughts and

those whose insomnia is related to stress. The rate of

the day. Able to plan, but not lost in planning. Able to

patterns, understanding how to push and when to pull,

abuse for clonazepam is roughly three percent. This

remember, but not ruminate over the past. The goal of

identifying psychiatric emergencies, understanding

rate is not high. The longer duration can extend to

our medication to help the mood must center on the

psychological testing—the benefit of quality therapy

anxiety relief through some of the following day. If a

achievement of this state of being.

can be immeasurable.

person is drowsy because it is longer acting, then most

I recommend that people sleep. Not sleeping is far

The training for a doctorate degree in psychology

will do fine with generic Ambien. Temazepam can be

worse than medications. The choice of medication and

is rigorous. It is different from medical training, requiring

another good choice for sleep. It is a shorter-acting

dosage must be put into a clinical context. Underlying

research, highly structured clinical supervision and in

benzodiazepine. Many use Ativan, Valium or even

problems must be treated. With chronic insomnia,

many cases a thesis. Years of training are involved.

Xanax to help. These drugs are all related. If they help

screening for stress, worry, sadness, guilt, snoring, or

Some can prescribe medication with additional training.

you sleep and you feel better, it certainly beats not

other problems must be done.

I support this because estimates are that far too few

sleeping and feeling bad. Watch that you are not continuously ramping up the dose Commonly used medications such as Lexapro,

psychiatrists are being trained.

Q. Is there anything else?

A. I have a deep interest in helping people feel

Once again, the goal of medical and psychological therapy should be a state in which the patient sleeps

Celexa, Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor, Cymbalta (selective

better. This includes evaluating mood and stress. These

deeply, is awake deeply and has a quiet mind. Lack of

serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs) all affect the

problems can manifest as pain in excess of the level of

treatment can have a person feeling as if they are

sites of action (GABA receptors) for drugs such as

tissue damage resulting in unnecessary testing and

moving further from their “ideal self.” Insomnia, whether

clonazepam by increasing these receptors by 30

expense. Problems with mood and stress can cause

going to sleep, staying asleep or both, is easy to treat

percent. This is likely one of the mechanisms by which

interpersonal problems and can create a household of

in most patients. Insomnia is a key component within

they help improve mood and stress. Likewise, recent

high stress, imprinting upon children, increasing their

chronic pain syndromes, high stress and worry and

studies demonstrate marked improvement in time to

risk of suffering from similar issues.

conditions of sadness and guilt.

recovery when sleep is treated at the initiation of

The goal is to be “optimally stressed” so that it

Treatment for insomnia may require periodic or

treatment for mood or stress problems. A recent study

brings out optimal performance. The goal is to live in a

regular use of medication. If chronic, it may require a

demonstrated improvement of mood within a week of

healthy range of ups and downs. If medication is

dimensional approach to treat stress, sadness, sleep

initiating Prozac combined with one milligram of

required to improve this range, so be it. The evaluation

apnea, pain conditions and daytime sleepiness. The

clonazepam for sleep. Three weeks were required in

and proper therapy of sleep problems can be the

goal of treatment is to feel better and travel lighter, so

the Prozac-alone group.

starting point from which downside thinking is

to speak. If medication is needed, do not be afraid.

minimized. With less downside thinking, the mind can

Proper care for this problem will improve the angle on

find an opening to be still.

your life’s trajectory.

Other medications can be helpful. Trazadone can be effective. It is not often used as an antidepressant at 150-300 milligrams because it is sedating and needs to

In the state of a quiet mind, less self-absorbed,

be used twice a day. At 25-50 milligrams, it can be used

creativity can emerge. With the emergence of creativity,

Peace be with you. Thank you for sharing

for insomnia and can work to change the effects of the

one begins to consider possibility. When the mind

your time.

commonly used SSRIs. I often combine this with a very

converts away from self-absorption and toward

low dose of Zoloft as initial therapy for those with stress

possibility, feeling better is inherent.

or mood problems. Gabapentin can be helpful for sleep,

When a person feels better, he or she thinks

Dr. Chevies Newman is a Louisiana native who received his medical degree from LSU in New

especially in the presence of a chronic pain condition.

better. If a person thinks better, he or she does better.

Orleans. He trained in OB/GYN at Ochsner Foundation

There are other medications, but this is not meant to be

Hope can enter the mind. Empowerment evolves.

between 1999 and 2003. A board-certified OB/GYN,

a textbook. I stick with mostly Trazadone, Ambien and/or

Moving from self-absorption and pain to hope and

he is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics

clonazepam for treatment of sleep.

empowerment can create positive action. Positive

and Gynecology. Dr Newman performs laparoscopic

action is the foundation of a positive life. This is the

and open gynecologic surgery as well as pelvic

truth, medication or no medication.

reconstructive and urinary incontinence surgery.

Q. What about melatonin?

A. If you have success with melatonin, then

There are few things professionally that are more

Special interests include the medical management of

congratulations. This is mostly effective with phase-shift

rewarding than helping a person to improve mood and

mood and stress disorders in women throughout the

sleep disorders that have to do with sunlight exposure

decrease stress. Many seemingly unrelated problems

lifespan. This includes hormonal and non-hormonal

(Think international pilot or living in Alaska).

may improve with comprehensive treatment.

management of menopausal symptoms as well as problems with mood and stress during pregnancy and

Q. You have given us a lot of information.

Q. What about psychotherapy?

post partum.

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Hollyfield-Jemison

Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church in New Orleans was the location for the memorable wedding

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of Blair Hollyfield, daughter of Roy and Colleen Hollyfield, and Jarrod Jemison, son of David and Ann Jemison. Abbot Justin Brown, a family friend from St. Joseph Abbey, officiated at the daytime ceremony.

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The bride’s couture two-piece gown, custom made

by Donald Fraser, featured a silk tulip skirt and a French Alençon lace corset with embellished pearl and crystal vintage appliqués from the 1940s. She carried a handkerchief from Rome, where the couple got engaged last December, that had their names stitched in light blue.

As guests walked to The Federal Ballroom, they were treated to a sidewalk serenade from a trio of local jazz musicians.The celebration continued in the historic Security Center, where loose arrangements of cream and white fresh flowers on crisp neutral linens created a chic classic atmosphere.

