Bobby Wayne Carpenter
December 21, 1934 – August 16, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10 am at Southern Funeral Home
Interment: Bethlehem Cemetery in Calvin

Frankie Alaska Beaubouef
March 12, 1922 – August 16, 2017
Visitation: Sunday, Aug. 30 from 2-3 pm at the funeral home
Service: Sunday, Aug. 20 at 3 pm in the Chapel of John Kramer & Son Funeral Home
Interment: Craig Cemetery in Kolin

Bobbie Phill
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 11 am at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Logansport
Interment: Mt. Zion Cemetery in Logansport

Willie Hunter
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 2 pm at New Hope No. 1 Baptist Church in Lake End
Interment: New Hope Cemetery

Helen Brown
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 11 am at Union Spring Baptist Church in Mansfield
Interment: Mary Springfield Cemetery

John Demery
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at St. Savior Baptist Church in Coushatta
Interment: Springville Cemetery

Paula Alexander
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at Zion Hill No. 2 Baptist Church in Mansfield
Interment: Zion Hill Cemetery

Infant Avery Danielle Stewart
June 24, 2017 – August 15, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 12-1 pm at Goldonna Assembly of God
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at Goldonna Assembly of God
Interment: Evergreen Cemetery in Goldonna

Ralph Stanford “Stan” Wright
August 21, 1952 – August 14, 2017
Service (private graveside service): Saturday, Aug. 19 at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches

William Levi Berry
August 16, 2017
Arrangements TBA

Jon “Marc” Lampert
January 10, 1944 – August 13, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 1-5 pm at the Lampert home, 2501 Marye Street in Alexandria

Joella June Wilson-Collins
February 7, 1959 – August 11, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 8-10:30 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home and from 11-1 pm at the Agape Love Center Church
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at the Agape Love Center Church in Natchitoches
Interment: St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery of Bermuda

Roy Edwin Bailey, Jr.
April 4, 1929 – July 8, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10 am at Freedom Life Church in Natchitoches

Martha Edwards
July 17, 1917 – August 13, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at the Evergreen Baptist Church

The Natchitoches Police Department is asking for your assistance in locating Robert Dillon Harris, 24 year old, white male. Harris is wanted for Domestic abuse battery, stalking, unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling and criminal damage to property.

A warrant for his arrest has been signed by a Natchitoches Parish Judge.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Robert Harris please contact Det. Armstrong at (318)357-3810 or (318)471-9981.

Northwestern State University President Dr. Chris Maggio visited the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission Aug. 17 at its regularly schedule meeting. He said that he’s expecting a great semester in programming and numbers. While 10,000 is the school’s enrollment goal, Maggio said he’s optimistic for the Fall. There is a housing shortage, but he feels it’s an opportunity to work with he community.

“If it weren’t for the relationship between Northwestern and Natchitoches, we couldn’t do the things we do at NSU,” he said.

NSU had a 71 percent retention rate for first year freshmen this year compared to 66 percent last year.

In other business, Sharon Gahagan announced that the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame lost its security guard due to decreases in funding. There were other cuts made across the state. The Louisiana State Museum Board, which Gahagan is a member of, will have to think outside the box, and is hoping to create an internship program in conjunction with NSU.

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By Kevin Shannahan

Kevin’s Gallery

The Spirit of Northwestern Band has been delighting audiences for over 100 years. Founded in 1911, the band performs its superb halftime shows at every Demon home football game and is an integral part of Northwestern State’s traditions. In addition to their signature halftime performances, they also march in the Natchitoches Christmas Parade and perform at the annual High School Marching Band Competition. The band’s 312 members include a flag line, dancers and color guard in addition to the musicians. The band puts in hours of practice for each performance. One can hear the rehearsals all over Natchitoches each morning during the football season.

The band members excel in the classroom as much as they do in performances. They represent a broad cross-section of the university. Only about 35% of the band members are music majors with the balance spread across the various majors offered at NSU. The band boasts a 90% fall to spring retention rate -a higher retention rate than the university at large, a reflection of the discipline and work ethic needed to succeed in the band – and in life. The band also have earned an average 3.2 GPA and an average 23 ACT score, a testament to their hard work and dedication.

In addition to the marching band, Northwestern State University also features several other bands in the Spring semester. The basketball pep band entertains the fans at games and makes life difficult for the opposing team. The Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Magale Concert Band and Fredericks Concert band all provide a high quality musical education for the students as well as superb entertainment for the community.

