the jambalaya news

VOL. 1, NO. 25 /MARCH 25, 2010

•Life in the Circus

•Hope and Faith in Haiti

•The Dang YankeeGoes Camping

Photo by Jenny Bono Photography

MARCH 25, 2010 Volume 1 • Issue 25

MARCH 25, 2010 PAGE 3Volume 1 • Issue 25

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

PUBLISHERPhil de [email protected]

NEWSMANAGING EDITORLauren de [email protected]

EDITORLisa [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSLeslie BermanGeorge ClineJames DoyleDavid DuplechainDan EllenderMaria Alcantara FaulMike McHughMary Louise RuehrBrandon ShoumakerKarla Tullos

ADVERTISINGSALES CONSULTANTPatricia Prudhomme

SALES ASSOCIATESJody BarrilleauxKaty CorbelloFaye DrakeSarah PuckettKarla Tullos

GRAPHICSART/PRODUCTION DIRECTORDarrell Buck

ART/PRODUCTION ASSISTANTMichelle LaVoie

BUSINESSOFFICE MANAGERKay Andrews

Legal DisclaimerThe views expressed by The Jambalaya News columnistsare their own and do not necessarily reflect the position ofThe Jambalaya News, its editors or staff.

The Jambalaya News is solely owned, published by TheJambalaya News, LLC, 826 Ford Street, Lake CharlesLouisiana 70601. Phone (337) 436-7800. Whilst everyeffort was made to ensure the information in this maga-zine was correct at the time of going to press, the publish-ers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors oromissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the stand-ing of advertisers nor by the editorial contributions. TheJambalaya News cannot be held responsible for the returnof unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations,even if they are sent to us accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. The views expressed do not necessar-ily reflect those of the publisher.

Copyright 2009 The Jambalaya News all rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without priorwritten permission is prohibited.

March 25, 2010 • Volume 1 • Issue 25

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On Cover: Members of Lake Area Shoppe Girls include: (in random order) Regina Ledet, ThereseDeroche, Amy Springer, Sharlene Boyle Rebekah Dressler, Patricia King Michelle Woodyear, Christina

Babcock, Juli Wilson, Blair Tadlock, Tate Alderson, Samantha Hebert, Kimberly Dellafosse, BonnieCappo, Leah White, Natalie Comeaux and Christie Harmon. Photo by Jenny Bono Photography.

COVER STORY22 Working Together:

The Lake Area Shoppe Girls

REGULARS7 The Boiling Pot

10 The Dang Yankee

12 Doyle’s Place

14 Tip’s Tips

16 What’s Cookin’

38 Sports Report

FEATURES5 CASA: Hope for Abused Children

18 Haiti: Hope and Faith

34 The Things That Easter Brings

36 My Life in the Circus

ENTERTAINMENT40 Red Hot Books

43 Family Night at the Movies

44 Funbolaya

45 Killin’ Time Crossword

46 Society Spice

50 Jambalaya Jam

52 The Local Jam

54 Eclectic Company

contents


Celebrating Business!As I read the cover story—which is actually

12 individual stories about some of the mem-bers of a wonderful networking/support groupof women-owned businesses in the LakeArea—it struck me how exciting it is that somany women own their own businessesnowadays. And I can’t believe that I am oneof them.

No one in my family owned their ownbusiness. God forbid. Everyone—my parents,aunts, uncles, cousins— worked for someoneelse, brought home a paycheck every Friday,and didn’t think about work until Mondaymorning. Owning a business was too risky; ittook up too much time; you could go bank-rupt. It was much easier to work for someoneelse.

My Uncle Frank’s wife, Frances, had a sis-ter, Theresa, who owned a deli/bakery inDorchester, Ma. with her husband, Rocco. Hissister also worked there full-time. There weresix kids in the family, and they all pitched into help after school and on weekends. Foryears, my aunt Frances would help out everySaturday.

Yes, they worked very hard. They had toget up at 4 a.m. every day to make bread anddoughnuts. One night, they were robbed atgunpoint, and Rocco’s sister was shot—thank-fully, only in the arm. My family would shake

their heads and tsk-tsk about those “poor peo-ple”: “They’re going through hell, they shouldjust close it and get back to their lives already!No one should ever own their own business!”

Well, they eventually did get back to theirlives—after selling the business for an amazingamount of money. Because of their dedica-tion, effort, and the high quality of theirgoods, people came from all over to buy birth-day cakes, Italian cold cuts, and so muchmore. When they were ready to sell, there wassomeone out there ready to buy.

And two of their daughters went into busi-ness for themselves: For decades, Marietta hasowned gourmet restaurants on Cape Cod, andGina owns a hair salon.

What my family didn’t realize is that onceyou work for yourself; it gets in your blood.Yes, it’s probably one of the most difficultthings you’ll ever do; and unfortunately, justbecause you work hard and have a good prod-uct doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll make it.But that’s all part of the challenge of owningyour own business.

So hats off to the members of the LakeArea Shoppe Girls, and to all of our local busi-ness owners, for going for their dreams. Andlet’s all get out there and support them.

A Note From LaurenThe Jambalaya News is proud to welcome Jody

Barrilleaux as the newest member of our professional team.Jody and her husband Dwayne were both born and raised inSulphur. They have four grown children, Jamie, Trey, Brent,and Joni, one grandson, Tucker and another, Hudson, willarrive in May. Jody has worked as a sales associate in theprinting business for five years. For the last three years, sheand her husband have been living their dream, traveling andmaking music with Marty Haggard.

“I’ve been reading TJN for a year now, and when it wastime for me to get back into the business world, my firstthoughts were of Phil and Lauren,” Jodysaid. “They’ve changed the way I lookat SWLA. I didn’t even realize howmuch I took the warmth, caring andlove that we have here for granted.So thank you Phil and Lauren, forthe opportunity to be a part of theJambalaya family!”

You can listen to Jody on herradio program, “The Local ArtistShowcase” on KELB radio 100.5FMon Tues. and Fri. from noon to 1p.m., and you can watch her TVprogram with the same name oncable channel 6 KDLA out ofWestlake. She says she likes theidea that she gets to spread“GOOD gossip” for the LakeArea!– Lauren de Albuquerque

Jody BarrilleauxTJN

Volume 1 • Issue 25 MARCH 25, 2010 PAGE 5

April is Child Abuse AwarenessMonth, and what better way to raiseawareness about child abuse and neg-lect than to tell the story through alocal agency that provides advocacyservices on behalf of these children.CASA (a program of Family & Youth)is the acronym for Court AppointedSpecial Advocates, and it is also, appro-priately, the Spanish word for home,symbolizing the safe, loving, perma-nent home that all abused and neglect-ed children long for.

Children with CASA’s are less likelyto spend time in long-term foster care,are less likely to re-enter the child wel-fare system, and have a better chanceof having a safe, loving, permanenthome. Simply put, abused and neglect-ed children with CASA’s have a betterchance at having a childhood.

BeginningsCASA began in 1986 in Seattle,

Washington, and has since spreadnationwide with over 1,000 programsproviding volunteer advocates forabused and neglected children.

Locally, CASA began as a project ofthe Junior League of Lake Charlesunder the leadership of then AssistantDistrict Attorney and now Family &Juvenile Court Judge Lilynn Cutrer.

On September 3, 1996, Judge BillyEzell swore in Barbara Downer, DawnRedd, Jill Kelly, Susan Couch, JenniferGill, Della Rose, Monet Brashear,Kathy Chafin, and Nathalie Miller asthe first in our community to “Standup for a Child” as trained CASA vol-unteers.

In 1999, CASA became a programof Family & Youth, and since that timehas grown to provide services not onlyin Calcasieu Parish, but in Allen andJefferson Davis Parishes as well.

Dedication and commitmentIn 2009, 76 volunteers spent 1,476

hours training to be a CASA, anddevoted another 3,271 volunteer hoursand drove over 48,951 miles in serving233 abused and neglected children.That’s dedication and commitment!

While these numbers are impres-sive, there is more to be done. Themost recent statistics show that cur-rently, there are over 440 children infoster care in Southwest Louisiana, anumber that has grown substantiallyover the past several years. Providing aCASA for every child that needs one isa moving target, but for the sake ofthose children, it’s a goal that our com-munity has to meet.

CASA volunteers serve three roles.First, they are the eyes and ears of thecourt, gathering information abouttheir child or children and their familythat otherwise might not be availableto be considered when decisions aremade about what is in the best interestof that child.

Secondly, CASA’s are the voice ofthe child, reporting the informationthey’ve learned, as well as the needsand wishes of the child, along withfact-based recommendations as towhat they believe is the child’s bestinterest, to the Family & JuvenileCourt Judge.

Finally, CASA’s serve as a safety net,ensuring these children do not slipthrough the cracks of an overburdenedchild welfare system. While other par-ties in the system – judges, attorneys,child welfare workers, etc., - are alldealing with multiple cases at the sametime, CASA volunteers are assigned toone—only one—case, allowing them todevote their full time and attention totheir CASA children, their needs, andtheir best interests.

What it takesBecoming a CASA volunteer

requires no special background, sim-ply a love for children and a desire tohelp. Potential volunteers must alsobe able to successfully pass a thor-ough criminal background check.Volunteers receive 40 hours of initialtraining, and are required to receivean additional 12 hours annually tomaintain their certification.

After completion of their training,volunteers are sworn in by a Family &Juvenile Court Judge, and can then

accept their first case. While it’s saidthat someone who can devote a day amonth can be a successful CASA vol-unteer, the statistics show that mostvolunteers do spend more time work-ing on behalf of their children. Being aCASA does require a commitment,because being a CASA has meaningand value, and it would not be so ifthere was not a right way to do it.

While not everyone can be a CASAvolunteer, there are other ways to help.Scheduling someone from the CASAprogram to talk to a civic group,church group or other organization toraise awareness about child abuse andneglect in our community is a start,and a great way for potential volunteersto learn about the program.Presentations are also available, foradults and children, on how to keepchildren safe by recognizing and tak-ing steps to prevent child abuse.

Participating in our annualDinner at Mi CASA fundraisers (ournext dinner is April 25) is a greatway to learn more, to enjoy a pleas-ant evening and a great meal, andensure that CASA continues to beable to provide services to abusedand neglected children.

Attending our annualChild Advocate Nightcelebration(November 23)

where we honor those who go aboveand beyond in their service to abusedand neglected children, is a great wayto send a message to these dedicatedindividuals and the children theyserve that the community cares.

While many have sought to quanti-fy the cost of child abuse to our society,and it is substantial; statistics ignorethe fact that every abused child has aface, a name, hopes, dreams, anddesires, and all of this changes, throughno fault of their own, when they areabused and neglected by those theylove. To learn more, to volunteer, or formore information on any of theseevents, call the CASA office at Familyand Youth, (337) 436-9533, [email protected]., or visit www.fyca.org.

TJN

By David Duplechain


Dear Editor,The tragedy of Murray Day’s son’s case in

Calcasieu Parish has no doubt elicited feelings ofsadness and despair in your readers, as it has withme and the members of our agency. Our hearts goout to the 9-year old, and we pray that he gets thecounseling and love that he needs and deserves.

Horrific cases such as this warrant a story ontelevision or an article in the newspaper.Unfortunately, there are so many children inLouisiana and throughout the country who sufferfrom child abuse or neglect, and their stories arenever told.

Child abuse and neglect affects us all, eitherdirectly or indirectly. And we all must become apart of the answer to this problem that plagues ourstate and country. It is everyone’s responsibility tocare for all of the children in their communities.Whether you’re a neighbor, a teacher, a friend, afamily member, or just a passerby, no one shouldmiss an opportunity to help a child in need.

How can you prevent child abuse and neglect?Volunteer. Mentor. Support families you know andlove. Pay attention to the families you may notknow as well, but are part of your community.Raise awareness of the issue. Take care of yourchildren. Ask for help when it is needed. Enroll ina parenting class.

If you see a parent who seems stressed or out ofsorts, step in and offer assistance. These are but afew ways that individuals can be part of the solu-tion. Visit our Web site at www.pcal.org for addi-tional suggestions on what can be done to preventchild abuse and neglect.

Prevent Child Abuse (PCA) Louisiana offersparenting classes, professional education, andstaffs a crisis and referral line, KIDLINE 1-800-CHILDREN (244-5373), in an effort to stop childabuse and neglect before it starts. Parents andcommunity members are urged to call the KID-LINE when they need to talk about a situation inan anonymous and confidential setting; whetherthe situation pertains to their child or someoneelse’s.

While we do not have all of the answers, we areworking to help as many families as we can. It isonly when our communities come together to helpour families that the vicious cycle of abuse andneglect will end.

Most sincerely,Loren Brown

Public Awareness DirectorPrevent Child Abuse Louisiana

Letter to the Editor

TJN

– Super Glue DOES NOTrepair chains or rings!

It will cost more to repairbecause the glue has to beremoved.

There’s no substitute for aprofessional cleaning andpolishing or for having yourstones inspected.

Benchworks provides thisservice at no charge, no matterwhere you purchased yourjewelry.

238 W. Prien Lake Rd.(337) 478-0477

By Chris Hughes, Master Jeweler


The

BoilingP l

L’AUBERGE DU LAC NAMES 2009 EMPLOYEE, MANAGER AND SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR

L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort recently announced its Employee of theYear for 2009 along with its Manager of the Year and Supervisor of theYear. Debra LeFrere-Williams, a table games dealer, was named Employee ofthe Year at a March 10 gala. LeFrere-Williams, who joined L’Auberge in 2005 aspart of the opening team, received a cash prize, designer luggage, VIP parkingfor one year and a crystal trophy. She will use that luggage to fly to Las Vegaswith a guest and join winners from all of the Pinnacle Entertainment proper-ties for a private reception. Revenue Audit Manager Lisa Wilkerson wasnamed Manager of the Year for 2009; she joined L’Auberge in March 2005 aspart of the opening team. Patrick Quintano, an executive casino host, earnedtop honors as Supervisor of the Year; he joined the company in 2006. Bothwinners received a custom trophy and a cash prize.

WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTWINS AT ORATORICAL CONTEST

Kathyrn Reeser, 10th grader at Westlake HighSchool, won second place in the high school division atthe 2010 Oratorical Contest. The contest was spon-sored by the City of Lake Charles on Feb. 27 at CentralSchool of the Arts and Humanities Center. She wasawarded $250 for her speech entitled, “It takes a Village- Community Involvement.” Reeser is a theatre studentof Kerry Onxley’s and the daughter of Jason andJennifer Reeser.

ROXANNA MIZE JOINS LEADERSHIP TEAM AT FIRST NATIONAL BANKFirst National Bank proudly announces the promotion of Lake Charles

Branch Manager Roxanna Mize to the position of bank officer. The additionof Mize and two Crowley-based officers, Jim Lyons and Jackie Sonnier, allcommitted FNB employees, ensures continuity in the management team. AsLake Charles Branch Manager, Mize coordinates and oversees all branch oper-ations. With over 11 years at FNB and 24 in banking, she is committed to afriendly and practical approach with customers. Mize has committed her timeand talent to serve as the FNB Lake Charles and Sulphur United WayCampaign Manage and participates in blood drives and heart walks for theLake Charles and Sulphur employees. For more information about FirstNational Bank, visit www.fnb-la.com.

IZZO’S WELCOMES DIANADORTA TO MANAGEMENT TEAM

Izzo’s welcomes Diana Dorta to their managementteam. Diana will serve as the catering and marketingmanager for the Lake Charles franchise. Diana is arecent graduate of McNeese State University with abachelor’s degree in mass communications. Dianastands ready to serve Southwest Louisiana with hercatering services, spotlighting the Zo-to-Go Fajita Bar.Diana’s primary focus is servicing the medical andpetrochemical industries, but is equipped to handle allcatering needs. Contact Diana at (337) 304-7661 [email protected] for your next event.

SHAMIEH NAMED TO BUSINESS FIRST BANK BOARD OF DIRECTORSBusiness First Bank is pleased to announce that Dr. Fayez K. Shamieh has

been elected to the board of directors for Business First Bank. Dr. Shamieh isthe founder and senior member of Neuro Associates in Lake Charles. He hasbeen in private practice in the field of Neurology and Electrodiagnosis since1979, and is affiliated with St. Patrick’s Hospital, Lake Charles MemorialHospital, Women’s and Children’s hospital, and West Calcasieu CameronHospital. He served as the president of the medicalstaff of St. Patrick’s Hospital and president of theCalcasieu Medical Society. Dr. Shamieh has also beeninvolved on the board of several organizations in theCalcasieu area, including the Calcasieu CommunityClinic Board. He continues to be active in thePhysicians for Peace missions, volunteering at leastonce a year to the neediest countries of the world, espe-cially in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Dr.Shamieh is married to Amal Shamieh, and has twochildren, Samer and Ramez.

