The Louisiana Jam, Vol. 1, No. 12 - 11/21/13

PAGE 2 NOVEMBER 21, 2013 Volume 1 • Issue 12

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

PUBLISHERPhil de [email protected]

EXECUTIVE EDITORLauren de [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSNicole Shuff Arabie

George Cline

Dan Ellender

Julie Fay

Jacob Fusilier

Mike McHugh

Roger Miller

Mary Louise Ruehr

Brandon Shoumaker

Jody Taylor

Karla Tullos

[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 21, 2013 • Volume 1 • Issue 12

On Cover:Joe Heinen,

Owner of Honey-B-Ham

Photo by Cajun Pirate Photography

32

COVER STORY14 Honey B Ham:

Holiday Bounty for Your Table

REGULARS4 We Are SWLA!6 The Dang Yankee6 Adoption Corner7 Tips from Tip8 Huntin’ Tales10 The Sports Report11 A Taste of SWLA12 Soul Matters

THE SPICE OF SWLA

13 The Adventures of the Swamp Kids

16 Christmas Under the Oaks

18 Events Guide19 Family Fun Night

at the Movies20 Christmas Events Guide25 Funbolaya26 Red Hot Books27 Arts & Culture Guide28 Local Book Review:

Rose Unfolds30 Nightlife Guide32 Lake Charles

Civic Ballet33 Acting Up!34 Society Spice

8

19

28 33

13

11

CONTENTS

4 6

NOVEMBER 21, 2013 PAGE 3Volume 1 • Issue 12

Lauren de Albuquerque

Soon it will be Thanksgiving--a time to reflect on our past andpresent blessings and to givethanks.

There is always someone whohas more than we have. At thesame time, there’s always some-

one who has so much less. Andif we look around, we see a lot ofthings that don’t make muchsense.

In spite of the slumping econ-omy and all that goes with it,this is still a time of conspicuousconsumption. Parents will stillcamp out overnight in the cold

and fight the crowds tomake sure they gettheir darlings the lat-

est overpricedfad for Christ-mas. This year,it’s even worse:

Certain storeswill actually be

open on Thanks-giving Day. Per-

fect. Let’s not evenbother withThanksgiving din-ner, shall we? Let’sforget all about it

completely, grab asandwich and spend

the day with totalstrangers spendingmoney that wedon’t have forthings we don’tneed.

I don’t even do

Black Friday, so you’re certainlynot going to catch me marathonshopping on a day that, for me,was always spent with family.The only businesses that wereopen on Thanksgiving thenwere restaurants, and often, ourfamily would go en masse toone, making lots of memoriesthat warm me on cold nightswhen I realize that just abouteveryone from that time is gone.

When I think about the holi-days, it’s never about the gifts Ireceived. I don’t remember mostof them. What I do remember isthe laughter and the jokes andthe singing and the music play-ing on the Hi-Fi. The wonderfulfood my mother and my auntsmade. The general feeling that itwas a special day: there was noschool or work; I didn’t have todo homework; the streets werequiet; people came to visit; Icould stay up later than usual.

That specialness is rapidly dis-appearing. Pretty soon, storeswill be open on Christmas Day,filled with kids spending theirChristmas money on marked-down items and people lookingfor Christmas Day deals and ex-changing unwanted gifts for

more useless items. Is that reallyhow we want to live our lives?

On this Thanksgiving, insteadof listing all of the things I amthankful for, I am just going tomention one, which is the mostimportant to me.

I am thankful that I grew upin a different time, when theholidays were simple and notabout material things. Whenyou really did give thanks onThanksgiving and weren’t think-ing about all the Christmas giftsyou had to buy. When Christ-mas meant more than just ex-changing presents, and the giftswe did receive did not break thebank because we didn’t have awhole lot of money to spend onthem.

The memories I have of thoselong-gone days are the bestgifts I have ever received. Theyare priceless, and I will havethem forever.

Thankful

A Note From Lauren


SOWELA RECEIVES $60,000 GIFT FROM THE GOOS FOUNDATION

Mrs. Lisa Bonin Schram, on behalf of the Captain Daniel and Kata-rina Moeling Goos Foundation, presented a $60,000 gift to SouthwestLouisiana Technical Community College. The Goos Foundation isthe first Lake Charles donor to contribute to the college’s capital cam-paign that will help provide $960,000 in local matching funds neededfor the construction of an $8 million Student Union building to be builtin 2015.

NATIONAL MANUFACTURING DAY RECEPTIONIn recognition of the vital role American manufacturing plays on the

local economy, the local Manufacturing Day Committee, consisting ofAmber Mize with Sam Hebert Financial Group, Becky Franks ofManpower, and Erin Davison of Business Health Partners, celebratedNational Manufacturing Day by hosting a reception to honor the hard-working men and women that make the American manufacturing in-dustry thrive. Lake Charles Mayor, Randy Roach, proclaimed the firstFriday in October Manufacturing Day for our local community.

SLEEP DISORDER CENTER EARNS REACCREDITATION The Sleep Disorder Center of Louisiana has successfully completed

the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s (AASM) reaccreditation

process. The center was awarded reaccreditation for five yearswith no provisos. The AASM is the gold standard by which themedical community and public can evaluate sleep medicine serv-ices. This is the third time the Sleep Disorder Center of Louisianahas successfully completed the reaccreditation process since ini-tially seeking out the designation in 1998. It is the only sleepmedicine provider in Southwest Louisiana to be accredited by theAASM. For more information, call the Sleep Disorder Center at(337) 310-7378 or visit www.sleepdisordercenterofla.com.

LOCAL ATTORNEYSRECOGNIZED

Lee Hoffoss, Jr. andClaude “T-Claude” De-vall, local plaintiff attor-neys with HoffossDevall Law Firm, lo-cated at 3205 Ryan

Street in Lake Charles, were re-cently honored by the LouisianaAssociation for Justice at the organization’s annual Fall Conference heldin New Orleans. Both Hoffoss and Devall were presented the 2013 Pres-ident’s Award for their work and involvement in the 2010 Desselle v.Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc. case, a class action law suit resultingin an initial award of over $16.7 million in reimbursement and generaldamages to more than 14,000 plaintiffs represented in the case. Formore information, call (337) 433-2053 or visit www.hdinjurylaw.com.

DR. SPRINGER ACCEPTING MEDICARE PATIENTS Local Family Medicine Physician, Dr. Steve Springer with Springer

Family Medical Clinic is continuing to accept new medical Medicarepatients until the end of the year. For more information, or to schedulean appointment, please call (337) 436-1370. Springer Family MedicalClinic is located at 601 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive in Lake Charles.

NEW McNEESE POLICE OFFICERS SWORN IN Four recent graduates of the Calcasieu Parish Regional Law Enforce-

ment Training Academy were sworn in as McNeese State University po-lice officers. Radford Jones is a drug recognition expert and hasexperience working vehicle and mounted patrol and on special weaponsand tactics (SWAT) teams. Jimmy Vazquez is a native of the Bronx, N.Y.and recently retired from the U.S. Marine Corps having served multipletours of combat duty overseas. Erroll Williams, Jr. graduated at the topof his class in the spring 2013 105th Academy class. Keenon Joseph haslaw enforcement experience with the Ward 3 Marshal’s Office, LakeCharles City Police and the Port of Lake Charles Harbor Police.

Left to Right: Erik Jessen, SOWELA; Lisa Schram, Goos Foundation; Dr. Neil Aspinwall, SOWELA Chancellor

Lee Hoffoss, Jr. T-Claude Devall

McNeese Police Lieutenant Vickie Boudreaux administers the oath of office to Radford Jones, Erroll Williams, Jr., Jimmy Vazquez and Keenon Joseph


NATHANIEL JOHNS NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CONTRABAND DAYS

Nathaniel Johns was recently named as executivedirector of the Contraband Days Louisiana PirateFestival by a vote of the board of directors of the fes-tival. A graduate of McNeese State University, Johnshas spent the last 10 years working in management,marketing and public relations in Lake Charles andDallas. As the executive director, Johns will strategi-cally plan, implement and review the overall mediarelations efforts, community relations and tourismproduct development for the festival. For more in-formation on Contraband Days, visit www.contra-banddays.com.

CHRISTUS HOME CARE CONTRIBUTES TO HEART WALK CHRISTUS Home Care recently contributed $17,000 to support

Team CHRISTUS for the 2013 SWLA American Heart AssociationHeart Walk.

FAMILY & YOUTH RECEIVES DONATION FROM G2X ENERGY Family & Youth received $6,500 from G2X Energy. The funds were

raised at the Big Lake Fuels Fish-O-Rama, which was held recently atCalcasieu Point Landing and was hosted by Big Lake Fuels to benefitFamily & Youth. Over 150 people participated in the fishing event,

which provided great food, fun and entertainment in a family environ-ment. Family & Youth, a United Way Agency, believes that all individu-als possess the ability to solve their own challenges and live full andhealthy lives when support is available.

CITGO DONATES TO McNEESE FOUNDATION Citgo Petroleum Corp. presented a $35,000 donation to the McNeese

State University Foundation for the Citgo Petroleum Professorship inEngineering No. 8.

Left to Right: JulioGalan, Family & Youthpresident & CEO; Tim

Vail, president & CEO ofG2X Energy, and Paul

Pettefer, Family & Youthboard member

Nathaniel Johns

Left to Right: Matthew Welsh, AHA regional director, Deloris Parnell, CHRISTUS Home Care,and Donald Lloyd II, CHRISTUS administrator

Left to Right: McNeese President Dr. Philip Williams, Citgo LC VP/GM Tomeu Vadell, Dana Keel, Citgo’sgovernment and public affairs manager, Dr. Nikos Kiritsis, dean of the McNeese college of engineer-

ing, and Richard H. Reid, Exec. VP/McNeese Foundation. McNeese Photo


Take it from me. Newlywedshave no business hosting dinneron their first Thanksgiving to-gether. In the first year of mar-riage, husbands are still learningthat a kitchen is equipped withmore than a refrigerator, andthat a refrigerator can holdmore than cold beer on the in-side and a Domino’s menu onthe outside. Likewise, wives arestill trying to figure out whereto store the coffee mugs amidthe five fondue sets they’d re-ceived as wedding presents.

So, it’s no time to be tacklingsomething as complicated asThanksgiving dinner. It’s like ahigh school freshman attempt-ing a nuclear fusion reaction inchemistry lab.

My wife, Susan, and I wereamong the clueless when ourfirst Thanksgiving came along.We were new homeowners—yetto make a sizable dent in ourcredit line at Home Depot.Starry-eyed, with our firstplumbing emergency still aheadof us, we were excited to hostdinner for our families that year.

Never mind that we’d just re-cently mastered the workings ofour toaster.

We shared duties based onour respective talents. Thatmeant Susan was in charge ofthe food, while my task was tofigure out what channel carriedthe football game. And so earlythat morning, she assumed herstation in the kitchen as Iturned to take mine in the den.

“While you’re in here, canyou take the turkey out of thefreezer for me?” she asked. “It’skind of heavy, and we ought todo it first thing so it’ll thaw.”She’d bought the largest one shecould find to be sure there wasenough to feed my sizable clan.

“Good thinking,” I answered,and retrieved the emu-sized car-cass from its icy compartment,setting it on the kitchen counter.

A few hours later, I finally lo-cated the TV listings and re-turned to the kitchen to checkon progress—that and to see ifthe beer was properly chilled.

I found Susan there, standingwith her arms crossed, eyes

Tip of the Ice Bird fixed on the turkey. “It’s stillfrozen,” she said.

“Keep staring at it like that,” Ianswered. “Works every timewhen you’re trying to soften meup.”

“No, seriously, I’m afraid it’snot going to thaw out in time. Ineed to call my sister.” When-ever a crisis loomed, my wife’sfirst reaction was always to callher sister, Sharon. Susan trustedher to have all the answers, as ifshe were the product of a unionbetween Heloise and the Ma-harishi. Yet in reality, Sharonworked in quality control at theSeagram’s plant. She tastedwhiskey for a living.

My wife was in tears whenshe got off the phone.

“What did she say?” I asked.“With a bird that size,” she

sobbed, “she told me I shouldhave taken it out around LaborDay. What does this mean?”

“I’ll tell you what it means,” Ianswered. “It means we’re goingto need a bigger propane torch.”

She cried harder.Attempting to defuse the sit-

uation, I told her, “Listen, babe.Everything’s going to be all

right. I got the TV tuned intothe game and plenty of beer onice. By the time dinner comes,nobody will even notice ifthere’s no turkey on the table.”

Her eyes erupted.Obviously, there would be no

talking her into composure. Thesituation called for immediateaction. So I hurried into thebathroom, filled the tub withlukewarm water, and plungedthe glaciated bird into the bath.An hour or so later, it was oven-ready.

Later that night, my wife wasbeaming. “You saved the day!”

