April 9, 2015 • Volume 6 • Issue 26
On cover: IBERIABANK’s Kyle Duplantis, Dawn Primeaux and Barry Brown
715 Kirby St. Lake Charles, LA 70601 Phone: 337-436-7800 Fax: 337-990-0262
COVER STORY 21 IBERIABANK: Covering All the Bases
www.thejambalayanews.com
REGULARS 6 We Are SWLA!
Publisher/Executive Editor Lauren Abate de Albuquerque
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The Dang Yankee
8
Adoption Corner
9
Tips From Tip
10
Huntin’ Tales
12
A Ruff Life
14
This Functional Family
15
The Pirate’s Platter
16
Tales of the Bayou Pickers
lauren@thejambalayanews.com
Contributors Lisa Addison Marilyn Dawdy Dan Ellender Braylin Jenkins Mike McHugh Roger Miller Jason Machulski Justin Morris Brian Pitre Britney Blanchette Pitre Russell Pawlowski Terri Schlichenmeyer Rebecca Stelly Karla Tullos
Sales sales@thejambalayanews.com
FEATURES 4 Eligha Guillory, Jr. and the Eljay Foundation for Parkinson Awareness 18
Family and Household Finances
19
How to Get a Bank Loan
8 10 15 30
THE SPICE OF SWLA 24 Jazz in the Courtyard 26 Event Guide
Graphics Art/Production Director Burn Rourk
29 Family Fun Night at the Movies 30 Bookworm Sez…
Business Office Manager Jeanie Taggart
31
Book Bites
32 Hashtag Dat 34 KBYS Celebrates One Year!
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36 Nightlife Guide Legal Disclaimer The views expressed by The Jambalaya News columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Jambalaya News, its editors or staff. The Jambalaya News 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. The Jambalaya News cannot be held responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, even if they are sent to us accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Copyright 2014 The Jambalaya News all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited.
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38 Justin Morris’s Lake Charles 41
Denver’s Final Curtain Call
43 Lake City Beat
41
44 Society Spice 47 Funbolaya
Vol. 6 • No. 26
A Note From Lauren The Truth About Cats and Dogs Scottish Terriers are a lot different than your usual dog. They are downright arrogant, don’t come when you call them, are indifferent to their owners and are basically out for themselves. Sounds like a stereotypical cat, right? I’ve had three Scotties and Rhiannon was by far the most detached. She came from champion stock, so maybe any cuddliness was bred out of her. I had Rhiannon for almost 16 years and that’s what I had to deal with. I’d come home and get more of a welcome from the cats, who would purr and rub against me. Rhiannon would acknowledge me if she had some immediate needs to be attended to. If not, she would simply go about her business, and the heck with me. Don’t get me wrong; she had a lot of great qualities. She loved parties and visitors, you could take her anywhere (I figure she’d been to about 16 states), she rarely barked and was game for anything. I miss her so much. It’s been two years Ash Wednesday since she departed this world, and now there’s a new canine in my life: Cooper James. He’s a Chi mix, a rescue, of course, and is completely and utterly adorable. Cooper is a whole new ballgame.
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He’s a dog. He’s happy and sensitive and lives for me. I walk in the door and it’s the best thing that ever happened to him. He follows me all over the house. He whimpers when he doesn’t see me. He loves cuddling and he loves to be held. He wants to be in my world every minute of every day. It’s so different from the cat personality, although most of my cats are super friendly and sociable. There are some who are extremely independent and stay outside and don’t interact much. This is why I didn’t care for cats in the past, because I thought they were all like that. Then I moved here and all these wonderful little felines just showed up, one by one, and showed me their hearts. But cats and dogs are so different. Dogs come when you call them; cats will just look at you sadly and shake their heads. “Of course we’re not going to come. We’ll come when we’re good and ready. And that may not be until next week.” Another big cat thing is running towards the door when you open it, only to decide, in mid-run, that maybe it’s not a good idea to come in, after all. So they’ll come to a screeching halt in front of the door and just stand there, looking
around, perhaps yawning. Then they’ll look at you like you’re the crazy one. Infuriating. General Robert E. Lee’s big thing is to run towards the door as if he’s being chased by the Union Army. Suddenly, he’ll put on the brakes, sit down and start cleaning himself. If I close the door and walk away, within seconds, the General is hurling himself at the door. He makes no sense. None of them do. Dogs need human companionship as much as they need food, water and shelter. As much as my cats love me, any interaction is done on their terms. If Huck Finn, who I know adores me, doesn’t want to sit in my lap, he won’t. If I pick him up against his will, he’ll immediately jump off and walk away without so much as a backwards glance. “Nope. Not now. Not happening,” he’s thinking. Other times, he will climb onto my lap and curl himself around me and purr and give me all kinds of affection. With dogs, what you see is what you get. Cats play mind games. They mess with your head. You think you have one figured out, and then they do something completely out of their character. Take little Otto. He was born under the house and lived with us for years. One day, he simply decided to go two doors down and move in
with the neighbors. When I would see him in their yard, he’d run from me as if I were a stranger. He stayed with them for two years. One day, he showed up again as if nothing had ever happened and resumed his previous life. He’s still here—but I won’t be surprised if he decides to take off again. He’s a cat. Dogs would never do that. They’ll run if the gate is left open, but it’s only because they taste freedom and they want to explore. They would never dream of packing their bags and moving in with another family while they still have a perfectly good one who loves them. Otto chose to leave. He thought about it. Who knows what else he’s thinking? But I have a great balance. The predictable love of a canine with the unpredictability of the feline army. The best of both worlds. When I most needed stability and unconditional love, Cooper came in to my life. And he’s here to stay.
Lauren Abate de Albuquerque
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Eligha Guillory, Jr. and the Eljay Foundation for Parkinson Awareness April is Parkinson Awareness Month. Eligha Guillory, Jr., who created the Eljay Foundation for Parkinson Awareness here in Lake Charles, discusses his father’s illness and the organization he started that has made a difference in the lives of people suffering with Parkinson.
JAM: Tell me about your father. When was he diagnosed? EG: My father, Eligha “Jay” Guillory, was officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1983 at the age of 38. However, he first started noticing symptoms at age 32. It took doctors that long to find out what was really going on with his body. He went to several doctors that could not properly diagnose him until then. He was a fighter. He continued to work for another 10 years at an industrial plant, until he took a medical retirement at the age of 48. JAM: What was his journey like? EG: He never let it get the best of him. He stayed moving, building items, including Volkswagen frame kit cars (one that I still have today), traveling, and
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hosting his famous family gatherings. He always had a mindset that “he had Parkinson, but Parkinson did not have him.” When he was first diagnosed, he went through the embarrassment stages because he felt that no one understood what was going on with him and his body. He began to stay away from friends, families, church, and any other activities where people would be. However this was short-lived. He decided that he would be a survivor and not lose out on life. JAM: What was done for him? EG: He took medicine to control the symptoms of the disease. At one time, he was taking up to 21 pills a day. Sinemet was the main medication that helped control the tremors. However, other medication was taken to control the side effects of the Sinemet. At one time, he was considering the deep brain stimulation surgery. However, he did not go through with it.
JAM: When did you start your organization? What were your goals at the time? EG: We started the Eljay Foundation for Parkinson Awareness in August 2000. We will be celebrating 15 years this year. When we started what was to become the Foundation, we had a plan to have a one-time benefit dinner and donate the money to a national Parkinson organization for research. However, when we began to plan the event, we noticed how many people were affected and did not have access to the information to support their issues and concerns. We felt someone had to be the
catalyst to start the effort, so we thought, why not us. We felt that while we were fundraising, we should continue to organize and create a not-for-profit organization and attain our 501c3. We did that in a matter of three months. Then the Eljay Foundation was born. The name is a combination of my parents’ names: my dad’s nickname of Jay and my mom’s name Ella. My family and I, along with several other community members became charter board members to promote awareness for Parkinson disease and to aid in the fight to find a cure. The following April (2001), which is national Parkinson Awareness Month, we held our first gala, “A Night of Glamour, Glitz, and Giving” at the City Club at the Capital One Building. We had a sell-out crowd and people traveled from Florida, and Houston, along with over 300 other local guests. We had gala fundraisers for ten years, until we decided to change and offer a family-friendly festival event, hence now the Original Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival.
JAM: Are you still local? EG: We started as a local organization; however in 2002, we became affiliated with the National Parkinson Foundation headquartered in Miami, and now serve as the Gulf Coast Regional chapter serving the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. We are the only affiliate chapter in each of these states. We have donated and provided thousands of dollars of literature, health kits, videos, and medication support, as well as support group programs, to literally hundreds of people affected with Parkinson disease. While we are a national affiliate organization, money raised locally stays local to provide support for our patients and their families. JAM: What do you want people to know about Parkinson’s disease? EG: Parkinson’s disease is the 14th leading cause of death in country. However, I would like people to know two things: First, you do not die “from” or “of ” Parkinson’s disease. Most likely, however, if you have it, you will die “with” it. Second, it is not an old person’s disease. It affects all people, all Vol. 6 • No. 26
races, all genders, equally. There is no found cause. 10 percent of those affected with Parkinson are under the age of 50. There are 1.5 million people in America with Parkinson. There are approximately 60,000 new cases each year and in the state of Louisiana, around 67,000 people have it. That is 2 percent of our population. It may not seem like a large number, but two out of every 100 people is a big deal, when you look at it that way. JAM: What do you see for the future of your organization? EG: One of the future goals is to open and operate a state-of-the-art Parkinson care center, which will include residential personal care programs for members who can no longer reside in their own home, but do not need skilled nursing care. This initiative will focus on Parkinson patients and their care planning, as well as offer another option for senior living. We also see more awareness and more programs available on a national level. More people are acknowledging Parkinson disease and understanding it more. Hopefully soon, there will be a cure and we will be out of business! My father passed away at the age of 68 on December 30, 2012. While his personal fight is complete, the fight to find a cure continues. He provided an inspiration and it might have been because of him, but it is not solely for him. We continue to aid in the fight to find the cure for the millions more suffering from this debilitating disease. When my father passed away, several people assumed that we would stop our programs. I thought, “Why? There are still people needing us.” So with that, we move forward to make a difference and impact people’s lives. Vol. 6 • No. 26
April 9, 2015 5
the Silver Beaver and James E. West Fellowship awards. Palay is a local prosecutor.
CHRISTUS Women’s Health Center Earns Accreditation CHRISTUS St. Patrick Women’s Health Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology. The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety and is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by boardcertified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.
LC Toyota Donates to Family & Youth
SOWELA Students win Addy Awards Seven SOWELA students received awards at the 2015 American Advertising Federation’s ADDY Awards in the categories of Packaging, Collateral Material, Digital, Television, and Elements of Advertising. Kandice Baines garnered two gold, two silver and three bronze. Chloe Friend was presented a gold with the distinction of “Most Wanted to See Again and Again” and two silver; Zachary Whitbeck was given two silver and one bronze; Amber Day Woods earned a silver and a bronze; Lex Abshire and Chance Deville each received gold; and Karli Ferguson secured a bronze. Faculty member Darrell Buck won gold in the category of Integrated Campaigns and bronze in the area of Sales Promotion. For further information, visit www.sowela.edu.
Lake Charles Toyota donated $5,000 in sponsorship of the 2015 Family and Youth Legislative Breakfast held recently at L’Auberge Casino Resort. Individuals were able to meet one-on-one with the Southwest Louisiana Legislative Delegation to discuss issues affecting our lives, our businesses, and our community. Legislators who attended included Sen. Dan “Blade” Morrish, Sen. Ronnie Johns, Rep. Brett Geymann, Rep. A.B. Franklin, and Rep. Johnny Guinn.
L to R: Phillip Tarver, owner, Lake Charles Toyota and Julio Galan, President & CEO of Family & Youth
Community Leaders Participate in ‘Leaders Against Litter’ Event L to R: Darrell Buck, Zach Whitbeck, Chance Deville, Kandice Baines, Chloe Friend, Karli Ferguson, Erik Jessen, and Gray Little
Palay Receives Eagle Scout Award At the recent Calcasieu Area Council Eagle Scout Banquet, David Palay was awarded the National Eagle Scout Association Outstanding Eagle Award, given for distinguished community service. Palay is the Council’s first recipient of this award and the third recipient from the state of Louisiana. Palay currently serves on the executive board of the Council, is a lifetime member of both the National Eagle Scout Association and the Philmont Staff Association, is an active dad in Cub Scout Pack 107, and has received 6 April 9, 2015
In an effort to educate and involve community leaders in the fight against litter in Louisiana, Keep Louisiana Beautiful and 23 affiliates including Team Green SWLA participated in a statewide littera-thon on recently, ending with a press conference in Baton Rouge when Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne announced the results. Forty-five bags and an estimated 1,000 pounds of trash were collected by 83 community leaders at the second annual “Leaders Against Litter” event, hosted by Keep Greater Lake Charles Beautiful/Team Green SWLA.
