By Kevin Shannahan

The Natchitoches Green Market went medieval on Saturday, June 25th, as the Shire of Loch Bais of the Society for Creative Anachronism set up displays and demonstrations on the downtown riverbank. The Shire has 12 members in the city ranging in age from 2 to 60+. The SCA members take on a persona that they are known by in the society and portray the various aspects of life in the pre-renaissance world. One of the most popular events for spectators is the combat demonstrations. The riverbank rang with the sounds of swords on shields as knights engaged in heavy combat and rapier fencing. Larger SCA gatherings feature full scale battles between armies of knights. The Shire meets at 6 p.m. most Tuesdays at the Trinity Episcopal Church Hall at 533 Second St. in Natchitoches.

Natchitoches Central’s new volleyball team is raising money toward its startup goal of $20-25,000. The first of several fundraising events planned for the year is a Chicken Spaghetti Dinner Friday, July 8 on the downtown riverbank from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sponsored by Cane River Charities, tickets are available through any team member. Plates will be $8 the day of the event and include green beans, garlic bread and a cookie.

Start up fees include uniforms, equipment and other necessities. The team will also hold an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament at the high school July 23 and a Tumbler Sale in August. Tumblers will feature the school logo, or other collegiate or professional team logos.
Working on their training, Head Coach Nikki Murphy’s husband built the girls a machine to practice hitting, while concentrating on their footwork. The machine extends the volleyball in the air, arms hold the ball in place and the ball can be raised or lowered depending on the girl’s height.

The team’s first game will be held Monday, Aug. 29. The home-game will take place in the outside gym, which is being remodeled after recent flood damage. Holes will be drilled into the new flooring to set posts for the volleyball nets. Sponsorship banners are available for businesses or individuals to purchase (2×6 banner for $175). The banners will hang in the newly remodeled gym.

Shanna Braxton, an agent at Bolton Realty, passed her broker’s license test and became an associate broker. Shanna was also selected to serve on the 2017 Board of the Greater Central Louisiana Board of Realtors to be created effective Jan. 1. This new board will be a joint effort to merge the Natchitoches Board of Realtors with the Central LA Board of Realtors in Alexandria. Currently a member of the Natchitoches Board of Realtors Executive Committee, Shanna has been with Bolton Realty for the last eight years providing tireless service to her clients.

Janice Bolton, Broker/Owner, presented Shanna with her new broker’s license.

Engineering Technology students and faculty from Northwestern State University participated in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) annual conference in New Orleans where they were included in a design showcase exhibit focused on 3D printing and other projects, including the design of a mini-golf course for the city of Leesville. From left are Luz Arrieta Jimenez of Cartagena, Colombia; Timeisha Holland of Baton Rouge, Joshua Randolph of Natchitoches and Jacob Shaver of Coushatta. In addition to the student presentations, ET faculty Dr. Ali Ahmad, Dr. Jafar Al-Sharab, Dr. Mohammed Benalla and Dr. Nabin Sapkota presented 5 papers at various tracks related to Engineering and Technology education, including Articulation of Certification for Manufacturing, Fabrication of Nanofibers for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Industry Certification Program in Project Management, Quality Matters: Development of an Online Course Shell for Quality-Control Courses and Technical Project Management Course for Engineering Technology Students

Kendrick Llorens – City of Natchitoches

Director of Human Resources for the City of Natchitoches Edd Lee confirmed that the secretary with the Natchitoches Recreation and Parks Program, Regina Layton, was terminated Thursday, June 30. The next day Director Kendrick Llorens resigned from his position.

Davin White is the interim director as the program reorganizes in the midst of these vacancies.

By Natalie Covher

The new Subway near the Interstate is catching the attention of more than just locals. When Tarak Patel decided he wanted to build a Subway, he choose to make it unique. The design may become the prototype for Subway restaurants all around the world.

“When exploring options for a restaurant I knew I wanted to put in something healthy for the community,” said Patel. “It can be really hard to grab a healthy lunch and get back to work on time. Until now you had to go into town and cross the river. Everyone knows how hard that can be.”

The Patels have been a part of the Natchitoches community since 1994. When looking for an architect, Patel reunited with an old friend, George Minturn. They formulated many ideas, reviewed 3D renderings of options and in the end felt confident that the final design had the presence Patel was looking for.

The restaurant will be the first in the area to premiere the chain’s latest upscale metro décor. Guests will have the option to dine in the open air with the addition of covered outdoor seating.

