the jambalaya news - vol. 3 no. 14

VOL. 3, NO. 14 / OCTOBER 6, 2011

• Breast CancerSurvivor Making Strides

• PDI of the South: Independence for Your Loves Ones

• Get Ready for Blazin’ Fest!

OCTOBER 6, 2011 Volume 3 • Issue 14

Enjoy an unforgettable and magical evening featuring five community celebrity couples dancing for your entertainment and vying for the “Dancing With The Stars” first place trophy.

Live entertainment by Gervis Guidry and band with vocals by Jacqueline Ellis.

DRAWING FOR DOOR PRIZES AND TWO ROUND TRIP TICKETS TO LAS VEGAS, NEVADA!

Be mesmerized by the “Champion of the Dance” performed by previousDancing with the Stars competitors. Share in all the fun and vote for your favorite

dance couple in the “You be the Judge” contest.

HONOREESEtta PeteExecutive Director, SouthwestLouisiana Sickle Cell Anemia, Inc.

Clarice RaichelExecutive Director, National Alliancefor the Mentally Ill for SWLA Inc.

Proceeds will benefit hospice companion care, diabetes communityeducation, educational assistance, nursing scholarships and othercharitable requests.

Individual Tickets: $100Visit platinumandpearlsgala.comCall (337) 562-1140 for Sponsorship Information.

OCTOBER 6, 2011 PAGE 3Volume 3 • Issue 14

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

PUBLISHERPhil de [email protected]

NEWSEXECUTIVE EDITORLauren de [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSLisa AddisonLeslie BermanGeorge ClineJames DoyleDan EllenderMike McHughMaria Alcantara FaulMary Louise RuehrBrandon ShoumakerKarla Tullos

[email protected]

SALES ASSOCIATESKaty CorbelloFaye DrakeLindy GeorgeKarla Tullos

GRAPHICSART/PRODUCTION DIRECTORDarrell Buck

BUSINESSOFFICE MANAGERKay Andrews

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

The Jambalaya News is solely owned, published by TheJambalaya News, LLC, 715 Kirby 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 2011 The Jambalaya News all rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without priorwritten permission is prohibited.

October 6, 2011 • Volume 3 • Issue 14

COVER STORY25 Healthcare 2000’s Sixth Annual

Platinum and Pearls Gala

REGULARS7 The Boiling Pot10 Adoption Corner12 Tips from Tip13 Doyle’s Place14 The Dang Yankee30 Sports Report

FEATURES5 Blazin’ Fest11 Big Brothers Big Sisters:

Perfect Match18 Bayou Biz: PDI of the South21 Robinson’s Dental:

Willie’s New Smile22 Breast Cancer Survivor

Making Strides

ENTERTAINMENT32 Red Hot Books34 Funbolaya35 Family Night at the Movies37 Society Spice40 Jambalaya Jam44 Local Jam46 Eclectic Company47 Killin’ Time Crossword

contents

We are now accepting credit cards!

On Cover: Brenda Shelton & Patrick Schaad.Photo by www.monsoursphotography.com

21

25

5

22

35

18


There’ll Be a Changein the Weather

After a long, hot Southern sum-mer (which I love but I know mostof you can’t tolerate), autumn is nowhere, bringing with it cooler temper-atures, the annual puzzling footballhysteria that I guess I will never get,and the smell of gumbo wafting onthe fall breezes.

I’ll admit the cool air is refresh-ing, although last night, the temper-ature dropped to 48 degrees, tyingthe record for an all-time low thatwas set in 1984. This does not bodewell for the winter months to come.I’m tired of replacing palm treesevery spring.

But the cooler it gets, the less thechance of a late-season hurricanehitting the Gulf. And we can all bethankful for that.

Still, it doesn’t feel much likeautumn here, at least, not comparedto New England. There, autumn hasan essence all its own, probablybecause it’s the last glorious gasp ofbeauty before the dreaded dark sea-son of winter sets in.

A New England autumn smellslike rich damp earth and apples andthe smoke from bonfires. And I

always associate it with the smell ofnew shoes, because they were one ofthe few apparel items we could pur-chase for going back to school. Asparochial school students, we woreuniforms, so we didn’t have the lux-ury of buying clothes for school,other than shoes and coats. So theywere extra special to us.

In sophomore biology class, oneof our first assignments was to makea leaf scrapbook. We were instructedto find various leaves, press them,place them artfully in a scrapbookand write a detailed description ofeach leaf, including the Latin name,in fountain pen. Not just any foun-tain pen would do; it had to be aspecific pen with specific ink, andnothing else would suffice.

Our biology teacher, Mr.Cucchiara, was eccentric, to say theleast, and everything had to be donein a certain way or it would be theend of the world. He would take offhis glasses, blink very, very slowly ashe stared at you with his large bugeyes, and then, in a voice tremblingwith anger and personal outrage, askwhy you didn’t do what you weresupposed to do. Occasionally, someof the bolder students would deliber-

ately do something to mess him up,just so we could all sit back andwatch him lose it. One time, he burstinto tears when he overheard some-one call him “Cooch,” which was ourname for him behind his back. Ah,school days.

At any rate, this leaf assignmenttook place in the fall, so there wereplenty of leaves lying around, evenin the city. But every October, usual-ly over Columbus Day weekend, myfamily would go up to NewfoundLake, New Hampshire, where mycousins had a delightful lakefrontcottage. My father would helpGeorge prepare the house for thewinter while my mother and Gildamade delicious meals in thatadorable country kitchen paneled inknotty pine, starting with hugebreakfasts.

This particular year, I hikedaround the lake and found all sortsof wonderful leaves that I couldn’tidentify without help from a hand-book. I ended up getting an A formy efforts from the persnicketyCooch, who was duly impressed bymy efforts to actually go out of stateto complete my assignment.

I will never forget those autumn

weekends. My cousin Amy and Iwould sneak through the woods atnight and meet up with the locals forsome country adventures, whichmostly involved beer and cigarettesand other teenage shenanigans. Tothis day, when I think of fall, Iremember the smell of pine trees atnight, the sound of gentle water lap-ping on the shores of a mountainlake, the crunch of leaves underfootand the warm glow of the porchlights from the cottages on the shore.

Happy autumn, dear readers.

A Note From Lauren

TJN– Lauren de Albuquerque

Volume 3 • Issue 14 OCTOBER 6, 2011 PAGE 5

Short on time? We can help! Phone in Your Order for Take Out — CALL 337-474-4700.

Calling all truck buffs, and every-one who just wants to pass a goodtime! BlazinFest3 Truck Show andJambalaya Cook-Off is set to takeplace Sat., Nov. 5 from 2– 5 p.m.Organized by Blazin Truck Parts &Accessories LLC, the event startedoff as a customer appreciation eventof sorts for Blazin Truck.

“We invited friends and vendorsto our grand opening party in 2009,”said Sabrina McCoy, owner of BlazinTruck Parts & Accessories andorganizer of the BlazinFest. “We hadlots of food, music, and fun.” Theevent was so successful that after thegrand opening, customers encour-aged them to do a truck show. In2010, the first BlazinFest Truck Showtook place.

Approximately 30 big rigs andtrucks from throughout the areacame to that year’s event to show offtheir vehicles. “These guys put a lot

of work and money in their trucks,”said McCoy. “The show was the per-fect venue for them to do this. Theevent also gave the truckers a chanceto spend some time and visit withtheir fellow drivers.”

Trucks participating in the showare judged in six different categories.Trophies await the winners for thisyear’s Best Truck & Trailer Combo;Custom Paint & Graphics; Best ofShow 1990 plus; Best of Show Pre1990; and People’s Choice awards.Participating trucks will be movingin Nov. 5, from 8 a.m. to noon.Participants are encouraged to com-ing early so they can get a good spot.Everything will be staged by 1 p.m.and judging starts promptly at 2 p.m.

Winners do not receive any cashprizes, but there are major braggingrights involved.

Aside from the Truck Show, thisyear’s event will feature live music bythe Bernie Allen Band, mouth-water-ing food and activities for children,as well as several trucking industryvendors who will have informationon the latest design trends in truckparts and accessories.

“Spectators can check out the lat-est and greatest in trucking acces-sories,” McCoy said. New this year isthe event’s Jambalaya Cook-Off. “Our

area is known for it great food, andwe wanted this to be a part of the cel-ebration,” she said. Celebrity judgeswill be choosing the first and secondplace winners, and spectators will beselecting the recipient of the People’sChoice award for the cook-off.

The fun-filled event also aims toraise awareness on a very importantissue— Parkinson’s disease.Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, pro-gressive disorder of the central nerv-ous system. It occurs when certainnerve cells (neurons) in a part of thebrain called the substantia nigra dieor become impaired.

Normally, these cells produce avital chemical known as dopamine.

Dopamine allows smooth,coordinated function ofthe body’s muscles andmovement. When approx-imately 80 percent of the

By Maria Alcantara Faul


dopamine-producing cells are dam-aged, the symptoms of Parkinson dis-ease appear. Parkinson affects an esti-mated 1.5 million people in NorthAmerica, affecting both men andwomen in equal numbers.

After Alzheimer’s, Parkinson is themost common neurodegenerative dis-ease. Most common symptomsinclude tremor, slowness of move-ment, rigidity and difficulty with bal-ance. Other symptoms may alsoinclude cramped handwriting; stifffacial expression, shuffling walk, muf-fled speech and depression. It showsno social, ethnic, economic or geo-graphic boundaries. In the UnitedStates, it is estimated that 60,000 newcases are diagnosed each year, joiningthe 1.5 million Americans who cur-rently have Parkinson disease. Whilethe condition usually develops afterthe age of 65, 15 percent of thosediagnosed are under 50.

McCoy’s mother, Danita LeBleu,has been suffering from Parkinson’sdisease for over 10 years. “There isjust not enough awareness aboutParkinson’s in the area,” McCoy said.“We hope to be able to raise the levelof awareness through this event.”

Proceeds from the event will bene-fit the Parkinson Association of theSouth, a 501(c) 3 organization thatseeks to educate and encourage thoseaffected by Parkinson, their care-givers, and the general public. Locatedin downtown Lake Charles, this foun-dation is dedicated to promotingawareness for Parkinson disease andimproving the quality of life of thoseaffected. It aims to aid in the fight tofind a cure by raising funds forresearch and support and educatingthe general public of the syndromeand its effects.

All of the fun, entertainment, andeducation will be held at Blazin TruckParts and Accessories lot at 5925Wright Road in Lake Charles. Socome out, join the fun, and support aworthy cause! To register, or for moreinformation about the event, call(337) 310-7278 or send an e-mail [email protected]. For moreinformation about the ParkinsonAssociation of the South, [email protected].

Sabrina McCoy

TJN


The

BoilingP l

SGT. HARRELL GRADUATES FROM FBI ACADEMY The Lake Charles Police Department is proud to

recognize Sergeant Richard Harrell as a graduate ofthe 246th Session of the FBI National AcademyProgram in Quantico, Virginia. Sergeant Harrell hasbeen a member of the LCPD for 17 years, serving as apatrol officer and patrol supervisor, and is currentlyassigned to the Violent Crimes Division as a criminalinvestigator. Detective Harrell was a charter memberof the Lake Charles Police Department’s SpecialResponse Team, and currently serves as the presidentof the Lake Charles Police Officer’s Association andVP of the Louisiana Union of Police Association. Sgt.Harrell resides in Sulphur with his wife Geraldine andson Jack.

CFO WELCOMES NEW HAND AND WRIST SPECIALIST

Andrew Foret, MD, hand surgeon, has joined themedical staff of Center for Orthopaedics. Dr. Foret isfrom Lake Charles and earned his undergraduatedegree from LSU in Baton Rouge, and his medicaldegree from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans.He completed a residency in general surgery at theMedical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and a fellowship in hand sur-gery at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. During his residency, hewas named Resident of the Year. Dr. Foret specializes in hand and wrist sur-gery and treatment. He will be seeing patients in the Lake Charles, Sulphurand DeRidder offices of Center for Orthopaedics. Call 721-7236 to schedulean appointment.

MSU AND CHRISTUS ST. PATRICK PARTNERINGFOR EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

Kelly Darbonne, RCEP, of CHRISTUS St.Patrick Hospital has been named the health educatorfor McNeese State University. Her role will focus onimproving the health and well-being of McNeeseemployees and their families. Darbonne joinedCHRISTUS St. Patrick in 2001 as an exercise special-ist in cardiac rehab. She earned her bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees from McNeese State University andalso earned her certification as a registered clinical exercise physiologistthrough the American college of sports medicine. This partnership withCHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital is part of a comprehensive benefits packagedesigned to help McNeese employees make educated, healthy choices.

DR. JOE CASH HONORED WITH PROFESSOR EMERITUS STATUSDr. Joe Cash, retired chair of the Department of English and Foreign

Languages at McNeese State University, was recently honored by the uni-versity with Professor Emeritus status. A native of Knox City, Texas, Cashreceived his bachelor of arts degree in English from Abilene ChristianUniversity and both his master of arts and doctorate degrees in English fromTexas Tech University. In 1972, Cash joined the faculty of McNeese where heprovided 38 years of outstanding service to the university as a faculty mem-ber and department chair (23 years) until his retirement in July 2010. Hetaught English and comparative literature, with a specialization in 19th and20th century British literature. He and his wife, Lydia, recently establishedthe Joe and Lydia Cash Endowed Lecture in Literature and Culture serieswith a $10,000 gift through the McNeese Foundation to fund an annual lec-ture series on literature.

