05_21_2009

VOL. 1, NO. 4 / MAY 21, 2009

ALSO:

Sky’s the Limit for New Helicopter Service

Web Design Co. StaysAhead of the Curve

Empowering through Education

Handling Your Child’s Fears

PAGE 2 MAY 21, 2009 Volume 1 • Issue 4

MAY 21, 2009 PAGE 3Volume 1 • Issue 4

GENERAL826 Ford St., Lake Charles, LA 70601Phone: 337-436-7800Fax: 337-990-0262

PUBLISHERPhil de [email protected]

NEWSMANAGING EDITORLauren de [email protected]

EDITORLisa [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSL. Kay AndrewsLeslie BermanSara BlackwellJames DoyleDan EllenderTerry L. EstesCheryl KrullMike McHughMary Louise RuehrBrandon ShoumakerDr. Steve SpringerEric Zartler

ADVERTISINGSALES CONSULTANTPatricia Prudhomme

GRAPHICSART/PRODUCTION DIRECTORDarrell [email protected]

BUSINESSOFFICE MANAGERL. Kay Andrews

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

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

DISTRIBUTION: The Jambalaya News is available free ofcharge, limited to one copy per reader. The JambalayaNews may be distributed only by The Jambalaya Newsauthorized distributors. No person may, without priorwritten permission of The Jambalaya News take more thanone copy of each issue from its racks.

May 21, 2009 • Volume 1 • Issue 4

COVER STORY26 Rick Richard: Banking

on Downtown Lake Charles

REGULARS8 The Boiling Pot12 Doyle’s Place14 The Zestful Life16 The Dang Yankee18 Bayou Biz20 What’s Cookin’21 RU Game?22 Animal 411

FEATURES6 SWLA AIDS Council:

Empowering Through Education11 House Call: The ABCs of Diabetes24 Sky’s the Limit for

New Helicopter Service

ENTERTAINMENT32 Funbolaya33 Killin’ Time Crossword34 Red Hot Books36 Family Night at the Movies37 Society Spice41 Jambalaya Jam45 Eclectic Company

contents26

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Phil asGumbeauxGator

The other night, my wife Laurenand I attended the LakeCharles/Southwest LouisianaConvention and Visitors BureauNational Tourism VIP Reception.It’s an annual event where variouspeople are given Partners inTourism awards for their contribu-tions to tourism in SWLA.

Last year, I received an award formy work as Gumbeaux Gator, a gigthat I love. It’s not easy dressing upin a cumbersome outfit and dancingaround when it’s 90 degrees in theshade (even with the ice-pack vest!)But everyone loves Gumbeaux, andif I can bring a smile to a child’sface, it’s worth it.

When we came to Lake Charlesfive years ago, we owned and oper-ated The Eddy House Bed andBreakfast. Because of the nature ofour business, we immediatelybecame involved with the CVB. It’samazing how much tourism hasgrown since we’ve been here.

The list of winners is too numer-ous to mention individually here,but as we watched this year’s recipi-ents accept their awards, we realizedhow many of us are using our vari-ous talents to boost the area andmake it a place worth visiting. Forthat, we thank you.

– Phil de Albuquerque

From the Publisher

TJN

Volume 1 • Issue 4 MAY 21, 2009 PAGE 5

Jean Lafitte 2009 autographs The Jambalaya News’ Buccaneersposter to benefit The Children’s Museum.

Que Pasa Restaurant held a“fun-raiser” recently to benefit TheChildren’s Museum, and fun it was.The restaurant donated 5 percentof sales that evening to the muse-um. Jean Lafitte 2009, and theBuccaneers were there, autograph-ing The Jambalaya News’ first edi-tion poster of the Buccaneers. It isavailable to all for a donation to themuseum. Pirates of all ages linedup for posters and raffle tickets,hoping to win the big prize: A lock

of Jean Lafitte’s hair, framed with adoubloon and other assorted piratebooty. The lucky winner was EddieLangley, who happens to be thepresident-elect of the Buccaneers.Congratulations, Eddie and manythanks to Que Pasa, Lloyd Lauwand the Buccaneers, and severallovely Contraband Days Queenswho made it all happen. Andthanks to all of you who came outfor a good cause! We appreciateyour support!

Around Town With The Jam

TJN

Kids line up for the Jambalaya Buccaneers poster at the Que Pasa Children’s Museum Fundraiser.

Lloyd Lauw, Jean Lafitte 2009, at the Que Pasa Benefit for The Children’s Museum.


The word pandemic in the diction-ary is defined as “a widespread epi-demic that affects many people inmany different countries.” The exam-ple to illustrate the definition is“AIDS is currently considered to bepandemic.”

Sobering as that may seem, manyfolks in Louisiana still view AIDS as aproblem in other countries. And ifthey think of AIDS in America, theythink of it as a problem in big citieslike New York and Los Angeles. YetHIV/AIDS is on the rise here, withnew cases reported every quarter bythe state. What some view as an oldstory is kept new by recent statistics.

Currently, there are 871 diagnosedcases of HIV/AIDS in Allen,Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, andJeff Davis Parishes. Further, the CDC

estimates that the number of undiag-nosed but infected individuals is fourto five times that number.

Other sexually transmitted infec-tions are also a major concern inLouisiana. How much so? The lateststatistics reveal Louisiana rankings tobe deplorable: No. 1 in syphilis, No. 2in gonorrhea, No. 5 in HIV/AIDSand No. 7 in chlamydia. With num-bers like these, it is hard to argue thatkeeping certain practices and customsstatus quo in this state is a good idea.Perhaps a better idea is to address thispublic health problem aggressively andwith proven methods.

Fighting Against InfectionThe Southwest Louisiana AIDS

Council does just that. SLAC knowsthat empowering and arming peoplewith education is a very effective wayto prevent the spread of HIV.Whether at a correctional facility, asubstance abuse treatment center, a

Greek gathering at McNeese, or ameeting of a teen group at a localchurch, SLAC community educatorsdeliver an important message. Theyspeak about the continued gravity ofthe HIV pandemic, how HIV is trans-mitted, and how one can take controlof one’s own health and well-being.

SLAC’s mission since 1987 hasbeen to provide education to the peo-ple of Southwest Louisiana aboutHIV/AIDS and HIV prevention and tooffer assistance to those affected by thedisease. Executive Director Terry L.Estes, is quick to tell you, “Some thingshave changed dramatically over theyears; others have not.”

Changes for the BetterAlthough efforts to find a vaccine

or a cure for HIV/AIDS have not beensuccessful, the treatment of the virushas advanced significantly over theyears. A diagnosis that once meantdeath in a few short months or yearsnow is managed on a regimen of anti-

viral medications. Some people withHIV are living 25 years after theirdiagnosis.

“We now know that compliancewith medications, proper nutritionand limiting the use of drugs like alco-hol and tobacco can also help aninfected person to live longer andhealthier with the disease,” Estesadded.

The treatment regimen is greatlysimplified. The original “cocktail”therapy that involved up to 35 pills a

Executive Director Terry L. Estes


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day has been streamlined to three tofive a day. Of course, these medica-tions still come with a heavy price tagin dollars and in side effects.

The availability of testing has alsogreatly improved. Still, lack of infor-mation, misconceptions and socialstigma keep many people from gettingtested. HIV can live and destroy a per-son’s immune system with no symp-toms until the virus advances to AIDS,so many of those infected miss thebenefits of early treatment. A simpleoral swab test now gives accurateresults in 20 minutes.

“The simplicity of this test and theconfidentiality surrounding the resultshelp encourage people to know earlyon if they have contracted HIV. Thesooner people know their status, thesooner they can get into treatmentwhich can significantly lengthen theirlives, “said Estes.

Personal ResponsibilityOne thing that hasn’t changed is

that to stop the spread of HIV andother STDs, individuals must beknowledgeable and assume personalresponsibility for their own safety.

“Louisiana does not mandate sexeducation; and if there is voluntary sexeducation, it must stress abstinence,”Estes said. Abstinence is always partof SLAC education. However, absti-

nence is not always a realistic choice;so SLAC teaches and encourages safesex practices.

Estes explained, “People have got toask tough questions if they want to beintimate with someone. They mustdemand that their partner agrees topractice consistent safe sex.” She alsosaid that after testing during a six-month period, a couple can decide ifmonogamy and a mutually negativestatus can allow them to relax theirprecautions.

SLAC also offers parents andgrandparents help in talking to theirteens. “This can be a difficult topic forsome parents and grandparents. Aninformational brochure can really helpwhen approaching a teen. And thatthird party information sometimescarries more credibility,” Estes stated.

SLAC currently serves more than250 clients already infected with a fullrange of services including case man-agement, medication adherence pro-grams, and a food pantry. For infor-mation or to book an educationalpresentation, call SLAC at 439-5861,or stop by the office at 1715 CommonSt. in Lake Charles for brochures.

Marcianna Shogan, M.A., is thedirector of Community Relations andDevelopment for the SouthwestLouisiana AIDS Council.

Avoiding the Water WorksChildbirth and active lifestyles

can weaken the pelvic muscles thatsupport the bladder to the point thaturinary stress incontinence becomesa problem. If coughing, sneezing,laughing, or other sudden move-ments start your “water works,” joinDr. J. William Groves, an obstetri-cian/gynecologist on staff at LakeCharles Memorial Hospital, forAvoiding the Water Works, a freeseminar on possible treatmentoptions, including a minimally inva-sive sling procedure.

A Lake Charles native, Dr. Grovesgraduated from McNeese StateUniversity and the Louisiana StateUniversity Health Science CenterSchool of Medicine in Shreveport.He completed his residency at theTexas A&M Health Sciences Center,Scott and White, in Temple, Texas,before returning to the lake areawith his wife, Kristin, and their threechildren.

Avoiding the Water Works will beheld Fri., May 29, at noon in theShearman Conference Center onMemorial’s Oak Park Boulevard

campus. Refreshments will beserved, and reservations arerequired. For more information orto make a reservation, please call(337) 494-2936.

Calcium Score Mother’s Day Special throughout May

The CHRISTUS St. PatrickRegional Heart Center andSouthwest Louisiana Imaging areoffering calcium scans to womenthroughout the month of May at adiscounted price of $99 (a $130value). Early detection is the key toheart disease prevention. Calciumscans can predict the 10-year risk forheart disease in a matter of minutes.Cardiac CT scanning detects calci-um in the walls of arteries, whichcan diagnose the presence of heartdisease often years before it can bedetected with stress testing. Toschedule an appointment, callSouthwest Louisiana Imaging at439-7778. TJN

For Your Health


The

BoilingP l

CITGO Breaks Records for MDAFor the past 25 years, CITGO’s Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex has

been a proud supporter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The 25thAnnual CITGO/MDA Golf Classic was held recently at the Lake CharlesCountry Club. This year’s tournament raised $195,000, breaking last year’srecord of $190,000, to help find a cure for muscular dystrophy. CITGO’s topranking donors were deemed “Tournament Sponsors” because they contributed$5,000 or more to the MDA. Tournament Sponsors for 2009 were Aggreko, AirLiquide, Brock Services, Chemical Waste Management, CIRE IndustrialServices, Desselle-Maggard Corporation, Grace Davison/ART, HydroChemIndustrial, Leak Sealers, Mustang Engineering, PSC, ThyssenKrupp Safway,Inc., Turner Industries, Wholesale Electric Supply, R&R Construction, Inc.and ReCon.

Southwest Louisiana AIDS Council Awarded GrantThe Southwest Louisiana AIDS Council (SLAC) has been awarded a grant

from Tibotec Therapeutics’ Strengthening Education for People Living withHIV/AIDS (STEP) Initiative to increase treatment adherence, and understandingof treatment options for people in this region who are diagnosed with HIV orAIDS. SLAC will work with the Critical Care Clinic at Moss Regional MedicalCenter where approximately 400 patients receive treatment for HIV/AIDS.Treatment for the virus includes a regimen of antiviral drugs that hold the virusat bay and stem the attack of CD4-T cells, which are crucial in the immune sys-tem for fighting off other infections. An important aspect of this venture is thementoring program, pairing patients with a history of treatment compliance and

an interest in working with others with newly diagnosed or treatment non-adherent individuals. Support groups will also provide patients an opportunity toshare their treatment experiences with others. The program will also make refer-rals to appropriate community agencies for assistance with the cost of medica-tions, housing, and substance abuse and mental health treatment. Currently,there are 871 people in Southwest Louisiana diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, andLouisiana ranks fifth in the nation for cases of AIDS.

Betty Robertson, Ph.D., Receives Distinguished Faculty AwardBetty Robertson, service-learning coordinator and associate professor of

nutrition and family studies at McNeese State University, is the recipient of the2009 Distinguished Faculty Award presented by the McNeese AlumniAssociation. Robertson was selected from a field of professors nominated bytheir academic departments, and was honored during spring commencement.Sponsored by the McNeese Alumni Association, the award is presented to a full-time faculty member on the basis of achievements in teaching, research, publica-tions, campus and community involvement.

An outstanding teacher in the field of family and child studies, Robertsonjoined the McNeese nutrition and family studies department in 1984 as an assis-tant professor and director of child development and became an associate profes-sor in 1995. In addition to her teaching duties, she serves on numerous depart-mental, college and university committees and she participates in professionalorganizations at the local, state and national level. She recently received an

From left to right: Eduardo Assef, vice president and general manager ofCITGO’s Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex; Kelly Allgood, district directorfor MDA from Lafayette; Linda Cunningham, regional director for MDA from

Monroe; and Kristi Fredieu, program coordinator for MDA from Lafayette.

Moby Goodwin, left, president of the McNeese Alumni Association’sBoard of Directors, presents the 2009 Distinguished Faculty Award to

Betty Robertson, service- learning coordinator and associate professorof nutrition and family studies at McNeese State University. Robertson

will be honored as this year’s recipient during McNeese’s spring commencement ceremony Saturday, May 16.