Being close to the Interstate, Patel thought of guests on the go by planning to incorporate a tesla charge station and outdoor pet area. The building was made to be energy efficient utilizing LED lights, low flow water faucets and foam insulated walls and roof.

“Only the best for Natchitoches,” said Patel.

Patel stayed at the Subway Franchise Headquarters for two weeks to learn about the company’s commitment to providing great tasting healthy food choices while reducing their environmental footprint and positively influencing the community. While there he met people from all over the world.

“We have a great team put together,” said Patel. “My General Manager Maddie Shaw has done a great job of getting all of the employees ready for our big opening. We are happy to provide jobs to the area and help our team members gain experience. We look forward to working together to serve the community some delicious sandwiches.”

Everyone is invited to the Subway Restaurant at 5370 University Parkway for their Grand Opening July 6 from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. featuring a buy one 6-inch sub get one free offer. No coupons are needed to buy any 6-inch sub and get another 6-inch sub of equal or lesser price for free.

By Greg Burke, Director of Athletics, Northwestern State/Opinion

Mississippi State baseball coach John Cohen, who managed the Demon baseball program from 1998-2001, says if not for the professional opportunities in the Southeastern Conference which presented themselves, he and his family could have lived in Natchitoches the rest of their lives.

As I am concluding my 20th year as Director of Athletics at Northwestern State, I reflect on quality people like John and the fact that I would have been fine, as well, with him staying here. At the same time, if everybody stayed, how many others would I never have had the chance to hire, then develop what often turned into lifetime relationships on both a personal and professional level?

College athletics is a transitional and mobile enterprise. It is a blessing that successful coaches like Mike McConathy (basketball), Mike Heimerman (track), and Donald Pickett (softball), who have logged almost a combined 50 years at NSU, have chosen to stay.

At the same time, others move on to what are better opportunities for them on a personal or professional basis. Yet, it is nice to know that the experience they gained at NSU has played a role in their success after moving on. From NSU’s outstanding baseball coaching legacy to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, “the NSU way” emanates in intercollegiate athletic circles across the country.

In fact, over 100 former NSU student-athletes, coaches and support staff members are working in college athletics at some level. Former Demons are head coaches in the SEC, Big XII, ACC, Mountain West Conference, SWAC, and Southland Conference. Five others hold Associate AD positions in the SEC, PAC 12, and American East Conference.

What attracts such a high number of quality individuals here and in some cases, keeps them here? Simply put, there is a longstanding culture and work environment that makes it a place where people feel comfortable, so they want to work hard to achieve department goals and meet high expectations of performance. Perhaps Associate Head Basketball Coach Jeff Moore, whose tenure at NSU now spans a decade, put it best a couple of years ago when he said NSU is a “good place to have a bad day.”

Add to that the fact that Natchitoches is not your run-of-the-mill small town and the attraction is magnified. The town was voted the “Best Small Town in the South” by USA Today readers for many reasons. While the university certainly contributes to the vibrancy of Natchitoches, the many festivals and community events, and the beauty and warmth of our historic community, combine to make it a very special place to live. Whether Webster one day decides to adopt my word is beside the point, but I have often referred to Natchitoches as the “happeningest” town around.

The quality of the coaches and support staff which continue to be attracted to NSU ensures that quality student-athletes, and their families, will likewise see Natchitoches as a destination for their educational and athletic pursuits. In fact, the parents of those young people want their son or daughter to be at a place where the President of the University knows their name and interacts with them on social media…..where a new administrative position labeled “The Student Experience” was created based on the importance of making every day on our campus meaningful…..where the often overused but under-utilized phrase “student-athlete experience” truly has meaning.

Just like teams with good chemistry are more inclined to be successful, a department with quality coaches and support staff creates a potential-rich environment for student-athletes. The results at NSU are unequivocal proof of that. From the recent run of championships to the fact that NSU teams have claimed at least one win over four of the five Power 5 conferences in the past year or so speaks to a consistent level of competitive success. NSU’s nearly 400 student-athletes compiled a cumulative grade point average above 3.0 both semesters this past year while performing over 4,000 hours of community service, almost enough to retain its inaugural “Southland Strong” Community Service Award from a year ago.

Pure and simple, the success of the NSU athletic program comes down to the people, past and present. Each of them has made an impression on my life but more importantly, their influence has impacted the lives of countless student-athletes. And that’s what counts the most.

