The Louisiana Jam - 08/29/13, Vol. 1, No. 5

PAGE 2 AUGUST 29, 2013 Volume 1 • Issue 5

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

PUBLISHERPhil de [email protected]

EXECUTIVE EDITORLauren de [email protected]

GENERAL MANAGERMonica [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS

ADVERTISINGTRAFFIC MANAGERSenaida Ortiz

SALES ASSOCIATESMichele [email protected]

GRAPHICSART/PRODUCTION DIRECTORBurn Rourk

ART ASSISTANTSarah Bercier

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERDanley Romero

BUSINESSOFFICE MANAGERJeanie Taggart

Legal DisclaimerThe views expressed by Louisiana Jam columnists are their own and do not nec-essarily reflect the position of Louisiana Jam, its editors or staff.Louisiana Jam is solely owned, published by Jambalaya Media, LLC, 715 KirbyStreet, Lake Charles Louisiana 70601. Phone (337) 436-7800. Whilst every effortwas made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time ofgoing to press, the publishers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors oromissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the standing of advertisers norby the editorial contributions. Louisiana Jam cannot be held responsible for thereturn of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, even if they aresent to us accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Copyright 2013 Louisiana Jam all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or inpart without prior written permission is prohibited.

George ClineAngie Kay DilmoreNishae GuiceMonica HebertBraylin Jenkins

Jen KoberMike McHughRoger MillerJody TaylorKarla Tullos

August 29, 2013 • Volume 1 • Issue 5

On Cover: The McNeese University

Cowboy Club

21

7

COVER STORY10 The McNeese

UniversityCowboy Club

REGULARS

4 The Dang Yankee5 Tips from Tip6 Fish Tales7 Adoption Corner8 The Impressive

Entertainer12 Jen Kober’s Big Fat

Food Column

THE SPICE OF SWLA

14 Restaurant Guide16 Events Guide17 Lake City Beat!18 Art & Culture

Events Guide19 HeART of SWLA20 Music Guide21 The Loaded 44rz22 Society Spice

22

8

1912

10

AUGUST 29, 2013 PAGE 3Volume 1 • Issue 5

Lauren de Albuquerque

We all know thosepeople who love to talk.Who are the last to leavea party because they’reso busy talking. Whowill strike up a conversa-tion with a stranger inthe Lowe’s parking lot.Who could talk to a wall(and sometimes do). Imarried someone likethat.

Now, let me start off bysaying that it doesn’t helpthat we live in thefriendliest area in Amer-ica. Phil is from Michi-gan, which is a prettyfriendly state, all around.Then, he spent 20 yearsin New England, whereno one talks to anyone,even people they know.That really bummed himout to no end.

When he became atour guide, it must havebeen a dream come true.Here he is, on a bus witha microphone, with 40captives in front of him.They can’t go anywhere

for hours. And he cantalk to them. Hey, that’show we met. “He has thegift of gab,” my mothersaid.

His second dreamcome true, then, wasmoving down here.Southwest Louisiana isthe epitome of friendlyand he is in his glory. Heloves meeting new peo-ple and chatting withthem. He’ll come homeand tell me about theguy he met in Kroger’swho has 10 cats or thewoman at the gas stationwhose son’s best friend’smother’s sister-in-lawlives in Boston. You getthe picture.

When we first camehere, we owned a bedand breakfast. More peo-ple for Phil to meet. AllB&B guests love to“visit.” That’s part of thecharm. We are openingour home to you and ifyou want to be left alone,you would have gone tothe Holiday Inn instead.So Phil was in his glory.

He was in charge ofmaking the coffee andbiscuits, and then he’d sitat the table and find outall about our latestguests. He loved it, andthey loved him.

The problem withbeing married to some-one so gregarious is thatthere are a lot of missinghours and interruptedjourneys. We can nevergo from Point A to PointB without Phil runninginto someone that he justhas to talk to for 10 min-utes. This happens allday, and those 10 min-utes add up. He’s con-stantly shaking his headand asking, “Where didthe day go?” I’ll tell youwhere it went, and whereall the others went. Theywent into the Black Holeof Small Talk.

Where I come from,we get to the point. Wesay what we want to say,get it over with, andmove on. We don’t dilly-dally. We’re busy. Thingsare different here, and

Phil has bought into it--hook, line and sinker.

I keep telling him thathe has too much goingon to chitchat the way hedoes. Sure, he can befriendly, but he needs tokeep in mind the 150things he needs to do inthe next 24 hours. So far,that hasn’t happened.

For example, the othernight, the Children’s Mu-seum put on their yearlyfundraiser, the Imagina-tion Celebration. Thetheme was disco, and Iwore platform shoes. Bythe end of the night, myfeet were killing me andI was exhausted. As thepresident of the board, Iknew he needed to stayand clean up. But thesmall talk in betweenand after the clean-upwas insane. He’d bringsomething out to the car,run into someone, andtalk. He’d go back intothe Civic Center, andtalk to someone else.He’d take a box fromsomeone and talk to the

box person for 10 min-utes. And so on.

Now, I don’t mind thiswhen we go on vacation,especially to our resortin Mexico. He’s notworking, so he reallygoes to town. He makesfriends from all over theworld. He’s like a kid in acandy store. I hardly eversee him. When I do, he’swith a new friend. That’sfine. Just don’t suck meinto any conversationsthat I don’t want to have.I’m on vacation, too—and I have a differentway of relaxing.

I told Phil that he’llhave time to talk to any-one and everyone whenhe retires. In the mean-time, he needs to curbhis enthusiasm. Andclimb out of that BlackHole.

A Note From Lauren

Small Talk Phil


If there were such athing as an endless sum-mer, I never wished for onemore than the one follow-ing my fifth grade. Yet,even at that tender age, Iknew better, and so I spentit counting down the dayslike a debtor would to adeadline imposed uponhim by a mob hit man.

But it wasn’t a mobsterthat haunted my dreamsthat summer. Rather, itwas the sixth gradeteacher—Sister Candida,or “Generalissimo Can-dida,” as we students at theMost Precious BloodSchool fondly called her.Many a time during theyear just ended would Ilook out through our class-room door into her do-main across the hall,watching her as shewielded her chalkboardpointer like a cavalry offi-cer. That summer, mydreams were ravaged withvisions of my own preciousblood dripping from theend of that pointer, the re-sult of my having mis-con-jugated some verb or notknowing the capital of Al-bania.

I would have done any-thing to avoid my fate. Iconsidered running awayto join the Foreign Legion,this despite the fact thatour country did not, infact, have a Foreign Le-gion, and even if it did,they would not be apt totake eleven-year olds.

And so my destiny wassealed, and that September,

I passed through the Gatesof Doom and into theGeneralissimo’s domain.And thought I’ve neverbeen in the military—For-eign Legion or otherwise—I feel like I should qualifyfor veteran’s benefits as aresult of that year.

The worst part of it wasthe homework. Everynight, it seemed, she wouldassign us to write a compo-sition. Her homework as-signments would havedriven William Faulkner tosheath his pen and harvestpecans in obscurity for therest of his life. My mothercould have mulched herrose garden with the pencilshavings that I generatedwriting those composi-tions. Had I developedcarpal tunnel syndrome,any lawyer in town wouldhave jumped to sue thePallottine Order of Sistersfor medical expenses onmy behalf.

One day, when the timecame for Sister Candida toannounce the topic for thatevening’s essay, she startedoff by reading a letter she’djust received from a formerstudent. In the letter, thegirl, then in high school,thanked her formerteacher for having been as-signed so many writingprojects while under hertutelage, claiming that shewas better prepared for hercurrent studies as a result.

I don’t know what thegirl was thinking. Puttingsuch a letter in Sister Can-dida’s hands was more

dangerous than if the kinghad given Blackbeard acommission to pillagegalleons on the SpanishMain. Her determinationto develop each and everyone of us into a futurePulitzer Prize recipientgrew, as did the length andcomplexity of our home-work assignments. Insteadof “Describe Your FavoriteSaint,” she would charge usto “Comment on the Writ-ings of St. Augustine in theContext of the Roman Em-pire’s Decline During theFourth Century A.D.”