McNeese Photo


endowed professorship in science to develop an interdisciplinary McNeeseCouncil on Family Relations and Scholarly Forum.

Thompson Named Tourism Volunteer of the YearThe first ever Tourism Volunteer of the Year award for Lake

Charles/Southwest Louisiana was presented to William “Bill” Thompson for his11 years of service and commitment. The award was given to Thompson inhonor of National Tourism Week, May 9-17. Thompson has been a tremendousasset to the bureau by being a dedicated ambassador for tourism through thebest of times and most challenging times, especially through Hurricanes Rita andIke. Thompson is the former vice president and director of Calcasieu MarineBank. He was born in Houston but raised in Southwest Louisiana. The thing thathe enjoys most about living in the area is the spirit of the people, and as a volun-teer at the bureau, he appreciates the opportunity to greet visitors who arespending time in the area.

Chase Bank Donates to Banners SeriesThe McNeese State University Banners Cultural Series is annually supported

by donations from area corporate sponsors such as Chase Bank, which donated$10,000 for this year’s Banners Series.

Quesnel Named Chief Nurse Officer at St. Patrick Hospital Brenda Quesnel has been named chief nurse officer at CHRISTUS St.

Patrick Hospital. Quesnel has been a nursing and quality leader with St. Patrickhospital for 27 years, beginning her career as a critical care nurse. She has servedas Director of ICU and Performance Improvement and Quality, and has servedas the Division Director of Nursing with a focus on nursing quality and compe-tency. Under her guidance, the hospital has continuously received high marksfrom the Joint Commission. In 2006, under her leadership, St. Patrick was thefirst hospital to receive the Louisiana Quality review Highest AchievementAward presented by the Chamber Foundation/Southwest Louisiana.

From left to right: Shanna Landry, director of administration; William “Bill”Thompson, volunteer of the year; Shelley Johnson, executive director.

In front of the 2009 Banners poster are, from left, Rodney K. “Poncho” Seaford, president of ChaseBank, Lake Charles,

and Mary Richardson, Banners director.

Safety Council of SWLA Awards CITGO EmployeesAt a recent Safety Council of Southwest Louisiana board meeting, several

CITGO employees were presented life sustaining act awards for a heroic rescuefrom death by means of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Martin Powell, CITGOshift safety supervisor, recognized Bryan Jordan, Randall Smith, DwayneBoyer, David Fusilier, Marla Granger and Marlin Terro for saving the life of afellow coworker, Colin Cooper. In 2008, Rural Metro taught a 40 hour FirstResponder Medical Training Class at CITGO Park for CITGO’s volunteer emer-gency response team. The above-mentioned employees attended the trainingclass and were all in the control room at the time of Cooper’s heart attack. Theyused their training in reacting to a fellow employee in need. “We are fortunate tohave employees such as these who complement the Rural Metro EMS personnelwho follow up with very professional initial care and transport in these situa-tions. We are happy that Mr. Cooper is now in good condition,” said MartinPowell, CITGO shift safety supervisor. Safety procedures and frequent trainingcan mean the difference between life and death. TJN


Lake Charles businessman WillieKing, Jr., was named the 2008Samaritan of the Year at SamaritanCounseling Center’s annual banquetlast month. King, chairperson of the100 Black Men Youth Leadership pro-gram and president of Project Build-A-Future, was selected by the communityfrom a pool of 10 finalists. He wasnominated by local teachers and stu-dents of J.J. Johnson Elementary, T.H.Watkins Elementary and Ray MoloMiddle School and is the owner ofKing’s Funeral Home, King’sTransmission Service and King’sLimousine.

“He is a businessman who neverstops demonstrating his time andmoney for the well-being of the com-munity,” said Wanda Cooper, one ofthose who nominated King. “He walksthrough the doors of many of our localelementary schools, speaking to severalclasses to encourage them to writeessays as a means to develop their liter-acy skills, and he rewards them person-ally. He buys 350 backpacks each yearand provides supplies as needed to areaschools. When someone says ‘I can’t,’ hesays, ‘Mr. Can’t died, and I shouldknow; I’m in the funeral business.’”

Mickey Shannon, executive directorof the Samaritan Counseling Center,said the agency was honored to presentthe award to King, who was one of sev-eral nominees from throughoutSouthwest Louisiana. “This award wasdesigned to recognize an individualwho has worked selflessly to improvethe lives of others, demonstrated a con-stant willingness to invest time andmoney for projects that benefit those inneed, and promoted health in mind,body and spirit. Mr. King certainly epit-omizes all those factors,” Shannon said.“The Samaritan Counseling Center isproud to bestow such an award on amember of our community.”

King has demonstrated a longtimecommitment to volunteerism and, aspresident of Project Build-A-Future,has supported and encouraged homeownership for struggling families,according to Cooper.

“He believes that a businessman’smission never ends with business,”she said.

King said the award serves as areminder of the “difference a littlepersonal effort each day can make inthe life of someone else.”

“It was an honor to receive this

award and I was totally shocked whenthey called my name, but I was moreexcited when the children at all of theschools told me how they workedtogether to create a voting campaignplan, like they were participating in anelection,” King said, referring to thepublic vote put forth on the KPLC-TVWeb site. “They learned something.”

Other selected finalists for theaward were B.J. Cayton, director of theMcNeese Counseling Center; DougEzell, licensed counselor and retireddistrict superintendent of the LakeCharles District United MethodistChurch; Julie Giordano, interim execu-tive director of Habitat for Humanity;Father Henry Mancuso, pastor ofSacred Heart Church and director ofCatholic Charities for the Lake CharlesDiocese; John Morris, local business-man and volunteer; Ann Polak, direc-tor of the Calcasieu Women’s Shelter;Clarice Raichel, director of the localchapter of the National Alliance onMental Illness; Judge Robert Wyatt ofthe 14th Judicial District; and BethZilbert, director of the People’sAdvocate and president of the localchapter of the Humane Society ofLouisiana.

Local Businessman Named 2008 Samaritan of the Year

TJN


329 Broad StreetPhone: 337.433.8028Fax: [email protected] Live Entertainment Nightly

Brick Oven Pizza:Mon-Sat 11am-11pmBistro: 11am-Until

Aerospace Adventures July 6-10Aerospace Adventures, a day

camp for students going into grades4-7, will be offered from 1:30-3:30p.m. Monday-Friday, July 6-10, inRoom 232 of Farrar Hall at McNeeseState University. Students will studyflight theory and the benefits of thespace program. Hands-on activitieswill include kites, tissue paper hot airballoons, paper airplanes, modelrockets, model lunar bases and amodel rocket launch. Registration is$45 by June 15 and $50 after thatdate. Enrollment is limited. For moreinformation, contact Sandra Leder at(337) 475-5470 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Summer Cowboy Camp July 9The second annual summer

Cowboy Camp will be held from 9a.m.-3 p.m. July 9 for those first-timefreshmen and transfer studentsattending McNeese State Universitythis fall who want “to become a partof the tradition.” Students will take acrash course on the history and tra-ditions of McNeese, and before theyleave campus, those students willunderstand what it means to becomea McNeese Cowboy and have fundoing it, according to Chris Thomas,

assistant dean of student services atMcNeese.

The day will include tours, pic-tures, chants, trivia and scavengerhunts, all led by McNeese studentleaders from student organizations.The camp is limited to the first 100students and cost is $20 per student,which includes lunch, a T-shirt andthe chance to win cash and prizes.For more information about CowboyCamp, contact the McNeese StudentUnion Office at (337) 475-5609 or bye-mail at [email protected]

Register Now for MSU CowgirlKicker Kutie Camp

Registration is now underway forthe McNeese Cowgirl Kicker KutieSummer Dance Camp to be heldAug. 3-7 for girls age 5-12 atMcNeese State University. The dancecamp will be offered from 9 a.m.-4p.m. in Burton Coliseum.Participants will learn about jazz,hip-hop dance, tumbling, pomdance, modeling and etiquette. Thecamp cost is $150. For more infor-mation or a registration form, callPaige Harkins-Caldwell, CowgirlKicker adviser, at 475-5604. TJN

Summer at McNeese

The City of Lake Charles willconduct a Lakefront PromenadeGroundbreaking Ceremony onMonday, June 1, at 3:30 p.m. near the9/11 Memorial on Bord Du Lac

Drive. A tent will be set up at thelocation where the ceremony willoccur. The public is encouraged toattend. TJN

City of Lake Charles toHold GroundbreakingCeremony on June 1

By Steve Springer M.D.

Diabetes is one big problem in our country and the numbers arenot looking good for our immediate future, either. There are 23.6 mil-lion people in the United States, or 8 percent of the population, whohave diabetes. There were 1.6 million new cases of diabetes diagnosed inpeople aged 20 years or older in 2007. Consider the following:Diagnosed: 17.9 million people, Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people, Pre-diabetes: 57 million people.

If you find yourself included in the staggering statistics above, you willbe charged with a very daunting task. You must learn as much as possibleabout diabetes and learn it as quickly as possible.

There are many complications of diabetes that must be avoided: Heartattack, stroke, kidney disease, eye disorders, nerve damage, skin disor-ders…all of which you will be at higher risk of developing than the gener-al population.

The best way to beat diabetes is knowledge. This information can begathered from the accredited diabetes education programs available at ourlocal hospitals. Your physician can give you a referral, and I encourageyou to follow their guidance.

The “ABC’s of Diabetes” is an acronym that refers to three essentialareas that require your attention. You should know these numbers likeyou know your social security number or your own birthday. These “tar-gets” are as follows:

A: HAIC (Hemoglobin AIC) – this is a blood value that reflects a 3-month average of your blood sugars from the 3-months prior to the blood draw. GOAL: < 7.0 best <6.5 B: Blood Pressure – GOAL: <130/80C: Cholesterol GOAL: Total Cholesterol < 200Triglycerides <150HDL (Good Cholesterol) >50-60LDL (Bad Cholesterol) <100 Optimal <70You should commit these values to

memory and discuss them with yourdoctor during your routine visits. Ifyour “ABC’s” are on target, then youand your doctor are doing all thatyou can do to prevent the complica-tions of diabetes.

It can be frustrating taking multiplemedications and following diabetic dietplans, etc., but if you start this journeywith the above goals in mind, I think youmay find it easier to see the light at the endof the tunnel. Know your numbers and beatdiabetes…before it beats you.

The ABC’s of Diabetes

TJN


By Jim Doyle

Music has always been a part ofmy life. In fact, I started collegeexpecting to be a high school banddirector, a profession that wouldhave required more patience thanI’ve gathered in my years as alawyer. And among the many jobsI’ve been privileged to have, playingmusic in South Alabama in agarage band in 1969 ranks right upthere.

I played the saxophone. I wasprobably never as good as I thoughtI was, but I enjoyed it, and playinga musical instrument increased myappreciation of the craft at a timewhen the world was full of new andinteresting sounds: The Beatles,The Rolling Stones, JimmyHendrix, Sam and Dave, TheDoors, James Brown. You know. Allthe stuff we hear today.

The sound track of my life ispopulated with many talentedartists. But the best one I knowshares my musical tastes and atleast half my genes.

We all have people who are spe-cial, standouts who, for reasons notamenable to nor in need of expla-nation, are the closest part of us,the essentials who form the axisupon which our world turns day today, those who can lift our spiritswith the simplest things. All mychildren fit in that category, buteven there, Stratton William BeanDoyle has always been the shiningstar in my little constellation.

He was the youngest of my firstfour children and has that effortlesspersonality which draws the manypeople who love him into his orbit.

From the time he was a baby, hewent with me everywhere, some-times (safety freaks beware) sittingon my lap as I drove us to one des-tination or another.

During the time he lived withhis mother in Lafayette and I washere, we spent a lot of time on theroad singing karaoke with ourfavorites on the car’s CD player:Marcia Ball, Billy Joel, JimmyBuffett. I also improved his musicaleducation every now and then witha Beatle tune or two, or some goodole Memphis soul.

So, you can imagine how I felt asa proud dad when Stratton pickedup a saxophone for the first time.And when he was playing “In theMood” and other songs from theGlen Miller library within twoweeks, I was beaming every bit asmuch as Archie Manning watchinghis two sons throwing long routesin the back yard.

Stratton was good. Hell, he wasgreat. It is a measure of his talentthat, in the seventh grade, his banddirector Mike Stelly started a mid-dle school jazz band at S.J. Welshand featured Stratton as a soloist.By the time he got to Barbe, he hadplayed with the McNeese jazz bandunder the tutelage of his instructor,Rick Condit. He graduated as amusician before getting his Barbediploma, jamming at Rikenjak’swith Brian Moore and Lingus.

Stratton’s musical talent hasbeen my primary social outlet foryears now. He was named to theAll-State Jazz Band all four years ofhigh school, first chair for three of

My Son, My Hero


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them. The family went with him tothose great All-State weekends inBaton Rouge, also to the inaugura-tion of President Bush with theBarbe band in 2001.

He just kept getting better. I wasas proud of him as a parent couldbe, but not because of his music. Heis “a really good kid,” unaffected byhis talent, a loving son and brotherto his family. I wrote a couple ofweeks ago about essential people.Stratton is that and more.

Just before Thanksgiving 2002,the day after his last All-State per-formance, I was in the hot tub at alocal health club sorting out thekinks from a quick trip to the WestCoast. The manager started callingout my name; there was an emer-gency phone call for me. That’s howI found out Stratton had been in ahead-on collision about a mile fromour house.

As I turned onto Country ClubRoad from Weaver, it looked likeevery emergency vehicle inCalcasieu Parish was there. I stilldon’t know how I managed to getout of my car and walk to whereStratton was; he was screaming inpain, semi-conscious, but, thankGod, alive.

