It’s almost showtime for the 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Natchitoches (except for Friday’s BOM Celebrity Bowling Bash in Alexandria), so it’s time to plan to take in as much fun as you can.

The most-asked question — can I still get tickets for the Saturday evening Induction Reception (from 5-6:30 at the Hall of Fame museum) and Ceremony (at 7 in the Natchitoches Events Center)?

YES. While the usual big turnout is coming, there is still time to go online at LaSportsHall.com to purchase admission to the signature event. But don’t delay – it could sell out.

The reception provides an array of food stations with fare from not only local restaurants, but some from around the state, along with refreshments and music. It’s a chance to see new exhibits (the Kim Mulkey showcase, for example), new display items to celebrate the museum’s 10th anniversary, the just-installed Class of 2023 display cases, and to meet all of the new inductees and perhaps snap a selfie.

The Induction Ceremony at the neighboring Events Center kicks off promptly at 7 with the National Anthem, followed by the stirring Walk of Legends showcasing past Hall of Fame members returning, then introducing the Class of ’23, set to music from The Natural. The 12 inductions begin immediately after, featuring compelling video introductions followed by on-stage conversations with inductees – producing lots of laughter and some misty-eyed moments certain to create lasting memories.

Saturday evening is the only “dress up” event of the Induction Celebration. Blazers for the men and cocktail dress-style attire for the women are requested.

Otherwise, it’s casual for the rest of the festivities, starting with the free, open to everyone Thursday evening Welcome Reception from 5-7 at the museum. La Capitol Federal Credit Union will mark its 20th year presenting that signature event – again with food, refreshments and music, and the new inductees and their families having traveled in some cases almost 2,000 miles to celebrate the occasion.

There’s still room for bowlers to join in Friday’s BOM Celebrity Bowling Bash at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. The doors open at 11:30 with lunch provided by Walk On’s, plenty of warm up bowling and music, and more mingling with inductees, their families, and other sports celebrities before they’re introduced and “competition” begins at 1. Again – sign up at LaSportsHall.com.

The biggest free event is Friday evening on the downtown Natchitoches riverbank stage – the Rockin’ River Fest Concert, from 6-10:30.

It’s family friendly. A free interactive kids zone presented by Louisiana Propane Dealers will include basketball, football, golf and science games for all ages to enjoy.

Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters are back as the headline act. Dopsie has played the White House to the Jazz Fest, boogied with James Brown and John Fogerty, and wowed crowds all over, described as “Mick Jagger of the marsh” as “a party seems to break out whenever and wherever Dopsie and his band show up.”

The opening act is Jason Ashley & The Hot Sauce Band, featuring the Alexandria native and regional country music star playing hits from yesterday and today, an act popular around the Gulf Coast and all the way to Nashville.

If you want to beat the summer heat and enjoy a tasty collection of Louisiana foods and specialty refreshments, you can visit LaSportsHall.com to snap up some of the few remaining $100 tickets to the VIP Taste of Tailgating presented by Hancock Whitney.

That party runs from 7-10 p.m. in the air-conditioned comfort of Mama’s Oyster House and Blues Room that will provide exclusive access to the 12-member 2023 Induction Class. They will also be introduced on stage at 9:15, just before a 10-minute fireworks show set to sports-themed music.

Saturday morning’s Junior Training Camp hosted by the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans at NSU’s Webb Wellness and Recreation Center has only a handful of free spots left for kids 7-17. Advance registration is required at LaSportsHall.com.

There’s no more room for Saturday’s Round Table Lunch downtown at The Venue. It’s sold out.

But there are plenty of other chances to see the Class of 2023: Eli Manning, Alana Beard, Paul Mainieri, Matt Forte, Wendell Davis, Paul Byrd, Walter Davis, Ron Washington, Walter Imahara, M.L. Woodruff, and sports journalists Bruce Brown and Lori Lyons.

You’re invited to join the fun, starting Thursday evening in Natchitoches.

As the Northwestern State football team prepares to report to campus next week, it will do so among plenty of new faces on the coaching staff along with one holdover who has a new title.

Sixth-year head coach Brad Laird announced Tuesday the addition of four coaches who will make their NSU debuts this fall while adding the assistant head coach title to defensive coordinator Weston Glaser’s resume.

Joining the Demon staff are defensive line coach Chris Gistorb, wide receivers coach Armani Lonardo, linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Jeremy Atwell and cornerbacks coach Perry Carter. The quartet joins offensive line coach Boone Feldt as new additions to Laird’s staff since the conclusion of the 2022 season in November.

All four hires have been approved by the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System, which governs Northwestern State University.

“I am extremely excited about the quality of coaches and the quality men that we were able to bring to Northwestern State since the end of the 2022 season,” Laird said. “These young men bring different levels of experience and they are great recruiters, but most importantly, they are great men.”

Gistorb spent the 2022 season at his alma mater, UL Lafayette, as an assistant defensive line coach. In addition to helping the Ragin’ Cajuns reach the Independence Bowl, Gistorb helped develop Zi’yon Hill-Green into a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection.

Prior to his arrival at his alma mater where he played two seasons from 2000-01, Gistorb spent more than a decade coaching high school football in Texas, working primarily in the greater Houston area.

Since beginning his coaching career in 2007, Gistorb coached six Division I signees and another who earned a preferred walk-on spot at a Division I school. He produced three all-district defensive MVPs and eight first-team all-district selections.

An Alexandria native, Gistorb twice was a co-defensive coordinator – at Cy-Fair and Angleton high schools – and coached both defensive line and linebackers during his tour of five Texas high schools – Copperas Cove, Cy Ridge, Angleton, Bridgeland and Cy-Fair.