Invariably, she’d thenbrandish the letter. “Oneday you will thank me forthis, just like that girl!”she’d say. I’m sure that let-ter now is preserved some-where in the VaticanArchives.

Still, we failed to seehow an improved writingability would help us inour pre-ordained futuresas professional athletes, tel-evision stars, and rock ‘nroll musicians.

As for me, it took a full40 years to recover fromthe severe case of writers’cramp I’d developed thatyear and begin writing anewspaper column.Nowadays, I’ll often won-der, after turning in yet an-other story about road kill,what Sister Candida wouldhave thought of it.

I don’t have to think toohard. If she were still alive,she’d be on the first planeto Louisiana, armed withher trusty pointer.

The Iron Sister


COMPASSIONATE VETERINARIAN

I recently discoveredsome information about aveterinarian service in theDetroit area that made mestop and think. I am ananimal person, dog in par-ticular, so the In HomeVeterinarian EuthanasiaService began to makesome real sense after I re-viewed it and reflected onit. All of us animal lovershave experienced griefover losing a pet.

Several years back, wehad to have Duchess, oursenior Australian Shep-herd, put to sleep. The lossliterally took us years toget over until we were fi-nally able to bring GracieLu into our home andshare our love. Most of ushave a hard time dealingwith the end-of-life situa-tion for our pets.

On his Facebooksite, Michigan vetMatt R. Fish ex-plained very clearly

why he set up hisunique prac-

tice of euth-anizingpets. Tobegin

with, he re-alized that

bringing the ail-ing animal to beput to sleep at a vetclinic (usually a lo-cation not relished

by the pet anyway), wasnot only unnecessarilyhard on the animal butalso on the pet owners. Dr.Fish put his own petsdown at home, making amore comforting situationfor all. He realized thatthis was a better idea andtransformed his practicesolely to home euthanasiaand transport for crema-tion when necessary. Wesalute Dr. Fish and whole-heartedly agree with hisphilosophy of compassionto both the pet and thefamily.

WATCH THE NUTSMuch has been in the

news about the expandinglist of allergies that seemto be more prevalent thanever before. Peanut allergywas almost never evenmentioned in the days of

my youth. Currently,schools are having to takeever increased precautionsdue to this potentially lifethreatening condition. It isultimately the parental re-sponsibility to guard thesafety of their offspringeven though we should alltry to do what we can. Butit is almost impossible toprevent contact with an al-lergen. We cannot elimi-nate every possible meansof contamination; prudentbehavior is the most obvi-ous method of prevention.

SUPERMARKETROUNDUP

Out of respect for theallergic students, the shop-ping survey for this issuewill be for a sandwich that

can be enjoyed at the “nutfree” cafeteria table atschool. We’ll pass on thePB&J for this report andenjoy a BLT. Bacon, lettuceand tomato is a longtimefavorite of so many of us. Ilove mine toasted. A hotserving of tomato soupmakes an excellent com-plement to this sandwich.The prices reported hereare from Wednesday, Au-gust 21, and reflect theposted price on the shelfwhere the product wasplace for sale. The storessurveyed are: Albertsons,Ryan Street; Market Bas-ket, Ryan Street; Kroger,McNeese Street and Wal-mart, Nelson Road.

White Wheat Bread, 20-ounce loaf, per each:

Albertsons, $3.29; Mar-ket Basket, $3.29: Kroger,$3.29; Walmart, $2.68.Iceberg lettuce, per headeach: Albertsons, $1.99;Market Basket, $1.48;Kroger, $.99; Walmart,$1.28.Tomato, fresh on vine,per pound: Albertsons,$1.99; Market Basket,$2.59; Kroger, $.99; Wal-mart, $1.88.Hormel Black HawkBacon, Original, 16-ounce package: Albert-sons, $6.49; MarketBasket, $6.39; Kroger,$4.28; Walmart, $5.78.Campbell’s TomatoSoup, 10 ¾ ounce can:Albertsons, $1.19; Mar-ket Basket, $.89; Kroger,$.79; Walmart, $.75.


We started at my usualspot just west of the old pierand rocks, fishing the dropoffs. Using popping corksand bait shrimp, I was surehe’d at least catch somehardheads, sand trout, andmaybe some specks or red-fish. He quickly caught ahardhead, then a couple ofsand trout. Enthused now,he worked waist deep in thesalt until he was just past theold rocks. And then (cuethe soundtrack from Jaws),the fin came through therocks right for him. First

time I ever saw a waist-deepYankee explode backwardand up and damn near runon water to the beach. Andsafety.

The dolphin swung offand did a leap back betweenthe rocks. I was startled,momentarily scared, thengave in to barely suppressedlaughter. I knew from hiswhiter-shade-of -pale ex-pression that Chris thoughthe’d just escaped beinglunch. I tried not to laugh.Loudly. So, I turned myback and pretended to lookfor the dolphin/shark. ThenI heard what sounded like abark so I turned and Chriswas bent over at the waist.Laughing. At himself. Call ita male bonding moment.

A Big CrabIn yet another Louisiana

rite of passage, a friend ofmine, Rue, went on a crab-bing trip with her dad downto Sabine Wildlife Reserveand Hog Island Bayou. Dadset the ginger-haired, not-yet-teen up with string andchicken neck. He showedher how it was done and to-

gether they hauled in a bluecrab keeper, netted it, anddropped it in the wash tubwhere it rattled about. Assoon as she got the hang ofit, Dad wandered off tocheck the other lines.

Rue was left on her own,intently watching the crabline for movement. The linegot taunt, then jerked andbegan to steadily pull away.Rue began to pull in hercrab, then figured she hadmore than one on as itpulled harder than before.She dug in her heels andpulled back. She struggledwith it and then the lineslackened a bit and shecould see what looked like aturtle with eyes. Then itwent under and she tuggedon the line.

“Daddy what’s that?”Rue said as she pointed atthe turtle with big eyes.

“Rue, get back!” Dadshouted. For a 6’4,” 240-pound man, he coveredground to his daughter likeRay Lewis on a blitz. Hegrabbed her just as thegator’s mouth flew open andlunged toward the out-stretched arm, chicken neckin the corner of its mouth.Dad enfolded the terrifiedand sobbing child, calmingher until she stopped shak-ing. That might have been ithad not Rue spotted the ten-foot gator in the Bayou overDad’s soothing shoulder.With a shriek and a scream,she was off to the car andwas not going to come out,period. When asked if sheever went crabbing again,Rue and her Dad both as-sured me, “NEVER!!”

My Last RodeoWhat’s not to love about

the July 4th Fishing Rodeo?When Rocky called I ea-gerly accepted. Goodfriends, salt breezes, bluewater and fishing at its best.Early the next morning, weheaded out of the CameronJetties with Rocky’s 23-footRapalla slicing into the lightGulf chop. It was a gloriousday for me, Rocky and Ron.Yee Haw!!

We churned our way out

Sharks, Gatorsand Rodeos

My stepson Chris, then14, had just moved downfrom Wisconsin. Since heloved fishing so much, I fig-ured we could surf fish thebarrier rocks south of La-coste Lodge, east of Con-stance Beach. It might evenprove to be a good malebonding experience. Chrishad wade-fished in Wiscon-sin streams and lakes butthe Gulf of Mexico would bean adventure for him andthe water a hell of a lot

warmer.I made sure he had on

tennis shoes, jeans and along-sleeve shirt to fish theclose-in rocks about 50yards out in the Gulf. I hadstumbled and tumbledenough around those rocksto know how to dress andalso to bring the first aid kit.Chris insisted that he wearhis lucky Green Bay Packerscap. He even refused aSaints hat. I allowed it. Afterall, he didn’t know better yetand he was a just a DamnYankee.


for two hours, the wind andthe seas climbing. Youcouldn’t miss the thunder-storm scowling darkly backat us. Rocky had grown upfishing in South Florida andknew a lot more about off-shore fishing than I. All hehad to do was look back atus with concern in his eyesand we were ready to fleetoward home. We werebarely outrunning the stormwhen we noted what wascoming at us: a long blackline with white flashing ten-tacles streaking out thegrayed edges.