Please submit press releases to [email protected]

Debra LeFrere-Williams, Patrick Quintano, Lisa Wilkerson

Kathyrn Reeser Dr. Fayez K. Shamieh

Diana Dorta


1980 Tybee Lane477-0963

Donald C. Falgoust, M.D. Board Certified Ophthalmologist

Routine Eye Exams • Disease & Surgery of the EyeSWLA’s Cataract Surgery Specialist

CAMERON COMMUNICATIONS DONATES FRAMEDPRINT TO MCNEESE ATHLETIC FOUNDATION

Cameron Communications Media Coordinator Shireen Santhanasamypresented a framed print to Dianna Alcede, volunteer for the McNeeseAthletic Foundation. The print was an auction item at the annual Denim andDiamonds fundraising event held recently at the Lake Charles Civic Center.For more information on Cameron Communications’ donations and sponsor-ship policies, please visit www.camtel.com/Newsroom

WEST CALCASIEU CAMERON HOSPITALANNOUNCES EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD

West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital recently held its 2010 Employee AwardsBanquet, where it recognized over 51 employees for their years of service to thehospital. Prior to the banquet, hospital employees were given the opportunityto vote for the recipient of the Employee of the Year award. The winner wasselected from among the four individuals chosen as an Employee of theQuarter for each one of the previous year’s quarters. For the first time in its 56-year history, the vote resulted in a tie, with Jake Richey and Tonya Stillwellwalking away with the evening’s honors. Richey, a radiologic technologist, hasbeen with the organization for over 12 years. He currently serves as the assis-tant administrator for the hospital’s picture archiving and communications sys-tem. Stillwell, a physical therapist, has been with the organization for 13 years.Stillwell serves as a clinical instructor for physical therapy students.

FIRST FEDERAL INVESTMENTS PROFESSIONALATTENDS NATIONAL PLANNING CONFERENCE

First Federal Investments financial professional Janet LeLeux, located atFirst Federal Bank of Louisiana, recently attended the 2010 PrimeVestNational Planning Conference, held in New Orleans. LeLeux has fulfilled thefinancial needs of individuals and businesses with PrimeVest for three years.She has 13 years of experience in the financial services industry, and is one ofmore than 1,500 PrimeVest financial professionals serving financial institutionclients located throughout the United States.

RENEE GRANTHAM RECEIVES STATE LIBRARIAN HONORRenee Grantham of Lake Charles has been awarded the 2010 Elizabeth

Bruns Award by the Louisiana Library Association. The award is presentedannually to a school librarian to recognize a program that demonstrates exem-plary library usage. Grantham, who has served as aCalcasieu Parish school librarian for 24 years, has amaster’s degree in instructional technology, a bachelor’sdegree in business education with school library certifi-cation, and an MLIS from LSU. A leader within theLouisiana Library Association, Grantham is also amember of the American Library Association, theAmerican Association of School Librarians and theLouisiana Association of School Librarians. Granthamreceived her award in Baton Rouge while attending theLouisiana Library Association’s 84th annual conference.

Cameron Communications Media Coordinator, Shireen Santhanasamy, presents a framed print to Dianna Alcede, volunteer for the McNeese

Athletic Foundation. The print was an auction item at the annual Denim and Diamonds fundraising event on March 4 at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

Renee Grantham


WOUND HEALING CENTER AT WCCHNAMES CLINICAL NURSE MANAGER

Michelle Eades has joined the Wound HealingCenter at West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital as clini-cal nurse manager. Eades will be responsible for allclinical aspects of the center including providing conti-nuity of care for patients, integrating new therapies intocare and training new personnel, reviewing and report-ing on patient outcomes and ensuring quality of care. AMoss Bluff resident, Eades recently served as Directorof Nurses at Cornerstone Hospital of SouthwestLouisiana. The Wound Healing Center at WestCalcasieu Cameron Hospital specializes in the treatment of chronic woundsand non-responsive conditions and offers hospital-based outpatient woundcare and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

CHRISTUS CLINIC OPENS IN SULPHUR WALMARTThe new CHRISTUS Convenient Care Clinic inside the WalMart store on

Cities Service Hwy in Sulphur held their grand opening and ribbon cuttingrecently. The clinic, a compliment to primary care in the Sulphur area afterhours and on weekends, is open Mon. – Sat. from 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sun.from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the treatment of minor care. No appointment is nec-essary.

ALVIN TOUCHET, JR. JOINS THE SALES TEAM AT AD SOURCE

Alvin Touchet, Jr. has joined the advertising salesteam at Ad Source Outdoor Advertising as a newaccount executive. Touchet, a native of Lake Charles,was formerly an account executive with SuddenlinkMedia, and is a member of the Greater Lake CharlesRotary Club, and the Lake Charles Sail and PowerSquadron. TJN

Michelle Eades

Alvin Touchet, Jr.

A new, welcome addition, specif-ically for bicyclists, can now befound near some business locationsin Downtown Lake Charles: bikehitches.

The new bike hitches are theresult of a series of communitymeetings recently held following arequest to the DowntownDevelopment Authority by severallocal businesses about donatingbike hitches to the city for installa-tion near their businesses.

Businesses and individual donorssupplied the bike hitches (manufac-tured by a local company) and thecity installed them based on theguidelines shown in the DowntownDistrict’s memorial and donationspolicy. Participating businesses areEmpire of the Seed, GiGi’s, the YogaCenter, and Sylvia’s.

The public-private partnershipfor the bike hitches initiative wascoordinated by Carolyn Woosley,who said:

“We residents are very proud that

locally-owned downtown business-es have donated these bike hitchesto the city. We like living in histori-cal downtown, where we canchoose to bike or walk to meet upwith friends, go to art openings orenjoy the sunset by the lake. Thesehitches are a modest hint of severalquality of life changes coming soonto downtown.

“In the U.S.A., progressive citieshave biking amenities. Thisbespeaks a progressive vision(much as does recycling and litterabatement). Bike amenities areexpected by college-educated youthchoosing cities for residence.

“By being in sight of passers-by,the used hitch could encourage oth-ers to bike downtown. This sup-ports a more ‘green’ health-andconservation-oriented lifestyle. Italso melds with the multi-use venueof our Smart-Coded downtown.”

For more information, call491-1292.

Bike Hitches Donated andInstalled in Downtown Locations

TJN


YankeeDangThe

By Mike McHugh

I should have learned my lessonand quit when I wrecked that camperlast fall.1 But no, I had to go buyanother one, and a bigger one at that!

Things sure have changed sincethat time 25 years ago when my wifeand I took our first camping trip toCanada. Back then, we were able to fiteverything we needed for a wholeweek into the back of her Honda Civichatchback. We still talk about the won-derful time we had on that trip, andwe didn’t want for anything.

Nowadays, we can’t stand leaving

home overnight to go to a camp-ground five miles away without bring-ing enough gear to outfit the 171stInfantry for duty in some part of theworld that’s not fit to support humanlife. We seem to bring everything withus except for the one thing that is anapparent must for people withcampers. That one thing is a dog.

All camper-type people besides usseem to have them. Even if they havenever owned a dog before in theirlives, they seem to go out and get oneright away when the buy their first

Yay! Let’s Go Camping!

camper. I think some RV dealersmust give them away as incentives. Itcan’t be just any dog, though. It mustbe a small one, preferably no biggerthan a nutria. And it has to bark loudand often.

Naturally, the very first thing thatmy wife did when we took delivery ofthe camper was to go in and stake out“her” space, which consisted of theentire trailer except for one smallwardrobe next to my side of the bed,which is large enough to maybe hang aswimsuit. That does me no good, how-ever, since we never seem to go to anycampgrounds that have pools.

The second thing that she did wasto declare one of the trailer’s two doorsas strictly off-limits in terms of using itfor its intended purpose of entering orexiting the unit. That was a huge let-down for me, as the one thing thatexcited me about the larger trailer wasthat it had not one, but two doors.

Now, the only thing that the door isgood for is to let the sun come in atthe crack of dawn and blind me in theeyes while I’m laying in bed. So, whathad been the unit’s single selling pointfor me serves only to take away myone great joy of camping—that ofsleeping in. After all, what good iscamping if you can’t sleep in on a

Saturday and not feel guilty about it,since there’s no yard work to get upand do? I should just go board thething up and get it over with.

There’s lots of places around hereto go camping with your trailer, andI’m told that some of them even haveswimming pools. State parks are usu-ally affordable and very scenic.

When you first pull into a statepark on a sunny afternoon, you arriveat the gatehouse where you meetfriendly Ranger Rick. He smiles andtells you about all of the camp’s won-derful amenities, none of which inter-est you, since you only came to drinkcopious volumes of beer because youdon’t have to drive anywhere. He isalso sure to remind you of the QuietHours, which begin at about the timeyou and your buddies will be ready togo out to sit around the campfire withyour ice chest and your boom boxand tell jokes that send you all intofits of raucous laughter.

Don’t you dare do it! If you try, youwill find that, during Quiet Hours,friendly Ranger Rick turns into thePeace Nazi. He’s worse than a librarian,because he has a big truck with lots ofbright spotlights. And he’s always pay-ing special attention to your campsite.Why? Because you don’t have theobligatory nutria dog. Dogs are appar-ently exempt from Quiet Hours andmay bark all night long. All parkrangers seem to have this peculiarauditory defect where they cannothear the high-pitched yips of theseboisterous little devils. However,should you go out walking to thelatrine in the middle of the night(because no matter the size of yourwaste tank, it’s never big enough), andso much as step on a twig, he’s got histruck lights bearing down on you as ifyou were some federal prison escapee.

What you didn’t know was that theguy in the spot next to yours, the onewith the fifth wheel the size of a Sam’sClub, the one with the most offen-sive-sounding nutria dog in the wholecampground, has a hotline to RangerRick, and he was there all night,watching for you to make the least lit-tle slip.

So, my advice to you is this: ifyou’re looking for a place to go camp-ing, avoid the state parks. Find a nicelittle private campground, preferablyone that offers a bounty on nutriadogs, and also a pool—if thewardrobe your wife lets you have isbig enough to hold your swimsuit.

1Refer back to the 11/5/09 issue forthe gory details of that incident. TJN


BELGIAN MULE-DRAWN CARRIAGE TRANSPORTATION WILL BE PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE FROM THE LAKE CHARLES CIVIC CENTER TO THE ABOVE CENTRALLY LOCATED STOPS. THE CARRIAGE RIDES ARE MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A DONATION BY CITGO PETROLEUM.

M O R E T H A N 7 5 A R T I S T S I N 1 6 S E P A R A T E L O C A T I O N S

FRIDAY, APRIL 9, FROM 5-9 P.M.

Candice Alexander Adrian Fulton

Dorothy Oakman

Benita Corley


By Jim Doyle

Well, campers, I usually try to stayaway from telling legal war stories inthis space because nothing can bemore boring to a non-lawyer thanhearing about the thrill of victory andthe agony of defeat. I made a briefexception last time, because I felt itwas entertaining, and gave a hint ofthis next story. I write about it todaybecause I think it has broader moraland societal implications than just the“horse race” effect of one lawyer ver-sus another.

In fact, it’s a story about life anddeath. More than one.

Let me start by telling you a littlesecret. Every lawyer billboard you’llever see says, one way or another,“I’m the best.” But lawyers know whoreally is the best. We see it primarilyin the courtroom, comparing how wedo things and how we sound whenwe do them to how other people lookand sound.

The first time I ever came acrossMike Small, I knew he was the best.It’s not just his client list, whichincludes luminaries like GovernorEdwin Edwards. It’s not just his clearself- confidence, which is a goodthing to have but doesn’t win casesfor you all by itself. It’s not even hisformidable intellect. It is all thosethings wrapped together, though, andincludes a big heart that allows himto understand our system just plainain’t fair to some of the peopleground between its gears.

Let’s go back for a moment to thefall of 2002. Mike had been retained(and I use that term loosely, becausethe family could never afford hisactual fee) to represent a triple mur-der defendant named AmandaGutweiler Hypes, who had beencharged in the deaths of her threechildren.

Her daughter Sadie Plumm waseleven. Her son Luke Hayden was six,

and her daughter Jessica was barelythree. The bodies of all three childrenhad been found in a downstairs bed-room in the wood frame house builtby her contractor husband. The sher-iff ’s office in Rapides Parish hadcharged Amanda based on the firewhich engulfed that house, whichthey claim she had set in an effort torid herself of these three kids so shecould disentangle herself from a badmarriage and leave the Tioga area,where she had moved with Mr.Gutweiler.

The fire that killed Amanda’s chil-dren happened on Jan. 9, 2001. Thiswas six years after Susan Smith wasconvicted of drowning her two sonsin the back of a car, and six monthsbefore Andrea Yates drowned her fivechildren in a bathtub in Clear Lake,Texas. Since the ancient story ofMedea, mothers of dead childrenhave been suspect in their demise,and in large measure, Amanda was inthe wrong place at the wrong time.

Because the charred bodies of herchildren had been discovered on theburned-out remains of her maritalbed, the first story tossed out by theRapides Parish Sheriff ’s office wasthat Amanda had somehow forcedher children to lay on the bed, dousedthem in gasoline, and set them, andthe house, on fire. The only problemwith that theory was that there wasabsolutely no evidence to support it.

You see, Amanda had not been inthe house at the time of the fire. Sheand her husband lived hand-to-mouth, and she had run out of foodthat morning after feeding her chil-dren the last bit of rice and last slicesof bread left in the kitchen. She hadno idea how she was going to feedanybody that night.

Then, when the mailman came, outof the blue there was a check payableto her husband for some contracting

Life and Death andthe Justice System


work he had done. With a single-minded determination, Amandadecided to go cash the check at thebank where it had been written (shehad no checking account of her own),but closing time was drawing near: itwas almost three o’clock.

She had no one at hand to keep thechildren. So she did what parents doin that situation. She put her oldestchild in charge, gathered the childrenin the upstairs bedroom, put a video-tape in the television, and told themto remain quiet and still until shereturned.

Amanda then went to the bank,where she is pictured on a time-stamped video just after 3 p.m. Thebank is about nine miles from herhouse. At 3:14 p.m., her next-doorneighbor noticed smoke and flamescoming from her house and called thelocal volunteer fire department. Theyarrived just after 3:30, right afterAmanda had run screaming throughher house trying to locate her chil-dren and was by then sitting on thefender of her car, sobbing uncontrol-lably, watching the house go up in aburst of fire.

The fire marshal’s investigationused sniffer dogs to see if they couldlocate any flammable liquids, andthey did alert to a couple of spots inthe house and two or three on theoutside and the lawn. It turned outthe samples they alerted to were neg-ative; not surprising, since the K-9detectives had most recently beendrug dogs, not arson dogs. As itturned out, no law enforcement offi-cial ever found any evidence whatso-ever of gasoline poured in the house.

The fire marshal did come to inves-tigate. None of the fire marshals onthe scene that day had any educationbeyond a high school diploma, and alllearned their trade from other equallyeducated fire marshals.

Unfortunately for Amanda, theywere using “fire science” technologythat was 30 years out of date. By thistime, they had dug the debris away toexpose the slab of the house andfound “spalling,” which is a reactionthat occurs when a flammable liquidburns on concrete, popping the airbubbles that remain inside. The sameeffect, of course, happens when a par-ticularly hot fire puts debris directlyon the concrete. Nevertheless, the firemarshals concluded these bubbleswere evidence of an intentionally setfire and decided they would furtherinvestigate.

So they did. They brought in a bull-dozer and removed the remainder ofthe house. They then washed the slabwith a fire hose.

As you might imagine, those whoactually know what they’re doing donot recommend this particular activi-ty. In fact, it destroyed any evidencethat might have been there. This evi-dence could have cleared Amanda,but it was gone forever through theincompetence of law enforcement.

Amanda was under suspicion, butnot indictment, until an expert by thename of John DeHaan, who had aPh.D. from a distance-learning cur-riculum based in Glasgow, Scotland,rendered a “scientific” opinion deter-mining the fire was arson. You mightat this point stop to wonder what evi-dence he had upon which to base hisopinion. I wondered that for thewhole eight years I was involved inthis case, because there was none.

When Mike asked me to assist him,I first retained the services of GeorgeBarnes of Orange, Texas. George is aretired ATF agent who has investigat-ed many fires from a law enforcementperspective, and when he read the filein this case he was appalled. He didnot believe this was an arson fire—that goes without saying. He hadnever represented a criminal defen-dant before. But he readily acceptedthe assignment in Amanda’s casebecause he thought she had been rail-roaded by the local law enforcementofficials for reasons best known tothem.

George also was particularlyoffended by the statement lawenforcement took from Amanda. At atime when there was no legitimatereason to suspect her, three days afterthe fire she was enticed to the localsheriff ’s substation to retrieve herpurse and other personal items.While there, the deputy in charge ofthe investigation kept her incommu-nicado for a total of nine hours, caus-ing her to miss the only funeral serv-ice held for her only three children.

