MARCH 27, 201402 Vol. 5 • No. 26

MARCH 27, 2014 03Vol. 5 • No. 26

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March 27, 2014 • Volume 5 • Issue 26

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

Executive EditorLauren de Albuquerquelauren@louisianajam.com

ContributorsLisa AddisonGeorge ClineDan EllenderJulie Ann FayMike LouviereMike McHughRoger MillerJody TaylorKarla TullosAnna Catherine Viator

Salessales@louisianajam.com

GraphicsArt/Production DirectorBurn Rourk

Associate PhotographerJohnny OwensCajun Pirate Photgraphy

BusinessOffi ce ManagerJeanie Taggart

Legal Disclaimer

The views expressed by Louisiana Jam columnists are their own and do not necessarily refl ect the position of Louisiana Jam, its editors or staff.

Louisiana Jam is solely owned, published by Jambalaya Media, LLC, 715 Kirby Street, Lake Charles Louisiana 70601. Phone (337) 436-7800. Whilst every effort was made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the standing of advertisers nor by the editorial contributions. Louisiana Jam cannot be held responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, even if they are sent to us accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. The views expressed do not necessarily refl ect those of the publisher.Copyright 2013 Louisiana Jam all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited.

COVER STORY 21 HeARTS of Giving: The Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc.

REGULARS6 We Are SWLA!8 The Dang Yankee8 Adoption Corner9 Tips from Tip10 Huntin’ Tales11 This Functional Family12 21st Century Etiquette

FEATURES5 Saving the Orange Depot13 OLQHS Presents Finian’s Rainbow JR

14 SWLA Health & Hospitals

THE SPICE OF SWLA24 Macifest26 Event Guide28 CyPhaCon29 Family Fun Night at the Movies30 Nightlife Guide33 Acting Up!34 Jim Ferguson: Making a Scene36 Society Spice39 Funbolaya40 Cajun Classifi eds

810

13

On cover: The Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc.

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MARCH 27, 201404 Vol. 5 • No. 26

What’s inYOUR Closet?

Th e other night, Phil and I went out to Blazin K’s on Country Club Road to get our crawfi sh fi x. It’s a drive-thru, and as we were heading home, Phil asked me if I knew where our crawfi sh platters were. “Of course,” I replied.

As we sat at our table a half hour later, sucking the heads and pinching the tails of ten pounds of these glorious, per-fectly seasoned little buggers, it occurred to me that we own a lot of items that we never even had to think about when we lived in Boston. And I don’t think anyone else has them in any other part of the country but ours.

Crawfi sh platters, for exam-ple. If you love crawfi sh, you’ll need a bunch of them. One for each person and one for the shells. Nothing else is really a good substitute. And you can’t get them in Wisconsin. Down here, where can’t you get them? Dillard’s, maybe.

Since we’re on the subject

of food, I oft en realize how much my kitchen has changed. Now there are gumbo pots. All kinds of hot sauce and Tony’s and other Cajun spices. A freezer stocked with boudin and deer sausage and fresh shrimp that came right off a friend’s boat. Pickled okra. Jars of roux and fi gs and home-made hot pepper jelly. Wine from the fruit of the persim-mon trees outside my window.

Th en there’s the formal wear. When we were invited to our fi rst Mardi Gras ball, Phil asked where he could rent a tuxedo. He was given a strange look, and was told to go out and buy one as soon as he could, because he would be putting it to good use. “No way,” he thought, but he de-cided to get one, anyway. Ten years later and I think that tux is just about worn out from all the balls and formals we have attended. He owns about six diff erent tux shirts. All kinds of fun shoes to wear with them. Vests and cummerbunds and bowties in all colors and for all seasons. And quite a

cuffl ink collection. Of course, I can’t even begin

to count how many gowns I have. I just keep buying them when I’m at a secondhand store or come across a good sale. I won’t pay full price be-cause I attend too many formal functions. Everyone knows you can’t wear the same gown twice during the Mardi Gras season, and this year, we were invited to EIGHT balls. Luck-ily, several were costume.

Speaking of Mardi Gras, our attic is full of beads and favors and masks and decorations and parade throws. Christmas is huddled in a corner some-where. It’s all about Mardi Gras, something that we knew little about before the Big Move. Now it’s one of the big-gest parts of our lives. And it certainly makes winter more bearable. Who knew that the darkest time of the year would be the most fun?

Pirate gear also takes up a lot of space in our closets. Hats and swords and boots and costumes and coins and skulls and cross-bones. You can’t be a Buccaneer

without all that, me hearties. Costumes in general have

managed to fi nd their way into our home as well. We seem to go to a lot of costume parties, so if we’re out and about and see something whacky, we get it, because you never know. Like Boy Scouts, we are usu-ally prepared for whatever gets thrown at us.

Th e one thing we haven’t embraced is hunting. So you won’t fi nd any rifl es and camo and duck calls and mounted deer heads at our house.

But I think the day we be-came true Louisianans is the day someone left a big framed photo of former Governor Ed-win Edwards on the doorstep of the Jam. We just brought it in and hung it over the bar. A place where he, I’m sure, feels right at home.

A Note From Lauren

Lauren de Albuquerque

MARCH 27, 2014 05Vol. 5 • No. 26

By Mike LouviereSince 1902, there has been a

depot sitting on the west side of the railroad tracks at the intersec-tion of Green Avenue and Elev-enth Street in Orange, Texas. Th e Southern Pacifi c Railroad oper-ated the depot until the demise of its passenger trains. Th e little Victorian building has seen thou-sands of passengers embark and disembark.

During World War I, soldiers were oft en given an orchid by Frances Ann Lutcher as they stopped in Orange on their way to the war that would “make the world safe for democracy.” Lutch-er gave away so many orchids away that she became known as “Th e Orchid Lady.”

Servicemen in World War II also passed through Orange on their way to battle. Th e greatest number of military personnel that came into Orange were sail-ors that formed up and marched down Green Avenue to the shipyards to man the warships and auxiliary vessels. For many of them, it was a one-way trip as they gave their lives fi ghting aboard those Orange-built ships.

Th e Korean War also saw serv-icemen coming and going to their service duties, although not in the numbers of the other wars.

An untold number of people came to the Orange Depot and bought tickets to places as near as Beaumont and Lake Charles. Others went on to connect to places all over the world on a ticket bought at the little depot.

Th e magnifi cent Sunset Limited passed through Orange chasing sunsets and sunrises. Th e Limited was the pride of the Southern Pacifi c Railroad and made daily stops there. Automo-biles on Green Avenue were oft en delayed by the loading and un-loading of passengers and freight aboard the shiny train. No one seemed to mind; it was just part of life in Orange.

As rail travel became unprofi t-able, the trains stopped running. By the mid-70s, there was no need to keep the depot open and the windows were shuttered and the doors were locked. Th e depot just sat by the track as Amtrak trains roared through Orange and barely slowed as they made the curve by the depot. Th e railroad still owned it, but had no use for it. Th ey just let it sit there.

Over the years, ownership changed several times. While there were plans to use the depot, none were ever carried out. Somewhere along the line, vagrants found a way in. Th e in-side was trashed and the exterior paint began to peel. A storm and a fi re damaged the building. Th e once-beautiful depot became an eyesore. Everyone wondered if it would just sit there and rot away. Th ere were a lot of cries of “Save the Depot,” but no meaningful action. Until an Orange native stepped in.

Carrie Joiner Wolliver found dairies from 1917-18 that chroni-cled the daily lives of her grand-parents, Will and Pearl Joiner, who lived only two blocks from the depot. Joiner remembers seeing the trains at the depot as a child. She ended up writing a book, Th e Train Stopped in Orange.

One day, as Wolliver and her husband Ron passed over the tracks, they discussed how nice it would be if the depot could be saved and become the focal point for the entrance to the histori-cal part of Orange. Th ey decided to take action. Th ey bought the depot.

Th e next step was to form a group to save the building. FOOD, Th e Friends of the Orange Depot, was soon cre-ated. Interested citizens from the Orange area have been quick to join and volunteer for the needed committees.

Rob Clark, an architect from Architectural Alliance, Inc. was hired to look at the building. He has experience with restoring historical buildings and by early January 2014 had made the need-ed survey. Clark is working to see that as much of the original archi-tectural elements are kept in place

in an eff ort to make the depot eligible to receive the

marker of the National Register of Historic Places. Th e design will convert the building into a multi-use format, and there will be a reception room, a museum, a gift shop and a conference room that can be used by Orange area clubs and organizations.

Th e estimate of the cost of the restoration is $600,000. Accord-ing to Wolliver, who has visited restored depots over the last six months, this is a lower amount than was used in other depot restorations. Th e restored depot will be called “Th e Gateway to the Historical District,” and will welcome tourists who come to Orange to visit the museums and other points of interest.

FOOD is in the process of obtaining the 501(c)3 designa-tion that makes donations tax deductible, and they are planning community-wide fundraising events. “Friends of the Orange Depot” T-shirts are being sold, along with bricks for a “Passenger Walk” engraved with the names of families and companies.

Despite all the community support, there is still a need for volunteers to serve on several committees. FOOD is asking Orange residents to contact former residents or classmates who live out of the area and inform them of the plans for the depot.

FOOD operates a website: www.orangetxdepot.com, and also has a page on Facebook. Information can be obtained at: info@friendsoftheorangedepot.org. Donations can be made either online or mailed to the Friends of the Orange Depot at First Financial Bank, PO Box 730, Orange, TX, 77630.

MARCH 27, 201406 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Alfred Doucette, Jr.

IBERIABANK Donates to SWLA on the Move IBERIABANK donated $20,000 to the SWLA Alliance Founda-

tion’s SWLA on the Move fi ve-year campaign. Th e donation is part of IBERIABANK’s ongoing support. Th e current plan of work under the SWLA on the Move campaign is to address the critical issues facing our region: workforce development, business recruitment, business reten-tion and expansion, regional marketing, and building a single voice for a true regional partnership.

Chennault Airshow Looking ‘Beyond 2014’Th e 2013 Chennault International Airshow was a big hit, say its

organizers, but the next airshow will not be in 2014. Randy Robb, president of the airshow’s board of directors, said the nonprofi t organi-zation will need more time to gather resources and recruit commit-tee members “so we can bring the best airshow possible to Southwest Louisiana in future years.” He said the 2013 airshow was an amazing success. “Some 25,000 people saw the show over its two-day run, and the airshow generated an estimated $1.5 million economic impact for our community. All this was done by a small volunteer board and committee—and some very generous sponsors. We need to grow our resources and support to make sure the next Chennault Airshow is an even bigger success. We are looking beyond 2014.”

Doucette Appointed to AARP Louisiana Executive Council

Th e Executive Council of Louisiana AARP welcomed Alfred Doucette, Jr. of Lake Charles as a new member. Alfred attended orientation at the Loui-siana State Offi ce, Baton Rouge, and the Executive Council (EC) meeting, at the AARP Community Resource Center, New Orleans. AARP is working to help Americans 50+ live life to the fullest. Louisiana has over 500,000 members.

L’Auberge Casino Resort Donates to ABF Basketball

L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles donated $3,359 to the ABF Community Basketball Fundraiser to be held Saturday, March 29 at Hamilton Christian Academy. L’Auberge Casino Re-sort is sponsoring the event with a cash donation and an auction item. Th e fundraiser benefi ts ABF Community Development, an organization established to provide programs for training,

education, health and the overall goodwill of the elderly and youth in the area.

L’Auberge Names 2013 Team Members of the YearL’Auberge Casino Resort recently named its 2013 Team Members of

the Year. Five winners were honored from among more than 2,200 team members for their dedication in fi ve recognition categories: Commu-nity Service, Wendi McGee – Casino Manager; Excellence, Paul Cox – Information Technology Specialist; Guest Service, Rhonda Hill – Le Café Server; Innovation, Joel Newman – Senior Engineer and Leader-ship and Josh Th omas – Security Shift Supervisor. All were previously honored as Team Member of the Quarter in their respective categories.

Calcasieu Parish Law Enforcement GraduationTh e Calcasieu Parish Regional Law Enforcement Training Acad-

emy completed its 107th Basic Academy by conducting graduation ceremonies recently for 35 offi cers representing 13 agencies in the fi ve-parish area. Th irty-four offi cers completed 320 hours of instruction in all phases of basic law enforcement and one offi cer who completed a refresher course of 90 hours of instruction. All 35 law enforcement offi cers passed the Louisiana Peace Offi cer Standard Testing (POST) exam and are now certifi ed as Basic Peace Offi cers.