“Yeah, let’s see your whiskey-tasting sister beat that one,” waswhat I wanted to say back. But,novice husband though I was atthe time, I knew enough to keepquiet.

Mike McHugh has beenwriting for the JAM since 2009.He also contributes stories tothe “Not Your Mother’s Book”anthology series and makespublic speaking appearances.To inquire about having himspeak to your group, contactMike [email protected].

Another little guy aban-doned by his person—hewas literally dumped in ouryard. Rusty, a 7-8 month

old hound mix is an-other sweetie anddoesn’t know (orcare) about his past.He loves to run out-side with the big dogsand is working on

housetraining (but muchprefers to be outside). He isalso working on leash train-ing, something he likelynever had experience with.He may have a little growingto do but will likely bemedium-sized as an adult.If you would like to add thishunk of love to your family,email or give us a call:

[email protected]; (337)478-7294. Vet check andhome visit required prior toall adoptions. Can't adopt?Ask us about fostering!Hurry! Rusty is waiting!

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

Featured by LaPAW Rescue


FISH-CLEANING STATION FOR PRIEN LAKE PARK?

Prien Lake Park has been posi-tively received by nearly everyonethat I know who has been there.The transformation of that cornerproperty from a old-style trailerpark to a recreational facility of noteis a feather in the Calcasieu Parishcap. Several fishermen friends ofmine regularly use the boat launchfor their usual starting point andhave become big advocates for thepark. They have mentioned that itwould be very convenient to have afish-cleaning station added to thefacility, one over the water for wastedisposal (think excellent feed for thecrabs) directly into the lake. If thereare enough folks that feel theywould desire such an addition, itcould come to the attention of theproper authority for review and de-sign.

I can see very little downside tothis addition. Since many familiesfish along the boardwalk and banks,a cleaning station with rinse waterprovided for the fishing publicwould be gratefully received. Itwould not be a much of a stretch tothink of cleaning your fish on site aswell as having a beneficial way todispose of the cleanings as a win-win deal. Talk it up with yourfriends and see if we can get thisimprovement for the park.

DON’T SHOP ON THANKSGIVING!

Thanksgiving is America’s favoritefood day, no doubt about that. Itmeans so much to get together andshare a special meal with our rela-tives and exceptional friends at thesame time and place. We should allbe able to stop and give thanks forthe blessings we have received onthat day—instead of thinking aboutthe Christmas gifts we need to buy,and cutting our celebrating short todo so.

DEEP FRYING HAZARDSDeep frying turkeys has become a

major player on Thanksgiving but itneeds to be done safely. There is noquestion how juicy and tasty thatparticular method makes the turkey

taste. But high temperatureand oil can become a dan-

gerous pairing. Placingturkey into hot oil canlead to a virtual explosionof fire and steam. Too

much oil in the pot can eas-ily spill over into the fire

source and we don’t want the firedepartment visiting us on Thanks-giving.

This method is best left to thosewho possess the technology and wis-

dom to utilize this way of bringingthe bird to the feast. In the past, Ihave mentioned that I use an oil-lessinfrared deep fryer that I feel givesthe same juicy end result but avoidsthe danger factor along with the dis-

posal problem of the used grease.Please consider using this method;the devices are available in manystores and can be used for more thanjust turkeys. They last for years andrequire little maintenance. HappyThanksgiving!

SUPERMARKET ROUNDUPFor our shopping survey this issue,

in the spirit of Thanksgiving and ourfavorite holiday goodies, we shallcheck out some ingredients for mak-ing pecan pie. We have our pecansand crust but we need to purchasesome Karo Syrup, vanilla, sugar, eggsand butter. The prices were obtainedon Wed., Nov. 13, and reflect theposted price on the shelf where theproduct was placed for sale. Storescheck this time are: Albertsons-Country Club Road, Market Basket-Lake Street, Kroger-McNeese Streetand Walmart-Nelson Road.

Eggs, Grade A or AA large, storebrand, per dozen: Albertsons$1.79, Market Basket $2.13, Kroger$1.25, Walmart $1.78.

Sugar, white granulated, storebrand, 4-pound package: Albert-sons $2.39, Market Basket $2.39,Kroger $2.32, Walmart $1.98.

Butter, store brand, 1-pound car-ton: Albertsons $2.99, Market Bas-ket $2.99, Kroger $2.88, Walmart$2.98.

Karo Syrup, light, 16-ounce bot-tle: Albertsons $2.49, Market Bas-ket $2.49, Kroger $2.69, Walmart$2.58.

Vanilla, McCormick, pure, 1-ounce bottle: Albertsons $2.79,Market Basket $2.35, Kroger (didnot have 1-ounce, 2-ounce bottle$4.59), Walmart $2.74.


The Thanksgiving holidays al-ways brought with it the ever-en-joyable Youngsters’ Hunt.Rambunctious boys and gigglinggirls would invade the lodge withtheir lively spirits. Drinking wasminimal, card games non-exis-tent, and the normal crudehumor was left at the door. It wastheir time and we loved it.

My best friend Big Charlie, all6’6” inches, 282 pounds of him,brought my 11-year-old-godsonChris, his 9-year-old brotherChad and his 6-foot (you knowI’m not dumb enough to refer toany woman’s weight) delightfulwife Meg. The boys were soonscrambling about taking in thedeer and waterfowl mounts andshotguns on the walls. They paidspecial attention to the spoonbilldrake with the dentures and gold

starred tooth.“That is a Spoonbill Killimus.

Be careful of them. They bite,”Ray Thibodeaux (our in houseprankster) would explain in astage whisper to the kids.

They gawked at the Killimusin awed yet skeptical delight. Butwhen Ray whipped his hand outfrom behind his back andshowed them his missing righttrigger finger tip (lost whilemaking boudin ) they bought itincisor, cap, and molar. Childrenwho’d made previous hunts kepttheir knowing grins subdued, al-ways delighted with Mr. Ray Ray.

By 10 p.m., everyone headedto bed or were carried there bytheir parents. I went to check onmy Golden Retriever Prez. Hewas, as usual, curled up on thepassenger seat of my Jeep. He

disdained kennels ofany sort. With waterbowl on the backseat floor and a treatbowl filled withjerky, he was set andI was ready to turnin. If Prez desiredan evening romp,he would leapthrough the openpassenger sidewindow and returnas nimbly.

Up by 5 a.m., Ihad 36 Grand’sbutter flake bis-cuits in the oven, butterand jellies on the table, a milkcarton and coffee cup at eachseat. Soon the guides appearedfrom the back, half asleep par-ents stumbled out and tykes ap-peared rubbing their eyes. Thepre-teen Crady boys shot out ofthe back, each over 5’ 6” at thispoint and very much awake.Then there was Dad, a whitershade of pale.

“Rog,” he croaked. “Can’tmake it man.” Been huggin’….”

“Whoa, big guy, I can tellwhat you’ve been huggin’. Musthave been that fourth bowl ofgumbo you ate or the threedesserts or….” I faux sympa-thized, my humor unappreciated.

“Boys are yours. I’m gone,” hesaid as he turned even paler, ifthat was indeed possible. Heducked his head through thedoorway and, if a man that sizecan, scurried down the hall to re-embrace the porcelain.

After breakfast, the boys had abrief hug fest with Prez. Weloaded up the Jeep and merrilyheaded down the humpbackbridge road to the launch. Our16’ bateau was powered by anancient 50HP Chrysler outboardwe called B****, as she was al-ways cantankerous. To start her,you turned the key to on, walkedto the back, made sure she wasn’tin gear, lifted her by her cowland then slammed it down.Hard. With the boys on the seatin front, Prez and I behind thecenter console, we backed outand headed down the canal. The

only light in the pitch dark wasthe stern’s warning light and thebows green light. After the turn Iopened her up and it felt like wewere a streaking Osprey skim-ming the water’s surface.

The boys had that big eyed“we’re loving it look” while Prezhad a “happy dog face ears flap-ping in the wind smile.” I cut thethrottle back, slid into place, andtied off to the levee post on FourMile Square’s west canal. Fromthere, we loaded into thepirogue. I pushed them ratherthan push poled as the water wasshallow and the bottom easywalking. Prez had deserted us atthe levee and would await theslower, inept humans in his doghide, regal head taking in themarsh scents.

In 15 minutes, we were at theblind. We took off the blind cov-ers, slid them into the boat, andtransferred ourselves and gear. Iplaced my Beretta over andunder on the blind’s edge andtold the boys to load up theirshotguns. They had hunted withme before. They’d grown up withtheir Dad’s tales of hunting withUncle Rog. I had become, intheir eyes, the Hemingway,Robert Ruark, or Peter HathawayCapstick of my day. They wereall fevered anticipation and Iknew that Blind Number 6, thewaterfowl, and weather godswould deliver.

By shooting time the tealflashed by, zooming on the ar-rived-last-night-Pacific-cool-

The Boys

ByRoger Miller

Roger (1968)

Prez in the Duck Blind (1968)


front breeze. They swungaround and out over the Roseaucane and back toward Prez’s andmy end of the blind. Then bank-ing into the wind, they settledand hung just above the decoys.The boys had done what I’dasked and held their guns ready,on safety.

“Take’em!” I yelled and sixshots from two 20-gauge model12 Winchester pumps blasted thedawn’s quiet. More than twodozen green winged teal hadbeen hanging over the decoysand two, count’ em, two ducksfell. This display of the dreaded“Missingitus” went on for twohours. Mallards, pintails, wid-geons, gray ducks, scaup, spoon-bills and even mottled ducksserved themselves up. Almost sixboxes of the boy’s shells fled withthem. Our in-the-blind birdcount was 20 and we had usedup 260 of our allotted 300 points.

It was time for HawkeyeMiller to start shooting and endthis before the boys ran out of

shells. I could shoot andmake sure the boysthought they’d shotthem. Easy enough.

A flock of pintailsbroke from the heavens,their white bellies flash-ing in the azure sky.

“Tweet. Whistle.Whistle. Thwack.Thwack. Tweet, ” andthey broke and locked,closing in quickly.

“Now!“ I shouted. With theresulting eight blasts one birdfell, then another.

“Nice shooting boys. Twomore to go!” I exclaimed, know-ing I’d surely shot both ducks.Well, maybe not. Missingitus isoften spread by even peripherycontact.

“Uncle Rog,” Chris said.“Yes,” I replied.“We’re out of bullets,” he

stated.Yep, he’d said bullets. I just

shook my head and Prezsplashed about making retrieves.

The boys’ heads hung downwhere just moments before theyhad been exalting in their hunt.There was only one thing to do.Let them use my silver engraved,gold-triggered, rib-barreled, ex-pensive shotgun.

“Here’s what we do boys. Y’alltake turns and use my shotgununtil we kill two more birds.”Then I handed Chris my 12-gauge Beretta. You would havethought I’d handed him Arthur’sExcalibur.

“It’s already loaded. That but-ton you see behind the barrel,push up on it and it’s off safety.

Remember to hold it tight toyour shoulder. Practice a fewtimes, then you shoot, and thenChad,” I instructed.

They had their turns and ittook four more shots but we “got’er done.” On the ride back downthe canal, the ducks at their feet,the boys punched at and laughedwith each other, then looked atme like I was the King Arthur oflegend. Prez was curled up onthe bow, golden fleece drying inthe breeze, intently watching theboys. And me, I’ve never had abetter time afield. Ever.

The Boys today; Chris, Chad and Charlie


Give it up for the GueydanBears, ladies and gentlemen.

They didn’t win a single footballgame this year, not even close, ac-tually, and still made the Class 1Aplayoffs. But by making a simplestatement, they look like the bigwinners this postseason.

They said, “We’re out.”That’s right. Instead of shelling

out beaucoup bucks to drag rear-end across Louisiana and becomecannon fodder for a state title con-tender, the Bears told the LouisianaHigh School Athletic Association,“no thanks.”

Gueydan wasn’t alone. In fact,there were three winless teams inthe Class 1A postseason mix; Ten-sas and East Iberville were theother two. Tensas joined Gueydanin refusing their postseason berth.East Iberville, which went 0-10with six (6) shutouts, faced White

Castle, a team that beat EIHS 70-0on Oct. 11, in the bi-district round.

Locally, the lack of public (i.e.,non-select) school teams in Class1A meant that 2-8 South Cameronand 1-9 Grand Lake, a newlyrestarted program, earned playoffbids. Not that I blame them forplaying. Hey, anything can happenand I’m happy for them that theyget the chance to compete. But,Gueydan (and everyone else)knows that a winless team has nobusiness in the playoffs.

That’s why it was a classy playby Gueydan and Tensas to turndown the offer to play in an other-wise sordid postseason mess that’sall the LHSAA members’ fault.Well, blame John Curtis and Evan-gel Christian as well.