Sasol Breaks Ground on World-Scale Project Sasol broke ground on its ethane cracker and derivatives mega Vol. 6 • No. 26
project near Westlake recently, a facility that will roughly triple Sasol’s chemical production capacity in the United States. More than 100 community partners joined Sasol executives to mark the start of construction for the company’s world-scale facility. The end result will be a state-of-the-art petrochemical complex that uses abundant U.S. ethane to manufacture a diverse slate of commodity and specialty chemicals for markets around the world.
Neese Foundation in support of the band’s attendance at the McNeese-LSU football game in Tiger Stadium on Sept. 5. The marching band needs help from Cowboy fans to travel to this game. Individuals, groups or businesses can donate to the band travel fund online at www.mcneesefoundation.org or by calling (337) 475-5588.
Guillory Named WCCH Employee of the Month West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital recently named Debbie Guillory as its employee of the month for March 2015. As a member of the hospital’s nutrition services team, Guillory assists in a variety of tasks related to the nutritional needs of both patients and visitors. “Debbie is an excellent mentor to newly hired staff and demonstrates superior work ethic. Her diligence Debbie Guillory and consistency have helped our department reach new heights,” says Fran Landry, director of nutrition services. Guillory has been with the organization for 16 years.
CITGO Donates to McNeese Marching Band CITGO Petroleum Corp. presented a $5,000 donation to the Pride of McNeese Marching Band travel fund through the Mc-
L to R: McNeese band members Sarah Thomas and Matthew Duplantis; Dr. Jay Jacobs, McNeese director of bands, and Dana Keel, Citgo.
McNeese Faculty Receive Pinnacle Awards Six McNeese State University faculty members are recipients of the 2015 Pinnacle Excellence Awards established by Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. – the parent company of L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles - to recognize the best teaching professor in each of the McNeese colleges: business, education, engineering, liberal arts, nursing and science. L to R: McNeese President Philip Williams, Dr. Yvette M. Garner, Burton College of Education; Dr. Dimitrios Dermisis, College of Engineering; Dr. C. Martin Konou, College of Business; Dr. Christopher Struchtemeyer, College of Science; Dr. Ann Warner, College of Nursing, and Pinnacle’s Kerry Andersen. Not pictured is Dr. W. Steve Thompson, College of Liberal Arts. McNeese Photo
Memorial Hospital Honors Frasch Elementary Artists Lake Charles Memorial Hospital recently honored students who participated in the Young at Art Program in January/February. 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 Frasch Elementary School. A panel of Memorial volunteers recognized fifth grade students Owen Thomas and Olivia Burleigh and third grader Savannah Leger with a $25 gift card.
Owen Thomas Vol. 6 • No. 26
Olivia Burleigh
Savannah Leger April 9, 2015 7
The Frights of Spring Most people are happy when what passes for winter around here finally loosens its grip on our state. I’m not one of them. The way I see it, Louisiana has two seasons—winter and Nature on Steroids. Now that the last cold front has passed, the grass and weeds and ants are storming the gates, so I suppose it’s time to shore up my defenses. This isn’t fair; I mean, couldn’t they at least wait until the end of hockey season? It’s not in a Yankee’s blood to open the shed and pull out his lawn equipment before Easter Sunday. It’s not in my blood to do so before the Fourth of July, if at all. But Mother Nature doesn’t seem to care where I’m from. In fact, she seems to know and uses it to her advantage. “Look,” the weeds murmur amongst themselves as they look for somewhere to take root, “I saw a guy come out of that house wearing a
Boston Bruins jersey. His yard should be safe for a while.” And they’d be right. My yard provides a safe haven for weeds for at least the first few months, until I can get my lawn equipment back in working order. Every year, it’s as if on some winter night, the Iranians had exploded a thermonuclear device directly above my shed, emitting an electromagnetic pulse that rendered every powered implement completely inoperable. “It’s okay,” is all I can think. “I’m sure it was for peaceful purposes.” Meanwhile, my neighbors’ equipment seems unaffected by the blast, thus ruining any hope I might have to sleep in on a Saturday morning. Round about 7 a.m., they proceed to fire up their mowers and weed-trimmers in unison, and my bedroom sounds like it’s situated at the end of an airport runway.
While my yard is quickly transforming itself into a rainforest, I’m amazed at how hard it is to get those few plants that I want to grow. A couple of years ago, I let my wife talk me into putting in landscaping around the front of our house. “I’ll do it on one condition,” I told her. “It’s got to be low maintenance.” “Fine,” she said. “Do you have any particular design in mind?” “How about parking lot?” I suggested. Unfortunately, she was thinking about something more natural, involving actual living plants. But it turns out that landscaping plants are the frailest organisms on the planet. They die if you just spit in their direction, whereas to the weeds, the manicured plots are like Disney World. The only way to keep the good plants happy and the evil
ones at bay is with generous applications of mulch. So now every spring, we’re obligated to have the landscaper come and dump a pile of mulch in our driveway that temporarily qualifies as being the highest point in the state, barely edging out one of several anthills growing in the front yard. I often ask myself if it’s worth all this trouble so that I can have my own little suburban Garden of Eden. I’d have to think so, although I can understand now why Adam saw fit to take a bite out of that apple. The Bible doesn’t say where he went after getting kicked out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Eve moved into a condo. Mike McHugh’s column has appeared in the Jambalaya News for over five years. If you can’t get enough of The Dang Yankee, you can read more on Mike’s website, thedangyankee.com.
Emmylou is a female Chihuahua born on March 12, one of five puppies born that day. Her mom and dad were rescued from a shelter just days before they were scheduled to be euthanized. She has two sisters, Darla and Pixie and two brothers, Reese and Frazier. They will remain small since her parents are only five and six pounds. The puppies will be ready for adoption at the end of April. If you are interested in adopting Emmylou or her siblings, please call Cyndi at (337) 496-9911 or email c.gwatney@yahoo.com. A vet check and home visit are required. 8 April 9, 2015
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Spring Cleaning We recently moved from our two-story abode of 20plus years, relocating just a very few miles to a single-level house. We’ve arrived at the point in life where we really didn’t need to climb those stairs every day. One cannot imagine the “stuff ” you can needlessly accumulate over such a time period. We all put away things that we are positive has a future need that never materializes. They wind up residing in places that makes little sense. Things you put away to have available to share, review, or utilize in case of some freak event that never comes will only show up when you move to a new residence. I have found things that I moved into this house from the prior house that I didn’t use there, either. Moral of the story: even if you don’t have any plans to move, get rid of that junk! I promise you, 99.9
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percent of the stuff you have stashed away “just in case” is totally unneeded. If you haven’t needed it in two to three years, you are just cramming stuff into a spot that you could certainly make more productive. We’re not talking about tax records and legal documents, just stuff. We’re talking about the things that are too good to use, like the old family china that you don’t want to use because if you use it, it could get broken and then you couldn’t use it. These are items that you need to get to younger family members so they can put it in their attic so it won’t get broken. At least it will be out of your hair.
Sales Tax Renewal The recent sales tax renewal for the Sheriff ’s Department passed overwhelmingly, indicating the support that Tony Mancuso has continued to earn from Parish residents. The tax was a renewal of an expiring tax that help support better wages for department deputies. There will be a new tax proposed by the City of Lake Charles for wage improvement for city workers. We shall see if the voters will approve an additional tax; I suspect that even with the good economic forecast, there is little mood for an additional levy upon the populace. We shall see.
Gardening Time
Supermarket Roundup
As our weather now brings a smile to just about all of our faces, we cannot help but notice the yard work being performed around our neighborhoods. The nursery stores are featuring beautiful plants and flowers that make you want to get your hands dirty in the soil. Having moved, I miss my citrus trees that I planted a good number of years ago. We had grapefruit, lemon, lime and oranges that provided delicious fruit; I plan to put in the same at the new house. I recommend some protection for them from the harsh winds and cold of our sometime weird winters. They seem to prefer a bit of shelter. I know some folks that have lost some unprotected ones; mine seem to take it all with no loss. Some interesting facts I have picked up over time about citrus: they can heavily self-prune their fruit (a normal pattern for citrus) and they will be super abundant one year and quite sparse another (again, a normal deal).
Speaking about gardens, we will check out pricing on some produce items for this issue. These prices were obtained on Thursday, April 2 and reflect the posted price on the shelf where the item was placed for sale. The stores we surveyed were: Albertsons-Country Club Road, Market Basket-Lake Street, Kroger-McNeese Street and Walmart-Nelson Road. Iceberg lettuce, per head: Albertsons $1.99, Market Basket $1.19, Kroger $.99, Walmart $.98. Bell pepper, green, per each: Albertsons $1.25 (4/$5), Market Basket $.69, Kroger $.79, Walmart $.68. Cucumbers, per each: Albertsons $.79, Market Basket $.59, Kroger $.79, Walmart $.74. Celery, per stalk: Albertsons $1.50 (2/$3). Market Basket $1.19, Kroger $1.59, Walmart $1.48. Asparagus, per pound: Albertsons $3.29, Market Basket $3.19, Kroger $2.48, Walmart $1.97.
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Grizz and the Decoy Killer Continuing the Dobbertine hunting tradition, Ariel Shawa picked me up way before dawn even thought of cracking. Then we drove for over an hour, past Hackberry and the Sabine National Wildlife Reserve on Hwy. 27, west on Hwy. 82 past Johnson Bayou, north to the boat launch. As was the case with my earlier hunt, Ariel abandoned me at the cold dark landing. Sharing my chilled plight were two family friends, Brad Ellender and a Grizzly Bear. Actually Grizz is a two-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, “Grizzly Hunting Bear Ellender.” As you
might remember, the Dobbertine heirs deserted me and another family friend, Dennis Dunnehoo, on my first trip. Only this time it was hovering near freezing. While Brad, Grizz and I got acquainted, Ariel dropped off photographer Mike Guidry, their friend Clint Conrad and Ariel’s twin brother in merriment, Aaron Shawa. I swear those two pranksters plan this stuff. This time, there was no season-opening mob at the launch, just the three of us. In the dark. In the cold. Waiting. And waiting. Again. I really wanted to ask, “Hey Brad, do
Grizzly Hunting Bear Ellender. His friends call him Grizz. 10 April 9, 2015
they always leave their guests in the cold, wind, and rain with their truck locked?” But I didn’t. Seems to me I’m learning yet another Dobbertine tradition. Finally, and I do mean finally, Ariel reappeared. At least this time, his 35hp GoGator outboard wasn’t giving him fits. We loaded up and wound down trails to the pond where we hunted last time. The decoys had been shifted for the wind. Just as we loaded up our shotguns, some teal streaked through. We cursed, Grizz whined and we were set. Four teal tried the same sneak in low and fast maneuver, but it didn’t work. Brad and Ariel took down three. This old coot’s only sporting contribution was to shout “Teal!” as they streaked by. This was just Grizz’s second season but he leapt out like a champ. He even went to the farthest bird. With my trusty foolproof digital automatic everything camera, I got some great shots of that retrieve Photo: Mike Guidry and the other two
he fetched. Then I spotted four snow geese coming right for us. Ariel and I started calling, me by mouth, Ariel on his goose call. I kept my head down as they passed directly over the blind just a bit out of range, with me watching Ariel the whole time. He kept calling even after they passed over trying to swing them back. I shut up and was relighting my pipe when I heard “Take ‘em!” Brad and Ariel rose up and fired three shots. All I could see when I finally came up was blue sky and a snow goose sailing down just outside the decoys. Ariel shouted, “Got one!” Grizz was off like a shot but the goose was already hightailing it to the edge of the marsh. By the time Grizz swam 100 yards out the goose was already 200 yards away and into the marsh grass. Brad called Grizz back and Ariel said we’d look for the goose later. Before Grizz could make it back, four gadwall came damn near straight in and three of them stayed. The fourth gray duck swung out and came back across. This time, the old coot was set. With a crossing up and away shot I’ve made hundreds of times, I dropped him. Brad and Ariel seemed impressed and I did my best to keep a nothing-to-it exVol. 6 • No. 26
pression on my face. I can miss with the worst of them, but a going away already-been-shotat guide shot is my forte. Grizz swung back around and headed into the decoys to get the three birds but only brought back two. We looked and searched but couldn’t spot the third downed-right-in-thedecoys bird. Brad sent Grizz back out for the long bird I shot while we continued to search for our mystery duck. I thought I spotted him and shot. It was a clean kill. Somehow, the decoy didn’t sink. Oops. My Bad. But Brad ignored my goof and was steadily yelling “Back! Back!” at Grizz. He finally worked the 75 yards away to the bird and grabbed the duck, proving again that he was no freeloading chowhound; he was a retriever. By then I knew this was to be a tale about a young hunting dog coming into his own. Grizz had been tentative at first but with each retrieve he was get-
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ting faster and surer of himself. The only hunter having more fun than Grizz was Brad. All those hours of working his retriever in the crawfish pond and afield were finally paying off and in a big way. It’s a rare experience when a hunter gets to watch a pup becoming a truly exceptional retriever. I’ve only seen it three times in my 50 years afield. Later, Grizz expertly picked up two more birds. Then Ariel’s phone vibrated. Seems our other crew was also having their own truly memorable experience. Aaron and Mike were almost out of shells. Mike had forgotten his in the truck. As they squabbled over the last two shells, Clint wandered off into the marsh to get under the snow goose flight. What he managed to do was find a vacant gator hole and went for a swim. Out of shells and with a soaking wet and freezing Clint, they only had a pintail drake and one
Photo: Mike Guidry
speckle belly goose to show for their efforts. Clint expressed, between chattering teeth, a sincere desire for Ariel to hurry and rescue them. Ariel listened patiently to this truly sad tale of woe. Then he laughed and said that after he looked for the goose, we‘d pick them up. Just as Ariel and Brad pulled away from the blind to hunt for the snow
Ariel Shawa, Donnie Rogers, Aaron Shawa, Brad Ellender, Roger Miller, and the one with the smile is Grizz.
goose, Grizz whined. Sure enough there was the mystery duck in the cover behind the blind. Not only that, but Grizz found the snow goose in the marsh grass, too. I’d had a marvelous hunt. Ariel and Aaron continued the family tradition. And Brad, well Brad got a once-in-a-lifetime retriever. The bonus was I got to be part of it all. Again.