Philip Earhart, IBERIABANK SWLA president, George Swift, Chamber SWLA and Foundation president & CEO; and Barry Brown, IBERIABANK VP

Pictured (L-R): Alfretta Gauthier, ABF Community Development; Antoine Joseph, ABF Community Development; Keith W. Henson,

L’Auberge Casino Resort Senior VP/ GM; Trina Duhon, ABF Community Development.

MARCH 27, 2014 07Vol. 5 • No. 26

Drum Majors for 2014 McNeese Marching BandTh e drum majors for the 2014 Pride of McNeese Cowboy Marching

Band have been selected. Matthew Duplantis, Houma; Lena Perry, Orange, Texas; and Aus-tin Vallot, Erath, are all junior music education majors. Th ey completed an audition process that included votes by their peers, conducting the band and interviews.

Sasol Donates to McNeese College of Engineering

Sasol recently donated $15,000 through the Mc-Neese State Univer-sity Foundation to the McNeese Col-lege of Engineering for its endowment campaign.

Original Downtown Crawfi sh FestivalNow a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 EventThe Southeast Tourism So-ciety recently honored the Original Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival as a Top 20 Event for the second quarter of 2014. The festival will be held Friday-Sunday, April 11-13, at the Lake Charles Civic Center. With crawfish season in full swing, Steamboat Bill’s will be on site selling over 10,000 pounds of hot, boiled crawfish. Other highlights include live music by Geno Delafose and Grammy award winner Chubby Carrier, a parade, and the Mitchell Brother’s Carnival. Check out the queen’s pag-eant and the crawfish eating contest. For more informa-tion, go to www.visitlake-charles.org.

Westlake High School Key Club Visits Western Heights Elementary for “Dr. Seuss Day” Celebration

Westlake High School Key Club recently visited Western Heights Elementary to celebrate “Dr. Seuss Day.” Each Key Club member was assigned a class and chose a Dr. Seuss book to read the chosen class. Members also created a learning activity to go along with their book. One Westlake High student dressed as “Cat in the Hat” and visited classrooms throughout the school. Shanna Egg-leston and Grace Guth, librarians at WHS and Western Heights, worked together to organize the event. Dr. Joe Savoie partnered with Key Club as the local Kiwanis representative.

(L to R), Patricia Prebula, president-elect of the McNeese Foundation Board of Directors, Paul Hippman, manager,

Sasol, and Dr. Nikos Kiritsis, engineering dean. McNEESE PHOTO

Matthew Duplantis

LenaPerry

AustinVallot

MARCH 27, 201408 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Quite accidently, I’ve stumbled upon something that does far more to make a woman happy that giving her fl owers. It’s better even than diamonds, at least as far as my wife is concerned. I know this because of the amount of time she spent checking Face-book on her phone the last time I took her to the ballpark.

What really made her happy was when I bought her a new car. She’s had it about a week now, and it’s probably been the most blissful week of our marriage in quite some time. It’s been so blissful, in fact, that it may be worth any husband’s while to buy his wife a new car every month. Judging from my wife’s reaction, it would be a lot more eff ective than marriage counseling and likely a whole lot cheaper than a divorce. It would be a great angle for car companies to use in their advertising—“Th e new Ford Mustang, at a monthly pay-ment that’s less than the average

alimony check!” In fact, I’m willing to go out

on a limb and say that it’s even worth going through the hassle of dealing with car salesmen. Nothing against car salesmen, you understand. Everybody’s got to make a living, even if it does involve talking unsuspecting dupes like me into paying more for a car than the military pays for an armored personnel carrier.

I’ll admit that the car-buying experience has improved over the years, thanks to the Internet. Nowadays, a salesman can’t get away boasting about how the car you’re looking at was owned by a little old lady who only drove it to church on Sundays. Now, you can easily fi nd out the whole truth by ordering a car fax, which will tell you about how the little old lady got plowed into in the church parking lot—since it’s not unlike the Talladega Speedway aft er the conclusion of services.

Unsurprisingly, the car deal-ers have adapted to the chang-ing marketplace by coming up with new, clever schemes to whisk money out of your bank account, and when you least expect it.

Here’s how it works. You will conclude the deal with your salesman, feeling quite proud of how much you shaft ed him on the price, thanks to all that stuff you found online. Th en, he ushers you into the fi nance manager’s offi ce to conclude the paperwork. Th at’s when—wham! You learn that, for only an extra $100 or so a month, you can get a whole basket of good stuff , including an extended warranty, roadside assistance, and key replacement insurance. And you defi nitely need the key replace-ment insurance, because other-wise, when your wife loses the key (and if she’s like my wife, it’s “when” and not “if ”), a replace-ment will cost you $500. Th at

makes the key worth more than your entire old car was worth, based on what they gave you for the trade-in. It makes you won-der if, at that price, you could use the key to launch a nuclear missile.

As for me, I took my chances and passed on the key insur-ance. My wife, for her part, promised to be careful with it. I hope to heaven she is. It’s not so much the replacement cost that I’m worried about, though. I just don’t want her sticking it into some strange keyhole and inadvertently setting off World War III.

Mike McHugh’s column has appeared in the Jambalaya News for nearly fi ve years. He also contributes stories to the “Not Your Mother’s Book” anthology series and makes public speaking appearances. To inquire about having him speak to your group, contact Mike at thedangyankee@mail.com.

The Key to A Woman’s Heart

Need some laughs? This boy is sure to add some to your life! He loves to be

outside but loves to snug-gle in the evenings for a little television or a movie. He seems to enjoy chasing cats for sport but has never attempted to hurt one. He

is good with other dogs but enjoys special time with his person. He came to us with a dread-ful case of Demodex

mange but it has cleared and his coat now has a healthy shine. He would love to have a new home where he can be top dog and is waiting for his special person to come for him. Home visit and vet check required prior to all adoptions. For more information on Mitt, call or email: (337) 478-7294; lapaw@bellsouth.net.

Can’t adopt? Consider fostering. Can’t foster? Consider sponsoring! LAPAW dogs (and cats) can be seen at www.lapaw.org.

Featured by LAPAW Rescue • Contact us at www.lapaw.org

MARCH 27, 2014 09Vol. 5 • No. 26

Burnt and Busted

There appears to be no end in sight as the clever minds of marketers con-tinue to turn sow’s ears into silk purses. Recently, at a casual get-together with friends, a bag of Unique Pretzels Extra Dark Splits was on the table for all to share. No one had seen them before and I don’t care if I ever see them again. Some marketing guru fig-ured out a way to turn burnt and busted pretzels into a saleable item, and have convinced customers that they are purchasing a pre-mium, almost gourmet item instead of damaged goods that should be thrown away. Sheer genius on their part. Too bad they taste like carbon residue formed into halfway recognizable shapes. I know that some of you will now be intrigued enough to try this alleged snack, but please don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Get out and Vote!

One of the most precious rights we have as Americans is our right to vote. It’s how we control the life and soul

of our country. In this day of increas-ingly dubious interpretations of

our constitution-al rights, we, as a repre-

sentative democra-cy, must elect

persons of quality

and capability that believe and

respect our own views. In reality, no one candidate can reflect our views

100 percent, but we need to support those who agree the most with our mindset. Support those ballot issues that you feel are best for you, your family and your neighbors.

The ridiculously low turn-outs we have on elec-tion day are appalling. Please be informed on the candidates’ views, review the issues on the ballot, ask friends their opinions, and make sure you know the lo-cation of your precinct and polling place (some change from time to time). Our next scheduled election date is April 5. Make sure you are registered and vote. Don’t leave it up to the other guy.

Supermarket Roundup

Let’s make some hearty chili for our shopping sur-vey this week. We checked the price of some of the ingredients commonly used in this popular dish: ground beef, onions, red beans and tomato sauce. These prices were obtained on Wednes-day, March 19 and reflect the posted price on the shelf where the product was placed for sale. The stores checked this time were:

Albertsons-Country Club Road, Market-Nelson Road, Kroger-McNeese Street and Walmart-Nelson Road.

Yellow onion, per pound: Albertsons $1.29, Market Basket $1.29, Kroger $1.19, Walmart $.88.

Ground meat, 80-20 blend, per pound: Albertsons $5.49, Market Basket $4.49,

Kroger $3.77, Walmart $3.78.

Camellia red beans, 1-pound package: Albert-sons $1.67 (3 pkgs/$5), Market Basket $1.99, Kroger $1.99, Walmart $1.78.

Hunts Tomato Sauce, 8-ounce can: Albertsons $.59, Market Basket $.55, Kroger $.59, Walmart $.44.

MARCH 27, 201410 Vol. 5 • No. 26

“A birding we will go! Hi Ho the Derry-O, a birding we will go!” This tale begins in January of 2013 when my BFFL “Big Charlie” Crady (6’ 7” 290 lbs) came in from Houston for his annual visit. We headed to Cameron Par-ish’s 9,621-acre Cameron Prairie Wildlife Refuge on Hwy. 27 to shoot pictures of the wildfowl for Charlie’s sons and my godsons Chris and Chad. Waterfowl were flippin’ everywhere! It reminded me of my rice field duck blind where we all hunted back in the day, a veritable tornado effect cornucopia of ducks and geese in every size, shape

and color.During the summer, my

friend Melony Rue LeMay happened to mention that her family loved the tour also. That spurred a return trek for both of us. Melony (I call her Rue) was enthralled with the stately bearded Great Blue Herons, gators crossing the trail at full gallop, Snowy and Dark Egrets and the hun-dreds of her beloved Roseate Spoonbills; something she adored as much as I my won-drous waterfowl.

So, after an ice storm the morn of Fat Tuesday (2014), Rue and I decided to skip the parade’s madding crowd and

speed off a-birding. (I never, ever said I was sane.) While we were at the gas station to fill up her SUV, some wag told her that we wouldn’t see any geese or ducks. Our redhead Rue informed him in no uncertain terms that she was going with “a longtime professional guide who actually knew what he was talking about. “

Of course, Rue was wise, as I was proved correct. Ice-draped and grayed trees, frosted fields, glazed high lines and the Snow

Geese in the still khaki rice fields made us swoon our way to Cameron Prairie. On the

drive along the Refuge’s game viewing

trail, we saw Spoonbills, Blue and Green-

wing Teal, Pintails, Mot-tled Ducks, Gadwalls, Widgeons, Mallards, and even a Cinnamon Teal in its spectacular hews

of cinnamon. Driving out and back on our way to

Grand Lake, I grabbed her arm and screamed, “Stop!” at the top of my voice. Standing there in the field were flocks of red crested shades of gray 3 foot tall birds. I knew from hunts 30 years ago in Anahuac,

Texas that these were San-dhill Cranes!Five days later, I grabbed

up my friend, professional photographer and artist Chris Romero, and we returned on the chance they might still be there. We circled the rice fields in search of our quarry. We needed to get as close as possible for Chris to use his

telephoto lens. Rue spot-ted a few of them near the fence on the north side of

a rice field. So, we eased to a stop and Chris moved out

A Choir of Sandhills

MARCH 27, 2014 11Vol. 5 • No. 26

stealthily. He leapt across a muddy ditch in shoot-inap-propriate topsiders and crept through the brush. Standing waist deep in bushes, he be-gan his shoot.

“Rue, if Ray Thibodeaux were here he’d yell SNAKE!” I said with a mischievous grin.

“Don’t you dare, that would be cruel!” Rue exclaimed.

I restrained myself, barely, as Chris shot away. A very surprised Black Angus cow exploded from the trees just across the fence and the Sandhills flushed, with Chris shooting them in all their glory. Hoping to find more, we drove around to the west side of the rice field and spot-ted over a hundred Sandh-hill Cranes enmeshed among flocks of ducks, geese and Snowy Egrets. Chris quietly exited the car, crept nearer the field and shot them as they lit, did their mating dance, leapt up, or flew, their six-foot wingspan grasping the northwest breeze. Some-how, Rue captured their “coo-ing choir” Sandhill chorus on her cell phone. Chris and I stood on the roadside simply mesmerized in the moment.

So, here are the pictures as proof of the magnificence of what we saw, heard and expe-rienced. The Sandhill Cranes tell the tale. As Rue delight-edly said, “What a treasure Cameron Parish is.”