The Spirit of Northwestern Band’s first performance will be a joint one at the LA Tech game September 2nd. The first home performance will be at the September 16th NSU Football game.

The Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce announced a new webpage for all active duty and veteran military, which includes information on employment, clinics, and other important resources for our military community.

“We saw a need for this in the community for this type of resource,” Acting Chamber President Tony Davis stated.  “Our office gets all manner of inquiries, and over the years we’ve had a number regarding what resources are available to veterans in our community.”

The Chamber plans to continue to add to the webpage as more information becomes available or is requested.  The curated content is a direct result of an interest meeting organized by the Chamber.

To see the new webpage, visit NatchitochesChamber.com/Veterans.  For those interested in joining the Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee, email Info@NatchitochesChamber.com.

The Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce helps foster a thriving community through transformative leadership, collaboration, and innovation.

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By Justin Long

The chart below indicates that in Natchitoches Parish, real estate listings are the lowest they’ve been in years. Homes that once took 60-90 days to sell are now receiving multiple offers after just being listed. What is the cause of this trend and how should you go about selling your home in a market with low supply and high demand.

Fortunately, due to certain industries, oil and medical especially, Louisiana has been riding the wave of equilibrium (a balance between supply and demand) when home owners usually see a gradual increase or appreciation in their home values. Meanwhile, wealthier areas of the country such as California and Florida experienced the biggest housing downturns in history.

Suddenly, the local housing market has stalled. We are seeing an under-supply of existing homes for sale and new construction. So, what’s the cause for this shortage?

Most of us in Natchitoches Parish know too well, that the price of oil dropping played a serious role in our local economy. The political environment has become more tumultuous than ever, and this affects buyer and investor decisions. Government regulations, land, rising labor and material costs have all contributed to the lack of new construction by local homebuilders.

With low availability and high demand, buyers can become aggressive and resort to desperate measures to close the deal. Here are a few tips to sell your home in a market that is short on supply and high on demand.

Hire a real estate agent- It’s a common assumption that real estate agents do nothing more than place a sign in the yard, show the house a few times and collect 6% of your sale price. You can sell your home yourself, however the potential risks could outweigh the actual cost of using an agent. Selling a home with an agent could prevent potential litigation if contracts unknowingly omit important issues or deficiencies with the home. Another risk would be having unqualified buyers asking for the property to be leased, rented or financed through the seller.

Nonetheless, in a market with low supply, buyers are aggressive and will do almost anything to transfer ownership of your home into their name. Rarely is their sole intention to give you the amount of money your house is worth.

Louisiana Real Estate Sales agents and brokers are being held to higher standards than ever before. The Louisiana Real Estate Commission requires all licensees to take 90 hours of course work, pass a national and state examination, and comply with all commission procedures including a submission of a criminal back ground check. You must be sponsored by a licensed real estate broker and provide proof of errors and omissions insurance prior to license issuance.

If you are familiar with contract law, have negotiated real estate deals in the past and have a lot of free time on your hands, then maybe for “sale by owner” is the way to go. If you aren’t, it’s critical for your safety, financial return, and liability to hire a real estate agent.

Justin Long is a Natchitoches native, a graduate of NCHS and also attended Northwestern State University. He has spent the last 10 years as a Certified Louisiana Deputy Assessor (C.L.DA.) working in the real estate department as a property valuation specialist for Caddo Parish. He lives in Natchitoches with his wife Sandy and two children. He is a licensed sales agent for local real estate agency, a member of the Greater Central Board of Realtors (GCLRA), and the National Board of Realtors (NBOR).

4 Seasons Christmas Tree Farm appreciates all of its loyal customers that bought produce during the Natchitoches Farmers Market’s spring season, which will reopen Oct. 14

In the meantime, get your fresh veggie fix with a quick trip to the 4 Seasons farm, located at 155 Fulton Road in Natchitoches. With the motto, “From our field to your table” the farm offers a wide selection of vegetables picked fresh daily from its fertile soil, including purple hull peas, okra (cowhorn and spineless), eggplants, and peppers (banana, jalapeño and bell). Cantaloupes, watermelon and lady creams will be coming soon. 4 Seasons also carries floral containers, bedding plants and an array of frozen veggies including cushaws, collard greens, peeled and precut eggplant, and turnips (tops and bottoms).

Don’t forget that as time flies by, it’ll be time for Christmas Tree shopping very soon. 4 Seasons will begin selling live trees Friday, Nov. 17. They offer full service tree selection and packaging and will even deliver. Precut Frazier Firs straight from North Carolina will be available for Black Friday, which is when 4 Seasons holds its Black Friday Sale. Extended hours for the Christmas season will be announced at a later date.

