The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. It is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years. Unfortunately, the completion of the 2020 Census seems to be stalling out with only slight increases in Response Rates overall.

Here’s the current situation as of June 23:

National Response Rate: 61.6%
Louisiana Response Rate: 55.8%

Natchitoches Parish Response Rate: 46.6%

Ashland: 30.3%
Campti: 35.7%
Clarence: 34.3%
Goldonna: 49.8%
Natchez: 27.0%
Natchitoches: 46.4%
Powhatan: 21.4%
Provencal: 26.1%
Robeline: 22.3%

The 2020 Census is underway and the most important thing you can do is respond online, by phone, or by mail when you receive your invitation. Responding now will minimize the need for the Census Bureau to send census takers out into communities to follow up. Please check this page for regular updates.

Go online to https://2020census.gov to fill out yours today!

By Brad Dison

In the 1930s, the small village of Saline, Louisiana, had a population numbering around 600 people, mostly farmers and sawmill workers. Its main claim to fame was its watermelons. The sandy soil provided the best environment for growing watermelons. The Saline Truck Growers Association began holding a celebration in the village each July to coincide with the watermelon harvest. People from all over the region converged at Saline to join in the festivities. Some reports estimated 8,000 people attended Saline’s second Watermelon Festival. For a small village of only 600 people to have an influx of several thousand people must have been a sight to see.

In 1932, Saline’s mayor and vice president of the Saline Truck Growers Association H.E. Sudduth shipped the two largest melons of the season by rail to then presidential nominee Franklin Delano Roosevelt and vice-presidential nominee John Garner. The melons weighed in at 110 pounds and 90 pounds respectively. Local farmer Webby Driggers grew the prized 110-pound melon. A few weeks later, Mayor Sudduth received a letter which stated:

“I have been a long time in writing to thank you for the most delicious watermelon which you sent me some time ago. Will you please extend to the association my appreciation of their sending me this extraordinary fruit? We have all enjoyed it, and are regretful that it is gone. Please also thank Mr. Driggers, and extend to him my congratulations. Very sincerely yours, Franklin D. Roosevelt.”

All good things must come to an end. In July, 1933, Saline had a major incident which most people, even those who have lived in and around the small village all of their lives, have forgotten. Those who have not forgotten the event rarely speak of it. People arrived for the annual festival on foot, by wagon, by automobile, and by train. During the celebration, several conspirators pulled knifes at a predetermined time and slashed over 500 unsuspecting victims. Rather than running away, the crowd gathered closer. The conspirators slashed into the bodies of their victims and removed their insides. Let me remind you that this story is true and apologize for its gory nature. The wild crowd reached for the random bits and pieces of the poor victim’s insides and shoved whatever they could grab into their mouths. Men, women, and boys and girls of all ages ate the pieces of raw red meat, the heart being the most sought after.

Sheriff Henderson Jordan, mostly remembered as a member of the posse which two years later ended the crime spree of Bonnie and Clyde, compared the slashing affray to the murders credited to England’s Jack the Ripper. One eye witness told the sheriff, “It was just slash, slash, slash. There weren’t many out of the 500 that weren’t hurt.” By the next morning, no evidence of the murders could be found. The conspirators disposed of the what remained of the victims’ bodies in an undisclosed location. Sheriff Jordan and his deputies spoke with several eye witnesses and questioned the conspirators but made no arrests.

Although watermelons have remained a staple crop from the area around the small village of Saline, the 1933 watermelon festival was the last of its kind held for fifty years. Five decades later, after many of the citizens who were present at the slashing had died, citizens of Saline revived the watermelon festival with moderate success. Without most of them knowing it, festival goers celebrate each year the slashing that occurred in the small village on that hot July day in 1933. If you visit the village during the festival, you will see all sorts of depictions of the slashing victims including signs, t-shirts, face paintings, and other paraphernalia. The slashing victims were watermelons.

Sources:
The Shreveport Journal, July 29, 1932, p.14.
The Shreveport Times, July 29, 1932, p.2.
The Shreveport Journal, August 19, 1932, p.3.
The Shreveport Times, July 4, 1933, p.4.
PHOTO: 1933 Saline Watermelon Festival

By Kris James

Happy Wednesday Stylers! I don’t know about you all, but with everything going on in the world I know we can all agree on one thing, DRINKS! A cocktail in the summertime has a singular goal to make us feel cool. Cool, like soft breezes, salty ocean spray, and the crisp air from AC units. These classic summer cocktail recipes, which range from simple to more intensive concoctions, are ideal for hot weather drinking.

