The Louisiana Jam, Vol. 1, No. 11 - 11/07/13

PAGE 2 NOVEMBER 7, 2013 Volume 1 • Issue 11

NOVEMBER 7, 2013 PAGE 3Volume 1 • Issue 11

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

PUBLISHERPhil de [email protected]

EXECUTIVE EDITORLauren de [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSLisa Addison

George Cline

Dan Ellender

Jordan Gribble

Braylin Jenkins

Mike Louviere

Mike McHugh

Roger Miller

Mary Louise Ruehr

Karla Tullos

David Yantis

[email protected]

GRAPHICSART/PRODUCTION DIRECTORBurn Rourk

ART ASSISTANTSarah Bercier

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.

November 7, 2013 • Volume 1 • Issue 11

On Cover:Sam Hebert

Financial Group

26

COVER STORY14 Sam Hebert:

Road to Self-Discovery Changed His Life

REGULARS5 This Functional Family6 We Are SWLA!8 The Dang Yankee9 Tips from Tip9 Adoption Corner10 Huntin’ Tales11 Stir Dat Pot!

FEATURE12 The Angola Rodeo

BUSINESS & FINANCE16 How to Save Money

When You Retire17 Business Banking

at First Federal Bank

THE SPICE OF SWLA20 Events Guide21 Family Fun Night

at the Movies22 Lake City Beat!24 Arts & Culture Guide24 The Illustrated City26 Red Hot Books28 Nightlife Guide31 Jordan Gribble’s

Local Music Scene32 The Red Tent

Gathering33 Mistletoe & Moss34 Society Spice

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5 6

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Lauren de Albuquerque

The other night, The LakeCharles Memorial Foundationhad their wonderful “On theTown” fundraiser at L’Auberge. Itwas a fabulous night—and thehighlight of the event was theguest performers, The Lettermen.

If you’re under 50—sorry. Youprobably have no idea who I’mtalking about. The Lettermengroup was formed back in the late‘50s and are known for theiramazing harmony. I believe justone original guy remains, buttheir voices and music sound justthe same. They have a fan cluband a yearly reunion with theirfollowers. Good for them.

I was never a fan growing up;by the time I was old enough toappreciate music I was doing thetwist to Chubby Checker’s hitsong and I remember my parentsgave me the “Meet the Beatles”album for Christmas when I wasaround six years old. The Letter-men were too squeaky-clean formy tastes even back then.

But all these years later, it wasso wonderful to hear these oldsongs—simply because listeningto them brought me way back toa simpler place and time, spentwith people who are long gone

from my life.“A Summer Place” is a quintes-

sential summer song. It’s thetheme from that good movie ofthe same name starring SandraDee and Troy Donahue. I remem-ber watching it with my motherand my cousin Karen in our den.Much of it takes place on theMaine coast in a gorgeous FrankLloyd Wright home. It’s aboutteenage love and adultery and dis-appointment, all the ingredientsof a juicy film. I still watch itwhen it comes on cable.

“More” was a staple at everywedding or anniversary party inthe mid-to-late ‘60s. Every time Ihear it, I can smell cigarettes andhear ice cubes clinking in a high-ball glass. And someone is proba-bly eating Baked Alaska, becausethat’s what they served at thosekind of events back then. I wasprobably running around withmy cousins and getting yelled atby my aunt Jeanette.

“Love is a Many SplendoredThing” is another theme songfrom an old movie by the samename that I’ve watched manytimes through the years. I re-member my mother swooningover the beautiful Orientaldresses Jennifer Jones wore. It’sanother star-crossed love story,

but this one is fact, not fiction. Inamed my beautiful Siamese cat“Su-Yin” after the leading charac-ter, who wrote the book themovie is based on.

“Put Your Head on My Shoul-der” was written and recorded byPaul Anka in 1959, but in 1968,the Lettermen borrowed it and itbecame a big hit for them. Adreamy song that is more ‘50sthan ‘60s, I remember hearing iton our transistor radio in thekitchen on a hot summer after-noon while my mother did herironing and sang along with themusic.

“Hurt So Bad,” is a song oflonging and lost love. I knewevery word of that song, and Ithink I used to sing it in thebathroom using my hairbrush asa microphone—long before Iever had any longing for anyoneother than Davy Jones of theMonkees. I hadn’t heard thatsong in forever, but I found I stillknew every word. So I sangalong, but I’m glad I left my hair-brush at home.

Tuneful Memories

A Note From LaurenHappy Veteran’s Day!Veteran’s Day is right around the

corner. Thank a vet today!The Sulphur Veteran’s Day Pa-

rade, featuring the Fort Polk 162ndInfantry Brigade, will begin at 10a.m. on Cypress St. on Nov. 9 in Sul-phur. After the parade wraps up,event-goers are invited to the SPARAquatics Center, 933 West ParishRoad, where there will be a small carshow and free laser tag. For more in-formation, call 527-4500.

L'Auberge Casino Resort in LakeCharles will honor veterans and ac-tive duty military personnel with acomplimentary meal at their award-winning buffets and select restau-rants on Monday, Nov. 11, from 8a.m. to 3 .m. at Le Beaucoup Buffetand until noon at Le Café. The Veter-ans Day appreciation meals are partof a statewide gratitude initiative.

See patriotic spirit in all its gloryon the Avenue of Flags at the Or-ange Grove/Graceland Cemetery onBroad St. in Lake Charles on Nov. 11.Casket flags, donated just for thisday, line the drive through the ceme-tery in honor of fallen men andwomen. They will be on display from8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Veteran's Memo-rial Day. In addition to the memorialflags, the Avenue of Flags also fea-tures a history circle where replicasof eight previous United States flagsare flown. For more information, call(337) 437-7810.


If you cook or bake with yourchildren and let the kitchen (andthem) get messy in the process,you’re making some wonderfulmemories together, finding teach-able moments, and likely creatingsome delicious meals!

My 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter both make meanomelets and other delicious dishes,but one of their favorite things toprepare is Frito Chili Pie. Once thechili is cooked, put a layer of it in alarge dish that can be heated andthen add a layer of Fritos. My sonhad a great idea to use chili cheeseFritos because they give the dish abit of a kick. Next, add a layer ofshredded cheese and then put an-other layer of all ingredients. Stickit in the microwave to melt thecheese, put a dollop of sour creamon top, add a side salad if youwish, and you’ve got dinner.

Both kids also love to bakescrumptious cookies, decadentbrownies, heavenly cakes, andmake delicious and unique sea-sonal treats. Last year, for theFourth of July, we made “Red,White, & Blue Strawberries.” For

this easy (and pretty) treat, we gotsome plump strawberries, bluesanding sugar, and white choco-late. After the strawberrieswere washed and whilethe white chocolatewas being melted inthe microwave, eachchild started rolling the endsof their strawberries in sugar.Then, they dipped the toppart in white chocolate.Voila! Red, white, andblue strawberries thattasted as good as theylooked.

During the week,we do quickand easybreakfastsbecauseof thetime

crunch with getting them off toschool and me off to work, but welove to have a big breakfast on Sat-urday mornings. They are usuallyin the kitchen helping me and

we’ll whip up scrambled eggs (onekid cracks the eggs, one stirs, andsometimes it gets messy!) crispybacon, cheesy grits, hash browns,and toast or biscuits. If we don’t gowith that menu, then it’s usuallyhomemade waffles or pancakesand bacon or sausage. And, some-times we’ll make omelets, which Ithink are easy, fun, and nutritious.I’ll put out little bowls of ingredi-ents and each person picks theirown fillings or toppings for theomelets (cheese, ham, mush-rooms, bacon, salsa, etc.).

After breakfast, we usuallyhead to a park or go walking orbiking, not only to get some freshair but to also work off some ofthose calories! It’s all about spend-ing quality time together as a fam-

ily, enjoying the outdoors, andbeing active.

Another favorite meal that thekids help me prepare is pot roastwith mashed potatoes and gravy.While the potatoes are boiling,and the pot roast is just aboutready and the house smells heav-enly, the kids help to set the table.Then, we take the potatoes out,rinse, and the kids begin mashingpotatoes (they call it “smashingthe potatoes,” and it’s their favoritepart!). Then, one adds milk andthe other adds butter while I’mfinishing up the gravy.

Of course, another age-old fa-vorite of most kids, includingmine, is macaroni and cheese.Both of my children like to add ei-

ther sliced wieners or crumbledbacon when we make mac ‘ncheese. There are never any left-overs!

Another fun thing that both ofmy kids like to make are their ownpizzas. We buy the pre-made pizzadough, put on our choice of top-pings (spaghetti sauce, cheese, veg-gies, pepperoni or sausage, etc.)and pop it in the oven.

Culinary options for things youcan make with your children areendless and all you need to do iszero-in on whatever works foryour family. For instance, one ofmy children loves just about everyvegetable and fruit imaginablewhile the other is more of a meatand potatoes kind of kid andwould have rice and gravy three

times a day if he could. All of usalso like red beans and

rice, so we make a bigpot of that whenever

we get the urge.And you can’t gowrong withspaghetti andmeatballs. Samegoes for varietiesof pasta – topwith broccoli,spinach, or otherveggies and youhave an easy,healthy meal op-tion. For a pretty(and tasty) pres-entation, I like totake a cheesegrater and gratesome cheese ontothe pasta.

The bottomline is that if you’re in the kitchenwith your children and all of youare enjoying making a meal to-gether, it just doesn’t get any betterthan that. If you don’t have similartraditions with your little ones, it’snever too late to start! Make a gro-cery list, plan some meals, get thekiddos in the kitchen and havesome fun while whipping up din-ner. You’ll never regret the memo-ries you make together.

Lisa Addison writes for local,regional and national publica-tions. She has two school-agedchildren, never gets enough sleep,enjoys trying new recipes, is anavid reader, and loves going onadventures with her kids.

The Family That CooksTogether is a Happy

(And Well-Fed!) Family


CAPITAL ONE BANK PROVIDES GRANT TO SOWELACapital One Bank has provided a grant of more than $80,000 to go to-

ward workforce development scholarships at SOWELA TechnicalCommunity College. Students seeking high demand jobs as machinistsand welders in SWLA have the opportunity to enroll in SOWELA’s 24-week Workforce Development program with scholarship assistance pro-vided by Capital One Bank. The students receiving the scholarship

assistance mustfirst complete alife-skills class.The first class of14 machinists andfive millwrightsstarted September23, 2013, in thenewly opened ma-chining facility atSOWELA. Twomore classes inmachining andwelding startedNovember 4.

VARNELL JOINS LAKESIDE FUNERAL HOMEGretchen A. Varnell has recently joined Lakeside Funeral Home as a

licensed Pre-Arrangement Funeral Advisor. She holds a bachelor’s de-gree from the University of Southwestern Louisianawith an additional certification in Pastoral Min-istries from St. Mary's University, Minnesota. Shehails from Lafayette, with 14 years of fraternal serv-ice as the State Fraternal Coordinator and Camp Di-rector for LA Woodmen of the World Youth Camp,Inc. Varnell looks forward to offering peace of mindto families who seek to prepare for their funeral, aswell as families who immediately need to arrange afuneral for their loved one. For more information,contact Lakeside Funeral Home at (337) 656-2628.

KIWANIS OF SOUTH LC DONATES TO CASAFamily & Youth accepted a $1,000 grant from the Kiwanis Club of

South Lake Charles to support programs and services of Court Ap-pointed Special Advocates (CASA). CASA recruits and trains volunteerswho are appointed by Family and Juvenile Court Judges to advocate forthe best interests of children who have been removed from their homes

because of abuse and neglect. Abused and neglected childrenwith a CASA volunteer typically spend less time in foster careand have a better chance of finding a safe, loving, and perma-nent home.

CITY HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY FOR NEW LC CITY COURT

The City of Lake Charles recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony forthe new Lake Charles City Court, 118 W. Mill St., in Court Room A re-cently. The new Lake Charles City Court is a 22,000 square foot buildinghousing two courtrooms and offices for the City Judges of Divisions Aand B and their staff, Violations Division, Civil Division, City Prosecu-tor and Ward 3 Marshal. Construction of the new facility began in early2012. Total cost of the facility was $5.6 million, including the land.Funding for the project was provided by several different local agencies.

FAMILY & YOUTH ANNOUNCES OFFICERSOF YOUTH ADVISORYCOUNCIL

Family & Youth CounselingAgency announces the newlyelected officers of the YouthAdvisory Council. Officers for2013-14 are Olivia Vincent,Chair; Zachary Schwartzen-burg, Vice-Chair; WhitneyOsburn, Secretary; HannahPettefer, Vice Chair of Com-munity Impact; and DevanCorbello, Parliamentarian. TheYouth Advisory Council is ayouth-led and youth-drivencouncil that exposes youth toadvocacy work, civic engage-ment, and opportunities tomake a difference in their com-munity. Formore informa-tion aboutthe YouthAdvisoryCouncil, con-tact SuzanneLaBove at(337) 436-9533.

Don Morris, Capital One Bank LC VP; Fil Bordelon, LC president; Dr. Neil Aspinwall, SOWELA Chancellor and Dr. Joseph Fleishman, SOWELA.

Gretchen Varnell

Left to right: Ryan Navarre; David Duplechian, VP of Advocacy, Family & Youth; Caleb Waldemeier, president of Kiwanis Club of South Lake Charles.