You see, it all started with them.Nine years ago, John Curtis and

Evangel both won state champi-

onships. It was nothing new; bothschools had dominated Louisianafootball for more than a decade bythen. The problem was where, inwhat classification, the schoolswon. Curtis won the Class 4A titleand Evangel the 5A crown. Thechampionships in the top two clas-sifications went to, in many minds,the prime examples of what waswrong with prep athletics: athleticsfactories disguised as schools thatcould recruit the best players fromaround the area (and nation) andwin with impunity.

By 2004, the principals of thestate’s largest schools had hadenough. They wanted Curtis andEvangel gone from their ranks.Their solution: make them playbased on their enrollment num-bers. In other words, make thesmall schools deal with them.

So began a run of eight seasonsin which either John Curtis orEvangel won the state champi-onship in either Class 1A or 2A.Four of five years from 2008-12,

the two teams played each otherfor the title.

Essentially, the past few years(Evangel joined Class 2A in 2007)if you were a Class 2A team youwere playing for at best third place.Thus, the small school principalswere angered.

Thus, with a statewide coalitionof angry schools large and small,the high school football postseasonwas sliced up into nine differentdivisions with public (non-select)schools and private/charter/mag-net (select) schools separated.

It’s a fracking disaster, but itdidn’t have to be this way.

The LHSAA has fielded com-plaints for literally decades regard-ing both schools, that they recruitplayers from out of state by offer-ing their parents jobs at the schoolor school boosters offer jobs attheir companies, that they fudgeresidential paperwork to keepplayers eligible, that the schoolshave grading policies that protectathletes’ eligibility.

When the Winless is a Winner


A friend called me the other dayand said he was going to have dinnerat Otis and Henry’s in the Isle of CapriCasino Hotel. I am not very familiarwith the place, and was interested inchecking it out. The restaurant has awide and inviting entrance with thebar situated in the front, giving it anadult, casual dinner feel.The smiling hostess greetedus; then, to my surprise, thevery cordial floor managertold the hostess he wouldgo ahead and seat us.

As we walked to ourtable, we passed the openkitchen and were greeted bythe chef and cooks. Ourserver was friendly and effi-cient. There were a few big partiesthere which could have slowed servicedown, but that did not appear to be aproblem. I was also pleased that thenearby open kitchen wasn’t noisy at all.

The complimentary bread thatcame to our table was called a salt andpepper Ciambatta loaf. This bread wasgreat! It had a perfect crust with a saltand pepper butter spread on top andthe rest of the loaf was soft and easy tochew. It’s now one of my favoritebreads in town. What a great start tothe meal.

I decided to order their PearBerry signature drink, which is pear-flavored Grey Goose vodka, straw-berry puree, and fresh lemon. Thedrink had a great balance of sweet-ness from the fruit flavors and citrusfrom the lemon--delicious and re-freshing. I went with the Bayou Sam-pler for an appetizer, which consistedof fried shrimp, crab cakes, andseafood gratin. The shrimp werefried to golden brown perfection andthe crab cakes were nice and meatywith great flavor. The seafood gratinwas similar to a thick seafood bisquewith a nice amount of cheese on top--perfect for scooping with the sea-soned toast points.

My appetizer was followed by theseasonal spiced pumpkin soup. It hada wonderful thick consistency. Ithought it was a bit over-salted for mytaste, but the overall pumpkin flavorwas delicious. For my entrée, I or-dered the Cajun Rib Eye. It was a 12-ounce choice ribeye rubbed in spices

and grilled with herb but-ter with a side of greenbeans and garlic mashedpotatoes. I enjoy my steakcooked medium rare andit came out spot on. Thesteak was juicy and tenderand the spices were a greatcombination. The greenbeans had a nice crisp tothem and the mashed po-

tatoes were made with red potatoes,skins on, and flavored with just theright amount of garlic.

For dessert, I ordered the crèmebrulee. Served in a larger size bowlthan most restaurants, I was immedi-ately impressed. I cracked though itscaramelized sugar crust into thecreamy, rich custard and a big smilecame across my face. It was such agreat way to end the meal.

From the moment we walked inthe door to the time we left, Otis andHenry’s gave us an outstanding, all-around experience. These days, goodservice and food in one place are hardto come by, but “O & H,” as they call it,knocked it out of the park. I couldn’tbe more impressed with their foodand more so, their service. The man-ager truly worked the floor: seatingpeople, checking on the guests, run-ning food, directing the staff, not stop-ping for a minute. The food wasimpressive and the chef made sure tospeak to as many of the tables as possi-ble while still controlling the flow ofthe kitchen and the food coming out.

The menu is solid, with nice op-tions of “O & H” classics as well as asmall menu of favorites from Farrad-day’s. They also have a $20, three-

course dinner menu if you’re lookingfor a deal, and a weekend brunch iscoming soon. With outstandingservice, delicious food, and a great at-mosphere, Otis and Henry’s is defi-nitely a restaurant everyone shouldexperience. I will be dining thereagain soon.

By Jacob Fusilier

Otis & Henry’s at the Isle of Capri

None of this stuff is new and,were it investigated thoroughly, theLHSAA would likely find seriousviolations. Those violations wouldprobably warrant fines, postseasonbans, or expulsion from the associ-ation. You can’t tell me that a small,private school (John Curtis) man-ages to win multiple state champi-onships in multiple sports eachyear without some shenanigansgoing on.

But the LHSAA also has a dis-tinct motivation to keep Curtis andEvangel around instead of kickingthem to the hinterlands of the Mis-sissippi Private School Associationor some other wasteland. That mo-tivation is money of course.

Heck, the John Curtis-St. Au-gustine game, featuring St. Augrunning back (and LSU commit-ment) Leonard Fournette, was tel-evised nationally on ESPN. Playersfrom both Curtis and Evangel getshowered with attention from thetop college coaches in the nationand Louisiana is frequently nearthe top of the list of states produc-ing the most professional footballplayers.

Certainly that kind of attentionbrings in a lot of money to boththe association and the state. Whyin the heck would the LHSAA,which is arguably benefitting themost from Curtis and Evangel’ssuccess, want to drop the hammeron its two biggest cash cows?

They wouldn’t. That’s why.And now you’re going to have

nine separate state champions thisseason, one of which will likely beCurtis or Evangel (though, they’llprobably meet each other in thesemifinals). And you’ve got win-less East Iberville headed out forslaughter.

But good luck to Grand Lakeand South Cameron and everyoneelse stuck playing in this politicalnightmare of a postseason. Andkudos to Gueydan, too, for show-ing that a winless team can still bea winner.

Brandon Shoumaker is a grad-uate of McNeese State Universityand has covered sports for morethan a decade for various publi-cations. Coaches or parents withstory tips or comments may con-tact Brandon [email protected] or sendhim a message on Twitter(@bshoumaker).


Resentments and any unfinishedforgiveness just blocks the giftsof the spirit. Before I learned thepower of forgiveness, I carriedaround weights that crippled meat times. I began running away,especially from those who brokemy heart into a million pieces,or threatened my basic needs.But, I did learn that once youenter the kingdom of heaven onearth, it’s hard to go back andlive in a self-imposed hell. Thesooner I got rid of that negativ-ity, the better.

While in prayer/meditation Ifelt tears streaming down mycheeks, and saw my own facewithin: sad, lost, hurt, and unrec-ognizable. It shocked me.

I have forgiven many peoplethrough the years. I know howimportant that is, not only to myserenity, but also for my healthand wellbeing. I am confusedwhy the prayer/meditation im-pacted me so profoundly withtears, sadness, and sense of un-finished business, just when Ithought I was doing better.

Apparently not. My body andmy reaction were telling me oth-erwise. And then I realized Ineeded to forgive myself. Really?I knew how to forgive others, butme? I sat there as tears flowedand wrote this list:

• I need to forgive myself forspeaking and judging myselfso harshly.

• I need to forgive myself forhaving unattainable expecta-tions, ones I would never askof someone else. • I need to forgive myself forallowing others to treat mewith unwarranted disrespectand going back for more. • I need to forgive myself forthe incredibly poor choicesthat have taken over my lifefrom time to time. • I need to forgive myself forfailing to speak up for what Ibelieve in. • I need to forgive myself forforgetting where I came from,and what I am to do while Iam alive.• I need to forgive myself fortreating loved ones andfriends with disregard. • I need to forgive myself forbelieving my needs and de-sires weren’t as important aseveryone else’s.• I need to forgive myself fornot forgiving myself. • I need to forgive myself fornot always loving myself.In the next issue: Forgiving

Myself, Part Two: Writing a letterfrom my True Self, addressed toGod.

To book a Soul Matters ses-sion with Nicole Shuff Arabie,call (337) 540-6573. You canalso go to her Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/De-clutteringYourSoul

This is the old me and where Iwas: stuck in mud unable tomove, submerged in thoughts ofrevenge, karma, and self-pity,even if only for a moment.Maybe it’s just part of the way Ilearn my lessons, rehashing andembedding it all into my brain,and why I don’t want to go thereagain with that particular personor incident. After awhile, I amalerted to the suffocating feelingof toxic anger overtaking my life,and I miss the way the light felton my skin and in my heart.Many times, I’ve had to ask Godto help me with it because I justcan’t get there on my own. Myprayer would go something likethis.

“God, please show me whatyou see in this person/situationbecause I don’t always see things

like you do and I am not seeinganything positive in this individ-ual right now. I would ratherthink about revenge.”

It’s honest, and I believe mycommunication with my Godneeds to be that, even if it's rawand real. I am still human andneed Him to transform my eyesto see a purer vision. We all hidewho we are from others fromtime to time, but there are no se-crets from Him. He knows myheart. I’ve just learned throughmy personal journey how in-credibly important forgiveness isin order to have any kind of ful-filling life. When God uses me tosee within and behind the clutterin myself, and others, this self-forgiveness is brought to the sur-face.

Forgiveness, for me, is the key.

Forgive Yourself

by Nicole Shuff Arabie


By Lauren de AlbuquerqueLeif Pedersen is a triple threat.

As Vice President of Philanthropyfor the Foundation at LakeCharles Memorial Hospital, hisenthusiasm and tireless effortshave served the hospital well.

In addition, Pedersen is a tal-ented musician and songwriter.His 1944 Big Band performs thegreat arrangements originallymade famous by the bands ofGlenn Miller, Count Basie,Woody Herman, Artie Shaw,Benny Goodman, and Tommyand Jimmy Dorsey at eventsacross the nation.

But this isn’t enough for some-one with boundless energy andcreativity. Pedersen is also a pub-lished children’s book author. TheMissing Chord, first in a seriescalled The Adventures of theSwamp Kids, has just been re-leased. There’s more on the hori-zon (or in the swamp!)—and it’sbeen a long time coming.

“I wrote the first and secondAdventures in 1997,” Pedersensays. “My son was two years oldat the time and I thought I wouldwrite home something about ‘hisDad.’ After getting into it, I real-ized I was writing a lot of thingsthat I wasn’t ready to put onpaper yet because there was still alot of life ahead… so I took a shotat a children’s book and it justseemed to flow.”

It was probably no coinci-dence. “I come from a very happychildhood where my father wasdeeply involved in camping withhis own summer camp programfor over 20 years, where I was al-ways surrounded by music,” heexplains. “As for me, as a singer,particularly a big band singer, Ihave always tried to follow thatother Tommy Dorsey Orchestraalum’s (Frank Sinatra) credo thatthe singer is the transporter of thewriter’s lyric and thus, the story-teller. It just happens that ourstorytelling is set to music. So Ikind of think in musical rhyme as

I write and in doing so, findthat the words flow as a songwould.”

He smiles when he’s askedwhere he received his inspira-tion for the theme and charac-ters of his book. “This maysound silly, but my father is Nor-wegian and that has been mywhole persona, but my motherhas a very cool lineage as well,being French and Spanish,” he ex-plains. “It happens that theFrench side has a line runningback to a privateer who was re-warded by Louis XVI and made aco-governor of the Nova Scotiaterritories. His blood line mi-grated down to south Louisianafollowing the expulsion of theFrench from Canada.”

To make a long story short,what could be more fun thanswamp characters with Frenchnames playing Cajun instru-ments? “The alternative was ‘Lit-tle Thor’ learning to make bighammers while his friend Knutesailed off on his mini-Viking boatto a successful salmon fishingtrip…not quite the same!” helaughs.

Pedersen says that once he de-veloped the storyline and charac-ters, his good friend and“wonderfully creative” graphicartist, Tim Banfell, came up withthe look.

“Tim has been even more of akid at heart than me his wholelife,” he says. “I don’t think he’smissed one year of at least onetrip to Disney World since itopened and he shares that sametype of imagination that WaltDisney would have loved.”

The Missing Chord introduceskids [ages 4 to 10] to the maincharacters, Pierre a la Gator, MonCher the pretty raccoon andTuTu the turtle as they prepare tocompete in the fall Fais Do Do for“Best Band in the Land.”

