The Jambalaya News - 04/18/13, Vol. 5, No. 2

VOL. 5, NO. 2 / APRIL 18, 2013

Photo: Romero & Romero Photography

PAGE 2 APRIL 18 , 2013 Volume 5 • Issue 2

APRIL 18, 2013 PAGE 3Volume 5 • Issue 2

GENERAL715 Kirby St., Lake Charles, LA 70601Phone: 337-436-7800Fax: 337-990-0262www.thejambalayanews.com

PUBLISHERPhil de [email protected]

NEWSEXECUTIVE EDITORLauren de [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSNicole Shuff ArabieLeslie BermanGeorge ClineAngie Kay DilmoreJulie FayMonica HebertMike LouviereMike McHughMary Louise RuehrBrandon ShoumakerKarla Tullos

[email protected]

SALES ASSOCIATESMichele ClackFaye DrakeAllen Garber

GRAPHICSART/PRODUCTION DIRECTORBurn Rourk

ART ASSISTANTSarah Bercier

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERDanley Romero

BUSINESSOFFICE MANAGERKay Andrews

Legal DisclaimerThe views expressed by The Jambalaya News columnistsare their own and do not necessarily reflect the position ofThe Jambalaya News, its editors or staff.The Jambalaya News is solely owned, published by TheJambalaya News, LLC, 715 Kirby Street, Lake CharlesLouisiana 70601. Phone (337) 436-7800. Whilst everyeffort was made to ensure the information in this maga-zine was correct at the time of going to press, the publish-ers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors oromissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the stand-ing of advertisers nor by the editorial contributions. TheJambalaya News cannot be held responsible for the returnof unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations,even if they are sent to us accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. The views expressed do not necessar-ily reflect those of the publisher.

Copyright 2013 The Jambalaya News all rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without priorwritten permission is prohibited.

April 18, 2013 • Volume 5 • Issue 2

COVER STORY23 Harbour House

REGULARS8 The Boiling Pot9 Hospital Round-Up10 The Dang Yankee11 Tips from Tip12 Adoption Corner14 What’s Cookin’22 Sports Report

FEATURES5 JLLC’s Special Needs

Resource Fair6 How the ‘John B.’

Came to Be15 Newcomers’ Guide

ENTERTAINMENT12 Soul Matters24 Red Hot Books26 HeART of SWLA28 Acting Up!29 Eclectic Company30 Funbolaya31 Family Night

at the Movies33 Society Spice36 Jambalaya Jam38 Local Jam

contents

We accept credit cards!

On Cover: Harbour House Executive Director Amy Dunn,with supporters Robert Frey, and Julius Guillory

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Marathon MemoriesThe Boston Marathon. A tradition that was started

back in 1897. Always held on thethird Monday in April, which isalso a Massachusetts state holidaycommemorating the anniversaryof the Battles of Lexington andConcord on April 19, 1775; thefirst battles of the AmericanRevolutionary War.

Folks come from all over theworld to run in or watch the race.It’s a big, big deal. It supposedlyattracts almost half a millionpeople.

I think most of them have saton the steps of the various apart-ment buildings I have lived inalong the race route. That’s right,while hordes of people were outthere in all kinds of weather (itcan still be pretty chilly in Bostonin April), cheering the runnerson, I could just poke my head outof the window and watch the racein the comfort of my own home.I’d done that a few times when I

was stuck inside writing termpapers and wasn’t able to party.

The weekend before the event,Boston would swell with peopleand press pouring into the cityand its environs. Everythingwould be transformed intoMarathon Central. Parking wouldbe impossible, and don’t eventhink about going out to eat. Butit was fun. We all got caught up inthe spirit of the race.

When you live on the raceroute, you also have “MarathonParties” and so do your neigh-bors. You also get out there andwander the streets of the BackBay and people-watch and mingleand stop in bars and drink with-out worrying how you’re going tobrave the congested streets orjammed subways to get home.You just walk around the corner.

I remember one year, way backin the 1970s, when I had to work.I was selling cosmetics in Lord &Taylor and of course, retail isalways open on a holiday. It was araw, rainy day and I was actually

glad to be working. It was clearlynot a day for spectator sports, letalone running.

The finish line is on BoylstonStreet, right near the store. It wasso cold that some of the poorrunners crossed the line, wrappedthemselves in their foil blankets,and proceeded to the warmth ofour store, only to collapse on thefloor, writhing in pain from legand stomach cramps. “Why dothey put themselves throughthis?” I remember thinking. Itdidn’t seem worth it, to me.

But it is to the runners, and tothe thousands of people whocome each year to cheer them on.If you run in the BostonMarathon, you are really some-thing. Even if you come in last.It’s an achievement that most run-ners dream of. It’s 26 gruelingmiles, but all along the route,people are there, cheering you on.If you cross that finish line, you’vemade it.

Today started off like anyother race day. The crowds, the

excitement, the perseverance ofthe runners.

It did not end like any otherrace day.

I left Boston nine years ago.Louisiana is my home now. I putBoston behind me in 2003.

But with today’s tragedy,everything I love about Bostoncame flooding back: its beauty, itshistory, its politics, its open-mindedness, its culture.

If Philadelphia is the “Cradleof Liberty,” then Boston is thehand that rocked the cradle. Andthe people of Boston did not failtoday.

Journalist Howard Finemansaid it best: "In the end, the ter-rorists will fail becauseBostonians did not turn fromtheir fellow men -- they turnedtoward them. And that is the realmusic of mankind."

A Note From Lauren

TJN– Lauren de Albuquerque

Volume 5 • Issue 2 APRIL 18, 2013 PAGE 5

When an individual is diagnosedwith a developmental disability suchas autism, ADHD, Down syndrome,etc., parents and caregivers havemany questions about the services,treatment and therapies available inour area.

The Lake Area Special NeedsResource Fair, presented by the JuniorLeague of Lake Charles, Inc., (JLLC)will allow these questions to beanswered all in one place. The com-munity will be able to see whatresources are available and speak withproviders and vendors, such asAutism Society SWLA Chapter, St.Nicholas Center for Children, AutismServices of SWLA, Up for Downs,Autism Support Alliance, HopeTherapy Center, McNeese AutismProgram, Milestones BehavioralServices, Families Helping Families,Early Steps, Ultimate PerformanceSports & Rehab, Pure Foods andAdvoCare.

This is the inaugural event, butthe JLLC hopes to present the fair ona yearly basis. “Our goal is to bringdifferent speakers in annually to dis-cuss current strategies and therapiesavailable to assist families,” said JillDemeritt, the chair for the JLLC’sImpact Support (formerly Done in a

Day) committee.Demeritt has personally experi-

enced the dilemmas that face parentsof developmentally disabled children.“When my son wasfirst diagnosed, I feltlost and uncertainabout where to turnfor help andanswers,” sheexplained. “I am aspeech pathologistthat works with spe-cial needs children,but did not knowwhat to do firstwhen my own sonwas diagnosed withautism.”

Demeritt andher husband hadbeen told by one oftheir son's doctorsin Dallas that inorder to get the bestcare and therapies,they should look intomoving to a larger city.

“That was not going to work for us,since our family support was here,” shesaid. “I quickly found out there aretopnotch services available right herein the Lake Charles area. I want fami-

lies to know there are answers. Ourgoal is to showcase all these wonderfulresources available in our community.

With the populationof special needs chil-dren growing, theneed for this infor-mation is evengreater. We wantfamilies to be able tonetwork with oneanother and be thereto support eachother.”

Another goal ofthe fair is to bringnational speakershere locally to edu-cate families on top-ics being discussednationwide. “Whena poll was taken ofparents of specialneeds children, thetopic of nutrition

and diet was one theyhad heard and read a lot about, butwanted more information on how toimplement in their daily lives,”Demeritt said. “We will address differ-ent topics from year to year.”

Attendees can expect to walk away

with information on all the resourcesin our area committed to assistingfamilies with a special-needs individ-ual. They will be able to network withothers in similar situations so they canhave a local support system to turn tofor guidance. And they will learn howdiet and nutrition play a key role inimproving behavior, cognition, moodand attention skills of those with spe-cial needs.

There will be a three-hour work-shop presented by ElizabethStrickland, the author of Eating forAutism. She will discuss how certainfoods, critical nutrients, food addi-tives, chemicals, trans fat and sugarimpacts your child’s ability to focus,concentrate, learn, and maintain self-control and affects their mood andbehavior.

Discussion will include basicstrategies families can implement athome to improve the mealtime experi-ence and expand their child’s diet toinclude a variety of nutritious foods.

If you’d like more information, ifyou’re interested in volunteering, orwould like to have a booth at the fair,contact Jill Demeritt at (337) 302-6132or email [email protected].

JLLC’s Impact Support/Done in a Day Committee PresentsThe Lake Area Special Needs

Resource FairSaturday, April 27, 2013

8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.Waters Edge Community Theatre

2760 Power Center Parkway

Featured Speaker: Elizabeth Strickland

Author of Eating for Autism…the10-Step Plan to Helping Treat Your

Child’s Autism, Asperger’s or ADHD.

Registration: 8-8:30 a.m.

Strickland Workshop: 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Resource Fair: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Admission is FREE.

TJN


Shortly after mankind began tocover their bodies with leaves, ani-mal skins, or whatever else washandy, they decided to also developsome sort of cover for their heads.Over the centuries, men wore hatsof all sizes and shapes, made fromall sorts of materials. One of themost iconic of all hats has been theWestern style or “Cowboy Hat.” Bythe second millennium, materialshad settled into two basic types:straw and felt.

In the heyday of the workingcowboy (the years after the WarBetween the States), huge ranchesof several thousand acres came intooperation, mostly in Texas, raisingthousands of head of cattle. Sincethere was a huge market for beef inthe eastern United States, theLoving and Goodnight trails,among others, were developed todrive the cattle from Texas to theKansas railheads for shipment east.

The hundreds of working cow-boys on the ranches and trails worewhatever kind of hat they couldfind: fedoras, derbies, slouch hats;veterans of the late war wore theirold army hats. Mexican sombrerosand even the occasional silk top hatcould be seen on the trail.

Beaver furwas becomingscarce by thetime of the greattrail drives.Beaver had beenthe fur of choicefor making hatfelt for decades,but by the mid-1800s, beaverhad been mostlytrapped out. Silkhad been devel-oped for use inmen’s dress tophats, but it wasnot durable

enough for the rough life of aworking cowboy.

The Birth of the Cowboy HatJohn Batterson Stetson was born

in New Jersey, the seventh of 12children of Stephen Stetson, a hat-ter. As a youth, he worked with hisfather, learning the hat-makingtrade. When Stephen Stetson wasdiagnosed with tuberculosis, hemoved out West, wanting to seethat part of the country while hestill could. There, he saw thatdrovers were wearing coonskincaps and he began to wonder if furfelt would work for a lightweight,all-weather hat for the westerners.

In 1865, John B. Stetson movedto Philadelphia, taking the lessonshe learned from his father. There,he began manufacturing hats suitedto the needs of the westerners. Hedeveloped a neutral fur felt hat inthe “Boss of the Plains” style. It hada four-inch crown, four-inch brimand a plain strap for a band.

One observer noted: “It kept thesun out of your eyes and off yourneck. It gave you a bucket to wateryour horse and a cup to wateryourself. It made a hell of a fan,which you sometime needed to fan

a fire, but more often was used toshunt cows in this direction orthat.”

The “Boss” hadan uncreased crown,like a dome and aflat brim. Later,Stetson built the“Carlsbad,” identi-fied by its creasedown the middle ofthe crown.

The hats becameknown as “Stetsons”because “John B.Stetson Company”was embossed ingold on every hat-band. The Stetsonbecame the best-known hat in theWest. Soon, thehigh-crowned, wide-brimmed, softfelt Western hats became associatedwith the cowboy image. A cowboyscalled his hat a “lid,” “shade-maker,”“sky piece,” or “John B.”

After hats began to be sold inboxes, Stetson’s main advertisingimage, printed on the box for near-ly half a century, was a kneelingcowboy watering his horse from ahat filled with water.

Enduring StyleIn the 165 years

since Stetsoninvented the“Cowboy Hat,” therehave been somechanges, but thebasic shape remains.The average brimon today’s hatremains at four andhalf inches. Theheight of the crownstill averagesbetween four andfive inches. Today’sfelt is made mostly

of rabbit and wild hare fur for quali-ty hats, and wool for the cheaperfelt hats. It is easy to tell the quality

of the felt by thefeel. Wool furfeels rough. andthe better thequality of thefur felt, thesmoother thefeel of the felt.

An off-the-rack wool felthat from a truckstop can sell foras little as $35.A 100X fur felthat will costover $1,000. Thenumber of “Xs”denotes thequality of the

fur felt. A 4X hat may cost in therange of $100; as the number of Xsincrease, so does the price.

The meaning of the X haschanged. Until the late 1960s, thenumber of Xs on a hat would giveyou a good indication of the price.Stetsons used to sell for $5 per X. Acowboy could go into a generalstore in a small town, take a hat offthe shelf, turn it over, look at thenumber of Xs stamped on theband, and know that the 4X hatwould cost him $20. Gradually thedollar value of the X gave way to itbecoming a mark of quality.