By Kevin Shannahan

Natchitoches celebrated the July Fourth holiday with perfect summer weather on the downtown riverbank for Celebration on the Cane. The festivities kicked off at noon with jumpy castles and water slides for the children. Local musical favorites Cane Mutiny took it up a notch at 3 p.m. with their signature sound. The G.Q.P Band took over at 6 p.m. and played until the fireworks started. The riverbank reverberated with the boom of fireworks as the show delighted the crowd.

William R. Morrison, 65, died after he was ejected into the water when his fishing boat was struck by another vessel, driven by Shannon Mctire, 39, in a bend of the Cane River.

A passenger in Morrison’s boat, Teresa Halbert, wasn’t seriously injured in the accident.

Morrison and Halbert were stationary fishing in a bend on the Cane River at approximately 7:20 a.m. when the accident occurred. Mctire came around the bend in the river and collided with the vessel’s bow, knocking Morrison into the river. Morrison was in the bow of the boat fishing and Halbert in the aft.

Mctire immediately stopped his boat and jumped in the water to assist Morrison, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Charges are pending in the case, however, alcohol was not a factor.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will be the lead investigative agency for this boating incident led by LDWF Sgt. Joseph Melton.

By Kevin Shannahan

This July Fourth will mark the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Fireworks, barbecues and concerts will fill the day as much of America enjoys a three day weekend. This is as it should be in a free country. Friends and family living their lives as they wish, free of the fear so common throughout human history. Every once in awhile however, something comes up to remind us that the ordinary is actually quite extraordinary.

In the Jewish section of Shreveport’s Greenwood Cemetery, a husband and wife lay buried together. They died less than a year apart, the wife in 1970. They are strangers to me. I never met them, nor do I know anything about their lives. I was an eight-year-old growing up over a thousand miles away in upstate New York when they died. I came across the tombstone while photographing the cemetery. Looking at the dates on the tombstone, they lived through the Second World War and were refugees who escaped from Nazi Germany.

What struck me about the couple was the inscription on the stone. The concise inscription is a beautiful testament to their adopted country. It reads “Coming here as refugees from tyranny, they found a haven…”

I thought I understood what America was meant to be. I have served as a military officer. Later, as a school teacher and scoutmaster. I attempted to bring the ideals and promise of this nation to the young people in my charge.  Standing there in the hot sun in the middle of a cemetery looking at the graves of a couple I never met, I realized my understanding was not complete.

I was born in the United States. I have never feared the late night knock on the door from the secret police. The Gestapo, KGB, gulags and concentration camps; all the horrors of totalitarianism are figures in books and movies. I can intellectually understand them, but I will never know them as does someone who has seen tanks in the streets, the approaching Cossacks or the inside of a boxcar and the SS on the selection ramp.

I thought of another refugee escaping a different, yet same, tyranny. In 1893 a Jewish Cantor named Moses Beilin fled the pogroms of Tsarist Russia with his family to make a new life in the United States. The family lived in abject poverty in New York City where Moses Beilin died a few years into their life in America. One of his eight children went on to make something of a name for himself. Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America”, a song that should be the National Anthem: “…Stand beside her, and guide her through the night with a light from above…” In the years since that song was written, many of the nights have been long and difficult, but we have prevailed. May it be ever thus.

In a cemetery in Shreveport, there is a testament to this nation’s greatness more powerful than any parade or speech. I was never more proud of the United States. May we stand as a bulwark against tyranny for another 240 years. God Bless America!

By Natalie Covher

After hours of searching Dustin Dauzat found his lost dog Mia fatigued while swimming in Cane River. Dustin and his wife Gretchen were at work when they got the call around 1:45 p.m. Friday, July 1 that their seven-year-old dog Mia was missing.

A friend had stopped by and accidentally left the gate open, allowing Mia to make her escape. The Dauzats left work and started searching for their beloved pet. Mia was spotted by Hope for Paws members Erin Carnline and Kay Kaufman. They were able to snap a photo of the hot and tired pup. They tried to catch the dog but lost her in tall grass near the cross streets of St. Maurice Lane and Williams Avenue.

They posted the photo to Facebook and Dustin was notified of the sighting. Dustin and Gretchen searched the lot for an hour and a half with no luck. Hours had passed and with four small children at home the couple was about to call off the search until morning when Dustin decided to check the riverbank.