The prose is sheer music; readit aloud to your children and thewords will just flow, painting pic-

tures as pleasing asthe whimsical illustrations.There is a lesson to be learned inthe delightful tale, and at the endof the story is a special page fea-turing a teaching aide, or the“Lagniappe Lesson,” which assiststhe reader, parent or teacher inexplaining the story’s moral. It isprovided by Cajun recording starand master fiddler Doug Ker-shaw. In addition, there’s a pageexplaining how to make yourvery own wash tub basin—andhow to play it! This book wouldmake the perfect Christmas giftfor any children on your list.

Pedersen said The MissingChord was published due toTommie Townsley, a successfullocal author of children’s bookswho started her own publishingcompany, Ally Gator Book Bites,to help Louisiana authors and il-lustrators get a start in the chil-dren’s book business. “Withouther guidance and belief in TheAdventures of the Swamp Kids,they might still be sitting on thecomputer shelf!” Pedersen says.

“I would also like to say a bigthanks to The Jam for your sup-port as well,” he continues. “I re-

alize what you do is a business,but it is also a wonderful serviceto our community. The fact thatyou are taking the time out to re-view a book for kids and not catsspeaks volumes!”

The Adventures of the SwampKids: The Missing Chord is avail-able online at www.theswamp-kids.com. “I will be signing allbooks ordered and have pre-signed the ones at the retail out-lets,” Pedersen says. “I would behappy to personalize any requestswhen you complete the ‘Com-ment Section’ on the web page.”You can find the book in LakeCharles at Louisiana Market andat Patsy Manuel’s Frame House &Gallery. It’s also in Lafayette atPrejean's Cajun Restaurant andsoon to be at the gift shop atLandry's Restaurant in Hender-son and at Bayou Country inSlidell.

Another Adventure will becoming out soon: The Jam willkeep you posted!


By Lauren de AlbuquerqueThe holidays are fast ap-

proaching, bringing visions ofloved ones gathered around atable laden with the bounty of theseason. Behind that vision, how-ever, are all the hours of prepara-tion and work to make that mealperfect; hours that could be spentenjoying precious moments withfamily and friends.

It doesn’t have to be that way,thanks to Honey-B Ham. “Let usdo the cooking for you!” saysowner Joe Heinen. “Get mom outof the kitchen and at the tablewhere she belongs. We have awonderful, high quality productthat satisfies everyone, so thereare no surprises. It’s a great mealevery time.”

As expected, this is the busiesttime of the year for the genialHeinen, who’s been in the busi-ness for 18 years.

“I do 85 percent of my yearlybusiness in the six weeks betweenThanksgiving and Christmas,” hesaid. Thousands of hams andturkeys are sold to individualfamilies for their holiday meals

and to businessowners who give

them as gifts to clientsand employees.

A Complete DinnerWithout the Fuss

Honey-B Ham is well knownfor their tender hams and smokedand fried turkeys, but they alsooffer so much more to compli-ment their main dishes, such assweet potato and baked potatocasseroles, cornbread dressing,cheese broccoli rice--and what’sThanksgiving without green beancasserole, turkey gravy and cran-berry relish? No dinner is com-plete without something to satisfyyour sweet tooth, such as pump-kin pie, pecan pie, and peach cob-bler. They also sell homemadefudge in various flavors maderight on the premises, which is apopular item this time of year.

We visited Heinen after thelunch rush, and the place was stilljumping. A man came in to pickup two turkeys he had ordered.Another customer gave Heinensuggestions on the best way topose for the photos we wereshooting as she waited for herorder. The phone was ringing offthe hook. Then, a friend of ourshappened to come rushing in. Afamily member had been in anaccident out of town, and she hadordered “a lot of food—turkey,ham, everything” to bring to her

relatives who were coping with acrisis and didn’t have the time orenergy to think about where orhow to get their next meal. Thisis a perfect example of howHoney-B Ham can fill so manydifferent needs.

Starting OutHeinen wasn’t always a “Ham

Man,” as he calls himself. Grow-ing up in the small farming com-munity of Mowata in AcadiaParish, he thought he’d end up arich farmer. But like many entre-preneurs, he had to learn thehard way. He borrowed a milliondollars to buy a crawfish farm inTexas that ultimately failed. Andlike many entrepreneurs, he’sphilosophical about that experi-ence.

“You learn from your mis-takes, or you at least hope youdo,” he says. “I was still young

and I could still do a lot ofthings.” Heinen pressed on, andeventually bought the Honey-BHam franchise in 1996, after re-searching the company and visit-ing the 13 locations that were inSoutheast Texas at the time.

It was a good decision. Histwo stepsons, Mike and BenBertrand now help him run thebusiness, although he is a veryhands-on owner and is theremost of the time. Heinen is al-ways looking for new ways toserve his customers. And hisideas are working, as business in-creases each year.

New AdditionsToday, along with hams and

turkeys, crawfish is one of hisbiggest-selling items. Yes, Heinendid finally fulfill his dream ofmaintaining a successful crawfishfarm. He offers the succulent


little crustaceans live or boiled,loves to cater crawfish boils andsays he’s pleased with the successof his sales. He anticipates hisseason will start at the beginningof January and end about mid-June. And it will be busy. “Wecan’t seem to keep enough ofthem,” he says.

Like any businessman, Heinenalways has his eyes open for newopportunities and he is excitedabout the influx of people whowill soon be coming to the area.As a result, some new food prod-ucts appeared on the menu a fewmonths ago. His latest venture isboudin, boudin balls and crack-lins, and these Louisiana special-ties are also selling fast. And theyare good!

“A lot of new people will becoming here, and this is the kindof food they’ll enjoy eating,” hesays. “Something quick and easyand tasty.”

If you stop in for a bite, youcan also enjoy brisket (slow-cooked for 16 hours), sausage orchopped beef plates or sand-wiches with sides of Cajun rice,baked beans and potato salad.And chicken and sausage gumbo,and potato bacon, vegetable beefand chicken noodle soup are justthe ticket as the weather startsgetting cooler.

Catering ServicesHoney-B-Ham also offers full-

service, self-contained mobilecatering services and specializesin business catering, providingmeals for holiday parties, com-pany lunches, and conferences.You can select the traditionalmain courses and sides, or choosefrom the ever-popular deli sand-wich, meat and cheese trays orthe box lunches. They are also

available for disaster reliefcatering. Just tell Joe Heinenwhat you need and he’ll dohis best to accommodateyour plans. Keeping his cus-tomers happy is his numberone priority.

Quality and Service“Our business philosophy

is quality and service,” hesays. “It’s always been thatway through the years, andwill never change. I will al-ways go the extra mile for acustomer.”

What makes him happiestis helping out families dur-ing the holiday season.Heinen recalls his mothergetting up in the middle of thenight to prepare the family’sThanksgiving meal when he wasgrowing up. “She was stuck in thekitchen for hours and never couldenjoy the day,” he remembers.“And now, with so many mothersworking, cooking a big meal is allthat more difficult. So, we havethe solution at Honey-B Ham.Everything is fully cooked; wecook so you don’t have to!”

Heinen admits that while histurkeys are good sellers, his heartis with his hams. “We choose onlythe finest hams, then carefullytrim and slowly dry cure,” hesays.

His honey-glazed hams arehickory smoked, spiral sliced andbaked with a thick, rich glaze. Wewent back into the kitchen to ob-serve the glazing process, donewith sugar, spices, honey and acooking torch. The procedure wasdone by an employee named Ash-ley Leger, although Heinen’s step-son Ben was quick to mention thather last name will not be Leger for

long—they’ll be tying the knot onValentine’s Day. It’s truly a familyaffair at Honey-B Ham.

While Heinen agrees that thesize of his hams is more appropri-ate for larger gatherings, the left-over opportunities are seeminglyendless. “Ham sandwiches, hamand eggs, ham and beans, peasoup with ham… it’s such a versa-tile dish. And you can freeze theleftovers in a Ziploc bag, ofcourse.”

He admits that in this day andage, you can’t just do one thingwhen it comes to business.“There are constantly adjust-ments,” he explains. “But, onething has never changed. I run anhonest business and one that spe-cializes in quality products at rea-sonable prices.” He appreciateshis loyal customers who havekept him in business since 1996.“I’m very thankful for that. And

I’m always thinking of new ideasto keep the business fresh.”

What’s ahead for the HamMan? “Let’s face, it I’m a smallbusinessman. I make a living, butI’ll never be Donald Trump,” hesays. But it’s obvious he loves hisbusiness, and puts his heart andsoul into it. “I’m never reallygoing to retire. My stepson mayeventually run it, but I will alwayshave a hand in it. The only way Iwon’t be here is if I’m dead, andeven then, I’ll probably still behanging around!”

Honey-B Ham is open Mon.-Fri. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sat. andSun. For more information, visitthe store at 506 E. Prien LakeRd., call (337) 478-3354, checkout the website at www.honeyb-ham.net or find them on Face-book.


Twinkling lights, holly wreathsand winding oak branches min-gled with a soft glow from fallingsnowflakes in…Louisiana? Yes, itsnows every year at Sulphur’sChristmas Under the Oaks Festi-val, located at the Brimstone Mu-seum Complex, 923 Ruth Street,

in the heart of Sulphur at Her-itage Square where music, carni-val rides and holiday shoppingare at their height!

Festival dates are Friday-Sat-urday, Dec. 6-7, with shoppingavailable at the Holiday HouseFriday and Saturday.

“I'm expecting this year's eventto be the biggest ever,” says ThomTrahan, executive director of theBrimstone Museum. “With theshops we have booked, the enter-tainment lineup, and the streetcarnival, there is plenty for thewhole family to experience!”

Shopping hours are 10 a.m.–8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.There will be dozens of vendorswith something for everyone onyour Christmas list. From giftbaskets to artwork to jewelry tohandmade crafts, you’re sure toget most of your shopping doneat Holiday House.

Carnival rides start at 4 p.m.on Friday, and run fromnoon - 10 p.m. on Satur-day—lots of fun for theyoung and the young atheart. And come with anappetite. Food vendors willbe out and about offeringyour favorite festival foodfor sale.

There will be live musicthroughout the event, in-cluding headlining actssuch as The Molly Ring-walds Friday night and

L.A. Roxx Saturday evening! Andthen there’s Sulphur’s famed Ki-wanis Christmas Balloon Parade,which begins at 3 p.m. on Satur-day. Following the parade is thetraditional lighting of the tree,with 100 chance of snow at 6 p.m.

Look for Miss ChristmasUnder the Oaks and her court,who will be there on Saturday toassist with the tree-lighting andother festivities, mingle with theguests and ride in the parade.

Special EventsThere are two special events

that you don’t want to miss thatrequire advance ticket purchases.

Holiday House will feature aPreview Gala on Thursday, Dec.5 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Ticketsare $40 per person for thiscatered shopping event withdrinks, food, and a sneak peek ofall this year's Holiday Houseshops!

Holiday House also sponsorsBreakfast with Santa on Satur-day morning. Two seatings areavailable at 8:30 and 9:45 and

come with a pancake breakfastand a photo with Santa

Tickets are $5. Tickets for bothevents are available at the Hen-ning Cultural Center at 527-0357.

For more information on Sul-phur’s Christmas events, contactthe Henning Cultural Center at(337) 527-0357.

Presented by The City of Sul-phur, The Brimstone HistoricalSociety, and Sulphur Parks andRecreation and sponsored by En-tergy, Women and Children'sHospital, Healthier Air for All,and the Lake Charles Convention& Visitors' Bureau.

Snow in Sulphur?It’s Time for

Christmas Under the Oaks!


Mistletoe & MossNov. 20-23

The Market at theLake Charles CivicCenter showcases

merchants fromaround the country,featuring apparel,

gifts, and acces-sories for women,

men, and children;specialty foods; and

seasonal, as well as, year-round decorative itemsand home furnishings.Shoppers will be able toparticipate in daily specialevents, such as the annualPreview Night Gala, Chil-dren’s Breakfast with Santaand Mrs. Claus, and holidayentertainment provided bylocal schools and groups.All proceeds benefit thecommunity projects of TheJunior League of LakeCharles, Inc. Call 436-4025or visit www.jllc.net formore information.

November Events at theChildren’s Museum

Nov. 22: Fun Friday FingerPainting

Paint using your fingersfrom 3:30-4:30 p.m. in theArtSpace!

Monday, Nov. 25: FallWorkshop

Use sticky shapes to cre-ate a fun fall leaf or pump-kin. Classes begin at 11 a.m.and noon and are limited to20 children.

Tuesday, Nov. 26: HappyTurkeys Workshop

Make a colorful HappyTurkey for your table!Classes begin at 11 a.m. andnoon. and are limited to 20children.

Wednesday, Nov. 27: TheTortoise and His Hair

Join us at 11 a.m. for storytime with local author EloiseHuber, who will read herbook The Tortoise and HisHair.

Wednesday, Nov. 27:Thanksgiving Placemats

Make Thanksgiving place-mats at noon. Class is lim-ited to 20 children.