 

Rosemary Gin Fizz

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE ROSEMARY SIMPLE SYRUP

1 c. water,1 c. granulated sugar, 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

FOR THE DRINK

2 oz. gin

1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice,1 oz. rosemary simple syrup,1 large egg white, Ice, 2 oz. seltzer, Lemon round, for garnish Rosemary, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Make rosemary simple syrup: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, sugar, and rosemary. Bring to a boil and stir until all sugar is dissolved, pressing rosemary against the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release its oils. Let cool to room temperature, then strain into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make drink: Combine gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds to combine all ingredients. Fill shaker with ice and shake 10 to 15 seconds more, or until chilled.

Strain into serving glass, top with seltzer, and garnish with lemon and rosemary.

Rainbow Sangria

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 bottles Moscato, chilled, 1/2 c. triple sec, juice of 3 limes,1/4 c. granulated sugar,3 c. blackberries,3 c. blueberries,6 kiwis, peeled and sliced,2 c. diced pineapple,2 c. diced mango,2 c. halved strawberries

DIRECTIONS

In a large pitcher, stir together white wine, triple sec, lime juice, and sugar until combined.

In tall glasses, layer blackberries, blueberries, kiwis, pineapple, mango, and strawberries.

Pour wine mixture over fruit and serve.

Rum & Coke

INGREDIENTS

Ice, 5 oz. Cocoa-Cola, 2 oz. white rum,1/2 oz. lime juice (optional), Lime wedge, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Fill a glass with ice, then add Coca-Cola and rum and stir to combine. Add lime juice if using and garnish with a lime wedge.

Mimosa Margaritas

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. orange juice, 1/2 c. tequila, 1/4 c. lime juice, Lime wedge, for rimming glasses, Coarse salt, for rimming glasses, 1 bottle champagne or prosecco, Orange and lime slices for serving

DIRECTIONS

In a pitcher, combine orange juice, tequila, and lime juice and stir to combine.

Rim glass rims with lime and dip in salt. Pour in orange juice mixture and top off with champagne.

Add sliced oranges and limes to glasses and serve.

By Scott Stetson Sr.

Check it out Louisiana, check it out Natchitoches, if your elected officials aren’t talking about this they aren’t doing their jobs. If they aren’t looking at the head of the snake giving away revenue which we need for infrastructure they are charlatans and we need them gone.

At 9:30am tomorrow, Louisiana’s Board of Commerce and Industry will meet to consider corporate tax exemption requests that will cost local school districts and other local governmental bodies $178 million in lost revenue in 2020-2021 and $1.5 billion in lost revenue over the next 10 years.

What does Natchitoches lose? $1.6 million. There is so much lost revenue just this year that there should be no discussion of cutting any programs and no reason major infrastructure improvements can’t be made starting this year. See for yourself:

The good news? You have an opportunity to make a stand. This board has given away revenue and isn’t accountable to the state’s citizens by any measure. If you care about our state, about our infrastructure, make a stand. The idea that companies would leave without these breaks is outlandish. They won’t come with our current infrastructure. The ports in our state bring in more money than most countries, our state is a massive asset and it is being plundered and given away. Did you know Texas residents cost per capita for businesses to come in is $87? Ours is over $2700 per capita, and we are significantly poorer.

We can all rant on social media, here is your chance to truly be heard. Please don’t miss it, and remember this at polling time. It matters, if you don’t have representation that is looking for opportunities to right this ship without burdening you more, then please, let’s start looking. One hour before the meeting, Together Louisiana will be holding a Citizens Briefing at 8:30am to provide context and analysis of the exemptions being considered.

To join that Citizens Briefing, register HERE

Citizens can join the meeting at 9:30am using Louisiana Economic Development’s Zoom link: JOIN ZOOM HERE

Respectfully,

Scott Stetson Sr.

Northwestern State. University’s fourth session of Freshman Connection will be held online, according to Vanner Erikson, director of First Year Experience and Leadership Development.

“After Gov. John Bel Edwards’ order to remain in Phase 2 for the next 28 days, we have made the decision to move Session 4 of Freshman Connection to a virtual format,” Erikson said. “There is no need to come to the NSU campus. We will soon begin the process of advising, registering and completing all Freshman Connection business virtually.”

Freshman Orientation will be Thursday, July 9. Incoming students will be placed in small groups with orientation leaders and can connect with future classmates. In addition to registering for the fall semester, participants will be introduced to NSU student services and involvement opportunities and will be paired with a Demon Success Coach that will connect them with an academic advisor who can help with academics and schedule.