Hats used to be sold with an“open crown” and flat brim. Theseller of the hat would then shapethe hat to the wearer’s preference,“crushing” the crown and “rolling”the brim. Nowadays, the hats comefrom the maker in a crown that hasalready been shaped, and a brimthat is no longer rolled, butstamped into a squared-off shape.Some hat sellers have the ability toreshape the hat for the wearer, butit is becoming harder to find them.

by Mike Louviere

John B. Stetson

Stetsons are available in a wide variety of styles and colors,as seen in Patton’s Western Wear


Catalina Hatters is one of thepremier hat companies. TheCatalina family has producedrodeos for over 25 years andrecently decided to branch out intothe hat business.They sell hatsfrom severalmakers, but theyalso offer aunique service:they will reworka felt hat. Theywill chemicallyclean the hat,sand the felt backto original condition, replace theband and the lining and customcrease and roll the hat to the cus-tomer’s request. The basic pricestarts at $80, far cheaper than buy-ing another hat of the same quality.

Straw hats are also popular andpractical. The cheaper hats arewoven from some sort of palmleaf. They are heavier and have atendency to shrink if you arecaught in a rainstorm and the hatdries out unattended.

Better straw hats may be madeof one of several straws from

places such as Ecuador, the WestIndies, or other tropical areas. Thehighest quality hats are made fromPanama toquilla fibers. Toquilla islight and durable. Most straw hats

have either openventilation spaceswoven in or haveseveral metalgrommets insert-ed on each sideof the crown. Aswith felt hats, thebetter the qualityof the straw, thehigher the priceof the hat.

Sadly, when a straw hat gets toodirty, out of shape, damaged, orjust too old, there is no way torecondition them. They will haveto be replaced.

Stetson is still selling largenumbers of quality hats in bothfelt and straw, but they no longerhave the lion’s share of the market,since there are a plethora of hat-makers today. With such varietyand quality available, you can befitted with any type of hat youwish to purchase. TJN

Straw Hats

DELTA DOWNS DONATES TO UNITED WAYDelta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel announced that it has made a con-

tribution of more than $58,000 to the United Way of Southwest Louisiana.Delta Downs and its parent company, Boyd Gaming, have a long-standing rela-tionship with the United Way. The company has played a leading role in sup-porting the organization in each of the communities where it does business.

L’AUBERGE HOSTS EMPTY BOWL FUNDRAISERL’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles recently hosted the Fifth Annual

Empty Bowl dinner benefiting the Salvation Army. The Empty Bowl dinnerreminds attendees of members of the community in need. Ceramic bowls craftedby local artists are donated and attendees enjoy a variety of soups cooked up bylocal restaurants. The in-kind donation of $16,845 consisted of ballroom spaceand food and beverage donations.

CITGO LAKE CHARLES EMPLOYEES FUEL EFFORTS TO SUSTAIN THE ENVIRONMENT

CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex employees have recycledmore than 5,200 pounds of recyclable material through the CITGOEmployee Recycling Program, which began in March 2012. As part of the“Greening of CITGO”, a corporate initiative, the program provides theopportunity for LCMC employees to engage in recycling materials from workand at home through recycling bins located in the refinery. Items commonlycollected for recycling include paper, plastic and aluminum items. CITGOLake Charles also hosts employee and community recycling events each year,including E-Recycle Day, an annual effort that collects disposable electronicwaste from the community, such as computers, monitors and mobile phones– which contain valuable recoverable materials.

NEW POSITIONS AT CSE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION CSE Federal Credit Union congratulates Peggy

Wright, Jim Swift and Tammy Powers on their new posi-tions. Wright has been named CSE’s Mortgage LendingManager. She is a certified Notary/Loan Review Analystwith 28 years of experience in the financial industry. Swiftjoins the team from Jeff Davis Bank as Member BusinessLending Officer. With 40 years of experience, Jim looks toprovide excellence service to members while growingCSE’s business portfolio. At his sidewill be Tammy Powers, also a certifiednotary, and CSE’s new MemberBusiness Lending Assistant. Tammyaims to promote and support businessmembership while developing newbusiness relationships. For more infor-mation, call (337) 477-2000, and askfor Peggy, Jim or Tammy. CSE is feder-ally insured by NCUA.

J&J EXTERMINATING HONORED BY SW ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSJ&J Exterminating’s Lake Charles office was recently honored with the

Affiliate of the Year award presented by the Southwest Association ofRealtors. Gerard Brown, supervisor of Realtor inspections with J&JExterminating in Lake Charles, accepted the award at the group’s recent ban-quet. The association noted that Brown provides exceptional service to area

Please submit press releases to [email protected]

Tammy Abraham, Delta Downs executive secretary; Carol Core, Delta Downs director of operations;

Nora Popillion, PR manager; and Becky Ainsworth, United Way of Southwest Louisiana.

Tammy Powers

Peggy Wright

Jim Swift


CHRISTUS SPONSORS FIRST AHA DESIGNATED WALKING PATH IN SWLA On April 3, the first AHA designated walking path in Lake Charles was

unveiled. This new walking path, located in Drew Park and sponsored byCHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital, is a step toward heart disease preventionand reducing heart disease in Louisiana. April 3 was National Walking Day,designated for companies, organizations and individuals across America towear sneakers to work, take 30 minutes to walk and pledge to live heart-healthy lives. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in Louisiana. The AmericanHeart Association’s designated Walking Path program, sponsored by CHRIS-TUS St. Patrick Hospital and UnitedHealthcare, provides safe and accessiblewalking paths that give communities a resource that can be used to increaseheart health.

CHRISTUS COMPLETES PHASE ONE OF $1.5 MILLION PROJECTCHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital recently completed the initial phase of a

$1.5-million patient room enhancement project, made possible by a $1-mil-lion donation from the CHRISTUS St. Patrick Foundation. The enhance-ment work was unveiled at a dedication ceremony on April 11, and tours ofthe updated floor were given. Phase one of the project focused on the med-ical/surgical hospital unit, located on the fifth floor. The total project willencompass all patient care floors. The project focuses on the improvement ofpatient satisfaction and quality outcomes. CHRISTUS St. Patrick provides pri-vate rooms, which reduces the risk of infection and allows patients to speakmore freely with caregivers about health matters. A more comfortable envi-ronment will promote interactions among people since an inviting space withprivacy encourages family and friends to visit longer.

FOUNDATION FOR FAIRPLAY DONATES TO MERRYVILLE HIGH SCHOOLThe Foundation for Fairplay recently donated $677.50 in athletic equip-

ment to Merryville High School. The money went towards the purchase oftwo sets of catchers gear, 5 batting helmets, two coaches’ helmets and a fold-ing backstop for the baseball team. F3 was established by The Foundation atLake Charles Memorial Hospital to provide a more level playing field in theareas of preventable injury needs. The fund will assist schools in acquiringequipment such as quality football helmets, training room equipment neededfor the rehabilitation of sports-related injuries and creating safe physical fit-ness surroundings. Funds are distributed through an application process,which is reviewed by a volunteer board of directors. To learn more about F3or to make a donation, call (337) 494-3226 or visit "http://www.lcmh.com/f3"www.lcmh.com/f3.

WOMEN’S & CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL TO HOST DERBY PARTY MAY 11Women & Children’s Hospital will host their next Healthy Woman event

on Sat., May 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lake Charles Country Clublocated at 3350 Country Club Road. The Healthy Woman Derby Party –Heels, Hats and Horses will feature author and cooking expert Liz Edmunds;aka The Food Nanny. Women are encouraged to put on their best hat andheels and enjoy a fun ladies day out. An expo featuring Healthy Woman part-ners will take place from 10 a.m. to noon, and the program and lunch will fol-low. To register and purchase your $20 ticket for this event, please go towww.women-childrens.com/healthywoman by May 4, or call 475-4064.

WCCH ANNOUNCES OPENING OF OBG-1 West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital is pleased to announce the opening

of OBG-1 of West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital, formerly OBG-1, a localobstetric and gynecology clinic. OBG-1 of West Calcasieu CameronHospital offers quality, personalized women’s care at one convenient loca-tion in Sulphur. The clinic will remain under the medical direction of BenDarby, MD, FACOG, OB/GYN and Scott Bergstedt, MD, FACOG,OB/GYN. Allison Hansen, CNM, certified nurse midwife will also pro-vide services at the clinic. OBG-1 of WCCH is located at 1200 Stelly Lanein Sulphur. Office hours are Mon.-Fri. from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Formore information, call (337) 312-1000.

ADVANCES IN ARTHRITIS TREATMENT APRIL 25 AT WCCHWest Calcasieu Cameron Hospital will host Movement Improvement,

a free community seminar featuring physician specialists discussingadvances in arthritis treatment, at 6 p.m. on Thurs., April 25, at L’AubergeCasino Resort’s Event Center. Advancements in arthritis treatment, includ-ing new joint replacement options, have grown tremendously in recentyears, which is the focus of this upcoming seminar. Speakers includeCenter for Orthopaedics' physicians Dr. John Noble, Dr. GeoffreyCollins, Dr. Tyson Green and Dr. Steven Hale. Seating is limited and pre-registration is requested. Call (337) 527-5459 or register online in the eventsection of www.centerforortho.com.

Realtors by providing reliable and timely inspection of properties to detectwood destroying insects or dry rot. The office is located at 1717 W. PrienLake Road. For more information, call 474-7377 or visit"http://www.jjext.com" www.jjext.com.

SWLA ATTRACTIONS NOMINATED FOR ‘BEST OF THE SOUTH 2013’ According to the nominations for “Best of the South 2013,” as submitted by

readers' of AAA Southern Traveler, Southwest Louisiana is looking good with

three nominations. The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road is in therunning for the best nature trail or natural area to explore. L’Auberge CasinoResort is competing for best casino. And Louisiana’s Audubon Golf Trail,which includes Lake Charles’ own Gray Plantation Golf Course, is in con-tention for the golf trail providing the best courses. Final voting is underwayonline at www.AAA.com/traveler (click on Southern Traveler, then Best of theSouth) and continues through May 17, 2013. The winner in each category willbe announced in the July/August issue of AAA Southern Traveler.

TJN

TJN



YankeeDangThe

By Mike McHugh

Opus 100Four years ago, I pitched the

idea of a column about a Yankee’sview of living in Louisiana to mygood friend, Lauren, for her then-new publication. We were at a party,and I made sure to wait until thetime was right—that is, at least two-thirds of the way to the bottom ofthe Crown Royal bottle. Now, exact-ly one hundred articles later, I’mstill going strong, plus I have a lineon selling Lauren’s side of the storyto Hollywood for the nextHangover movie.

Since I’ve been writing “The

Dang Yankee,” the first question Iget from people when they see mein public—outside of when it’s openseason on Yankees and I’m wearingcamouflage—is, “Where’s yourwife?” I’ve learned that, aroundhere, it’s frowned upon for a man toleave the house without his wifeunless he’s carrying a fishing rod.Even then, she’ll often be seen tag-ging along, and not to help bait thehook, if you know what I mean.

Another question I often get is,“How do you come up with yourideas?” Well, it isn’t hard. First off, it

helps a lot when you’re married tosomeone where every day is like anepisode of I Love Lucy. It’s not abad thing, really, except for thereruns, like the episode where she’scalling her cell phone in order tofind it, only she left it on vibrate.That’s the same one where I do amean job of cursing in Spanish a laRicky Ricardo.

Actually, my wife is the first oneI’d like to publicly acknowledge forthis column, because, let’s face it, I’dbetter. But, more importantly, I’mfortunate to be married to someonewho’s such a good sport about it all.I could lampoon her in an article,and she’d just giggle over it as shereads the draft over our morningcoffee. Everything is hunky-dory,except for the strange odor of cor-rection fluid in my creamer.

On top of married life,Louisiana itself is a veritable goldmine for the humorist. This is con-firmed by the world-respectedCajun think tank, Boudreaux andThibodeaux Research Associates,LLC, on whose accurate data I havecome to rely as a source for thiscolumn. According to their studies,Louisiana has more jokes per capitathan any other state in the nation.(Fully half of them involve somereference to road kill.) Of course,our state also has the most prisoninmates per capita, and that’scounting only the elected officials.

So there’s no shortage aroundhere of subject material for a humorcolumn. I’ve written about hurri-canes, high school football, andweed infestations that I could con-trol only with napalm. I’ve learned,however, that there are certain, sen-sitive subjects where I’d best treadlightly. I’m talking grave issueswhere people hold strong, deep-seated views. Chief among these is

LSU football. And while I do oftenhear people knock on the Tigers, Inotice that these are all natives talk-ing. It’s a birthright. If you wereborn in Louisiana, you could say allyou want about Les Miles; like,maybe, how you’ve seen better X’sand O’s drawn on a Valentine’s Daycard. However, if I, being of Yankeepersuasion, tried to say that, I’d findmyself resting peacefully under-neath a duck blind somewhere inCameron Parish. This is why I leftthe whole Honey Badger thingalone, even though, for a time, hiscomic value rose almost to the samelevel as road kill.

I would be remiss if I didn’tacknowledge my many loyal readers.(I count at least ten, including mymother.) So many of you have hadsuch nice things to say about thecolumn. This has helped to keep megoing, even though I’m sure mostpeople do it for fear of otherwisehaving their names mentioned. (Itdoesn’t work; just ask around.)

Finally, I have to thank my editor,Lauren, particularly for stickingwith me through my early period(what the literary critics call my“Brown Period”). She is an Englishmajor and reads Faulkner; I’m anengineer who did his senior-yearterm paper on Dr. Seuss. (I got a“C” mainly out of sympathy.) Shetaught me a lot about writing, likehow important it is to use the rightword. Mark Twain said it best: “Thedifference between using the rightword and almost the right word islike the difference between ‘honey-mooning’ and just plain ‘mooning.’”