Rock headed for thenearest rig. The wind andrain charged, a line of Con-federate gray rain, thunderlike cannon fire. There wasa tie-off rope swinging fromthe rig and Rock turned to-ward it, gesturing for me totie off the bow line so wecould ride out the storm. Iscrambled up on the bow,rope in hand, and somehowtied us off and scrambledback, my deck shoessqueak-sliding on the deck.Doing my best to hide from

the driving storm, Isquirmed beneath the deckthat barely hid us. Rock dis-tributed life vests and skibelts as lightening andthunder blasted like a bat-tlefield around us, rain likebullets. Up the waves we’dslide, only to lurch back asthe bow rope caught. Again.And again. So we took turnsbailing and waited for thestorm to abate. Nada. Fi-nally, around daybreak, Itried to lay my head downand rest and then, with noseparation between lightand sound, the BLAM! thatwide-eyed me awake.

“Let’s go, Rock!” Iscreamed as I awakenedhim. Rock took a look at theseas and nodded. I scram-bled up on the bow and cutthe bow rope lose and slidback into the boat as Roncaught me before I toppledoverboard. And we rode thegray waves in under dawn-shadowed skies, soakedshivering sea rats.

That was my last rodeo.

Are you looking for anew BFF? Riley, our RatTerrier/Whippet mix,could be your guy!Adopted from us threeyears ago, he was recentlyreturned due to health is-sues in his adoptive fam-ily. Always a "Nervous

Nellie" kind of guy,sweet Ri was awreck--afraid ofeveryone and every-thing. After a week,the vet recom-mended a simple fix--Prozac! Whobelieves in miracles?We do! Who couldhave thought that a

$4 prescription couldchange a life in such a re-markable way! Ri nowplays with his foster bud-dies, is starting to playwith toys, and is a cuddleron the sofa in theevenings. He will need astable, quiet home, but if

you are a single personlooking for a best bud,or elderly and needing aloyal companion, bets areon that Riley will fill thebill! He willingly takeshis meds and bondsdeeply to his caregiver.He now goes to PetSmarton Saturdays, so come outand meet this wonderfulguy! Home visit, vetcheck, and a commitmentto heartworm preventionrequired for all adoptions.Need more information?Call (337) 478-7294,or email [email protected]. Hurry, Rileyis waiting!

Featured by LaPAW Rescue


There are lots of greatreasons to party. Here inSWLA, we don’t evenbother trying to findone. It’s just what we do!I have been entertainingfor over 15 years. Istarted with my motherand father. In trueLouisiana fashion, wehad a celebration foreverything: holidays,Super Bowls, boxingmatches, random Satur-days…whatever. WhenI went away to college, Iwould give birthday par-ties, graduation parties,and the most randomdinner parties, leadingone of my friends to ask,“Are you really glazing aham on a Tuesdaynight?”

In my mid-20s, I had

the pleasure of workingat the Lake CharlesCountry Club as thecatering director. There,I was encouraged to beas insanely creative aspossible when planningevents for our members.When I began my careeras a full time stay-at-home mom, my husbandworried that I wouldhave a hard time adjust-ing to not having suchan amazing creative out-let. But I never missed abeat, hosting dinner par-ties, birthday parties,play dates, game nights,and girls’ nights.

Although we all knowthat some of the bestparties take place in liv-ing rooms and back-yards, most people are

intimidated by enter-taining in their home. Ihave a true love for en-tertaining and you justmay find that you will,too. It is truly addicting,and I want to give you afew tips to take the fearout of entertaining andhelp you on your way tobecome an ImpressiveEntertainer. Whether it’sa dinner party for fouror a swinging soiree for50, entertaining could bemuch easier and morefun than you thoughtpossible! Let’s PartySWLA!

What better way tocelebrate hardworkingAmericans than a cook-out on Labor Day? Thefollowing menu is sureto be a crowd pleaser!

Labor Day Backyard Feast

Okra Bombs12 fresh okra (tops cut,cut down the middleleaving approximately 1inch together andseeded)4 oz. cream cheese(softened)4 cups pepper jackcheese (shredded)2 cups cheddar cheese(shredded)2 Serrano peppers(minced)½ teaspoonblack pepper1 teaspoon crushed redpepper12 strips bacon

Mix the cream cheese,pepper jack, black pep-per and crushed redpepper. Generouslystuff okra pods withcheese mixture, slightlyover-filling. Wrap eachpod in a strip of baconand secure with a tooth-pick. Bake at 400 de-grees until bacon iscrisp.

Glazed Shrimp andSausage Kabobs24 large shrimp (tailon, peeled, and de-veined)

By Nishae Guice

Okra Bombs


4 links smoked sausage(cut into 2-inchrounds)2 red onions (cut intolarge chunks)3 bell peppers (quar-tered)1 can of chunkedpineappleRed glaze6 tablespoons SirachaSauce1 tablespoon bourbon1 cup apricot preserves1 teaspoons onion pow-der

Whisk glaze ingredi-ents until combined andset aside. Skewer kabobsand brush liberally with

glaze. Grill.

Cajun RoastedVeggies4 large eggplants(sliced long)8 zucchini (slicedinto 1-inch rounds)4 large onions(sliced into 1-inchrounds)½ cup extra virgin oliveoil2 tablespoons and 1teaspoon of Red-Headed Cajun Season-ing Blend½ teaspoon of cayennepepper1 pinch of groundcumin

Preheat the oven to475. Wash and cut allveggies and place into alarge bowl. Combinewith extra virgin olive oiland spices, making sureall the veggies are cov-ered. Spread onto a bak-ing sheet in an evenlayer. Allow veggies tocook for 7 to 10 minutes,then broil for three min-utes. Once removedfrom the oven, sprinkle

with remaining teaspoonof seasoning blend.

Grilled Peacheswith BourbonBrown Sugar Sauce3 peaches (pitted andhalved)2 sticks of unsalted but-ter4 cups of brown sugar¼ cup Peach Schnapps¼ cup and 2 table-spoons of bourbon

In a sauce, cook butterand sugar on low heat

until sugar has dissolved.Stir in Peach Schnappsand bourbon and let sit,uncovered on low heatfor 5 minutes, stirringoccasionally. Just beforeserving add 2 table-spoons of bourbon andstir.

Brush peaches withsauce and grill for fourminutes per side onmedium heat or untiltender. Top with BlueBell vanilla ice creamand Bourbon BrownSugar Sauce.

Grilled Peaches


Have you ever attendeda McNeese football gameat Cowboy Stadium andwondered about thatbuilding at the south endof the field with the largebank of wall-to-wall win-dows? That’s the EarlMiller Cowboy Club facil-ity, home of the booster or-ganization, which benefitsstudents in the McNeeseAthletic Department.

“We support all of Mc-Neese’s athletics, not justfootball,” said Bob Phillips,president of the CowboyClub. “Tennis, volleyball,basketball, baseball, track,even the rodeo team. Ifthey need assistance withsomething, they come tous. That’s our purpose. Weraise money year around.When they ask for ourhelp, we give it if ourbudget allows.”

On a recent Saturdayafternoon, Phillipswhipped up dinner in thekitchen of the Cowboy

Club for the girls’ soccerteam. ”I like to cook,” hesaid.

He’s been a member ofthe Cowboy Club for 16years and on the board ofdirectors for six years. Thisis his first year as presi-dent. “I love football,” hesaid. “I’ve been coming toMcNeese games since Iwas ten years old.”