“Let us be a part of your family tradition, whether it’s cooking your great grandmother’s recipe using our fresh produce, or finding the perfect tree to decorate your home,” said owner Camille Moran.

4 Seasons is open Saturday mornings from 9 am – noon, but will take orders by phone, so call 318-471-1740. Don’t forget the farm offers free local delivery, or call to schedule an appointment.

Natchitoches Parish Schools Superintendent Dale Skinner spoke at a public forum hosted by the Citizens for Democratic Action Aug. 17 at 6:30 pm at the Arts Center on Second Street.

Skinner asked the crowd to quit listening to what people are saying on the streets because he’s “never heard anything come off the streets that’s true.”

“We’ve made some changes people didn’t like, but if that’s what’s best for the kids, then that’s what we’ll do” he said in regards to teachers leaving the district.

A tax on the ballot for the upcoming election will fund school improvements to upgrade lighting, AC and heating, floors, windows and more at City schools.

Skinner also addressed a rumor of overcrowding at LP Vaughn, to which he said that there are 20 students per classroom.

When questioned about increasing the number of African American teachers working in the district, Skinner said that HR Director Linda Page travels across the country trying to find African American teachers to work.

An audience member said they’d like to see more African Americans in the school system, but if someone isn’t qualified, they don’t need to be around the kids.

Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Detectives are attempting to identify the owners of items recently recovered during the execution of a search warrant in Cedar Grove Sub-Division near Natchitoches according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.
If you can claim ownership of any of the itmes with a receipt or serial number contact Detective Derrick Sowell at 318-357-7830 or visit the NPSO Criminal Investigations Division at 331 Lafayette Street, Natchitoches.

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City Marshal Randy Williams wanted to inform the following people that they have outstanding bench warrants through the Natchitoches City Marshal’s Office. The names on this list did not pay their fines in full nor did they return to court on the court date they were sentenced to by City Court Judge Gahagan. These individuals will need to clear up their fines and bench warrant fees at the City Marshal’s Office located at 373 Second St. to stop any further actions:

FINE PAYMENT (F):
Robert Rachal, 418 Ash St, Many, La – Exp MVI
Javolon Robinson, 107 Lewis Loop, Natch, La – No DL
Julius Robinson, 208 Kingston Dr, Natch, La – Exp MVI, No DL
Ray Anderson, 1301 N. Fifth St., Natch, La – LM, Exp MVI
Jennifer Bradford, 3073 E Hardtner, Urania, La – Improper Lane Usage
Bradley Cheek, 707 S. Helen, Overton, TX – Resisting Arrest
Tai Evans, 815 Woodyard Dr, Natch, La – TBS
James Dilworth, 127 Gabriel Loop, Natch, La – Exp MVI
Lonetta Cross, 1125 Allen St, Natch, La – TBS
Thomas Henry, 944 4th St Apt A, Natch, La – Exp MVI
Alabrysha Iverson, 100 E. Riddle St, Coushatta, La – TBS
Anthony Jefferson, 1226 Phillips St, Natch, La – Remaining on Premises
Angela Hunter, 1815 South Dr #1310, Natch, La – Simple Battery
Lorenzo Lewis, 808 Dorothy St, Natch, La – TBS
Ladarius Jackson, 1615 Meadows, Natch, La – No DL
Damontra Jones, 910 West St, Natch, La – Remaining on Premises
Catherine Merritt, 400 Lakeview Dr #4304, Natch, La – Exp MVI
Shola Obialo, 1411 Holmes St, Natch, La – Exp MVI
Johnny Stroud, 2791 Hwy 122, Atlanta, La – DWI
Brittany Bush, 108 South Bend Dr, Natch, La – Exp MVI
Markeisha Taylor, 218 Airport Rd, Natch, La – TBS

Trial (T):
Eddie Baca, 2040 Parkview, Zwolle, La – TBS
Laquinton Eckles, 611 Norris St, Mansfield, La – SPOM, Resisting an Officer
Sholanda Green, 1614 Meadows Dr, Natch, La – Simple Assault
Rose King, 1436 Dixie St, Natch, La – TBS
Cory Lyons, 154 Miller Dr, Natch, La – SPOM
Quanisha Smith, 712 Brahma Dr Apt #712, Natch, La – TBS
Ariel Williams, 429 Prather, Natch, La – Unlicensed Driver, Improper Lights