Olivia Vincent Zach Schwartzenburg

Whitney Osburn Hannah Pettefer

Devan Corbello


CLARK NAMED WCCH EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER

West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital recentlynamed Jeff Clark, RN, patient care director, as itsfourth quarter Employee of the Quarter. In his cur-rent position, Clark is responsible for directing hos-pital-wide nursing activities across all shifts, whichincludes providing consultation and support to all ofthe hospital’s clinical areas. Clark is a resident of Sul-phur and has served in his current capacity since2006.

L’AUBERGE HOSTS LA FAMILIA FASHION SHOWL’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles recently hosted the La Fa-

milia Extravaganza Fashion Show. L’Auberge’s $6,875 in-kind donationconsisted of ballroom space, beverages, and dinner and a one-night stayas an auction item. The event benefited the La Familia Resource Center,a bilingual, multi-service nonprofit organization developed to meet theneeds of Latino and other multicultural families. They provide informa-tion, referrals, and access to services and programs within the commu-nity to benefit these groups.

SASOL DONATES TO ETHEL PRECHT FOUNDATIONSasol North America, S&B Engineers and Constructors, I&I and

ISC recently donated $9,000 to the Ethel Precht Hope Breast CancerFoundation. Through the group effort of ECHO employees, Sasol’s con-tribution will help the Foundation as they continue to provide prosthe-sis, wigs and other necessary items for survivors in Southwest Louisiana.For more information, visit ethelbreastcancerwalk.com.

WESTLAKE CHEMICAL DONATES TO McNEESEWestlake Chemical has donated $5,000 to the McNeese State Univer-

sity College of Engineering through the McNeese Foundation for thecollege’s engineering endowment campaign.

CHRISTUS SUPPORTS 2013 SWLA HEART WALKCHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital recently became the American

Heart Association My Heart. My Life. Sponsor with a $25,000 dona-tion to support the 2013 SWLA Heart Walk. This donation helps to pro-mote walking as a part of a healthy lifestyle and provides funding tosupport cardiovascular research and educational programs for SWLA.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK DeRIDDER EARNS 5-STAR RATINGFirst National Bank DeRidder was once again named as a 5-Star Su-

perior Bank by BauerFinancial, the nation’s leading independent bankrating and research firm. A five star rating indicates a strong capitalfoundation with active loans and a low delinquency rate among otherbenchmarks. This is the 99th consecutive quarter for First NationalBank DeRidder to earn the 5-star rating, putting it in the category ofSustained Superiority Banks. According to BauerFinancial, only threepercent of the nation’s banks achieve this distinction. For more informa-tion about accounts and locations, visit www.fnbderidder.com.

McNEESE MFA PROGRAM IS AMONG NATION’S TOP 25For the second consecutive year, Poets & Writers magazine has listed

McNeese’s MFA program among the nation’s Top 25 MFA programs inits 2014 MFA Index. McNeese’s program – up to No. 22 in the nation - isranked better than major programs at Columbia University, FloridaState University, Notre Dame, Oregon State University, Purdue Univer-sity, University of Arkansas and Virginia Tech. Since it was establishedin 1981, the MFA program at McNeese has produced successful writersand poets who continue to publish widely and teach at colleges and uni-versities around the nation as well as receive prestigious awards and fel-lowships. For more information, visit http://mfa.mcneese.edu.

Jeff Clark

Left to right: Daryl Boyd, La Familia marketing/PR director; Sylvia Stelly, La Familia executive director;Keith W. Henson, L’Auberge senior VP and GM.

Left to right: Joe Andrepont, Westlake Chemical, Dr. Nikos Kiritsis, dean of the college, Wayne Ahrens, Westlake Chemical, and Richard H. Reid, VP for university advancement

and executive VP of the foundation. McNEESE PHOTO

Left to right: Tim Bean,CHRISTUS director of cardiology services;

Matthew Welsh, AHA regional directorand Donald Lloyd II,CHRISTUS St. Patrick

Hospital administrator.


Do you want a good tip? Here’sone: don’t play trivia games with aguy named “Tip.”

I’m talking, of course, aboutTip Cline, who writes the “Tipsfrom Tip” column in this publica-tion. Readers of his column havereaped benefits from his talent as aconsumer watchdog. But that’s notthe only thing he’s good at.

His brain is also the world’slargest repository of totally uselessinformation, otherwise known astrivia.

He’s the friend you’d want tocall if you were ever on that gameshow, Who Wants to Be a Million-aire? On the other hand, youwouldn’t want to call him on mov-ing day. I doubt that I could gethim to help me move my liquorcabinet, even if I offered him allthe Ancient Age whisky thereinfor his effort.

Tip and I square off most Tues-days at a local pub, and I haveabout as much success against him

as a zombie would against a Russ-ian chess master.

Well, I lie. The zombie wouldlikely eat the chess master by thesecond or third move. Tip and Imuch prefer Buffalo wings. Tiplikes his cooked in the hottestsauce that the bar has to offer. Thewaitress comes out in fireman’sgear when she brings his order.I’m surprised that his game con-sole doesn’t melt when he touchesit.

It’s too bad; I might have achance of winning if his consoledisintegrated. Tip knows every-thing there is to know about geog-raphy, history, film, and science.He’s memorized the record booksfor every major sport includingbocce ball.

About the only subject where Ihave an advantage over him is thatof pop music. It’s as if he hasn’t lis-tened to the radio since the demiseof “Fibber McGee and Molly.” Inone recent game, he was totally

A Trivial Pursuit stumped by the question, “Whatsong contains the line ‘and she’sbuying a stairway to heaven?’”(Everybody knows that one; it’s“Crocodile Rock.”)

But lately, there’s been a curiousscarcity of pop music questionswhen we play, leading me to won-der whether Tip has an inside con-nection at the game company.What’s more, we seem to get a pre-ponderance of questions related toMedieval-era weaponry, a subjectat which he excels.

I now believe that my onlyhope of beating him lies in usingdiversionary tactics. I thoughtabout hiding the menu when thewaitress comes by, thereby causinghim to miss a question while hesearches for it. That won’t work,however, since he orders the samething every week, and all of thewaitstaff know it by heart. Ithought about bribing the staff togive him a game console with alow battery, but he always hasbackups at the ready. I would buyhim lots of beer, but even in an

inebriated state, he can still spitout answers faster than a Googlesearch.

I’ve tried getting others at ourtable to distract Tip by engaginghim in conversation at a criticalgame juncture. That didn’t work,either, as he can multitask betterthan a mother of 13 children. Hecan talk, eat, drink and review histab without missing a beat,whereas I tend to get distracted ifsomeone asks me to pass the salt.Tip often employs this very strat-egy.

As it is, I’m resigned to the factthat Tip has the upper hand at thisgame. I can only be fortunate thatthe rules do not call for the actualuse of Medieval-era weapons.

Mike McHugh has been writ-ing for the JAM since 2009. Healso contributes stories to the “NotYour Mother’s Book” anthologyseries and makes public speakingappearances. To inquire abouthaving him speak to your group,contact Mike [email protected].


RAIN CHECKSRain checks issued for a product

that is on sale but out of stock atthe time can be a rewardingmethod of getting a little more foryour buck. Should you notice anitem in this category that you don’tpresently need, get the rain check.You usually have 30 days to re-deem the coupon, which gives youthe opportunity to make a futuresaving. All it takes is a little plan-ning on your part. Grocery storeitems are a prime example. For ex-ample, if rib eye steaks are on salebut out of stock, the rain checkcoupon will allow that sale priceweeks later when the price can bealmost up to double in some in-stances. A little quick thinking canreally add up to a real deal. Theworst-case scenario? You don’t useit at all without any loss at all.

NO RVs AT THE CIVIC CENTERLetters to the editor of our local

newspaper have again given impe-tus to a few more areas of our in-terest. Questions on the overnightparking of recreational vehicles inour Civic Center parking lots hascaused differing opinions of the

recent regulations passed by theCity Council. Some RVers pass-ing through see these parkinglots as a convenient stoppingpoint as well as an opportunity

to enjoy the location for anovernight stay. Many of

these vehicles are self-contained and do noteven need any conven-ience hook-ups. They

do, however, requirefuel, food and supplies, all

available in the downtownsurrounds and by patronizing

our merchants. Since the City istrying to promote growth andenterprise in the downtown area,

one would think these visits wouldbe encouraged.

Being forced to go to throughthe hassle of getting a permit atCity Hall will prevent virtually allof these travelers from the use ofthe facilities for other than a pre-planned stay. Obviously, the CivicCenter is not an RV park andshould never be allowed to be-come one. Moreover, the citizensof Lake Charles have made it clearthat the Civic Center grounds arenot the right place for a hotel orparking garage. The destruction ofthe lake view caused by either aparking garage or hotel is a greatermisuse than a motor home stayingovernight. It is reasonable to re-quire a permit for an extendedstay on the grounds, but anovernight or weekend visit, whichdoes not come into conflict withthe space of any event staged at theCivic Center should be allowed.

SUPERMARKET ROUNDUPOur shopping survey looks at

some household cleaning products.The prices reported were obtainedon Wednesday, October 30 and re-flect the posted price on the shelf

where the product was placed forsale. The stores checked were: Al-bertsons-Ryan Street, Market Bas-ket-Lake Street, Kroger-McNeeseStreet and Walmart-Nelson Road.

Palmolive Ultra Original DishDetergent: Albertsons $2.99,Market Basket $2.99, Kroger$2.64, Walmart $2.64.

Comet Cleaner, 21-ounce con-tainer: Albertsons $.99, MarketBasket $1.35, Kroger $.93, Wal-mart $.93.

Clorox Regular Bleach, 64 ouncecontainer: Albertsons $2.49,Market Basket $2.39, Kroger$1.98, Walmart $1.98.

Tide Ultra Clean Detergent, 95-ounce box: Albertsons $16.99,Market Basket (56-ounce box$9.79), Kroger (112-ounce box$15.99), Walmart $11.97 (56-ounce box $8.97). These differentsizes illustrate the difficulty thatoften arises in trying to fairlycompare prices.

This little guy was literallydumped on a volunteer at anadoption event with two sib-lings. A woman pushedthem out of the car and said,"If you won't take them, I am

dumping them downthe road." Milo is atwo-year-old maledachshund thatweighs 24 pounds. Heis very friendly andsocializes well with

other dogs. He is very affec-tionate and loves to play withhis toys. He's excited at thethought of a new family tolove him and is looking for aforever home with peoplewho will take him out intothe world to experience it all.He is crate trained and up todate on his vaccinations. Heis finishing heartworm treat-ment soon and is availablefor fostering now and adop-

tion in early November.Home visit, vet check, andcommitment to heartwormprevention are required priorto all adoptions. For more in-formation on this sweet boy,email or call [email protected] or (337) 478-7294.

Can't adopt? Considerfostering. Can't foster? Con-sider sponsoring! LAPAWdogs (and cats) can be seenat www.lapaw.org.

Featured by LaPAW Rescue


My Dad took his hyper-active, pestering-unto-deathseven-year-old with him onthe opening day of duck sea-son. We took old US High-way 90 and turned off theblacktop onto a road whosegravel plinked under the car.I gawked out the rear win-dow of the green long bedDodge truck past moon-dew-glimmered rice fields.Soon, we turned right ontoan old rutted dirt and grassroad into what seemed to bea tunnel of tall pine trees.My father eased the car ontothe side of the road andparked.

Dad, his genial friendGarrett Caraway and Ipassed through the openedgate onto a trail that led toBayou Chen. Dad’s flashlightbobbled and pointed behindhim, lighting my path. Gar-rett followed behind me everalert to catch, if necessary,the staring-down-at-his-feetkid. Then there it was,Bayou Chen, as wide as theMississippi to me. We had tocross it in the dark and in atip-over-easiest-boat, apirogue. I was terrified but Isure wasn’t going to tell anyadult that. Definitely not myDad.

They loaded the boatcarefully and placed “thekid” in the middle. Before Icould scream “Hold it!” wewere paddling across, orrather, they were. I wasfrozen in place, eyes shuttightly. My often-stern fatherhad warned me that adrowning would ensue wereI to cause our Cajun Canoe

to tip over. “If you move and dump

us in the bayou, I’ll be onethat makes sure that youdrown.” Dad had warnedme without any hint of asmile.

We passed thorough anarrow cut and entered thecypress swamp. I thought, “Isure hope they know wherethey’re going.”

They did. Passing be-tween cypress trees, we slidout into what is called apocket marsh. In the moon-light it seemed a vast water-fowl wonderland betweenrice fields and swamp. Wemaneuvered through thepond, the decoys, andaround some Roseau Cane.Suddenly, Garrett duckeddown. I froze, then duckedtoo as we entered the boathide. I had survived and nottossed us in the water. Dadstepped up into the blindand Garrett handed up ourgear. Then he moved uponto the dog hide andhelped me disembark.

I felt sort of sad as we’dleft our Black Lab and myboon companion, Cookie, athome. Dad didn’t want todeal with two frisky beastsat one time and mother ab-solutely forbid a shock collarfor me or the dog. It was thedog or me. I chose me.

Uncle Garret, as I calledhim, helped me up onto thebench seat so I could seeover the cane. They re-moved their shotguns fromtheir gun cases, draped lar-iat-held Faulk’s cane callsaround their necks, and

loaded their shotguns with asnap for each shell. Weawaited “the dawns earlylight” so we could actuallysee the dark shapes thatzoomed and zipped past usand even splashed into thepond.

