VOL. 1, NO. 14 / OCTOBER 8, 2009
• Fabulous at Any Age • How One Family Helped Build Lake Charles
• Old Towne General Store • Scary Treats for Halloween
A UNIQUE DINING EXPERIENCE AWAITS YOU AT LAKE CHARLES’ ONLY WATERFRONT RESTAURANT.
Located at 1103 West Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles, LA
(337) 478-7795 Sun. – Thurs. 11am until 10pm ~ Fri. and Sat. 11am until 11pm
“Rock the Dock”
Friday, October 16th • 6pm until 10pm Live music on the patio
Owner and operator of The Landing at Contraband, Josh Rogers would like to announce his departure from O'Charley's Restaurant. Josh will now be continuing his commitment to the community of Lake Charles at The Landing. Josh would like to thank all of the wonderful patrons of O'Charley's for their continued support and friendships over the past four years and invite them to come and try out The Landing. The restaurant features a menu like no where else. With his strong commitment to the community, locally owned businesses, service, and excellence, Rogers is thrilled to bring Lake Charles a new dining experience. PAGE 2
OCTOBER 8, 2009
Volume 1 • Issue 14
On Cover (left to right): Kara Coyne is wearing a beaded tunic by T-bags; Juli Wilson is wearing a Boho blouse by Voom; and, Cristi Lee is wearing an Ella Moss Muriel poinsettia top. Photography by Blane Bourgeois.
GENERAL 715 Kirby St., Lake Charles, LA 70601 Phone: 337-436-7800 Fax: 337-990-0262 PUBLISHER Phil de Albuquerque publisher@thejambalayanews.com
NEWS MANAGING EDITOR Lauren de Albuquerque lauren@thejambalayanews.com
EDITOR Lisa Yates lisa@thejambalayanews.com
CONTRIBUTORS Kay Andrews Leslie Berman Sara Blackwell George Cline Phil de Albuquerque James Doyle Dan Ellender Mike McHugh Jeanne Owens Mary Louise Ruehr Brandon Shoumaker Steve Springer, M.D. ADVERTISING SALES CONSULTANT Patricia Prudhomme SALES ASSOCIATES Faye Drake Karla Tullos Lazette Procter Katy Corbello
contents
October 8, 2009 • Volume 1 • Issue 14
COVER STORY 21
17
The Best of Fall Fashion
REGULARS 7 10 11 12 15 17 31 32
The Boiling Pot The Dang Yankee Doyle’s Place The Zestful Life Tip’s Tips House Call What’s Cookin’ Sports Report
FEATURES 5 18 27 34
There’ll Never be Another You Bayou Biz: Old Towne General Store Fabulous at Any Age One Family Helped Build Lake Charles
ENTERTAINMENT 37 38 39 40 42 46 49 53
Killin’ Time Crossword Funbolaya Family Night at the Movies Red Hot Books Society Spice The Local Jam Jambalaya Jam Eclectic Company
21 27
GRAPHICS ART/PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Darrell Buck ART/PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Michelle LaVoie BUSINESS OFFICE MANAGER Kay Andrews
5
MARKETING INTERN Leslie Davis
The Jambalaya News is solely owned, published by The Jambalaya News, LLC, 826 Ford Street, Lake Charles Louisiana 70601. Phone (337) 436-7800. Whilst every effort was made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the standing of advertisers nor by the editorial contributions. The Jambalaya News cannot be held responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, even if they are sent to us accompanied by a selfaddressed envelope. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Copyright 2009 The Jambalaya News all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited. Volume 1 • Issue 14
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34 OCTOBER 8, 2009
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A Note From Lauren Hello Jambalaya Readers! The October 8 issue marks six months of The Jambalaya News! To think we started our publication on our dining room table in our home, and now, here we are in our beautiful new office on Kirby St. with a full staff and wonderful contributing writers and columnists. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped make our dream come true. Another dream came true 10 years ago on October 8, 1999. It was a Columbus Day Weekend in New England—the height of the foliage season. People come from all over the world to go “leaf-peeping.” At the last minute, Phil suggested that we go to New Hampshire. I was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to find accommodations so late in the game, but he assured me he had it under control. We’d met five months earlier. My mother and I always took an escorted tour together somewhere in the world since my father passed away in 1987. In May of 1999, we took a Southern plantations tour. Phil was the guy on the bus with the microphone. By the end of the week, I told my mother that I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. I just knew. Friday morning, I woke up with the start of a head cold, and didn’t really want to go. But Phil was insistent. He also made sure I packed a dress. For New Hampshire? Is he crazy? Everyone will be in hiking boots and jeans! But he was insistent. We took a leisurely drive North, stopping for
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
lunch and taking photos of the scenic views along the way. But my cold was getting worse, and I was in NO MOOD. Occasionally, Phil would stop to make phone calls. I was convinced that he really didn’t have a room for us, and was calling motels in the area to see if there were any cancellations. I was getting ticked off. If you know me, you are well aware that you shouldn’t tick me off. Late in the day, we finally pulled into the scenic town of Jackson. Phil was still acting weird. We ended up at this little motel—but wait! They didn’t have a room for us yet. There was “some kind of a problem.” And remember, we had dinner reservations and I had to change into that dress that Phil forced me to bring. The motel manager led us to a cold, damp room on the first level that appeared to be under construction. There were exposed pipes, and wood shavings on the floor. When someone flushed the toilet upstairs, the walls leaked. I’m not kidding. This was where we were supposed to change for dinner. Phil left me in the room and then took off like a bat out of hell. I was ready to strangle him. He finally came back with all kinds of excuses. At this point, I was barely speaking to him. He put his suit on and we went to the Wildcat Inn for dinner, which, thank God, was divine. Steven Spielberg had just been there for dinner a few days earlier. Clearly, a cool place. But I was still feeling lousy and just wanted to go to bed. But where was my bed?? If he Continued on page 6
Volume 1 • Issue 14
By Phil de Albuquerque
When I traveled to Britain as a tour guide, I often told this joke: “Did you hear on the news last night about all the male sheep jumping off a cliff and killing themselves? Someone said a farmer had the radio on, and they heard the song, “There’ll Never be Another Ewe (You).” Funny joke; interesting message. If you understand that there will never be another you, you can use this concept to your advantage when you’re marketing your business. Have you ever caught yourself singing along with a commercial on the radio or TV? How about seeing a catchy slogan in a print ad in the paper and repeating it so often that it becomes a catch phrase? We are flooded with advertising every day—billboards, Internet, you name it. Statistics vary on how much advertising the average person is exposed to on a daily basis, so let’s just say it’s a staggering number. All the more reason to get your message across in the best way you know how. Being unique, and knowing how you are unique, could set you apart from the competition.
Volume 1 • Issue 14
When Lauren and I first moved down here almost six years ago, everyone could tell I wasn’t from around here by the way I spoke. When we started advertising our kitchen design business on TV, I always ended the commercial with, “I may talk funny, but I’ll save you money!” People still come up and say that to me. It’s stuck in their head! There are businesses in the area that have used their uniqueness to their advantage. There’s the granddaughter of the car dealer who’s on the radio talking about her PawPaw’s business. There’s the electrical store in town that is known for its awesome window designs because a family member is super-talented in that area. What about the media company whose owner advertises his billboards wearing his trademark cowboy hat? Or, the restaurant whose ads always show a group of pretty blonde women—
never the food? What’s that all about? The owners probably feel that merely showing food in an ad is no big deal—but not every restaurant can boast such an attractive staff. That’s their drawing card. What’s yours? Don’t be like the other guy. The late, great fashion designer Coco Chanel said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” So, if your product isn’t unique, then you need to be.
We remember personal touches, certain jingles, and something different. So as you go about your business, think of what makes you different. Listen to what people say about you and your business. Ask your customers and employees for their opinion. See if you hear what you’re hoping to hear. Brainstorm for more ideas! Our office manager came to me the other day to tell me how much she enjoyed her job, and thanked me for hiring her. I told her that we wouldn’t be where we were today without her assistance. “Oh, you would have found someone else,” she said. “Maybe,” I said, “But it wouldn’t be Kay Andrews.” And that’s what makes all the difference.
TJN
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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A Note From Lauren Continued from page 4 thought I was sleeping in the leaking walls room, he had another thing coming to him. So we finished our lovely meal, and got in the car. “OK,” he announced. “Our room is ready.” Finally! We went back to the motel—but there was more suspicious behavior. He left me in the car while he disappeared into the night. Then he came back. “Look!” he said. “There’s a covered bridge right over there. Let’s take a look at it.” A covered bridge? At this time of night? “Why don’t we just wait for tomorrow morning so we can SEE it?” My Boston sarcasm was really coming out. “Humor me,” he pleaded. I thought that’s what I’d been doing all day. So there we were, walking across a damp field in the dark to get to a covered bridge that Phil just HAD to see tonight. So, he led me to the bridge. I could hear water rushing beneath it. “That’s the Ellis River!” Mr. Tour Guide informed me. “I can HEAR it, but I can’t SEE it because it’s too dark!” I shot back. “Can we leave now, please?”
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
He had such a strange look on his face that I started shaking him. “We don’t have a place to stay, do we? How could you do this? Is something wrong with you?” “Yes, there is something wrong with me,” he said—and got down on one knee. Oh, God, is he going to faint now? And then he took my hand and proposed to me. He wanted to fake me out, to think we had nowhere to stay, when in reality, he had rented a big ski chalet just for the two of us for the whole weekend. When we arrived, there was a fire in the fireplace, Dom Perignon cooling in a silver ice bucket, a dozen roses in a crystal vase with two matching champagne flutes, and two heart-shaped candles flickering by the fire. And he had insisted on me wearing a dress because he’d been told that a woman never forgets what she’s wearing when she’s been proposed to, and he wanted it to be something nice. And the rest, as they say, is history.
– Lauren de Albuquerque TJN
Discounted Digital Mammograms Offered at West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital is offering 20 percent off digital bilateral screening mammograms during October, the month recognized nationally as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Appointments are required and can be made by calling (337) 527-4256. The discount is applied to hospital charges and does not include radiology fees, which are billed separately. With the month of
October dedicated to creating awareness about breast cancer, health professionals at West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital state that it is the perfect time for women to focus on their breast health. WCCH is a sponsor of the local “Fight Cancer with Facts” educational campaign, encouraging individuals to get active, get screened and learn the facts about cancer risks in our area. TJN
Low Lumber Prices, Interest Rates Contribute to Strong Market
Lake Charles No. 1 in the Nation A variety of factors working together have made Lake Charles the strongest building market in the U.S. for the first six months of 2009, according to permit data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The data indicates that building permits have increased by 123 percent compared to the first six months of 2008, leading Business Week Magazine to declare Lake Charles number one in building, followed by BeaumontPort Arthur, Salt Lake City, Huntsville, Ala., Jacksonville, N.C., and Augusta, Ga. Although much of the boom has been related to post-hurricane rebuilding efforts, Jay Stine, executive vice president and building materials buyer for Stine Home and Yard, the state’s largest home improvement dealer, says favorable price tags and interest rates have played a large part in the increase. “Two key indicators have crossed paths to create an unprecedented opportunity,” Stine said. “Today’s lumber prices are fully 30 percent lower than last year at the same time. The last time they were this low was 1991. This, coupled with low interest rates, has created an opportunity for professional homebuilders and homebuyers.” He said that it is uncommon for interest rates to hit a low at the same time as lumber prices. “In my opinion, this has played a role in
making Lake Charles a top market, in addition to rebuilding efforts following Hurricanes Ike and Rita,” he added. According to Dennis Stine, president of Stine Lumber, lumber prices are nearly 31 percent lower than they were last year, and 42 percent below the last 5-year average. “Although financing has become more difficult in recent years, those who are able to obtain money are in a unique position to see the value of their dollars increase. It’s an optimal time to build, thanks to these favorable factors working together,” he said. Although consumers have been wary of building during the sluggish economy, Jay Stine noted that homebuilder views of housing market conditions for the remainder of the year rose for the second month in a row in August. Stine indicated that “now is the best time in decades” to buy building materials. “Our sales report mirrors the health of the building trades,” he said. “We are in a period where builders are buying cheaper than ever. If homebuyers can take advantage of these low mortgage rates, they’ll get much more house for much less money.” TJN
Volume 1 • Issue 14
The
Boiling
P l
Please submit press releases to lauren@thejambalayanews.com
door prize item at the agency’s annual Golf for Life Tournament in Lafayette on Oct. 12. Proceeds from the golf tournament will be used for educational initiatives on the importance of organ donation. There are over 1,800 people in Louisiana and 103,000 people nationwide who are on the organ transplant waiting list. For more information, please visit www.lopa.org or call (800) 521-GIVE.
L’Auberge du Lac Casino Director of Purchasing Rob Greer (center) presents a check for $7,475 to the Louisiana Minority Supplier Development Council represented by Phala Mire, president; Erik Waters, vice president; Rivers Fredrick, MBOC director; and board chairperson Susan Steinz. L’Auberge Donates to Louisiana Minority Supplier Development Council L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort continues its strong partnership with the Louisiana Minority Supplier Development Council. L’Auberge is a long-time sponsor of the organization and is represented on the board of directors by Rob Greer, director of purchasing. Founded in 1973, the Louisiana Minority Supplier Development Council was formed to assist major corporations in developing, enhancing and expanding minority vendor programs by integrating minority business enterprises into the corporate purchasing mainstream. For more info, see www.lamsdc.org.
Dr. Michael Turner
Dr. Michael Turner Named Fellow Michael Turner, M.D., of the Cardiovascular Specialists of Southwest Louisiana, was recently among 150 doctors worldwide to be named a fellow of the Society of Cardiovascular and Computed Tomography (SCCT). The SCCT is the international professional society for cardiovascular computed tomography. Dr. Turner is one of a group of board-certified cardiologists that form Cardiovascular Specialists of Southwest Louisiana. For more information on Dr. Turner or the Cardiovascular Specialists of Southwest Louisiana, visit www.csswla.com, or contact Jen Breen at 478-7396 or jbreen@ocarroll.com.
Cameron Communications Donates to LOPA Cameron Communications’ marketing supervisor Kristi Broussard presented a framed print to Terrell Thibodeaux, area representative for the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA). The framed print will be a Volume 1 • Issue 14
From left to right: Megan Monsour Hartman, CITGO Government and Public Affairs Department; Rosemary Pimentel, Dancing Classrooms Teaching Artist; Dana Keel, CITGO Government and Public Affairs Department; and Daniel Gonzalez, Dancing Classrooms Teaching Artist. CITGO Supports The Whistle Stop CITGO recently donated $8,000 to The Whistle Stop, whose primary focus is to give children access to their non-residential parents. In 2008, the visitation program completed over 2,100 hours of visits. The Whistle Stop also sponsors “Dancing Classrooms,” an arts in education, life skills program offered to private and public fifth grade students. The program utilizes ballroom dancing as a vehicle to teach children respect, teamwork and self-esteem. Earlier this year, 314 students from six schools participated in the program.
M.L. Vincent Jr.