RogerMiller

“For the parents of a Little Leaguer, a baseball game is sim-ply a nervous breakdown into innings.” – Earl Wilson

Every year around this time, just as the cold transitions into delightful springtime weather, something else is about to take place: – a new season of Little League baseball. And every year, I ask my son if he’s ready to make the commitment to attend every practice and to be at every game with his game face on, if he’ll do his best, and if he’s sure that he’s doing this because he wants to play baseball. And every year (he’s entering his sixth year of playing) he’s very enthusiastically said “Yes!”

Surely, there’s something simi-lar in the lives of your children whether it’s soccer, karate, ballet, track, etc. I think most of us try to give our kids a healthy balance of academics and extracurricular activities to help them be as well rounded as they can possibly be.

My boy started playing when he was just four, and I’ll never forget how cute he was that fi rst season. Th ose games were played at the Lake Street baseball fi elds out by the airport. During a game, little boys would some-times sit down in the fi eld and stare up at the airplanes over-head, pick fl owers, roll around in the grass, and wave to their parents in the stands. In other words, they would do anything but pay attention. One time, in the middle of a game, my son came running out of the fi eld straight up into the stands, threw his arms around me and said, “Mommy, I love you!” I remem-ber that perfect moment like it

was yesterday. Every year when the team ros-

ter gets handed out, I notice that many kids are fortunate to have not only their mothers but their dads in their lives as well. Th at’s not to say that all of those kids have parents who are together or even happy, and I know that some are divorced. But most of the dads are involved and attend practices and games. I adopted as a single mother and my son doesn’t have a dad in his life. But I’m at every practice and game. In between games, I play catch with him at home and it’s one of those wonderful mom-and-son bonding times that I treasure.

Every year that my son has played, I’ve seen a remarkable thing that always warms my heart. Several dads will be out on the fi eld and they’ll be coach-ing at fi rst base, outfi eld, pitcher mound, etc. Naturally, they’ll usually end up at whatever posi-tion their child is playing. But here’s the cool thing: the dads end up scooting around the fi eld and fi nding a way to include my son along with their own in their on-fi eld coaching and mentoring. Th ey pat him on the back, throw the ball with him, and even get gruff with him if he’s not paying attention. Hey, I’m all for that and will even give the dad/coach a thumb’s up! It’s important be-cause we all know that as the kids are out there throwing, catching, hitting, they aren’t just learning about baseball. Th ey are learning about life.

Last season, my son got a home run, and it was so exciting to see him experience that aft er working so hard for it. As the

bat connected solidly with the ball and it soared way into the outfi eld, it felt like everything was happening in slow motion and I held my breath. Th e player in left fi eld dropped the ball and my son ran for his life. Past fi rst base, then second base, and then he headed on to third. As he rounded third and was run-ning his little heart out toward home plate, he glanced over at me where I was ready to capture the moment with my camera and gave me that sweet, little-boy smile. “Run, baby, run!” is all I could think. As he slid into home plate, dust fl ying all around him, everyone calling his name, and me with tears in my eyes, I knew that this was a moment that we would both savor forever.

Shortly aft er, he found out he had made All Stars for the South Lake Charles Little League. What a season it was! We’ll never forget Coach Mike Ford and how he helped make that season our best ever. And he gave my son some-thing that money can’t buy – he believed in him.

Th is year, when I sit in the stands among other moms and dads as well as his proud little sister and friends and family who come to watch my boy play the game he loves, I’ll remind myself of something once again: I’m not just watching baseball; I’m watching my son grow from a lit-tle boy into a young man.

Lisa Addison writes for local, regional, and national publica-tions. She has two school-aged children, never gets enough sleep, enjoys trying out new reci-pes, and loves going on adven-tures with her kids.

Play Ball!

MARCH 27, 201412 Vol. 5 • No. 26

As we transition from the cold of winter to the warmth of spring to the high heat of summer, we need to be reminded that warm weather fashion is the “Don’t-est” fashion season of the year. Our bodies require fewer layers of clothing, but knowing how far not to go seems to be a complicated issue.

Does warm weather trigger a faux pas gene that makes adults throw fashion sense to the wind? It sure seems like it. One of the most common examples of inappropriate attire is low rise jeans with a skimpy thong that rises above the waistline when seated or bending over. I’m pretty sure this off ends people and makes them uncomfortable, even if they laugh it off .

Th e off ender doesn’t consider how her attire could be inappro-priate when dining in public, for example. And she’s probably never seen what she looks like seated since it’s behind her. Th is attire would be more appropriate in her home and not in public.

We must dress for the situation as we do any other time of year. We know how to dress for a Mardi Gras ball, church and a wedding. So, let’s focus on work and socializing in public.

It’s easier to give don’ts on offi ce attire since the dress code is already limited throughout the other months. Th ere shouldn’t be too many deviations except to lighten up on your fabric, makeup and per-fume, but not your focus, attention to detail and professionalism.

Women have limitless fashion possibilities to choose from which makes a summer work wardrobe diffi cult to navigate.

Shirts and Blouses. Leave low necklines, and sleeveless tops at home, since too much skin is never appropriate in a professional set-ting. Th e better choice would be a top with short sleeves that covers

the upper arms accompanied by a light sweater or jacket. Or, fi tted long sleeves in a lightweight fabric that shows the shape of your arm, but not too much skin. Avoid tops that are too tight, too sheer and that allow bra straps to show.

Pants and skirts. Don’ts include tight pants exposing too much of the body’s shape or indentations from undergarments. Anything more than two inches above the knee is a no-no for skirts. Instead, choose conservative tailored pants or knee-length to calf-length skirts.

Shoes. No platform streetwalker shoes, fl ip fl ops or anything resem-bling a sneaker. Go for sandals that have more coverage than not, fl ats, or heels up to 4 inches high. Summer is the time to liberate the feet that have been hiding all year. But just because you can doesn’t mean it’s appropriate in all casual situations. And before you do go there, pedicures for both sexes are a MUST with sandals and fl ip fl ops! Don’t subject everyone else to your gnarly feet with overgrown toe hair, dry heels and untrimmed nails. Yuck.

Perfume and cologne. Strong fragrances are intensifi ed with warm temperatures and will change to an unpleasant scent when mixed with your eau de summer body oils. Replace the earthy, musky, patchouli perfumes and go for light, citrusy, clean scents. Stop by a department store counter and get samples before you decide on your new scent. Perfume and cologne smell diff erently on each person.

Too tight anything. Just because it zips doesn’t mean it fi ts. Th e golden rule is to dress not only in accordance with your personality, but to your body type as well. Not every fashion will suit every body type, so it is important to under-stand which styles suit you.

Men, you have fewer options to

consider: shirt, tie, jacket, pants, socks and shoes. Th at’s it.

Depending on where you work, you may or may not be allowed to dress down by ditching your suit and tie and replacing them with a collared golf shirt and dress slacks. Unfortunately, you still have to wear dress socks, shoes and/or loafers. No tube socks, sandals or sneakers for you either. Speaking of sandals, why would you wear white tube socks with sandals? Are you a tourist abroad? Tube socks are for sports.

Part of the confusion regarding dress codes may start with your employer. Just as you struggle with what is appropriate, they struggle with how to eff ectively communi-cate the work attire they expect.

If your employer does not have a published policy, bring up the topic with your superior or Human Resources Manager. Let them know you are interested in meeting their expectations by asking for verifi ca-tion on their dress code policies.

Th e best HR Dress Standard Manual I’ve seen included photo-graphs of associates wearing what is acceptable or unacceptable for all non-uniformed employees, both men and women.

Casual AttireIf you think work attire guide-

lines seem complicated, there are more challenges with casual attire since no one holding us to a stand-ard of dress.

Too tight waist bands and just the opposite, baggy shorts are equally wrong. We all know that when our waist band is tucked underneath our tummy, it’s time for some new slacks. And just because you have a long shirt hanging over the waistline doesn’t mean it isn’t noticeable to others. Th e opposite is also undesirable. While baggy feels better in hot weather, baggy can look sloppy. Avoid pants with multiple pockets to fi ll with too

many items that will drag the waist-line down. Also avoid wide legged long shorts that hide your calves and merge into a uni-skirt. Th ere is a happy medium between tight and baggy. Please fi nd it.

Guys, the tank top look is never appropriate. Even Tony Soprano knew that he could only wear his tank top to sleep or lounge in. And most of the time, it was underneath his robe. Tank tops are meant to be concealed under a shirt. Not to proudly display unsightly chest hair and armpits. If you must wear one without a shirt, please remain inside the walls of your compound.

As far as shirtless goes, the only acceptable places in public are at the pool or beach, guys. Not walk-ing down the street or entering an establishment. Th is is my personal pet peeve. It just looks so déclassé.

Tiny bikinis and swim suits with complicated cutouts that reveal too much are tacky. Less is more and helps protect you against wardrobe malfunctions too. But if you go for skimpy, make sure you are appro-priately groomed to show so much skin.

Bras, camisoles, thongs and box-ers hanging out of clothing were never meant to become a trend. Even worse is when underwear can be seen through fabrics or aren’t appropriately covered (i.e., color-ful or white undies under white pants or daisy dukes and skimpy tops that reveal the anatomy). Th is “don’t” applies to both sexes. Have a friend look you over before going out so that you don’t get into an embarrassing situation where your privates are not private at all.

What summer fashion “don’ts” bother you? What other etiquette topics would you like us to cover? Your feedback is important! Email us at lauren@thejambalayanews.com.

In addition to being schooled by her mother, Anna Catherine Viator attended the Protocol School of Washington in Alexandria, VA.

Summer Fashion Etiquette

MARCH 27, 2014 13Vol. 5 • No. 26

Lake Charles residents will be kick-ing up their heels and dancing an Irish jig over Our Lady Queen of Heaven School’s production of Finian’s Rain-bow JR. Th e whimsical musical-with-a-social-conscience explores important themes like equality, living within your means and community while featur-ing classic songs including, “How Are Th ings in Glocca Morra?” “Old Devil Moon,” “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love,” “Look to the Rainbow,” and “Th e Begat.”

Director Colette Bulber Tanner has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Music Education. She’s been teach-ing for 18 years, and this is her eleventh

at OLQHS. “I’ve grown up with music and musical theatre, as my parents were musicians and music educators,” she said “My fi rst role onstage was when I was four years old in Th e King & I, produced by McNeese. I’ve been in multiple pro-ductions since. Th is is my eighth show to direct, choreograph and produce.”

Th e production is a joint eff ort by the OLQHS Fine Arts Department and is a wonderful expression of art, music and drama.

“Th ere is a board of people who choose the musical and cast the play,” Tanner explained. “ It includes Margue-rite LeDoux, Pam Fontenot and myself. We felt that this show was a good fi t for

the students we have right now. Our school is blessed with many talented singers and dancers, so we needed a show with a

large cast. We also felt that the social message

taught by the show, one of acceptance, was a

positive concept for the students to

experience.

Teachers can use this as a cross-cur-ricular tool with history, social justice, literature, science, math…almost any subject.”

Auditions were held last fall, and the students have been rehearsing for the last two months aft er school. A lot of students!

“Between the leads and the choir, there are 119 students performing and 10 students working backstage,” Tanner continued. “We rehearse Monday-Th ursday aft er school….certain people on certain days until last week. Now, we rehearse full cast every aft ernoon Monday-Th ursday.”

Starring in the show are Timothy Curol as Finian, Ally Kadlubar as Sha-ron, John Noble as Woody, Colin Roan as Og the Leprechaun and Haley’beth Cain as Susan the Silent.

Th e 7th and 8th grade cast members, along with the 6th grade choir, will put on a performance that will entertain all ages. “With all of the singing and dancing, it brings us closer together…not just as a school, but as a family,” said eighth-grader Jillian Whitley.

Eighth-grader John Noble agrees. “Th e play has united us together and shown us to appreciate each others’ talents,” he said.

“It was really exciting to be able to

put together this play with our peers,” said Anna Cameron, 8th grade. “We got to help spread the message that eve-ryone is created equal no matter where they are from or what they look like.”

“Th e musical is truly a collaborative eff ort by everyone in the school,” Tan-ner said. “History teacher Diane Oden and art teacher Brenda Foshee have painted beautiful backdrops for the show. We are blessed to have an admin-istration, principal, (JoAnn Wallwork), a school board and clergy (Msgr. James Gaddy, pastor) so willing to support the arts in our school and in our com-munity. Art education in all forms is so very important to the development of a student’s mind.”