On the tapes of that interrogationyou can hear Amanda wailing:“PLEASE give me the lie detector testPLEASE. I did not kill my children.You are wrong. I did not do this.PLEASE give me the lie detector testand let me go to my children’s funeral.”

OK, campers, can you think of areason law enforcement would refuseto give a criminal suspect a lie detec-tor test? Take 10 seconds and thinkabout it. Right. Because they don’tbelieve she’s guilty and they are con-cerned the lie detector test will con-firm it.

In the next issue: The State’s casefalls apart. TJN


In these uncertain economictimes, there is no shortage ofattempts to exploit the consumer.I have encountered a couple ofquestionable practices in a fewrestaurants lately. I’ve hadunordered items placed on mybill, or have been charged formore beverages than were served.

When it’s pointed out, the wait-er or waitress will usually correctthis without much hesitation. Insome instances, however, the serv-er will make such a lengthy andfrustrating attempt to locate theerror that I know people whoeventually just pay it with theincorrect charges on it.

This is a practice that will costthe restaurant in the long term, nomatter if it’s a genuine mistake,the server is trying to raise thetotal to make a larger tip, or it’sthe owner being dishonest. Noone likes to be played for a fool.Always demand an itemized billwith an accurate accounting ofyour order and check the addi-tion. If an establishment needs toraise their pricing, then theyshould do it above board and hon-estly.

Food writers are known to callattention to the obvious signs of arestaurant that may have a ques-tionable future. Cutting back onboth the quality and quantity offood served is a prime indicator ofa possible upcoming demise. I’mnot a food writer, but we eat outoften and really enjoy the restau-rant experience when we receivethe kind of food quality, promptand courteous service, and ambi-

ence that we expect for the pricepaid.

It is so disappointing to findthe gumbo watered down, thestuffing more filler than delight,the smaller portion served, a lessdesirable product being used, etc.,that ultimately give you less thanyou paid for. This can occur in thebest of establishments; the onesyou think you can always counton. They can end up on the sameslippery slope as any of the others.

Don’t be afraid to privatelyvoice your opinion to the manage-ment. Take them aside and letthem know that you expect yourmoney’s worth, and that you knowwhen you’re being exploited. Agood manager will appreciate anhonest, courteous evaluation andwill respond appropriately.

A dishonest operator is notinterested in your wellbeing any-way, but at least you’ll have thesatisfaction of letting them knowthat you know what they’re up to,and that your circle of friends willbe so informed. Always let yourfriends know of good deals, valuesand opportunities—as well as anyof the rip-offs you encounter.

IT’S COMPLICATEDAlbertson’s is featuring the

Monopoly game promotion againthis year. They’ve added a twist:an Internet piece is included inthe packet, which must bechecked on-line. Talk about apain—you’re required to jumpthrough multiple hoops to checkon your game ticket code’s out-come. Each ticket code requires

By George “Tip” Cline

Restaurant Wars


several steps to enter; there isn’t away to just keep entering yourticket codes, one after another, asyou wind up having several codesto check from most shoppingexpeditions. You would think thatthey could make it a little easier.I’ve quit checking my tickets online—too much aggravation.

HIGHWAY DEATH DECREASEDUE TO LESS DRIVERS

It was nice to see that highwaydeaths are down to levels not seensince the 1950s. There are multi-ple reasons for this. Unfortunately,some of the bloom is off the rosedue to the lackluster economy weare experiencing. You don’t driveas much when you don’t have ajob to commute back and forthfrom, or don’t have as muchmoney to pay for fuel for non-essential travel.

With all the cell phoning, tex-ting and other distracting prac-tices drivers do while on the road,we can only wonder how high thetoll would be in a strong economy.People will continue to eat, sip adrink and converse with otherswhile they are traveling, regardlessof safety considerations. It’s onlyhuman nature to multi-task whenpossible. We can only hope thatwhile they’re dealing with thesedistractions, they can keep theireyes on the road.

NOT A BIG DEALHave you noticed that the ven-

dors of the 12-packs of Cokes andother cold drinks are now adver-tising that at $4 per 12-pack, it isonly 33 cents per can? Wherewere the signs when the 12-packwas $1.88 or $2.50? They didn’tbother to point out the per-canprice of 16 cents or 21 cents then.

This is just another marketinggimmick to make you think you’regetting a good deal when you’vejust been taken advantage ofagain. Don’t be swayed by decep-tive advertising. The vendors needto make a profit and costs are ris-ing, but trying to make you thinkthat something is a bargain, whenit’s not, is not a good way to dobusiness. TJN


What’sCookin’

If you have a recipe and story youwould like to share, e-mail us [email protected]

The Boiling Point in Sulphur has been the go-to place for patrons seeking mouth-wateringseafood for Lent for the past 28 years.

The restaurant was born out of a career shiftfor owner John Williams when an injury suddenlystopped his career as a welder.

“My wife Ramona and I had to really sit downand think about what I was going to do,” Johnsaid. “She simply said that I should open a restau-rant because I was such a good cook.” The rest ishistory.

John opened his first restaurant in 1992 onRuth Street and called it John’s Place, and still hasthe employees he started with all of those years

ago, including his two daughters, Lori and Lani. With a staff of 25,The Boiling Point now serves

over 300 people a day and also has a cateringservice and meat market. Serving up a whopping1,100 lbs. of crawfish, 300 lbs. of sausage, and 300lbs. of boudin before 8 a.m. keeps them busy.They also sell holiday turkeys, boiled and livecrabs and crawfish along with a full line of home-made desserts including peanut butter fudge,carrot cake, pecan pie, banana nut bread, home-made jerky, and cracklings.

You might know The Boiling Point from thebare-behind cook on the billboard along the I-10Eastbound corridor. “That’s my grandson Cohen.

He’s six now and will soon be replaced by his littlesister on a new ad campaign.” Look for Chloe’sdebut at 11 months old on the new billboardcoming soon.

The Boiling Point has been voted “BestRestaurant” by the National Guide of Restaurants.“We’re so happy that people love what we love;our food,” John said. His favorite part of the job ismeeting the people. “We just try our best tomake everyone happy.”

Below is John’s recipe for boiled crawfish thatwill brighten the days of Lent—minus thesausage, of course!

Boiling Over atThe Boiling Point

TJN

Pictured from left to right: Angel Courville, Brenda Williamson,John Williamson, and Lori Quelle.


INGREDIENTS FOR THE BOIL• 8 large lemons• 1 bag onions• 1 bag small red potatoes• 8-10 ears of corn • 4 large cloves garlic• 1 large pack of mushrooms• 1 pack of smoked sausage from

The Boiling Point• 16 oz. bottle LA hot sauce• 8 oz. bottle crab boil• 1 bag of Crab and Shrimp Boil• 3 boxes of salt• 40 lb. sack of crawfish (or more

depending on how many people are being served)

• Large bag of ice (do not use to ice beer down)

PREPARATION• Cut lemons, onions, and garlic in

half and put to the side.• Fill crawfish pot a little less than

half full of water, light fire, and bringto a boil.

• Add hot sauce, crab boil, and 2boxes of salt to the pot.

• Add crawfish, water, and ½ a boxof salt to a large washtub to purge

them. After 5-10 minutes, emptywater, add remaining salt andwash them a second time. Makesure to remove any dead fish,grass, or trash from the crawfishat this time. Making sure thecrawfish are purged and veryclean is essential to ending upwith a tasty product in the end.

• By this time, the water shouldbe boiling, so squeeze the juicefrom the lemons into the pot anddiscard the rind.

• Add potatoes, garlic, mush-rooms and onions to the pot,and boil for 10 minutes.

• After 10 minutes, add craw-fish to boiling water. Coverthem and bring back to a boil.

• Boil for 2 ½ to 3 minutesdepending on size of crawfish.

• After the crawfish has boiled for3 minutes maximum, turn off burnerand add large bag of ice. This willprevent the crawfish from overcook-ing, as well as make them very juicy.

• Add the ears of corn at this time.Let crawfish soak for 15-20 minutesor for desired seasoning level.

DIPPING SAUCE• Ketchup• Horseradish• Tabasco• Lemon

For a seafood dipping sauce, takesome ketchup, add horseradish and

Tabasco to taste, and finish with asqueeze of fresh lemon juice. Mixand dip.

Enjoy! TJN

Crawfish Boil


On Jan. 17, a 7.0 magnitudeearthquake left much of the island ofHaiti devastated and the survivors ina state of chaos. In Haiti’s capital,Port-au-Prince, the health care infra-structure was all but destroyed. Basichuman needs such as food, clothingand shelter were practically non-existent. It is estimated that theearthquake directly affected morethan 3 million people and killed over200,000, with the death toll expectedto rise.

Weeks later, the medical needs ofthe people of Haiti continued toescalate at an alarming rate.

In response to the crisis,Southwest Louisiana’s own MelanieGentry; Molly Hagen; and KarenCarr; all R.N.s, embarked on a mis-sion to provide medical help. Thethree clinicians from CHRISTUS St.Patrick Hospital, with over 90 yearsof combined clinical experience,departed with 21 other associateswith CHRISTUS Health’s Task Forceon Feb. 20. In partnership with theUniversity of Miami Miller School of

Medicine, the team served the peo-ple of Haiti for over a week.

The team was comprised of awide range of clinical specialistsfrom across the CHRISTUS system,including anesthesiologists, sur-geons, certified registered nurseanesthetists, registered nurses withoperating room expertise, and twospiritual care providers. Leading theteam was CHRISTUS Health CEODr. Thomas Royer, a general sur-geon.

The group traveled with medicalsupplies and medication. “We hadover 3,000 pounds of supplies donat-ed by various CHRISTUS vendors,but everything was pretty much jum-bled up,” Carr said. “Finding thingswas pretty much a challenge,” Haganadded.

Their 240-bed hospital at the edgeof the Port-au-Prince airport was afour-tent compound with a woodenfloor, supported by steel beams. Themakeshift hospital was set up with

four operating rooms, sharing thespace with the Intensive Care Unit,which only had room for fourstretchers. There were four operatingtables (one earmarked for pediatriccases) separated by cubicle walls.The tables were 2 x 4s placed onwobbly wooden “legs” (sawhorseswere most commonly used). Storagetook up most of the space in theback end of the tent.

The operating rooms had no run-ning water, so hands were washed inbasins of water, followed by a gener-ous amount of germicide.Anesthesia was available, but generalanesthesia was not used often, sobaby deliveries were performedwithout an epidural.

After they were used, surgicalinstruments were dropped into abasin of diluted bleach solution.After soaking, they were hand-washed, then soaked again in thebleach solution for 10 minutes.

They were rinsed again, and thensoaked for three more minutes invodka. After that, the instrumentswere dried with sterile towels, andwere ready to be used again. “Weran out of vodka once, so rubbingalcohol was used,” Hagan said.

The workday lasted an average of21 hours, with 15 to 20 surgical casesa day. By the end of their stay, theteam had handled 84 cases, whichincluded wound debridements(cleaning/removing foreign objectsfrom a wound), burn and infectiontreatment, appendix removal, deliv-eries, and so much more.

As you can imagine, the tropicalweather was stifling. Although thetemperature in the operating roomwas a little better due to air condi-tioning vents, the air-conditioningcould not keep up most of the time.

One of the biggest problems thenurses encountered was keeping fliesoff wounds during surgery.

By Maria Alcantara Faul

Their homes destroyed,earthquake victims are now

living in makeshift tents.

Karen Carr, Melanie Gentry, Dr. Thomas Royer, and Molly Hagen


“There seemed to be no way toget rid of them, since the doors tothe surgical/ICU tent was alwaysopening and closing,” Gentry said.A partial solution to the problemwas placing a bloody piece of clothat the end of the OR table. The flieswould find the piece of cloth, andthey would stay there instead of onan open wound.

“Every standard we were trainedin was broken,” Carr said. “But weworked as safely as possible. Theenvironment was completely differ-ent from what we are used to. Itwas physically challenging…we asmedical professionals had to useour McGyver skills every so often.”

“Sterile supplies would fall offthe tables, and you just pickedthem up and went about your busi-ness,” Hagan added.

Gentry recalled that one of thesawhorses holding the operatingroom table fell during a procedure.“The surgeon simply held the tableup while I crawled under the tableto put the sawhorses back,” shesaid.

Everything the medical teambrought was used for something orother. For example, flashlights illu-minated wounds during surgery.

“Most of the surgeons broughtbattery-powered headlights for sur-gery, but it just wasn’t’ enough,”Gentry said. “We often wonderedwhy our shoulders would hurt atthe end of the day. Then we’d real-ize it’s because we’d been holdingthe flashlights all this time duringsurgery.”

Part 2: The Nurses Have aMeltdown TJN


CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospitalhas established the CHRISTUS St.Patrick Arrhythmia Center, an accessand assessment center, to address theneeds of individuals with atrial fibril-lation, a problem that is often consid-ered a minor health problem, buttroublesome for the patient.

The Arrhythmia Center includesthe following services:• Free consultation appointments

with EKG,• Appropriate referral based on

individual’s need,• Resource and information on the

condition at www.christusarrhythmiacenter.org, and

• Follow-up and data collection, outcomes performance.

“Learning about what causes afib,what behaviors increase your risk ofoccurrences, and the prevalence ofassociated medical conditions mayhelp you understand why the mini-maze is the optimal treatment optionfor you,” says CardiovascularSurgeon, Xavier Mousset, M.D.

Atrial Fibrillation is the most com-mon cardiac arrhythmia. During any

cardiac arrhythmia, the heart’srhythm is disrupted causing abnor-mal contractions of the heart muscle.Atrial Fibrillation is a unique cardiacarrhythmia that directly affects theupper chambers of the heart.

Atrial fibrillation occurs whenirregular electrical impulses initiatedin the left atrium disrupt the preci-sion of cardiac conduction. Theseelectrical impulses move across bothatria, they cause erratic, fast, flutterycontractions that disrupt proper fullcontractions of the atria.

Not only is the atria unable tocontract as a whole chamber, whichsignificantly reduces its ability topump blood into the ventricles, butthe rapidity of the atria’s contractionsinterferes with the precise rhythmbetween the atria and the ventricles.The rhythm of the ventricles tends tobe much slower than the atria duringatrial fibrillation, which distinguishesatrial fibrillation from atrial tachycar-dia and atrial flutter.

To learn more about theArrhythmia Center or to schedule aconsultation, call (337) 430-3400.

TJN


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If you visit a number of Lake Area shops, you can’t miss it. It’sdisplayed on the door or window of many locally-owned busi-

nesses, including: 505 Imports, Budget Blinds of LakeCharles, Closet Tailors of Lake Charles, Renew Medical

Spa, Webteknologie LLC, Whisk & Ladle, Glam & GlossDay Spa, Social Denim, Pink & Blue Avenue, Misha’s

Pets, Club Tabby, and Treesajane Shoe Salon.This widely-visible symbol – a green gift tag

with white letters, “LA” on top, “SG” on bottom – isthe logo for Lake Area Shoppe Girls, a pioneeringcoalition of 20 local women-owned businessesdetermined to work together to defend the region’shomegrown economy from takeover by nationaland global chains.

Lake Area Shoppe Girls was founded bySharlene Boyle and Rebekah Dressler, the

mother/daughter team who are the co-owners of505 Imports in Lake Charles.

“All of our businesses are locally owned bywomen, and our message is definitely a ‘buy local’

campaign,” Dressler said. “We have a small, belovedcommunity that we would like to see prosper, even in

these current economic times. By seeking out local storeswhenever possible, it helps the entire community flourish.

Big chain stores have their place, but it is detrimental to localbusinesses if consumers only shop the big chains.”

By Lisa Yates with photos by Jenny Bono Photography


Founded inFebruary of 2009, Lake

Area Shoppe Girl’s primary mission isto promote the individual businessesand to support the 3/50 Project, agrass roots movement dedicated tosaving the local economy. The goal ofthe movement is to encourage you tothink of three local businesses thatyou would miss if these shops/ser-vices disappeared and collectively,between the three businesses, spend$50 per month in support of thosebusinesses.

Dressler discussed the idea of analliance with other local businesswomen. She said they recognized thatthey all faced common challenges andthat their prosperity depended in parton one another’s survival.

“The first four meetings were heldonce a month at Terra Cotta’s, and thegroup grew and expanded eachmonth,” she said. “Then a decisionwas made to meet in a different busi-ness each week, so that each membercould be familiar with their fellowmember’s businesses.”

The idea for Lake Area ShoppeGirls began in December, 2008, whenDressler was one of 15 national win-ners of a contest for entrepreneurialwomen called “Make Mine a MillionDollar Business.” Sponsored by the“Count Me In” organization, the con-test took place in Miami and featuredsome of the top women businessowners in the country.

