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Volume 5 • Issue 20
December 19, 2013 • Volume 5 • Issue 20
715 Kirby St. Lake Charles, LA 70601 Phone: 337-436-7800 Fax: 337-990-0262 www.louisianajam.com Publisher Phil de Albuquerque phil@louisianajam.com Executive Editor Lauren de Albuquerque lauren@louisianajam.com Contributors Lisa Addison Rev. Weldon Bares Dori Bell George Cline Angie Kay Dilmore Dan Ellender Julie Fay Mike McHugh Roger Miller Mary Louise Ruehr Oliver “Jackson” Schrumpf Brandon Shoumaker Karla Tullos Sales sales@louisianajam.com Graphics Art/Production Director Burn Rourk Art Assistant Sarah Bercier Associate Photographer Johnny Owens Cajun Pirate Photgraphy Business Office Manager Jeanie Taggart
On cover: The staff at CHRISTUS HomeCare - St. Patrick and CHRISTUS Hospice and Pallative Care - St. Patrick
COVER STORY 26 CHRISTUS HomeCare - St. Patrick REGULARS 8
We Are SWLA!
10 The Dang Yankee 10 Adoption Corner 11
Tips from Tip
12
Huntin’ Tales
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14 The Sports Report 16
this Functional Family
FEATURES Local Review: 5 The Piper’s Story 6 The Small City with a Big Heart 18
The Glory of Christmas Music
20 Having a Blue Holiday?
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22 Personal Safety This Holiday Season
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24 The Great Russian Nutcracker 28 The Importance of Like Totally Being Earnest THE SPICE OF SWLA 30 Event Guide 31 Family Fun Night at the Movies 34 Acting Up! 36 Red Hot Books
Legal Disclaimer The views expressed by Louisiana Jam columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Louisiana Jam, its editors or staff.
38 Nightlife Guide
Louisiana Jam is solely owned, published by Jambalaya Media, LLC, 715 Kirby 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. Louisiana Jam cannot be held responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, even if they are sent to us accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Copyright 2013 Louisiana Jam all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited.
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Volume 5 • Issue 20
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40 Society Spice
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A Note From Lauren The Feast of the Seven Fishes I love being Italian. Especially around the holidays. Back home, it meant sitting around a beautifully set table, eating delicious festive food off my mother’s wedding china and drinking wine out of big gallon jugs. I know, the elegant table and the big jugs kind of clash, but as I recall, my father would transfer the wine to a crystal decanter, so no harm done. Christmas Eve is really special in an Italian household, because we don’t celebrate Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is the big thing. It commemorates the wait, the Vigilia di Natale for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus. Christmas Eve is considered a fast day—no meat allowed. It’s also called the Feast of the Seven Fishes, because seven seafood dishes are traditionally served at dinner, along with pasta, salads and vegetables. And of course, a lot of sweets. There are no meats in sweets, right? Sounds like a pretty good “fast day” to me. Don’t ask me why there were seven fish dishes. Sources say that seven is the most repeated number in the Bible and appears over 700 times. And there are seven Sacraments and seven hills surrounding Rome. At any rate, by the time I came along, we were down to
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three or four dishes. Luckily, I love fish, although some of the dishes were pretty nasty. Like baccala. It’s a dried cod salad from Southern Italy (where we are from) that the old people adored. I don’t think anyone under 75 years of age enjoyed it. My mother would insist I try it every year (“Your taste changes as you get older!”) but in this case, it never did. There were big cloves of garlic in the salad, and one year, my Uncle Ricky bit into a clove thinking it was a piece of cod— and spent the rest of the night burping and muttering to himself. My grandmother also prepared eels and anchovies back in the day. Just the thought of eels makes me nauseous, so luckily that tradition was put to rest after she passed on, before I was born. Another unpleasant food memory was fresh fennel, or finocchio, which has a really strong anise flavor and was another taste that I never acquired. What we did enjoy was my mother’s spaghetti with clam sauce and Aunt Frances’ baked stuff shrimp. My aunt ONLY made that shrimp dish on Christmas Eve. We got it once a year, and that was it. So it was all the more special. It’s the most delicious shrimp dish I’ve ever had, and its flavor always signified a magical evening
of laughter and good times with loved ones. I have her recipe and I made that dish once after she died, and it tasted just like hers. But the magic was missing. It was just an ordinary day. I will never make it again. If I had children, that would be a different story. But I can’t pass this tradition down to anyone. It’s kind of sad. I think I understand my Aunt Jeanette’s actions a little better now. I remember how she would leave the table after Christmas Eve dinner and go downstairs to her apartment. She’d get into her bathrobe and go into the den and watch Midnight Mass from the Vatican on television, while the rest of us opened gifts and laughed into the night. As kids, we didn’t understand why she wanted to be by herself. Actually, we were thrilled that she wasn’t there, because she put a damper on everything, and she and my aunt Gloria would always end up sniping at each other. Still, we couldn’t understand why someone would choose solitude on such a special evening. But she was your typical spinster, and once she lost her parents, Christmas was never the same for her again. Even though she had her siblings, they all had families of their own. She wanted to be alone on that night (there were
years when she wouldn’t even eat with us) with her memories. So us kids would have to break away from the fun and games and visit her in the den to exchange gifts and listen to her old stories while a choir sang the “Ave Maria” in Rome. We couldn’t wait to get away. This Christmas Eve will be spent with friends out in the country, eating fried turkey and boudin, a million miles away from that table in East Boston, and not a fish in sight. But maybe when we get home, I’ll turn on the television and watch a little Midnight Mass from the Vatican. And remember. We’re giving our hardworking staff a few weeks off to enjoy the holidays with their families. Our next issue will be out on Jan. 6. See you then—and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us to all of you!
Lauren de Albuquerque
Volume 5 • Issue 20
McNeese Music Major Pens Memorable Novel By Oliver “Jackson” Schrumpf I had heard that my cousin Wendy Isaac Bergin had written a serial story published in some academic venue. I really had the best intentions to read them, but I never found enough time. Then, when I heard she had a book published that was available from Amazon, I no longer had an excuse. Five minutes online and I had a copy on the way to me just in time for my summer vacation. But the beaches of Pensacola offered no competition for this book. Sure, I went to the beach two or three times for a few minutes, but most of my vacation was spent turning the pages of The Piper’s Story and wondering what would happen next. It holds your attention. No, it grabs your attention and dares you to turn away. The book starts during the beginning of World War II at the battle of Dunkirk. Ian MacGregor, a clairvoyant Scottish soldier and piper, sees visions of wars
past and present as he marches over the battlefields. During a vision of a Nazi massacre, he encounters a supernatural being who blinds him. Left for dead by his unit, he hears the strains of a bagpipe and follows the music, which leads him to safety. During the trek through enemy-occupied territory, only the sound of the bagpipes saves Ian. Two generations later, in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Neal, the grandson of the Scottish soldier, is confronted by the same evil visions, but those visions become real threats to the safety of Neal’s small son. His grandfather’s diary, containing a special melody Ian recalled from the mysterious bagpiper, becomes a guide to resolution of this situation for Neal. Ultimately, the music empowers the forces of good to overcome the forces of evil, freeing Neal and his young son from the danger around them. Wendy weaves together her knowledge of history, music,
people, families, and geography to come up with a first-class novel that is both entertaining and educational. If you ever pondered the power that brought down the walls of Jericho (Joshua, Chapter 6), do yourself a favor and read this book. You will have to remind yourself that this is fiction when the chills run up your spine. In addition to being my cousin, Wendy is a Sulphur High graduate and McNeese music major, and went on to study music at the University of Houston and in New York City. She married a world-class Swedish organist and lived in Sweden for three years. Her son Nicholas is another world class organist and a bagpiper. Wendy is an
Associate Professor of Music at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, but appears here locally each June for the Episcopal Church’s Summer Music Festival. A former member of the Lake Charles Symphony, she has been the Principal Flutist for Houston’s Opera in the Heights Orchestra since 2001. The Piper’s Story: A Tale of War, Music, and the Supernatural (Paperback or Kindle) from Amazon by Wendy Isaac Bergin
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Coming to McNeese The members of McNeese University’s Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society invite the public to their production of Snow White, a 50-minute musical that invites children from the audience onstage to help tell the story. Performances will be Dec. 19 and 20 at 6:30 p.m. in Stokes Auditorium in Hardtner Hall on the McNeese campus, Volume 5 • Issue 20
located at the corner of East Sale Road and Common Street. Admission is $5 per person. Performances for school groups (kindergarten through the third grade) are also available on Dec. 19 and 20 at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Contact Charles McNeely, coordinator of McNeese Theatre at cmcneely@mcneese.edu or 475-5041 with any questions and to make reservations.
Clockwise from left: Haley E. Smith, Kevin Delaney, Joseph Comeaux, Cameron Scallan, Darby Dominque and Kassidy Ortego. DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 5
Small City with a Big Heart Gives Big for Christmas By Lauren de Albuquerque Once again, KPLC’s Community Christmas and the Salvation Army collected items for those in need this holiday season, in part-
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nership with Capitol One Bank and the employees of CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital. Non-perishable foods, toys and money were given to over 500 local families and over 1,000 children in the five-parish area. The Angel Tree Program has been a familiar part of the Salvation Army’s Christ-
local Salvation Army mas outreach since church located on 1979. When families Legion Street. Origiapply for aid from nally from Canada, the Salvation Army, the Salvation Army each child fills out played a big role in a wish list. These their upbringing. lists are transferred “We both come from to paper angels, ministry families,” which are hung on David Craddock Christmas trees in said. “Karen and I stores, malls, and chose to go into minbusinesses. Patrons istry ourselves. We choose an angel, and served in Canada for then buy gifts for that specific child, which Major David Craddock 20 years, then Texas and Alabama.” They are brought back to have been in the area since 2005, the tree location and then sent on arriving right before Hurricane to the Salvation Army where they Katrina. “We ended up running will be available for pick up on a shelters for Katrina, Rita and Ike,” designated day. he said. Major David Craddock and The Jambalaya News was able his wife, Major Karen, direct the
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to donate a 14,000 square foot space at the Chateau du Calcasieu on Enterprise Boulevard for all the items. Craddock assumed he would just require half of that space for his needs. But within a few days, almost every inch was filled with dolls, bicycles, games, clothing—you name it! We paid them a visit the week before pick-up and it was as if we walked into Santa’s workshop. The Craddocks and a large group of volunteers, who have been working six days a week into the night, are bustling around. It’s a cheerful group. Some are wearing antlers. And the job is getting done with an incredibly efficient system. The Craddocks have it all under control. Their Salvation Army chapter covers the territory of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama—and hands down, Southwest Louisiana has the most generous people, according to Craddock. “It’s just fantastic,” he said. “I’ve never met such a giving community. We never have to worry about donations here. In Lafayette, there are still names up on the Angel Trees that have not been adopted. In Alexandria, they are so low on gifts that they are coming down here to get some from us—and we have plenty to give. In Mississippi and Alabama, we have to use donation money that could go towards other things to buy toys. Not so here.” Craddock said that this year, they received three times the amount of bikes than last year. The gifts are coming in day and night. He is also blown away by the volunteer groups that have been showing up. “We had a home school soccer team and a cheerleading squad in the other day. Volume 5 • Issue 20
The Girl Scouts have sent people. Sulphur High School cheerleaders were here. It’s just great.” “We are so blessed to be here,” Craddock smiled, surveying the warehouse. “This may be a small city, but Lake Charles has the biggest heart.”
DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 7
munity Foundation of SWLA’s mission is to unite human and financial resources to effect permanent positive culture change. For more information, call (337) 491-6688.
Dr. Abushamat Receives Award
SOWELA Awards Customer Service Star Award
William E. Mayo
William E. Mayo was awarded the 2013 SOWELA Customer Service Star Award during the Faculty/Staff Christmas luncheon. The award recognizes achievements in the area of providing faster, friendlier, and easier service to the College’s customers. Peers, administrators, customers, and students participate in the nomination process in recognizing outstanding customer service performance. Mayo has been with SOWELA for five and half years and serves as Director of Workforce Development. For more information about SOWELA, contact Randy Jolly at randy.jolly@sowela.edu.
Abdel-Raouf F. Abushamat, MD, was named the CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital 2013 John Greene Martin Compassionate Care Award recipient at the annual CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital Physician Christmas Party held at L’Auberge Casino Resort. Dr. Abushamat, a nephrologist, has been on the medical staff of CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital for 17 years. He specializes in Internal Medicine and Nephrology, with fellowships in Pulmonary Medicine Abdel-Raouf F. Abushamat, MD and Transplantation Science. He has served as chief of staff and will serve in that role again in 2014. The honor is annually bestowed upon a current physician by secret vote of the medical staff and associates for excellence in care, patient-centered kindness, leadership, stewardship, and service.
Donation to McNeese Tennis A fundraiser for the McNeese State University tennis team recently held at Gray Plantation’s Sports Club brought in $39,000. Title sponsors of the 2013 tennis tournament fundraiser were the Stockwell Sievert Law Firm and Nissan of Lake Charles along with an anonymous donor.
Local Students Nominated for National Scholarship Program Caleb Daniel and Logan Moore, Hamilton Christian Academy seniors and members of the Hamilton Christian Academy National Honor Society, have been nominated to compete in the National Honor Society Scholarship program for this school year. The NHS Scholarship program, in existence since 1946, annually recognizes 200 of the nation’s top high school seniors who are members of NHS. Daniel has been involved in National Senior Beta Club, has announced for baseball and football games, and has competed at District and State Literary Rally. Moore has served as Student Council President and National Honor Society Secretary/Treasurer, and has been involved in National Senior Beta Club and competed at District and State Literary Rally.
Judson Named CEO of Community Foundation of SWLA
Sara Judson
The Board of the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana has named Sara McLeod Judson as Chief Executive Officer. Judson’s professional experience includes marketing, public relations and organizational development for CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital, former Mayor Willie L. Mount, Women and Children’s Hospital and former US Senator J. Bennett Johnston. Honored by the Junior League of Lake Charles with their Sustainer of the Year award, Judson is a committed community volunteer and an alumna of Leadership SWLA and Leadership Louisiana. She and her family are active at First Presbyterian Church where she serves as an elder. The Com-
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L-R: Devin Thomas, Graywood GM; Harry Hank, tennis supporter; Danielle Steinberg, head coach of McNeese tennis; and Amanda Prejean, event coordinator at Graywood. McNeese Photo
Genesis Therapeutic Riding Center Receives Donation Krewe de Karoline recently held their sixth annual benefit Poker Run for the Genesis Therapeutic Riding Center of West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital. Thanks to the support of the community, the event, which consisted of a poker run, barbeque, silent auction, and live auction, raised $12,300 for the center. The Genesis Therapeutic Riding Volume 5 • Issue 20
Center provides outpatient occupational and vision therapy services to the developmentally challenged in a non-traditional health care setting by utilizing hippotherapy. For more information, call (337) 625-3972.
children in foster care by donating toys to children served by Family & Youth’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Over 200 children in SWLA, who are currently in foster care, will enjoy the toys donated by IBERIABank employees. CASAs are volunteers who speak in court for a child’s best interest. Judges appoint a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer to an abused or neglected child who has been removed from his or her home due to abuse and neglect. Volunteers are trained and supported by CASA staff at Family & Youth. For more information, call (337) 436-9533, visit www.fyca.org, or like Family & Youth on Facebook.
Krewe president Margaret Hoffpauir, along with several krewe members, presented the donation to Debby Nabours, WCCH Foundation executive director, Paula Koonce, director of Genesis, and Ira Fontenot, WCCH Foundation CEO and president.
Charles Stevenson Wins McNeese Autism Program Design Contest Charles Stevenson, a 2011 visual arts graduate of McNeese State University from DeRidder, has won the McNeese Autism Program logo design contest. Stevenson, a graphic designer at Signs Now, received a $100 McNeese Bookstore gift card. His winning design was inspired by the national symbol for autism – a puzzle pattern, which reflects the complexity of the autism spectrum. His logo incorporates blue and gold puzzle pieces under the McNeese M logo.
L-R: Julio Galan, Family & Youth President & CEO; Erika Simon, Family & Youth CASA & CAC Senior Coordinator; Sarita Scheufens, IBERIABANK; Phil Earhart, IBERIABANK President, SWLA Region
Memorial Hospital Honors St. Margaret Catholic School Artists
Charles Stevenson, left, receives a $100 gift card from Alfred Tuminello, Jr., director of the autism program.
20 Male Employees at WCH Get Scruffy for a Cause Twenty male employees at Women & Children’s Hospital grew beards throughout the month of November to show their support for men’s health and Prostate Cancer Awareness month. CEO and participant Bryan S. Bateman initiated the contest in order to show the hospital’s support in the fight against prostate cancer. Three winners were selected at the WCH’s first “Beard Pageant.” Charles Buchert, human resources director, received the title of ‘’Sketchiest Beard,” Bryan S. Bateman won the title of “Bad Santa Beard” and Brian McClain, cath lab director, was recognized as the Grand Champion and now bears the title: “2013 Manliest Man on Campus.”
IBERIABank Donates Toys to Children Served by CASA IBERIABank employees made the season brighter for hundreds of Volume 5 • Issue 20
Lake Charles Memorial Hospital recently honored students who participated in the Young at Art Program in October/November. The program, which spotlights artwork from a different local elementary school each month, was designed to make a positive impact on hospital patients, employees, and the young artists themselves. The display featured artwork by students from St. Margaret Catholic School. A panel of Memorial volunteers recognized students Blair Henry, Mary Wicke and Abbie Mire with Blair Henry a $25 gift card.
Mary Wicke
Abbie Mire DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 9
Shopping Daze With only a week left, I’ve yet to make much progress on Christmas shopping for my wife. If I don’t get on the ball soon, I might have to place her gifts under a Charlie Brown Christmas tree to create the illusion that Santa was good to her this year. My problem is that I just don’t know what to get her. After all these years of marriage, I’m out of fresh ideas. For instance, I’ve already given her so many stuffed animals that she’s placed one on every seat in the house, including the toilets. I’ve also given her so many necklaces that, if you lined them up end-to-end, they’d reach from here to Key West. That’s excepting the break through Miami, where the necklaces would all end up in some pawnshop display case.
Desperate for ideas, I tested the water by dropping a hint that she might look nice in a pair of cowgirl boots. “You get me cowgirl boots and I’ll wear them just one time,” she said. “That’s when I put them on and kick you in the shin.” “They look good on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,” I pointed out. “You’d think that clown shoes would look good on the Cowboys Cheerleaders,” she replied. I crossed the boots off her list and penciled in a pair of moccasins. Still needing more ideas, I tried an experiment this year. I came up with a possible list of items for my wife and asked readers what they thought. Here’s a sampling of the results: • A gift subscription to
Sports Illustrated. Readers said no. I can see their point. She’d probably think I got it for her just so I could check out the swimsuit issue. • An autographed baseball from the 1984 Baltimore Orioles. Readers nixed this one as well. They’re probably right. The Orioles didn’t have a good season that year. • A back scratcher. Readers scratched this one off the list, often wearing a hole into the paper. They’re right about this one as well. She already has a back scratcher—me. • Exercise equipment. This one generated hate mail. I can understand. I actually got her a treadmill one year. It was only later that I learned such action is legal grounds for divorce in several states.
• A diet book. Much of the return mail on this one was laced with a strange white powder. Apparently, a diet book is grounds for conviction on domestic abuse, this despite the fact that she’s bought herself enough of them to open a library. • Lingerie from Victoria’s Secret. This one drew overwhelming support. I’m not sure, however. It seems too much like I’d be buying a present for myself. As you can see, my survey wasn’t much help. But I’m not worried. If the past is a guide, I always somehow end up coming through for her by the time the big day comes. In this year’s case, that day might be Mardi Gras. You can follow Mike on facebook.com/TheDangYankee or on Twitter @dang_yankee.
Featured by LAPAW Rescue • Contact us at www.lapaw.org For sure, good things come in small packages! Sadie, an eight-pound wonder girl who is approximately eight months old, just joined us. Unmistakably a Chihuahua/Whippet mix, she is fearless and loves running with the big boys! She has the cutest ears we have ever seen. Because she is so darPAGE 10 DECEMBER 19, 2013
ing, she will need a securely fenced yard to play in. Inside, she is a cuddle-bug who reserves her space on the sofa early in the evening. She is a high energy girl, so needs a family with children who are at least eight or nine—ones that can provide her with daily exercise and activities to use her energy. Her only
Christmas wish is to have a family with children she can call her own! For more information, contact us at (337) 478-7294 or lapaw@bellsouth. net. Hurry, Sadie is waiting! Can’t adopt? Consider fostering. Can’t foster? Consider sponsoring! LAPAW dogs (and cats) can be seen at www.lapaw.org. Volume 5 • Issue 20
cepted, but a request was made to do a kindness to some other stranger. I’m passing on the opportunity to share in the good feeling of making someone happy, just out of the goodness of your heart.