Dad and Uncle Garrettwhispered back and forth asif sharing some great secret.I wanted in on it, too. Callspursed to their lips, they“ka-waaked, ka-waaked, yakyak yaked,” and rasp-whis-tled into the gaining light.Such joyful noises theymade with those calls. I hadbeen warned and often toldnot to scramble around thehouse with those calls mak-ing distantly similar noisesbut oh so joyfully louder!

Then they moved soquickly I was startled. Blam!Blam! Blam! sounds ex-ploded along with flames outthe barrels and I reflexivelycovered my ears. From thenon I was allowed to watchperched on the blind seat. Iwas warned about move-ment but the Roseau Canehid most of me back when Iwas seven. Soon the pondwas one duck short of ourlimit of 12. I knew one majorreason Dad brought mealong was so he could shoot

four more birds. Hey, butwhat did I care. I was there!Then I started.

“Dad, can I shoot one?Can I? Can I?” I exclaimedin a kid’s non-whisper.

If one says this oftenenough and ignores theshishs, shushes, and “Bequiets!” one can get to play,too. If for no reason otherthan to just shut you up.Then a ring-necked scaupsplashed into the pond andproceeded to inspect the de-coys in front of us. Before Icould pester Dad, he put hisfinger to his lips. I knewfrom experience that suchwas a firm “be-quiet” ges-ture must be heeded. Then,much to my surprise, Dadhad an impish grin I rarelysaw. Pointing carefully tothe swimming about duckand then to his Sweet 16Browning Automatic Shot-gun, he next made a shootgesture with his hand,thumb and index finger.Dad calmly raised the gunto my slim shoulder, movedmy hands to the proper po-sition, and then helped meaim. With his hand, hemoved mine to the side ofthe trigger guard, quietlyclicked off the safety, andrechecked my aim.

Squinting down the bar-rel I pretended it was myDaisy BB gun and squeezedthe trigger. There was a“Boom!” followed by a trulybruising realization that thiswas not my BB gun. Myhead jerked back, my hattumbled off, and I yelped.

Dad had anticipated myreaction and grabbed mewith one hand and the shot-gun with the other, barrelpointed upward. I straight-ened and there floating onthe water was my duck,dead adrift in the pond. Itwas then I felt the two emo-tions I have always feltsince, the sublime exhilara-tion of the hunt followed bya pervading sorrow at thedeath of something sobeautifully alive.

In those brief moments Ifelt for the first time whatbecame my epiphany, adeep pervasive life truth. Inall of life’s magnificent ex-hilaration is the pervadingsense that it too will endlike the poet T.S. Elliot said,“Not with a bang but awhimper.” But it is oh sobeautiful along the way andevery day is a holy day. Buton opening day, I’m sevenyears old again and the mir-acle happens. Every time.

Opening Day

ByRoger Miller


Well, “Big Duck Season” will beopening on November 9 andLouisiana will be shy one duckhunter. As some of you mayknow, my Uncle Cecil has gone tohis reward. Along with his life-long friend, Richard Triche, UncleCecil loved to hunt the ducks aswell as cook and eat them. I sharehis love for cooking and eatingducks as well as his love for a good

Bloody Mary and themusic of George Jones. Iwill always love him andhis sneaky smile. CecilYantis will be missed.

Now, let’s talk aboutsome teal.

If you’re going to cookyourself up a mess of teal,the first thing you aregoing to need are the teal.If you don’t hunt yourself,you’re kinda out of luck,unless you have friends orfamily willing to part withsome.

To feed four people,you’ll need between 6-8birds. You can either brinethem in salted water

overnight or some diluted crabboil if you like a little extra flavor.After the ducks have been brined,you will need to let them drainand dry.

Now the fun begins. Rub theducks down with a little olive oiland lightly season with a bit ofsalt, pepper and garlic powder.Bounce them around one at a timein a skillet to brown and set aside

to rest.While your ducks are resting,

pulse onions, celery, bell peppersand some garlic in your food

processer. Remove to a large mix-ing bowl.

Then, chop up some of your fa-vorite sausage and add it to thebowl and mix well. As far as thesausage goes, remember, theseducks are very lean. Fatty sausageis a good idea, or add some dicedbacon. Stuff your birds with thevegetable and sausage mixture.Place them into your pot legs upand add enough liquid (somechicken stock and water) to comeup about halfway on your ducks.

Cover and place in a 350-de-gree oven for about 3 to 4 hours,or until you can pull the leg boneout without any trouble. Remem-ber, not all ovens are the same andcook differently. Always keep aneye on what you’re cooking.

Once done, remove from yourpot and make yourself one awe-some gravy with the drippings andwhatever stuffing fell out of yourducks by simply adding a littleroux and maybe a bit of season-ing.

While the ducks are in theoven, you’ll have plenty of time toprepare your sides, or have aBloody Mary. I like to serve minewith rice, turnips and turnipgreens, cornbread dressing andsweet potatoes with pecan pie fordessert.

Have fun and don’t forget to“Stir Dat Pot!”

Teal Time!By David Yantis


By Mike LouviereLouisiana is a unique

state, from the Gulf ofMexico to the hills andwoods of the north.One very unique eventis the rodeo at theLouisiana State Prisonat Angola, the longestrunning and the onlyprison rodeo in theUnited States. It’s not a

conventional rodeo, buthas the most action ofany rodeo anywhere onearth.

Driving through thefront gate, you pass be-neath a canopy of oakand cypress trees, pastneatly groomed pas-tures with white fences.It is easy to believe youare driving through a

large ranch. Only thetall fences topped withbarbed wire in the dis-tance reminds you thatyou are inside a prison.

The rodeo groundslook like a state fair withfood and craft vendors.People are friendly andcourteous. The thoughtthat you are dealingwith prison inmates will

never crossyour mind.

Typical “fairfood” rangesfrom alligatoron a stick tofried Coca-Cola. The craftsavailable forsale includeanything fromsimple rings,caps and T-shirts to finefurniture.

Prison humor is evidenton the shirts: there is apicture of a guard towerand a caption thatreads, “Angola, aGated Commu-nity.” In years past,shirts read, “An-gola Bed and

Breakfast, three hotsand a cot.”

For years, one of thebest-selling craft itemshas been the belt buck-les made by inmates.Thomas Roller, an in-carcerated Lake Charlesnative, had sold 78buckles on the firstthree Sundays of theshow. His buckles re-quire as many as 14 dif-ferent pieces and takehim several hours tomake. He uses stainlesssteel and puts brass fig-ures, such as an LSUtiger, on the buckle,adding an epoxy back-ground in one of manydifferent colors.

Kevin Se’ward sells“Kitchen Art,” uniquelyshaped wooden bowlsthat he turns on a woodlathe. Se’ward’s bowls,made from hackberrywood, are eye catching,with black streaks run-

ning through the lightcolor of the wood. Hegets this effect by plac-ing the hackberry log ina black plastic garbagebag for six months,which allows bacteria towork on the wood andproduce the black col-oration.

“I have a specialturning method. If Itold you what it was Iwould have to kill you,”He jokes. (More prisonhumor?) His bowls areintended to becomefamily heirlooms. Theyare works of art.

Rough andTumble Rodeo

If walking througheight or so acres ofcrafts and food are notenough for a good day,the rodeo is the grandfinish and the pride ofAngola. The stock isfrom a professional

“We�treat�these�people��as�men�first�and�inmates�second.”

Warden�Burl�Cain�


company, as are thejudges and pickup men.The contestants are allinmates. They have toearn to right to competeand must have a burn-ing desire to be a “hero”for a few moments. It issomething no otherprison in the state hasever had. It gives any in-mate the chance to be acowboy, if only for eightseconds on a bull’s backor three minutes tryingto snatch a chip off abull’s head.

Angola is a roughand tumble rodeo. The“Pinball Event” provesthat. Eight or nine hula-hoops are laid on theground and a contestantstands in each one wear-ing helmets and protec-tive vests. A chute gateopens. A bull comesout, looks around andthen charges into thestanding men. Somestand firm, some decidethat the 1,600-poundbull is more than theywant to face and startrunning for safety. It isnot unusual for a bull toknock a man severalfeet in the air. The lastman standing is thewinner.

“Bull Poker” is an-other event that testsbravery. Four menwearing helmets andvests sit at a table asthough they are playingpoker. A rampaging bullcomes out of a chuteand soon men, chairs,

and a table are flying.The last man sittingwins.

Wild cows from theprison herd are broughtin for the milking con-test, a three-man event.The idea is for two mento hold the cow on arope while the thirdman goes in and gets adrop or two of milk inhis hand and runs backto the judge. The prob-lem is that the cows arenot used to being han-dled by humans. If thetwo men are able to holdthe rope, the third manis likely to be kicked ashe attempts to grab theudder and squeeze.

The “Wild HorseRace” is another eventusing prison stock thatare not used to humans.The horse is wearing ahalter attached with along rope and a bare-back rig. Two men at-tempt to hold the horsestill enough for the thirdman to climb aboardand then ride the horseto the judge. It does notoften happen.

The rodeo has bare-back and bull riding anda form of bulldoggingcalled “Chute Dogging”where two men standshoulder to shoulderand attempt to grab asteer charging out of thedogging chute and tum-ble it to the ground.Sometimes it happens,sometimes not.

“Free World” cow-

girls are invited toenter the barrel race.This is the event thatis closest to what is ina conventional rodeo.The girls turn thecans as they do inany other rodeo. Theonly difference hereis that the arena is abit longer on the runfrom the far barrel.

In the “Guts andGlory” event, a numberof men will face a some-what mad bull and at-tempt to run in andgrab a wooden disk thatis tied to his horns sothat it is in the center ofthe bull’s forehead. Thisyear, the man thatgrabbed the disk won$500. It is a wild free-for-all event with a lotof dodging by the menand snorting and headtossing by the bull.

Why theRodeo?

Any inmate involvedin any of the six rodeoperformances each yearhas to earn the right tobe there. Whether sell-ing crafts or winningprize money, all theirearnings go into theirpersonal accounts. Themoney gives the inmatesthe ability to buy itemsfrom the commissaryand the tools and sup-plies for their crafts.

Warden Burl Cainhas turned what wasonce considered thebloodiest prison in the

country to the safest.Warden Cain’s philoso-phy is that if you giverespect, you will get re-spect, and he has beenvery successful in hisapproach to prison ad-ministration.

“We want to be ableto take a bad event insomeone’s life and turnit into a positive experi-ence,” he said. “Wewant these men to havea chance to become ed-ucated and learn a craft.They are not allowed to

just sit in acell; everyonehere works.Another thingis that there isno profanityallowed in thisprison by ei-ther the in-mates or staff.I want every-

one here to talk respect-ful and respect them-selves and others. If youcan respect yourself andothers, you will be abetter man. We treatthese people as menfirst and inmates sec-ond.”

The rodeo is self-sus-taining. Warden Cainexpects a gross of $2million and a net of$400,000 from the Oc-tober 2013 shows. Theincome from the rodeoeases the burden on thetaxpayers.

The rodeos are everySunday in October andthe third weekend (Sat-urday and Sunday) inApril. There is also acraft show held in thesummer. For more infor-mation, go to www.an-golarodeo.com.


Sam Hebert is not your typicalNew York Life Agent. Actually, he’snot your typical anything. He’s aman whose life took many twistsand turns before he ended upwhere he is today: the 2013 NYLife Council President, with moresales than any other agent in thecountry.

How did a simple guy fromLake Charles, a self-described hel-lion, one of seven kids with a hardhead and an attitude to match, endup in such an enviable position?

Listening to the man speak is alesson in strength and self-deter-mination. But the key to his suc-cess is his ability to go within,while at the same time thinkingoutside of himself. Once he em-barked on his road to self-discov-ery, the sky became his limit.

Growing Up“I rebelled against all forms of

authority when I was growing up,”Hebert remembers. “I was alwaysgetting into fights. I never didwhat I was told. I wouldn’t listento anyone.”

At 17, his father sat him down.The outcome of that conversationresulted in Hebert leaving homeand striking out on his own. “Mydad thought that was best for me,since I thought I knew better thanhim, and everyone else,” he says.But it was the beginning of a longand difficult journey.

“I had no education. I had nomoney. I had to take on back-breaking jobs,” he says. Some ofthem were dangerous. If Hebertwere a cat, he’s already used upmost of his nine lives. “I worked atthe plants and got seriously

burned. I worked for a sign com-pany and fell 40 feet off a roof. Iworked construction. I did every-thing I could and it just wasn’tworking.”

Hebert had a lot of motivationto succeed: a growing family tosupport. He and his wife Denisemarried when he was only 20 andhad their first two children by thetime he was 24. They were livingin a mobile home he had pur-chased for $2,000.

“I told my wife to give me 10years to try to make it. If my plansdidn’t work out, then I would dowhatever she wanted me to do.”

She gave him her blessing. “Iknew he could do anything he sethis mind to,” Denise Hebert says.“We wouldn’t be in that trailer for-ever.”

So, with the love and support ofhis wife, Hebert took stock of hislife and decided that the firstchanges he need to make werewith himself.

“I became a student of life,” hesays. He turned to the teachings ofboth self–help author and motiva-tional speaker Wayne Dyer andSteven Covey, author of The SevenHabits of Highly Effective People.And he discovered that as hechanged his way of thinking, theworld around him began tochange. And positive things beganto happen.