ERIKA SIMON NAMED CHILD FORENSIC INTERVIEWER

Erika Simon, senior coordinator and forensicinterviewer of Family & Youth’s Children’s AdvocacyCenter, was recently named a Diplomate ChildForensic Interviewer by The National Association ofCertified Child Forensic Interviewers, the secondperson certified in Louisiana. The NACCFI wasestablished in 2006 on the principle that conductingchild forensic interviews should only be performed by

Please submit press releases to [email protected]

Sgt. Richard Harrell

Dr. Andrew Foret

Kelly Darbonne

Erika Simon

From left, Dr. Ray Miles, dean of the college of liberal arts, Dr. Scott Goins,professor of classics, Dr. Cash, McNeese President Dr. Philip Williams, and

provost and VP for academic and student affairs Dr. Jeanne Daboval.McNeese Photo


properly trained and credentialed professionals. Simon joined the joinedFamily & Youth in 2006. As senior coordinator of the Children’s AdvocacyCenter and Forensic Interviewer, she coordinates day-to-day operations ofthe Children’s Advocacy Center, serves the children and families, and per-forms forensic interviewing of children. She has a bachelor’s degree in psy-chology with a minor in sociology. She is married to Marcus Simon and theyhave two sons.

CALCASIEU PARISH WINS NATIONAL AWARD FOR FAMILY ANDCOMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Loree L. Smith, Family Involvement coordinator and all the Title IFamily Involvement Teams won a 2011 Partnership District Award from theNational Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) at Johns HopkinsUniversity. This is Calcasieu’s second annual Partnership District Award—evidence of a strong commitment to improving school, family, and commu-nity partnerships. Calcasieu Parish had six schools that received awards forPromising Partnership Practices for 2011: Dolby Elementary, GillisElementary, Henry Heights Elementary, A.A. Nelson Elementary, T.H.Watkins Elementary, and Westwood Elementary.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK IN DERIDDER RECEIVES HIGHEST RATING First National Bank in DeRidder received the superior five-star rating

from Bauer Financial, Inc., the nation’s leading bank rating and researchfirm. FNB in DeRidder has earned this rating for the last 91 consecutivequarters, earning a place in the Sustained Superiority Banks category,according to Bauer Financial. Only three percent of the nation’s banks havethis distinction. First National Bank in DeRidder was established in 1934; ithas four locations in DeRidder and recently opened a mortgage lendingoffice in Lake Charles.

ASHLEY CAGLE RECEIVES MANUALTHERAPY CERTIFICATION

Ashley Cagle, PT, DPT, MTC, a physical therapistwith Lake Charles Memorial Hospital OutpatientRehabilitation and Sports Medicine Center, recentlyreceived certification in manual therapy from theprestigious Paris Institute at the University of St.Augustine. With this certification, Cagle is able toassist the patient through rehabilitation through theuse of techniques such as muscle and joint manipula-tion and mobilization, soft tissue massage andstretching. Cagle is the first physical therapist in Southwest Louisiana toreceive this certification. Cagle joined the Memorial staff in 2010. Shereceived her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana College, and her doctorate inphysical therapy from the University of St. Augustine. For more informationon manual therapy, call Memorial Outpatient Therapy at (337) 494-2556.

DEQUINCY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WELCOMES STATE SENATOR WILLIE MOUNT

Senator Willie L. Mount made several visits throughout the city ofDeQuincy recently. The staff of DeQuincy Memorial Hospital, JCEHealthcare Board Members, Mayor Lawrence Henagan and members ofthe community joined her for a Meet & Greet Reception in the dining roomof the local hospital. Senator Willie Mount is seeking the office of CalcasieuParish Tax Assessor in the upcoming election held in October this year. Sheis a native of Lake Charles and served for over six years as Lake Charles’ firstfemale mayor before being elected to serve in the State Capitol. She is cur-rently serving her third and final term in the State Senate until 2012.

ARTS AND HUMANITIES BOARD SELECTED FOR 2011-2012The Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana is proud to

announce that Paula Mosca Gillard of Lake Charles was appointed as itsboard president for 2011 to 2012 during its annual meeting recently. Gillardmanages the City of Lake Charles Print Shop. A new Arts CouncilExecutive Committee was also inducted with Jason Martinez (Iberia Bank)as First Vice President, Mindy Schwarzauer (The O’Carroll Group) asSecond Vice President, Amanda White (SWLA Economic ChamberAlliance) as Treasurer, and Sally Cappel (artist) as Secretary. The board of

Ashley Cagle


directors also approved the initiation of twelve new members: James Babin(ASI Office Systems), Jason Barnes (Calcasieu Parish Police Jury), JohnBoykin (self), Jessilyn Burge (L’Auberge du Lac), Mary Donaldson (artist),Katie Harrington (Sleep Disorder Center of Louisiana), Jordan LeLeux(Bolton Ford), Shonda Manuel (Healthy Image Marketing Agency),Chantelle Richardson (City of Lake Charles, Americorp), Tom Shea (TheSanchez Law Firm), Sharon Steinman (former Symphony president), andMia Vick (McFatter Insurance).

PICKETT JOINS WCCH’S RURAL HEALTH CLINIC TEAM

West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital announces theaddition of Pike Pickett, APRN, adult nurse practi-tioner, to its team of medical practitioners at theVinton Medical Clinic and Hackberry Rural HealthClinic. Pickett will see patients in the Vinton clinic onMondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays of eachweek. He will see patients in Hackberry onWednesdays from 8 a.m. – noon. A native of Vinton,Pickett recently received a master’s degree in nursingfrom McNeese State University. He will join JulieGalley, CFNP, and Lance Waldemeir, CFNP, in car-ing for the residents of the Vinton and Hackberry communities. Pickett is aresident of Sulphur and is a member of the American Academy of NursePractitioners and the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners.

ENTERGY GIVES BACKEntergy recently donated $30,000 as part of it’s ongoing support to the

SWLA Alliance Foundation’s SWLA on the Move five-year campaign. Thecurrent plan of work under the campaign is to address the critical issues fac-ing our region: workforce development, business recruitment, businessretention and expansion, regional marketing, and building a single voice fora true regional partnership. The Chamber and the SWLA AllianceFoundation are part of the Southwest Louisiana Economic DevelopmentAlliance.

BRAD W. LEBERT, MD, OPENS SWLA EAR, NOSE AND THROAT

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital welcomes oto-laryngologist Brad W. LeBert, MD, and his practice,Southwest Louisiana Ear, Nose and Throat, locatedat 1890 W. Gauthier Road, Suite 205. A Lake Charlesnative, Dr. LeBert graduated magna cum laude fromLouisiana State University in Baton Rouge with adegree in zoology, and a minor in psychology. Hethen went on to earn his medical degree from LSUSchool of Medicine in New Orleans. Dr. LeBert pro-vides comprehensive care in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of awide variety of ear, nose and throat conditions. These include, but are notlimited to sinus disease, tinnitus, ear infections, tonsilar conditions, as wellas facial reconstruction. For more information, or to schedule an appoint-ment, call Southwest Louisiana Ear, Nose and Throat at (337) 480-5595.

BRANCH OUT AND GROW GRANTSThe Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc. is proud to offer Branch Out

and Grow Grants to educators and other non-profit organizations. The pur-pose of these educational grants is to support excellence in teaching byawarding grants for innovative projects that otherwise would not be provid-ed for in school budgets. Grant applications are also available for local proj-ects where Junior League volunteers are not placed. Specifically, requests thatserve the community by strengthening and enriching families are consideredfirst. Please visit www.jllc.net for more information and to download anapplication. The deadline for submission is November 11, 2011. TJN

Pike Pickett

Dr. Brad W. LeBert


“HELLO! I‘m ready to go to mynew home. I think that new homemight be with you. All you have to dois come meet me and let me give youa big sloppy kiss!” Breeze is a gor-geous blue-eyed Catahoula. She is aplayful, healthy, well-behaved girlwho loves other dogs, but prefersfemale human companionship. She’sa bit shy around the guys, but warmsup when she gets to know you.Breeze has perfect house manners, asshe has always lived inside, butplayed outdoors. She also loves carrides and is such a easy rider. This isa well-trained, sociable dog. You canreach Breeze’s foster Martha at (337)228-7675, or you can call Wanda at(337) 661-9132 for more information.

An adoption application can be foundonline at www.4PawsSocietyInc.comand faxed to (337) 558-6331 oremailed to [email protected]! Breeze is waiting! TJN

Meet Breeze

This month, Calcasieu ParishAnimal Services will reduce theiradoption fees for all dogs to $50 tocelebrate the American HumaneAssociation’s “Adopt-a-Dog Month.”The fee includes spaying/neutering,worming, Heartworm Occult test(if dog is six months or older),DHLPP/Bordetella & RabiesVaccination, license tag and micro-chipping.

Calcasieu Parish AnimalServices encourages citizens to con-sider rescuing a shelter dog whenthinking of adding a pet to theirfamily. Often known as “man’s best

friend,” dogs can be great exercisebuddies, companions for senior cit-izens, helpful in therapy or simply afurry face to welcome you homeafter a hard day at work.

Calcasieu Parish AnimalServices & Adoption Center is locat-ed at 5500 A Swift Plant Road inLake Charles, open between noon -5:30 p.m., Mon. – Fri. Visitors areinvited to meet the many amazingdogs now available for adoption.More information about CalcasieuParish Animal Services is availableat www.cppj.net or by calling theirmain number at 721-3730. TJN

Animal Services Cuts Adoption Costsin Honor of Adopt-a-Dog Month


Big Sister Stephanie Dubard looksback and wonders where the time hasgone. “When I was first matched withmy Little Sister Chloey, I thought see-ing her twice a month would be easy,”she said. “Then you realize everyother weekend comes sooner thanyou expected. Then you grow to thenext step, where spending time withyour Little comes naturally. Theagency asks you to commit for oneyear, then that year becomes two andthe days continue to pass and ourrelationship continues to grow.”

Dubard considers herself lucky tohave had a nice childhood with bothof her parents, and was motivated tojoin Big Brothers Big Sisters, knowingthat if nothing else, she could be afriend to someone. “I didn’t know thisor her at the time, but Chloey was mymotivation—God knows what he’sdoing,” she said.

Over the last two and a half years,the two have enjoyed getting to knoweach other through various activities.They enjoy going to the movies, theSulphur water park, Putt Putt, bowl-ing, Movies Under the Stars, walkingthe mall and riding in the Children’sMardi Gras parade with the Krewe

Du Lac. Chloey also loves looking atthe pets at local pet stores.

“We like to try different restau-rants, but our favorite is the soup, saladand breadsticks at Olive Garden, youknow, ‘when you’re here you’re family,’”laughed Dubard. “But what I enjoymost is just hanging out with Chloey.”

Dubard has two special memoriesof her Little Sister. “The first time wemet, we got ice cream and went toPinederosa Park,” she said. ‘We’ve sincegone back for picnics. Second, we wentfishing and Chloey caught her first fish.”

They also recently attended the BigBrothers Big Sisters “Back To SchoolBash: Wii Tournament” where the kidsreceived school supplies complimentsof Pepsi. “The Big Brothers Big Sistersactivity was a great event and we bothenjoyed hanging out with other ‘Bigs’and ‘Littles,’” Dubard said. “We plan toattend more in the years to come.”

What’s really wonderful is thatboth families get along great. “We eatat each other’s homes for the holidaysand special occasions,” Dubard said.“Chloey also enjoys playing videogames with my husband Danny. Wealways try to include each other indifferent activities between work and

family functions, such as a crawfishboil with my husband’s job or bowlingin Bowl For Kids’ Sake with myemployer Jeff Davis Bank, toThanksgiving dinner.”

Dubard and her husband areexpecting their first baby, a girl, Jolene.Dubard and Chloey have had a greattime getting ready for the arrival andChloey is looking forward to being anaunt. As the due date nears, they’reboth getting anxious and excited.

“Being a Big Sister has definitelychanged my life,” Dubard said. “I hon-estly thought a special satisfactionwould be felt and it was, but my rela-tionship with Chloey has grown somuch, that she truly is the little sister Inever had. I know how much I havegotten and continue to get from beinga Big Sister. I just hope she is gettingthe same, if not more. I love Chloey!”

For more information on how youcan start something big, please callBig Brothers Big Sisters of SouthwestLouisiana, a United Way agency, inLake Charles, 478-5437; DeRidder,460-5437; or Jennings, 824-4847.Think of the possibilities—what willyou start? TJN

Big Brothers Big Sisters of SWLA: Big Sister Stephanie Dubard/Little Sister Chloey


WE SPECIALIZE IN LASER REMOVAL OF:Hair • Wrinkles • Scars • Birthmarks

Rosacea • Spider Veins • WartsAcne Scarring • Tattoos • Brown Spots

Stretch Marks • Acne • Cellulite

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLEFREE CONSULTATIONS!

WE’RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT

On a brief out-of-town stayrecently, we encountered threecouples from England. They wereon holiday (their term for it) tour-ing Louisiana. This group offriends has been coming to theUnited States for over ten years,and selected Louisiana as the cho-sen location for the last few visits,as they found Louisianans morewarm and friendly than people ofother areas.

Unhappy with the “rude treat-ment” (their words) they receivedin other parts of our country, theyenjoy our joie de vivre, our sense oflaissez les bon temps rouler, ourwarm way of just being. They takegreat interest in touring our historicsites, sampling our gastronomicdelights (turtle soup was mentionedas a favorite) and partaking of ourlaid-back way of life. We must bedoing something right if overseastourists are making Louisiana theirrepeated destination of choice. Weshould strive to preserve what wehave and cherish our lifestyle, as itis apparent that we have somethingvery special here.

GIVE US A BREAKDon’t you find it interesting

that as oil prices rise, the price youpay at the gas pump jumps upalmost immediately,while declining oilprices are painstak-ingly slow in showingthe change to reduce your cost?There is little interest in giving usconsumers the break we deserve.

Make a mental note of the mer-chants that act in our favor and theones who make little effort to befair. All businesses need to make aprofit to survive, but those thatnever give their customer due con-sideration and continually takesmaximum advantage of them canonly be punished if you take yourbusiness elsewhere.