After three days of meeting, com-peting and bonding with womenentrepreneurs, Boyle and Dresslerdecided that there was power in num-bers. They came back to LakeCharles, started calling on womenbusiness owners in the area, andarranged a meeting with them toencourage and support their localbusinesses.

“Lake Area Shoppe Girls wasformed to provide resources, supportand connections for women entrepre-neurs,” Dressler said. “It is our mis-

sion to provide economic independ-ence and entrepreneurial success toany woman with a dream or aspira-tion to start a business or to make acurrent business more successful.”

She said the group meets once amonth and participates in local eventssuch as Mistletoe & Moss, the HomeShow, and Taste of Home CookingSchool. Dressler said they use cross-promotional marketing techniques tohelp each other’s businesses.

“It is encouraging and inspiring tosee what others have accomplished,”she said. “It is beneficial to worktogether, to bounce ideas off eachother, and to participate in jointadvertising and marketing campaigns.We especially enjoy the camaraderieand social aspects of the group aswell. We have FUN!”

Who can join?Dressler said the group is open to

new members, as long as there are nocompetitive problems with an existingmember.

“We try to achieve variety withinthe group, and we prefer to have onebusiness per industry. However, thereis a mutual respect and support for allbusinesses; we are not opposed toseveral members within the sameindustry, if there are no conflicts,” shesaid.

Dues are $25 a year. Dressler saidsome of the benefits include profes-sional discounts.

“We offer each other discounts forgoods and services, ranging from 10-40 percent,” she said. “We also sup-port and participate in each other’sbusinesses, and we share ideas, infor-mation and strategies for success.”

Dressler said it’s not a requirementof Shoppe Girls to be young and hip,but most of the members are savvy,forward-thinking entrepreneurs whojust so happen to be young and ener-getic as well.

“By pulling together, we hope notonly to maintain the number of cur-rent locally-owned shops, but also togrow that number exponentially,” shesaid. “Growth of small businesseswould be tremendous for our com-munity … not only for jobs but forconsumer’s happiness and well beingin their community.”

Samantha Hebert, owner ofCloset Tailors of Lake Charles, is anenthusiastic member of Lake AreaShoppe Girls, proudly displayingthe logo on her office window.

“We are our own little network-ing group of women who shareeverything from business successesand leads to advertising ideas, whatworks and what doesn’t,” she said.“If you are a female business owner,then you need to join us!”

Her business, Closet Tailors ofLake Charles, located at 3109Common Street, Suite 114, in LakeCharles serves customers through-out Southwest Louisiana, designingand installing customized closets,garages, pantries, Murphy Beds,laundry rooms and more.

Hebert, 38, said her businessesslogan is “Organized for Life.”

“Our design process is tailoredto each client’s needs and wants,”she said. “No two designs are thesame. For example, if I am meetingwith a client about their closet, Itake into account their wardrobeand habits. I need to know: do theylike their pants hung from the waistor folded over? Are they right-handed, or left-handed? Are they

trying to eliminate a dresser fromthe bedroom? Do they hang or foldtheir sweaters? It would be uselessto design a closet with shelves tohold 25 pairs of shoes when theclient actually owns 50 pairs ofshoes.”

She said it’s the same processorganizing a garage.

“If the client is storing holidayTupperware, we measure theTupperware and design the cabinetryto ensure it will fit in the cabinets,”Hebert said. “We are very detailed inthe design process. In addition, wehave 3D software that helps the clientvisualize what the space will look likewhen the instillation is complete. It’simportant to use every inch of squarefootage the client has. Wasted spaceis a big no-no.”

She said Closet Tailors will behosting an open house on Tues.,April 13, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Visit online atwww.closettailors.com/lakecharles,e-mail [email protected],or call (337) 564-0322, for moreinformation. Hours for the businessare 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday, and after hours byappointment.

Samantha Hebert,owner of Closet

Tailors of LakeCharles


Renew Medical Spa is a serene, elegantlydesigned sanctuary to gently ease away the pres-sures and stresses of the outside world. It’s also atrue medical spa.

Amy Springer, R.N., who co-owns the busi-ness with her husband, Steve Springer, M.D., isanother enthusiastic member of Lake AreaShoppe Girls. She joined for peer support.

“The opportunity to share successes, ideas forimprovement, staff management and growthgoals with other women is priceless,” she said.“Each person brings years of life and businessexperience to the table. I think it’s a wonderfulway to grow personally and professionally.”

She said one of the benefits Shoppe Girlsoffers is support for each other’s businesses.

“For example, Renew offers handmade jewel-ry by LilyBrooke Designs which is owned bySuzanne Johnson who is a member,” Springersaid. “Our beautiful décor is from 505 Importswhich is owned by members Rebekah Dresslerand Sharlene Boyle.”

Located at 601 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive inLake Charles, Renew Medical Spa is known forbringing Southwest Louisiana the most effectivenon-surgical cosmetic solutions available.

Springer said cosmetic proce-dures are becoming easier, lesspainful and less expensive. Shesaid you may be surprised to learnthat yesterday’s traumatic cosmeticsurgery is today’s simple injection.

“We want to educate our clientson the differences in what’s avail-

able on the market today,” she said. “Renew nowoffers the state-of-the-art FDA approved Cuteralaser for skin tightening, pore reduction, wrinklereduction, permanent hair reduction for all skintypes, and treatments for sun damage andRosacea. We also treat acne.”

Botox and Juvederm injections, and Latisseare also available. Browse www.renewmed-icalspaswla.com for detailed information on allof the laser, injection and aesthetician proce-dures offered.

The extensive menu at Renew also includesfacials, massages and skin care product lines,including Obagi Medical Skin Care products,Colorescience mineral make-up and EminenceOrganics skin and body products.

Springer said her highly-qualified staff iscommitted to making your skin and overallappearance the absolute best it can be.

“In celebration of Earth Month, now throughthe end of April, receive a complimentary relax-ing organic facial with your Eminence Organicspurchase.”

Call (337) 436-3840 to schedule a consultation.

Amy Springer,owner of

RenewMedical

Spa

Pho

to s

ubm

itted


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Dr. Gladys Miller received her medical degree from LSU School ofMedicine in Shreveport and performed her residency in obstetricsand gynecology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She isalso a registered pharmacist with a degree from NortheastLouisiana University. Dr. Miller, a native of Lake Charles,began her practice in the New Orleans area in 1986.

109 W. LaGrange, Lake Charles • (337) 477-6868

Salon Evans has 7 stylists to take care of your hair care needs.Continuing education assures you of the latest styles and products!

AVAILABLE ONLY AT SALON EVANS: The Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy a CHEMICAL FREE straightening system.

If you have a little girl, you’veprobably already been to Club Tabbyinside Prien Lake Mall.

Owners Natalie Comeaux andChristie Harmon opened the busi-ness two and a half years ago andnow proudly display the Lake AreaShoppe Girls logo in their storewindow.

“We decided to become part ofthe L.A. Shoppe Girls because we feltit would provide us with supportfrom other local business owners aswell as opening opportunities wemay not have had otherwise,”Comeaux said.

The founders of Club Tabbyworked together in the health careindustry for 10 years before decidingto leave their traditional jobs and gointo business for themselves. Withtheir daughters Tatum and Abby inmind, they formed Club Tabby, aretail store offering little girls every-thing from makeovers to costumesand customized birthday parties.

Comeaux said Club Tabby is thego-to place for the newest trend-set-ting items in the marketplace cou-pled with pampering services thatwill have any little girl feeling special.

“Every little girl dreams of beingthe center of attention whether it’sbeing a movie star, a rock star or a

princess,” she said. “Why notembrace that feeling and let ClubTabby host her next special occasionparty? From a limo pick-up to thecatwalk, every aspect will be part of aday she will always remember.”

This month Club Tabby is featur-ing a March Madness promotion,which includes: 10 percent off itemson the store’s “green walls,” a “2 for$20” Webkinz, and a circulating“coupon machine.” Club Tabby isalso launching details about itsTerrific Second Annual SummerCamp, which will be held for fourweeks starting June 14.

“We have many new excitingdevelopments in our business,”Comeaux said. “We are constantlyadding to our product line. And,we’re growing our brand by openingnew franchises. We are seeking quali-fied franchisees who may be interest-ed in pursuing a retail opportunitywith Club Tabby in the girls’ special-ty retail market.”

For more information, call(337) 478-3600; [email protected], [email protected]. Visitonline at www.clubtabby.com or inperson at 676 W. Prien Lake Mall inLake Charles. The store is open 10a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday throughSaturday; and, noon to 6 p.m. onSunday.

Christie Harmon and Natalie Comeaux, owners of Club Tabby LLC


Mediterranean Inspired Cuisine for Lunch, Dinner and Events.

Lunch & Dinner Specials DailyDine-in or on our patio overlooking Contraband BayouTue.-Sat. 11am-10pm

The New Rachelle is ablend of old favoritesand new flavors!

Michelle Woodyear, who co-ownsWebteknologie with business partnerCurtis McBroom, is developing LakeArea Shoppe Girls’ official Web site:www.lashoppegirls.com.

Woodyear said her business isdeveloping professional, contentmanagement Web sites that areremarkably easy for clients to main-tain. She also develops develops cus-tom Web applications for businesses.

“We go beyond developing Websites,” she said. “We partner with ourcustomers to design solutions to taketheir business to the next level.”

Webteknologie is located in theFirst Mortgage Building, across fromthe Target Shopping Center, at 1601W. Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles.Business hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,Monday through Friday; or anytimeonline at www.webteknologie.com.

Woodyear grew up in a family ofentrepreneurs. She said opening abusiness is something she alwayswanted to do.

“My husband really encouragedand supported my decision to leave agreat corporate job and strike out onmy own,” she said. “After about ayear, I felt a bit isolated and over-whelmed, so I partnered with anoth-er Web designer, Curtis McBroom.Our individual talents and skillscomplement each other and allow us

to serve our customers better.”Currently, they are working on an

innovative iPhone application thatWebteknologie will market national-ly in the next year!

Woodyear said she decided tobecome a part of Shoppe Girls inorder to work with other womenentrepreneurs.

“Women think about businessdifferently and have innovativeideas,” she said. “Networking withother business owners who are fac-ing similar business challenges is amajor benefit of our group. It’s greatto have another business owner as athinking partner, someone tobounce ideas off of; that’s somethingI miss from my days working for alarger corporation.”

Like many business women,Woodyear thinks finding a balancebetween work and family is important.

“One of the best parts of being anentrepreneur is the ability to set myown schedule,” she said. “I have beenable to really put my family first andvolunteer more in the community.My daughter Carli is heavily involvedin theatre, so my husband Mark and Ispend many hours volunteering andwe love it!”

To learn more, call (337) 377-8536, or e-mail [email protected].

Michelle Woodyear,owner of

Webteknologie, LLC


725 RYAN ST. • LAKE CHARLES(337) 436-5454

Straight Razor Cuts Balayage Highlighting Technique

Color CorrectionScalp Massage

LindsayDuplechainOwner/Stylist

Adrien LylesStylist

Zina GreenMakeup Artist By Appointment

Neali DeRamus PerkinsStylist

LOCATED IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN

Treesajane Shoe Salon is quickly becom-ing Southwest Louisiana’s premier shoeboutique with its exquisite selection ofshoes, bags and accessories.

Patricia “Pat” King, a native of LakeCharles, opened the business just over ayear ago.

“Opening a fashion store has been a life-long dream, and respectfully, that dreamcame to reality in the way of a shoe andaccessories venue,” she said.

Located in the Hollyhill Plaza, at 1413West Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles,Treesajane Shoe Salon offers convenientparking and attentive service once youenter the store. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4p.m., Saturday.

King said her store specializes in up-to-date footwear fashion and accessories youwon’t find anywhere else in town.

“Treesajane’s strives to bring new andinnovative footwear brands to the LakeCharles area, providing you with more thandepartment store brands,” she said. “Ourmarket trips are always made with our cus-tomers in mind.”

She said her aim is toget a feel for your per-sonal style and to assistyou in enhancing yourpersonal appearancewith quality, comfort-able and stylish footwear

and accessories.King, a new member of Lake Area

Shoppe Girls, said she hopes to grow herbusiness through this unique networkingopportunity.

“Treesajane has recently become a part ofthe Shoppe Girls entity and we look forwardto sharing innovative ideas, suggestions andstories of success with this wonderful groupof professional ladies,” she said.

Like the other Shoppe Girls, King believesthe key to a strong economy is supportingsmall businesses in the community andbringing great products to the marketplace.

“Treesajane is motivated to continue ourpart in community growth by providing ourarea with the most current trends in footwearand accessory products,” she said.

She invites you to come by TreesajaneShoe Salon, “where you can always put yourbest foot forward.”

For more information about TreesajaneShoe Salon, call (337) 564-4898, or [email protected].

Patricia King, owner ofTreesajane Shoe Salon


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Experienced Professional Staff • Most Insurance Accepted

4710 Common St., Suite A • (337) 564-5769www.theporchcoffeehouse.com

Like many area business women, LeahWhite, owner of the local Budget Blinds fran-chise, is a goal-setter.

“I set high goals to keep my business grow-ing,” she said. “Status quo is not an option.”

One of the things she did to grow her busi-ness is join Lake Area Shoppe Girls.

“Getting and giving good ideas for businesshas been the major benefit of being part of theShoppe Girl Group,” White said.

Her business, Budget Blinds of Lake Charles,serves homeowners and businesses inSouthwest Louisiana, offering complimentaryin-home or business estimates and consulta-tions, professional measuring and installation,and a rich selection of quality window treat-ments including shutters, blinds, draperies,

shades, awnings and window film. You can find all of the top-

name brands at BudgetBlinds of Lake Charles,

including “Norman

Shutters,” “KathyIreland Home by Alta,”“Lafayette,” “Castec”and “Signature Series byBudget Blinds.”

White said her businessis consistently ranked in thetop 30 of the 1,000 Budget Blindsfranchises in the country.

“The community has been extremelyresponsive to our fast, friendly and affordablewindow treatment services,” she said.

Right now, you can get 30 percent off select“Signature Series by Budget Blinds” windowtreatments. Call (337) 436-2323 for details, orvisit online atwww.budgetblinds.com/lakecharles.

Budget Blinds is located at 1827 Ryan Streetin Lake Charles. Store hours are from 8 a.m. tonoon, and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Leah White,owner of Budget Blinds of Lake Charles


Christina Babcock recentlyjoined Shoppe Girls and is lookingforward to working with the womenin the group.

“I think being a part of theShoppe Girls group is a great way toget to know the women who makeLake Charles the unique communityit is,” she said.

She co-owns Misha’s Pets withTiger O’Quain. Their pet store offersa full line of pets and supplies withtwo locations in SouthwestLouisiana: 307 W. Napoleon inSulphur; and, 3459 Nelson Road inLake Charles.

Their Sulphur store, whichopened in 2000, specializes in rep-tiles, aquarium maintenance andavian husbandry. In 2005, theyopened a second location in LakeCharles.

“The Lake Charles location iswhere we carry our ‘boutique’ lines,offering luxury items for pets as wellas gifts for humans, such as breed-specific artwork,” Babcock said.

“At our Lake Charles location, welike to brag that we carry clothingand accessories from smaller manu-facturers, therefore giving our cus-tomers a unique selection and quali-ty not found in the retail giants. Butbesides that, we feel it’s important tosupport the other small businesses inour industry. We are constantly

looking for new lines that are hand-crafted and eco-friendly.”

Dress up your pet, snap a photo,and enter it in Misha’s Cutest CanineContest. Babcock said the $2 entryfee benefits Relay for Life. She saidyou can drop off your entries atMisha’s Lake Charles store through-out the month of March.

Knowing the economy has beentough, Babcock started a frequentbuyer program for pet owners whopurchase Nutro Ultra and ScienceDiet products.

“This program is only available atMisha’s Pets and our customers cansign up anytime,” she said. “No timeto drop by the pet store and pick upa bag of food? Misha’s will soon beoffering a dog food delivery service.Give us a call for more information.”

You can reach Misha’s Pets ofLake Charles at (337) 480-3738; and,Misha’s Pets of Sulphur at (337) 527-PETS. Be sure to ask about low costspay/neutering services availablethrough the rescue organization,Animal Angels.

“The great thing about owning apet store is the variety of people andanimals you get to meet on a dailybasis,” she said. “Whether we’re help-ing someone by offering advice, tak-ing in animals they can no longercare for, or dressing a Maltese in acashmere sweater, each day has itsown rewards,” she said.