A New BeginningAround this time, Hebert met a

local New York Life trainer whofelt that he had potential. Hebertknew he would have a lot of train-ing ahead of him, and this wouldbe totally different than anything

he’d ever done before, but it feltright. He became an agent in 1995.

Hebert admits he had a lot tolearn, and not all of it would beabout finance and life insurance.“I had never worked in an office,so I had never used a computerbefore,” he laughs. “And, I neverhad a job that required a suit andtie. I had one pair of dress shoesthat were so old that one shoe washeld together with duct tape!”

But his manager looked be-yond that and saw a man with in-credible potential and a thirst forknowledge. For the first time inhis life, Hebert felt the pieces ofhis future fall into place.

“Everything I did prior to thisjob prepared me for this new ven-ture. All I had to do was talk topeople, which I enjoy. But I had tolearn to not take it personallywhen someone said ‘no.’”

Other local agents were willingto support Hebert and he followedtheir advice. And he found aniche in the petrochemical indus-try, where he had spent so manyyears. “I knew them; I spoke theirlanguage,” he says.

Hebert also had to learn howto market himself. “I can’t beginto tell you all the different strate-gies I tried,” he continues. “Someworked, some didn’t.” Slowly butsurely, he built up his client baseas he called on family, friends andco-workers for referrals.

Sam Hebert Financial GroupToday, the highly successful

Sam Hebert Financial Group is lo-cated in a converted dentist’s of-fice near downtown Lake Charles.You can’t miss the bronze sculp-

tureof the bear andthe bull on the seesaw infront of his building. It’s such anattraction that it’s not uncommonto have people stop and take pho-tos of it.

Hebert and his staff (LoriLeBlanc, Amber Mize and PamThomas) specialize in helping in-dividuals meet long-term objec-tives with conservative investmentstrategies. Rollovers funded by an-nuities and mutual funds are thefoundation of the business, whichcan lead to discussions about lifeinsurance and long-term care.

“My goal is to make your re-tirement as enjoyable and aspeaceful as possible,” Hebert says.“Every client gets the highest levelof time and attention from us.”

Hebert says that the trust hisclients have in him is his highestreward. “I can’t get enough of that.The ingredients of trust are sin-cerity, reliability and competency,and I am honored that my clientshave put their faith in me.”

As he continues to grow hisbusiness, giving back to the com-munity that has supported him isa top priority. The Heberts’ lovelyhome on the water in LakeCharles is the scene of manyfundraisers supporting CASA(Court Appointed Special Advo-cates), their favorite charity withthe Family and Youth CounselingAgency. Hebert was recentlynamed Philanthropist of the Yearby that entity. “It’s not about thestuff you own,” he says. “It’s aboutthe heart you have.”

Hebert is proud of all that he

By Lauren de Albuquerque


has accomplished, but considershis 34-year marriage his greatestachievement. “Without Denise, Iwould be nowhere,” he smiles.

Making a DifferenceEvery day, Hebert asks himself

these questions: Am I about excellence or resig-

nation? Am I living or dying?As someone who has had some

very close calls, Hebert realizeshow precious life is. “Years ago, Iwas hunting in Colorado, alone. Igot stuck in a blizzard. Blindingsnow. I was lost and had no idea

what to do. Should I dig a hole inthe snow to keep warm and hopethat help arrives? Should I try towalk?”

As panic set in, he looked upand saw a young man and a bigdog standing on the ridge abovehim. The man was dressed inshorts and a light shirt, which waspeculiar considering the weather.“I waved to him and startedyelling,” he recalls. The manlooked right at him—and thenturned and started walking away.So, Hebert struggled up the hilland started following him

through the woods. Then, he sim-ply disappeared.

“I panicked again. I didn’tknow where I was going, but heseemed to know where he was,and I didn’t want to lose him,” hesays.

Suddenly, the young man andhis dog reappeared up ahead.Again, he turned and looked atHebert and resumed walking. “Icouldn’t let him out of my sightagain, but it was so difficult tokeep up with him,” Hebert says. “Iwas exhausted, I was freezing.”Once again, the man and his dog

disappeared. At the point of giv-ing up, Hebert pushed on in theirdirection—and there was histruck, parked by a main roadleading to safety.

Hebert takes a deep breath.“You know, the man and his dogjust disappeared. They were there,and then they weren’t. And therewere no footprints or paw printsin the snow. Nothing.”

Clearly, it was not his time. “Iwas saved for a reason,” he says.“And I think that reason was tomake a difference in the lives ofothers.”

I am here to help guide you through the oftenoverwhelming process of creating an insuranceand financial blueprint.

I will work with you to:1. Review your individual situation and personal

objectives. Every family’s financial situation isunique. That’s why it’s so important to find out as

much as I can about you and your financialgoals. The more I know about you, the

more precise recommendations Ican make and the more I canhelp you. As a result, I maytake some time to discussyour hopes, dreams and ob-jectives — the things thatreally matter to you.2. Analyze and reviewyour needs. As needed, Iwill work with you toidentify and prioritizeyour objectives, andthen help establishgoals. This is impor-tant because we livein a world of un-limited choices.People often fail toachieve objectivesbecause they tryto accomplish toomuch at once, orthey don't attachspecific actionsto their goals. Bybreaking downyour goals to spe-cific objectives,you can look atavailable re-

sources and decide which goals are realistic, whichneed to be adjusted and scaled down, and whichsimply must be abandoned.3. Develop and implement a strategy to help youachieve your goals. Based on our conversation andanalysis, I can recommend some insurance and fi-nancial products that can help you achieve your fi-nancial dreams.4. Coordinate your financial activities. If you wouldlike, I can also coordinate your insurance and finan-cial activities for you with the other members ofyour team of financial, tax and legal advisors.5. Monitor progress; provide ongoing service as yourneeds and situation change over time. Planning isnot a one-shot deal. Strategies need to be adjustedperiodically as your life changes. I will work withyou over the years to help keep your program ontrack with your changing needs.

Samuel Hebert is an agent licensed to sell insurancethrough New York Life Insurance Company and may be li-censed with various other independent unaffiliated insur-ance companies in the states of AR (AR Ins Lic# 297181), LA,MD, MS, NJ, TN, & TX. No insurance business may be con-ducted outside this/these state(s) referenced.

Samuel Hebert is a Registered Representative of and of-fers securities products & services through NYLIFE SecuritiesLLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Licensed Insurance Agency. Inthis regard, this communication is strictly intended for indi-viduals residing in the states of AR, LA, MD, MS, TX, TN, &NJ. No offers may be made or accepted from any residentoutside the specific states referenced.

Samuel Hebert is also separately registered as an invest-ment adviser representative with Eagle Strategies LLC, aRegistered Investment Adviser, offering advisory services inthe states of AR, LA, MD, MS, TX, TN, & NJ. As such, theseservices are strictly intended for individuals residing in thesespecific states referenced.

Sam Hebert Financial Group is not own or operated byNYLIFE Securities LLC, or its affiliates.

Samuel Herbert is licensed to offer mutual funds andvariable products. Market Watch information is providedfor informational purposes and is not considered an offeringof securities.

Sam Hebert Financial Group790 East Bayou Pines Drive Lake Charles, LA 70601Phone: (337) 436-7797Fax: (337) 436-6336slhebert @ft.newyorklife.com


Getting near your retire-ment? Congratulations! It’s timeto finally relax and take lifeeasy. You’ve earned it. We arelucky that we live in a localewhere our retirement dollarsstretch further than in otherparts of the country. But beforeyou head to the golf course,there are quite a few things toconsider. Here are some money-saving tips that can help makeyour “Golden Years” trulygolden.

Downsize Your HomeThe kids have flown the nest

and have families of their own.There’s no need to continue to

maintain a large, expensivehome when there are only thetwo of you, so you should seri-ously consider selling yourhouse and moving to a smallerspace. Of course, you could payoff your mortgage, which willreduce your monthly expensesconsiderably, but remember,paying off a mortgage does notrelieve you of all costs, such astaxes and insurance. And thenthere’s all that upkeep to dealwith.

Eliminate thatSecond Car

From gas to car maintenance,you’ll be able to save a lot of

money now that you no longerhave a daily commute. Let’s takethis a step further: Many retiredcouples don’t really need a sec-ond car. It’s a wise decision toeliminate one. According toAAA, the average car costs$8,000 a year to own. (This in-cludes gas, maintenance, insur-ance costs, taxes andregistration.) Think about it!

Ditch Your Land-line Phone

It just doesn’t make sense topay for both a cellular phoneand a house phone. Decidewhich phone service is mostuseful to you and cancel theother. Keeping your cell phoneis the wiser choice.

Use ThoseSenior Discounts!

Senior citizen discounts areeverywhere, from airline ticketsto hotels to restaurants and cul-tural events. And make sure youget your AARP card—and useit! Take advantage of the earlybird discounts many restaurantsoffer to customers who dine be-fore peak dinner hours. You canalso share one meal and bringyour own wine to establish-ments that don't charge a cork-age fee.

EliminateLife Insurance

Most retirees do not need lifeinsurance. Most life insurancetypically replaces the incomethe deceased would have earnedfor the benefit of dependents.By the time you reach retire-ment age, you probably are nolonger supporting dependentswith your income. If you want asmall policy to pay for funeral

costs, these can be found rela-tively inexpensively.

Eliminate DebtPay off as many debts as pos-

sible before retirement. There isnever a good reason to carrycredit card balances, but espe-cially so in retirement. Eliminat-ing your mortgage, a carpayment, and credit card bal-ance gives you more money tospend in retirement.

SctrutinizeInvestment Fees

Even after you retire, it canpay to seek out investment op-tions with lower expense ratiosand fewer fees. Also, try to avoidbanking fees in general, includ-ing transaction fees and ATM oroverdraft charges on yourchecking account.

Sign Up forMedicare On Time

Seniors can sign up forMedicare during a seven-monthperiod beginning three monthsbefore their 65th birthday. Fillout an application right away toavoid a Medicare Part B pre-mium increase of 10 percent foreach 12-month period of de-layed enrollment.

Find the Best Per-scription Drug Plan

Every year the premiums, de-ductibles, and cost-sharing pro-visions of Medicare Part Dprescription drug plans change.Compare expected out-of-pocket costs for necessary drugsunder all the plans available inour area at www.medicare.gov.Seniors can switch plans once ayear during the open-enroll-ment period.


First Federal Bank ofLouisiana’s Business Bankingteam offers a full line of busi-ness banking products.

So what are some of theservices and products thatFFBLA has available for busi-nesses? Pretty much anythinga business owner could con-ceive of that would make hisor her daily work life moremanageable and efficient.Features include loans; check-ing; cash management; smallbusiness IRAs; debit/creditcards;

ebanking, including onlinebanking, estatements, andmobile banking.

First Federal provides cus-

tom financing tailored tomeet specific business needs.Loan decisions are made lo-cally, by people you know andtrust, which allows for quickdecisions and personal con-sideration.

So, whether it’s helping abusiness owner navigatethrough the process of settingup cash management services,answering questions for a cus-tomer, or preparing a cus-tomized loan package, FirstFederal’s Business Bankingteam has you covered.

In today’s fast-paced worldof the Internet and informa-tion overload, FFBLA has be-come a leader in providing

secure, cutting-edge technol-ogy and support for its cus-tomers. In addition to the fullline of banking services al-ready provided, FFBLA hasinvestment and insurance op-portunities available to indi-viduals and businesses.

Recognized as one of thestrongest banks in the countryby BauerFinancial, Inc., FirstFederal plays a major role inthe local economy by invest-ing money in the communi-ties it serves. This is thepremise on which First Fed-eral was founded and it is thesame principle that guides theleadership of Charles V.Timpa, president and CEO

and the board of directorsunder the chairmanship ofM.A. Pierson, III.

First Federal Bank ofLouisiana has 16 locationsand various stand-aloneATMs across Louisiana in-cluding Lake Charles, Sul-phur, Carlyss, Westlake, MossBluff, DeRidder, Oberlin,Oakdale, Natchitoches,Alexandria and Pineville. Thenewest location will be open-ing soon in Walnut Grove.

For more information onany FFBLA product or serv-ice, visit their website atwww.ffbla.com - you can alsofind them on Facebook andLinkedIn.


Are you interested in startingyour own business but don’tknow where to begin? If so, a freeseminar titled “Starting and Fi-nancing a Small Business” will bepresented from 3-5 p.m. Tuesday,Nov. 12, in Room E of the SEEDCenter, located at 4310 Ryan St.The seminar is sponsored by theLouisiana Small Business Devel-

opment Center at McNeese StateUniversity. The seminar willoffer information on financingyour start-up, learning how towrite a business plan and under-standing what a banker reallywants to know. To pre-register orfor more information, call 337-475-5529 or [email protected].

Starting and Financinga Small Business Nov. 12


The Red Tent Gathering Nov. 8For women only! Enjoy soothing

sounds from harpist Patricia Horvathand beautiful art, precious crystalsand other offerings. Get a foot orhand massage, a hairbrushing (Bring

Your Own Brush!) or a mehendi(henna) tattoo. Learn a few newsteps while dancing to joyful

music and talk with inspiring peo-ple. See a screening of the Red Tent

documentary, “Things We Don't TalkAbout.” Event will be held at the Can-

dice Alexander Art Studio and the lobbyof the Charleston Hotel at 900 Ryan St.in downtown Lake Charles from 7-10 p.m.Potluck, bring food to share. Admission is$15. For more information, email [email protected].