“We had searched all around the neighborhood and in that lot but we hadn’t checked the riverbank on the other side of Williams near where she had been spotted,” said Dustin. “I saw something in the water, at first I thought it was an alligator but then I saw it was Mia’s little head and tail. I called her name and she looked at me. I could tell that she was very tired and losing the energy to keep swimming. The retaining wall was too high for her the get back onto land. She paddled over to the edge and I reached in and grabbed her. I’m so glad we didn’t call it because I am sure she would have drowned.”

Mia had never been swimming before. With the current heat conditions, the dog must have sought out the water for relief. The inside dog is happy to be back at home with her family in the comfort of air conditioning.

“I can’t get over the fact that I just walked down there and saw her swimming in the river,” said Dustin.

The City of Natchitoches invites you to celebrate Independence Day at Celebration on the Cane Monday, July 4, 2016 on the downtown riverbank. The annual Fourth of July Celebration will feature live musical entertainment, delicious food vendors, amusements for kids of all ages, and a spectacular fireworks show over Cane River Lake. Admission to Celebration on the Cane is free and open to the public.

Activities for Celebration on the Cane will kick off at 12:00 p.m. with inflatable water slides, bounce houses and face painting for the kids. A variety of food vendors will sell Fourth of July favorites such as Italian ice, funnel cakes, meat pies, hot dogs and more. Trinket vendors will also be on site with Independence Day memorabilia and souvenirs.

Musical entertainment kicks off at 3:00 p.m. with a performance by Cane Mutiny, a musical collective based in Natchitoches and centered around the musical influences of multi-instrumentalists John Litzenberg and Ed Huey, and featuring guitarist Donnie Hyams and drummer Sammy Nix. Playing a variety of Louisiana and Americana music spanning the genres of swamp pop, funk, soul, country, blues, R&B and rock, Cane Mutiny combines a deep connection to the history of popular music with the energy of a New Orleans second line, showcasing original and other music from throughout the 20^th century and beyond. Cane Mutiny will perform on the riverbank stage from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The excitement continues at 6:00 p.m. with a live performance by the G.Q.P. Band. The G.Q.P. Band exudes great quality with precision and is a versatile party band playing a mixture of Southern Soul, Zydeco, Blues, Classic Rock, R&B and Swing Out jams. G.Q.P.’€™s focus is to provide the best entertainment for all occasions no matter the audience. The G.Q.P. Band will perform on the riverbank stage from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

No Fourth of July Celebration would be complete without fireworks. At 9:00 p.m., the festivities will conclude with a spectacular fireworks show over Cane River Lake.

Admission to Celebration on the Cane is free and open to the public.

The downtown riverbank will be closed to motorists all day on July 4. Those attending Celebration on the Cane should make plans to park on Front Street or elsewhere within the Natchitoches Historic District.

In preparation for the fireworks show, the Church Street Bridge will close to all traffic, including pedestrians and motorists, at 8:30 p.m. In addition, Williams Avenue from Whitfield to Henry Avenue will also close at 8:30 p.m. The roadway and bridge will reopen after the fireworks show is completed.

A boating crash on Cane River Lake, south of Natchitoches on Saturday morning has claimed the life of a Grant Parish man according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Victor Jones Jr.

On Saturday morning July 2nd at approximately 7:22am, Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies, Cane River Patrol, La. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Agents, and Natchitoches Regional Medical Center EMS Paramedics responded to 911 reports of a boating accident involving two boats on Cane River Lake south of Natchitoches near Starlight Plantation.

Over 100 youth ages 5-15 at the Boys & Girls Club of El Camino Royal on Martin Luther King Drive in Natchitoches enjoyed more than two hours of basketball instruction and life skills advice Thursday from Northwestern State head basketball coaches Mike McConathy and Jordan Dupuy, and members of the Demon and Lady Demon basketball programs.

The event, co-coordinated with Boys & Girls Club executive director Eliza Brittain Behrendsen and her staff, provided a mid-summer lift to clinic participants and NSU personnel. It was the first local community service endeavor for Dupuy, hired in April as the new Lady Demons’ head coach, and his assistant, Olivia Grayson.

“It’s always so much fun to work with children, especially the ones in our community. Not only are we able to put a smile on their face, but they do the same for us as well,” said Dupuy. “Coach Grayson and I had a blast being able to instruct and play with kids and we are looking forward to doing more and more in our community, especially when our ladies are back in town. It’s great to be part of a university that places a strong emphasis on community service, and to partner with our men’s program that has such a longstanding track record of great outreach.”