Christina Babcock,co-owner ofMisha’s Pets


If you can think it, we can plan it!Princess Tea Parties • Adult Tea Parties • Spa Parties

Fun-N-the-Sun Parties • Pirates • Garden PartiesBug Parties • Bachelorette Parties • Murder Mysteries

Extras:Candy Buffett • Onsite Child Care Services

Lite Catering

Contact Starr Muro(337) 309-5985 • E-mail: [email protected]

A Wedding Tradition Since 1962

1025 Ryan St. • 433-3637 www.navarras.com

At Pink & Blue Avenue, you willfind everything you need to careand provide for your baby.

Owners Therese Deroche andRegina Ledet opened the business inJune of 2007, responding to thegrowing demand for breastfeedingproducts, services and resources inSouthwest Louisiana.

Located at 4080 Nelson Road,Suite 200, in Lake Charles, Pink &Blue Avenue is a nursing specialtystore to help mothers facilitate orenhance their breastfeeding experi-ence.

Deroche said Pink & Blue is a“one stop shop” for expectant andnew parents interested in breast-feeding, offering a full line of nurs-ing products.

“The mission of our store is toprovide guaranteed excellent cus-tomer service,” she said. “We pro-vide custom nursing bra fittingsalong with advice on how to findthe perfect bra; a place to weighyour baby; an extensive line of pre-emie to 24 month apparel; breast

pumps for sale or rent along withadvice on how to pick out the per-fect pump; baby shower registries;and, a large selection of specialtybaby items.”

In addition to running the store’sdaily operations, Deroche works asan outpatient lactation consultantfor the Children’s Clinic ofSouthwest Louisiana. This marriedmother of three is a native of NewOrleans and has been a registerednurse since 1992, and a board certi-fied lactation consultant since 2002.

Co-owner Regina Ledet works asa lactation consultant and prenataleducator for Women’s & Children’sHospital. She’s a native of Sulphurand is married with two children. Inaddition, Ledet has been a registerednurse since 1997, and a board certi-fied lactation consultant since 2005.

Together, these Shoppe Girlshave been providing support fornew families for the past 18 years.

To learn more, call (337) 477-6587, visit online at www.pinkand-blueavenue.com, or [email protected].

Regina Ledet and Therese Deroche, owners of Pink & Blue Avenue


Chef Tate Alderson and Blair MosesTadlock are rising stars in the catering area.

In January of 2009, they opened Whisk &Ladle - a boutique-style catering companythat offers turn-key service and irresistibleculinary creations at various locations, fromvenues to local residences.

Alderson, 31, completed her classicaltraining from Le Cordon Bleu CookingSchool in Portland, Oregon. She worked inseveral West Coast restaurants before com-ing to Louisiana, where she worked underChef Susan Spicer at her renowned restau-rant Bayona in New Orleans.

Tadlock, 28, graduated Louisiana StateUniversity, married and then returned to hernative Lake Charles with a nearly two-year-old son. She said her love for entertainingguests and seeing people enjoy each other’scompany led her into the catering industry.

From assisting you with the perfect menuto coordinating memorable entertainingexperiences, this young energetic team atWhisk & Ladle can make it happen.

“We are a catering business that will cus-tom create menus for ourclients as well as createdishes based on our clients’needs and dietary require-ments,” Tadlock said. “Forexample, one of our clientsasked us to do a birthdayparty with a Spanish theme

where we were asked to do a paella demon-stration followed by a four course meal forher friends and family.”

Tadlock said there was a need for thisunique catering business in SouthwestLouisiana.

“We wanted to bring truly delicious foodto the Lake Area and to give our clients theability to dictate what items they would liketo eat and enjoy,” she said. “We also wantedto be able to help our clients learn to cookwell by offering a series of cooking classes.”

She said membership in Lake AreaShoppe Girls has helped to grow the newbusiness.

“Being able to bounce ideas off of otherbusiness owners, steering us in the rightdirection and avoiding trial and error mis-takes has been extremely beneficial to us,”she said.

For more information, call (337) 540-3027; e-mail [email protected];or visit online at www.whiskandladlellc.com.

Blair Tadlock and Tate Alderson, owners

of Whisk & Ladle


Whether it’s a pair of designerjeans, or a stunning cocktail dress,you can find spring’s hottest trends atSocial Denim.

“This season is full of color andfabulous prints,” said owner JuliWilson. “We have lots of beautifulBohemian maxi dresses and tunictops arriving daily. In the denimdepartment, look for lighter shadesand distressed denim. Of course, theboyfriend jean is back and betterthan ever.”

She said what’s new for 2010 isSocial Swim – a collection ofswimwear and cover ups you won’tfind anywhere else.

“The concept behind SocialDenim is to provide unique designercollections to the women of LakeCharles,” Wilson said. “I carry linesthat are exclusive to Social Denimand can’t be found between Houstonand Baton Rouge.”

Wilson used what she learned inthe fashion industry working in LosAngeles and brought hard to finddesigner to the Lake Area.

“I travel to market in L.A. andNew York, and try to always have thelatest cutting edge fashions,” she said.

Her premium denim collectionincludes: True Religion, WilliamRast, J Brand, Joe’s Jeans, 7 for allMankind, Paige Premium Denim,Citizens of Humanity, Hudson, andPRVCY. Other apparel lines includeElla Moss, T-Bags, Splendid, Voom,Interlude, Akiko, Frock, and Bobi.

Last season, Wilson introducedSocial Dress, a new division withinSocial Denim.

“It had really taken off,” she said.“The collection includes day dress-es, cocktail dresses and beautifulblouses.”

Wilson has a lot of exciting plansfor this season, too.

“We have lots of exciting eventsgoing on downtown during themonth of April,” she said. “Pleasevisit us during the spring art walk onApril 9, and April 22, at the WhiteLinen Party. Also, Saturday cham-pagne brunches will be back by pop-ular demand.”

Social Denim is located at 706Ryan Street in downtown LakeCharles. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 6p.m., Monday through Friday; and,noon to 5 p.m., Saturday.

For more information, call (337)433-3670; visit online at www.ishop-social.com, orwww.facebook.com/socialfan.

Juli Wilson, owner of Social Denim

When GRAMMY Award winnersEn Vogue came to town, where didthey go for spa services?

Glam-N-Gloss Day Spa, of course.That’s because owners KimberlyDellafosse and Bonnie Cappo cater tothe young, hip crowd who keep upwith the latest trends in the spaindustry.

“We are the only establishmentbetween Houston and New Orleansthat performs MINX,” Dellafossesaid. “MINX is a stylish nail applica-tion for those who prefer wearingtheir natural nails. MINX has beenfeatured on the Real HousewivesReality Series and they are worn bycelebrities such as Beyonce, KimKardasian and Victoria ‘Posh’Beckham. They are very chic.”

She said Glam-N-Gloss Day Spa isa boutique day spa with a menu ofservices that includes a variety ofmassages, facial, pedicures, mani-cures, and make-up application serv-ices. Cosmetic teeth whitening is alsoavailable.

If you like to “spa” with friends,Glam-N-Gloss Day Spa can accom-modate your group with one of its“Glam Galas.”

Dellafosse said the spa’s retail bou-tique is stocked with a line of privatelabel skin care products, accessories,gifts candles and many other “must-have” items.

“In terms of services, we highlyrecommend ‘The Gloss Slipper,’ oursignature pedicure, or a ‘HollywoodGlow,’ our highly-requested intensivehydrating facial,” she said.

She said many of her clients alsocomment about how much they like

the spa’s décor, comparing it to a styl-ish Hollywood boutique.

“The business of ‘spa-ing’ is a verypersonal type of business,” Dellafossesaid. “And, to that effect we believeour uniqueness lies not only in howbeautifully the spa’s décor is present-ed, but also in how we conduct busi-ness. We provide exemplary customerservice. We pamper our clients; and,we work to create a memorable spaexperience … an experience that, webelieve, new clients will love and onethat keeps our regular clients comingback for more.”

Dellafosse said she and Cappo areexcited to partner with other mem-bers of Lake Area Shoppe Girls.

“There are not many venues ororganizations in Lake Charles whereentrepreneurs like Bonnie and I canmeet to network, discuss ideas andverbalize our struggles,” she said. “Sowhen we became aware of ShoppeGirls, we knew that this was the typeof organization that would allow us topartner with other business ownersand learn more at the same time.”

She said they proudly display theShoppe Girls logo at Glam-N-GlossDay Spa, which is located at 414 EastCollege Street in Lake Charles.Business hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.,Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, andSaturday; and, noon to 6 p.m. onWednesday.

Call (337) 313-0222, or [email protected], for moreinformation. Visit online atwww.glamandgloss.com, or atwww.facebook.com/pages/Lake-Charles-LA-Glam-N-Gloss-Day-Spa.

Bonnie Cappo and Kimberly Dellafosse,ownesr of Glam & Gloss Day Spa


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1602 W. McNeese St.

As the owners of 505 Imports,Rebekah Dressler and her motherSharlene Boyle are excited to see theirstore’s furniture and accessories fea-tured in national magazines.

“One of our products was just fea-tured in the Better Homes andGardens spring outdoor publication;and, we have an outdoor lazy chairthat will be featured in an upcomingPaula Dean Magazine issue,”Dressler said.

Dressler said the store first gar-nered national attention in 2009,when Home Accents Today (anational furniture publication)named it as one of the Top 50 RisingStar Retailers in America.

“Getting national recognition is ahuge step for our little local businessin Lake Charles,” she said. “Thebonus is that it drives traffic to ouronline store.”

She said 505 Imports justlaunched its online store:www.505finds.com. Dressler said thecompany is still in the early stages ofdesigning products for the store andgetting them photographed to be putonline.

“Over the next two to fourmonths, we expect our online inven-tory to quadruple,” she said.

Decorating magazines tout themovement towards eco-friendly

products as the top interior designtrend for 2010.

Dressler said that’s something hercompany has been doing since thebusiness began five years ago.

“We actually started introducingsalvaged items – pieces made fromreclaimed teak planks – before itbecame so popular,” she said. “Eventhough some other manufacturers arebeginning to produce similar pieces,there are designs and styles that are inour showroom that are strictly 505.”

The company is well-known forits handmade, solid wood furniturefrom India and Indonesia. Dresslersaid many of the contemporarydesigns come from the owners, staffand even some of the 505 customers.

“We also offer a beautiful customupholstery line with over 600 fabricsto choose from,” she said.

She added more than 150 newpieces of furniture will be arriving inthe showroom this spring!

As founders, Dressler and Boyleproudly display the Lake AreaShoppe Girls logo in the window at505 Imports, located at 1776 W. PrienLake Road, Suite G, in Lake Charles.Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.,Monday through Saturday; and, 1p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

To learn more about 505 Imports,call (337) 480-6505, [email protected]; or visitonline at www.505imports.com.

Rebekah Dressler and Sharlene Boyle,

owners of 505 Imports

TJN


I don’t know about you, butI’m thrilled that spring is finallyhere. We may have lost an hour ofsleep, but the extra daylight morethan makes up for it.

Thoughts of spring invariablyturn to thoughts of Easter. Easters inNew England are different thanEasters down South. In Boston, itcan snow on Easter Sunday. Iremember everyone shivering intheir new spring clothes while thewinds howled and sleet bouncedagainst the stained-glass windows ofSt. Lazarus Church.

That same Easter, we went out todinner with relatives, including mygreat-aunt Rosie, who was pushing90 at the time and living in a nursinghome. We went to The Continentalon Route 1 in Saugus, a venerableinstitution that’s still around to thisday. Auntie Rosie didn’t have anyteeth and refused to wear false teeth,but she wanted ham. Her sonAnthony tried to get her to ordersomething more logical (like soup)but if you knew Auntie Rosie, youknew that when she made up hermind, that was it.

So the ham came, and of course,she couldn’t eat it. I think I was nineat the time, and even I knew that youcan’t eat ham with your gums. Butnaturally, she’s claiming that the ham

is too tough. Soshe’s grumbling

away while the restof us are enjoying our

Easter repast. Then themanager comes over, all smiles, to askus how everything is.

“LOUSY!” Auntie Rosie yells,before any of us can open ourmouths.

Needless to say, that was the lasttime she was taken out to dinner. Shemuch preferred her nursing homefood, anyway.

Ah, the joys of family holidays. It’sfunny that the Auntie Rosie incidentwas the first thing that came to mymind when I thought about theghosts of Easters past. The otherthing that occurred to me was that ofall the people sitting around the tablethat day, I’m the only one who’s stillalive; the only one who can tell thatstory. A sobering thought, indeed.

But Easter, and springtime, is allabout rebirth and renewal and hope.And after an especially cold winter,it’s a joyful thing to see the flowersblooming once again and to knowthat the wheel of the year has turnedto the light.

If we’re happy to have the warmthback— us with our comfortablehomes, heating systems, electric blan-kets and Snuggies, just imagine howexcited the ancient peoples were tohave the mild weather return to theirharsh lives.

THE ORIGINOF EASTER

The ancientSaxons celebrated

the return of springwith a hedonistic festival commemo-rating their goddess of fertility andof springtime, Eostre. As it hap-pened, this pagan festival occurredat the same time of year as theChristian observance of theResurrection of Christ.

So, the second-century Christianmissionaries altered thefestival itself and madeit a Christian celebra-tion as converts wereslowly won over. Theearly name, Eostre,was eventuallychanged to the mod-ern spelling of Easter.

FIRMING UPTHE DATE

Prior to A.D. 325,Easter was celebratedon different days ofthe week, includingFriday, Saturday, andSunday. But in 325,the EmperorConstantine con-vened the Councilof Nicaea. It issuedthe Easter Rule,which states thatEaster shall be cele-brated on the firstSunday that occursafter the first fullmoon on or afterthe vernal equinox.The ecclesiastical

vernal equinox is always on March21. Therefore, Easter must be cele-brated on a Sunday between the datesof March 22 and April 25.

THE EASTER BUNNYAND HIS CANDY GIFTS

The Easter Bunny is not a moderncreation. The goddess Eostre wasworshipped by the Saxons throughher earthly symbol, the rabbit.Known to be copious procreators,rabbits are an ancient symbol of fer-tility and new life.

By Lauren de Albuquerque

My second Easter.


KYKZ 96 will proudly hold our 22nd Annual Easter EggHuntat Bor du Lac Park on the Lake CharlesCivic Center grounds.

The hunt will take off at 10am Friday, April 2nd, 2010.This Mega-Sized Easter Egg hunt is open to all children between

the ages of 2 and 12 years old. There will be thousands ofeggs and lots of prizes. So get your baskets ready and

come join us for the KYKZ 96 Easter Egg hunt!!!

According to some sources, theEaster Bunny first arrived in Americain the 1700s with German immi-grants who settled in Pennsylvania,bringing with them their tradition ofan egg-laying rabbit called“Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Theirchildren made nests for the hare tolay its colored eggs.

Eventually, the custom spreadacross the U.S. and the famous rabbitbecame much more generous, leavingchocolate, candy and gifts. The nestswere replaced with beautifully deco-rated baskets.

According to the NationalConfectioners Association, over 16billion jellybeans are made in the U.S.each year for Easter, enough to fill agiant egg measuring 89 feet high and60 feet wide. That’s a lot of beans!

For the past decade, the top-sell-ing non-chocolate Easter candy hasbeen marshmallow Peeps, first man-ufactured by a Pennsylvania-basedcompany called Just Born (foundedby Russian immigrant Sam Born in1923) back in the 1950s. Everyoneseems to love those gooey yellowchick-shaped marshmallows.

THE EASTER EGG—ANDOTHER TRADITIONAL FOOD

The Easter egg also predates theChristian holiday. Exchanging eggsin the springtime was already a cen-turies-old custom by the time Easterwas first celebrated by Christians.From the earliest times, the egg wasa symbol of rebirth and fertility inmost cultures, including those of theEgyptians, Persians and Romans,who used them during their springfestivals.

As Christianity spread, the eggwas adopted as a symbol of Christ’sresurrection from the tomb.

In Medieval Europe, eggs wereforbidden during Lent. Therefore,when Easter Sunday came around,eggs were featured prominently atthe holiday meal and were a specialEaster gift for children and servants.

When I was little, my motherwould go to the local Italian bakeryand come home with a special breadthat was made only at Easter. It wascalled—what else—Italian EasterBread—or Pane di Pasqua. It was abraided, anise-flavored sweet breaddecorated with hard-boiled eggs, stillin the shell. We would have it forbreakfast, along with prosciutto, thatwonderful thin-sliced dry-curedItalian ham that I can’t get enough of.

And speaking of ham, there’s areason it’s been a long-establishedEaster food. In the early days, meatwas slaughtered in the fall. There

was no refrigeration, so the freshpork that wasn’t eaten during themonths before Lent was cured forspring. The curing process took along time, and the first hams wereready around Easter time, whichmade ham a logical choice for theholiday dinner.

The other favorite is roast lamb.Corresponding to the Passover lamband to Christ, the Lamb of God, thisdish has become a traditional sym-bol of Easter.