Freshmen will receive more detailed emails in the next few days from your newly assigned Success Coach, so incoming students should monitor their emails for incoming information, Erikson added.

NSU held three previous sessions of Freshman Connection online with great success.

“We received lots of positive feedback from our first three sessions of Freshman Connection,” Erikson said. “Although it is a bit different, the sessions included a lot of good discussion and exchange of information

To register and for more information, visit https://mailchi.mp/nsula/nsu-freshman-connection-session-4-is-now-happening-virtually where there is also a link to Parent Connection registration and links to more services offered through the Office of First Year Experience and Leadership Development.

The Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce seeks assistance to compile a comprehensive list of minority owned businesses. There have been an overwhelming number of requests for this list both directly to the Chamber and on social media, as the community rallies to support people of color. The Chamber has created a landing page at NatchitochesChamber.com/CelebrateDiversity, where minority business owners can submit their business’ information and those seeking to support minority owned businesses can view the list as it is updated. There is no requirement to be a Chamber member to participate.

41% of the population in the city of Natchitoches is African American. Making an effort to support black owned businesses strengthens our community, creates jobs, and grows our local economy.

“Any time our community rallies to support our local economy, we are going to do everything we can to make that process easier,” states Chamber President, Laura Lyles.

The Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to making the Natchitoches area a thriving business community by promoting commerce, strengthening people, and improving lives.

A group of students, alumni and faculty from Northwestern State University took part in ending what may be one of the longest leadups to a play’s debut ever.

This weekend, they collaborated with international faculty and a professional actor for what is likely the first reading of a play by 18th century British writer Jermyn Pratt, “The Grange.”

Northwestern State Assistant Professor of Theatre Dr. Richard St. Peter worked with Dr. Ema Vyroubalova of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and her husband, Dr. James Wood of the University of East Anglia in England to arrange the reading.

Vyroubalova met St. Peter several years ago when he guest lectured at Trinity College. Vyroubalova and Wood have been researching Pratt.

It was really kind of amazing to be the first people to read out loud this nearly 250-year old play,” said St. Peter. “Ema and James, think it was written sometime in 1771-72 and there is this kind of strange fault line in British theatre between the mid-18th century and the end of the 18th century so finding this play is like a missing link anthropological discovery. Our students, alumni and faculty were there to participate in and witness the discovery of this 18th century artifact.”

St. Peter complimented the students and alumni, saying “our actors were across the board terrific in their readings.” The cast was largely theatre majors and included a music and English major.

The cast included English professional actor Tony Haigh, a retired professor from Centre College in Kentucky, and Scott Burrell, director of School of Creative and Performing Arts at NSU.

Alumni participants were Jesse Kortus and Cassidy Giddens of Shreveport, Bethany Lee and Emmanuel Dunn of Baton Rouge and Anna Gautreaux of Houma. Current NSU students taking part were Myjoycia Cezar and Summer Jones of Shreveport, Jesse McFarland of Tyler, Texas, Ryland Mandel of New Orleans, Kaylon Willoughby of Ponchatoula, Ruben Smith of Clayton, Chloe Castello of Baton Rouge, Taijha Silas of Pineville and Beth Olin of Thibodaux.

“I had a lot of fun during the play reading,” said Giddens, who used a British accent for the reading. “It was challenging reading a selection that has never been done before by any other actor, so it gave me the opportunity to come up with a character completely on my own.”

According to Giddens, a reading differs from a rehearsal because there is no use of the body and all the emotion and subtext comes from the voice. She pointed out that the actors can use the script and don’t have to rely on memorization.

St. Peter is a strong believer in making sure students have some sort of global component to their education.

“The term ‘global’ doesn’t exclusively mean ‘study abroad.’ One can have a global experience while never leaving their campus,” said St. Peter. So in this instance, we had a play about a very specific region of England that is being researched by faculty from Trinity College in Dublin and the University of East Anglia in England, we had a British professional actor join us in the reading but by and large the characters were brought to life by Louisiana college students and that kind of cross cultural global exchange is one I believe is very beneficial in the development of our students as citizens of the world.”

For information on Northwestern State’s Department of Theatre and Dance, go to capa.nsula.edu/theatre.

The NCHS Football Team will hold a golf tournament fundraiser on Saturday, July 11 at the NSU Complex. We are looking forward to a great day of golf and getting to meet members of the community. This is an exciting time at NCHS and we want everyone in the community to be a part of it.

