ascension magazine may 2013

7/16/2019 Ascension Magazine May 2013

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ascension-magazine-may-2013 1/44

COMPLIMENTARY

MAY 2013, VOL. 11 ISSUE 3



This husband and wife team now offer Baton Rouge andAscension Parish a complete line of dermatology services. Dr.Massengale has over a decade

of medical and surgical dermatology experience while Dr Zedlitz offers the latest incosmetic dermatology/skin rejuvenation.

Together, they will share office space in both Prairieville and Baton Rouge.



Publisher / Editor

Mike Strong

Sales Manager

Dottie Godberry

Staff Photographer

Jimmy Dunkley

Contributing Writers

Bill DelauneMarilyn Bowman

Linda Melancon

Calvin Bessonett

Ron Baratini

Bully

Goosie Guice

Orhan McMillan

Kellie Seymour

Tanya Stilley

Roland DoucetDenise Smith

Karlin O’Neal

Jimmy Dunkley

For Advertising

Information Please call:

225-622-1324

E-Mail Comments

to [email protected]

www.ascensionmagazine.net

Note: Features in this

publication labeled

“advertorial”

are paid for editorials.

All Rights Reserved.

Opinions expressed are not

necessarily those of the

publisher, editor or staff of

Ascension Magazine

18386 Little Prairie Rd.Prairieville, LA 70769

BERCEGEAY REUNION ...........4

ASCENSION HOUSEWISE .....10

SWEET EYES W/ TANYA.... ....12

ASK YOUR REALTOR ............. 18

KIRK’S HAS THE WORKS....................22

JAMMIN’ WITH GOOSIE........ 25

BILL DELAUNE........................26

THOUGHTS FROM BULLY ....29

ROLAND SWAMP POP............. 34

Table of Contents

FOR MORE INFORMATION

225.622.3262www.riverparishfoods.com



Bercegeay

Family

Reunion As far as the 1600’s roots of

the Bercegeay family in

Louisiana can be traced back to

Northwestern France, in what is now known officially as the Department of Loire-Atlantique.

Reunions give families achance to come together,develop memories and look forward to the next reunion.For the first time in 22 years,descendants of Rudolph and

Vella Arceneaux Bercegeay family got together at St. Amant

Park on Saturday, April 20th,



2013.Rudy and Vella had 10

children: Carmon (deceased),Ozile Babin, Ruby LeeRoddy-Babin, Elva MaeSutton-Nealy, Carbett, Mary Lee Bourgeois, WilmaJohnson, Wilfred “Ponk”,

Wibert “Pete” (deceased),and Valmon; and they hadover 300 descendants (236people attended this reunion).Each of the ten families wore adifferent colored reunion shirt.

The social and lunch startedat 11:00 a.m. and everyone

delighted in viewing a giantcontinuous slide show of relative photos taken over half a century. Some of theactivitiesthat were enjoyed, included,music, dancing, a coloring andplay station for youngchildren, party games, and

5

Southern plantation style estate home on 6.5 acres 4090 sq ft living in the mainhouse with additional garage apartment and 100 year old Creole Style cottage

takes you back to old south feel. Located perfectly between Baton Rouge and New Orleans suitable for Bed and Breakfast.

Dream Home For Sale in Dutchtown

David LeClereAttorney at Law

225-769-5032 Office REAL ESTATE LITIGATION

TITLE SERVICES

REAL ESTATE LAW

LEGAL SERVICES

“Preferred Title Service Providor”

Carmie Berry REALTOR

(225) 202-0984

Showings by appointment only call Realtor for more information.



baseball. Cousins also met cousins they never knew they had.

One of the highlights of the day was when the elders and their spousesgathered around a table and talked andeven sang in French. Very few listeningunderstood much but it was greatto hear.

A reunion requires a great deal of

planning and thanks to the planners who had the event running likeclockwork. Thanks to everyone for all

your help in making the reunion astunning success. Let’s hope everyonecan try to keep in touch with oneanother and stay well throughout the

upcoming year.Next year the reunion is on Saturday

April 27, 2014. Please come join inplanning, as the planners will startmeeting on the first Monday in January.



The Market with

All you need...

S e a f o o d M a r k e t

Crabs • Shrimp • FishLive & Boiled Crawfish( SELECT CRAWFISH AVAILABLE )

G r o c e r i e sBread • Snacks •

Sausage

Seasonings • Eggs • Milk

P r o d u c e

Fruits • Vegetables •

Melons

B e v e r a g e s

Domestic and ImportBeer

• Chilled Wine

C r a w f i s h B o i lI n g r e d i e n t s

Crabboil • Lemons •

Cayenne

Potatoes • Corn •

Mushrooms

P r o p a n e

OPEN 7 Days a Week • 9am to 7pm

17497 Airline Highway • Prairieville

225.673.9085 • peppersfreshmarketla.com

WeWe

HaveHave

BlueBlueCrabsCrabs

EATEL AWARDS LOCALSTUDENTS WITH

TECHNOLOGY FUND

Outstanding scholars fromAscension and Livingston areahigh schools gathered April 10,2013 for EATEL’s annualTechnology Awards Ceremony,now in its 27th year. Focusing onthe importance of both technolo-gy and academic success,EATEL presented six outstandinggraduating seniors fromDonaldsonville, Dutchtown, EastAscension, French Settlement,Maurepas and St. Amant highschools with their own laptop

computers. These students planto pursue studies in mathemat-ics, basic sciences, computertechnology, information technolo-gy, engineering, health sciences,digital media or business man-agement.