Performances will be held Th ursday, April 3 and Friday April 4, at 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m at the Lake Charles Boston Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the school of-fi ce through Diane Jackson (477-7349). Th ey are $12 for adults and $7 for students under 14.

Our Lady Queen of Heaven School Presents Finian’s Rainbow JR

Timothy Curol as Finian and Ally Kadlubar as Sharon

MARCH 27, 201414 Vol. 5 • No. 26

MARCH 27, 2014 15Vol. 5 • No. 26

CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital recently named James Jones the 2013 Associ-ate of the Year at the Associ-ate Awards Ceremony held recently at the Lake Charles Country Club. Jones has worked in maintenance and engineering at CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital for over 22 years. He is a model asso-ciate, always going above and beyond whatever is asked of him. Though his specialty is plumbing, he is flexible and is ready to do whatever job is needed to help his team. He also does after-hours work in the housekeeping depart-ment of the hospital. The CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hos-pital Associate of the Year is chosen from nominations submitted by associates, leaders and physicians of the hospital and voted on by the

Administrative team. The associate must exemplify the CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hos-pital core values of dignity, integrity, excellence, com-passion and stewardship and must live the hospital’s mis-sion of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.

CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital Names James Jones Associate of the Year

MDs, NPs and EMTs Attend CHRISTUS St. Patrick Regional Heart Center Cardiac Symposium

Physicians, nurse practitioners and first responders attended the CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital Regional Heart Center Cardiac Symposium recently,at L’Auberge Casino Resort.

Local cardiologists Miguel DePuy, M.D., Carl Fastabend, M.D., Richard Gilmore, M.D., Thomas Mulhearn, M.D., and Michael Turner, M.D. discussed the latest techniques for preven-tion, diagnosis and treatment of a variety of cardiovascular diseases.

Some topics that were covered during the symposium included:

•Early diagnosis, prevention and Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease •PCI for CAD – Medications and Current Status •Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death Current Status •Treatment of CHF Drugs vs. Devices •Prevention of Readmission for CHF •Causes and Treatments of Venous Insufficiency

For information on the CHRISTUS St. Patrick Regional Heart Center, visit www.chris-tusstpatrick.org/earthealth.

L to R: Carl Fastabend, M.D., Michael Turner, M.D., Thomas Mulhearn, M.D., Richard Gilmore, M.D. and Miguel DePuy, M.D.)

MARCH 27, 201416 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Kids are always getting colds. But when the “cold” won’t go away for weeks, it may not be a cold aft er all. Instead, it could be aller-gies.

Long-lasting sneezing, with a stuff y or runny nose, may signal the presence of allergic rhinitis—that group of symptoms that aff ect the nose when you have an allergic reaction to something you breathe in and that lands on the lining inside the nose.

Allergies may be seasonal or they can strike year-round (peren-nial). Plant pollens are oft en the cause of seasonal allergic rhinitis—more commonly called hay fever. Indoor substances, such as mold, dust mites, and pet dander, may cause the perennial kind.

Up to 40 percent of children suff er from allergic rhinitis, ac-cording to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. And children are more likely to develop allergies if one or both parents have them.

In some children, allergies can also trigger symptoms of asthma—a disease that causes wheezing or diffi culty breathing. Not control-ling the allergies can make asthma even worse.

For most children, symptoms may be controlled by avoiding the allergen, if known, and using over-the-counter medicines. But if your child’s symptoms persist and are not relieved by medicine, visit a health care professional who will evaluate his symptoms and see if other treatment is necessary.

Once you know he really has seasonal allergies, these quick tips can off er much-needed relief.

1. Stay Inside. Th e best way to treat allergy symptoms is to avoid the causes. So when pollen counts soar, keep kids indoors as much as possible. Pollen is usually at its peak mid-morning, early evening, and when the wind is blowing.

2. Use Saltwater. Having a plugged-up nose is one of the toughest allergy symptoms. For

relief, older children might want to spray their noses with saline solu-tion, easily found at any drugstore.

3. Stay Hydrated. All that sneezing and blowing can leave a child dehydrated. Keep a wa-ter bottle full and close by and encourage your children to keep sipping.

4. Steam It Up. Steam from a warm shower or bath can off er some relief, so encourage kids to enjoy a little tub time.

5. Keep It Cool. To keep pollen out during hot weather, keep the air conditioning on in your car and home and the windows closed.

6. Humidify. A little moisture in the air can make breathing easier, so if the air in your home is dry, get a humidifi er. But be care-ful: Humidity over 40 percent can encourage the growth of indoor allergens like mold and dust mites.

7. Go Cold. Itchy eyes? A cold compress may help reduce the itch and soreness.

8. No Hands. Rubbing itchy

eyes will only irritate them -- and could make the itchiness even worse.

9. Spice It Up. Spicy foods may help thin mucus and clear nasal passages. Not hard to fi nd in Southwest Louisiana!

10. Soft Tissues. Tender noses can get sore pretty fast, so but tis-sues with lotion or aloe.

11. Rub Jelly On It. Is your child’s nose raw and red from blowing? Soothe it with a dab of petroleum jelly.

12. Gargle. Drainage can cause a sore throat. Gargling with warm salt water (1-2 tablespoons of table salt in 8 ounces of water) may ease the pain.

13. Warm Tea. Drinking more fl uids can also help sooth scratchy throats. A weak tea with honey and lemon will help, and the steam may relieve sinus congestion, too.

14. Face Time. Warm com-presses applied to the face may also help soothe a child’s sinus pressure and pain.

MARCH 27, 2014 17Vol. 5 • No. 26

We all want the best for our families, our partners and our friends. But what about what’s best for our own health? Get-ting active, getting together with new friends, and getting informed about new informa-tion on health and wellness out there just gets harder as we get older, doesn’t it? The good thing is, you’re not alone.

Senior Circle is dedicated to making life after 50 more active, informed, fun and full of friends. We plan events, volunteer and educational opportunities in your commu-nity and at Lake Area Medical Center centered on helping you live the healthiest, most active lifestyle possible. You just show up, meet, greet, and take advantage of the benefits: new friends, fellowship, and valuable member-only dis-counts and privileges

The cost is just $15 for a year’s worth of membership and a birth date that indicates you’re 50 years of age or older.

Membership includes a truly generous selection of dis-counts, activities and events, exercise and wellness classes, a chapter newsletter and nation-al publication subscription, in-hospital privileges, reciprocal privileges and much more.

Local Membership Benefi ts• Dedicated Senior Circle advisor• A subscription to our quar-terly chapter newsletter• Free calendar of events• Free monthly activities• Free exercise classes• Free educational lunch and learn program• Discounts at area shops• Day and overnight travel opportunities• Free Notary Public• Free copying and faxing• Holiday parties• Th e opportunity to participate on Volunteer Committees• Complimentary private room

upgrade during your hospital stay when staffi ng and avail-ability permits

National Membership Benefits• Senior Circle National Web Site• Subscription to Senior Circle’s national publication• Toll-free member services line• National travel program• Prescription discount• Hearing care discount• Vision care discount• Emergency response discount with ADT• National car rental discounts

Contact the Senior Circle Advisor at (337) 475-4002 for more information.

You are not alone. Lake Area Medical Center’s bariatric support group is a vital con-nection for those undergoing weight loss surgery, and a big part in success of your proce-dure. We meet in a comfort-able, welcoming environment to share hopes, fears and ideas, plus get tips from hospital leaders, exciting guest speak-ers and more. Support group meetings are open to all bari-

atric patients, even if you did not have your surgery with us. Meetings take place at 6 p.m. on the second Th ursday of each month in Women & Chil-dren’s Hospital’s Ben Mount Boardroom. A light dinner is provided, and attendees are welcome to bring a family member or friend. For more information, please contact: Th e Bariatric Services Depart-ment, (337) 475-4760.

MARCH 27, 201418 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Since 2007, Lake Charles Memorial Health System has invested $60 million in system upgrades from technology to infrastructure to services.

Over the next three years, Me-morial has planned investments of more than $55 million. Once completed, a total of around $115 million will have been spent on technology, infrastructure and service delivery to build a pre-mier health system for Southwest Louisiana.

“In the past seven years, we have certainly made great improvements to enhance the quality and array of services we provide to the community,” says Larry Graham, President and CEO of the Memorial Health

System. “Most recently, we com-pleted the rehabilitation unit, the reading room, purchased land on Nelson Road for the construction of a new medical offi ce building, and began a construction project to double the size of our emer-gency room.”

From the services standpoint, Memorial has implemented a mobile nurse-to-patient phones system on inpatient nursing units, added urgent care and specialty clinics to the W.O. Moss Memorial Health Clinic, re-cruited additional doctors for the Memorial Medical Group, and there is more to come.

Looking into the future, this year Memorial will begin the renovation and expansion of the

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) unit. Th e 9th fl oor of the hospital is currently undergoing renovations to accommodate the new unit, while renovations to the 3rd fl oor ICU will follow soon aft er. A new modern medical offi ce build-ing for Moss Memorial is on the drawing board to be built adja-cent to the existing clinic.

New technology additions this year include a system that identifies patient information via a hand scan. PatientSecure® is a new and more secure way to register at any participating Memorial Health System facility. The system utilizes the latest in biometric technology that will streamline patient registration and provide accurate identifica-

tion of patients. A new discharge system is

also being put into place, which provides a video with discharge instructions and sends text re-minders, emails, tasks, and care messages to patients for better compliance with their care plan.

“Healthcare is evolving and so must we. In just a few short years, we have reinvented our hospital into a thriving health care system, the best in south-west Louisiana,” Graham says. “It’s a positive time for all of our hospitals, clinics and physician offices. We are proud of our past success, but even more commit-ted to the future of Memorial, a future that we are building to serve you.”

Walk into the Lake Charles Memorial Hospital atrium and your eyes quickly pan to the second fl oor. Th ere, you will fi nd a quiet space full of color and literature.

Th e David B. Usher reading room is an open-air space located on the second fl oor of the hospital’s atrium. It is intended to be a place where family members can wait comfort-

ably while their relatives/friends are having procedures. Free use of books and Wi-Fi Internet access will be available to help patrons pass the time.

Th rough various donations to the Foundation at Lake Charles Memo-rial Hospital, the reading room is now a reality. Th e room was offi cially dedicated last month.

“Th ere is so much to celebrate with the completion of the reading room. It provides a variety of read-ing material for the patients of Lake Charles Memorial and their fam-ily members. It also celebrates Mr. George Rodrigue and his wonderful contributions to Louisiana artwork,” the Usher family says. “For our fam-ily, it represents the opportunity to keep David’s memory alive. We hope people might be inspired to treat others with the same kindness and respect that David exemplifi ed in his professional and personal life.”

Blue Dog mixed media paint-ings by George Rodrigue fl ank the reading room, hanging from the atrium raft ers. Th e original paintings were made possible by the George Rodrigue Foundation for the Arts and local donors: Mr. and Mrs. John Condos, Dr. and Mrs. Brett Cascio, Dr. Kevin Mocklin and Dr. Cynthia Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Th omas Shear-man and Dr. Dale Archer, Jr.

Additionally, Larry Graham, Pres-ident and CEO of Memorial Health System, donated a seventh Blue Dog mixed media piece. It hangs on the Donor Recognition Wall, honoring

the men and women of the Military Medical Personnel, past and present.

Th e paintings are some of the last commissioned by Rodrigue before his passing in January.

“I am so happy that Dad was able to complete this project with Lake Charles Memorial Hospital,” says Jacques Rodrigue, Executive Direc-tor of the George Rodrigue Founda-tion of the Arts. “Th e Lake Charles area was always so supportive of him and his artwork so our family is grateful that the community came together to present such a wonderful collection of work that will forever be displayed in the David B. Usher Reading Room.”

Last year, more than 300 employ-ees throughout the Lake Charles Memorial Health System donated $80,000 to help fund the reading room.

David B. Usher served Lake Charles Memorial in many diff erent capacities for more than 20 years. His most recent role was that of Senior Vice President of Business Development until his untimely death in May of 2013.