The bride and groom toasted with silver champagne goblets that were used at the bride’s parents’ wedding. The wedding cake was the traditional French croque-en-bouche, a tower of puff pastry balls surrounded by spun sugar and caramel and covered in powdered sugar.

After the bride exchanged her silk floor-length skirt for a custom-made tiered ostrich-feathered family and friends and rose petals. A vintage Rolls Royce took them to the Windsor Court for an evening before they left for their honeymoon at the Hermitage Bay Resort in Antigua.

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photos: CALEB CHANCEY

mini, the bride and groom made their way through

Gretchen Armbruster New Orleans Jackson, MS •

• Mandeville Hot Springs, AR

985.624.5604 w w w. a r m b r u s t e r a r t wo r k s . c o m

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What’s all the fuss about LIGHT Therapy?

Light therapy (photo therapy) is the use of light (visible, infrared, ultraviolet) for treatment and prevention of a variety of diseases from dermatological to psychological.

I started using light therapy to improve the skin texture, diminish fine lines and fade sunspots on my face. Not only did it do all of that, to my surprise, just after a few weeks the spider veins on my legs started disappearing. They are all almost completely gone now.

Brenda RN

Before

After

All natural. Non-invasive. Full-body treatments. Affordable prices.

Results depend on skin condition and length of treatment.

2180 N. Causeway Blvd.

1600 W. Causeway Approach Mandeville Mandeville 985-674-2326 985-237-6040 www.private-beach.com

Delivery Available 25 Bale Minimum

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985-264-3567 www.gomezpinestrawllc.com

KNOT BY KNOT

from page 99

Istanbul. Villages work with the project as cooperative ventures. From shearing to rug, workers use centuries-old techniques in dying and spinning the wool, which is then hand-woven into rugs. Each one made under DOBAG auspices is registered with the university and is specially tagged

IN the Spotlight NOCCA’s Emeril Lagasse Foundation Culinary Arts Studio Ribbon Cutting

and sealed. Schenck is proud to carry the DOBAG rugs in her store.

Schenck has traveled to the remote

BAM! And just like that, some extra zing was added to the New

Turkish villages where weavers work under

Orleans Center for the Creative Arts

DOBAG auspices. “Some of these villages

as NOCCA introduced its new

are very interesting to go into. I traveled with another friend, and [the villagers] had never seen a Western woman before. It was interesting because it was a real lesson in the positive and the negative sides of progress—what we call progress. You’d see villages that had no electricity and they were this happy people, they wove rugs.

The daughters wove, the grandmas wove and the men were out working. Maybe they’d have a tractor and a wagon, and if they were having a wedding they’d all pile

culinary teaching facility, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Culinary Arts Studio. Attending the ribbon cutting celebration were NOCCA students and parents and notables including Chef Emeril, Rita Benson LeBlanc, Chef Frank Brigtsen and Chef Dana D’Anzi Tuohy.

With support from the Emeril

into that and go to the next village; they were settled nomads.”

McIlhenny Family Foundation, Selley Foundation, Galatoire’s Foundation and

“It’s funny,” Schenk says, observing

Lagasse Foundation, Macy’s, Gustaf W.

New Orleans Wine and Food

that it can literally take a village to make a rug. “Who makes the rugs? Is it the

Experience, NOCCA has added a fulltime, four-year culinary arts

person who’s weaving it? Is it the person who’s designing it? Is it the person who spun the wool? There are so many people and skills that go into each rug.”

Schenk has been deeply touched by the people she’s met in her travels to rug-making regions. “They’re wonderful people. They’re very loyal, very hospitable. In some ways, they’re very simple and in others very sophisticated.

In many ways, we underestimate them, whether it’s politically, artistically or creatively. I’ve been lucky to be a part of their lives. The tradition, the courage and the creativity that goes into these rugs make them some of the most amazing creations in the world.”

program for high school students to its existing music, drama and written and visual arts offerings. NOCCA developed the four-year program in partnership with Johnson & Wales University.

Chef Dana, who has been running Emeril’s Las Vegas operations, will serve as the program’s founding faculty chair.

Frank Brigtsen, the owner/chef of Brigtsen’s restaurant in New Orleans, will serve as NOCCA’s inaugural Master Chef-in-Residence.

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olo ris Bev and Ch e MTA party r e lm a Patty P sts to th sby and the ed gue ro welcom red Casey C atu and.

B fe t ic a lt e th t City C n e c s Cre

INside Peek Heather and Hot Husband Jeff Watkins.

nne King own with Suza r artist John Br ve Bevolo. co by d an ed st ne ho Lorrie Lee, Ja the Artist Party t ee M e sid rth at the Inside No

Kelly Blackwel l, Kenny and Do dy Adams with Sissy and Mar k Johnson.

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photo: DAVID CULLEN

Steve Jacobs, Lori Pausina, Jimmy Maxwell and Rick Danielson enjoying the Mandeville Northshore Kiwanis Club’s annual member social.

Northshore Kiwanis club members Linda Wilson and Pattie McGinnis.

CULLEN photo: DAVID

Northshore Hero Haley Ridgel and Jay Gal le of WDSU at the West St. Ta mmany YM CA Northshore Hero Lunche on.

bin Gitz, ce and Ro Phillip Bru eroes.

H re o rthsh Send your submissions to peek@insidenorthside.com.

YMCA No

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IN the Spotlight

retus.co TUS www.juliap photo: JULIA PRE

m

Hogs for the Cause 2011

Amateur cooks, restaurant teams and professional barbecue contest competitors all vied for the championship at the Hogs for the Cause 2011 Ben Sarrat Jr. High on the Hog Cookoff. Fortythree teams from all around the nation competed for best ribs, whole hog, butt and the “porkpourri” category, as well as top team fundraising from donations from visitors sampling their creations. Team Swine Krewe took top honors in the butt and fundraising categories and was crowned grand champion.

Hogs for the Cause started in 2009 when Rene Louapre and Becker Hall wanted to help 4-year-old Ben Sarrat Jr.’s family after Ben had been diagnosed with DIPG, an incurable form of brain cancer. The first year drew 250 participants and guests. Unfortunately, Ben died two weeks before the 2010 event, which attracted 2,500 guests. Rene and Becker continued to dedicate the event to raising money for outreach and support of families struck by pediatric brain cancer; 5,000 people attended this year’s event, which raised close to $100,000. For more information, to donate or to apply for a grant, visit HogsForTheCause.org.