M.L. Vincent, Jr. Qualifies for “Court of the Table” Outstanding client service, ethics and professionalism have elevated M.L. Vincent, Jr. of Lake Charles to qualify for the exclusive “Court of the Table” of the Million Dollar Round Table – the premier association of financial professionals. M.L. is a 30-year MDRT member. Achieving Court of the Table status places him among the top professionals in the global life insurance and financial services industry. It recognizes him for demonstrating exceptional professional knowledge, client service and ethical conduct. For more information, call (337) 562-0900 or ml@vincentandliles.com. OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Jewelry Design • Jewelry Repair Diamonds & Gemstones • Pearl Restringing Eye Glass Soldering • Gifts • Watch Repair Effusion Lamps • Miche Purses Orleans Home Fragrances
A Creative Jewelry Tradition Since 1990 Six of the eight new board members are pictured here. Front row, left to right: Shelly Welch, CHRISTUS St Patrick Hospital, Brad West, West Builders (Jennings), Tobie Hodgkins, Bessette Development Corp.; (back row, left to right: Randy Robb, Chennault International Airport Authority, Timothy Coffey, Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, and Toby Leger, Info Solutions. Not pictured are Larry DeRoussel, Lake Area Industry Alliance, and Jackie St. Romain, L’Auberge du Lac. New Members Named to Calcasieu Parish Consortium Workforce Investment Board Eight new members have been appointed to the 23-person Calcasieu Parish Consortium Workforce Investment Board (WIB). ILMA Awards Scholarship to Bryce Primeaux The Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association (ILMA) is pleased to announce it has selected Bryce Primeaux of Lake Charles as one of the recipients for the ILMA Scholarship Program. Bryce, a freshman at Louisiana State University, is studying engineering and business. He learned about the scholarship from his father, Robbie Primeaux, of ConocoPhillips. This past summer, Bryce interned at The Jambalaya News as assistant to the publisher. Founded in 2000, the ILMA Scholarship Program has awarded more than $100,000 in financial aid to more than 40 students.
Driver David Chambers and Harley Frazier. L’Auberge Grants Wish to Starks Girl L’Auberge du Lac Casino continues its 3+ year partnership with the MakeA-Wish Foundation to grant wishes to terminally ill children in our community. L’Auberge recently provided limousine service to 5-year old Harley Frazier from Starks in partnership with the Make-A-Wish foundation. The agency grants wishes to sick children; in this case, a trip to Disneyworld with her family. Driver David Chambers put a smile on Harley’s face by driving her to the airport in style while providing VIP service and a huge teddy bear.
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
Volume 1 • Issue 14
CHRISTUS St. Patrick Foundation Selects New Board of Directors The CHRISTUS St. Patrick Foundation recently elected its new board of directors at the Foundation’s annual board meeting. Officers elected were Nancy Burleigh, Chair; Bob Chandler, Vice Chair; Glenda McCarty, Secretary and Eric Mire, Treasurer. Other board members who will be serving on the executive committee are Nancy Burleigh Stephen Hotard, Della Rose and Keith Wimberly. Also elected to the board were Carl Ambrose, Sr., Gayle Fisher, Margaret Harris, Hunter Lundy, Anne Miller, Joel Oustalet, Dayna Reed, Sister Ann Margaret Savant, Amal Shamieh, and Eric Mire Aubrey White. CFO Names Coordinator for Bone Health Central Staci Boudreaux, PA-C, is the coordinator for Bone Health Central at Center for Orthopaedics, a new program designed to provide prevention, diagnosis and treatment services for bone health conditions such as osteoporosis, osteopenia, and osteomalacia, as well as identifying potential underlying causes. Boudreaux has over eight years of patient care experience and is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and licensed by the state of Louisiana as a Physician Assistant. She is also a memStaci Boudreaux, PA-C ber of the International Society of Clinical Densitometry. For more information or to schedule an assessment at Bone Health Central, call 721-7236.
applied science, computing, engineering and technology. The McNeese engineering technology program includes both the Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology degrees with concentrations in electronics, instrumentation and process plant. For more information about McNeese’s engineering technology program, call (337) 475-5854 or go online to www.mcneese.edu/ceet/engtech. Louis Todd Announces Formation of Todd & Associates Todd & Associates, LLC, a commercial insurance and risk management firm, has opened for business in Lake Charles. Todd & Associates will specialize in providing a full spectrum of risk management products to businesses including hospitals, surgery centers, physicians, related healthcare facilities and other corporate clients. Louis Todd, owner and president, has over 25 years of experience in the insurance field. He is originally from Lake Charles and received a Bachelor of Louis Todd Science Degree in Business from MSU. Todd is a Certified Insurance Counselor and has worked with numerous of companies on the local, regional and national level. Todd & Associates is located at 126 Arlington Drive in Lake Charles. For more information, call (337) 475-1040. FNB Donates Furniture to Agape Clinic John W. Fusilier, C.E.O. of First National Bank in DeRidder, is proud to announce the bank’s support of the Beauregard Agape Community Clinic by donating attractive furniture now used in the clinic’s waiting room and offices. The Agape Community Clinic provides free quality health care to uninsured working citizens of the area whose resources do not permit them to purchase insurance in the private sector. The clinic is staffed by volunteers who provide their professional services. Donations such as those by First National Bank are essential for the clinic to operate. Celebrating 75 years in the community, First National Bank is proud to contribute to the community’s needs in the DeRidder area. TJN
Proceeds benefit Whistle Stop Supervised Visitation & Exchange Center and Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) Poker run supports Special Olympics
Gray Little, president of AAF-Lake Charles and event co-chair; Marcianna Shogan, AAF-Lake Charles board member and event co-chair; Leslie Harless, director of marketing of Cameron State Bank; Irene Vandever, Arts & Humanities Council board member; Matt Young, executive director of the Arts & Humanities Council; and Jackie Dowden, community development coordinator of Arts & Humanities Council. AAF-LC Raises Funds for Art Camp The American Advertising Federation (AAF)–Lake Charles recently donated over $7,000 from its annual fundraiser to send deserving children to Summer Arts Camp and other programs of the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana. Additional proceeds from the event also funded scholarships for McNeese and Sowela students. AAF–Lake Charles held its summer fundraiser in the Harbor’s Edge Pavilion at Prien Lake Park. The club sold advertising packages and items donated by the local media, as well as items donated by local artists, organizations, businesses and friends. For more information about AAF–Lake Charles or the Happy Camper Advertising Auction and Party, visit www.aaflakecharles.com or contact Jen Breen at (337) 478-7396 or jbreen@ocarroll.com. MSU Engineering Tech Program Earns Re-accreditation The McNeese State University Engineering Technology program has earned re-accreditation by the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET Inc., the recognized accreditor of college and university programs in Volume 1 • Issue 14
tom ago’s Cus D y b d e Present ts & d The Ar Cycles an Council of SWLA ies Humanit
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Dang Yankee The
By Mike McHugh
The Wal-Mart Experience, Part 2 Last week, I walked you through the first part of a Wal-Mart shopping experience. We started by trying to find a space in the parking lot that isn’t occupied by empty shopping carts. Then we walked past the aisle stocked with nothing but Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in search of some Lipton Diet Sparkling Kiwi-Strawberry Green Tea-to no avail. In this issue, we finish the odyssey. One thing I notice when I shop at Wal-Mart is that they really like to make the experience intriguing by the way they strategically place items
throughout the store. You never know where you’re going to be able find what you’re looking for. Every time I go there, I feel like I’m on a scavenger hunt. On top of that, they kick it up a notch by re-arranging the entire store every two weeks or so. Entire departments are shifted from one end to the other. One time I went to the WalMart to buy some fishing tackle, and when I got to the area where I was used to seeing it, I found myself in the lingerie department. I don’t know what that was all about. Don’t bother trying to buy elec-
tronic gadgets there, either. If you want to buy, say, an iPOD, but you’re not sure which one, don’t expect to find anyone in the department who knows anything at all about them to help you through the selection process. Heck, you’ll be lucky if you can find an assistant who has a key to the cabinet where they keep them locked up behind the glass. Sure, you can see them all in there with their outrageously low price tags, but in reality, they’re just teasing you. Another part of the experience is dealing with other shoppers. They are always playing games. One of the most popular games they like to play is called “Block The Aisle.” For instance, as I was strolling down the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese aisle, I was stopped dead by an extended family of about 15 with three loaded carts standing side-by-side. There they were, engaged in serious deliberations over whether to get the five 8ounce boxes for the special price or to just go with the one family size. Honestly, they could have been a bit more courteous and set up a detour sign at the head of the aisle. Finally, you make it to the checkout, after having aged a few years. There are cases where 14-year olds
have entered the store and, by the time they get to the checkout, they are able purchase alcohol without an ID. All Wal-Mart’s have a minimum of 25 checkout counters, but never are there more than three open at any given time. So, your next experience is “The Line.” Honestly, The Line would not be so bad if they had some other reading material besides The National Enquirer at the checkout. Myself, I pass the time by reading the list of ingredients on the bubble gum wrappers. Next, it’s time for the aerobic exercise. The checkout person scans your items and places them in the bags so fast you think she has the arms of an octopus. The bag carousel is spinning faster than the roulette wheel at the Isle of Capri, and you’re having a heart attack trying to snag your parcels as they spin by and drop them in your cart. Do not forget at this point to add money to your gas card so you can save the price of a small fountain drink on your next fill-up. And don’t forget the Additech Gas Treatment! (Don’t worry; they don’t let you.) Finally, you head with your overflowing cart to the exit. The everpresent greeter gives you a sneer and demands your receipt. You fish through your wallet and extract the foot-long slip. She quickly glances between the document and your cart, putting a line through it with her yellow highlighter. You’re amazed at how quickly she can crosscheck the receipt against your overflowing cart of bagged items. It’s a little known fact, but all Wal-Mart greeters are from the planet Krypton. Don’t even try to sneak out a Sony PlayStation underneath all of the bags. Of course, when you get to the parking lot and load your car, it’s imperative that you follow tradition. Even if you are parked right next to the stall for the empty carts, you must leave yours in the nearest vacant parking space, no matter if it is at the far end of the row. But you’re not done yet! There’s that last stop at Kroger’s to pick up the Lipton Sparkling Diet KiwiStrawberry Green Tea. Mike McHugh is an engineer at Sasol North America, Inc. He and his wife Susan hail from the border state of Maryland and thoroughly love living in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the author of "Road Kill Gumbo," a newly created blog containing satire about news and life in Louisiana. You can find it on the Internet at www.roadkillgumbo.com. TJN
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Volume 1 • Issue 14
Doyle By Jim
When Pigskins Fly I don’t have a “Bucket List,” but if I did, learning to fly would be the first item. Preferably in a plane, but hey, I’ll consider any reasonable alternative. As a recent traveler along the highways and byways of southern Louisiana, better known as The Construction Corridor, my patient nature has been tried and found wanting. Where are all these people going? And what the heck is in all those trucks? I haven’t been in this kind of traffic jam since all of Louisiana and most of Texas was on I-10 running from Rita. I guess some of it is football traffic, particularly around Baton Rouge. The Great American Tailgate Party is alive and well in Louisiana, barbecued alligator and all. I’ve never been a big tailgater (or consumer of gator tails, for that matter), but I do enjoy a game now and then, especially if the Tigers are playing. And although I swore off the Saints years ago, they’re slowly convincing me to be a fan again. After I finished my gig as a sportswriter, I had the great honor and privilege to work as a sideline helper for the L.S.U. Sports Information Director, then the late, great Paul Manasseh. Paul paid me $25 per game to ride herd on the photographers, keep them within their assigned box designated by chalk lines on the field, and after the game, go into the dressing room and get quotes for the press box. I was, of course, highly qualified for this position. Actually, the photographers didn’t Volume 1 • Issue 14
listen to me much. As far as I could tell, they considered me as just another obstacle to avoid while trying to get the shot of the century. I did see some very memorable games from the field, including L.S.U.’s narrow loss to U.S.C. and its 6-0 loss to Bear Bryant’s Alabama in a driving rainstorm on election night, 1979, which I finished out by attending several candidate parties. Lately, I’ve seen only a couple of games. Went to Ole Miss a couple of years ago with my eldest son Jamey and old friend Fred Duhy. A memorable trip indeed. By the way, here’s the latest Ole Miss joke, passed on to me by my Tennessee Vol cousin: Q: What is the difference between Ole Miss and Brett Favre? A: Brett Favre is still No. 4. And I got to pretend I was still in the biz a couple of years ago, when I covered the McNeese game in the first round of the playoffs Fall in Louisiana is football season, not really leaf-turning season. The crisp smell in the air is not the snap of a cool breeze but the pungent crackle of jambalaya cooking over an open fire. It’s all part of the scenery. I’m glad to see the pigskins fly, on the field and on the grill. Enjoy it, and I’ll see you guys on the flip. Or, as you flip your burgers.
TJN
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Presented by the McNeese Foundation and the Downtown Development Authority
S I G N AT U R E D I S H E S P R O V I D E D B Y: Big Sky Steakhouse at Coushatta • Blue Duck Café Brickhouse Catering & Events, LLC • Chinese King • Community Coffee Company Cookey’s Caterers • Desserts at L’Auberge du Lac • Fausto’s Restaurant of Iowa Gray Plantation • The Harlequin • Izzo’s Illegal Burrito • Kinloch Plantation Products Lake Charles Country Club • Luna Bar & Grill • Outback Steakhouse Pujo Street Café • Pure Foods & Health • Que Pasa/Casa Manana Reeves Uptown Catering • Regalia Café and Market, LLC Snake River Grill at L’Auberge du Lac • Sweets & Treats Trailblazin’ BBQ & Grill • Vista Grill at Delta Downs
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Aggreko, LLC Allied Waste Charleston Gallery & Antiques Coushatta Casino Resort Greg David’s Frameworks Knight Media, Inc. Jambalaya News Jeffrey M. Kudla, AIA Justin Iron Works Lake Charles Pre-Sort La. Radio Communications McNeese Blue and Gold Goes Green Paradise Florist Retired Senior Volunteer Program Southern Sound Systems Southwest Beverage Company, Inc. Special Touch Therapeutic Massage Structure (x) PAGE 12
OCTOBER 8, 2009
The
Life
When Granny becomes Pseudo-Mommy By Sara Blackwell Grandparents are usually those two older people who spoil your children, giving them anything they want, whenever they want it. And grandchildren typically reciprocate by adoring their loving grandparents. However, in today’s society, many grandparents are required to raise their grandchildren on a full-time basis. Whether the parents are deceased or incapable of taking care of their children due to youth, poverty, disability or drug/alcohol dependency, it is an enormous responsibility for the older generation to raise their children’s children. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the
South had the highest percentage of grandparents raising their grandchildren compared to the other geographic areas of the United States. Depending on the situation, grandparents may be responsible for their grandchildren for either a short period of time or for their entire lives. Regardless of the duration of the responsibility, there is a colossal financial, emotional and physical impact on the grandparents who step in as parents. And although the number of grandparents raising grandchildren is increasing every year, there appears to be a lack of support and community awareness for this situation. Serious issues Health issues arise as we age. Because of this, there are physical challenges and obstacles for grandparents that are not typically present for parents when raising their own children. It is much easier for a 20 year old to chase after a toddler then it is for a 60 year old. In addition, the costs and financial strain of raising children may also be more difficult for a retired person who probably lives on a fixed income.