The Cowboy Clubstrives to enrich the lives ofthe student athletes.“These kids come from allover the United States, aswell as many internationalstudents,” Phillips said.“We watch out for them;many are away from homefor the first time. We feedmeals to the teams. It’sheartwarming to see thekids happy to get a home-cooked meal. For roadtrips, we give them goodiebags full of snacks. We do-nate funds directly to theMcNeese Athletic Founda-tion upon request by eachsport.”

The funds help thecoaches purchase neces-

sary items such asequipment, uni-

forms, and di-etarysupplements.

“The studentslearn who we are,

they see us in thecommunity,

and they ap-preciateeverythingwe do forthem,”

Phillipscontinued.“We also

encourage them tofocus on their educa-tion – that’s the num-ber one priority. Lastyear, McNeese rankedhighest in the state forthe academic status oftheir student athletes.We’re very proud ofthat. It’s rewarding tosee these kids grow up,from their freshmanyear until they aregraduating seniors.The coaches tell the stu-dents, ‘Y’all couldn’t havemade it without the help ofthe Cowboy Club.’”

More Help is NeededLouisiana has experi-

enced the greatest decreasein state funding for collegeathletics of all 50 states.This makes the CowboyClub all the more impor-tant to the success of thevarious sporting programs.Phillips encourages anyonewho has an interest in Mc-Neese sports and the stu-dent athletes to consider

joining the club. “Everyoneis welcome, includingwomen,” he said.

There are several levelsof membership: Rustlersdonate $125 a year, Gun-slingers $250, Bronco-busters $500, and TopGuns $1000. Meetings areheld every Tuesdayevening between Augustand December; bimonthlyor monthly between Janu-ary and May. A social hourbegins at 5:30 in the Cow-boy Room. Dinner is at6:15 and the meeting be-gins at 7. Speakers include

current and formercoaches and alumni ath-letes. Each meeting con-cludes with fun doorprizes. The Cowboy Roomis available to members forprivate parties and eventsif the schedule permits.

Club HistoryThe McNeese Cowboy

Club began in 1974 with70 members. Their facilitywas built in the late 1980s.Today, the Club boastsnearly 300 members. Inthe last seven years alone,the Cowboy Club has do-

By Angie Kay Dilmore


nated over $2 mil-lion to McNeese ath-letics.

The Future Looks Brightfor the Blueand Gold

Each year, likeany true fan, Phillipsis optimistic andhopeful that theCowboys will win achampionship. “Ivisit with Coach Vi-ator periodically andask, ‘Coach, what dowe look like thisyear?’ He’s a great coach, agreat mentor, and he’s al-ways positive that we’regoing to see great things.”McNeese has won thirteenSouthland Conference ti-tles since joining theleague in 1972; most re-cently in 2009. Could 2013be another championshipyear for the Cowboys?

New DirectionMcNeese University re-

cently hired a new athleticdirector, Bruce Hemphill.

Phillips is optimistic thatHemphill will change theface of sports at the schoolin a positive way. “He’s afirst class act. He’s a localguy; originally from Sul-phur. We’re excited abouthim. He’s got a lot of expe-rience and he knows theropes,” said Phillips. “I be-lieve the direction he’lltake McNeese athletics isgoing to be incredible.”

The heart of McNeese Athletics

Phillips laments that

many people are not awareof the Cowboy Club --who they are and whatthey do. “We’re here,” hesaid. “And we’re very proudof our organization. Any-thing we can do to helpthese kids, that’s what we’rehere to do. It’s all about thekids.”

To join the CowboyClub or for more informa-tion, see their website, Mc-neeseCowboyClub.net, orcontact Bob Phillips at(337) 802-9416 [email protected].

Bruce Hemphill has been selected asthe new McNeese State University ath-letics director. Hemphill officially beganhis new duties on Aug. 22. He is the 9thathletics director in McNeese history.

“It is rare to have one candidate pullhead and shoulders away from all appli-cants so early in the search process,” Mc-Neese President Dr. Philip Williams said.“Bruce is a unique find and meets everycriteria that we were seeking in an ath-letics director.”

Hemphill said he is deeply honoredand excited to be given the responsibilityto lead the athletics department. “Dur-ing my interviews I heard many ideasand suggestions and I want to hearmore,” he said. “I will hit the ground lis-tening.”

Hemphill said he wants to be innova-tive in developing a long-range plan andbuild on the success and traditions ofMcNeese athletics. “I plan to immersemyself in the history of McNeese StateUniversity and McNeese athletics and tomeet with as many people as possible todetermine what is good for McNeese.”

The Sulphur native has 24 years ad-

ministrative experience at the collegiateand high school levels. He supervised 10of 17 programs offered at a major Divi-sion 1 university and was responsible forbudget oversight, game operations, facil-ities, personnel, compliance, team traveland recruiting.

He earned his bachelor’s and master’sdegrees from Louisiana State Universitywhere he was a three-year letterman infootball and won All-Academic South-east Conference honors as wide receiver.He is the former associate athletics di-rector at the University of Wyoming andassistant to the athletics director at theUniversity of North Carolina.

McNeese Associate Athletics Directorand Compliance Coordinator BridgetMartin served as interim athletics direc-tor and chaired the search process.“Bruce’s years of experience in collegiateathletics administration positioned himas the frontrunner in the search process,”she said.

Hemphill succeeds Tommy McClel-land who resigned in July to accept theathletics director position at LouisianaTech University.

Bruce Hemphill Named McNeese Athletic Director


After several failed at-tempts to try out Wasabi,the new sushi grill at3901 Ryan St. (they areclosed from 2-5, whichalways seems to bewhen I am thehungriest!), I man-aged to stave offstarvation and fi-nally got to devourthe deliciousness atWasabi.

I'm no strangerto great sushi,After living in SanFrancisco for ayear I became kindof a snob about it.Fresh ingredients andbeautiful presentation arethe key, and Wasabi hasboth in spades! We or-dered several dishes forthe table to try a varietyof what they had to offer,and not one dish disap-

pointed. I was in lovewith the newly discov-ered Miso Eggplant (andI don't even LIKE egg-plant!) which is roasted

eggplant brushed with aslightly sweet miso glaze.Incredible.

Next up were thesushi rolls. I indulged inthe Mardi Gras Roll,filled with crawfish,onion and bell pepper

rolled up andfried tempura-style and toppedwith spicy tunaand drizzled ineel and sweetchili sauce.

I love when adish has a warmcomponent anda chilled com-ponent thatcome togetherin one delec-table bite. This

roll was a real fusion be-tween traditionalLouisiana and Japaneseflavors that was a total

triumph. Susan or-dered a Dancing Roll,which uses soy paperinstead of seaweed fora different taste thatwas literally dancingin my mouth! The fla-vors blendbeautifullyand thenthe littlebeads ofcaviar burstin your

mouth andmake a party -haha! Wonder-fully delicious!

I finished it all offwith a cup of miso soup.I was starting to nurse asore throat after a week-

end full of two shows anight, and that comfort-ing hot miso-infusedbroth was just the trick.

Small bits of tofu andgreen onion finished offthe fish stock and madeone flavorful little bowl

of soup. Just what myvocal cords needed, andmy taste buds were prettyhappy too!

Wasabi is a winner. Asuper delicious additionto our growing Asianculinary scene in Lake

Charles. The servicewas great. Serverswere kind and cour-teous and veryknowledgeable aboutthe menu. Each dishwas not only tasty,but exquisitely pre-sented. I ate with myeyes first, and whenmy mouth andtummy got involved,we were all happy. Iwill definitely be back-- and if you havebeen meaning to giveWasabi a try, tellthem Jen Kober sent

you in for the sushi feastyou've been waiting for!

Next week we areheading into the world ofmunchies and checkingout some eats in the LakeArea that are truly off thebeaten path. Delicious-ness is everywhere, y'all,and I'm having a blastdiscovering all the yum-miness there is in our lit-tle town. Don't forget tolog on toLousianaJam.com for mylatest cooking videos anda listing of all the greatrestaurants, events andhappenings in SWLA.