Technology Award appli-cants must have an overall gradepoint average of 3.0 or higher,actively participate in school andcommunity activities, and plan topursue their studies at aLouisiana-accredited college oruniversity. The 2013 recipientswere chosen from a pool of appli-cants by a counselor from eachschool.“As a recipient of this award

back in 1988, I am especiallyproud of the longevity of theEATEL Technology Awards,” stat-ed Ashley Phillips, ChiefOperating Officer for EATEL.“Back in my day, we received amedal, which was wonderful. Buttoday, to be able to give thesestudents such a powerful tool fortheir college studies and post-

collegiate careers is rewarding.”

The following students are the2013 EATEL Technology Fundrecipients:

• Carly Harris of Donaldsonville High School

- 4.2 GPA

- Plans to attend Southern University A & M

College and major in Nursing

• Lance Gisclair of Dutchtown High School

- 3.7 GPA

- Plans to attend Southeastern Louisiana University

and major in Information Systems

• Jorge Flores of East Ascension High School

- 3.6 GPA

- Plans to attend Louisiana State University and

major in Graphic Design

• Holly Dicharry of St. Amant High School

- 4.4 GPA

- Plans to attend Nicholls State University

and major in Biology

• Jonathan Cole Gordon of

French Settlement High School

- 4.0 GPA- Plans to attend Southeastern Louisiana University

and major in Biology

• Journey James of Maurepas High School

- 3.52 GPA

- Plans to attend Southeastern Louisiana University

and major in Business

EATEL honored six outstanding graduating seniors with new laptops for use in their collegiate studies. Pictured are the students

with representatives from the Ascension and Livingston Parish schools and school board office.

Front row: Carmen Robichaux, Donaldsonville HS counselor, Holly Dicharry,St. Amant HS Technology Award Recipient,

Journey James, Maurepas HS Technology Award Recipient, Carly Harris, Donaldsonville HS Technology Award Recipient, Rhonda Matthews, Ascension Parish Career & Technical Education Supervisor, Angela Lee, East Ascension HScounselor.

Back row: Mia Edwards, St. Amant HS Principal, Lisa Bacala, Ascension ParishSupervisor of Secondary Education, SteveWestbrook, Ascension Parish Asst. Supt. of Schools, Jonathan Cole Gordon, FrenchSettlement HS Technology Award Recipient,

Lance Gisclair, Dutchtown HS Technology Award Recipient, Jorge Flores, East Ascension HS Technology Award Recipient, Staci Polozola, Livingston Parish Career & Technical Education Supervisor, DeniseGraves, Ascension Parish Asst. Supt. of Schools, Judi Gautreau, East Ascension HS

counselor, Matt Geraci, Donaldsonville HS Asst. Principal.



“COME JOIN OUR AZALEA FAMILY”

Where It’s All About YOU!

For more than 17 years, we have developed, owned and managed senior housing communities throughout

Louisiana and Georgia that provide alternative living arrangements

for seniors combining wellness, independence and personal care in a warm dignified setting with over 100 years of personal and professional experience.

2305 S. Purpera Avenue,Gonzales, LA 70737

225.644.1028



What better way to make adesign statement in a roomthan with a fabulous accentpiece! This spring’s home fur-nishings market at High Point,N.C. showed off a multitude of statement-making pieces thatcan give any room a distinctivepersonality. Tables, rugs andaccent chairs are great ways toadd pizzazz to a room.

Accent chairs in unique stylesand patterns were everywhereat market. A cool accent chair

can bring a room from boringto Ooh La La by adding colorand charm! The message: Bebold!

Drexel Heritage, known much

for its classic style, displayed arope wrapped table that makesa wonderful statement aboutorganic modernism. Dress up adressing area with their ivory,curvy Hollywood glam bureau.Is it classic or contemporary?

You decide.

Rugs are always a great accentpiece to add color, characterand charm to a room.Reclaimed materials, or asUttermost calls them ‘rescuedmaterials,’ are used in a new

line of area rugs that featurerescued denim and leathers inblue, black, brown and khaki.

The reclaimed materials are woven with natural materialsincluding wool, jute and cot-ton. They are easy to coordi-nate with what you already haveand you can decorate withmaterials that otherwise wouldhave been discarded.

“American-made” was an evenmore prominent theme at thisspring’s market. Surya, knownmostly for its rugs, was promot-ing itself as “Your completesource for American-madeaccessories,” which includespoufs, pillows and wall art.Poufs and ottomans are mostpopular with Gen X consumers(ages 33-48), according to arecent survey by Home AccentsToday magazine.

The growing emphasis on American-made is driven by

more than a statement aboutpatriotism. “The color anddesign style of U.S.-made prod-ucts is more in sync with theU.S. marketplace,” says SethKing, Surya’s vice president of sales.

David Haseley, our vice presi-dent of merchandising,summed up the spring show-

ings saying, “the market wasloaded with lots of bold, bright,fun, colorful fabrics which Ilove to see from a design view-point.”

Customization was the term Iheard most from both theupholstery and case goods sup-pliers. The ability to easily and

affordably add embellishmentsand customize colors to suit theclient, and make a statement,plays right into what we do asdesign professionals. Bottomline, consumers can enjoy ourhelp putting it all together andtoday there are more choicesthan ever.

Ooh La La Accents at Highpoint Market

10

Karlin O’Neal [email protected]/karlin



ALL PARISH STORAGEP R A I R I E V I L L E

• Excellent security - all sizes

• Climate controlled & regular

• RV & Boat Storage ( enclosed )

• Professional Pest control

• View Pricing and location at

ALLPARISHSTORAGE.COM

* ask for special pricing *

• 24 HR. ACCESS

17 YEARS STORAGEEXPERIENCE

225.677.7778

ALLPARISHSTORAGE.COM Sam Richardson, Owner

Next to Adventureland Kids

on Post Office Rd.