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Of course, there are numerous rewards that come with being with grandchildren on an everyday basis. It becomes a parent-child relationship, which is not typically there when the grandparents act solely as grandparents. Further, grandparents can control how the children are being raised. And being able to help their own children by raising their children is another real benefit. Although the task is difficult; in the end, it can be very rewarding. One grandparent’s story Phyllis Morris of Lake Charles, a 54year-old underwriter for a local bank, has been raising her grandson since his
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birth. He is now four years old, and only knows life with his grandparents, as his mother is incapable of caring for him due to personal afflictions. This unfortunate situation leaves Phyllis with the sole responsibility of caring for him. Morris said that she and her husband love him immensely, but that it’s a lot of work. “I worry about my job, because I have to leave the office when daycare calls complaining that my grandson is acting out or is under the weather,” she said. Further, she and her husband are tired when they get home from work. “We don’t want to go out to play with our grandson,” she said. “He’s very
needy. He doesn’t play well by himself, so we have to keep him occupied all weekday afternoons and every weekend. We don’t have the energy we used to have for playing, and we certainly don’t have the patience we did when we raised our own children.” And of course, Morris and her husband have to continue to work to help pay for the extra costs of raising him. One of the many side effects, according to Morris, is the diminishment of their relationship with their other grandchildren. “We used to keep our other grandchildren at our house for weekend visits, but since we’re raising our four-year-old grandson, we
aren’t able to do that. The others don’t understand why he lives with us and why we spend so much more time with him.” Of course Morris, like others in her situation, loves her grandson and enjoys the special time she is able to spend with him. Even though the task of caring for him is hard and financially draining, she knows that it’s not his fault that his own parents are unable to raise him. She simply wants understanding, a break from a society that expects her to “handle” her grandchild, and some community outreach. TJN
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Shred Fest Event Oct. 17 The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and its national partners, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the National Association for Information Destruction, invite the community to the BBB of Southwest Louisiana’s Shred Fest, a “Secure Your ID” Day event, on Sat., Oct. 17 at the Sam’s Club parking lot, from 8 a.m. to noon. Residents and small businesses are encouraged to attend the event and take a key step in identity protection by shredding and properly disposing of their sensitive paper documents as well as CDs and floppy discs. BBB staff will also be on hand to provide expert advice and tips for identity theft protection. “Properly destroying documents that carry information you don’t want getting into the hands of crooks is an important first step to fighting identity theft, but it doesn’t end there,” said Carmen Million. “That’s why BBB experts will be there offering important advice and simple steps everyone can take to prevent ID theft in their
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
daily lives, both online and off.” Last year alone, 8.1 million Americans became victims of ID theft, resulting in the loss of $45 billion, according to a 2008 report from Javelin Strategy and Research. The report notes that the majority (56 percent) of ID theft occurs when the thief has direct contact with the victim’s personal information, through a stolen or lost wallet, rifling through a personal mailbox or trashcan, or even lifting documents from inside a home or business. Bring up to three boxes of documents to be shredded and take home the tips and resources you need to protect yourself. Documents to be shredded should be removed from binders, but staples, paper clips, CDs and floppy discs are okay to be shredded. “Identity theft is largely a crime of access,” added Million. “Our goal here is to make the information less accessible and empower people to be their own first line of defense against identity theft. With community-based BBBs across North America collaborating simultaneously, we’ll have a tremen-
dous coast-to-coast presence that will reach a lot of people and, hopefully, prevent a lot of theft.” As the result of two nationwide Secure Your ID Days in 2008 alone, BBB helped individuals and small businesses at more than 83 sites across the country shred 1.2 million pounds of sensitive documents – all for free. For more information on BBB Shred Fest and identity theft prevention measures for both consumers and businesses, call 478-6253. TJN
Volume 1 • Issue 14
By George “Tip” Cline
Autopayment Fiasco I cannot begin to remind you enough times to stay on top of your personal accounts. Be they credit or debit cards, charge accounts, investments, banking or any other account that has to do with your money, routinely review each of them for any transaction that doesn’t represent your authorized activity. At a minimum, each monthly statement should be checked for each and every item to be not only correct, but also approved by you. Account information is easily accessed from your home computer and, in some instances, from you cellular phone. You have no one to blame but yourself if an errant item goes unnoticed for more than 30 to 45 days, especially when you can easily find out the next day after it’s posted online. After all, it’s your money that’s at stake here, and you have to protect yourself from the wolves that are on the prowl behind your back. Who else will look out for you? Paperless statements Many businesses, utilities, insurance companies, etc., all push you for paperless statements. They promote electronic statements to save trees, eliminate wasteful clutter and so on. Balderdash! They want to maximize the profit they make off you and they will give you any reason under the sun to get you to guppy. If they don’t have to mail you a bill or a statement, then they save the postage, envelope and paper that they would have to use. I much prefer to have a record in my hand and in my files than to rely on them allowing you to access your records. They have to do the bookwork anyway, and you are much better off with a hard copy record. How much information on your computer have you lost to crashes or program failures, anyway? Volume 1 • Issue 14
Autopayments While we’re on the subject of paperless transactions, how about those convenient automatic payments from your bank or other account? They are sure convenient enough, except when you want to cancel. I went for one once and it “only” took about six months to get it resolved when I wanted out. My phone company offered a credit card that had cash reward features. Well, if you’ve been a faithful reader, you know I expect rewards for my patronage of a card company. This company offered premium cash back rewards on my phone bill if I would have the amount automatically billed to their credit card. After months of what even I considered very liberal rewards for my phone bill, they decided that they were going to cancel that program. Therefore, I no longer had the need to have my bill automatically charged to that credit card, so I wanted that authorization canceled. I went back and forth with the phone company and the bank that was the card issuer. One would say that it was the other one that was not doing their part to have my phone bill sent to me and not to my card. Even though I terminated the card itself, the bill was charged to it anyway. Like I said, it was six months before I was able to get my bill in the mail so I could pay it with another card that offered a rebate. A banker friend of mine told me that he’s had customers close accounts in order to have automatic drafting of their bank account stopped. You have been warned. Deals and more deals My friends, family and I enjoy eating out at many of our local restaurants, some locally owned and some are members of a corporate chain. Most of the chain restaurants and a few of the
independents have online sites where you can access some useful information. Some offer you a way to register with them and receive special offers, coupons and other deals. They love to send you coupons around your birthday. It costs you nothing but your time and effort and you can benefit from offers that are not available any other way. Some even give you their recipes. That’s how we got the one we use for Thanksgiving stuffing. But be careful to opt out of any offers to share your information if you don’t want to receive messages from vendors you may not want to hear from. Coupons normally have an expiration date. Very few, and I mean very few, are undated. Don’t think you’re going to be able to use a coupon one day after it expires. It won’t fly. Utilize the coupons that offer the items that you know you will need. Don’t go off half-cocked and buy something just because you have a coupon for it. Most wise shoppers take advantage of real deals when the right items are available. Buying what you don’t need is of no advantage to you and winds up costing you. Don’t load up on stuff you won’t use in a timely manner if it has a limited shelf life.
Some items routinely go on sale around the holidays, such as Coca Cola and other sodas. Stock up enough when they are on sale to make it to the next holiday, and then replenish the supply. Buy food in season and freeze it, but make sure you use it before it outlives its goodness. Canning is another option, but that method must be done according to very strict guidelines or you can wind up with a toxic situation. At the car wash A friend was telling me recently how mad she was that she’d missed the Tuesday senior discount at Don’s Car Wash. So I told her that at Don’s Express drive-through on Nelson Road, the cheapest wash there is $3 every day. She inquired as to the difference, and I told her that there was no labor involved—vacuuming and drying is done by the patron, not car wash personnel. I think she’ll do her own vacuuming now, as do I! If you find this column of interest, let The Jambalaya News know. Comments, suggestions, ideas, info, etc. are welcome. Send to lauren@thejambalayanews.com. TJN
1312 Sampson St. Westlake, La 70669
(337) 494-0806 OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Experience an ancient country market...
Ludlow Market An open market has been held in Ludlow for over 900 years. You’ll find a wide variety of country stalls with everything from quality fresh foods to crafts, antiques, and our local blacksmith.
(337) 436-7800 ext. 110
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
The Women’s Health Center Offers Cutting-Edge Services If you’re 40 or older, regular mammograms belong on your to-do list. This screening test offers substantial benefits for fighting breast cancer, according to Kim Moss, R.T., (R)(M), marketing director for The Women’s Health Center in the new CHRISTUS South Lake Charles facility at 1601 Country Club Road. “Studies show over and over that mammographic screening reduces mortality from breast cancer for women,” says Charles Brdlik, M.D., interpreting radiologist at The Women’s Health Center. The Women’s Health Center offers cutting-edge, quality services, focused on providing a full diagnostic health work-up in one visit. With this new facility, they are now able to provide even more convenience for patients by offering breast care services at the same location as their full-service diagnostic center. With an on-site radiologist, the interaction between the patient, technologist and the radiologist ensures thorough, efficient results for the best imaging diagnosis of breast disease.
Getting the results back to the referring physician’s office is a top priority of The Women’s Health Center. “We consistently deliver results back to the doctor’s office within 8-12 hours,” says Moss. Any suspicious findings are also sent to the referring physician’s office as soon as possible, usually with a personal phone call. Women still need to make sure to always get their results from their referring physician, though. No news is not always good news. “We make it pretty hard for patients to forget to come annually and we also make sure that any imaging follow-up is completed on the patient’s part,” she said. Being able to perform ultrasound, breast MRI and bone density procedures at the new location of The Women’s Health Center at the CHRISTUS South Lake Charles facility also gives women the ease of conveniently having all of their scheduled tests on the same day, if needed. “Our goal of a team approach to
mammography is what we strive for, and having a new facility for our patients, physicians and our community is something we are very proud of,” says Moss. For more information on The Women’s Health Center, call Kim Moss at 439-7778. To schedule an appointment at The Women’s Health Center, call 430-4444.
TJN
Volume 1 • Issue 14
By Steve Springer M.D.
Technology + Electronic Health Records + Patients = ? In the coming months and years, you may find yourself more and more often faced with your doctor walking in the room not with the old yellow chart and pen, but with the newest wireless notebook PC or other handheld computing device. There are many theoretical and practical uses for electronic health records (EHRs). Whether we as physicians or patients are ready for this change is irrelevant. It is coming, and it’s time both doctor and patient get ready make some adjustments. Two case scenarios I can recall from personal experience come from almost 12 years ago and just 6 months ago: 1) When I first moved to town in ’97, I was one of the first four residents at the new family practice residency program. Plans at the time for the clinic included a new “state of the art” EHR that was to be used with in-room touch screens. The problem was that I, and many of the other resident physicians, felt that we were paying more attention to the computer than the patient: this error message here, new pop-up window there, this format not allowed here, etc. It was really frustrating for the patient and myself. We weren’t saving time. It was taking either the same amount of time as paper charts or most often, longer with the computer. Plus, we still had to keep a paper chart for miscellaneous reports being generated daily from the fax machine, etc. 2) Now, fast-forward 12 years to a recent appointment our son had when we were referred to a Houston physician for a second opinion on possible ear surgery. The physician came in the room with laptop in hand. He sat with the computer in his lap the entire visit and very efficiently documented our discussion. This was a far cry from the struggles I had 12 years earlier. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any major breakthrough in the years between these two case scenarios that would allow for a complete overhaul of the process. This is hard to believe given the speed at which technology has grown over the same time period. For the past 10-12 years, we have mainly danced around on the theoretical side of the EHR equation with inefficient systems that were marketed to us docs as the best system out there. The good news is that this has finally started to change. In order for you and your doctor to have a meaningful visit with qual-
Volume 1 • Issue 14
ity face time as well as efficient documentation and use of EHRs, we had to suffer through many software, hardware, and financial difficulties. The government is now giving financial incentives to help physicians implement EHRs (one of the only things they are getting right). For most solo doctors out there, the cost of EHR implementation was out of reach. Our laptops are faster now, have longer battery life, and are more portable. The hospital computer systems are becoming more compatible and accessible. My company, Smart Medical Systems, is actually working on new hardware and software innovations that will make it intuitive for doctors to interact with health records regardless of the hospital or EHR that they choose. My goal is to hand this device to a doctor who has been practicing for 30 years and say, “Now, go take care of your patient.” The goal is to get a computer to act like a paper chart, not a computer. We will be putting “personal health cards” in the hands of doctors and patients to allow for better flow of information and less duplication of services while maintaining a premium on privacy and security. Finally, the hardware/technology is catching up to the “need for speed” and the software has gone through 12 years of badly needed renovations. We are now reaching a point where “Technology + Electronic Health Records + Patients = Success.” TJN
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
PAGE 17
By Lisa Yates
Steve Duplantis, owner, displays meat grinders.
Old Towne General Store Offers Unique Items and Friendly Service Nestled between a fresh fish store and an auto shop along busy U.S. Hwy. 171, this store, with its worn linoleum floor, carries an eclectic selection: old-fashioned washboards, plumbing and electrical supplies, fresh seeds all year-round, bulk screws, oil lamps and wicks, cast-iron cookware, canning supplies, meat grinders, and every kind of garden flag imaginable. “We’re an old-fashioned hardware general store; we stock hard-to-find items. If we don’t have what you’re looking for, we’ll get it. If we can’t get it, you don’t need it,” joked Steve Duplantis, the owner. Old Towne General Store was founded in 1959 by his parents. It started as a refrigeration and air conditioning business at the same location: 1705 N. Martin Luther King (U.S. Hwy. 171) in Lake Charles. After more than 20 years in business, his parents decided to retire, leaving Duplantis and his brother Dickie with the store. Over the years, the store evolved into a mobile home and RV supply business, then to a hardware store.
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
Duplantis, 57, bought the business in 2002, taking over after his brother got sick. “We grew up in the family business,” he said. “At eight years old, I started answering the phones. When I started there, I worked on air conditioner ducts. Later, I attended McNeese, studying business administration. Then, I went to L.S.U. for landscape architecture. I didn’t graduate either one. My mom had called saying she was ready to retire, so I came back to run the business. I must love it because I’ve been doing it for 20 years.” Old Towne General Store not only offers standard hardware store services, such as key duplicating, window rescreening, glass cutting and tool sharpening, but also includes an onsite notary public and local honey from G’s Honey Farm in Iowa, La. Duplantis said he fine-tunes its offerings to meet local demand. “Whenever I order something for a customer, I order an extra for the store,” he said. “That’s how I ended up with all of this.”
In fact, the assortment of merchandise is bigger and more varied than ever at Old Towne General Store. ‘ROOMS’ HAVE VARIETY The store operates in 5,400 square feet divided into different sections Duplantis calls “rooms.” “This is my favorite room,” he said of the garden/outdoor cooking area. “All year long, we have garden flags— not just in the spring. According to our supplier, we have the largest selection of garden flags in the area; and, we are the top 10 in sales, in Louisiana.” Duplantis is proud of his variety of L.S.U. flags. He has some unusual flags, too, including a type called “clothesline flags.” “People put these on their patios for parties,” he said, noting seasonal, holiday and birthday clothesline flags are all in stock. “Flags are like greeting cards for your home.” The store has a large selection of cookware, including Lodge, Cajun Classic, Granite and McWare. Duplantis said there’s also cookware that allows you to smoke sausage in your oven indoors. He said his stainless steel meat grinders and sausage stuffing
equipment are very popular right now—especially with deer hunters. “Because of the economy, a lot of people are making their own sausage,” he said. “You can make five pounds of sausage for half the price of what you buy it for in the grocery store. People are also making their own jerky. Jerky snack sticks are very easy and cost almost nothing to make.” Duplantis said a lot of people are also having fun brewing their own beer and making their own wine at home with supplies they pick up at The Brew Hut. “Mike LeBlanc owns the business and rents from us,” he said. “There’s everything you need here to brew your own beer and make your own wine – even recipe books.” Merchandise like fruit harvesters and “pecan picker-uppers” hang near cleaning supplies and paint sundries in the cleaning room. The inventory also includes a full line of plumbing supplies in the hardware room. “We have everything you need, every day,” Duplantis said. “We have everything you need for home maintenance. That’s why we call the store a home maintenance center.”