“Words cannot describe the feel-ing of making this project a reality,” says Leif Pedersen, Vice President of Philanthropy at Memorial. “So many people came together with dona-tions of time and money to make this happen. Th is room was built to honor a many that gave so much to the success of this hospital and it will be here to serve the patients and families for years to come.”

MARCH 27, 2014 19Vol. 5 • No. 26

MARCH 27, 201420 Vol. 5 • No. 26

MARCH 27, 2014 21Vol. 5 • No. 26

On November 11, 1933, 11 young visionaries gathered at the fi rst meet-ing of the then-called Junior Welfare League. Eighty years later, the legacy of leadership and passion for fi lling spe-cifi c needs in the community continues with a membership of nearly 600 female volunteers in the Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc. (JLLC).

Th e JLLC has a legacy of serving, strengthening and sustaining the com-munity through their funding and volunteer services. During the last fi ve years alone, these women have per-formed over 120,000 hours of com-munity service and have funded over $600,000 in community programs and

volunteer training. Th e JLLC was recently recognized by

the SWLA Economic Development Alli-ance as a 2013 National Philanthropy Day

Corporate Honoree for its generosity and investment in a program that helps develop a strong workforce and future leaders.

Th e Junior League is donating time, volunteer support and $80,000 to im-plement “Th e Leader in Me” program at Maplewood Elementary in honor of the League’s 80th anniversary. Th ey also partner with Oak Park and Dolby Elementary as volunteers and provide parent trainings and fi tness/health programs at these schools to further strengthen families in this community. Th ey collaborate with other organi-zations, such as Family & Youth for deeper impact. Th e League envisions a more healthy, confi dent and edu-

cated community and is focusing their ef-forts and funding in the next few years on healthy families, literacy and workforce/leadership development.

Additionally, the JLLC provides grants to local educators and scholarships for vol-unteer-minded females. Th e funds raised through events and donations (such as the upcoming golf tournament on March 31) are used for these types of community programming, grants and scholarships.

Th e Jambalaya News sat down with Stephanie Kestel Karpovs, the current President of the Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc., and Bobbi Yancey, President of Art Associates, to learn more about the League’s juried art exhibit, “Th e HeART of Giving,” that is currently on display at Central School through April 11, 2014.

TJN: Tell us how this anniversary art exhibit came to be.

Karpovs: Th e events that we coordinate are usually in the planning phase for a year or more, in order to set budgets, fi nd ven-ues, and nail down the goals. So, knowing our organization would be celebrating our 80th year of service during the 2013-14 League year, we brainstormed ways to incorporate the community in a meaning-ful way. We started with our three-part mission that we share with Junior Leagues around the world: promoting voluntar-ism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the eff ective action and leadership of trained volunteers. We thought, “How can we highlight our 80 year legacy in the community, promote the spirit of volun-

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MARCH 27, 201422 Vol. 5 • No. 26

teering and develop new skills in the process as League members?”

Sometimes you have to look back to move forward. So, we did just that. A common thread throughout our history of community impact is the League’s contributions to the local arts. A milestone anniver-sary year is a great opportunity to reacquaint the public (and even our members) with our past program-ming and the amazing accomplish-ments of an all-volunteer organiza-tion of women.

Th e community we know and love today, has so many connec-tions with the volunteers of the Junior League. And, although we have focused on health and educa-tion over the years, too, the arts are what make SWLA such a great place to live! An art exhibit seemed like

a wonderful way to involve local students, pay tribute to the League’s contributions to the local arts and our history of strengthening the commu-nity in general, and spread the

word about volunteering. National Volunteer Week occurs in April each year, so we “began with the end in mind,” knowing we would like the closing reception to occur during that time in April of 2014.

TJN: How did you decide on the name and location for the exhibit?

Karpovs: Well, fi rst we planned the location. We thought about the Children’s Museum or Imperial Calcasieu Museum as great locations since both of those are past pro-grams of the JLLC, who are also cel-ebrating 25th and 50th anniversaries as separate non-profi t corporations. It is awesome to see them still thriv-ing today, providing meaningful learning opportunities to the fami-lies of SWLA, long aft er the League’s direct involvement. But, we decided to provide a new literacy-based exhibit for the Children’s Museum, and provide anniversary grants for continued programming as well as volunteer support for special events to the museums instead.

If you walk the halls of Central School, you will encounter sev-eral entities with ties to the Junior League: Th e Arts & Humanities Council, Th e Literacy Council of SWLA, the Black Heritage Gal-lery and Th e Lake Charles Sym-phony. Th ey all have their own set of volunteers, so we identifi ed Central School as the place to have the most impact and exposure for the purposes of our exhibit. I had seen Bobbi’s name in the paper as President of Art Associates, so I reached out on behalf of the League and started the conversation about using the Art Associates Gallery in early 2013.

Yancey: As President of Art Associates and an art teacher, I consider myself fortunate to not only work with the students who submitted artwork to create the exhibit, but also to be involved with Stephanie Karpovs in curating it. Th e League had specifi c ideas about what they wanted to accomplish, and the Art Associates helped them fi gure out the steps needed to do it, such as budgeting for framing so the work met our gallery’s guide-lines.

Karpovs: Yes, that is the “devel-oping the potential of women” piece of our mission I referenced earlier. Th rough this exhibit, members

Embracing the Past - Transforming the FutureSince November 1933, the women of this organization have been leaders of lasting community change.

Looking back at the programs and services these volunteers have brought to this community over the last eight decades is quite phenomenal. Many people are unaware that the Junior League was a catalyst for the creation of many well-known programs, agencies and fundraisers, including the following:

*Leaguers & Links Golf TournamentLego Motion (Autism Awareness)*Liberty Belles*Life Lessons 101 (now Leadership Development)Literacy Council of SWLA*Marshes to Mansions Cookbook*Mistletoe and Moss Holiday MarketNearly New ShopPet Therapy*Pirate’s Pantry CookbookPrevent Child Abuse Louisiana (PCAL)Rebuilding Together (formerly Christmas in April)Speech & Hearing CenterSubstance Abuse Resource CenterTeen Leadership Council (TLC)*That’s My Bag (now Fostering Families)Volunteer Center of SWLA

*= current/ongoing projects

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MARCH 27, 2014 23Vol. 5 • No. 26

of the 80th anniversary commit-tee learned skills to coordinate an exhibit from idea to reality, how to collaborate with professionals to spread the word to local art teachers in the school system, and the many behind-the-scenes steps it takes to get the fi nished product on the walls of an art gallery. We appreciate the collaborative eff ort and expertise provided by the Art Associates.

Th e name, “Th e HeART of Giving” came as a way to show that volunteering is some-thing we do out of passion for a cause and love for others. Volunteers give freely of their time and talents, from their hearts—without a dollar sign attached to it. We gave examples of ways people volunteer—singing to nursing home residents, providing books or helping someone learn to read, collecting blankets or toys for an abused child to feel some security, sharing experiences of art and music with the city, etc. Th is sparked the conversation of volunteering and improv-ing the community one person at a time. Kindness is free—we can all do something to make the world a better place, even if it is just being polite or smiling at someone as you walk by. So, we encouraged the young artists to use a heart in their original artistic interpretation of “What volunteerism and a heart of giving means to me.”

We also wanted to have a juried exhibit, one where the “heartwork” would be judged based on the art and the criteria determined by the professional judges (no names, ages, etc. were revealed at the time of selection for awards). So, Bobbi helped us coordinate the judging/juried aspect of the exhibit. Th at allowed for any students, grades K-12 to

participate-- we even had some homeschool groups—but keep the art display manage-able!

Yancey: Yes, we have about 40 2-D and 3-D “heartworks” hanging in the exhibit and the jurors were Nancy Melton, a local water-color artist and instructor and Sally Babin, CPSB Art Consultant. Th ey awarded a Best of Show, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, as well as honorable mentions. Th e Junior League will recognize all artists who have art hanging in the gallery at their closing reception.

TJN: Tell us about the closing reception.Karpovs: Th e exhibit is on display at

the Art Associates Gallery (809 Kirby St., Central School, Suite 208) right across from the Symphony offi ce during regular hours (Mon.-Fri.). Th e closing reception/awards presentation is free to the public and we will award the featured artists with their ribbons and certifi cates that night in the auditorium. We will have an art activity for kids while supplies last and the open house is from 6-7:30 p.m. on Th ursday, April 10. It is a great way to celebrate National Volunteer Week, promote our mission, and showcase some of our former programs. Details are on our website at www.jllc.net.

Th e Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc. Headquarters is located at 1019 Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70601. To become a volunteer member, learn more about their issue-based community impact, or to sup-port their mission through donations and sponsorships, please visit www.jllc.net, fol-low on Facebook, or call (337) 436-4025.

Yearly FundraisersTo continue the ongoing community impact,

the Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc. depends on the funding from their membership dues, donations, advertisers, and widely popular fundraisers. Th e JLLC is an all volunteer, non-profi t organization that is proud to return the proceeds back to the community through their programs, grants, scholarships and trainings.

Leaguers & Links Golf TournamentTh e JLLC hosts the annual Leaguers &

Links Golf Tournament in March. Funds raised are used to impact the community and supply funding for grants and scholarships. Th is year, the tournament will be held on Monday, March 31 at the Lake Charles Coun-try Club. Th ere are two tee times: 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., and lunch is being provided by IBERIA Bank. Gatti’s pizza will also be on hand for hungry golfers. Th e cost per team is $500 and per individual is $125. Hole sponsors are also needed. Th e smile of a child who receives a personal care package or books from these proceeds is priceless! Registration and details are available online. Special prize for women’s division low gross, and other great prizes. Hole in one trip package to the US Open is sponsored by Lake Charles Urgent Care.

Marshes to Mansions CookbookTh is Regional Tabasco Community

Cookbook Award winner was published in September 2007, following a widely popular cookbook debut, Pirate’s Pantry. Marshes to Mansions cookbook features an extensive collection of recipes, photographs, and stories intended to present SWLA as it is--unique! Junior League members collected and tasted thousands of recipes to fulfi ll your every cooking and entertaining need. With over 250 recipes, it brings joie de vivre to your table. Book sales support the community im-pact of the League. Purchase online at www.jllc.net or at one of the many local retailers that support the JLLC’s mission.

Pirate’s Pantry CookbookRated among the top ten Junior League

cookbooks in the country, Pirate’s Pantry has sold more than 100,000 copies since its fi rst printing in 1976. Th e fast and fabulous reci-pes are amazing, and the cookbook continues to support our community with the royalties received from the sales. Th ey are available on the website at www.jllc.net

Mistletoe & Moss Holiday MarketMistletoe and Moss is a holiday market

with vendors from across the country, as well as our local community. Th is one-stop shop-ping experience, held annually at the Lake Charles Civic Center, allows visitors to enjoy shopping, entertainment, and special events for the whole family. Th e proceeds from this fall event help provide supplies for all of the community programs. Save the date this year for November 20-22!

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MARCH 27, 201424 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Bethany Hamilton, American professional surfer and inspiration for the 2011 major motion picture Soul Surfer, will headline MaciFest on April 5 in Lake Charles. Th e family festival is planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the James E. Sudduth Colise-um at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of faith and determination. At the age of thirteen, she was attached by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfi ng off Kauai’s North Shore. Th e attack left Bethany with a severed arm, but she returned to the water just one month later to continue pursing her goal of becoming a professional surfer, which she achieved in 2007. She has since participated in numerous world tour events.

MaciFest, a family festival, is named aft er ten-year-old Maci Fon-tenot, daughter of Ryan and Nikki Fontenot of Lake Charles. At 4 years

old, Maci was diagnosed with optical glioma—a tumor growing through her left optic nerve—and during her journey to recovery, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted her wish of meeting the Jonas Brothers. Never forgetting that experience, Maci decided that she wanted to give back to others. Th e fi rst annual MaciFest was held with this mission in mind in 2011.

In addition to a message by Hamilton and other local talent, the festival will off er delicious cuisines, an auction and tons of family activi-ties. Rock-climbing walls, robo-surf, sports infl atables, human bowling, face painting, and an Adrenaline Rush Obstacle Course for kids and teens are planned for the event. Young Band Nation, Barbe Show Choir, St. Louis Show Choir and S.J. Welsh Show Choir will light up the stage with live music.