NEW CLOTHESAND EASTER PARADES

Why do we buy new clothes forEaster? In the early days, newly bap-tized Christians wore white robes allthrough Easter week to celebratetheir new lives. Those who hadalready been baptized wore newclothes to symbolize sharing theirnew lives with Christ.

In medieval Europe, churchgoerswould take a walk after Easter Mass,led by a priest with a crucifix. Today,these pious walks have morphedinto Easter Parades, where peopleshow off their spring finery.

In New York City, the EasterParade tradition dates back to themid-1800s, when the upper crust ofsociety would attend Easter servicesat various Fifth Avenue churches,and then promenade down theavenue, showing off their new out-fits and hats. Eventually, working-class citizens began to show upalong Fifth Avenue to check out thescene.

In 1948, the film Easter Paradewas released, starring Fred Astaireand Judy Garland and featuring themusic of Irving Berlin. The titlesong includes the lyrics: “In yourEaster bonnet, with all the frillsupon it/You’ll be the grandest ladyin the Easter parade.”

To this day, the Easter Parade tra-dition lives on in New York City.Fifth Avenue from 49th Street to 57thStreet is shut down all day to traffic,and people amble along the streetadmiring various Easter bonnets andEaster outfits—some rather outra-geous. I understand dogs, and evencats, are getting in on the act, too.

Happy Easter and Happy Springto all of our readers! TJN


t was the fall of 1984 in Houston, and the RedShow of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum &Bailey Circus had just completed its last per-formance of the tour. We all hugged each other

and cried as we said our good-byes. We had been likea family during the one-year tour, and many heartswere touched along the way. Some signed on foranother year; rehearsals would start next month. Therest of us were moving on. I had been offered anoth-er year’s contract, but I had other dreams I wanted topursue.

“Come back anytime,” said Kenneth Feld as heshook my hand and wished me well. ”I can alwaysuse a good clown.”

It all began in the spring of 1982. I was studyingengineering at Michigan State University and work-ing at Owen Graduate Hall flipping burgers to helppay tuition.

Since it was a graduate hall, most of the studentswere pretty serious, and I could tell they were undera lot of stress to complete their degree. But one stu-dent was different than the rest. Each time I saw him,he had clown make-up on and tried to do somethingfunny. “Oh, great,” I said to myself each time he camein. “Just what I need today. Can’t he just act normaland order his food like everyone else?”

But he would laugh and carry on until he decidedhe was done. To cut him off early, I finally asked himwhat he was doing in the clown outfit. “I go toLansing each month and take a clown class,” he said ashe kicked up his feet. “It helps me balance the serioustime with the non-serious time. It keeps me sane!”

Sane was not the word I would use to describethis guy, but the class did sounded interesting. Hewent on to say that they learned make-up, juggling,

magic, and balloon sculpturing. Ihad always wanted to learn how tojuggle, and I did need somethingfun to do to balance all my seri-ous classes. So, I called LansingCommunity College andsigned up for the class.

I never could have imag-ined how much fun I wasabout to have, and howmeeting that one individualwould drastically change thecourse of my life.

Learning to clownI clicked with my other classmates immediately.

They all wanted to have fun, too. We becamefriends and worked together as we learned how tobecome a clown. (The make-up part was my leastfavorite!) Of course, my roommates had a fieldday each time I came home in my make-up.

But something amazing happened that wasvery important to me – I started making moneyas a clown. I was paid to do balloon deliveries,and even got a job performing at the mayor ofLansing’s birthday party! What fun—just whatI needed.

One day after class, I was helping myteacher, Al Fast, pack up his props. “Hey, Phil,” heasked. “Would you ever consider traveling withRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus?”

“No way,” I replied, surprised. “I’m finishingmy engineering degree, and then I’m going towork with my father at General Motors.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt your studies,”Al said. “I mean after you get your degree. Takea year off and travel. Then go to work atGeneral Motors. You have something special Ihaven’t seen in years—your combination of

By Phil de Albuquerque

I


talent and love in your heart for people,” he said.“I never thought of it,” I said. “But, I do love to travel and I do love this

clown stuff and making people happy. I guess maybe I would. I don’t know.”Al went on to tell me not to get my hopes up. “Ringling Brothers’ Clown

College is said to be one of the hardest schools to get in to. Over 6,000 peopleapply each year and they accept only around 50 – basically, one from each state.Then you have to beat the odds again when you graduate to be asked to tourwith the circus. But I would be happy to get you an application if you’d like.”

I had nothing to lose. Because it’s a private school, they can ask you any-thing they want. And they did— questions such as “What do you consideryour greatest accomplishment?” “What do you like best about people?” “Whenwas the last time you cried?” I filled out the application and sent it in.

A year went by, and I concentrated on my engineering studies. I continuedmaking some money clowning, and even won second place in a local clowncontest, but I had all but forgotten about my application to Clown College.

Clown College, here I comeOne day, the phone rang. The person on the other end identified himself as

Ron Severini, the Dean of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. Hewas happy to announce that I had beat the odds—I was accepted to the school!

I just knew it was one of my friends joking around. “What’s your number?Can I call you back?” I asked. (This was years before Caller ID.) So I calledback and couldn’t believe it—I really had been accepted. And I found out thatschool started three days after I graduated from Michigan State. What luck!

I decided to do it.I didn’t know how to tell dad. I don’t remember the exact conversation, but

somehow, I was able to tell him that I would just have some fun for ten weeks andthen come back to Michigan and a career with General Motors. I was just takingsome time off between college and a real job. Whew! He was OK with that.

I flew down to Clown College in Sarasota, Florida. Classes were from 8 a.m.to 10 p.m., six days a week for 10 weeks—in an old airplane hangar. Welearned juggling, riding unicycles, stilt walking, water spitting, slaps and falls,make-up, sewing (to this day I do the sewing in our family!), pies in the face,dance, exercise, prop building, stress release, and character building— to namea few. I made some wonderful friends, and learned so much—but I wasexhausted.

After ten weeks, I was ready to go home to a desk job at General Motors.The last day of class was a “final exam” performance for the owner of

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus—Mr. Irvin Feld, who alsoowned Disney On Ice and Siegfried and Roy’s show. He would watch the per-formance with a close eye and choose who would receive a contract with thecircus. Since the school was tuition-free, we all signed an agreement before westarted that we would travel with the show if asked.

Out of the approximately 50 students, only ten would be chosen.Our show was fantastic, and we all high-fived each other as we left the

arena. We got together later and partied for the last time—and tried to guesswho would be asked to go on tour. They would send a limousine to the stu-dent’s door in the morning and drive you in style to sign the one-year contract.

Left to right: Rick Cusolito, world-famous Ringling clown Lou Jacobs, and Phil at Clown College.

My dad had flown down to see the show. He said he was very proud of me,and enjoyed seeing me have so much fun with all the other performers.

“But I’m going to be an engineer with you, Dad!” I said.“We’ll see” Dad said with a smile. “We’ll see.”

Heading for the Big TopThe next morning, my roommate and I were having coffee, reminiscing

about the classes and our final performance. It was around 8 a.m. I was readyto have my bowl of Cheerios when there was a knock at my door. I thought itwas my dad.

I opened the door to see a limousine and a chauffer in front of me.“Congratulations, Phil! You’re the first person chosen to receive a one-yearcontract! Come with me,” the chauffer said.

My roommate started yelling. That’s all I remember. I don’t remember get-ting in the limo or being escorted into Mr. Feld’s office. I just remember hisbig, warm smile as he reached out his hand and said, “Welcome, Phil, to TheGreatest Show On Earth!”

I signed the contract and looked up at him. He could tell I was astounded.“Why me?” I asked. “There are many more talented students here! They

can juggle fire and ride 6-foot unicycles and walk 10-foot stilts! I don’t haveany of that talent!”

“I can teach all that,” he said. “You have something I can’t teach and that’swhat I look for. Do you know what that is?”

“No,” I said, as the word barely came out of my mouth.“What’s in there,” he said as he pointed to my heart. ”You have the heart I’m

looking for. I can teach everything else.”I’ll never forget that day and that moment with Mr. Feld.

Part 2: A Year in the Circus TJN


Sports Report

By Brandon Shoumaker

Hard to believe it’s been five yearssince my greatest NCAA basketballtournament bracket triumph.

It was March 18, 2005, the secondday of the first round of the NCAAMen’s Division I BasketballTournament. It was Friday, a cool, clearday for mid-March and the BucknellBison were about to become myfavorite college basketball team.

See, like many Americans, I was in

an office pool. I paid $3 for three pho-tocopies of the tournament bracket, allset to fill in the blanks with my win-ning predictions. There are 16 teams ineach of four tournament regions, 64teams total, with the lowest seed (16)playing the top seed and so on. Iplayed the first two brackets almoststraight up, top seeds winning most ofthe games, one or two nine-seeds beat-ing the eights, one 5-12 upset, theusual.

The third bracket was different. Inthe more evenly matched games, I tookthe lower seeds; I chose the mid-majorteams over their elite-conference foes. I

still didn’t dare pick against the topseeds, but there was one game thatintrigued me. It looked like this: (3)Kansas vs. (14) Bucknell. Ordinarily, Icouldn’t see a situation in whichBucknell could come within 20 pointsof Kansas, which had begun the seasonwith something like a 20-1 record.

But this was my “fun” bracket, athrowaway. The other two were seri-ous. So, I scribbled in Bucknell into thelittle blank square and set in motion abracket-busting victory like no other.

Long story short: Bucknell got bucknasty on Kansas.

The actual game, for the mostpart, was a blur, but I remember the

two most important highlights. First,it was Bucknell’s Chris McNaughton,a tall, lanky fellow, awkwardly knock-ing down a shot in the lane with 15seconds left to give the Bison the win-ning margin. This was followed byKansas star Wayne Simien attemptinghis best Christian Laettner impres-sion, catching the baseball pass, turn-ing around, and shooting with adefender in his face as time expired.Finally, the clank as Simien’s shotbanging off the front of the rim andthe Bucknell bench storming thecourt in a wave of orange jerseys.

I still get goosebumps thinkingabout that game. Kansas was a popularpick to win the national championshipthat year and the Bucknell win pretty

Brandon’s Bracket


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Sports Report

much destroyed most people’s brackets,including the two “serious” brackets Ifilled out. But that third bracket wenton a magical run that, by the time theSweet 16 rolled around, had alreadyclinched the office championship. Theprize money wasn’t great, $20 at themost, but the glory and sheer domina-tion of my victory still feels electriceven thinking about it today.

So, with that in mind, here is mybracket for the 2010 NCAATournament. I don’t know if there areany Bucknells laying in wait for anupset. My advice: if your gut is tellingyou to take Bucknell, you gotta takeBucknell.

BRANDON’S BRACKET

SOUTH REGIONFIRST ROUND(1) Duke over (16) Arkansas-Pine Bluff(8) California over (9) Louisville(5) Texas A&M over (12) Utah States(4) Purdue over (13) Siena(6) Notre Dame over (11) OldDominion(3) Baylor over (14) Sam Houston State(sorry, Southland fans)(7) Richmond over (10) Saint Mary’s(2) Villanova over (15) Robert Morris

SECOND ROUND(1) Duke over (8) California(4) Purdue over (5) Texas A&M(3) Baylor over (6) Notre Dame(2) Villanova over (7) Richmond

SWEET 16 (REGIONAL SEMIFINALS)(4) Purdue over (1) Duke(2) Villanova over (3) Baylor

ELITE 8 (REGIONAL FINALS)(2) Villanova over (4) Purdue

WEST REGIONFIRST ROUND(1) Syracuse over (16) Vermont(8) Gonzaga over (9) Florida State(5) Butler over (12) Texas-El Paso(4) Vanderbilt over (13) Murray State(11) Minnesota over (6) Xavier(3) Pittsburgh over (14) Oakland, Mich.(10) Florida...much as it pains me to sayit...over (7) BYU(2) Kansas State over (15) North Texas

SECOND ROUND(1) Syracuse over (8) Gonzaga(5) Butler over (4) Vanderbilt(3) Pittsburgh over (11) Minnesota(2) Kansas State over (10) Florida

SWEET 16 (REGIONAL SEMIFINALS)(1) Syracuse over (5) Butler(2) Kansas State over (3) Pittsburgh

ELITE 8 (REGIONAL FINALS)(1) Syracuse over (2) Kansas State

MIDWEST REGIONFIRST ROUND(1) Kansas over (16) Lehigh...or,maybe...nah. Not this year.(9) Northern Iowa over (8) UNLV(5) Michigan State over (12) NewMexico State(4) Maryland over (13) Houston(11) San Diego State over (6) Tennessee(3) Georgetown over (14) Ohio(7) Oklahoma State over (10) GeorgiaTech(2) Ohio State over (15) UC-SantaBarbara

SECOND ROUND(1) Kansas over (9) Northern Iowa(5) Michigan State over (4) Maryland(3) Georgetown over (11) San DiegoState(2) Ohio State over (7) Oklahoma State

SWEET 16 (REGIONAL SEMIFINALS)(1) Kansas over (5) Michigan State(2) Ohio State over (3) Georgetown

ELITE 8 (REGIONAL FINALS)(2) Ohio State over (1) Kansas

EAST REGIONFIRST ROUND(1) Kentucky over (16) East TennesseeState(8) Texas over (9) Wake Forest(12) Cornell over (5) Temple(4) Wisconsin over (13) Wofford(6) Marquette over (11) Washington(3) New Mexico over (14) Montana(10) Missouri over (7) Clemson(2) West Virginia over (15) MorganState

SECOND ROUND(1) Kentucky over (8) Texas(4) Wisconsin over (12) Cornell(3) New Mexico over (6) Marquette(10) Missouri over (2) West Virginia

SWEET 16 (REGIONAL SEMIFINALS)(1) Kentucky over (4) Wisconsin(3) New Mexico over (10) Missouri

ELITE EIGHT (REGIONAL FINALS)(1) Kentucky over (3) New Mexico

FINAL FOUR (NATIONAL SEMIFINALS)(1) Syracuse over (2) Ohio State(1) Kentucky over (2) Villanova

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP(1) Kentucky 75, (1) Syracuse 68

Brandon Shoumaker is a graduate ofMcNeese State University and has cov-ered sports for more than seven years forvarious publications. Coaches or parentswith story tips may contact Brandon [email protected] or send him amessage on Twitter (@bshoumaker).

TJN


I’ve been traveling all aroundIreland, in the pages of some mar-velous books.

An Irish Country Girl is the fourthbook in Patrick Taylor’s wonderfulseries set in 1964, but this one’s verydifferent, so you really don’t need toread the others first. It’s all about Mrs.“Kinky” Kincaid, housekeeper for the“Irish Country Doctor” inBallybucklebo in County Down,Northern Ireland.

As the book starts, Kinky is tellingthe local children “a story of faeries,

and the banshee, and the SaintStephen’s Day Ghost” that actuallyhappened when she was growing upon a farm in County Cork, in thesouth. It was 1922, and her mother,who had “the sight” (a psychic giftKinky would inherit), warned ConnorMacTaggert not to cut down a certaintree because “the faeries” lived in it.After he ignored her and cut it downanyway, oh, the things that happenedto him. Then, his story gets wound upin Kinky’s memories of how she metthe young man who would become

By Mary Louise Ruehr

A VicariousVacation in Ireland

her husband. So, the ghoststory becomes a love story.

I delight in the way Taylor putswords together: “Icicles like sharp-ened crystal pencils hung from theeaves of the church roof. Theyabsorbed and magnified the rays anddropped gently as the sun warmedthe ice.” His descriptions are so pret-ty: “As if usingsparkling hands justbeneath its surface,the distant sea caughtmoonbeams, thenheld and polishedthem before releasingthem to rise shimmer-ing from the calmwaters.” This book hasa bit of everything,and I’d recommend itto readers of any agewho like a good story.

The Pig Comes toDinner by JosephCaldwell is also a ghoststory, but it’s funny.This is book two of a trilogy, followingafter The Pig Did It. In the modernworld, “hack novelist” Kitty McCloudand her new husband, Kieran, havejust bought the Castle Kissane inCounty Kerry in southwest Ireland.Kitty writes “correction” classics (shetakes well-known works and changesthe ending to suit herself).

One day, her nephew gives her thepig that brought Kitty and her husbandtogether in book one. Kitty doesn’twant it, but she and the pig seem to bethe only ones who see the castle’s

ghosts, two younglovers who werehanged (perhapswrongly) becauseof a gunpowderplot. But as itturns out, Kieransees them, too.And in fact Kittythinks Kieran’sfallen in love withthe girl ghost, andshe’s not happyabout it.Meanwhile, thearrogant Lord

Shaftoe shows up, saying the castle islegally his and he’s moving in. Notwithout a fight, Kitty decides.