We are looking for hole sponsors and teams of 4 players. We will hold 2 tee times, 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to accommodate teams throughout the day. Hole sponsorships are $125 and teams are $400. Checks can be made out to NCHS Football. Please submit your team members and check by June 30, 2020. Also please specify what time you would like to tee off. This will allow time for a schedule to be put in place and for any changes to be made. If you would like to sponsor a hole, please send check to NCHS along with your logo that you would like to use for your sign.

Again we are thankful for all the support the community has already showed us and we would look forward to seeing out on the course. If any questions please contact Coach Wilkerson at 318-220-6883 or at James.Wilkerson@nat.k12.la.us or The Quarterback Club at zeppair@gmail.com.

The Three Reeds Duo will perform a virtual concert Wednesday, June 24 at 4 p.m. The concert can be viewed at leahforsythmusic.com/three-reeds-duo.

The chamber ensemble includes Leah Forsyth on oboe and Paul Forsyth on saxophone. They will be joined by pianist Chialing Hsieh. The Three Reeds Duo was selected to perform at the 2020 International Double Reed Society conference in Iowa City, Iowa. The conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 virus.

The concert will include three works, two of which are on the duo’s most recent album, “Metamorphosis.”

 

NATCHITOCHES:
Rosa L. Baker
June 20, 2020
Arrangements TBA

The City Council unanimously approved the bicycle and pedestrian master plan and bike share feasibility study for Natchitoches at its meeting Monday evening, June 22. Through a combined effort with the Rapides Area Planning Commission, Bantam Strategy Group, and local stakeholders, a solid structural plan for bike share and micro mobility transit and infrastructure is now in place.

Check out the plans here:

The Council also recognized Sheriff Victor Jones for his 20 years of service as Natchitoches Parish Sheriff and 43 years with the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office. New Sheriff Stuart Wright was sworn in early Monday morning in a private ceremony amidst Covid concerns.

Other agenda items included:

PLANNING & ZONING – FINAL:
Amending Ordinance No. 64 Of 2001 By Changing Zoning Classification Of Property Described As Follows: South One-half of Lt 7, Lot 8 & East 39.4 Feet of Lt 9 of East Broadmoor Subdivision, Unit #2 from B-3 Commercial to additional B-A to sell beverages of high and low alcoholic content for consumption on premise. Application by Redolpho Vargas – 115 South Drive.

ORDINANCES – FINAL:
Authorizing The Mayor Of The City Of Natchitoches, Lee Posey, To Execute An Agreement Or Lease Of Public Property And Airspace With Ronald Mooty And Marilyn D. Mooty Whereby The City Of Natchitoches And The Board Of Commissioners Of Waterworks District Number 1 Will Lease Public Ground And Airspace Pursuant To The Terms Of R. S. 33:4712 And R. S. 33:4712.1 To Ronald Mooty And Marilyn D. Mooty , To Provide For A Public Hearing, To Provide For Advertising, And A Savings Clause.

Amending Ordinance No. 17 Of 2020 Adopted On February 24, 2020 To Provide For The Removal Of A Pledge And Dedication To The Natchitoches Economic Development District D Of The Incremental Revenues Generated By The City’s One Percent (1.0%) Sales And Use Tax Now Being Levied For General Purposes And Collected By The City; And Otherwise Providing With Respect Thereto.

Approving A Smartnet North America Reference Network Reference Station Host Agreement With LEICA Geosystems, Inc. And Authorizing The Mayor To Execute The Said Agreement On Behalf Of The City, Providing For Advertising, Further Providing For Severability, And Further Providing For A Repealer And Effective Date Of Ordinance.

ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION:
Adopting Setting Forth the Adjusted Millage Rate(s). The Public Safety FAC/SER Fire & Police will be at 9.690 mills and the General Alimony will be at 6.820 mills.

Adopting to Roll Forward to Millage Rates(s) Not Exceeding the Maximum Authorized Rate(s) with a 2020 Levy of 10 mills for the Public Safety FAC/SER Fire & Police and 7.030 mills for the General Alimony.

RESOLUTIONS:
Adopt The Natchitoches Bicycle And Pedestrian Plan And The Natchitoches Feasibility Study And Implementation Plan Developed By The Rapides Area Planning Commission.

Execute A Certificate Of Substantial Completion To The Contract Between The City Of Natchitoches And Regional Construction, LLC For La-6 West Turn Lane And J-Turn (Bid No. 0624)

Enter Into A Maintenance Agreement, Including Mowing And Litter Pickup, With The State Of Louisiana, Department Of Transportation And Development, Office Of Engineering Beginning July 1, 2020 Through June 30, 2021.

Adopt The Required Plans, Policies, Appointments And Authorization Of Individuals For Compliance With The LCDBG Program.