This is every parent’s worstnightmare, and it certainly was thatfor me. But prayers were answered.Even though his injuries were seri-ous, and kept him out of schoolmost of the rest of the year, he wasstill with us. But about the time westarted to adjust to that reality, thedoctors treating Stratton were look-ing closely at a spot on his brainthat didn’t appear to be related tohis accident. It wasn’t. It was atumor.

Looking back on that time now,I honestly don’t know how we dealtwith it. The whole series of eventshas a surreal quality. We often tellStratton that God hit him on thehead just hard enough to make uslook inside. But that doesn’t beginto touch the heartache and panicour whole family felt when this sec-ond bombshell hit us. In manyways, we’re not over it yet.

Thanks to M.D. Anderson,Stratton had the delicate surgeryrequired to make him well, and thefollow-up treatment necessary tokeep him that way. But he stillstruggles with the whole concept offacing death when he should be

looking forward to a long life. He’sdone a remarkable job, better than Icould do. He’s an inspiration, notbecause of his music, but because ofhis courage. He’s my hero.

My son Harrison and I are justback from a quick tour of Englandto watch Stratton play music, cur-rently with the Hamilton LoomisBand out of Galveston. He justkeeps getting better and better. Ashis father, I will always have that lit-tle twinge of worry every time he

goes for a checkup. But I will alsohave that large, chest-thumpingpride every time I see him perform.

He played all over England,including Liverpool, where they selltours of a cemetery (StrawberryFields) with a tombstone for a songtitle (Eleanor Rigby). Two events Iattended were sellouts, standingroom only. Stratton’s friend CelineNichol, his traveling companion ona trip through Europe five years agoand daughter of an accomplished

professional musician, told her dadshe “had tears in her eyes” watchingStratton play.

I know the feeling, Celine. Metoo. Me, too.

He and Hamilton are at Toucan’sSaturday night (May 23) in a rareLake Charles appearance. Hope youcan come out and see them.

See ya on the flip. TJN


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LifeThe

By Sara Blackwell

There are a lot of disasters thataffect our lives. Particularly inSouthwest Louisiana, hurricanes havecreated an enormous impact. Mostrecently, the swine flu has presenteditself a few months shy of this year’shurricane season.

With uncontrollable possiblecalamities hovering over us, it’simportant not to create unnecessaryfear in our children. So, how are par-ents supposed to react to a disaster, orthe threat of one, in a way that is mostbeneficial to their children?

Bill Williams of Family and YouthCounseling Center in Lake Charles is

a licensed professional counselor anda marriage and family therapist.Williams kindly sat down with me todiscuss some of the issues surround-ing parents and the proper responseto their children when faced withsuch issues.

Williams asserted that when thereis fear and uncertainty due to a natu-ral disaster or health scare, parentsshould first educate themselves aboutthe situation. It is important not toaccept the first sensational newsreport you hear from the Internet, tel-evision, or stranger at the local super-market.

Education helps alleviate unneces-sary fear and better prepares you forthe upcoming questions and discus-sions with your children. Williamsdoes not believe parents should lie totheir children; however, he also does-n’t suggest giving the young ones theworst-case scenario.

“Keep the conversation childappropriate and age appropriate,” headvised. “Give kids an optimistic out-look, explaining the best possibilitiesto them. But again, do not lie if anolder child asks specific questions.Just emphasize the positive possibili-ties and the minimal chances of the

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darkest side of the upcoming or pres-ent disaster.”

Williams further explained thatparents should be careful what theysay to other adults that may be over-heard. Remember, children are listen-ing and believe the words of their par-ents.

When the possible disasterbecomes an actual disaster, Williamsoffers some helpful guidelines.

“Pay close attention to your chil-dren; however, don’t force them tospeak to you about the disaster if theydon’t want to talk,” he said. Hebelieves you should let your childrentalk when they’re ready. And youshouldn’t share too much informationwith them. “Some adults feel betterby discussing things with their chil-dren, but it is not always the bestthing for children to hear the saddetails,” he said.

“Parents need to remember to healthemselves,” he added. “Emotionalhealth is important in parenthood.Don’t use children as a soundingboard for personal issues or problemssurrounding the situation. Adultsshould never go to their young onesfor comfort or emotional supportregardless of how mature they believetheir children to be.”

There may come a time whenyou’ll need to seek outside help foryour children, whether they are actu-ally affected by a disaster or just fear-ful. Williams asserts there are overtsigns that parents should watch for intheir children.

“A child’s reaction to the swine fluepidemic, hurricane or similar disas-ter differs depending on his or her ageand disposition,” he said. “In extremecases, some children have nightmaresor become hyper- sensitive. Somerevert to bed-wetting, thumb suckingor baby talk. There may be obsessivebehavior such as an abnormal amountof hand-washing or weather watching.Look for interruptions in their sleepcycle that were not previously there.”

Older children may experience adrop in grades, or there may be druguse or some other extreme misbehav-ior. A noticeable change in behaviorcould indicate depression or anxietydisorder. At that point, it’s best to seeka therapist or similar professional.

For more information or to makean appointment, contact Bill Williams,MA, LPC, LMFT, Family and YouthCounseling, 220 Louie St. LakeCharles, LA 70601, [email protected].

TJN


YankeeDangThe

By Mike McHugh

Recently, my wife and I did somespring cleaning around the house.(Okay, I’ll admit it; she mostly did itwhile I “supervised.”) Part of thisinvolved going through our closetsand cabinets and drawers. Whiledoing this, I noticed how manythings we now own that we’d nevereven thought we’d need, or evenknew existed, when we were back inYankee land.

Let me give you some examples ofthe things we’ve found that fit intothis category:

• A rice cooker• Formal wear

• Three cases of Mardi Gras beads• A turkey fryer• A kitchen drawer full of koozies(We also found a Lake Charles

buddy of ours in the pantry, missingsince our last Christmas party, andstill looking for some Tony Cachere’sfor the gumbo—but that’s anotherstory.)

The rice cooker is for sure one ofthose “didn’t-know-ever-existed”items. Now I can’t see living withoutone. You really can’t screw rice upwith one of those things, can you? Ibet even my brother can cook decentrice with one, and Fruit Loops are

Spring Cleaning in SWLA

usually a challenge for him.Formal wear. Used to be the only

time I’d wear a tux was when I was ina wedding. Now, I’m at the agewhere if a friend of mine gets mar-ried, it’s his third or fourth time. Bythen, the weddings are at the court-house and the reception is a barbecuein the backyard. You wear shorts andsandals.

It’s really ironic how often we donformal wear around here. It seems,with all of the balls at Mardi Gras andfor other occasions, I find that I weara tux more often than I do a regularsuit and tie. Folks back home thinkthat in the South, we all walk aroundwearing shirts with the sleeves tornoff and baseball caps with fishhookson the bills like a bunch of Larry theCable Guys. (Come to think of it, mybrother back home actually doesdress that way.)

Since we joined a krewe, I’ve hadto add a line item in our householdbudget just to cover the Mardi Grasbeads. The first year, I asked ourkrewe president how many beads wewould need to ride the parade. Hesaid to plan on six cases for the bothof us. I choked. But, come to findout he was right on the money.What, I wonder, happens to all ofthose beads? Multiply six cases byevery person who rides a float in oneof those parades and that seems like apretty big number. Maybe even as bigas an AIG bonus.

And then there’s the turkey fryer.You know, turkey fryers ought to bebanned in northern states, just likepeople up there aren’t allowed to havepersonal fireworks. Have you seenthat commercial on TV where theguy has a big fire because he didn’tknow to thaw out the turkey beforehe dropped it in the oil? Think thatnever happens in real life? Well, backhome, it seemed like everyThanksgiving there’d be three or fourstories in the news about some idiot

who burned his house down tryingto fry a turkey. I shouldn’t talk,though. The first time I ever tried it,the oil boiled over and melted a patchof Astroturf carpet on my patio. Inever replaced it; it was kind of like abadge of honor: My rite of passageinto turkey fryin’.

Koozies are a necessity for keep-ing your favorite beverage cool, par-ticularly in our climate (even then, Ifind you still gotta drink ‘em fast.)But how many does one householdreally need? Seems like every event Igo to, the vendors are giving outkoozies with their name on it. That’sin addition to the ones that seem toturn up in the side pocket of your icechest after every backyard barbecueand the ones you buy at the storebecause they got this stupid sloganthat somehow seemed funny at thetime. And don’t forget the one youbought in Destin, Florida, to remindyou of how much fun you had thereon vacation. And nowadays, drinkcans are all different shapes, so yougotta have different size koozies forevery contingency.

Still, there’s got to be a limit.When I could no longer close thekitchen drawer where we kept all ofour koozies, we decided it was timeto cull our collection by taking abunch of them and throwing themfrom the float during the Mardi Grasparade.

We ended up throwing so manythat we have still have three cases ofbeads up in the attic left over fromthis year.

Mike McHugh is an engineer atSasol North America, Inc. He and hiswife Susan hail from the border stateof Maryland and thoroughly love liv-ing in Southwest Louisiana. TJN


The Very Kind “In Kind” Sponsors

Thanks to the following sponsors for helping make the

7th Annual NAMI Walks for the Mind of America of Southwest

Louisiana such a great success on April 25th, 2009.

The Dore’ Family Foundation • KPLC-TVBlueCross Blue Shield of LouisianaLouisiana Office of Mental Health

Conoco Phillips

Tell Dr. D • Janssen Pharmaceutica

Lake Charles Clinical Trials

Bristol-Myers Squibb • Christus St. Patrick Hospital Cox, Cox, Filo, Camel & Wilson • Lake Area Psychiatry • Lake Charles ToyotaResource Management • Team Citgo • Sam’s Club • Wal-Mart • Whitney Bank

American Press • CSE Federal Credit Union • Cameron State Bank • Citgo • Congressman Charles BoustanyDelta Downs Racetrack and Casino • El Paso Exploration & Production • Global Industries

State Representative Chuck Kleckly • L’Auberge du Lac Casino ResortLonnie Harper & Associates, Inc. • Meaux’s Western Wear • One Touch AwakeningMayor Randy Roach • SWLA Center for Health Services • Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Dr. James Anderson • Bill & Betty King • Bobby & Margaret Boudreau • Boudreaux’s New Drugs • Judge Guy BradberryBridgeway Psychiatric Center • Century 21 - Mike Bono • Childress & Castille CPA’s, LLC • Corporate Housing • Crain Bros. Inc.

Joseph Delafield, Attorney • John DeRosier, District Attorney • Entergy • H & H Chemical • Insurance Unlimited • Jeff Davis BankKemp Family • Frank & Charlotte LaBarbera • Louisiana Radio Communication • Sheriff Tony Mancuso • Senator Willie Mount

Rick & Donna Richard • Stine Lumber • Stream Family Limited Partnership • True Construction, Inc.UMC Lake Charles District Office • Whitney Bank • Women & Children’s Hospital, Inc.

Acadian Ambulance • Air Liquide • Boy Scouts of America • Buccaneers, Inc. • Citgo • Coca Cola • ConocoPhillips • Dana Kaye’sDiamond Dancers • Eli Lilly • First Baptist Church of Moss Bluff • Freshko • Frito Lay • Girl Scouts of Louisiana – Pines to the Gulf • GiGi’s

Gragson, Casiday & Guillory • Habibi Shiners’ • Johnson Funeral Home • K&K Water • Lake Charles City Marshall’s OfficeLake Charles Civic Center • Lake Charles Fire Department • MSU Performing Arts – Carol Lines • MSU Photography Club • Pepsi Cola

Sam’s Club • Interstate Brands Corporation • The Jambalaya News • J & R Carriages • Lake Charles Fire Department Louisiana Swashbucklers – “Salty Dog” • Meaux’s Western Wear • Sulphur High Cheerleaders • Sulphur High Drum Corps

Southern DJ Productions • Twelfth Night Revelers • SWLA Chamber of Commerce


In the summer of 1995, I was in theseventh grade and I loved computergames.

I would walk down the street to myfriends’ house where we would net-work a few computers over an oldHayes Optima modem and play multi-player games like Doom II until aftermidnight.

Many nights, though, were spent infrustration as my friends struggled toget all of the computers on the samepage, fiddling with settings and rein-stalling programs.

My friends understood all the tech-nical and mechanical aspects of ourgame nights.

I just liked to play the games, but I stillfound it fascinating that, with just a lit-tle ingenuity and a dial-up Internetconnection, we could connect fourcomputers and play the same game atthe same time. It was a wonderful con-cept.

Elsewhere, electronics and comput-er designers were inventing other won-derful concepts that are commonplacetoday. In 1995, several electronicscompanies were proposing a data stor-age system called a “digital video disk,”which would feature a storage capacity

hundreds of times larger than anythingon the market at the time. Today,DVDs are ubiquitous in just aboutevery household.

At a Windows conference in March1995, something called a “UniversalSerial Bus” was introduced. Today, Idon’t think you could buy a new com-puter that didn’t come with at least oneUSB port.

The same year, in the midst of thistechnological renaissance, local busi-nessman Chad Moreno openedData.sys, a home-based computerdesign and repair shop. But as compa-nies like Dell and Gateway began toflood the home computing marketwith its own custom-designed comput-ers, Moreno looked to find a way to

keep his business growing.“I started the company as a com-

puter tech outfit where we’d do repairs,create new computers and things likethat,” Moreno said. “Around that timewas when Dell and Gateway werestarting out and were beginning topush to market and, with a one-manshop, it was hard for me.

“It wasn’t a business model I couldsee myself doing 10 or 15 years downthe road, so I started looking for some-thing else. I had graphic design experi-ence, dial-up access and some ideas onWeb design, so I kind of taught myself(how to design Web sites). I found afew clients and, over the years, it hasjust grown.”