Volume 1 • Issue 14
WHAT’S NEW AND EXCITING In addition to the 5,400 square feet of the home maintenance center, there’s a 3,600 square foot warehouse of resell merchandise and dollar buyouts. For his new venture, Duplantis is going head-to-head with dollartype stores. “My goal is to put those stores out of business,” he said. Old Towne General Store also expanded its offerings of holiday décor being showcased this fall. One of Duplantis’ favorite items for Halloween is Pumpkin Wear. “You dress your pumpkin with Pumpkin Wear,” he said. “You don’t have to carve pumpkins anymore— you just buy a pumpkin and add Pumpkin Wear. It comes in eight different designs, including a scarecrow, a witch, a pirate, a monster, a spider and—the cutest—see, hear and speak no evil.” Pumpkin Wear sells for $16.50, and Duplantis expects them to go gangbusters for Halloween. “They’re the next upcoming thing,” he said. BUSINESS IS GOOD Duplantis said his store is doing well, given the current economy. “We continue to grow despite any kind of economic problem in the country,” he said. “We’ve had good, steady growth four of the last seven years.” Old Towne General Store offers something hard to find elsewhere—a little hand holding along with hardware. Duplantis said that’s what sets his store apart, aside from its long history, traditional hardware store inventory and unique items. “We offer friendly, personal service,” he said. “We’ll answer all of your questions, show you how to do it, and sometimes even put it together for you.”
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217 Sam Houston Jones Parkway, STE 102,Moss Bluff, La.
4820 Lake Street, Lake Charles, La.
422 Kade Drive STE 2, Jennings, La.
For more information, call (337) 439-3160, or visit at 1705 N. Martin Luther King (U.S. Hwy. 171) in Lake Charles. Store hours are 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.; 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat.
TJN
Photos by www.monsoursphotography.com Volume 1 • Issue 14
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Volume 1 • Issue 14
Kara Coyne is wearing a beaded tunic by T-bags; Juli Wilson is wearing a Boho blouse by Voom; and, Cristi Lee is wearing an Ella Moss Muriel poinsettia top.
Story by Lisa Yates Photos by Blane Bourgeois
The season is in full swing. For what to wear, The Jambalaya News visited with local style-setter Juli Wilson, owner of Social Denim. Wilson has been on top of the fashion scene, first, as a buyer for Fred Segal in Los Angeles, and, now, with her boutique featured in the “Where to buy” section of Lucky Magazine this December. “We are so excited,” she said. “This is our first national magazine!” Her Navoh Lexington studded hobo bag ($99) will be listed as one of the season’s must-haves. Social Denim, located at 706 Ryan Street in Lake Charles, will begin carrying this chic bag beginning mid-October. “Hippie chic is my fave look for fall,” Wilson said. What else is on her must-have list? Here it is: MAJOR ‘MUST-HAVES’ FOR FALL – THE TOP 10: 1) Red. To liven up your wardrobe, Wilson suggested adding some ravishing red. “Crimson is the color of the season – bags, shoes, dresses – anything goes,” she said. 2) Ripped jeans. One of the biggest trends in denim for fall, 2009, is the distressed look. “Shredded, distressed, destroyed … whatever you call it, there’s no denying this trend is here to stay – at least for this season,” Wilson said. Volume 1 • Issue 14
3) One-shoulder LBD (little black dress) is a must this season. Coco Chanel made the LBD famous, but a trendier look this season is a oneshouldered smock, according to Wilson. “Asymmetrical is very chic and one-shoulder dresses and tops were all over the runway for fall,” she said. 4) Leather. “With lots of leather in this season, the sleek simple jacket is the best option,” Wilson said. Everyone from Kate Moss to Kristin OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Courtesy Social Denim
A
B
A. Wear this plaid Heartloom Pinko dress w/bold leggings and a stand-out belt B. Rocking the tough chic (masculine vs. feminine) look PAGE 22
OCTOBER 8, 2009
Scott Thomas is rocking the tough chic (masculine vs. feminine) look this season. Wilson recommended toughening up a flirty feminine piece with a leather biker jacket or blazer to pull off the look. 5) Over-the-knee boots. She doesn’t recommend scaling the Himalayas in these, but Wilson said thigh-grazing over-the-knee boots are fully equipped for any urban stomping ground. “The No. 1 must-have is chic over-theknee boots,” she said. If it isn’t practical for you, she suggested a sporty, ankle-hugging bootie for pounding the pavement. 6) Bold statement necklaces. Big things are happening with jewelry this fall. You can be an expert at accessorizing with a bold, gorgeous necklace. Wilson said it’s the No.1 accessory of the season and it works day or night. “Big bling with a cotton tee is awesome!” she said. “A standout piece makes an ordinary outfit feel extra special.” 7) Neon pink dress. Pretty in pink is the slogan for fall. “It’s the best of both worlds – feminine – yet super edgy,” Wilson said. She said anyone can pull off hot pink, but if you are scared to go all out, try a hot pink bag, bangle or shoe. 8) Leggings. Denim, lace, and leather – anything goes this season. Wilson said denim leggings are the next generation of skinny jeans. “The stretchy skin tight denim/legging hybrid looks great paired with boyfriend blazers, tunic tops and chunky knit sweaters,” she said. “Depending on your style, choose heels, ballet flats, ankle or tall boots, or even Converse sneakers to complete the look.” 9) Plaid. Wilson said stunning style this fall includes plaid frocks, tops and even leggings – check mate! “The Tomboyish pattern has gone girly this season with feminine cuts and light materials,” she said. 10) Wide black belt. Cinch it with a wide black belt. Wilson said, “Whether it’s a dress, a coat or long T-shirt, slap a wide black belt on it.”
such as mini-dresses mix well with menswear inspired jackets, chunky and light knit sweaters, and basic tees – in multiple combinations. Show-stopping scarves provide a finishing touch to the layered look. Wilson said layering offers an excellent and affordable way to update any wardrobe. “Layering is the key to keep and reinvent summer clothes,” she said. She said there’s no need to wave goodbye to your summer dresses – just add tights. Wilson said tights pull together a fall wardrobe with zero effort. “Each season comes up with a whole new trend of tights. Make sure you try all of them. Wear patterned tights this fall – plaid, girlie lace, animal print – whatever. Break out from basic black. Then decide which look matches your personal style,” she said. Opaque tights are an absolute winner this season. Wilson said besides bringing out the best of your legs, they make over an outfit taking it from dull to high brow. “Adopt the trend by sporting tights with summer dresses or classy shirt dresses,” she said. “Whether you go for the preppy, or the more elegant diva style, the point is to flash your fashionforwardness.” But whether it’s a doughnut scarf, boyfriend blazer or textured tights, Wilson cautions, don’t wear all your tricks at once; stretch them out. Try something old with something new. “Spare yourself from the autumn fuss, purchase edgy knee-high and ultra-fab ankle-length boots, wear with tights to create the illusion of long and slender legs,” she said.
LAYERING Keep your heavy coats in the back of your closet. This fall is all about layering. Think Kate Moss and her signature “glunge” – a combination of glam and grunge achieved by layering. Staples Volume 1 • Issue 14
THE ICONIC EFFORTLESS WARDROBE ITEM – JEANS The boyfriend jean is back and still going strong from spring. Wilson said the boyfriend jean is a must-have for fall. What is a boyfriend jean? “Boyfriend jeans is a term referring to loose-fitted or baggy jeans that are a bit longer than they should be, which makes it seem like you borrowed them from your boyfriend,” Wilson said. “Many people have concerns about how to wear the boyfriend jean trend without looking sloppy. Here’s my advice: The most fashionable way to wear them is cuffed. The jeans should be rolled up twice, but the key is not to make it look too perfect.” She said the trend has been all over the magazines for quite a while now with many celebs, such as Katie Holmes, Jennifer Aniston and Rachel Denim leggings – Bilson, sporting this the next generation ’80s-inspired look. of skinny jeans You can wear boyfriend jeans with ballet flats, flip flops, heels and ankle booties.
Denim trends for fall 2009, include: • Denim leggings • Distressed • Blue black denim • Studded denim • Boyfriend Just don’t forget the cardinal rule of all – fit. Wilson said try on dozens of pairs before deciding on the right one because fit is extremely important, both in terms of comfort and proportion. She is excited about adding another great-fitting, comfortable line to Social Denim this fall: Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, of Los Angeles. As seen in Vogue magazine and praised by celebrities, Not Your Daughter’s Jeans flattens your tummy, lifts your derriere and allows you to wear one size smaller! “Ask women across America what their No. 1 problem area is, and the response will overwhelmingly be “my belly!” Wilson said.
A
B
C
A. Melie Blanco drawstring purse in camel– the best silhouette B. A ‘70s-inspired fringed clutch by Melie Blanco C. Navoh Lexington studded hobo bag ($99) featured in Dec.’s Lucky Magazine w/Social Denim
choose your BLUES!
706 Ryan St. Lake Charles, LA | (337) 433-3670 visit us on the web @ www.ishopsocial.com Volume 1 • Issue 14
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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The boyfriend jean is a must-have for fall
“What woman doesn’t want to looks slimmer and sexier in her jeans?” Not Your Daughter’s Jeans will be available mid-Oct. at Social Denim. They slim the often problematic lower abdomen, contour the hips and lift the butt without the feeling of being stuffed in binding, tight and uncomfortable material. “This is awesome for my older customers – they go up to a size 18 - and run approximately $98,” Wilson said. “Say goodbye to love handles that spill over restricting waistlines and derriere-revealing low riders. These jeans are incredibly soft and will feel more like your favorite pair of sweatpants than your most flattering pants.” COLOR – BOLD IS BEAUTIFUL The color palette for fall is bold, according to Wilson. “Crimson red, neon pink and black are THE colors of the season,” she said. “Charcoals, grays and navy blues are all making the scene as well.” She said the color palette over the past year has been very bright and vibrant, so people love color now. Designers have taken it to the next level with even bolder tones for fall. Wilson recommends pairing bright colors with basic black for a fresh look. She said the same rules apply to make up – offset a bright color with a neutral. “The main fall trend is to either emphasize your eyes or your lips, leaving the other neutral,” she said. “If you decide to go with a neutral eye, then choose a bright red for the lips. Bright red
lips were the scene all over the fall runways.” For eyes with attitude, go dark with a smoky eye. If the eyes have it, go with a nude lip. Chanel makes a barely-there perfect color – and it’s not dry or cakey. Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick, in nude, is $30, at www.chanel.com. Wilson said metallic shine shouldn’t be feared. “Gold and bronze metallic are also making the scene again - dramatic, yet feminine,” she said. “Also, fall eyes are all about dark greens and browns and other earthy tones.” This is the season to have fun with nail color - go gold, bronze and dark purple. “For the fashionista, go green,” Wilson said. “I love my new Chanel nail polish in jade.” See the look at www.whowhatwear.com/website/full-article/beauty-board-jade-nails/. THE SEASON’S STATEMENT-MAKING BAGS An out-of-style, too wellworn purse can sink any outfit. Even in today’s economy, having a great bag – or bags - is a must. A stylish hand-
New Full Service Salon and Wellness Spa here in Lake Charles. JOHNNY LAFLEUR Johnny has nine years experience and is a Certified Keratin Complex Smoothing Specialist as well as a Master Stylist.
Salon Evans is the ONLY salon in Lake Charles offering this CHEMICAL FREE straightening system.
Call Johnny or any of our stylists now for a Free Consultation or to book your appointment.
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FALL SPECIALS! • Deep tissue massage $60/1hr • Swedish Massage $45/1hr • Acrylic Nails $35/full set • Facial $30/45min • Buy 4 Swedish Massages at regular price get 1 FREE!
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April Nash & Ashlee Corcoran Massage Therapists
(337) 477-2888
1 0 9 W. L A G R A N G E , L A K E C H A R L E S PAGE 24
OCTOBER 8, 2009
Volume 1 • Issue 14
Kara Coyne in Dylan George
bag should make an outfit pop or discreetly do its duty as a carryall without overpowering the look. You need one oversized bag and a clutch that slips seamlessly from day to night, without an extra stop at home. Purses may be getting less overwhelmingly enormous, but they are still big enough to be utilitarian. Wilson said ’70s-inspired suede and fringe bags in dirty brown and orange tones will be hot for fall – also, studded bags with a strong rock ’n’ roll vibe. “Drawstring is the best silhouette to have in your collection,” she said. THE BIGGEST SURPRISE THIS SEASON – ‘80S-INSPIRED FASHION Yes, the material girl is back! “This fall style is channeling the original material girl,” Wilson said. “Layers of lace, plus leather and leggings equal loads of attitude!”
Everything is coming up ’80s, from the pagoda shoulders to the girls who want to look boyish in a new-generation pantsuit. Wilson said the ultimate purchase this season: über-sexy and formfitting thigh-high boots, as seen on the emblem of the ’80s, Madonna herself! DO A ‘DON’T’ – MIX TEXTURES AND PATTERNS AND BREAK THE RULES! Wilson said mismatched, incongruous fashion rocked the runway this fall, so don’t be afraid to embrace your inner fashionista and experiment. “Diane von Furstenberg showed us a variety of mismatched clothing at fashion week – ruffles with leather and tweed and animal print?!” she said. “When in doubt, dress blindfolded!” Don’t be afraid to rock white after Labor Day. Wilson said it’s okay to break the old-school rules. “Crisp white jeans can work year round, especially with some tall, flat riding boots and a crisp, snappy blazer,” she said. PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER In September’s Harper’s Bazaar, supermodels, including Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer, posed for the camera without make up in an
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
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www.aposhplan.com
poshplan@inbox.com
New for Nov.: Frock by Tracy Reese
soiree & special event design • planning • production management • organizing • staging • menu development
We Can Handle All Your Special Occassions Contact Bree Robinson For Your Consultation
337.214.3966
Courtesy Social Denim
from the unique to the chic
effort to demonstrate beauty starts with the essentials: great skin, hair and nails. To get them, Wilson suggests trying a jar of Egyptian Magic. Egyptian Magic, an all-natural moisturizer, has garnered more kudos in the fashion press than any comparable product in the world. Everyone
Unique Gifts and Accessories
3204 Ryan St. • 337-433-6200 PAGE 26
OCTOBER 8, 2009
Juli Wilson wearing distressed jeans by Current/Elliot
from recovering surgery patients to pop divas agree - the product is a must-have for all seasons. Madonna won’t leave home without it! The beauty product is reputed to improve your complexion, heal scars, relieve many skin ailments and leave your hair with a lustrous sheen, but the only place you can find it in Southwest Louisiana is at Social Denim, at 706 Ryan St. in Lake Charles. When you look good and you’re dressed to kill, all you need is a signature scent. Beauty’s ultimate insiders Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon are fans of Kai perfume. Wilson said try it and chances are you’ll become a fan, too. Kai perfume is a blend of strong, sweet honeysuckle and soft gardenia. Wilson is a big fan of the fragrance. She wears it and carries the complete line, including candles and fragrances for the home. For more information, call Social Denim at (337) 433-3670, or visit at 706 Ryan St. in Lake Charles. Store hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Mon.-Fri.; noon-5 p.m., Sat.