So now, Lauren, are you sure Ican’t get you something for thathangover?

Can’t get enough of “The DangYankee?” You can catch more ofMike’s wit at thedangyankee.com

TJN


LC VOTERS SPEAKI am proud of my fellow citizens

of Lake Charles for their recentelectoral rejection of the proposedhotel on the Civic Center grounds.There are two old saws that state “Ifit isn’t broken, don’t fix it” and“Dance with the girl that brungyou.” The concept to do something,even if it’s wrong, seems to be adriving force in so many cases. OurCivic Center is a highly regardedfeature of downtown Lake Charles.Although parking can be inade-quate at times, we surely don’t wantto lose any more of that space. Ifyou want people to come, you haveto have plenty of convenient park-ing within a short distance of anyevent. The view of the lakefrontdoes not need to be obscured anymore than it is at present and thecity does not need to compete withprivate enterprise. The marina andlakefront improvements weremoves in the right direction; thehotel project was not.

OZONE LEVEL ISSUESNext month is “Clean Air

Month.” Lake Charles is flirtingwith “non-attainment” status withthe EPA, due to our ozone levelbeing one point from the mark.“Non-attainment” is defined as 75ppb and we are at 74 ppb. We havebeen accepted into the EPA’s OzoneAdvance Program, a voluntaryeffort to work with the agency in acooperative manner to improveemissions and ozone levels. We willbe hearing more about ways toattain better air quality and remainin favorable status with the EPA.We do not want to suffer the penal-ties associated with “non-attain-ment” status, which would cost usin many ways. Simple efforts on

our part can help, such as reducingthe idling time of engines, limitingvehicle, boat and lawnmower usageand converting to newer, cleanerengines.

SPRING ART WALKHere is a freebie for you. On

Friday, April 26, the Arts andHumanities Council of SouthwestLouisiana is sponsoring the SpringArt Walk from 5 – 9 p.m. Therewill be complementary wine andhors d’oeuvres served at variouslocations around Lake Charles. TheArt Battle, a very popular event lastyear, will again he held downtown.Galleries will abound as businessesand other locations are utilized andthey will feature different visualartists from our region. There willbe some ancillary activities, music,a pub crawl and more. Some ofthese activities will not be gratis,but touring the exhibits will notcost you a dime.

EXAGGERATION?The “know-it-alls” just can’t

help but editorialize when they areopposed to something. Cars that fitthe family need are “gas guzzlers,”and appliances are “energy hogs.”The anti-foodie refers to sodiumand calorie content as “whopping.”They just can’t report the facts; theyhave to be embellished. Theamount of sodium, fat and sugarcan’t be just so many milligrams--they have to be gut-busting, artery-clogging or something that soundslike you’ll be at the undertakersafter one bite. I do not mean topromote unhealthy eating. It isclear that we Americans areovereaters. Obesity abounds here,but I believe that the facts shouldspeak for themselves, not thepresenter of the facts.

By George “Tip” Cline

TJN


When foundby a busy high-way, Pirate's dayswere numbered.The evidence of

the abuse she had endured was glar-ing. She was missing one eye andmost of the teeth on the right side ofher broken jaw, which appears tohave been broken by being kicked.She was in desperate need of rescue,medical care, and love. Pirate is nowin a safe, loving place where she willcontinue to thrive and learn, by herfoster's example, that all humans arenot cruel. She is slowly overcomingher fear and shyness whenapproached by people. The fewhumans she does trust give her extradoses o f love and belly rubs, and shehas made new feline and caninefriends, too.

Pirate is current on shots and isspayed, microchipped and workingon housetraining. Although she isonly 5-6 months old, Pirate has had avery rough life. Her perfect matchwill be someone who is patient andkind with a desire to change Pirate'snightmare past into a "dream cometrue" life. Are you willing to shareyour life and love with this speciallittle girl? If you would like toarrange a meeting with Pirate, call(337) 478-7294 or email us at "mail-to:[email protected]" [email protected]. If you would like to helpwith Pirate’s vet bills, please make adonation at "http://www.lapaw.org"www.lapaw.org. Hurry, Pirate is wait-ing!

Urgent Need for Foster Parents!Help us to save even more ani-mals May through September marksthe time of year when our fosterfamilies receive many pleas for help,LAPAW RESCUE and TNR is askingall residents who have the interestand time to contact us and become aFoster Parent. Training, as well as allnecessary supplies, will be providedto each foster volunteer. Caring for afoster animal takes patience and care.If you can dedicate the love and careto help save these lives, please con-tact LAPAW at (337) 478-7294, ore-mail [email protected].

Do you have to be brave to dobrave things? Absolutely not. Therereally aren’t brave people, there arejust people who do things that scarethem and people who let fear keepthem from doing what they want todo.

The brave ones make this worldinteresting. You’re brave if you don’tback down, even when there are lotsof people giving you reasons whyyou should.

Most people assume brave peopleaccomplish brave things by being

born without fear. And that they dosomething absolutely incredible.

In reality, bravery is usuallysomething like this:

•Not feeling obligated to say “I’msorry” to someone who doesn’tdeserve it.

•Leaving some form of lovebehind, with no guarantees of everfinding something else.

•Honestly not caring about whatanyone else thinks of you whileacknowledging that it’s nearly impos-sible to go through this life without

caring how you’re perceived. •Creating something, anything,

and sending it out into the world. •Not backing down, even when a

lot of people are giving you reasonsas to why you should.

Out of all your friends, you’llfind a few who are actually like this.It just never occurs to them thatwhat they’re doing isn’t 100 percentthe best. Their attitude is intoxicat-ing. It’s sort of the reason why we’redrawn to reality shows. Day in andday out, we’re surrounded by peoplewho are so self-conscious. Thensuddenly, we meet a bunch of crazypeople who are convinced that theway they live is THE BEST. Admit it.We all wish we had an ounce oftheir confidence.

You’re brave if you’re able to getout of a situation that feels comfort-ably uncomfortable. You’re brave ifyou leave some form of love behindwith no guarantees of ever findingsomething else. It might not seemlike a brave thing to do, but lookhow many people are in lovelessrelationships. They’d rather havingsomething awful than nothing at all.

Know who you are and embraceit. Don't care what other peoplethink. Be true to yourself.

Don’t listen to that defeatingvoice that says” I'm not enough.” Itbreeds insecurity. And it totally putsout your fire. Instead of feeling con-fident and passionate, you start tofeel insecure and even embarrassed.

You start to believe that voice.If that thing that is stirring in

your heart is a nudging from God,asking you to come alive and dowhat you were created to do, it is arisk you must take. Express theparts of you that need to be saidand need to be heard. Be confidentthat the One who created you has aplan that must be carried out. He'stelling you that you’re the one forthe job. Don’t be afraid to be yourunique self, with all your passionsand callings. Don’t be afraid to bebrave.

To book a session or other serv-ices with Nicole Shuff Arabie, call(337) 540-6573 and leave a mes-sage indicating several dates/timesthat work for you. You will hearback by phone with available datesand times. You can also go to herFacebook page atwww.facebook.com/#!/DeclutteringYourSoul. Both in-person readingsor phone/skype readings are avail-able.TJN

Choose To Be Braveby Nicole Shuff Arabie

MeetPirate!

TJN



Zeus Cafe in Lafayette is recog-nized as a valued, high-quality restau-rant that has become integrated intothe Lafayette community. Diners inSouthwest Louisiana are also comingto recognize Zeus Cafe in LakeCharles in much the same way, andthe restaurant is happyto part of the LakeCharles social environ-ment.

Zeus is pleased tocelebrate their secondyear of serving the peo-ple of SouthwestLouisiana. Rosemary H.Schuh and her sonPablo Mejia III, co-own-ers, enjoy what Zeus hasbrought to their lives: the opportunityto meet and interact with new peoplewhile introducing them to a new fla-vor. "We have customers who come inevery week, religiously,” Rosemarysaid. “This means we must be doingsomething right."

Rosemary and Pabloare always happy

to support

local organizations andcommunity servicegroups. "We donatedsandwiches to workers at the Bord dulac Park downtown, hosted a success-ful auction for The Peoples Advocateof Lake Charles and have donated

several gift certificates for local fundraisers,” she said. “We are also veryproud to support the Visual Arts pro-gram at McNeese State University,donating money for the OutstandingArtist Merit Award, along with pro-viding refreshments to many of theirart shows and exhibitions.”

In the past two years, Zeus hostedNat Livings from the Dallas Cowboys,former Saints player Mike McKenzie,and Peregrine Honig, a contestant onthe Bravo series "Work of Art--TheNext Great Artist." Most recently,they entertained Claudia Schmuckli,acting chief curator of theUniversity of Houston’s Art

Museum and director of theHouston’s Blaffer Gallery. "You neverknow who on the Who's Who listyou’ll see at Zeus Cafe in Lake

Charles,” Rosemary said.At Zeus Cafe, you'll always

enjoy healthy, fresh and flavorfulfood in a unique and exotic fam-ily atmosphere. There’s a wideselection of items on the menu,including seafood and vegetari-an dishes. New items includeCajun Hummus, the GreekBurger, Chicken ShawarmaPizza, and the delicious ChickenShawarma PoBoy.

"For Lent, we introduced ourspinach pie with sautéed crawfish andour delicious pasta sauce,” Rosemarysaid. “It’s so delicious that we thought,‘Why have it just for Lent?’”

When diners ask about the food,Rosemary tells them, “It’s Greek andLebanese with a Louisiana flare to it."

If it’s your first time and you'renot sure what to order, your serverwill be more than happy to give yousmall sampling of chicken shawarmaand gyro to help you make your deci-sion. They also have a full servicebar along with a good selection of

wine, which complements the menu.The house drink is the Zeustini,which is delightful.

“To help celebrate our anniversarywe will be handing out Lunch PunchCards and Hummus Punch Cards,”Rosemary said. With the LunchCard, enjoy seven lunches with Zeusand get the eighth for free. With theHummus Card, enjoy five orders ofregular hummus or Grecian dip andreceive the sixth FREE.

Don't forget belly dancing onFriday nights starting at 6:30 p.m. anda classical guitar player Jay Kacherski,who plays on Saturday nights begin-ning at 6 p.m.

“Our patio is always open, so stopby and enjoy your meal outside whilewe still have such lovely weather,”Rosemary said. “And we are alwayshappy to host small or large groups,private parties and get-togethers.”

Zeus Lake Charles, 409 W. PrienLake Rd.- Suite A, Lake Charles,(337) 439-7099. Hours: Mon. – Thurs.11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. – Sat.: 11 a.m. –10 p.m. Check out their websitewww.zeuscafe.com and like them onFacebook.TJN

Happy AnniversaryZeus Café Lake Charles!

Zeus has a wonderful bar, and the restaurant’s signaturedrink is the Zeustini. It’s light and refreshing and perfect

for the warm summer nights to come!

The Zeustini5 parts sweet tea vodka3 parts lemon citrus mix

Pinch of rosé waterGarnish with lemon

Enjoy!


Stan’s Airboat & Marsh ExcavatorService began as a company that provid-ed transportation for clients whose jobswere non-accessible by terrain vehicles.We have now grown into a full servicepipeline right of way reclamation andexcavation as well as oil spill recovery,clean-up and disaster recovery service.We are fully insured, ISNETWORLDapproved and have all OSHA andNCCER certifications.

“We can get to most of our commer-cial clients within 1-2 days,” says LizTodd, who owns the company with herhusband Tommy. “Our business is suc-cessful due to our dependable employ-ees. And because our equipment is smallas far as marsh excavation is concerned,we are in a niche business.”

Todd says that they have little down-time because they keep a local partsinventory and their operators are trainedto fix most of the problems that arise.“We also own six Mini Marsh excavators,

so we can replace one quickly if the needarises,” she added.

The Todds were already owners ofAnuWorks, Inc. when their good friendwho owned the marsh business wereready to sell. With help from localbankers and advisors, they were able topurchase Stan’s.

“We take a lot of pride in being aLouisiana company and a Lake Area com-pany,” Todd said. “Even with the tougheconomy of the last few years, we havemanaged to triple our excavator andAirboat fleets and double our sales, whichwe feel is a testament to our can-do andwill-do attitude that is company-wide.”

Todd says they have been blessed tohave wonderful mentors—the previousowner as well as local business peoplewhom they look up to.

“Building business relationships andbeing able to help younger people intheir personal growth is a huge reward,”Todd said.

In 2001, Tommyand Liz Todd bought a

hydroseeding business that wasmeant to be a replacement forAnuWorks, Inc.’s backbreakingwork of building metal structuresand fences.

The metal-building business wastoo profitable to leave for the nextfive years, but the hydroseedingside continued to grow as well.Tommy Todd personally runs thebusiness, and there’s a good chancethat he will be spraying your job.

“We specialize in erosion controland carry different grades of mulchto take care of the specific needs ofyour job,” said Liz Todd. “No job istoo big or too small for our crew. Wehave serviced the State of La. DOTDwith sprayed-on Erosion ControlBonded Fiber Matrix as well a vastarray of contractors between

Mississippi and Houston.”In addition, AnuWorks does

residential work. “We would also behappy to help you beautify yourlawn whether it be with, nativecommon bermuda, centipede oryour own choice of grass that youmay have researched and wish toexperiment with,” Liz said.