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Bobby Wayne Carpenter
December 21, 1934 – August 16, 2017
Visitation: Friday, Aug. 18 from 5-8 pm and Saturday, Aug. 19 from 9-10 am
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10 am at Southern Funeral Home
Interment: Bethlehem Cemetery in Calvin

Jerome John Duncan
September 30, 1920 – August 15, 2017
Visitation: Friday, Aug. 18 from 11 am – 1 pm at the John Kramer & Son Funeral Home
Service: Friday, Aug. 18 at 1:30 pm at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church
Interment: Greenwood Memorial Park

Helen Brown
Visitation: Friday, Aug. 18 from 12-6 pm at Jenkins Funeral Home in Mansfield
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 11 am at Union Spring Baptist Church in Mansfield
Interment: Mary Springfield Cemetery

John Demery
Visitation: Friday, Aug. 18 from 12-6 pm at Jenkins Funeral Home in Mansfield
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at St. Savior Baptist Church in Coushatta
Interment: Springville Cemetery

Paula Alexander
Visitation: Friday, Aug. 18 from 6-7 pm at Jenkins Funeral Home in Mansfield
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at Zion Hill No. 2 Baptist Church in Mansfield
Interment: Zion Hill Cemetery

Infant Avery Danielle Stewart
June 24, 2017 – August 15, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 12-1 pm at Goldonna Assembly of God
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at Goldonna Assembly of God
Interment: Evergreen Cemetery in Goldonna

Ralph Stanford “Stan” Wright
August 21, 1952 – August 14, 2017
Visitation: Friday, Aug. 18 from 5-7 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home.
Service (private graveside service): Saturday, Aug. 19 at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches

William Levi Berry
August 16, 2017
Arrangements TBA

Jon “Marc” Lampert
January 10, 1944 – August 13, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 1-5 pm at the Lampert home, 2501 Marye Street in Alexandria

Joella June Wilson-Collins
February 7, 1959 – August 11, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 8-10:30 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home and from 11-1 pm at the Agape Love Center Church
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at the Agape Love Center Church in Natchitoches
Interment: St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery of Bermuda

Roy Edwin Bailey, Jr.
April 4, 1929 – July 8, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10 am at Freedom Life Church in Natchitoches

Martha Edwards
July 17, 1917 – August 13, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at the Evergreen Baptist Church

By Kevin Shannahan/Opinion

I am 55 years old. I turned 18 in 1980, registered for the draft and to vote on the same day. I have never missed an election since that day. I do not consider myself an alarmist over our nation’s fate for I am old enough to have seen several electoral swings from left to right and back again. The nation has always shown a remarkable capacity to absorb political and cultural shocks.

Nonetheless, that capacity is neither limitless, nor should it be taken for granted. We allow it to be deliberately tested at out peril. Recent events have given me grave concern about the direction in which our nation is headed and of the health of the culture and political environment we will bequeath our children and grandchildren. Much has changed since I cast my first vote in 1980, much of it not for the best.

Many people worried about American decline see a comparison with the Roman Empire. America’s enemies have indeed grown in power since I was a young Air Force officer in 1985. Back then, China did not yet possess an ICBM capable of hitting the United States. The idea of North Korea having nuclear weapons, let alone missiles capable of striking American territory would have been firmly in the realm of escapist fiction. Even so, we are not yet Rome with the Visigoths approaching the gates.

I fear the more apt comparison is to the Weimar Republic of Post WWI Germany. For the first time in my life, and indeed the first time since Reconstruction, armed political factions are waging battles in the streets of American cities, with more to come. There are a number of disturbing things here. We are playing with fire. The judgment of our posterity will come. Let us be worthy.

“But what about the…?” But what about the…? Feel free to insert the odious antifa group of your choice into that question. There is a depressingly long list to choose from. There was violence aplenty at that rally committed by both sides. In that regard, and only in that regard, are those drawing some kind of equivalence correct. Both sides came looking for a fight and they found one.

Why am I more concerned about the alt-right? Because they are Nazis, that’s why. Looking at the rally on the news, one has to draw the conclusion that being a Klansman was just not evil enough for some of the attendees. Why settle for mere Klan robes when you can toss in Nazi salutes with your new black and brown shirted buddies? Is your Confederate flag no longer shocking enough? All you have to do is add a swastika, iron cross or some such and you are back in business. It should give us pause that the Ku Klux Klan was not the worst thing at that rally.