Execute A Grant Agreement With The Rapides Foundation For The 2020 Healthy Behaviors Program Grant For Ready, Set, Go!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The next scheduled City Council meeting will be July 13, 2020.
The Offices of the City of Natchitoches will be CLOSED Friday, July 3, 2020 in honor of Independence Day.

As COVID-19 Cases Increase, Louisiana Will Stay in Phase Two
Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that Louisiana will stay in Phase Two of reopening, as the number of COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations have started to rise in several regions across the state. The Governor will extend his Phase Two order for another 28 days, keeping in place occupancy limits and other restrictions.

As of today (June 22), Louisiana ranks seventh out of 23 states across the country experiencing an increase in COVID-19 positive cases. Those include the neighboring states of Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

“Louisiana reached two sad milestones today as we surpassed 3,000 deaths and 50,000 positive tests in our state. Each of these Louisianans is someone’s child, sibling, parent or friend, and we mourn every one of these losses,” Gov. Edwards said. “It is clear that COVID is alive and well in Louisiana, and as we see more people testing positive and admitted to hospitals, we simply are not ready to move to the next phase, and ease restrictions further as businesses open widely. Many of you are doing the right thing and I thank you for it. It’s incredibly disappointing to hear that there are still some people who refuse to wear masks in public, which puts all of us at greater risk of becoming sick. I implore Louisianans to be good neighbors, to stay at home when they are experiencing symptoms, to avoid crowds, physically distance, and to wear a mask when not around their immediate household whether inside or outside. These are simple things we can do to protect ourselves and each other.”

“While we know that increasing testing means that we will see more positive cases, we are still troubled by the rising case counts across the state, especially since around 90 percent of these new cases are coming from the community and not from congregate settings like nursing homes,” Gov. Edwards said. “It is up to all of us to check our own behaviors and to take responsibility for slowing the spread of COVID. We do not want to have to go back to a time of increased restrictions where fewer businesses could operate. It is my hope that all of us – from government officials to business owners to students – will do the right thing.”

Louisianans should wear face masks whenever they are in public, practice social distancing, wash their hands frequently and avoid going out in public when they are experiencing any symptoms.

Smoothie King’s Hydration is a refreshing way to hydrate/recover after working out and/or hot summer activities. Available in two flavors Watermelon and Pineapple Mango, these smoothies are a healthy way to cool down by helping replenish electrolytes and stay hydrated.

FREE SMOOTHIES – TODAY:

WHEN: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 from 2p until 6p  – TODAY

WHERE: Smoothie King of Natchitoches located at 810 University Pkwy

WHAT: Get a free 12 oz Hydration Watermelon or Mango Pineapple smoothie with the Healthy Rewards app

Defend Against COVID-19

Defend Against COVID-19. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Recognize the symptoms. Cover your cough. Wash your hands. Stay home especially if you are sick.

Phase Two continues.

Maintain a Social Distance of 6ft. Social distancing means keeping 6ft. of physical space between yourself and others. This helps to prevent the spread of illness.

Eleven pieces of work composed by Dr. Al Benner, senior lecturer of instrumentals, theory and composition, and chair of the Department of Arts at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA), will be featured by the National Federation of Music Clubs.

The original compositions and pieces will be released in the upcoming competition bulletin for the years 2020-2024.

The eleven pieces are:
Through the Hymnal for piano duet
Mary and Her Little Lamb for piano duet
Idyll for horn and piano
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (arr.) for organ
How Sweet the Sound – Variations on Amazing Grace for organ
Dancin’ on the County Line for string bass and piano
Daydreaming (from Family Matters) for violin trio
Music to Hear for voice and piano
There You Go for voice and piano
The Request for voice and piano
In My Father’s Arms for voice and piano

Every three years, composers and publishers submit scores for consideration for the approved repertoire list used in the competitions that take place throughout the United States. As a piece is selected, it goes into the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) bulletin, which is distributed to every NFMC member. Those pieces are then used for the annual local and state competitions for a three-year period.

Since its founding in 1898, the National Federation of Music Clubs has grown into one of the world’s largest music organizations with clubs and individual members of all ages. It is chartered by the Congress of the United States and is the only music organization that is a member of the United Nations.

NFMC provides opportunities for musical study, performance and appreciation to more than 200,000 senior, student and junior members in 6,500 music-related clubs and organizations nationwide.

Members are professional and amateur musicians, vocalists, composers, dancers, performing artists, arts and music educators, music students, generous music patrons and benefactors and music lovers of all ages.