PASSIONPassion. You must have a pas-

sion for something in your life andif you haven’t found it yet, startlooking. Passion is what makes thejourney worthwhile. Passion is thefocus of your inner self, your rea-son to be. Your passion maychange as you pass through thedifferent stages of your life, but theneed for your passion will alwaysbe a part of you.

It may be a hobby, it may bevolunteer work, and some mayselfishly focus on their own per-sonal greed as their passion. Itmakes no difference which direc-tion it takes; as long as it’s there, itwill be your driven self—like achild possessed with a favoriteblanket, a youth with hisPlaystation, the need for a passionwill always exist in the fulfillmentof your life.

There is no price comparisonfor this issue as I was out of pocketwhen I usually make my rounds,but stay tuned—I will have somedata for the next issue.

By George “Tip” Cline

TJN

The Rouge et Blanc Food and WineEvent is looking for volunteers. The eventtakes place on Sat., Oct. 15, on the groundsof the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse andthe 1911 Historic Arts. Volunteers areneeded for various shifts between 8 a.m. to9 p.m.

The event is the only fundraiser for theBanners Cultural Series at McNeese StateUniversity. Money raised from this eventhelps bring arts and humanities events intothe area, and also helps support a K-12 artsoutreach program that reaches 60 schools.

Sign up by calling the Banners Seriesoffice at 337-475-5123 or going online atwww.rougeetblanc.us.

Assignments include both pre-eventand during-event tasks. Prior to the event,help is needed to put up tables, put ontablecloths, hang signs and generally pre-pare for the event. Volunteers during theevent will have duties such as pouringwine, keeping the restaurants supplied andrecycling.

Volunteers will receive a T-shirt andwill be fed in a “green room” and cannotparticipate in the event. For more informa-tion, go to the website at www.rougeet-blanc.us. TJN

Rouge et Blanc Needs Volunteers


By Jim Doyle

We’re all familiar with the unde-niable fact that we and our Britishcousins are divided by a commonlanguage. A heavy sports weekendhas, for me, sharpened our culturaldistinctions.

Here, we’re in the middle of col-lege and NFL football, the playoffsand World Series in baseball, andthe upcoming start of practice incollege basketball. But the rest ofthe English-speaking world, and,increasingly, European countrieslike Italy and France, are in themiddle of the Rugby World Cup.

I took a timeout from theSaints’ fairly easy road game overthe weekend to watch the beginningof a World Cup match betweenNew Zealand and Canada, andremembered fondly my attachmentfor the sport, formed in multipletrips to England, many beers dis-cussing the relative merits of, say,Fiji and Swaziland, club rugbyinvolving one of my best friends,Nick Brown, and the inevitableteam drinking party after thematch, which, shall we say, requiresmore all-American skill than thesport itself.

I once had occasion to toastBrown, at his wedding in fact, andthanked him for introducing me tothe sport. However, in watchingBrown play, I had the idea theobject of the game was to run awayfrom the ball and avoid contactwith other players at all costs.Brown took umbrage to thisdescription, of course, but I hap-pened to have photographic proof: apicture of a soaking wet Browndragging his far-too-old body offthe rugby pitch after a particularly

chastening exercise on a muddyfield in Kent.

Throughout the English-speak-ing world, the sport truly has aninternational following. So it’s notunusual to see the traditional“Haka,” a pre-game ritual based ona Maori war chant performed by theNew Zealand national team, theAll-Blacks, on a pub wall in the Cityof London financial district. Andmy English friends on Facebookcommented this week on Ireland’swin over Italy (they don’t likeItalians much) and, of course, theyalways love to see the French lose.For a recent demonstration of rugbyfanaticism, see the wonderful movieInvictus which covered the SouthAfrican Springboks and their win ofthe Cup in 1997 in Johannesburg.

Then there’s the post-gameshow.

I once attended an 8 a.m. gamein Canterbury to see Brown sort ofplay rugby with his club, which wascalled the Stoats. A stoat is a fairlyevil little creature that hangs out inthe hedgerows throughout theKentish countryside surroundingthe cathedral town. It was cold, wet,and nasty, the flip side to ThomasHobbes’ 17th-century description ofthe average English life as nasty,brutish, and short. Brown hadpromised me breakfast, which Ieagerly awaited on this particularday, and found out when I got therethat his idea of a morning repastwas my own personal flask of bour-bon. I don’t drink bourbon.However, hunger and the comingcold combined (conspired?) toencourage me to choke it down.Things went south from there.

Rugby Remembered

By the time we made it to TheOld Locomotive, the pub on a cor-ner downtown directly across fromthe train station (which will be rele-vant later), I had consumed all thebourbon, a few odd beers, and a bagof crisps (potato chips). We hadbeen promised food at the pub, butall the team members got to it firstand I was left wanting like a charac-ter in a Dickens orphanage.

The last clear thing I rememberfrom that adventure was an episodecrowning the Man of the Match,who was celebrated not for hisprowess on the field, but for spend-ing the night before with a less thanattractive female partner. He washoisted up on a tabletop, strippednaked, covered in beer and tossedout the back door. This was winter,very cold outside, and the only wayhe could get back to what was left ofhis clothes (most had burned whenthrown on top of a candle) was tocircle the block and bang on thelocked front door. While he didthis, a trainload of touristsunloaded up the street.

Then there are, of course, therugby songs, which include such

hits as “I Don’t Want to Join theArmy,” “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,”and other unmentionable titles withequally unmentionable lyrics. Mymusician son Stratton picked up ona couple of these when he was inmiddle school, leading a whole sub-group of American youngsters incelebrating the finer points of thegame.

As for this weekend’s games, theAll-Blacks crushed Canada, and theUnited States Eagles, while playingvery well in a competitive sport,were eliminated. Oh well, we can’tbe outstanding at everything. Andjudging by the pickup game I oncesaw in Hyde Park on a Sundayafternoon, the Brits won’t catch upwith us in REAL football for thenext century or so.

Among us and our cousins,spectator sports provide an outletand a social opportunity. Casey atthe Bat is just a rugby team with abad run. I hope your team won thisweekend and put a smile on yourface.

See you on the flip. TJN


“I toured the campus with mymom. 10 weeks later I had a job as a dentalassistant. I love mycareer.ThanksAcademy of Acadiana.”Porché Stevens

ENROLLING NOWLimited Seating

Dental Assistant ClassStarts: October 31, 2011

“My clinical site wasimpressed with thehands-on training I

received at Academyof Acadiana. Every

one of my fellow students received a

job offer. My jobhelps me provide

for my family. I am proud

of the education

I received atAcademy of

Acadiana.You can do

it too!”Ashley

LeJeune

YankeeDangThe

By Mike McHugh

Tequila SunsetI discovered many new and won-

derful things during my recent trip toMexico, not least of which were thenative animals. There, I encounteredsuch creatures as spider monkeys,iguanas, and flamingos; the latter ofwhom I had previously believed wereindigenous only to trailer parks.

One of the most fascinating of saidcritters are the coatimundis, and thegrounds of our resort teemed withthem. I was told they are related to theraccoon, and judging from theiranteater-like snouts and slender tails,I’d guess that they evolved from agroup of normal raccoons that wereused in a tug of war between two rivallogging camps. They are not shy ani-mals, and we were warned not to feedthem or to open our patio doors if weheard scratching late at night, for fearthat they would try to sell us Amwayproducts.

But enough about Mexicanwildlife. I really want to cover the wildadventures of our swashbuckling bandduring our foray South of the Border.

Our first order of monkey businesswas a dinner cruise aboard a replicapirate ship. Along for the voyage wasmy editor, Lauren. On solid ground,she proves herself to be stalwart lass,routinely having writers drawn andquartered for minor grammaticalerrors. At sea, however, I found thatshe tends to exhibit a little less of thatsame character. As the sea voyage pro-gressed, her face turned as green as theseaweed clinging to the side of the ship.

The vessel was manned with acrew of good-natured buccaneers,whose primary aim, it seemed, was toget the passengers good and loaded.They proved themselves to be quiteefficient at this, bringing us traysstacked upon trays of unidentifiableadult beverages. The drinks may havecontained squid spit for all we knew,but we didn’t really care.

Among the passengers were twocertain ladies who apparently con-

sumed more than their share of squidspit, and the main deck quicklycleared of other revelers when theystarted to get down. These particulargals, both anatomically blessed, gaveme a bit of a scare, fearing that thegood ship might capsize in the eventof a coordinated turn to starboard.Fortunately, due to the crew’s compe-tency at their task, these girls foundthemselves in no position to pull offsuch a move, and all hands survivedthe ordeal.

Now, a wise pirate would nevertempt fate so soon after such an expe-rience, but then, nobody ever accusedus of being wise. So, the very next day,we were all off for a bit of zip-liningthrough the Yucatan jungle. This is anactivity where you climb to the top oftall towers, only to jump off themwhile dangling from a cable, which,for all I know, is constructed, of thesame material as a cheap pair of fish-net stockings.

This is not a pursuit for the weak-stomached, so I exercised unusualself-control, refusing the champagnecocktails that the friendly resort staffcontinually attempted to foist upon usduring breakfast. It was either that orrisk leaving vital internal organs onthe jungle floor at the end of my ride.This, I figured, is how the coat-imundis get their sustenance, in addi-tion to the Amway commissions.

All was well with our merry groupof zip-liners until we zipped to atower that was a little bit differentthan the others. The only way to getfrom this tower to the next was to godown a 200-foot waterslide. Instead ofzipping, we would be whooshingdown a torturous slide, twisting andturning until we were jettisoned intothe ice-cold waters of an undergroundcavern created during prehistorictimes when Andy Rooney was cuttinghis first teeth.

Unfortunately, Lauren was with us,and as I’ve inferred, Lauren doesn’t do

Sponsored by


– Wendy Curphy Aguillard, CLA Calcasieu Parish Assessor• Currently serving as Assessor• Certified LA Assessor with 15 years

experience• Implemented new financial/

administrative policies• Launched new assessor website

water. But there was no way she couldget to the next tower unless she wentdown that slide. Perhaps she shouldhave had those champagne cocktailsfor breakfast. At any rate, down shewent, and that was the last we saw ofher on the zip-lining trail. Once shefinished coughing up several gallonsof prehistoric water, commandos injeeps were called in to remove herfrom the jungle and transport her tothe relative safety of the gift shop,where she proceeded to perform dar-ing and dangerous exploits on hercredit card.

As our illustrious tour guide, Philarranged for us to play the role ofpirates in our resort’s production ofPeter Pan. So, we all showed up incostume about an hour before theshow for the rehearsal, which prettymuch consisted of us drinking, as if weneeded the practice. Still, we wereintent on getting things right, and sowe practiced intently until the curtainrose. That’s when reality set in, and itbecame clear that Phil’s plan was notgoing to happen. After the first fewminutes, the reason became equallyclear. Compared to the perfectly

sculpted dancers bounding about intheir breathtaking costumes, we wouldhave looked like a bunch of sea cowstrying to jump through fiery hoops ata dolphin show.

Thus left ashore when the shipsailed, we proceeded to the lounge torain booty upon the patrons. Thisbooty included tattoos, which ourmen applied to the female clientelewith such gusto as to make one proud.My wife, aided no doubt by her dis-covery of something called TequilaBoom-Booms, was equally enthusias-tic in distributing her inventory of

eye-patches to all the children shecould find.

I didn’t actually witness the inci-dent that earned the two of us a pri-vate escort back to our room by thesecurity staff. All I saw was the after-math: a young mother flailing aboutwith a patch covering each eye, and atoddler proudly displaying a piratetattoo on his cheek and screaming“Aaargh!” at frightened resort guests.

So much for trying to improve ourcountry’s diplomatic relations withMexico. TJN


By Lauren de Albuquerque

There’s lots of construction anddisruption going on in downtownLake Charles while that area is goingthrough its long-awaited improve-ments. As in any construction proj-ect, there’s bound to be some incon-veniences. In this case, many down-town businesses have indicated thattheir clients are finding it difficult topark. They’re afraid their customersmay take their business elsewhere,which is a valid concern.

There are some parking lotsdowntown that are never full. Itwould be nice if some sort ofarrangement could be made with theowners so that these businesses won’tlose their clients during this process.If the lots aren’t full to begin with,why should it be such a big deal?

MARDI GRAS MADNESSIf you haven’t been to the Mardi

Gras Museum located in the historic

Central School in downtown LakeCharles, now is the perfect time.Along with the largest display ofMardi Gras costumes in the world,there’s a brand new exhibit featuringmemorabilia from the Washington,DC Mardi Gras celebrations, whichhave a rich history all their own and abig connection to SWLA. The fee is $3for adults and $2 for children/seniors.Group rates available. Call 430-0043for more information.

Remember, Mardi Gras 2012 isright around the corner! This meansthat it’s time for krewes to start gath-ering their information together toget ready for The Jam’s third annualMardi Gras issue. It will be gorgeous,so don’t miss out. Make sure youemail [email protected] for more information!

CHILDREN’S MUSEUMFUNDRAISER A HIT!

It was back to the 50s for theChildren’s Museum’s annualfundraiser, held at the end of thesummer. Congrats to Jason Barnesfor his first-place win in the celebritykaraoke contest. That boy can hold atune! Thanks to all who made it asmashing success, from the hard-working board to the wonderful vol-unteers to the area restaurants whodonated delicious food and dessert—not to mention the live and silentauction donors and winners! Themuseum raised $68,000 in much-needed funds to keep this wonderfulinstitution going. TJN

Mayor Randy Roach, Anne Monlezun and Phil at MG Museum reception.

Gary and Susan Shannon channeling the 50s!


Entries are now being acceptedfor the Scarecrow Festival atShangri-La Botanical Gardens andNature Center, 2111 Park Ave.Businesses, churches, organizationsand schools groups are all invited toenter.

The Scarecrow Festival willbegin Oct. 18 and run through Nov.12. More than 100 scarecrows areexpected, and visitors will be able tovote for their favorite.

Prizes will be awarded in severalcategories. Scarecrows should becreated from recycled materialswhenever possible to help representShangri-La’s “green” theme.