“I give (defensive coordinator) coach (Weston) Glaser credit,” Laird said. “Through conversations with some coaches at (UL) Lafayette, knowing we were looking for a D-line coach, his name popped up. That interview, without having a prior relationship, doesn’t happen a lot in this profession. That just shows you what his interview was about. He blew us away. His passion and knowledge for the game was unmatched. You’ve seen that through the first couple of days of practice and what he’s been able to do for our defensive linemen.”

While Gistorb is new to the Southland Conference, linebackers coach Jeremy Atwell has a long history within the league.

Atwell came to Northwestern State after spending the 2022 season as Albany State’s defensive coordinator where he helped produce the No. 1 pass efficiency defense in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and a top-10 scoring defense nationally at 14.9 points per game.

Atwell’s defense produced four all-conference selections for the Golden Rams.

Atwell spent the 2021 season at New Mexico Highlands as its defensive coordinator, helping the Cowboys win six games, their most since 2012. Atwell’s defense led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in interceptions and was third in NCAA Division II in that category. The Cowboys also led the RMAC in total turnovers and ranked 11^th nationally.

Atwell’s time in the Southland Conference totals nine seasons across two stints at Nicholls.

The longest run came from 2006-14 when Atwell was the Colonels’ defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Under Atwell, Nicholls produced 21 all-conference players, three All-Americans and NFL Draft picks Lardarius Webb and Kareem More. Atwell also spent the 2001 season as Nicholls’ defensive ends coach.

Atwell has experience at two Louisiana high schools – as the head coach at Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma from 2014-19 and as the assistant head coach at Thibodaux High School from 2002-06.

With the addition of Atwell to the NSU staff, Glaser will shift to coaching safeties.

“That was one thing coach Glaser looked to do at the end of the year – the possibility of moving to safeties,” Laird said. “When coach (Josh) Jones left, that made the decision a little easier. Bringing in someone with the experience of coach Atwell, who has not only been a defensive coordinator in college but in our conference and understands recruiting in the state of Louisiana, is a home run hire.”

Lonardo came to Northwestern State after spending the 2022 season as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and running backs coach at Southwestern Oklahoma State where he helped lead the Bulldogs from an 0-11 season to four wins.

Lonardo’s offense ranked second in the Great American Conference with 247 passing yards per game and saw its scoring improve by 11 points per game. Quarterback Tylan Morton led the GAC with 287 yards of total offense per game and SWOSU produced a pair of all-conference receivers.

Lonardo spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons at New Mexico Highlands where he coached with current NSU offensive coordinator Beau Blair. With the Cowboys, Lonardo was the quarterbacks coach and tutored Ramone Atkins, a first-team All-RMAC selection, who accounted for 3,283 total yards in 2021.

The Cowboys’ passing offense led the RMAC at 263.3 yards per game and 31 touchdowns and produced the RMAC Offensive Player of the Year, wide receiver CJ Sims.

Lonardo was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at ASA College New York in 2019, helping the Avengers rank third nationally in points per game (45.9), fourth in total offense (465 yards per game) and fifth in rushing yards (2,323). ASA finished 8-2 that season and had a win against No. 12 Monroe.

Lonardo has been a graduate assistant at both Tarleton and Southeastern University in Florida as well as a training camp assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“There was a past relationship there with coach Blair,” Laird said. “Anytime you can bring in somebody who’s already schematically on the same page, it’s big. Plus, he’s been a coordinator before. When you add that type of knowledge to the offensive staff room, along with (offensive line) coach (Boone) Feldt and (quarterbacks) coach (Kyle) Washington, it helps develop different ideas.”

Carter brings NFL experience to the Demon staff, having worked eight seasons as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Houston Texans from 2006-13.

With the Texans, Carter tutored two-time Pro Bowl selection Johnathan Joseph as well as standout corners A.J. Bouye, Glover Quin and Kareem Jackson.

A four-year NFL veteran who also played in the Canadian Football League, Carter also is familiar with Louisiana having spent the 2021 season at Louisiana Tech after coaching three seasons at ULM. While in Monroe, Carter helped ULM’s Corey Straughter earn All-American honors as well as first-team All-Sun Belt acclaim.

That success followed a two-season run at North Texas where Carter molded Kishawn McClain into an All-Conference USA Freshman Team pick and coached the first pair of Mean Green safeties to record at least 100 tackles in the same season.

“What a great opportunity to add coach Carter to this coaching staff,” Laird said. “His background as a player and as a coach in professional football combined with his success at the collegiate level – and this being his third stint in Louisiana – was a huge pickup for NSU football. Success has followed him everywhere he has coached, and he has produced standout corners in both college and the NFL.”

Carter replaces longtime assistant coach De’Von Lockett, whose assistant head coach title was passed along to Glaser, who enters his second season on the Demon staff.

“I can’t say enough about what coach Glaser has meant to me and this team over the last year,” Laird said. “He has a great vision for this program and has been very instrumental inmoving this team in the right direction. Adding the assistant head coach title adds more duties for him as we continue to move forward with this program.”

One of the top scorers in the Southland earned a spot among the elite in the state on Tuesday with the announcement of the 2022-23 Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association All-Louisiana women’s basketball teams. 

Candice Parramore led Northwestern State in scoring the past two seasons and picked up her second All-Louisiana honor with a spot on the third team following her dynamic final season for the Demons. 

The Dallas, Texas, native averaged 16.4 points per game during league games, reaching double digits in 13 of the 14 conference games in which she played this year. She had five different 20-point outings and the ended the season with a career-best 12 straight games scoring 10 or more points.  