Let that sink in for a minute. A city in the United States of America was the scene of a Nazi parade. In a scene reminiscent of the Nuremberg Rally, hundreds of Neo Nazis marched with torches and chanted “Jews will not replace us!” They stood there in the torchlight giving Hitler salutes and shouting their vile depravity. During the day, they milled around the Confederate statue in a hodgepodge of Klan Robes, black and brown shirts. Confederate flags, various Nazi flags and fascist banners were waved aloft.

This November will mark the 79th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Not content with their execrable torchlit march, these damnable Nazis went to a synagogue. Armed men appeared outside while they marched by with their Nazi and Confederate flags shouting anti-Semetic abuse at the congregation trapped inside.

The United States of America is still a shining city upon a hill, the last best hope of free men and women. If we fall, there is nowhere else to go. Last Sunday our church, as I imagine most did, offered prayers for peace, even for the Nazis and Klansmen, a note of Christian charity beyond me.

I would like to respectfully disagree. This is not an occasion for praying for anything other than victory.. Seventy-three years ago, the forces of the free world hurled themselves at Normandy Beach, the start of the liberation of Europe from Nazi tyranny. President Roosevelt offered a prayer to the nation relevant today.

“…Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith….They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong….With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God

Amen.”

Community members gathered for Outpatient Medical Center’s Ribbon Cutting Aug. 16, hosted by the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce. The ribbon cutting marks the grand re-opening of OMC with it’s new Chief Executive Officer, Carl Walters II at the helm of the system.

Chamber Board Chairman Kirk Soileau welcomed attendees. “We’re excited about the work we’re doing together to take care of the patients on this community,” he said.

Walter said there’s now a lot to celebrate at OMC and the wonderful team at the center is to thank. They’re the ones laying it on the line to keep community families healthy for 40 years now.

The OMC Health Care System came from humble beginnings in 1977, formed by a group of people who recognized a need in Natchitoches for accessible health services. Walters said OMC has plans to expand its primary care network and open some satellite offices in the Natchitoches area as it outgrows its current building.

Driven by the population it serves, which includes uninsured, underinsured, medicaid and medicare patients, OMC has had financial challenges. However Walters, who’s been in the health care business for the last 35 years, said he feels the center is coming back stronger than ever. OMC helps drive the economic engine of Natchitoches, pumping $6.5 million back into the economy and employing local staff members.

Walters’ plan to offer full fledged women’s health services. Another area he wants to increase awareness of is their dental services. Tooth decay is prevalent in the Natchitoches community and Walters said if money is a barrier for people to access dental services, they can come to OMC, who will see them and give them the services they deserve whether they can pay or not.

OMC produces 16,000 patient encounters per year and Walters expects that to grow. He said it’s already doubled just in the five months since he came to work at the center.

“The most important thing we can do is get families under the care of a primary care clinician and establish a routine,” said Walters. “If the community continues providing us with the privilege of serving their families, I have no doubt we’ll continue to be in this community for another 40 years.”

Employees from the Natchitoches Events Center presented the Tourist Commission with sales and marketing information at its meeting Aug. 15. Events Center Director Chris Post spoke to the commissioners, along with Director of Sales Ashley Sarpy and Baton Rouge area Sales Rep Zeb Mayhew III.

One of the goals of the Events Center, and the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, is to market Natchitoches as a highly desirable meeting destination for meetings and other group related business.

The Events Center is displaying an ad on a digital billboard outside Baton Rouge on I-10, which is a high traffic area. Ads have also been placed in business journals in the Baton Rouge and Shreveport areas. Other efforts include email blasts and Facebook ads.

“We’re selling Natchitoches,” said Post. “The goal is to bring large groups to Natchitoches in the middle of the week when we’re hurting, which will give the economy a boost.”

Digital marketing is more affordable than traditional marketing and can reach a larger audience for less. Traditional marketing channels are slow. Design, approval, printers and then only distribution. With digital marketing, the message is distributed immediately. Customer response is seen and measured almost immediately, to determine how successful a campaign was. The message being advertised goes wherever the customer is, whether they see if on an iPad, smartphone or laptop. According to Google, companies that use digital marketing strategies have almost three times better revenue growth expectancy and better chances of expanding their business.

The Events Center has held 32 events in 2017 with 8,100 attendees over 34 days. This is a calculated $1.5 million direct economic impact on the City of Natchitoches. So far, the Events Center has 17 events already booked for 2018 with over 4,745 attendees over 33 days. This is a calculated $1.6 million direct economic impact. The Direct Economic Impact calculations are made using a multiplier of $180 per night. This is an estimate based on lodging, meals and other spending. Averages from Alexandria ($240/night and Shreveport ($597/night) were provided by the State Office of Culture Recreation and Tourism.