Crispy Skin is for Chicken We’ve truly had a spring this

year. It’s really been nice. In

south Louisiana our weather

goes from freezing to scorchin’

hot in a matter of weeks. A

friend of mine told me it was

because of El Nino, none the

less, it’s been really nice.

With our breezy cool spring,

we'll spend more time outside,

so it's really important to

realize you should protect your

skin at all costs!

When I was in high school, I

remember going to Dolphin

Island. Unfortunately, I didn’t

realize how little shade there

would be. After a long day at

the beach, I ended up going tothe ER for a second degree

burn. I wish I could say I

learned my lesson. Even after

that, I still laid in tanning beds.

I wasn’t the only one. I had

friends that did this too. We’d

go to the tanning bed and then

lay out on a black visqueen with

baby oil on. Are you kidding

me?!

These days my friends and Ilament the fact that we need

botox for our wrinkles. Even

though my skin feels great

being sun kissed, I know it’snot worth it. I always consid-

ered sun kissed skin healthy, but

in reality, any increase in pig-

ment of your skin isn’t good.

Chances for skin cancer increas-

es by 75% if you regularly use

tanning beds before the age of

30, and even if you don't lay in

tanning beds, routine skin

cancer screenings are key. A

routine skin cancer screeningshould take longer than five

minutes. I’ve been to

dermatologists before that

barely glance over my skin say,

“You’re fine!”. If this is the

case, push the envelope with

your physician. Insist a

thorough examination. Point

out certain spots of concern,

and if that doesn’t work, get a

second opinion.

Sun protection is your best lineof defense from skin cancer.

My go to sunscreen now is

Peter Thomas Roth’s Uber Dry

SPF 30. It feels amazing on

my skin. Before this product, I

used just a regular over the

counter spf, and it worked, but

it always left my skin feeling

greasy. Greasy face means your

makeup has no staying power,

and I need that. This super

lightweight sunscreen thatprovides UVA/UVB protec-

tion. This sunscreen can be

applied under makeup and

leaves a shine free finish. It's

enriched with Vitamins A, C

and E to help fight against free

radical damage. It’s PABA and

fragrance-free which makes it

great for my sensitive skin.

This Uber dry sunscreen runs

about $26.00 and is availableat Sephora.

Ok, so reducing your chances

for skin cancer is a no brainer,

but we all want that sun kissed

look. I love a faux glow! The

latest and greatest is Vita

Liberata’s pHenominal self

tanner is made in Ireland.

What’s different about this

tanner is thatit's a certified

organic product, derived frombeets. The mousse gives an

immediate and long-lasting,

medium golden result with a

completely odorless, light, air y,

and instantly dry application. It

even nourishes the skin with

marine and organic botanical

extracts, smells great and con-

tains no sulfates or parabens.

After proper application, this

self tanner can last last 2-3 weeks, but there’s a catch. The

application process can last all

day. You have to apply the

tanner, wait three hours, apply

again, wait three hours, and

apply a third time and wait

three hours. This longer

process will in fact make your

tan last about three weeks, but

I don’t have time for that. You

can apply the

tanner once and it will last

about a week.

Available at sephora for $54

(Remember this tan last longer,

so it’s worth the investment!)

Take Time to Appreciate

Your Mom Mother’s Day is May 12th this

year, so take time out to spend

quality time with your mother,

and tell her how very much you

appreciate all she’s done for

you. Even if you think you

have the worst mom in the

world, she gave birth to you, so

show a little appreciation!

Also, take time to celebrate all

the special “mom” relationships

you have in your life. For

example, you may have a



great relationship with your

step-mom, mother in law,

spiritual mom, even a strong

mentor at work. These

relationships are powerful, so

tell them how you appreciate

them and how they’ve changed

your life for the better.

Isn’t it funny how often we

don’t want to accept the good

advice mother’s give? But if

we're honest with ourselves,

sooner or later, we realize

mom always had the right

advice for our situation and

life's challenges.

Things My Mom taught Me: • Mom taught me to work for

what I want, so now I

appreciate everything!

• Mom taught me to stand up

straight, have good posture and

to smile.• Mom taught me to tell the

truth, even when it hurts.

• Mom was always there to

feed me. If I had olives and

mustard in my fridge (during

my bachlorette days) she

bought me groceries.

• Mom always got involved in

big events prom and balls, and

she always made sure I had the

right dress and great hair!

• Mom also taught me to

follow my heart, my gut, and

my spirit concerning

all situations.

That's just a few thoughts on

what my mom has taught me.

Take time to think about all the

wonderful things your mom

has done for you. Show those

special women in your life how

much you appreciate them, not

just on Mother's Day but

everyday.

13



TheHomestead ExemptionFor Persons

Over 65Generally, a homestead

exemption is a tax break provided for by the LouisianaConstitution. It allows for thefirst $7,500 of a home’sassessed value to be exemptfrom property taxes. Theassessed value of a home for taxpurposes is 10% of its fair

market value, meaning that thefirst $75,000 of the fair market

v alue of the home will be taxfree. For example, a $100,000home would have an assessed

value of $10,000 and with theLouisiana HomesteadExemption the first $7,500 in

value would be exempt fromproperty taxes; therefore, only $2,500 of the assessed value

would be taxable. All home-owners need to make sure they are taking advantage of thehomestead exemption by

visiting their assessor’s officeand signing up for it.