Th e event raises necessary funds

for rotating nonprofi t organizations. Having raised $25,000 in its fi rst two years for the Make-A-Wish Founda-tion, this year’s event will benefi t the American Red Cross. According to Maci, however, the money raised is lagniappe. Th e event’s primary mis-sion is to motivate attendees to fi nd their purpose and to make a diff er-ence with whatever means they have been given.

Maci, her mother, Nikki Fontenot, Todd Bruney, board president, and a host of volunteer committee members plan the event. Tickets will be avail-able at the door for $15, and the cost for families will not exceed $60. Tick-ets may be purchased at the door or online at www.eventbrite.com. A VIP ticket is also available for purchase, which includes meeting Hamilton.

In 2011, Maci and her mother authored a book titled You Can’t Take My Vision. Th e book was published in 2012, and sales from the book

benefi t the Texas Children’s Hospital optical glioma research team to help fi nd a cure for the blind to see again.

Following MaciFest, an inspiration challenge titled “Waves of Impact” will be held at Glad Tidings Church in Lake Charles from 4 to 6 p.m. Hamilton, along with her husband Adam Dirks, will speak about the life experiences that have built character and the platform they have been given to touch a large number of people with their message, charitable eff orts, and overall spirit. A concert will precede the challenge. Pre-sale tickets are available online at www.eventbrite.com for $20. Tickets will be sold at the door for $25.

MaciFest is sponsored in part by Mayor Randy Roach and the City of Lake Charles. For more information or to make a donation, contact Nikki Fontenot at (337) 802-7932 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/macifest.

MaciFest to feature Bethany Hamilton, Soul SurferAll Proceeds to benefi t American Red Cross

MARCH 27, 201426 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Jesus Christ Superstar March 28-30

KC Productions SWLA will present the iconic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar at Westlake High Theatre, March 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and March 30 at 3 p.m. Tickets available for purchase at www.KCPRODUCTIONSSWLA.org and also at the door.

Good Shepherd’s Annual Book Sale March 28-30

Good Shepherd will hold its annual book sale Fri., March 28, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sat., March 29, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sun., March 30, noon – 3 p.m. Don’t miss Sunday’s Fill a Bag for $5! The sale will be held in the EDS gym at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 715 Kirkman Street, Lake Charles. Over 15,000 books, new and used, as well as audio books, CDs, and DVDs for sale. All proceeds are given to local charities. For more information, call 794-5717.

Vietnam Veterans Honor Day March 29

The City of Lake Charles Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission will host a “Vietnam Veter-ans Honor Day” event on Sat. March 29, at 10 a.m., at Veterans Memorial Park, Veter-ans Memorial Parkway. Guest speaker will be Dwight Bertrand, COL, US Air Force (Ret.). Master of Ceremonies will be Britney Glaser. Immediately following the program, there will be a picnic adjacent to Veterans Memo-rial Park for guests. During the picnic, there will be kite fl ying with kites provided for children. For more information, call the Mayor’s Offi ce at 491-1201.

Flea Fest March 29-30

Flea Fest is one of the largest Flea Mar-kets ever held under one roof in Southwest

Louisiana! A bargain hunters dream, it will be held in the Burton Coliseum Livestock Exhibit Building and will be a fun weekend of shopping for an-tiques, vintage items, hand crafted gifts, artwork, homegrown produce from farmers, and so much more! Hours are Sat., March 29, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., March 30, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. For more informa-tion, go to www.fl eafest.com.

Wild Beast Feast March 29Support the Lake Charles Symphony! Savor

tasty seafood and wild game dishes prepared by local cooking teams! Enjoy music by the Onlies and a live auction at the Historic Cash and Carry Building on Enterprise Blvd. in downtown Lake Charles. Tickets are $50 ages 14 and up; $25 ages 7-13. Doors open at 5 p.m. For ticket infor-mation, call 433-1611 or go to www.lcsymphony.com.

2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Visits Library March 30

Central Library will host 2012 National Geo-graphic Adventurer of the Year, Jennifer Pharr

MARCH 25 - 27 Band Festival

MARCH 27 Banners/ FROGS!

MARCH 28 Live @ the Lakefront

MARCH 29India Night

MARCH 30Race Du LAC

APRIL 3Dino LightBanners Series

APRIL 4 - 6CyPhaCon

APRIL 5 - 6Don Rich Gun Show

APRIL 5MaciFestLake Charles Symphony

APRIL 11 - 13Downtown Crawfi sh Festival

APRIL 12March of Dimes

APRIL 14District Student Council Convention

APRIL 162nd Annual Youth Summit

APRIL 26Nami WalkDragonboat Race

APRIL 27Curve Rocks the Runway

APRIL 29Contraband Days Begins!

MARCH 27, 2014 27Vol. 5 • No. 26

Davis, on Sun., March 30 from 2-3 p.m. at the library located at 301 W. Claude Street in Lake Charles. Davis will share the stories and challenges faced from the 12,000 miles of trails that she has hiked spanning six different continents and will answer questions about her hiking exploits. A book signing will follow. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call (337) 721-7118 or go to www.calcasieulibrary.org.

OLQHS Presents Finian’s Rainbow JR April 3-4

Our Lady Queen of Heaven School presents Finian’s Rainbow JR. The whimsical musical-with-a-social-conscience explores important themes like equality, living within your means and community while featuring classic songs. Perform-ances will be held Thursday, April 3 – Friday April 4 at 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Lake Charles Boston Au-ditorium. Tickets can be purchased at the school offi ce and are $12 for adults and $7 for students under 14.

For more information, call (337) 477-7349 or email moquin@olqhs.org.

MaciFest April 5Bethany Hamilton, American

professional surfer and inspira-tion for the 2011 major motion picture Soul Surfer, will headline MaciFest on April 5 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the LC Civic Center. There will be delicious food, an auction, and loads of family fun includ-ing rock-climbing, face-painting, an obstacle course, Young Band Nation, high school show choirs and so much more! Named after 10-year old Maci Fontenot, who was diagnosed with optical glioma, the event raises funds for rotating nonprofits. This year, the American Red Cross will be the beneficiary. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/macifest.

Trey Killian Pay it Forward 5K April 5

The Trey Killian Pay it Forward 5K will be held on Saturday, April 5 at Heritage Pavilion in Sulphur. This year’s event is a fundraiser

for Sissy Armer, a teacher’s aide at Sulphur High School, battling a rare and aggressive form of uter-ine cancer and Ashton Louviere, a three-year boy with kidney cancer. Register at www.active.com/running/sulphur-la/trey-killian-pay-it-forward-5k-2014. After Trey Killian died in a car ac-cident in 2010, his family started this event in his memory to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving. For more information, call Sandee Killian at (337) 853-9442.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes April 5

On April 5, men from all walks of life will walk one mile inside Prien Lake Mall in women’s high-heeled shoes to protest rape and sexual assault. Registration is at 8 a.m. (fee is $20 per person) and the march begins at 10 a.m. Proceeds will benefit Sexual As-sault Nurse Examiner Programs in SWLA, Oasis Sexual Violence Program, and The Child Advocacy Center of the Family and Youth

Counseling Agency. Men, women, and children are invited to partici-pate and pre-registration is wel-come. Visit www.walkamileswla.org for more information.

Lake Charles Symphony Concert April 5

The Lake Charles Symphony takes the stage at the Rosa Hart Theatre under the direction of Maestro Bohuslav Rattay on Sat., April 5, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature works by Mozart, Prokofiev and Dvorak for the third concert in the Signatures Series. The Discovery Series, which is a pre-concert informative per-formance is Thurs., April 3, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Springhill Suites by Marriott, 1551 W. Prien Lake Road. Tickets for the April 5 con-cert are $20 or $15 for students, seniors or military personnel. For more information or tickets for the Thursday night Discovery Series or additional details on the Saturday night concert, log onto www.lcsymphony.com.

MARCH 27, 201428 Vol. 5 • No. 26

CyPhaCon, Lake Charles’ 4th annual Anime, Gaming and Sci-ence Fiction/Fantasy convention, will be held Friday-Sunday, April 4-6, at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

CyPhaCon is a family-friendly event for people who enjoy gaming, anime and sci-fi /fantasy media and programming. Th e dedicated staff and volunteers are all representa-

tives of gaming and geek culture in Southwest Louisiana, while at the same time showcase a varied and eclectic sampling of employment and educational background in the area.

Running on the second and third fl oors of the central section of the Lake Charles Civic Center, CyPhaCon 2014 brings a lot to the table. Major guests include actress

Kandyse McClure, well known for her popular role as Lt. Anastasia “Dee” Dualla in Battlestar Galacti-ca; voice-actress Tiff any Grant, best known for her portrayal of Asuka in Neon Genesis: Evangelion; Chuck Huber, best known for his portrayal of Hiei in YuYu Hakusho and writer/producer Diana Bots-ford, whose screen credits include Star Trek: Th e Next Generation and the cult favorite sci-fi series, Spiral Zone, among others.

Th ere will also be fan groups a-plenty, including the Star Wars-oriented 501st Legion, Rebel Legion, and Red Stick Rebellion, the Star Trek-oriented Starfl eet International groups (represented by the local U.S.S. Lafi tte, New Orleans-based U.S.S. New Orle-ans, and Baton Rouge-based U.S.S. Corsair fan groups), the Whedon-verse Firefl y/Serenity-oriented Houston and Southwest Louisiana Browncoats, the Alien & Predator-oriented Hunters Den, and many others.

Activities include the Lake Charles Scion eSports-sponsored “League Of Legends” tournament, the wildly popular immersive Mechcorps Mechpods, musical guests Bedlam Bards and Suzaku Seven, the CyPhaKids children-ori-ented activity area (targeted espe-cially for kids ages 4-10), a costum-ing, or ‘cosplay’ contest, celebrity autograph and photo opportuni-ties. Th ere will be an anime fi lms viewing room, fan group presenta-tions and panels, artists displaying and creating, authors discussing their work, and many other treats designed to bring attendees an exciting event experience. Finally, there will be a charity auction held on Saturday, April 5 benefi ting Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South-

west Louisiana.Doors will open for registration

at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 4 with the opening ceremonies and the con-vention from 7 p.m. to midnight. Convention hours for April 5 are from 8 a.m.-midnight, and Sunday hours are from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Pre-registration memberships are still available through Tick-etleap, and Paper Heroes at 3941 Ryan Street, Suite A. For info and updates on CYPHA L.L.C. and CyPhaCon, visit www.cyphacon.org, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/CyPhaCon.

Fourth Annual CyPhaCon April 4-6

LC Crawfish Fest April 11 - 13

The Downtown Lake Charles Crawfi sh Fest will be held Friday-Sunday, April 11-13 at the Lake Charles Civic Center. With crawfi sh season in full swing, Steamboat Bill’s will be on site selling over

10,000 pounds of hot, boiled craw-fi sh. Other highlights include live music by Geno Delafose and Gram-my award winner Chubby Carrier, a parade, and the Mitchell Brother’s Carnival. Check out the queen’s pag-eant and the crawfi sh eating contest. For more information, go to www.visitlakecharles.org.

St. Jude Walk & Fun Run April 12

A Steps for St. Jude 5K Walk and Fun Run will be held at 8 a.m. Sat., April 12, at the McNeese State Uni-versity Quad to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Rockin’ for a Cure” is sponsored

by the McNeese student chapter of Up ‘til Dawn. There will be a best rock ‘n’ roll costume contest and prize drawings. Fees are $20 for the community and $15 for McNeese students with IDs. Group rates for students and community participants are available. To register, go to www.tinyurl.com/MSUSTEPS14.

MARCH 27, 2014 29Vol. 5 • No. 26

I just want to know, when did Clint Eastwood die and leave Liam Neeson the king of ac-tion films? I mean, isn’t this guy old enough to be Matt Damon’s father? Yet here he is again in yet another non-stop flick, appropri-ately and aeronautically correctly called Non-Stop.

As an alcoholic U.S. Air Mar-shall, Bill Marks (Neeson) evi-dently spends his days guarding flights against random terrorists. Maybe this is why everyone on this non-stop plane to London is a suspect. And I mean every-one. Through Bill’s eyes, even the little red-headed girl could be carrying a bomb in her teddy bear. Just routine, ma’am, here let me give you a hug (OK, she’s clean) and what about you sir, you wear that turban because you’re a doctor?

Don’t panic, after the first five minutes, you’ll be convinced everyone on board is a threat. Even the pilot. The stewardess. The NYPD cop in seat 22B. Chances are, it could be you, in the audience. By the way, in case you didn’t know (I didn’t), an air mar-shal is a real thing. They fly in the sky to keep us safe.

