The Goldonna Assembly of God recently announced their 2nd Annual Fall Carnival. This family friendly event will be held on Saturday, November 5th from 5:00 to 7:00pm. Join the church family at 105 Talley Street for all of the fun and delicious food. Delectables include: hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones. They will also host a dunking booth, jump house, and this year they have added a “Pie the Pastor” game. The church will have door prizes as well.

The Goldonna Christmas in the Park Planning Committee is proud to announce the addition of the 1st Annual Christmas in the Park Beauty and Beau Pageant. The event will be held on No-vember 19, 2022 at Goldonaa Elementary School Auditorium at 9:00am.

Girl’s categories for the pageant include: Infant Miss (0-11 months), Baby Miss (12-23 months), Toddler Miss (2-3 years), Tiny Miss (4-5 years), Little Miss (6-7 years), Petite Miss (8-10 years) Jr Miss (11-13 years), Teen Miss (14-16 years), Miss (17-20 years).

Boy’s categories for the pageant include:Baby Mister (0-23 months), Tiny Mister (2-3 years), and Little Mister (4-5 years).

The deadline to enter is Tuesday, November 1, 2022. The pageant link can be found on Face-book at https://fb.me/e/1Q0tAujls

The Chicken Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser is coming up this weekend. On Sunday, November 6th at 11:00, for the price of $10 you will enjoy chicken spaghetti, green beans, roll, dessert and a drink. One hundred percent of the profits will go directly to the festival to offset expenses. The committee will deliver eight or more plates if you schedule ahead of time. You can pre-order with Eugene Garner (318-663-1148) or Jennifer Smith (318-413-7761).

River of Life Family Worship Center is having a Thanksgiving Fellowship on Sunday, November 13th. Services start at 10:30 and the fellowship will begin directly after. Bring a friend and come enjoy a meal with their church family.

Goldonna Elementary School will be participating in the News Channel 5 Holiday Food Drive now through December 8th. They will be collecting non-perishables that will help feed families in Central Louisiana. They will also be hosting a Grandparents Thanksgiving Dinner Thursday, November 17th. You must reserve a spot to participate. The school will be hosting a Veteran’s Day Program on Wednesday November 9th.

Goldonna Baptist Church Kingdom Kids is up and running! Literally. Buses are busy all over Gol-donna picking up and dropping off children. They meet every Wednesday night at 6:00pm and get to enjoy a great meal while they are at the church. They will follow the NPSB school sched-ule, if the schools are closed they will not have Kingdom Kids on that Wednesday night. The youth group is serving biscuits and sausage every Sunday before Sunday School which starts at 10:00am.

As you can see there is always something wonderful going on in the beautiful hills of Goldonna. Christmas in the Park is gearing up and still needing volunteers for this jolly ole festival. Please contact Mayor Smith if you would like to be on the committee. Bring your ideas and get ready to start planning for the jolliest year yet!

If you have news to share please email Reba Phelps at jreba.phelps@gmail.com

Eighty-five teams of anglers competed in Northwestern State University’s inaugural Bass Fishing Tournament Oct. 15.  The event was made possible by presenting sponsor, the Cane River Waterway Commission, with fishing sites that included Cane River, Sibley Lake, Red River and Black Lake.  Proceeds benefit the NSU Fishing Team.

Top prizes are as follows:

1st Place: $10,000 – Brian Lucas Jr. and Brian Lucas of DeVille

2nd Place: $5,000 – Archie Dore and Emanuel Settle of Natchitoches

3rd Place: $2,500 – Cody Beasley of Goldonna and John Hoare of Natchitoches 

Big Bass: $3000 – Micah Tucker of Bossier City and Jim Bison of Natchitoches

            In addition, the event included a Kid’s Tournament on Chaplin’s Lake.  The winner was Graham Chasteen of Natchitoches.