Wasabi? Wow!

Mardi Gras Roll

Dancing Roll

Special Noodle Salad


American/FamilyCracker Barrel249 S. Cities ServiceHwy., Sulphur

337-626-9500

O’Charley’s1780 W. Prien

Lake Rd.Lake Charles

337-478-9927

Ryan’sFamily Restaurant4501 Ryan St.Lake Charles337-477-2707

AsianAsia at L’Auberge777 Avenue L’Auberge,Lake Charles337-395-7777

Osaka JapaneseSteakhouse3035 Gertsner MemorialDrive, Lake Charles337-990-5478

Kyoto JapaneseSteakhouse2610 Dillard LoopLake Charles337-478-2888

Fuji Japanese Steakhouse3241 E. Prien Lake Rd.Lake Charles337-480-3788

MiyakoJapanese Restaurant915 E. Prien Lake Rd.,Lake Charles337-478-1600

Peking Garden2433 Broad St., Lake Charles337-436-3597

Pho Tien4415 Nelson RoadLake Charles337-477-8557

China Taste1415 Beglis Pkwy.Sulphur337-527-5985

Yank Sing4626 Nelson Rd.Lake Charles337-477-9004

Bakery & DessertsCypi’s Cake Box520 McNeese St., Lake Charles337-478-0269

Pronia’s3101 Kirkman St., Lake Charles337-478-0785

Sweets and Treats411 Ryan St., Lake Charles337-437-3913

BarbecueBBQ West2618 Derek Dr.Lake Charles337-564-5000

Dan’s BBQ Express2635 Country Club Rd.Lake Charles337-478-5858

Famous Foods1475 Gerstner MemorialDr., Lake Charles337-439-7000

BreakfastLe Peep Café3800 Ryan St.Lake Charles337-240-8497

Pitt Grill606 W. Prien Lake Rd.Lake Charles337-564-6724

Pitt Grill2600 Ruth St., Sulphur337-527-0648

Waffle House2488 S. Cities ServiceHwy., Sulphur337-626-8111

BurgersCotton’s FamousHamburgers2001 Oak Park Blvd.Lake Charles337-477-9759

Five GuysBurgers & Fries2950 Ryan St.Lake Charles337-721-1903

Novrozsky’s Hamburgers2706 Ruth St., Sulphur337-527-0041

Cajun & SouthernBoudin King906 West Division St.Jennings337-824-6593

Hollier’s Cajun Kitchen1709 Ruth St., Sulphur337-527-0062

Rabideaux’sSausage Kitchen105 US 165, Iowa337-582-3184

Southern Spice3901 Ryan St. Lake Charles337-474-6065

Walker’sCajun Dining603 Holiday Dr.Jennings337-616-0766

Italian121 Artisan Bistro121 DeBakey Dr.Lake Charles337-310-7499

Joe’s Pizza and Pasta1601 Ruth St., Sulphur337-528-2560

Romano’s731 Ryan St.Lake Charles337-491-1847

MediterraneanZeus Greek &Lebanese Café409 W. Prien Lake Rd.Lake Charles337-439-7099

Mazen’s217 W. College St.Lake Charles337-477-8207

MexicanAgave Tamale521 Alamo St.Lake Charles337-433-4192

Agave Tamale1614 Sampson St.Westlake337-429-2987

El Tapatio2624 GerstnerMemorial Dr.


Lake Charles337-475-9022

El Tapatio Dos808 Sampson St.Westlake337-721-7685

Rosita’s2401 Napoleon St.Sulphur337-533-9077

Casa Manana2510 Ryan St.Lake Charles337-433-4112

CancunMexican Restaurant4001 Ryan St.Lake Charles337-477-6802

La Rumba MexicanGrill & Cantina1804 Ruth St.Sulphur337-287-4846

Coyote BluesFresh Mexican Grill3624 Ryan St.Lake Charles337-502-5131

PizzaCici’s Pizza3533 Ryan St. Lake Charles337-562-2223

Gatti’s Pizza1811 Ruth St., Sulphur337-527-0318

Gatti’s Pizza3522 Ryan St. Lake Charles337-474-6225

Papa John’s Pizza1415 Beglis Pkwy. Sulphur337-528-7272

Papa John’s Pizza650 W. McNeese St.Lake Charles337-474-7272

Rotolo’s Pizzeria4201 Nelson Rd.Lake Charles337-478-1996

Sandwiches, Soups & SaladsNina P’s Café600 W. McNeese St.Lake Charles337-479-2201

Pappy’s Deli2627 Ryan St. Lake Charles337-436-2813

Roly Poly2241 Maplewood Dr.Sulphur337-625-5555

Roly Poly3100 Ryan St.Lake Charles337-433-3130

Roly Poly4423 Nelson Rd. Lake Charles337-474-3332

SeafoodGranger’sSeafood Restaurant2636 Hwy. 3059Lake Charles337-433-9130

RegattaSeafood andSteakhouse508 Hawkeye Ave.Lake Arthur337-774-1504

Seafood Palace2218 Enterprise Blvd.Lake Charles337-433-9293

Kenny’sKatfish Kabin1577 W. Fourth St.Dequincy337-786-5562

Steamboat Bill’son the Lake1004 N. Lakeshore Dr.Lake Charles337-494-1070

Steamboat Bill’s732 N. Martin LutherKing Blvd.Lake Charles337-494-1700

Boiling Point1730 Beglis Pkwy.Sulphur337-625-9282

SteaksBig Sky SteakhouseCoushatta Casino777 Coushatta Dr.,Kinder800-584-7263

The Harlequin501 W. College St.Lake Charles337-439-2780

OutbackSteakhouse2616 Derek Dr., Lake Charles337-477-3161

Ember Grille& Wine Bar777 Avenue L’Auberge,Lake Charles337-477-3161


The Cult at PartyBy the Pool August29

Don’t miss the Cult atthe last Party by the Poolof the season at

L’Auberge Casino LakeCharles. Tickets are

$10-$20 at www.tick-etmaster.com, at

L'Auberge throughthe Business Center or

Legends at L'Auberge,or you can call (800) 745-

3000. Tickets may also bepurchased the night of theshow at Legends. Doorsopen at 7 p.m. and showstarts at 8:30 p.m. Must be 21years old to enter.

Teen Dance at JoBeck'sParty Center August 30

Friday nights at JoBeck'sParty Center are Club KarmaTeen Dance Nights for ages 11-17! Dance to the hottesttracks under our awesomelight show. We also have con-cessions available. So comejoin the crowd and dance thenight away. Hours are 7 - 11p.m. 3620 E. Napoleon Street,Sulphur, LA 70663, (337) 485-9353. Admission is $5.

Jerry Lewis at L’AubergeAug. 30

Legendary comedian andactor Jerry Lewis is known forhis slapstick humor in film, tel-evision, stage and radio. Seehim Fri., Aug. 30 at 9 p.m. atthe L’Auberge Event Center.Tickets start at $45 and can bepurchased at Legends or theL'Auberge Business Center orby calling (800) 745-3000.

BooZoo’s Labor DayFestival September 2

Our rich musical heritagecontinues to live on withBooZoo's Labor Day Festival.A day of great food and Zy-deco, the entire family is in-vited to come out andcelebrate the festival's 29th

year in grand style. Fill up oncrawfish etouffee, red beansand rice with sausage and BBQsandwiches. Truly a family af-fair, enjoy the sounds of localZydeco favorites. Doors openat 10 a.m., with the bands be-ginning at 11 a.m. The festivalhas relocated this year to theLake Charles Civic Center.(337) 438-3482.

Healthy Woman Anniversary Sept. 5

Women & Children's Hospi-tal will host their HealthyWoman Anniversary event“What Defines You?” on Thurs.Sept. 5 from 4 - 8 p.m. at theL'Auberge Casino Resort.Women's health expo from 4-6p.m. will be followed by a din-ner program featuring AbbyRike, former Biggest Losercontestant, author and motiva-tional speaker. Tickets are $25per person and table sponsor-ships are available for $225.Purchase your tickets by Au-gust 31st at www.women-chil-drens.com/healthywoman.

