Families are invited to hop on over to the Christian Worship Center of Natchitoches for its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 19 starting at 10:30 a.m.

The free event is open to children ages 0–12 and promises a morning of fun, prizes, and colorful egg hunting. The celebration will take place at the CWC campus located at 1513 Hwy. 494 in Natchitoches.

Parents and guardians are reminded that children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Easter Egg Hunt is a community tradition hosted by the Christian Worship Center of Natchitoches, offering a safe and festive atmosphere for families to enjoy together.

For more information, contact CWC at 318-352-4539 or visit cwcnatchitoches.org.

Paid Content

St. Mary’s Catholic School invites students to participate in a variety of engaging and enriching summer camps. Whether your child is interested in sports, art, culinary skills, or deepening their faith, there’s something for everyone. See the full list of offerings below:

Softball Camp
June 2–3 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Coach Wren leads this two-day camp focused on softball fundamentals, teamwork, and fun.
Cost: $60 (includes t-shirt)
Contact: Coach Wren – swren@smstigers.org

Avante Art Camp
June 2–5 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Grades 2–5
A creative experience where students explore various art techniques and materials under the guidance of Mrs. Churchman.
Cost: $150
Contact: Mrs. Churchman – hchurchman@smstigers.org

Culinary Camp: Touring the World
June 9–12 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Grades 2–5
Students will learn to cook a variety of international dishes while gaining hands-on kitchen experience.
Cost: $150
Contact: Mrs. Churchman – hchurchman@smstigers.org

Little Tigers Volleyball Camp (Grades 1–7)
June 9–10 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 1:00-3:00pm
A camp for younger players to build volleyball skills and confidence in a supportive environment.
Cost: $125 (includes t-shirt)
Contact: Coach Aldredge – saldredge@smstigers.org

docs.google.com/forms/d/10duLTfPJYsRPA1EyvDahAwgHHD7HjGYeOG167ab18h0/viewform?edit_requested=true

Football Camp
June 10–11 | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Grades 3–8
Led by Coach Seastrunk, this camp offers instruction on football fundamentals, agility, and teamwork.
Contact: Coach Seastrunk – kseastrunk@smstigers.org

Volleyball Camp (Grades 8–12)
June 11–13 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
An advanced camp designed to sharpen skills, enhance teamwork, and elevate game performance.
Cost: $150 (includes t-shirt)
Contact: Coach Aldredge – saldredge@smstigers.org

docs.google.com/forms/d/1eVQSZ8a0_15swpnt-b1_07YglU0CFfCDqjzOHJ5Tecs/viewform?edit_requested=true

Strength and Conditioning Camp for Girls
June 16–18 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Ages 13–17
A small-group training camp focused on strength, fitness, and building confidence. Limited to 10 participants.
Cost: $50
Contact: Coach Nikki – Niquelle_44@yahoo.com

Vacation Bible School
June 23–26 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Hosted by St. Mary’s Catholic School and Immaculate Conception Church, VBS is a week of music, crafts, games, and growing in faith.
Location: St. Mary’s Catholic School
Cost: $20 Contact: Lisa Guillet – development@smstigers.org

theminorbasilicaoftheimm.flocknote.com/signup/169331

Register early as spots are limited. For registration information, contact the school office or email the individual camp leaders listed above.

The Kiwanis Club of Natchitoches met on Thursday, April 17 for their weekly meeting. Club president Brittany Barton provided updates on club business and upcoming events.

The guest speaker was Dr. Greg Handel, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs for Northwestern State University. Handel shared exciting plans for existing programs and new initiatives.

Pictured from Left to Right: Dr. Greg Handel, Club President Brittany Barton, and Greg Burke

Here is a look at the week of April 20-26 at Northwestern State University.

April 20-26 – Summer and Fall 2025 semester registration available via NSU Connect

April 21 – University reopens after Easter holiday

April 21-25 – Colton Bailey Senior Art Exhibit, Hanchey Gallery 2

April 23 — Dr. Robert B. Caldwell Jr. and Thomas Parrie discuss the “Choctaw-Apache Voices” book series, Cane River Room, Friedman Student Union, 5 p.m.

April 23 – Lisa Borders Scholarship presentation, Watson Library, noon

April 23 – Baseball vs. Mississippi Valley, Brown-Stroud Field, 6 p.m.