However, there are evenmore benefits to the LouisianaHomestead Exemption if thehomeowner id 65 or older. InJanuary of 2000, a constitu-tional amendment was passedthat allowed for persons 65 orolder to effectively freeze theassessed value of their home.Called a “Special Assessment”,this freeze keeps the taxable

value of the home the same,safe from inflating property val-ues. For example, if an ownerturns 65, and their home’sassessed value is $12,500 that

year, the homestead exemption

will keep the first $7,500non-taxable, and they will pay taxes on $5,000. However, withthe special assessment, in thefollowing years, even if theassessed value increases, theowners will continue to pay taxes on only $5,000 insteadof the increased value. Toqualify for the specialassessment, the owner must be65 or older; must have anadjusted gross income of lessthan a designated amount($69,430 in 2013); and mustfile paperwork attesting to thefact that he meets the criteria.

The freeze in the assessed value of the home will remainfor as long as the owner whoapplied for the special assess-ment or a spouse over 55resides in the home. For thefreeze to continue, the value of the property cannot increasemore than 25% because of

construction or reconstruction.There may be some changeson the horizon for the specialassessment. In the LouisianaLegislature’s 2013 RegularSession, House Bill No. 329proposes to remove the incomerequirement when qualifyingfor the special assessment. This

would mean that the only requirement would be that theowner be 65 or older and file

the necessary paperwork. If this were to pass, this bill wouldtake effect on January 1, 2015.

All homeowners should takeadvantage of the homesteadexemption from property taxesavailable by the Louisianaconstitution. However, thoseover 65 should also make surethey have applied for the specialassessment which allows for afreeze on the home’s value sotaxes don’t increase fromre-assessment. To find outmore about the specialhomestead exemption rules orother issues relating to planning

your estate to protect yourassets, you should consult withqualified estate planning andelder law professionals.

Ms. Melancon has engaged in the

practice of law in Louisiana for the

past 14 years. The primary focus of

her practice is estate planning, special

needs planning, elder law and pro-

bate. She is also accredited by the VA

to give advice regarding veterans’

benefits. For more information,

please contact her at 744-0027 or visit

her website at

www.LegacyCenterLa.com or her face-

book page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prair

ieville-La/Legacy-Center-of-

Louisiana/267942070212.

YOUR ESTATE MATTERSBy Linda Melancon



36501 MISSION ST. Suite A (Inside Fusion Fitness) •Prairieville, Louisiana 70769

( 2 2 5 ) 7 4 4 - 3 6 3 1 • F A X ( 2 2 5 ) 7 4 4 - - 3 6 4 7

CONTACTOUR OFFICE:

CHASE ROY, DPT

Celebrating 5 Years of Commitment to Service in the Dutchtown Community

Geoff LeJeune, PT

Scott Larson, PT, OCS

Chase Roy, PT, DPT

16

We are Your Community

Physical Therapy Provider.

Specializing in Orthopedic

Physical Rehabilitation.

We are Your Community

Physical Therapy Provider.

Specializing in Orthopedic

Physical Rehabilitation.

• ASTYM Certified • Dry Needling Certified

• Clinic hours to fit your

busy schedule.

• Ideal Protein Provider

• Accepting most insurances.

Dutchtown Physical Therapy 36501 Mission Street, Suite A

(Inside Fusion Health & Fitness)

Prairieville, Louisiana 70769

225.744-3631 • Fax 225.744.3647



DOGGIE DAY SPA

Taking Saturday Appointments

Remeber the Ones that Love You the Most

Cherryl’s

Call now for appt

225-644-3373Late Appointments Available M-F 7am - 5:30pm

C U S T O M E R A P P R E C I A T I O N D A Y C R A W F I S H B O I L B Y D U T C H T O W N P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P Y



A S K Y O U R

R e a l t o r

wi th Mar i l yn Bowman

18

As a REALTOR, we are asked

many questions and this is one

that my neighbor recently ask

me. I thought that the

information obtained from the

House Masters Library may be

interesting for my readers if

you happen to be experiencing

the same problem.

Why Are My Pipes Banging?

Question: When I use the

faucets in my kitchen and

bathroom sinks, I hear

banging in the walls that

seems to come from the water

pipes. I heard that this is

caused by air in the pipes. Is

there a simple solution?

Answer: Banging or rattling

noises associated with water

pipes is often due to a

condition called water

hammer. Water hammer is

caused by lack of air in the

pipes (not the presence of air).

The banging usually occurs

when faucets or valves are

quickly closed. The pressure of the water, with no air in the

pipes to cushion it, makes

noise when it slams against a

closed valve. Loose piping also

contributes to the noise as the

vibrations created in the pipe

by the sudden stoppage can

also cause pipes to knock

against structural elements. In

addition to noise, the water

pressure can cause premature

damage to sensitive valves in

appliances and fixtures. Water

hammer can sometimes be

stopped by introducing some

air into the pipes. In many

homes, this can be done by

closing the main water valve

and opening the lowest

faucet in the house (usually a

basement or outdoor faucet)

and several other faucets. Let

the water drain out for about

five minutes, until water stopscoming from the faucets.

Then close all the faucets and

reopen the main valve. As the

pipes refill, air pockets may

form at points in the system to

provide the cushion needed.

If the noise persists, one or

more devices called water-

hammer arresters might need

to be installed. An arrestermaintains the air cushion that

is needed to prevent the noise.

For more information on

water hammer and arresters, as

well as many other plumbing

products and issues, check the

plumbingsupply.com Web site.

Remember, these tips are only

general guidelines. Since each

situation is different, contact aprofessional if you have

questions about a specific

issue. If you have a specific

question you would like

answered in a future article,

feel free to email to me at

[email protected] and I will

do my best to get the answer

for you. If you are having a

problem with something in

your home, it is very likely

that someone else has thesame problem.