She scored 20 or more in back-to-back games for the third time in her career in a pair of home wins against HCU and Lamar. She was the easy choice for Southland Player of the Week after averaging 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists in those two games. 

Parramore set and matched her career-high scoring total of 26 on consecutive Saturday games during conference play, helping the Demons earn wins against Texas A&M-Commerce and pull off a wild win against New Orleans. 

She finished her NSU career as the best career free-throw shooter in program history, converting at an .847 clip in her two seasons, going 243-for-286 from the stripe. She was the first player in nearly 30 years to make 100 or more free throws in consecutive seasons after Angela Simpson did it in three straight seasons from 1992-95. 

Parramore was a first-team all-conference honoree as well this season and the first first-teamer since Beatrice Attura in 2016-17. She was also the first player for NSU to earn consecutive all-conference honors since Janelle Perez got two straight first-team bids from 2014-16. 

Full All-Louisiana Team and Individual Awards 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Angel Reese, LSU 

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Angel Reese, LSU 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Flau’jae Johnson, LSU 

COACH OF THE YEAR: Kim Mulkey, LSU

FIRST TEAM 

Sandra Cannady, UNO 

Kennedy Hansberry, Loyola 

Flau’jae Johnson, LSU 

Alexis Morris, LSU   

Angel Reese, LSU  

SECOND TEAM   

Lexi Alexander, Nicholls  

Hailey Giaratano, Southeastern Louisiana  

Dynah Jones, Tulane 

Emma Merriweather, ULM 

Keiunna Walker, Louisiana Tech 

THIRD TEAM 

Miya McKinney, Louisiana Christian 

Candice Parramore, Northwestern State 

Dearica Pryor, UNO 

Anna Larr Roberson, Louisiana Tech 

Lanay Wheaton, Louisiana 

Spots remain open for next week’s Chris Bertrand End of Summer Youth Camp, set for July 31-Aug. 2.

The event will take place at Parc Natchitoches, located at 4515 University Parkway. Registration for the three-day event, which is open to campers ages 5-14, is open through July 30.

The camp will run from 4:30-7:30 p.m. daily and costs $150 per camper.

Each camper must bring his own equipment – a glove, bat, batting gloves, helmet, running or turf shoes and anything else they feel necessary. Please mark the camper’s name on all items. Check-in begins 30 minutes prior to the start of the session.

To register or for more information on all camps, visit www.collegebaseballcamps.com/demons.

POSITION: Patient Services Director

DESCRIPTION: A management-level position that supervises the front desk staff in 4 clinic locations to ensure proper and professional business services are rendered to existing and new patients. OMC seeks a business-minded, ethical, experienced, highly responsible, and accountable healthcare business supervisor to join our multidisciplinary management team.

CONTACT: Apply online at www.outpatientmedical.org or email your resume to HR@outpatientmedical.org.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Until filled.

Outpatient Medical Center, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer

And the saga continues. Once again anglers are taking advantage or blatantly ignoring the rules of their sport. Major League Fishing has brought to light a controversy that took place at the Stage 6 tournament on Lake Cayuga, N.Y.

Major League Fishing (MLF) announced June 21 it was investigating accusations that four anglers may have violated sight fishing rules. For those that have no idea what sight fishing is, it’s a technique where anglers visually see a bass sitting on a bed looking to spawn and will try and entice these bass into biting their lure. But one very important rule must be followed. If you are sight fishing, you are required to hook the fish inside the mouth. If the fish is hooked outside the mouth, the fish is considered an unofficial catch and must be returned to the water immediately. This rule is in place so that anglers don’t go out trying to catch fish by snagging them.

Some analysts think it’s immoral or unethical to fish for bass on beds, but it’s not that big an issue since the MLF Bass Pro Tour is a catch and release format. As each fish is caught, it is weighed, recorded and released immediately. 

But here’s the accusations — some anglers were not following  protocol when they pull their catch on board. Anglers who are sight fishing are required to show their on-board marshal (an observer who weighs and monitors each fish caught; making sure anglers follow the rules) that the fish is hooked inside the mouth. If not, it must be released — considered an unofficial catch. But in this event, some anglers were being discreet and hiding their fish as they brought them on the boat so that the cameras nor the marshal could see how the fish was hooked. They would just unhook the bass and proceed to weigh it without confirming it was hooked inside the mouth.

The next issue from this event: some anglers were catching the same fish more than once during the day. The rule states that an angler cannot catch and weigh the same fish more than once in a day.

They can return and catch that same fish the following day if they choose. After video reviews, 16 anglers were called in and subjected to a polygraph test. One failed.

MLF officials have been hard at work reviewing video footage of the anglers in question in order to make sure all the rules were followed. If they find rules have been violated, MLF officials will have to decide to what extent they should be punished. This is where things could get a little weird and revealing. MLF has got to come down hard on this if they find violations were made. No longer is a slap on the wrist a strong enough punishment for violating the rules. MLF’s reputation and integrity are at stake with these rulings. 

Extensive punishment is called for — like suspension for the next event or even worse, suspension for a full season. The best way anglers will get the message that cheating will not be tolerated is to hit them in their checkbook. Disqualifying their days catch and dropping them in the standings a few places is not strong enough. A message needs to be sent that will make anglers think twice about cheating.

Yes, I said cheating! Since its inception, MLF has basically turned a blind eye to certain violations. Just like NASCAR, drivers are always trying to push the envelope and dabble in the grey area of the rules. Bass tournaments are no different as anglers are always looking for an advantage over their competitors by looking for loopholes in the rules. 