April 23 – NSU Wind Ensemble and Magale Concert Band, Magale Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m. #

April 24 – NSU Wind Symphony and Fredericks Concert Band, Magale Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m. #

April 25 – Department of Social Work Lunch & Learn, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center – Listach Conference Room, noon

April 25-26 – Softball vs. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, Lady Demon Diamond

April 26 – Chris Roper Memorial Golf Tournament, Northwestern Hills, 8:30 a.

April 26 – Senior Dance Concert, Treen Auditorium, Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, 7 p.m.

April 26 – Chris Roper Memorial Golf Tournament, Northwestern Hills, 8:30 a.m.

# Livestream available at nsula.edu/capa/capalivestream

BOM Bank and BOMFS will close at noon on Friday, April 18, 2025.   All branches.

Reminder: Exchange Bank & Trust will close at noon on Friday, April 18, 2025.   All branches.

Reminder: City Bank & Trust will be closed on Friday, April 18, 2025 in observance of Good Friday.   All branches, Natchitoches, Shreveport-Bossier and Many.

Northwestern State University will welcome the return of the Class of 1975 for the Golden Jubilee Celebration May 14-15. The celebration will include the presentation of 50-year diplomas, receptions and other events to honor the class and graduates from previous years. 

1975 graduates will be welcomed at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 14 with a campus tour, starting at the Lucile Hendrick Room on the first floor of the Sylvan Friedman Student Union. The tour is optional and guests must RSVP ahead of time. Parking is available behind the Student Union and in front of Kyser Hall.

Check-in for a welcome reception will begin at 5:45 p.m. in the Hendrick Room. The Golden Jubilee Cocktail reception will be from 6-8 p.m. with heavy hors d’oeuvres, beverages, dancing, visiting and a welcome from NSU President James Genovese. Attire is business/casual.

Check-in for the Breakfast and Mimosa Mingle will begin 8 a.m. Thursday, May 14 in the President’s Room of the Sylvan Friedman Student Union. After breakfast, class members will dress in caps and gowns and be transported by bus to Prather Coliseum. One bus is reserved for class members. A second bus will transport guests to the Coliseum and a reserved seating section. A class photo will be taken prior to the 10 a.m. commencement ceremony in which the class will be recognized. After graduation, class members and guests will return on the same buses to the Student Union for the Class of 1975 and 50+ Lunch in the Student Union Ballroom.

The 50+ lunch for all NSU graduates from 1975 and prior years and will include an address from the president, door prizes and a test of alumni memories from NSU student days.

Tickets for the Class of 1975 events are $80 per graduate and $65 per additional guest(s). Tickets to the 50+ Lunch for alumni who graduated before 1975 are $30.

To RSVP for the campus tour and purchase tickets visit https://northwesternstatealumni.com/golden-jubilee/. For more information, contact Terry Wilson at (318) 357-6348 or wilsont@nsula.edu.

Join Marvin as he chats with Victor Pinkney, Sr. about Crime & Violence in our community, Law Enforcement engagement and the role that Social Media plays.

Paid Content

All three parish high school softball teams qualified for the LHSAA playoffs announced Wednesday and two play today in the opening round.

St. Mary’s is at home at 5 o’clock today in the Select Division IV bracket as the No. 9 seed, hosting 24^th-ranked Westminster Christian.

Lakeview, seeded 24^th in Non-Select Division IV, is on the road today to play No. 5 DeQuincy in a 5 p.m. first-round game.

Natchitoches Central (13-15) will host No. 17 Haughton Friday at 5 p.m. in a first-round Non-Select Division I game.

For decades, Southland Conference baseball has been labeled as “an old man’s league.”

By that definition, veteran teams are expected to challenge for the conference championship – and this year a chance to host the conference tournament.

In many ways, Northwestern State, which hosts Lamar at 6:30 p.m. today in the opener of a three-game conference series at Brown-Stroud Field, fits that mold. In other ways, the Demons have seen more than their share of impact from underclassmen.

Today’s game – along with Friday’s 6:30 p.m. matchup and Saturday’s 2 p.m. series finale – will air on ESPN+.

“What it means for baseball is becoming evident,” second-year NSU coach Chris Bertrand said. “What it means for the growth of our program and the direction we are headed, we couldn’t be any more proud. The Demon baseball program is in good hands for the future. We’re never going look past this week in what is important, but we’re headed in the right path. It proves we have a good plan for how we’re going to construct things. I’m proud of the all-encompassing nature and the messages it sends when the young guys have success.”

Northwestern (22-16, 13-8) has seen the most benefit from its underclassmen on the mound.