With that, Data.sys spawned KillerWebsites, one of Lake Charles’ leadersin Web site design and development

By Brandon Shoumaker

Killer Websites.comAward-winning Web Design

Company Stays Ahead of the Curve

Chad and Kim Moreno with Josh McGee


with over 20 ADDY award wins since2000. One thing Moreno says haschanged since his companybegan designing Websites has been theexplosion of dif-ferent ways Websites can be createdand interact withusers.

“Things have reallychanged (since 1995.)Back then, Web siteswere usually static andthere wasn’t a whole lotof interactivity,” Morenosaid. “Most businesses hadonly a one-page Web siteand that was the extent of it.I think people were stillscared of the Internet, so mostWeb sites were for informa-tional purposes.”

“Over time, interactive devel-opment changed and now youcan choose from 20-30 differentprogramming languages to createWeb sites,” he said. “Everything haschanged, and that’s one of the funthings about this job; it’s a learningexperience. You have to stay on top ofthings because even things we did twoor three years ago—there are new waysof doing those things.”

Moreno says that social networkingsites like Facebook and Twitter arehelping businesses reach larger num-bers of people over greater distancesand online video is helping bring inter-activity to Web sites as well.

Interactivity and creativity are hall-marks of one of Moreno’s favoriteKiller Websites projects, the LouisianaSwashbucklers indoor football team’sWeb page, which features, amongother items, a football-shaped skulland lanterns flickering in the wind aspeals of thunder, flashes of lightningand the splashing sound of rain pro-vide an ominous backdrop.

“We’ve done the LouisianaSwashbucklers’ Web site for the pastfour or five years and it’s one of thosesites where we have complete creativi-ty,” Moreno said. “Not a lot of clientswant a Flash intro or fire or things likethat. It’s a good site with good anima-tion and interactivity. We did the LakeCharles Ice Pirates Web site for years,too. The sports sites are fun.”

And while skulls and crossbonesmight work for our local pro footballteam, Moreno says his company cantailor a Web site to any business’ needs.

“Every business is different. Whatwe try to do is take whatever productor service and figure out how it willmake sense on a Web site. We try tomake our Web sites as clean as possi-ble. It’s all about letting clients knowwhat’s available and trying to figure

out what content the user islooking for.”

Killer Websites is also behind thecommunity Web site lakecharles.com,which features events calendars, localnews and real estate listings.

“One of the sites we’re pushingright now is lakecharles.com with theevents and the real estate listings,”Moreno said. “There is a lot of data-base development with that sitebetween the real estate aspect and thenews articles.”

So, what about the next 14 years?The half-life for most computer inno-vations is fairly short, but Moreno saysthat he and his staff are constantlyresearching new techniques in Webdesign and management so that KillerWebsites stays ahead of the curve.

“It’s more individual research thananything,” he said. “We look at otherdesigners’ work and we read articles onWeb design. If we need to know howto do something, there are a lot of dif-ferent Web sites, common sites, wherewe can usually get the trends from.

“For example, they are about tocome out with a new version of (pro-gramming language) Cold Fusion 9,and pretty soon, there will be articleson its new features and what they cando and how it ties in to XML and Ajax.There is a lot of looking around in ourday-to-day research and customersalso come in with new ideas.”

Data.sys and Killer Websites arelocated at 1214 Common St. in LakeCharles. For more information, or toreceive a free project estimate, contactKiller Websites at (337) 497-1450 orvisit the company’s Web site atwww.killerwebsites.com. TJN


What’sCookin’

Sylvia has returned to Lake Charles andis awaiting the opportunity to serve youagain. She’s taken the old Rikenjaks loca-tion, which came with a brick oven adja-cent to the bar. She and her son-in-law,Jovan Foreman, began perfecting thedough in December of 2008—and theresult is delicious New York-style pizza! Shealso features the wonderful specialty sal-ads that she originated in her old location,which all of us remember as Sylvia’s CaféRoyale.

My favorite is the antipasto salad. It’schock-full of all kinds of good stuff, such aspepperoni, ham, mozzarella cheese balls,shredded carrots, peppers, chopped olives,and even artichokes and capers. And itcomes with the most amazing dressing! Ihad to get the recipe—so here it is.

Sylvia’s Bistro and Pizzeria

TJN

Sylvia’s HouseBalsamic Vinaigrette1 cup olive oil1 cup balsamic vinaigrette½ cup finely chopped green onions1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic2 teaspoons Dijon mustard½ cup honey¼ teaspoon white pepper

Mix and serve over yourfavorite fresh garden salad.

Enjoy!

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

Sylvia Hankins, owner of Sylvia’s Bistro,and Jovan Foreman, cook.

It’s no secret that talentabounds in this fair city, and itcontinues to stream throughSylvia’s Bistro. In addition to

serving great food, Sylvia’s dis-tinctive historic building pro-vides a backdrop to showcase

the creations of local artists anda stage for live entertainment.

Sylvia’s Bistro329 Broad St.

Lake Charles, LA 70601

433-8028Monday – Saturday from 11 a.m. until.


By Eric ZartlerPhotos courtesy of Sulphur Parks & Recreation

On May 1 and 2, Sulphur Parks andRecreation’s Frasch Park played host tothe Louisiana High School AthleticAssociation’s State High School SoftballChampionships for the ninth consecu-tive year. The event has been dubbedFast Pitch 56, as it features 56 of thestate’s best softball teams at the highschool level and brings in majortourism dollars to our local economy.

The 2009 version of Fast Pitch 56was nothing short of amazing, andwhen the dust settled and the cheers ofvictory died down, the true winner ofFast Pitch 56 emerged: CalcasieuParish!

2009 was a year that saw a six-yearold attendance record shattered, and ayear that saw seven area teams in thesemi-final round, two of whichadvanced to the championship frame.The attendance for the two-day eventwas 19,236, which beat the 2003 recordof 18,199.

SPAR and LHSAA officials weregrinning from ear to ear as they gazedout of the press box over the spectatorareas below. The bleachers werepacked full of softball fanssporting the colors of theirrespective teams. Thestanding areas served asoverflow for the bleachers,and as you looked out overthe fields and beyond theoutfield fences, the string offans kept going and goingand going.

At one point during thechampionship round on

Saturday evening, I asked the LHSAACommissioner, Kenny Henderson,how he felt about the tournament.With a smile that rivaled that of theKool-Aid man, he looked over thecrowds and said, “Wow!”

The games themselves did not dis-appoint. The 19,236 fans on hand towatch the weekend’s action were treat-ed to some of the most exciting games

on record including a 14-inning thriller in the 2A statechampionship game betweenRosepine and Evangel.

The event has grown solarge and has become so pop-ular that Cox Sports televi-sion, which usually runs twoof the championship gameson tape delay, decided thisyear to go “live” with theaction from Frasch Park forthe 4A and 1A championship

games. The games were aired through-out the southern states and as far northas Virginia. Needless to say, FraschPark and Southwest Louisiana receivedsome much-deserved exposure for oneof the most exciting and successfulhigh school sporting events in thecountry.

Not to take away from the gamesthemselves or the job that the wonder-ful folks at SPAR or the LHSAA do toput this event on, but there is a lot ofwork that goes on behind the scenes inpreparation for such an event to runsmoothly.

It is truly a group effort, from thelocal hotels, to the restaurants, gas sta-tions, retail stores and the media.

Everybody plays a role, andeverybody benefits fromsuch a successful event.Hotels were bursting at theseams, as they are everyyear; restaurants had hour-long waits at 9:30 p.m.; themedia heyday that was FastPitch 56 was unbelievable.

Media outlets fromacross the state, newspaper,television, and radio were

2009 LHSAA Fast Pitch 56 – What A Show!all here in our community covering thebest of the best in high school softball.Everything worked like a fine-tunedmachine.

Calcasieu Parish opened their armsto this event nine years ago, and resi-dents of the area look forward to itevery year, for several reasons: It is anopportunity to enjoy high school soft-ball at its finest, and it is a huge boostto our local economy.

Next year marks the tenth year thatSPAR and Southwest Louisiana willhost this prestigious event. It will beheld on April 30 and May 1, so markyour calendars now and put out thewelcome mats for an event that has

become a fixture in our area and onethat our local economy cannot affordto take for granted.

Note: The 2010 edition of Fast Pitch56 marks the final year of a two-yearcontract with the LHSAA. Local offi-cials and the folks at SPAR will onceagain put their best foot forward andpresent a bid to keep the event herewhere it has flourished for the pastnine years.

Eric Zartler is the Athletic SalesManager at the Lake Charles/SouthwestLouisiana Convention and VisitorsBureau. Contact him at [email protected].

Eric Zartler

TJN


ANiMAL 411A love of dogs and a caring com-

munity keeps Michelle Horak firmlyplanted in Lake Charles. The opportu-nity here, plus the people, has made theformer nomad a true “home girl”thanks to the quality of life she foundhere.

Horak has always loved animals,especially dogs. She even loves bugs.She cried when she found out that antsreally die when you put poison onthem - they don’t just “move on.”

While working at Michael’s in Ft.Worth, Horak responded to a newspa-per ad, “Do you love dogs?” and foundherself in dog-grooming school, finish-ing as an American Kennel Club(AKC) certified dog groomer. She did-n’t just learn extreme doggie makeover.She learned the AKC recognized

Pampered Pooches — Not Just Another Pretty Facebreeds, including working, toy andhound groups. She also studied canineanatomy, breed standards and breedidentification, while learning the glos-sary of canine terms, general health,pesticides and a general background offelines.

After serving an apprenticeship,Horak joined the grooming staff at PawPrints, a prestigious dog-groomingsalon in Ft. Worth. While having thetremendous good fortune to work withthree top-notch dog groomer/handlers,she admits that after a frenetic, high-pressured six years, she was burned outand exhausted.

Determined to have a satisfying andlucrative career, Horak enrolled in theUniversity of Houston’s hotel/restaurantmanagement curriculum. While shesays she loved the courses related tohotel and restaurant management, shecouldn’t stand all of the other classesrequired to graduate.

After an unsatisfying stint as agroomer for six Louisiana Downs race-horses in the Bossier City/Texarkanaarea, Horak spent the next sevenmonths as a groomer for a veterinarianin Bossier City. While visiting hermother, who was then living in LakeCharles, Horak contacted area petstores, groomers and veterinarians tocheck out prospective employmentopportunities. Although she was mak-ing excellent wages, Horak admitsBossier City just wasn’t where shewanted to call home.

She ultimately moved to LakeCharles in 2000 and worked for a localbusiness until 2003, when she openedher own business, The Dog Groomer.Quickly earning a devoted clientele, shehas thrived. Her appointment book isfilled through the end of the year. Shetypically sees 15 dogs a day, mostly reg-ulars, and she laments the lack of timein her day.

Although Horak says she liked LakeCharles from the start, she didn’t recog-nize how much of a home it hadbecome until Rita. Like many others,she had evacuated to Arkansas. Sheimmediately, started getting calls fromfriends and clients asking how she wasand giving updates on the situation in

Lake Charles and the status of Mr.Pecan Tree, an ancient neighborhoodfavorite. She also remembers givingclient’s dogs’ comfort over the phone bysinging or talking to them. “I felt thatLake Charles had just scooped me upinto its arms and taken care of me,” shesaid.

Horak gives back to the animalcommunity in a big way. She con-tributes to all of the area animal wel-fare/rescue groups and attends manyanimal activities and functions, such as“Come Look What The Cat DraggedIn!” a hugely successful annualfundraiser for Animal Angels.

While Horak demands excellencefrom herself, she generously offers helpand advice to other area groomers aswell as prospective groomers. “I wantevery dog to look like they come froma book or a show,” she said. She wouldlike to teach dog grooming to others,noting that it’s a career that has sufferedlittle in the current economy. “I want tosee it done right,” she said. With herentrepreneurial spirit and her love ofdogs and the profession, Lake Charlesmay someday see The Dog Groomers’School of Dog Grooming!

Cheryl Krull is SpinnakerCommunications' president and chiefexecutive officer, managing businessoperations and marketing. A LakeCharles native, she has worked at PPGfor more than 20 years as a licensedtankerman and has extensive industryexperience. She is very active in thecommunity, volunteering at severalnon-profit and non-government organi-zations, her favorite being Dr. Joe Stark’sLake Area Animal Hospital. In additionto her love of animals, she is an avidlong distance bicyclist and a StephenMinister (in training through UniversityUnited Methodist Church.) Cheryl isalso a would be “geek” and is studyingXHTML, CSS and Web design. Pleasevisit www.spinncomm.com and alsoher new work in progresswww.animal411.us. TJN

Michelle Horak

By Cheryl Krull


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Max Trost only landed inSouthwest Louisiana in January, butthe helicopter entrepreneur, said heis having “a great year” getting hisbusiness Max Air Helicopters off theground.

He’s doing just about everything– photo flights, business trips,tourism, agricultural support andrecreational flights. He has evenbooked a wild hog hunting trip inTexas, for late autumn.

“There is a wild hog problem inTexas,” Trost said. “It was illegal tohunt wild hogs in Texas by air, butlegislators tentatively approved a billencouraging hunters to hunt wildhogs from the air.”

Trost, 52, is a F.A.A. approvedtour operator with 30 years of world-wide flight experience, and morethan 11,000 hours of commercialflight time. He holds commercialpilots licenses for both fixed-wingedaircrafts and rotorcrafts.

He flies a Robinson R44 helicop-ter – a comfortable blue and whitefour-seater.

The helicopter and business arestationed at the Sulphur Airport, butthe R44 can land at any area the pilotdeems safe.

“I can do rides out of a hotelparking lot,” Trost said.