Due to the amount of money involved in today’s bass tournament world, with thousands of dollars up for grabs, anglers are thinking outside the box and looking for ways to get around the rules in order to be successful or gain an advantage. But now the time has finally come for anglers to be held accountable for their actions.

While 98 percent of the anglers do a great job of self-reporting and holding each other accountable, it’s the other two percent that need to be made to pay a penalty. With the increase in live prime time TV coverage and national exposure, it’s important to preserve the integrity of the sport and show the anglers and their fans that rule violators will not be tolerated.

I hope MLF officials will come down hard on the angler or anglers if rules were violated. Nothing will bring the sport down faster than anglers who insist on cheating.

‘Til next time, good luck, good fishing, and always read and follow the rules for any tournament you’re competing in.

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

May 22, 1932 – July 23, 2023 

Funeral services for Virginia Lindsey Spooner will be held Thursday, July 27 at 10:00 am at First Presbyterian Church in Natchitoches with Pulpit Supply Pastor Donna Rose officiating.  This will be followed by a service on Saturday, July 29 at 10:00 am at Perry’s Funeral Chapel in El Dorado, AR and burial at Rest Haven Memorial Gardens Cemetery. 

Virginia was born May 22, 1932 in Smackover, Arkansas, to Ernest Reed Lindsey Sr. and Nola Mattie Harris Lindsey. She was the youngest of seven children. Her family moved to El Dorado, AR when she was five years old, and she attended schools there until graduating as Miss El Dorado High School in 1950.  She met and later married her high school sweetheart, Bill Spooner.  They had two children, Susan Alene Spooner Gunther, born in 1953 and Jeffery Clyde Spooner, born in 1955.  

The family moved to Monroe, LA in 1959. They relocated to Kennett, MO in 1968 where they bought an automotive business, and Virginia was the bookkeeper. 

Bill and Virginia moved back to El Dorado in 1990 to help his mother. Their final move was to Natchitoches in 2007 to be near their daughter and son-in-law. 

Virginia was active in the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Eldorado, Covenant Presbyterian Church in Monroe, La, First Presbyterian Church in Kennett, Mo and a current member of First Presbyterian in Natchitoches. She volunteered in the Church Office, was a member of the Adult Sunday School class and Presbyterian Women/Bible Study. Virginia participated in the exercise classes at Curves and the Council on Aging.  

She is preceded in death by her husband, Bill; Spooner; son, Jeffery Clyde Spooner; brother-in-law, Donald Spooner; her parents; all 6 siblings and their spouses. 

Survivors include her daughter, Susan Gunther, and her son-in-law Tim Gunther, of Natchitoches.

Rotarian with the Program Roger Henson introduced Natchitoches Central High School Head Football Coach Jeff Curtis at the July 25 Rotary luncheon. Curtis provided an overview of the 2023 football season and answered questions. Pictured from left are Rotary President Joe Sers, Curtis, and Henson (Photo by Dr. Ron McBride).

The only item on the agenda for the July 24 special called meeting of the Natchitoches Parish School Board did not pass, with the following votes:

The agenda item was to approve a proposed amendment to pricing by ECCO (Natchitoches Parish Bus Services) including an increase in home-to-school driver pay by $3 per hour and monitor pay by $1.25 an hour based on competitive pressures for recruitment and retention, as well as the removal of vehicle restrictions of the current contract effective August of 2023, for the next three years. 

Superintendent Dr. Grant Eloi shared information about a suggestion that was put before the School Board by ECCO because of record inflation. Dr. Eloi said the company has exhausted efforts to find another avenue and have saved the district significant sums of money ($5 million over the past 3 years). 

When asked if there was a wya the board could help ECCO save money so they could give their employees the raise, Dr. Eloi explained that the School Board is not eligible to receive grants for electric buses because you have to turn in a “dirty bus” (gas fueled bus) for every electric bus you receive through the grants. ECCO leases their buses, which makes the School Board ineligible for the grants. 

Board Member Reba Phelps said she was opposed to the pay increase at first, but driver shortages is a nationwide problem that’s not going away any time soon. Besides this, other school districts are paying more than Natchitoches Parish.

Some board members expressed their concern over what kind of precedent this kind of supplementing contractors is setting. Board Member Emile Metoyer compared it to a car salesman coming back for an additional $5,000 a year after selling you your new car.

Dr. Eloi explained that ECCO is by far the district’s biggest contract and significantly different because of the impact it has.

Finance Director Lee Waskom said the district has been using increases in sales tax money to offset the losses in MFP, which the district won’t see much of an increase anymore. Savings will have to be found elsewhere. He added that the district is leaving a lot of money ($2.5 million annually) by not taking advantage of federal grants. This would mean an additional $440,000 for General Funds for managing the grants.

“We need to become very efficient in that,” he said.

This money left on the table is dealing with rollovers. You don’t want to have money left over at the end of the year, you want to consume it all. The perception is that the money rolls over, but it doesn’t. Also, if you’re given $2.8 million one year and you don’t spend it all, the federal government is going to give you $1.8 million the next year.

“Since this is about children we need to make sure that we’re effectively spending it,” Waskom said. “I do believe that would easily be able to pay [for the pay raises] just with the efficiencies we’ll be able to create over the next year.”

The Natchitoches City Council voted to approve and/or introduce the following items at its meeting on July 24.

ORDINANCES – FINAL:

Award The Bid For Professor M. Richardson Park Improvements (Bid No. 0661)

ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION:

Adopt A Policy Regarding The Use Of Mobile Devices And To Amend And Reenact The Personnel Policies Manual Of The City Of Natchitoches To Amend A Section Entitled “Mobile Device Policy”, Providing For Advertising, Further Providing For Severability, And Further Providing For A Repealer And Effective Date Of Ordinance.