Entries will be places alongShangri-La’s pathways and must beable to withstand being outdoorsfor the remainder of the festival.

The deadline to submit an offi-

cial entryform is 5p.m. Oct. 7;space is lim-ited.Installationwill be Oct.15-17 andentrants willneed to check withthe Shangri-La admissions windowfor scarecrow placement location.

Entry form, rules and otherinformation are online atwww.shangrilagardens.com.

Shangri-La’s regular hours are 9a.m. – 5 p.m. Tues. – Sat. and noon-5 p.m. Sun. For more information,call (409) 670-9113. TJN


There comes a time in all of ourlives when someone we love can nolonger care for themselves as theyshould. The idea of sending a spouseor parent to a nursing home, no mat-ter how wonderful the facility, is usu-ally an option of last resort. We wantto keep our loved ones with us aslong as possible.

For the families of SouthwestLouisiana and the surrounding areas,there is a compassionate, caring, andprofessional alternative for providingassistance for those in need. That iswhy PDI of the South’s purpose andname stands for “providing dailyindependence.”

PDI is a health care managementservice that provides personalizedassistance and specialized care toclients in the comfort of their ownhomes.

With over 150 Certified NursingAssistants (CNAs) and personal care

attendants (PCAs), PDIservices clients with various

mental and physical needs through-out the eight surrounding parishes.Their patients, ranging from pedi-atrics to geriatrics, are coping withmental illness, physical and develop-mental disabilities, terminal illness,and accident recovery.

Margaret McCloskey, presidentand CEO of PDI of the South, said herparents, who started Evangeline HomeHealth, originally opened PDI in 1987to fill the need of skilled nursing carefor the patients they were serving.

“They weren’t getting the full levelof care that they needed,” McCloskeyexplained. The new business offeredskilled nursing care to not just theelderly and disabled, but to those withterminal illnesses and pediatric serv-ice needs.

In 1993, PDI became licensedunder the Louisiana Medicaid pro-gram to provide specialized servicesto clients who need more care thanjust an occasional visit by a nurse.

That additional licensing allowedthem to increase their services, sothat skilled nursing care was nolonger their only focus.

PDI offers a variety of com-panion care and supervision thatassists families with the everydayneeds of their loved ones, whichgives them peace of mind know-ing that there is someone thereto fill their shoes. If the clientsdo not have immediate family tosee to their needs, PDI will bethere for them.

The company’s amazingstaff are a credit to the compa-ny. McCloskey knows that theygo above and beyond the callof duty.

She also points out thatPDI does not have minimumslike other agencies. Somerequire a minimum of fourhours for service to be pro-vided, but if someone onlyneeds one hour, PDI will findsomeone to fill that need.

BayouBiz

By Lauren de Albuquerque

Providing DailyIndependence forYour Loved Ones

Caregiver Virginia Tutson and patient Dennis Duhon.Mother Anna L. Williams, Caregiver Vivian Brantley, Program

Development Director Peggy Kelley and patient Walton Joseph.Caregiver Janelle Guillory and patient Mable McVickers.


15% Senior DiscountAll Doctors’ Prescriptions Accepted

Experienced Professional Staff • Most Insurance Accepted

Rosewood Nursing & Rehab Center Invites the public to join us for our4th Annual Chili Cook-Off, Health Fair & Open House.

October 21st, 2011, from 10am-2pmChili judging begins at 11:30. Chili will be served after judging.

FIRST 25 GUEST RECEIVE A FREE GIFT!

Dennis Duhon and Virginia TutsonVirginia Tutson has been with

PDI for 13 years and has been caringfor Dennis Duhon of Moss Bluff foralmost three years. Duhon isimpaired from a head injury, butTutson’s presence allows his wife to gooff to work every morning knowingthat her husband is in good hands.

“I spend nine to ten hours a daywith him, five days a week,” Tutsonsaid. She helps him out of bed, assistshim in bathing and dressing, andcooks his meals.

Duhon lives on 13 acres of land. “Istill cut my own grass—I have a trac-tor,” he said.

“He enjoys doing that,” Tutsonadded. “We also go out for walks, andI take him to town to shop and doother things.”

With a full-time job, Duhon’s wifewould have had to place him in afacility since she isn’t around duringthe day. But with PDI, Duhon canremain on his land and enjoy thecomforts of home and family. Hissons visit often, and his wife comeshome to him every night.

Dedicated to her job, Tutson saysshe loves what she does, and evensees other patients on weekends. “I’vebeen with other companies, but PDIis really good.”

Mable McVicker and Jenelle GuilloryIowa resident Mable McVicker is

elderly and lives by herself. But she’snever alone, thanks to PDI.

Her longtime personal care atten-dant has been DeWanna Guidry, butoccasionally Jenelle Guillory steps in

“She’s very nice,” McVicker said ofGuilory. “She comes every morningand stays until 5 p.m. She does choresaround the house, the wash and soon. And she cooks for me.” Guilloryhelps McVicker bathe and dress, andgives her breakfast. Often, they’ll goon an outing or do some groceryshopping together.

McVicker had her hair donetoday. “We go to the beauty shop andshe takes me to my doctor’s appoint-ments,” she said.

Guillory, who’s been with PDI forthree years, said that McVicker is “avery sweet lady.” And her work is herpassion. “I love elderly and disabledpeople. I love helping them. I telleveryone, if you’re in this for themoney, then just get out. That’s notwhat this is about. You have to beChrist-like. It’s all about helping theweak and the sick.”

Walton Joseph and Vivian BrantleyFifty-nine years ago, when Walton

Joseph was three months old, he con-tracted spinal meningitis. With nomedicine available, be became pro-

foundly handicapped.Joseph’s family has used the serv-

ices of PDI for 14 years. His first care-giver was with him for 12 years. “Andshe’s still like family,” said Joseph’smother, Anna Williams. “She stillvisits us.”

For the past nine months, VivianBrantley has been caring for Joseph.He is confined to a wheelchair andcannot speak, but he’s a happy soulwho loves games shows and buzzingaround on his scooter. And he’s ableto communicate in his own way.

“I do everything for him,”Brantley said. “First thing, I bathehim, put on his diaper, dress him andget him in his scooter. Then I get himhis coffee. He loves his coffee.” Hethen goes into the living room for hisbreakfast. His mother cooks all themeals, and Brantley feeds him.

Joseph has a motorized wheel-chair, and Brantley gave him a radioso he can listen to music when he’sscooting around outside. She had justbrought him in right before we spoke;he’d heard an airplane and indicatedthat he wanted to go outside to see it.

Brantley is with Joseph five days aweek, 12 hours a day. On weekends,Williams’ daughter takes over theresponsibilities.

“I am very, very satisfied withPDI,” Williams said. “They’re such agood company and I love the employ-ees. They have really helped me out.The staff, the caseworkers, everyone.”

Brantley said her work is her call-ing. “It’s such a blessing to helpWalton,” she said. “He has a goodsense of humor and he’s always ingood spirits. He has a good family.They’re very close and very religious.”The family holds prayer meetings intheir home every Thursday.

“PDI is a wonderful company towork for,” Brantley said. “They werethere for me when I lost my grand-daughter. I will never forget that.”

PDI is located at 710 West PrienLake Road, Suite 100, Lake Charles,LA 70601. There is also an office inEunice at 221 North Second Street.To speak with a PDI representative orreceive a personal consultation, PDIcan be reached directly at (337) 479-0048 in Lake Charles, and (337) 546-0692 in Eunice, or by calling their toll-free number at (877) 479-0048. TJN


Robinson Dental Group, a LakeCharles dental office, has recentlybeen swamped with “Swamp People”mania after giving one of the realitytelevision show’s stars, WillieEdwards, the gift of a brand-newsmile.

“Sometimes I can’t believe thekind of attention we are getting,” saidTim Robinson, DDS. “I never thoughtthis would happen.”

A fan favorite, 29-year-old Willieis recognizable for his signature miss-ing front tooth. He recalls the child-hood accident that created the gap inhis smile: “I was about eight or nine,”he remembered. “Me and my sisterwere playing in the house one night.We put towels around our heads—wewere playing blindfold—and I ran

into the icebox and broke the back (ofthe tooth) off, and after so manyyears it just rotted out and died.”

He never received dental treat-ment for the injured tooth. “I alwaysthought I was going to live my lifewithout my front tooth,” Willie said.

Now, 20 years later, RobinsonDental Group has given him theopportunity to regain his full smile.

“Restoring missing or damagedteeth can have a tremendously posi-tive effect on every area of person’slife,” said Dr. Robinson, a dentist atRobinson Dental Group. “Not onlycan a missing tooth affect a person’sspeech and what they can eat, but italso affects how they approach theworld. We see it with our patientsevery day: restoring a person’s smile

builds their confidence. They just feelbetter about themselves. We wantedto give this gift to Willie.”

Willie has just completed the firststage of the dental implant process,which involved implanting ananchoring root into his jawbone.

“Dental implants are a three-stageprocess,” said Daniel Domingue,DDS, a dentist at Robinson DentalGroup. “We did stage one, then gaveWillie a removable piece to replacehis tooth temporarily until we cancomplete the process. It has theappearance of a real tooth and willgive him greater comfort while eatingand speaking.”

Willie is planning to return toRobinson Dental Group in a fewmonths to complete the final steps of

the implant process and receive anew, permanent tooth. In the mean-time, he’ll film the new season of“Swamp People” with his familiar“missing tooth” look.

“All of us at Robinson DentalGroup have really enjoyed givingWillie the special gift of a new smile,”said Dr. Robinson. “So much that ithas inspired us to give another gift tosomeone locally.”

Do you dream of a new smile?Robinson Dental Group will be

kicking off a contest this later thismonth to give one lucky winner thegift of a brand-new smile. Visit theirFacebook page at facebook.com/RobinsonDentalGroup and watch fordetails on the upcoming smile con-test. TJN

Before After


“I never expected to havebreast cancer,” said local LakeCharles resident, Linda Gill. “Itwas discovered because I haddiagnostic tests for an unrelatedhealth issue.”

Gill’s breast cancer experiencebegan with a relentless cough in2005. After a visit with her doctor,she was diagnosed with gastroe-sophageal reflux disease (GERD).She then had a biopsy, whichrevealed a tumor in her abdomenwhich was removed immediately.Gill’s physician found it crucial tocomplete more extensive tests tomake sure there were no othercancerous tumors in her body andreferred Gill to MD AndersonCancer Center in Houston.

“After three days of tests andconsultations, I was told that nocarcinoids were found in mybody,” Gill said. However, her CTscan revealed a spot on her left

breast. “In January 2006, Ireturned for tests that confirmedthat I was in the early stages ofbreast cancer,” she said.

Throughout 2006, Gill was insurgery, taking chemotherapy orcompleting radiation. “My hus-band retired a year earlier thanplanned to care for me full-timeafter chemo fatigue made me tooweak to drive or to work,” shesaid.

The following year, the breastcancer survivor began her recov-ery phase. “I wasn’t scared,” sherevealed. “I knew women who hadbreast cancer more than 30 yearsago and are still alive. For somereason, which I can only attributeto my faith in Christ, I never suf-fered the reactions of anger, denialor depression. In the deepest painand weakness of chemo fatigue, Ibelieved that I was going to live,and hoped that if I didn’t, I would

By Melissa CallowayCommunity Promotions Chair (Making StridesAgainst Breast Cancer) American Cancer Society

Jimmy and Linda Gill


be acceptable to God. I was drawnto tears only because of the kind-ness and generosity of my family,friends, and my library coworkerswhom I consider as family andfriends.”

After a tough five years, Gillregained her strength and is now astrong advocate for breast cancerawareness.

“In 2010, when I learned thatthe American Cancer Society washaving a walk in Sulphur, I decid-ed it was time for me to become avolunteer and a team leader,” shesaid. “I was again pleased at thesupport of my family and friendsfor ‘Team Linda Gill Family andFriends,’ and am looking forwardto continuing my involvementwith the American CancerSociety.”

If you are a cancer patient, sur-vivor, or caregiver and need assis-tance, you may call the AmericanCancer Society at any time at(800) 227-2345 or visit your localAmerican Cancer Society office atOne Lakeshore Drive Suite #1510in Lake Charles, LA.

West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital is offering 20percent off digital screening mammograms duringOctober, the month recognized nationally as BreastCancer Awareness Month.

Appointments are required and can be made bycalling (337) 527-4256. Appointments are availableMon.-Fri. from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and on Thurs. from8 a.m. – 7 p.m. The discount is applied to hospitalcharges and does not include radiologists’ fees, whichare billed separately.

With the month of October dedicated to creatingawareness about breast cancer, health professionals atWCCH state that it is the perfect time for women tofocus on their breast health. “Women are the familycaretakers, but most of us put off our own healthcheckups because we’re busy caring for everyone else.This month, we’re encouraging women to make time

for themselves and get screened,” said Betty Adams,BSRT (R) (M), mammography coordinator withWCCH.

According to the ACS, current evidence stronglysupports mammography even more so than in thepast. “It can detect lumps that are missed throughself breast exams and even clinical exams, up to oneor two years before the lumps can be felt by hand.That means you could have a head start on treatmenttwo years before you would if you hadn’t had a mam-mogram,” Adams explained.

“Research shows us that if women 50 and olderwould get regular mammograms, the mortality ratecould decrease by 30 percent. That’s thousands oflives that could be saved with just a simple, 20-minute screening.”

TJNTJN


Let Our Home Be Yours!

Retirement brings the freedom to follow yourheart and pursue newinterests. Let us bring the peace of security,contentment and happiness to you.

Villa Maria Retirement CenterCelebrating 17 Years of Excellence

3905 Kingston Place • Lake Charles337-478-4780 • www.villamaria-web.org

ComeFor A Tour!McDonald’s of Southwest

Louisiana is joining in the fightagainst breast cancer by sponsoring“Anything Pink,” a fundraiser tohelp support and promote the EthelPrecht Hope Breast Cancer 3K.