TJN
Volume 1 • Issue 14
Story by Lisa Yates, photos by Michelle LaVoie What’s in fashion is always changing – and choosing a look seems to get more complicated as you age. Comfort is important, but don’t forgo style for gym clothes. You can be comfortable, yet completely stylish in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond by adopting some key pieces for fall. Here’s a glimpse of some of the season’s staples for women of all ages:
Peppery red shirt by Larry Levine at Le Marché Cordones leather $38 accent flats by TOMS* at Le Marché $78.95
20s
Be the ‘It Girl’ in these stylish pieces
Amazonite, apatite, SS fish necklace and earrings at Jane Barnett Jewelry Creations Custom Designs $70
Rust tube dress by Frenzy at Mimosa Boutique $88
30s Pearls with cameo pendant at Cruellas $69.99 for pearls/ $599 for cameo – pin or pendant
Gray blouse by Tulle at Le Marché $45.50
Printed skirt by Tulle at Le Marché $45.50
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Enliven any ensemble with a touch of whimsy
Three-strand apple coral necklace, 14k gold at Jane Barnett Jewelry Creations Custom Designs $500 Tammy Cheetah Patent Bag by Elaine Turner at Le Marché $236
Leopard shirt with wide black belt by Jolie at Le Marché – $40.95 OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Classic woven flats by TOMS* at Le Marché $54.95
Denim skirt by Larry Levine at Le Marché $50
Diamond watch by Pierre Cardin at Jim Price Jewelers (Price not available)
Printed blouse by Piano at Le Marché $38.95
40s
Make a statement with classic and vintageinspired looks
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
Pearl and turquoise triple-strand necklace at Jane Barnett Jewelry Creations Custom Designs $130 Vintage linen hat w/vintage linen flowers at Cruellas – $269
Tapestry purse by Cheryl Long at Cruellas – $325
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Handbag by INS at The Perfect Fit $250
Amber, coral and turquoise drop necklace at Jane Barnett Jewelry Creations Custom Designs – $90 Beige/black two-piece outfit by Barbara DuBose at The Perfect Fit $250 blouse – $450 skirt Dyed alligator handbag by ALGO of Switzerland at The Perfect Fit $1,100
Two-piece black suit by Sara B. of New York at The Perfect Fit $1,200 jacket $990 skirt
50s
Show sophistication with smart tailoring and chic accessories
Sparkling Swarovski crystal handbag with 24k gold handle at The Perfect Fit – $2,300
WHERE TO SHOP FOR THESE ITEMS The Perfect Fit 312 Pujo St. in Lake Charles (337) 433-5855 Le Marché 725 Hwy. 171 North, Suite 600, in Lake Charles • (337) 855-1850 Mimosa Boutique 3101 Ernest St., Suite 1, in Lake Charles (337) 564-5818 Jim Price Jewelers 1746 West Prien Lake Rd. in Lake Charles (337) 478-3953
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Jane Barnett Jewelry Creations Custom Designs e-mail: janecbarnett@suddenlink.net (337) 477-9330; (337) 337-3072 Cruellas 2504 Ryan St. in Lake Charles (337) 439-1881 * Buy a pair of TOMS men’s, women’s, or children’s shoes, and a pair is donated to a child on your behalf. Visit www.TOMSshoes.com for more information.
TJN
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Story by Lisa Yates Irrational exuberant spending has been replaced by carefully considered decisions about getting your money’s worth – like the season’s best bargains chosen by Juli Wilson exclusively for The Jambalaya News. We asked her: What can you buy, if you only have $200 to spend? Wilson not only rose to the challenge, she put together an entire look from Social Denim for less than $200, and she suggested some great IT bags, including the one featured in an upcoming issue of Lucky Magazine. “I have a great denim look for under $200,” she said. “It’s the Blank denim leggings - must-have for $60 paired with the new Lauren Moshi giraffe swing tank, for $72, and the Vava black wrap for $66. It’s a supercute look for fall, and the three pieces total $198.” Social Denim also has dresses under $200. “One of my favorites is a plain cotton Bobi T-shirt dress for $62,”
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Wilson said. “Pair it with the right textured tights from Target, add some tall boots and a chunky necklace, it could be fabulous.” You will also find some great purses at Social Denim, each costing less than $100, including these (seen on page 23): • A studded-beige hobo bag by Navoh called Lexington, which will be featured in the December issue of Lucky Magazine along with Social Denim; • A Melie Blanco drawstring purse in camel; • And, a fringed clutch, also by Melie Blanco. TJN
Platinum House of Style’s very own Indrea Gordon will showcase her winter 2010 collection at New Orleans’ Fashion Week. Along with some of the world’s most talented designers, such as Coogie, Conrad Lamour, etc., Indrea Gordon’s designs will blaze the runway making a statement without saying a word. This years’ collection consists of lots of basic black hues accented with silver, gold and bright reds. With fabrics ranging from patent leather to chiffon, the collection is sure to have something for everyone. Indrea’s “Extreme” clothing will showcase garments from the “Shazuri” and “Simply Drea” lines, all of which operate under the Quad Clothing Company label.
New Orleans Fashion Week will be held Oct. 12-18, with the Avante Garde series taking place on Fri., Oct. 16, and Sat., Oct. 17, at the Cricket Club in down town New Orleans at 7 p.m. This event is open to the general public. More information may be found on www.neworleansfw.com. More information on Indrea Gordon and Platinum House of Style can be found at www.perfectpose.com/3296. TJN
Volume 1 • Issue 14
If you have a recipe and story you would like to share, e-mail us at lauren@thejambalayanews.com
What’s Cookin’
Trick or Treat! It’s almost time for Halloween and all that it entails: Getting your little goblins all dressed up and taking them around the neighborhood to score some treats, and going to fun costume parties. Here are some monstrous desserts that are guaranteed to satisfy even the most frightening creatures! TJN
Almond Fingers Talk about finger food! Whip up some of these cookies and you’ll find out that they’re “finger-lickin’” good!
Pudding Dirt Cups Made with chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos and gummy worms, this dessert is delicious and looks appropriately gross! Prep Time: 15 minutes Ingredients 2 cups cold milk 1 four-serving size package instant chocolate pudding 8 oz. frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed 1-1/2 cups crushed sandwich cookies (such as Oreos) 20 gummy worms Preparation Whisk together milk and instant pudding for two minutes, until pudding is completely dissolved. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken. Stir in frozen whipped topping Volume 1 • Issue 14
and 1/2 cup of the crushed cookies. Spoon into 10 cups. Sprinkle remaining crushed cookies over the pudding mixture. Top with 2 gummy worms. Chill until ready to serve. Makes 10 servings.
Ingredients 1 cup sugar 1 cup softened butter 1 large egg 1 tsp. almond extract 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 3/4 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 3/4 cups raw almonds 1 tube red cake decorating gel Preparation Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of softened butter, 1 large egg, 1 tsp. almond extract and 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric beater until the mixture is creamy. Beat in 2 3/4 cups flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. baking powder. Separate the dough into four portions, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes. Remove one portion from the refrigerator, and shape the dough
into finger shapes, using about 1 tsp. of dough for each. The fingers may look thin, but they will puff up as they bake. Place an almond "fingernail" in the end of each finger, and paint the almond red with red decorator gel. Use a paring knife to make some "knuckles" across the center of the fingers. Put the fingers on an oiled baking sheet and bake until they turn light golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and put them on a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough. Enjoy!
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The Beauregard Boogie I’m sure you’ve heard the argument before; one of those late-night chinwags you had while hanging out with your high school buddies on someone’s front porch one random weekend. It’s one of those things that comes up when you’re talking about music (Elvis or Michael Jackson), movies (Return of the Jedi or The Phantom Menace) political ideologies (hip-
pies or Reaganites), or just about anything. I’ll call it the Decade Maxim. It’s a simple argument that goes something like this: “The ’50s were lame, the ’60s were groovy, the ’70s were trippy. ...” and so on. Taking the Decade Maxim and applying it to high school football, you could say that, for Beauregard Parish teams, the 2000s were...well, to quote a favorite movie of mine, Kingpin, “about as fresh as a Foghat concert.” Until this year. Entering the halfway point of the season, the four Beauregard Parish
football-playing schools are, combined, having their best seasons of this decade by far. With four games under their belts, Beauregard teams are a combined 11-5 this season. It’s their only winning record this decade and their best effort through four games since 2002 when they combined to go 8-8. This is also the first time this decade that Beauregard Parish can claim two unbeaten teams at this point in the season. The nearest time before this was 2001, when East Beauregard and Merryville entered Week 5 with one loss apiece. DeRidder is 4-0 to start the season for the first time since Mariah
Carey sang “Honey” to the top of the pop charts (1997), which, incidentally, is also the last time the Dragons made the playoffs. South Beauregard is 4-0 for the first time ever. At 3-1, Merryville is off to its best start since American Pie 2 was in movie theaters (2001), also the last time the Panthers reached the playoffs. That was also the last year Beauregard Parish sent more than one team to the playoffs. Whether that changes this year or not is yet to be determined, but I am willing to bet that that streak is also broken. So, what are the Beauregard school’s prospects for reaching the postseason?
New Homes • Additions • Remodels Electrical • Plumbing • Custom Cabinetry Painting • Sheetrock • Etc.
Dennis Construction Charlie Dennis Dennis Construction 309 E. Sallier St, Lake Charles (337) 368-9679
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Let me explain via song titles. • DeRidder — “Hard Row” — The Black Keys (2003): The Dragons’ road to the playoffs is, admittedly, a little tougher than its other Beauregard compatriots. I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much parity in one classification as I have seen in Class 4A this season. Literally anyone could win the state championship in 4A. DeRidder is also playing in arguably one of the two toughest 4A districts in the state. Typically a 5-5 or 6-4 record will at least get you in the playoffs. In 4A this year, I think you’ve got to have seven wins to be safe. That means DeRidder needs to beat at least one district opponent, which could prove awfully tough. But I think the Dragons can do get into the playoffs, even with six wins. I think DeRidder beats Peabody in three weeks and takes out Washington-Marion in Week 9. That’s six wins. The other four games are up for debate but I think DeRidder has at least six wins and they earn a 25-28 seed in the 32team playoffs.
Add in the power points Merryville earned for wins over 2A teams Pickering and East Beauregard and the Panthers look like they’re in pretty good shape. I think Merryville has a legitimate shot at a seven-win season. Hamilton Christian is down this year and will play the Panthers in Merryville while Elton is also rebuilding and could fall. I say five wins get Merryville a 25-28 seed, while six or seven wins bumps the Panthers to a 22-25 seed.
• East Beauregard — “End of the Road” — Boyz II Men (1992): Unfortunately, the Trojans are down this season and, at 0-4 with a tough district schedule left to go, it looks like they will be the odd Beauregard team out this season. At any rate, the way the Beauregard Parish schools are playing so far this season, it looks like they are going to render the past eight years about as stylish as a nice pair of parachute pants. And those aren’t cool in any decade.
Brandon Shoumaker is a graduate of McNeese State University and has covered sports for more than seven years for various publications. Coaches Brandon Shoumaker or parents with story tips may contact Brandon at bshoumaker@yahoo.com or send him a message on Twitter (@bshoumaker).
TJN
• South Beauregard — “Could Well Be In” — The Streets (2004): The Knights are already in. How do I know? Because District 4-2A is split down the middle among the teams playing well and the really struggling teams. There is no question that the top three teams in the district make the playoffs and South Beau is one of those teams. All that needs to be determined is seeding. The win over Iowa in Week 4 is the single most important win in the program’s history. It gives them not only a huge boost in the power ratings, but also in swagger. South Beau’s biggest remaining tests come at home against DeQuincy in Week 7 and at home against Rosepine in Week 9. If the Knights pass those tests, I look for them to earn a 7-10 seed in the postseason. One loss makes it a 9-13 seed. Two losses, an 11-15 seed. • Merryville — “Just Once” — James Ingram (1981): I think all the Panthers need is one win. Any win would do, but it would probably look better if it were a district win. That said, Merryville plays Montgomery this week in its final non-district game of the season and the Tigers are having a down year. A win over Montgomery gives Merryville five wins, usually enough to get a 1A team into the playoffs. Volume 1 • Issue 14
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How Generations of One Family Helped to Build Our City By Jeanne Owens Charleston Gallery and Antiques I remember an older Lake Charles when we wore high heels and white gloves to shop at Muller’s downtown. My father remembers an even older Lake Charles where Charlie Chaplin made his grand appearance at the Arcade Theater by climbing onto the stage from beneath the heavy, fringed curtain. A generation before that, my grandfather knew a Lake Charles where pipe plugs for plumbing were made on construction sites by poking thumb-sized holes in the ground and filling them with molten lead.
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
And going back four generations, my great grandfather knew a Lake Charles where the now historic homes lining streets like Pujo and Kirby were once just piles of newly sawn lumber. And he couldn’t wait to get his hands on them. At the risk of committing the sin of pride, I’ll admit my family’s sweat and know-how has helped build Lake Charles. They, along with other craftsmen, turned fine lumber, marble, glass, concrete, iron and steel into a city. They loved their art a hundred years ago, and they still do. Our love affair with building started because lumber is an emotional thing. My great grandfather, Titus Miller, eagerly came to Lake
Charles, in 1901, to build fine homes out of trees that had grown since the Middle Ages in virgin forests not far from here. He at first teamed up on some projects with Peter Olivier and Sidney Ory, who he met in a schoolhouse shelter during the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Escaping the devastation of the hurricane, he made Lake Charles his home smack in the middle of a timber boom that put Lake Charles on the map. He eventually put five sons to work and
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formed T. Miller & Sons, one of the most prominent construction companies in Lake Charles. They handcrafted showcase homes with the finest long leaf yellow pine, cypress, and walnut and oak for families who made their fortunes here in lumber, cattle, oil, rice, and land. Timbers were raised for spectacular homes in downtown, along Shell Beach Drive, Margaret Place, down Ryan and Broad Streets, and out as far as Country Club Road. They tackled any style and created some of their own—Queen Anne Revivals with elaborate massing and turrets, shingling, gable sunbursts and fans, grand Colonial Revivals with colossal galleries and porticos, distinctive bungalows, and eclectic mixed styles, a Spanish villa, and a neo-Georgian mansion. Since few architects were involved, T. Miller & Sons’ craftsmen, like others of their day, invented their own styles which sometimes resulted in a whimsical mix of turrets, “Lake Charles” columns, porticos, stained glass windows, and wide galleries. Many of these houses are still here— solid family homes and intriguing offices. Examples of existing Miller homes and buildings include: • 742 Pujo—The massive Woodring home with over 90 windows that allow daylight to play on the fine interior, curly pine paneling, exposed beams, Doric columns, and one-inch pine floors. T. Miller
& Sons also built a “country home” for the Woodrings at 1401 Country Club Road that flaunted peacocks, buffalo, and a pecan orchard. It is now the former site of Stine Lumber and The Guardians. • 623 Shell Beach Drive –The Rudolph
columns that define a two-story bank of windows with arched fanlights. • 1301 Shell Beach Drive–The Rudolph Krause/William Shaddock home built by T. Miller and Pete Olivier, in 1925, includes a library, billiard room, solarium, sunken morning room, butler’s pantry, guest rooms, five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and ten fireplaces. This was the first massive home built on Shell Beach Drive. Familiar public places like the McNeese arena, Memorial Hospital, Lake Charles High School, and Burton Coliseum. At age 17, my father was timekeeper for the construction of the McNeese arena, which originally had an open roof. It also was built with stepped-up concrete seats made in wooden forms on wheels, jacked up to higher levels, then rolled down for the next set. Sadly, though, wrecking balls and newer ideas leveled many of T. Miller’s projects over the years. All that is left of the gargantuan T. H. Watkins home he built, at 739 Pujo, is an empty lot and a couple of azalea bushes; gone is the Victorian giant, its large rounded tower and cupola, the walnut paneling from historic trees in Walnut Grove on Shell Beach Drive. Titus Miller The huge Charles Noble home (601 Broad) with stately white columns and balcony is gone. Vernon Levingston Krause home The art deco Paramount Theater where generabuilt on six tions sank into their seats, and where I had my lots, in 1925, in collaboration with Pete Olivier & first date, is also just a fond memory. Sons; English style with a massive circular stairway Stories are disappearing with the buildings. For that winds upward in the spacious entry hall. example, at one time, Southern Amusement owned • 1021 Broad –The Mediterranean-influenced all the theaters in town and had started construcstucco home with a red tile roof and Persian tion on a new one on Ryan Street (in the proximity
MIKA DOUCET, Occupational Therapist COULD YOU (OR YOUR CHILD) BENEFIT FROM OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY? Occupational Therapist, Mika Doucet, is a valued member of the Hope Therapy team! As an OT, Mika works with a variety of patients from pediatrics to geriatrics on maximizing their functional performance in daily activities and life roles. Who may benefit from an OT evaluation and treatment? Individuals with limitations in the following areas: fine motor skills, sensory processing, cognition, visual-perception, behavior/attention, activities of daily living, or motor planning/function. Mika is highly skilled in selecting the most appropriate adaptive devices for her patients and assessing their upper extremity splinting needs. As with all members of the Hope Therapy team, Mika is dedicated to offering the most advanced programs for her patients. Specialized programs that she offers include: Pediatrics: The Listening Program, Handwriting without Tears, Sensory Integration for Autism, Brain Gym, and Callirobics. Adults: ADL training, Neuromuscular re-education, visual-perceptual training, and upper-extremity orthopedic rehabilitation. Mika is also certified in the assessment and application of Saebo splinting.