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The Adolescent Phase Just as we transition through different developmental stages in our lives, so do our dogs. One of the toughest to get through is the adolescent or juvenile stage. If your dog is roughly six to 18 months (range may vary slightly due to breed), your dog is an adolescent. They aren’t entirely puppies any longer, yet they have yet to fully reach social and sexual maturity. This can be quite frustrating for us pet parents, for our dogs have the bodies and size of adult dogs, yet their brains have not finished developing. During this stage, you may observe issues such as overexcitement and chewing. Your dog may become distracted easily and seem to forget everything he once knew. In addition, his body is still developing. So, you may notice another teething phase, growth spurts, and periods where your dog seems afraid of things that he was fine with before. This can be one of the most difficult and frustrating stages of development to deal with. But it does not have to be. There are many things you can do to make the transition from puppy to adult fun and easier for both you and your dog!
Be Proactive Don’t wait until your dog becomes mischievous and/ or frustrates you. Be proactive by physically and mentally 12 April 9, 2015
exhausting him. A regular walk around the neighborhood probably will not be sufficient, and neither will a small game of fetch. Bring him on multiple walks that last 15-30 minutes each day. Try to interact with other dogs and people while on walks, and/or vary the environment by bringing him to a park, a new neighborhood, or by varying your route. Play scent games by hiding treats in different toys, knotted towels or blankets, etc., and having your dog search for them. You can create an appropriate digging area by poking holes in the bottom of a kiddie pool (to prevent it from collecting water), filling it with
dirt or sand, and hiding various toys inside. Create a long-lasting “pupsicle” by placing various chews and toys in a large bork or food storage container. Fill it with beef or chicken stock or broth. Then, place the container in the freezer and allow it to freeze. Once completely frozen, remove the pupsicle from the container and place it on a tray or low table for your dog to explore and enjoy for a long period of time. Feed your dog his actual food out of an interactive toy like a Kong Wobbler, Buster Cube, or even just a large plastic bottle that you’ve poked one or two holes in. This will simulate his scavenging, as well as stimulate him mentally and physically. By the time he is finished eating, he will have a full belly, and should be tired for a little while. You can also use these toys to dispense treats in between meal times.
Management Until your dog “knows better” and has fully learned certain behaviors, it is absolutely necessary to manage situations. For example, if he has a tendency to counter surf, then never allow him to be unsupervised when he is around your counter. When you cannot supervise, he should be in a kennel or utility room, behind a baby gate, in a bathroom, etc. When you are able to supervise him, you must redirect him every time you see him exhibiting this behavior. To redirect, simply say “eh eh” (we use the word “no” too often in day-to-day conversation so your dog can become desensitized to that word), clap your hands, or make another sudden noise (you want to gain your dog’s attention, not scare him), and then redirect his attention to something else, like an interactive toy.
If your dog doesn’t have a dependable recall (come when called), then set him up for success by not allowing him to escape. Keep a leash on him when visitors arrive so you can step on his leash if he decides to bolt when the door opens. Always bring him outside on a regular 4-6-inch nylon or leather leash (retractable leashes are clunky, break easily, and encourage pulling while walking on a leash), and/ or a 30-50-inch training lead. Using a training lead outside is a great way to teach a reliable recall and stay with distractions. Use baby gates when new people come over to prevent your dog from jumping and potentially hurting your guests, when you’re having dinner to prevent begging, when you are bringing groceries in the house to prevent bolting, etc. Remember that your dog’s brain is still developing and they tend to be awfully forgetful at this stage. Be patient and teach them how to replace unwanted behaviors with polite behaviors. How you handle your dog’s behavior now will leave a lifelong impression on him. Remember that fear or force-based methods will trigger his fight or flight response. Your dog should look to you as a pet parent/guardian. Don’t give him a reason to not trust you, fear you, avoid you, or fight you back.
Positive Interactions If you’ve ever taken a training lesson with me, you have heard me constantly say, “Your dog learns ‘in pictures.’ You must constantly ‘retrain’ your dog every time ‘the picture’ changes.” This is so important to remember. Dogs’ attention spans are very short--especially during the adolescent stage. So, when you teach him a new command, teach it over and Vol. 6 • No. 26
over again in different environments, in different attire, using different rewards, etc. Just because your dog can reliably sit every time you ask him at home doesn’t mean he will do so at a pet store, in a park, when guests come over, etc. Teach a new command in an environment with little or no distractions. When that particular behavior is very reliable and you no longer need a food reward, start substituting the food reward for “life rewards.” Instead of asking Fido to sit for a treat, ask him to sit for his food, to go outside, to be petted, to get a toy, to put a leash on, etc. Then, bring Fido to new environments, gradually increasing the distraction level. Each time the distractions get more challenging, your reward must increase in value. Tummy rubs and training treats may work at home, but you will most likely need Easy Cheese or boiled chicken at a public park. Ask guests to help with training when they come over. Take 15-20 minutes to work on “on your spot/bed,” combined with “sit” or “down” and “stay” when people knock on your door. Repeat over and over until it becomes a learned behavior/conditioned response. Do not wait until you have guests over for dinner. Arrange training sessions with friends and family to set up the behavior and train repeatedly. Remember that consistence is huge. Organize times with other pet parents to have play dates. Utilize doggy daycare. Take him on walks where there will be other dogs--like a hiking trail--and teach him how to pass other dogs with and without saying hello.
equally as challenging for your dog. Things are changing physically and mentally, he realizes there is a huge world out there other than with his pet parents, and some of that world can be quite overwhelming and scary. Take the time to teach your dog, instead of expecting him to “just listen.” Dogs are not robots or puppets--they are living, breathing creatures that experience
love, trust, fear, anxiety, etc.-just like us. Be a parent and a friend to your dog without being a drill sergeant and slave driver. What you put into life is what you get out of it--this is no different than with a dog. If you show him patience, love and compassion, and teach him now, he will forever be the best friend you could ever hope for. Our dogs’ lives are extreme-
ly short--don’t miss out on that or give up on him. He just needs you to guide and prepare him. Until next time...happy training! Britney (Blanchette) Pitre, CPDT-KA BONS CHIENS Dog Training, LLC
337.422.4703 www.bonschiens.com Facebook.com/BonsChiensDogTraining
Patience and Love Although the adolescent stage can be challenging, always remember that it’s Vol. 6 • No. 26
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About Love Countless songs have been written about love, there are books and movies about love, and love makes the world go ‘round. But what exactly is love? There are many types of love. From love for your children to romantic love and to love of your pets to a love of travel. There is a love for books, food, the great outdoors, and the list goes on and on. Most of us have preconceived ideas about love and those ideas are shaped from young ages. I’ve never been married, but I have had relationships, and as a single woman I have dated some great guys and only a couple of not-so-great guys. I adopted my two children as a single woman a few years ago and I’ve been happily content raising them, purposely not being in a relationship for the past few years. But from time to time I do think about the possibilities of love and I wonder if I’ll find “the one,” somebody to go through the ups and downs of life and share everything with. I think back to the boy I was in first grade with, lost touch with because my family moved a lot, and reconnected with on our first day of high school who loved me enough when we were just 20 years old to ask me to marry him. I didn’t know until years later just how much it crushed him when I said no. It wasn’t him; it was me. He felt confident enough to want to take a great big leap of faith with me into the future. I felt too unsure of my feelings to do that with anyone. I 14 April 9, 2015
didn’t want to forge through life with someone I knew I could be just be content living with, even though I knew that we’d be happy enough. No, I wanted to conquer life with a person that I couldn’t live without. I haven’t found that person, or he hasn’t found me. I have always been very independent. But sometimes, I think it would be nice to have a partner to go through life with. There was a cold, rainy night back in January, the kind of cold that chills you to the bone and makes you feel like you’ll never feel warmth again. On nights like that the thought crosses my mind that if I had a husband I could make this phone call: “Are you on the way home soon? Because I have a gumbo on the stove, a fire roaring in the fireplace and the only thing missing in our household is you.” But then I realize that’s just the dreamer in me and that real life isn’t that simple. Marriage has its share of hardships, too. But I do think it’s very possible to get from here to there and if I wanted a relationship that leads to marriage, it’s definitely doable. But it takes desire, initiative, work, and most important, finding the right person. Life is short and we should always be open to finding a great love. After all, what if the very best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet? What if the next 40 years really could be the best 40 years of our lives? We’ll
never know if we don’t try, will we? Maybe it’s simpler than we even realize. What if the first step is just smiling at someone? If they smile back, you could start a conversation that leads to friendship and then at some point you may look at each other and realize that you want to spend a lot more time together. What are we on this earth for if not to love another human being? I like the idea of having someone to care for, love deeply, laugh with, talk about everything under the sun with, pray with, build a life with, be imperfect with, encourage, cook with, celebrate with, have good and bad days with, and on those truly awful days, to have someone to fall apart with. This may sound simplistic but perhaps true love boils down to one very overpowering thing: find the
absorb them, and if you don’t have a great love in your life, maybe the time for you to find love is now! You’re never too old to find love. Indeed, love can make us feel young, hopeful, and invincible. I wish love for every one of you! “We loved with a love that was more than love.” - Edgar Allan Poe “All my life, my heart has yearned for a thing I cannot name.” - Andre Breton “Both light and shadow are the dance of love.” - Rumi “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” - Henry David Thoreau “A man is already halfway in love with any woman who listens to him.” - Brendan Behan “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” Emily Bronte
person that you won’t walk away from and the one that won’t walk away from you, no matter what. I don’t think that love is about grand gestures but about everyday simple kindnesses. A few months ago, an acquaintance mentioned on Facebook that the previous evening, she had told her husband she had to stop by the grocery store after work. When that time came, the weather was horrible and it was storming but she went to the grocery store anyway. As she came out of the store she saw her husband and he told her he came to meet up with her and load the groceries into her car so she wouldn’t get soaked. That’s love. I’ll leave you with some of my favorite quotes about the subject of love. Read the words, really
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 “The course of true love never did run smooth.” - William Shakespeare “Love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters?” James A. Baldwin “One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” - Paulo Coelho Lisa Addison wrote her first short story when she was 7 years old and hasn’t stopped writing since. She has two young children, enjoys trying new recipes, and loves going on adventures with her kids. She blogs at: http://swlamama. wordpress.com. Vol. 6 • No. 26
Low Country Shrimp and Grits In this issue, the Pirate is traveling back to the Low Country, which is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina’s coast, including the Sea Islands. Once known for its agricultural wealth due to its mild subtropical climate, the Low Country today is known for its historic cities and communities, natural beauty, cultural heritage, and tourism industry. Many people have traveled to my favorite city Charleston, where I began my culinary career. This is one of Charleston’s signature dishes.
Grits Ingredients 2 cups of heavy cream 2 cups of water 1/4 lb. butter 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. white pepper 1 cup of quick grits
Preparation Bring cream and water to a boil. Add butter, salt and pepper. Slowly add grits and reduce heat. Cook 20 minutes, being careful not to scorch mixture.