            “This was the first time the NSU Foundation hosted an event of this type and it was a resounding success, in no small part because of the fishermen, our sponsors and the volunteers who helped the event run smoothly,” said Drake Owens, executive director of the NSU Foundation.  “Special thanks also go to Burt and Shelley Poche, Juddy Hamous, our emcee Steve Graf, and tournament coordinator Haley Graves.”

            Natchitoches native and professional angler Keith Poche, brother of Burt Poche, was a special guest at the weigh-in where he greeted participants.

            “Cane River Waterway Commission was excited to be part of NSUs inaugural bass tournament,” said Jim Rhodes, CRWC president. “As the tournament was a total success, we anticipate it becoming bigger and better every year.  This event showcased the viability and beauty of Cane River and that is what the mission of the Cane River Waterway Commission is. It was a total success for all involved, NSU, CRWC and our citizens.”

            Other tournament sponsors include: 

Auto Zone

Cypress Knee Outdoors

Despino’s Tire

Elite Guide Services

Fogleman’s Fishing Tackle & Pecan Farm

Gill Marine

Green Acres Car Wash

Holloway Outdoors

Mariner’s Restaurant

McAlister’s Deli

Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission

Natchitoches Tans

Pineville Marine

Raising Cane’s

Real Deal Marine

Red River Marine

Security Sporting Goods

Sonic Drive-In

Speedy Pete’s Car Wash

Swamp Gear

Tractor Supply Co.

Trail Boss Steakhouse

V&M Baits

Valvoline Instant Oil Change

“This tournament was started to help raise funds to support the NSU Fishing Team. We look forward to hosting this event for many years to come,” Owens said.

The NSU Fishing Team is a club sport open to all NSU students that competes in MLF, B.A.S.S. and Collegiate Bass circuits. The team competes at tournaments around the country and scholarships are available.

Follow the NSU Fishing Team on Facebook and Instagram @NSUfishingteam and #nsufishingteam. 

Click here for tournament results and photos: https://northwesternstatealumni.com/bass-tournament/

Pictured: Winners of NSU’s inaugural Bass Fishing Tournament were congratulated by the NSU Fishing Team.  From left are Stone Smith, Evan Howe, Clayton Page, Noah Trant, Andrew Straughn, winners Brian Lucas and Brian Lucas Jr., Hunter Greer, Austin Speer and Luke Isles.

Goldonna Elementary Junior High School is proud to share the Honor Roll list for the first nine week grading period.

Principal’s List
Grace Day
Ayden Desadier
Saydee Flack
Brody Guin
Joseph Ivy
Daygren Johnson
Piper Killingsworth
Carlie Spears

A Honor Roll
Daylon Ayres
Kayde Bedgood
Haiden Black
Nathan Black
Bryson Carter
Brooklynn Chandler
Ella Chism
Chaylie Cox
Alaynna Day
Mackenzie Dodge
Brookelyn Garner
Anthony Giannone Flores
Janiah Grayson
Jasiah Grayson
Brett Keith
Penelope Mann
Addyson Martinez
Alex McCoy
Bronson McLendon
Aubrey Olivier
Zalien Paul
Hunter Quinn
Ozyria Reliford
Posey Riddle
Kellci Ross
Case Sampey
Alaina Simpson
Rayleigh Simpson
Kara Slaughter
Gavin Spears
Victoria Stewart
Riley Thompson
Lani Todd
Heidi Winn

B Honor Roll
Brennan Alexander
Breanna Bates
Gabrielle Bedgood
Cortney Cheatwood
Zaine Choate
Silas Collinsowrth
Caylee Cotton
Tyler LeBrun
Jace Lee-Johnson
Carlee Rose Martin
Journey Nealy
Slade Neilsen
Annleigh Pritchard
Branyia Reliford
James Simpson
Johnny Stewart
Addison Weaver
Autumn Womack

Rotarian with the Program Reverend Frank Fuller introduced Rotarian Dr. Bob Gillan who summarized the goals and objectives of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) organization. The ESGR mission is to encourage employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective, and proven leadership to the civilian workforce. Next, Trish Gilbert  provided an overview of Natchitoches Veterans Day to be held on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 4 pm on the downtown Riverbank. At the close of the meeting, Gillan awarded the ESGR Volunteer Award to Rotarian Joe Sers for his assistance to ESGR during COVID. Pictured from left are Rotarian & ESGR member David Zolzer, Gilbert, Sers, Fuller, and Gillan (Photo by Dr. Ron McBride).