Overall it’s strong partnerships that create leads and help engage in visitor promotions which generate overnight stays in Natchitoches Parish, thereby enhancing and developing the economic fabric of the community.

The deadline for Football and Volleyball signups with the Natchitoches Recreation and Parks Department is Friday, Aug. 25. The fee for football is $75 and volleyball is $40. To signup online visit http://cityofnatchitoches.maxgalaxy.net.

Saturday, Aug. 19 is the final registration and fitting date for youth tackle football. The department will take registration from 8am – noon. Parents may also come during the week from 8am – 4pm to register. The cost is $75. Late registrations will be accepted until teams are full but there will be a $10 late fee.

 

Important dates include:

*Monday, Aug. 21 and Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 6pm across from the MLK Rec conditioning will be held for ages 11-12 ONLY.

*Tuesday, Aug. 22 and Thursday, Aug. 24 at 6pm across from the MLK Rec conditioning will be held for ages 7-10 ONLY.

*Please come on the specified conditioning days ONLY. This allows us to make sure kids are in the right age groups and placed on the correct teams. If you come on the wrong day your child WILL NOT be allowed to participate.

*Monday, Aug. 28 team practices will begin. Please no parents on the fields while practice is going on. Please respect the efforts of the coaches and sit in the stands. No lawn chairs are allowed on the practice fields. Also please keep kids who aren’t participating off the practice fields before and during practice.

*Please do not hold coaches up before or after practices with questions. Most have had a long work day and are trying to get home. Most information has been or will be given to the players. Please call the Natchitoches Recreation and Parks Department at 318-357-3891 during the work day with questions. The receptionist and/or Office Manager can answer or find answers to your questions. This is not to disrespect you as parents but to lighten the load on coaches who volunteer their time.

*Anyone interested in coaching Youth Tackle Football please call 318-357-3891 and leave your name and number.

 

The Northwestern State University Music Academy will begin its third year Monday, Aug. 21.

The academy is under the direction of Northwestern State music faculty Dr. Christine Allen and Dr. Francis Yang and offers piano, guitar and percussion lessons for students of all ages in pre-K to adults.

NSU Piano majors Robyn Tan, Ronald Rodriguez and Ramon Barralaga will teach piano. Orlando Enrique Gonzalez and Jake English will teach guitar and Juan Manuel Santos will teach percussion.

Last year, academy students performed in a Christmas concert and a spring recital. Students also participated in the National Federation of Music Clubs Festival, the Central Music Teachers’ Association Sonatina Festival, and CMTA’s Playathon which raised money in response to last year’s flooding.

For further information, contact Yang at yangf@nsula.edu.

Blake Ziegler of Holy Cross School in New Orleans has been named first place winner of the 2017 Northwestern State University Louisiana High School Essay Contest. Ziegler won the honor for his essay “Chevra Thilim.” Sarah Hendrickson of Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans won second place with her essay “Côte des Allemands,” and Anna Goodwin of Alexandria Senior High School in Alexandria won third place for her entry “The Miracle at Cabrini Hospital.” Two students received Honorable Mention: Ashley Cougat of Mount Carmel Academy for her essay “Refuge” and Benjamin Harris Davidson of St. Paul’s School in Covington for his essay “All Hail King Rex.”

Writing on the 2017 contest theme “Louisiana Landscapes,” entrants each discussed a place in Louisiana that has special meaning for them.

“We received more entries this year than ever before, making the process of choosing winners from among so many excellent essays an extremely difficult process for all of the judges,” said Dr. Shane Rasmussen, director of the Louisiana Folklife Center and co-chair of the Contest. “The essays convey the deep sense of gratitude these student writers feel for being able to live in a state that has not only such great physical beauty but also such a depth of human warmth. Many of the places the students wrote about so movingly in their essays were made meaningful to them because of the ways that other people such as family, peers, teachers, clergy, coaches and others have welcomed, nurtured and inspired them. Louisiana places are beloved because the people of Louisiana are so wonderful!”

Contest winners have been invited to attend the Ninth Annual Louisiana Studies Conference Saturday, Sept. 23 on the Northwestern State campus to read their essays to the conference participants. The essays will be included in the Louisiana Folklife Journal, which is published by the Louisiana Folklife Center. This year’s conference theme is “Louisiana Landscapes.” Attendance at the conference is free and open to the public.