He said safety is a top priority.“I don’t try to scare people,” he

said. Trost worked at the 2009

Contraband Days festival givingrides to people of all ages. Many hadnever flown in a helicopter.

“The word I heard most often

was ‘awesome,’” he said. “I didn’thave any complaints.”

He said everyone who has everflown on a helicopter tour remem-bers where they were and who wasthere.

“I enjoy giving tours - it changespeople’s lives – especially young peo-ple,” he said.

Cost for a 30-minute tour is $375.“That’s $125 per person,” Trost

said. “That’s pretty inexpensive.”He said flights make unique gifts

and Father’s Day will be here soon.Trost is offering a variety of tours,

including: a wedding sunset flight, acasino visit and festival rides. A com-plete list of services is on his Website: www.maxairhelicopters.com.

Since this isn’t Hawaii, Trostdoesn’t expect a lot of sight-see-ing tour business. He believesmost of his business will beaerial survey and aerial pho-tography, along with execu-tive travel and remotesight inspections.

“I’m hoping to land apipeline contract, but ittakes time to get on thevendors lists,” he said.

Trost’s aviation experi-ence is in everything, from:power-line inspection; agricul-tural operations; pipeline patrol;game surveys; controlled burning;news-gathering; videoand still photography,to: aerial tours; promo-tions; Part 135 air taxi;offshore support; search and rescue.

He’s flown helicopters and small

planes all over the world,including Egypt, Japan, France, andHong Kong.

“I’ve had a great life traveling,”Trost said.

Trost lived in Nicaragua, wherehe operated the only private helicop-ter service for real estate viewing,called Buccaneer-Heli Tours. Heworked with high-end developers tofind off-the-beaten parcels of landand beachfront property to develop.

Prior to that business,Trost operated a tourbusiness

By Lisa Yates


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called Costa Rica Jungle Tours. Helived in Costa Rica with his youngson, and the boy’s mother, until itbecame unsafe for him to stay. Trostsaid he had been assaulted on numer-ous occasions, and robbed of approxi-mately $50,000 in equipment andvideo tape.

“I could not afford to stay thereany longer,” he said.

When Trost left Costa Rica, heasked the boy’s mother if he couldtake his son with him.

“I wanted my son to know whohis father is,” he said. “I guess it wasbecause I was adopted and neverknew who my father was.”

Trost said it took eight yearsbefore the boy’s mother consented.

Max Alajandro is now nine-and-half and doing very well in school,according to Trost.

“He’s the apple of my eye,” he said.Trost’s mother lives in DeQuincy,

so he decided to raise his son inSouthwest Louisiana.

Now that Trost has put downroots, he is ready to see his helicopterbusiness take off!

For more information, contact MaxAir Helicopters at (337) 583-2742,(337) 802-4209; or, e-mail [email protected]; or, online atwww.maxairhelicopters.com.

Max Trost and Max AlajandroTJN


The phrases “flourishing and hip shopping and arts district” and “downtown Lake Charles”aren’t often found together, but developer Oliver “Rick” Richard is about to change that.

He recently completed massive renovations to the historic Calcasieu Marine National Bank,located at 844 Ryan Street. The three-story structure was built in 1928, by architects Livaudais andFavrot of New Orleans. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991,for its architecture – a perfect example of the Modern Italian Renaissancestyle.

The historic property has been restored as commercial building withan upscale events center, professional offices and room for a restaurant,retail shops and other amenities geared to attract even more people andbusinesses to downtown Lake Charles.

Calcasieu Marine National Bank was a cornerstone of commerce indowntown Lake Charles for many years - a multi-purpose facility forbanking, shopping and meeting friends. Richard is banking on aRenaissance.

But that’s not all.The developer started massive renovations that will turn the vacant

Cash and Carry Warehouse, on the corner of Enterprise and Broad,into a posh farmer’s market.

Another project will include a newly-constructed building, onthe corner of Ryan and Kirby, designed by Lake Charles architectJeff Kudla. The plans call for a three-story brick structure havingtraditional second- and third-story balconies complete with dec-orative New Orleans-style railing. Two Lake Charles-styledbuildings bookend this main structure, with parking in therear, hidden from the street.

The project is the first new construction in LakeCharles in many years. It is across from the courthouseand leasing now.

Richard, 56, said funding for the multi-million dol-lars projects came from Empire of the Seed L.L.C., hisconsulting firm.

Who is Rick Richard?Rick Richard is chairman of CleanFuelUSA, Inc.

– recognized as the leading global manufacturer ofcertified and approved alternative fuel dispensingequipment for both propane and Ethanol 85.CleanFuel is also involved with a new fuel calledcellulosic ethanol, or super ethanol, made fromnearly all organic matter, including sugar-cane, agricultural waste and corn stover, evenswitchgrass and sawdust.

Richard is chairman of the DowntownDevelopment Board in Lake Charles, where

By Lisa Yates, Photos by Darrell Buck


he worked with city government on projects,including the Ryan Streetscape and LakefrontPromenade, Gateway renovations on NorthRyan Street and South Lakeshore Drive, and afloating marina.

He disagreed with those who say it’s nothappening fast enough. Richard said the cityadministration is doing the right thing work-ing to improve the underground infrastructurefirst.

“Some of the gas lines and water pipes havenever been mapped until now,” he said.

Richard said the infrastructure will make iteasier for developers to bring projects todowntown Lake Charles.

“People will start to see a lot of activitystarting in June,” he said.

In fact, the City of Lake Charles is conduct-ing a Lakefront Ground Breaking Ceremonyon June 1, at 3:30 p.m. near the 9/11 Memorialon Bord Du Lac Drive. The public is encour-aged to attend.

Hall of FamerRichard is chairman of the L.S.U. Paul M.

Herbert Law Center and on the Board ofVisitors of the L.S.U. Manship School of MassCommunications, where he was inducted intothe Hall of Fame in 2007.

In the spring of 2008, he and his wife Donnapledged $500,000 to the Forever L.S.U.Campaign from their foundation, the Rick andDonna Guzzman Richard CharitableFoundation. Half the amount helped fund achair in Diversity, Media & Public Affairs with-in the Manship School. The other half wenttoward helping support the Law Center’sClinical Legal Education Program.

Richard is a member of the Board ofAdvisors of the Riverstone Group Energy fundof The Carlyle Group in Washington, D.C., andHaddington Ventures in Houston, Texas. He isthe treasurer of the Coastal Plains Conservancyof Louisiana. He has served three times as amember of the National Petroleum Council, anadvisory body to the U.S. Secretary of Energy;Chairman of the Interstate Gas Association of

America; and on the Boards of Directors of theAmerican Gas Association and the U.S.Chamber of Commerce.

He was president and C.E.O. of a $7 billionenergy company, Columbia Energy Group.Prior to Richard’s tenure, Columbia was in direstraits. The company had suffered from badmanagement, customers who hadsued for fraud and abuse, and aChapter 11 bankruptcy filing in thewake of deregulation. After Richardarrived in 1995, the company set arecord net income in 1997, of $273.3million. He was named to U.S. Newsand Business Week’s List of MostUnderpaid C.E.O.’s for Value. WarrenBuffet was ranked No. 1 and Richard wasranked No. 5.

Always make the campsite better“I’ve made a career of turning around

businesses,” he said. “My motto is: always leavethe campsite better than you find it.”

If his philosophy sounds familiar, it’sbecause it’s also the Boy Scout’s motto. Richardattained the highest rank in scouting - EagleScout.

“I believe in making something better thanwhat was there,” he said.

Richard was chairman, C.E.O. and presi-dent of New Jersey Resources; president andC.E.O. of Northern Natural Gas Pipeline; and,vice president and general counsel ofTenngasco – Enron’s Northern Natural GasCompany. (“when Enron was good,” Richard isquick to point out.)

“It was a very creative company, but it gotaway from its infrastructure and the peoplewho built and ran the pipeline,” he said, not-ing he left the company in 1991, 10 yearsbefore the scandal. “The company movedfrom an assets-based company to trading. Ibelieve financial institutions moving awayfrom asset-based business, was a precursorto the financial meltdown.”

Richard said Enron is where he metCathy Abbott, whom he hired to work for

him at Columbia as C.E.O. of the company’sinterstate pipeline subsidiaries.

“She made history as the first womanhired to head a major pipeline compa-ny,” he said. “She was from theJohn F. Kennedy School


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of Government at Harvard Universityand had all the background you needto run a pipeline.”

At the age of 29, Richard wasappointed by President Ronald Reaganand confirmed by the United StatesSenate to the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission. He receivedthe F.E.R.C. Chairman’s Medal and theDistinguished Service Medal from theU.S. Secretary of Energy for his role inunbundling the Interstate pipelinemarkets to create opportunities in nat-ural gas markets.

Before joining F.E.R.C., he servedas legislative assistant for energy issuesto U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnson, D-La, in Washington, D.C., a job Richardenjoyed and called a great learningexperience.

“It was like getting paid to attendgraduate school,” he said.

Before that job, he practiced Law inLafayette as a partner of the firm ofHayes, Durio and Richard.

When a student at Louisiana StateUniversity, Richard was named to theStudent Hall of Fame and was the stu-dent body president of the LawSchool. He earned a B.A. inJournalism and a Juris Doctorate ofLaw degree from L.S.U. He alsoreceived a Master of Law in Taxationfrom Georgetown University.

Richard’s hometown is Lake

Charles, where he lives and works withhis wife Donna. He said if he had anyadvice to offer it would be – “Readeverything.”

His pet peeve is littering.“I think Jason Barnes and Team

Green are doing a good job with thenew litter campaign enforced bySheriff Mancuso,” Richard said. “Whenpeople stop throwing trash out of cars,we’ll starting taking pride in ourselvesin Southwest Louisiana. Little thingsmake a big difference.”

For someone with such an impres-sive résumé, Richard exhibits arefreshing lack of pretension.

He describes himself as “a collabo-rator and facilitator of preservation,creating new business, and developingof alternative fuels.”

In collaboration with many localdevelopers, Richard is working tire-lessly to realize his vision of downtownas a fun, lively place to live work andplay.

“We don’t have to wait for someoneto come from out of state to do this.We have many talented people here inSouthwest Louisiana. We can do itourselves,” he said.

A tour of the old bankRichard led The Jambalaya News

on a recent tour of the historicCalcasieu Marine National Bank

pointing out one of its most uniquefeatures.

“This safe is one of only three inthe United States,” he said.

Richard said the vault’s giganticcircular steel door is 21-inches thickand weighs 19 tons. Although itseems incapable of motion, he easilyswings it open.

“The building was probablybuilt around the vault,” he said.

During Imperial CalcasieuMuseum’s 2009 fundraisingevent, Boogaloo, a bar withtables and chairs was setup inside the vault.

During the bank’sconstruction in 1928, noexpense was spared con-structing the vault. Itrivaled, or excelled, thoseof the largest financialinstitutions in the county.Calcasieu Marine NationalBank was an important bank inLouisiana, with eight brancheslocated at Sulphur, Oakdale,Jennings, Kinder, DeQuincy, Welsh,Vinton and Lake Arthur.

To pay homage to the bank’s histo-ry, Richard commissioned mural artistGary Landry of Orange, Texas, topaint a mural on the wall near thevault. The mural is composed of threescenes; one showing transportation


along the river; the next representingagriculture in the region; and, the lastdepicting urban innovation in LakeCharles – sort of a past, present andfuture representation of the area. Thedog in one of the scenes is Richard’s.

“That’s my golden retriever,Bodda,” he said.

The former lobby of the bank isnow the events center, which is avail-able for rent for large parties or gather-ings. It’s an imposing structure with anunobstructed view of the second andthird floors above. The ceiling is amagnificent work of art.

Richard said the ceiling is original,but he is uncertain about the chande-liers. He said the tiled walls of theevents center are original, made ofxenitherm – a material resemblingpastel coral, buff and grey marble.

He said the original terrazzo floor-ing was replaced during the renova-tion due to damage from heavy furni-ture. The new flooring coordinateswith the colors of the walls.

Richard said the space is ideal forlarge weddings and receptions.

“It has the capacity to seat morethan 500, or 900 standing,” he said.

He added lessees are welcome tobring in their own caterers – anamenity some venues do not offer.

The bank’s former offices, consul-tation rooms, assembly rooms, rest-rooms, reading room, kitchen andlunch room, lounges, smoking rooms,file rooms and print shop complete thefirst floor.

Richard said these spaces can bedeveloped into new retail stores andprofessional offices.

He added there is plenty of spaceon the first floor for an attractiverestaurant featuring both inside diningand dining al fresco. The open-air ter-race is an ideal setting for lunch dur-ing the day, or a romantic dinner atnight with live piano music or a jazzband.

A rising tide lifts all boatsExisting restaurant owners should

not fear competition will cut into theircustomer base, according to Richard.

He cited the old aphorism attrib-uted to John F. Kennedy “a rising tidelifts all boats” – meaning, in this case,more restaurants will solidify down-town as the hot spot for locals andtourists.

Richard said a strong restaurantbase and a strong downtown are criti-cal for the region’s tourism industry.

“We need to make Lake Charles adestination,” he said.

Richard spent millions of dollarsto make that happen.

“I guess you can say I’m puttingmy money where my mouth is,” hejoked.

Richard praised local developerTom Shearman for doing the same,but added more investors and entre-preneurs are needed to transformdowntown Lake Charles into a moredesirable place to play, live and shop.

Even with some state and federalincentives available, it’s not enough tohelp start-up businesses, according toRichard.

“The city needs to develop a newfinancial model,” he said, adding a taxbreak would spur greater economicdevelopment.

Currently, three tenants occupy thesecond floor of the historic CalcasieuMarine National Bank: Sprint, TimeWarner, and B.R.T. Services.