November 28 and 29:Closed for Thanksgiving

The Children's Museum islocated at 327 Broad Streetdowntown Lake Charles.Museum hours are from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. – Sat..Admission is $7.50 for chil-dren and adults. Call (337)433-9420 or visitwww.swlakids.org.

‘Rory Partin’s Big BandSounds’ Nov. 22

Rory Partin, Lake Charlesnative and nationally knownsinger and musician, willperform a one-night onlyconcert, "Rory Partin's BigBand Sounds," at LakeCharles Little Theatre onNov. 22. Partin and his All-Star Big Band will performplenty of big band Christ-mas classics to help kick offyour holiday season in style.Tickets are $20 for adultsand $15 for seniors and stu-dents. For information and

tickets, call 433-7988 or visitwww.thelclt.com.

Turkey Trot Nov. 23

The GreaterLake Charles Ro-tary Club is invit-ing the public tothe Turkey Trot 5Kand Kid-K on Sat.,Nov. 23 -- the Sat-urday beforeThanksgiving -- atthe Enos Der-bonne SportsComplex, 7903Lake St. The fam-ily-friendly event isan off-road, 5-kilo-meter fun run/walkwith a 1-kilometer

kid's race. A Kids’ Zone withjump houses will also beavailable and SOWELA’sCulinary Arts students willbe providing a pancakebreakfast following the race.Registration is $25 foradults and $15 for childrenages 4-17. To sign up online,go towww.turkeytrotswla.com.

Dutch Oven GatheringNov. 23

The South West Chapterof the Louisiana Dutch OvenSociety announces theirmonthly cook out. TheDutch Oven Gathering willbe held at Sam HoustonJones State Park on Sat.,Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Bring your family andcelebrate Thanksgiving theDutch Oven way. This yearwe will feature the famed“Trash Can Turkey.” To at-tend, just show up, cook, orbring an item for the castiron buffet style luncheon.For more information, con-tact Dwayne or Randy at302-5025 or 912-9394 orvisit www.ladutch.com.

Royal Magnolia GardenFall Festival Nov. 23

Bring everyone in thefamily out to have fun andget your hands dirty to cele-brate gardening at the RoyalMagnolia Community Learn-ing Garden's Fall Festival onSat., Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to2 p.m. at 1711 Hagan Streetin North Lake Charles. Therewill be a variety of fun andeducational activities toparticipate in or observefrom face painting and abouncy house to seminarson the latest gardeningtechniques and holidaywreath-making. For more in-formation, call the Partner-ship for a HealthierSouthwest Louisiana at 478-4822, Ext 16 or go to health-ierswla.com

Bayou Classic ChristianFellowship of SWLA Nov. 23-24

The Evangelism Ministryof Zion Tabernacle BaptistChurch will host its 8th an-nual “Bayou Classic Chris-tian Fellowship ofSouthwest Louisiana” Nov.


23-24. The purpose ofthis fellowship is to fur-ther the gospel ofJesus Christ and assistarea youth in makingcareer and educationalchoices. Enjoy the Sat-urday parade withfood, fun, and a careerfair to follow.

On Nov. 24, attendSunday school at 9:30a.m. followed by wor-ship. For more informa-tion, call (337)436-6627.

A Streetcar NamedDesire through Nov. 24

Award-winning au-thor, Christine Smith,and her husband, Cap-tain Jeffery Smith, willpresent a multi-mediapresentation onAlaskan travel and

wooden boat restora-tion based on their nu-merous travels toAlaska and Christine'sbook, More FasterBackwards: RebuildingDavid B. The presenta-tion will take place atCentral Library locatedat 301 W. Claude Streeton Sun. Oct. 27 at 3p.m. For more informa-tion, call (337) 721-7118or go to www.cal-casieulibrary.org.

Jen Kober’s Back!Nov. 26-27, Dec. 25-26

Nationally known co-median and LakeCharles native JenKober brings herHomegrown ComedyShow back toL'Auberge Lake Charlesfor the holidays. The

stand-up, improv andstorytelling show fea-tures new material eachweek. Kober will per-form two event centershows in addition totwo Jack Daniel's® Bar& Grill shows. Theshows will be on Tues.,Nov. 26; Wed., Nov. 27;Wed., Dec. 25; andThurs., Dec. 26. Generaladmission tickets are$10. Tickets can be pur-chased now atwww.ticketmaster.com,the L'Auberge BusinessCenter or LegendsMemorabilia atL'Auberge. Tickets canalso be purchased bycalling (800) 745-3000. Must be 21 to at-tend.

Community Thanks-giving Dinner Nov. 28

Maplewood/Holly-wood Lions Club's 20thAnnual CommunityThanksgiving Dinnerwill be held at SPARAquatic Center, 933West Parish Road, Sul-phur. Church is at 9:30a.m. and the meal willbe served at 10:30 a.m.(337) 625-8569.

Beaujolais SoireeNov. 30

Join us to uncork thelatest vintage of Beau-jolais Nouveau at theBrickhouse on Nov. 30.Doors will open at 7p.m. and wine introduc-tions will begin at 7:30.The wine will be ex-pertly paired with horsd’oeuvres which can beenjoyed while listeningto jazz music. Duringthe tasting, you will

have the opportunity topurchase your favoritewine. Tickets are $65.The Brickhouse, 110 W.Pine St., Lake Charles.(337) 263-1878.

PurpleStride Dec. 7Pancreatic Cancer

Action Network’s Pur-pleStride event takesplace on Sat., Dec. 7 atPrien Lake Park at 7a.m. This year marks theninth and final year ofthe walk and serves asan opportunity to raiseawareness and moneyfor pancreatic cancerresearch. The event fea-tures a raffle, silent auc-tion, children’sactivities, a sweets shopand food and refresh-ments. To register, go towww.purplestride.org/lakearea.

“To truly know yourenemy is to love them.”

Andrew (Ender) Wig-gin is the last of three chil-dren, in a future wherefamilies are normally lim-ited to two. In hiscase, the intru-sive governmentpaired his par-ents hoping tocreate a super-genius who couldfind a way to de-feat the Formics,a bug-like racefrom far away.

Fifty years be-fore this, humanity was al-most was destroyed whenthe Formics came to theirSolar System with a fleet ofadvanced battleships. Toprevent this from ever hap-

pening again, Earth has lo-cated their home planetand is planning to wipethem out.

Pretty American movie,huh? Ender’s Game was

filmed in NewOrleans, by theway.

Ender’s eldersiblings weregeniuses al-right, but Peter,the oldest, hadtoo much killerin him. AndValentine, hissister, was too

passive. At least, that’swhat the military thinks.But they have no time leftand have to take a chanceon Ender, barely of voicechanging age. It’s off to

boot camp for him. Soon Ender is fighting

for his life against other re-cruits, all of them hand-picked, and most of thembigger than he is. This is allpart of Colonel Graff ’s(Harrison Ford) plan totest him and toughen himup, and quickly.

So whatmakes thismovie such abig deal com-pared to all theother coming ofage SF moviesand space battlemovies, likeThe HungerGames, Star-ship Troopers,etc? Well, Ender’s Gamethe novel is a big deal inScience Fiction, winningthe Hugo award back in1985. So naturally it has afan base that’s been waitingfor the movie. But whatabout the general public?

I was fortunate enoughto view the movie withseveral adults who hadn’tread the book, and theywere fairly positive aboutthe movie. Harrison Fordand Viola Davis deliverpretty well in their roles asthe Military Adults, while

all the kids in the movie doa good job as recruits. AsaButterfield (Hugo) asEnder, manages to carrythe movie, which is im-pressive.

But let’s face it, the in-teresting story line iseclipsed by the special ef-

fects. In particular, theZero G Training Room, ahuge spherical atrium withno up or down, is by farthe highlight of the movie.In contrast, some of themost interesting plot ele-ments, like the interactionof Ender with his sister,Valentine, fall a little flat.

But all in all, Ender’sGame is an excellentmovie, and it explores theideas of military strategy,and for that matter, dealingwith bullies, in a way that Ithink young viewers will

be very interested in. Al-though I don’t think par-ents or teachers wouldapprove of some of Ender’stactics, he has very clearjustification for his dealingwith others. He’s expectedto become a leader and in abelievable way, he does.

My advicewould be formovie view-ers, youngand old, toturn rightaround andread thenovel byOrson ScottCard. It willgive you abetter appre-

ciation of what the moviewas about and might whetyour curiosity to read sev-eral more books in the se-ries.

Ender’s Game is ratedPG-13 for warlike violenceand for adolescents punch-ing each other in the noseand stomach. I think mid-dle school kids and up willenjoy this movie and haveno problem with it, exceptfor learning a little bitabout thinking smart.Enjoy!

Ender’s Game (2013, Summit, Lionsgate)


Jack Frost may not actuallybe nipping at our noses, butthe holiday season has ar-rived—with all of its magicand excitement! What is thereto do in the Lake Area? Readon and find out! And MerryChristmas to you and yours!

Decking the Hallsin DeQuincy

Christmas Parade Dec. 7Sponsored by the DeQuincy

Chamber of Commerce, the pa-rade will begin at 5:30 p.m. fromNicholls, with a Christmas pro-gram at Pocket Park at 6:15 p.m. indowntown DeQuincy. The festivi-ties end with fireworks at the ball-park at 7:30 p.m.

Holiday Express Train Dec. 6The Kansas City Southern's

"Holiday Express" is set to visit theRailroad Museum, at 400 LakeCharles Avenue in DeQuincy, at 4p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6. The Holi-day Express is a six-car train thatbrings Santa and his elves to com-munities along KCS's tracks. Ateach stop, the KCS charitable fundmakes a contribution of gift cardsto the local Salvation Army. (337)786-2823.

Christmas at the Railroad Museum Dec. 1-Dec. 31

Thousands of exterior lights in-cluding a laser show and multipleindoor trees with clear lights comeon at dusk each day in December.

The museum is available for pri-vate events. Call (337) 786-2823for information.

Taste of the Holidays Dec. 7The DeQuincy Civic Club will

celebrate the holidays with a tourof several beautifully decoratedhomes beginning at 4:30 p.m. fol-lowed by the tasting at the JCECenter at 6 p.m. Patrons will begiven a commemorative cook-book, including the recipes fromthe event. Tickets are $15. CallKrystal at (337) 274-3572 for moreinformation.

Holiday Inspirationin Iowa

Iowa Christmas Parade Dec. 7Christmas Parade begins at

4p.m. from the VF Mall and trav-els to the Lawrence Toups Memo-rial Park. Christmas in the Parkwill begin at 5p.m. and includes achili cook-off, the lighting ofChristmas tree display and aChristmas concert. For more (337)582-3535.

Joyous in JenningsA Christmas to Remember Nov. 25-Dec. 27

The W.H. Tupper General Mer-chandise Museum is the perfectplace to step back in time toChristmas in the 1940s. See someof the original ornaments used inthe W.H. Tupper Store, along withvintage Christmas items and toys.W.H. Tupper Museum, 311 NorthMain St., Jennings.

Movie Night at the Strand Nov. 30

Ever wonder how 2 billionpresents get delivered all in onenight? See Arthur Christmas atthe Strand Theatre, 432 N. MainSt. Two showings, 2 and 6 p.m.Admission: adults $5, senior citi-zens 60 and over $3, children 12and younger $3. (337) 821-5509.

Christmas Parade and GumboCook-off Dec. 7

Enjoy a gumbo cook-off at I-10park, bonfire, craft and food ven-dors, entertainment provided bylocal groups, the introduction oflocal pageant royalty, the wonder-ful Christmas parade that rollsdown Main St. at 5:30 p.m. and agigantic fireworks display in theevening. Free admission. (337)821-5532.

Sounds of Christmas…With a Twist Dec. 14

The annual community Christ-mas musical features live perform-ances of traditional selections anda few surprises. Strand Theatre,downtown Jennings. 2 p.m. and 7p.m. performances. (337) 821-5509.

Movie Night at the Strand Dec. 21

Bring the whole family to seeIrving Berlin’s wonderful WhiteChristmas starring Bing Crosby,Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooneyand Vera Ellen at the Strand The-

atre. Shows are at 3and 7 p.m. (337)821-5509.

Light Up Lake

CharlesJ&R CarriageChristmas LightsRide Dec. 1-31

Celebrate thisholiday season theold-fashioned waywith family andfriends, while rid-ing in a seasonallydecorated mule-drawn carriagethrough the deco-

rated neighborhoods of HistoricDowntown Lake Charles. J&RCarriages offers evening Christ-mas light carriage rides along ShellBeach Drive. Reservations re-quired. Call (337) 842-0778.