Southern Comfort BBQ Sauce Ingredients 1/4 lb. bacon, diced 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced 1/2 cup red bell pepper 1/2 cup green bell pepper 1 14-oz. bottle of Heinz ketchup 1/4 cup of brown sugar 3 – 4 tbsp. Southern Comfort Add Cajun Red Head Seasoning to taste
Preparation Cook bacon until 3/4 done. Add onions and pepper; sauté’ until done. Flame with Southern Comfort. Add remaining ingredients and season. Simmer for 10 minutes, and then cool.
Shrimp Preparation Place in Southern Comfort BBQ Sauce and simmer for 1 minute. Place grits on a plate, carefully place shrimp on outskirts of grits, top with fresh cheddar and apple-smoked bacon bits and place in broiler two minutes until cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh green onions. Makes six dinner portions. Enjoy!
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I have often been asked, “What is a picker?” “What do pickers do?” A lot of people have the wrong opinion about what a TRUE picker does, so I’m going to give you a small glimpse into my world. If you think it’s easy to buy and resell, think again. Picking actually takes years of trial, error and learning, but I love what I do. I personally love to see the look on someone’s face when they see an item I have and memories related to it come rushing back to them. It’s an amazing feeling to reunite a customer with their memories. So, where do we get our items? We go to garage sales, flea markets, estate sales, and auctions. When a picker gains a reputation in town, we get invites to look through attics, garages, old barns or entire houses where we assess and evaluate
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items. This is where my knowledge comes in handy--what I call “Picker Vision.” A picker is an educated shopper, and there are certain ethics we use. A reputable picker will not gather items that are worth a fortune and offer you a quarter for it. A true picker will give you a decent offer for the item. There is a lot of research, cleaning, appraising and footwork to do on just one item, and that is at a cost to us since no one else is going to pay for it. Established pickers are sought after. Interior designers may need something from a certain era, related to a theme, or a specific item. Museums look for established pickers to add to their collection of artifacts. Antique stores rely on us occasionally, and collectors are big on pickers. Since they cannot be everywhere at once, this gives them another set of eyes. We always have a wish book, filled with requests from potential clients, and that includes the general public. Yes, I’ll see something by the side of the road and snag it up. Dumpster diving is what most people call this. I call it artifact recovery. Another personal favorite of mine is called “rustology.” It’s the repurposing of a well-used item and turning
it into a centerpiece. Now there is a plus on being a picker: we usually have an amazing personal collection of items. Every item we find tells a story: who made it, why it was made, what it was before it ended up the way it is now. There is a lot of history out there just sitting in a corner or in the attic collecting dust that will be never be uncovered to have a chance to be appreciated. That is why we do what we do. History only dies when it is not shared. I’m not only talking about
physical item. Stories from the past should be handed down. If you don’t share them, they will be lost. When you pass them down, you’ve done your part to preserve a bit of history. Don’t think you can run out shopping and become an instant picker. Just get out there and enjoy. if you know a picker, we love to talk and find out all we can. We don’t know everything, but we learn more every day. Preservation and conservation are the keys to a true picker’s life.
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There are various stages in our lives, and money plays a big part in all of them. Here are some tips to assist you as you face your challenges.
Before Marriage Before you get married, discuss your current financial situation with your soon-to-be-spouse. You should both communicate any debt or credit problems that you may bring to the table. Develop mutual goals. A good way to do this is for both of you to write out your individual short-term, mid-term, and long-term financial goals and then share them with one another. Next, discuss your feelings about money, including how you’d like to retire and how much to contribute to college funds for any future children.
Newlyweds When you get married, everything changes. Decide whether to combine your financial accounts or keep them separate. You should also review all of your credit accounts to determine whether they should be changed to joint accounts.
Baby on Board! Your family budget will change once again when you start your family. Increased expenses will include higher healthcare coverage, clothing, and insurance costs, as well as the cost of diapers, baby products, etc. If your child will be going into daycare, that’s another huge expense. Of course, your entertainment/dining expenses will
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probably decrease at this time!
Saving for College The cost of education has grown by leaps and bounds in the past two decades. If you plan on paying for all or part of your child’s college education, you’ll need to develop a savings plan as early as possible. It’s never too early to learn about the different options for financing your child’s education. Here are a few suggestions: • Student loans • Private scholarships • Section 529 plans • College-controlled aid • Military aid
After a Divorce Following a divorce, there certain things you should do to move forward financially. First, request your free annual credit reports and review them. Make sure that the accounts listed on the report are indeed your financial responsibility. You will also need to determine the best way to make deposits and withdrawals, pay bills, get cash and pay taxes. The easiest way to make sure your bills are paid on time is to use automated bill pay with your bank. Speaking of banks, this is a good time to make sure that the bank you are with is the best one for you. Review the convenience of the bank, as well as its fees and benefits.
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There are various reasons to take out a bank loan. The most common are for a home mortgage, a new car, or for your business. Here are some important steps to follow to ensure the loan can be processed without any delays or problems:
Understand what you need Before going to your bank, check out loan packages online and see what competitors are offering. Be clear on what type of loan you need, the terms you can realistically afford, and your goal for paying off the loan as soon as you can. If you are looking for a specific type of loan (auto, mortgage, personal) make sure you find the best deal. We’re all inundated by loan offers in the mail, but make sure you read the fine print. Ask Questions When you find the loan package that could work for you, contact the bank directly to determine your eligibility. You may have to make an appointment in person to discuss everything it will take to get you started on the approval process. All banks have different requirements, so you will need to know what they are upfront to be prepared. Review your credit history If you are trying to get a loan, you should already be aware of both your credit history and your current score. The bank should tell you the range of credit scores required for loan approval. Request a copy of your history and score several weeks before you apply so you can review your credit history for accuracy and
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give yourself enough time to correct any errors you may find. If there are mistakes on your report, you may end up with a lower score, which may hurt your chances of loan approval. And always apply for the loan based on your financial ability to make repayments you can afford.
Create a checklist There’s a lot of paperwork involved when you’re trying to secure a loan. It’s a good idea to create a checklist of all the documentation needed for the loan application. It can take some time to obtain the necessary information from creditors, your employer, and other financial resources. Incomplete applications can be cause for loan denial, so make sure you’ve covered all the bases. Have the right expectations Loan officers have a certain procedure for approving a loan and getting you the money. When you sit down with your loan officer, discuss the sequence of events so you’ll know when to expect an answer. While some loans can be pre-approved upfront, the specifics may take a few weeks. Ask when you should follow up. Ultimately, your goal is to obtain a loan you have the means to repay. The loan process can be daunting. If the loan you applied for is not approved, the lender may provide the reason for the denial. And remember, it can be dangerous to your credit to continually apply for loans. Too many loan applications can ruin your credit, as well as your chances of obtaining a loan in the near future.
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IBERIABANK is the largest bankholding company headquartered in Louisiana, and has been serving Louisiana for over 128 years. IBERIABANK Corporation is a financial holding company with 292 combined offices, including 200 bank branch offices and three loan production offices in Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, and Florida, 23 title insurance offices in Arkansas and Louisiana, mortgage representatives in 57 locations in 10 states. The company has eight locations with representatives of IBERIA Wealth Advisors in five states, and one IBERIA Capital Partners, L.L.C. office in New Orleans.
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HOME RUN TEAM IBERIABANK proudly serves the Southwest Louisiana region with 13 convenient branch locations. The Company provides a comprehensive financial product line including Retail, Commercial, Private Banking, Mortgage, Treasury Management, Online Banking, and Investment Services. IBERIABANK Corporation is a shareholder-driven company, with a philosophy to exceed client satisfaction by delivering unparalleled customer service at every point of contact. The Company is committed to offering products and services customized to meet the financial needs of each client.
Our home run team in Southwest Louisiana is led by Phil Earhart, IBERIABANK President. Several of the team’s experienced bankers are featured on the cover of this month’s issue and include Kyle Duplantis, Dawn Primeaux and Barry Brown. Duplantis serves as Vice President of Business Banking and has 18 years of banking and finance experience. He is a board member for Habitat for Humanity, serves on the Quality of Life Committee for Southwest Louisiana Economic Development and is a member of Fusion Five. Brown serves as Vice President of Commercial Banking and offers clients
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Lindsey Janies Photography
(L-R) Blaire Davis, Teller; Bernadette LeBlanc, Branch Manager; Denise Peltier, Lead teller; Matthew Mancuso, Relationship Banker; Sarah Fowler, Teller
a strong commercial and agricultural banking experience. He is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. He is involved in the community where he serves on the United Way Campaign Cabinet as well as volunteers with the Coastal Conservation Association, Volunteer Center of SWLA and Delta Water Fowl. Primeaux serves as Vice President and Business Banking Relationship Manager. She brings over seven years of banking experience where she most recently served as the Company’s Branch Manager of the McNeese location. Primeaux is a graduate of McNeese State University and is actively involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of SWLA, McNeese Cowboy Club, Habitat for Humanity, Greater Lake Charles Rotary Club, Cajun Riders Club and Westlake Kiwanis.
ALL-STAR PARTNERSHIPS IBERIABANK supports charitable, educational, cultural and business development efforts that enhance the quality of life throughout the regions it serves. A local Advisory Board comprised of community leaders is also a valuable resource for our team. The Company remains a leading contributor to South-
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west Louisiana, supporting many community organizations. The Company provides financial resources and in-kind donations, and many associates volunteer their time to serve on numerous community organization boards. The Company’s primary focus is education, the arts (both performing and visual), cultural endeavors, economic development and healthcare. Since joining the Southwest Louisiana region in 2011, IBERIABANK has donated over $1million to area organizations such as Family and Youth Counseling Agency, Calcasieu Community Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, McNeese State University, Banners, United Way and numerous schools throughout Calcasieu, Cameron and Allen Parishes. IBERIABANK is the Official Bank of McNeese Athletics and the depth of the community partnership runs throughout the entire university where associates serve as volunteers in many of the University’s efforts. The IBERIABANK branch at the foot of the McNeese campus also conveniently serves the banking needs of clients who are students, faculty and administration as well as serving the surrounding businesses and neighborhoods. IBERIABANK associates are supported and encouraged to participate in
teaching financial literacy throughout the communities it serves. Associates in Southwest Louisiana have donated hundreds of volunteer hours to area organizations, including 250 hours in the first quarter of 2015. Of those, over 200 volunteer hours were committed to Junior Achievement of SWLA, which offers volunteer-delivered financial literacy, work-readiness and entrepreneurial classes to the students of Calcasieu Parish. Through a new partnership, IBERIABANK will join the American Bankers Association’s “Teach Children to Save” program to show continued commitment to financial literary on April 24. IBERIABANK associates are motivated to engage and educate children on financial responsibility. “One of IBERIABANK’s hallmarks is supporting the communities we serve,” says Phil Earhart, IBERIABANK Southwest Louisiana President. “Through contributions, sponsorships and volunteerism, we strive to enrich the lives of our associates, clients and our community. With the current growth of IBERIABANK Corporation, especially in Southwest Louisiana, we are able to do that even more.”
NEXT ON DECK IBERIABANK is expanding the Cities Service branch location in Sulphur, which is located at 4100 Maplewood Drive. Scheduled for completion in mid-April, the branch will provide full branch services with an experienced team of associates ready to serve the community. As the region continues to grow, IBERIABANK strives to accommodate the community by providing convenient locations for clients and businesses to take care of all of their banking needs. Bernadette LeBlanc serves as Branch Manager for the expanded branch location. A native of Sulphur, LeBlanc brings over 10 years of banking experience. Matthew Mancuso serves as Relationship Banker. He recently joined IBERIABANK as an intern working closely with the IBERIABANK Commercial Banking team. Mancuso is currently a student at McNeese State University where he will earn Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in May.
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Lindsey Janies Photography Vol. 6 • No. 26
With over 12 years of experience, Alana Mears serves as as mortgage originator for IBERIABANK Mortgage in Southwest Louisiana. She has experience in many types of home financing, including Conventional, FHA, VA, Rural Development, and new construction. Mears earned a Bachelor of Art degree in Marketing and Management from McNeese State University.