Richard said the second floor orig-inally housed the bank director’s roomand consultation rooms for the bank’spresident and vice presidents, alongwith other offices.

The floor of the director’s room iscellized oak tile in parquetry borderedwith strips of magnolia and holly.

“If you could buy these tiles today,they would cost $50 each,” Richard said.

He said the former owners had thefloor covered with indoor/outdoor

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carpet, which was removed duringrenovation.

Richard had the room decoratedwith a long conference table sur-rounded by comfortable chairs. Theoriginal French windows look outupon the events center. The high ceil-ing in this room, as in the events cen-ter, is unusually beautiful and artistic.

The third floor of the buildingoriginally had a stationary supplydepartment that attended to the bank’sneeds.

Richard said the third-level isunoccupied.

“We are looking for lessees rightnow,” he said. “It would make a niceloft.”

He called attention to the originalwood flooring made of Louisianalong-leaf pine. Also, there is a kitchenwith marble countertops and a largedining room, originally cafeteria spacefor the bank’s employees.

Farmer’s market Buying locally grown food could

become easier for residents when thenew farmer’s market opens.

Richard is planning to develop theold Cash and Carry Warehouse into afarmer’s market like those in Lafayetteand New Orleans. He met with offi-cials in New Orleans to gather infor-mation.

“Why can’t we do it here?” heasked.

Richard said the property as afarmer’s market is in the perfect loca-tion to attract tourists – at the north

entrance to Lake Charles, nearInterstate-10 and Highway-14 traffic.

“When I was a child growing upin the ’60s and ’70s, the area was veryvibrant – everything was a buzz, withnew businesses,” he said. “The Cashand Carry was an anchor downtownwith a hubbub of people.”

Richard said the Cash and CarryWarehouse was much like Sam’s Clubis today, selling wholesale items toretail businesses for reselling.

“It was abandoned in the early’90s,” he said. “In 2006, I bought it.”

When Richard bought it, the roofwas heavily damaged from wind andtermites. He replaced the roof, andoriginal clear story; he won a designaward in the process. He explainedthe “clear story” is a section of theroof, which provides natural light tothe dark warehouse during the day,which saves on the cost of electricity.

Renovations to the old Cash andCarry Warehouse are nearing com-pletion, according to Richard.

“Right now we are working on thekitchen and bathroom,” he said.

Richard suggested several possibil-ities for use of the kitchen, includingthe following:

• a food preparation area for arestaurant, where new chefs learn toprepare food using local ingredients;

• a rental for caterers;• a classroom for teaching culi-

nary classes to SOWELA students; or,• a culinary institute.He said the farmer’s market will

give downtown Lake Charles another

Director’s room on second floor.


TJN

venue for entertainment and area festivals– perhaps adding a bluegrass or zydeco fes-tival.

“We just had the chili cook-off there,”he said.

He had another idea for the venue - anartist market like the one in New Orleans.

Richard read a recent article in the NewYork Times on organic farming with agraphic, which shows how many of theseare in each state. He said only a few were inLouisiana.

He said while living in New Jersey andNorthern Virginia, he knew of communityfarmers contracting with chefs, restaurantsand groups of individuals to grow organicproduce. Richard said the same can bedone in Southwest Louisiana.

“If there’s a demand in SouthwestLouisiana, local farmers will grow organicfruits and vegetables,” he said.

He added local ranchers can raise grass-fed beef, which is healthier to eat and bet-ter for the local economy.

Richard’s idea is to create the farmer’smarket, in a highly-visible location, fortruck farmers and organic food growers tosell their products quickly and easily.

He said the market could start outopening two days a week, eventually open-ing seven days a week. He added thesefoods can be canned or frozen locally andsold commercially as a product ofSouthwest Louisiana. This would create an

industry that provides more jobs and helpssupport local farmers.

He said buying locally grown food con-tributes to a sustainable local economy andallows us to back away from unstable oil.

For example, local foods and productsdon’t have to travel far to get to the enduser. An estimated 90 percent of fossil fuelenergy, used in producing the world’s foodsupply, goes toward packaging, transporta-tion and marketing. Only 10 percent goesinto the producing the food.

Insurmountable opportunitiesThese are just a few of the ideas

Richard has for transforming SouthwestLouisiana into a round-the-clock destina-tion with downtown Lake Charles as thecenterpiece.

Richard said, “You have to have theability to visualize.”

Richard quoted from Walt Kelly, in hiscomic strip Pogo, saying “We are confront-ed with insurmountable opportunities.”

It sounds like an oxymoron - opportu-nities are quite the opposite of obstacles -usually described as insurmountable.

Richard explained the quote like this: Entrepreneurs banking on Downtown

Lake Charles are fortunate to be able tochoose from more opportunities than theycan take advantage of. These choices -rather than the opportunities themselves -are the real obstacles.

View of Events Center


FF LYNBU AO A

Barbecue

Baseball

Beach

Bicycle

Camp

Carnival

Fishing

Fun

Lemonade

Picnic

Pool

Sleepovers

Summer

Sunburn

Vacation

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SCHOOL’S OUT! WORD SEARCHA E C R U L M E E S U M M E R

N P L A U N P B I O Y L B L S

S R L B R I U A E R L L E C P

E R U R U N B N E O O M A Y C

U U E B A F I B G C O M A C V

C U N V N N B V B N P R N I L

L O A R O U A E A B I U D B C

C I N C I P S D C L U H V C A

P A E A T U E E F R I B S L B

I M O B A R B E C U E B E I H

C S A U C E A U L E N B S N F

A V I M A C L H M S L N I O M

N B U C V I L U D O F E C E A

A E H A C S U H R O E E H T E

O C I U V N N U U N E L E H A


Killin’ Time Crossword


www.swlakids.org • 327 Broad St., Lake Charles

The Children’s Museum continues to feel the love from the Lake Charlescommunity and wants to thank the following for their generosity by providing food for the hard working volunteers who donated much

time and effort toward the restoration of the museum:

Seafood PalaceWendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers

Pronia’s DeliDomino’s PizzaSylvia’s BistroDairy Barn

During World War II, the presi-dent of the United States signed anexecutive order to create the WarRelocation Authority and designatedthe entire West Coast as a militaryarea. All persons of Japanese descentwithin that area were ordered to packup only what they could carry andwere then transported to internmentor “relocation” camps. Several recentbooks discuss these events, and theyare all informative, moving, andevocative of the hardships and para-noia of the war years.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter andSweet is a debut novel by Jamie Ford.The story is set in two time periods— 1942 and 1986 — in Seattle, wherethe Panama Hotel stands on the bor-der of Chinatown and Japantown. Wesee the events in the neighborhoodthrough the eyes of Henry Lee, who is12 in 1942.

As a Chinese-American boy dur-ing the war, Henry is constantly beingbeaten by bullies because he looksJapanese. To help stop the attacks,Henry’s father gives him a pin to wear

By Mary Louise Ruehr

Recent Books on Japanese-American Internment Camps EvokeHardships, Paranoia of War Years

that reads, “I am Chinese.” Henry andhis best friend, a Japanese girl namedKeiko, are the only non-Caucasianstudents in their school, where theywork in the kitchen to pay theirtuition.

To those around them, they arenot Chinese enough, not Americanenough, not Japanese enough; thewhite kids call Henry “yellow” andthe Chinese kids call him “whitedevil” for going to the white school.

When the order to relocate isissued, “People had to leave every-thing behind; they could take onlytwo suitcases each … so they storedtheir valuable belongings in placeslike (the) hotel, the basements ofchurches, or with friends.” Many ofthese personal possessions are discov-ered in 1986 in the basement of thehotel, which brings back memoriesfor Henry, who recounts being sepa-rated from Keiko when her family issent to a prison camp in Minidoka,Idaho, with about 10,000 other peo-ple.

I loved this excellent book and itsmemorable characters. And suchheartbreak — I cried when the twochildren were separated. “Sometimesin life, there are no second chances.You look at what you have, not whatyou miss, and you move forward,”says the adult Henry. “Some thingsjust can’t be fixed.”

Although I loved the ending, Ididn’t want the book to end; I wantedto follow Henry into the future. Thebook brings up conflicting feelingsabout what it means to be anAmerican. I think it would be goodfor book clubs because of its timelessthemes of family, love, loyalty andprejudice.

For a true account of some ofthese same events, Mary Woodwardgives us a tribute to her parents in thebiographical In Defense of OurNeighbors: The Walt and MillyWoodward Story. She discusses the

1942 evacuation of residents ofBainbridge Island in Puget Sound,Washington.

The Woodwards owned and pub-lished a weekly newspaper, TheBainbridge Review, from 1941 to1963. “During World War II, theyused the paper to speak out againstthe exclusion of their JapaneseAmerican friends and neighbors,”writes the author. “After Pearl Harbor,many Bainbridge Nikkei (persons ofJapanese descent) assumed the Issei(immigrants from Japan) would faceinternment. … But no one expectedthe Issei’s children would be impris-oned, since they were American citi-zens.”

She says The Review stood “virtu-ally alone among newspapers in itsopposition to the exclusion and incar-ceration of Japanese Americans.”When the notice to evacuate came,“All across the Island, hurriedarrangements were … made betweenthe Nikkei and their Caucasian neigh-bors.” One provided legal advice,another agreed to look after a familyfarm, others offered to store personalbelongings.

Walt and Milly hired one of theNikkei teenagers as their “camp cor-respondent” at Manzanar WarRelocation Center in the California

MAY 21, 2009 PAGE 35

LAKE CHARLES LOCATION:

3522 Ryan St.337-474-6625

A seven week summer free concert series to include local and regional acts -

every Tuesday starting June 30th.

Bring your blanketsand lawn chairs and enjoy

the music and beautiful lake view!

Lake Placid, NYCall (337) 436-7800 Ext. 110

desert, saying that “Itwas important that‘births, deaths, who gotmarried, who is playingfirst base on the base-ball team … the usualnews of a small com-munity’ be in TheReview from campevery week, so otherIslanders could keep upon the news of theirneighbors.” The “week-ly news report remind-ed Islanders back homethat they had somethree hundred neigh-bors ‘living elsewherejust now.’” The bookhas many wonderfulphotographs and side-bars with informationon related topics.

Kiyo Sato offers a first-personaccount in her memoir, Kiyo’s Story:A Japanese-American Family’s Questfor the American Dream (originallypublished as Dandelion Through theCrack). Kiyo is the oldest daughter ina Nikkei family of farmers inSacramento, Calif. Her whole familyworks hard to level the land, createirrigation channels, build a barn andhouse, then plant, nurture and har-vest the crops — and we get to spendidyllic evenings with them as the chil-dren listen to their gentle, lovingfather tell stories.

When Pearl Harbor is attacked,rumors fly about the dangerous “Japs”living in the U.S., preparing “to attackat any moment from the Japanesefarms.” She is understandablyappalled: “We are spies, saboteurs,Japs, enemy aliens with buckteeth andslant eyes. It’s the thing to do, to hatethe Japs.”

A curfew is imposed; some of theolder men are taken away; youngmen join the Army. “I wish we could

move away, too, from this hate-filledworld,” she says, but “There is noplace to go for help. No one cares, noteven the churches, which professChristian love.”

She is 19 when they arrive at theinternment camp: “The only privacy Ihave is inside my small suitcase,under my cot. Here, I shower withhalf a dozen people, eat with 250 peo-ple, and sit in the community latrinewith people I don’t even know.” Shewrites, “Here’s the truth: I am nowcalled a non-alien, stripped of myconstitutional rights. I am a prisonerin a concentration camp in my owncountry.”

Eventually, the Japanese-Americans have gardens, school,sports and church services in thecamp. They find ways to expressthemselves artistically. Kiyo isreleased to go to college, where sheencounters a mixture of generosityand ignorance, and her family isreleased to work on a sugar beet farm.But she remains bitter, and when shedescribes going “home” to Californiaafter almost four years, what she findsis heartbreaking.

Contact [email protected] (c) 2009 Mary Louise Ruehr.

Mary Louise Ruehr is the BooksEditor for the Record-Courier inRavenna, Ohio. She has a Bachelor ofArts in English from Kent StateUniversity. Mary Louise is interested inall subjects and has many favoriteauthors, including Pearl S. Buck, JamesMichener, and P.G. Wodehouse, as wellas mystery writers Sue Grafton andJanet Evanovich. She blogs athttp://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/and you can write to her [email protected]. TJN

Volume 1 • Issue 4


As we enter Hurricane Season, we are dedicated to informing you of any weather threatening Southwest Louisiana. Part of our dedication

to keeping you informed and up to date is our KYKZ 96 Hurricane Tracking Chart sponsored by Cameron State Bank and Aggreko.The KYKZ 96 Hurricane Tracking Chart will be available June 1

at our sponsor locations or at the KYKZ 96 station. More information at www.kykz.com

Paul Blart: Mall Cop(2009 DVD)

Kevin James is Paul Blart. He’soverweight, shy, awkward, and seri-ous about his security job at the mall.

Especially since hefailed State Trooper Training

School for the eighth time. At leastthings are going fairly well at hiswork. He has a new mall cop trainee.He meets a cute girl working at thehairpiece kiosk. He can’t get anymatches on PerfectMatch.com, butbasically he’s stumbling through lifejust like the rest of us.

Then, on Black Friday, the mall istaken over by a band of hi-techthieves, leaving only one person atlarge: Blart. The police outside the

By Dan Ellender

Director of the Children's Museum

mall are helpless. They’ve takenhostages. Only Blart can save them.Or can he? (Blart: Sir, I took asworn oath to protect this mall andthe people inside it. Sarge: Whatoath? We don’t have an oath. Blart: Isort of made up my own. It’s on aplaque in my room.)