Stop by any McDonald’s inCalcasieu Parish to try “AnythingPink,” including their strawberrybanana smoothie, strawberryfrozen lemonade and strawberryshake, from Fri., Oct. 14 to Sun.,Oct. 16 and $.50 of your purchasewill be donated to the Ethel PrechtHope Breast Cancer 3K.

The “Anything Pink” fundraiserwill coincide with the Ethel PrechtHope Breast Cancer 3K, which willbe held at the Lake Charles CivicCenter on Sat., Oct. 15.

Since 2004, the Ethel PrechtHope Breast Cancer 3K has raisedfunds for local breast cancer sur-vivors in Calcasieu and Cameron

Parishes through an annual walk.Founded by local breast cancer sur-vivor, Ethel Precht, the nonprofitorganization has been able to assistmore than 250 local survivors withmonetary gifts.

For more information on thewalk and to find out how can youparticipate, visit www.ethelbreast-cancerwalk.org. Sign up sheets forwalk are also available at everyMcDonald’s in Calcasieu Parish.McDonald’s of Southwest Louisiana(11 restaurants throughoutCalcasieu Parish), owned and oper-ated by Doug Gehrig, are dedicatedto serving and assisting theSouthwest Louisiana community.For more information onMcDonald’s of SouthwestLouisiana’s fundraising efforts forthe Ethel Precht Hope BreastCancer 3K, contact Jen Breen at478-7396 or [email protected].

TJN


Who needs Hollywood when the Lake Charles areahas its own sizzling stars? That’s right; it’s time onceagain for an elegant, action-packed, star-studdedextravaganza that is not to be missed! The 2000 HealthFoundation’s 6th Annual Platinum and Pearls GalaFundraiser, featuring the “Dancing with the Stars”competition and a “Champion of the Dance” segment,gets under way at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, in the GrandBall Room of the L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort. Acocktail hour with live entertainment by Gervis Guidrykicks off the evening followed by dinner, a live auctionand the much anticipated dance show.

Master and Mistress of Ceremonies for the excitingevening are Dr. Alan Hinton and Bridget Hinton, pastDancing With the Stars champions who also won thetango challenge in 2010.

Five local celebrity couples have their dance shoesready and their routines polished as they prepare to viefor the title of 2011 “Dancing with the Stars”Champions. Some of the dances will be the merengue,salsa, and the cha cha. And four returning celeb cou-ples, in an exciting competition, will compete to claimthe title of “Champion of the Dance.”

This year’s featured dance for the Champion of theDance segment is the “swing,” which means those inattendance at the Platinum and Pearls gala can enjoywatching dancers do the swing as they make the floorvibrate with the rhythm of their feet. But the eveningisn’t just about entertainment; it’s also about a veryworthy cause: The 2000 Health Foundation and all ofthe many things it does to help others and benefit thecommunity.

By Lisa AddisonPhotos by www.monsoursphotography.com

Dr. Adrienne Breaux & Joel

2010 Champions: Brenda Shelton & Patrick Schaad


SIGNATURE FUNDRAISING EVENTThe Platinum and Pearls Gala, an

evening of sophisticated dance moves,beautiful gowns, smart tuxedos, andtoe-tapping music, is the signaturefundraiser of The 2000 HealthFoundation. It’s a wonderful, unfor-gettable event comprised of dinner,dancing, a live auction and donationsfor the ongoing funding of diabetesawareness and community education.

According to Stephanie Morris,executive director of the Foundationand 2011 Gala chairperson, theFoundation also provides hospicecompanion care grants; is a partner ineducation for the Sacred Heart SaintKatherine Drexel Catholic School;and, provides nursing scholarshipassistance to help address the areanursing shortage.

Morris said it’s important to focuson the fact that the funds donatedallow the Foundation to sponsorhealth care seminars throughout theyear, promote wellness, put a spot-

light on self-management of diabetesand other associated diseases andoffer diabetic supplies and equipmentfor the underserved and at-riskgroups in our population.

The Foundation also provides 10graduating high school seniors withnursing scholarships to any four-yearcollege or university. The educationalassistance is provided through aPartner in Education program thatenhances the success of the studentsattending Sacred Heart St. KatharineDrexel Catholic School.

WHY WHAT THEY DO IS NEEDED Nearly 26 million children and

adults in the U.S. are living with dia-betes, according to the AmericanDiabetes Association. Diabetes is con-sidered a silent epidemic in this coun-try since many people who have itdon’t even know it. Undiagnosed, thisdeadly disease can lead to devastatingcomplications including blindness,amputation, heart attack, and stroke.

Backing up those statistics is thelast Louisiana Health Report Cardissued by the Louisiana Departmentof Health and Hospitals, whichreports that Louisiana has the secondhighest death rate due to diabetes andterminal illnesses of all U.S. states.Louisiana also ranked low when itcompares to elementary education,and it shares the nation’s nursingshortage.

In a large part because of thosefindings, the 2000 Health Foundationimplemented various interventionswith the primary goal of providingassistance and meeting those needs.

THE DANCERS The featured dancers – community

leaders and dignitaries – spend any-where from 10 to 16 weeks in train-ing, rehearsing for the “Dancing withthe Stars” competition. Professionaldance instructors Jay and Maria Cottowork with them to hone their dancemoves, spending plenty of time per-

sonally with each couple in prepara-tion for their public performances.

This year, five local celebrity cou-ples have their dance shoes ready andtheir routines polished as they prepareto vie for the title of 2011 “Dancingwith the Stars” Champion. They willshow off their skills and personalitieswhile performing various dance stylesthat include the swing, cha cha,merengue, and salsa. Dancers will bejudged by a panel of judges and oneoutstanding couple will be named thechampion. The couples vying for thattitle include: Patricia and JakePhilmon; Lisa and Dennis Verrette;Marty Briggs and Paula Doucett;Vanessa and Clifton Lewis; andAndrea Coleman and Joel Rosario.

First-time performer VanessaLewis said performing was a big drawfor her and her husband because ofthe work that the 2000 HealthFoundation is known for, but saidthey are excited about the dancing aswell. She works in the admitting

Dr. Alan &Bridget Hinton

Alex & Carrie Chaumont

Stephanie Morris, Lisa Walker, Million-Air Sponsor Mistress of Ceremonies -Marizabel Martin

Master of Ceremonies -Dr. Todd Martin


department at Christus St. PatrickHospital and her husband is an oper-ator at Firestone Polymers. “We’redoing the cha cha, and as we’ve beenpracticing, I have learned what aworkout these dances are and that’sgreat,” she said. “I’m a little nervousabout our performance but excited,too. It should be quite an experienceand something that we’ll alwaysremember.”

Marty Briggs, who has plenty ofexperience in front of people throughhis previous jobs of sports directorand news anchor for KPLC-TV, par-ticipation in community events, andas a successful realtor for Century 21,said none of those things preparedhim for what it would be like todance in front of a large audience.

“People might be surprised bythis, but I was petrified,” Briggsrecalled of his first stint with the local“Dancing with the Stars” competitiona few years ago. “But I got through itall right, even though those three orfour minutes on the dance floor feltlike an eternity.” He’s excited about hisreturn to the competition because hegets to dance with his girlfriend,Paula Doucett, this year. “We’re goingto do the salsa and it’s just a bonus tobe able to dance with my girlfriend.It’s a great event, a wonderfulevening, and I’m happy to support it.”

Doucett, a Lady of L’Auberge atthe L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort,concurs, saying, “I might even impro-vise a little bit when I’m out there onthe dance floor and really get into it.Sometimes that happens when you’redoing the salsa. I’ve attended thePlatinum and Pearls Gala before andit’s such an enjoyable evening and areally great cause. I’m very excitedthat we are performing this year, andI think it’s going to be wonderful. I’mhappy to be a part of it.”

Another couple, Patricia Philmon,a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch,and her husband Jake Philmon, salesmanager at Wilkerson Waste andTransportation, are new to the“Dancing with the Stars” competition.

“We’re doing a Latin combinationfor our dance and we will be incorpo-rating the merengue, salsa, and thecha cha,” said Patricia. “I had kneesurgery and my husband had a heartattack last year, and I thought thatparticipating in this would be some-thing positive and fun for us to beinvolved with.”

She had another reason for want-ing to be involved and said it’s themain reason the couple chose to par-ticipate. “Diabetes runs in my familyso this is a very important cause forus,” she said. “My mother has diabetesand I told her recently to reserve theCraig & Jackie Guillory Laura Leach & Mr. Bob Pastor


date and have an evening gown readybecause we want her there for theperformance. I know that she will becheering us on.”

Although this year’s dancers havethe spotlight on them, The Platinumand Pearls Gala featuring “Dancingwith the Stars” has a wonderful castof past winners. In the inaugural yearof 2006, the first champions were Scotand Bea Hebert. In 2007, Julio andElisabeth Galan won, with Dr. Alanand Bridget Hinton dancing away aswinners in 2008. Laura Leach and herdance partner Bob Pastor took thehonors in 2009. And in 2010, PatrickSchaad and Brenda Shelton wowedthe judges with their dance moves totake first place.

CHAMPIONS OF THE DANCEFour returning celebrity couples

are vying to become Champion of theDance. A panel of judges will selectthe winner of this competition, whichfeatures dancers who have participat-ed in the event over the past fiveyears. They include Lauren and Philde Albuquerque; Dr. Adrienne Breauxand Lamar Mayo; Roger Porter andMelinda Lemke; and JudithWashington and Edgar Rodriguez.Instructors Steve LeBlanc and DebbieWeeks are helping them hone theirdance moves.

Phil and Lauren de Albuquerque,publishers of The Jambalaya News,participated in Dancing With theStars in 2009, doing the bachata. Lastyear, Phil competed in the Championof the Dance tango contest with FirstFederal Bank’s Leslie Harless as hispartner.

“I love to dance and I love to per-form in front of people,” Phil said.“This is the perfect opportunity to dosomething enjoyable while givingback to the community.”

HONOREES The 2000 Health Foundation will

honor Clarice Raichel and Etta Pete atthe Platinum and Pearls Gala as the2011 “Making a Difference” commu-nity service award winners.

Raichel is the executive director ofNAMI SWLA. Since the inception ofNAMI (National Alliance on MentalIllness), the Southwest Louisianamembership has grown from 16 paidfamily members to more than 200and includes a local mailing list of2,800 families. Raichel has been hon-ored often for her work with NAMI.

Pete is the executive director ofthe Southwest Louisiana Sickle CellAnemia Foundation. In conjunctionwith the national Sickle Cell AnemiaAssociation, the Foundation has pro-vided effective leadership in position-Melinda Lemke & Roger Porter Lisa & Jonald Walker


Administrator Randy Stelly and Admissions Coordinator Renea Dowies workhard to make the move to Landmark of Lake Charles a positive one for new

residents. They know that smooth transitions start with an admissions processin which caring, knowledgeable staff take the time to answer questions, learn

all they can about the resident, and make them feel at home right away.

ing sickle cell disease and its relatedproblems as a major public healthcare concern and, indeed a universalproblem.

EXCLUSIVE AUCTION Gala guests will also be able to

participate in an exclusive silent auc-tion, according to Morris. “It’s goingto be exciting and something trulywonderful. We’re keeping some of theactual details of the auction underwraps right now, but there will besome interesting items.” The silentauction will follow cocktail hour atthe Platinum and Pearls Gala.

ADDITIONAL FESTIVITIESA pre-gala party and cocktail

hour begins at 5 p.m. on the eveningof the Gala. Attendees will get theopportunity to socialize, mingle withcelebrity dancers, and listen to livemusic provided by Gervis Guidry andvocalist Jacqueline Ellis.

The official festivities of theevening will start at 6 p.m. Black tie isrequested; suit and cocktail attireoptional. The evening will continuewith a live auction, the elegant din-ner presentation by L’Auberge du Lac’saward-winning and ultra-deliciouscatering and then, the amazing danceshow. The evening doesn’t end afterthe competition; stick around todance the night away with GervisGuidry.

Even though the dance competi-tion will be officially judged by theFoundation’s panel of experts, guestsare encouraged to participate in the“You Be The Judge” contest by select-ing their favorite dance couplethrough designated voting donations.

“I think this is a really fun part ofthe evening for the audience,” saidMorris. “Members will have the

opportunity to vote for their favoritecouples by making a donation to The2000 Health Foundation. The coupleraising the most money gets braggingrights as the People’s Choice Winner.”

Past recipients of the People’sChoice Award have included: Dr.Donald Parker and Karen Parker,2006; Kevin and Kayla Guidry, 2007;Roger Porter and Melinda Lemke,2008; Laura Leach and Bob Pastor,2009; and Patrick Schaad and BrendaShelton, 2010.

Also, you won’t want to miss out onthe Foundation’s door prizes and a spe-cial gift drawing. All ticket holders willhave a chance to win the prize of tworound-trip airfare tickets to Las Vegas!

If you haven’t yet reserved yourseat for the Platinum and Pearls Gala,don’t wait another minute! It’s time toenjoy a fabulous evening of star-stud-ded excitement, mouthwatering cui-sine, and dancers shimmying acrossthe stage in elegant attire – all for agood cause.

The event will be held on Sun.,Nov. 6, in the Grand Ball Room of theL’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort,located at 777 Avenue L’Auberge, LakeCharles, LA 70601. Tickets are $100each. For information on table spon-sorships, call (337) 562-1140. Fordirections, contact L’Auberge at (337)395-7777 or (866) 580-7444.

Lisa Addison has been a writerfor more than 30 years. She writesfor local, regional and national pub-lications.

TJN

Monica & Rolland Soileau


Sports Report

By Brandon Shoumaker

Sponsored by

My lovely wife has some relativeswho live in College Station, Texasand they are huge Texas A&M fans.