The activity Thursday wrapped up nearly 800 hours of community service by the Demon basketball program in 2015-16.  McConathy was joined by assistant coaches Jeff Moore and Bill Lewit along with Demon players Malik Metoyer and Ishmael Lane.

“It’s a core value of our program to serve others. These are opportunities we love, to provide some fun and inspiration for young people, and as much fun as they have, I believe we have at least as much,” said McConathy. “It’s also a chance for us to share positive messages and encourage kids to have the right values and model good behaviors. The Boys & Girls Club is a cornerstone in our community and we always enjoy visiting them.”

The Rho Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha donated to LP Vaughn’s Early Childhood program to assist in funding their new playground. This was part of the AKA Playground Mobilization Day where they fund or donate their time to the community. The teachers and committee members at LP Vaughn will use funds raised to get new playground equipment for the 2016-2017 school year. On front row fro left are Cynthia Cole, Susie Brooks Winston and Kristie Irchirl. On middle row are Chriscella Metoyer, Tiffany Roque, Courtney Swayzer and Linda Howard. On back row are Shaundrika Robertson, Stephanie McKinney and Charlotte Turner.

By Randall Mallette

It’s the time of year when irrigating our lawns, gardens and crops is a “hot” topic. You may have noticed that farmers across the parish have rolled out their poly-pipe for irrigating their crops, but for the sake of this article, I am going to focus on irrigating in the home environment.

Generally speaking, your plants need about an inch of rain a week. The summers here often don’t produce an inch of rain a week, so we have to supply the water source. Additionally, the summer heat stresses plants which increases the demand for water. However, you have to be careful because over-watering can be just as bad as under-watering. However, the amount of water is not the only thing to take into consideration. The way you water is also of extreme importance. This includes the timing of watering and the method of application.

Watering should always be done extremely early in the morning. This is because plants have a natural wet period when the dew is on them. We don’t want to extend the amount of time that plants are wet by watering later in the day because disease-causing organisms thrive in warm moist environments. Another advantage to watering early is there is less water lost to evaporation in the early morning than there is after the sun is up. Sprinkler timers should be set accordingly for your lawns, however for gardens and ornamentals, sprinklers are not the best method of application.

When we are watering, it is important to think about what part of the plant we are watering. There is no point in getting the foliage wet. The root system is what needs the water, plus water on foliage and fruit can be damaging and act as a vector for disease entrance. For instance, buckeye rot on tomatoes is caused by water (either rain or overhead irrigation) hitting the soil, becoming contaminated with pathogens, and splashing back up onto the fruit. When irrigating your beds and gardens, a soaker hose or drip irrigation system is ideal.

Watering deeply is another aspect of correctly irrigating. We want to water the entire root system, not just the superficial root zone. Watering deeply promotes a well-developed root system that extends deeper into the soil, allowing the plant to pull water from reserves deeper in the soil during times of drought.

In addition to applying water at the correct time and using an appropriate method of application, mulching can be advantageous. Mulch holds moisture in, decreases evaporation, . A layer 2-4 inches thick of pine straw works great between the rows of gardens and in beds.

For more information contact Randall Mallette, County Agent,at the local LSU AgCenter Extension Office 318-357-2224. You can also visit us on the web at www.lsuagcenter.com or at 624 Second St, Natchitoches.

By Kevin Shannahan

Eight young men from Boy Scout Troop 60, sponsored by The First United Methodist Church of Natchitoches, attended Summer Camp at Garland Scout Ranch south of Shreveport June 19th through 24th.  They joined 90 other Scouts and 30 adults from Louisiana and East Texas in a week-long program of earning Merit Badges in a variety of areas including archery, climbing, metal working, canoeing and welding among others.

In addition to the eight campers, three Scouts from Troop 60 served on camp staff, with Paul Gordon serving as the head of Aquatics. John Burrell headed up the kitchen staff and Eagle Scout Thomas Hailey worked as a lifeguard.This will be Paul’s last year at Garland as he will enter the Marine Corps in a few months, joining fellow Troop 60 alumni Vincent Maggio and Jonathan Meziere in the service of our country.

Troop 60, under the leadership of Scoutmaster Sarah McFarland, meets at 7 p.m. every Thursday night at First United Methodist Church, 411 Second St. They will take July off and will resume meeting when school starts up again. Membership in the Troop is open to any young man age 11-17. One does not have to be a member of the church to join.