The first, second, and third prize winners will each receive a $200 per semester NSU scholarship with a value up to $1,600 for 4 years. All of the contest winners will receive a cash prize in honor of their accomplishment. The essay contest is open to all Louisiana students in grades 9 – 12 regardless of type of school institution, including students in all types of private educational environments, as well as home schooled students.

This year’s Essay Contest judges were Dr. Lisa Abney, faculty facilitator for academic research and community college outreach and professor of English at Northwestern State University; Jason Church, materials conservator with the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training; Lisa Davis, director of the Writing Project at Northwestern State University, and Rasmussen.

The contest was sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center, the NSU Office of Recruiting, the NSU Writing Project, and the College of Arts and Sciences. A theme for next year’s contest will be announced in early spring.

For more information contact Rasmussen, NSU Box 3663, Natchitoches, LA 71497, rasmussens@nsula.edu, or call the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332.

The St. Augustine Historical Society recognizes the fortitude and perseverance of its member, WIllie Metoyer (fondly called Grandpere), for leading parish community efforts to have the riverbank stabilized from severe erosion. The erosion is now threatening the church property – a nationally designated traditional cultural center.

Here is a mere summary of years of unwavering persistence through several obstacles. He presented this letter (written to the US Army Corps of Engineers: Vickburg District) at the Red River Waterway Commission meeting Aug. 15.

“For nearly seven (7) years, our parish has been concerned about riverbank erosions in front of the church property located at 2262 Hwy. 484 on Isle Brevelle. Former pastor, Father Jacob Thomas, first asked me to head a committee to get the river bank fixed after the lost of a large old tree. Committee members include Gail Jones, Dr. Mark Guidry, Larry Paige, Carey Blanchard, Lyn Christophe, and me.

Many developments have occurred since our first meeting with the Corps of Engineers. For one, after much work, the property was officially placed on the National Registry of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Center. This designation – a first in the state of Louisiana – helped gain federal financial support of the project.

Riverbank stabilization will help preserve this center of a faith-based community and culture established in the year 1803 by donation of a plantation chapel once owned by Nicolas Augustin Metoyer (1768-1856).

I submit this letter of support on behalf of the Riverbank Committee of the St. Augustine Catholic Church.”

Please express appreciation to Grandpere Willie Metoyer for coming to the rescue with a tremendous gift for generations to come.

By Joe Darby

What do you think would happen if you gathered a sack of cabbages from your garden, took them to Walmart and offered them in exchange for a couple of new shirts?

Or what if you got several dozen eggs from your laying hens and brought them to your neighborhood service station and gave them to the cashier in exchange for 10 gallons of gas?

Sounds pretty crazy, huh? But during the Great Depression of the 1930s many folks, particularly from rural areas, used the barter system to get by. They didn’t have the money to buy what they needed to, so they’d take what they had, farm produce or whatever, and swap it for, say, a new pair of jeans.

I recently read about a young lady, a Louisiana ranch girl, who paid for an entire semester’s tuition at LSU in what to us was a most unusual way.

The year was 1932, one of the worst years of the Depression. The economy was so bad that Franklin Roosevelt won a landslide victory against incumbent President Herbert Hoover that year. Whether Hoover was responsible for the economic situation or not, the voters put the blame on him.

Anyway, our heroine, Elena Carter Percy wanted to go to LSU but her family did not have the money for tuition. So Elena decided to have a one-woman cattle drive from her home near St. Francisville to the LSU campus south of Baton Rouge, a 40-mile trek. Sher herded nine of the family’s prize cattle to the college.

She was met by LSU President James Monroe Smith, who personally accepted the animals and said that the stock would take care of all of her room and board. Pictures exist showing the transaction, with the famed LSU Memorial Tower in the background. My sources don’t say what LSU did with the cattle, whether it used them in its agricultural college, slaughtered them and sold the steaks in the cafeteria, or what.

But the bottom line was, Elena was now an LSU student. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened to the intrepid young lady. Hopefully she went on to get her degree and lived a happy, productive life.

But I wanted to share this with you because I love quirky little stories. And it’s also interesting to ponder about what our economic conditions were in the past and how we coped.

My grandfather Darby was a country doctor from Lafayette who set up his practice in Morehouse Parish. Family stories tell that he often accepted farm produce for his services. That was not uncommon with rural doctors at the time, I understand. Better to have a couple of dozen of nice fresh eggs or a big slab of tender pork than not to be paid at all.

But, I chuckle when I imagine my doctors of today taking in a bushel of corn for an office visit.