They were all convinced theAggies were going to destroy LSUin last year’s Cotton Bowl, so, atChristmas, my wife’s Louisiana fam-ily and I made a little bet with theTexas kinfolks. If LSU won, the

College Station family would haveto wear LSU gear next Christmas. IfA&M won, we would be in maroonnext December.

Of course, LSU dominated andnow I’ve got the task of findingsome LSU wrapping paper in orderto wrap up their purple and goldChristmas presents this year.

Anyway, before I really get start-ed here, I just want to throw out afew more playful jabs at the CollegeStation family with some Aggiejokes.

Did you hear about the Aggiewho broke his leg raking leaves?

He fell out of the tree.Or…did you hear about the

Aggie who was two hours late forclass?

The escalator was stuck.Those are funny, but have you

heard this one?Did you hear about the Aggies

joining the Southeastern Conference?It’s no joke.Texas A&M officially joined the

SEC on Sept. 26, marking the con-ference’s first expansion projectsince 1991 when Arkansas and

South Carolina entered the league.I know what some of you are

thinking: Why does the SEC needthose Aggies? It takes ten of them tochange a light bulb, one to hold it inand nine to turn the ladder.

And I hear you. The SEC, as thedominant college sports conferencein the land, does not really need toadd another member. But done isdone, and this is a great move fornot only the SEC but also TexasA&M as well.

This move makes absolute sensefrom a strictly geographical stand-point, especially when weighingA&M’s move with some otherrecent realignment shenanigans. Sports Report

No Joke


Ruston is a tough place to play inOctober.

Finally, the move to the SECmakes the most sense from a finan-cial viewpoint. With A&M’s self-proclaimed big brother down inAustin making waves with itsLonghorn Network and partnershipwith ESPN (who are completelyunbiased, I’m sure), the Aggieslooked like they might get sweptaway in both the money andrecruiting races. Now, moving thefinancial juggernaut that is the SEC,

A&M will get a portion of a billion-dollar business and more nationalexposure than an Aggie can shake astick at. Meanwhile, for the timebeing, the Longhorn Network willbe stuck showing games like Texas-Baylor next season.

So, have all the fun you want atTexas A&M’s expense. Pretty soon,the Aggies will be laughing them-selves all the way to the bank.Which I’ve heard they think is atthe edge of the river.

BrandonShoumaker isa graduate ofMcNeese StateUniversity andhas coveredsports for morethan sevenyears for vari-ous publica-tions. Coachesor parents withstory tips may contact Brandon [email protected] or send him amessage on Twitter (@bshoumaker).

College Station, located betweenHouston and Austin, is not so farwest as to seem too culturally dif-ferent than the Southeast states,especially with its relatively largepopulation of Southeastern alumni.

On the other hand, the AtlanticCoast Conference just picked up theUniversity of Pittsburgh, which isabout as close to the Atlantic Coastas that famous beachfront getaway,Phoenix, is to the Pacific. Maybethey should call it the AtlanticCoast Adjacent Conference.

A&M to the SEC also makessense from a “new-kid-in-school”perspective. The Aggies enter theleague with at least two establishedrivalries, meaning that, on thewhole, Texas A&M will integrateitself well into the SEC.

Probably the foremost rivalry forthe Aggies will be between them-selves and those Tigers from theLouisiana State Agricultural andMechanical University. Not count-ing last year’s meeting in the CottonBowl, the two teams haven’t facedeach other on the football fieldsince the 1995 season-opener (a 33-17 A&M victory). But the twoteams played each other every yearbetween 1960-75 and, more recent-ly, each year from 1986-95.

In addition to LSU, the Aggieswill also be renewing an old Big 8Conference football rivalry with theArkansas Razorbacks. Texas A&Mand Arkansas played annually from1945-91, when the Razorbacksthemselves jumped to the SEC, butdid not play again until their 2009non-conference game.

Along the same lines, A&M’smove to the SEC makes sense froma purely competitive point of view.While the Aggies faced some stifffootball competition from arch-nemesis Texas, Oklahoma,Nebraska and, occasionallyOklahoma State, in its years withthe Big 12, Texas A&M still had toslog through conference games withtruly underwhelming opponentslike Iowa State, Kansas, and Baylor.

The Aggies, however, may missthe chance to play Baylor, which,under the infinite wisdom of formerGrand Inquisitor Kenneth Starr,held the threat of a potential lawsuitover A&M’s head to try and preventit from leaving the Waco universityin its dust. As the billboard in Wacosaid, “Thou shalt not covet thyneighbor’s conference deal.”

And good luck in the WesternAthletic Conference, Baylor. I hear Sports Report

TJN

Brandon Shoumaker


If you have not yet discovered thework of Aravind Adiga, I wholeheart-edly recommend that you do.

Adiga won the Man Booker Prizein 2008 for The White Tiger. Hisnewest book is Last Man in Tower,and I believe it will become a classic.It’s Shakespearean. It’s biblical. It’sdownright Dickensian.

Adiga sets his saga in a six-floorresidential cooperative known asVishram Society, Tower A, whichstands in a slum area of Mumbai,India. Residents of the tower get

along just fine, in spite of such incon-veniences as having water only a fewhours each day.

One day, a real estate developerhas an inspiring idea: He wants to teardown the old tower and build a luxuryhigh-rise. So he offers the residents ofTower A the equivalent of $330,000each — an absolute fortune — tomove out in about five months. Butthey all must agree or no one gets anymoney. Some residents are eager to go;some simply could use the money; afew want to stay in their home.

By Mary Louise Ruehr

A retired schoolteacher knownas Masterji doesn’t really carewhether he moves out or stays put,but a couple in the building whohave been good to him since hiswife died want to keep their home,so he decides to stay, too.Eventually, everyone else — eventhe friendly couple — has decidedto move, but by then it has becomea matter of principle with Masterji,and he stubbornly refuses to go.

Gradually, as tension buildsamong the neighbors, we see differ-ent sides of human nature — com-passion, suspicion, betrayal, whateven family members are willing todo for money —and we begin tofear for the safety of Masterji, thelast man in the tower.

The book is just extraordinary. Itoffers the suspense of a thriller, thedrama of “Macbeth,” irony — realirony — and even humor. It’s aboutclass, community and the individual.As in his wonderful The White Tiger(the story of a self-made man whojust can’t seem to get a break), hetakes swipes at all levels of society.

There’s an ugliness in the city —the teeming mass of people, the dirtand pollution, the “six rats for everyhuman” — but there’s also beauty —“Mary … was beginning to water theplants in the garden. Picking up thegreen pipe that lay in coils in the gar-den all the day long like a hibernat-ing snake, she fitted it to a tap nearthe compound wall; sluicing thewater flow with a pressed thumb, shebegan slapping the hibiscus plantsawake. One-two-three-four-five,holding the pipe in her right hand,Mary counted off the seconds of irri-gation for each plant on the joints ofher left hand, like a meditatingBrahmin. Small rainbows sprang tolife within the arch of the sluicedwater, disappeared when the water

moved away, then reappeared on thedripping spider’s webs that inter-linked the branches.” Aaahh. Itbrought tears to the eyes of thisword-lover.

His words of wisdom can bedownright poetic: “An old woman’snight is so small: a young woman’snight is the whole sky.” Last Man inTower is simply a masterpiece. Adigais the Charles Dickens of our time.His work is of high literary quality,yet it is accessible. He gets down inthe gutter with the lowliest of the lowwhile shining a light on the moralityof all levels of society. The rich arenot nice and clean and spotless, butthey are also not necessarily demons.And the poor aren’t saints, either. Itis a discourse on human nature and amoving social commentary aboutpower, progress and poverty. Heshows how governments really neverseem to notice the poor, the lifebloodof society.

Do you want literary depth? Doyou want plain-speaking? Do youwant beautiful writing? It’s all here.I think people will be talking aboutthis book for a long, long time.

Aravind Adiga DeliversAnother Stunning Novel


Election October 22Early Voting Oct. 8-15LOCATIONS FOR EARLY VOTING

LC – Registrar of Voters Office1000 Ryan St., Room 7

Sulphur – Old Sulphur City Hall500 N Huntington St.,City Council Mtg Rm

Phone: 337-474-1864Email: [email protected]

Website: www.lwv-lc.org

Adiga’s previous book, Betweenthe Assassinations, was promoted asa short story collection, but I don’tsee it that way. For me, it’s a collec-tion of character portraits, a scrap-book of images set in the city ofKittur, on the Indian shores of theArabian Sea. And the city — in fact,India itself — is a character, withwhom Adiga seems to have alove/hate relationship; it’s a cruelmistress but it has beauty hiddenwithin.

These are, for the most part,images of working people, presentedin sometimes disturbingly unpleasantdetail, with moments that are simplyheart-breaking: a factory workermust pay bribes to so many people itmakes his head spin, the rich-boy sonof a plastic surgeon sets off a bomb inclass for attention, a journalist goesmad searching for the truth, a younggirl spends her whole day begging inthe streets for money to buy drugsfor her father so that he’ll love her, anold woman whose parents could notafford to buy her a husband spendsher life bringing up other people’schildren, a man is offered a better jobat a factory by the big boss who pre-tends the next day that it never hap-pened, and several more.

Again, Adiga’s themes are clear:caste conflict, class differences; fair-skinned, dark-skinned; Hindu,Muslim; the meanness of the streetstempered with the warmth of thehuman spirit. Add to these corrup-tion, black marketing, and the greedof both the rich and the poor.

It’s so powerful. At one point, ajournalist tells some delivery menthat their hard work is slowly killingthem and asks why they don’t do

something else. One responds:“Don’t patronize us…! Those whoare born poor in this country arefated to die poor. There is no hopefor us, and no need of pity. Certainlynot from you, who have never lifteda hand to help us; I spit on you. I spiton your newspaper. Nothing everchanges. Nothing will ever change.Look at me. I am twenty-nine yearsold. I am already bent and twistedlike this. If I live to forty, what is myfate? To be a twisted black rod of aman. You think I don’t know this?You think I need your notepad andyour English to tell me this? Youkeep us like this, you people fromthe cities. It is in your interest totreat us like cattle!”

I am not kidding when I say this:I believe one day Adiga could beawarded the Nobel Prize. Like thebest Nobel authors, he is able to setus down on the floor of a room inanother country and make us under-stand the desperation, feel theanguish, in a character’s altogetherhopeless situation.

He is that good.

Copyright © 2011 by MaryLouise Ruehr TJN


F LYNBU AO ADANCE DANCE DANCE! - WORD SEARCH

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

. .

.

The Dot GamePlayers take turns connecting two dots. When you make a square, put your initials in the

box and take another turn. When all dots are connected, the player with the most boxes wins.

T Z P L T B T L O T A F A L H

A L N A G C A T A I Z L A B H

N E O N C H R L U T E P E P I

G N I C N A D Y L L E B L P O

O W T Z A C L A L R W L E W R

S Y I M P H W E F P O P L F F

P E T E C A C O A E E O G A L

A L E O T A R D A N N H M O B

C A P S E M U T S O C P O A T

P T M Z A B E S N R I I A L A

N I O N A L L S E E N H P W N

W C C E G T S N R D R D O A O

L E S T N R A A A O C R G E R

R R P A E G W M H B R E N T I

N L N D E E W A L T L I R M A

Ballet

Ballroom

Belly Dancing

Cha Cha

Competition

Costume

Hip Hop

Leotard

Partner

Performance

Recital

Salsa

Swing

Tango

Waltz

Brought to you by Melanie Perry, Agent108A Executive Drive, Moss Bluff, LA 70611BUS: 337-855-7768 www.melanieperry.net

State Farm, Bloomington, IL


Dolphin Tale (Warner Bros. 2011)

I was never much a fan of Flipperor even the water shows at aquariumsand such. Toss it up to my Louisianaupbringing. I’d rather see dolphinsdown at the Intercoastal Waterway.But this movie is very different.

Dolphin Tale is a true story, notjust “inspired by.” A real dolphin getsto try out an artificial tail. The movieis a dramatization, but really hap-pened. Caveat: I usually skip these

kinds of true story fishmovies (see above). But in this

case, we have a production that mightbe one of the better family moviesyou’ll see this year.

Sawyer Nelson is a Florida boywho loses his favorite older cousin tothe military, which ruins his summer.Well, to be honest, having to attendsummer school doesn’t help. Early onin the film, he’s on the beach in hishometown of Clearwater and comesacross a beached dolphin wrapped upin the windings of a crab trap. As hecuts it loose, a rescue team fromClearwater Marine Aquarium (sort ofa Baywatch Humane Society) shows

By Dan Ellender

Director of the Children's Museum

up, transferring the dolphin into avan and leaving Sawyer feeling evenmore isolated on the beach.

Later, he visits the ClearwaterAquarium and bumps into Hazel, agirl about his age (13 or so.) Hazel’sfather, Dr. Clay Haskett, is the aquari-um’s veterinarian. The dolphin hashad her tail removed because ofinfection. They’re having trouble get-ting her to respond, but it perks upwhen Sawyer comes around. Onimpulse, the Doc invites Sawyer tocome back and visit.

I didn’t really get into this movieuntil Sawyer walked into theClearwater Marine Aquarium afterhours. This old, run-down touristattraction wannabee is truly mysteri-ous and wonderful. There’s even a res-ident pelican that terrorizes everyonewho visits, including Sawyer’s mom.

Eventually a prosthetics doctor(Morgan Freeman) comes along andattempts to make an artificial tail forthe dolphin, who is by this timenamed Winter. The fish can’t standthe device and tears it apart. Withouta proper tail, she’s in danger of givingherself a spinal cord injury. Just as anaside, the aquarium is in danger ofgoing bankrupt. Then a hurricanecomes along.

As family movies go, Dolphin Taleis very good. It manages to hit home

with kids while being serious andentertaining for adults. The movieavoids the latest tendency of chil-dren’s films to be mindless mediafests of special effects and “what the?”jokes. In the matinee I saw, filled withchildren, there was quiet during mostof the movie. Every kid in the placeseemed mesmerized by a film thatdidn’t insult their intelligence.