622.508544253 Hwy. 42 ( 1 m i l e f r o m P o r t V i n c e n t )

The Introduction of Esthetician,Beverly Shread at the Open House,

on May 2nd was a Big Success.Thank You to Our Customers.



FREE New Patient Exam,and X-rays.

WITH THIS COUPON • EXPIRES JUNE 15, 2013

May not be combined with other coupons.

Limited to one person in each immediate family.

NEW PATIENT GIFT

Baby BottleTooth Decay By Calvin Bessonet, DDS,FAGD

Even though they aretemporary, your child's baby teeth are important, and arestill susceptible to cavities.Tooth decay in infants andtoddlers is often referred to as

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay, orEarly Childhood Caries.

Children need strong,healthy teeth to chew theirfood, speak and have agood-looking smile. Their firstteeth also help make sure theiradult teeth come in correctly.It’s important to start infantsoff with good oral care to helpprotect their teeth for decadesto come.

What causes Baby

Bottle Tooth Decay?

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay most often occurs in the upperfront teeth, but other teeth may also be affected.

There are many factors whichcan cause tooth decay. Onecommon cause is the frequent,prolonged exposure of thebaby’s teeth to drinks that con-tain sugar. Tooth decay can

occur when the baby is put tobed with a bottle, or when abottle is used as a pacifier for afussy baby.

Tooth decay is a disease thatcan begin with cavity-causing

bacteria being passed from themother (or primary caregiver)to the infant. These bacteria arepassed through the saliva.

When the mother puts thebaby’s feeding spoon in hermouth, or cleans a pacifier inher mouth, the bacteria can bepassed to the baby.

If your infant or toddler doesnot receive an adequate amountof fluoride, they may also havean increased risk for tooth

decay. The good news is thatdecay is preventable.

Preventing Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Try not to share saliva withthe baby through common useof feeding spoons or lickingpacifiers. After each feeding,

wipe your child’s gums with aclean, damp gauze pad or

washcloth. When your child’s teeth

come in, brush them gently with a child-size toothbrushand water. Be sure to consult

with your child’s dentist or

physician if you are consideringusing fluoride toothpaste beforeage 2.

Brush the teeth with apea-sized amount of toothpastefrom the ages of 2 to 6.

Supervise brushing until yourchild can be counted on to spitand not swallow toothpaste—usually not before he or sheis 6 or 7.

Place only formula, milk orbreastmilk in bottles. Avoidfilling the bottle with liquidssuch as sugar water, juice orsoft drinks.

Infants should finish theirbedtime and naptime bottlesbefore going to bed.

If your child uses a pacifier,provide one that is clean—don’t dip it in sugar or honey.

Encourage your child todrink from a cup by his/herfirst birthday.

Encourage healthy eating

habits. When your child’s first toothappears, talk to your dentistabout scheduling the firstdental visit. Treat the firstdental visit as you would a

well-baby checkup with thechild’s physician. Remember:starting early is the key to a

ylifetime of good dental health.

HEALTHY SMILES FOR

THE WHOLE

FAMILY

EMERGENCIES WELCOME

• IV Sedation

• Invisalign Certified

• Laser-Assisted Decay Detection

• Porcelain Veneers

• Implants

• Wisdom Teeth

Ascension PREMIER DENTAL

Calvin G. Bessonet, DDS, FAGD

13375 Hwy 73, Suite 1 • Geismar, LA 70734 • Call: 866-933-2703 • www. AscensionDentist.com

20



In 1969 Vincent Napoli decided his futuresuccess would be best served by opening hisown business. ‘Nap’, as he was known, had anextensive background in the auto parts industry.NAPS Auto Parts & Body Shop was destined tobecome an icon of the business world in BatonRouge. ‘Naps’ location on Scenic Highway, near

the fairly new ‘ESSO’ (now EXXON) refinery wassituated in a center for economic developmentand community growth at that time. Thebusiness grew steadily through Napoli’sentrepreneurial drive and his spirit ofcustomer service.

Over the next couple of decades ‘Nap’ involvedhis family in his work and son Kirk wouldeventually evolve into the leader of the familybusiness. “My dad always stressed the importanceof developing the business through three basicprinciples. He believed we should: keep anextensive inventory of quality products, assurethat we maintained the most educated staffregarding those products, and shape theoperations of the business with the greatestemphasis on customer service”, said Kirk.

Kirk entered the business at the ripe old age of11 and worked in every aspect of his father’scompany. He paid attention to his dad’sprinciples and he learned the landscape of the

1205 NORTH AIRLINE HIGHWAY • GONZALES • 225.673.2023 • 9555 AIRLINE HIGHWAY •

Join Us at Our New Locat ion 12 0 5 N. Air line Hw y

KB and Smitty Invite You to Visit Our New Location



Kirk’s has the Works in Gonzales

business world. As he grew, Kirk saw that thereal opportunity for growth and success wouldbe in the automotive accessories sector of theindustry. By 1973 the emphasis of theorganization gradually changed and thatsegment of the business grew while the partsand body shop were phased out. “There was nodenying the competitiveness of the auto partsbusiness”, Kirk continued. “My feeling was thatfor the future, the accessorymarket was our most promising

direction and would hold our best chance forlong term success.”

That decision proved to be a wise one for theNapoli family’s business. In 1981 ‘Kirk’s Tiresand Accessories’ opened for business on FloridaBlvd. near Ardenwood Drive and during the nextdecade Kirk Napoli would become the family’sbusiness leader, growing Kirk’s into one of Baton

Rouge’s most recognizable businesses. Then in1991, Kirk moved his operation to 9555 AirlineHwy, a site which is now the largest autoaccessory retail store in the South. “We are veryproud of what we have done in Baton Rouge.My son Blake and my daughter Amy work withme every day and I feel very blessed to havethem around. They understand theprinciples that the business was built onand they have a real dedication forcustomer service.”