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A Thousand Acres on the Northshore Louisiana Polo Farms The Heart of the Forest

d Graham Jones Lea May Jones an

As a Southern Louisiana real estate developer, Biff Jones is

in this area has provided him with the expertise needed to

proud to walk in his father’s footsteps and maintain a

accomplish whatever property owners desire.

longstanding family heritage. He quotes his father’s

The Heart of the Forest is a unique environment for both

unforgettable words: “Land is the only sure investment.” After

families and retirees. The development maintains easy access

a long career as a pilot, Biff’s father retired in 1980, living out

to all areas of the northshore and New Orleans. While located

his and wife Lea May’s dream of purchasing a large piece of

10 miles north of the Goodbee/Madisonville I-12 exit, it is one

land. Part of the thousand acres he acquired was developed

mile into Tangipahoa Parish, which offers lower property and

into Louisiana Polo Farms.

sales taxes than many of its neighboring parishes.

With an open invitation to take a tour of The Heart of The Forest, Biff assures a spectacular view and always an interesting story.

—Shawna Hunt

Continuing to preserve the expansiveness and beauty of the area, all properties are large and protected from future overdevelopment. Nestled in the forest bordering the polo farms is the newest development, The Heart of the Forest. The expansion offers residential lots that are over two acres in pristine forest, where families can enjoy privacy, safety and serenity. The large lots have a variety of native flora and fauna. “We make every effort to keep the natural look of the land while also protecting its value,” assures Biff.

“Assisting property owners with the development of their lots is our top priority,” says Biff. Years of experience

the heart of the forest For more information on Louisiana Polo Farms and The Heart of the Forest, visit their website at: lapolofarms.com or call 985-796-9130.

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INside Peek cia Irmscher, Linda Kristie Thomas, Ali Cassidy at the Begue and Karen of Republican ion rat de Louisiana Fe nvention.

Women biennial co

e Dutel n, Jeann e Jackso u e’s Gift S n , n n a z so k Su Abby Jac iecidue-Jone at se. h D pen ou and Sallie rst anniversary o fi ’s Boutique

The Octavians and The Tell-Ta le Heart, The and The Black Raven Cat wowed th e American Association of Community Theater’s Fest ival.

Keynote spea ker Leslie Rozycki with Commissione r of Agriculture Mike Strain and Susan St rain at the Republican W omen event.

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rs of CAST membe Pinkalicious act caught in the backstage!

Anjelicca Arceneau x and Ashle y McGary o n St. Schola stica’s feast day.

SSA’s eighth-g rade track team won the seas opener agains on t Trafton Acad emy. yton Gage Capron, Pa n, pro Ca a Av er, alk W anah All to, ffu Melanie Za rns, Patti Sta lyn da Ma d an g and Tregle, Malyn Rollin th The wi s rn Sta ary ch Za ’s Louisiana Children “Human r nte Ce ry ve co Dis Body Exhibit.”

ry at the lebrates its victo sketball team ce ba s au . isl hip an ns St .

St Champio State Basketball Mississippi 4-A

Send your submissions to peek@insidenorthside.com.

Geaux for the Gold

of n Gators, winners Madisonville Gree t.

Ou t oo Sh h the Orange Beac

Store for Sports-themed Merchandise • 4,000 square feet of LSU, New Orleans Saints, Hornets, VooDoo and more.

• Great gift items for the entire family!

• Everything from furniture to home decor, apparel to gift items. Apparel in all sizes, including adorable items for baby.

• Licensed Retailer for NIKE, Reebok, Adidas, and Russell items including on-field jerseys, hats and polos.

r VooDoo Get Youere!

Gear H

PERFECT GIFTS FOR MOTHER’S AND FATHER’S DAY Conveniently located right off the I-10 at Gause in Slidell.

796 East I-10 Service Road next to McAlister’s.

985-641-0620 Order products online at www.geauxforthegold.com

IN the Spotlight Chef Soirée 2011

The beautiful weather complemented the warm and happy mood at this year’s Chef Soirée benefit for the Youth Service Bureau. The 2011 parade and gate-opening festivities were led by the rousing rhythm of the Hornets Drum Line followed by Hugo and the Honeybees.

Guests then meandered over the grounds of Covington’s Bogue Falaya Park, partaking of the wares of more than 85 restaurant and beverage purveyors.

As the guests enjoyed the festivities, music filled the air, performed by Burgundy, Hurricane Levee Band, The Wiseguys and The Wagners (27-year veterans of Chef Soirée).

WWL’s Jim Henderson led the parade as Grand Marshall, along with honorary chairs Saints running back Heath Evans and his wife, Beth Ann. The night’s auction was led by celebrity auctioneer Rich Mauti. Another highlight was the $10,000 raffle won by Revill Bayer.

Capital One was Top Banana Presenting Sponsor and Chevron was the Sliver Spoon Sponsor. Proceeds help fund YSB’s programs that serve at-risk youth and their families in St. Tammany and Washington parishes.

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battery system that incorporates a built-in automatic transfer switch with the use of utility power or solar panels. Installation is easy and the system requires very little space, which makes the system perfect for condos, homes with small yards and doctors’ offices. “Federal and state tax breaks are a huge bonus with this type of system,” says Boudreau.

Much of Pan American Power’s business is hurricane related. Boudreau says his company has seen a post-Katrina rise in the demand for standby generators in both homes and small businesses across the Northshore. Many businesses, such as pharmacies, banks, gas stations, doctors’ offices and insurance companies, need to reopen as soon as possible to aid in recovery

Deryl, Sue, Eddie and Andre Boudreau.

Pan American Power

following a storm. In addition, residents are eager to return to a sense of normalcy after hurricanes and want to get back to their jobs. Pan American Power will customize your generator to power

Pan American Power is a family-owned and -operated company

the unique necessities of your

that has provided reliable quality standby power services for the

home or business.

Northshore for the past 24 years. The company specializes in

In addition to new sales

sales, service and installation of standby power generators for

and installation, Pan

homes and businesses and is an Authorized Dealer for Kohler,

American Power provides

Briggs & Stratton, Guardian, Generac and Eaton generators.

maintenance, warranty and

Pan American Power has recently increased its product line and

repair services. A fleet of six

staff to expand its service to homeowners and businesses during unexpected power outages.