By J. R. “Randy” Stelly

During his campaign for Parish President, John Richmond posted a video where he tearfully reminisced about his father’s advice, which was “First thing you do, put all your faith and trust in Jesus Christ that He’s going to give you the power, even when you don’t think they need it or deserve it, to love the people you come into contact with; and He’s going to give you the strength to teach; and He’s going to give you the humbleness to learn.” In the video, Richmond says that he doesn’t know that he’s ever heard it put any better, and I agree. Richmond goes on to promise anyone listening that “that’s what I do every day.”

At the time that video was released, I was reminded of the movie Elmer Gantry about the smooth-talking traveling salesmen who convinces a female lay preacher to make him an indispensable part of her roadshow. Just as in the movie, Mr. Richmond was using Christian references in his sales pitch to the voters of Natchitoches Parish and a lot of people fell for it including many of our Black religious leaders who delivered on the majority of the African-American votes cast last year.

Fast forward to May 15th when John Richmond, now Parish President, was involved in an altercation where he bum-rushed Derrion Shields, one of his employees that was being accosted by another employee, Brad Haigler. If you’ve watched the video of the fight, which was recently leaked on Facebook, I ask you, did you see any hint of love or humbleness emanating from John Richmond? Did you see any sense of regret or remorse on Mr. Richmond’s face? Did you feel that Mr. Richmond was taking ownership of his lapse in his good Christian morals?

We initially learned about this incident, not because Mr. Richmond decided to seek forgiveness for his involvement in the altercation but because he filed an incident report with police wherein he alleged that Mr. Shields was the aggressor and that he was merely defending himself. Had the video not been leaked, many of us might have been inclined to believe that or any one of the many other “alternative truths” that were being put out on the street. Thanks to the video evidence, Mr. Richmond and Mr. Haigler have been charged with Simple Battery.

More than likely, Mr. Richmond will get off with nothing more than a mere slap on the wrist for his involvement in the altercation. After all, the charge is only for a misdemeanor, which will not result in his removal from office.

On June 8th, Mr. Richmond spoke during a 100 Black Men event where he stood on the steps of the courthouse and once again turned on the charm by proclaiming to the people of Natchitoches that we can all make a difference. He is right. We, the people, need to demand that Mr. Richmond resign. As Louisianans, we are accustomed to our politicians lying to us but we cannot tolerate violence. Just as with the protesters fighting for equality and justice for all across the world today, we cannot rest until John Richmond is no longer a representative for what Good Government looks like in Natchitoches Parish.

The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Natchitoches Parish Journal.  If you have an article or story of interest for publishing consideration by the NPJ, please send it to NPJNatLa@gmail.com.

Nearly 70 percent of Northwestern State student-athletes who competed in spring sports qualified for the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Spring Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes who achieve at least a 3.0 GPA during a semester in which they competed.

Northwestern State placed 123 student-athletes on the team, placing ninth in the conference despite NSU not sponsoring four of the conference’s recognized spring sports.

All eight Lady Demon tennis players were named to the team while softball (90.9 percent), baseball (78.4 percent) and women’s track and field (71.1 percent) crossed the 70-percent mark.

Thirty-eight NSU student-athletes produced 4.0 GPAs during the spring semester, a total that stood seventh in the Southland Conference.

Three programs produced at least seven student-athletes with 4.0s, led by 11 from the Lady Demon softball team. Tennis and women’s track and field each had seven student-athletes who posted perfect marks.

The 38 Demons and Lady Demons who earned 4.0 GPAs in the Spring 2020 semester are: softball’s Maggie Black, Makenzie Chaffin, E.C. Delafield, Jordan Dickerson, Kacee Mertens, Alexis Perry, Bronte Rhoden, Kaitlyn St. Clair, Sierra Stone, Codi Vernace and Elise Vincent; tennis’ Olivia Alfredsson, Judit Castillo-Gargallo, Emilija Dancetovic, Ela Iwaniuk, Gig Kanaphuet, Mariella Minetti and Patrycja Polanska; women’s track and field’s Nadia Carney, Sydney Cowgill, Isabella Hudson, Marlee Paulk, Brooke Petkovich, Olivia Slayter and Erin Wilson; baseball’s Hayden Brown, Levi David, Peyton Davis, Donovan Ohnoutka, Kyle Swanson and Cameron Taylor; women’s basketball’s Jasmyn Johnson, Victoria Miller and Jocelyn Scott; men’s track and field’s Clayton Casner, Laron James and Austin Simoneaux and men’s basketball’s Dalin Williams.