Eventually, like so many other longtimeresidents of Baton Rouge, Kirk heard the callfrom the wonderful area developing just southof him, in Ascension Parish. “Doing business withthe people of Ascension Parish was a wonderful feeling and moving my family downhere was an incredible experience. We activelysought the right time and opportunity to open a

store here in order to better serve the greatpeople of Ascension and in 2005 we felt thetime was right. A large part of that decision wasfinding the right leadership for that store and we really were fortunate to get the perfectperson for the task. ‘Smitty’ and my son KBhave done a great job of continuing the legacyof Kirk’s in Ascension.”

‘Smitty’ is Mr. David Smith, who has morethan 20 years of experience in the industry andhas now been with the company for 6 plusyears. He and KB have continued the family’sphilosophy stressing customer service, a veryimportant aspect to their neighbors in and

around Gonzales. “I live in this community”,Smitty said. “I have for many years and I lovethe people here. There is simply no better placeand no finer people than in Ascension Parish.KB and I are dedicated to providing thiscommunity with the great products and servicethat they deserve and we stress this to ourentire staff. This is a family business and we run

it that way. We have an extremely low turnoverrate among our employees as a result of thatcloseness. We are committed to them and theyare in turn dedicated and loyal to us. The resultis a company that is second to none in customerrelations and product knowledge.”

Owner Kirk Napoli states, “We’ve enjoyedbeing in Gonzales since 2005 and watchingAscension parish grow. Kirk’s is a part of that,and we look forward to growing with theGonzales community for years to come.”It really is true…Kirk’s has the Works!

N ROUGE • 225.927.1620 • 321 NORTH MORRISON BLVD. • HAMMOND • 985.549.0707



GALVEZ HARDWARE & OUTDOOR COOKING

Prima Ceramic GrillMade in USA

Oilless Turkey Fryer

Charcoal Weber Smoker

Charcoal Weber GrillRustic LSU Ice Chest(Saints available)

Cajun Rocket Boiling Pot(Water to Boil in 5 Minutes)

Party Pirogue • Crawfish or Cold Drinks(Saints & LSU available)

Weber Q Grills (all sizes)McWare Large Oval Roaster

Blue Bug Crawfish Boiler 360 Motorhead Grill

Yetti Coolers (all sizes)

Weber Accessories Weber Genesis Grill 320

Cast IronCookware / Burner

Cajun Fryer with Caddy

Come See Us ...Donna, Rodney,

Vanessa and Vicki

Cadillac Burner

• Hardware

• Propane

• Chairs

• Flags

• Bird Seed

• Paint• Keys

• LSU

AccessoriesMon.-Fri.

7:30-6

Sat. 8-5

Sun. 9-3

622.1114

HWY 42Prairieville



The work week had come toan end and I asked one of my

work buddies if he was goingfishing over the weekend. Hisreply was "I don't haveanywhere to go". I thoughtabout that statement for asecond and said, "Man, there's

always somewhere to go if youreally want to". I've been toldmany times by people that don'town boats that they don't haveany place to go fishing. That isbasically an untrue statement.Most people probably don'trealize how much fishingopportunities there actually isfor people who don't ownboats. I’ll agree that this stateshould provide more places forthe boat less angler, but forthose that really want to fishthere's several places available.

Fishing and crabbing off theside of the road in all ourcoastal parishes can be very productive. I fished and crabbedoff the side of the road in theFourchon, Grand Isle thissummer and was very successfulin doing so. I even won theflounder division in a fishingrodeo on that trip. A friend of mine had an unsuccessfulcharter trip in the Delacroixarea this past summer. After thetrip was over he and his crew fished off the pier on the side of

the road near the boat launch.The results were two ice chestsfull of beautiful blue cats.Recently, I was chosen to be the

weighmaster for a tournamentfor our job site. Instead of fooling around with a boat thatday, I decided to fish off therocks at Lake Poludre to killtime before the weigh-in.Between my partner and I wecaught thirty two nice bluegillsthat morning. Not bad at all.

We both had a nice mess of fishfor supper.

I don't know all the places forpeople without boats to fish butadd to the mix some of the

following places along with theones already mentioned. TheBonnet Carre Spillway. Thefishing pier on the north shoreof Lake Pontchartrain atMandeville, there's also a pier atthe mouth of the TchefuncteRiver. In Morgan City, there's a

fishing pier called Fisherman's Wharf on the Atchafalaya River.Fishing can also be done fromthe opposite bank of the river.The fishing pier on the Slidellend of Lake Pontchartrain isnow complete and is anexcellent place to spend the day.If you know someone who has apier on any of our local riversask permission to go fish there.Lamar Dixon's ponds are now open and many local ponds canbe fished with permission. You'llbe surprised what you might

catch. You might even want tospend a day at the Holdencatfish ponds.

I really enjoy fishing from aboat, but there's times when Idon't want to mess with thehassles of a boat. On those daysI load up my pickup and headout for some bank fishing orcrabbing. Very seldom am Idisappointed with my catch

without the use of a boat. Thefirst move to make is to get off the couch and give it a try because there's no such thing as

"There's no place to go".....

Until next time,

James "Goosie" Guice dem

I Don't Have Anywhere To Go

Ascension Outdoors Air Times

THE PELICAN - CHANNEL 113

SAT. - 9:00 - A.M.

SUN. - 7:30 - P.M.

MON. - 9:00 - P.M.

EATEL - CHANNEL 4

SAT. - 6:30 A.M. & 1:30 P.M.