Their services can be used inbut are not limited to the followingapplications:

• Highway beautification and erosion control

• Pipeline Right of Ways • Levee vegetation • Ditch and canal vegetation • Dust control • Embankment vegetation • Construction site vegetation • Lawn beautification

Call us and ask about our freeestimate!

5909 Hwy. 14 EastIowa, LA

Ph: 337-540-0278 Fax: 337-478-5078

www.stansairboatservice.com/about-hydroseeding5909 Hwy. 14 East, Iowa, LA24 Hour Call: 337-802-9147 337-540-0278www.stansairboatservice.com

TJN TJN

ElectricityCameron(800) 368-3749 or(337) 775-5332Carlyss, Iowa, Jennings,Kinder,Lake Charles, Starks,Sulphurand Westlake(800) 368-3749

www.entergy.comDeRidder(337) 824-7330Moss Bluff(337) 855-6684

GasCarlyss(337) 625-4171Cameron(337) 775-5049DeRidder(318) 335-1606

Jennings(337) 824-1623Kinder(337) 738-2585Lake Charles(337) 477-1307Moss Bluff(337) 433-0691Starks(337) 786-6251Sulphur(337) 625-4171

Westlake(337) 433-0691

WaterCarlyss(337) 583-2777DeQuincy(337) 786-4426DeRidder (337) 821-5523Iowa(337) 582-3535www.iowala.org

Kinder(337) 824-4162Lake Charles(337) 491-1307www.cityoflakecharles.comMoss Bluff(337) 855-7250Sulphur(337) 527-4500www.Sulphur.org.Westlake(337) 433-0691www.cityofwestlake.com

It’s not easy moving to a new area. There are somany things to think about, and something’s boundto slip through the cracks.

So, for those of you who’ve just arrived (and forthe rest of you who sometimes misplace importantcontact info), here’s some information that you’ll needto keep on hand.

Utilities


City of Lake Charles Water Bill PaymentsSeveral options are available for water bill payment:Online Credit/Debit CardPayment at "http://www.cityoflakecharles" www.cityoflakecharles.comMail your payment to P.O. Box 1727, Lake Charles, LA 70602.Pay in person at the businessoffice located at 326 Pujo St. Officehoursare 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mon.- Fri.Pay through night deposit box located near the back doors ofCity Hall at 326 Pujo St.Pay in person at local Kroger grocery stores.Automatic bank draft.Pay by phone at (877) 396-3915; a convenience fee will apply for thisservice.

To Restore Service for Non-PaymentService will be restored the nextbusiness day if payment isreceived by 2 p.m. If payment isreceived after 2 p.m., it will taketwo business days to restore serv-ice. Customers who wish sameday service must pay an additional$60 fee. Payment must be madein the business office by cash,credit/debit card or money orderonly--NO CHECKS.

AT&TLake Charles, Iowa, Westlake, Carlyss and SulphurResidential: (800) 288-2020Business: (866) 620-6000 "http://www.att.com" www.att.comCameron Telephone Co.Carlyss(337) 583-2111 "http://www.camtel.com" www.camtel.comCenturyLink IowaResidential: (800) 201-4099Business: (800) 201-4102

Office of Motor Vehicles951 Main St., Lake Charles(225) 925-6146"http://www.omv.dps.state.la.us" www.omv.dps.state.la.us

New residents must buy aLouisiana driver’s license afterestablishing residency in the state.If you have a valid license, you arenot required to take a driving test;however, you must take the visualand other tests. Bring your out-of-state license with you to the OMV.

Tags/RegistrationVehicles should be registeredwithin 30 days of residency andafter you have received your LAdriver’s license. After the vehicle isregistered, it must be inspectedannually at service stations andgarages with the large orange signindicating that it’s an “OfficialLouisiana Vehicle InspectionStation. For the nearest location,call (337) 491-2011.

City Street LightsTo report street light outage, callthe Public Works DepartmentHelp Line at (337) 491-1220 orsend an e-mail to www. HYPER-LINK "mailto:[email protected]" [email protected] should be repaired withinseven-10 working days. Entergyrepairs all city street lights exceptfor the downtown ornamentallights and lights on the Enterpriseand Shattuck Street Overpasses.

Who trims tree limbs around street lights?If the tree is on private property, itis the responsibility of the proper-ty owner to have the treetrimmed. If the tree is located inthe public right-of-way, the Citywill trim. Entergy does not trimtree limbs that interfere with streetlights.

Newcomers’ Guide to the Lake Area

Telephone

Automobile

Magan WilhiteHwy. 14

Mark FuselierSulphur

Rita AtkinsSulphur

Ron ArdoinWarehouse Mgr.

Danny BrownRyan St.

Ron FogalGen. Mgr.

Chris BestRyan St. Mgr.

Chris SandersSulphur Mgr.

Dustin CorbelloHwy. 14 Mgr.


Who trims tree limbs around electrical lines?Entergy will trim tree limbs thatjeopardize service lines along thestreet. Entergy does not trim treesthat jeopardize service lines fromthe street to a home. That is thehomeowner's responsibility.

My street is dark. How do I get a street light installed?Subdivision developers installstreet lights at their expense. TheCity does not install street lightsin subdivisions; however, streetlights may be installed in olderareas of town that are not part of adedicated subdivision. The stan-dard light spacing for street lightsis currently 180-200 feet. Street lights are installed for thebenefit of vehicular and pedestri-an traffic. Homeowners wantingsecurity lights installed can con-tact Entergy at 1-800-ENTER-GY. The cost of the security lightis the responsibility of the home-owner.

Solid WasteThe Solid Waste Division ofPublic Works provides garbageand trash collection and woodwaste processing services for theCity of Lake Charles. Garbage andnon-burnable items collectedfrom residences are taken to theJeff Davis Landfill or the WasteManagement Transfer Station.Burnable items are incinerated atthe Wood Waste ProcessingFacility.

Solid Waste DivisionResponsibilitiesFurnish once-a-week garbage container collection Provide container maintenanceand repair on all city supplied and owned containers with 24 hoursof reported request. Provide collection of trash andyard waste from residences a min-imum of four times monthly. Provide a citywide collection of white goods from residences when

required. Operate a wood waste processingfacility for the general public. Enforce the provisions of Chapter Nine of the Code of Ordinancesfor the City of Lake Charles.

Street and DrainageIf you have a complaint concern-ing drainage, call the PublicWorks Helpline at (337) 491-1220.

Voter RegistrationRegistrar of Voters OfficeCalcasieu Parish Courthouse1000 Ryan St. Rm. 7, Lake Charles(337) 437-3572

Area ChambersCameron Parish Chamber of Commerce433 Marshall St. Cameron, LA 70631(337) 775-5222DeQuincy Chamber of Commerce400 Lake Charles Ave.DeQuincy, LA 70633(337) 786-6451Greater Beauregard Chamber of Commerce111 N. Washington St.Deridder, LA 70634(337) 463-5533Jeff Davis Parish Business Alliance246 N. Main St.Jennings, LA 70546(337) 824-0933Kinder Chamber of Commerce414 North Ninth St.Kinder, LA 70648(337) 738-5945SWLA Economic Development Alliance120 Pujo St.Lake Charles, LA 70601(337) 433-3632"http://www.allianceswla.com"

www.allianceswla.comWest Calcasieu Association ofCommerce

1906 Maplewood Dr.Sulphur, LA 70663(337) 533-1040 TJN


Business First Bank Hits its StrideBy Jude Melville, President and CEO, Business First Bank

The world of community banking is changing. Regulatory, economic,and political uncertainty and perpetually low interest rates add to the chal-lenge. If you’ve survived the last five years of economic turmoil, you’veproven yourself capable of turning adversity into opportunity.

So it has been with Business First Bank. Chartered in 2006 just before thefinancial crisis began, we persevered in building a company during themidst of the storm and are now hitting our stride. We are active in six mar-kets across Louisiana, each of which has its own strength and character andall of which have positive economic growth. We finished 2012 with all-timehighs in loans, core deposits, and net earnings.

We have learned lessons that have helped us navigate the changing land-scape. They include:

•Determining what your niche is and focusing on serving it well. We arebusiness bankers and focus on serving organizations, their owners, andemployees.

•Centering decisions on customer needs. We’ve invested in remote cap-ture deposit capability, enhanced internet banking, Virtual Vault, and otherproducts that help our clients put their businesses first by making theirprocesses more efficient.

•Being optimistic. We still live in the greatest country in the history ofthe world!

Our MissionBusiness First is one of only a handful of community banks that have

statewide reach. With a physical presence in six markets--Baton Rouge, theBayou Region, Lafayette, the Northshore, Northwest Louisiana, andSouthwest Louisiana—and strong leadership, clients, and shareholders ineach, we benefit from Louisiana’s economic diversity.

Add our commercial and business banking expertise, product set, andfocus to this community-oriented geographic range and weare poised to not only participate in but to contribute toLouisiana’s business resurgence. Our mission is to be thefinancial institution of choice for Louisiana enterprises andtheir owners and employees.

2012 was a very positive year for Business First Bank. Ourearnings increased year-over-year, loan and deposit volumesgrew to annual highs, and our asset quality improved. We begin2013 with what we believe to be a conservatively capitalized bal-ance sheet, prepared for opportunity.

Our niche focus—serving Louisiana enterprises, their own-ers, and employees-- is increasingly attractive. Our marketscross a state poised for potentially region-leading businessgrowth and the traditional community banking industry con-tinues to work through a transitional period. Both trends areopportunities for our company. As we work to capitalize upon

them, our priorities are:•Investing in “hi-tech/hi-touch” service:

remote deposit capture, internet, mobile, and textbanking are arriving and will be ubiquitousbefore we know it. What comes next?

•Maintaining a robust suite of commercialbanking products. We are one of the few com-munity banks in Louisiana with a full-time treas-ury management department.

•Attracting a growing roster of our most power-ful branding tool: influential and talented people.We have over 100 employees, over 350 investors,and over 2500 clients all of whom are here and involved for a reason.

•Remaining disciplined in our growth. In an increasingly connected, regu-lated, and competitive world, development of our processes, procedures, andpeople has to outpace our asset size.

Business First MortgageBanking is not magic—it is hard work applied consistently over time.

That is how we have built value over the last seven years and that is howwe’ll build value in 2013 and beyond.

Business First Mortgage is a division of Business First Bank. It is ourmission to be the financial institution of choice for Louisiana enterprisesand their owners and employees. Mortgage financing is a key part of thatmission.

Our lending team is experienced in securing low rates and favorableterms, along with personalized service and expert financial advice. We arecommitted to making your home-buying experience a pleasant and profes-sional one. Whether you are buying a home or refinancing an existing mort-gage, contact Joey Ardoin in Lake Charles with Business First Mortgage at(337) 721-2700.

Focus in Commercial and Industrial Lending“With our focus on commercial and industrial lending, Business First Bank’s Southwest

Louisiana banking center has been an integral part of the economic growth of this five-parishregion, especially with the expansion of the liquefied natural gas industry and related servic-es,” said Greg Robertson, President, SWLA Banking Center. “Our business banking expertiseand specialized products uniquely position us to be the ‘go-to’ bank in the area.”

Along with Gwen Himel and Russell Pawlowski, Robertson’s banking team collectivelyrepresents more than 50 years of diversified experience and a firm commitment to grow busi-ness in Southwest Louisiana. “Add to that the mortgage expertise of Joey Ardoin and youhave a full service business banking approach,” Robertson continued. “We have each dedicat-ed ourselves to meeting the needs of businesses and professionals throughout this region withone-on-one, personalized banking. We understand the importance of offering flexible serviceto business owners and entrepreneurs and want to be a part of their success.”

You can learn more about Business First Bank by visiting www.B1Bank.com. Feel free tocall Robertson personally at (337) 721-2700.

Jude MelvillePresident and CEO

Business First’s Southwest Louisiana Banking Team (left to right)Joey Ardoin, Mortgage OfficerRussell Pawlowski, Vice President/Commercial BankerGregory Robertson, Southwest Louisiana Market PresidentGwen Himel, Vice President

TJN


On a recent sunny spring day, a group ofadolescents spent their recess enjoying the out-doors, shooting hoops, and relaxing at picnictables, just like other schoolchildren acrossCalcasieu Parish. When the break ended, theyreluctantly returned to the classroom.

But this is no ordinary school. These youngpeople temporarily live at Harbour House, anemergency youth shelter nestled in the shadowof Chennault Airport.

“Harbour House is the only facility in ourfive-parish region that provides a safe havenfor any child,” said Amy Dunn, ExecutiveDirector of Educational and TreatmentCouncil (ETC) and Harbour House. “We’regoing to take care of the at-risk kids in ourcommunity, regardless of their situation.”

Harbour House, one of several programswithin the ETC network, was opened in 1985.It’s a facility for boys and girls ages 9-17 inneed, serving abused, vulnerable, and at-riskyouth, including runaways, homeless youth,and children in the juvenile justice system.

Other shelters often have strict require-ments for admission, such as mental healthissues, substance abuse, or homelessness.Harbour House has very few restrictions orlimiting criteria for admission. Kids come toHarbour House through school or parentreferrals, police involvement, the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC), the fostercare system, or by youth themselves contacting

the shelter. The facility assists approximately12 children on-site at any given time, with amaximum capacity of 16. The average lengthof stay is approximately two weeks, but someresidents live at the facility for several months.