LC Symphony’s Holly & Ivy Holiday Gala Dec. 1

The Lake Charles Symphony’sannual holiday gala on Dec. 1 willhave a Celtic touch this year withthe Symphony teaming up withthe Gallery of Fine Wines & Spir-its to provide a beer and wine tast-ing in conjunction with a musicalprogram featuring Irish tunes.Tenor Fred VanNess, Jr. andMezzo Soprano Sarah Callahan,both McNeese graduates, will jointhe Symphony under the directionof Conductor Bohuslav Rattay in aperformance at the Shearman FineArts Annex of McNeese State Uni-versity. Tickets are $100 per per-son, and the funds raised willenhance the Symphony’s program-ming and educational outreach.(337) 433-1611.

Christmas Card Workshop Dec. 2-23

All ages are welcome to testtheir creative skills and write let-ters to Santa, which will be sent di-rectly to the North Pole. TheCalcasieu Council on Aging willdistribute the handmade Christ-mas cards to area nursing homeresidents throughout CalcasieuParish. 1911 Historic City Hall,1001 Ryan Street, Lake CharlesMon.– Fri. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; Sat.10 a.m. - 2 p.m. (337) 491-9147.

Holiday Open House & Art Market Dec. 5-6

Visit the Central School Artsand Humanities Center on Dec. 5from 5-8 p.m. and Dec. 6 from 10a.m.- 4 p.m. for a festive HolidayOpen House. Central School willglow with the joy of the seasonwith extensive Christmas lighting,hors d’oeuvres, music, and holidayornamentation. The open housewill also feature an Art Market,with 10 percent of the proceedshelping to fund area art scholar-ships. A donation center will beset-up where art supplies such as

Holiday Happenings in SWLA


crayons, markers, drawing paper,paintbrushes, paints, etc may bedropped off for at risk youth. (337)439-2787.

Christmas Spirits Concert Dec. 6

The annual Louisiana ChoralFoundation’s Christmas Concert,“Christmas Spirits”, will be pre-sented at the Immaculate Concep-tion Cathedral in Lake Charles onDec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. MasterworksChorale will present Hodie! byJohn Leavitt, along with fourChristmas carols. Les Petites Voixand the Bayou Bell Choir willpresent seasonal selections. Tick-ets are available at SwicegoodMusic and at the door. (337) 491-9384.

ACTS Presents White Christmas!Dec. 6-8, 13-15

Artists Civic Theatre and Stu-dio present Irving Berlin’s WhiteChristmas. Based on the Para-mount Pictures classic film, it willopen at ACTS ‘s 1 Reid Street The-atre Dec. 6, continuing with per-formances on Dec. 7, 13 and 14with curtain rising at 7:30 p.m.,

and matinees on Dec. 8 and 15 at 3p.m. Reserved seating tickets arepriced at $25 for adults, $15 forstudents, and $20 for seniors 65+and may be purchased online atwww.actstheatre.com.

Gingerbread House ContestDec. 7

Come and see homemade dec-orated gingerbread houses andvote for your favorite at the LakeCharles/Southwest Louisiana Con-vention & Visitors Bureau. Theawards presentation will begin atnoon. The gingerbread houses willremain on display at the bureauthroughout the month of Decem-ber, and all visitors will be able tovote on the People's ChoiceAward. (337) 436-9588.

Cinderella’s Holiday DiningDec. 7

Children will join their fa-vorite storybook characters for anunforgettable experience. Charac-ter meals include pizza, dessertand a drink. The seating incorpo-rates a visit, photos and auto-graphs from each of these famouscharacters. Children are encour-

aged to wear their favorite cos-tume. Seating is at noon. The costis $25 per person (everyone musthave a ticket including adults andinfants). Seating is limited andreservations must be made by call-ing the theatre box office at (337)433-7323.

Light Up the Lake Dec. 7Beginning at 2 p.m., local

groups will join Santa for the pa-rade starting on Bord du LacDrive. Santa’s Workshop will takeplace in the Civic Center Exhibi-tion Hall from 3-5:30 p.m. TheCommunity Band Christmas Con-cert begins at 3:30. Then, gatheraround the front lawn at 5 p.m. forthe lighting ceremony. Captainsare called upon to round up theircrews for the annual lighted boatparade at 6:30. Awards will begiven for the best decorated boats.At 7:15, the fireworks extrava-ganza will light up the lake. Allevents are free for attendees as wellas participants. (337) 491-9159.

Handel’s Messiah Dec. 8A moving experience for the

entire family, this is the 73rd pro-

duction of The Messiah and itcontinues to be a beautiful re-minder of the true meaning ofChristmas. The performance willinclude four soloists who are allMcNeese students and will featurelimited selections, but most of thefamiliar ones will be performed.Performance is at 3 p.m. at theBulber Auditorium, McNeese StateUniversity, 4205 Ryan St. (337)477-0662.

Pictures with Santa Dec. 10-24

Capture the magic of the sea-son and get in some last minuteChristmas wishes at the SearsCourt in the Prien Lake Mall.Mon. – Fri., 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sat.,10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sun., Noon – 6p.m. (337) 477-7487.

The Nutcracker Dec. 13-15The Nutcracker is returning to

the Lake Area to celebrate its 50thanniversary and to raise funds forthe McNeese State University De-partment of Performing Arts.Performances will be held Dec.13-15 in the style of Ida WinterClarke, with a student perform-


ance scheduled Dec. 12, in theMcNeese Shearman Fine Arts Per-forming Arts Theatre. Tickets arenow available for the general pub-lic. Contact Libby Looney at (337)475-5027.

LC Civic Ballet’s RudolphDec. 14

Bring the family to this Christ-mas classic from the LCCB reper-toire. Created in 1969 by LadyLeah Lafargue Hathaway, Rudolphhas delighted audiences ever since!It is the classic Christmas story ofthe young reindeer who learnsthat he is important and needed. Itwill be held at the Rosa Hart The-atre, Lake Charles Civic Center,with performances at 11 a.m. and6 p.m. For tickets, go towww.lakecharlescivicballet.com

Meet Santa at the Children’sMuseum Dec. 21

Meet Santa Claus from 10:30a.m. - 1 p.m. and make an orna-ment in ArtSpace throughout theday. The Children’s Museum ofLake Charles, 327 Broad St.(337) 433-9420.

Great Russian NutcrackerDec. 27

Celebrate the beauty of the hol-idays and the best of Russian balletin the Moscow Ballet's GreatRussian Nutcracker! The per-formance will be held at the RosaHart Theatre at the Lake CharlesCivic Center on Dec. 27 at 7:30p.m. Tickets start at $28. CallTicketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

Merry in Moss Bluff

Moss Bluff Christmas ParadeDec. 14

The Moss Bluff Christmas Pa-rade begins at 2 p.m. in downtownMoss Bluff. Don’t miss on all thefun! Call (337) 855-7522 for moreinformation.

Silver Bells in Sulphur

Christmas Under the Oaks Dec. 5-7

Yes, it snows every year at Sul-phur’s Christmas Under the Oaks

Festival, located at the BrimstoneMuseum Complex in the heart ofSulphur at Heritage Square. Festi-val dates are Thurs.-Sat., Dec. 5-7,with shopping available at theHoliday House Fri. and Sat. TheHoliday House will also feature apreview party, Dec. 5 from 6:30 –9:30 p.m. with tickets at $35. Festi-val hours are Fri., 4 – 9 p.m.; andSat., 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Local dancegroups will perform 10 a.m. – 1p.m., with Sulphur’s famed Kiwa-nis Christmas Balloon Parade at 3p.m. and live entertainmentthroughout the evening. (337)527-0357.

Christmas Spirits Dec. 8The annual Louisiana Choral

Foundation’s Christmas Concert,Christmas Spirits, will be pre-sented at Immaculate ConceptionChurch in Sulphur on Dec. 8 at 3p.m. Masterworks Chorale willpresent Hodie! by John Leavitt,along with four Christmas carols.Les Petites Voix and the BayouBell Choir will present seasonalselections. Tickets ($15 adults and$5 students) are available at Swice-

good Music and at the door. (337)491-9384.

Seasons Greetingsfrom Starks

Christmas Parade and GumboDec. 7

The Christmas parade starts at2 p.m. at the Starks MemorialVFW Post 4759. Free gumbo willbe served after the parade at theVFW Post. Starks Memorial VFWPost 4759 is located at 4402 Hwy.12. (337) 743-6409.

A Very Merry Vinton Christmas

Trees of Hope Dec. 6-18Delta Downs Racetrack Casino

& Hotel invites you to come outand vote on local charities' uniqueChristmas tree decorations in theDelta Promenade. Cash awardswill be given to 15 charities at theawards ceremony on Dec. 20 at 7p.m. Doing your part to give backis easier than you think; all youhave to do is cast a vote betweenDec. 6 and 18. (337) 589-7441

Holiday Happenings in SWLA (Continued)


Vinton Christmas Parade Dec. 6The parade kicks off the festivities at 5

p.m. followed by family friendly activities,jambalaya dinners, and a visit from OldSt. Nicholas in the Vinton ElementaryGym, 1610 Hampton Street, Vinton. Do-nate canned goods and receive free ad-mission. (337) 217-4520.

Wassail in WestlakeWestlake Christmas Festival Dec. 7

The festival begins at 10 a.m. in down-town Westlake with a gumbo cook-off, anornament contest, bake sale, and arts andcrafts booths. Parade begins at 4 p.m. fol-lowed by a tree lighting ceremony at CityHall. Visit Santa and enjoy hot chocolate!For more info call (337) 433-0691.

The Salvation Army of SouthwestLouisiana is looking for people to ringbells. The red kettles will again be up atarea Walmart stores, Sam's Club, theLake Charles mall, and several otherplaces in Southwest Louisiana betweenthe dates of Nov. 29 and Dec. 24. Themoney that people put in the red kettlesis the Army's biggest fundraiser.Among the projects funded are themen's housing/homeless shelter, severalyouth programs, and social services topeople in need.

“We need groups and individualsto ring bells,” said Major David Crad-dock, head of The Salvation Army inLake Charles. The goal is to raise$100,000m all of which will be spent inSouthwestern Louisiana.

Civic organizations such as Kiwanisand Rotary clubs, sports teams, scouts,and church or school groups are some

of the organizations that have rung inthe past. Individuals are also needed.Groups are asked to ring for one dayfrom 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. “But if an organ-ization can only ring for half a day, or ifan individual just wants to volunteerfor a couple hours, we still need them,”he said.

The programs supported by theRed Kettle Project are designed to “givea hand up, not just a hand out,” Crad-dock said. “We need the people of thisarea to put their donations in the redkettles so that we can continue to offerthe educational programs that changedestructive habits, and offer sustenanceto people in their hour of need,” hesaid.

To volunteer, contact Joyce Van-Denberg, volunteer coordinator, at(337) 721-8068 or [email protected].

Salvation Army Looking for Bell-ringers


NAMI Collecting DonationsNational Alliance on

Mental Illness of South-west Louisiana will becollecting donations forboth homeless veteransand people affected byserious mental illnessthrough December 13.

Items needed: Non-opened hygiene prod-ucts, new socks (onesize fits all), paper prod-ucts such as toilet paperand paper towels, anditems such aspencils/pens, cross-word/find words books,journals and puzzles.

The items collected willbenefit City of Refuge, ashelter for homeless vet-erans; Maison D’Amis, aLake Charles apartmentbuilding for those af-fected by serious mentalillness; as well as localmental health recoverycenters.

Items can be droppedoff between 10 a.m.-4p.m. at the NAMI SWLAoffice in the United Waybuilding. 715 Ryan St.Suite 203, Lake Charles,LA 70601. For more in-formation, call (337)433-0219 or email [email protected].

Matt Viator Named FCS Finalist

For the third time inhis eight-year career ashead coach of McNeeseState, Matt Viator has beennamed a finalist for theEddie Robinson Award asthe nation’s top headcoach in the FootballChampionship Subdivi-sion (FCS) announced bythe Sports Network onTuesday.

Viator and Southeast-ern Louisiana head coachRon Roberts are the onlytwo coaches from theSouthland Conference tobe listed on the 20-personfinal ballot. Viator wasalso named a finalist in the2006 and 2007 seasons.

Now in his eighth sea-son at the helm at Mc-Neese, Viator hascompiled a 61-26 overallrecord – third most victo-ries in school history andfifth-most in conferencehistory.

His 2013 team is 9-2heading into Saturday’sregular season finale atLamar (Nov. 23). It’s themost wins by a Cowboys’team since the 2009 cam-paign when McNeese fin-ished 9-3 and won itsleague-record 13th confer-ence championship.

This season, the Cow-boys have broken or tied24 individual or teamrecords, including single-game, season and careerfor school, conference ornational, and a handful ofrecords are in jeopardy ofbeing broken.

Currently ranked No. 6in this week’s Sports Net-work Top 25 poll, theCowboys have beenranked in the top 25 sincebeating South Florida 53-21 in the season openerand have spent nine con-secutive weeks ranked inthe top 15.