SUN. - 1:30 P.M.

WED. - 10:00 P.M.

FRI. - 8 - P.M.

IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN

ADVERTIZING PLEASE CALL

225-485-7997

• All tires from ATV toCommercial Machinery

• All brands to fit autos, trucks and18 wheelers, including tractor/construction equipment tires

• Emergency road serviceassistance-Commercial Only

• Locally owned and operatedsince 2004

• New used and retreads• Great prices!

24 Hr. Emergency Roadside Service

Locally Owned & Operatedby Oscar, Linda, Dean & Neal Mire

Call for Appointment

225.445.3635

ON-SITE TIRE REPAIR

• Oysters By the Sack

• Fresh Shrimp

• A Wide Variety

of Fish and Seafood

• Snow Crabs

• Turtle Meat

Ask for Sally’s stuff crabs.You’ll love them.

Doug & Sally

WE ARE THE SEAFOOD SPECIALIST

Now Serv ing Bo i l ed Crawf ish

25



I was talking to my goodfriend Randall the other day-aw, you know Randall-Layton andBernice’s boy. Good-lookingsisters, his older brother Winston played quarterback atDutchtown and his youngerbrother Eric broke a family tra-dition and went to Gonzales andlater starred in baseball at East Ascension.

Anyway, we were talking

about how when we first startedplaying golf at the old GonzalesCountry Club that we used tolaugh at all the “old farts” andnow we’ve become the “old

farts” that today’s youngstersare making sport of.

And we were rememberingthe summer days when we were

out of school and sitting on theporch at Uncle Jack’s store lis-tening to the old-timers argueabout sports and politics and thechanging times or complainingabout the price of Cokes jump-ing from a nickel to six cents.

“Man, I wonder what we’d betelling the young people of today if we’d be sitting on thatporch (or the one at UncleGeorge’s in Oak Grove) if they

inquired about the years we’veseen,” I said.

“Would we bore them withstories of the past or would they consider it a valuable lesson in

cultural literacy?”Randall replied that the trick

to holding the attention of thisremote-control generation’s

attention is to not go too farback and to not tell them stuff that they already know.

We decided 10 years was tooshort-not even out of the 21stcentury-and that 50 years wastoo long ago.

Besides, who wants toremember 1963-a disastrous year for the country, for our

beloved Yankees and for rock and roll music.That was the year that

President John F. Kennedy wasassassinated in Dallas and thecountry mourned…

Yankee fans also went intomourning after the hatedDodgers- behind ace southpaw Sandy Koufax- swept the BronxBombers in four straight gamesto win the World Series.

To add insult to injury, thefinal game was decided when Yankee first baseman JoePepitone lost a throw from third

in the white-shirted crowd’sbackground (Yes, people used todress up for sporting events.) toallow the winning run to score.

And music had sunk to an all-

time low with Jerry Lee andChuck Berry in one kind of trouble or another leaving thenumber one Billboard hit of

1963 to a bubble-gum numbercalled “Sugar Shack”.

Thank Apollo, the Beatlesarrived shortly after to save ourmusical souls.

Randall suggested some datein the middle-maybe a 25-yearreunion of events from 1988that might please the store-porch crowd-especially if we

bought the Cokes and StagePlanks.I agreed-pointing out that we

could use the PresidentialElection of that year as a spring-board, assuring our young audi-ence that even back then, thetwo major parties had troubledeciding on viable candidates.

The Republicans chosestanding Vice-president GeorgeH. Bush-even though a standing Veep had not been electedPresident in 152 years-and theDemocrats went withMassachusetts liberal Michael

Dukakis.“Dukakis?” sneered comedian

and perennial candidate PatPaulsen. “What kind of name isthat for a President? Where are

the Washington’s, the Jackson’s,and the Jefferson’s these days? All in the NBA, I guess.”

The highlight of the entire

Old Friends,Old Stores,

Old Memories by Bill Delaune

26



campaign came during a Vice-presidential debate betweenBush’s running mate DanQuayle (who had misspelled“potato” while visiting an ele-mentary school) and the politi-cally savvy Democrat LloydBentsen of Texas.

When Quayle claimed he hadas much experience as JFK did when he ran for President,Bentsen shot back, “I served

with Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Any you, sir, are no Jack Kennedy.”

Bush won in a landslidealthough one independent-thinker from West Virginia castan Electoral College vote forBentsen who was probably thebest of the bunch.

If politics didn’t interest them, we could always switch to thescandals of 1988 which hadeverybody talking. We coulddescribe in great detail how

Baton Rouge televangelistJimmy Swaggert was not exactly practicing what he was preach-ing when he was caught with aNew Orleans prostitute in aseedy Airline motel.

Or how the ’88 Olympic 100-meter champion Ben Johnson was stripped of his medals (a lotof stripping involved in bothcases) for using an illegal sub-stance we were unfamiliar withat the time-steroids.

Or maybe we could try somemodern-day irony by tellingthem how the United States col-

lectively chuckled in 1988 whenits bitter Cold War rival Russia was forced to withdraw from a war it couldn’t win against a tiny country called—Afghanistan.

How about we accentuate thepositive a bit on the sports scene with a feel-good stor y about aNew Orleans horse named RisenStar winning two legs of theTriple Crown-the Preakness andthe Belmont.

The son of Secretariat wouldhave probably won the TripleCrown but drew the dreaded

number one post position in theKentucky Derby and jockey Eddie Delahoussey had to circle19 horses just to get third.

The Dodgers were back inthe World Series in 1988 butslugger Kirk Gibson was notsupposed to play. In fact, he was getting treatment on his badknee and pulled groin duringthe first game with L.A. trailing4-3 when manager Tommy Lasorda sent a note to theclubhouse to see if he couldpinch-hit.