The Kindness of Strangers This time of the year brings out different emotions in all of us. Some of us are blasé, others are jubilant and some are sad, depressed and out of sorts. Still others vacillate between emotional highs and lows. I find that uplifting stories may help elevate a sense of goodness in our fellow man. Every once in awhile, a reader will share good and not-so-pleasant experiences with me. I wish to share a few uplifters now. We all know the fear of losing our wallet. A reader had placed his on the roof of his car and inadvertently left it there and drove away. The wallet and the roof quickly separated company. Someone picked up the wallet, discovered the contact information of the owner and promptly contacted him, saving him hours of angst, not to mention the hoop-jumping to replace the driver’s license, credit cards, etc. I heard of another instance where a checkbook wallet, complete with checks, credit cards, driver’s license plus other valuables was left under the baby seat flap of a shopping cart in a parking lot. The item was identified and the owner notified. No reward was acVolume 5 • Issue 20
Not all Supermarket Prices are Equal As this is the time of year where we hold our next issue into mid-January, I am not doing a supermarket survey. One thing I have found in my travels to secure price information for my readers is that prices can vary within the different locations of the same chain even in close proximity. A reader requested that we check prices in the areas outside of Lake Charles because they suspected
higher prices in the outlying stores. We could not find that it really differed as much outside of the chain as it did in the same stores in town. For example, one location had celery for $.99 and the same store in another part of town had it priced at $1.99. It pays to know the stores you shop in, should you have the time to compare for yourself. I can only give you a broad view. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Law Enforcement Should Not be a Revenue Source! We had a response from a former mayor of Welsh regarding our column on the new radar/cameras being used to ticket drivers on their portion of I-10. He mentioned that he had been ticketed by a LCPD officer using radar while hiding behind a overpass on I-10 in Lake Charles, costing him well in excess of $200. He says that all jurisdictions do the same thing and that Welsh is no different--and that I should research further and not so poorly portray his city. He makes a valid point, but misses my point. My position is that law enforcement should not be considered a major revenue source, but rather, as an agency to serve and protect the public welfare. Welsh has openly promoted their longtime TED (Traffic Enforcement Detail) as a source of monies. When the police are used as revenue generators, the faith and confidence in them deteriorates. I am not promoting speeding, nor do I condone any other form of illegal activity. I support law enforcement and desire to have them held in high regard. But public safety is their function; the production of money for the till is the function of the Revenue Department. DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 11
Three Christmas Tales
At 12, I knew Santa was the Grinch. He was 5’7,” had a bowl full of jelly belly at 220 pounds, and constantly smoked or chewed smelly Roi-tan Panatelas. His “No!” was a barked German “Nein” and “Yes” was a word that was seldom heard as an encouraging word as we often worked cattle all day. Nonetheless, I had the absurd fantasy that I would get a brand new shotgun for Christmas. At 5’9,” I had outgrown the stock shortened to fit
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my Model 12 Winchester 20 gauge pump shotgun. Oh, I knew better, but I could fantasize. After all, adolescence is a time for absurd fantasies, so I obsessed on my new Remington, Winchester, or Browning. Under the tree it had to be. “Fa la la la la la.” “Dreams can come true, and they can happen to you, if you’re young at heart.” And then there it was under the tree, a 5-foot tall, all wrapped in green shotgun-shaped box with a huge red bow. With
delight I tore into the package and it appeared: a cherry wood, blued metal weapon of beauty that even had a brass plate monogram with my RCM. Yep, a manure shovel. I manure you not! Santa Grinch just grinned and chewed on his cigar. Ho Ho Ho my ***! But wait, it gets worse. After Christmas dinner, the Grinch and I headed for the farm south of Lacassine, and I broke in my new present by shoveling a load of manure for Dad’s strawberries into the back of his long bed
green Dodge Truck. “Bah Humbug!” Ray Thibodeaux was Lacoste Lodge’s in-resident prankster elf. No one, not even Dr. Alan Lacoste, was safe from his antics. One Christmas Eve, Ray was helping me with the clean-up after everyone had gone to bed. That should have warned me. But no, the ever gullible me just thought how nice it was of him to assist me.
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“Everybody gone to bed?” Ray asked, placing the last of the wine glasses in the soapy sink water. “Sure,” I replied grabbing a dish towel. “I’ve got to go check something. I’ll be back in a bit.” Ray told me and exited via the mudroom door. I didn’t think anything of it and finished my chores and then headed out the mudroom door to my Jeep so I could say goodnight to my Golden Retriever, Prez. Before I even got there he was out the Jeep’s side window and waggy tailing his way over. I squatted down to give him his hug and over his shoulder I could see Ray motoring down the mud boat canal in his boat and didn’t think anything of it. I just said goodnight to Prez and turned in. About an hour before sunrise on Christmas Day, Prez and I rode slowly over the old humped-back bridge to the landing. Several hunters from Jim and Will Cox’s lease and ours were staring out across the marsh sea at some unusual lights flashing in the distance. From the Jeep, after I parked, I could vividly see the twinkling
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red, green, and white Christmas lights strung along over around and through Alan’s blind some two miles away. “And, the stars in the sky looked toward where Ray lay…” On Christmas Day, people didn’t normally begin to show up at the camp from their family fetes until after 6 p.m. to rest up and hunt the next day. I liked getting there between 3 and 4 p.m. just to set things up, take a quiet walk with Prez on the beach, then stroll down to the launch and just sit and watch the evening fowl flights flash flutter in. I had just finished straightening up inside the camp when I heard Charlie Donaldson’s Jeep Waggoner rolling in across the cattle guard. That was odd, as it before 4 p.m. and he was by himself, no sons or friends. “What’s up, Charlie?” I asked as he entered from the porch into the main room.
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“I had to leave early,” Charlie said without his usual good humor. “What?” I queried. “See, we were having Christmas dinner and the kids were really enjoying the deer roast I cooked using your recipe.” Charlie paused in his hurried speech and set down his encased shotgun and overnight bag. “And?” I asked.
“Well, one of the kids asked what we were eating that was so good, and…” he paused and looked down. “And?” I inquired. “I told them what it was,” he said quickly and looked down again. “What?” I queried. “I said it was Rudolph,” Charlie said hurriedly. “And then they started choking and throwing up on the table and my wife threw a fork at me.” “Damn!” I exclaimed. “Then what happened?” “Well, I thought it best that I grab my stuff and hurry here,” he confessed, obviously feeling badly about his ill-timed quip. “Good move,” I finally said. Charlie was in no mood for any of what I always thought were witty comments from me. I just grabbed his gun and bag, then headed for his room. Charlie, head down, was all gloom right behind me. And I, in the true spirit of Christmas thought, “And to all a goodnight.” And smiled.
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Money Can’t Buy Everything Say what you will, like it or not, the system works. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s decision earlier this year to split the football playoffs into select (private, charter, etc.) and non-select (public) divisions caused, to put it mildly, consternation among the state’s interested parties. Obviously, the reactions to the format change were, um, split.
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Select school representatives were underwhelmed. “It’s obviously a mistake from my point of view, but we’ll go with what the majority rules,” John Curtis Christian School head coach J.T. Curtis said to a Baton Rouge newspaper in January. Not that it matters much to Curtis. Unless his team plays Auburn in the state championship, he’ll need a sixth hand for all of the rings he’ll have collected.
Others took a less dignified stance. “All of the religious-based schools were segregated out,” said State Representative Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport). Seabaugh, who has exactly zero (0) footballplaying private schools in his district, about sums up the radical moron contingent of select-school proponents, including Jesuit Principal Michael Giambelluca
and Edna Karr Principal John Hiser, comparing a playoff split in football to racial segregation. Meanwhile, non-select school representatives, especially those tasked with playing Curtis and Evangel Christian each year, were just happy to have a chance to reach the Superdome (without having to buy a ticket) at all. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make a difference,” Kinder head
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coach Bret Fuselier told a Lake Charles newspaper in August. “Really and truly it’s about the kids. They know it’s possible, that we’re working for something. Everybody has a shot.” Little did Fuselier know that something, that shot at a state championship, is just what he and his Yellow Jackets would earn this season. To me, that is the whole point of the split. For the first time since 2007, a school other than John Curtis or Evangel is playing for the Class 2A championship. Kinder, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals by John Curtis in 2011, is vying for its first state championship since the Johnny Buck era (1978 to be exact). Its opponent, Many, is in the title game for the first time since 1988. This is a great thing. The town of Kinder is already planning to evacuate itself down to New Orleans for championship weekend while, I would imagine, the whole of Sabine Parish (Many is the only football-playing school in the parish) will empty as well. Win or lose, either team (either town, really), is going to have an experience to remember. Think back to last year to the absolute madness that was the build up to Barbe’s trip to the Class 5A title game. Or back to 2007 when Westlake made the 3A final. Huge pep rallies, full-color spreads in the local newspaper, police escorts, thousands of fans from all over Southwest Louisiana flocking to New Orleans. That kind of crazy is coming to Kinder. Or maybe Many. Who knows? The point is, before the postseason split, a team like Kinder, one without the luxury of picking and choosing which students can attend its school and play football, would likely never have a chance of winning a state championship because there was always John Curtis standing in the way. It is no coincidence that, from 2001-04, the four seasons before John Curtis arrived in Class 2A, all of the 2A finalists were public, non-select teams. Moreover, Southwest Louisiana’s last state champion, Iota, won the 1999 2A Volume 5 • Issue 20
title over Port Barre, another nonselect school. Sure, some may argue that it’s watering down the championships. Some might say, “Well, you didn’t beat the best, so your ring isn’t worth as much.” Try telling that to the kids from Kinder, who worked their tails off to go 9-1 in the regular season, beat every team put in front of them in the postseason, and earned their way into the title game on a last-second Austin Pickle pass to Kade Andrews against the second-ranked team in the state. On a side-note: that KinderWinnfield semifinal game might go down as one of the all-time great games in Southwest Louisiana. The emotional roller-coaster of Winnfield returning a kickoff back for seemingly the gamewinner only for Pickle to convert fourth down-and-8, completing a pass to sophomore Welles Cooley for 16 yards to set up, ultimately, the winning touchdown. Amazing stuff. Anyway. As I was saying, others might say that splitting the playoffs sends kids the wrong message, that if you stomp your feet and hold your breath you can get whatever you want. They say that it’s spoiling the kids by not telling them that life isn’t fair. I don’t think so. I think if anything, the message here is that money can’t buy everything. The message is that if you work hard and do what you’re supposed to do, you have an opportunity (an opportunity!) to succeed. Kinder doesn’t control the system; it has to work within its framework like everyone else. Equality, baby! And because the Yellow Jackets, who did everything that was asked of them, are now Dome-bound, it only proves to me that, while breaking up is hard to do, it was the right thing to do. Brandon Shoumaker is a graduate of McNeese State University and has covered sports for more than a decade for various publications. Coaches or parents with story tips or comments may contact Brandon at bshoumaker@ yahoo.com or send him a message on Twitter (@bshoumaker). DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 15
Christmas Memories and Traditions Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved Christmas, and the older I get the more I cling to memories of Christmases past. For me, Christmas is about so many things: celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ; the joy and excitement of Christmas morning; the wonderful scent of fragrant Christmas trees; sipping hot chocolate with family while sitting around a roaring fire; leaving cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve; watching favorite Christmas mov-
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ies; spending Christmas Eve with my family; watching my children opening gifts on Christmas morning and of course, singing along to lots of Christmas carols. One of my favorite Christmases was the year I was in fourth grade. There were so many wonderful things going on that Christmas Eve in our household that it was nearly sensory overload. My baby sister had just been born a few months earlier. My beloved grandparents
were back in town after being away on an extended trip and were spending Christmas Eve with us. My mom was in the kitchen making fudge, divinity, and all sorts of other delicious things. Cuddling together in our garage was a litter of newborn puppies, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer played on our bulky old TV (way before fancy flat screens!) while our silver Christmas tree twinkled in the background. Oh, there was just so much to take in and savor that year and I think that’s why that particular Christmas has ranked among my most favorite ever. That was also the year that, thanks to my grandparents, we started a new tradition. They took us older kids driving around town to look at Christmas lights. I didn’t know this at the time, but it was so my parents could finish putting our Christmas gifts out. It’s a tradition that we’ve continued throughout the years and even though sometimes I’m the only one that wants to do it, I make sure to take my kids and at least a couple of nieces and nephews out before we all gather on Christmas Eve. It’s my way of preserving a special memory of my grandparents while also sharing something with my children that I experienced as a child. Once I had children, Christmas became even more special. In our family, just as when I was growing up, we keep the focus on what Christmas really means: it’s not about how many presents you get; it’s about celebrating the birth of Jesus. Last year, my youngest sister baked a birthday cake and all the children gathered around and sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. I looked at their shining eyes and sweet smiles and it made me feel so grateful to know that even though they all enjoy opening Christmas presents, they also know the true meaning of Christmas. My kids and I love picking out a special Christmas ornament every year. When it comes time to decorate our tree, we look at