Calcasieu Cinema International Presents The Drummer Nov. 8

The Drummer a 2007 Sundance FilmFestival award-winning film, will be pre-sented at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, in the Cen-tral School Arts and Humanities Center inLake Charles by the Calcasieu Cinema In-ternational. This collaboration betweenHong Kong, Taiwan and Germany featuresa musician who rebels against his father, acrime boss, and then must run from his fa-ther’s enemy, a rival crime lord. His trans-formation is tested when he returns to hisfather and Hong Kong after being drawn toZen drummers and the discipline of Bud-dhism. A discussion will be held followingthe film. This month’s sponsor is Dr. KumariKanesan. For more information, [email protected] [email protected]

Jesus Christ Superstar Nov. 8-9Itinerant Theatre, a Lake Charles-based

professional theatre company, presentsiconic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar at7:30 p.m. Nov. 8-9 at Rosa Hart Theatre,

Lake Charles Civic Center. The iconic rockopera is a retelling of the age-old tale ex-pressed entirely in musical form. Purchasetickets online at www.ticketmaster.com,visit any Ticketmaster outlet, including theLCCC box office, or call the LCCC box of-fice at (337) 491-1432. Ticket prices are$35, $25 and $20 and increase by five dol-lars ($5) if purchased on the day of theevent.

The Price is Right, Live! Nov. 8-10L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles

presents The Price is Right, Live! JerrySpringer will host the live version of thepopular TV game show on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m.,Nov. 9 at 2 and 8 p.m., and Nov. 10 at 2p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchasedin person at the Business Center, at Leg-ends at L’Auberge, or by visiting www.tick-etmaster.com. Tickets can also bepurchased by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Guests must be 21 years of ageand present a valid photo ID. Guests mustregister in the Sycamore Room to be con-sidered to participate. Registration beginsthree hours before 8 p.m. shows and twohours before 2 p.m. shows. Contestants willbe drawn 15 minutes prior to each show.

Louisiana Theatre Festival Nov. 9The Louisiana Theatre Festival will be

held on Sat., November 9, from 9 a.m.-3p.m. The festival will be held at the CentralSchool of the Arts & Humanities Center(809 Kirby Street) in Lake Charles, LA. TheLTF is a one-day festival created to provideyoung people with acting and technicaltheatre training, performance opportuni-ties, and college audition skills. Students,grades 6-12, from all over the state are in-vited to attend. No experience is necessary.Registration for the festival is $30 per stu-dent and includes lunch. For registrationinformation, call 377-2571 or visit the festi-val website at www.LTF.cc.

SWLA Heart Walk Nov. 9The 2013 SWLA Heart Walk will be held

Sat., Nov. 9 at the McNeese State Univer-sity Quad. Registration begins at 8 a.m.;opening ceremonies and walk begins at 9a.m. SWLA companies and organizationsare invited to participate along with theirfamily and friends. There will be fun familyactivities and a non-competitive three-milewalk/run through the McNeese campus.For more information, visit www.swlaheart-walk.org or call (337) 249-8935.

A Streetcar Named Desire Nov. 9-24Tickets are now on sale for Lake Charles

Little Theatre's production of TennesseeWilliams' classic A Streetcar named Desirewill run Nov. 9-24 at the theater, 813 Enter-prise Blvd. in Lake Charles. Director isJames Johnson, a Little Theatre veteran.


Tickets are $20 for adults and$15 for seniors and students.For information and tickets,call 433-7988 or visitthelclt.com.

Avenue of Flags Nov. 11See patriotic spirit in all its

glory at the OrangeGrove/Graceland Cemeteryon Broad St. in Lake Charles.Casket flags, donated just forthis day, line the drive throughthe cemetery in honor offallen men and women. Theywill be on display from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Veteran's MemorialDay. In addition to the memo-rial flags, the Avenue of Flagsalso features a history circlewhere replicas of eight previ-ous United States flags areflown. For more information,call (337) 437-7810.

Bayou Players Present TheGlass Menagerie Nov. 13-17

The McNeese State Univer-sity Theatre Bayou Players willbring Pulitzer Prize-winningplaywright TennesseeWilliam’s classic play, TheGlass Menagerie, to the stageat 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13-16, with a2 p.m. matinee Nov. 17, inRalph Squires Recital Hall inthe Shearman Fine Arts Cen-ter. Ticket prices are $15 foradults, $10 for McNeese fac-ulty/staff, senior citizens andyouth, and free for McNeesestudents with a current ID. Fortickets or more information,call (337) 475-5040.

Moss Bluff Harvest FestivalNov. 14-16

Bring the whole family tothe best Harvest Festival in

the state! The kids will enjoyone of the biggest Kid Zoneareas, along with rides, craftvendors, a car show, storytime, Queens pageant, petpageant, live music, gumbocook-off, food vendors andmore! Festival hours are 4-9p.m. Thursday-Friday, and 10a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday atthe Moss Bluff RecreationComplex. 1180 RecreationBlvd, Moss Bluff. All proceedssupport the Moss Bluff com-munity. Admission: $2. Ques-tions? Call 540-4626.

West Cal Chamber AnnualBanquet Nov. 14

West Cal Chamber of Com-merce is bringing LSU Basket-ball legend Dale Brown tospeak at its 64th Annual Ban-quet on Thursday, November

14, at the Isle of Capri. Spon-sorships and general admis-sion tickets are available. Toregister, call (337) 313-1121 oremail [email protected].

The Grinch at Lutcher TheaterNov. 16

Big League Productionspresents the critically ac-claimed, record-breakingBroadway musical productionDr. Seuss’ How The GrinchStole Christmas! The Musicalat the Lutcher Theater to kickoff the 2013 holiday season.The classic, whimsical tale willenchant audiences for twoperformances only in Orangeon Nov, 16 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.Ticket prices range from $35-$65 and are on sale now atwww.lutcher.org or by calling

Captain RichardPhillips was in charge of acargo ship taken by Soma-lian pirates in 2009. Cap-tain Phillips tells thatstory.

The movie begins asjust an ordinary day in thelife of Captain Phillips,played by Tom Hanks. Hegets up and his wife(Catherine Keener) driveshim to work, droppinghim off at a huge shippingport owned by the MaerskCompany. When I sayhuge, I’m talking one ofthese places that loadshundreds of railroad-car-sized containers into ships,stacked four or five high.

Meanwhile in Somalia,our main pirate, Muse, is

sitting idle in the desertwith his friends. Muse isdisturbingly thin, to thepoint of looking malnour-ished. This isn’t lost on hisfriends who constantlytease him. Muse and sev-eral others are threatenedby one of the local crimebosses to get him some-thing valuable, or else. Sothey take out in a fishingboat, looking for a ship topirate.

The squalid povertythat the Somalians live inis oppressive and contrastsstarkly with the clean andplentiful lifestyle and mas-sive cargo that CaptainPhillips and his crew aredelivering. If you look atPhillips’ crew next to the

Somalians, you’re struck bythe fact that they’re worldsapart.

On ship, Phillips isstrictly a by-the-book Cap-tain, and pushes his crewto perform drills and keepthe ship locked down. Hegets a warning over hiscomputer of the presenceof pirates off theSomalian coast.

Things happenpretty fast afterthis, with the fish-ing boat and twolaunches chasingthe cargo ship,Maersk Alabama,with machineguns. The Maerskis unarmed. Still, itmanages to shakeoff the pirates, forawhile. But Muse,taunted and bul-lied by his fellowpirates, is deter-mined to showhimself of worth to thebosses. He relentlesslypushes his small crew toattack and eventuallyboard the Maersk.

Captain Phillips is a re-markable movie, because itputs so much into the per-formances, the action, andthe clash of cultures. Even

more, you really feel thatthis huge multi-million-dollar ship, with a full crewof men, is totally threat-ened by four Somalia’s.Tom Hanks as Phillips isthe star, of course, but hispresence is overpoweredby the Somalia’s, especiallyMuse, who seems desper-

ate and terrifying at thesame time.

Even if you know thereal life outcome in detail,I think you’ll be sitting onthe edge of your seat as theaction unfolds. The story isstill in the news today, asRichard Phillips and thecompany owing the ship

are being sued bycrewmembers for puttingthem at risk.

Were they indeed put atrisk? This movie playsboth sides of the story,with Phillips seeming ter-rified and clumsy at his ef-forts to subdue the pirates.The conclusion is remark-able, if not surprising. Iwon’t spoil it here except tosay Tom Hanks andBarkhad Abdi, who playsMuse, give their roles asubtlety that you wouldn’texpect in an action movie.

At one point Phillipsasks Muse, who speakssome English, why is he apirate? He should be athome, with a family, livinga peaceful life. Muse’sreply: “Maybe in America.Maybe in America.”Phillips has no answer tothis.

Captain Phillips, whilean excellent movie, is obvi-ously too heavy for kids.However, teens and mid-dle-schoolers could see itand might learn somethingabout how good they haveit. In America.

Rated PG-13 for inci-dental language, a verybloody foot and bloodspatters, and intensity.

Captain Phillips(Columbia Pictures, 2013)


Try Something New!Do you hear that sound? You

know, that not-so-subtle whisperfrom someone saying there’s noth-ing to do in the Lake Area? Wow, Iguess it might actually be gone. Ihave to admit that I have not heardthat statement in quite awhile. Iknow that we have a long way togo until we have establishmentsthat cater to everyone, but by golly,I think we are seeing some signifi-cant progress being made.

3topia located at 409 West PrienLake Road is the place to be rightnow. You know, I love downtownand all the other amazing venues,but I don’t mind adding anotherspot to my list. Recently 3topia andThe Louisiana Jam partnered upto present Speed Dating Night. Ihear it was a lot of fun and theyhave already planned another onefor Tuesday, November 26 at 7p.m.--so start preparing and goodluck! I love that this concept isbeing applied here. It’s perfect forthose of you who are bashful. If

anything, you could walk outwith a new friend.

As you know, I try my bestto keep my pulse on what’shappening and I’d like to men-tion what I consider to be anunderdog. My Place Ameri-can Pub, located at 630 WestPrien Lake Road in Suite G,is under new ownership andhas been doing their thing.

The amount of musicians theyare bringing in is worth men-tioning. I’m all about support-ing music and they aredefinitely representing well. Besure to stop by and enjoy a

cold one. Other places are openingup; if I have overlooked any, mes-sage me on Facebook or Twitterand I’ll be sure to pass the infor-mation along.

Across the Lake!When it comes to family time, a

great option that is slowly becom-ing better known is actually acrossthe pond--or rather, the lake. Myadvice is to go to Sulphur. Yes, Isaid Sulphur. I’m learning that ourarea and region as a whole matterand we should explore. The Hen-ning Cultural Center on 923 RuthStreet recently opened their exhibit“Chaos Theory” at the end of Oc-tober and is an exhibit by localartists that is inspired by videogames, cartoons, movies andbooks. You will enjoy this exhibit,trust me. Call 527-0357 for moreinformation.

The Quad has opened in Sul-phur. It’s dubbed as the ultimatehangout for toddlers, teens andthose in between. “The Quad's

mission is to offer a safe, fun, in-clusive hangout where kids in ourcommunity go to connect, com-pete, create, and celebrate.” It’s lo-cated at 2901 Maplewood Drivewith 8,500 square feet of fun spaceand is open Monday-Wednesdayfrom 3-6 p.m. and Thursday-Sat-urday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The im-portant information parents wantto hear can be found on their Face-book page or by calling 313-3327.

LA on Air with Bray JPlease know that I’m not one to

gloat; but I was asked to includethe following information in mycolumn. Recently, my friend and I,along with the help ofLouisianaIndieRadio.com startedairing an online radio show/pod-cast. If you want to see what wehave done so far, go to Facebookand enter #laonair or #LAOnAir inthe search bar.

We officially premiered “LA OnAir with Bray J” on October 22,with Louisiana Indie Radio servingas our primary platform. Ourfocus is Louisiana-based music atits core. It airs on Tuesdays andThursdays at 7 a.m. and strives tointroduce listeners to new artistsand give updates on the film, artand entertainment scene statewide.We also provide random segmentssuch as our traffic update from theLA On Air Helichopper, Confes-sions by Lana and more, all withthe purpose of helping to ease lis-teners into their day.

“LA On Air” is honored to haveLana as a co-host. She is passionateabout all types of music and lovesdiscovering new talent and sounds.

Lana is a mother of two and hopesthat she will be able to identifywith other moms and highlight ac-tivities that will be beneficial tothem.

If 7 a.m. is too early for you, theshows are set to re-air at differenttimes throughout the week onwww.louisianaindieradio.com.They are also posted onwww.soundcloud.com andwww.spreaker.com. The show willalso pop up on a few other onlineplatforms. I am praying that Mc-Neese State University’s FM sta-tion, 88.3 FM KBYS will considerit for their lineup. And while I’mmentioning that station, allow meto congratulate Kathleen Higgins, a2011 visual arts graduate of Mc-Neese. Her amazing logo for KBYSencompasses a bit of the old feelthat radio use to bring to listenerswith an exciting color scheme rep-resenting MSU proudly. I’m look-ing forward to its debut.