Calcasieu Parish Voted YesDunn thanks the Calcasieu Parish commu-

nity for once again passing the juvenile justiceservices tax renewal at the election earlier thismonth.

“This is a tax that was initially funded in1967 to build the juvenile detention home,” shesaid. “Since then, it’s been renewed every tenyears. It supports all the juvenile justice servic-es for the parish. Harbour House and someother ETC programs are funded in partthrough that tax. It’s significant for us that therenewal passed. We are grateful to the commu-nity for their support, allowing us to providesupport services for children who are at risk,who need a safe place to stay, or who mightneed counseling services.”

Dunn said this tax renewal reveals the com-munity’s dedication to area youth. “It’s not justabout supporting us as an agency or the juve-nile justice system for the parish; it’s a commit-ment to the children of the parish.”

With approximately 300 admissions eachyear, Harbour House is a vital link for these at-risk youth.

“Where would some of these kids go, ifHarbour Housewasn’t here?”Dunn wondersaloud. This uniqueshelter makes alasting impact onthe children itserves. Often,youth who spenttime at Harbour

House will return years later to say hello orcall to simply say thank you and let the staffknow how they are doing.

“A couple of weeks ago, we had a youngman come back for a visit,” Dunn said. “It hadbeen six years since he was with us. He’s 22now. He returned with his younger cousin andsaid ‘I wanted to show my cousin where Icame from.’ The young man had graduatedhigh school, stayed out of legal troubles, andnow he’s a mechanic with his own shop inAllen Parish. Those are the kinds of things thatkeep me going. The kids remember.”

More Than a ShelterDunn, who has worked at ETC for 22 years,

is proud of the facility and how the lives of thechildren are enriched while they are there.

“It’s more than just a shelter,” she explained.“We try to provide these youth with a varietyof experiences while they are here. We have anonsite school program provided through theCalcasieu Parish School Board. The schooloffers a credit recovery program or they canwork on their GED. Our classrooms areequipped with all the tools of regular class-rooms, including Promethean boards and acomputer lab. Education is one area where ourkids struggle. They’ve fallen behind. This is anopportunity for them to get back on track withtheir education.”

There’s no chance these kids will sufferboredom. The staff at Harbour House keepsthem busy with plenty of fun social activities.They attend events and plays at McNeese, andwent to LaGrange High School’s musical pro-duction of Suessical. They go bowling, skat-ing, and to the SPAR Water Park in the sum-mer. They stroll along the lakefront or play atPrien Lake Park. They attend parades and fes-tivals and go on various field trips. Dunn andher staff strive to expose these children to

By Angie Kay Dilmore


everything the community has tooffer.

Sometimes, they dine out atrestaurants. “Some of these kidshave never ordered off a menu,”Dunn said. “We practice thoseskills before we go. We talk abouttipping. Before we go anywhere,we talk about appropriate behav-ior, such as movie etiquette. Wetry to teach them life skills.”

Art as TherapyDunn emphasizes the impor-

tance of art for children in a facili-ty like Harbour House.

“We have a wonderful artinstructor, Erin Barker, whocomes here and works with theyouth,” she said. “The kids loveher. She really cares about them.Art is a terrific outlet for thesekids. For some, it’s a way to help

them expressemotion. Artcan help kidsthrough frus-tration. It canhelp them learnperseveranceand creativity.”

Dunn saidthat many ofthe childrenthink they’renot capable ofcontributingand don’t thinkhighly of them-selves. “Erindraws themout,” she said.“She helps

them learn that they can createbeautiful things. Through art, theycan explore talents they might notknow they possess. It’s an impor-tant aspect of our program.”

Community Perception,Awareness, and Involvement

Dunn said that juvenile justice,mental health, child abuse andneglect issues and homelessness

are some harsh labels. “We want to change the public’s

perception of these kids,” she said.“They are not hopeless. Maybethey’ve made some bad choices orhave been dealt a bad hand, butthey are still kids.”

Dunn is grateful for communi-ty support of Harbour House.Especially during the holidays andother school breaks, young peoplein a shelter can experience loneli-ness and despair. They are acutelyreminded of how abnormal theirlives seem to be. Many area churchgroups and other organizationsmake an effort to spend time withthese kids. They do activities withthem or invite them to events. “

When we connect the commu-nity with these youth, people cansee they’re just kids!” said Dunn.“They have hopes and dreams likeany other kid. We want to increasethe public’s awareness aboutHarbour House.”

That’s where BAAK of SWLAcomes in.

Benefitting Area At-Risk KidsFive years ago, Bob Redmon

sought out a worthy cause to sup-port. He has a heart for children,and soon discovered HarbourHouse. To raise money for thefacility, he put together an organi-zation called Benefitting Area At-Risk Kids, or BAAK of SWLA, forshort.

BAAK focuses on two mainobjectives. “Our number one goalis to raise money for HarbourHouse. The second goal is to raisepublic awareness,” Redmon said.He talks to local civic groups orjust the average man on the streetand is surprised to learn thatmany people are not aware ofwhat Harbor House is and whatthey do.

Contrary to some public opin-ion, he said the residents are not“bad kids.”

“They come from difficult cir-cumstances,” he said. “We’re fortu-nate to have people like Amy andher staff to help them.”

Redmon and his dedicatedboard of directors have organizedseveral fun community events.Each year, they grow and expandtheir fundraisers to include morepeople. They also increase theircontribution to Harbour House

Art as TherapyThe 15-year-old who painted her interpretation ofVan Gogh’s still life flowers often struggled with themeaning of beauty. With a history of trauma, includ-ing the loss of one eye to a violent crime, she oftenremarked that she was not pretty and struggled withher sense of self-worth. The art session allowed theyoung lady to express her inner beauty in a way shewas unaware of and to discover an unknown talent.She eagerly chose bright colors to create a work ofart uniquely her own and proudly shared it upon itscompletion. She remained at Harbour House for 47days before moving to a group home placement.Through the efforts of Harbour House, she wasscheduled to be fitted with a prosthetic eye.


annually. Last year, BAAK donat-ed $34,996.

Dunn greatly appreciates theirefforts. “Grants and contractscover salaries, insurance, utilities,food costs and other operatingexpenses, but it’s the support fromBAAK that allows us to providethe special activities for the kids,”she said.

BAAK’s Second Annual Golf Tournament

BAAK’s first event this year isa day of fun on the links atMallard Cove Golf Course, just along shot away from HarbourHouse, on Friday, May 10.Registration begins at noon, withlunch provided. Tee-off at 1 p.m.A four-person team scramble, theentry fee is $400 per team or$125 for an individual. Individualgolfers will be matched to form ateam. Hole sponsorships areavailable for $100. For moreinformation, call the MallardCove Pro Shop at (337) 491-1204or go to ETC’s website,www.etcyouth.org, to register.

BAAK BenefitOn June 1, BAAK will sponsor

its annual benefit and poker runat Micci’s Lounge. This year,they’ve added an additional longermotorcycle route that will cruisethrough the parishes of Calcasieu,Jeff Davis and Allen, and a classiccar show across Ryan Street in theparking lot of the old Piccadilly’sRestaurant. The Idlers car clubwill present the car show, andRedmon expects 100-125 vehicles.The popular band TwangstersUnion will play on the outdoorstage at Micci’s. Take a chance andbuy raffle tickets to win two tick-ets to a Saints game. There willalso be live and silent auctions,and food such as sausage sand-wiches and sausages on a stick.“We hope this event will expandthe public’s awareness about whowe are and why we do what wedo,” Redmon said.

For more information onBAAK of SWLA, their events, orhow to volunteer, go towww.baakofswla.com, or call BobRedmon at (337) 249-7285.

BAAK Benefit Schedule of Events

Classic Car Show: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 3539 Ryan Street.Registration at 8 a.m. To register a vehicle or for infor-

mation, call Wesley Blanchard at (337) 474-7241 or(337) 884-4349.

Motorcycle Runs: Micci’s Lounge, 3606 Ryan Street,Two routes -- traditional and dry. Registration is at 8:30

a.m. Kickstands up at 9:45 and 10 a.m.

Auctions: Silent, 9-4 p.m. Live, 3:30 p.m.

Raffle: $1 per chance for two New Orleans Saints gametickets. Drawing 4 p.m.

50/50 Split the Pot: Drawing, 4 p.m.

Outdoor Concert: Featuring Twangsters Union, 2-5 p.m.

Food will be available beginning at 11 a.m.

All entertainment FREE to the public!TJN


A couple of weeks back, I wastasked to write a short paragraph re-introducing myself to you, dear read-ers.

In it, I mentioned my years ofexperience as a sportswriter, myfavorite sports teams, and so on. Oneclarification from that blurb I wouldlike to make: the best high schoolfootball player I covered was Leesvillerunning back Michael Ford. The besthigh school football player I ever saw

play was Josh Reed of Rayne, who lit-erally did everything, including sellnachos at halftime and drive the teambus to road games, for the Wolves.

But, anyway.There is not a whole lot of room in

one, short paragraph to say a wholelot of substance.

But, I guess one of the things Iwanted to get across that didn’t makeit in the last time, is just how much Ienjoy writing about sports and trying

(sometimes too hard) to be entertain-ing for you readers out there.

This column, writing about sports,is one of the coolest, most enjoyablethings I do.

It really doesn’t at all seem likefour years since I started writing forThe Jam, probably because it has beentruly fun to be writing about sportsafter I thought I’d never get a secondchance.

I may not be a fan of all sportsindividually (I’m looking at you, bas-ketball), but I am definitely a fan ofthe collective sports universe. I like toread, talk, and write about sports.

I mean, one of the most importantaspects of sports journalism is, youknow, an interest in sports. Though, itis true that, sometimes, after you’vecovered all nine months of the NBAplayoffs (for example), a sportswriterjust wants to come home and watchThe Mentalist and not care whatKobe Bryant is up to.

Burnout is inevitable.But that’s no reason for abject neg-

ativity and cynicism.Look, guys like the currently

unemployed (at least, in a nationalsense) Jay Mariotti and tanning bedcasualty Skip Bayless, guys who seemto loathe everything except the soundof their own voices and jangling coins,are the least interesting kind of sports-writers to me.

Guys like Bayless have no animus,no spirit, and no passion for anythingother than themselves. They live toplay, in the parlance of our times, thetroll.

We have our own local troll and,though the rule of thumb is “Don’tfeed the troll,” sometimes you justcan’t help yourself.

Over the past month, there havebeen columns about how soccer isboring (which is odd, consideringhow often said troll evidently watchessoccer), baseball is dead, basketballplayers don’t practice the fundamen-tals anymore, and the NCAA is cor-rupt and hypocritical.

One could have quite a lengthy dis-cussion about how “novel” and “fresh”these screeds truly are (They don’tscore a lot in soccer?! You don’t say?),but then, why would you want to?

On Sportswriting


Just because one man is deadinside doesn’t mean you have to dietoo, you know.

I certainly don’t have time for allthat.

There are a whole heck of a lotmore sportswriters out there I love toread, who love sports and love to talkabout them as much as yours truly.That was another thing I didn’t get tomention before, just who are myfavorite writers, literary and sports-wise.

There are too many to mention.However, in sports, I think Wright

Thompson is just fantastic. Youshould really drop what you’re doing,get on your computer, and read hisstuff. It’s great, and not just because hecalled Tiger Stadium “the best place inthe world to watch a sporting event.”His story “Holy Ground,” aboutThompson fulfilling his father’s dreamof walking Augusta National GolfClub during The Masters is not onlypowerful, but also appropriate giventhat the tournament just ended.

Dan Wetzel at Yahoo! Sports isanother guy I like a lot, more of astraight columnist than Thompson,but just as good. And, if you want atenacious, informative beat writer,there aren’t many better than LSUbeat guy Gary Laney from ESPN.com.

I love all kinds of literature, too.The late Larry Brown (the Mississippiwriter, not the New York basketballcoach) is a personal hero of mine. Hisautobiography On Fire blew me away.Stephen King is also one of my heroes.And Faulkner and Hemingway, aswell.

Like a lot of people, I wish I couldwrite as well as those cats, but no onereally can. That’s why they are whothey are.

But I can certainly try. It sure is a lot of fun and I hope

that I can to continue to try to live upto those big guns, while at the sametime entertaining all of you out there,for a long time to come.

BrandonShoumaker is agraduate ofMcNeese StateUniversity andhas coveredsports for morethan a decadefor variouspublications.Coaches or par-ents with storytips or com-ments may contact Brandon [email protected] or send him amessage on Twitter (@bshoumaker).

Brandon Shoumaker

TJN


Let’s see what goes on insidethe world of a private investigator.

Fans of Sue Grafton’s alphabetbooks featuring private investigatorKinsey Millhone will have to waitawhile for the release of her nextbook, W Is for [?]. But we canfind consolation in her latest

publication, Kinsey and Me.This is very much a multi-part

book. Grafton discusses the craft ofwriting detective novels and howthe writing rules change whenwriting detective STORIES instead.

She examines the role of theprivate investigator in literature.

“The hard-boiled private eyein current fiction represents aclarity and vigor, the immedi-acy of a justice no longer evi-dent in the courts, an anti-dote to our confusion andour fearfulness,” she writes.

She then discusses herrelationship with Kinsey.“Kinsey is my alter ego,” shewrites, “the person I mighthave been had I not marriedyoung and had children.”