Lindsey Janies Photography
John Mitchell, Iberia Financial Services (“IFS”) representative for Southwest Louisiana, is an experienced professional trained in a wide range of investment products. The Louisiana native joined the Company in 2009 and maintains Louisiana Life and Health, Series 6, 7, and 66 licenses. Because Mitchell takes the time to analyze a client’s current situation and their future needs, he can develop a portfolio of investments to help meet each client’s needs. The many long-term relationships Mitchell has with clients are a testament to the effectiveness of this personalized approach. If identifying and setting investment goals is important for financial success, Iberia Financial Services can help with planning, so clients feel comfort-
able that financial concerns are in order. IFS provides personalized services and a wide range of investment products as clients consider a financial plan. To help clients stay connected with investments, IFS provides 24/7 online access through IBERIABANK online banking. Simply select the “Iberia Financial Svs” tab to easily view a detailed listing of accounts, transaction history, and associated holdings. Investment products are not insured by the FDIC, not insured by any federal government agency, are not deposits or other obligations of the bank, are not guaranteed by the bank and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of principal invested. Securities and advisory services provided by Iberia Financial Services LLC, are offered through Essex National Securities, LLC, member FINRA / SIPC, an independent broker/dealer and Registered Investment Advisor. Insurance products are offered through Essex National Insurance Agency, Inc. Neither are affiliated with IBERIABANK. Iberia Financial Services (IFS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of IBERIABANK.
If you’re in the market to purchase a new home or refinance an existing house or condo, IBERIABANK Mortgage Company can assist. Consistently competitive rates and an experienced team of lending professionals help qualify more borrowers, close more loans and turn home ownership dreams into a reality. Because of a local presence, IBERIABANK Mortgage can expedite the loan approval process to save clients time and money. With on-site underwriting and in-house funding, there are never third party technicalities or problems to delay a home purchase. IBERIABANK Mortgage offers a wide range of financing options: • Conventional 30-year and 15-year Loans • Government Loans - FHA, VA • Guaranteed Rural Development • First-time Homebuyer Down Payment Assist Programs • Jumbo Loans • Reverse Mortgage Financing subject to credit approval. Some restrictions may apply. Other programs available. Program conditions subject to change without notice.
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Jazz in the Courtyard April 17 Jazz in the Arts presents “Jazz in the Courtyard” Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m. in the Courtyard at the Historic Calcasieu Marine Bank, 844 Ryan Street in Downtown Lake Charles. Jazz in the Arts is a local non-profit under the umbrella of The Arts and Humanities Council of SW Louisiana. Their mission is to provide
life-changing educational and performance opportunities for middle and high school jazz students. “Jazz in the Courtyard” is an open-air concert and dinner event featuring the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, along with the Jazz in the Arts Student Combo and the Westlake High School Jazz Band. Tickets are
$20 for general admission and $400 for VIP tables of 8. VIP tables receive catfish dinner, complimentary wine and beer, and a private reception with the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra. Catfish dinners and cash bar will be available to general admission ticket holders. Doors open and dinner starts at 6 p.m., the concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online: https://jazzinthearts.webconnex.com/jazzinthecourtyard.
The Stan Kenton Alumni Band, directed by Mike Vax Alumni from the 1956 – 1978 Stan Kenton Orchestras come together to perform for festivals, clinics, concerts, cruises and dances. They play some of the well-known music of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, plus in keeping with Stan’s insistence on not just performing nostalgia-type music, the band also performs fresh new material written in the Kenton style, as well as original material written by members of the band. Leader Mike Vax is from Oakland, California and has led a big band off and on since his days at College of the Pacific over 45 years ago. A few of his credits include being first trumpet, soloist and road
manager of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, as well as being coleader while Mr. Kenton was recovering from surgery; leading the Dukes of Dixieland in New Orleans; producing and/ or music directing for over 40 jazz festivals and performing workshops for more than 2,500 high schools, colleges and universities all over the world. The goals of the band are to perform meaningful music, talk about the importance of the jazz heritage in America, bring jazz music to young people, and to offer our audiences a relaxed, entertaining atmosphere.
Friends of Big Band Jazz Friends of Big Band Jazz is the support group for The Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra. This nonprofit corporation sends students to summer jazz camps on scholarships, donates funds to high school music programs and youth orchestras, and raises money for many good causes that have to do with music and education. They also sponsor the Prescott Jazz Summit, which brings students and professional musicians together for performances and workshops. For more information, contact Jay Ecker at jayecker@hotmail.com or (337) 853-8800.
Sponsored by:
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Louisiana Railroad Days Festival April 9-11 Head to the DeQuincy Railroad Museum for the LA Railroad Days Festival! There will be carnival rides for all ages, a children’s stage, 5K run, Gospel Night, live entertainment, Hobo Bean cook-off, food booth, parade, pageant and more! Free parking and admission, alcohol-free. Thurs. 5-11 p.m., Fri. 3-11 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-midnight. www.larailroaddaysfestival.com.
Movies Under the Stars April 10, 17, 24 Movies Under the Stars returns to Prien Lake Park to light up the silver screen every Friday in April. Each movie begins at dusk around 7 p.m. Free admission. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, bring your own food or purchase onsite. In case of inclement weather, the event will be cancelled. April 10 Sherlock Holmes, April 17 Penguins of Madagascar, April 24 Big Hero 6.
Downtown Crawfish Festival April 10-12 Celebrate in downtown Lake Charles at one of the spiciest events in Southwest Louisiana! With crawfish season in full swing, get hungry for over 10,000 pounds of hot, boiled crawfish. Other featured events include live music, a queen’s pageant, parade, and the Mitchell Brother’s Carnival at one of the largest indoor and outdoor festivals held at the Lake Charles Civic Center, 900 Lakeshore Dr. www.downtowncrawfest.com.
Tim Tebow April 10 Tim Tebow will host a “Night of Inspiration” on Fri., Apr. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lake Charles Civic Center. Sponsored by MaciFest, funds raised will benefit autism organizations in SWLA and McNeese athletics. Tebow will speak in a question-and-answer format. For ticket info,
Contact Nikki Fontenot at (337) 802-7932 or macifest15@gmail.com, or visit the MaciFest Facebook page at www.facebook.com/macifest.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes April 11 On April 11, men from all walks of life will walk one mile inside Prien Lake Mall in women’s high-heeled shoes to protest rape and sexual assault. The march is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with registration ($30 per person) and check-in starting at 8 a.m. at the mall, located at 496 W. Prien Lake Rd. Women and children are also welcome to register. tvincent@lcmh.com, (337) 302-7679.
River Cruise with City Heat April 11 Cruise the river aboard the Lady of the Lake and enjoy food, fun, dancing and music by City Heat! Board at Loggerheads Riverside Bar, 3748 Hwy 3059 (Old Town Road). Dinner will be buffet style. Cash bar available. $75 per person. (337) 491-6794. *Must be 21 to attend.
LC Symphony Concert 3 April 11 The LC Symphony’s Concert 3 will be held at the Rosa Hart Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on April 11. Performance includes Afternoon of a Faun, Claude Debussy; Cello Concerto No. 2 in D, Joseph Haydn featuring Lachecar Kostov; and Cello Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. wwwlcsymphony.com.
LC Symphony Children’s Concert April 12 The LC Symphony’s Children’s Concert will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 12 the Rosa Hart Theatre. Performance includes Once Upon a Time 5 Fairytales for Orchestra, Bernard Rogers and Cello Concerto No. 2 in D, First Movement, Joseph Haydn with Lachezar Kostov, Cello. Francis G. Bulber Youth Symphony along with other Calcasieu Parish students plays along with the Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra.
Saturday, April 18: Kids’ Choice This is a new workshop time to use extra projects that were leftovers from previous workshops and weekly projects. Projects will be on a first come, first serve basis and will be available from 10:30 a.m.-noon.
Thursday, April 9: Spring Piggy Banks
Friday, April 24: Spring Art Walk
Paint your own ceramic piggy bank using acrylic paints. Classes begin at 11 a.m. and noon and are limited to 20 children ages 4 and up.
The SWLA Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Guild and Ally-Gator BookBites Publishing House are proud to present artwork for the Spring Art Walk at The Children’s Museum. The art focuses on children’s books and some of the authors will also be present for book signings. Local children’s artwork will also be featured. There is a free gallery admission and regular exhibits will be closed. 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Friday, April 10: Story Time with Eloise Huber Join us at 11 a.m. and share your hopes and dreams for a better tomorrow. We will make a “Hopes and Dreams” mobile in the ArtSpace. Class is limited to 20 children ages 4 and up.
Saturday, April 11: Sasol’s Second Saturday Science Show
Saturday, April 25: It’s Our Birthday!
Sasol continues its 5S Project with “The Science of Soap” at 11:30 a.m. Dan Plummer will introduce the importance of soap, detergents and cleaners. Demonstrations include different types of soaps, how soaps and oils mix and bubbles.
Enjoy $4 admission this day in honor of our 27th birthday! Make a paper plate flower in the ArtSpace from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. At 11 a.m., the Lake Area Model Railroaders will talk to the kids and run multiple trains in Sweet Lake and Gulf Model Railroad.
The Children’s Museum is located at 327 Broad Street downtown Lake Charles. Museum hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $7.50 for children and adults. Call 337-433-9420 or visit www.swlakids.org 26 April 9, 2015
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Macbeth April 15-19 Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth is considered one of his darkest and most powerful works. See it performed at the SFAA Theatre, 4205 Ryan St., McNeese State University at 7:30 p.m. April 15-19. www. mcneese.edu/performingarts.
16 in Ten Minutes April 16 The Westlake High Theatre Department announces the final performance of its season with 16 In Ten Minutes or Less. Directed by Kerry A. Onxley, the lives of seven teenagers become intertwined in this humorous and oftentimes bittersweet collection of ten-minute plays. It will be performed at Westlake High School at 1000 Garden Drive in Westlake on Thurs., April 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 per person, and can be purchased by calling (337) 217-4950 or on the evening of the show beginning at 6 p.m.
Jazz in the Courtyard April 17 Jazz in the Courtyard is an open-air concert and dinner event featuring the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, along with the Jazz in the Arts Student Combo and the Westlake High School Jazz Band. It will be held Fri., April 17 at the Calcasieu Marine Bank Building. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $400 for VIP tables of 8. Doors open and dinner starts at 6 p.m., concert begins at 7 p.m. www.jayecker@hotmail.com, (337) 853-8800 jazzinthearts.webconnex.com/jazzinthecourtyard.
CyPhaCon April 17-19 CyPhaCon is SWLA’s largest Anime, Gaming, Sci-Fi, Pop Culture Convention for a reason. This year, they are bringing you the biggest event possible! Anime Guest of Honor: Vic Mignonga; Fantasy Guest of Honor: Miltos Yerolemou, best known around the world for bringing Syrio Forel to life in HBO’s epic series The Game of Thrones! Will be held at the LC Civic Center. Admission is $35 for a 3-day pass. www. cyphacon.org.
Steel Magnolias April 18-19, May 1-3 Lake Charles Little Theatre presents the beloved Steel Magnolias. Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin Parish is where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Filled with hilarious repartee and humorously revealing verbal collisions, the play moves toward tragedy and the ladies suddenly realize their own mortality. Performances are April 18-19, 24-26 and May 1-3. www.thelclt.com.
Banners presents Driving Blind April 21 Driving Blind is a feature-length documentary about two brothers faced with a rare genetic disease that causes blindness. They decide to take the road trip of a lifetime around the country to see everything possible before going blind. The film is a portrait of what makes America beautiful, what really matters in life, and what we as human beings do with our short time here. Begins at 7 p.m. in Stokes Auditorium at McNeese, free admission. www.bannners.org.
Spring Walk and Art Battle April 24 Experience SWLA’s vibrant array of visual arts during the annual Spring Art Walk as the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana presents a comprehensive experience of our downtown art scene as cafés, bars, restaurants, and buildings are transformed into pop-up galleries for the evening. The Art Battle will return and feature teams of artists who will compete to create a mural live in front of an audience - in only an hour! 5-9 p.m. (337) 439-2787 or go to www. artsandhumanitiesswla.org.
Westlake Family Fun & Food Festival April 17-19 Established in 1992 after 25 years of being the St. John Bosco Church Bazaar, the Westlake Family Fun & Food Festival started as a small town festival bringing the community together for good times with family and friends. Held at St. John Bosco church, there will be activities for the whole family. Enjoy the games, train rides, moonwalks, great food and more! (337) 439-6585.
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Contraband Days Festival April 28-May 10
‘An Evening With Musicmakers’ May 3
Contraband Days is a 12-day festival filled with family fun. The festivities kicks off with a pirate ship bombardment to “take control over the city” at the seawall of the Lake Charles Civic Center. A gang of rowdy and unruly buccaneers and “Jean Lafitte” overruns the blazing cannons of the local militia. They then raise their Jolly Roger flag and capture the mayor by force with swords drawn and make him walk the plank! Enjoy evening parades, firework shows, carnival, entertainment on three stages, sailing regatta, Cajun cuisine, contests, beach games, action-packed competitions and family night. Admission is $5 per person. www.contrabanddays.com.