It’s not easy to start fromscratch and thanks toLouisianaIndieRadio.com, we didnot have to. Since we are a newshow, we would appreciate yoursupport. Just share a post you maycome across or give us a shout out.I hope we can bring comfort,laughter and a better appreciationfor our region and state.

You can automatically set youriTunes account to Louisiana IndieRadio and you are welcome to sub-mit your original music, commu-nity activities and events to thestation by [email protected] ordirectly to the show at laonairwith-brayj@gma.

(409) 886-5535. The FrancesAnn Lutcher Theater for thePerforming Arts is a StarkCultural Venue and is locatedat 707 Main, Orange, Texas.

Flea Fest Nov. 16-17Flea Fest will feature nearly

4 covered acres of anythingand everything! A bargainhunter’s dream, the semi-an-nual show is unlike any otherin Southwest Louisiana, andboasts vendors of all typesfrom New Orleans to Texas.You will find antiques, vintageand handcrafted items, toys,collectibles, clothing, art

work, etc. along with afarmer’s market, a pet section,and “The Lot” featuring usedand vintage cars, trucks,boats—anything on fourwheels! It will be held from 9a.m. - 5 p.m. on Nov. 16-17 inthe Burton Coliseum Live-stock Barn (On the south sideof Burton Coliseum). Admis-sion is $5 for adults and freefor kids 12 and under. Visitwww.FleaFest.com for moredetails.

Savoy Cajun Family Band andGood & Young Nov. 20

Louisiana Crossroads pres-

ents The Savoy Family CajunBand and Good & Young onNov. 20 at Central School indowntown Lake Charles. TheSavoys play honed down,hard-core Cajun music lacedwith an earthy sensuality. Intheir hands, the old tuneshave been revived and re-turned to new life. The quar-tet of Good & Young is afamily ensemble rooted in thedance and music traditions ofOld Time, Bluegrass andCountry. With fiddle, banjo,guitar and bass, they are afestival of rhythm, dance andharmony. Performance is at 7p.m.; $12 advance tickets, $15

at the door. Call 439-2787 orgo towww.eventbrite.com/event/8375765139.

Mistletoe & Moss Nov. 20-23The Market at the Lake

Charles Civic Center show-cases merchants from aroundthe country, featuring apparel,gifts, and accessories forwomen, men, and children;specialty foods; and seasonal,as well as, year-round decora-tive items and home furnish-ings. Shoppers will be able toparticipate in daily specialevents, such as the annual


Preview Night Gala, Children’sBreakfast with Santa and Mrs.Claus, and holiday entertain-ment provided by localschools and groups. All pro-ceeds benefit the communityprojects of The Junior Leagueof Lake Charles, Inc. GeneralAdmission: $8 per person, $8stroller fee. Call 436-4025 orvisit www.jllc.net for more in-formation.

‘Rory Partin’s Big BndSounds’ Nov. 22

Rory Partin, Lake Charlesnative and nationally-knownsinger and musician, will per-form a one-night only con-cert, "Rory Partin's Big BandSounds," at Lake Charles Lit-tle Theatre on Nov. 22. Partinand his All-Star Big Band willperform plenty of big bandChristmas classics to help kickoff your holiday season instyle. Tickets are $20 foradults and $15 for seniors andstudents. For information andtickets, call 433-7988 or visitwww.thelclt.com.

Turkey Trot Nov. 23The Greater Lake Charles

Rotary Club is inviting thepublic to a fun-filled event tosupport education in SWLA.The Turkey Trot 5K and Kid-Kwill take place on Saturday,Nov. 23 -- the Saturday beforeThanksgiving -- at the EnosDerbonne Sports Complex,7903 Lake St. The family-friendly event is an off-road,5-kilometer fun run/walk witha 1-kilometer kid's race. AKids’ Zone with jump houseswill also be available andSOWELA’s Culinary Arts stu-dents will be providing a pan-cake breakfast following therace. Proceeds will help tofund student scholarships atSOWELA and McNeese StateUniversity. Winners in a vari-ety of categories will receivea frozen Thanksgiving turkeyas well as a custom-designedTurkey Trot medallion. Regis-tration is $25 for adults and$15 for children ages 4-17. Ad-vance registration is alsoavailable. To sign up online,visit the event web page atwww.turkeytrotswla.com.


In the spring of thisyear, the Arts Council ofSWLA was awarded agrant by the LouisianaOffice of Cultural Devel-opment for the state’spilot creative placemak-ing initiative, recogniz-ing Southwest Louisianaamong an elite list ofonly ten communities re-ceiving this grant, andthe only grantee thatrepresented an entire re-gion.

Louisiana is the firststate to take on this newgrant program, whichwas designed by the Na-tional Consortium ofCreative Placemaking inNew Jersey, and it is de-signed to cultivate part-nerships between localgovernment and the arts

to identify how creativeplacemaking can addressor solve issues facingcommunities.

The definition of cre-ative placemaking israther elusive, but in theNational Endowment forthe Arts' report CreativePlacemaking, AnnMarkusen and AnneGadwa describe creativeplacemaking as one inwhich "partners frompublic, private, non-profit, and communitysectors strategicallyshape the physical andsocial character of aneighborhood, town,city, or region aroundarts and cultural activi-ties. Creative placemak-ing animates public andprivate spaces, rejuve-

nates structures andstreetscapes, improveslocal business viabilityand public safety, andbrings diverse people to-gether to celebrate, in-spire, and be inspired."

Prior to this, in No-vember of 2012, througha collaborative effort ofthe SWLA EconomicDevelopment Alliance,the Arts Council ofSWLA, the City of LakeCharles, and the LakeCharles/SWLA Conven-tion & Visitors Bureau, aseed was planted at theSWLA Arts & CulturalSymposium, a half-dayconference with presen-tations, break-out ses-sions, and panels focusedon creating a strongersymbiotic network of

Live, Work, Play, StayChaos Theory ExhibitHenning Cultural Center923 Ruth St., SulphurMon-Fri 10 am-noon and 1 pm-5 pm Sat 10 am-2 pm10/31/2013-11/21/2013337-527-0357

Some ThoughtsAbout PerceptionHeather Kelly ExhibitOctober 18 - January 4Children in Motion with Nancy Melton through Jan. 4The Curious Worldof Patent Models through Dec. 28from 5:30-8 p.m. Historic City Hall1001 Ryan St.Lake CharlesMon- Fri 10 am- 5 pmSat 10 am- 2 pm337-491-9147

Adrian Fulton: “Metal Health Series”Through Nov. 27M-F 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.Black Heritage GalleryCentral School809 Kirby St. Lake CharlesMon-Fri 9 am-5 pm337-488-8567

McNeese FacultyExhibition Through November 22M-F 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.Grand Gallery, McNeeseState University4205 Ryan St. Lake Charles337-475-5060

DeQuincyRailroad Museum400 Lake Charles Ave.,DeQuincyTues-Sat 10 am-5 pm337-786-2823

DeQuincyTown Hall Museum218 E. Fourth St. DeQuincyMon-Thurs 9am-noonand 1 pm-4pm 337-786-8241

Mardi Gras Museumof Imperial Calcasieu809 Kirby St.Lake Charles

Tues-Fri, 1 pm- 5pm337-430-0043

USS Orleck Naval Museum604 N. Enterprise Blvd.Lake CharlesMon-Fri 10 am-3pm Sat 10 am -4 pm337-214-7447

Vintage Arts By Jeanne OwensCentral School809 Kirby St., Suite 212Lake CharlesMon-Fri 9 am-5 pm337-304-1165

W.H. Tupper GeneralMerchandise Museum311 N. Main St., JenningsMon-Fri 9 am-5 pm337-821-5532

Tales and TravelsThrough Jan. 12Painting the PagesThrough Oct. 12Stark Museum of ArtTues.-Sat. 10 am-5 pmOrange, TX409-886-2787

Open Art SplurgeryNow-December 31Members have openedtheir hearts to allowshoppers to come andsplurge on art for Christ-mas gifts of good culture.Many items in the galleryand gift shop will be dis-counted. Prices arewholesale and tax free. Associated LouisianaArtists - Gallery by the Lake106 W. Pryce St., LakeCharles, (337) 436-1008

Judy Baggett: "As I See It" ExhibitNovember 15-January 4The exhibit will showcasenew paintings by theartist in the AnnexGallery.Sally & Ned Cappel: "Images: Real and Imaginary" ExhibitNovember 15-January 4The exhibit will showcaserecent paintings by bothartists in the GibsonBarham Gallery.Imperial Calcasieu Museum204 W. Sallier St.Lake Charles(337) 439-3797


support for the arts andengaging the region’sleadership to develop thecultural aspects of ourarea in order to makeSouthwest Louisiana abetter place where peoplewant to live, work, play,and stay.

As stakeholders werebeing recruited in Feb-ruary of 2013, one of thefirst opportunities wasto apply for this creativeplacemaking grant,which provided sixmonths of coaching onwhat creative placemak-ing is, and how it can beutilized in SWLA. TheArts Council, the City,and Alliance agreed totake the lead on theproject and began re-cruiting a diverse groupof people from the fiveparish area to participateon what would becomethe Cultural Economy

Team.Southwest Louisiana’s

team is composed of over30 key players across thefive parish region, in-cluding the City of LakeCharles, the ChamberSWLA, Lake CharlesConvention & VisitorsBureau, Calcasieu ParishPolice Jury, McNeese,Sowela, City of DeRid-der, Cameron Parish Li-braries, HenningCultural Center,L’Auberge Lake Charles,and the O’Carroll Group,among others.

Using a hands-on ap-proach to researching theassets, resources, andleadership of SouthwestLouisiana communities,members of the teamtraveled the five-parisharea by boat, car, and busto speak with leaders,stakeholders, and resi-dents. The team as a

whole met regularly todiscuss their extensivefindings, and arrived atthe following vision forour regional culturalplan: To generate con-nectivity between thecommunities of South-west Louisiana and stim-ulate economicdevelopment by usingcultural and artistic re-sources to activate assetsand engage individuals.

One of the first itemsof consensus is that al-though there is a wealthof cultural opportunitiesand natural assets toenjoy in the five parisharea, many residentscomplain of not havinganything to do. This wasidentified as one of thekey societal challenges.How do people get con-nected across SouthwestLouisiana to not only beaware of the many op-

portunities but alsochoose to participate inthem? That is a key ques-tion that drove the visionstatement and goals.

It was vital that the re-search included a diversecross section of South-west Louisiana’s indus-tries as well aspopulations. Three maingoals rose from the re-search and became moreand more tangible as theconversations moved for-ward with elected offi-cials, property andbusiness owners, arts or-ganizations, teachers,university officials, andresidents.

Goal 1: To inspire re-gional stakeholders’ in-vestment in cultural andnatural assets tostrengthen SouthwestLouisiana’s economy

Goal 2: To nurtureand grow opportunities

for artistic and creativeenterprises across South-west Louisiana’s commu-nities

Goal 3: To enhanceSouthwest Louisiana’sgateways and corridorswith multi-sensory ele-ments

These three maingoals contain elaborateplans, each with an im-mediate phase, and a sec-ondary phase that will becompleted within threeto five years. The fullplan will be presented tothe public at the ArtsCouncil SWLA’s Re-gional Arts Networkluncheon, which will beheld on Tuesday, No-vember 12th, 11:30AM –1PM, in the CentralSchool Theatre. The costis $5, lunch will beserved, and an RSVP isrequired.

The Hector San Miguel Memo-rial Fund will honor the late BillLeger at a luncheon to be heldThursday, December 5 at 11:30 a.m.in the L’Auberge Casino Resort Ball-room. Four-term Louisiana Gov.Edwin W. Edwards will deliver thekeynote address.

A Kinder native, Leger was alongtime reporter and anchormanfor KFDM-TV in Beaumont whodied in December 2012. He wonmany awards for his journalism, in-cluding for coverage of hurricanes,the dragging death of James Byrd,Jr. and the space shuttle explosionover East Texas.

The award that will be presentedposthumously to Leger is named forthe late Hector San Miguel, who leftan indelible mark on our commu-nity through an award-winningjournalism career at the AmericanPress, driven by his relentless pur-suit of the truth. The MemorialFund in Hector’s memory recog-nizes others for their outstandingachievement in journalism.

In addition to bestowing theaward on Leger, the Hector SanMiguel Memorial Fund has selected

KPLC-TV reporter Gerron Jordanas the recipient of this year’s profes-sional conference award. The fundwill reimburse Jordan for his ex-penses to attend next year’s Na-tional Association of BlackJournalists national convention.

L’Auberge Casino Resort is thePresenting Sponsor of the luncheon.Luncheon reservations, available for$40 or $320 for a reserved table ofeight, must be made in advance andpurchased by check or cash. A lim-ited number of Corporate TableSponsorships are available for $500and include preferred seating, a re-served table for 8 and your com-pany logo included in the eventprogram. Following the luncheon,Governor Edwards will be availableto sign copies of Edwin Edwards:Governor of Louisiana by LeoHoneycutt; the books will be avail-able for purchase.

Contact the Community Foun-dation of Southwest Louisiana at(337) 491-6688 or [email protected] for ticket informa-tion and sales. Reservations must bemade by Friday, November 22; theluncheon is expected to sell out.