Freshman left-hander Carter White has pitched to a 2.40 ERA in 30 innings, covering 14 appearances. White, a product of Bossier City’s Airline High School, sparkled in his lone start of the season – tossing four innings of one-run ball at Southeastern Louisiana in the Feb. 28 Southland opener.

Another freshman lefty, Jacob LeBlanc, has struck out 14 in his first nine collegiate appearances while freshman right-hander Wesley Marien has become a trusted arm in the past month.

Marien has collected a win and a save in the past three Southland series, picking up the victory in Game 2 of a doubleheader sweep of Nicholls before closing out the Demons’ lone win of this past weekend’s series at HCU with four scoreless innings of relief Sunday.

“The amount of love and pride I have for (pitching coach) Dan (Hlad) and the way he goes about his work and leads his unit, I’m so happy they’re having success,” Bertrand said. “They’re seeing the fruits of that labor. It shows it’s OK to have a belief in those young kids and the high school kids. They’re more than capable of having success. It’s a tribute to the work they’ve put in and the way they’ve let Dan, (director of player development) Joe (Craighead) and (director of player personnel) Dawson (Flowers) into their hearts and minds, helping establish that growth.”

The visiting Cardinals (31-8, 12-6) will challenge that growth across another pivotal three-game league series.

Lamar enters the weekend in fifth place, 1 ½ games ahead of Northwestern and two back of the trio of HCU, McNeese and Southeastern Louisiana, who share the league lead at 14-4.

A season ago, the Cardinals won the conference regular-season crown and finished with 44 wins overall. This edition of the Lamar roster comes in having won 16 of its previous 17 games.

SOFTBALL:  Northwestern’s final conference road trip of the softball season takes it to a red-hot foe.

The Demons (5-39, 2-19) travel down the bayou for a three-game set with Nicholls (25-20, 15-6) winners of 15 straight games, the second longest active winning streak in the country.

The Easter week series begins with a 4 p.m. doubleheader this afternoon and ends with a 1 p.m. Good Friday game. There will be no ESPN+ broadcasts for the series, but live stats will be available through nsudemons.com and updates posted to Twitter/X at @NSUDemonsSB.

NSU enters the series after a long week with six conference games over the span of five days, that featured three more games decided by two runs or less and four decided by three or less. The 4-3 win at UIW served as the biggest highlight of the week.

The first day of Spring, March 20, is a special day for folks around these parts who are dog tired of winter. Although we don’t have winters like our friends up north, we still have to contend with drab landscapes, an occasional frost, cold rains and incessant wind. However, the calendar says it’s spring so we have reason to celebrate.

Already our hardwood trees have fresh green leaves and lawns are escaping the dull gray of winter and now are begging to be mowed. My huckleberry bushes are sporting little green berries that in a few weeks will turn to a shiny purple, ready for being converted into cobblers and jam.

The thing though that really shouts SPRING are the sounds you hear from high above, the lilting twitter of purple martins as they prepare to delight homeowners who have martin boxes. Nothing is quite so soothing and enjoyable as sitting on the porch as martins bring spring mornings into a cacophony of song, flit and flitter.

At least that’s the case for homeowners, like Choudrant’s Dick and Trish Albritton, who are blessed with bird houses full of nesting purple martins. Some of us, namely yours truly, seem to have some sort of anti-martin pox. They just flat refuse to nest in boxes I have for years prepared for them.

When I was growing up, having purple martins nest in their yards was a no brainer. Here’s something I wrote years ago that describes it….”When I was growing up out on the rural route, we had martins, the town drunk had martins, people who never took baths and let their kids teeth rot had martins. They were not something you wished for; they were something you had. They weren’t persnickety either. You’d stick something up on a pole and they’d build a nest in it.”

I visited with the Albrittons recently and Dick shared some information about how he and Trish attract martins. “I have 50-60 boxes plus gourds up in our yard and we have over 50 martins here now” he said. “My boxes formerly had round entrance holes that martins used but starlings did too, and that was a problem. My boxes now have smaller rectangle holes martins have no trouble entering; yet they’re too small for starlings.”

An on-line site about these birds described them this way… “Renowned for their chattering songs, aerial acrobatics, insect eating habits and tolerance of humans they stand as one of America’s most cherished songbirds.”

There are other characteristics of purple martins that Albritton has observed. “Fledglings  will return to the spot, often to the same cubicle this spring where they were hatched last year. Also,” he added, “purple martins like to be close to humans so it’s important that their houses need to be 60-100 feet from where people live. There needs to be a water source such as a pond and power lines for perching nearby. They start arriving by late February and begin leaving around mid-July.”