Concert in the ParkSept. 6

Sulphur native Martin Du-plechin will be performingoldies and country music atthe Heritage Square Pavilionon Sept. 6, from 6-9 p.m. Fami-lies are encouraged to comeout with the children and enjoya free night of entertainment.

He will perform again SaturdaySept 7, 6-9 p.m. for Stars andStripes Car Show after party.

‘Gallagher's Last Smash’Farewell Tour Sept. 7

After 35 years of non-stoptouring, America’s favoritetouring comedian is hangingup his Sledge-O-Matic…but notafter one last tour. “Gallagher’sLast Smash” will be his way ofthanking his fans that havesupported him throughout hiscareer. He will be performingat 9 p.m. at the Isle of CapriCasino, Westlake. Call (800)843-4753 for ticket info. Mustbe 21 years of age.

Stars and Stripes in thePark Sept. 7

4th Annual Stars andStripes in the Park Classic CarShow and Cruise Night, Sat.,Sept. 7, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., at theRuth Street Pavilion, Sulphur.There will be hundreds of clas-sic cars, hot rods, trucks, andmotorcycles. Entry for showvehicles and spectators isFREE. Door prizes will beawarded, with food booths,music, and entertainment forthe children. There will be anawards presentation followingthe show, featuring Stars andStripes Beauty Pageant win-ners. The classic cars and hotrods will be cruising on RuthStreet after the show. Call527-4500 for more info.

Aug 29 – United Way Annual BanquetAug 31- Sept 1 – Don Rich Gun ShowSept 2 - Boozoo Chavis FestivalSept 14 – Lake Charles Black RodeoSept 21 – Midnight Fantasy Car ShowSept 26 – Home Health Harvest FestSept 27 - 29 – LC SymphonyOct 1 – New Life Counsel BanquetOct 5-6 - Shrine CircusOct 17 - Women’s Commission ConferenceOct 18-19 - LC SymphonyOct 25 - Unitech GraduationOct 26 – Cultural FestivalOct 26 – Arts FestivalOct 31 – Harvest Festival

(Recreation & Parks Dept)Oct 29-31 – Chamber Theatre (tentative)Nov 1 – Chamber Theatre (tentative)Nov 9 – Patriot’s BallNov 10 - Jesus Christ Superstar

(Theatre Prod.) Nov 11-12 – Sesame StreetNov 13 – Melody HouseNov 14-17 – Film FestivalNov 16-17 – Don Rich Gun ShowNov 19 - 21 - Super Science Circus

(only 1 of the 3 days, not confirmed which day)

Nov 21-23 – Mistletoe & Moss MarketDec 7 – Lighting Festival & Boat Parade


By Braylin JenkinsAlong the Dirt Road, the film

adaptation of Terry A. O’Neal’snovel Sweet Lavender, will soonbecome the talk of Southwest andCentral Louisiana. Author, poetand screenwriter O’Neal, a Cali-fornia native, recently arrivedhere to begin what could be per-ceived as a challenging task:scouting locations to be used inher first film. She was kindenough to take time out of herbusy schedule to meet with TheJam.

O’Neal has always been a pas-sionate admirer of the South,mostly in part to her motherbeing a Lake Charles native. Itonly seemed right that she re-turned to Louisiana to finish hernovel in the late 1990s, staying ina lakeside cabin in Breaux Bridge.The visit helped further the expe-rience of what the atmospheremight have been like in relationto her characters.

“I’m not personally a fan ofthe big city lifestyle,” O’Neal said.“I’ve always liked the essence ofthe South, and feel that I’m asmall Southern girl at heart.”

While Langston Hughes andother notable poets and writersare inspirations for O’Neal, onepoet in particular stands out. Atage five, she was granted the op-portunity to attend a book sign-ing by Maya Angelou, thanks toher mother. It would forever leavea mark on the life of the futurepoet, writer and author, and in-spire her to create.

O’Neal started writing at ayoung age. She remembers re-ceiving a school assignment backfrom her instructor with a sidenote on her paper indicating thatshe needed to cite poems used infuture assignments if they werenot original. But that poem wasan original—it was hers. “ I real-ized what a huge compliment thatwas to my style of writing,” shesaid.

Now a best-selling author, herpoetry has been published in nu-merous magazines, journals andnewspapers around the world.But turning her novel into amovie didn't come easy. O’Nealwrote and rewrote her screenplay,witnessed the huge writers’ strikein Los Angeles, and had severalbreaks with producers. Finally, itall came together, and she’sproudly holding a screenplay inhand for her first film, with an-other project in the works.

The story is set in 1960s Ce-cilia, LA. A man who has beenunfaithful to his wife gives her thenewborn son from that union toraise and then vanishes. Hisdaughter is faced with the over-whelming reality of growing up

without her father, while hermother struggles to raise twochildren on her own during a dif-ficult time of racial tension in theSouth.

O’Neal’s goal was to presentthe father as a likable character inspite of the subject matter. “WhileI relate to some of my characters,this story is not based on my life,”she emphasized. It’s described as acoming-of-age story about loveand pain with an overall theme offorgiveness crossing gender andracial boundaries.

Along the Dirt Road is an in-dependent production that willbe shot in SWLA as well as Ce-cilia and Shreveport. Auditionsare expected to begin in early Jan-uary 2014, with filming antici-pated to start a few months later.“It depends on the weather,”O’Neal said. “We know it can betricky, but a tentative date tobegin filming has been set forMarch.”

O'Neal is pleased with thesupport she has received fromConvention and Visitors Bureauand the Film Alliance in findinglocations--a testament to the hos-pitality displayed in SWLA.

As far as casting goes, Cam-ryn Levert, the daughter of thelate Gerald Levert an R&B singer,

songwriter and producer, willplay the role of the character RaeLynne. O'Neal has also met withthe Williams Brothers, a gospelgroup in the Lafayette area.

If you’re interested in audi-tioning for a role, submit yourhead shots and resumes to:[email protected].

The actual casting call will bein January of the next year. If youare interested in being a part ofthe production crew, please directCREW resumes to: [email protected].

The Jam will continue to fol-low O’Neal and her journey inthe Along the Dirt Road film-making process. Be on the lookout for future articles concerningthis film and ways you can get in-volved. As Louisiana as a wholecontinues to gain popularity forthe movie industry, SouthwestLouisiana is attracting more eyesto our area.

To all aspiring filmmakersand those who hope to one daywork in the film industry, now isthe perfect time to get involvedand learn from those makingwaves across the state. Additionalinformation may be found at in-diefilmcasting.wordpress.com/category/location-calls-louisiana/

Along the Dirt Road to be Filmed in SWLA


Abraham Lincoln:The ImageHistoric City Hall1001 Ryan St., LakeCharlesMon- Fri 10 am- 5 pmSat 10 am- 2 pm8/2/2013-10/12/2013337-491-9147

Art duLacPujo St. Café901 Ryan St., LakeCharles Mon-Fri 11am-9:30 pmSat noon-9:30 PMYear Around337-439-2054

Black Heritage GalleryCentral School809 Kirby St., LakeCharlesMon-Fri 9 am-5 pmYear Around337-488-8567

DeQuincyRailroad Museum400 Lake Charles Ave.DeQuincyTues-Sat 10 am-5 pmYear Around337-786-2823

DeQuincyTown Hall Museum218 E. Fourth St., De-QuincyMon-Thurs 9am-noonand 1 pm-4pm Year Around337-786-8241

Elvis: Grit & Grace Ex-hibitHistoric City Hall1001 Ryan St., LakeCharlesMon-Fri 10 am-5 pmSat 10 am-2 pm6/20/2013-9/7/2013337-491-9159

Imperial CalcasieuMuseum204 W. Sallier St. Lake CharlesTues-Sat 10 am-5 pmYear Around337-439-3797