Amend Chapter 31 Of The Code Of Ordinances Of The City Of Natchitoches In Order To Allow For The Operation Of Ride Sharing Applications In Compliance With The Statutes And Regulations Of The State Of Louisiana And To Otherwise Provide With Respect Thereto.

Amend The 2023-2024 Budget To Reflect Additional Revenues And Expenditures.

Designate Funds From The American Rescue Plan To Complete The Construction Of Certain Properties In The City Of Natchitoches That Are Essential To Public Health And Welfare And To Otherwise Provide With Respect Thereto.

RESOLUTIONS:

Advertise And Accept Bids For The 2023 Street Rehabilitation Program (Bid No. 0663)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The next scheduled City Council meeting will be Monday, August 14, 2023.

Natchitoches Fire Prevention Chief Kory Leo was recognized at the July 24 City Council meeting for his work to enhance the quality of fire prevention materials the department uses to education children throughout the parish.

“The most important tools that any of us can have in our toolbox is our employees,” said Natchitoches Fire Chief John Wynn, while introducing Leo and his work on the project.

Leo wanted to put something in the hands’ of children that was memorable, while being educational at the same time. He reached out to the Cane River National Heritage Area and other community partners to illustrate, design and create a custom fire safety coloring book that has scenes from the riverbank, Northwestern State University, the Grady Irwin Nature Area, Kisatchie, and more.

This will help kids connect to the educational material as they recognize places they know. A coloring book will be put in the hand of every student in Kindergarten through third grade in the entire parish. The coloring pages will also be added to the City’s website for anyone to download, color and enjoy.

Future plans include the creation of a life-size mascot of Ash the Alligator.

Natchitoches Mayor Ronnie Williams Jr. presented Northwestern State University senior Makenzie Scroggs of Marksville with a plaque at the July 24 City Council meeting, congratulating her on her crowning as Miss Louisiana on June 17.   

Scroggs won the state title representing Natchitoches as Miss Natchitoches City of Lights. Last year, she was first runner up in Miss Louisiana competing as Miss Northwestern – Lady of the Bracelet and is the second NSU student to become Miss Louisiana in the past six years.  Her mother Dauzat Scroggs was Miss Northwestern–Lady of the Bracelet in 1998 and competed in the Miss Louisiana Pageant that year.  She graduated from NSU in 2000 with a degree in education.  They are the first LOB mother/daughter legacy.   

Scroggs’ social impact initiative is Being True to Being You, an organization she started at age 15 with the goal of raising confidence in young women and girls through self-development workshops. 

Scroggs has been dancing since age 2 and is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.  She will take a year off from school to focus on her duties as Miss Louisiana and prepare for the Miss America competition, which has not yet been announced.   

By Katie Bedgood, Lakeview FFA Chapter Member

About a year ago I decided I wanted to raise my own chickens. So I got some help from my friend Reagan Dupree and together we were able to build the chicken coop. It took us about a week to build because we got the supplies  from someone who no longer had any use for their chicken pin. So we took it apart and rebuilt it in my backyard. When the pin was finally completed I received my first set of chickens. I raised them in a brooder until they were finally old enough to be put inside the coop. Sadly a few days later something got in and ate all my chickens. So a few months later me and my friend were back at it. We put more chicken wire around the outside of the pin and made sure there were absolutely no holes or anyway another animal could get in the pin. I got my next set of  baby chicks from someone at my church who raises chickens. I kept them in the brooder for  a couple of months and then it was finally time for them to go in the pin. And this time everything went perfect. My chickens have recently begun laying eggs so I started them on a laying feed a couple of weeks ago. I have really enjoyed raising and learning about chickens and can’t wait to continue.

Entering his sixth Southland Conference Football Media Day, Brad Laird wanted to look back before focusing on what is in front of his Northwestern State squad.

And the former record-setting Demon quarterback wanted to single out what he considers his team’s most important offseason addition – and it is not one of the more than nearly 30 new scholarship players who have joined the NSU roster since January.

“Our biggest recruit that we’ve had coming into this football season is not a football player,” Laird said during the Southland’s virtual interview segment Monday afternoon. “We’ve got five new (assistant) coaches who have come in and done a great job with these players, but the most important one has been coach Jason Smelser, our director of strength and conditioning. He has changed the mind-set of this football team since January. Not just getting bigger, stronger and faster, but the work you have to put in, doing the right thing. He’s brought a different mind-set to this football team.”

Smelser’s addition came shortly after the Demons completed their best Southland Conference season in nearly two decades, going 4-2 and finishing a game behind co-champions Southeastern and UIW.

The Demons outplayed their 2022 predictions, a fifth-place projection that matches where the league’s coaches chose NSU to finish in 2023 as well.

Smelser’s presence has been visible for each and every Demon regardless of whether they are new to Natchitoches or an established part of the NSU roster.

“Even when we’re out there conditioning, everything has to be taken seriously,” said quarterback Tyler Vander Waal, who transferred from Idaho State ahead of the spring semester. “You’ve got to have that game intensity doing everything. We talked about Jason Smelser, and he talks about it to. You’ve got to have that intensity and laser-like focus through everything.”

Vander Waal has embodied that focus since arriving in Natchitoches in January, earning the respect of his teammates on both sides of the ball.

“He’s a dog,” senior linebacker Jaeden Ward said. “He thinks like I do. He expects the best out of his guys. If someone runs a lazy route, he gets on them. I have the utmost respect for him.”