Part of the Albritton’s success with attracting purple martins involves quite a bit of work. “I will lower the boxes before birds begin arriving to clean them out, place a handful of straw in each cubicle before raising the boxes.”

Since my luck in attracting martins seems to be at zero, Dick and Trish Albritton may have to become accustomed to looking out the window and see an old fellow sitting on their

porch to watch the birds do what they do. If I can’t have birds in my yard, surely they won’t mind sharing them with me. Oh by the way, if your coffee pot is perking, I like mine dark with a bit of cream.

Contact Glynn at glynnharris37@gmail.com

All proceeds go to the Demon Brothers Booster Club and the Fork Em Collective 

Paid Content

Demon Brothers Booster Club would like to thank these sponsors for their generous support of Demon football and Crawfest 2025

The Natchitoches Parish Veterans and Memorial Park Committee is currently working on the list of Veterans who have passed away since April of 2024. Each year the names of those recently deceased veterans are read as part of the Memorial Day Program.  If you know of a Veteran who should be included on this year’s Memorial List, please email that name, along with your name and a current phone number to:  darfus@att.net by Thursday, May 1. The Memorial Day Program is scheduled for Monday, May 26.

On April 17, 1964, at the New York World’s Fair, Ford unveiled a vehicle that would come to symbolize American freedom, power, and style — the Ford Mustang. Since then, April 17 has become National Mustang Day, honoring one of the most beloved cars in automotive history.

Priced at just $2,368 in its debut year, the Mustang sold over 22,000 units on its first day alone and over a million in just 18 months. It quickly became a pop culture fixture, appearing in films like Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds, and Need for Speed.

What made the Mustang unique was its wide appeal — it offered power and style for car lovers but remained accessible to the average buyer.

“This car is more than just transportation,” says Mustang club member Kevin DuBois of Shreveport. “It’s about a lifestyle. It’s about the roar of the engine and the freedom of the open road.”

Even today, Mustang enthusiasts gather on April 17 for car shows, parades, and rallies across the country, with many taking their classic rides out for a spin.

As Ford continues to innovate with electric models like the Mustang Mach-E, the legacy of the original Mustang remains intact — a perfect marriage of performance, personality, and American muscle.

On April 15, emergency responders from multiple agencies were dispatched to the scene of a single-vehicle rollover crash on Louisiana Highway 1 in Powhatan, according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.

At approximately 12:22 p.m., Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies, Louisiana State Police, Natchitoches Parish Fire District #10, with support from Fire District #6, NPSO Rescue, and Natchitoches Regional Medical Center EMS, responded to the incident involving a 2022 Chevrolet HD 3500.

Upon arrival, deputies discovered the vehicle overturned, with the driver suffering from non-life-threatening injuries. There was no entrapment reported at the scene. EMS personnel transported the driver to Natchitoches Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Deputy J. Severance of the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the crash.

Motorists traveling through the area were urged to drive cautiously and remain alert, as emergency crews continued to work at the active scene.

Provencal native Billy Wayne Montgomery, a Northwestern State University graduate who was a state championship high school basketball coach before becoming one of the state’s most influential legislators, died overnight Tuesday at age 87.

Funeral arrangements have been set for early next week for Montgomery, who was living in Bossier Parish. Visitation will be Monday from 4-8 p.m. in the Haughton High School’s Billy Montgomery Gymnasium, with the funeral Tuesday morning at 10 at his church, Central Assembly of God in Haughton on U.S. Highway 80 just past the Louisiana Downs racetrack.

Known statewide as “Coach Montgomery” in respect to his very successful high school basketball coaching career, he spent 20 years (1988-2008) as a legislator serving Bossier Parish in the state House of Representatives. He was widely recognized for his advocacy for education, health care, law enforcement and the state sheriffs’ association, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, horse racing, legalized gambling, restoration of the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and many other good causes. His ability to build non-partisan coalitions was remarkable, observers said.

His support for his alma mater, NSU, was impactful, as he served in the legislature during an era when the university set enrollment records. Montgomery was a driving force behind state funding for a new $60 million campus for Bossier Parish Community College.

Montgomery was a 2012 inductee in the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame, a year after he entered the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as the 2011 recipient of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award. He earned that recognition for his support of high school sports in the state, his influence in long-term success for the Louisiana Downs race track in Bossier City and the state’s horse racing industry, and for being a vital player in obtaining support in the state legislature and from Governors Mike Foster and Kathleen Blanco to launch construction of the $23 million Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum in downtown Natchitoches.