Call today for more information or to schedule an appointment with Mika at 478-5880. From left to right: Jill Willis,PTA; Sonya M. Brooks, MA, CCC-SLP; Kim B. Anderson, PT, DPT; Mika Doucet, LOTR, MOT; and seated Emily D. Pelican, MS, CF-SLP.
Left to right: Cindy Istre, Office Manager and Cyndy Lirette, Administrative Assistant.
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
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of Casa Manana Restaurant). When the Delta Theater began construction shoulder to shoulder, the race to finish first began. T. Miller & Sons, who worked for Southern Amusement, was promised a bonus for finishing first, as was the other company’s contractor, Dunn & Quinn. T. Miller won by a nose and the two theaters competed side by side for years on Ryan Street; they later dissolved into used car lots, empty eyesores, and parking lots. Blocks of downtown stores—some built by T. Miller & Sons like Podrasky’s Shoe Store that stood on a north Ryan Street corner for the best part of a century—are also gone. However, over 380 historic sites in Southwest Louisiana do survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They have earned the patina that comes with years of use, respect, and care. Lake Charles is an historic jewel with its Charpentier District, Margaret Place, and Shell Beach Drive—monuments to the lumber barons and local craftsmen. One more generation now is polishing the warm, rich, living wood— perhaps 400 years old now—as they slide their hands over gleaming mahogany banisters, grasp heavy cypress doors, tread staircases made of heart pine. Perhaps they even
touch the very pieces of lumber handselected by my great grandfather. I have seen much of old Lake Charles disappear, only to be replaced with slick-looking restaurants and stores that make every town a copycat. So, before the handcrafted look of old Lake Charles is forgotten, and to remind yourself that the human touch is the best tool in the toolbox, spend some sweet time strolling or driving past historic homes and buildings in the Charpentier District, Margaret Place, and down Shell Beach Drive. The best way is to free up your imagination and allow time to lift like a fog. Sometimes, a bygone Lake Charles materializes when you touch a leftover hitching post, or glimpse at a store name faded into bricks, or listen for a train that long ago rumbled and moaned past the weedy tracks. Happily, however, many homes and public buildings remain. You can still see the actual porches where gentlemen waited for trolleys, the stained glass windows that have glinted in thousands of morning suns, the wide front doors that generations still polish as they come and go, and the huge, arthritic oaks that have grown to embrace them. TJN
All In the Family T. Miller & Sons was a family business of seven sons, four can tell you those stories—like the time the bigger boys sent daughters and, eventually, dozens of grandchildren, including him to Louisiana Western Lumber Company to buy striped my father. The children grew up sweeping the offices, keeppaint.) ing the payroll, wielding hammers, and eventually, forming He went on to build and run, for almost 50 years, a major construction-related companies of their engineering firm that is instrumental in Ernest Levingston own. By Titus Miller’s death in 1963, the designing and building the petrochemical Miller children and grandchildren “spread industry—now in the hands of long-time like ants” (as Joe Miller puts it) forming employees who started out as engineering Earl Miller Construction, Charles Miller students at McNeese State University. Construction, F. Miller & Sons, Alfred The love of lumber has come full circle. Miller Construction, and Levingston Now, a hundred years later, the family has Engineers. built the old way again—a timber frame That’s where my father enters this story; home held solid with pegs and huge, beauhe inherited a double whammy of the contiful timbers. With soaring ceilings, lots of struction love. While first and second genwindows and glass, and warm, inviting eration Millers were literally building our wood, energy-efficient timber frame town, the Levingston family developed homes put a new spin on the grand old building-related companies like Levingston homes with a “green” attitude. Abstract, Levingston Title Company, and My father recently hammered the first Levingston/Craft/Rushworth Plumbing two pegs into heavy timbers as they were (today LCR on the corner of Ryan and raised for a timber frame home he was Sallier). excited about building. One peg was My father, Ernest Levingston, barely inscribed with “Ernest Levingston,” the knew his own father Vernon who died in other with “Kathleen Levingston” his wife 1926— a plumber, a cigar store proprietor, and a drummer of 66 years. With the last hammer strike he said, “There. with the Company K Band that performed in Lock Park. So, Now we’re holding up this house side by side.” That’s the he was raised among all the older Miller boys like a son. (He emotional side of lumber kicking in again.
TJN
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Killin’ Time Crossword
STEVEN’S AUTOMOTIVE
Big or
Small
WE DO IT ALL! FREE ESTIMATES Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com (www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission. Volume 1 • Issue 14
990-1893 1825 Kirkman
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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Apparel Catwalk Chanel Designer Dior
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Players take turns connecting two dots. When a player completes a box, they write their initial in the box. When all dots are connected, the player with the most boxes wins.
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
Volume 1 • Issue 14
der useum n e l l n E dren's M a D By e Chil of th r o t c Dire
Fly Away Home (1996 Columbia TriStar, DVD) Spoiler Alert: Fly Away Home is an “old movie.” Disclosure: I own this movie. In the interest of giving you a guaranteed Family Movie, I decided to go into the vault and pick a little-known film that you may have missed first time around. It’s not in most Red Boxes, but you can probably find it at your favorite video store or on NetFlix. Some movies are so good, I can’t stand it. Fly Away Home is exactly that. It tells the story of a 13-year old girl, Amy (Anna Paquin), who comes to live with her ex-father up in Canada after her mother dies in a car crash. In typical family movie style, she raises 15 geese. Helping them grow up, she herself comes to terms with her estranged father and the death of her mother, maturing in the process. Ho Hum. Only it’s not a ho-hum movie. Fly Away Home is a visual masterpiece of color, landscape, and acting that come together in a way that reminded me of an Andrew Wyeth painting. Just about every scene is so arresting that you could frame it and put it in your living room. But if that was all there was, you could probably find something like it on the HD channel. The acting in this movie has some superb scenes, most of them Anna Paquin working Volume 1 • Issue 14
through being 13 years old in some very unorthodox ways. For example, beating a wildlife deputy on the head with a metal pot (he’s trying to clip one of the gosling’s wings) and flying an ultralight over Lake Ontario. I’ve also left out the fact that the father, played by Jeff Daniels, is a wonderfully eccentric inventor (someday I’d like to meet a conventional inventor) who sculpts dragons among other things, and has made an exact replica of the Lunar Module, because “the real one is still on the moon, and we needed one down here.” Filmed mostly in Canada, Fly Away Home will entrap you in its non-Hollywood world of North American countryside, rural folks who actually are educated, and a story that almost tells itself. When I saw that it was rated PG, mainly for the opening scene of the car crash, I was worried that the movie might not be for kids. But the accident, in which Amy’s mother dies, is so uncharacteristic
of anything you’ve ever seen, and so artfully done, that children shouldn’t have a problem with it. That’s not to say they won’t have questions, particularly since many children these days are terrified of losing their parents through divorce or death. If you’re one of the many single or repartnered parents out there, this is great opportunity to talk about it with your kids. What I enjoyed about Fly Away Home was that the director didn’t spend a lot of time with so-called “dramatic” (i.e., boilerplate) crying scenes, fighting scenes, and so on. The music is by composer Mark Isham, with a version of “10,000
Miles” sung by Amy Chapin Carpenter. It is as compelling and original a score as any I’ve heard, and fits perfectly with the story of a young girl learning how to be a mother to a flock of geese. What can I tell you? You should see this movie. If you’ve already seen it once, see it again, and just enjoy the filming and footage, from the colors in the drawer where the goose eggs hatch to the scenes of two ultralight planes flying through downtown Baltimore. If you haven’t seen it, I left out all the key elements of the plot, just for you. TJN
LAKE CHARLES TAX FORUM WED., OCT. 28, 2009 6-7 PM • POLICE JURY ROOM Participants: John DeRosier, Cal. Parish DA; Tony Mancuso, Cal. Parish Sheriff; Hal McMillin, Cal. Parish Police Jury and Mark McMurray, Cal. Parish Police Jury.
EARLY VOTING: 10/31 – 11/7/2009 • ELECTION: 11/14/2009 Contact Kay Andrews, President for additional information or to ask about becoming a member. Email info@lwv-lc.org or call 474-1864.
As we enter Hurricane Season, we are dedicated to informing you of any weather threatening Southwest Louisiana. Part of our dedication to keeping you informed and up to date is our KYKZ 96 Hurricane Tracking Chart sponsored by Cameron State Bank and Aggreko. The KYKZ 96 Hurricane Tracking Chart will be available June 1 at our sponsor locations or at the KYKZ 96 station. More information at www.kykz.com
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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By Mary Louise Ruehr
Three of the Best: Doctorow, Atwood, Pynchon I often try to bring you books by authors you may not be familiar with. But these are by three of the best, mostrespected authors working today. All these books have adult language and situations. More years ago than I like to count, my best friend Tom and I spent our vacation reading the novel Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow aloud to each other. Well, mostly I would read to him as he soaked up the sun and I sat in the shade. That summer, and that spectacular book, hold a special place in my
heart. Doctorow’s beautiful writing is a joy to read aloud, and this is proved once more in his newest work, Homer & Langley. Again delving into fictionalized history, the author imagines the lives of the infamous Collyer brothers, who lived in a brownstone across from Central Park in New York City and who gave the term “pack rat” a whole new dimension. The story is told by Homer, the blind brother, who is two years younger than Langley. When they were boys, their parents went abroad every year and
Thursday, October 15, 2009 REGISTER ONLINE @ www.womenscommissionswla.com Online registration closes at
October 13, 4:30 pm Onsite registration opens at
7:00 am
8:00 am - 4:30 pm Lake Charles Civic Center Brochures available at: KPLC TV- 320 Division St. The Perfect Gift- 2712 Hodges St. Allstate – Melisa McMillian 3600 Common St.
Keynote Speaker PAGE 40
OCTOBER 8, 2009
And here, Homer uses sound to take us through decades of time: “I was a vigorous walker and gauged the progress of our times by the changing sounds and smells of the streets. In the past, the carriages and the equipages hissed or squeaked or groaned, the drays rattled, the beer wagons pulled by teams passed thunderously, and the beat behind all this music was the clopping of the hooves. Then the combus-
sent back tons of goodies, filling the house with “ancient Islamic tiles, or rare books, or a marble water fountain, or busts of Romans with no noses or missing ears, or antique armoires.” Homer writes that “it was all very eclectic, … and cluttered it might have seemed to outsiders, but it seemed normal and right to us and it was our legacy, Langley’s and mine, this sense of living with things assertively inanimate, and having to walk around them.” So the brothers became used to being surrounded by clutter. And they added to it. Boy, did they add to it. I don’t really want to tell you what the brothers went through, about the people who wandered in and out of their house like actors in a play, but I want to share samples of the wonderful writing. Read aloud Homer’s words about being sightless in the city: “I liked the nice sharp sound of my stick on the granite steps of the bank. And inside I sensed the architecture of high ceilings and marble walls and pillars from the hollowed-out murmur of voices and the chill on my ears.” It’s like poetry!
tive put-put of the motorcars was added to the mix and gradually the air lost its organic smell of hide and leather, the odor of horse manure on hot days did not hang like a miasma over the street nor did one now often hear that wide-pan shovel of the street cleaners shlushing it up, and eventually … it was all mechanical, the noise, as fleets of cars sailed past in both directions, horns tooting and policemen blowing their whistles.” Wonderful! A book to savor. Another all-time favorite book of mine was The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, a grim and unforVolume 1 • Issue 14
Inherent Vice, he takes on the detective novel. It is set in the Southern California oceanside town of Gordita Beach. The normal ex-lover needing help from the P.I. setup soon grows into a plot with many offshoots, including the reemergence of the legendary island of Lemuria. Amid tons of fun late-1960s cultural references, large and small (Richard Nixon, “The Flying Nun,” IBM punch cards), the book provides its own ’60s soundtrack. (Really: visit Amazon.com.) I enjoyed the writing. Pynchon gives us “biblical, sailor-take-warning skies” and gems like this: “In the little apart-
gettable vision of an alternative future America. Atwood continues her “speculative fiction” with The Year of the Flood, which adds to the world she created in her novel Oryx and Crake. It seems to be set in the second half of the 21st century. A lethal virus termed the “Waterless Flood” has destroyed most of the population: “It traveled through the air as if on wings, it burned through cities like fire, spreading germridden mobs, terror and butchery. The lights were going out everywhere, … systems were failing as their keepers died. It spelled total breakdown.” We follow two female survivors, each alone and trying to find safety, and in flashbacks we learn their stories. The women had been members of an eco-survivalist religious cult called God’s Gardeners. As they describe everyday life in their world, the reader is pulled into their paranoia and fear. The fascist Corporations control everything; science and technology have introduced new animal forms, including bobkittens and rakunks, liobams, luminous green rabbits, kudzu moths, and a hybrid bee with a microchip in it that can “spy” on people. Let’s take a look at a sample of the writing, beautiful images amid the gloom: “The sun brightens in the east, reddening the blue-grey haze that marks the distant ocean. The vultures roosting on hydro poles fan out their wings to dry them, opening themselves like black umbrellas. One and then another lifts off on the thermals and spirals upwards. If they plummet suddenly, it means they’ve spotted carrion.” Atwood insists she doesn’t write science-fiction, but sci-fi fans, as well as language lovers, will probably like this remarkable book. Author Thomas Pynchon has almost a cult following, partly because he seems to enjoy experimenting with literary genres, and with his newest, Volume 1 • Issue 14
ment complexes the wind entered narrowing to whistle through the stairwells and ramps and catwalks, and the leaves of the palm trees outside rattled together with a liquid sound, so that from inside, in the darkened rooms, in louvered light, it sounded like a rainstorm, the wind raging in the concrete geometry, the palms beating together like the rush of a tropical downpour, enough to get you to open the door and look outside, and of course there’d only be the same hot cloudless depth of day, no rain in sight.” I love the way the book ends. Pynchon fans will have a blast.
Save the Children’s Museum Fund
Devastated by a recent fire, the Children’s Museum needs your help to reopen. The goal is $450,000.
Copyright (c) 2009 Mary Louise Ruehr. Mary Louise Ruehr is the Books Editor for the Record-Courier in Ravenna, Ohio. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Kent State University. Mary Louise is interested in all subjects and has many favorite authors, including Pearl S. Buck, James Michener, and P.G. Wodehouse, as well as mystery writers Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. She blogs at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/ and you can write to her at Books@recordpub.com. TJN
0 0 0 , 50
$4
So far, $228,419.44 has been raised! The museum would like to thank all of you who have contributed, including the following:
4 4 . 9 ,41
Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc. Calcasieu Parish Police Jury City of Lake Charles City of Sulphur Tadlock William & Katherine Blake Waste Management Cameron State Bank Sempra Energy Global Enterprises First Federal Bank of Louisiana Charleston Gallery and Antiques Wal-mart (Nelson) Wal-Mart Store # 521 (English Bayou) you Lake Area Model Railroaders hank T : s y sa Crawford Orthodontics Inc. I look uana Atlantic Scaffolding Company the Ig port, and f you y g g p o I g all ur su Devall Towing & Boat Service for yo d to seein ! Judge Guy E. Bradberry r e a forw new hom Kiwanis Club of Calcasieu my n i M.N. Davidson Foundation Senator Willie L. Mount Honeywell W.R. Grace
8 2 2 $
Ad Sponsored by The Jambalaya News OCTOBER 8, 2009
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CHILDREN'S MUSEUM IMAGINATION CELEBRATION George of the Jungle was ever-present at this year's junglethemed Children's Museum's Imagination Celebration fundraiser. Wonderful auction items and the "money monkey" provided guests with ample opportunities to contribute to saving Iggy the Iguana’s Home. The Jambalaya News’ publisher, Phil de Albuquerque, is the president of the museum board and was a dynamic auctioneer! Attendees enjoyed the lineup of food offerings specially prepared by chefs from over 20 restaurants. A grand evening of great fun, food and fellowship.