Governor Edwards has signed the appropriations bill passed in the 2nd Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature. The legislature only funded TOPS at 70% of the expected need; however, the bill included language to fund TOPS at 100% for the Fall 2016 semester and delay any cut to TOPS until the Spring 2017 semester in the hopes that additional revenue would materialize. We at NSU view TOPS as a commitment to our students, and we will work tirelessly with all stakeholders to find solutions prior to next January. If you are a TOPS recipient, ensure those in your circle of influence understand how important that promise made to you by the state of Louisiana is. That promise should be kept.

Meanwhile, we are spending the summer making improvements to the student experience on all of our campuses and online. You are the future of this 132-year-old university, and because of you, that future could not be brighter!

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend.

Fork ‘em!

Dr. Jim Henderson, President of Northwestern State University!

Over 40 Northwestern State theatre students or recent alumni are performing across the country in professional theatre and dance jobs. The students are working in 18 different companies in 10 states.

“The NSU Theatre and Dance program is very proud of the students who are working across the nation in the professional theatre and dance jobs,” said theatre artistic director Scott Burrell. “These students take their training and knowledge received at NSU and put it into practical use. Plus, they’re getting paid for their talent and artistry which gives them the encouragement that they can make it in a tough and competitive market.”

Students earned many of the jobs based on auditions at the annual Southeastern Theatre Conference and other events.

“Even our students who stay in Natchitoches during the summer to work the NSU Summer Dinner Theatre, get a chance to hone their craft as well as make money,” said Burrell. “All the reports coming back to us from our working students has been very positive and their employers have given them and NSU many fine compliments regarding their training and professionalism.”

The City of Natchitoches’ Main Street Program has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach®.

“Once again, we are thrilled to recognize this year’s nationally accredited Main Street America communities for their outstanding work,” says Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “We are experiencing an exciting era for America’s cities and towns, with a growing recognition of the importance of strong local enterprise, distinctive character, engaged residents, and sense of place. These are things that Main Street America programs have been working to protect and advance for years, strengthening the economic, social, and cultural fabric of communities across the country.”

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by Louisiana Main Street, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,000 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $65.6 billion in new public and private investment, generated 556,960 net new jobs and 126,476 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 260,000 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

By Kevin Shannahan

Around 125 young people from throughout the parish participated in the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp held on the NSU campus this Saturday, assisted by members of NSU’s football and basketball teams. This is the fifth year the training camp has been held in Natchitoches, and the first year the Pelicans have participated. The Youth Community Affairs Divisions of both teams stressed safety, nutrition and academics as they put the young people through a series of drills in football and basketball skills. The Natchitoches Sheriff’s Department has been an instrumental sponsor of the camps since the first camp 5 years ago and had several deputies there. The children had a fun day of physical activity and education at no cost as both teams donated their time and expertise.

By Natalie Covher

See Photos Below

Tables were packed for the Relay for Life’s Celebrity Waiter event June 30. Each waiter decorated their tables with centerpieces and place settings. Themes ranged from Jeff Franks’ “Blue Light Special” table to Bill Rutledge’s “A night in Paris” table. Only Corey Poole, The Hogg team and Haley Blount had previous waiting experience.

Tables elected their waiters to do tricks for tips including singing Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond, performing the Macarena, doing the Chicken Dance and more. Even the guests got in on the game by sending one man from each table to the front of the room in lipstick and women’s shoes. Tony Hernandez made it to the front first donning a matte petal pout and his wife’s shoes, earning his table $25. One of the most entertaining moments of the evening was watching Kirk Soileau Whip and NaeNae. After a fulfilling meal, the guests had the option to pay their waiter to feed them desert. Guests then started paying for their waiters to go off the script by reading embarrassing speeches, singing Frozen’s Let It Go and being fed like a baby bird. After all the tips were tallied the event raised over $5,400 for Relay for Life.

“The event defiantly exceeded my expectations,” said American Cancer Society Sr. Community Manager Danielle Antoon. “Each waiter went above and beyond to make the night one to remember.”

Winner of the People’s Choice award went to Haley Blount.

Winner of the Best Table award went to Kirk Soileau.

Winner of the Most Spirited award went to Dustin Dauzat.

Winner of the Most Money Raised went to Laura Strahan

Relay for Life is always looking for volunteers. To find out information of how to help organize events like these contact Antoon at 318-663-4489.

See Kirk Soileau Dance