The company has recently received two honors that reflect its accomplishments in the industry. Deryl Boudreau, general manager at Pan American Power, has been named to the Generac Dealer Advisory Council, a select group of dealers in the United States that meets monthly to discuss ideas and improvements in the industry. “I’m

24-Hour maintenance and repair team.

honored to be named to the council,” Boudreau says. “It shows we’ve reached a high standard of

factory-trained certified technicians are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Maintenance is especially important ahead of hurricane season. Customers can choose from Semi-

recognition within the generator business.”

Annual and Annual maintenance agreements. Boudreau says

Pan American Power was also recognized this

generator owners should have their systems checked at least

year as a Premier Generac Dealer, a designation given to only

once a year to insure the unit will work properly during the

six companies nationwide. “It is an honor to be in the highest

inevitable power outage.

echelon of Generac dealers,” says Boudreau. “This represents the hard work and dedication my father Eddie, my brother

Call today for your free in-home estimate and never be powerless again.

–Megan Hill

Andre and all our employees have put forth.”

Pan American Power has added indoor generators to its

Pan American Power is located at

product line. These portable silent generators are designed to

17640 Hard Hat Drive in Covington.

handle power needs for both home and business during an

Call (985) 893-1271 or visit

outage. The indoor generators are a unique rechargeable

www.PanAmericanPower.com.

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INside Peek

Cindy a nd Brett Pe Saints Z ach Strie try with f (cente Celebra r) at the tion of Discove ry.

Mayor Donald Willie Paretti, , on ns , bi Ro Steven Bartholomew Spurlin, Helen e th y Villere, Laurie jo en d Kim Melvin Jenny Boyd an y sponsored by er ov sc Di of Celebration nter to benefit al Medical Ce on gi Re w vie Lake s Museum. the Children’

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America n Idol contesta nt Laure n Turner a nd JLGC Children Museum Chairpe rson Lis a Barnett.

ke enot and Broo an, Emily Font n io at br Shelby Corcor le Ce tertained the Henderson en guests.

, Ashley Meeks ey Hollowell, tn hi W . c, na om e MHS pr Courtney Se y ready for th Sophie Kirk, Lauren Murph d an t llio Bi n Kathry

The Slidell W omen’s Civic Club was the at the Second “Best Dressed Annual Fire Tr ” uck Pull bene Olympics Loui fiting Specia siana. l

B.J. Bordelon , Southern Fo od and Beverage Mus eum Director Liz Williams, T.A. Breaux an d Ray Bordelon at the opening of th e Galerie d’Ab sinthe.

STPH Respiratory Care presents “C harlie Sheen and the Goddesse s.”

eri Campbell and Kieran Weldon, Sh ges of the 2011 Melanie Hebert, jud nefit the St. be Gurney Games to undation.

Fo l ita sp Ho Tammany

Send your submissions to peek@insidenorthside.com.

ACTIVITIES Horseback Riding Swimming Ropes Course Tennis Canoeing Golf Basketball Gymnastics Dance Archery Arts & Crafts Outdoor Living Skills Campfire Fun Rope Swing Volleyball Soccer Riflery Aerobics Chorus & Drama Voice & Music 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

SUMMER SESSSIONS M Session: May 29-June 3 1st Session: June 5-June 17 2nd Session: June 19-July 1 3rd Session: July 3-July15 4th Session: July 17-July 29 SHORT-TERM SESSSIONS A Session: June 5-June 10 B Session: June 12-June 17 C Session: June 19-June 24 D Session: June 26-July 1 E Session: July 17-July 22 F Session: July 24-July 29

INside Peek Johnny Gordo n, Andre Boudreau, To mmy Laizer and Lee Kem p celebrating St . Patrick’s Day at the Ba rley Oak.

f Pete Barley Oak staf Cox and h ra Copping, Sa s. ne Hi tt re Gar

Mike Sciortino Sr. and Mike Scio rtino Jr. won Best Costume at th e St. Paul’s Celebr ity Waiters Dinn er.

r and Amanda Hove , 3rd Jr. so Sam Caru at r ne in W e ac Pl welers’ Champagne Je . ng ni pe O nd ra G

by Stephen Faure

White tea is a new and special product. “It’s only recently we were able to get white tea in the United States,” Jan says. “It was revered and rare and even regarded as holy, something only for the monks and royalty of China and Japan. White tea is the sprouting buds of new leaves that are covered with

You’ll get more than just a pot of tea when you visit The English Tea Room— you can get an education in all things tea. Of course, you can also partake of all the traditional accompaniments, scones and crumpets and the like, at this cozy Covington cottage, where customers relax among Anglophilic items that share decorating duties with original paintings, including some by local artists such as Bill Hemmerling.

Owners Jan and Tim Lantrip offer breakfast and a full lunch menu. They also host private parties ranging from children’s birthdays in the newly decorated Alice in Wonderland room to showers and club gatherings. But tea is the specialty. The Tea Room excels at serving high tea, which includes an assortment of sandwiches, sweets, 138

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The English Tea Room

properties. One cup of a good quality savories and what’s called a “cream tea.”

loose-leaf tea is equivalent to three or

Jan explains, “Cream tea is a description of the Devonshire clotted cream that you

four servings of fresh fruits and

have with your scones, like butter or cream cheese. It’s white, rich, creamy, decadent—you slather it right on your scone with lemon curd and it will send you off your chair and into heaven!”

While herbal and fruit infusions are included in the more than 100 varieties of tea available at The English Tea Room, Jan says the “proper teas”— black, green and white—all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The type of tea is determined by a number of factors: the variety of the Camellia sinensis plant; when the leaves are picked (even the time of day); if it’s a young leaf or a more mature leaf; and the type of processing.

oxidant nutrient value is in one cup of tea.” Along with white tea, another relatively new product high in antioxidants is an herbal infusion from South Africa called rooibos (“red bush”), which is used medicinally there to treat nausea in pregnant women and colic in babies.

The lunch menu at The English Tea Room includes a variety of soups, salads, quiches, sandwiches and what Jan says is “a little twist of English things: Shepherd’s Pie, Scotch Egg, Plowman’s Lunch (assorted English cheeses with a locally baked crusty bread) and Buckingham Bake, a recipe from a bed and breakfast in England.”

vegetables. That’s how much anti-

photo: ABBY SANDS MILLER www.abbyphoto.com

IN Great Taste

white or silvery hairs. There’s such an art and tradition to this that they even go out at certain times of the day, at certain times in May, and pick these leaves by hand. Because the leaves are so delicate, only women pick them. The leaves are treated so reverently that they are put into soft linen sacks.”