Photos: Pictures of fall student-athlete graduates. Credit: Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services

by Carrie Mardorf

Across the nation we as a people are addressing the ongoing struggle of racism, inequality, and the injustices that members of the Black community live with every day. Even as we celebrated Juneteenth last week, recent events centered on racial injustice were at the forefront of our minds. Many of us have realized the increased need to listen to, rely on, and support each other to build a more inclusive environment within our communities. At the National Park Service, our commitment to our mission to preserve and share a truly inclusive story of America is more critical and important than ever.

National parks tell the stories, even the difficult ones, of powerful places, important people, and pivotal moments that helped define America. Our mission at Cane River Creole National Historical Park, headquartered in Natchitoches, is to accurately and fairly tell this shared story related to plantation life, including enslavement. These are stories of struggle, inspiration, celebration, and pain. That has been our mission at Oakland Plantation and Magnolia Plantation for 25 years, and we are honored to be able to continue that mission into the future in a new location.

Several months ago, Natchitoches newspapers featured a story about how the National Park Service will be moving into the former Texas and Pacific Railway Depot on Trudeau Street and the Eagle Distributing building on Sixth Street. It’s true. We are. And the first phase will be happening in the next few months. A team of National Park Service staff, City employees including Mayor Lee Posey, and designers have been working diligently to make all the pieces come together.

Phase 1 of the move will take place this fall and will focus on moving Cane River Creole National Historical Park’s museum collection into the former Eagle building. The structure will be converted into the park’s new curation facility with 10,000 square feet of storage, new climate control, fire suppression, and staff offices. The park manages an extensive museum collection of nearly 500,000 three-dimensional objects and archival items related to the history of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations. Much of the collection includes vernacular, one-of-a-kind handmade tools and decorative items made and used by enslaved workers, Native Americans, Creoles, and others who lived and worked along Cane River. This nationally significant material culture represents the enslaved, sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and day laborers, all of African American descent, and is a key portion of the collection. The former Eagle building finally gives these objects the home they deserve and provides us the proper facility in which to care for them in perpetuity.

Phase 2 will involve moving the park administrative offices into the Texas and Pacific Railway Depot at a later date. This historic building is particularly significant to Natchitoches, not only as a train depot, but also as one of the last physical vestiges of segregation and the Jim Crow era within the State of Louisiana.

Over the next year, we will be reaching out to the community, particularly the African American community and our new neighbors, to get input on the building’s history, its stories, and how to share them within the context of Natchitoches Parish. We fully realize that these are the community’s stories to tell. Not ours. And it’s something that we do not take lightly. Particularly in light of current events, the National Park Service and the City are working together to preserve this history and tell the stories of African American heritage within our new space. We want to tell those narratives of overcoming hardship from slavery to abolition, from segregation to civil rights—all within the context of Black history, no matter how difficult they may be so that future generations can learn from those stories.

In addition to administrative offices, current plans for the depot include an interpretative center and combination theater and community room space. The interpretive center will be centered around the community’s stories, ties to the surrounding plantations, and exhibits and objects from the park museum collection. The combination theater and community room will be available to the public to rent out for meetings or special events.

While we work toward moving into our new home, I invite and encourage all of you to visit Oakland Plantation in Natchez and Magnolia Plantation in Derry. Both historic sites are free and open to the public from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM daily and are a short 20 to 30-minute drive south of Natchitoches. Although COVID-19 has hampered the park’s operations and ability to give guided tours for the time being, visitors can walk the grounds and take a self-guided tour – either via cell phone or paper map.

Uncomfortable histories are difficult to confront. We all continue to grapple with these histories within our own community and nation, and Cane River Creole National Historical Park is committed to sharing these stories. All stories. From the Quarters to the back of the Big House. Lesser-known stories. Regardless of race or skin color.

Oakland Plantation is located at 4386 Highway 494 in Natchez, LA. Magnolia Plantation is located at 5549 Highway 119 in Derry, LA. For directions, go to https://www.nps.gov/cari/planyourvisit/directions.htm.

Carrie Mardorf, Superintendent of Cane River Creole National Historical Park, can be reached at Carrie_Mardorf@nps.gov or 318-352-0383, x 100.

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PHOTO: The former Eagle Distributing building on Sixth Street will become the museum collections storage facility for the park. The building will house 500,000 artifacts from Oakland and Magnolia Plantations in museum quality conditions. NPS photo.

PHOTO: Cane River Creole National Historical Park preserves all history and stories related to Oakland and Magnolia Plantations. The park has strived to accurately and fairly depict life on the plantations, particularly the experience of African Americans from the late 1700s to the 1970s. Image courtesy of Dr. Ambrose Hertzog collection.