Dr. Darby died in 1926 when Daddy was just 17. His mother had died when he was 4, so he was unable to go to college. He’d had plans to attend Spring Hill in Mobile, but that was no longer possible.

So in the midst of the Depression a few years later, when he was a young husband and father, he ended up digging ditches for a time, just to put bread on the table. That would have been just about the time Elena was driving her cattle to LSU. Things got better after a while and Mama and Daddy raised two daughters and a son, yours truly.

I hope we would have it in us, but I don’t know if we could cope the way our ancestors did during the Depression. We get upset if we can’t afford a 50-inch HD TV set or a big SUV costing $50,000. How would we have reacted if we had to dig potatoes to buy a new pair of shoes? Sometimes the Good Ole Days weren’t so Good. With all the turmoil of our politics and race relations today, I think we’re lucky in many ways.

 

BOM is a Table Sponsor of the 2017 CASA Awareness Social tomorrow, August 17th at the Natchitoches Events Center. The Keynote Speaker will be Louisiana Supreme Court Justice James T. Genovese!

Pictured from left to right: Emily Dahl (CASA Program Support Specialist), Sarah White (BOM Head Teller & CASA Board Member), Jack Duty (CASA Executive Director) and Katrice Below (BOM AVP/ Keyser Branch Manager & Lender).

 

Jerome John Duncan
September 30, 1920 – August 15, 2017
Visitation: Thursday, Aug. 17 from 5-7 pm and Friday, Aug. 18 from 11 am – 1 pm at the John Kramer & Son Funeral Home
Service: Friday, Aug. 18 at 1:30 pm at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church
Interment: Greenwood Memorial Park

Infant Avery Danielle Stewart
June 24, 2017 – August 15, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, Aug. 9 from 12-1 pm at Goldonna Assembly of God
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at Goldonna Assembly of God
Interment: Evergreen Cemetery in Goldonna

C. D. Worsham, Jr.
January 11, 1943 – August 15, 2017
Visitation: Wednesday, Aug. 16 from 5-9 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel
Service: Thursday, Aug. 17 at 11 am at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

Ralph Stanford “Stan” Wright
August 21, 1952 – August 14, 2017
Visitation: Friday, Aug. 18 from 5-7 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home.
Service (private graveside service): Saturday, Aug. 19 at Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches

William Levi Berry
August 16, 2017
Arrangements TBA

Jon “Marc” Lampert
January 10, 1944 – August 13, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 1-5 pm at the Lampert home, 2501 Marye Street in Alexandria

Joella June Wilson-Collins
February 7, 1959 – August 11, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, Aug. 19 from 8-10:30 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home and from 11-1 pm at the Agape Love Center Church
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at the Agape Love Center Church in Natchitoches
Interment: St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery of Bermuda

Roy Edwin Bailey, Jr.
April 4, 1929 – July 8, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10 am at Freedom Life Church in Natchitoches

Donald Monroe Jones
June 6, 1931 – August 12, 2017
Visitation: Thursday, Aug. 17 from 12-1 pm
Service: Thursday, Aug. 17 at 1 pm at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel
Interment (Military graveside honors): Springville Cemetery

Martha Edwards
July 17, 1917 – August 13, 2017
Service: Saturday, Aug. 19 at 1 pm at the Evergreen Baptist Church

Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington announced the appointment of Cloyd Benjamin Jr. as first assistant district attorney.

Harrington said, “Cloyd has served the citizens of Natchitoches Parish as an assistant DA honorably for 10 years. His trial court experience, vast knowledge of the law and his leadership within our office qualifies him to serve in this critical role.”

“Cloyd shares my commitment to fight and to deter crime by prosecuting criminals and seeking justice for their acts,” said Harrington.

Harrington also said Benjamin will assist him in management of the office caseload to continue to serve the needs of crime victims in the parish. Additionally, Benjamin will continue prosecuting crimes as first assistant.

“It is a great honor to serve in this capacity to continue working with the people of our great parish. I will work diligently to represent victims and to seek fair and appropriate justice for all. I am hopeful that I can assist District Attorney Harrington in helping people with everyday problems. This I believe is the highest form of service, this is helping people,” said Benjamin.

In addition to his experience as a criminal prosecutor, Benjamin previously served as former deputy for the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and federal corrections officer for the United States Department of Justice.

Benjamin is also actively involved in building a stronger community. He is the founder of Dreams Inc., which sponsors an annual Christmas party that provides toys to kids and scholarships to high school students.

Benjamin replaces Jimmy Long Jr., who returned to part-time status in the DA’s office to allow him to focus on his private law practice.

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