Hector San Miguel Memorial Fund Awards Luncheon Dec. 5


Eerie shadows, whistlingwinds; the nights seem darkerand filled with unseen threats...fall is a little bit scary, just likethese two books.

I have become a fan of NeilGaiman. He’s a true original,and so is his The Ocean at theEnd of the Lane. In the story, aman returns to his childhoodhome in the English countrysideand suddenly remembers whathappened there when he was 7years old: “It was all comingback to me. Memories werewaiting at the edges of things,beckoning to me.” (I love howhe uses words.) As a boy, he waslonely. “I was not happy as a

child, although from time totime I was content. I lived inbooks more than I lived any-where else.” When he had his7th birthday party, nobodycame. So he went to his roomand read. “Books were saferthan other people anyway.”

But weird stuff starts happen-ing. Money shows up in oddplaces, in the form of coins. Adead man is found in their car.Down the road, 11-year-old Let-tie Hempstock lives with hermother and grandmother. Allthree seem to read minds andapparently have some kind ofmystic power. Lettie, who callsthe duck pond near the house

her “ocean,” be-friends the boy. He’s afraidbecause of the dream-like mad-ness going on in the neighbor-hood, but Lettie tells him, “I’llmake sure you’re safe. I promise.I’m not scared.”

When his family’s home is in-vaded by an evil force, he’s theonly one who sees it for what itis. His father “didn’t know whatshe was. She was a monster, andhe just thought she was a nor-mal person.” The monster isweird, cunning and disturbing.

“I was afraid of her, more afraidthan I had ever been of any-thing,” says the boy. So, “I wentaway in my head, into a book.That was where I went when-ever real life was too hard or tooinflexible.”

Lettie tells him, “Monsterscome in all shapes and sizes.Some of them are things peopleare scared of. Some of them arethings that look like things peo-

Just a Little Bit Scary


ple used to be scared of a longtime ago. Sometimes monstersare things people should bescared of, but they aren’t.”

The adults, of course, do notunderstand the needs of chil-dren — except the adults at Let-tie’s house. So, Lettie, hermother and her grandmothercall up all their magical abilitiesto save the boy.

As I was reading it, I realizedit was every bit as exciting as aHarry Potter book, but asunique as Gaiman himself. Theaction is tense and the charac-ters are disturbing. A couple ofscenes mademy skin crawl.

I think thiscould be scaryfor little kids,but older kidswill want toread it again. Ithink the bookwas targetedmore for adults— there is onerather adult sit-uation — butkids will loveit.

In The Re-turned, authorJason Mottpresents thepremise thatdeath is not theending we have thought it was.

Harold and Lucille Hargravelost their 8-year-old son Jacob50 years ago, when he drownednear their home. Suddenly,Jacob has come back. And he’sstill 8 years old. But Jacob is notalone. The dead are comingback all over the world.

At first, Lucille said, “They’renot people. ... All I know isthey’re not like you and me.They’re…they’re devils.” Butthat was before her own boyturned up. Now, “Lucille fawnedover the son who was suddenlyno longer dead. She clutchedhim to her chest and kissed thecrown of his head, then cuppedhis face in her hands and show-ered it with kisses and laughter

and tears.” And she changed her tune: “I

was wrong. I see that now. ...They’re a blessing. A blessingfrom the Lord. That’s what theyare. A second chance!”

There are pro-Returned sup-porters and anti-Returned pro-testers. There are problemsbrought on by the sudden influxof population.

An odd government agencyknown as the “Bureau” has or-ganized support groups for theReturned and for the families ofthe Returned.

But Harold isn’t convincedthat this Jacobis really theirson. The liv-ing wonder,who are theReturned? Arethey reallytheir revivedloved ones?Are theseevents, as thepastor says,“miracles andwonders”? Oris somethingsinister goingon?

“Jacob wastime beateninto defeat.He was timeout of sync,

time more perfect than it hadbeen. He was life the way it wassupposed to be all those yearsago. That’s what all the Re-turned were.” Some people aresuspicious of the Returned. So isthe government. People areafraid. “Everything was movingtoward the coming terror. Shefelt it. It was inevitable now.”

Then there are the funda-mental questions the living wantanswered: What happens whenyou die? Where have the deadreturned from?

For me, the book is like aTwilight Zone episode or some-thing from Stephen King: just alittle spooky.

Copyright © 2013 by MaryLouise Ruehr.

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Thursday, Nov. 7Tweet Up6 - 8 p.m. @ House O’ Soul2434 Hwy 14,

Lake Charles

Eugene Pollard @ Mikko Live

7 p.m. @ CoushattaCasino Resort

777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Ganey Arsement8 p.m. @ The Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave, Westlake

"Thursday Dollar Night"9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club$1 Beer & Bar all night!5329 Common St.Lake Charles

Open Mic Night (Monthly)"Service Industry Night""Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.9 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

Common Ground9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton

Karaoke with $3 Cover9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 Common St., Lake Charles

Downfall Rising10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

DJ Eric Scott10 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Friday, Nov. 8The Price is Right Live!w/ Jerry Springer as host8 p.m. @ L'Auberge Casino 777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Wayne Toups8 p.m. @ Yesterdays5313 Common St.,

Lake Charles

Rocky Patel Cigar Event5 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles

Chubby Carrier &The Bayou Swamp Band8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave, Westlake

No Idea @ Mikko Live"Dance Party"w/ Pop/Rock Mix9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Kory Fontenot aka"One-Man Band"9 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles


Common Ground9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs DriveVinton

Super Water Sympathy10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

White Heat, Root Beer & Mermentau, Hellshoveland Thee Andy's!"Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles


Saturday, Nov. 9The Price is Right Live!w/ Jerry Springer as host2 & 8 p.m. @ L'Auberge Casino777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Brian Moore7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan Street, Lake Charles

Steel Shot8 p.m. @ Yesterdays Night Club5313 Common St, Lake Charles

The Coleman Brothers8 p.m. @ The Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave, Westlake

No Idea @ Mikko Live"Dance Party" w/ Pop/Rock Mix9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder


"Saturday Night Party Time"MSU @ Stephen F. Austin (A)9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club$1 Beer & Bar 12 - 2 a.m.5329 Common St.Lake Charles, LA

Ryan Bunch9 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles

Signature10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

Dolo Jazz Suite #8AF The Naysayer and Friends!10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles


Sunday, Nov. 10The Price is Right Live!w/ Jerry Springer as host2 p.m. @ L'Auberge Casino777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Monday, Nov. 11Ryan Bunch (Free Live Music)"Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

Tuesday, Nov. 12Karaoke w/ David Verrett8 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Tim Norris (Free Live Music)"Two Wheel Tuesday""Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles


Wednesday, Nov. 13Karaoke @ Mikko Live8 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

"City Heat"8 p.m. @Caribbean CoveLady's Night 5 - 12 p.m.Free drinks for ladies only!@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave, Westlake

"JD's Open Mic Night"8 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Wayne Dylan Live8 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles

"Comedy Night" Josh Hessier, Leo Morgan& Nick Cronan8:30 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 Common St., LakeCharles

"Vinyl Night" 1/2 price drafts for folksthat bring records!9 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

Thursday, Nov. 14Joe Harmon & Harmonics "Block Party"7 p.m. @ Mikko Live777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Corey Ledet8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave, Westlake

Karaoke with $3 Cover9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 Common St., LakeCharles

"Thursday Dollar Night"9 p.m. @ Cowboys $1 Beer & Bar all night!5329 Common St.Lake Charles

DJ San-D10 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Austin Miller (Live Music)The Book Club @ 8:30 p.m."Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., LakeCharles

Friday, Nov. 15Molly Ringwalds8 p.m. @ Yesterdays5313 Common St., Lake Charles

Brad Brinkley &The Comfort Zone8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Isis @ Mikko Live9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Chubby Carrier9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs DriveVinton


Hold Fast Fable Live9 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles

Dash Rip Rock10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Lochness Mobsters,Church Shoes,Holy Wave,Root Beer, & Mermentau!10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles


Saturday, Nov. 16Mike Benavidez7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan Street,Lake Charles

Geno Delafose &French Rockin' Boogie8 p.m. @ Yesterdays 5313 Common St., Lake Charles

Ryan Harris &Killin Time Band8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Isis @ Mikko Live9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Chubby Carrier9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Dr.,Vinton


"Saturday Night Party"MSU vs. Northwestern (H)9 p.m. @ Cowboys 5329 Common St.Lake Charles, LA

Paul Gonsoulin Live9 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles

Dark Side of the LakePink Floyd Tribute Band10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

Andy Frasco w/ Lingus10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles


Sunday, Nov. 17Dharma "Rummage Sale!"(FUNDRAISER)10 a.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

Monday, Nov. 18Kris Harper (Live Music)"Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles


Tim Norris (Live Music)"Two Wheel Tuesday""Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles


Wednesday, Nov. 20Karaoke @ Mikko Live8 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

"City Heat" every Wednesday8 p.m. @ Caribbean CoveLady's Night 5 p.m - MidnightFree drinks for ladies only!@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Joe Ecker Live8 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles

"Comedy Night" 10-12 ComediansJosh Hessier, Leo Morgan,& Nick Cronan8:30 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 Common St., Lake Charles

"Vinyl Night" 1/2 price drafts for folksthat bring records!"Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.9 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

Thursday, Nov. 21Bernie Alan @ Mikko Live"Block Party" 7 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Static8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave, West-lake

Karaoke with $3 Cover9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 Common St., LakeCharles

"Thanksgiving"$2 Wild Turkey Shots!$1 Beer & Bar all Night!5329 Common St.Lake Charles, LA

DJ Mata10 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Free Live Music"Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

Friday Nov. 22Thomas Rhett w/ Cadillac Three7 p.m. @ Yesterdays 5313 Common St., Lake Charles

NIGHTLIFE GUIDE(Continued)

Blackbird8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Band X @ Mikko Live"Dance Party" w/Pop/Rock Mix9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

BB and Company9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs DriveVinton

Karaoke with $3 Cover9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory

4688 Common St., Lake Charles

RKW Show Live9 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles

Rosco Bandana10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

The Marvelous WonderfulsxDefinition & Selfawarewolf!10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St.,Lake Charles

DJ Mata11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark

"Friday's Fireside Lounge" 7 - 10 p.m @ Adult PoolJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles


Wednesday, Nov. 13Open Mic Night8 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles


Whether you’re a fan of musicaltheatre or not, you’ve likely heard theworks of composer Andrew LloydWebber and lyricist Tim Rice. Web-ber is most famous for being theman behind the music of legendaryBroadway musicals such as Catsand The Phantom of the Opera.Rice is perhaps best known for pen-ning the lyrics to the music ofbeloved Walt Disney films such asBeauty and the Beast, Aladdin andThe Lion King. Lake Charles resi-dents will get to appreciate their re-spective musical and lyrical genius alittle bit closer to home than Broad-way when local theatre troupe, Itin-erant Theatre puts on a productionof Jesus Christ Superstar, written bythe two theatre legends.

First staged in 1971, the musical isloosely based on the Gospel’s ac-counts of the last week of Jesus’ life,and largely follows the form of a tra-ditional passion play. The productiontakes a look into the psychology ofJesus and other biblical characters,and delves deeply into the struggle ofJudas Iscariot as he becomes dissatis-fied with the way Jesus leads his dis-ciples. Filled with slang, the lyricsmake ironic allusions to modern lifewhile exploring contemporary atti-tudes towards the political events ofthe Bible.

In the two years since its incep-tion, the Itinerant Theatre group hasstrived to bring professional theatreto local audiences, performing invenues ranging from coffee houses tomuseums. Jesus Christ Superstar willbe the group’s first large-scale musicalproduction, as well as the first to takeplace on a traditional stage.

Carolyn Woosley, co-founder andpresident, said her group is excited totry something new, while still stayingtrue to their roots.

“We have taken a big step into theworld of grand productions. We wentfrom having a six-member cast inour typical productions to having an18-member cast, and a live seven-piece band. The scope of our art thistime around is exponentially largerin terms of what we’re asking of our

actors. These people are all tripletreats and can sing, act and dance.We think that this iconic rock operawill grab the imagination of a new

generation of audiences if done well,and we know that we’re doing itwell,” she said.

The Itinerant Theatre is multi-di-mensional. “We’re keeping up ourtradition of coffee house theatre andwe’re keeping up our theme of afford-able life theatre in found spaces thatis constantly in search of today’s audi-ence. We’re not leaving any of thatbehind, we’ve just sort of detoured,”she explained.

Woosley said the pro-duction will dare the audi-ence to reconsider thehistory behind the last daysof Jesus Christ.

“This part of America isvery religious, so it’s verylikely that we could on ourown all be able to write theend of this play for our-selves,” she said. “We allknow what’s going to hap-pen before it even starts.You have to step away fromyour own preconceivedideas and be thrown intothe moment and the feel-ings of the various disci-ples, Jesus and MaryMagdalene. I think that anaudience that reveres JesusChrist and an audience thatreveres the great current ofhistory are very differentaudiences, but are twogroups that can both begreatly intrigued by beingthrown back into that mo-ment of time and begin tothink of these historicalmoments in a new way.”

Local actress HayleySmith who will star in theproduction as Mary Mag-dalene said that what drew

her to audition was the play’s toneand the challenge it would pose forher as an actress.