Grafton tells us thatinventing Kinsey has given hergreat opportunities. “Since shecan know only what I know, Ihave to do a great deal of researchand this allows me, in essence, tolead two lives -- hers and mine.”Sue owned the cars Kinsey drives.Sue owns the same “all-purposedress.” She continues, “Often I feelshe’s peering over my shoulder,whispering, nudging me, andmaking bawdy remarks.”

Then we get to read nine earlystories featuring Kinsey, which arefirst-class mini-mysteries withintriguing plots: A woman finds adead man in her daughter’s bed,but when she goes for help andreturns, the body has disappeared.Kinsey solves a missing personcase, a kidnapping, an accidentthat wasn’t an accident, a possiblepoisoning, a mystery book clubwith its own mystery, and more,including a little puzzle.

Grafton is always clever, andher work is filled with her often-dry sense of humor: “While a copis required by statute to identifyherself (or himself) as a law-

enforcement officer, a privateinvestigator is free to impersonateanyone, which is what makes myjob so much fun. I’m a law-abidinglittle bun in most instances, butI’ve been known to tell lies at thedrop of a hat. The fib I cooked up... wasn’t far from the truth, and Isounded so sincere that I halfbelieved it myself.”

Finally, she gives us 13 storiesthat feature not Kinsey, but acharacter named Kit Blue. “KitBlue is simply a younger versionof me,” writes Grafton. These areNOT mysteries. They are noteven stories so much as characterstudies of a girl growing up withalcoholic parents. When Kit hasgrown to adulthood and musttake care of her aging parents, shetells us, “I discover that I’m themother to my mother.”

Grafton is such a great mysterywriter that one forgets what agreat weaver of words she is. Herphrases are beautiful, lyrical, pen-sive, almost poetic. These finalpieces are sensitive and sad: “Life

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is as veiled, as elusive as death andthere is no way to separate onefrom the other.”

This is a truly interesting lookat a great writer andhow the fictionalcharacter she createdhas affected her reallife.

If you’re lookingfor a male P.I., tryHammett Unwritten,in which OwenFitzstephen has givenus a kind of bizarresequel to DashiellHammett’s classic, TheMaltese Falcon. Asequel, yes, but it’s alsoan original work ofhigh literary quality.This novel is, according toFitzstephen, the true story of thewriter Dashiell Hammett. The factthat Hammett once worked forPinkerton as a detective, before hebecame a writer, is a major ele-ment of the story.

Hammett tells us the charactersin The Maltese Falcon were real,but he had to change their names,and the story was basically true.So, now those characters are back,showing up one by one, eachdemanding that Hammett givethem “the black bird.” Each has adifferent theory as to the bird’smagical qualities, from the HolyGrail to a meteorite containing thespirit of a goddess.

The presence of each characteris explained in relation to the end

of Hammett’s book, the mysteriousseductive woman, the Big Man,the odd little man. A couple hasbeen locked up; one wasn’t as

dead as he wassupposed to be.

We followHammett toHollywood,where he meetsJohn Huston, whowill direct themovie of TheMaltese Falcon.And later, wemeet Hammett inprison, where hesits as a victim ofSen. JosephMcCarthy’ssearch for

Communists under every rock.The book also has Hammett

reflecting on writing: “He knowsthere aren’t good kinds of writingor bad kinds of writing, there isonly good writing or bad writing.And what is the first, essentialcharacteristic of good writing?That it exists.”

So, in the end, is the Falcon “amystical catalyst” that works inthe life of the one who possessesit? Says Hammett, “The truth wasa pendulum, swinging back andforth.” That applies to the rest ofthe plot, too. It’s a real head-scratcher, but I enjoyed it.

Finally, just for fun, I thoughtI’d look up Hammett’s originalThe Maltese Falcon. No, I hadnever read it before. And yes, thisclassic about the definitivehard-boiled P.I. Sam Spade wasgreat fun! The characters, theatmosphere, the writing: “Hestood beside the fireplace andlooked at her with eyes thatstudied, weighed, judged herwithout pretense that they werenot studying, weighing, judgingher.” And that wonderful dia-logue, as exemplified by the FatMan, saying, “I’m a man wholikes talking to a man that likesto talk.”

Here’s a suggestion for bookclubs: Read the original MalteseFalcon and then the Fitzstephennovel (they’re both fairly mod-est in length) and compare thetwo. Discuss.

Copyright © 2013 by MaryLouise Ruehr. TJN


The passions of two localartists are expressed in uniquelydifferent ways, yet their desires arethe same. Both enjoy the pleasureof expression and of communicat-ing their feelings about a particu-lar subject, yet are unique untothemselves in their portrayal ofthe flowers, fish and fowl ofSWLA.

Artists find a medium fromwhich they personally derivepleasure. Their medium alsoserves as a means of communica-tion between the artist and thepublic.

Sometimes, the subject is asophisticated painting of a floweror fowl, as in Imogene Dewey’sart. And sometimes, the subject isa fish, one of Reajean Clark-

German’s favorite subjects.As I enjoyed the beauty of

Imogene’s paintings of irises, itoccurred to me that I have notexperienced such sophisticated ,yet simple floral paintingsbefore. Most of my art experienceis in New York City, where onecan see a plethora of artisticexpression. Yet even there, I hadnot viewed the level of artistry Isee in her work with flowers.

Dewey began painting in theearly ‘80s after her work as momwas about complete. “I actuallybegan drawing at an early age,”she said. "I learned by tracing thecomics in the newspaper.”

When her last child (she haseight !) left the roost, she finallyhad time to pursue her personal

By Monica Hebert

The Three ‘Fs’ of SWLA Art Flowers, Fish and Fowl

“Red Lilies” by Imogene Dewey

15% Senior DiscountAll Doctors’ Prescriptions Accepted

Experienced Professional Staff • Most Insurance Accepted


passion. She began to take coursesat MSU under the tutelage of BillIles, the former art departmenthead at the university.

”I enjoyed it, but it was whenMelinda Atnoon-Cormier steppedin to teach that I fell in love withwatercolors,” she remembered. “Iloved the glow of the paperthrough the water.”

er natural vibrancy kicked up anotch when she spoke of thatglow. She proceed to show mehow active the white paper iswithin the watercolor paintingprocess and how special it is toplan a painting to allow the paperto glow. I realized that’s it—that’swhy her florals are so sublime.

Reajean Clark-German lives onthe Calcasieu River and is fortu-nate to have a studio overlookingwater. “Traveling and living formany years in other parts of thecountry gave me a new apprecia-tion of my native Gulf Coastregion,” she said.

Clark-German returned herewith a strong desire to explore thenatural gifts of the water in orderto share their beauty with her ownchildren. It was at this point thatshe became interested in reachingother children with art.

“I believe the self esteem of chil-dren is heightened by seeing theirregion honored through art,” shesaid. “Through my art, I seek tocelebrate the ordinary to confirmhow extraordinary we all are.”

Her unique form of expressionis called Gyotaku. Gyo means fish.Taku means rubbing.

“I’d known about the art formfor quite some time, but never hadthe desire to explore it until Ibegan to fish on a regular basiswith my husband--a self-describedpathological fisherman,” Clark-German said. “Gyotaku became away for me to reconnect with mynative Gulf Coast area.”

Her finished images breakfrom the traditional to reflect herrelationship with her roots, as doher collages.

“A collage piece takes theviewer on a unique journey,” shesaid. “From a distance, it lookslike one thing, and as you getcloser you discover the depth andinterest in the piece.”

Viewing a professional collageis much like getting to know aninteresting person. You findyourself more involved as you getcloser. I found myself wanting totake a class with her to learn col-lage. I never take art classes, butthis time I think I may just haveto break my own rules, and allowClark-German to show me theart of allowing my personal histo-ry to become a part of the pres-ent, in a whole new fashion. Irather like that.

Both artists are currentlyshowing their work. Dewey’s artcan be seen at Pujo Street Cafe inan ongoing group exhibition withArt du Lac. In particular, you willsee her florals, but also a stun-ning watercolor of two egrets.Clark-German’s fish and collagescan be seen at The Frame HouseGallery. TJN

“Fish” by Reajean Clark-German


“Lights, Camera, Action” meets“Ready, Set, Go!” in this month’scolumn. Local filmmakers will takeon a Film Sprint challenge thisApril; meanwhile, film watchers willhave several opportunities to seesome films from across the seas.

But first, the filmmakers--and whatis a Film Sprint, anyway?

The Lake Area Film Group isinviting all filmmaker beginnersand pros to participate in a 24-hourfilmmaking challenge. Basically,you show up at a designated place

to be given instructions,such as a certain line of dia-logue, a specific prop orspecial location to includein a short film. This is tokeep you from cheating andpre-planning your storyahead of time. Then, yourteam has 24 hours to write,shoot, edit and turn in acomplete film between 3 to10 minutes long.

If you’re ready to placeyour toes on the startingline of the race, here’s whatyou need to know. Thismonth’s sprint starts Sat.,April 27 at 7 a.m. at StellarBeans in Lake Charles. Youcan bring a team or comealone and you’ll be placedon one. Instructionsabout what items yourshort film must containwill be handed out at 7

a.m. Teams will be finalized andthen you’re on your own to makemovie magic in 24 hours. (Hint: I’vepersonally dashed in film sprintsbefore. Editors, be ready to stay uplate into the night and possibly evenwee hours into the morning!) Formore information…

Now, not all short films are asshort as a 24-hour sprint video.Technically, anything under 70 min-utes long is considered a short film.At least, that’s the official cutoff atthe famous Sundance Film Festival.And some readers may rememberhearing about a short film shotaround the area in 2011 titled EastStackton. I’m delighted to say thatall those folks who played majorroles as well as many dozens of localextra’s that populated the mysterioustown of East Stackton can now gettheir very own completed copy viadigital download. Not only do youget to see yourself and your friendsand point out familiar locationsused in this supernatural horrorfilm, but the download also includesextra features discussing why thefilmmakers shot in SouthwestLouisiana. Sean Farina and LakeCharles’ own John Veron wrote thefilm while they were living in LosAngeles.

“If we can do it, so can otherpeople,” said Veron. “With all thepeople from California coming toLouisiana to make films, the time isripe for some homegrown cinema ofour own. The process of making themovie was long; two years fromshooting our first scene to being 100percent done, but we got it done.”

If you want an East Stacktoncopy of your very own, you can pur-

chase a download at"http://www.eaststackton.com/buy"www.eaststackton.com/buy for $4.95.

Now, if you’re not quite ready torun a camera or act in front of one,this month is also a great one for tak-ing a virtual trip to faraway places.The next couple of films are showingfor one night only and you won’t findthem at your usual movie theater.

First up is an award-winningRomanian film. If you like a healthydose of drama and comedy mixedinto the same movie, it sounds likethis one may be worth a look. Eventhe title seems to have more thanone meaning. The HumanResources Manager is about an HRmanager of the biggest bakery inJerusalem. He’s in a career rut butlife circumstances shake him out ofit when a suicide bomber kills aworker. The manager learns thevalue of human life and during hisefforts to bring the body to rest thetragedy takes on comedic overtonesas other characters join his quest.

There will be a question andanswer period after the film to dis-cuss the themes of displaced peo-ple. The screening is free and takesplace at Central School on Friday,April 26 at 7 p.m.

Another fun choice that nightstirs up a little romance as only theFrench can inspire. At 7 p.m. in theF.G. Bulber Auditorium, you canescape into the 1500’s with ThePrincess of Montpensier. Thishistorical epic takes place during theFrench Wars of Religion. The storyunfolds around a love trianglebetween Marie de Mezieres, who ismarried to the Prince ofMontpensier for political reasonseven though it is the Duke de Guisewho holds her heart.

But the French follies don’t stopthere. Love and chocolate gotogether and sets up the backdropfor a lighthearted French confec-tion titled Romantics Anonymous.In this delicious tale, a chocolatierwho is so humble that even compli-ments cause her great discomfortgoes on a date with the owner ofthe Chocolate Mill. But he’s sosocially awkward he’s afraid to evenanswer his phone. Will their dateend in a sweet dessert or a bitterparting of ways? To find out, grab aseat in on May 2 at 7 p.m. in RalphSquires Hall. If you don’t rememberanything past your high schoolFrench classes, don’t worry -- bothof these films have English subti-tles.

Until next time, save me somepopcorn and I’ll see you nextmonth! TJN

Filmmakers: Ready, Set, Go!


It’s hard to explain just why being in the

know, an insider in the music world, has

been so important to me for, well, forever.

Years ago, when we worked together at a

fundraising company, and had been out of

college for some appreciable amount of

time, my high-school buddy Caryn and I

felt the need to be the hippest cats in the

room, and assumed the mantle of maven-

ism (a Yiddish word meaning expert, but

sometimes at least, it’s a sarcastic title) over

a musical domain.

That meant knowing everything about

the genres our peers might care about

(Mellow Country, heavy metal), and every-

thing about the musical genres the genera-

tions before (Big Band) and behind (punk)

us might care about, and everything about

show tunes while disdaining them and

other forms of “old people’s” pop culture in

public, and everything about any kind of

novelty music, from TV show theme songs

(“Meet George Jetson / doo doo doo doo

doo doo / Jane, his wife / doo doo doo doo

doo doo / his boy Elroy / daughter Judy,”

etc.) to ad slogan snippets (“See the USA/

in your Chevrolet”) to whacko recordings

(William Shatner’s scenery-chewing “Mr.