those ornaments and reminisce on where we were and what we were doing each of those years. I know that some people have expensive decorations on their trees. My most precious ornaments didn’t cost much at all, but are priceless. There’s a tiny snowman my son made when he was in Pre-K and it still smells like cinnamon even though we’ve had it for five years. There’s a snowflake that my daughter made at her daycare when she was 21 months old. I have more than a dozen handmade ornaments; everything from handprints with glitter to frames with their photos inside. I always caution the kids to handle them gently because so many of them could never be replaced. So far, I’m the only one who has broken an ornament! Another tradition is to take out the gingerbread house that my son made in Pre-K and put it on a table next to our tree. Then we laugh again as we recall when my daughter was two years old and tried to eat a couple of gumdrops from the gingerbread house before I saw what she was doing. She didn’t know that they had been glued on and that they were old. “Yucky!” she exclaimed. This year, once again, we’ll leave cookies and milk out for Santa and carrots for Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve. We’ll attend church with our family that evening as we celebrate the birth of Jesus through scripture and song. At least a few of us will drive around town looking at the Christmas lights. We’ll have a fun evening celebrating and reminiscing with family. And afterward, my two children will go to bed with “visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.” Then, we’ll awake on Christmas morning and make a few more memories together. I hope in the years to come they will treasure those memories as they continue to reflect on the true meaning of the season. Merry Christmas to all! Lisa Addison writes for local, regional and national publications. She has two school-aged children, never gets enough sleep, enjoys trying out new recipes, and is an avid reader. Volume 5 • Issue 20
Volume 5 • Issue 20
DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 17
I think one of the most beautiful sounds to ever touch my ears was a Spanish rendition of “Silent Night,” made even more eloquent by the gospel tones of a church choir. It was sublime. The song is pretty enough in its native tongue, but something about it being sung in Spanish, in a church, each holy note reverberating off of the old stained glass windows elevated it to another level. That’s the beautiful thing about Christmas songs; just when you think you’ve reduced them to comfortable background noise, some church choir comes along
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with an old standard and rips your heart out. I typed in “O Holy Night,” which is my mom’s favorite song, in an Internet search bar and it listed upwards of 25 different artists’ version of the song. I’m pretty certain there’s many more than that, but I got tired of scrolling through the madness. So many Christmas songs fall into that trap of desensitization through over-exploitation. Then, there are songs that no one even dares to attempt because these songs are so universally loved. Take my dad’s pick for exam-
ple: “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Vince Vance, and the Valiants. They did that song like no one else could, and no one should ever try to duplicate it. The vocals are great, and don’t go trying to pretend that you don’t sing along, loud and proud, when it comes on the radio. If someone did try to duplicate it, there’s just no way to improve upon it, so what we would end up with is just another singer singing the same song in the same style. Let’s face it, we already have too much of that. I asked a few children what
their favorite songs were, and they responded with a resounding love for all things Alvin and the Chipmunks. This didn’t surprise me. I too fancy myself a Munks fan. Christmas music is so different in regards to other forms of song. For most people, holiday music is more environmental, as in listening to Bing Crosby while you decorate your Christmas tree or listening to an Elvis Christmas album while driving around looking at lights or, in some instances, using it to enhance a religious or spiritual experience. Most people
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don’t actively listen to Christmas music in the same way that would listen to say, a new album by their favorite artist or a book on tape. Partly, it’s because so few Christmas songs are contemporary, they fall more into the classic category. The only new Christmas music that’s coming out is of the pop-tart variety where a pop star releases upbeat versions of “Run, Run, Rudolph” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” Any time artists try and breathe new life into the genre, it’s often met with less-than-enthusiastic results. The classics still play on the radio for a reason; they are deeply engrained into people’s subconscious, and they’re also unusually tied to long-held feelings of joy and warmth. These somewhat romantic and nostalgic connections sometimes cause people to be overly critical of anything new and different. When you mess with people’s songs, I think they feel like you’re messing with their idea of Christmas. And, people don’t like their Christmas to be
messed with. I told a lovely older woman “Happy Holidays” the other day, and she looked at me like I was the girl who shot Santa. As far as releasing an outright brand new, contemporary Christmas song, good luck to you. No one, and I mean no one that I polled named anything newer than “All I Want For Christmas...” Christmas songs are at their strongest when they tie people to places and times, especially those all but forgotten days gone by. We wrap ourselves up in the classics like a warm safety blanket and relish in the joy of the season, and that’s a powerful bond to contend with. Sure, we mostly just sway back and forth to the beats we know, and absentmindedly mouth the words, but then, some choir comes along and sings a song you know you’ve known the words to for as long as you can remember, and it shakes you to the core. You then remember why you love the song, and why you love Christmas.
Are You Ready for Christmas? By Rev. Weldon Bares
Senior Pastor, First United Methodist Church
It’s hard to believe that Christmas will be here so soon. Allow me to ask a question. Are you getting into the Christmas spirit or feeling a little bit like Mister Scrooge? It’s so easy to fall into the Scrooge frame of mind. Consider a few suggestions for getting into the spirit at this wonderful time of year: • Get out your Bible and read the story of the first Christmas found in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke. Read slowly and think about what you are reading. • Go to the mall and watch the children sit on Santa’s lap. • Watch one of the old Christmas movie classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, or A Christmas Carol. • Slip into the back of a quiet church and sit in one of the Volume 5 • Issue 20
pews. Hum some of your favorite Christmas carols. Take in the atmosphere. • Call an old friend whom you haven’t visited with for a while. Even better, visit that friend. • Make a list of things that you are thankful for. • Give the gift of forgiveness to someone who has hurt you. • Smile at a store clerk who looks really tired. • Find someone in need and do something special for that person without anyone finding out. • Hug a child. • Drive around town to see the beautiful Christmas lights. • Even if you are not a churchgoer, attend church somewhere on Christmas Eve. Think about Mary and Joseph and the shepherds and that special baby in the manger. • Take some time to commune with the One who’s birth we celebrate, the Prince of Peace. DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 19
Having a Blue Holiday? By Dale Archer, Jr., MD “It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . . ” In reality, this isn’t the case for thousands of people. In fact, surveys have shown a consistently high percentage of people say they dread the holiday season because of the high levels of stress, expectations and financial strain. Overcome by stress and high expectations, some people can slip into depression brought on by the holidays. “It can be frustrating,” explained Dale Archer, Jr., MD, psychiatrist, founder of the Institute for Neuropsychiatry and author of the New York Times bestselling book Better Than Normal. “People are already stressed out, and then they get mad at themselves for being sad during a time when
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everyone should be happy. It’s a cycle of emotions that can cause tremendous guilt, anxiety and family difficulties.” Symptoms of holiday depression include headaches, anxiety, sleeping difficulties, excessive drinking and overeating. Social anxiety plays a part, too, explained Dr. Archer. “For those who really don’t enjoy being with a large group of people, the holidays bring a particular anxiety. First, you’re expected to participate because ‘it’s the holidays’ and then, you’re expected to have a wonderful time. If you don’t, something must be wrong with you. This pressure is more than some can handle.” Movies and television programs portray the holidays as a
seemingly perfect season, complete with beautifully decorated homes, families re-united, and a delicious dinner enjoyed by everyone. For those who attempt to achieve this kind of holiday, the stress can be unbearable. Other triggers include: financial constraints, missing loved ones who live far away, friends who have passed on, relatives who demand too much, having to entertain house guests and simply, fatigue. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, also contributes, said Dr. Archer. “Because we don’t get as much sunlight during the winter months, some people are more prone to depression during this time.” Holiday depression can affect both men and women, old and young. People who don’t have a strong support system of friends and family, such as the elderly, may be especially susceptible to holiday depression. Those who have suffered the loss of a loved one may feel melancholy during the holidays because of the emphasis on family gatherings. If you find yourself feeling blue this holiday season, Dr. Archer suggests focusing on others. “Focus on someone else to distract yourself from your own problems.
Helping others is a good therapy for many problems.” Dr. Archer also cautions against isolation. “Even if you don’t feel like it, get out and do something. You almost have to force yourself to be sociable in order to get over depression.” Closing yourself off from people and holiday activities will just make things worse, he says. Other tips to overcome holiday depression include: •Keep expectations manageable. •Delegate responsibility. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Allowing others to have a part in the preparation helps to spread the cheer and relieve you of duties. •Talk about fond memories and missed loved ones, remembering only the good times. •Anticipate uncomfortable situations. Plan how to handle them. •Communicate your feelings. Explain how you feel to a close friend or family member. They can help you navigate through stressful social situations and make sure you don’t take on too much. Holiday blues generally go away once the holiday season has passed. But Dr. Archer says if your depression lingers or becomes more serious, you should seek professional help. “If the depression disrupts your physical well being, such as sleep habits, appetite, or energy level, or if you lose interest in activities you once enjoyed, it’s a good idea to be evaluated. There are remedies available to help bring back the joy in the holiday season.” Volume 5 • Issue 20
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DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 21
Personal Safety is a Must This Holiday Season
With the holiday shopping season upon us, Sheriff Tony Mancuso advises shoppers, “Personal safety is a must.” Just how safe is shopping at this time of the year? Perhaps not nearly as safe as people assume it to be, according to Sheriff Mancuso, especially if people shop alone. This time of year has a tendency to attract more shoppingrelated criminal activity because of larger crowds and extended store hours. These factors, combined with the usual distraction related to shopping, create a more favorable environment for petty thieves and other offenders. In light of these factors, Sheriff Mancuso warns shop-
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pers to be on their guard. Across the U.S., malls and shopping centers are heightening security measures by hiring additional security personnel and installing surveillance cameras in areas such as parking lots and entrance ways. “Unfortunately, when shopping, people sometimes have a tendency to become distracted and lose sight of their personal safety,” said Sheriff Mancuso. “However, there are several precautions busy shoppers can take to help eliminate their chances of becoming a crime statistic.” BEFORE YOU LEAVE • There is safety in numbers. Always try to shop with another person. A single
shopper is the ultimate target for theft. • Make sure you tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to return home. • Try and avoid taking young children into busy shopping areas, but if it is unavoidable, make sure they know what to do if they lose you (e.g., tell the nearest counter assistant that they are lost and NEVER leave a shop without you). • Agree on a meeting point with older children in case you get separated. • Before going shopping, remove any credit cards or other valuable identification from your wallet or purse that you will not need to reduce
risk. • Make a list of all credit card numbers and the numbers to call in case they are lost or stolen. This will make the incident a lot easier to report. WHILE SHOPPING • Be alert and aware of your surroundings at all times, especially in busy areas where thieves and pickpockets target purses and bags left unattended. • Be aware that wearing headphones will decrease your ability to stay alert to your surroundings. • Be alert to distraction theft. Watch out for thieves using a “tag team” approach. While one person distracts you by
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• Store car keys in a pant or jacket pocket. If your purse is stolen, you will still be able to drive home. • Always carry a cell phone for easy access to emergency services. bumping into you or through conversation, the other is snatching your purse or wallet. • Don’t get loaded down with too many bags. Plan for your heaviest purchases last. Try to always keep one hand free. • If you are in a store and sense that you are being followed, locate a store employee or security personnel. Be prepared to give them a complete description of the suspect. • If you think you spot a thief, alert the police or security staff. Avoid a confrontation whenever possible. • If carrying cash, keep it in a front pocket. This makes it more difficult for a pickpocket to remove.