That intensity is something the Demons are focusing on keeping throughout the entirety of their 11-game season, which begins Sept. 2 at UL Lafayette.

“We’ve got to stay focused,” Ward said. “We started conference exactly the way we wanted to, but we fell short in the end. Now, it’s about consistently finishing. With the new players and new coaches we have in, we have the pieces. It’s on us now.”

While Vander Waal will make his NSU debut this season, Ward is set for his third year in Purple and White and second in defensive coordinator Weston Glaser’s system. Blending newcomers like Vander Waal with returners like Ward will be paramount for the Demons entering the 2023 season.

The past two months – when most of the NSU roster was in Natchitoches – has started that process. Vander Waal said, to a man, the Demons accepted him when he arrived in January.

Laird said that feeling has permeated the roster top to bottom.

“I’ve said this, we brought in 27 guys not counting incoming freshmen,” Laird said. “This thing works both ways. As those guys are coming in – Tyler being one of them in January – they didn’t come here thinking they were the guy. Our existing players did not look at them as an enemy or coming to take their spot. It had to work both ways. To me, that’s been the most gratifying thing.

“You’re always looking for that team chemistry. What’s the 2023 season going to be about? You’ve seen the buy-in from both groups – the new guys and the existing players. It’s been fun to watch that mesh. Now in college football, you see it more and more. That has to go beyond the coaches. When I talk about being a player-led team, that’s what you’re seeing.”

When Northwestern State University senior Makenzie Scroggs of Marksville was crowned Miss Louisiana June 17, she realized that she will be able to fulfill a lifelong dream for her mother, Rebecca Dauzat Scroggs, to attend the Miss America pageant.   

Scroggs won the state title representing Natchitoches as Miss Natchitoches City of Lights. Last year, she was first runner up in Miss Louisiana competing as Miss Northwestern – Lady of the Bracelet and is the second NSU student to become Miss Louisiana in the past six years.  Dauzat Scroggs was Miss Northwestern–Lady of the Bracelet in 1998 and competed in the Miss Louisiana Pageant that year.  She graduated from NSU in 2000 with a degree in education.  They are the first LOB mother/daughter legacy.   

Scroggs’ social impact initiative is Being True to Being You, an organization she started at age 15 with the goal of raising confidence in young women and girls through self-development workshops. That inner confidence and determination shone through when she earned the Miss Louisiana title despite a foot injury and a wardrobe malfunction during the talent competition.  

Scroggs has been dancing since age 2 and is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.  She will take a year off from school to focus on her duties as Miss Louisiana and prepare for the Miss America competition, which has not yet been announced.   

Wearing matching Lady of the Bracelet charms, mother and daughter sat down in the NSU dance studio to speak about Scroggs’ path to Miss America, her social impact initiative and the bond the two share.  The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.   

How do you prepare for competition?  

Makenzie: Different phases require different things. I know my favorite thing is to always stay true to myself. Of course, practicing dance, stretching, conditioning, all the things that dancers know about. Practicing going out into the community, speaking, practicing walking in the heels, practicing walking in the tennis shoes for fitness. That all goes into it, but the big part and factor is to stay true to yourself and feel confident about yourself and show who you really are.  

Pageant competition has evolved in recent years to reflect modern attitudes that focus on scholarship and service.  Can you talk about how an experience like Miss Louisiana can be empowering for young women?  

Makenzie: We have five pillars in this organization: service, style, success, scholarship and sisterhood.  With these five pillars, that’s what makes the Miss Louisiana organization and the Miss America organization stand out.  I’ve been able to achieve over $55,000 worth of scholarships, which will allow me to go to school debt-free and get my BFA in dance here at Northwestern.  It’s allowed me to gain so many sisters, so many friends, so many memories and it’s also given me the aspect of what service is.  

My mom was a part of this organization as a preliminary titleholder.  Being able to follow in her footsteps is great. She taught me about this organization and allowed me to learn what service is at a young age.  I served with the American Cancer Society, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and my program at the age of 15.  

Can you talk about the NSU dance program and how it has enhanced your experience as a student and contestant?  

Makenzie: This program and this group of people in Creative and Performing Arts hold such a special place in my heart. We are like a big family. We come together and show our love for the arts.  They are so family oriented and it shows when we all uplift each other.  We come here to do what we love and it shows.  

Rebecca, could you share a bit about your experience with LOB and Miss Louisiana?  

Rebecca: My goal was never to be Miss Louisiana.  My goal was to be Miss Northwestern-Lady of the Bracelet. I was my elementary school queen, my high school queen, so I wanted to be my college queen.  Being Lady of the Bracelet opened up so many opportunities to know Natchitoches and to get to know Northwestern. It opened so many doors for me.  

What were your talent and platform?    

Rebecca:  I was a clogger. I did dance for 20 years, but also clogged in between, so I chose clogging and the girl before me, Farrah Reyna [Lady of the Bracelet 1997] who crowned me was a clogger also. My platform was for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  My brother was diagnosed at the age of 5 with muscular dystrophy so we always raised money and worked raising awareness for funding to help with research on muscular dystrophy.  

Did you have any words of advice for Makenzie? 

Rebecca:  Basically, her platform.  Be sure to remember who she is, to stay true to who she is, where she came from and not change herself.  

You two are the only legacies for LOB. How is that for the two of you?  

Makenzie:  Coming to Northwestern, I knew as soon as I came. During my tour [former NSU President] Dr. [Chris] Maggio told me “You’re going to be our LOB.” I was like, “Heck, yeah, I want to do this.”  He said, “Do you know you will be the first mother-daughter pair?” and as soon as I found out I was like, “Mom, we’re making history. We’ve got to do it. Me and you, let’s do it,’ and she said OK.  