Caldwell has a very dry sense ofhumor, and also has some nicedescriptive passages, such as, “The slateroofs of the cottages were allowed toseem blue in the afternoon sun.”

The Yellow Houseby Patricia Falvey hasthe elements of an IrishGone with the Wind:romance, war, family,adventure, the desire toreturn home, and astrong heroine whoisn’t always easy to likebut who does what hasto be done. In 1905,Eileen O’Neill is grow-ing up in the familyfarmhouse in CountyArmagh in the provinceof Ulster. After herfather is killed in apolitically motivated

skirmish and the family loses thehouse, badly damaged by fire, Eileen’slife goal is set: regain ownership ofher childhood home.

Grown-up Eileen finds herselfinappropriately attracted to the son ofa wealthy Quaker family and is drawninto the cause of Irish patriot MichaelCollins: “The warrior in me hadfound her war,” says Eileen, who nar-rates her own story.

Some of the writing is so lovelythat I wanted to read it slowly andtake in all the rich description and


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enjoy “hearing” the Irish accents. It’s athoughtful, insightful book, as whenEileen reveals that, “it is the firstbetrayal that hurts the most. It is thefirst betrayal that slays innocence andleaves a scar that is never forgotten.” Iwas totally swept up in her life, in theIrish freedom movement, and in theengaging story. (Psst: There are a cou-ple of absolute surprises, when I actu-ally gasped.)

Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly isan epic novel of two countries, setfrom 1839 to 1893 and based on theauthor’s own family history. At age 17,fisherman’s daughter Honora Keeley isabout to enter a convent when hand-some Michael Kelly steps out of thewaters of Galway Bay in westernIreland. It’s love at first sight; the twomarry and become potato farmers.

They have a pretty good life untilthe potato blight hits in 1845. Oh, man,what they endure is as terrifying as anyhorror novel: absolutely no food;neighbors dying from disease and star-vation; landlords stealing whatevergoods the tenants have. When peoplestart emigrating to America, Honorawants to leave, too, but her husbandsays, “We can’t all leave. … A man hasa right to live in his own country, tofeed his children, to follow his faith.”Yeah, not so much, it turns out.

Finally, Honora and her family doemigrate, landing in New Orleans andexperiencing adventure as they travel

north on the Mississippi River. Butthey can’t escape prejudice and poverty.Oh, and later there’s a little thing wenow call the American Civil War.

I found the book hard to read inthe first few pages, with too manyunpronounceable Irish words (there’sa glossary, but it isn’t complete). Butdon’t skip over the first part; it’simportant. And the reading got muchbetter very quickly until I found that Iwas so involved in the story I couldn’tput the book down.

It’s a complex, layered plot focusingon love, family and loyalty. I could visu-alize what was happening and relate towhat Honora was going through. The

politics are understandable, and a pas-sion for justice comes ringing out of thepages. (Be warned: You’ll learn to hatethe wealthy landlords!) Unforgettable.Irish or not, if you like a good story youcan wrap yourself up in, you must notmiss this one.

In Shannon, author Frank Delaneyintroduces us to Robert Shannon. ACatholic priest in America, Capt.Shannon was a chaplain with the U.S.Marines in the Great War, and by 1922he is a “shattered,” shell-shocked warhero. He has come to Ireland “in searchof his lost best self,” believing that goingback to his family’s roots along theShannon River can somehow heal him.

Toward this end, the bishop has“sent out scouts” to watch and care forhim along the way. It’s a road trip witheccentric characters in the midst of arevolution. I really like this author,who takes time to let the reader relaxinto the story and who often writeslike a poet, as when he describes theriver: “Her water meadows luredmonks to her banks, able to see Godin the sweetness of the stream.”

Copyright © 2009 by Mary Louise Ruehr. Write to [email protected]

TJN


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If you suspect that a child is being abused, call your local policedepartment immediately. You can

make the difference in a child’s life.

The Book Fair is back! Don’tmiss this annual event at theEpiscopal Church of the GoodShepherd, 715 Kirkman Street onMarch 26 from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.and March 27 from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.Includes new and used books,DVD movies, and audio-books onCD. Proceeds go to local charities.

For additional information,contact Patty Grandy at 855-4560or Annette Ballard at 477-6345.

Book Fair2010

March 26-27

TJN

Applications are currently beingaccepted for the 2010 summersession of the Governor’s Programfor Gifted Children scheduledJune 6-July 24 at McNeese StateUniversity in Lake Charles.

The Governor’s Program forGifted Children is celebrating its52nd year this summer.Established in 1959 at McNeese,the program is open to juniorhigh and high school students andemphasizes academics and finearts.

Students also participate ininstrumental concerts, theatricaland musical productions, andinteract with one another duringthe residential program on theMcNeese campus.

For more information about theprogram, including applicationprocedures and financial aid assis-tance, call (800) 291-7840, or visitthe Web site at www.gpgc.org.

Governor’sProgram for GiftedChildren

AcceptingApplications

TJN


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Alice in Wonderland(Disney 2010)

Down the rabbit hole. Alice inWonderland meets Sweeney Todd,brought to you by Tim Burton. Atleast, that’s what I expected. Actually Iwas pleasantly surprised. The moviewasn’t half bad.

You have to give credit to TimBurton for trying. And in retrospect,he probably is the best choice forbreathing new life into the classic chil-dren’s story. Alice in Wonderland byLewis Carroll is very old, distinctlyBritish, and one of the most revisitedthemes in children’s literature.

This time, we’re offered somethingnew. Is it better? Well, it’s certainly dif-ferent. Alice, now 19 years old, has for-gotten all about Wonderland. She’sabout to be asked to marry a richLord, 19th century-style, at a formal

garden party. Uneasy about the wholething, she’s still a young girl at heartand not sure of what to do. Instead ofsaying yes or no to her suitor, she runsoff, after a white rabbit seen hoppingthrough the bushes.

Of course, the theme of facing life’schoices is old as dirt, and all but theyoungest of children have seen it overand over. The only thing new here isthat we’re seeing it in the Alice tradi-tion. It actually adds some meaning toLewis Carroll’s story, which was origi-nally created in complete fun.

When the hookah-smoking cater-pillar asks this older Alice, “Who AreYou?” the classic line is transformedinto a question about her identity, herfuture, and all the questions she’s beenasking of herself. So, this is less a com-edy nonsense story and more of a seri-ous comment on taking control ofyour life. To a point. (Remember, thefirst time down the rabbit hole was adream, so Alice again thinks this is alla dream. She doesn’t take things seri-ously for most of the movie.)

By Dan Ellender

Director of the Children's Museum

The plot is basic Narnia and Lordof the Rings: the evil Red Queen wantsto take over Wonderland (locallycalled Underland,) using the terribleJabberwocky and the Vorpal Blade toset up her rule. The White Queen, hersister, is in exile, and has sent theWhite Rabbit after Alice to slay theJabberwocky and free Wonderlandfrom a reign of terror.

Soon after her arrival, Alice meetsJohnny Mad Hatter Sweeney ToddDepp, who treats her like a long lostsister and helps her make her waythrough Wonderland. Fans of Mr.Depp will be delighted by his interac-tions with Alice, the Red Queen, andthe other characters.

Fans of Tim Burton may be a littledisappointed at the relative lack ofdark comedy in what seems like aslow, serious movie. (I wasn’t. At onepoint the White Queen is munchingon a Butterfinger which looks like ahuman finger, but that’s about asmacabre as it gets.) However, all of thecharacters are based upon the originalillustrations by John Tenniel, soTweedledum and Tweedledee are quitestrange looking, as is the Red Queen,in typical Tim Burton style. For themost part, the animation and cine-matography are all well done, and themusic is excellent. The ending you canfigure out for yourself.

This is one of many children’smovies that attempt to cash in with bigname actors, big name directors, andunfortunately, weak scripts. I expectyou’ll enjoy watching it with your kids,but would suggest waiting for theDVD. Thanks to Disney, it will be outin 12 short weeks.

The best thing that could come ofthis version is if it sends your childrenlooking for the original story, which isavailable free on Project Gutenberg.They’ll find the original is much morehumorous and certainly more bizarrethan this predictable movie, especiallynarrated by a caring, fun-loving par-ent. Happy reading. TJN


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E L R B O A B Q W R O Y T G O

S U P R U N U O C M R S E T H

A T A E T I N A L D R U K I Y

E G E S N Y N E O T A L S M L

O E A O N D Y O T T T F A E R

G I X G Y R A U H T R I B E R

R L T A A L R E E R E T B B L

O C L P R Y S Y S I N R S F T

New Clothes

Peter Rabbit

Rebirth

Resurrection

Springtime

Sunrise

Candy

Chicks

Easter Bunny

Egg Hunt

Equinox

Lily

April Four

Baskets

Bonnet

Start

Finish


Killin’ Time Crossword

Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com(www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission.


Lorraine Yelverton, Julie Faulk and Mary Beth Huber

Tamyra Tinnes with Annette and Allen Garber

Fred Sahlmann, Phillip Caddy and William Kushner

Monte Hurley, Brett Hooyerink and Johnette LaBorde Bryan and Edith Beam

Lorena Walls and Steven Cahee Erin and Heath Allen Morgan Wilson, Chuck Boudreaux and Heather Metzger

Lori and Peter Fritzenschaft

SALVATION ARMY EMPTY BOWLAll was Mmm Mmm good….at the Salvation Army Empty Bowl

fundraiser! A large crowd of supporters filled the Grand Ballroom atL’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort, and were treated to a variety of deli-cious savory soups prepared by premier Lake Area chefs in unique,

handmade ceramic bowls—a token of appreciation for helping thosein need. Bruce Hamilton, a Lake Charles native and author of the book

No Bad Days provided a live auction of grand prizes and humorousentertainment. It goes without saying that doing the most good for a

good cause will give each of us a good day!

LAKE CHARLES SYMPHONYMusic to our ears! The Lake Charles

Symphony is celebrating its 52nd season, theyear of its “Great Conductor Search.” The sym-phony performed its third classical concert ofthe season at the Rosa Hart Theatre recently.The audience listened carefully, as they will

have input into the selection of the next con-ductor. By completing the questionnairesafter each of the four concerts this year,

they’ll be part of the selection process. Thehigh-quality performance brought this sym-phony-loving audience to its feet with a loud

round of applause: Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!!!!


Suzanne Emerson and Britney Glaser

Rudy and Dr. Joe Stark Mike Dunbar and Annette Tritico

Linda Wranosky and Yoko Broussard Brent Flash and Peggy Kelley

Nicho Bourque and Regina Burton Kizzy Carter and Chris Smith

THE BLACK TIE AFFAIRAnd the Grammy goes to... the Calcasieu Medical Society

Foundation for proudly presenting its Fourth Annual“Black Tie Affair” event. The glamorous crowd of support-

ers gathered in L’Auberge’s Sycamore Room for a silentauction, cash bar and hors d’oeuvres. They then proceed-

ed to the Grand Ballroom for dining, where they were wel-comed by Britney Glaser, Mistress of Ceremonies. BishopGlen John Provost of Lake Charles delivered the invoca-tion and President of CMSF, John W. Noble, Jr., M.D., pre-

sented several community service awards prior to the liveauction and encore performance by Vince Vance and theValiants. The proud beneficiary of this fundraiser is TheCalcasieu Community Clinic, one of seven community-

based free clinics in our state. An evening to remember!

Jordan and Jonah Mulsow

Suzie Beasley, Roxanne Germany and Kayla Rigney

John and Dorothy McDaniel

Natia Young and Michelle Racca


The Lake Charles League of Women VotersCheck us out on Facebook for up to date LWV news,

information and events. Be a fan! Look for Lake Charles League of Women Voters.

Want to join the League? Find out how at www.lwv-lc.orgor email [email protected] or call 474-1864.

Dalvin Mulles and Ryan August

Chelsea Fontenot, Dy’Mond Gallien and Adrienne Clark Chris Marvels and Tina Brown

THE ANNUAL BLACKHERITAGE FESTIVAL

If you’re hungry for mouth-watering food,terrific music and great family fun, then

you should have been at the annual BlackHeritage Festival! Kicking off inside the

Lake Charles Civic Center, entertainers per-formed gospel, Zydeco, blues, spoken

word and much more! Over 70 vendorsdisplayed a wide variety of goods and serv-

ices to a large crowd. The kids’ zone wasrocking with entertainment and story-

telling by author Monroe Tarver. “Soundthe Trumpet” on this festival…all were

passing a good time!

Dorothy Euglon and Rosa Guidry

Karen Hartfield and Angelica Floyd


Ken Baskin and Elizabeth Guinn Chelsea Semb and Heng Chi Whitney Smith and Shane LeBlanc

Steven Spurlock and Connie Shaw Carol Cox and Rhonda Babin

MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY VISUALARTS GUMBOWL FUNDRAISER

The McNeese Visual Arts Departmentwarmed our hearts with their Annual

Gumbowl Fundraising Event! The proceedswill be used to assist students attending the44th Annual National Council on Education

in the Ceramic Arts Conference held inPhiladelphia. The ceramic students and fac-ulty members handcrafted ceramic bowls

for each donator to receive. To top it all off, adelicious seafood gumbo lunch was provid-ed by Brickhouse Catering & Events. A little

heart and soul go a long way! TJN


SOUTHERN EXPOSURE AT THEBLACK HERITAGE GALLERYNOW THROUGH MAY 28

The Black Heritage Gallery at 809 KirbyStreet in Lake Charles, will host SouthernExposure, an exhibition featuring works of artby Southern University students and recent gradu-ates, from March 22 through May 28. The exhibition iscurated by Randell Henry, a 1979 graduate of Southern University andAssociate Professor of Art. Featured in this exhibition are 14 artists, eachwith a unique creative vision that makes a positive impact in the world ofart. This exhibit is in conjunction with the Spring Arts Walk. The openingreception is April 9, 5-9 p.m. and is free to the public.

MSU DEPT. OF PERFORMING ARTSPRESENTS SPRING CONCERT MARCH 25

The McNeese Department of Performing Arts will present a freespring concert featuring the McNeese Jazz Ensemble under the directionof Rick Condit at 7:30 p.m. Thurs., March 25, in Ralph Squires Recital Hall.Also performing will be the McNeese Little Big Band directed by TimMcMillen. The bands will perform music written for big and small bandsover the last 40 years including works by Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton,as well as original works for contemporary big band. For more informa-tion, call the McNeese Band Office at 475-5004.

NANCY MELTON AND FRIENDS WATERCOLOR SHOW MARCH 26Nancy Melton and Friends will open their watercolor show at the

McNeese Library on Fri., March 26 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Twenty-four artistsfrom Louisiana and Texas will exhibit over 100 original watercolor paint-ings. Featured this year is Lake Charles artist Betty Chiasson Langlinais.The show will be on exhibit through April 21. Call 477-6784 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

FREE TO BREATHE BREAKFAST,5K RUN MARCH 26-27

The second annual Free to Breathe eventwill begin with a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Fri.,March 26, in the Contraband Room of theLake Charles Civic Center. The breakfast,sponsored by McDonald’s, will feature guestspeaker Joan Schiller, M.D., of the Universityof Texas-Southwestern Medical Center inDallas, president of the National LungCancer Partnership. Dr. Schiller is widelypublished and internationally recognized forher work in lung cancer clinical research. TheFree to Breathe 5K Run will be held the follow-ing morning, March 27, with registration begin-ning at 7 a.m. The run, hosted by the Southwest

Louisiana Lung Cancer Group Partnership, will begin at 8:30a.m. Prizes will be awarded to an overall winner and top male

and female finishers in various age brackets. Event-day registra-tion is $20. For information on how to purchase tickets for the

kickoff breakfast, call 540-3952.

BEATS & EATS FUNDRAISER MARCH 26Volunteers of America will hold its Beats & Eats fundraiser on Fri.,

March 26, 2010 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Treasures of Marilyn’s in LakeCharles. The casual event will feature a Lenten buffet and cash bar. Dancemusic will be provided by X-IT-43. Products and services donated by areabusinesses will be auctioned. Volunteers of America will also be rafflingoff a signed print of “We Are Marching Again” by George Rodrigue. Raffletickets are only $10 each for a chance to win the colorful Blue Dog print.Tickets for the event are $40 each, $70 for couples or $300 for reservedtables of ten. Sponsorships and corporate tables are available. For moreinfo, call Volunteers of America at (337) 497-0034.

MSU FRATERNITY GALA TO BENEFITSICKLE CELL ANEMIA MARCH 27

The McNeese Zeta Mu chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity issponsoring a benefit gala at 7 p.m. on March 27 in the Parra Ballroom ofthe McNeese Student Union Annex to raise funds to benefit theSouthwest Louisiana Sickle Cell Anemia Association. Special guest for theevent is Dr. Alice Duhon-McCallum of Lake Charles. Cost is $55 a cou-ple/$30 a person and includes food, music and a presentation about sick-le cell anemia. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact call(337) 290-2552.