PARKING LOT SAFETY • Don’t leave lots of presents on display in a parked car as they could tempt thieves. Always lock your car doors. • Plan ahead. If you know you are going to return to your car after nightfall, park in a well-lit area. • If you feel uneasy returning to your car alone, find a security guard and ask him to walk you to your car. • Have your car keys in your hand to avoid spending unnecessary time unprotected from the security of your vehicle. • When approaching your car, check around it and in the back seat.
Give the Gift of Life this Season During December, LifeShare is encouraging members of the community to make it a tradition to give the gift of life: blood donation. Donated blood is needed every day, but in the winter months, a decrease in donations may put local patients at risk. “A drop in blood donations near Christmas jeopardizes our blood supply at a time usage often goes up. Every year, when people are out buying gifts, we are encouraging them to think of what patients in our community really need--the gift of life,” says Michael Lanham, Donor Resources Coordinator Volume 5 • Issue 20
for LifeShare Blood Centers in Lake Charles. From now until Dec. 25, LifeShare Blood Centers is giving all blood donors a festive T-shirt that says, “Make it a Holiday Tradition to Give Blood.” LifeShare invites donors to a Christmas celebration December 19 to 21. The donation center hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs. and Fri., and 8 a.m. to noon on Sat. Give blood at the donation center, 214 Michael Debakey Dr. Lake Charles, La., or at one of the mobile blood drives. Go to www.lifeshare.org for hours and mobile blood drive locations. DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 23
Moscow Ballet ballerina Ekaterina Uksusnikova recently visited Lake Charles casting and rehearsing 52 area dancers for a performance of Moscow Ballet’s GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER to be presented Dec. 27 at the Rosa Hart
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Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Uksusnikova is a graduate of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography and Pedagogy. Moscow Ballet has toured the U.S. and Canada during the holiday season since 1993. The
company’s first appearance in Lake Charles was 1996. Sarah Quinn Jones School of Ballet (Lake Charles), and Katy Kress, Dance Revolution (Sulphur) are the area dance schools sharing the duties of rehearsing dancers who will perform with the Russian troupe. Jones has been the coordinator for local dancers to share the stage since the company’s first visit to our area. Assisting her is Meg Quinn, president of Dance Theatre Southwest (the performing company of the Lake Charles ballet school.) Moscow Ballet’s production uses unique sets to transport the audience to a fantasy land of holiday splendor. The Russian dancers bring humor, charm and athletic prowess to Tchaikovsky’s timeless score. The Nutcracker score was commissioned by the director of the Russian Imperial Theatre in 1890, and the ballet was first performed in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. The story ballet is based on a well-known fairytale by E.T.A. Hoffman. The area dancers cast are: Elizabeth Achee, Kaia Austin, Sarah Bennet, Rain Breedlove, Josie Broussard, Lydia Burleson, Lucy Chiasson, Molly Daigle, Alyssa Darbonne, EmiIy Dixon, Ivy Dugas, Sarah Ann Filo, Grace Forman, Chloe Granger, Jaci Granger, Riley Haldeman, Baileigh Hayden, Breanna Hayden, Kara Hebert,
Alyssa Hennessey, Hollis Hernandez, Aubree Jackson, Sarah Jones, Kalsey Keiser, Annabel Keers, James Klump, Sarah Klump, Shirley Klump, Lydia Lee, Marley Lemaire, Madelyn Mabou, Caroline Martel, Anna Grace Miller, Grace Nicholson, Stephanie OBlanc, Anna Perry, Abigail Pettefer, Elisabeth Pettefer, Hannah Pettefer, Leighmiyah Pinell, Rachel Redd, Annaliese Ritchie, Juliet Riviere, Lucia Riviere, LuLu Rumsey, Renee Rumsey, Kayla Semien, Madalyn Simmons, Hailey Stanley, Millie Thompson and Kennedy Wilfer. Assisting backstage are: Gambrelle Jones DiGiglia, Jennifer Jones, Sarah Jones, Katy Kress, Juliet Emerson, Kathryn Filo, Cissy Guidry, Meg Quinn and Sadie Shearman.
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to patients age 18 and older. CHRISTUS HomeCare in Lake Charles was recently named one of HomeCare Elite’s top homecare agencies in the United States. HomeCare Elite is a market review organization that compiles an annual list of the leading 25 percent of agencies based on performance measures including quality of care, quality improvement, patient experience, and financial management. CHRISTUS HomeCare is also accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP). “We are proud of the fact that we are able to perform to that level,” said Deloris Parnell, Regional Administrator at CHRISTUS HomeCare. “It takes our operations to a different standard.” CHRISTUS HomeCare has been providing faith-based, highquality home healthcare to the residents of Southwest Louisiana since 1984. And they continue to expand. “Our agency is growing, both in the line of services we offer and the number of our patients,” said Jennifer Toups, Regional Marketing Manager for Louisiana. “Our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.” They also serve patients through offices in Shreveport and Alexandria. CHRISTUS HomeCare offers a comprehensive menu of services
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Home HealthCare When patients are discharged from the hospital after an illness or surgery, they often still require nursing care. This is where CHRISTUS Home HealthCare comes in. They employ registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nurse aides to provide IV therapy, medication monitoring and administration, vital signs, wound care, bathing, and other nursing care. They also have physical, occupational, and speech therapists for patients who require those services. Their speech therapist was recently certified in a new technology called VitalStim to help patients who have trouble swallowing. Trudi Castille was recently discharged from CHRISTUS Home HealthCare after receiving nursing care for three months. Prior to the homecare, she had been hospitalized for an illness concerning her heart. She also has diabetes and high blood pressure. The same nurse also cared for Castille’s husband before his death. Castille was very pleased with the care they both received. “Our nurse was wonderful,” she said. “She could not have done more than she did. She
checked my vital signs and asked about my medicines. I had problems with my medicines and had to change them so much. If something wasn’t right, she’d contact my nurse practitioner.” Castille also benefited from in-home physical therapy. “[The therapist] did leg and arm exercises with me and helped me get back on my feet. I’m doing well now.” The nurses at CHRISTUS HomeCare also offer palliative care, which treats and manages symptoms for chronically ill patients who have a life-limiting illness and who don’t want to be in the hospital. Most patients prefer to be in their own home rather than the hospital, if possible. CHRISTUS Home Healthcare can facilitate the transition. “We can manage complex cases in the home that might otherwise require hospitalization,” said Tessa Granger, Director of Nursing.
Behavioral Health According to Monica Bruno, Behavioral Health Manager at CHRISTUS HomeCare, access to mental health services has decreased nationwide. “Behavioral health is an area where CHRISTUS felt, based on national exposure, there is a great need,” she said.
“Mental health facilities, such as hospital-based inpatient programs, have been on the decline. We implemented our program here at CHRISTUS in October 2012. We offer mental health nursing and psychiatric nursing, including substance abuse issues, Alzheimers disease, dementia and depression.” A registered psychiatric nurse goes into a patient’s home and evaluates the patient. She educates the patient, family members and caretakers on medicines, crisis intervention, and dealing with psychological issues. Often, patients with depression, mental illness, or dementia do not get their medical needs met. They don’t seek treatment or they don’t follow through. This causes re-hospitalizations. With insurance issues in the balance, there’s a push to decrease re-hospitalizations. In-home behavioral health care can facilitate that. They currently serve 110 patients with behavioral health needs and have helped over 500 patients in their first year. “It’s been very successful in terms of outcomes for our patients,” Bruno said. Behavioral health nurses also attend to the needs of the caregivers. “The families really appreciate our services, because often, they don’t know how to deal with certain situations,” Bruno explained. “We work with them closely. We
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also send out a social worker and we’re hoping to add a counselor.” Bruno said there are other behavioral health programs in Lake Charles, but theirs is the only one that takes a team approach. Her team includes a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurses, physical and occupational therapists, aides, and social workers. “We take care of both the mental and the physical needs of our patients,” she said. “Treating holistically provides a better patient outcome. It’s a great service.”
Hospice Care Hospice care is offered to any patient who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Common diagnoses include cancer, heart disease, lung disease, Alzheimers -- any illness that is not curable. “It’s a different approach,” said Shelly Trahan, Director of Hospice. “We treat the patient as a whole, not just an illness.” Like all of CHRISTUS HomeCare’s services, hospice incorporates a team of professionals, including a chaplain. “We recognize our patients’ spiritual concerns, social well-being, as well
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as medical issues,” she explained. “Our chaplain provides spiritual support to our patients. He sees patients of any faith or belief. He listens to patients’ concerns, prays with them, and facilitates communion, last rites, and other patient needs and requests.” Medically, Trahan’s team provides comfort measures by treating a patient’s symptoms, such as pain and nausea. They monitor vital signs. “We try to remember that just because a patient is terminally ill, they are not going to be ‘sick’ every day,” she said. “We want them to be as good as they can be for as long as they can be. If they feel better, they are more likely to interact with their families.” At CHRISTUS HomeCare, hospice care does not end when a patient passes away. They continue to provide support to the patient’s family for 13 months after the patient’s death. “Normally, the loved ones have family and friends attending to them for several weeks after the death,” Trahan said. “But then, everyone goes back to their normal lives and that’s when the family some-
times needs extra support.” Trahan said it’s a misconception that hospice is a death knell. “We don’t hasten death. But we don’t prolong it. We promote life. We want to ensure the patient has the best life he can for as long as he can.”
Customer Service CHRISTUS HomeCare takes customer service seriously. “If a patient has any problems, concerns, or questions, they call us and we take care of them,” said Cheryl Fullington, Regional Customer Service Manager. “Our agency is unique because we follow the patient from the time we receive the referral requesting patient care until after a patient is discharged from our system. We are here to take care of our patients, to make them better and well.” CHRISTUS HomeCare is located at 4444 Lake Street, Lake Charles. For more information, call their office at (337) 395-5600.