Adrian Ferrer and Tommie Townsley
Cathy Poole, Kyra Boyd, Linda Pickett and Christine Bergeron
Roy and Barbara Price
Richman and Jennifer Reinauer
Chuck and Jan Ehlers
Jayde Butler and Mary Fontenot
Mayor Randy Roach and Stuart Weatherford
BRICKS AND MORTAR OPENING RECEPTION AT THE IMPERIAL CALCASIEU MUSEUM The Imperial Calcasieu Museum is the go-to place for Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish history, and more. Director Susan Reed went beyond the usual limits of the museum's many acquired pieces of the past by reaching out into the community to bring in artifacts, photos and numerous items for the Bricks and Mortar exhibit. This extensive display brings our history to life, and is a must-see for everyone. Dana Keel, Pat Melancon and Megan Hartman PAGE 42
OCTOBER 8, 2009
Edwardo and Rosiris Assef and Eric Cormier Volume 1 • Issue 14
Tammy Barrow, Sara Neugebauer and Tammy Spell
Donna and Rick Richard and Deborah Frank
Mary Barbery and Robbie Bayard
GALLERY PROMENADE It was a lovely evening for a carriage ride as the Arts and Humanities Council's Gallery Promenade 2009 got underway. J & R Carriage provided transportation along the route that included downtown galleries open for business and serving refreshments. It was a great opportunity to enjoy downtown Lake Charles, meet local artists and artisans, and appreciate and purchase paintings, pottery, jewelry, photographs and more. Ellen Anthony, Ricki Kennedy and Kayla Burleigh
Kristin Brooks, Sarah Fisher and Tabitha Bateman
Tyler, Crysten and Nicole Simien Volume 1 • Issue 14
Sue Burke and Julie Engert
Charlotte LaBarbera, Judy Humphry and Anne Shirley
Gregory Simmons and Larry Janzen
Burt and Mary Tietje
Karen Hartfield and Taylor Morrell OCTOBER 8, 2009
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KOOL KATS NIGHT OUT 2009 Hobo sent his regards to all the Kool Kats who attended the 2009 Kool Kats Night Out fundraiser for Hobo Hotel and Spankey Halfway House for Cats and Kittens. "Kats" Domino entertained with some smooth piano jazz as guests checked out the array of silent auction items and marked their bids. It was a purrfect time to obtain some great items to take home and to support the cats and kittens that find their way to the Hobo Hotel. Shelly Woods and Kay Noble
Willie and Ben Mount
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OCTOBER 8, 2009
Stephanie Spain and Patti Phillips
Dave Brown, Kathy Chapman and Penny Palermo
Wanda Goldson and Evelyn Prejean
Volume 1 • Issue 14
USS Orleck Fundraiser Ginger Beningo is trying to float a boat; well, how about a DD-886 gearing class destroyer named the USS Orleck? After serving our country in both the Korean Conflict and Viet Nam War and with the Turkish Navy, the USS Orleck is now bound for a permanent berth in Lake Charles. A recent fundraiser dinner was held with a number of seamen who served on the Orleck in attendance. Ginger is the contact for the Lake Charles area and is looking for additional volunteers, monetary support and professional services. More information can be found at www.ussorleck.org. TJN Al Leger and Mat Bourque
Ruth and Steve Davis (served on the USS Orleck)
Volume 1 • Issue 14
Robin and Jim Anderson
Served on the USS Orleck: Gerald Watson – front, Bob Ryan, James Allison, Jace Pearson and George Trigg – back
David and Ginger Beningo
OCTOBER 8, 2009
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To list your event e-mail: lauren@thejambalayanews.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 • Don Fontenot & Les Cajuns de la Prairie @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Scotty Doland @ Luna Bar & Grill, 7 p.m. • Alvin Touchet @ Blue Duck Cafe, 7:30 p.m. • Billy Ferguson/The Class War/Winston Audio @ Toucan’s, 9:30 p.m. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 • Errol Jenkins & Louisiana Tradition @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Jason Ricci @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m. • The 94s/The Drew Landry Band @ Luna Bar & Grill, 8 p.m. • Blues Tonic @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 8 p.m. • Prime Time Band @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8 p.m. • Out On Bail @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac Casino, 11 p.m. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 • Scotty Pousson & The Pointe aux Loups Cajuns @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Crooks Carnival @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 8 p.m. • Prime Time Band @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8:30 p.m. • Briant Lloyd Smith & Hot Gritz @ Blue Duck Cafe, 9 p.m. • No Idea @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m. • Revolver @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 9 p.m.
• Johnny Raincloud @ My Place, 9 p.m. • Twangsters Union @ Yesterday’s, 9:30 p.m. • Barisal Guns/Five Star Fiasco @ Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. • Colorcast Veteran/Smiley With A Knife @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 • Al Roger & Louisiana Pride @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Glenn Fontenot @ Frey’s Restaurant, Jennings, 7 p.m. • Kris Harper @ Cecil’s Cajun Cafe, DeRidder, 8:30 p.m. • Prime Time Band @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8:30 p.m. • Streamline @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m. • No Idea @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m. • Lisa Marshall @ Sylvia’s Bistro, 9 p.m. • Revolver @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 9 p.m. • Red November @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 • Brad Broussard @ Cajun’s Wharf, 8 p.m. • Damon Moon & The Whispering Drifters @ Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 • Homer LeJeune @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Blameshift/Sky Tells All @ Toucan’s, 9 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 • Howard Noel & Cajun Boogie @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Scotty Doland @ Luna Bar & Grill, 7 p.m. • Alvin Touchet @ Blue Duck Cafe, 7:30 p.m. • The Jimmy Kaiser Band @ Caribbean Hut, 9 p.m. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 • Lesa Cormier & The Sundown Playboys @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Blues Tonic @ Luna Bar & Grill, 8 p.m. • Zydecane @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8 p.m. • T-Broussard & The Zydeco Steppers @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 8 p.m. • Soul Haven @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac Casino, 11 p.m. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 • Howard Noel & Cajun Boogie @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Ashes of Eden/Veneno Mortal/Survive the Musical @ Hawg Wild, Sulphur, 8 p.m. • Zydecane @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8 p.m. • Thingfish @ Caribbean Hut, 9 p.m. • Barry Badon & The Bayou Boys @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 9 p.m. • Jabarvy @ My Place, 9 p.m. • Briant Lloyd Smith & Hot Gritz @ Blue Duck Cafe, 9 p.m. • Better Off Dead/Next Day Haze @ Toucan’s, 9:30 p.m. • Magnolia Sons/Sequoyah Prep School @ Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. • Furr @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 10:30 p.m. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 • Whiskey South @ Mary’s Lounge, 5 p.m. • Joe Simon & Louisiana Cajun @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.
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• Sons in Chaos/Survive the Musical/From Ruin/Fallen Embers @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 8 p.m. • Barry Badon & The Bayou Boys @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 9 p.m. • Live Oak Decline/Jabarvy @ Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20 • Scotty Pousson & The Pointe aux Loups Playboys @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Brad Broussard @ Cajun’s Wharf, 8 p.m. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 • Travis Benoit & Allons Dance @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Scotty Doland @ Luna Bar & Grill, 7 p.m. • Alvin Touchet @ Blue Duck Cafe, 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 • Felton LeJeune & The Cajun Cowboys @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Shimmur @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m. • Twangsters Union @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 8 p.m. • Blues Tonic @ Luna Bar & Grill, 8 p.m. • Gabby Johnson @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac Casino, 11 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 • The Lacassine Playboys @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Michael Bryant @ Frey’s Restaurant, Jennings, 7 p.m. • Crooks Carnival/We Were Wolves @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m. • The Von Dukes @ My Place, 9 p.m. • Jo-El Sonnier @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 9 p.m. • Shimmur @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m. • Briant Lloyd Smith & Hot Gritz @ Blue Duck Cafe, 9 p.m. • Tyler Read/Colorcast Veteran/The Silent Planet @ Toucan’s, 9:30 p.m. • When the Word Was Sound/Kid MIDI/AS Naysayers @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. • Do Not Destroy/Matthew Moss @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. • James Otto @ Texas Longhorn Club, Vinton, 10 p.m. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 • Choke/Crooks Carnival/Butt Roxx/The Von Dukes/TBA @ Art on Wheels Bike Show, 5 p.m. • Howard Noel & Cajun Boogie @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Lochness Mobsters/Fresh Nectar/Greenlight Caravan @ Luna Bar & Grill, 8 p.m.
• Bernie Alan @ Wayne & Layne’s, Sulphur, 9 p.m. • Jo-El Sonnier @ Caribbean Cove Lounge, Isle of Capri Casino, 9 p.m. • Shimmur @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m. • Last Draw @ Toucan’s, 9:30 p.m. • Handsome Harry/Achachay @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 10:30 p.m. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 • Al Roger & Louisiana Pride @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Blues Tonic @ Sylvia’s Bistro, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 • Hubert Maitre @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m. • Alvin Touchet @ Blue Duck Cafe, 7:30 p.m. • All Get Out/The Working Title/Favorite Gentlemen @ Luna Bar & Grill, 8 p.m.
TJN MONDAY NIGHTS: Abita Beer Night
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS: Mondo Martini Night
THURSDAY NIGHTS: Be Well Night
Thurs. Oct. 8 @ 9:00 THE 94’S & THE DREW LANDRY BAND Fri. Oct. 9 @ 10:00 BARISAL GUNS (from Baton Rouge, La.) & FIVE STAR FIASCO (from Bogalusa, La.) Sat. Oct. 10 @ 9:00 STREAMLINE (from Baton Rouge, La.) Mon. Oct. 12 @ 7:00 MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Mon. Oct. 12 @ 10:00 OPEN MIC NIGHT: SINGER / SONGWRITER Wed. Oct. 14 @ 10:00 SCOTTY DOLAND Thurs. Oct. 15 @ 9:00 BLUES TONIC Fri. Oct. 16 @ 10:00 SEQUOYAH PREP SCHOOL (from South Carolina) & MAGNOLIA SONS Sat. Oct. 17 @ 10:00 JABARVY & LIVE OAK DECLINE (from Austin, Tx.) Mon. Oct. 19 @ 7:00 MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Mon. Oct. 19 @ 10:00 OPEN MIC NIGHT: SINGER / SONGWRITER
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THE WINE STORE /LC COUNTRY CLUB WINE TASTING OCT. 8 On Oct. 8, The Wine Store will host its usual Thurs. night wine tasting at the Lake Charles Country Club from 6-8 p.m. Suzanne Sawyer will debut her collection of wines from Sawyer Cellars and Jeremy Broussard with Wines Unlimited will be pouring several of his favorites. Blake Campora with Select Wines will be pouring fantastic additions to his portfolio, and special guest Phil Roberts from JanKris Vineyards in Paso Robles will present the Ben Hogan wine series! Chef Keith Jagneaux is preparing some wonderful dishes, so don’t forget to call the Lake Charles Country Club at 477-5511to make your reservations to attend a spectacular evening of good food and great wine! Cost is $15 per person, and babysitting will be available at the club for $5 per child.
JAM
KOOL & THE GANG AT DELTA EVENT CENTER OCT. 10 World-renowned R&B group Kool & The Gang has been keeping everyone dancing for decades. On Sat., Oct. 10, they’ll bring their classic party hits to the Delta Event Center for a one-night-only performance starting at 8 p.m. Kool & The Gang has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and influenced the music of three generations. Tickets start at $40 and are available online at www.deltadowns.com, www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Delta Downs Gift Shop. To charge by phone, call (800) 745-3000. BOUDIN & BLUE JEANS OCT. 10 Sample boudin from across the parish while taking in its great history with the Boudin & Blue Jeans Festival, from noon – 6 p.m., at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. The Boudin Trail brochure will be unveiled highlighting local eateries that specialize in making their own boudin. Enjoy performances by Grammy Award winner Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience along with Brice Perrin. Tickets are $25, for museum members, and $35, for non-museum members. Call (337) 439-3793 for more info.
BARBE HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS PRESENTS OKLAHOMA! OCT. 8-10 The Barbe High School Chorus will present Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Oct-8-10. It will be held in the Lake Charles Boston Auditorium, Oct 8-10, at 7 p.m.; the fourth show TBA. Reserved seating tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at Barbe High School. For ticket information, call 217-4460 ext. 1443. Ticket booth will be open at LCB Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. on show dates.
CELTS, CORKS & CHEERS! OCT. 10 Celts, Corks & Cheers, an evening of whiskey and wine tasting, will be held at 7 p.m. Sat., Oct. 10, at Pujo Street Cafe. The event is sponsored by the Celtic Nations Heritage Foundation. Scottish-born Mark Fowler will lead attendees through an evening of tasting whiskies from Celtic regions and wines from Galicia, Spain’s Celtic northern region. Limited tickets are $25 per person; call 439-4888 for more info. The Celtic Nations Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and preserve Celtic heritage and culture.
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC AT OLD CITY HALL OCT. 9 The City of Lake Charles presents “The Light Fantastic: Contemporary Irish Stained Glass Art,” at the 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center at 1001 Ryan Street. The exhibition showcases the work of Ireland’s leading glass artists. Renowned worldwide for its high quality and innovation, Irish stained glass reveals the contemporary artistic possibilities within this traditional art form. An opening reception will be held Fri., Oct. 9, from 6 – 9 p.m. All ages are invited at no charge; refreshments will be served. The exhibition will hang through Jan. 9, 2010. OLQH ANNUAL AUCTION OCT. 9 Our Lady Queen of Heaven is hosting “Treasures Under the Sea,” its annual live and silent auction, in the Life Center Gym on Fri., Oct. 9. Silent auction begins at 5:30 p.m.; the live auction starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person until Sept. 30; $55 after that. They may be purchased at the OLQH School office at 3908 Creole St. For information, call 477-7349.
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LC INTERNATIONAL MUSIC AND CULTURAL FESTIVAL OCT. 11 The LC International Music Festival presents Family Day at Lock Park, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., on Oct. 11. Enjoy African Dance and Drums, the Atakapa Indian Tribal Dancers, Salemah and Company, and more. Vendor booths are available. Free admission. For more information, call (337) 513-4825.
Stained glass art from “The Light Fantastic.”
“MUSIC WITH A MISSION” OCT. 15 Come out and see regionally and nationally recognized jazz artists such as James Bill, Chester Daigle, Jay Ecker, Tim McMillen, Huber “Mickey” Smith, Kevin Stone and Eric Sylvester, just to name a few. The concert will be held Thurs., Oct. 15, at 7p.m. in the W.W. Lewis auditori-
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um in Sulphur. This event is free, but donations will be accepted at the door. The concert will help raise awareness and money for the Maplewood Middle School Band. For more information, e-mail: hubersmith2@yahoo.com, or call (337)625-3457.