Miss Louisiana has always been a dream of mine and I wanted to go as LOB because her first year she went as LOB.  To be able to share that experience and have the same feelings because we knew what we were going through, being our university title holder first time going to Miss Louisiana, what it felt like to be not only on the Northwestern stage, but also the Miss Louisiana stage. She had a lot of tips and advice for me being able to represent my university and myself at Miss Louisiana. She just uplifted me. 

Rebecca:  It’s amazing.  In 1998, I was Miss LOB and I was competing and we didn’t get a charm to keep, so when she won, I kept telling her, you have to talk to [Director of Student Affairs Dr.] Yonna [Pasch]. I just want a charm! 

Makenzie:  Ms. Yonna can testify. We were plotting something, and I was trying to keep a secret.  

Rebecca:  I finally got my charm.  It surprised me.  It’s been an experience to relive some of your past with your daughter.  It’s kind of surreal.  I still can’t believe she won Miss LOB. I still can’t believe she won Miss Louisiana, that she’s doing all this. She’s way more motivated and determined than I was.  I was just a mellow person.  What happen would happen, but– 

Makenzie:  Not me.  

Rebecca:  She’s determined. 

Makenzie:  We’ve said every day, “Oh my gosh, we’re going to Miss America.” Every day. And it still hasn’t hit.  

Rebecca:  I love that she says WE are going to Miss America. And I’m like, no, YOU’RE going to Miss America. 

Makenzie:  All my life, I’ve watched Miss Louisiana and Miss America. For so long she said, “All I want to do is go watch Miss America in person.” I looked at her and said, “I’ll bring you, don’t worry. I’ll be Miss Louisiana and we’ll go together.”  

Rebecca:  Being a competitor versus being a mom of a competitor is totally different.  In dance, in pageantry, I’d rather be the competitor than be the mom of a competitor.  

Makenzie:  Even watching my sister at dance competitions, I’d rather be up there than watch. I’m going to throw up because I’m so nervous for her. I don’t envy you.  

You two seem really close.  

Makenzie and Rebecca:  We are! 

Makenzie:  Growing up, with pageantry but especially with dance, we lived 45 minutes away from the dance studio. Even when I was able to drive, she still drove me so I was able to do my homework because I was there from 4 till–  

Rebecca: Sometimes midnight.  

Makenzie:  We say 10, but most times midnight.  Having that connection, there were so many times we talked in the car, we talked at dance, we talked on the way home. I think we really got close on those car rides.  We’ve had so many adventures and so many car rides.  We’ve been places, us two.  

Rebecca:  And then also, I taught at the same school where they went for about four years so the car ride to school, the car ride home…. 

Makenzie:  We spent a lot of time in the car.  We had good talks, good memories.  

What do you hope is the greatest impact you have as Miss Louisiana?  

Makenzie: If I would be able to impact and change one person’s life, I think that would be a successful term at the end of my reign.  I want to be able to educate about confidence. If I’m able to make one person’s day better or one person’s life better, make someone more confident than they started with my program, that would be success.  

By Brad Dison

In 1923, Garrett Morgan was driving along the busy streets of Cleveland, Ohio.  By the age of 43, he had achieved the American dream which was characterized in the 1920s as the pursuit of material success, social status, and personal freedom.  Garrett was the owner and editor of the Cleveland Call newspaper, but he came from humble beginnings.  Garrett was born in rural Kentucky in 1877.  His parents were former slaves who survived on the crops they grew.  By the time Garrett turned 14, he realized he wanted more than to eke out an existence on the farm. 

In 1891, the 14-year-old left Kentucky and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to look for work.  His sights were not set too high.  Garrett initially worked as a handyman.  He had a mechanical mind and could build and repair any machine, even ones he had never seen before.  Within a few years, Garrett left Cincinnati and moved to Cleveland.  His ability to quickly repair machines enabled him to secure a position as a sewing machine repairman.  By 1907, Garrett had saved enough money and opened his own sewing machine repair shop.  Garrett’s reputation grew quickly based on the quality of his work and the speed at which he completed repairs.  His business thrived.  Two years later, Garrett added a garment shop to his business.  In 1920, Garrett started the newspaper, the Cleveland Call, from scratch.  Like his sewing machine repair shop and garment shop, the Cleveland Call was a huge success.

In 1923, when a lot of people in Cleveland still traveled by horse-drawn vehicles, bicycles, and streetcars, Garrett’s successes enabled him to purchase an automobile.  One day in 1923, Garrett shared the busy road with all manner of vehicles including many other automobiles.  At each major intersection, a policeman manually moved levers which raised and lowered metal signs.  Painted on the signs were the words “GO,” or “STOP.”  This type of traffic signal had been in use for decades and had saved countless lives. 

As Garrett neared one of these major intersections, the policeman moved the levers and the signs changed.  Specific details of the accident that followed vary depending on the source. Some sources assert that the collision was between a horse-drawn wagon and a car, and other sources claim that two cars were involved.  What we know for sure is that there was a horrible collision which resulted in at least one person’s death, and Garrett witnessed the whole thing.  Gruesome images of the collision replayed over and over in his mind.  At night, he had nightmares of the collision.  After a few days, Garrett began to take a different view of the collision.  He began to analyze what he had witnessed to try to determine what had caused the collision.  The traffic signals had worked as designed.  The policeman moved the levers and one lane of traffic’s signal changed from “Go” to “STOP,” and, at the same moment, the signal from the crossing traffic changed from “STOP” to “GO.”  Garrett found what he thought would solve the issue and, on November 20,1923, he received a patent for it.  He eventually sold the rights to his invention to General Electric for $40,000, an enormous sum at the time.