So is Bill Marks the real thing? With Liam Neeson, you can’t be sure of any-thing. By the time Bill is on the plane,

our nerves are already on edge, even though absolutely noth-ing has happened, but anything could happen. Everything seems wrong. Bill doesn’t seem like he’s legit. But maybe he is. Then Bill gets a text message. Some-one supposedly on the plane tells him a passenger will die in 20 minutes unless Bill gets the airline to pay $150 million dol-lars ransom. (Who figures out these ransom numbers, anyway? Is there a group consensus, or do the producers just paste in the cost of the film?)

Bill has to take the call seri-ously; it’s his job. What would you do if you were him? You’re wrong. Anyway, to find out what happens next, you have to go see the movie. But I can tell you, Non-Stop is like Speed with an Agatha Christie mystery thrown in. But instead of a whodunit, it’s a whosedoingit.

In directing (or is it mis-

directing?), casting, scripting, acting, the movie is first rate. Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) who sits next to Bill on the plane is totally suspicious. She switches seats and is too chatty. One of the attendants, Nancy (Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey) is mesmerizing in her facial expres-sions. Is she the one texting Bill? She knows Bill from way back. What is it with them?

The formula that Non-Stop follows has been used forever, but here the technology adds an extra dimension. I mean, every-one on the plane has cell phones with cameras, computers, and evidently free international Wi-Fi. In fact, I can see a Verizon commercial in the making.

Soon, we start wondering, why doesn’t Bill just handcuff everyone on the plane? It seems like he could. Liam Neeson could. There are several mo-ments like this, but it usually turns out that Bill has good mo-tivation for his actions.

Some of us were still guessing what happened when we left the theater. Others were just para-noid.

I guarantee you’ll leave the movie a little confused, and per-haps your next plane flight will be a different experience. Which passenger is the air marshal on this flight? Is it that guy who looks like Liam Neeson?

Non-Stop is rated PG-13 for smoking, drugs, and very close hand to hand fi ghting, all in the plane’s restroom. Not for small kids or someone who doesn’t know what a cell phone is. Enjoy.

Non-Stop(Universal, 2014)

Palm Sunday Tour of Homes April 13

The Calcasieu Historical Preser-vation Society announces its 39th Annual Palm Sunday Tour of Homes for April 13. The tour will feature six distinctive homes located in and near the Charpentier District. The homes will display a variety of architectural styles from the turn of the 20th cen-tury. The tour is set for 1 to 5 p.m. The event is open to the public. Tour of Homes ticket sales are available online at www.calcasieupreservation.org. Pre-sale Tour tickets are avail-able for $10 (by cash or check) from Gordon’s Drugs and the Arts and Hu-manities Council at Historic Central School. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the event, if still available, for $15.

Art Associates Exhibit April 15-May 3

The Art Associates of Lake Charles will host an art exhibit of works by Sue Zimmermann and Corene Soileau, opening April 15 and running until May 3 at the Art Asso-ciates’ Gallery in Central School, 809 Kirby St., with a closing reception, Friday, May 2, 5-8 p.m. The ex-hibit brings together Zimmermann’s paintings and Soileau’s photography. The Gallery, located on the second fl oor of Central School, is open Mon-day – Friday 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. and admission is free. For more information, call 439-2787.

The Daffodil Tea April 29

The Foundation at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital invites you to the Grand Ballroom at L’Auberge Casino Resort for this year’s Daffodil Tea on Tues., April 29 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. It will feature a high tea buffet, a fashion show featuring clothing from TeCi’s Ladies Apparel and performances by high school seniors who will receive scholarships for their outstanding work in the arts. Dressy attire; wear best hats for the hat contests! Mimosa and cash bar. Tickets are $75 per person; $600 for a reserved table of eight. All tax-deductible proceeds benefi t The Foundation at Lake Charles Memo-rial Hospital’s Cancer Care Fund. Purchase tickets online at lcmh.com/daffodil. For more information, call (337) 494-2934.

MARCH 27, 201430 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Thursday, Mar. 27Katie Whitney & Chip Radford6 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar777 Ave L’Auberge, Lake Charles

Rosco BandanaHappy Hour 5 -8 p.m.7 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

Brandon Ledet and Creole Touch8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Brad Brinkley$3.00 cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

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

“Thursday Dollar Night”9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club$1 Beer & Bar All Night!5329 Common St., Lake Charles

“Flipping Thursdays!”10:30 p.m. @ My Place BarFree shot, Heads or Tails!630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Friday, Mar. 28Live @ The LakefrontAshes of Babylon + The Onlies6 - 9 p.m. @ Lake Charles Civic Center Amphitheatre

Street Side Jazz Band7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan Street, Lake Charles

Zoso - Led Zeppelin TributeHappy Hour 5 -8 p.m.7 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

Katie Whitney & Chip Radford7 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar777 Ave. L’Auberge, Lake Charles

Katelyn Johnson Band7 p.m. @ Loggerheads Riverside Bar, 3748 Hwy 3059 (Old Town Road), Lake Charles

Herbie Stutes & the Grand Shin8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

The Chee Weez8 p.m. @ Yesterdays5405 Common St., Lake Charles

Tom Brandow9 p.m. @ The Cigar Club1700 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Gino Speight & The Tight Noise9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel2717 Delta Downs Dr., Vinton

John Guidroz & Kevin LambertNo cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Saturday, Mar. 29Jimmy Kaiser12–3 p.m. @ Otis and Henry’sIsle of Capri Casino101 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Kory Fontenot7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Katie Whitney & Chip Radford7 p.m. @ Ember Grille & Wine Bar777 Ave. L’Auberge, Lake Charles

JC Melancon7 p.m. @ Loggerheads Riverside Bar, 3748 Hwy 3059 (Old Town Road), Lake Charles

Chris Gitron Band$5 cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Mark Chestnutt8 p.m. @ Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel, 100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Al “Lil Fats” Jackson& Louisiana Express8 p.m. @ Yesterdays5405 Common St., Lake Charles

Dog Hill Stompers8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Gino Speight & The Tight Noise9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs RacetrackCasino and Hotel2717 Delta Downs Dr., Vinton

DJ Swing9 p.m. @ American Legion #551632 Enterprise Blvd., Lake Charles

Mercy BrothersThe OnliesHappy Hour 5 -8 p.m.10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

Sunday, Mar. 30Jimmy Kaiser12 - 3 p.m. @ Otis and Henry’s@ Isle of Capri Casino101 Westlake Avenue, Westlake

MARCH 27, 2014 31Vol. 5 • No. 26

Mike Fulmer5 p.m. @ Loggerheads Riverside Bar, 3748 Hwy 3059 (Old Town Road), Lake Charles

Street Side Jazz Band11 a.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan Street, Lake Charles

DJ Swing9 p.m. @ American Legion #551632 Enterprise Blvd., Lake Charles

Monday, Mar. 31“Lucky Monday!”Midnight @ My Place BarWin a $50 Bar Tab!630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Tuesday, Apr. 1“Trivia Night!”Winner gets a $50 gift certifi cate7 p.m. @ MacFarlane’s Celtic Pub417 Anne St., Lake Charles

Karaoke with DJ David Verrett8 p.m. @ Jack After Dark

@ L’Auberge Casino Resort777 Ave. L’Auberge, Lake Charles

“Live Team Trivia”8 p.m. @ OB’s Bar & Grill1301 Ryan St., Lake Charles

“Ladies Night!”8:30 p.m. @ My Place BarWomen receive $1 Well & Wines630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Wednesday, Apr. 2“Ladies Night!”Cover free for ladies ‘til midnightAcoustic set from Night Shade7 - 9 p.m. @ OB’s Bar & Grill1301 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Kris HarperNo cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Dueling Pianos8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Karaoke 2014 @ Mikko Live8 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort, 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

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

Wasted Wednesdays w/DJ Dispo8:30 p.m. @ My Place BarGet $1 Pitchers & $2 Wells630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Thursday, Apr. 3Renn LorenNo cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

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

“Thursday Dollar Night”9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club$1 Beer & Bar All Night!5329 Common St., Lake Charles

DJ Crush10 p.m. @ Jack After Dark@ L’Auberge Casino Resort777 Ave. L’Auberge, Lake Charles

“Flipping Thursdays!”10:30 p.m. @ My Place BarFree shot, Heads or Tails!630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Friday, Apr. 4Street Side Jazz Band7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan Street, Lake Charles

Hank Williams Jr. 9 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Pavillion, 777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

Bob Cat-Rootbeer & MermantauHappy Hour 5 -8 p.m.10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St, Lake Charles

BB & Company9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton

MARCH 27, 201432 Vol. 5 • No. 26

DJ Crush10 p.m. @ Jack After DarkL’Auberge Casino Resort777 Ave. L’Auberge, Lake Charles

John Guidroz & Kevin LambertNo cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Saturday, Apr. 5Public Cruise with City Heat6 - 9 p.m. @ Loggerheads Riverside Bar, 3748 Hwy 3059 (Old Town Road), Lake Charles

BE-BOP-A-LULA6 - 11 p.m. @ Cash & Carry Building, 810 Enterprise Blvd. Lake Charles

Oak Ridge Boys7 p.m. @ Delta Event CenterDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton

Lee Sonnier7 p.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Korey FontenotNo cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

“Saturday Night Party Time”9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club$1 Beer & Bar 12 - 2 a.m.5329 Common St., Lake CharlesDJ Swing9 p.m. @ American Legion #551632 Enterprise Blvd., Lake Charles

BB & Company9 p.m. @ Gator LoungeDelta Downs Racetrack 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton

DJ Crush10 p.m. @ Jack After DarkL’Auberge Casino Resort777 Ave. L’Auberge, Lake Charles

The New Form & SartisanHappy Hour 5 -8 p.m.10 p.m. @ Luna Live710 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Sunday, Apr. 6Phillip Glenn Band5 p.m. @ Loggerheads Riverside Bar, 3748 Hwy 3059 (Old Town Road), Lake Charles

Street Side Jazz Band11 a.m. @ Luna Bar & Grill719 Ryan Street, Lake Charles

DJ Swing9 p.m. @ American Legion #551632 Enterprise Blvd. Lake Charles

Monday, Apr. 7Karaoke Night7-10 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

“Lucky Monday!”Midnight @ My Place BarWin a $50 Bar Tab!630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Tuesday, Apr. 8“Trivia Night!”Winner gets a $50 gift certifi cate7 p.m. @ MacFarlane’s Celtic Pub, 417 Anne St., Lake Charles

James Hunter7 p.m. @ Central School 809 Kirby St., Lake Charles

Karaoke with DJ David Verrett8 p.m. @ Jack After Dark @ L’Auberge Casino Resort777 Ave. L’Auberge, Lake Charles

“Live Team Trivia”8 p.m. @ OB’s Bar & Grill1301 Ryan St., Lake Charles

“Ladies Night!”8:30 p.m. @ My Place BarWomen receive $1 Well & Wines630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Wednesday, Apr. 9“Ladies Night!”Cover free for ladies ‘til midnightAcoustic set from Night Shade

7 - 9 p.m. @ OB’s Bar & Grill1301 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Kris HarperNo cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

Dueling Pianos8 p.m. @ Caribbean Cove Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel100 Westlake Ave., Westlake

Karaoke 2014 @ Mikko Live8 p.m. @ Coushatta Casino Resort777 Coushatta Dr., Kinder

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

“Wasted Wednesdaysw/ DJ Dispo!”8:30 p.m. @ My Place BarGet $1 Pitchers & $2 Wells630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

Thursday, Apr. 10Brad Brinkley$3.00 cover @ Micci’s Piano Bar3606 Ryan St., Lake Charles

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

“Thursday Dollar Night”9 p.m. @ Cowboys Night Club$1 Beer & Bar All Night!5329 Common St., Lake Charles

DJ Eric Scott8 p.m. @ Jack After Dark@ L’Auberge Casino Resort777 Avenue L’AubergeLake Charles

“Flipping Thursdays!”10:30 p.m. @ My Place BarFree shot, Heads or Tails!630 Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles

MARCH 27, 2014 33Vol. 5 • No. 26

Every six months or so, we get bored over at the Lake Area Film Group. Now, I don’t mean we don’t love making movies, but mak-ing a fi lm is a huge investment of time. A typical feature fi lm takes anywhere from one to two years to go from script to screen. Even a 10 minute short can take months of planning depending on how fancy it is. Sometimes us fi lmmakers need a little instant gratifi cation.