Stuffed: Chicken Breast, Chickens, Porkchops, Cornish Hens Boudin • Sausage • Tasso • Cracklins Daily Plate Lunches $6.29 Owner: Louis Roy, Jr. 4313 Common St. (Behind McNeese) Lake Charles, La 70607
Phone: (337) 564-5705 Fax: (337) 564-5709
LOUISIANA CROSSROADS PRESENTS JOHN MOONEY OCT. 14 The City of Lake Charles is teaming up with Louisiana Crossroads for a new season in the Central School Theatre, at 809 Kirby Street. Louisiana Crossroads is an intimate music performance series that debuts each month with a live radio and Internet broadcast. The program airs from 79 p.m. via 100,000-watt regional National Public Radio affiliate KRVS. The season opener will take place on Wed., Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. with John Mooney. This mini-tour will feature his original work and celebrate his deep roots with stories of his legendary mentors. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m.; performance is at 7 p.m. For more information, call (337) 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com. CADA TASTE AND TELL, JENNINGS OCT. 15 The 9th Annual CADA (Communities Against Domestic Abuse) “Taste and Tell” will be held Thurs., Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Grand Marais Courtyard, 919 Lake Arthur Avenue, Jennings, Come for fun, food and live and silent auctions! Tickets are available at Jeff Davis Bank branches in Jennings, Welsh, or Lake Arthur or at the Zigler Art Museum. For more information, call 753-2255, 368-9750, or 616-8418 CHAMBER SOUTHWEST’S 10TH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT OCT. 16 Join the Chamber at the National Golf Course of Louisiana in Westlake on Fri., Oct. 16, for their annual golf tournament. Start times are 8 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.. Fees include green fees, driving range, cart rental, two mulligans, team move up hole, gift, tournament shirt and hat, and food and beverages. Sessions are limited to first come, first served. For more information, contact ddronet@allianceswla.org. RAGLEY HERITAGE AND TIMBER FESTIVAL OCT. 17 The 11th Annual Ragley Heritage and Timber Festival will be held Sat., Oct. 17. Bring the whole family for a day of fun, beginning with a parade at the Ragley First United Pentecostal Church at 9 a.m. The opening ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the Ragley Historical Square, 6715 La. 12. Enjoy craft booths; quilt, corn grinding and lye soap-making demonstrations; live music; delicious food; train rides; face -painting, puppet presentation, cross-cut saw contests, and antique tractors on display. Admission is $5 per car. For further information on the festival, contact Ella Cole at (337) 725-3444.
John Mooney
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BRIDAL SHOWCASE AT LAKE CHARLES COUNTRY CLUB OCT. 18 The Lake Charles Country Club is the host venue for the Bella Cose Bridal Showcase, to be held on Sun., Oct. 18, at noon. The event includes a fashion show, and will feature local wedding vendors. There will be a groom’s lounge for those attending the event with their fiancées, which will have an appetizer buffet, beverages, and flat screen TV. Open to the public; tickets are available at the door for $10. Call Bella Cose at 477-5511 for more information. FHF ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT OCT. 19 The 4th Annual Families Helping Families of SWLA Golf Tournament – “Fore for Families” will be held at Gray Plantation Golf Course, Mon., Oct. 19. Title sponsor for this event is R&R Construction. Other sponsor opportunities are still available. Each sponsorship has its own unique incentives including two-man team(s), program, sign and banner recognition and more. Proceeds from the tournament will support the programs of FHF. SWLA Lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the tournament begins with a 12:30 PM Shotgun Start—a two-person Scramble event. Entry fee is $200 per team. Sponsor and entry forms can be found at www.fhfswla.org. Entry deadline is Oct. 16, for the first 26 team entries received. For more information, call 436-2570 or (800) 894-6558. ELVIS FOR AUTISM CONCERT OCT. 25 A benefit concert for Autism Services of Southwest Louisiana (ASSL) will be held at L’Auberge du Lac Casino Event Center on Sun., Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. John Ieyoub, internationally acclaimed Elvis tribute artist, will be the featured performer, along with an all-star cast headed by Chris Flowers and the Louisiana Express. Taxdeductible tickets are $100 each and may be purchased at any First Federal Branch or by calling ASSL at 436-5001. Corporate sponsors will be seated at tables for eight; all other attendees will be in general admission stadium seating. ART ON WHEELS OCT 24-25 Dago’s Custom Cycle Shop and the Arts and Humanities Council are sponsoring Art on Wheels, Oct. 24 and 25, at the Lake Charles Civic Center. View one-of-a-kind exhibits of art and motorcycles, hot rods, canvases, metal and wood. There will be live music, a tattoo show and Pin-Up Girl contest. Proceeds will benefit The Whistle Stop and Bikers Against Child Abuse. Open 9 a.m. to midnight, Oct. 24; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 25. Admission is $5; free for children under 12. For more info, see www.artsonwheels.com. AFFAIRE D’ ART NOV. 5 This community event showcases the talents of our local artists here in SWLA. Proceeds from Affaire d’ Art will be used to help provide scholarships for art students attending McNeese State University, as well as subsidizing art workshops from visiting artists and to help promote art awareness in Louisiana. It will be held Thurs., Nov. 5 from 6-9 p.m. at Prien Lake Park-Harbor’s Edge Pavilion. Tickets are $125 (admits two people). They will not be sold at the door. Each ticket entitles holder to one piece of art (one piece per ticket). There will be food, entertainment and bar. Contact Tabitha Bateman at 263-1555 for tickets. TJN
Call our sales department for sponsorship information!
(337) 436-7800 715 Kirby St, Lake Charles
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Around Town With The Jam
Lauren and Phil at the opening reception of the Imperial Calcasieu Museum’s Brick and Mortar Exhibit. Don’t miss it!
We Don’t Just Report It—We Support It! It’s a busy time of year, with exhibit openings and fundraisers galore! Of course, The Jambalaya News has been all over town, supporting our com-
munity and meeting so many of our readers. It’s always a pleasure to hear so many wonderful comments! Thank you all for your positive feedback! TJN
Phil and Lauren enjoy the art exhibits at the Calcasieu Marine Bank building with Rick and Donna Richard at the Gallery Promenade.
The Children’s Museum’s Imagination Celebration brought out the wild beast in everyone! Phil and Lauren and museum director Dan Ellender pose with a jungle friend.
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The Singing Bee and Mondegreens By Leslie Berman I don’t know about you, but even though it makes me a little sick with apprehension to watch them, I love to see people try to sing in public. I love competitions, and I get a kick out of hearing others singing for prizes. Strangely, I don’t do karaoke. I mean, I don’t hang out at bars where they offer karaoke machines (though I’m going to rectify that mistake over the next month). I don’t sing it at parties, and I don’t even notice or think about it, except when it’s in the middle of a movie or TV show, when it drifts into my vision without any activity on my part. That’s what happened a little while ago with Country Music Television’s “The Singing Bee.” One minute I was clicking through AMC, Lifetime, Bravo, TNT and TBS, hoping for a movie I’d only have seen a half dozen times, and the next, I landed on CMT and heard what was really truly god-awful caterwauling to an almost unrecognizable old country tune. The singer was clearly not a singer in anyone’s estimation, and she was vocalizing a good threeand-a-half notes off the tune vamping behind her, but she was cheerfully wailing away, wearing a big old nametag, caressing a cordless microphone as if she was a bonafied diva with a capital “D,” and she was ignoring the sounds of a zapping buzzer that signaled every wrong word she sang. “Real folks singing,” I thought, happily. And settled in to watch the show. The premise seemed simple enough – a live band and various singers (themselves of only average musical chops) intro-ed songs on the fly – chosen seemingly at random from a wide timeline of mostly country hits, announced by Melissa Peterman, a comedic actress who used to be on the series “Reba.” Then the pros stopped singing, which signaled the contestants to chime in to fill in the musical blanks.
But it was a little trickier than that. The competitions throughout the half hour were variations on the theme: Sing the next line of the lyric after the band stopped playing; sing all the lines on the teleprompter or karaoke screen filling in missing words indicated by dashes; bid on how many or how few words they’d get correctly in the next song; sing alternating phrases in a single song with a partner, until one of them was outsung by the other; and finally, for the night’s highest scoring contestant, sing one missing line from a song and then one missing line from another song, until correctly singing five out of seven tries, for a top prize of $10,000 and a trophy. I was laid up recovering from surgery for a couple of weeks, right smack dab during a “Singing Bee” marathon, so I watched a bunch of episodes back to back. Settling in with snacks and drinks, I winced at every wrong note, and marveled at one woman with a mild accent and the look of an Indian from Bombay, who, it seemed, knew every word to every song in every musical genre thrown at her (CMT says the music is 60 percent country and 40 percent other pop genres). It certainly took courage to get up to sing, especially for all those folks with no musical ability whose unlovely sounds were cringe-making. But the harder thing was getting the lyrics precisely right. If the singer added a word, or left out a word, or sang the right words in the wrong order, s/he’d get dinged, and maybe a rival would get a chance at it, their ability enhanced by hearing the screw up who went first. “You don’t have to sing it well, you just have to sing it right,” host Peterman said in words to that effect throughout the show’s teasers. You should catch an episode or two. Details at www.cmt.com/shows/series/singing_bee/series.j html.
One reason I was fascinated with the “Singing Bee” is because I know I can’t play “fill in the musical blanks” myself. After all, I learned the songs I know before there were CDs, before you could really understand the lyrics to popular songs, back in the day when most of us guessed at or kind of made up half of the words buried under the heavy bass and drums and keyboards and guitar solos of songs such as “Louie, Louie” and “I Am The Walrus.” We thought we were singing the lyrics, but mostly, we sang “mondegreens,” that phenomenon in which you mishear and then misquote poetry or advertising slogans or song lyrics, so named in 1954 by writer Sylvia Wright, in an article in Harper’s Bazaar, in which she recounted her own mishearing of the balladic poetry line “And laid him on the green” as “And Lady Mondegreen.” These gaffes have been called mondegreens following Wright’s coinage ever since. Now I know you know what I mean. You’ve heard kids say “I feed the pigeons “ instead of “I pledge allegiance,” haven’t you? And Creedence Clearwater Revival’s famous line, “There’s a bathroom on the right,” instead of the actual lyric to “Bad Moon Rising.” And my all time favorite – “just call me angel of the morning, angel/just brush my teeth before you leave me” – from “Angel of the Morning,” written by the inimitable Chip Taylor (who also wrote “Wild Thing”), better known to you all, perhaps, as actor Jon Voight’s craggier brother. Taylor, of course, wrote “just brush my cheek before you leave me.” But isn’t the mondegreen better than the original, for entertainment value, at least? Send your favorite mondegreens to me at leslie@leslieberman.com and I’ll quote them in an upcoming column. TJN
The McNeese State University Jazz Ensemble will travel to Romania for a 16-day performance tour in the spring. Jazz director Rick Condit is inviting other students, faculty, staff and community members to accompany the group. Oct. 15 is the deadline for a $500 nonrefundable fee deposit to reserve a spot for the tour scheduled May 25-June 10. All travel arrangements will be booked by Condit through Partners in Travel. The cost is $2,500 per student and $3,000 for non-students. The price covers airfare, double occupancy in two-and three-star hotels, ground transportation, sightseeing and all other group-related expenses. Additional fees will include one or two meals per day, excursions not related to the tour and other incidental charges. The group will tour in five cities—Timisoara, Tirgu Mures, Iasi, Sibiu and Bucharest— attending concerts, presenting
workshops and participating in specifically organized civic activities throughout the tour. “The ensemble will perform at the nationally televised Richard Oschanitsky Jazz Festival in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the founding of the George Enescu University of the Arts,” said Condit. Other performances are scheduled at the international Open Jazz Festival, the National Radio Hall in the capital city of Bucharest and a citywide concert in the philharmonic hall in Sibiu. Condit, a Fulbright Senior Scholar who taught American-style jazz education at George Enescu University in spring 2002, has been to Romania six times since then. “The six weeks I spent there this past summer convinced me that this is an unprecedented opportunity for our students. Everyone I spoke to in Romania about the tour was extremely enthusiastic,” he said. In addition to the concerts, master classes and workshops, the jazz ensemble students as well as those who sign up for the trip will see some of Romania’s most historic sites including the 500-year-old painted monasteries of Moldavia and the medieval cities of Sighisoara and Sibiu in the region of Transylvania. For more trip information, contact Condit at (337) 475-5007 or by e-mail at rcondit@mcneese.edu. TJN
Registration Open for Creative Dramatic Classes Registration for The Children’s Theatre Company’s Creative Dramatic classes for children ages 5 to 18 has begun. According to Kerry A. Onxley, artistic director of (CTC), classes are part of the 25th Celebration Season for CTC. Registration is ongoing and ends in mid-October. The Creative Dramatics class is designed to teach acting skills to children by immersing them in
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interactive dramatic situations using role-playing and improvisational technique to create unique adventures. Once a week, students experi-
ence theatre exercises, games and music designed to teach basic acting skills. The class concludes with a brief demonstration performance
for family and friends in February 2010. No experience is necessary. Classes are held at the Central School of the Arts & Humanities Center (809 Kirby; Suite 313). For more information, contact the theatre at (337) 433-7323 or visit the Web site at www.childrenstheatre.cc and click on “classes.”
TJN
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COWBOY FOOTBALL Sept. 5 vs. Henderson State 7 p.m. Sept. 19 vs. Savannah State 7 p.m. Oct. 17 vs. Northwestern State* (HC) 7 p.m. Oct. 24 vs. Southeastern Louisiana* 6 p.m. Nov. 7 vs. Sam Houston State* 7 p.m. Nov. 21 vs. Central Arkansas* 7 p.m. * denotes Southland Conference game
COWGIRL SOCCER Sept. 4 vs. Baylor 4 p.m. Sept. 6 vs. Alcorn State 1 p.m. Sept. 11 vs. Houston Baptist 4 p.m. Sept. 27 vs. LSU - Shreveport 2 p.m. Oct. 2 vs. Sam Houston State* 4 p.m. Oct. 4 vs. Stephen F. Austin* 2 p.m. Oct. 16 vs. Central Arkansas* 4 p.m. Oct. 18 vs. Northwestern State* 2 p.m. Oct. 25 vs. Lamar* 2 p.m. Southland Conference Tournament Nov. 5 - 8 Natchitoches, La * denotes Southland Conference game
COWGIRL VOLLEYBALL Sept. 1 vs. Houston Baptist 7 p.m. Sept. 11 vs. Prairie View A&M 6 p.m. Sept. 12 vs. UT - Pan Am 1 p.m. Sept. 12 vs. UL - Lafayette 6 p.m. Sept. 22 vs. Louisiana Tech 7 p.m. Sept. 25 vs. Northwestern State* 7 p.m. Sept. 26 vs. Central Arkansas* 4 p.m. Oct. 3 vs. Stephen F. Austin* 4 p.m. Oct. 17 vs. TAMU - Corpus Christi* 2 p.m. Oct. 30 vs. UT - Arlington* 7 p.m. Oct. 31 vs. Texas State* 3 p.m. Nov. 13 vs. Nicholls State* 7 p.m. Nov. 14 vs. Southeastern Louisiana* 2 p.m.
COWBOY & COWGIRL CROSS COUNTRY Sept. 4 McNeese Cowboy Relay 6 p.m. Oct. 3 McNeese Cowboy Stampede 7:30 a.m. The Cowboy Stampede is a high school and collegiate event as well as a fun run open to the community. For details visit the cross country page of McNeeseSports.com Oct.31 SLC Championships - Corpus Christi, TX Nov. 14 NCAA Regionals - Waco, TX Nov. 23 NCAA Championships - Terra Haute, IN
Please contact Ryan Ivey at least 72 hours before any home event to request accommodations for individuals with disabilities. This includes the need for materials in an alternative format such as large print or Braille, sign language interpreters, accessible seating, and accessible parking information.
Southland Conference Tournament Nov. 21 - 23 San Antonio, TX * denotes Southland Conference game
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