In a scenario that is entertainingfor parents and their older children(fourth grade and up.) Blart takeson the bad guys in the clothingstore, the ball pit, and the RainforestCafé. Along the way, he also battleswith a glass door, a minivan, hypo-glycemia, and people who make funof him - because he’s overweight,shy, and awkward.

Kevin James is one of the funni-est physical actors I’ve seen in along time. There is enough action inMall Cop to provide ample materialfor James to do his thing, falling onthe floor, falling through the roof,falling on people. Gravity does notlike this guy. Like many of the greatcomic actors, he plays such a sappycharacter that we feel sorry for him.We want him to come out on top,but he just can’t cut it. Or can he?

Many of the high dollar review-ers didn’t like this movie, perhapsbecause Paul Blart doesn’t quite fol-low the in-your-face formula socommon to comedies these days. Infact, this movie (from AdamSandler’s Happy Madison pictures,no less) is about the cleanest thingI’ve seen for older kids in a longtime. It probably won’t make par-ents sick or grossed out to watch itwith their kids. I didn’t hear anyfour-letter words, and any vulgarreferences are so oblique that I did-

n’t notice them the first timearound.

It’s not fall-on-the floor, laugh-out-loud funny, but parts of it arejust choice. (Amy: Are you the guythat crashed into the minivan?Blart: I don’t think so, which one?Oh, that one? Yeah, I guess that wasme.) We all know what a mall is,and it’s a treat to see James playingsecret agent against a team of prettyscary crooks (they have codenames: Santa’s Reindeer). At onepoint, Blart finds himself up in theair-conditioning duct. What aMission Impossible opportunity. Ifonly his stomach would quit growl-ing!

The most endearing thing aboutthis movie is also its weak point:Paul Blart is one sappy guy. Timeand time again I wanted him toreally “take off.” That never quitehappens. Blart is a sap, all the waythrough. In the end, what saves himis that the rest of us are saps, too.And we’re on his side.

Miscellaneous Notes:Blart’s chief competition for

Amy, the girl at the hairpiece kiosk(Unbeweavable) is the pen sales-man. As in ballpoint pen salesman.Yep, there are a lot of losers in thismovie.

What do mall workers do after ahard day pushing pretzels? Do theyreally hang out together at the mallpub?

Nobody wins in a head butt.TJN


Jessie Kelly, Adrianne Hunt and Patty Grandy.

Art Associates Membership DinnerPresident Charlie Snead, welcomedguests to the Art Associates of LakeCharles Annual Membership Dinner

and thanked the board and membersfor their hard work during the year.

Charlie also commented on the loss ofartistic creativity and the need to sup-

port organizations such as ArtAssociates to stem that loss. Charlie

introduced Ken Baskin, ceramic artistand alluded to Ken’s leadership in

artistic creativity.

America Listen! Sing! Dance! Louisiana Choral FoundationAmerica Listen! Sing! Dance! is the title of the Louisiana ChoralFoundation’s 2008-2009 season. The first of three spring con-certs was held on Sunday afternoon at Lake Charles Boston

Academy of Learning. Les Petites Voix Youth Concert, a free con-cert, included performances by the Les Petites Voix Concert andPreparatory Choirs and solo performances by Dallas Lauderdale,bassoon, Lexi Larsen, piano, Julia Falgoust, piano, Sarah Sober,

flute and Hannah Sober and Tiana Lazard, soloists.

Analynn, Michael and Lisa Sober.

Joan Johnson, Jo Ann and Don Fish, and Daphne Danahay.

Hannah Sober, Victoria Otte and Ryan Baxter. Ben Stevens, Pam and Mallory Nicholson.

Natalie and Brodie Maggio. Joanna, Alex and Mark Castille. Evan and Alandra Potts, Nicholas Racca and Erica Collette.

Charles Vanchiere, Gus Baggett and Andrew Vanchiere.


Suborrah Anderson and Josie Scott. Amahl AbdulpKhaliq.

Charlie Snead, Art Associates president, Betty Swift; Member Emeritus; and, Ken Baskins, artist and guest speaker.

Cindy Snead, Ann Warshaw and Jan Thielen. Donald and LaDonna McKnight, and Stacy Shearman.

Cliff Seiber and Anne Dentler. Carrie Chrisco. Linda Brannon and Marilyn Cox.

Shannon Ryan and Karen Hartfield. Stella Miller and Bryan Beverly. Stacie Jean; Aliesha Lawrence, Miss Black Heritage; Trenesia Guillory, Jr. Miss Black Heritage; and, Alex Garcia, Youth Ambassador.

Black Heritage FestivalArt Associates Gallery

The Art Associates Gallery opening receptionfor “Faces and Places of India” coincided withthe opening reception of the Black HeritageFestival Gallery’s “Somewhere in Time” show-casing the photography of Carrie Chrisco and

various genres of art by Louisiana artistsRandell Henry, Verretta Garrison-Moller,

Malaika Favorite, Joseph Pearson, DarleneMoore, Martin Payton, Morris Tatt Thomas and

Salongo Lee. Each exhibit offers the viewerexciting and beautiful visuals. A must see!


SULPHUR LOCATION:

1811 S. Ruth St.337-527-0318

Residential • CommercialIndustrial • MarineAir Duct Cleaning • Sheet Metal

1212 Whitaker Street, Sulphur527-8683 • www.trouthairconditioning.com

Financing Available • Service & Sales of Most BrandsFast Response in Emergencies • Available Nights, Weekends & Holidays

Vision and VerseThe Imperial Calcasieu Museum's

Gallery Annex was the stage for 10artists who created artwork from

poems submitted by 10 poets. Thepoets then selected artwork from theartists and wrote new poems basedon the art. And thus, “Vision/Verse”was born, allowing us to see how

poetry can influence art and how artcan inspire poetry. These regionalartists and poets created a unique

experience intermingling visual imageand the written word.

Christina Carter and Daniel Choates. Emily Shewmaker and Neil Connelly. Erica McCreedy and Jay Fuller.

Shane LeBlanc, Christina Cormier and Whitney Smith. Angelina Oberdan, Michael Shewmaker and Steven Brown.


White Lights Night Spring FlingWhite lights were brightly shining aslate-night shoppers made the roundsof the many shops in mid-town Lake

Charles for the White Lights NightSpring Fling. Shoppers were treatedto special discounts and to sweetsand treats including drinks from a

champagne fountain, punch, wine,various chips and dips and a variety ofsweets to please any palate. A sparkly,fun and exciting night; a definite har-

binger of spring.

Belinda Chadd and Rebecca Baker at Focal Point. Valerie and Gary Dimas at Jon Margeaux. Sabrina Duhon and Kim Dummehoo at Jon Margeaux.

Heather Haberman, Amanda Unkel and Allison Brown at Accessory Zone. Lisa Terrell and Staci Bellon at Once in a Blue Moon.

TJN


Legends in Concert at CoushattaMay 6-June 14

Coushatta Casino Resort is proud to presentLegends in Concert, the original and largest livecelebrity tribute spectacular in the world. Legends inConcert will perform two separate shows at Coushatta:May 6-24 will feature tributes to Elton John, Reba McEntire,and Elvis Presley; May 27-June 14 will feature tributes to MichaelJackson, Madonna, and Elvis Presley. Performances will take place in the Mikkoshowroom (inside the casino) Wed. through Sun. at 7 p.m., with matinées Sat. andSun. at 5 p.m. Coushatta Box Office offers a Club rate for Coushatta Advantage Clubmembers: they may purchase tickets for $20 each at the Coushatta Box Officewhen they present their free Club card at time of purchase. Non-Club membersmay purchase tickets at the Box Office for $25 per person, and also fromTicketmaster.com. Casino specials for overnight dinner and show packages start at$109. Coushatta Casino Resort is located in Kinder on Highway 165 (I-10 exit 44),featuring over 2,800 slots and more than 70 table games. Phone (800) 584-7263 formore information, or visit the Web site at coushattacasinoresort.com.

Isle of Capri May EntertainmentGet your groove on at the Caribbean Cove Lounge! Thurs., May 21:

Twangsters Union; May 28: Kip Sonnier. (8 p.m.- midnight). Fri., May 22: LAExpress; May 29: Laurel and The Edge. (9 p.m.- 1 a.m.). Sat., May 23: LAExpress; May 30: JAG. (9 p.m.- 1 a.m.)

Soul Vacation at Downtown at Sundown May 22Downtown at Sundown will feature Soul Vacation on Fri., May 22, at 6

p.m. on the corner of Ryan and Broad in Downtown Lake Charles. SoulVacation began in Nov. 2003 when bassist Jay Ecker invited co-memberand guitarist of the band “City Heat,” Mike Dolan, to put together a new kindof party band, playing a mixture of today’smost popular hits with a dash of that undeni-able classic rock flavor. He then quickly recruit-

ed Jessica Minton of Lake Charles to add a unique female voice tothe equation. With the addition of former student David Pellerin

(keyboards/vocals) and Ron Muniz (percussion), the group was com-plete. The band performs at venues across Southwest Louisiana and

East Texas. Playing songs from a wide array of artists, Soul Vacation isone of the most musically versatile live bands in Lake Charles.

Sulphur Heritage Days Festival May 22-23The Heritage Days Festival is all set for another successful year with pop music

legends Little River Band, headlining the event. The festival will take place Friday,May 22 and Sat., May 23 at Heritage Square in Sulphur. Admission is free. Stillknown to this day as the only group to have a top 10 single for six consecutiveyears, Little River Band has an extensive list of familiar songs. They take the stage atHeritage Fest, Sat., May 23, at 7 p.m. Cajun Hall of Fame members Ivy Dugas and

Jackie Caillier will be the headline act for Friday night, performing with theCajun Cousins band. On Sat., the Louisiana Scramble Band, LA Dust, and

Soul Vacation will perform. The Heritage Days Festival is jam-packed funfor the entire family. Carnival rides and food and craftbooths will be on-site for children and adults alike. TheHeritage Days Festival is a perfect way to open thesummer season! For more information, call Sulphur

City Hall at 527-4500.

National Maritime Day Blessing of Boats at Civic Center May 24In honor on National Maritime Day, the Propeller Club Ports of SWLA is spon-

soring their 5th annual Blessing of Boats, at the Civic Center Seawall on Sun., May24, at 3 p.m. All commercial and pleasure vessels are invited to participate in thisevent. A short ceremony with local dignitaries will take place at the Seawall, fol-

lowed by a laying of the wreath into Lake Charles. The boat blessing proces-sion will begin by 3:30 p.m. and boats are dismissed after passing the seawalland receiving their blessing. For more information, contact Ship to Shore at474-0730, or Seafarers Center at 436-1315. The Propeller Club Ports of SWLArepresents the maritime industry in SWLA and meets every second Tuesday ofthe month for the sharing of timely maritime matters affecting the commer-cial mariner.

MJA

Soul Vacation

Little River Band


Animal Angels and our

furry friends wish to thank

Downtown Animal Hospital

and Southwest Louisiana

Vet Clinic for their

unending support in our

neuter/spay efforts!

Cafe Connection1004 Broad St.

Lake Charles, LA433-8139

Donuts • KolachesCroissants • And Much More!

Now ServingPlate Lunches

Mon., Wed., Fri.,

Family Ownedand Operated

Local Artist Kevin Leveque Featured In Charleston Gallery Exhibit through MayMore than 60 paintings depicting moody Louisiana weather, pastures that

seem so hot you want to move into the shade of the lone oak, and of good peo-ple working the land they love are displayed at Charleston Gallery and Antiquesthrough May 2009. Leveque was born and raised in southern Louisiana and is amember of the prestigious Oil Painters of America Guild. He is currently showingin art galleries across the country and is presently showing the largest collectionof paintings in the Charleston Gallery in the historic Charleston Hotel. CharlestonGallery and Antiques features 4,000 square feet of fine art, antiques, collectibles,jewelry, gifts, high-end consignment pieces, and some unique surprises. Galleryand shop hours are Mon. through Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact (337) 421-1700,or charlestongallery@ att.net for more info.

All Over But To Cry May 30Free tickets for the Hurricane Audrey documentary, All Over But to Cry are now

available for pick up. The film’s premiere showing will take place in historic F.G.Bulber Auditorium on the McNeese State University campus at 7 p.m. Sat., May 30.Tickets for the premiere of the Hurricane Audrey documentary are stationed atthe Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1205 N.Lakeshore Dr., McNeese Connection, 4314 Ryan St. and the Henning CulturalCenter in Sulphur, 923 Ruth St. The documentary brings to life true stories of sev-eral survivors of the night Hurricane Audrey rushed ashore in 1957, tremendouslyimpacting families and friends with the tragic loss of life in Cameron Parish. Thepremiere will be presented by the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention& Visitors Bureau and the McNeese Banners Cultural Series. For more information,contact Katie Harrington, public relations manager at the bureau, by calling (337)436-9588, or log onto www.visitlakecharles.org.

Louisiana Crossroads adds Zachary Richard for Season Finale June 3Zachary Richard, David Torkanowsky and Shane Theriot will take the stage at 7

p.m. Wed., June 3 at Central School Theatre. The trio will gather in celebration of“Last Kiss,” Zachary’s first release in English in 17 years. Louisiana Crossroads is anintimate music performance series that debuts each month with a live radio andInternet broadcast. The shows bring a wide range of artists together for conversa-tion with audience members and an interview with the series host. Lake Charles isone of four cities to host the series along with Baton Rouge, New Iberia, andLafayette. Tickets for the concert are on sale until 4 p.m. the day of the concertonline at www.LouisianaCrossroads.org, or at the Arts and Humanities Council onthe second floor of Central School, at 809 Kirby Street. Advance tickets are $15,and will be $17 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7p.m. For more information, call (337) 491-9147.