Ben D. Johnson Educational Center (BDJ Center) has been awarded $2,148 in community grant funds from Walmart. The grant to the BDJ Center will support the Legacy Youth Workforce Development Program. The purpose of the program is to help young people ages 17-24 enter and remain in the workforce.

Located in the Ben Johnson Auditorium Complex at 400 MLK Drive, the BDJ Center offers a 16-week program that teaches job readiness, financial literacy, nutrition, and foodservice skills training. Upon completion students earn their ServSafe and Legacy Foodservice and Hospitality Training Program Certifications. Students earn a stipend while learning and are offered breakfast and lunch daily.

In addition to the Legacy Youth Workforce Development Program, the BDJ Center also serves the community through its social enterprise, Legacy Café and the BDJ Garden. The Legacy Café is open for business and serves breakfast (7:30AM – 10:30AM) and lunch (10:30AM – 2PM) Monday through Friday.

Claire Prymus, Founder and Board Chair, “We are grateful to Walmart for their support as we work to fulfill our mission of Transforming Lives and Building Community.”

Founded by Claire Prymus in honor of her late uncle, the Ben D. Johnson Educational Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to build community in Natchitoches and give access to social and economic success for all of its residents.

Pictured: JoAnna Cooper, BDJ Center Executive Director and Carla Mercier, Walmart General Manager

Story by Matt Vines, Assistant Sports Information Director

With the relaxing of quarantine standards during the COVID-19 pandemic, Northwestern State wants to spread enthusiasm by land and by water.

Demons fans can grab one of NSU’s ALL IN yard signs at the Vic The Demon “Ride Around” or have it delivered by boat on Cane River Lake or Sibley Lake

The Ride Around, which will visit different locations in Natchitoches, and the boat delivery will occur Thursday – weather permitting.

The Ride Around will start at 11 a.m. on NSU’s campus at the Jimmy D. Long Sr. Student Services Center near the corner of Caspari St. and Sam Sibley Drive. The boat delivery will start around 1 p.m.

Vic will roll in his convertible to downtown on Front Street, turn on Texas Street and take a left on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive before looping around on Amulet St. past Natchitoches City Park.

The route will turn right on Jefferson Street, crossing the Keyser Ave. bridge.

The Ride Around will visit the St. Clair neighborhood before traveling to Chinquapin Village and ending at Beau Riviera at the house of NSU head football coach Brad Laird. The Ride Around is expected to last two hours, and fans not living in those neighborhoods are encouraged to see Vic in the downtown area.

Laird will then captain one of the boats that will set sail on Cane River Lake to deliver additional yard signs. If you are an NSU football season-ticket holder who lives on Cane River or on Sibley Lake and would like a yard sign placed in your yard, contact Deputy Athletic Director Dr. Haley Taitano at 318-357-4278.

Fans are encouraged to adhere to all Center of Disease Control guidelines, including social distancing, during the Ride Around.

“We wanted to bring a little cheer to the community, and we want to encourage our fans to sit outside in lawn chairs and wave at Vic when he rides by,” Taitano said. “Vic will be wearing a mask and practicing social distancing, but we want to show that NSU is still ALL IN with the Natchitoches community and its residents.”

Fans can display their ALL IN yard signs to show continued support for NSU and the #GoNatchitoches community. Fans can also wear their ALL IN T-shirts designed by Posey’s Sports Center. A couple dozen shirts are still available in store.

The Ride Around is a Demon Rewards event, which fans can attend to earn points toward cool prizes. Download the free NSU app on your phone, click on “Rewards” at the top left of your home screen and check in at the event to receive points in the first Demon Rewards event of the 2020-21 academic year.

Cade Stepp, an assistant director in NSU’s recruiting office, is this year’s Demon Rewards winner. Stepp, who accumulated the most points at Demon Rewards events, will receive an orange Yeti cooler filled with NSU merchandise and prize packs, which includes two sideline passes to NSU football’s home opener vs. Incarnate Word on Sept. 3

Fans can earn points toward prizes like NSU keychains, T-shirts and other merchandise, including sideline passes.

“NSU coaches, staff and administrators are preparing for a Demon football season in which fans can remain safe yet still enjoy the action under the Turpin Stadium lights,” Laird said.

In addition to the ALL IN signs, season-ticket holder yard signs for those not participating in Thursday’s drop-off day are available and can be secured at the NSU Athletics Fieldhouse upon renewal of a season-ticket purchase. Contact Mike Jacklich for season-ticket packages at 318-357-4268.