Dolphin Tale carries a crew of vet-eran actors, including Ashley Judd,Kris Kristofferson, Harry Connick, Jr.and Morgan Freeman. The kids areequally engaging, and I vote CoziZuehlsdorff (who plays Hazel) as thenext Pippi Longstocking.

I’ve left a whole lot out of thisreview; mostly plot windings youneed to see for yourself. They makeDolphin Tale thought-provoking andrather true to life. At the end we getto see some real-time clips of Winter’sstory taken by the aquarium staffduring and after her actual rescue.They really make an impact.

With its Gulf Coast locale, this is amovie that folks in our area shouldn’tmiss. I saw the 3D version, (excellent3D, BTW) but I don’t think the moviereally needed it. The hurricanefootage will stir you, coming as itdoes around Rita’s Anniversary. RatedPG for some dolphin blood and peli-can-induced peril. TJN


Gabriel Brown and Lacy Artis

Rusty Fontenot and Wayne Thellen

Katelyn Thompson and Misty Lesueur

Chris and Kim Arabie Corina Joshlin and Mike McKenzie

Tamesha and Robert Unterburger Sarah and Tonya French with Jay Shelton

Whitney Adams, Lisa Bowles and Cristin Eubanks

ART ON WHEELSCrowds came out to the Lake Charles Civic Center for the

Ultimate Bike, Auto and Art Show. As if the amazing showcaseof cars, trucks and motorcycles wasn’t enough, there were ven-

dors, children’s activities, food, live music and more. Folksenjoyed Geno Delafose and got Saints’ Mike McKenzie’s auto-

graph. Lafitte’s Ladies, the Waters Edge Bikers and MommyAngels for Autism showed their support for this fundraiserbenefiting Special Olympics, Buddy Ball, Arts of SWLA and

more! Looking forward to next year’s event!

MSU BAYOU PLAYERSPRESENT PYGMALION

Opening night for Pygmalionproved to be a big success! Crowdsof Bayou Players enthusiasts gath-

ered in the Shearman Fine ArtsTheatre for the opening perform-

ance of George Bernard Shaw’smost famous play—which eventual-ly became the musical My Fair Lady.

The cast and crew outdid them-selves with their version of this

unforgettable production. Bravo!

Jeremy Falke with Garit Morrison


Jo Lynne Southerland and Barbara Shamsie

Jenee Cassidey and Vito deLeon William Lormand and Jessa Theriot

Teresa Tarver, Bridget Veillon and Renee Tilley Pat Landry, Janis Tolbert and Deirdra Willis

Son Mai and Jessica Hutchings Elton and Pat Louviere

Kevin Delaney and Ella Theriot

Sarah Hogan and Sarah Williams

Susan Bowling, Carol LeBeau and Cheryl LeBlanc

Marla Hires and Patsy Prince

GALLERY PROMENADEYou couldn’t have asked for a nicer fall

evening to stroll downtown LakeCharles for the Arts and HumanitiesCouncil of SWLA annual gallery and

museum showcase. Downtown, over 15local venues opened their doors to

showcase a masterful variety of artworkby local and regional artists! Residentsand visitors were in for a real treat with

delicious food samplings, free trolleyrides provided by the City of Lake

Charles and tax-free purchases. Let’shear it for the arts!


• Large Selection of UniqueHome and Gift Items

• Gifts for the LSU fan• Beautiful Fresh Floral Designs

1301 E. Napoleon St., Sulphur, LAOpen Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Call Today, We Deliver!!!

(337) 528.6837

Jacqueline Bergeron and Autumn Prestenback

Alexa Yanez and Gunnar Busch Ashaanti Alfred, Jessica Ceasar and Tyler Scott

Kelli, Blake and baby Jaxson Thibodeaux

Mikalyn Brown and Beth Ogea

MSU COWBOYS GAME DAYIt’s that time of the year again! Break out thecowbells to ring in those Cowboys! Crowds

of true Blue and Gold die-hard MSU footballfans gathered for some tailgating celebrat-ing fun prior to the start of them Cowboys

running over those Southeastern Devils.From campers to tents to barbeque pits,

these folks were fired up and ready! Streetperformances from the MSU Marching

band, Cowgirl Kickers, cheerleaders andmascot Rowdy only increased the excite-

ment as game time approached. The smellof victory was definitely in the air. Sure thing

Cowboys--way to get ‘er done! TJN


MOVIES UNDER THE STARS FALL SERIESThis fall, friends and families of all ages will be

treated to another great line-up of current and timelessfeature films.

• Oct. 7 – Tangled – Disney’s 50th animated feature filmdoesn’t disappoint with a story of action, romance, and a lot

of hair! • Oct. 14 – Secretariat – During the Spring Series, the odds

were against us showing this inspiring true story about the great-est race horse of all time. This fall, we’ve brought the movie back

and think our luck has changed. • Oct. 21 – The Music Man – River City will never be the same

when a con man strolls into town convincing its people that they needa community band. This time-honored, Oscar winning musical will becelebrating its 50th Anniversary next year!

• Oct. 28 – The Muppet Movie – With a brand new Muppet film com-ing to theatres this November, we’re bringing back the original.

There will be new, exciting pre-show activities at each event begin-ning at 6 p.m. with each film starting at dusk. Prien Lake Park is locatedat 3700 West Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles and admission is free tothe public. Residents are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs,blankets and food. Snacks can also be purchased on-site. For more infor-mation please call 721-3500.

SHANGRI LA SATURDAY ADVENTURE SERIESShangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center announces upcom-

ing programs for the Saturday Adventure Series this fall. The programsbegin at 9:30 a.m. and last about an hour. Participants will meet at

the admissions window at the scheduled event time. All programsoffered in the series are free of charge, but an RSVP is required as

space is limited. Call (409) 670-9799 to reserve a spot today.• Oct. 8 – Orchids, Culture & Customs – For centuries,

orchids have been adored and used by different culturesaround the world. Take part in this program, which explores

the roles that orchids have played in many societies. • Oct. 22 – Vegetable Canning 101 – During thishands-on adult program, learn the methodology of

water bath canning. Visitors will also learn aboutcold packing, hot packing, pickling and raw packing.

• Oct. 29 – Atakapas, Pirates & Trappers – Come discoverthe hidden history of Adams Bayou during this adults-only pro-

gram. Get a firsthand look at how this waterway has changedthrough time and those in attendance will learn tales of the interest-

ing people who used the bayou in the past. • Nov. 5 – Harvesting Rain Water – Learn how water barrels provide

a free source of chemical-free water that is ideal for watering gardensand lawns. During this hands-on adult session, make and take home arain barrel. A materials fee of $25 will be required to reserve a spot.

Located at 2111 West Park Avenue in Orange, Texas, Shangri La isopen to the public Tues. – Sat., 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Sun., noon-5 p.m. Formore information, visit shangrilagardens.org.

STEP UP FOR DOWN SYNDROME OCT. 8Southwest Louisiana is home to many Angels with Down Syndrome

who need your continued support. For the past eight years,UP4DOWNS, a local non-profit support group, has gathered for a fun-filled day of community spirit, education, food, games and a walk toremember. This year’s Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk is set for Sat.,Oct. 8 at the Sports Complex on the McNeese campus off CommonStreet. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The walk is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.with face painting, Moon jumps, great food, dancing and kids games tofollow from 10 a.m. to noon. To register, join a team or form your ownteam, contact Debbi Seaux at 582-6138 or 309-7530, or go to www/first-giving.com/up4downswla.

BENEFIT AND RIDE FOR JERRY GUIDRY OCT. 8Ride starts at Dago Custom Cycles at 1201 N. Lakeshore Dr. in Lake

Charles. Sign up is at 9 a.m., kickstands up at 10 a.m. Fee is $25 per rider;$15 per passenger. Includes T-shirt and dinner. Ride ends at the KilowattClub by noon. Come out and enjoy homemade jambalaya, kids’ activi-ties, live music and a live and silent auction. For more details, call 764-9589 or 526-4397.

HOLY TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH PUMPKIN PATCH OPENS OCT. 9The church grounds of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church will once again

be covered with big orange pumpkins grown in and around the NavajoIndian Reservation in New Mexico. The Pumpkin Patch will be open untilOct. 31 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, and noon - 6 p.m.Sundays. School classes, daycare facilities and grandparents can bringchildren to Pumpkin Patch Storytime. There are two classes on ten dif-ferent days, so please call the church office (625-4288) to schedule avisit. Picnics can be held in the Pavilion if arrangements are madebeforehand. The proceeds from the sale of pumpkins, gourds, andpumpkin bread fund Holy Trinity’s outreach projects. The church is locat-


ed at 1700 Maplewood Drive in Sulphur. Formore information, please contact Cyndi Khoury at 527-

8787 ([email protected]) or the church office at 625-4288.

FRENCH WINE EXPERIENCE OCT. 11Thomas Jefferson was the first American oenophile to explore the

Bordeaux region of France and bring back enough wine to stock whatwas almost certainly America’s first great wine cellar. This history will becombined with a tasting of Bordeaux wines at the French WineExperience from 5-6 p.m. Tues., Oct. 11, in the Contraband Room of theLake Charles Civic Center. Presented by the Rouge et Blanc Wine andFood Event and the Grand Reveil Acadien, five Bordeaux wines will bepaired with hors d’oeuvres from La Truffe Sauvage to perfectly comple-ment the nuances of the French wines. Tickets are $25 per person and canbe purchased at www.rougeetblanc.us or by calling the Banners CulturalSeries at McNeese State University at (337) 475-5123. Proceeds supportthe Banners Cultural Series.

MSU WIND SYMPHONY OCT. 13The McNeese Wind Symphony will present “An American Salute” con-

cert at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 13 in the Shearman Fine Arts Theatre at McNeeseState University. The free concert, under the direction of Dr. Jay N. Jacobs,will feature an evening of contemporary and traditional music celebratingthe United States of America. Works include: “Fanfare for the CommonMan” by Aaron Copland; “Variations on America” by Charles Ives;“American Salute” by Morton Gould; “A Hymn for the Lost and the Living”(In Memoriam, Sept. 11, 2001); and various Sousa marches.

MASTERWORKS CHORALE OCT. 14The Louisiana Choral Foundation’s Masterworks Chorale will present

its fall concertFalling in Love WithLove on Fri., Oct. 14 at 7:30p.m., and again on Sun., Oct. 16, at 3p.m. in the sanctuary of First MethodistChurch at the corner of Kirkman and Broadstreet. The Chorale will feature music of com-posers Benjamin Britten, Andrew Carter, Paul Basler,and arrangements by Norman Luboff and StephanBarnicle. The Chorale is under the direction of artisticdirector Darryl Jones and will be accompanied by assistantartistic director Abbie Fletcher. Tickets are $15 for adults and$5 for students and may be purchased in advance from anyChorale member, Swicegood Music Store, or by calling (337) 491-9348. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

2011 MAYOR’S ARTS AWARDS OCT. 14The Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, in conjunc-

tion with the City of Lake Charles and Mayor Randy Roach, cordiallyinvites the public to the 2011 Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony scheduledfor Fri., Oct. 14 beginning at 6 p.m. Please join the Mayor and the awardrecipients in the Theatre on the 2nd Floor of Central School Arts &Humanities Center, located at 809 Kirby Street, Lake Charles. Musicalentertainment will be provided by local luminary Chester Daigle.Following the presentation ceremony, a reception will be held in the 2ndFloor Alcove. An art opening for the 5th annual Lydia and Joe Cash ArtAssociates Juried Exhibition will occur simultaneously in CentralSchool Arts & Humanities Center. For more information, please con-tact Arts Council director Matt Young at (337) 439-ARTS, or visitwww.artsandhumanitiesswla.org.


‘RIDE FOR THE KIDS’ OCT. 15On Sat., Oct. 15, the Blue Knights LA

V Motorcycle Club will host the inaugural“Ride For The Kids” to benefit the DeRidder office ofBig Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana. The ridewill start at the BBBS office, 117 Port St., DeRidder, locatedbehind Presley’s BBQ. Late registration and registered partici-pants check-in begins at 9:30 a.m. with the ride starting at 11a.m. Enjoy an 80-100 mile ride through the scenic roads of Louisianatoward Toledo Bend. Late registration will be $40 per motorcycle, post-marked on or after Oct. 2. The event will also have a silent auction; 50/50split the pot; and other festivities. A PDF registration form is available atwww.cityofderidder.org under Community Spotlight 2011 BBBS RideFor The Kids. For more information on the ride or to donate doorprizes/silent auction items, email [email protected], call (337) 460-KIDS (5437) or (337) 202-8010.

RAGLEY HERITAGE AND TIMBER FESTIVAL OCT. 15The 13th Annual Ragley Heritage and Timber Festival will be held Sat.,

Oct. 15 at the Historical Square Pavilion in Ragley. The festival will kick offwith a parade at 9 a.m. at the Ragley First United Pentecostal Church.Activities will begin at 10:15 a.m. There will be bands/music, deliciousfood and sweets, quilters, spinning, corn grinding, wood making, jewelrymaking, and antique cars and tractors on display. The children will enjoytrain rides, puppets, magician shows, balloon animals, and more. A Lil’Red Wagon contest will be held with the theme “Fall into our Heritage.”Children, ages 0 – 10 years can enter their wagon in a parade beginningat 12:45 p.m. If interested in entering the contest, call 540-3792. Gate feeis $5 per carload. For more information, call 725-3324.

BEYOND THE MYTH OCT. 15Lake Charles Pit Bull Rescue will host the Louisiana premiere of the

documentary film Beyond the Myth on Sat., Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at theCentral School Theatre in Lake Charles. The film—which has been screen-ing across the U.S. to rave reviews and high praise—aims to educate thepublic about the discrimination unfairly placed on Pit Bull-type dogs, aswell as underscore the ineffectiveness and harmful impact of breed spe-cific laws. The screening of Beyond the Myth marks a continuous effort onbehalf of the Lake Charles Pit Bull Rescue to shine a spotlight on the joysof Pit Bull ownership. General admission tickets are $10 and are availableexclusively online at www.beyondthemyth.com. Lake Charles Pit BullRescue will have a significant presence at the screening and will be sellingpet-specific merchandise that will directly benefit the organization’sefforts to rescue, rehabilitate and find forever homes for dogs. There willalso be a free after party at The Porch, with a silent auction to benefit therescue.