Free Sailing Lessons June 8-12Lake Charles Yacht Club will be offering FREE sailing lessons June 8-12, from

5:30 to 7:30 p.m., for ages 13 and up. These lessons are completely free; however,you must bring a lifejacket that fits, a towel and wear clothing and shoes that canget wet. Preregistration is required by calling Ship to Shore 474-0730, or e-mail: [email protected]. TJN

Mulberry Time-Kevin Leveque

Zachary Richard


Local photographer Blaine Bourgeoisattended the 2009 New Orleans Jazz andHeritage Festival and snapped some col-orful shots of the event. The festival cele-brates the indigenous music and cultureof New Orleans and all of Louisiana. Themusic encompasses every style associat-ed with the city and the state: blues, R&B,gospel, Cajun, zydeco, Afro-Caribbean,folk, Latin, rock, rap, country, bluegrassand everything in between. This year,attendance surpassed 400,000, as musiclovers from all over the world gathered tohear their favorite performers jam on thevarious stages set up on the festivalgrounds.

Jazz Fest2009

Neil Young performedold favorites for

the crowd.

Buddy Guy was a colorfulon-stage presence.

The Neville Brothers light up thefestival on the Jumbo Trons.

TJN


as a child,who brought alittle magicinto your life?

4135 Common St. Lake Charles LA 70607

337-478-KIDSwww.bbbs-swla.net

Little Moments.Big Magic.

Phil and Lauren, you have given me the perfect tool for relocation.I have wished for a way to express the personality of SouthwestLouisiana for years. The warmth, charm, and caring of our peoplefor one another is not easily conveyed in a few words. The beauty ofour area, the cultural richness and the zest of our food and humorabound in the pages of your magazine. The Jambalaya News cap-tures all of these features within its covers and serves it up as spicyas the dish for which it takes its name. Congratulations on a jobsuperbly done. This will be an integral part of my relocation kitsfrom now on.

— Derenda Grubb - CENTURY 21 Bessette Realty, Inc.(337) 842-2696 • www.derenda.com

Bessette Realty, Inc.

Kerry A. Onxley, artistic director ofthe Children’s Theater Company, isproud to present the annual SUMMERSTARZ SERIES. These summer theatreworkshops are designed to introducenewcomers to the world of theatre andchallenge young veterans to perfectadvanced theatrical concepts and pro-duction techniques. All workshops cul-minate in performance demonstra-tions. The workshop sessions offeredthis season are as follows:

WILD THINGS! July 8-10 5-8 Years, 10-11:15 a.m.$65 (Includes T-shirt)

This workshop introduces childrento theatre through the use of creativedrama, theatre games, creative move-ment, stage makeup and musical the-atre. A demonstration follows the lastday of the workshop. A wonderfulintroduction to theatre!

ACTING FOR THE CAMERA! July 8-108-18 Years, 12 p.m. -1:30 p.m.$65 (Includes T-shirt)

This workshop covers auditioningfor commercials, reading commercialscripts, exploring different commercialtechniques, and beginning improvisa-tional skills. Information and samplesare shared on doing résumés, head-shots and finding the best agent ormanager. Students participate withhands-on camera experience!

MIDSUMMER FUN! July 20-24 5-18 Years $85 (Includes T-shirt)5-8 Years, 10 a.m-11: 15 a.m.

9-18 Years, 10 a.m. -NoonLearn the language, ideas and

adventures of Shakespeare. Studentsperform excerpts from some ofWilliam Shakespeare’s most popularplays while experiencing the technicalaspects of lighting, set designs and cre-ating costumes. The workshop con-cludes with a free public performancestarring all of the students.

KIDZ IN SHOWBIZ! August 3-7 5-18 Years $85 (Includes T-shirt)5-8 Years, 10 a.m.-11:15 a.m.9-18 Years, 10 a.m.-Noon

Students will learn musical theatretechniques by acting, singing anddancing to songs from Broadwayshows. The final class features the stu-dents in a performance demonstrationhighlighting musical theatre skillslearned.

BACKSTAGE MAGIC! August 3 7 $85 (Includes T-shirt)12-20 Years, 11 a.m.-Noon

Discover the art created behind-the-scenes. An intriguing backstagetour is combined with hands-on expe-riences in lights, sets, costumes andmore!

No experience is needed for theworkshops. All workshops have limitedenrollment and are held at CentralSchool of the Arts & HumanitiesCenter (809 Kirby Street).

For registration information, contactthe theatre at (337) 433-7323 or visit theWeb site at www.childrenstheatre.cc.

The Children’s Theatre CompanyAnnounces

2009 Summer Starz Series

TJN

Taylor Simon, Kathyrn Matte and David Sonnier have been pastworkshop favorites at CTC’s Summer Starz Series!


I was in Brooklyn, New York a couple of weeksago, waiting for a concert to begin and wonderinghow we decide which music is appropriate for funer-als and memorials, thinking back over services I’veattended over the years. I’d just been to a funeral inLake Charles, where we heard recordings of FrankSinatra and an instrumental version of “Let There BePeace On Earth And Let It Begin With Me,” whichfelt wrong, and was a total bummer.

Right after that funeral, I left for New Orleans,and in both the New Orleans Jazz and HeritageFestival’s Gospel tent, where everything sung bySherman Washington and the Zion Harmonizerswas uplifting (yet made me weep spontaneously)and in the Economy Hall tent, where Dr. MichaelWhite et al held forth in memoriam for jazz sopranosaxophonist and clarinetist Sidney Bechet, whichpulled a tentful of second liners to their feet to joy-fully bob and weave their umbrellas indoors while athunderstorm raged outside, I’d felt what I wouldhope to feel when celebrating the life of a late lovedone.

Back in Brooklyn, I was sitting on a folding chairin a tiny theater (legal occupancy 74 souls) to hearmembers of the Wretched Refuse String Band sendthe departed soul of their bandleader, fiddler, singer,and raconteur Richie “Citizen Kafka” Shulbergonward on the wheel of karma.

When he died back in March, Shulberg leftbehind an already-booked Wretched gig at theJalopy, so the band, along with family and friends,decided to use the date to celebrate the musical lifeof the wonderfully crazy man who’d brought themtogether nearly 30 raucous years ago. As I sat in theJalopy, amid friends and acquaintances and otherWretched and Citizen fans, it turned out that theright music for this memorial were the songs thatconjured up warm, clear memories of the departed.

When I thought about traveling to Brooklyn forthe Jalopy date, I had not only wanted to wakeRichie Shulberg, whose lust for life had been enor-mous, and whose radio shows and concerts andtapes had always given me great pleasure, butbecause I had strong feelings that needed some kindof release.

The music promised to be both cathartic andzany – a set made up of familiar old-timey and blue-grass tunes and novelty numbers, deliveredslightly off-kilter by extraordinarily talentedmusicians, as extruded through the ringer ofWretched comedic excess. After all, the alum-ni Wretcheds are among the most accom-plished working sidemen, session players,Broadway pit orchestra members and conser-vatory faculty members playing string bandmusic, whose work has literally covered themusical waterfront.

Following Shulberg’s funeral, I’d missedseveral tributes on New York area alternativeand public radio stations, where Shulberg wasalso remembered for decades of producingmusical and comedy mayhem. The WFMU-FM show, hosted by Irene Trudel, reminiscedabout the sketch comedy and musical adven-turing that had been the monthly CitizenKafka Show on WBAI (engineered and recorded byEdward Haber) from the late 1970s through the1990s, and included excerpts from those shows andlive commentary.

The Citizen Kafka performances featured theCitizen as DJ and fool, and brought together fiddlerKenny Kosek and actor John Goodman to form anunholy aural alliance. By all accounts, the Trudel-Kosek-Goodman-Haber show had been priceless, aswere other programs rebroadcasting vintage CitizenKafka shows.

Hearing about those recaps, I was sentright back to the early years of the Citizen andWretched shows, where I could see not onlythe younger versions of the musicians I’dloved, but also the younger version of myself Iwanted to remember. So I reserved seats forboth sets at the Jalopy memorial, and it was agood thing I did. The house was mostlyturned over between shows; but more than 60people calling to buy tickets in advance,including many close and long-time friends ofShulberg and his family, had to be turnedaway.

The gigs-cum-memorial opened with anincredibly well made slide/video clip retro-spective of the Citizen’s life and career. Duringboth showings, family, friends and fans shout-ed out memories and guffaws as costumes,locations, and energetic performances wereremembered and rediscovered.

After the cascade of images, and reminiscentlaughter, the screen was rolled away, revealing themusicians behind the curtain, who launched intosurprisingly organized chaos, pacing through theWretched songbook with nods to gospel in a cappel-la harmony and loving performances of trad tunes aswell as “Thumbelina,” the “Wretched Refuse ThemeSong,” and “Wheels of Karma,” with ample soloingon all instruments throughout.

Throughout Shulberg’s lifetime, whatever otherinfluences the members brought to bear on thematerials, the Wretcheds were an old-timey/blue-grass string band, with a repertoire leaning heavilytoward the novelty song end of the spectrum, guid-ed, in part, by Shulberg’s extraordinarily broad musi-cal archeology. [Viz, his work with Pat Conte onThe Secret Museum of the Air, in which the resultsof his digging were aired on WBAI-FM and later onWFMU-FM.]

But they were also the incubator for some enor-mously talented musicians, comedians, and enter-tainers, fusing southern string band music withnorthern post-industrial, scatological, and goofballethnic humor. If the band was Shulberg’s brainchild,it was nevertheless an egalitarian aggregation, andShulberg, in his various guises, was its muse.Thankfully, a few of Richie Shulberg’s performancesare available on YouTube, while old Citizen Kafkashows are on MySpace, and there are Secret Museumarchives on WFMU’s Web site. “Wheels of Karma.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1_pYskx7Rg Tribute to Richie Shulberg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFkqwYc67nEThe Citizen Kafka Show featuring John Goodman, Kenny Kosek, and Richie Shulberg on WBAI-FM. http://www.myspace.com/thecitizenkafkashowThe Secret Museum archives. http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/SM

Wretched Refuse String Band and Friends By Leslie Berman, Photos by Donald McKnight

TJN

Some members of Wretched Refuse.


The Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) recog-nizes outstanding accomplishments of its actors byhosting the annual Your Choice Awards. This year’sevent was held on Friday, May15, at Pujo Street Café.The Your Choice Awards are selected by audiencepatrons through ballots, as well as the staff of CTC.

Receiving the 2009 CTC Hall of Fame award wasPam Breaux, Secretary for the State of Louisiana/Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.This award is given to an individual for their relentlesssupport of educational programs at CTC. Breaux iswidely respected in the state and region for her pro-fessional work with all art disciplines and is recog-nized throughout the nation as an effective leaderwith arts advocacy.

As past executive director of the Arts &Humanities Council (AHC) of Southwest Louisiana,she managed Southwest Louisiana’s DecentralizedArts Funding Program from its inception through itsseventh year. During her tenure at AHC, she workedto create and develop the Central School Arts &Humanities Center, as well as the Southwest LouisianaCultural Tourism Coalition.

She currently serves as Secretary of the Board forthe National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and as aboard member for the Southern Arts Federation. Shehas served as chairperson of the LouisianaPartnership for the Arts and as board of the director’svice president for the New Orleans Center forCreative Arts.

“Ms. Breaux is widely respected in our state andregion for her professional work with all art disci-plines and is recognized throughout the nation as aneffective leader with arts advocacy,” stated Kerry A.Onxley, Artistic Director of The Children’s TheatreCompany.

Others winners are as follows:In the production of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland:• Best Actor – Samuel Owens as Cheshire Cat;• Best Actress – Maegan McBroom as Alice;• Best Supporting Actor – Alex Landry as White

Rabbit and Kathryn Matte as Door Knob, Dylana Smith as Mad Hatter and Brianne Guidry as Queen of Hearts;

• Best Costume Design – Samuel Owens as Cheshire Cat;

• Best Hair Design – Brianne Guidry as Queen of Hearts;

• Best Makeup Design – Alex Landry as White Rabbit;

• Favorite Part of the Show – Brianne Guidry as “Mean Queen”;

• Outstanding Technical Qualities – Christy Scothorn for Stage Props; and,

• Outstanding Merits of the Show – Samuel Owens for face expressions used as Cheshire Cat.

In the production of The Velveteen Rabbit:• Best Actor – Samuel Owens as Boy;

• Best Actress – Kathryn Matte as Velveteen Rabbit and Brianne Guidry as Narrator;

• Best Supporting Actor – Donovan Primeaux as Toy Boat;

• Best Supporting Actress – Dylana Smith as Nanny and Alex Landry as Tin Soldier;

• Best Costume Design – Kathryn Matte as Velveteen Rabbit and Sarah Bonvillain as Fairy;

• Best Hair Design – Adyn Gaughan as Dunny and Dylana Smith as Nanny;

• Best Makeup Design – Maegan McBroom as Dancer and Alex Landry as Tin Soldier;

• Favorite Part of the Show – Ciarra Woods as Skin Horse;

• Outstanding Technical Qualities - Dennis Craft for his design of the thunderstorm scene; and,

• Outstanding Merits of the Show - Dylana Smith for accent work with Nanny and Ciarra Woods for realism acting.

Special Recognitions:• To Westlake High Theatre for its superior ratings

at the McNeese Play Festival: Samuel Owens, AlexLandry, Kade Holland, Brandi Roessler, RachelHogan, Brittney Cart and William Billings;

• To senior company member Samuel Owens whoreceived a $1,000 theatre scholarship at McNeese StateUniversity; and,

• To Kathyrn Matte for being elected to the 2009Louisiana Thespian Student Board. TJN

Kerry A. Onxley presents Pam Breaux with the 2009 CTC Hall of Fame award.


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