In 2019, he was enshrined in the Long Purple Line, Alumni Hall of Distinction at Northwestern and is one of only 157 individuals so honored in the 140-year history of the institution.

Among other distinctions: inductions in the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Ark-La-Tex Museum of Champions, the Distinguished American award from the North Louisiana chapter of the National Football Foundation, and being chosen “Mr. Louisiana Basketball” in 2009 by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches, which includes him in the LABC Hall of Fame.

He was listed as “A Leader of the Century” in 2002 by the Shreveport Times and was the only individual to receive the International Police Award in 1990.

The Provencal High School alumnus served in the United States Army from 1959-64, graduating from Northwestern in 1960 with an education degree. He obtained a master’s degree in 1966 in administration and supervision, and did additional work at NSU toward his plus 30 certification, along with taking classes at LSU, Louisiana Tech and ULM.

Montgomery began his educational career as a teacher and assistant football, track and basketball coach at Haughton High School in 1960. Five years later he took over as the Bucs’ head basketball coach and was an immediate success, guiding Haughton to the state championship game in 1967, then back-to-back state championships in 1968 and 1969. He was named state Coach of the Year in Class 3A in 1967 and 1968 by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

He coached at Lafayette High in 1969-70, with the Lions posting a 27-7 record as Montgomery won another district Coach of the Year honor, before being enticed to return to Haughton as an assistant principal for the 1970-71 school year. He returned to coaching the Bucs for four more seasons in the late 1970s. He became the school’s principal in 1984 and served until retiring to pursue the District 9 seat in the House of Representatives.

In 10 seasons as a head boys basketball coach, Montgomery had a 304-77 record. He took the Buccaneers to five state tournaments and all 10 of his teams reached the playoffs in an era when only the top two teams in each district got to the postseason.

Along with the basketball court at Haughton, Bossier Parish CC dedicated Billy Montgomery Court in his honor. Last fall, he was an inaugural inductee in the Haughton High School Hall of Fame.

After his legislative service ended, Montgomery worked with the Bossier Parish Police Jury from 2008-21, serving as a legislative liason and a project manager. He also worked extensively with the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission, serving as its chairman for several years and helping attract many events large and small to the twin cities.

At a 2021 retirement ceremony, state Senate president and longtime legislative leader John Alario said Montgomery was a servant leader for all of Louisiana.

“I have known and worked with Billy Montgomery for many years and I can truthfully say he is the example of dedication and hard work,” said Alario.

“He always served his district well, but if someone asked for his help, he never asked who their representative was. He would do whatever he could to assist them, no matter where they lived.”

SHREVEPORT – Another semester, another record.

LSU Shreveport broke its enrollment for the third straight semester with 10,926 students with the second spring session in full swing.

The figure is nearly seven percent higher than Spring 2024 enrollment and up 75 students from Fall 2024’s previous record of 10,851.

“Just last spring, we were celebrating crossing the 10,000 mark for the first time in university history,” said LSUS Chancellor Dr. Robert Smith. “We’ve very nearly hit 11,000 just one year later, and that’s because of the dedication of our faculty and staff.

“LSUS is offering programs that are meeting student interests as well as contemporary workforce needs.”

LSUS enrollment has increased from fall to spring in consecutive years, which is unusual considering nearly all universities have higher fall enrollments with the influx of first-time freshmen.

All enrollment categories experienced growth this spring, which includes more than an eight percent increase in undergraduate students and a 6.5 percent increase in graduate students.

LSUS continues to expand its enrollment despite multiple record-setting graduations, including a Fall 2024 ceremony with 1,500 graduates.

“We’re still growing despite record graduations, and we’re growing in every possible category,” Smith said. “Undergraduate and graduate, online and face-to-face, dual enrollment – we’re up everywhere.

“One of the most exciting figures is that our credit hours are growing at a faster rate than our enrollment, which means we have more students taking more hours on average than in the past.”

Key sources of undergraduate growth this spring include new transfer students (up 37 percent from Spring 2024) and first-time freshmen (up 53 percent).

Student retention is another factor of overall growth as more students are returning for their second year and progressing toward degrees.

That growth doesn’t appear to be stopping any time soon as Smith highlighted that LSUS is “blowing by” its recruiting goals for applications for Fall 2025.

Visit Us Online Now: https://www.lsus.edu/why-lsus/about-lsus