“An Evening With MusicMakers,” featuring pop and classical music along with classical ballet will be held at 6 p.m. Sun., May 3 at the Tritico Theater on the McNeese Campus. MusicMakers are comprised of approximately 30 elementary, middle school and high school and McNeese State University music majors who have been gifted with instruments from MusicMakers2U, a non-profit organization that accepts donations of musical instruments, cleans them and gives them to students. A reception and silent auction will precede the performance from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Shearman Fine Arts Grand Gallery. Tickets are available atMcNeese.edu/theatre or for purchase at the door for a $30 donation to MusicMakers2U. musicmakers2U@ gmail.com.
Derby for Dollars May 2
A Black Tie Affair May 9
Derby for Dollars will be held at The Stables at Le Bocage on Sat., May 2. Starts at 3:30 p.m. with food from the Lake Area’s finest restaurants, spirits, music, televised Kentucky Derby action, equestrian jumping exhibition, and contests for the best ladies’ hat and gents’ best Derby duds. Proceeds will benefit the children participating in programs at the Shannon Cox Counseling Center, a division of Family & Youth. Tickets are $100 each. www.fyca.org, (337) 436-9533.
The annual Calcasieu Medical Society Foundation’s fundraiser A Black Tie Affair is set for Sat., May 9, beginning at 6 p.m. at L’Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles. Cocktail hour and silent auction will be followed by dinner and a live auction. Following dinner, the evening’s Big Band themed entertainment headliner, Rory Partin will take the stage. Proceeds benefit the Calcasieu Community Clinic. www.ablacktieaffair.org, (337) 478-3780.
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Insurgent (Summit Entertainment, 2015) judges, and at their head is that Insurgent is the second Titanic lady (Kate Winslet), in a series of stories about and her judgment is to kill the future. Based upon the Divergents, which Tris is, even book, it continues where the though she’s with the Dauntfirst movie, Divergent ended, less group, although most of with heroine Tris and her lover boyfriend Four running Dauntless is the police force trying to find and kill her. from the Erudite, the people (Pause while I chew on in charge of their dystopian some gum.) world. Except it turns out that I had forgotten the plot of Jeanine (Titanic Lady Kate Divergent, so the beginning of this movie was confusing to Winslet) doesn’t want to kill Tris, she just wants to open me. I couldn’t tell what Dysa secret box. The secret box topian future I was in. This contains a message from is known as Dystopia Myothe founders of society back pia, because they all look the when everyone was trying to same. kill each other. Jeanine kills It doesn’t matter though, because Tris and Four are hot. a young Divergent girl trying to get the box open and realThey’re the dream couple, izes that it’s going to take a the high school ideal, young, attractive, and with wounded, special Divergent to open the box, one who is 100 percent secret pasts. Because they’re hot, they get to live for a while Divergent and looks exactly like Tris. in secret with society’s farmIf all this sounds asinine ing community, Amity. The and juvenile, well, it is. But people of Amity are like a the pacing of this asinine, juteen’s idea of farmers, always venile movie is killer because smiling and laughing when you’re like, out of breath on they go heave ho shoveling the edge of your seat and then a bucket of cow patties. Bethere’s a love scene and Four cause Tris and Four are troutakes his shirt off like in the bled and hot and don’t like last movie. And then a long the smell of cow patties, they hot kiss. don’t fit in. (Chomp chomp, chewing While they’re in hiding, on gum again.) the Erudites (or is it Erudite?) With all this running and come looking to kill Tris and romance and killing, Tris is Four and a few of their budalso having nightmares, and dies. Erudites are society’s Vol. 6 • No. 26
wishes all the fighting would stop, because a gun is a heavy burden to carry. But Titanic Lady (Jeanine/Kate Winslet) will kill whomever it takes to make society safe, and so Tris carries a bigger gun, just in case. Did I mention that Tris has a brother, Caleb? He isn’t a Dauntless or an Amity or an Erudite or a Divergent or a Factionless, but rather, a member of the peace-loving group that doesn’t believe in guns, so he uses a knife instead. Will Tris ever come to accept who and what she is? Will she ever stop dreaming about her mother who got purged with all the other peaceloving people in their village? Will she have Four’s baby in Divergent Three, and will he or she be named Five? Or Quint? That would be so rad. Anyway, guns, and people threatening to shoot each other in the head, and tats, and that look on Titanic Lady’s face when her plans don’t work out. Yeah, that’s Insurgent. Insurgent is rated PG-13 so that mature audiences won’t be fooled, and for succeeding in making Kate Winslet look like your mom. I can’t wait for Divergent Three, Detergent, where all the loose ends get cleaned up. Gum, anyone? Hey, enjoy! April 9, 2015 29
A Spool of Blue Thread Cut from the same cloth. That’s what your grandma said about you and your siblings, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth: you were different as sun and rain. You came from the same set of parents, and that’s about all you had in common. Still, there are always things in life that stitch families together and in Anne Tyler’s new book A Spool of Blue Thread, the Whitshanks needed that kind of mending. When Junior Whitshank built the house on Bouton Road just after the Depression, folks noticed that he threw his heart into it, but no one fully understood. They didn’t know that Junior aimed to someday live there himself, even though Bouton Road was built for well-to-do clients, and Junior wasn’t. Even so, eyeing a dream that would surely come true, he insisted that every door, newel, and window were the finest his clients’ money could buy. Red Whitshank knew that the house he inherited from his father was a great place to raise a family but he never thought much past that. Over the years, as he and Abby brought each baby home, Red remodeled some, moved the girls to make room for boys, and added a bathroom - but for him, there were other things more pressing to consider. Like 30 April 9, 2015
work, for instance. For Red’s wife, Abby, the house on Bouton Road was the heart of her family, though there were times when she didn’t understand where things went wrong - especially with her oldest son, Denny. He’d always been the Black Sheep child, the one who flitted from here to there and could never settle down. It wasn’t unusual for him to disappear, for years to pass before they heard from him again. That hurt Abby because deep in her heart, Denny was her favorite and she’d never admit that to anybody but Red. She wasn’t even sure Red listened anymore (he was just like his father); he said she worried too much but wasn’t that a hallmark of a good mother? And wasn’t a good mother the ribbon that tied the family together? Much as I loved A Spool of Blue Thread, I struggle to define it because it’s really not about anything in particular. Through the eyes of three generations of average people, author Anne Tyler spins a tale of love and family dynamics. The Whitshanks marry, they squabble, they grow, they deal with tragedy, that’s all.
Then again, that’s not all. Tyler makes this book feel like a long conversation on the front porch with a friend (or two) whose family is going through a rough spot. You’ll listen, you’ll raise eyebrows in gentle surprise, you’ll nod, you’ll sympathize – but you just can’t turn away. Nor can you put this heart-striking novel down because it feels just right for a few spring afternoons. And so, if the next book club pick is yours or you want a good family drama to read, A Spool of Blue Thread has that all sewn up.
“A Spool of Blue Thread” by Anne Tyler ©2015, Knopf/ Bond Street Books $25.95/$32 Canada 368 pages Vol. 6 • No. 26
With Tommie Townsley
Something We Haven’t Seen Before By Rebecca Stelly When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of all things Disney, but as I grew up, I started to notice that the world was filling up with new kinds of people and that it would take new pictures and new stories to satisfy a generation who, like me, was growing much harder to impress. Now, even Disney has gotten with the program,
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breaking many of its own rules to make Frozen. I feel the main goal of art and storytelling is to show people, whether they are young or old, something they have never seen before, or else, make them notice something they would not have noticed otherwise. This is hard, considering we live in a world where skyscrapers and flying machines go unnoticed. It is much harder to
notice an old toy, a glass bottle on the beach, a cabin in the woods or a guy sweeping the floor in a New Orleans restaurant. If you look closer at these things, you may find yourself pulled into some strange adventures involving a stuffed animal with eerie powers, (Burlap Cat, coming soon) a curious young sea monster (To The World Above), the big, bad wolf (Papa Bear and the Big Bad Wolf) or a 200-year-old zombie who can point the way to ancient treasure (audio and e-book, Enthralled: Pawn of the Necromancers). I published my first book, To the World Above, with the support of my family and my friends at the Southwest Louisiana Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Guild and their publishing company, Ally-Gator Book Bites. I illustrated a second book (Papa Bear and the Big Bad Wolf) for To the World Above’s printer, Joanne Bolton, who had always wanted to write her own children‘s stories. Papa Bear and the Big Bad Wolf is a sequel to Goldilocks where that curious girl discovers Grandma’s house and meets another notorious home invader, the Big Bad Wolf ! Knowing how involved the author (an artist herself ) wanted to be in her book’s illustration, I offered more traditional characters to encourage suggestions and create something I hoped would be more personalized to the author, and the feedback I received allowed me to create something that was as much Joanne’s as it was mine. To the World Above draws a child’s attention to the deepest part of the sea in a book that is both fact and fantasy. A glossary in the back allows young readers to discover that many things in the book are real! It introduces children of all ages to the amazing creatures and geological features in the deep sea. New discoveries are being made every day. Enthralled: Pawn of the
Rebecca Stelly with her first book, To the World Above
Necromancers is a one-hour adventure read aloud by an award-winning voice actor William Dufris. It appeals to teens and adults with busy lives and is published by Mind Wings Audio. Text versions of the story are also available to be read on e-books or e-book apps on other devices, and you can go to Amazon.com for the cd or e-book. Burlap Cat is a chapter book in its editing phase, and I hope it will help young readers to see possibilities where they have never seen them before, such as in old photographs, ghost towns, libraries and city parks-things one wouldn’t think twice about that could have been part of history and have secrets waiting to be discovered. In addition to SWLA Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Guild, which meets the second Saturday of every month at Central Library in Lake Charles, I am also a member of Bayou Writer’s Group, which meets the first Saturday of every month at the Carnegie Library. Both groups meet from 10 a.m. to noon and welcome new members. “To the World Above” and “Papa Bear and the Big Bad Wolf ” are available from allygatorbookbites.com and “Enthralled: Pawn of the Necromancers” is available through Amazon.com. April 9, 2015 31
Tasterite Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Salt Fish
BBQ Chicken
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Food is something we, as Lake Charlesians, are serious about. The meals we grew up eating--once prepared by our parents and grandparents, taught to us so that we may pass them down to the generations that follow are known around the world. However, no matter how popular our home cooking, we find ourselves looking for something new to eat. In the past decade, the city has been blessed with a collection of eclectic cuisines ranging from various forms of Latin to Mediterranean, Asian, and even Indian. There is one gem, however, that is pumping out some bold flavors and introducing the area to a whole heap of new recipes, all the while putting their own spin on some local favorites. Tasterite Jamaican has been in business for a little over two years ago, establishing themselves as the Lake Area’s first and only Jamaican restaurant. Bringing the heat of the scotch bonnet pepper and rich jerk seasoning to events like Live @ the Lakefront and Spring Bling, Tasterite is expanding the taste buds of the city at a rapid pace. Traditional Jamaican cuisine is a mixture of cooking techniques, spices and influences evolving from the wide variety of cultures found on the island. Once a Spanish possession known as Santiago, the indigenous Arawak and Taino,
originally from South America, first settled on the island between 4,000 and 1,000 BC. Bringing their knowledge of hunting, fishing, farming and trapping to the island, along with their skills in architecture, the natives quickly devolved a steady diet of what could be found and farmed there. By the late 1800s, the cuisine had been adapted by African, Indian, British, French, Spanish, Chinese influences and has reached a standard that can be considered uniquely Jamaican. Smothered chicken, pot roast pork, oxtails, and boiled crawfish are all dishes we are quite familiar with, but you’ve never tasted them like this before. Marrying these traditional methods of cooking with our local produce, owner/chef Daemon Bailey has created a signature taste that appeals to the hearts and bellies of the Lake Area. With the community significantly expanding in the last couple of years, Tasterite couldn’t have come at a better time. New residents, tourists, and temporary visitors come from a wide range of backgrounds, many of which are major cities with major options for dining. Offering classic dishes like Jerk Chicken, Ackee and Salt Fish and Steam Callaloo, they truly bring a taste of the Caribbean to Calcasieu. The latest creation in Daemon’s gastronomical arsenal is his “Finga Vol. 6 • No. 26
Oxtails
Heather at the register! Likin” boiled crawfish. Cranking up the heat and giving the boil a little “mix up, mix up” with some island spices leaves the tails with a flavor that is a tale to be told. The top-ranking service owner/ manager Heather Wade provides the finishing touch needed to keep customers coming back day after day. Make no mistake, Heather is not all paper and pens. When she is not putting smiles on faces and organizing
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big-ticket orders, she is helping Daemon throw down in the kitchen. Heather and Daemon have dedicated themselves to buying, serving, and being as locally involved as possible. As our city continues to grow we will need options, so dedicating ourselves to supporting ones like Tasterite is a no-brainer. For years, we have begged for new things in our community, so now that we have them we should do all that we can to keep them flourish-
ing. Should you find yourself staring at the clock waiting for lunch, frustrated because you can’t decide between the same ol’ options, cool down ya pace at Tasterite and be sure to hashtag dat when you do! As always, eat, sleep, drink, and Support Local!