Enter the Film Sprint. Not for wimps, it’s the ultimate movie-making marathon! Basically, you meet at a designated place to be given required elements and before you can say “Lights, camera, ac-tion,” you’re off and running to complete an entire short fi lm in 24 hours or less. What are required elements you ask? Follow me dear reader. Get ready for the race!

Saturday7 AM: Sleepy fi lmmakers, actors

and curious friends gather with coff ee in hand. With Facebook messages popping up on my phone such as “Will be 10 minutes late,” I wonder why we decided to start so early. Oh yeah, I remember staying up until 4 a.m. last time. I swing into the parking lot, pleased to see at least 10 people ready to play today.

7:30 AM: Th e only pre-planning allowed in a fi lm sprint is to have three core people chosen for each team: One director/shooter with equipment to shoot the fi lm. One writer who knows how a script is formatted and can turn concepts

into visual shots and dialogue. One editor to edit the movie with edit-ing soft ware. Between 7 and 7:30 we divide everyone else up among the core teams and give out special envelopes. We have two teams of eight this time.

7:45 AM: Our team “On Time Productions” takes over a corner of IHOP and opens our envelope. Th e contents of the envelope are what keep teams from pre-writing their scripts. Also, it’s fun to see how diff erent teams use the same required elements to come up with entirely diff erent stories. Th is time, we learn we must use a jar, the dia-logue “Th is always happens to me,” and a location near a bookcase. We are determined to do either a drama or an action fi lm this time. What we ended up with was a heist movie.

10:30 AM: We split up to collect jars, keys, duffl e bags, costumes, lights, microphones etc. while the writer turns the outline into a step by step, image by image, line by line movie script. It usually takes about two hours but this time we only have about 90 minutes. Phone texts fl y back and forth between the writer (me) and crew to ask for extra props. Taka, taka, taka on the keyboard for a while at Joe Mugs coff ee and two hours later (oops) we have a fi ve-page script.

12:30 PM: Filmmakers read over the script and start visualizing shots in their head. Actors read over the script and memorize lines.

1 PM: We go to our fi rst loca-tion. Actors fi gure out ways to

move in the space that feels right for their characters. Directors tell them what movements will or won’t work in their vision for each shot. Crew members rig gear in place to make things look and sound the best they can. All eight team members provide creative input, adlibs, and unique camera angles non-stop through the day.

6:30 PM: Five and a half hours later, we’ve fi nished shooting. At about an hour per page, we’re not doing too bad considering feature fi lms can take 12 hours to shoot three pages! But for some, the marathon has just begun.

7 PM: Everyone crashes at my friend Kris’s house. While we sink into her soft sofas and munch on Taco Bell, we wonder what the other team’s doing with their jar, bookshelf and “Th is always hap-pens to me” bit.

11 PM: Straggler that I am, I always stay way later than I intend to. Our editor has a rough cut of the fi lm with music. Five of us all clamor around her big screen to watch the fruit of the day’s mad fi lmmaking scramble.

11:05 PM: Yay! We love it! Now we drop off to sleep one by one leaving Kris to color correct, sweeten sound, tighten edits, add credits, etc.

Sunday4:24 AM: An email from Kris

hits my in-box. It’s a private link to the fi nished fi lm with time stamp. We made it! Team “On Time Pro-ductions” has successfully survived the sprint in 24 hours!

We’re all exhausted, and vow to never be talked into doing one of these gosh, darn, sleep-sucking fi lm sprints again. Until six months later, when we’re sitting around a Stellar Beans table at our monthly fi lm group meeting. Everyone’s talked about the long project they’re in the middle of when a si-lence falls over the room. Someone will get that gleam in their eye and say, “You know, it’s been a while since we’ve done a fi lm sprint…”

Interested in the Lake Area Film Group? Th e LAFG meets the 4th Th ursday of the month at 7 p.m. inside Stellar Beans coff ee shop.

Anatomy of a Film Sprint

MARCH 27, 201434 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Artist Jim Ferguson is a Southwest Louisiana native now living outside of Houston. He was a full-time video engi-neer at NASA, archiving and distributing cool space foot-age. But Ferguson retired on March 7, and his Facebook post says it best: “Today is my last day working at NASA. I sup-ported 19 Shuttle missions, 25 expeditions to the ISS, flew 21 ZERO-G flights and have been weightless for about 5.5 hours. It was really fun and the best job anyone could ever have. After today, I will be a full- time art-ist. I never thought I would be retiring to do what I love every day and travel the country like a circus carny.” Fade out.

The new setting is an after-party for Alamo City Comic-Con at a San Antonio conven-

tion center in late October. The pop culture artist known as Jim Ferguson looks stunned, glancing around at his fellow booth peddlers mingling with all the super-powered celebrity guests and kicking back after a hard-day’s work of convention-ing. He posts about this surreal fanboy moment later, saying “I talked to Dirk Benedict about airplanes while eating a Reuben two feet away from Chewbacca. Told Robin he was wearing an awesome shirt. Batman was over having a steak. Bought Darth Maul a drink and hung out with two Power Rangers. Not sure if tonight can be topped but I will try.”

Maybe these bountiful Hero and Villain groupings don’t occur all the time, but it really is just another day at the of-

fice for this professional artist, traveling around the country sell-ing his reverently penned illustrations of classic movie scenes, typically those breathtak-ing, heart-breaking, and hilari-ous moments that keep us com-ing back to the big screen with a huge tub of greasy popcorn.

Picture it: Winston the Ghostbuster, smothered in Stay-Puft marshmallow shrap-nel, arms raised triumphantly, yelling “I loooove this town!” or Rocky’s knockout punch to the jaw of Drago the Russian, effectively ending the Cold War with one mean haymaker. You can hear Peter Gabriel’s “In

Your Eyes” play-ing in Ferguson’s illustration of Lloyd Dobler and that boom box, or the pounding feet of four boys run-ning from a train in Stand By Me. Can you picture Daniel-san’s Crane Kick? Redford’s home run in The Natural? Fergu-son’s beautiful

illustrations are our favorite un-forgettable moments in cinema, and they’re making a fairly big splash in the fandom universe.

Since selling his first piece of art online in March of 2012, Ferguson has been busy work-ing with several icons of the film industry and expanding his catalog to over 130 prints. He and Sean Astin partnered up for Samwise’s Kickstarter pledge drive, when the little hobbit was searching for art to give as rewards to donors.

“1,000 signed Goonies prints are running around somewhere in the United States and in the UK,” Ferguson said. The artist also donated copies of a Star Wars illustration to raise funds for Chewbacca’s charity founda-tion. (OK, so his real name is Peter Mayhew.)

For every sci-fi and comic book convention, there are celebrity guests, and Ferguson likes to cater to their fans. Say Lou Ferrigno’s a guest. You can expect legions of Incredible

Jim�Ferguson’s�artwork�on�

display

MARCH 27, 2014 35Vol. 5 • No. 26

Hulk-a-maniacs in attendance. Illustrations from more obscure movies apparently get very strong reactions from conven-tion-goers, too. Everybody sees Sean Astin and thinks either Goonies or Lord of the Rings, so Ferguson draws him from freakin’ Encino Man. No one else’s table has THAT one.

Ferguson also participates in art shows at hip joints like the Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles and Gallery 1988 in Hollywood, the site of an Edgar Wright tribute show in August of 2013. Here the artist met and showed his works off to the director of Shaun of the Dead

and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Ferguson has also been featured in the infamous Crazy4Cult exhibit, where he submitted villain-ous illustrations from Flash Gor-don, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Conan the Barbarian for their “Say Hi to the Bad Guy” show. In the near future, pop art fans can expect to see his illustrations at an official Cartoon Network Adven-ture Time exhibit and at the official Ghostbusters 30th anniversary art show that’s travelling from Hollywood to New York and Chicago,

before ending at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Yes, Ferguson stays busy these days, and just now, he’s able to devote the majority of his time to art as a full-time job, currently on the road for 27 weekends this year, maybe more, but he hopes to return to Lake Charles with his wife of 10 years and their two kids soon. It’s a full-circle return to liv-ing in the Lake Area, by way of astronauts and superheroes. As Ferguson told me, “If I would have stayed in Lake Charles, would I be doing what I’m doing now? I seriously doubt it. But it wasn’t really a Lake Charles problem. It’s a mindset.

I could live anywhere that I want. I ship all my artwork and I travel to all these other places, but we want to move back, because Lake Charles is home.”

Ferguson attended McNeese for two semesters of art educa-tion and has

strong advice

for our SWLA readers nearing their college years, especially those interested in exploring an arts curriculum: “If you have a talent for art and push yourself and you’re drawing every day, that’s why you’re getting better,” he said. “Go for business, be-cause the business side is what’s important, the social media, and promoting. Unless I go out and expand my fan base, it doesn’t matter. You got to get on the road.”

Keeping with that plan,

Ferguson is gearing up for a full convention schedule all over the country and a Kickstarter campaign to fund his second book, a collection of illustra-tions called Making a Scene that should be active by the time you’re reading this article. Check out his catalog of prints to order at jimfergusonart.com, where you can find links to his Facebook profile and Kickstart-er project, or commission your own favorite movie scene. And that’s a wrap.

Norman�Reedus�with�his�best�friend�in�the�whole�world,�Jim�Ferguson

Just�hanging�around...

MARCH 27, 201436 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Annie and Rebecca Migues Ava LeBlanc and Russell Walker

Emily and Bryce WilliamsEmily Reed, Julie Landry and Amanda Turner

Renee Vincent, Deavon BeBee and Krystal Ray

FREE TO BREATHE 5K RUN/WALKSupporters gathered at the Lake Charles Civic

Center seawall to take steps in memory of loved ones and in support of those facing the battle of lung cancer. The opening rally, a warm up--and they were off ! The event raised awareness

and helped fund vital research to help double lung cancer survival. Good job!

Lindsey Johnson and Taylor Gremillion Mackenzie, Paul and Staci Boudreaux

Samantha Northcutt, Cameron Viator and Sasha DaigleDelia Nelson, Tabatha Johnson and Kim Le

The Flamethrowers

LIVE @ THE LAKEFRONTThe Lake Charles Civic Center Arcade Amphitheater

was the place to be for some slamming entertainment from the homegrown high energy cover band, the Flamethrowers! They played the greatest

party songs from the 50s to the present and had everyone rockin’! This free outdoor concert series is presented by the Arts Council of SWLA, the City

of LC, and Deep South Productions. There are two more coming up—don’t miss them!

MARCH 27, 2014 37Vol. 5 • No. 26

Ronald Farque, Terri Branch and Jair Farque

Merci Dixon and Sara Doherty Caitlyn and Cathryn Diornne

with Kacie Morvant

Rod Prejean and Lisa Marie WesleyJean McCaig, Nell Landry And Teresa Franks

SWLA GARDEN FESTIVAL AND EXPOThere’s no better way to swing into spring than with a visit to the SWLA Garden Festival and Expo! More than 60 diff erent vendors set up shop at the Burton Complex to sell everything garden and lawn-related and there were classes with master gardeners and

horticulturists. Judging from the wagons of plants, trees, fl owers and gardening décor being loaded into vehicles,

the Lake Area is going to be real pretty this season!

MARCH 27, 201438 Vol. 5 • No. 26

Robin Basone, Tamara Fontenot, Rachelle Nervesa and Eloise Huber

Whitney and Carter HowellMaddie Henning, Emma Cooper

and Jordan Book

Adelaide and Kelley Saucier Emalee, Michelle, Alie and Keagan Reinke

LAKE CHARLES CIVIC BALLET ASSEMBLE’ 2014

Lake Charles Civic Ballet’s Assemble 2014 was an amazing mix of breathtaking dancers, costumes,

backdrops, musicians, live vocals and so much more. The dancers took to the stage stepping a Cajun fais-do-do to Chris Miller and the Bayou Roots, and then joined forces

with the Lake Charles Symphony to present the classic fairytale Cinderella. Take a bow for bringing together so

many facets of the Southwest Louisiana arts!

MARCH 27, 2014 39Vol. 5 • No. 26

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

the player with the most boxes wins.

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