Cranberry Sauce

Mayflower

New World

November Twenty Eight

Pilgrim

Plymouth Rock

Pumpkin Pie

Family

Football

Gratitude

Squanto

Thanksgiving

Turkey

Wampanoag Tribe

William Bradford

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Players take turns connecting two dots. When you make a square, put your initials in the box and take another turn. When all dots are connected,

the player with the most boxes wins.

THANKSGIVING!


Man’s best friend has alwaysbeen the perfect non-humancompanion and helper. Besidesguide dogs for the blind, manydogs now have full-time jobs aspolice K9s that track criminals,control crowds, sniff out drugs,and locate the missing and thedead; military dogs that can de-tect bombs and warn where theenemy is; or personal assistancecompanions that can sense whentheir person’s sugar level orblood pressure is too high or low,calm nightmares, or alert that aseizure is imminent.Dogs can evenbe trained tofind bedbugsand detect dis-ease.

In What theDog Knows:The Science andWonder ofWorking Dogs,author Cat War-ren gives us thehistory of work-ing dogs, fromancient times tothe present. “Dogshave been used during war forcenturies: first for attack, thenfor scenting the presence ofenemy soldiers, then for sendingmessages to the front, and thenfor finding bombs and mines.”

She discusses the science ofsmell and of physical decomposi-

tion. She dispels myths aboutdogs' abilities and shows howsome other animals — even bees— have been trained to find cer-tain chemicals.

She describes the elements ofdog training — “Good workingdogs have to move swiftly, hearacutely, smell well, and commu-nicate clearly with their handlers— even bite on occasion” — andrelates her personal experiencetraining her own dog to be a ca-daver dog: “Nothing makes himhappier than a romp in the

swamp looking for some-one who has been miss-ing for awhile.” He“sweeps a field like a hy-peractive Zamboni onice, tracking will o’ thewisps of scent down totheir source.”

The Possibility Dogsby SusannahCharleston focuses onpsychiatric servicedogs, “who intervenein human depression,anxiety, PTSD, panicattacks, bipolar disor-

der, and obsessive-compul-sive disorders, among otherconditions.” These dogs can pickup subtle cues about their part-ners and can alert them or calmthem down, as needed.

Charleston's interest grew outof a traumatic search and rescuemission that affected her so

badly she had criticalincident stress andneeded some caninesupport. She explainsthe difference betweendifferent kinds of servicedogs: “Emotional sup-port animals offer theirpartners steadfast com-panionship, usually inthe home, and are notnecessarily trained toperform specific servicetasks.” And therapy dogsare “dogs used in actual thera-peutic counseling scenarios anddogs who provide animal-as-sisted activities, engaging withthe public at the sides of theirtrained handlers.”

She rescues dogs from sheltersand trains them to be service an-imals for humans with“invisible” mental andemotional health is-sues. The reader gets to“meet” these wonder-ful dogs as she tellstheir stories.

Trident K9 War-riors by Mike Ritlandwith Gary Brozek isall about militaryworking dogs. Rit-land trains dogs towork with NavySEAL teams, andhere he tells fascinating storiesabout training the dogs, aboutthe missions they were sent on

and the lives theysaved. It's also available onMacmillan Audio, which I rec-ommend.

On the fiction shelves, A Manof His Own by Susan Wilson isthe story of a pet that becomes,

out of need, a serv-ice animal.

Rick Stanton is abaseball pitcherwith a promising ca-reer. His best friendis his dog, Pax, thathe rescued when hewas just a puppy.Rick's life seems per-fect when he falls inlove with Francesca,who will become hiswife: “We laughed andgasped for breath, and

when the photographer came tous to take our picture, I was cer-

Working Dogs


tain that he wasn’t going to needa flashbulb, we were so lit fromwithin.” But World War II be-gins, and Rick enlists inthe Army and issent to Europe,separated not justfrom his new wife,but also from hisbeloved dog.

Back home,Francesca wants to“do her bit” for thewar effort and, withRick’s permission, do-nates Pax to betrained to become awar dog, helpingAmerican troops onthe battlefield. On the front lines,Pax and his trainer, Keller, be-come incredibly close, especiallyafter the dog saves Keller's life:“Pax has become a dog with pur-pose. As much as living withRick and Francesca had been re-warding, and comfortable, thislife with Keller has hardened himinto what his nature meant forhim to be. A hunter. A guardian.

A pack member with a job.”On a separate front line, Rick

is injured and sent home a bro-ken man, with morethan just physicalwounds. When thewar is over, Kellerdoesn’t want to beseparated from Pax(“This dog is his fam-ily”), so he agrees tostay with Rick andFrancesca just to beclose to the dog. Paxis completely happy,surrounded by thepeople he loves, andhe learns to be a

service dog, helping Rick. Emotions among the humans

run high and low. A somewhatpredictable conflict develops, butthe outcome is not what I ex-pected. It’s heartbreaking whenthe dog is separated from themen he loves, and joyous when-ever they’re reunited.

Copyright © 2013 by MaryLouise Ruehr.

uSome ThoughtsAbout PerceptionHeather Kelly ExhibitOctober 18 - January 4

uChildren in Motion with Nancy Melton through Jan. 4

uThe Curious Worldof Patent Models through Dec. 28

uHistoric City Hall1001 Ryan St.,Lake CharlesMon.-Fri. 10 am- 5 pmSat 10 am - 2 pm337-491-9147

uAdrian Fulton: Metal Health SeriesThrough Nov. 27Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

uBlack Heritage Gallery@Central School809 Kirby St.,Lake Charles Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.337-488-8567

uHenning Cultural Center923 Ruth St., Sulphur..Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.337-527-0357

uDeQuincy RailroadMuseum400 Lake Charles Ave. DeQuincyTues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.337-786-2823

uDeQuincy Town Hall Museum218 E. Fourth St.DeQuincyMon.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-noonand 1 p.m.-4 p.m. 337-786-8241

uMardi Gras Museumof Imperial Calcasieu809 Kirby St.Lake CharlesTues.-Fri. 1 p.m.-5 p.m.337-430-0043

uUSS Orleck Naval Museum604 N. Enterprise Blvd.Lake CharlesMon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. -4 p.m.337-214-7447

uVintage Arts By Jeanne Owens@Central School809 Kirby St., Suite 212Lake CharlesMon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.337-304-1165

uW.H. Tupper GeneralMerchandise Museum311 N. Main St.JenningsMon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.337-821-5532

uTales and TravelsThrough Jan. 12

u@Stark Museum of ArtTues.-Sat. 10 am-5 pmOrange, TX409-886-2787

uOpen Art SplurgeryThrough Dec. 31Members have opened their hearts to allow shoppers to come and splurge on art for Christmas gifts of good culture. Many items in the gallery and gift shop will be discounted. Prices are wholesale and tax free.

uAssociated La. Artists @Gallery by the Lake106 W. Pryce St.Lake Charles337-436-1008

uJudy Baggett: "As I See It" ExhibitNov. 15-Jan. 4The exhibit will showcase new paintings by the artist in the Annex Gallery.

uSally & Ned Cappel: "Images: Real and Imaginary" ExhibitNov. 15-Jan. 4The exhibit will showcase recent paintings by both artists in the Gibson Barham Gallery.

u@Imperial Calcasieu Museum204 W. Sallier St.Lake Charles337-439-3797


not need working knowledge ofall the bit players. “It’s like a pre-quel to the assassination,” Elliottsaid. “It’s not a big book but it’s ahuge story.”

The persona of Rose Cheramiand her mysterious involvementin the crime of the 20th centurywas just a footnote with conspir-acy addicts for many years. Elliott,a self-proclaimed “JFK nerd,” waschiefly inspired by Oliver Stone’s1991 Academy Award-winning

film, which opens with a drama-tized sequence in which anunidentified woman is violentlythrown from a moving vehicle.Turns out that was Rose, and thisincident allegedly happened innearby Eunice.

Elliott packed up and visitedthe small town in centralLouisiana, hoping to meet and talkwith people who had any knowl-edge of Cherami. This led to afront-page article in The Eunice

Friday, November 22 marksthe 50th anniversary of John F.Kennedy’s assassination, and newevidence is still coming to light inthis most frigid of cases, thanksin part to Lake Area native ToddElliott and his new book, A RoseBy Many Other Names: RoseCherami & the JFK Assassina-tion.

This story explores one aspectof the Louisiana connection to themurder of our 35th president. Ac-cording to Elliott’s site atjfkrose.com, Rose Cherami,whose real name was Melba Mar-cades, “was a known prostitute

and drug courier who was pickedup by authorities in Eunice, LAsome 48 hours before the assassi-nation when she claimed to havebeen in the company of men whowere on their way to kill PresidentKennedy in Dallas.” As Elliottsaid, Cherami “was the first JFKconspiracy theorist. She believedin a conspiracy to kill the presi-dent while he was still alive.”

Unlike most other books onthe subject, this author does nottake his readers to Dallas anddoes not go through the magicbullet theory or other complexballistics information. Readers do


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News, published on November 22,2012, exactly 49 years after thepresident’s assassination. The storyat eunicetoday.com garnered over20,000 views from all over theworld in less than two months,and Elliott was soon offered abook deal through the TrineDaypublishing house based in Oregon.Since the book’s release, he hasbeen approached by an interestedmovie producer as well.

Before 2010, when Todd Elliottstarted researching for the book,very little concrete proof existedto prove Cherami was ever in Eu-nice other than the recollectionsof locals who say that just daysafter Kennedy’s assassination, theproverbial men with black hatsshowed up and seized all paper-work pertaining to Cherami. Thisdefinitive evidence suddenlycame to light when a former em-ployee at the Moosa Hospital pro-vided Elliott with a photocopy ofthe emergency room registry,which included Cherami’s signa-ture.

Jim Garrison, the New OrleansDistrict Attorney who conductedan investigation into the JFK as-sassination, is another Louisianaconnection and a folk hero to El-liott as the picture of the classicjournalist, a crusader for trans-parency.

“I don’t think anyone shouldwait for the government to handus a document or send us amemo and fill in the blanks ofour history,” Elliott said, encour-aging other would-be truth-seek-ers to do their own research,

exercise their priceless freedomsof speech and of the press, andcombat a deluge of misinforma-tion. “I for one don’t want to livein a world without conspiracies,”he added. A true journalist alwaysasks questions.

Aside from taking her story tothe mainstream, Elliott wanted tochange the way Cherami isviewed. For many years, the mostwidely seen photo was of a dehu-manized junkie prostitute, but El-liott tracked down and includedimages of her as a fresh-facedyoung mother to lend credibilityto her story. He also partneredwith east Texas artist Hal Mooreto create striking true-crime styleimagery that draws interest withjust a glance.

Now that A Rose By ManyOther Names has been published,Todd Elliott stays busy with pro-motions and interviews, espe-cially in this 50th anniversaryyear, but he’s not done research-ing. “I want to do a revision andupdate the book. We’re starting toget more and more stories, peoplecoming forward now that thisdirty secret is out in the open,” hesaid.

Catch up on some little-knownLouisiana history and read a greatmystery story by getting thisbook. A Rose By Many OtherNames is available for purchaseonline at jfkrose.com. You canalso pick up a copy at CandiceAlexander’s art shop in down-town Lake Charles, or load it ontothat Kindle of yours throughAmazon.com.