#TasteriteJamaican #LocalsSupportingLocals #SupportLocalLC
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By Brian Pitre Over the last century, we have developed a devoted relationship with our local radio stations. Staying true to our favorite DJs and blasting the Top 40 out of our car windows is part of our culture. Introducing us to the music we love and keeping us informed on world events, the radio has been a part of everything we do. Since its introduction in the early 1900s, the programs broadcasted on these networks have created lifelong memories for generations of listeners. However, bloggers and researchers have been projecting that radio as we know it is dying. Free streaming media cast companies like Pandora, Spotify, and Soundcloud have changed the way we find new music, and iTunes and Amazon Prime have changed the way music is purchased, offering fans the opportunity to pick and choose what they want to hear and from whom. Jacob Conner Ross, lead production manager of KBYS Lake Charles, doesn’t think these major companies are the direct cause of the decline in classic radio. “I think radio is killing itself,” he says. “If radio
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is to survive, it has to go back to local.” Radio was initially established as a local broadcasting system, created to keep citizens of a targeted area entertained and informed. Once small towers began being bought out by major corporations, the content that was produced changed and was no longer valued by the communities it reached. Technology began to evolve, as did the technicians who operated the equipment. Since it no longer requires as many techs to run a studio, companies have downsized. Laying off dedicated operators and replacing them with ad-hungry sales agents has turned our beloved pastime into an overpriced marketing tool. If we want to save radio, we have to get the community to start listening. That is exactly what Ross set out to do when he was approached with the opportunity to open a radio station on the McNeese State University campus. A McNeese graduate, Ross worked for a number of production studios in the area and quickly began to notice how much of the heart and soul had been cut out of radio.
Dead-set on making a difference, he leaped at the offer. When Chad Thibodeaux, station manager for KBYS, first approached Ross with the idea, neither of them were sure of how it was going to work, but trial and error and some creative thinking brought them to a sound plan of action. “From the very start, our main focus was not allowing the network to become a traditional college station with a jumbled playlist and hard-to-follow programming,” Ross says. Combining their expertise, Thibodeaux and Ross began recruiting talent and develop-
ing ideas for new shows that would not only be innovative, but attractive. “Putting the community back into ‘community programming’ was the next step,” Ross explains. “Opening the station doors to local artists as well as on-air guest and performers offers locals the opportunity to get their music heard by everyone in the listening area.” For many local artists, having a universal venue to showcase their work is the only thing standing between them and a world of opportunities. In the past, starving artists could put together a demo and deliver it to their favorite DJ in hopes of being Vol. 6 • No. 26
heard on-air. KBYS wants to resurrect that concept and help the Lake Area promote what it has to offer from right here at home. “Having locals on-air every Wednesday, performing original songs and then playing across the street has been a HUGE hit and done wonders for connecting the community,” Ross says. Braylin Jenkins is the station’s on-air morning personality and loves what he does. His enthusiasm is contagious. “KBYS is unlike anything else Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana has had in past decades,” he says. “The ability to be directly interactive with the community is something I have never experienced. A person, organization, musician and/or listener can literally message me or anyone with the station the night before the morning show or before another show and ask to come on to discuss the community-oriented activity or event that they need highlighted and there’s a great chance that we can accommodate them. That concept is almost unheard of today.” Jenkins says he personally strives to bring diversity to the station. “Over the course of any given week, I hope to have a variety of guests to offer a full reflective of our wonderful community,” he explains. “While our music programming has grown stronger and will continue to improve, we have already seen how positively the area is responding and we’re thankful for their support,” he continues. “The students at McNeese are also beginning to see the positives of having KBYS and we look forward to more opportunities to partner with and/ or assist them. We recently partnered with the National Broadcast Society of McNeese to begin the Lake Charles Live Vol. 6 • No. 26
& Local Series which allows musicians, mostly local, to perform their originals on air and be interviewed followed by a longer performance on campus free for students.” Reaching the community and keeping “local” as their motto is the core of the station and staff ’s philosophy. Wrapping up the major success of their first season with a surprise April Fool’s throwback prank, the station is on track to encore their success this year. Bringing in lots of new artists and local correspondents, the crew has finally fallen into their groove offering a wide variety of music and entertainment to our community. The staff dedicates themselves, night and day, to giving us more to listen to than Big Media, as well as opening the door to those whose voices want to be heard. Great happenings have been projected for KBYS’s near future, including plans for a KBYS Media listening app. They are also working towards becoming the areas first HD network. HD Radio technology will allow the station to transmit a clear, high-quality digital signal, causing FM radio to sound almost as good as a CD and AM radio to sound as good as traditional FM. Best of all, it will increase the listening options with multicasting. “KBYS will be a part of everyone’s life at some point,” Jenkins says. “Whether you listen to the station or attend events associated with KBYS, we are in this for the long haul and will play a role in the progression of the region as a stronger community.” If you haven’t done so already, tune in to 88.3 and seize the opportunity to be a part of the KBYS family. Get away from the ads, embrace the community, and Listen Local! April 9, 2015 35
Thursday, April 9 Happy Hour 4 p.m.-1 a.m. @ Bourbonz 3436 Ryan St., LC Julie Williams 6 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC
George Porter, Jr. 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., LC
Slim Harper 8 p.m. @ The Center Stage 3426 Ryan Street, LC
DJ Crush 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Backyard Boys 7 p.m. @ Mikko Live Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder
New Waves
New Waves 8 p.m.-midnight @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
Rusty Metoyer & Zydeco Crush 8 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Drivin Dixie 7:30 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC
Karaoke Night 9 p.m. @ Crystal’s 112 W. Broad St., LC
DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 3 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
Sink Hole/Drysocket /Shores of Acheron Unrest/Viridian
DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 2 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC Ladies Night – DJ Crush 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Friday, April 10 Julie Williams 7 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC Street Side Jazz Band 7 p.m. @ Luna Bar and Grill 710 Ryan St., LC Danny O’Flaherty 7 p.m. @ Stellar Beans 319 Broad St. LC 36 April 9, 2015
Dustin Landry & Travis Corbello 7 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC
8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
Stellar 9 p.m. @ Mikko Live Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder BB & Company 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton Mr. DJ 9 p.m. @ Bourbonz 3436 Ryan St., LC
Spanky 9 p.m.- midnight @ Cigar Club 1700 E. Prien Lake Rd., LC Dance Night 9 p.m.- 4 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 W. Broad St., LC
Saturday, April 11 Julie Williams 7 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC
8 p.m. @ The Center Stage 3426 Ryan Street, LC New Waves 9 p.m.-1 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 3 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC Stellar 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder BB & Company 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton Vol. 6 • No. 26
Mr. DJ 9 p.m. @ Bourbonz 3436 Ryan St., LC DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 3 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
DJ Crush 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Sunday, April 12 Chester & Jairus Daigle 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Spanky 9-midnight @ Cigar Club 1700 E. Prien Lake Rd., LC Special Event Night 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 W. Broad St., LC
Mike & the Moonpies 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., LC
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@Jack Daniels’ Whiskey Brunch L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Reed Planchard 4 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC Sunday Youth Jazz Workshop 5 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., LC
Monday, April 13 Open Mic Night 9-midnight @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., LC
Jazz Night with Mickey Smith 6:30 @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC
Hanna Heart 7:30 – 11:30 p.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC Two for Tuesday on Everything! 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 Broad St., LC
Wednesday, April 15 Street Side Jazz Band 11 a.m. @ Luna Bar and Grill 710 Ryan St., LC Ellis Vanicor and the Lacassine Playboys 3-7 p.m. @ Wayne & Layne’s Deli 3906 Hwy 27 S, Sulphur
Wholesome Karaoke Night Hosted by Lynch & Cornbread 10 p.m. @ MyPlace American Pub 630 W. Prien Lake Rd. Ste G, LC
Tuesday, April 14 Guys Night @ Bourbonz 3436 Ryan St., LC
Chris Miller & Bayou Roots 6:30 @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC Mike and Amber 7:30 – 11:30 p.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
April 9, 2015 37
Jim Pharis
Thursday, April 16
8 – 11 p.m. @ Cigar Club 1700 E. Prien Lake Rd., LC
Happy Hour 4 p.m.-1 a.m. @ Bourbonz 3436 Ryan St., LC
Talent Night 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 Broad St., LC
Amanda Walker 6 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar
Strange Magic... Sometimes, you just don’t know when or where a great experience or adventure is going to find you. I certainly had no idea what was awaiting me the night of March 13 in the grand ol’ City of New Orleans. All I knew was a date and a time to be ready to hit the road. C’est tout! It was all I had to go on to decide whether or not I was taking this ride and nothing told me that I wouldn’t jump on board. So, when that fateful Friday rolled around, we loaded up and headed east. My brother and I are both fans of music, theater, comedy and performances of any vast number of varieties, and we’ve taken more of these types of adventures with each other than with anyone else over the years. Crosby, Stills and Nash; Van Morrison; B.B. King; Al Green, Jackson Browne; Neil Young; Counting Crows and Charles Bradley are just a few of the many acts we’ve seen together. When he told me to clear my schedule and ask no questions, the only reasonable thing was to do just that. So, after insane amounts of road delays, accidents, construction, detours and
38 April 9, 2015
L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC
Bernie Allen & Bayou Katz 7 p.m. @ Mikko Live Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder
more, we rolled into the Crescent City on two wheels and practically ran to make it to the show on time. It was in this haste that the lights of the marquee of the legendary Saenger Theater came into view and with it, I finally had my answer. That night, we were seeing Penn & Teller.
He’s a Magic Man... Let me preface this with the fact that we are both really big P&T fans. My brother more so, since he loves magic about as much as I love music. But I’m also a huge magic fan, and the fact that they were in NOLA and I knew nothing about it was staggering to me. Yet, I found myself jumping into my seat a mere minute before the house lights dimmed and I heard those words I’d been waiting some time to hear: “Good evening. My name is Penn Jillette and this is my partner Teller and we are Penn & Teller.” Those words started an evening of artistry, humor and wonder the likes of which you are unlikely to forget. Outside of the outstanding Vol. 6 • No. 26
Fuse 8 p.m. – midnight @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 2 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort
2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC Karaoke Night 9 p.m. @ Crystal’s 112 W. Broad St., LC Ladies Night – DJ Cage 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark
performances both artists bring to the table, and outside of the technical mastery of their show and staff, there was admittedly something else. There was something about watching the two of them out on the boards, lit in the footlights and washed in the spots, which gave the whole show a very kinetic feeling that made even the illusions we’ve poured over in videos (Teller’s Shadows being one of the most brilliant of all) hit us just as if it was the first time seeing them. It took me back to my days in theater and recalled that same kind of energy that built up in the dressing room, intensified in the wings and fueled your every movement, emotion and word once you hit the stage. It was that same energy and it was so present that night in New Orleans it was palpable. That’s the REAL magic of theater. It’s not the type that sees women sawed in half, or coins turned into goldfish, even. It’s that live and inexplicable feeling that happens with live theater of any sort, be it the technical mastery and comedic brilliance of Penn & Teller or even a wellexecuted community or college theater production that still finds ways to move, motivate and entertain you. It is the magic that leads an actor, a tech or an administrator to spend four to six to eight weeks giving all of their free time to rehearsing, designing, preparing, building, dressing or directing a show with not one cent of pay and that very same magic that drives audiences to see these shows despite the technological “conveniences” we have to entertain ourselves these days BOTH right here in this very town. Theater is alive, and it’s still alive for some very good reasons. If you have yet to discover that for yourself, I urge you to go see these talented men and women work and learn more about how dynamic and entertaining theater can be. If you like it, throw your hat in the ring if you Vol. 6 • No. 26
L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Street Side Jazz Band
Friday, April 17
7 p.m. @ Luna Bar and Grill 710 Ryan St., LC
Amanda Walker 7 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC
Reed Planchard 7:30 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, Lake Charles
find yourself as compelled as so many of us over the years to dig into a character, a cast, or the process and help make some theater happen for yourself and for the community at large. All the world’s a
stage... you might as well get used to being on one. Who knows? You might find a rabbit up your own sleeve and find you’re pretty good at it. I promise you, stranger things HAVE happened.
Something’s Happening Here... Yes, there is some THEATER happening here and I want you all to go out and enjoy two incredibly famous bits of stagecraft:
April 15-19 Macbeth @McNeese’s Anita Tritico Theatre Shakespeare’s legendary Macbeth (or “the Scottish play”) comes to MSU under the masterful hand of director Charles McNeely. It will run for five shows April 15- 19. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, K-12 students and MSU faculty and staff. For tickets and more information, visit www.mcneese.edu/theatre.