LOUISIANA CROSSROADSACCORDION BLOWOUTOCT. 19

The season premiere ofLouisiana Crossroads will takeplace at 7 p.m. Wed., Oct. 19,when Louisiana Crossroadswelcomes Accordion Blowout:Cajun, Zydeco, Lebanese andConjunto. Four virtuoso per-formers unite in a celebration ofLouisiana’s most distinctive andspirited instrument. KristiGuillory and Bonsoir Catin willdeliver hard-driving Cajun music,while Elias Lammam will share hisunique Arabic sounds and techni-cal mastery. Corey Ledet will hithard with his full-on Zydeco band

Corey Ledet


and, last but not least, EvaYbarra, the first woman to playConjunto music in Texas, will treat us to fierycumbias, polkas and more. Advance tickets are $10on line at www.louisianacrossroads.org or at the Artsand Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana on the sec-ond floor of Central School. Tickets atthe door are $12.

CULTURE FEST OCT. 21-22The first Culture Fest Louisiana

will celebrate the diversity of SWLAwith food, music, fashion, art, andperformances that span across themany cultures and ethnicitiesfound in our region. The festivalwill be held at the Lake CharlesCivic Center and will include avariety of events for all agesand backgrounds, including acultural display area, an inter-national village for children,a world café, and a wideschedule of live entertain-ment. Beginning at 6:30p.m. on Friday, enjoyNative American flutemusic by Peter Villegas,Celtic songs, and theGrammy-nominated Cajunband the Lost Bayou Ramblers. An exten-sive tasting of wines and beers from across theworld will also be presented. Saturday will include anexciting variety of music, dancing, art, and cuisine from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.For more information, got to www.CultureFestLouisiana.com.

TREY KILLIAN MEMORIAL 5K OCT. 22Sat., Oct. 22, is National Make A Difference Day, and it’s also the Trey

Killian Memorial 5k. This run/walk will be held at Sulphur’s HeritagePavilion. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the run/walk starts at 8:00 a.m.Online registration is available at www.active.com (search for Trey Killian5k), or you can find the link on Facebook.com as well. Paper registration isalso available; call Sandee Killian at 853-9442 for more information. Therewill be other events going on that day as well: The Sulphur PoliceDepartment will be hosting a drinking and driving/ texting and drivingawareness program, complete with a drunk goggles golf cart drivingcourse. There will be giveaways and lots of information available, alongwith a bake sale. Trey was killed in an alcohol-related accident in the earlymorning hours of Sept. 26, 2010 when the vehicle he was a passenger inflipped several times, resulting in his death. A scholarship fund in Trey’sname has been opened at MidSouth Bank in Sulphur, and all net pro-ceeds from this event will benefit this fund.

IONIC LODGE #26 MASONIC GOLF CLASSIC NOV. 12Ionic Lodge #26’s Masonic Golf Classic will be held on Nov. 12 at the

National Golf Course of Louisiana, 2801 Louisiana Way in Westlake.Shotgun start begins at 9 a.m.; participants need to be onsite at 8 a.m.Oct. 31 is the last day to register. Two-man scramble is $220 per team.Participants will receive a golf shirt and a Golfers’ gift bag. Prizes will begiven to the four golfers closest to hole, and a prize given for longestdrive of the day. Hole Sponsorship is $100 and includes: Hole sign at tour-nament with company name and logo; full page ad in Masters’ Ball sou-venir book with company name and logo; and a platinum sponsorshipaward to be presented to sponsoring company. For a registration form ormore information, contact Bradley Stevens at (337) 764-8031, ShawnPapillion at (337) 304-2922, or Reggie Moore at (337) 526-1647. TJN


The

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5• Alvin Touchet @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.• DJ Webe @ The Porch, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6• Don Fontenot et Les Cajuns de la Prairie @

DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Warren Storm/Willie Tee & Cypress @ Mikko,

Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.• Tim Norris @ The Porch, 8 p.m.• Marty Monte’s Magazine @ Caribbean Cove,

Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.• David St. Romain @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,

L’Auberge du Lac, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7• Travis Benoit & Allons Dancer @ DI’s Cajun

Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Stellar @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.• Paul Gonsoulin @ Cecil’s Cajun Café, DeRidder,

7:30 p.m.• Gov’t Majik @ Luna Live, 8 p.m.• Crossin’ Dixon @ Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.• BB & Company @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8 p.m.• Dash Rip Rock @ The Porch, 9 p.m.• X-It 43 @ Linda’s Lounge, 9 p.m.

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

• David St. Romain @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8• Briggs Brown & The Bayou Cajuns @ DI’s Cajun

Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Stellar @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.• The Blue Party/Fresh Nectar @ Luna Live, 8 p.m.• David Ball/Troy Cook Jr. @ Texas Longhorn Club,

Vinton, 8 p.m.• Trace Adkins @ The Pavilion, Coushatta Casino,

Kinder, 8 p.m.• BB & Company @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8 p.m.• Cold Sweat @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri

Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.• David St. Romain @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,


WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12• Alvin Touchet @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13• TBA @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• Brad Brinkley & Comfort Zone @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

• Cyrille Neville @ The Porch, 9 p.m.• Jose Mata @ Big Kahuna’s, 9 p.m.• Time Machine @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,


FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14• Jen Kober @ Luna Live, 6:30 p.m.• Mack Manuel & The Lake Charles Ramblers @

DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Choke/Large Marge/Big Frank @ Nate’s Place,

8 p.m.• Jeff Tyson @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton,

8 p.m.• Bayou Katz @ Club 1Sixty5, Coushatta Casino,

Kinder, 8 p.m.• X-It 43 @ Linda’s Lounge, 9 p.m.• Ty Phillips & Southwind @ Caribbean Cove,

Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.• Twangsters Union @ Yesterday’s, 9:30 p.m.• Signature @ Luna Live, 10 p.m.• Rockstar Karaoke @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15• Paul Gonsoulin @ The Porch, 10 a.m.

• TBA@ Ragley Timber & Heritage Festival, Ragley, 10 a.m.

• Al Roger & Louisiana Pride @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• Tawanda Robbins @ Lake Charles Civic Center, 7 p.m.

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


• Soul Rebels Brass Band @ Luna Live, 8 p.m.

• Jeff Tyson @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8 p.m.

• Bayou Katz @ Club 1Sixty5, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 8 p.m.

• Major Handy @ The Porch, 9 p.m.• The Inked-Up 81s @ Cigar Club,

9 p.m.• Charles Mann @ Caribbean Cove,

Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.

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

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19• Louisiana Crossroads @ Central

School, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20• Felton LeJeune & The Cajun

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

• Zydecane @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.

• The Stark Experiment @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.

• Kirk Holder/Chris LeBlanc @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21• Briggs Brown & The Bayou Cajuns

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

• ISIS @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 7 p.m.

• Now or Never/Seven Ways Gone @ Nate’s Place, 8 p.m.

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

• Lucy In Disquise @ Luna Live, 9 p.m.

• Side Street Jazz Band @ Cigar Club, 9 p.m.

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

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

TJN


I was sitting in a Starbucks the other

day, drinking their special blend of burnt

iced coffee (why is that a flavor of choice?),

taking calls and dispensing advice and

catching up with my peeps on bookface,

when I saw an early 1980s-era photo of

R.E.M. and notice of the band’s break up

from my pal Laura Levine, a rock photogra-

pher of great note.

She took early B&W photos of the

Athens, Georgia-based 4-tet that helped

create their American-art school-boys-

invoking-The Beatles image of four louche

yet goofy guys.

Laura, a Soho resident who works out of

a studio in Phoenicia, New York during the

summer (Phoenicia’s one of those towns

that was hard hit by Hurricane Irene, and

yes, send lawyers, guns and money), was

one of the rock crits and photogs crowd we

hung with when I was married to spouse

number one, the louche yet goofy Tom

Carson.Carson is a music, TV, and culture

columnist for the likes of The Village Voice,

Rolling Stone, Esquire and GQ, and is now,

too, a celebrated novelist (Gilligan’s Wake,

Daisy Buchanan’s Daughter), who’s recent-

ly moved with cat(s) and wife number two

(far more successful marriage, clearly) to

NOLA. R.E.M. was one of the passions we

shared during our brief association, having

fallen for their sound on demo cassette

tape. When we befriended them, R.E.M.

were fledgling entertainers, and, let’s be

honest here, a combo that hadn’t really got

much of a clue about how to play their axes,

and had even less nous about how to per-

form in public.

But Tom (and I), traveling the country

to promote his first novel,

Twisted Kicks, with guest DJ slots on alter-

native radio and short readings in punk

clubs, ran smack into R.E.M. at one of our

earliest stops, and because he was the

famous one, they asked if they could jam

behind him (shades of Kerouac and bebop!)

while he read pages from his picaresque

roman a clef.

Which they did, charmingly, sealing the

deal on a mutual admiration society. (We’d

already seen them in less-than-optimum

circumstances in New York—awkwardly

trying to fill the huge stage of The Ritz,

strung out in a straight line along the front

perimeter of the stage, where they could

neither see nor interact with each other, as

opening act to the Gang of Four—and had

cringed for them.)

I personally wore out their first single,

“Radio Free Europe”/”Sitting Still” trying to

decide which song I preferred, in the three-

plus months we were on Twisted Kicks’

patrol. And Tom always played one A side

or the other when – as we lumbered from

one weird music outpost to another across

the country, but especially around the many

punked-out cities of Ohio – he was asked

who he would recommend the local scen-

esters take note of.

When we got home to New York in

December, Bob Christgau, Dean of

American Rock Critics, and music editor of

The Village Voice, asked us what we’d seen

and heard during our promotional odyssey,

sniffing out cover story material. But when

I told him I’d seen the future of American

music, talking up R.E.M., he recalled that

ill-favored opening for Gang of Four and

dismissed my assessment out of hand.

Harrumph. Well, at least I got the last

laugh, if not the last word.

It’s been more than three decades of

R.E.M. now, and over that time, drummer

Bill Berry had to retire for health reasons,

manager Jefferson Holt had to retire for

personal reasons, and Michael Stipe, Mike

Mills and Peter Buck leaned from starboard

to port as they composed, toured, recorded,

licensed and filmed their musical ideas for

various record

labels and sizeable inter-

national audiences, becoming

home town heroes and starting up and

supporting many local businesses there.

I haven’t always attended to their new

songs, and for several albums they com-

pletely lost me. But for the love I bear

“Radio Free Europe” still, for “Losing My

Religion,” “Man On The Moon,” “Stand,”

and “It’s The End of the World As We

Know It (And I Feel Fine),” and for many

years of wonderful moments on stage, on

record, and on screen, I will forever be

grateful that Michael, Mike, Bill, and Peter

made music and gave it to us with energy

and honesty. A class act in work and retire-

ment.So apropos of my plan to learn to play

barre chords, I went to see one of my for-

mer guitar teachers – a finger-plucking

genius, with many fine musical credits to

his quiver – play for an hour in a tiny

Greenwich Village restaurant with a big

grand piano stuffed into a corner, and seats

for about 50 extremely intimate friends.

After many years of occasional acting

gigs and boatloads of various musical per-

formances, Erik Frandsen wrote and per-

formed in one of those fabulous vest pocket

musical revues, Song of Singapore, where

the actors are also the band, and the plot is

a tongue-in-cheek loose clothesline of a

tale on which the witticisms and musical

numbers are briefly pegged before they

shoulder each other offstage as rapidly as

you can catch your breath. (Amelia

Earhart’s plane goes down and she

resurfaces with amnesia as lead singer

in the house band in “Rick’s American

Café” in, where else? Singapore.)

Not surprisingly, the ultra-smart

Erik is the first person I knew who

finished The New York Times

Sunday crossword in ink, in less

than 20 minutes, setting himself

particular rules to make the puz-

zle last longer (start in the center,

and only do concentric circles

leaving no gaps; do all the

Leslie Berman’s career in music spansfour decades, and includes stints as afolksinger, music teacher, coffeehousebooker, concert promoter, publicist, fes-tival director, music journalist, albumnotes writer, artist managerwwwww,trade organization president, enter-tainment attorney, and president ofthe Music Museum of SouthwestLouisiana. She prefers all thingsmusically eclectic, and votes on the

GRAMMYs as a member of theRecording Academy. She can be

reached at [email protected].

Goodbye R.E.M.,

Hello Erik Frandsen


Killin’ Time Crossword

Crossword puzzles provided byBestCrosswords.com

(www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission.

down clues only; work backwardsfrom last clue to first). The gor-geous finger-picking arrange-ments he taught me (“Buddy CanYou Spare A Dime,” “Blackbird”)still make musical heaven when Iremember how to play them.

At Café Vivaldi, he played andsang his own and others’ songswith nostalgia and sophisticatedruns, stringing the tunes togetherwith snarking asides to the delightof old friends, a few tourists, andLawrence Block, the fine mystery

novelist, whose lyric, “I took Jesusfor my Savior and Jack Daniels formy friend,” was only one of thefine lines dotted and crossedamong a dozen songs that includ-ed an early holiday number,“Christmas In Brooklyn.” If you’rea fan of smart and sassy lyrics andthe tastiest acoustic guitar licksthis side of bluegrass, ErikFrandsen’s a taste you shouldacquire. TJN

the jambalaya news - vol. 3 no. 14

Documents

jambalaya news columnistsare

thejambalaya news

position ofthe jambalaya

issue 14general715 kirby

individual tickets

strides pdi

breast cancersurvivor

kirby street