Tambourine Man”) and performances (Tiny

Tim’s “Tiptoe Through The Tulips”) by

celebrities who should have known better.

Well, one day, Caryn and I, in a particu-

larly know-it-all maven-ish mood (proba-

bly due to the fuel, or the moon) decided

we had to hear androgynous punk

poet/musician Patti Smith in person, as she

was going to be playing a hop, skip and

jump from our offices at the Academy of

Music in Manhattan. We had to get ready

for the experience. So we wracked our

brains for a few nanoseconds, and aided by

gallons of caffeine and days of sleep depri-

vation (Did I say we were working as

fundraisers at the time? All fundraisers are

over-stimulated and under-recharged.) we

decided to go in some fairly standard jeans

and sneakers outfits, accessorized with

tampon earrings.

What we were going to do was use red

marker to make the tampons look used, and

loop them over our ears with the safety

strings. Well we broke open some OB

things without the applicators, but they were

too micro, and didn’t absorb the red marker

ink all that well, so we switched to some

with applicators, probably the Kotex brand,

because that’s the only other one I remem-

ber from that era. The finished results

looked pretty realistic, which we thought

would be really out there and punk, but we

had trouble wearing them. The strings were

actually too short to stay on our ears, so

most of the way down to the theater, we

kind of held them on by covering our ears

with our hands. Face it, we were dweebs.

But we told each other we looked fabu-

lous, or whatever word for totally hip we

were using that week, and strutted down the

street to the show. Here, we discovered we

were literally sitting in the nosebleed sec-

tion, as I remember it, actually in the very

last row, about 10 light years away from the

stage. Which turned out to be perfect for

us. While we could barely see Patti, who

wore a white man’s button down dress shirt

over skinny jeans (and if I remember rightly,

also a flesh-colored tank top that was not a

beautifying choice), or Lenny Kaye, guitarist

extraordinaire (and supremely nice,

approachable, not a stuck-up bone in his

body kind of guy I learned some years

later), or Jay Dee Daugherty, hidden behind

his drum kit, and from our angle of view,

the invisible man, no one could see us

either, which as I say, was a good thing.

I can’t remember how long it took us to

abandon our earrings, but in fairly short

order we dumped them because we were

either too embarrassed about not fitting in

with kids mostly 15 to 20 years younger

than us, or too busy catching the energy,

excitement and new songs with the crowd

of maybe 5,000 screaming fans, who were

on their feet from note one for the ENTIRE

show. Ouch.

Even though I was

less than half the mighty

age I am now, standing for that

long was painful, with a capital retch.

How did we know the songs off the new

record, Easter, that she was showcasing

that May night? I don’t think we owned a

copy between us, and don't forget, in 1978

there was no YouTube, no downloads. At

this distance in time, I have to suspect we

absorbed them by osmosis, or we intuited

them. I know we knew “Because the

Night,” because that was actually playing

on the radio in sufficient rotation to chart,

and we certainly knew some of the covers,

Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life,”

Van Morrison’s “Gloria” (G-L-O-R-I-A),

plus the old men’s hits for encores – Elvis’s

“Jailhouse Rock” and The Who’s “My G-G-

G-Generation.”

The following year, when we saw her

perform “5-4-3-2-1 Wave,” the title song

from her next album, we, that is the audi-

ence, stumbled over ourselves trying to

move fast enough to perform the count-

down on our fingers, just like Patti did.

Sometimes, I think about how lucky I

was to be where I was when I was, what I

got to see and hear that's now gone

with barely a half-life echo to be remem-

bered by. There was so much once-in-a-

lifetime stuff.

I relive Patti’s concert deets through the

magic of the Internet, and geeky guys

who put up the set lists at www.setlist.fm,

so I can find them as needed, still want-

ing to feel again the rush of excitement

of one mind-blowing ephemeral thing

and then its almost immediate earth-

shattering replacement, the energy

propelling me until I find third,

fourth, and fifth winds. I feel sorry

for myself that I don’t have the

stamina, or even the will, to stay up

for days to soak up music, to eat,

drink and not sleep it, all over

again. But when I look back on

my life, I can see my tombstone,

my epitaph: “Hep cat.”

Leslie Berman’s career in music spansfour decades, and includes stints as afolksinger, music teacher, coffeehousebooker, concert promoter, publicist, fes-tival director, music journalist, albumnotes writer, artist manager, tradeorganization president, entertainmentattorney, and president of the MusicMuseum of Southwest Louisiana.She prefers all things musicallyeclectic, and votes on the

GRAMMYs as a member of theRecording Academy. She can be

reached at [email protected].

Hep Cats of the 1970s

TJN


EARTH DAY! - WORD SEARCH

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The Dot GamePlayers take turns connecting two dots. When you make a square, put your initials in the

box and take another turn. When all dots are connected, the player with the most boxes wins.


There are few things more ter-rifying than the idea of terroristsattacking American soil. But I’velearned one thing from watchingOlympus Has Fallen, where theWhite House itself becomes theheadquarters of an internationalorganizationof bad guys:Forget JohnBoehner orNancy Pelosias Speaker ofthe House. Weneed MorganFreeman inthere to helpus save theday.

Our storyrevolvesaround SecretService agentMike Banning(Gerard Butler.) Once a friend ofUnited States President Asher,Banning has since has been relegat-ed to the Treasury Departmentdown the road from PennsylvaniaAvenue. But when a diplomaticmeeting at the White House goeswrong, Banner seems to be theonly person who can save thePresident from some really nastyterrorists.

If you ever wondered how atakeover could happen, Olympusoffers a pretty credible scenario, inthe beginning at least. In its use ofbig weapons and a large cast, themovie ratchets up violence to adegree not seen since – well, sincethe last action movie that I saw.Never mind that the plot is pre-dictable, so is that of Romeo andJuliet. There are lots of folks whodie, but you can’t resist watching to

find out who’s next. But what’s real-ly fascinating about Olympus is thatyou start to believe that a takeovercould happen. (Just remember, wedidn’t really think 911 could hap-pen, and it did. )

What I liked about this movie,apart from itsblatant patriotismand sense ofmelodrama notseen since Apollo13, was thatalmost everycharacter in themovie had amotive for actingthe way they did.The President isheroic for verypersonal reasons.Mike Banningloves the SecretService, and is

extremely loyal, even having beenkicked out. The Secretary of Defenseis doing his own political thing. Thevillains have particular reasons forwanting to take the White House.Okay, everyone else in the moviejust wants to save the President fromtaking a bullet to the head, but atleast we know where they stand.

Another great thing aboutOlympus is that you learn so muchabout our country’s capital. I reallydidn’t know that it takes 15 minutesto get from the Pentagon to theWhite House by tank, and I’ve beenin D.C. during rush hour. Likewise,I didn’t know that there was a safehidden behind a painting in theOval Office, although I have toadmit my last tour of the WhiteHouse was cancelled suddenly,due to the sequester. And did youknow about the secret bunker?

Well, maybe you did, but do youknow where it is? Okay, maybe youdid, but did you know the paintcolor selection?

Seriously, this movie offers someexcellent escapist drama and sus-pense. All of the acting is well done,even if the script is at times weak.And the tension has a way of gettingpulled taut, and then Mike Banningwill throw in a sarcastic remark thatjust cracks up the audience. Some ofthe patriotism is corny, but its noth-ing worse than you would hear fromArnold Swarzenegger, even when he

was Governor of California. (By theway, I hear Arnold has anothermovie out. This gives the phrase “I’llbe back” a whole new meaning. Likehe knew the future or something.)

Olympus has Fallen is rated Rand earns it with a whole lot offour-letter words (well, the same oneused over and over), especially whenthe heroes are spitting in the face ofthe villains. But there’s a lot of bloodflying, some of it out of the back ofpeoples heads, not a pretty sight.Leave the kids at home for this one,please. Pass the popcorn.TJN

Olympus Has Fallen(Millennium Films, 2013)

Volume 5 • Issue 2PAGE 32 APRIL 18, 2013

Southwest Louisiana is a sportsman’s paradise. Game and fishingabound and so do people who love cooking and eating. Whether you’rea hunter, fisherman or just someone who enjoys good eating, the WildBeast Feast on Saturday, May 4, is the place you’ll want to be. Thismajor fundraiser for the Lake Charles Symphony will be held at BurtonColiseum this year because it was so popular that itoutgrew last year’s location.

Thirty teams of the area’s best wild game andseafood cooks will gather at the barn adjacent toBurton Coliseum to grill, smoke, or stew theirfavorite meat or fish. A ticket entitles the bearer tosample these culinary creations, as chefs vie for firstplace in the judging. The feasting begins at 5 p.m.for event goers with live music by City Heat allnight long. A cash bar will be provided.

Tickets are $35 in advance for adults; $10 for

ages 7-17, and free for 6and under. At the door, ticket prices will be $40and $15. Tickets are available at the symphony office (809 Kirby St.),Gordon’s Drug Store, Bella Cose, or online at www.lcsymphony.org.Come share the bounty of local hunters and fishermen, and supportyour Lake Charles Symphony! TJN

City Heat

It was a night for celebration when SylviaChaves Stelly received The Jambalaya News2012 Person of the Year Award. The event washeld at the Chateau du Calcasieu Event Centeron Enterprise St. in downtown Lake Charles onApril 4, which was filled with friends, family andsupporters.

In the fall of 2012, Jam readers were asked tovote for the Person of the Year, choosing fromthree deserving individuals (Stelly, Doug Gehrigand Willie King), which were narrowed downfrom a list of names suggested by the SWLA

Alliance and the West Calcasieu Associationof Commerce.

Stelly received the most votes. And thisnight was all about honoring her and her

good works. Her proud family was in attendance,

including her 84-year-old mother. Herpastor, Norman Thomas, said the

invocation and his wife, Dr. DebbieThomas, was the keynote speaker.Her husband, John Stelly, presentedher charity, La Familia ResourceCenter, with a check for $15,000.

From her humble beginnings in Brooklyn,New York, Stelly has succeeded in making a dif-ference in the lives of newcomers to the LakeArea. “We want [La Familia] to be that connec-tion between the Lake Charles community andother cultures.

“It is truly an honor to be voted Person of theYear,” she said. “Living in Lake Charles now forover nine years and witnessing the progressivegrowth within the Lake Charles community, Ibelieve this recognition is a true reflection ofpositive change in our area.”TJN

SylviaChavesStelly

Phot

o: Ro

mer

o & R

omer

o Pho

togr

aphy

Photo: Romero & Romero Photography

LC ConductorBohuslav Rattay


Maria Mott with Brenda and Len Ford Jay and Maria Cotto Mariah, Sylvia, Josiah and John Stelly

Lindsay Quebedeaux and Sue Grigsby Allison Ducat, Lauren Gibson and Gaige King

Jam staff Allen Garber, Mike McHugh, Mike Louviere,

Angie Dilmore, Faye Drake,and Burn Rourk

JAMBALAYA’S PERSON OF THE YEAR EVENTThe Chateau du Calcasieu Event Center on Enterprise was the setting

for a very special dinner honoring The Jambalaya News’ “Person of theYear” and founder of the non- profit organization La Familia, Sylvia

Chaves Stelly. Family, friends and supporters of Sylvia and the La FamiliaResource Center gathered for cocktails, dinner and most important, to

honor a woman who is dedicated to building our Lake Charles commu-nity and to reaching out to Latinos and newcomers to the Lake Area.

Daryl Boyd, Sylvia Stelly and Sherese Picornell

Olivia Nolan, Abbie Stack, Gracie O’Blanc and Bella PooleAmanda McCall and Stephanie Shaddock

THE DAFFODIL TEAThe ladies of the Lake Area tea-eed off for alovely High Tea Buffet and a fashion show

showcasing this spring’s latest styles by Teci’sFashions at the Lake Charles Country Club.

The Daffodil Tea was presented by TheFoundation of Lake Charles Memorial

Hospital and included performances by out-standing high school seniors in dance, the-

atre, creative writing, instrumental music andmore. There was a raffle, hat contest and spe-cialty drinks, too! Hats off to the Foundationfor making a difference in our community!

Suzanne McCann and Laurie Martin

Jam writer Angie Dilmore with her husband, Bob


Wilma Manuel and VJ ChauvinMaria Ruiz and Bonnie Lee

ZACHARY RICHARD CROSSROADS CONCERT

The Louisiana Crossroads Concert Seriesended with a bang as Zachary Richard,Cajun bard, rocker and activist and his

incredible band took to the stage at theCentral School Theater last week. Theybrought the packed house to its feet

with a blend of acoustic guitar, harmoni-ca, accordion, drums, keyboard and basecello. The band introduced a collection

of music from their new release, “Le Fou”and Richard answered questions from

the audience. Two thumbs up for amemorable evening!

Jim and Linda Fazende with Libby and Charles Tempa The Jam’s Allen Garber with wife Annette Karen and Jack Delpappa with Judy and George Bastidas

Elaine Brown, Katie Johnson and Della JohnsonJanice Reblich and Missy Ivey Marily McSwain and Laura Duhon

Janice Latour and Anne Backe Terry and Linda Terrebonne Vera and Neil Frank Dee Schexnailder and Susan Guidry

APRIL 18, 2013 PAGE 35Volume 5 • Issue 2

Latrice Watson, Patricia Prater, Ayana Watis and Amaya Watson

Emilee Wix and Victoria Harrington Leetha Mouton, Von Cooks and Chrissy Carter Ayden and Jade Sanders

Carol LeBlanc with Lisa and Morgan Derise

DOWNTOWNCRAWFISH FESTIVAL

Let the fun, food and games begin!The festival gates opened wide at theLake Charles Civic Center Grounds for

the Downtown Crawfish Festival.Crowds of little eager beavers flockedto the carnival rides, candied apples,

cotton candy and more, and Crawfishroyalty and bands paraded around thelakefront. There was all kinds of indooraction with vendors and bands kickingit up till midnight. And don’t forget the

crawfish! Finger-lickin’ good!