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The Importance of Like Totally Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (With a Little Help from Others)
Cast Algernon Moncrieff (Michael Muffuletto) Self-absorbed. Wild. Fashionable. Playboy. Jack Worthing (Aaron Webster) Straight-laced. Best friends with Algernon. Gwendolen (Gwenny) Fairfax (Sarah Parks Plauche) Beautiful. Confident. A “Heather” (a reference to the mean-girl characters of the 80’s film Heathers) First performed in London in 1895, Oscar Wilde’s farcical comedy The Importance of Being Earnest is his most popular work and is continually revived. But the late, great playwright has probably never seen what Lake Charles has in store for its revival! Two years ago, local actors Michael Muffuletto and Mark Bowling wondered what this classic play would be like if it were set in the 1980s. So, they enlisted the help of fellow local actors to update the script, and set it in 1987 Southern California. Thus, The Importance of Like Totally Being Earnest was born. During the writing process, they included loads of ‘80s references and music in the script. “Because of the avant-garde nature of this production, we hope to expand the audiences of traditional theatre,” Muffuletto said. This “out of season” production has been completely funded by donations raised by the cast and crew. ACTS has kindly donated the space, the use of the stage lights, microphones and other
equipment, and the electricity to run them all. “All proceeds from this production will be donated to ACTS Theatre for their building fund,” Muffuletto explained. “ACTS holds a special place in our hearts because we have all acted on that stage in the past and with one another.” The Importance of Like Totally Being Earnest is a Lake Charles School of Bunburying in association with Bard Upon The Lake production. The primary sponsor is OB’s Bar & Grill, located at 1301 Ryan Street, Lake Charles. Performances run Friday and Saturday, January 17 and 18, with a 7:30 p.m. curtain. There will also be matinee on Sunday, January 19, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for all three shows and may be purchased online at www.actstheatre. com, in person at the box office the day of the show, or by calling (601) 953-0697. Artists Civic Theatre and Studio (ACTS), is located at the corner of Reid and South Railroad Streets in North Lake Charles, one block north of I-10.
Mrs. Bracknell (Mark Bowling) California’s most eccentric socialite. Extremely wealthy. Gwenny’s aunt. Has quite the life associating with movie stars and other prominent citizens. (Yes, a man is playing this character!) Cecily (Cecie) Cardew (Kelly Rowland) Jack’s adopted daughter. Valley Girl. Dr. Chasable (Casey Doucet) Formally an “actor” in the San Fernando valley. We’ll just say his route to the ministry was unconventional in our production. Miss Prisma (Kristina Webster) Cecily’s sassy Latina nanny. Employed by Jack. Lane (Diki Jines) Algy’s slightly disrespectful butler. In a “fog” most of the time. Merriman (Julian Quebedeaux) Jack’s groundskeeper and pool boy.
Crew
Creators: Michael Muffuletto and Mark Bowling Writers: Michael Muffuletto, Mark Bowling, Kelly Rowland, Kristina Webster, Sarah Parks Plauche, Aaron Webster, Casey Doucet, Diki Jines, Julian Quebedeaux Directors: Michael Muffuletto and Kristina Webster Producers: Diane Flatt & Michael Muffuletto PAGE 28 DECEMBER 19, 2013
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Paul Westbrook and Friends at Stellar Beans Dec. 20 Singer-songwriter Paul Westbrook will perform at Stellar Beans, 319 Broad St. in Lake Charles on Fri., Dec. 20. He will be joined by long-time friends and Lake Area songwriters, Angie Manning and Ryan Bunch. Music starts at 7 p.m. with Bunch followed by Manning at 7:40 and Paul Westbrook at 8:20 p.m. Cover charge is $5. For more information, go to Stellar Beans’ FB page.
Jazz in the Arts Concert Dec. 22 The Jazz in the Arts concert will be held at the Ben Mount Auditorium at Central School in downtown Lake Charles on Sunday, December 22 at 5 p.m. The concert features Carl Richardson and Jarius Daigle, along with vocalist Lindsey Papion and the Jazz in the Arts Rhythm Section. Silent auction begins at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door and $12 in advance. For tickets, call 439-2787.
Great Russian Nutcracker Dec. 27 Celebrate the beauty of the holidays and the best of Russian ballet in the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nut-
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cracker! The performance will be held at the Rosa Hart Theatre at the Lake Charles Civic Center on Dec. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $28 from Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.
Jen Kober’s Back! Dec. 25-26 Nationally known comedian and Lake Charles native Jen Kober brings her Homegrown Comedy Show back to L’Auberge Lake Charles for the holidays. The stand-up, improv and storytelling show features new material each week. The shows will be Wed., Dec. 25; and Thurs., Dec. 26. General admission tickets are $10. Tickets can be purchased now at www.ticketmaster. com, the L’Auberge Business Center, Legends Memorabilia at L’Auberge or by calling (800) 745-3000.
‘Four Stand Up Dads’ Jan. 3 Forget your troubles for a while and laugh at life. The “Four Stand-Up Dads” are so funny they bring tears. Comedians Dan St. Paul, Tim Bedore, Kelly McDonald and Milt Abel turn their wit and nutty observations about family life into a show that keeps the audience laughing almost from beginning to end. At the Lutcher Theater on Jan. 3. Performance begins at 7:30 p.m. For
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tickets, go to www.lutcher.org.
Twelfth Night Jan. 6 A glittering entrance to the Mardi Gras season, the Twelfth Night celebration at the Lake Charles Civic Center draws thousands to see the grand promenade of the kings, queens, and captains of more than 50 krewes. Tickets purchased in advance are $5, and $6 at the door for adults. Free for children five and under. Advance tickets are available at Joseph’s Electric, Gordon’s
Frozen (Disney, 2013) Maybe once in a few years, Disney animation comes up with a film that surpasses even its own high standards. Up and Wall-E are two that come to mind. Older classics include several princess movies, like Cinderella and Snow White. Frozen is one of these. Based (very, very loosely) on Hans Christian Anderson’s Snow Queen, this chilling movie will warm your heart. (Did I say that?) Seriously, all the action takes place somewhere up north, Iceland, Scandinavia…you know. The first scene opens with men working on a frozen pond, harvesting blocks of ice while they sing the ice harvester’s song. One of the men is just a boy, with his own ox. Not Paul Bunyan, it’s Kristoff, who Volume 5 • Issue 20
Drug Store and Party Time Store on Lake Street. (337) 439-1723.
New Art Exhibits at Old City Hall Open Jan. 10 Three artists will have opening receptions on Fri., Jan 10 from 5:30-8 p.m. at 1911 Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center. Local artist Jessica Gayle graduated from McNeese State University with a degree in visual arts, and is currently an art instructor for the
makes his exit until later. We cut to a huge castle with a king and his family, a wife and two daughters. Young Elsa and her sister Anna love to play games together. But Elsa has a very alarming power. She can touch things and they get cold. She uses her imagination to create snowmen out of the air while she and Anna play in a castle ballroom filled with snow. What a charming scene. The icing on the cake is that it’s set to song. Yes, Frozen is a musical. And not just any musical. Disney has tapped some talent for their new princess movie. The songs are fresh and could have come straight from Broadway. The sisters’ game takes a dramatic turn when Anna is injured on the ice. Of course it’s all Elsa’s fault. The King and Queen rush in. Anna is healed and put under
Calcasieu Parish School Board. The paintings in her show strive to embody the ideal of ataraxia- to be tranquil and calm, without worry or distress, to be untied from conventional subject matter, or the object, in painting. Julia Youngblood of Riverton, LA will present a body of artwork plus a Gallery Talk called 18 Seconds: the Enchanted Trail, an installation of small scale monochromatic watercolors hung salon-style. Bill Owens’ Suburbia is part of a spell of forgetfulness. She won’t remember Elsa’s powers when she wakes up. Elsa is warned by her parents to keep her power a secret from Elsa and everyone else. The king and queen get lost at sea in a storm. The two girls grow into princesses, living all alone in the castle and never speaking to each other. Finally Elsa comes of age and a fete is held so she can meet suitors. Elsa’s powers are accidentally revealed, to Anna and the villagers. Elsa runs off to the North Mountains, leaving a frozen village and kingdom. Through the whole story is the glorious music. Anna is voiced by Kristen Bell, an actress that sounds surprisingly good. And Elsa is voiced by veteran Broadway singer Idina Menzel. The Broadway sound isn’t your imagination. The songwriters and lyricists have also spent time on the Great White Way, and it shows. Every tune is catchy and dramatic. I haven’t heard anything in this spirit since Mary Poppins. There are also men in Frozen,
a national tour. His photo exhibit depicts suburban California life in the late 60’s/early 70’s. For more information, call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com.
LA Fur and Wildlife Festival Jan. 10-11 A SWLA favorite since 1955, the 56th Annual Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival features parades, pageants, dances, Cajun music, exhibits and a carnival. Not to mena prince, the grown up Kristoff, and there’s also a living snowman, voiced by yet another Broadway singer, Josh Gad. With this much talent, the animators certainly had a lot to live up to. And they do. Elsa weaves castles, stairways, and beautiful designs out of ice, in patterns that reminded me of Fantasia. The village and castle scenes have the air of Beauty and The Beast, but the animation is much richer, using modern computer graphics as you’ve seen a lot of lately. However, in Frozen, you get a sense that the story and characters demand a quality treatment, and they certainly get it. I won’t give away any more of the story, other than to say that it’s a refreshing break from superheroes and science fiction, the chief subjects of most animation these days. If you have family aged 8 and up, I would say that all of them will enjoy Frozen. Rated PG for romance and wolves.
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tion some unique contests like trap setting, nutria and muskrat skinning, oyster shucking, skeet shooting and the dog trials. Located across from the Cameron Parish School Board grounds in downtown Cameron, gates will open at noon on Friday and at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The admission fee is $5 per person; children 12 and under will be admitted free. (337) 775-5649.
Freddie Pate’s Jamboree Jan. 11 Let us take you back to a time when country music was country! Freddie Pate and the Jamboree Band will be performing with Loretta, Spell, Shelly Trahan and Butch Tinker at the historic Rice Theater in downtown Crowley at 6 p.m. on Jan. 11. For ticket information, call (337) 779-2343 or email tickets@freddiepate.com.
Central Gulf Coast Boat, Sport & RV Show Jan. 17-19 Find everything from boats, RVs and jet skis to golf carts at the Lake Charles Civic Center Jan. 17-19. Visit the indoor Fish-ORama, where you can test your fishing skills and catch rainbow trout for dinner. Also, be sure and stop by the world’s largest mobile
aquarium and don’t forget to meet Liz from the Swamp People! Fri. 1-8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Adults $7; children 6-15 years $2; children 5 and younger free. (337) 436-4355.