“Before I auditioned, I did my re-search like any actor should andfound that when it was first pro-

duced, the play got a lot of contro-versy,” she said. “At first, I didn’tunderstand where the controversystemmed from. You might notagree with everything the playportrays, but it’s very open to in-terpretation, which I love. It

doesn’t put the audience in a box, ortells them that they have to feel a cer-tain way. You leave the show fellinghowever you want.”

The music is mostly ‘70s-stylerock. “It’s a rock opera, so there’sonly like three lines of dialogue in thewhole thing,” Smith said. “It’s great asan actor because you get to go fromone song to the next. All of AndrewLloyd Webber’s shows take a lot outof you. You have to put everything

into the singing, the acting and thedancing. This is the most challengingrole I’ve ever had, but also the mostrewarding.”

In addition to Smith, the produc-tion will feature the talents of GabiFontenot, Tony James, Joshua Brown,Bret Smithey, Frank Cooper, JohnPaul Primeaux, Taylor Simon, BryanTrahan, Renata Barker, RyanDomingue, Casey Doucet, RandyPartin, Robin Prejean, Chad Reeves,Bianca Augustine, Emily Looney andAngela Reeves. Director is KeithChamberlain and the choreographeris Damien Thibodeaux. William G.Rose is the conductor.

The Itinerant Theatre’s produc-tion of “Jesus Christ Superstar” willtake place at the Rosa Hart Theatreinside the Lake Charles Civic Centeron Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov.9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still avail-able and can be purchased online atwww.ticketmaster.com.

Get set to shop ‘tilyou drop at FleaFest, a truly uniqueflea market festivalthat will featurenearly four coveredacres of anything

and everything! A bargain hunter’sdream, the semi-annual show made

its debut in April of this year and at-tracted nearly 10,000 visitors! Thefall show has almost doubled in ven-dors to nearly 200, and expects manymore shoppers, as well.

“The demand for something likethis in the Lake Charles area was over-whelmingly felt by the turnout at ourApril show,” said Lisa Sonnier, show or-ganizer. “It is unlike any other festivalin Southwest Louisiana!” Boasting ven-dors of all types, Flea Fest’s offeringswill include antiques, retro and vintage,handcrafted items, toys, collectibles,clothes, art work, comic books, furni-ture, gifts, jewelry and other flea marketstyle goods.

In addition to the variety of mer-chandise vendors, Flea Fest will featureThe Fox 29 Pet Town, featuring

adoptable cats and dogs, and TowneSquare Auto World, featuring vehiclesof all types for sale. Flea Fest will alsoinclude a virtual grab bag of wares fromlocals holding their garage sales at thefestival. Topping off the shopping, asmorgasbord of unique eats will be of-fered from an array of food vendors inthe Food Court Diner, powered by La-Trouvaille.

Organizer Lisa Sonnier adds, “It’slike going on a giant treasure hunt! Younever know what goodies could be hid-ing out. Flea Fest is just a fun andunique shopping experience that won’tbreak the bank!”

Flea Fest is set for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. onNovember 16-17 in the Burton Coli-seum Ag Barn, located on the South sideof Burton Coliseum. Adult tickets are $5with the exception of Saturday from 8-9(The “Early Bird Hour”) with $10 adulttickets. Kids 12 and under are alwaysadmitted free. Tickets are available atwww.fleafest.com and at the gate.The venue is covered, so the eventwill go on rain or shine! For de-tails, visit www.fleafest.com orcall (337) 502-8584.


All kinds of exciting andunique events have been goingon in the Lake Area this fall sea-son. The Red Tent Gatheringpromises to be one of them—but it’s for women only!

Organizer JeriKaye MariaMagdalena, a life-long dancer, isexcited about the evening. “Thered tent is a place to pause fromeveryday life, focus on healthand happiness, and become re-stored,” she says. “Some peopleenjoy getting a massage, othersconverse with one another, oth-ers sew or knit, all the whileforging lasting bonds and per-

haps even coming to meaning-ful realizations or inner convic-tions. And, sometimes, we justdrink wine and belly dance!”

This is the third annualevent. “This time, we will befeaturing a screening of a docu-mentary on the Red Tent Move-ment in the lobby of thebeautiful historic Charlestonbuilding in downtown LakeCharles,” JeriKaye continues.“The film comes to our com-munity courtesy of the film-maker herself, Dr. IsadoraLeidenfrost. She sought us outto share this with us, and I am

so grateful to all those help-ing make it possible to hostthis screening in LakeCharles. The night will alsofeature musicians, dancersand fire performers fromaround the state to ignite thesenses and inspire the mind.The atmosphere will be cele-bratory amidst our usualscene of delicious refresh-ments, tea parties, foot mas-

sages, hennatattoos, dancesessions, de-lightful conver-sations, and somuch more!”

The group alsohosts gatherings atthe InternationalDance Companystudio at 530 W.McNeese street,where Jerikayeteaches Tribal Bel-lydance, a danceform with its rootsin Middle-EasternBellydance, SpanishFlamenco, andClassical Indiandance. “We alwaysinclude refresh-ments, some kindof art to enjoy orparticipate in, and adiscussion topic orpresentation con-cerning women'shealth,” she says.Known as the FireMaiden, JeriKaye is

also a fire performance artistutilizing multiple fire props.Check her out on YouTube atwww.youtube.com/jerikayemagdalena.

For women only! Enjoysoothing sounds from harpistPatricia Horvath and beautifulart, precious crystals and otherofferings. Get a foot or handmassage, a hairbrushing,(Bring Your Own Brush!) or amehendi (henna) tattoo. Learna few new steps while dancingto joyful music, and talk withinspiring people. See a screen-ing of the Red Tent documen-tary, Things We Don't TalkAbout. Event will be held at theCandice Alexander Art Studioand the lobby of the CharlestonHotel at 900 Ryan St. in down-town Lake Charles from 7-10p.m. Potluck, bring food toshare. Admission is $15. Formore information, email [email protected].


The Junior League of Lake Charleswill hold its 21st Anniversary Mistle-toe and Moss Holiday Market, No-vember 20 – 23 at the Lake CharlesCivic Center. General admission hoursare Thursday, November 21 from 10a.m. – 8 p.m.; Friday, November 22, 10a.m. – 8 p.m.; and Saturday, November23, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The ladies of theJunior League will transform the CivicCenter Coliseum and ExhibitionHall into a shopping wonder-land, with vendorsfrom across thecountry offeringunique gift items.Over 75 merchants willbe on hand selling anincredible array of itemsincluding apparel, food,accessories, art, homedécor, children’s items and specialtygifts.

Shopping is just the beginning ofwhat you’ll experience at Mistletoe andMoss. The Preview Party Gala onWednesday, November 20, 7 – 10 p.m.,offers a chance to be the first to shop atthe merchant booths. You’ll enjoy fan-tastic cuisine and cocktails from LakeArea restaurants and caterers, live en-tertainment by a special celebrityguests, and a local art raffle. Tickets are$50 per person.

Added this year is a Jazzy Brunch.Celebrate the Junior League of LakeCharles' 80th Anniversary on Thursday,November 21, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m! Enjoyjazz music to give that New Orleans feelwith catering by Luna Bar & Grill.There will be door prizes and samplingof some of the area’s best Bloody Maryscompeting to be named the “BestBloody Mary.” If you are interested incompeting we are still looking for indi-viduals or teams to compete. But re-member, you must be an amateur.

Friday night at the Market has tradi-tionally been for the ladies, but thisyear’s Ladies Night is a night out withyour man – and a chance to shop whilehe is entertained and fed! Local come-dian Jeff D will keep you and your manlaughing. The evening will include acomplimentary drink and will becatered by Luna Bar & Grill. There willalso be door prizes. Tickets are $25 perperson, and the event is from 6 – 8 p.m.

Set your alarm clocks and bring thekids for Snacks with Santa on SaturdayNovember 23. Seatings are at 8:30 – 10a.m.; 10:30 a.m. – noon; and 1:30 – 3p.m. They will also enjoy a performanceby the Lake Charles Dance Academy.Tickets are $10 per person, with chil-dren under 1 admitted free. There is nostroller fee for this event; limited ticketsare available. A local photographer willalso be available to capture a photo of

your child in Santa's sleigh. General admission for the market is

$8 per person. Children 8 and underare admitted free. There is a stroller feeof $8 on Friday and Saturday. A compli-mentary bag hold will be available.

Giving BackMuch more than a chance to shop,

the Mistletoe and Moss Market is achance to give to the community.

Proceeds from the event sup-port the Junior League ofLake Charles, Inc.’s mis-sion in promoting volun-

teerism, developing thepotential of women and im-proving the communitythrough the effective actionand leadership of trained vol-unteers. The Junior League of

Lake Charles has been “Serving,Strengthening, Sustaining the Commu-nity” for 80 years, establishing and sup-ported local programs such as Family &Youth Counseling Agency, HarborHouse, The Children’s Museum, andthe Court Appointed Special Advocates(CASA), just to name a few.

Proceeds support many current pro-grams such as Kids inthe Kitchen/ Fit Kidsprogram. In addition,a dedicated group ofJunior League volun-teers work on a num-ber of projects withnon-profits agenciesthat are limited inachieving their goalsbecause of lack of man(or women) powerthrough its Done in ADay program.

The FosteringFamilies Committeedesigns, creates, anddistributes personalcare packages to chil-dren recently removedfrom their homes andplaced in foster care.The League providesapproximately 200bags each year that aredistributed throughlocal and regional Of-fices of Children’sServices, OASISWomen’s Shelter, Tran-sitional Living, andHarbor House. Theseare just a few examplesof what the JuniorLeague of Lake Charlesis currently doingwithin our community.

To put it all intoperspective, one gen-

eral admission ticket willprovide one toy for ImpactSupport’s Joy drive. Two gen-eral admission tickets willhelp purchase supplies forthe ETC transition livingprogram store for teens tran-sitioning out of foster carethrough Impact Support. TwoJazzy Brunch tickets allows five 5thgraders to participate in the Fit Kidsprogram for five weeks through HealthyChoices. Two Preview Party tickets willpurchase one personal care bag for afoster child through Fostering Families.Four Ladies Night tickets provide train-ing and material to one teacher to im-plement The Leader In Me program intheir classroom. One Snacks with Santaticket purchases one book to be do-nated to the school library, which aleague member will read to the entiregrade level through Impact Support.

For more information, contact theJunior League of Lake Charles at (337)436-4025 or go to www.jllc.net. You canalso donate directly to the CommunityProject Fund or the Gift and MemorialFund online. Tickets are also availableat the Civic Center Box Office. If you

are interested in becoming a merchantfor next year’s market, please call thenumber above.

The Junior League of Lake Charleswould like to extend a special thank youto the volunteers, merchants, attendees,and donors for coming together tomake this unforgettable and much an-ticipated event possible.


CULTURE FESTThe crowds were out for a taste of the internationalat the Culture Fest, a local blend of global arts, foodand culture. Held at the Lake Charles Civic Center,the crowd enjoyed stand-out performances from amultitude of ethnic groups, the Kids’ International

Village, shopping and a fashion show. The world cafétreated diners to an array of international culinary

delights. It’s a small world after all!

Mary Landry and Emeline Watson

Janice Patton and Sarah Hyde

Sohana Vahra, Rubane and Sahreen Patel Yanan Wang and Yi Fentiman

SULPHUR MARCHING BANDFESTIVAL AND CONTEST

Sulphur High School hosted the 33rd Annual Marching Band Festival at the Matt Walker Memorial

Stadium. Schools from Louisiana and East Texasbrought their "A" game to the field, competing for

top awards in their class before an enthusiasticcrowd! John Bridges from KPLC-TV, event

commentator, kept the excitement going. Congratsto all the winners!

Faith Hill and Nicole Moldovsky

Alaina Touchet with Anna Kate

Ty Anderson and Joe Tullos, Jr

Haily McManus, Amanda Rivers and Morgan Blanchette

Austin O’Carrol, Nicholas Moldovsky amd Mathew Jenousek

Imar Shaikh, Humza Chaudhey, Shahrukh Khan and Zain Sabir


ARTSFEST PRESENTS FAIRY-TALES, MYTHS & LEGENDS

ArtsFest 2013, sponsored by The Arts Council ofSWLA and the City of Lake Charles was the year ofFairytales, Myths & Legends! Kids came dressed inHalloween costumes and created fun and unique

pieces of art in keeping with the theme and were ableto take home all of their art projects. There was livemusic, face painting, pottery demonstrations, and

performances by Lake Charles Dance Academy andYoung Band Nation. Prizes were awarded and great

fun was had by all!

Olivia Meche, Marietta Canpagna, and Cecilia and Colleen Cannon Benoit

Tiffany Jones, Eva LeBlanc and Judy DavidsonCecil and Zain Cook

Cecilia, Scarlett and Julliett Terry Brayden Francis and Layken Arceneaux

HALLOWEEN HARVEST FESTIVAL

Hosted by City of Lake Charles Recreations andParks Department, families dressed like ghosts,vampires, witches and more arrived at the Civic

Center Coliseum for a night of haunting good fun!There was face-painting, games, prizes, candy andballoons. A safe and fun way to spend Halloween!

Keurtni and Kari ThibodeauxAlaysia Chenier and Sylvia TaylorJohn and Aron Salihu

Nikita Ebanks, Marketa LaSalle and Layla Ebanks Cherish Moore and Dylan McCain

The Louisiana Jam, Vol. 1, No. 11 - 11/07/13

Documents

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