Jan is a pharmacist by trade, and she researches every study regarding the health benefits of tea that she can get her hands on. “Each one of the teas presents different healing and health

INside Dining Jan and Tim’s cozy little cottage might also be a place to get in on the next major food trend. Jan notes, “Tea sales around the world are skyrocketing.

I think that’s contributing to our business, besides the fact that ours is a unique and beautiful place.” They’ve parlayed their knowledge and the reputation into a healthy mail-order business and are now one of the largest purveyors of loose-leaf tea in the South.

Most importantly, The English Tea Room is a real pleasure for them. “We have the best customers in the world. I meet the most interesting people; the nicest people come to tea,” says Jan.

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

190, 892-3712. Contemporary Louisiana cuisine using local and seasonal ingredients. MCC, RR.

ABITA SPRINGS Abita Barbecue, 69399 Hwy. 59, 892-0205. Ribs, brisket, chicken, pulled pork and boudin. MCC.

Del Porto Restaurant, 501 E. Boston St., 875-1006. Northern Italian cuisine. MCC, RR.

Abita Brew Pub, 72011 Holly St., 892-5837. On the Trace. Good food, great beer. Lunch, dinner. MCC. Abita Springs Café, 22132 Level St., 867-9950. Southern cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tue-Sun. MCC. Breakaway Cafe, 71667 Leveson St., 809-8998. Tue-Sat 10am-5pm.

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

COVINGTON 407 North, 407 N. Columbia St., 8093131. Seafood, steaks, sandwiches.

Lunch and dinner Mon-Fri; dinner Sat. MCC. Acme Oyster House, 1202 Hwy. 190, 246-6155. Established 1910 in New Orleans, 1995 on northshore.

Seafood, sandwiches, local favorites.

Lunch, dinner. MCC. Albasha, 1958 Hwy. 190, 867-8292.

Mediterranean cuisine. MCC.

Scotch Egg Jan and Tim were introduced to the Scotch Egg during their travels in England and Scotland. Jan says it’s considered picnic food over there because it’s portable and was meant to be taken in a backpack on a hunt or by workers to the field or factory. Though traditionally deep-fried, The English Tea Room prepares Scotch Eggs baked.

Hardboiled egg Loose breakfast sausage Egg wash Breadcrumbs (a mix of panko for crispiness and fine breadcrumbs)

Annadele's Plantation, 71518 Chestnut St., 809-7669. Yellow fin tuna, domestic lamb & much more.

MCC, checks.

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

Bonefish Grill, 200 River Highlands Blvd. 809-0662. Specializing in market-fresh fish cooked to perfection over a wood-burning grill. bonefishgrill.com. MCC. Buster’s Place, 519 E. Boston St., 809-3880. Seafood, po-boys, steaks.

Lunch, dinner. MCC. Calypso Patio Bar & Grill, 326 Lee Lane, 875-9676.

Carreta’s Grill, 70380 Hwy. 21, 8716674. Great Mexican cuisine and margaritas served in a family friendly atmosphere for lunch and dinner. MCC. Cheesesteak Bistro, The, 528 N. Columbia St., Covington, 875-9793.

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

MCC, checks.

Coffee Rani, 234-A Lee Ln., 8936158. Soup and salad specialists.

Wrap breakfast sausage around the hardboiled egg. Dip in egg wash and roll in breadcrumb mixture to coat. Dip again in egg wash and roll once more in breadcrumb mixture. Bake in 350° oven for 15-20 minutes until crust is crispy and brown. Serve with English wholegrain mustard.

Columbia St. Seafood, 1123 N. Columbia St., 893-4312. Seafood platters and po-boys.

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. MCC, ME. Copeland’s, 680 N. Hwy. 190, 8099659. Authentic New Orleans cuisine.

Lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.

Online take-out orders at copelandsofneworleans.com. MCC, ME, RR. Dakota Restaurant, 629 N. Hwy.

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

Conveniently located next to the new Covington Courthouse. Italian and seafood. MCC. Downtown Drugs 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.

El Portal, 1200 Business 190, 8675367.

English Tea Room, The, 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-4pm. englishtearoom.com.

MCC, RR. Four Seasons Chinese Buffet, 600 N. Hwy. 190, 893-3866. MCC. Froots, 104 Lake Dr. #3, 893-2774.

Smoothies, wraps, soups and salads.

MCC. Gallagher’s Grill, 509 S. Tyler St. 892-9992. Lunch and dinner, Tue-Sat. MCC. RR. Ground Pati, 814 N. Hwy. 190, 8934208. Steaks, burgers. Kids’ menu.

MCC. Isabella’s Pizzeria, 70452 Hwy. 21, Suite 500, 875-7620; 1331 Hwy. 190, 809-1900. Salads, gourmet pizza, sandwiches, paninis, calzones and pasta.

Italian Pie, 70488 Hwy. 21, 8715252. Pizza, salads, pasta, sandwiches. Dine in or carry out.

MCC, checks.

Jerk’s Island Grill & Daiquiri Bar, 70347 Hwy. 21, 893-1380.

JerksIslandGrill.com.

Lola, 517 N. New Hampshire St., 892-4992.

Louie & The Redhead Lady Too, 324 E. Boston St., 809-8050.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner. louieandtheredheadlady.com. MCC. Mattina Bella, 421 E. Gibson St., 892-0708. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

MCC, checks.

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

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

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.

MCC. Nonna Randazzo’s Italian Bakery and Caffè, 2033 N. Hwy. 190, Ste. 5, 893-1488. Italian bakery items, luncheon salads, soups and sandwiches. MCC.

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

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

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

Osaka West Japanese Restaurant, 804 N. Hwy. 190, 875-0409.

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

Jambalaya, gumbo, stuffed artichokes.

MCC, checks, ME. Pelican Market Café, 70457 Hwy. 21, 893-6666. MCC. PJ’s Coffee & Tea Co., 70456 Hwy. 21, 875-7894. Catch your morning buzz at this convenient drive-thru!