2014 Home Show Jan. 25-26 The Home Builders Association of SWLA’s 23rd Annual Home Show will be held Jan. 25-26 at the Lake Charles Civic Center. An event for the entire family, it will feature a Children’s Corner with coloring and facepainting activities. There will also be food booths at the event. The show will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 25, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 26. Admission is $5 per person. Children 12 and under get in free when accompanied by an adult. (337) 4787893 or homebuildersla@bellsouth.net.
Saturday, Dec. 21: Breakfast with Santa (members only) Enjoy a wonderful breakfast with Santa Claus! Breakfast will be served from 9:30-10 a.m. Space is limited to 70 children. Please call to sign up. We will post on Facebook when space is full.
Saturday, Dec. 21: Meet Santa Claus Santa will be here from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Don’t forget your camera! Santa will give out jingle bell necklaces. You can also make a Christmas ornament for your tree in the ArtSpace from 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 26: Giant Snowflakes Make a giant snowflake! Class begins at 11 a.m. and is limited to 20 children.
Friday, Dec. 27: MAD HATTER Science Exploring the senses and learn with Joan Vallee. Class begins at 11 a.m. and is limited to 20 children.
Monday, Dec. 30: New Year’s Crowns and Tiaras Decorate your own crown or tiara with stickers and glitter and get ready to celebrate the New Year! Class begins at 11 a.m. and is limited to 20 children. The Children’s Museum, 327 Broad Street, Lake Charles. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $7.50 for children and adults. (337) 433-9420, www.swlakids.org PAGE 32 DECEMBER 19, 2013
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Festival Jan. 12-21 The Martin Luther King, Jr. Festival 2014 will be held in the Lake Area January 12 -21 honoring the courageous effort and sacrifices of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The theme this year is “Southwest Louisiana: The Dream, The Future and Me.” As part of the 30th year anniversary celebration, this year’s festival will kick off with a memorial for the deceased members of the MLK Coalition and community leaders on Sunday, January 12 at 11 a.m. at Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church located at 119 N. Bank Street. The festivities continue with the annual Memorial Breakfast at Trinity Baptist Church, 1800 Country Club Rd, Lake Charles on Friday, January 17, at 7:30 a.m. It honors several deserving and outstanding individuals in the community and features a renowned guest speaker and six local high school choirs in concert together, accompanied by the Trinity Baptist Church Orchestra and area choir directors. The first place
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winners from each division of the annual essay contest will read their work, and the MLK Unsung Hero Awards will be presented. This event is open to the public. The inaugural Glitz, Glamour & Stars Gala will be held on Friday, January 17 at 7 p.m., at the beautiful Historic Calcasieu Marine National Bank, featuring local and national stars. On Sunday, January 19 at 6 p.m., performers from all over Louisiana will come together for the Gospel Extravaganza at Throne of Grace Fellowship located at 2401 6th Street, Lake Charles. Admission is free and open to the public. The celebration continues on Monday, January 20, with the Annual Parade rolling through the streets of Lake Charles at 11 a.m., with the lineup beginning at the Lake Charles Civic Center at 8:30 a.m. Don’t miss the Family Day Celebration Monday, January 20, where you can enjoy live, local and national
entertainers with the best in Zydeco, R&B, Blues and Southern Soul music. The big Celebrity Gumbo CookOff Contest as well as hundreds of local vendors offering arts, crafts, Creole and Cajun food promises to be a treat for all ages. On Tuesday, January 21, the play Hell Hath No Fury Like A Scorned Woman will be held at the Lake Charles Civic Center’s Rosa Hart Theater. For details and time, go to www. kzwafm.com. The Martin
Luther King, Jr. Festival is celebrating its 30 year anniversary and has been chosen as a “Top 20 Event” by the Southeast Tourism Society for the first quarter of 2014. Go to www.kzwafm.com for more details or call (337) 491-9955.
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dered if Jolly Old Saint Nick could find me some rare local films to tuck in my stocking. So I asked Santa if he could find me Twelve Movies Made in Southwest Louisiana. He laughed his “Ho, Ho, Ho!” like he always does and asked me if I’d like a nice Gumbo instead. I declined (Yankee Gumbo?) but thanked them for the cookies and set off on my own in search of 12 local movies. Here’s what I uncovered! On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, Little Chenier directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf. Shot in Little Chenier and Lake Charles I remember watching this one in a packed house at Cinemark. It expands on the classic Of Mice and Men tale and gives it a Cajun twist. The final photos of Little
12 Days of Not Christmas Local Movies As I was stretching out for a long winter’s nap, I saw the foot of an elf tuck itself quickly under one of my sofa cushions. I enticed the little fella with a mug of eggnog to take me to the North Pole. I knew Hollywood films shot in Louisiana, like Pitch Perfect, This is the End, and 12 Years a Slave were shot in the eastern part of the state. But I won-
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Chenier before and after hurricane Rita were chilling. On the second day of Christmas, I uncovered Mercy directed by Patrick Roddy. An entire wall in the bar location was completely demolished in the hurricane, too. This bleak tale was shot entirely in Lake Charles by a former McNeese Mass Communications professor. It’s the story of an ex-con, who just wants mercy from his nightmares that threaten his parole, his sanity and his dream for a new start in life. On the third day of Christmas, I found Good Boy, also directed by Patrick Roddy. This twisted tale tells the story of a young man on the road who gets ensnarled in the web of a sadistic killer with human pets. The movie was shot in Lake Charles, Sulphur, Deridder and a half dozen other places. Through the magic of movie editing, the outsides and insides of the buildings are often in entirely different cities, but appear to be the same location in this strange tale. On the fourth day of Christmas, there was Strange Fruit directed by Kyle Schickner. A successful, black, gay attorney from New York investigates the lynching of a childhood friend. Yes, Billie Holiday fans, the film’s title refers to her song about a lynching in the south, but you’ll have to wait until the end credits to hear her sing it. On the fifth day of Christmas, I ran out of narrative features but found a documentary. I give you All Over But to Cry directed by Jennifer John Block. Cameron parish is as Southwest as it gets in Louisiana and this poignant film documents Hurricane Audrey’s sweep across that coastal community in 1957. On the sixth day of Christmas, I ran out of completed feature films! So I moved on to films shot locally that were completed but have not yet been distributed on DVD. Where were we? Oh yes, the sixth day of Christmas. That day I found The Man in the Chair directed by Ken Henderson. A nurse, grieving the loss of her young daughter, finds the hit and run driver who killed her child and kidnaps him in her home. The film was shot entirely in one location in Sulphur. On the seventh day of Christmas I give you How to Love a Geek directed by Michael McGowan. A
lighthearted film, Geek follows a Los Angeles businesswoman who learns to love the folks of Southwest Louisiana as she leads the campaign to bring a new casino to town. The geek is a sweet Lake Charles girl who learns to love herself for who she is. The exterior shots of this film are a travelogue of Lake Charles landmarks, including helicopter aerial views. On the eighth day of Christmas, I give you a feature film being shot as a series of shorts. The Adventures of Gorilla Bob directed by Patrick Shawn Bennett is shot in installments like the old serials of the 40’s. It’s Indiana Jones meets the Incredible Hulk. This imaginative story focuses on a curse that turns a man into a super gorilla every time he eats food with bananas in it. On the ninth day of Christmas I give you two honorable mentions. Belizaire the Cajun directed by Glen Pitre was shot an hour down the road in Lafayette. And The Pelican Brief, shot in New Orleans, mentions “A trial over in Lake Charles…” spoken by Julia Roberts. On the tenth day of Christmas I’ve run out of local feature films. So I give you too many short films to count. Films about lost purses, sock puppets, roller skating super heroes, supernatural sacrifices, spies in the swamp, a beast at camp, diamonds in a milk jug, blizzards of post-it notes and much more! On the eleventh day of Christmas I confess I stretched the truth. I wanted to save this one narrative film for last. Passion Fish directed by John Sayles was not only shot in Lake Arthur, Lafayette and Lake Charles but it was nominated for two Oscars: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Mary McDonnell and Best Writing: Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, John Sayles. This drama zeros in on the relationship between a soap opera star who is left in a wheelchair after a car accident and the last nurse on the list to brave the actress’ alcohol-fueled bitterness. On the twelfth day of Christmas… can you guess? No? Why, it’s your own feature film, of course! I look forward to seeing it after the New Year. You better get cracking on that script. Hire some elves and get yourself a director’s chair. Until then, I’m popping corn in the fireplace and drinking hot chocolate. Cheers! Volume 5 • Issue 20
Volume 5 • Issue 20
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Hilarity for the Holidays It’s the holiday season, a time for laughter and high spirits, so I looked for some books I hoped would be laugh-generating — with mixed results. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding is the third book about the diary-writing Jones. The previous entry came out in 2000, so it’s been a lo-o-ong wait for Bridget fans. Bridget is now 51 and a widow, bringing up two children on her own. Her “toy boy” is turning 30; her friend Talitha is turning 60. A production company wants to film the screenplay she’s written. When Bridget decides to stop being the tragic widow and change her life, she opens an account on Twitter and goes on a diet, creating lists and keeping track of all manner of things, as she did in the previous books: “179 lb (huh), pounds lost 0, Twitter followers 0, protein chocolate bars consumed 28, chocolate protein puddings consumed 37, number of meals replaced by protein PAGE 36 DECEMBER 19, 2013
chocolate bars or puddings 0, average number of calories per day eaten combining normal food with protein products 4,798.” She starts dating again, and her diary entries are hilarious, filled with anxiety over her appearance, trepidation over finding love on the Internet, and general drama about her age. It’s interesting that she’s a person who has grown up and yet also hasn’t, as happens to many of us. As with most things, she goes overboard with her Twitter account: “Realize Twitter has a bad effect on character, making me obsessed with how many followers I have, self-conscious and regretful as soon as I have sent a tweet, and guilty if I do not report any minor events in my life to the Twitter followers, at which a number of them immediately disappear.” Raising two children on her own (with a nanny)
offers plenty of opportunity for hijinks. The scenes in which the kids have lice and diarrhea are unforgettable. The book starts off slowly and kind of sad, as we find out she’s a widow, but it picks up steam and humor as it goes on. We can relate to her self-doubt as she philosophizes about life, romanticizes relationships and is just silly. Don’t let the sad beginning stop you. It turned out to be a wonderful, endearing book with a happy ending and so many laughs. Adult language and situations. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh is based on Brosh’s popular blog by the same name, for which Advertising Age magazine named her one of the 50 most influential creative figures in the world in 2013. The book is sort of an illustrated biography. It starts out like gangbusters and had me instantly laughing out loud as she writes uproarious letters to her childhood self, gives her dog an IQ test (the dog fails miser-