April 18-May 3 Steel Magnolias @Lake Charles Little Theatre Directed by LCLT veteran James Johnson, this perennial Southern favorite makes its way to the Lake Charles Little Theater stage opening on Sat., April 18. Subsequent performances will take place on the April 19-25, and May 1-3. Tickets are $10 for seniors and students and $15 for adults, and are available at the theater or online at www.thelclt.com/tickets.
Ab-ra-ab-ra-cadabra. I Wanna Reach Out and Grab Ya... Well, grab a pic with ya, anyway. A big thanks to Penn & Teller for being such great talents, phenomenal guys and for taking some time for pics and indulging fans to adulate them incessantly. Do check out www.pennssundayschool.com for Penn’s weekly podcast and its sister podcast “Ice Cream Social with PSS. vet Matt Donnelly and his comedy partner Paul Mattingly and all of their faithful “Scoops” at http://mattandmattingly.com/. They are terribly entertaining shows and I hope you give them a listen. Until next time, I’ll see you at the show! April 9, 2015 39
Amy Nicole & Zydeco Soul 8 p.m. @ The Center Stage 3426 Ryan Street, LC
L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
The Kilowatts 8 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Amanda Walker 7 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC
Saturday, April 18
3 Hour Tour 7:30 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC
Seldom/Black Heart Saints/Angel Siren 8 p.m. @ The Center Stage 3426 Ryan Street, LC
Fuse 8:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC Larry Tillery 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 3 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC At Fault 9 p.m. @ Mikko Live Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder Karaoke 9 p.m. @ Coolers 3622 1/2 Ryan St. LC Neal Smith 9 p.m.- Midnight @ Cigar Club 1700 E. Prien Lake Rd., LC Dance Night 9 p.m. – 4 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 W. Broad St., LC Mike Zito 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., LC DJ Cage 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark 40 April 9, 2015
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Special Event Night 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 W. Broad St., LC
Mark Henry 9 p.m.- Midnight @ Cigar Club 1700 E. Prien Lake Rd., LC
Sunday, April 19
Monday, April 20
Live Music 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Open Mic Night 9-midnight @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., LC
@Jack Daniels’ Whiskey Brunch Larry Tillery 9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton
Fuse 9 p.m.– 1 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 3 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
Troy Lazarus 9 p.m. @ Mikko Live Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder
Large Marge 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., LC
DJ Cage 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC Street Side Jazz Band 11 a.m. @ Luna Bar and Grill 710 Ryan St., LC
Ellis Vanicor and the Lacassine Playboys
Wholesome Karaoke Night Hosted by Lynch & Cornbread 10 p.m. @ MyPlace American Pub 630 W. Prien Lake Rd. Ste G, LC
Tuesday, April 21 Guys Night @ Bourbonz 3436 Ryan St., LC
William Christian
3-7 p.m. @ Wayne & Layne’s Deli 3906 Hwy 27 S, Sulphur
6:30 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC
JC Melancon 4 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC
Hanna Heart 7:30 – 11:30 p.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
Denver’s Final Curtain Call By Marilyn Dawdy I sat in my car, not wanting to get out. I was here to attend the funeral of my good friend, Denver Kaufman. Many of you probably didn’t even know his name, but you certainly benefitted from his talent. No, he wasn’t a doctor, a lawyer, or even a politician. But Denver had the power to move mountains and light up a stage! As the head person responsible for the Rose Hart Theater and many of the events at the Civic Center, Denver seemed to be everywhere. Even in the kitchen, I still called on Denver for help. He would pass through, grab a bite to eat, and sit for a short visit. He was always jovial, a Willie Nelson sort of guy. Denver helped hundreds of stage productions, all behind that big black curtain. We shared so many years.... not the glitzy, showy, glamorous center stage, but the backstage headaches, Vol. 6 • No. 26
glitches, and problems that always cropped up at the last minute. When everything was perfect again, we would share a smile, a hand-wave, and a chuckle, as we both knew it would happen again next time. So I gathered my courage and went into the church. It was filled with Civic Center personnel, politicians, dance instructors, Mardi Gras Captains, friends, and family. The service was beautiful and touching. As the casket was being escorted from the church by the Buccaneers, a final tribute was given, complete with black curtains, spotlights, and a mournful “last curtain call.” Through tearful eyes and a heavy heart, I exited the church. Since I had known Denver for many decades, the realization of what a short time we have on this earth became a stark reality. But, there is a much larger stage up in the sky where I hope to see my friend once more. Thank you Denver, for your friendship! April 9, 2015 41
Dancing 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 Broad St., LC
Karaoke with Avid Sounds 9 p.m. @ Coolers 3622 1/2 Ryan St. LC
Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder
Wednesday, April 22
Swagger
The Crush 9 p.m. @ Mikko Live Coushatta Casino Resort 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder
Talent Night 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 Broad St., LC
8 p.m.- midnight @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
JC Callier & the Zydeco Knockouts
Thursday, April 23
Karaoke Night 9 p.m. @ Crystal’s 112 W. Broad St., LC
Chris Miller & Bayou Roots 6:30 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC Karaoke with DJ Cornbread 7 p.m. @ Bourbonz 3436 Ryan St., LC
Kelly Furr 7:30 – 11:30 p.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC Jesse Taylor 8-11 p.m. @ Cigar Club 1700 E. Prien Lake Rd., LC
Happy Hour 4 p.m.-1 a.m. @ Bourbonz 3436 Ryan St., LC
Katie Whitney & Chip Radford 6 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC Mark Reeves & Twisted X 7 p.m. @ Mikko Live
DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 2 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC Ladies Night – DJ Crush 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Friday, April 24 Katie Whitney & Chip Radford 7 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC Street Side Jazz Band 7 p.m. @ Luna Bar and Grill 710 Ryan St., LC Mike Fulmer 7 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC Swagger 8: 30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC Josephine 8 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC DJ Jose Mata 9 p.m.- 3 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC 42 April 9, 2015
9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge Delta Downs 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton Acoustic Pie 9 p.m.- midnight @ Cigar Club 1700 E. Prien Lake Rd., LC Dance Night 9 p.m.- 4 a.m. @ Crystal’s 112 W. Broad St., LC DJ Crush 11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark L’Auberge Casino Resort 777 Ave. L’Auberge, LC
Saturday, April 25 Katie Whitney & Chip Radford 7 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LC Frayed Soul 7:30 p.m. @ Loggerheads 3748 Hwy 305, LC
Tassie Burnette 8 p.m. @ The Center Stage 3426 Ryan Street, LC Swagger 9 p.m.-1 a.m. @ Blue Martini Golden Nugget Casino Resort 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd. LC
Oh Rhien 10 p.m. @ Luna Live 710 Ryan St., LC Vol. 6 • No. 26
By Braylin Jenkins
Spring Events The Lake City continues to flourish with so many activities and events to choose from. While we can’t attend every event, know that whatever your choice, you are supporting local, investing in our area and showing organizers that you appreciate what they have done for our community. Lake Charles is considered the festival capital of Louisiana and this is the time of year that many of us love the most. Live @ the Lakefront is always a staple series on my calendar and I’m now anticipating Downtown at Sundown. Make sure you leave your Friday evenings open, as the line-up alone is one that amazes. Wendy Colona, Jo-El Sonnier, Marcia Ball and Rusty Metoyer and Zydeco Krush are slated to perform over the course of the concert series, which takes place four consecutive Fridays, May 15 through June 5, in downtown Lake Charles. If you could see the behind-the-scenes preparations that go into making these events possible, you would be calling the organizers asking to volunteer your time to be a part of the process. There are so many plans in the work for our area. Locals who have been waiting for the right moment to invest in a dream or project that they can be proud of are beginning to take the appropriate steps to make it a reality. It’s coming--from eateries to nightlife, to festivals and new specialized amenities that we never thought we would see in Lake Charles.
What About Our Young People?
I would love to take a poll and find out what the young people of Southwest Louisiana do during the summer. Whenever Mardi Gras comes around, there’s Vol. 6 • No. 26
an influx of teens and I always wonder where they are on a normal day. That age group should be always be entertained. Teens need places to go to have a great time with their friends. Their perception of the city begins at that time in their lives. If they’re bored, they may not want to stick around as they get older. Family time is important and I believe it can help to positively shape an individual’s life, but there should be other positive alternatives. While we have the skate park at the Ward 3 Recreation Center near Gerstner Memorial Drive and businesses that offer games and arcade-type areas, there still seems to be something missing. I hear young adults in their late teens and/or just under the legal drinking age saying there is nothing for them to do, and that’s something that should be addressed. Whatever happened to bumper cars and laser tag? Why is there no place to rock climb or trampoline? So many residents in our area have great business ideas and I encourage them to strongly consider making them a reality. We have all of the resources necessary to have durable business plans in place and we even have opportunities to present such ideas to investors. Non-profit organizations serve many purposes in our area and our community proves just how important they matter through financial support along with volunteering time and resources. Here are some of the events that are coming up that improve our community in even greater ways than it already is: On April 17, Jazz in the Arts will hold “Jazz in the Courtyard” at the Historic Calcasieu Marine Building. The event includes performances by the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, the Jazz in the Arts Combo and the Westlake High School Jazz Band. The concert begins at 7 p.m. More information may be found at www. jazzinthearts.webconnex.com/jazzinthecourtyard On April 24, the Arts & Humanities Council of SWLA will hold their annual Spring Art Walk from 5-9 p.m. The next day on the 25th is the 3rd Annual Dragon Boat Race at 9 a.m. Families arrive in droves to get great placement along the civic center’s lakefront promenade seawall. Proceeds from this exciting event benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. April 19 marks World Downs Syndrome Day and a local event organized by Up4Downs of SWLA will be held at the Prien Lake Park Indian Pavilion from 1-4 p.m. Later this year, prepare for the return of the Chennault International Airshow on October 24-25. For more details on this amazing event, go to www.cwww.chennaultairshow.cwww.chennaultairshow.com Southwest Louisiana is in flight and we have the opportunity to go beyond the stars. Please make sure you are a part of this great moment in history. As always, make it a great Southwest Louisiana. April 9, 2015 43
SWLA FREE TO BREATHE 5K RUN/1 MILE Presented by Willie Mount and Lake Charles LNG Company, supporters, survivors, and spectators showed their love at the Lake Charles Civic Center for the 7th annual 5k run/walk down Lakeshore Drive to raise money for lung cancer research. It was a beautiful day for a run. Breathe!
Eva Abate and Denise Rau
Miranda Manuel and Kara Clour
Sandi Varela, David Spam and Wayne Hennigan
Christa and Emma Puckett
Lucille Gotreau, Ava LeBlanc, Rosemary Abadie, Tina Coffman, Leisha White and Lena Mosea
GLAD TIDINGS EASTER EGG HUNT Glad Tidings Church recently held their Easter Egg Hunt for kids 11 and under. It was “Bring Your Own Basket” for prizes and candy. Inflatable jumps, train rides, popcorn, balloons, and food meant a big fun time for all! Sweet!
Janessa and Crystal Bush
Ashley and Ava Tommasi 44 April 9, 2015
Susan Carson and Ryver Floyd
Aurora, Leo, Valentina and Lorena Chirinos
Nyana and Janiya Denton Vol. 6 • No. 26
SWLA GARDEN CONFERENCE & EXPO Spring has sprung, and that means it’s time to work on our gardens! The SWLA Garden Conference and Expo, in its 16th year, had EVERYTHING you need to make your garden grow! From classes, gardening tools, accessories, decorative art, and of course, flowers, plants and trees, the Burton Coliseum was packed for two days. Keep the Lake Area beautiful!
Domanique and Ami Olivarez with Crystal Harden
Melissa Bonsall and Amy Hammock
Florence Victorian, Aaron Little and Brooklyn Victorian
Dalton, Rio and Jessica Choate
Cheri Landry, Judy Gardiner and Thelma Fontenot
PALM FUNDAY It was A FUN FUN FUN day in the park at Christian World Ministries on Palm Sunday. Activities included fun jumps, horseback riding, laser tag, volleyball games and lots of refreshments. A beautiful time for family and friends fellowship!
Cydney Hillard, Tyra Snow, Crystal Malbroux and Lisa Hillard
Jet, Robert, Kai, Adria and Zoe LeBlanc Vol. 6 • No. 26
Tela Lambert and Bentley Brune
Amber and Victoria Mize
Olivia Mayo, Natalie Reinauer and Trinity Foret April 9, 2015 45
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Vol. 6 • No. 26
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