Thursday, Nov. 21Bernie Alan @ Mikko Live"Block Party" w/ Cajun, Zy-deco, Swamp Pop, R&B, &Country7 p.m. @ CoushattaCasino Resort, 777Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Static8 p.m. @ The Caribbean

Cove @ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave, Westlake

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

4688 Common St., Lake Charles

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

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. 22Rory Partin's Big Band Sounds!Holiday Concert @ Water's Edge Community TheatrePre-Sale $10, At the door $152760 Power Centre Pkwy,Lake Charles

Thomas Rhett w/ Cadillac Three!7 p.m. @ Yesterdays 5313 Common St., Lake Charles

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

Band X @ Mikko Live "DanceParty" w/ Pop/Rock Mix9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

BB and Company9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Dr.,Vinton

Karaoke with $3 Cover9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 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

Saturday Nov. 23Todd Oneill Band8 p.m. @ Yesterdays Night Club5313 Common St., Lake Charles

David Joel8 p.m. @ The Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

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

BB and Company9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Dr., Vinton


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

William Christian Live9 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.,Suite 5, Lake Charles

Brian Moore10 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan St., Lake CharlesWhen the Word Was Sound

(CD Release Party)Sick/Sea & Certain Satellites10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

DJ Mata11 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Monday, Nov. 25Ryan Bunch (Free Live Music)"Happy Hour" 5 - 7 p.m.10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

Tuesday, Nov. 26Karaoke w/ David Verrett8 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Jen Kober's HomegrownComedy Show!8:30 p.m. @ L'Auberge EventCenter, 77 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

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

Wednesday, Nov. 27Karaoke 2013 @ Mikko Live8 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort, 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

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

DJ Eric Scott8 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Brian Racca Live8 p.m. @ Cigar Club1700 E. Prien Lake Rd.Suite 5, Lake Charles

Jen Kober's HomegrownComedy Show!8:30 p.m. @ L'Auberge EventCenter, 77 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles


"Comedy Night" (10-12 Comedians)Josh Hessier, Leo Morgan, & Nick Cronan Host!8:30 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 Common St., Lake Charles

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

Loaded 44RZ w/ Lingus10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

Thursday, Nov. 28Asian Concert2 & 6 p.m. @ L'Auberge Event Center, 77 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Leroy Thomas & Zydeco Roadrunners! "Block Party" w/ Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp Pop,R&B, & Country!7 p.m. @ Mikko Live777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Brandon Ledet &The Creole Touch!Free T-Shirt 11 - 3 p.m.8 p.m. @ The Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake


Larry Tillery8 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack

2717 Delta Downs Dr., Vinton"Thursday Dollar Night"9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club$1 Beer & Bar all night!5329 Common St., Lake Charles

DJ Crush10 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill, 777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Friday, Nov. 29Leroy Thomas & Zydeco Roadrunners!8 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club5313 Common St., Lake Charles

Charles MannFree T-Shirt 11 - 3 p.m.8 p.m. @ The Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave.,Westlake

MoJeaux @ Mikko Live "DanceParty" w/ Pop & Rock Mix9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder


Larry Tillery9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Dr., Vinton

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

DJ Crush11 p.m. @ Jack After Dark"Friday's Fireside Lounge" 7 - 10 p.m @ Adult Pool

Jack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Saturday Nov. 30Paul Gonsoulin7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Damon Troy & Final Five8 p.m. @ Yesterdays Night Club5313 Common St., Lake Charles

Phillip Glen8 p.m. @ The Caribbean Cove@ Isle of Capri Casino 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

MoJeaux @ Mikko Live "DanceParty" w/ Pop & Rock Mix9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Larry Tillery9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Dr., Vinton


"Saturday Night Party Time"9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club$1 Beer & Bar 12 - 2 a.m.5329 Common St., Lake Charles

Second Nature Live9 p.m. @ Cigar Club, 1700 E. PrienLake Rd., Suite 5, Lake Charles

Floating Popes, Large Marge & The Mary Wonderfuls10 p.m. @ Dharma329 Broad St., Lake Charles

DJ Crush11 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Tuesday, Dec. 3Karaoke w/ David Verrett8 p.m. @ Jack After DarkJack Daniel’s Bar & Grill777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles

Wednesday, Dec. 4Karaoke 2013 @ Mikko Live8 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

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

"Comedy Night" (10-12 Comedians)Josh Hessier, Leo Morgan, & Nick Cronan Host!8:30 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 Common St., Lake Charles

Consider the Source10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Thursday, Dec. 5Karaoke with $3 Cover9 p.m. @ Frosty Factory4688 Common St., Lake Charles

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


The Lake Charles Civic Ballet(LCCB) announces upcoming holi-day performance dates for thebeloved classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, presented byL’Auberge Lake Charles and KVHPFox 29/CW. Performances will beDecember 12, 13 and 14 at theRosa Hart Theatre.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein-deer is a classic from the LCCBrepertoire. Created in 1969 by LadyLeah Lafargue Hathaway, Rudolphhas delighted audiences ever sincethat first performance.

The ballet opens in Santa’s work-shop, as the elves busily preparepuppets, dolls, robots, bikes andother toys to deliver to the childrenof the world. The scene is filled withexciting dancing by Mr. and Mrs.Claus and the elves. The action con-tinues with Santa’s reindeer, all ofwhom shun poor Rudolph. The set-ting is a beautiful snow field, as thereindeer show off their flying skills.Then, the audience visits countriesaround the world to see how chil-dren from such places as the Nether-

lands, Switzerland, Japan, Arabia,and Hawaii celebrate Christmas.

Finally, a vicious snow stormappears as dancing snowflakes andthe Snow Queen perform on stage.Santa fears that Christmas will becancelled, but he discoversRudolph’s wonderful bright red noseand asks him to guide his sleigh.The audience is delighted as theywatch Rudolph’s bright red nose flyacross their heads in the Rosa HartTheatre. The finale is a fabulous cel-ebration with Santa and Mrs. Claus,the elves, all of the reindeer and ofcourse, Rudolph.

School group matinee perform-ances are Thursday, December 12and Friday, December 13 at 9 AMand 11 AM. Tickets for the schoolmatinees are just $5 per student.

Reservations may be made viathe LCCB websitewww.lakecharlescivicballet.com orby contacting group reservationschair, Kelly Gifford, at (337) 802-5779.

On Saturday, December 14,there will be an 11 AM Matinee and

6 PM Gala. Tickets forthese performances are$10 for students and $15for adults. Tickets may bepurchased at the door orvia the LCCB website.

ABOUT THE COMPANYLCCB has served the

region for over 45 years. Itsgoal is to achieve totaldance theatre by providinga place for experimenta-tion in choreography,composition, and designwith the objective of col-

laboration with otherartistic groups and withindividual artists.

LCCB is a 501c3non-profit organiza-tion supported bygrants from theLouisiana State ArtsCouncil through theLouisiana Division of theArts, City of LakeCharles, Calcasieu ParishPolice Jury, SouthwestLouisiana Convention andVisitors Bureau as Adminis-tered by the Arts and Humani-ties Council of SouthwestLouisiana. For more informa-tion, go towww.lakecharlescivicballet.com.


lot at that time in my life.I’ve grown since then andkeep changing as a personbut for me, the film cap-tures that personal mo-ment in time.”

Hieronymus is not theonly local actor to makethe cut for How to Love aGeek. Most of the cast andcrew for the film werefrom Southwest Louisianato encourage and growlocal talent in the area.This is something the pre-mier of the film will do as

well. It will be held Nov. 21at the Rosa Hart theater atthe Civic Center. Red car-pet photos will be taken at6:15 p.m., followed by aVIP dinner at 7 and thescreening of How to Lovea Geek at 8:30. Proceedsfrom ticket sales will bedonated to the SWLA FilmProgram, which is housedon the Sowela TechnicalCollege campus and willteach filmmaking in manykey areas.

The course will coverscreenwriting, directing,cinematography, lighting,grip, hair and makeup andfilm production. Classes areexpected to start December4, and interested studentscan register at www.sow-ela.edu. The film school islisted under the “WorkforceDevelopment” link. Stu-

dents will learn how toshoot on Black Magic cam-eras and edit with Final CutPro software. Top studentswill be qualified to get paidtraining on sets such asHow to Love a Geek. Mc-Gowan will be the directorof the program and willhave two hours a day toteach students about the in-dustry and its unique rules.These are not eveningclasses. This is a full-timecourse, eight hours a day,five days a week.

With crew and equip-ment resources grow-ing, the future ofSedona Studios looks asbright as the brilliant2K bulbs used to light

up its movie sets.Starting in early2014, McGowanwill begin workon a new film,The Chancellor

and the Elf and theGreen House written byscreenwriter Geno An-drews. The story is akids’ drama that will bea great opportunity for

our community’s youth. Their future slate of

films includes Roses ofSaint Valentine, a filmabout a little girl searchingfor a wife for her fatherwith a little Greek mythol-ogy thrown in for a twist.And because good thingsalways come in threes,their third film on the slateis a comedy titled TrafficSchool.

For now, it looks like it’sall green lights for SedonaStudios. Until the next pre-mier, save me some pop-corn!

“How to Love a Geek”premiere Nov. 21 at theRosa Hart Theater at theLake Charles Civic Center.Red carpet photos will betaken at 6:15 p.m. fol-lowed by a VIP dinner at 7and the screening of “Howto Love a Geek” at 8:30.For more information, call564-6981.

back to your home inLouisiana to create a film-making community in thesouthwest part of the state.Currently, Louisiana is thethird largest filmmakingstate in the nation but theindustry is still youngcompared to Los Angelesand New York. What weresome of the differencesbetween working in LosAngeles and working herefor How to Love a Geek?

McGowan: Resourcesare the biggest difference.There are not a lot of pro-fessionals working in filmright now in the area sothere was a learning curvethat included some trialand error. There was alsoequipment that needed tobe shipped to this area.

Me: What was yourfavorite part about shoot-ing in the Lake Area?

McGowan: My most

favorite thing was shootingwith beginners, and theirenthusiasm. And it wasgreat to see how excitedbusinesses were about hav-ing a film shot here. Inmany ways I got to makenew rules and introducepeople to old ones. We re-ally were building our ownthing.

Me: As a director, whatkinds of films do you wantto make?

McGowan: I really amopen to almosteverything. I lovefinding somethingoriginal. The thingsI’m not interested indoing have more todo with technical is-sues than stories. I’mnot currently in-terested in periodpieces or sciencefiction special ef-fects. But I love doingromantic comedies,other comedies, and dra-mas. I’m inspired by thecharacters in the stories.

Me: As a producer,what makes shooting inLouisiana attractive?

McGowan: The taxcredits, the large numberof films being shot hereand how fast the industryis growing as a whole. Thestate is number three infilm production right now.

And part of that growthis due to local talent beingnurtured in Louisiana. Ialso got a chance to chatwith local actress SuzanneHieronymus, who plays asmall-town girl, Janice, inthe movie. She says theshoot lasted 22 days withmany days lasting 12 or 13hours, but she enjoyedsoaking it all in. I askedher what her favorite partof the movie’s story was.

“When the charactersJanice and Natalia meet forthe first time, and mycharacter worries that hersmall-town life is about tobe changed in a big way,”Hieronymus said. “I con-nected with the character a

Training Filmmakers in SWLAThe screen was dark ex-

cept for glints of moonlightshimmering on rocky ter-rain. College studentsscrambled in terror overthe boulders as hand-heldcamera work ramped upthe prickles of fear creepingup my spine. This was Se-dona Studios independenthorror film Reservation, amovie made by directorMichael McGowan.

Director is only one ofmany hats he wears, sincehe is also the man behindSedona Studios and LA toLA Productions. His mostrecent project, How toLove a Geek is about to bereleased and will also play akey role in making film athriving part of our econ-omy. I got a chance to speakwith McGowan a few daysbefore his big premiere.

Me: Recently, you’vemoved from Los Angeles

Michael McGowan, director of How to Love a Geek


LOUISIANA BOXING REUNION/HALL OF FAME

The Louisiana High School Boxing Association held areunion followed by a Hall of Fame induction

ceremony for 33 greats from 1931-1958 in Sunset, LA.Attendees and honorees enjoyed the reception andexhibits while getting reacquainted and reminiscing

about days gone by. The LHSB plans to induct another 30 boxers and coaches in 2014. The evening

was a knockout!

Caden East and Monica Martin

Buddy Chatagnier and Rocky East

Floyd East, Carl Williams and BJ (Poochie) East Notsie Quirk and Harold (Zydeco) LeBlanc

LOUISIANA THEATRE FESTIVAL

Talented and inspired young people from all over thestate were in for an unforgettable experience at theLouisiana Theatre Festival held at the Central Schoolin downtown Lake Charles. After a day immersed inacting and technical theatre training, the studentsexcitedly took to the stage to show us what they

learned. Bravo!

Shelby Hunt and Cody Hewitt

Shatina and Shanna Richard

Luke Matherne, Ashley Webster and Michael Carrier

Evan Seago, Hannah Franks and Abbie Quinn

Dr. Vicki Parrish, Kerry Onxley and Shelly Appleby

Mona Pettijohn with Lorain and Donald Broussard


COWBOY TAILGATINGThey’re at it again! Those diehard blue and gold

cowbell-ringing fans! Come rain or shine, win or lose,you can always find the happy crowd of tailgaters—just follow your nose to the smokin’ pits by Cowboy

Stadium! The crowds enjoyed the MSU MarchingBand, Cowgirl Kickers and cheerleaders and Rowdy

got Rowdy with the kids! And the Pokes were victorious once again! It’s been a fabulous season!

Monroe Guidry, Avery Karam, Karleigh Fontenot and Hudson Guidry

Mikeisha Coleman Sam with Truc TruongBob Phillips with Boudreaux

Tommi, Jason and Robert Jackson Matthew and Amber Miller

FLEA FEST Treasure hunters came out to the Burton Coliseum--

and a bargain hunter’s dream! The Flea Fest covered almost four acres filled with antiques,

jewelry, artwork, toys, comic books, vintage clothing and too many other items to mention.

Nearly 200 vendors had something for everyoneand at Fox 29’s Pet Town beautiful cats and dogs

were up for adoption. So much to see and do and buy!

Dave and Jenn Ware, Kathy Hodges and Samuel WilkinsRamani McClelland, Alyssa Lavergne and Magen DeJeanAmber and Kinli Fontenot

with Courtney Morrison

Nikita Ebanks, Marketa LaSalle and Layla Ebanks Kyleigh Thibodeaux and Liam Johnson

The Louisiana Jam, Vol. 1, No. 12 - 11/21/13

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