SWLA GARDEN FESTIVAL MARCH 27-28This year’s Southwest Louisiana Garden Festivalwill be held March 27-28 in the Burton Coliseum

on the corner of Gauthier Road and Gulf Hwy.in Lake Charles. Those attending can find

out where to obtain gardening products,accessories and services, and learn about

garden clubs and plant societies inSouthwest Louisiana. The Southwest LouisianaMaster Gardeners will host the 11th annualpre-show Gumbo and Silent Plant Auction inthe Burton Coliseum from 6-8 p.m. on March26. The cost is $10. Tickets may be picked upat the LSU AgCenter, 7101 Gulf Hwy, LakeCharles, or at the door. Participants are urged

to enter the Burton Coliseum at the southentrance opposite the Livestock Show Barn. It is

handicapped accessible. 4-H members will col-lect the $2 entrance fee for adults; children 12

years and under can enter free. For additional infor-mation, call (337) 475-8812, ext. 23.

MJA


8TH ANNUAL LEAGUERS & LINKSGOLF TOURNAMENT MARCH 29

The Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc. announces the 8th AnnualLeaguers & Links Golf Tournament on Mon., March 29, hosted by present-ing sponsor Contraband Bayou® Golf Club at L’Auberge du Lac CasinoResort. Teams of four players can register for $400 by filling out a regis-tration form online at www.jllc.net or by calling 436-4025.Registration at the clubhouse begins at 11 a.m. Lunch will be servedfrom 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and tee time is at 12:15 p.m. Prizes include$10,000 hole in one, $500 1st place low gross, $400 2nd placeblind draw and $300 3rd place blind draw. Sponsorship opportu-nities include a $250 hole sponsor and a $1,000 hole sponsor withone free 4-man team. For more information about the JuniorLeague of Lake Charles, Inc. visit www.jllc.net.

TEXTURAL RHYTHMS: CONTEMPORARYAFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTS APRIL 9-MAY 22

The City of Lake Charles is proud to present “TexturalRhythms: Constructing the Jazz Tradition, ContemporaryAfrican American Quilts.” The opening reception will take placeduring Spring Art Walk Fri., April 9 from 5-9 p.m., at the 1911Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center at 1001 Ryan Street.The exhibition will hang in the second and third floor galleriesthrough Saturday, May 22. Jazz, like quilting, is a woven artform. Textural Rhythms unites the two most well knownand popular artistic forms in African American cul-ture—jazz and quilts. The exhibition includes workfrom some of America’s best-known AfricanAmerican quilters, and is part of a national tourover containing approximately 64 quilts from 55artists of the Women of Color Quilters Network.Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center is open

Mon. through Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted. For more infor-mation, call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com.

ICM PRESENTS BOOGALOO 2010 APRIL 17The Imperial Calcasieu Museum (ICM) invites you “Back to

the Future” for Boogaloo 2010 on Sat., April 17. The livelyfundraiser for the museum will be held at the newly restoredCash & Carry Grocery. Dress as your favorite personality from the

30’s to 2010. While costumes are not mandatory, they sure arefun! Tickets are $40 for members, $50 for non-members.

Sponsorships start at $250 and include a bunch of perks! Call thestaff at ICM for more information at 439-3793.

TIDBITS OF HISTORY: THE FIRE OF 1910 APRIL 6The Tidbits of History Program at the SWLA

Genealogical & Historical Library will uncover little-known facts of the great fire of 1910. The greatest

loss was not the buildings, but the destruction ofmost of the records of Calcasieu Parish. Amongthe few that survived were the complete 1908

and 1909 tax records. Through the years, otherrecords of this time period have surfaced. In addi-tion there are many newspapers that have been

indexed that were published before the fire. Theseindexes help with records that were lost. The pro-gram will be held at 411 Pujo Street at 10 a.m. onApril 6. Genealogist Linda Gill will also presentthe program at 7 p.m., April 26, at the Piccadilly

Cafeteria on Ryan Street for the SWLA HistoricalSociety meeting. TJN


The

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24• Alvin Touchet @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.• Paul Gonsoulin @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.• David Pellerin @ Micci’s Piano Bar, 9 p.m.• Mike LaVergne/Benji Abshire/Wayne Mouille @

Caribbean Hut, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 25• Nothing More @ McNeese State University, 4 p.m.• Jeff Thibodeaux & Friends @ DI’s Cajun Food &

Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Mike Zito @ The Porch, 7 p.m.• Tom Brandow @ Jimbo’s The Spot, 7 p.m.• All The Essentials @ Hot Topic, Prien Lake Mall, 7 p.m.• Matt DelRossi @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8 p.m.• Static @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino,

Westlake, 8 p.m.• DJ Ezekial/Truman Holland (inside) @ Luna Bar &

Grill, 9 p.m.• Research Turtles @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,

L’Auberge du Lac, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26• Al Roger & Louisiana Pride @ DI’s Cajun Food &

Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• The Lakeside Gamblers @ The Porch, 7 p.m.• Hoobastank/Noyola @ L’Auberge du Lac

Casino, 7:30 p.m.• Matt DelRossi @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8:30 p.m.

• Fayuca/Gravity A & Michael Garfield @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.

• Twangsters Union @ My Place, 9 p.m.

• Thingfish/Looks That Kill @ Carribean Hut, 9 p.m.

• Briant Lloyd Smith and Hot Gritz @ Blue Duck Cafe, 9 p.m.

• Sean Vidrine @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.

• ISIS @ Club 1Sixty5, Coushatta Casino,Kinder, 9 p.m.

• When the Word Was Sound/Shuggie Watts/DJ Dispo Riks @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m.

• Marianne & The Republic @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac, 11 p.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27• Brent Rodgers @ The Porch, 9 a.m.• Scotty Pousson & The Pointe aux Loups Cajuns

@ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Thingfish @ The Porch, 7 p.m.• Brad Garrett @ Isle of Capri Casino,

Westlake, 7 p.m.• Creedence Clearwater Revisited @ Delta Event

Center, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8 p.m.• Matt DelRossi @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8:30 p.m.• Laurel @ Micci’s Piano Bar, 9 p.m.• James Reese Band @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of

Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.

• ISIS @ Club 1Sixty5, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

• Ashes of Babylon @ Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. Marianne & The Republic @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac, 11 p.m.

SUNDAY, MARCH 28• Tom Brandow @ Jimbo’s The Spot, 3 p.m.

MONDAY, MARCH 29• David Pellerin @ Micci’s Piano Bar, 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 30• Jay Ecker Jazz Duo @ Micci’s Piano Bar, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31• Alvin Touchet @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.• David Pellerin @ Micci’s Piano Bar, 9 p.m.• Chris Shearman @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1• Felton LeJeune & The Cajun Cowboys @ DI’s

Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Tom Brandow @ Jimbo’s The Spot, 7 p.m.• Willis Prudhomme @ Gator Lounge, Delta

Downs, Vinton, 8 p.m.• Jag @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino,

Westlake, 8 p.m.• The Chris Gray Band @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino,

Kinder, 9 p.m.• Time Machine @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,

L’Auberge du Lac, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 2• Travis Benoit & Allons Dancer @ DI’s

Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

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


MONDAY NIGHTS:Abita Beer Night

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS:Mondo Martini Night

THURSDAY NIGHTS:Be Well Night

Thurs. Mar. 25 @ 10:00TRUMAN HOLLAND(acoustic inside)

Fri. Mar. 26 @ 9:00FAYUCA & GRAVITY A w/MICHAEL GARFIELD & Ds@str

Sat. Mar. 27 @ 9:00ASHES OF BABYLON

Wed. Mar. 31 @ 9:00CHRIS SHEARMAN

Fri. Apr. 2 @ 9:00THE J. WESLEY HAYNES TRIO& THE VAGABOND SWING

Sat. Apr. 3 @ 9:00SINIZEN & ELEVEN FINGEREDCHARLIE (reggae!)

Fri. Apr. 9 @ 9:00SHE CRAVES & FOREVER FALLS

Fri. Apr. 16 @ 9:00BPM from Montegomery, Al.(reggae<rock)

Sat. Apr. 17 @ 6:00EARTHFEST - PAPER PLAINS,FRESH NECTAR, COLORCASTVETERAN & MORE!

Fri. Apr. 23 @ 9:00JABARVY CD RELEASE PARTY!

• Choke/Black Feratu/Goatwhore @ Hard Rack Billards, 7 p.m.

• Survive the Musical/Wildfires @ Hawg Wild, Sulphur, 8 p.m.

• The J. Wesley Haynes Trio/The Vagabond Swing @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.

• Soul Vacation @ Micci’s PianoBar, 9 p.m.

• The Video Stars @ OB’s Bar &Grill, 9 p.m.

• Briant Lloyd Smith and Hot Gritz @Blue Duck Cafe, 9 p.m.

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

• T-Broussard & The Zydeco Steppers @ Caribbean Cove, Isle ofCapri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.

• No Idea @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

• Meriwether/Mothers Anthem/The Silent Planet @ AJ’s Bar &Grill, 9:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 3• Mack Manuel & The Lake Charles

Ramblers @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• Sinizen/Eleven Fingered Charlie @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.

• Losers Reunion @ AJ’s Bar &Grill, 9 p.m.

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

• Romallice @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.

• No Idea @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

• Plush @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac, 11 p.m.

SUNDAY, APRIL 4• Tom Brandow @ Jimbo’s

The Spot, 3 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7• Alvin Touchet @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 8• Various Artists @ Louisiana

Railroad Days Festival,DeQuincy, 5 p.m.

• Lesa Cormier & The Sundown Playboys @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• Louisiana Express @ Gator Lounge,Delta Downs, Vinton, 8 p.m.

• Keith McCoy & CEO @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

• Bayou Katz @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

• Grievous Angel @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 9• Various Artists @ Louisiana Railroad

Days Festival, DeQuincy, 1 p.m.• Briggs Brown & The Bayou Cajuns

@ DI’s Cajun Food & Music,Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• Randy Travis @ Delta Events Center, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8 p.m.

• She Craves/Forever Falls @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.

• Out Of Order @ Cigar Club, 9 p.m.• Briant Lloyd Smith and Hot Gritz @

Blue Duck Cafe, 9 p.m.• Louisiana Express @ Gator Lounge,

Delta Downs, Vinton, 9 p.m.• Ridin’ High @ Caribbean Cove, Isle

of Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.• Bayou Katz @ Mikko, Coushatta

Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.• Butt Roxx @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m.• Matthew Moss/Kris Harper

Band/Do Not Destroy @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m.

• Hells Bells @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac, 11 p.m.

TJN


People are always telling me that I have a greatmemory for odd facts and the details of long agoevents, as if I was purposefully storing up triviamorsels and anecdotal view-masters to relish duringdiscontented winters. I think they’re wrong, becauseI can only remember what I can’t readily forget.

For instance, I’m a great fan of and participant inthe GRAMMY Awards, and I know a lot about howto vote and who I’m going to vote for. But if I were atrue trivia buff, I would know who won what inwhich year.

And, I would certainly have known that standupcomedian/actor Bob Newhart is a three-timeGRAMMY award winner – for Best New Artist,Best Comedy Performance – Spoken Word, and theshocker, to me, anyway, for Album of the Year.(When will we ever again see a spoken word albumwin the year’s best album against all the music bests?Never!)

All three honors were presented during the thirdGRAMMY Awards in 1961, for his groundbreakingcomedy LPs, “The Button-Down Mind of BobNewhart” and “The Button Down Mind StrikesBack,” multiple million-sellers which were bothreleased in the previous year. (You can get copies ofthese and his other comedy recordings fromwww.bobnewhart.com.)

Some of Newhart’s most memorable standup rou-tines were recorded for “Button-Down Mind,”including “Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue,” inwhich the eccentric president rejects advice from hisslick publicist, and “The Driving Instructor,” inwhich a harassed teacher tries to keep his cool underfire from a pupil’s scary mistakes.

In the late 1950s, when Newhart first deliveredthem, one-sided conversations in which the straightman leaves the audience imagining and guffawing atthe provocative inanities and mishaps of the never-heard second banana, these bits were a new kind ofstandup – clever, underplayed, the escalating punchlines delivered with exquisite timing, paced byNewhart’s natural stammer.

That’s right, it’s not just a comedic device; he real-ly does stammer, Newhart insisted to the 200-mem-ber audience during his interview with GRAMMYMuseum Executive Director Bob Santelli, as the firstcomedy guest of the Museum’s public programs andarchiving project.

Stammering, he lectured us, is a manner ofspeech that is never to be confused with its lowerlife-form cousin, stuttering. “I’ve always been astammerer,” Newhart explained, “so I’m used to peo-ple finishing my sentences.” Despite that provoca-tion, Santelli avoided the pitfall almost entirely,allowing Newhart to speak for himself through awell-crafted interview.

The former accountant revealed his start in com-edy: He and a bored friend would phone each otherat the end of the work day, and riff freely for their

own amusement, until Newhart’s friend movedaway, and he had to continue their conversationsone-sidedly.

And, he talked about both of his popular sit-coms – the “Bob Newhart Show” starring SuzannePleshette, in which Newhart played a Chicagopsychologist, and the “Newhart” series, featuringbrothers Larry, Daryl and Daryl, in whichNewhart played a Vermont innkeeper – and, ofcourse, to his astonishing GRAMMY wins, for analbum that was recorded live before his FIRSTever nightclub audience.

Newhart closed his interview by performing ataste of the GRAMMY-winning stand up bit, “TheCruise of the U.S.S. Codfish,” in which he portrayedthe clueless captain of a mutinous submarine crew.At the end of the performance, Santelli showed usNewhart’s gifts to the museum: signed scripts, aprop telephone, and one of those ubiquitous cardi-gans worn on either or both of the sitcoms.

MORE ABOUT THE GRAMMY MUSEUMI was gifted the courtside seat to hear Bob

Newhart, and with a whirlwind tour of the high-lights of the 16-month old GRAMMY Museum(opened in conjunction with the GRAMMY’s 50thyear celebrations), courtesy of my old friend TracyStrann, who’d just been named its Director ofExternal Affairs.

The museum is wonderful, with loaned artifactsfrom all over the musical and GRAMMY-winninguniverse, like Michael Doucet of Beausoleil’s fiddle,one of Bob Newhart’s GRAMMYs, which in thosedays were black gramophones on a gold base, and aspecial exhibit of Michael Jackson memorabilia,including the single diamond-encrusted sparklingglove and a variety of military and suit-of-lightstoreador-style jackets.

But more importantly, the museum is filled withinteractive displays that educate as they entertain,including an award-winning timeline that bringshistory and musical styles to life via touch table.

The exhibit, called “Crossroads,”allows visitors to explore nearly150 genres of music by grabbingthose of immediate interest, whichopen up to reveal photos, songs,and artists’ voices describing themusical style and its impact, andthen revealing that genre’s connec-tions to other musical styles attheir crossroads. As president ofthe Music Museum of SouthwestLouisiana, still archiving our firstmajor gift of objects andephemera, I had more than a fewpangs of exhibit envy.

I arrived at the museum nearclosing, so I missed what may be

the most exciting part of the experience for would-be GRAMMY recording artists – a chance to workin the eight pods where you can learn to record dif-ferent musical sounds using a variety of techniquesunder the virtual guidance of famed musicians, pro-ducers and engineers.

According to the museum’s brochure, the “In theStudio” experience uses “touch-screen interactivityand one-of-a-kind film footage to take you insidethe recording process” so users will feel that they arein a real studio, where they can hear the results ofmaking various creative and technical choices. I’mdefinitely going to make a special trip when I’m nextin Los Angeles to take that ride at the GRAMMYMuseum. (More info fromwww.grammymuseum.org.)

I used to worry that putting music in a museumwould be like putting trees in Joni Mitchell’s “treemuseum” – that it would be all that’s left when para-dise is paved and the last live song’s played until themusic’s over. But it’s had exactly the opposite effect.

The new music museums show you how excitingmusic is and can be, and why and how you can getinvolved in making it with hands-on exhibits. Trythe Experience Music Project|Science FictionMuseum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, Washington,the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohioand Vienna, Austria’s Sound Museum, where youcan find out how different sounds are mad, by play-ing with a whole room full of sound-generating toysand equipment.

Leslie Berman’s career in music spans four decades,and includes stints as a folksinger, music teacher, cof-feehouse booker, concert promoter, publicist, festivaldirector, music journalist, album notes writer, artistmanager, trade organization president, entertainmentattorney, and president of the Music Museum ofSouthwest Louisiana. She prefers all things musicallyeclectic, and votes on the GRAMMYs as a member ofthe Recording Academy. She can be reached [email protected]. TJN

Bob Newhart and the GRAMMY MuseumBy Leslie Berman

Michael Jackson Exhibit

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