Jack&John: Jack Amuny & MarkJohnHenning Cultural Center923 Ruth St., SulphurMon-Fri 10 am-noonand 1 pm-5 pm Sat 10am-2 pm8/15/2013-9/19/2013337-527-0357

Linda Gleason RitchieExhibitGallery by the Lake106 W. Pryce, LakeCharlesAugust, 2013(337) 436-1008

Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu809 Kirby St., LakeCharlesTues-Fri1 pm- 5pmYear Around337-430-0043

USS OrleckNaval Museum604 N. Enterprise Blvd.Lake CharlesMon-Fri 10 am-3pm Sat10 am -4 pmYear Around337-214-7447

Vintage ArtsBy Jeanne OwensCentral School809 Kirby St., Suite 212, Lake CharlesMon-Fri 9 am-5 pmYear Around337-304-1165

W.H. Tupper GeneralMerchandise Museum311 N. Main St., JenningsMon-Fri 9 am-5 pmYear Around337-821-5532

"The Buccaneer ArtistsHave Landed"Zigler Art Museum411 Clara St., JenningsTuesday, 10-4,Sunday 1-4Aug. 3-31, 2013337-824-0114


There is beauty any-where, anytime, in anysituation if you will onlylook…

Greta Painter Says is anintriguing artist and an in-triguing woman. There’sa light and a vitality com-ing from her presence, herenergy. Beaming andsmiling. I sat down withher recently to ask her afew questions. I was par-ticularly interested in herseries “The Living Dead.”

LJ: What is it aboutthese dead women thatgrabbed your attention?Why did you create paint-ings about them?

GPS: “The Day of theDead” (Dia de Muertos) isa traditionalMexican holi-day wherefamiliesgather to cele-brate the lifeand death ofloved oneslost. Havinggrown up inNew Mexico,I was exposedto the tradi-tion early onbut it wasn’tuntil recentlythat it becameso intriguingto me. One ofthe things Ifind most in-terestingabout the Dayof the Dead

are the girls with their dec-orated faces; I find them tobe extremely beautiful andwish I looked like them.

LJ: The faces of thewomen in this series eerilylook like you. Could thisbe considered a self-por-trait?

GPS: I began paintingthose girls as an attempt tobring light into a dark pas-sage of time in my life andit worked; I actuallystarted to see some light. Ifelt true peace and com-fort when I painted themand still do to this day.Their beauty brings mehappiness. They gave mestrength and courage tounderstand there is beauty

anywhere, anytime, in anysituation if you will onlylook.

LJ: Where did you getyour art education? Whatsticks out in your mindand remains with you asyou grow in your artisticexpression?

GPS: After receivingmy paralegal certificate, Iattended McNeese major-ing in art (printmaking)and sociology. My artworkin college was very differ-ent from my work now. AsI’ve grown older, andhopefully wiser, I am notas concerned about other’sopinions about my art andthink that is what gives itmeaning and emotion. I

did paint in collegebut never cared foroils or acrylics. Mc-Neese didn’t offer wa-tercolor classes, so Itook lessons withNancy Melton formany years. It wasNancy who taughtme how to paint.From the moment Ifirst began workingwith watercolor, it be-came a part of meand I loved it. It is theonly medium I haveused since college. It’sspontaneous, unfor-giving and to me, themost beautifulmedium.

LJ: What is thenext series you havein mind?

GPS: I’ve recentlybegun a “Villain” series,fictional and real. I amfascinated by the meanspeople use to express orcope with their emotions,especially when it breaksall social norms. I supposewhat most people find dis-turbing or different, I findintriguing and brilliant, ina sense.

Greta has the uniqueability to see beauty every-where. On a cold winter’sday, she can zoom in uponthe gentle wheat color ofwinter grass, or see the va-riety of color in a treetrunk as it stands againstthe cold. She appreciatesthe natural wonder ofcolor around her andstrives to bring the un-usual tints to her work.

Although her paintingsfocus on faces, this abilityto see beauty in every-thing is translated to herwork as she emotionallyfeels the painting taking

shape and is guided by hermind’s eye watching colorin nature. That is a truegift, one that cannot be at-tained by a formal educa-tion. Artists have gifts of avarying nature; but thisone in particular providesGreta with an ability tomanage the colors with adeftness that surprises theviewer, for it doesn’t seemto be watercolor, eventhough it is.

As a member of Art duLac, a local group of pro-fessional artist who pro-duce joint exhibitstogether, Greta’s work willbe shown during GalleryPromenade on September28 at Pujo Street Café,presented annually by theSLWA Arts Council. Formore information aboutthe Promenade, pleasecall (337) 439-2787. ForGreta, please go to herFacebook page: www.face-book.com/greta.painter-says?fref=ts

Greta Painter Saysby Monica Hebert

Pink Eyed Lady

Lady Dead


Thursday, Aug. 29Albert Simpson5 p.m. @ Otis & Henry’s@ Isle of Capri, 1000 Westlake Ave.,Westlake

The Cult7 p.m. @ Party bythe Pool’s Liquid

Society, L’Auberge,Lake Charles

Ganey Arsement & TheLakeside Gamblers8 p.m. ‘til midnight @ The Caribbean Cove @ Isle of Capri, 1000 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Bryan Fontenot9 p.m. @ Mikko Live @Coushatta Casino Resort,777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

DJ Crush @ Jack After Dark10 p.m. @ Jack Daniels Bar &Grill @ L’Auberge, LakeCharles

Gravy10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Friday, Aug. 30Tim Norris5 p.m. @ Otis & Henry’s @Isle of Capri, 1000 WestlakeAve., Westlake

Street Side Jazz Band7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill,710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

David Locklear w/specialguest Paul Gonsoulin8 p.m. @ Coolers Ice House,3622-1/2 Ryan St., LakeCharles

Pookie Marceaux Band8 p.m. ‘til midnight @ TheCaribbean Cove @ Isle ofCapri, 1000 Westlake Ave.Westlake

LA Express9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge @ Delta Downs, 2717 DeltaDowns Dr., Vinton

DJ Crush @ Jack After Dark10 p.m. @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill @ L’Auberge, LakeCharles

“Back to School Bash”with Herban Catt10 p.m. @ Dharma, 329Broad St., Lake Charles

Orphan Annie Band10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Saturday, Aug. 31Honey Jar7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill,710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Jimmy Partin9 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 East Prien Lake Rd.Lake Charles

LA Express9 p.m. @ Gator Lounge @ Delta Downs, 2717 DeltaDowns Dr., Vinton

The Onlies + Sinner AcousticTrio + Chris Hamlett!10 p.m. @ Dharma, 329Broad St., Lake Charles

Dax Riggs10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Cash’d Out & DJ Showtime@ Jack After Dark11 p.m. @ Jack Daniels Bar &Grill @ L’Auberge, LakeCharles

Richard LeBeouf & Two Step 8 p.m. @ Yesterdays NightClub, 5313, Common St, LakeCharles

The Coleman Brothers8 p.m. ‘til midnight @ The Caribbean Cove @ Isle of Capri, 1000 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Monday, Sept. 2Cash’d Out & DJ Showtime@ Jack After Dark

10 p.m. @ Jack Daniels Bar &Grill @ L’Auberge, LakeCharles

Tuesday, Sept. 3Boozoo’s Labor Day Festival (Includes music)10 a.m. @ Lake Charles CivicCenter, 900 Lakeshore Dr.,Lake Charles

Karaoke w/DJ David Verett8:00 p.m. @ Jack DanielsBar & Grill, L’Auberge CasinoResort, 777 AvenueL’Auberge, Lake Charles

Wednesday, Sept. 4Fortunate Youth10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Friday, Sept. 6Patrick Sheng (Saxophonist)7:30 p.m. @ Ralph SquireAuditorium, McNeese StateUniversity, 4205 Ryan St.Lake Charles

The Other BluesBrothers DJ Party11 p.m. @ Cajun’s Wharf3500 Ryan St., Lake Charles

DJ Eric Scott @Jack After Dark11 p.m. @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill @ L’Auberge,Lake Charles


“Just go do itman, and see whathappens.” –TD

The Loaded 44rz,Southwest Louisiana’s owncountry-fried, swamp-soaked rock ‘n roll fourpiece, is the product of apartnership between coremembers/songwriters LorenCooper and Troy Dering.From the duo’s beginningsin 1999, when Coop playedsome of his songs for “thebest guitar player [he]knew,” to now, this carefreeattitude has carried the bandforward.