It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas in some Natchitoches businesses and the 3rd Annual “Christmas On Wheels” parade and car show committee is ready to spread the good cheer. This family-oriented event will be Saturday, Nov. 19 from 12-5 pm, featuring a colorful parade and static car show in the Ben Johnson Auditorium parking lot, located at 440 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Registration is Nov. 1-5.

 

To register and to get more information, contact:

Ralph Wilson at 318-332-8254

Henry “Mac” at 318-527-9070

Greg Roberson at 318-609-8628

The bank of the pond at Parc Natchitoches was filled with children and their families Saturday, October 29 as anglers of every age enjoyed a “Get Out and Fish” event sponsored by Parc Natchitoches and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

The state has made it extremely easy for families to enjoy fishing. Did you know that Louisianans aged 17 and under do not need a fishing license in order to put a line in the water? “No boat? No problem!” Fishing from the water’s edge is an inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors and build family memories.

Parc Natchitoches hosts one of the 17 ponds throughout the state that are stocked by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Saturday’s “Get Out and Fish” event was to celebrate the stocking and opening of the pond to fishing. The pond is stocked with channel catfish and actually has been in operation for a while, but the official kickoff event was delayed by the Covid pandemic.

The LDWF crew brought a trailer with examples of the state’s different kinds of aquatic life. There was also a fish weighing station, classes on knot tying, instructions on how to identify fish as well as other fun activities for the young anglers. After a morning working up an appetite, the anglers were treated to lunch and drinks.

The LDWF Community Fishing Program is a wonderful way to help families build memories and introduce children to the outdoors. Come out to Parc Natchitoches and bring the family!

The Natchitoches Parish Council held a special called meeting on Oct. 31. The agenda items to be voted on are:

(DELETED FROM AGENDA) Approve amending the Capital Outlay application to add $10,000 for road improvements for the Mora Church/Cemetery Road. Also, for a request for $100,000 for road materials to be used on parish roads West of I-49.

(PASSED) Authorize the Parish President to send in LCDBG Grant application with a Resolution stating that
the Engineering will be provided by the Parish with an in-house staff performing all of the engineering services with no charges to the grant.

Natchitoches Regional Medical Center names Jessica Anding, as Volunteer Coordinator. In this role, Anding will be responsible for coordinating and creating volunteer opportunities throughout NRMC and NRMC Foundation.

Originally from Sarepta, Louisiana Anding moved to Natchitoches to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Northwestern State University and has called Natchitoches home ever since. Anding’s career at NRMC spans 9 years, beginning at Insights Behavioral Health as the Activity Coordinator and Discharge Planner for 8 years before transitioning to the Comprehensive Wound Care Clinic working as a Front Office Coordinator and Insurance Verifier for the past year. 

“I have always been active on the Events Committee at NRMC and I love volunteering for the organization and in the community. I am so excited for this new opportunity as Volunteer Coordinator and I am eager to grow the program,” stated Anning.

At Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, community members give generously of their time and talents to help the hospital and its facilities better serve patients, residents and families. Volunteers provide many services including assisting administrative departments, special projects on the nursing floors, customer experience improvement, help in the nursery, surgery and intensive care waiting rooms, and more.

If you are interested in volunteering with Natchitoches Regional Medical Center email volunteer@nrmchospital.org or call (318) 214-4826.