A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’SDREAM APRIL 18-21

The McNeese StateUniversity Theatre Bayou Players

will present A Midsummer Night’sDream at 7:30 p.m. April 18-20, with a 2 p.m. matinee

April 21 in the Shearman Fine Art Performing ArtsTheatre. By William Shakespeare, this play contains some

wonderfully lyrical expressions of lighter Shakespeareanthemes, most notably those of love, dreams and the stuff of

both -- the creative imagination itself. Ticketprices are $15 for adults, $10 for McNeese fac-

ulty/staff, senior citizens and youth, and free

for McNeese students with a current ID. Fortickets or more information, call (337) 475-5040or visit www.mcneese.edu/theatre.

NANCY MELTON & FRIENDS WATER COLOR SHOW APRIL 19

An opening reception will be held on Fri.,April 19 from 5 – 8 p.m. at Our Lady of GoodCounsel Catholic Church Student Center, 221Aqua Drive, Lake Charles. The group, with fea-tured artist Edith Pavy Beam, will exhibit worksfrom 25 area artists, including some from Texas.This event will help raise funds for a Youth MissionTrip by holding a Silent Auction of original paint-ings, donating 100 percent of all proceeds. The show will be a one-of-a-kind event, as artwork will be scattered throughout two outdoor-lightedpatio gardens. Guests will be treated to refreshments and music as theywander through the artistic maze both inside and out. The exhibit willcontinue through May 12, as it is a Contraband Days event. For moreinformation, email [email protected].

MOVIES UNDER THE STARS APRIL 19, 26Movies Under the Stars is a free event that’s open to the public.

Each event date will begin at 7 pm. Seating is first come first serve. Bringyour own lawn chairs, blankets and refreshments. Snacks can also bepurchased. Prien Lake Park is locatedat 3700 West Prien Lake Road in LakeCharles. In the event of inclementweather, dates may be cancelled. OnApril 19, enjoy Muppets, and on April26, it’s Mission Impossible: GhostProtocol.

ECO-FEST AND BUTTERFLY RELEASE AT SHANGRI-LA APRIL 20Bring the family to Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center

in Orange, Texas for Eco-Fest on April 20 from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. There will bebooths offering eco-friendly products and services, a butterfly release,and games and fun for visitors of all ages. Tickets are $8 and childrenunder 10 years of age get in free. The fee includes access to all Eco-Festactivities, and children will receive a butterfly to release at 11 a.m.Butterflies are available to children while supplies last. Entry does notinclude Outpost Tours. Buy your ticket in advance online atwww.shangrilagardens.org.

DINNER AT MI CASA APRIL 21Join Sam and Denise Hebert at their home on Sun., April 21 at 5:30

FUN FRIDAY, APRIL 19: PASTA NECKLACESJoin them anytime between

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. in the ArtSpace!

FUN FRIDAY, APRIL 26: FINGER PAINTINGJoin them anytime between 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. in the ArtSpace!

FRI., APRIL 26: S.J. WELSH STUDENTS ART EXHIBITThe Children’s Museum is partnering with S.J. Welsh Middle School and art

teacher Julie Dallas. Her students will exhibit artwork using a variety of techniques. The museum will host a gallery opening during Art Walk

from 5-8:30 p.m.

SAT., APRIL 27: 25TH BIRTHDAY BASHThe Children’s Museum is celebrating its 25th anniversary! There will be face

painting from 10 a.m. - noon. “Chico” the Clown will kick off the party at10:30 a.m. and cupcakes and refreshments will be served at 11:30 a.m. Kids

can paint a ceramic bug in the ArtSpace from noon - 3 p.m.

The Children's Museum is located at 327 Broad Street downtown LakeCharles. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Admission is $7.50 for children and adults. For more information, call 337-433-9420 or visit www.swlakids.org.


p.m. for a very special dinner to support CourtAppointed Special Advocates and the abused and neg-

lected children they serve. The event is presented in partner-ship with the Culinary Team of Coushatta Resort. During cocktail

hour, guests will enjoy grilled oysters, lobster, shrimp, prime beef andblackened foie gras sliders, an assorted domestic and imported cheesedisplay with breads, fresh tropical fruits, fresh tossed pastas, and butler-passed hors d’ oeuvres. Dinner will begin with crawfish bisque, followedby a shrimp and crab martini. The main course is a grilled bone-in filet ofbeef served with rosemary roasted red potatoes and sautéed baby veg-etables. Dessert will be creamy Creole cheesecake topped withLouisiana strawberries and a crispy toasted pecan cookie. Tickets are$150 per couple and can be obtained by calling (337) 436-9533 or goingto www.fyca.org. Seating is limited.

SPRING ART WALK APRIL 26The Arts Council of SWLA’s annual Spring Art Walk will be held on

Fri., April 26, from 5 – 9 p.m. This free event focuses on artist exposure byconcentrating the region’s talent into a few square blocks within theCharleston Cultural District. Coffee shops, businesses, restaurants, andvacant buildings will be transformed into pop-up galleries for theevening, complete with live music and vendors in the street, lowcost pedi-cab rides, art battles, and interactive activities through-out downtown. For more information, visit www.artsandhu-manitiesswla.org or call (337) 439-2787.

‘WINDOW ON THE WEST’ APRIL 26Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center is excited to

announce the arrival of a new exhibition, “Window on the West:Views from the American Frontier.” It will open on Fri., April 26,during Spring Art Walk from 5-9 p.m. It is an extraordinary exami-nation of Western American art and includes more than 60 worksfrom artists who all share the rare characteristic of being one of the firstto set eyes on the vast, untouched land of Western America. The exhibi-tion will hang in the second floor gallery through July 20. Historic CityHall is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted. Formore information, call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com.

MASTERWORKS CHORALE SPRING CONCERT APRIL 26, 28Louisiana Choral Foundation’s Masterworks Chorale will present

two spring concerts entitled “Voices of the People.” Amazing brass andchoral music of Moravian settlers in early America will be featured at theMcNeese State University’s Ralph Squires Recital Hall Fri., April 26 at 7:30p.m. and Sun., April 28 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for stu-dents and may be purchased at the door and from Chorale members,Swicegood Music, or by calling (337)491-9348. Check them out onFacebook and Twitter or visit www.lachoral.org.

QUEEN OF ZYDECO CONCERT APRIL 27The Arts Council of SWLA, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, and the Lake

Charles/SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau present aone-night-only homecoming concert to celebrate the

career of Zydeco music legend Queen Ida on Sat.,April 27, at 7 p.m. in the Benjamin W. MountAuditorium at Central School in Lake Charles. QueenIda has been awarded a GRAMMY, six Blues MusicAwards, and the National Endowment for the Arts

Heritage Award. She officially retiredin 2010 but will give a rare per-

formance on the 27th withGRAMMY-winning Zydeco

band Terrance Simien &the Zydeco Experience.

A reception willbe held at 6 p.m. for thegeneral public for a meet andgreet with Queen Ida. Tickets are $10for adults and $5 for children 12 and under,and can be purchased at the Arts Council officeor online at www.queenida.eventbrite.com. Fordetails, contact the Arts Council at 439-2787.

DERBY FOR DOLLARS MAY 4You won’t want to miss this fabulous event at The Stables

of Le Bocage benefiting The Shannon Cox Counseling Center.Enjoy an afternoon with food from the Lake Area's finest restau-rants, spirits, a cochon de lait, live music, televised derby action,equestrian jumping exhibition, and contests for the best ladies hats/gent's best derby duds. Music by Andrew Bateman. Only 100 ticketsavailable, so don’t miss out! Tickets are $75 per person and can be pur-chased by calling Family & Youth (436-9533) or online at www.fyca.org.

ACTS PRESENTS SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL MAY 10-12, 17-19Artists Civic Theatre and Studio, Lake Charles, announces tickets

are now available for Seussical the Musical, which will take the stageMay 10, 11, 12 and 17, 18, 19. Reserved seating tickets are $25 for

adults and $10 for youth under 18 and students with school-issuedidentification. They will be available at LakeshoreMedic Pharmacy, Moss Bluff Florist and Gift,Lake Charles Civic Center, or by calling (337)433-ACTS. For additional information visitwww.actstheatre.com. TJN


The

Sponsored by

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17• Ryan Bunch @ Cigar Club, 8 p.m.• Marty Monte Band @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of

Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18• Street Side Jazz Band @ Otis & Henry’s, Isle of

Capri Casino, Westlake, 6 p.m.• Horace Trahan @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino,

Kinder, 7 p.m.• Black Tie Affair @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri

Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.• DJ San-D @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge

Casino, 11 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 19• Alex Rosell @ Otis & Henry’s, Isle of Capri

Casino, Westlake, 6 p.m.• Street Side Jazz Band @ Luna Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.• ISIS @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.• When the Word Was Sound/Certain Satellites @

Dharma, 8 p.m.• The Dubonauts @ Luna Live, 8 p.m.• Tom Brandow @ Cigar Club, 8 p.m.

• Charles Mann @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

• Crossroads @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 9 p.m.

• Mark Reeves & Twisted X @ Yesterday’s, 10 p.m.• Johnny Gates & The Invite @ Jack Daniels Bar &

Grill, L’Auberge Casino, 11 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 20• ISIS @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.• Pokey LaFargue @ Bulber Auditorium, McNeese

State University, 7:30 p.m.• Jen Kober @ Luna Live, 8 p.m.• Herban Cat/Brett Chase @ Dharma, 8 p.m.• Allen Tramp @ Cigar Club, 8 p.m.• The Kadillacs @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri

Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.• Crossroads @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 9 p.m.• Geno Delafosse & French Rockin Boogie @ Yesterday’s, 10 p.m.

• DJ San-D @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge Casino, 11 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 21• Gregg Martinez & Delta Kings @ Yesterday’s, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23• Scattered Hamlet @ Luna Live, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24• Neal Smith @ Cigar Club, 8 p.m.• The Posse @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri

Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 25• Ryan Bunch @ Otis & Henry’s, Isle of Capri

Casino, Westlake, 6 p.m.• Brade & Hurst @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino,

Kinder, 7 p.m.• Brad Dunn Band @ Luna Live, 8 p.m.• Brandon Ledet & Creole Touch @ Caribbean

Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.• TDJ Cage @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge

Casino, 11 p.m.

To list your event e-mail: [email protected]


FRIDAY, APRIL 26• Kris Harper & Matt Moss @ Otis &

Henry’s, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 6 p.m.

• La Princesse de Montpensier @ Bulber Auditorium, McNeese State University, 7 p.m.

• Street Side Jazz Band @ Luna Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.

• Tassie Burnette & Hundred Dollar Habit @ Stellar Beans, 7 p.m.

• No Idea @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.

• RKW @ Cigar Club, 8 p.m.• Andy Frasco @ My Place Bar, 8 p.m.• Dog Hill Stompers @ Caribbean

Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

• Billy Currington @ The Pavilion, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

• Terry Fator @ L’Auberge Event Center, L’Auberge Casino, 9 p.m.

• Big Poppa Lee & Southern All-Stars @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 9 p.m.

• Bag of Donuts @ Yesterday’s, 10 p.m.• Hillbilly Picnic @ Jack Daniels Bar &

Grill, L’Auberge Casino, 11 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27• Various Artists @ Vinton

Dogwood Festival, 9 a.m.• Queen Ida/Terrence

Simien @ Central School Auditorium, 7 p.m.

• Fortunate Youth @ Luna Live, 7 p.m.• No Idea @ Mikko, Coushatta

Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.• Ruthie Foster @ Bulber

Auditorium, McNeese State University, 7:30 p.m.

• AF the Naysayer/Jaylotus @ Dharma, 8 p.m.

• Ryan Harris & Killin Time @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

• Big Poppa Lee & Southern All-Stars @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 9 p.m.

• Wayne Dylan @ Micci’s Piano Bar, 9:30 p.m.

• Leroy Thomas & Zydeco Roadrunners @ Yesterday’s, 10 p.m.

• DJ Cage @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge Casino, 11 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28• Brad Sapia & Bayou Soul @ Yesterday’s, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1• David Joel @ Caribbean Cove, Isle

of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY, MAY 2• Audio Adrenaline @ Contraband Days, Lake Charles Civic Center, 7 p.m.

• Cypress @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.

• TBA @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge Casino, 11 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAY 3• KB Unplugged @ Otis & Henry’s,

Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 6 p.m.• Rude/Midnight Star @

Contraband Days, Lake Charles Civic Center, 7 p.m.

• Street Side Jazz Band @ Luna Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.

• David Joel @ Cecil’s Cajun Kitchen, DeRidder, 7 p.m.

• BroadBand @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.

• Lynn Trefzger @ Rosa Hart Theatre, Lake Charles Civic Center, 7:30 p.m.

• Molly Ringwalds @ Yesterday’s, 10 p.m.

• Robert Frith @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge Casino, 11 p.m.TJN

Documents

The Jambalaya News - 04/18/13, Vol. 5, No. 2