Garrett’s invention evolved into something that we all still see and use today.  Rather than slowing traffic down, Garrett’s invention makes most drivers want to increase their speed.  Garrett’s invention added a “WARNING” sign to the two-sign traffic signal to warn drivers that the stop signal would soon change from “GO” to “STOP.”  Garrett’s invention evolved into the yellow caution signal on traffic lights.

Source: History.com, “Garrett Morgan Patents Three-Position Traffic Signal.” HISTORY, 13 Dec. 2018, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/garrett-morgan-patents-three-position-traffic-signal.

There are football legends, a women’s basketball great, four baseball icons, a two-time USA Olympian, a world-renowned weightlifting champion with an amazing life story, and five LSU Tigers.

They – and a fun-filled slate of events — are among the reasons to be in Natchitoches Thursday, Friday evening and Saturday, to enjoy the 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.

Festivities include three free events, and four others which require admission charges. Only the grand finale, the Saturday evening Induction Reception and Ceremony presented by State Farm Agents of Louisiana, is a dress up affair.

Two – the Friday lunchtime Bowling Bash presented by BOM, in Alexandria at Four Seasons Bowling Center, and the free Saturday morning New Orleans Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp on the Northwestern State campus – are activity-filled.

Another – the free Friday night Rockin’ River Fest Concert featuring Rockin’ Dopsie and The Zydeco Twisters, and rising country artist Jason Ashley, along with a 10-minute fireworks show over Cane River – is activity-optional, dancing encouraged.

The concert also features a free kids zone presented by Louisiana Propane Dealers with football, basketball, golf and science fun on the Natchitoches riverbank.

Tickets for the Bowling Bash, the Friday night VIP Taste of Tailgating party at the concert, and the big finale, the Induction Reception and Ceremony, are available at LaSportsHall.com or by calling 318-238-4255. The Saturday noon Round Table Luncheon is already sold out.

Advance registration at LaSportsHall.com for kids 7-17 is required for the free Junior Training Camp, which will feature many of the 2023 inductees participating as coaches in football and basketball.

Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning (from New Orleans) joins four-time WNBA All-Star Alana Beard (a Shreveport native with Natchitoches roots) and College World Series champion LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri in a star-studded 12-member induction class.

The Class of 2023 also includes New Orleans native and resident Ron Washington, who managed the Texas Rangers to a pair of World Series appearances and in 2021 helped the Atlanta Braves win the world’s championship (and is still the Braves’ third base coach); two-time LSU track and field USA Olympian and world champion Walter Davis from Arnaudville; and Slidell native, Tulane great and Chicago Bears two-time Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte.

Also set for induction are All-American LSU pitcher Paul Byrd, a 14-year Major League Baseball veteran who made the 1999 All-Star Game; Shreveport native Wendell Davis, who shattered LSU football receiving records before heading to the NFL; multiple national champion and world class weightlifter Walter Imahara, a Baton Rouge florist and UL-Lafayette legend who as a child spent 2 ½ years in a Japanese American internment camp in California; and retired Baton Rouge-Parkview Baptist baseball coach M.L. Woodruff, whose teams claimed 11 state championships.

Two south Louisiana sports journalists, Bruce Brown of Lafayette and longtime New Orleans Times-Picayune high school reporter Lori Lyons, will also be honored.

The Class of 2023 will be enshrined Saturday night at the Natchitoches Events Center to culminate the 64^th Induction Celebration.

The Thursday reception at the museum, the Friday evening River Fest and the Junior Training Camp are free. As noted above, camp participants need to register online in advance.

The 2023 Induction Celebration will be hosted by the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, the support organization for the Hall of Fame. The LSHOF Foundation was established as a 501 c 3 non-profit entity in 1975 and is governed by a statewide board of directors. 

For information on sponsorship opportunities and other participation, contact Foundation President/CEO Ronnie Rantz at 225-802-6040 or RonnieRantz@LaSportsHall.com, or Greg Burke, Director of Business Development and Public Relations, at 318-663-5459 or GregBurke@LaSportsHall.com .  

The July 31, 2023, deadline for the STEAM in Education grant opportunity is rapidly approaching. As a part of the A+ Coalition, an education initiative of the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce, the grant presents the opportunity to bring business and education professionals together to advance education in Natchitoches Parish.

Awarded to an educator in Natchitoches Parish, the grant may fund up to $7,000 for innovative STEAM initiatives used to advance learning and enhance the skills of students.  

As a general guideline applications should:

Provide a letter of approval from the school principal
Demonstrate foresight and careful planning for long-term impact
Articulate clear, measurable goals
Support specific STEAM initiatives, not capital campaigns
Support new initiatives, not supplant existing programs
Include an evaluation plan by which goals are measured
Provide a line-item budget and narrative
Reflect sufficient organizational and managerial capacity to carry out the project
Provide evidence of fund expenditure within the 2023-2024 academic year

The Chamber recognizes the importance of education to the success and growth of our community and understands that the responsibility lies not only on the shoulders of our educators, but on the entire community at large. The STEAM grant in Education offers the opportunity to further develop education initiatives within Natchitoches Parish. Learn more or apply at natchitocheschamber.com/steamgrant or emailMorgan.Green@NatchitochesChamber.com

The Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce helps foster a thriving community through transformative leadership, collaboration, and innovation. The Chamber is committed to its mission to champion business, connect community, and cultivate growth in Natchitoches Parish. Learn more at NatchiotchesChamber.com.