About Natchitoches Regional Medical Center

Natchitoches Regional Medical Center began as a community hospital in 1955 and has grown into a 216-bed healthcare system with 900 Associates and more than 100 active and consulting physicians on its medical staff. The system is comprised of the 96-bed acute care facility, a skilled nursing home, assisted living complex, and an extensive network of clinics throughout the parish.

The Natchitoches Virtual Academy began taking applications for the Spring 2023 semester on Monday, Oct. 31, and will continue accepting them through Friday, Nov. 11, for students in grades six through twelve, who meet the following criteria outlined below. The Spring 2023 semester will not begin until Jan. 6, 2023.

The guidelines for admissions into the Natchitoches Virtual Academy are as follows:

Students must have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher for admissions into this program. Students must also maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher while in the program.

Parents must have and maintain reliable internet services (a minimum bandwidth of 3 Mbps per virtual student) throughout the duration of the program.

Parents must provide the following documents at the time of the application process. Parents may either upload the required documents listed below in the application form OR email the documents to virtualacademy@npsb.la.

Proof of reliable internet services (this may be the most current bill or a letter from the internet service provider – please send the part of the bill that shows the bandwidth of services provided and the date of the bill).

Your child’s last report card from this current school year.

All applications and supporting documents must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm on Friday, Nov. 11. Applications with missing documentation will be discarded after 11:59 pm on Friday, Nov. 11.

Please use this link to apply now: https://forms.gle/tEjE8EmU7xDU9Z276.

Northwestern State softball has set its annual Demon Softball Auction for Dec. 2, announced head coach Donald Pickett

The auction will take place at the Knights of Columbus (1105 E. 5^th Natchitoches Street). Doors will open and the silent auction will begin at 5 p.m. with food served at 5:30 p.m. and live auction set for 6 p.m.

Tickets are $50 for individuals with a six-person VIP table available for $250 and eight-person VIP tables available for $350. The ticket price includes dinner and beverages as well as a chance to bid on fantastic auction items.

To reserve a spot, contact NSU associate head coach Lexi Smith at smithale@nsula.edu.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for individuals or companies.

At the Single Level for $500, donors will receive a signed softball, a T-Shirt, and two tickets to the auction.

At the Double Level for $750, donors will receive two season tickets for the upcoming season, a meet and greet with the team, a signed ball and two auction tickets.

At the Triple Level for $1,000, donors will receive two season tickets, dinner with the team in the Outfield Club, a meet and greet, a signed ball, a T-Shirt and two auction tickets.

Sponsors have the opportunity for naming rights to the auction with a Grand Slam at $2,500. In addition to naming rights, the donor will receive two Outfield Club season tickets, a VIP table at the auction, a signed team picture, a meet and greet, a signed ball and two T-Shirts.

All proceeds benefit NSU softball to assist the team with scholarships, travel costs, facility upgrades among other needs.

For those unable to attend the auction, donations to the program can also be made by texting “softballauction” to 41444. 

Credit: Gary Hardamon

By Brad Dison

During his lifetime, Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, had more than his share of admirers.  People waited for hours outside the gates of Graceland in hopes that they might get a glimpse of and maybe an autograph from Elvis.  There were also many people who disliked him for a variety of reasons.  It was for reasons such as this that Elvis’s home, Graceland, was protected by a solid stone wall fence with a set of large metal gates.    

On the morning of November 22, 1976, a 41-year-old man and his wife drove up to the gates of Elvis’s Graceland and asked the security guard to see Elvis.  Naturally, the security guard refused entry and sent the man on his way.  Just a few minutes later, at about 9:30 a.m., the man was driving at the corner of Powell and Peterson Lake Road in Collierville, a suburb east of Memphis, when he took the curve too sharply and flipped his car.  