ably), runs from a goose in the house, tries to reason with her dogs, and procrastinates and tries to shame herself into doing stuff. “Fear and shame are the backbone of my self-control.” Then she goes into several chapters about how she dealt with depression. These I found a bit dark, disturbing and unfunny. But actually, her explanation of and experiences with depression are really well presented and relatable. It may be the best description of depression I’ve ever read. Despite the simplistic but effective drawings, it’s a pretty book, with different colored pages in each chapter. At least read the beginning of the book. All the knee-slapping laughter will be like a holiday present to yourself. Adult language. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich is the latest book to Volume 5 • Issue 20
feature Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter. The regulars are here, along with a roast pig, a runaway giraffe, mobtype henchmen, party girls, bingo games, funeral parlors and lost handcuffs. Somebody is killing women and leaving their bodies in dumpsters. The gorgeous Ranger is on the case and hires Stephanie to help him. Uncle Sunny, the godfather of Steph’s main squeeze, Joe Morelli, is wanted for murder and Steph has to find him. Joe’s Grandma Bella puts “the eye” curse on Steph for chasing Sunny. Stephanie tell us, “Probably the curses aren’t real and people get boils and have their hair fall out purely by coincidence, still the woman scares the bejeezus out of me.” Stephanie loses a couple of cars, gets thrown in a river, breaks various parts of her body, and takes a new job. Once again, she contemplates marriage, but not wholeheartedly. Is she holding out for Ranger? Adult situations. Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks is an homage to and written in the style of the late P.G. Wodehouse, the creator of Jeeves. Bertie Wooster, for whom Jeeves works as a personal gentleman’s gentleman, has met “the most beautiful girl” he’s ever seen, but she’s engaged to someone else. Bertie’s friend Woody is also engaged. But the romances aren’t going well — they never do in Wodehouse. And, of course, the plot involves people Volume 5 • Issue 20
pretending to be other people. This time, Bertie becomes a valet and Jeeves impersonates a peer of the realm. Right away, I noticed that Faulks’ writing is either a bit off the mark or over my head Britishdetail-wise; Wodehouse’s never was. (Wodehouse was British, but made his home in the United States. Much of his writing was a lampoon — albeit a fond one — of the British upper classes.) Faulks’ attempt is well-meaning, and there are moments when I could sense the spirit of Pelham Grenville coming off the page. (A sample: “The Red Lion was a four-ale bar with a handful of lowbrowed sons of toil who looked as though they might be related to one another in ways frowned on by the Old Testament.”) Wodehouse fans may get a kick out of this noble effort. But to anyone unfamiliar with Wodehouse, I say go out and get a copy of Right Ho, Jeeves and dive in. The first time I read that one, I found myself on page three, unable to catch my breath from laughing so hard, and feeling that the writing was somehow familiar. Wodehouse was able to hit all the right notes effortlessly, which is why he was so popular in both Britain and America. Copyright © 2013 Mary Louise Ruehr. DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 37
Thursday, Dec. 19 Bernie Alan @ Mikko Live “Block Party” w/ Cajun, Zydeco Swamp Pop, R&B, & Country 7 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder Open Mic Night (Monthly) Hosted by Braylin Jenkins “Service Industry Night” “Happy Hour” 5 - 7 p.m. 9 p.m. @ Dharma 329 Broad St., Lake Charles Karaoke with $3 Cover 9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles “Thursday Dollar Night” 9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club $1 Beer & Bar all night! 5329 Common St., Lake Charles DJ Cage 10 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles
Friday, Dec. 20 Isis @ Mikko Live 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder Karaoke with $3 Cover 9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles BB and Company 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton Ashes of Babylon & Stiff Necked Fools! 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St, Lake Charles DJ Cage 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Friday’s Fireside Lounge 7 - 10 p.m @ Adult Pool Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles
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Electric Winter Party! $5 DJ Tyski & Pawz The Cat “Happy Hour” 5 - 7 p.m. 10 p.m. @ Dharma 329 Broad St., Lake Charles
Saturday, Dec. 21 Paul Gonsoulin 7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill 719 Ryan Street, Lake Charles
2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton
Monday, Dec. 23 Free Live Music! By Huber Mickey Smith, Jr. Happy Hour 5 - 7 p.m. 10 p.m. @ Dharma 329 Broad St., Lake Charles
Tuesday, Dec. 24
Isis @ Mikko Live 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder
Karaoke w/ David Verrett 8 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles
Karaoke with $3 Cover 9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles
Wednesday, Dec. 25
BB and Company 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton Saturday Night Party Time 9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club $1 Beer & Bar 12 - 2 a.m. 5329 Common St., Lake Charles Even Flow (Pearl Jam Tribute) & Alyson Chanes (Alice in Chains Tribute) 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St, Lake Charles Holiday Jazz Show! $5 Patrick Sheng & Friends Happy Hour 5 - 7 p.m. 10 p.m. @ Dharma 329 Broad St., Lake Charles Nostalgic 90’s Event: Even Flow (Pearl Jam Tribute) & Alysin Chanes (Alice In Chains Tribute) 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., Lake Charles DJ Cage 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles
Sunday, Dec. 22 BB and Company 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs Racetrack
DJ Crush 10 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles
Friday, Dec. 27 LA ROXX @ Mikko Live Dance Party w/ Pop/Rock Mix 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder Karaoke with $3 Cover 9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles Larry Tillery 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton Syndley Whiplash 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St, Lake Charles DJ Crush 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Friday’s Fireside Lounge 7 - 10 p.m @ Adult Pool Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles Rootbeer & Mermentau, Bobcat, Certain Satellites! $7 cover “Happy Hour” 5 - 7 p.m. 10 p.m. @ Dharma 329 Broad St., Lake Charles Volume 5 • Issue 20
Saturday, Dec. 28 Kory Fontenot (Acoustic) 7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill 719 Ryan Street, Lake Charles LA ROXX @ Mikko Live Dance Party w/ Pop/Rock Mix 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder Karaoke with $3 Cover 9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles Larry Tillery 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton Saturday Night Party Time 9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club $1 Beer & Bar 12 - 2 a.m. 5329 Common St., Lake Charles The Flamethrowers 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St, Lake Charles Sinners, Swampbird & Dead Relatives! $5 “Happy Hour” 5 - 7 p.m. 10 p.m. @ Dharma DJ Crush 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles
Sunday, Dec. 29 Reed Planchard 12 p.m. @ Otis & Henry’s
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Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake
Monday, Dec. 30 Free Live Music! By Ryan Bunch Happy Hour 5 - 7 p.m. 10 p.m. @ Dharma 329 Broad St., Lake Charles
Tuesday, Dec. 31 Bernie Alan @ Mikko Live Block Party w/ Cajun, Zydeco Swamp Pop, R&B, & Country 7 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder No Idea @ Mikko Live New Year’s Party 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder Alex Rosell 9 p.m. @ Otis & Henry’s Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake Gino Speight 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton NYE BASH: AF The Naysayer, Certain Satellites, Rootbeer & Mermentau, and Thee Andys! 9 p.m. @ Dharma 329 Broad St., Lake Charles The BonJourney’s NYE Bash! 9 p.m. @ The Caribbean Cove Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake
New Year’s Eve! 9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club $1 Beer & Bar All Night 5329 Common St., Lake Charles New Year’s Eve 70’s Party! 9 p.m. @ Delta Event Center Delta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton NYE Party w/ DJ Timbo 25$ Cover, VIP Services 9 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles New Years Eve Dance! $10 Southern Spice w/ Charles Mann 9 p.m. @ American Legion Post 407 912 John Stine Rd., Westlake
Wednesday, Jan. 1 Comedy Night: 10-12 Comedians Josh Hessier, Leo Morgan, & Nick Cronan 8:30 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles
Thursday, Jan. 2 DJ Eric Scott 10 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles Karaoke with $3 Cover 9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles Thursday Dollar Night 9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club
$1 Beer & Bar All Night! 5329 Common St., Lake Charles
Friday, Jan. 3 Isis @ Mikko Live 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder Karaoke with $3 Cover 9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles DJ Eric Scott 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles
Saturday, Jan. 4 Isis @ Mikko Live 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder Karaoke with $3 Cover 9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory 4688 Common St., Lake Charles Saturday Night Party Time 9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club $1 Beer & Bar 12 - 2 a.m. 5329 Common St., Lake Charles DJ Eric Scott 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles
Tuesday, Jan. 7 Karaoke w/ DJ David Verrett 8 p.m. @ Jack After Dark Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill
DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 39
CHRISTMAS UNDER THE OAKS
Kelsey Murray and Kaleigh Labove
Sheila Williams, Kennedy McDale and Tascha Washington
Ellen Little and Oneida Loup
Chad Toups and Pam Mercer
Folks in the Christmas spirit bundled up for the traditional festivities Christmas Under the Oaks brings every year at the Brimstone Museum Complex in the heart of Sulphur at Heritage Square. There was the festival of lights, fireworks, holiday shopping with the wonderful vendors at Holiday House, visits with Santa, carnival rides and delicious food to satisfy every palate! And it snowed! What a way to bring in the Christmas spirit!
Lori DesOrmeaux, Shannon Williams and Mary Jane Vincent
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER The Rosa Hart Theater was packed for the annual performance of The Lake Charles Civic Ballet’ Rudolph. Lady Leah Lafargue Hathaway created this ballet based on the Christmas classic in 1969 and it gets better with every performance! Congrats to the talented dancers, staff and supporters who work so hard every year to bring us such a wonderful event!
Miranda and Emily Booth
Emma Young and Julia Stanley PAGE 40 DECEMBER 19, 2013
Charles and Madeline Hill
Alaya Fontenot and Madison Delafosse
Janey and Kate Mueller Volume 5 • Issue 20
THE BISHOP’S GALA The Second Annual Bishop’s Gala was held at the Lake Charles Civic Center and what an event it was! There was live entertainment by the fabulous Harry James Orchestra, with Fred Radke on first trumpet with a special crowd pleaser--a tango dedicated to Pope Francis! Guests dined on a scrumptious buffet of food and desserts, and bid on beautifully displayed silent auction items. Proceeds benefited the communication efforts of the church on television and the web and in print.
Kim Conner and Kim Fontenot
Kristine Alcantara and Marie Faul
Volume 5 • Issue 20
Lucas Orsot and Father Edward Richard
Emily DeRouen and Grant Camara
Julie and Andy DeRouen with Catherine Delahoussaye and Kamon Angie
DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 41
THE NUTCRACKER BALLET It was more ballet as The Nutcracker returned to the Lake Area in celebration of its 50th Anniversary! Held at the McNeese Shearman Fine Arts Performing Arts Theatre, the ballet was performed in the style of Ida Winter Clarke with proceeds going to the McNeese State University Department of Performing Arts. Memorable black and white photos and newspaper clippings from the past graced the walls of the theater, along with some of the original costumes. Bravo!
Hannah Newman and Emelia Donaldson
Lauren and Julie Mere
PAGE 42 DECEMBER 19, 2013
Rene Wood with Camille, Marie and Annette Cotton
Kara and Myra Nunnally
Stacey, Caroline and Ashley Payne with Janet Postell
Volume 5 • Issue 20
Auld Lang Syne Cabbage Celebrate Champagne Countdown
Father Time Fireworks Happy New Year Holiday January One
Midnight Party Resolutions Toast Traditions
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Players take turns connecting two dots. When you make a square, put your initials in the box and take another turn. When all dots are connected, the player with the most boxes wins.
Volume 5 • Issue 20
DECEMBER 19, 2013 PAGE 43