Catering. MCC. Pizza Man of Covington, 1248 N. Collins Blvd., 892-9874. Checks, ME. Sage Café, 501 N. Hwy. 190, 8933580. Breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared from scratch with attention to detail. Drink specials. MCC. Schwing’s Restaurant, 1204 W. 21st Ave., 893-1899. Fresh seafood and home cooking. MCC. Sicily’s Pizza, 301 N. Hwy. 190, 8930005. Pizza, lasagna, salad bar, dessert pizzas. MCC, ME. Sorelli’s Brick Oven, 321 N. Columbia St., 327-5541.

Sweet Daddy’s, 420 S. Tyler St., 898-2166. Pulled pork, brisket and ribs. MCC, ME. Thai Chili, 1102 N. Hwy. 190, 8090180.

Thai Spice, 1531 N. Hwy. 190, 8096483.

Thai Taste, 1005 Collins Blvd., 8097886.

Thai Thai, 1536 N. Hwy. 190, 8098905.

Vasquez Seafood & Po-Boys, 515 E. Boston St., 893-9336. Cuban sandwiches and more. MCC, checks, ME. WOW Cafe & Wingery, 1600 N. Hwy. 190, 898-4969. Buffalo wings, wraps, salads. MCC. Yujin Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, 323 N. New Hampshire St., 809-3840. Japanese cuisine and sushi in a casual atmosphere. MCC. Zea Rotisserie & Grill, 110 Lake Dr., 327-0520. Inspired American food.

MCC. 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. Cocoa Bean Bakery and Cafe, 910 E. Main St., 345-2002. Specialty cakes, pastries. Serving breakfast and light lunch. Specials. thecocoabeanbakery.com. MCC. Don’s Seafood & Steak House, 1915 S. Morrison Blvd., 345-8550.

MCC. Hon Yum Chinese Restaurant, 1905 W. Thomas St., 230-0888.

Chicken, shrimp, tofu specialties.

Lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

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Breakfast, Lunch and High Tea Bridal and Baby Showers • Alice In Wonderland Tea Cottage

Jacmel Inn, 903 E. Morris St., 542-0043.

Casual fine dining. Lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

Benedict’s Restaurant, 1144 Lovers Lane, 626-4557. Traditional New Orleans cuisine.

Dinner, Sunday brunch. MCC.

Kirin Sushi, 223 S. Cate St., 542-8888.

First Japanese sushi restaurant in Hammond! Dragon roll, Kirin roll, sake. MCC.

Bosco’s Italian Café, 2040 Highway 59, 624-5066.

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, dinner, seven days a week. MCC. Old MacDonald’s Smokehouse, 1601 N. Morrison Blvd., 542-7529. BBQ brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage. MCC, checks.

Pepper Tree Grill and Bar, 2037 W. Thomas St., 345-5525. MCC, checks.

Tommy's Pizza, 2105 N. Morrison Blvd., 345-9726. Pizza, pastas. Lunch, dinner.

MCC, checks.

Tope là, 104 N. Cate St., 542-7600.

Contemporary delights. MCC. Trey Yuen Cuisine of China, 2100 N. Morrison Blvd., 345-6789. Innovative quality Chinese food served in Imperial surroundings. MCC, checks.

VooDoo BBQ & Grill, 2108 W. Thomas, 345-1131. “Taste our Magic.” MCC. Yellow Bird Café, 222 E. Charles St., 3451112. A great place to start your day.

Breakfast, lunch. MCC, checks.

Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm 734 Rutland St, Covington (985) 898.3988 www.englishtearoom.com

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.

MCC, checks. RR. Sal & Judy’s, Hwy. 190, 882-9443. Great food and line of retail products. Family owned for 27 years. Veal is the house specialty. MCC, RR. MADISONVILLE Badeaux’s Drive In, 109 Hwy. 22 W., 8457221. Family dining. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Cafe Madisonville, 410 Covington Hwy., 792-4506. Soups, salads, sandwiches and lunch specials.

Coffee’s Boiling Pot, 305 Old Covington Hwy., 845-2348. Boiled seafood in a family atmosphere.

Friends Coastal Restaurant, 407 St. Tammany St., 845-7303. Key West meets New Orleans in this island casual dining atmosphere. Lunch, dinner. MCC. RR.

Broken Egg Café, 200 Gerard St., 6243388. Excellent choice for brunch! Pasta, specialty salads, sandwiches. 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. MCC. Casa Garcia, 800 N. Causeway Blvd., 9518226. 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, 7272771. Fajitas and the Awesome Blossom.

Lunch, dinner. MCC, ME. Coffee Rani, 3517 Hwy. 190, 674-0560.

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.

Fazzio’s Seafood & Steakhouse, 1841 N. Causeway Blvd., 624-9704. Fresh fish daily, aged beef, traditional Italian. Lunch, dinner.

MCC, ME, RR. Franco’s Grill,100 Bon Temps Roule, 7920200. Fresh organic foods for breakfast, lunch and takeout. 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. MCC, ME. Gio’s Villa Vancheri, 2890 E. Causeway App., 624-2597. Sicilian specialties by 5-star chef Gio Vancheri. Lunch and dinner MonSat. MCC. RR. Grillot’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar, 2100 Florida St., 624-8849. World-famous BBQ oysters, steaks and lobsters. Delivery available. MCC. Hong Kong Restaurant, 2890 E. Causeway App., 626-8222. MCC. Isabella’s Pizzeria, 2660 Florida St. (in the Florida Street Market), 674-5700. Salads, gourmet pizza, sandwiches, paninis, calzones and pasta.

Italian Pie, 4350 Hwy. 22, 626-5252. Pizza, salads, pasta, sandwiches. Dine in or carry out. MCC, checks.

Izumi, 2660 Florida St., 624-8664. Sushi, Japanese specialties. MCC.

Frog’s Pizzeria, 302 Hwy. 22, 845-9500.

Keith Young’s Steakhouse, 165 Hwy. 21, 845-9940. Steak, crab cakes. Lunch TuesFri, dinner. 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, dinner Wed-Sun. MCC. MANDEVILLE Andale! Margaritas & Grill, 643 Lotus Dr., 626-1534. Breakfast, lunch and dinner; sizzling fajitas, chili relleno el comal. andalemargaritasgrill.com. MCC. Barley Oak, The, 2101 Lakeshore Dr. 7277420. Serving 130 styles of beer, call and premium liquors and lunch and dinner. thebarleyoak.com. MCC. Bear’s Grill & Spirits, 1809 N. Causeway Blvd., 674-9090. Bear’s po-boys and more.