Police arrived and found the man and his wife standing beside the overturned car.  The man, they noticed, was unsteady on his feet and had slurred speech.  They arrested the man and charged him with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, and having no driver’s license.  At Collierville police headquarters, the man took and passed a breathalyzer test.  Collierville Police Chief H.A. Goforth Jr. administered further tests to determine the man’s incoherence.    The man posted a $250 bond and was released from jail.  That should have been the end of this story.

The man had a lengthy history with police.  As far back as 1963, the man was sentenced to thirty days in jail for drunk driving.  Earlier in 1976, the man shot a coworker in the Collierville city limits.  Police determined the shooting was an accident but charged him with discharging a firearm within city limits.  Police released the man when he posted a bond, but he failed to appear at his court date.  A little over a month before the man’s visits to the gates of Graceland, he was arrested for shouting obscenities at his neighbors in Collierville.  He had various other run-ins with law enforcement officers.  

In the very early morning hours of the next day, November 23, 1976, the man went to a bar called The Vapors.  The bar owner knew the man well, and for some unknown reason, the bar’s owner loaned the man a small .38 caliber derringer pistol.  Just before 3:00 a.m., the man returned to the gates outside Elvis’s Graceland.  As the man’s car pulled into the driveway, a different security guard, Robert Loyd, approached.  The man pointed the derringer pistol at the security guard as he approached.  The shocked security guard refused entry just as the security guard had done on the previous day.  The man screamed, cursed, verbally threatened, and waved the derringer pistol around wildly.  The security guard calmly returned to the guard shack and called the Memphis Police Department.  

Patrolman B.J. Kirkpatrick arrived at the gates of Graceland and found the man sitting in his car.  Patrolman Kirkpatrick noticed that the derringer pistol was lying on the man’s left knee.  The patrolman took the pistol and inspected it.  It was then that he realized the man was not making empty threats.  The gun was “cocked and fully loaded.”  Another patrolman arrived as backup.  The officers noted that the man’s speech was slurred, he reeked of alcohol, and he was unsteady on his feet.  At 3:07 a.m., Patrolman Kirkpatrick arrested the would-be killer.  On the way to the city jail, the man turned his threats from Elvis and the security guard to the policemen.  Three hours later, the man was released after posting a $250 bond.  The derringer pistol was kept as evidence.  

Millions of people still visit the gates of Graceland each year.  After paying an admission fee, they are admitted through the gates.  But on those two dates in November, 1976, it was a killer who tried to force his way through the gates.  He died last week on October 28, and although he was prevented from entering the gates of Graceland, hopefully he was accepted into the gates of Heaven. The man was not actually a killer, he was The Killer.   Jerry Lee Lewis.  

Sources:

1.      The Memphis Press-Scimitar, November 23, 1976, p.1.

2.     Best Classic Bands Staff, “Nov. 23, 1976: Jerry Lee Lewis Arrested at Graceland,” Best Classic Bands, July 31, 2015, bestclassicbands.com/jerry-lee-lewis-arrested-graceland-11-23-155/.

The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) Dance Ensemble will perform their Informal Fall Dance Concert, Lights Up/Lights Down, on Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The event will be held in LSMSA’s auditorium and is free and open to the public.

The following students will perform: Rylie Eirls (’25) of Pineville; Delaney Ferris (’23) of Denham Springs; Victoria Friddle (’23) of Livonia; Grace Guidry (’23) of Covington; Alyse Huguet (’23) of Greenwell Springs; Will Huguet (’24) of Greenwell Springs; Abby Melancon (’23) of Prairieville; Susan Murphy (’24) of Monroe; Maddie Register (’25) of Logansport; Sophia Thibodeaux (’25) of Iowa; and Ally Yerby (’24) of Saint Amant.

LSMSA is a tuition-free, residential, public high school for high-achieving rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a nominal room and board fee to cover housing, meals, and campus activities. The LSMSA Foundation offers assistance for families in need. For more information about the Louisiana School or to apply for the 2023-24 school year, visit www.LSMSA.edu.