Coop sings with a twangunrivaled, tongue firmly incheek, and Dering is a virtu-oso, burning up his 1959Gretsch Nashville Classicwith equal parts countrypicking and metal shreddinglike Ace Frehley in cowboyboots. The rhythm section,drummer Kory Fontenotand upright bassist SteveDufrene, lays down the backporch, barn-burnin’ beat.This is a soundtrack formodern outlaws with a tastefor classic sins.

The Loaded 44rz brand-new album Ready to Fire isa slight departure from thestraight-up early Elvis stylerockabilly of their excellentdebut CD Stay Loaded. Thisone kicks off with a tunecalled “Something I CouldGet Used To,” a perfect titlefor an opener that acquaintsfans with a more matureand eclectic sound withoutsacrificing any of the fun.On top of a down-homegroove that would fit rightin between “Bad Moon Ris-ing” and “Sweet Hitch-Hiker,” Coop’s signaturedrawl bursts in with thelines, “I got a girl in HOUs-ton, got a girl in AUUstin,and they’re pushin’ ME, to

the point of exhAUUstion...”The pin has hit the shell.

To record Ready to Fire,the 44rz renovated an oldshed in Dering’s backyard,purchased recording equip-ment, and did it all them-selves, with Dering learninghow to track, mix, and editas they went, instead ofrecording at a professionalstudio.

“It was nice to go in onour own time, not watchingthe clock tick and moneygoing down the drain,”Coop said. This DIY ap-proach allowed them to ex-periment, “coloring” thesongs with banjos, lap steels,triangles, shakers and tam-bourines.

One of Dering’s firstrecordings, a raw, cow-punksong called “You’re Sinking,”ended up on the final prod-uct. The very next track is aslick and catchy classiccountry song, “Two PerfectStrangers,” about findinglove at the bar (“You ain’tgonna catch no fish if youdo not go fishin’”).

Every musical idea fromThe Loaded 44rz is infusedwith these contrasting influ-ences: punk and country,metal and blues. Beforedelving into the art of coun-try picking, Dering was afull-fledged metalhead witha disdain for redneck music,like many of us young rebelsin the South. It wasn’t untilmuch later that he gained arabid interest in country &western. The new instru-mental song “CreamedCorn” showcases both sidesseamlessly, starting off ChetAtkins before abruptly going

IronMaidenand right

backagain.

Coop’s interestin country goes further

back. “Some of the firstmusic I remember is stuffmy Dad had, riding aroundin the back of the Delta 88:Ronnie Milsap, KennyRogers, Charley Pride,Johnny Cash, Merle andWaylon,” he said.

Punk rock bands likeThe Misfits and theDwarves later influencedCoop’s former bands, Rotgutand Sascrotch, and a gooddeal of this carried over intoThe Loaded 44rz. The songsare short and there’s very lit-tle downtime. You won’thear lengthy self-indulgentjamming on a guitar solo.“If a song has a chance toget boring, we’ll fix it,” Der-ing said.

These guys aren’t afraidto offend, either. In June2011, The Loaded 44rz, withformer bassist Mike Chavez,won a Battle of the Bands atthe Isle of Capri, with theprize being four gigs at theCaribbean Cove.

At the first show, some“old biddies” thought theywere vulgar and offensivebased on song titles like“F*** the Law” and “Mus-tard Gas,” which theythought was an anti-Viet-nam song. “They were writ-ing and phoning complaintsbefore we even played,” Der-ing said. However, the banddidn’t pull any punches. “Wedid what we always do andactually ended up winningover some of the crowd.” Asense of humor goes verywell with this group andbeing in a relatively conser-vative environment likeLake Charles keeps The

Loaded 44rz sharp. “It’smore fun to shake up,” headded.

The 44rz are contenthere in the Lake Area, doingwhat they do, instead of hit-ting the road in search ofthe elusive big-time. “Thesedays, there’s no rules,” Coopsaid. “You don’t have to goon tour in a van and playdive bars in every littletown. It’s more important tous to play good gigs no mat-ter where they are. We don’thave aspirations to be richand famous. We just enjoyrockin’ out.”

Through social mediawebsites, director PatrickRoddy heard the 44rz whilesearching for the perfectsound to frame a bar scenein his dark David Lynch-style movie Good Boy andjust like that, the band hadits first movie appearance.The vivid character of theirsongs has a cinematic qual-ity that translates very wellonto the big screen.

Another awesome trackfrom Ready to Fire is “LikeMercury, You Do,” swampyvoodoo blues that wouldsound just right over the

credits on an episode ofTrue Blood.

Hometown filmmakerJohn Veron, now based inLos Angeles, also used sev-eral 44rz songs for his shortEast Stackton. “With theway their music colors theattitude of the town and itspeople, Stackton wouldn’tbe Stackton without TheLoaded 44rz,” he said. Theband even contributed asong specifically written forthe movie, an old Deltablues, Robert Johnson-stylenumber called “Devil inYour Backyard.”

Highlights of their timeas a band include openingfor rockabilly legends Rev.Horton Heat (who askedthem to go on tour) andclassic honky-tonk good oleboy Wayne Hancock, whocomplimented them ontracks like “X-Ray Vision,”which struts like a Stray Cat.

You can find The Loaded44rz on Facebook and atloaded44rz.com. See ‘emlive for yourself on Sept. 7 atArtmosphere in Lafayette,and on Sept. 21, performingwith the Sinners, at MyPlaceAmerican Pub.

By�Jody�Taylor

The


FAMILY & YOUTH FESTIVALIt was a great day of wholesome entertainment for the entire

family at the Family & Youth Family Festival. From the DiscoveryDome from the Houston Museum of Natural Science to the

Future Zone for teens, there was something for every age groupto enjoy! The Family & Youth Counseling Agency along with

a vast number of community sponsors provided a free, fun andfabulous fun event to promote family life for the people

of Southwest Louisiana. We are family!

IMAGINATION CELEBRATIONIt was an evening of Disco Fever as supporters of

Lake Charles’ Children’s Museum got their groove onfor the 8th annual Imagination Celebration! Bell

bottoms, afros, polyester and platform shoes broughtout the fever to get funky! Guests sampled yummy

food from over 20 area restaurants and enjoyed danceperformances and the Celebrity Karaoke Sing-off

(congrats to winner Angie Manning!). The Jam’s ownPhil de Albuquerque was the emcee and the fabulous

Hal McMillin ran the live auction! DJ Mark Russell spun old-school disco tunes that had everyone movin’

and groovin’! Burn, Baby, Burn!

Mary Ann and Mark Treme with Dr. Dean Manning

Alice Stine, Jasmine Washington, Kasey Hargrave,Amanda Northcutt, Allyson Montgomery

and Shilah Ginez

Amie and Mark Herbert with Rita Laborde Mari Wilson, Jack Woodson and Yoko Broussard

Colby and Shelby Budge with Brennan Beitel and Macie Comeaux

Skylar Booth with April, Cwen, Cardegan, Cameo and Addica Muth

Rex and Tommie Townsley Regina and Charlie McBride

Andria and Johnathan Johnson withMarion Venzant and Jada Johnson

Emma, DeeDee, Madi, Bella and Faith Miller

Zoe Hood, Kaitlyn Jean Louis and Jaliyah Lafleur


The Louisiana Jam - 08/29/13, Vol. 1, No. 5

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