MCC.

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Juniper, 301 Lafitte St., 624-5330.

Progressive Creole cuisine. Lunch, dinner, brunch. MCC, checks.

K. Gee’s, 2534 Florida St., 626-0530.

Featuring Louisiana seafood. kgeesrestaurant.com. MCC. Kickstand Café and Bike Rental, 690 Lafitte St., 626-9300.

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, dinner, seven days a week. MCC. La Madeleine French Cafe, 3434 Hwy. 190, 626-7004.

Little Tokyo, 590 Asbury Dr., 727-1532.

Louie & The Redhead Lady, 1851 Florida St., 626-8101.

Macaroni Grill, 3410 Hwy. 190, 727-1998.

Penne rustica, pasta Milano, other Italian favorites. Lunch, dinner. MCC, ME.

VooDoo BBQ & Grill, 2999 Hwy. 190 East, 629-2021. “Taste our Magic.” MCC.

Mande’s, 340 N. Causeway App., 6269047. Serving breakfast and lunch, daily specials.

Zydeco Café, 68480 Hwy. 59, 871-8748.

Po-boys, pasta, burgers and more.

Mandina’s, 4240 Hwy. 22 in Azalea Square Shopping Center, 674-9883. Seafood, Creole and Italian. Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat. Maw Maw’s, 1461 N. Causeway Blvd, Ste. 11, 727-7727. Soups, salads, stuffed potatoes, sandwiches, po-boys.

Maxein’s Coffee House, 115 Girod St., 626-9318.

Megumi Japanese Cuisine, 4700 Hwy. 22, Suite 11&12, 845-1644. Yakimono and sushi bar. Lunch, dinner.

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. MCC. Nuvolari’s, 246 Gerard St., 626-5619. In Old Mandeville. Gnocchi, escargot, filet mignon, linguini fruta di mare. Dinner. MCC. Obelisk Wine Bar & Art Gallery, 22 St. Ann Dr., Ste. 2, 674-4215.

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, 674-3436.

PJ’s Coffee & Tea Co., 2963 Hwy. 190, 674-1565. Catch your morning buzz at this convenient drive-thru! Catering. MCC. Rag’s Old Fashioned Po-Boys, 4960 Hwy. 22, 792-1744. Herbie roast beef with Swiss and ham, muffalettas. MCC, checks, ME. 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. MCC. Sake Gardens Japanese Restaurant, 1705 Hwy. 190, 624-8955.

Sesame Inn, 408 N. Causeway Blvd., 9518888. Finest Chinese cuisine.

Smoothie King, 1830 W. Causeway App., 626-9159. Smoothies. MCC, checks.

Subway, 1665 Hwy. 190, 674-0733.

Sandwiches, salads. Low-fat available.

MCC. Sweet Daddy’s, 2534 Florida St., 6260208. Pulled pork, brisket and ribs. MCC, ME. Taqueria Noria, 1931 Hwy. 59, 727-7917.

Lunch, dinner.

Times Bar & Grill, 1896 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-1161. Famous hamburgers, starters, steaks and more. Lunch, dinner.

ME, MCC. Trey Yuen Cuisine of China, 600 N. Causeway Blvd., 626-4476. Quality China cuisine with Louisiana flair. Lunch, dinner.

MCC, checks.

Vianne’s Tea Salon and Café, 544 Gerard St., 624-5683. Freshly baked scones, homemade soups and a full café menu with over 40 gourmet teas. Breakfast, lunch.

MCC. Vigroux Po-Boys, 2625 Florida St., 2317314. Lunch, dinner.

PONCHATOULA Middendorf’s Seafood Restaurant, 30160 Hwy. 51, 386-6666.

Rockefeller’s Restaurant, 147 N.W. Railroad Ave.,370-0930. Catfish Delacroix and Trout Mardi Gras are among the festive specialties. MCC, checks.

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, 386-3634. Charming Bavarian bungalow, European-style breakfast, German-style lunch. MCC, checks.

SLIDELL A Touch of Italy Café, 134 Pennsylvania Ave., 645-0084. Seafood, veal, steaks, daily specials. Lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

Assunta’s, 2631 Hwy. 190 W., 649-9768.

Italian food, extensive wine selection. Dinner.

MCC, checks.

Bear’s Grill & Spirits, 550 Gause Blvd.

201-8905. Bear’s po-boys and more. MCC. Bistro de la Reine, 2306 Front St., 2884166. Sunday brunch, live entertainment, fine wines and spirits. Open seven days a week. MCC. Camellia Cafe, 525 Hwy. 190, 649-6211.

Traditional seafood and New Orleans cuisine.

MCC. Carreta’s Grill, 1340 Lindberg Dr., 847-0020.

Great Mexican cuisine and margaritas served in a family-friendly atmosphere for lunch and dinner.

MCC. Eddie D’s, 39510 Hwy. 190 E., 847-1000.

Java Jungle, 1071 Robert Blvd., 649-0380.

Specialty coffees, casual dining, lush tropical setting. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. MCC, checks.

KY’s Olde Towne Bicycle Shop, 2267 Carey St., 641-1911. Casual dining in former bicycle shop. Kids’ menu. Lunch, dinner.

MCC, checks.

La. Pines, 1061 Robert St., 641-6196.

Meet under the water tower for Ahhhfullwaffles, Sugar Watcher specials. Breakfast, lunch. MCC, checks.

Mandina’s, 2111 Gause Blvd., 690-6679.

Seafood, Creole and Italian. Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat. Michael’s, 4820 Pontchartrain Dr., 6498055. Steaks, seafood, veal, duck, eggplant au gratin. Extensive wine selection. Dinner.

Palmettos on the Bayou, 1901 Bayou Ln., 643-0050.

Phil’s Marina Café, 1194 Harbor Dr. 6410464.

Smoothie King, 150 Northshore Blvd., 781-3456. Low-fat health drinks. MCC, checks.

Steak Out, 1325 Gause Blvd., 645-8646.

Eat in or delivered to you. MCC. Tacos and Beer, 2142 Front St., 6414969. Lunch, dinner and late-night.

Times Bar & Grill, 1827 Front St. 6393335. Famous hamburgers, starters, steaks and more. Lunch, dinner. ME, MCC. Wine Market, The, 2051 E. Gause Blvd., 781-1177. Deli restaurant, lunch, 11-3pm.

Sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps. MCC and checks.

Young’s Restaurant, 850 Robert Blvd., 643-9331. Steaks, seafood, nice wine selection. Dinner. MCC, checks.

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Over the past five years, the real estate market has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. The poststorm boost in housing demand was further fostered by the availability of easy financing. This all came crashing down in late 2008 with the Wall Street financial debacle that shut off many financing sources The uncertainty in the market coupled with higher qualifying standards brought a real low to homebuyers’ confidence. The

Since 2008, according to the MLS, the average number of homes sold has stabilized between 2,295 and 2,387. These numbers are below the 4,901 sold in 2005, but in line with pre-Katrina home sales. Best of all, the average price has remained strong.

Probably the most drastic change in the market is the number of single-family residential lots being purchased by homebuilders. Homebuilders typically

question is, “Where are we now?”

have the best indication for market demand as they are

Many national housing analysts believe the

directly involved in many transactions. From mid-2008

residential market is at the bottom, but not everyone

to almost all of 2009, the market for residential lots was

agrees. Traditionally, the fluctuation in demand has a

basically at a standstill. Since the beginning of 2010, the

negative impact on value, and unfortunately for many

number of lots purchased by homebuilders provides

communities in the country, that is the way things are playing out. Our market provides evidence to suggest otherwise.

further support that, at the very least, anticipation of future demand is high. Several subdivisions including Barkley Parc and Savannah’s Subdivision in Covington,

Northshore Home Values Where are we now?

A reliable source for trend information is historical sales data from the New Orleans Multiple Listing Service.

Home prices did surge with the post-hurricane

by Ashton Ray Countryside Gardens in Goodbee and Westin Oaks off Highway 1085 in Covington have sold all of their available lots to local homebuilders. Furthermore, new

demand for housing, and a dip was probably

subdivision developments or additional phases are being constructed.

inevitable. One encouraging point is that, despite headlines to the contrary, the slowdown in demand

restructured, such as Bedico Creek located off Highway

Other subdivisions that were under water have been

has not gutted the value of our homes the way it has in other markets. In 2010, average local home pricing stabilized at a point that is 20 percent over the average home price in 2004. Zillow Real Estate Market Reports indicate that during the summer of 2010, 30.4 percent of the homes sold in the United States were sold at a loss, compared to only 6.9 percent in the New Orleans Metro Market, which includes the northshore. That is good news.

Zillow also shows that the Home Value Index for the United States decreased 28 percent over the past five years; for Louisiana, the decrease was 33.7 percent, but the decrease for the New Orleans Metro Market was only 8.2 percent. During the same period, Home Value per Square Foot was down 27.2 percent nationwide and 34.5 percent in Louisiana—but only

1085 in Madisonville that was foreclosed upon.

6.9 percent locally.

Ashton Ray is a real estate appraiser with the northshore offices of Murphy Appraisal Services.

Grande Maison located off Highway 59 in Mandeville has been successful in selling higher priced homes over the past two years. The northshore’s first Traditional Neighborhood Development, TerraBella, has already completed construction on several retail and office buildings that will be the centerpiece of the neighborhood.

While there is still some uncertainty in the national housing market, there is evidence that the northshore market has weathered the storm and is ready for its rebound. The economic outlook for the northshore is positive, and when this is coupled with higher homeowner confidence, the residential housing market should continue to grow.

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n o r t h s h o r e

l i v i n g Bu STW ild H er BA of 2 th 01 eY 0 ea r

921 Tezcucco Court, Lot 52 • TerraBella

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Call for an appointment to start plans on your dream home.

985.626.7619 • email: nancy@ronleehomes.com

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n o r t h s h o r e

We keep unity in your community.

GNO Property Management Full-Service Property Management for Homeowners Associations ROBERT PHILLIPS AT 504-528-7028 ROBERT@GNOPROPERTY.COM WWW.GNOPROPERTY.COM

l i v i n g

Roger Mitchell, VooDoo BBQ & Grill, AMG Entertainment

“MY TWO JOBS ARE FUN,” says Roger Mitchell. Roger is franchisee of the Mandeville location of VooDoo BBQ & Grill.

“The restaurant is something different every day. There’re always different guests to talk to, sometimes there are issues, sometimes it’s employees acting up and sometimes it’s just a bunch of fun.”

His other fun job is creating and producing television shows.

“That’s the best thing—seeing it go from an idea in your head, through the whole process, seeing it air on TV and having your name at the end.”

That he has these two fun jobs is a combination of fate and hard work. He would often meet his cousin, Anthony Gangi (now his business partner), at the St. Charles Avenue VooDoo, and during those lunches, they bounced ideas off each other for TV shows and how to get those ideas onto the screen. Roger was also thinking VooDoo would be a perfect match for the northshore. One day, “There was a little table-tent that said, ‘Now franchising in Mandeville,’ and I said, ‘That’s got to be a sign.’ So I called, and six months after that, I was building my own place.”

The first TV idea they developed and pitched for their production company, AMG Entertainment, was a show called Emancipated, a docu-series following troubled teens who become emancipated from their parents and try to make it on their own.

It was picked up and aired on Country Music Television, the CMT network.

“We were calling agents, calling networks—ABC, NBC, FOX—everybody—trying to crack into the business. It’s impossible. It’s probably the hardest thing I ever did,” Roger says.

“Finally, we called a company here locally, Horizon Entertainment, which is owned by Tom Benson, and we pitched them an idea. They liked it and pitched it out to their contacts, and CMT picked it up and aired the first episode nationally December 17.”

They are now waiting to hear about the future of Emancipated—he says they are in serious negotiations with a major network—and have unleashed a flood of ideas on production companies, TV networks and agents.

“I always said, once

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we crack that door, we’re going to push it open. We have a show on national TV, and that’s all you need in this business—street cred. The first thing they ask when you call is, ‘What have you done?’”

Roger says people are finding out what he’s doing.

“I’ve got people bringing concepts to the restaurant now.

That’s fine by me; I enjoy that and hope I never lose that inspiration, because that’s where it got me. We were those guys that were driven, that never gave up, that didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I can appreciate the people who have a dream and an idea and want to get it on TV.” - STEPHEN FAURE

photo: STEPHEN FAURE

Another side of…