With two out in the ninth and

a man on second, Gibsonlimped to the plate, worked thecount to 3-2 and then lined a

game-winning homer into theright-field seats.

As he stumbled around thebases pumping his fists, Gibsoncould not hear legendary Dodger announcer Vin Scully proclaim-“In a season of theimprobable, you have just seenthe impossible.” The Dodgers went on to win the Series in fivegames and they haven’t wonsince. It was Gibson’s only at-

bat in the Series.If the kids needed a hero a lit-

tle closer to home to hold theirinterest, we could bring upGrambling’s own Doug Williams who in 1988 becamethe first Afro-American quarter-back to win a Super Bowl. Williams was the MVP whileleading Washington to a 42-10rout over Denver, but the mostmemorable quote of the week came in a pre-game interview when Williams was asked, “How long have you been a black

quarterback?”Of course, they’d all be ontheir smart phones by now so we could recommend someclassic 1988 movie scenes on YouTube to show them whatHollywood used to producebefore endless “Fast andFurious” car chases and spectac-ular explosions took over.

I mean, who wouldn’t beimpressed with DustinHoffman’s amazing portrayal of the autistic “Rain Man” (“I’man excellent driver.”) or EddieMurphy playing multiple roles in

the barbershop scene in“Coming to America” (“Rocky Marciano. Rocky Marciano.Every time we talk boxing, you white folks pull Rocky Marcianoout of your…”).

Still no reaction? Then con- jure up a little “Beetlejuice” andlevitate the entire assembly tothe old Calypso classic “BananaBoat” (“Day-o, Day-o…”) likeMichael Keating did in 1988.

By now, the earphones wouldbe out and all the youngsters would be listening to some

wannabe thug rapping about what he’s going to do to his“bitches” with “hard-k” wordsabounding.

So we could counter with how Paul Simon went all the way toSouth Africa to record a certainstyle of bass guitar for his“Graceland” opus which won“Song of the Year” in 1988.

Not quite as good as scratch-ing a record needle over aturntable but you have to appre-ciate the effort.

Maybe the catchy Beach Boys’tune “Kokomo” would strike a

nerve with the rhyming islandnames-“Aruba, Jamaica, ooo I wanna take ya-Bermuda,

Bahama, come on pretty mama…”

And they might be impressedto know that the same grouphad number one hits like“Surfin’ U.S.A.” in 1963, some25 years before that ’88 single.

We might even get a chucklefrom the Rascal Flatts crowd when we talk about country music from 1988 when GeorgeJones was trying to drown his

troubles by drinking whiskey from an Elvis decanter in aFlintstones glass in his hit“Yabba Dabba Doo, the King IsGone and So Are You”.

Maybe they’d prefer asarcastic Billy Joe Royal’sparting shot-“I’d Pin a Note on Your Pillow or You Might NotEven Notice That I’m Gone”.

Not that we didn’t havemournful country hits back in1988. Vern “The Voice”Godsin could fill your beer withtears when he cried, “You don’t

know about lonely-til it’sChiseled in Stone…” Well if you’re still with us,

faithful readers, you probably lasted longer than our youngcrowd would have made it.Please forgive Randall and Bill’sexcellent adventure back to1988 in our Wayback TimeMachine but it’s something wehave to do from time to time tokeep our wits in this mad, mad,

mad, mad world. You see, that year was the last

time we celebrated our birth-days-mine on March 19 andRandall’s three days later.

I turned 39 in ’88 and havebeen celebrating anniversariesever since. For example, this year was the 25th anniversary of my 39th birthday. Just sounds younger.

Randall wasn’t so lucky. Sgt.

Randall P. LeBlanc’s 39th birth-day was also his last as he diedon May 14, 1988-25 years agothis month. A true Americanhero and a hell of a tough guy,he won the Bronze Star in Vietnam. And though his namedoes not appear on any wall, thecancer that killed him was adirect result of the chemical Agent Orange sprayed on jun-gles-and soldiers-to kill theenemy’s underbrush hidingplaces.

It was good talking to you,

old buddy. Stop by and see ussome time if you’re in town. You won’t believe how muchPrairieville’s changed in the last25 years. Sure, the old store’sgone. But the music’s stillcountry and the beer’s still cold.

Miss you, pards.

Hey Dr. Rob,

I Love What YouDo for Me.

ASCENSION PARISH

ANIMAL HOSPITAL

225.744.4905

27



DJ MUSIC & KARAOKE ... VIP $2.75 Domestics!!

Useless Random Facts with Kellie

•

Banging your head against a wall uses150 calories an hour.

•

A pe rson cann ot ta ste food un le ss it is mixed wi thsaliva. For example, if strong-tasting substance

like salt is placed on a dry tongue, the taste buds wi ll not be ab le to taste it . As soon as a drop of

saliva is added and the salt is dissolved, however, adefinite taste sensation results and this is true

for all foods.•

Humans are the only primates that don't havepigment in the palms of their hands.

•

Contrary to popular belief, polar bears are notactually left handed.

•

-The longest recorded flight of a chickenis thirteen seconds

•

The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indis-tinguishable from those of humans, so much sothat they could be confused at a crime scene

•

There was an estimate that 84.5 million women in Amer ica are mo th er s.

•

150,000 house fires are caused by home appliances.

•

The flowers bought for mom have a good chanceof having been grown in California. Among the15 surveyed states, California was the leading

provider of cut flowers in 2009, accounting for75 percent of domestic flower production

($269 million out of $359 million at wholesale va lu e) in th ose states . (The da ta perta in on ly tooperations with sales greater than or

equal to $100,000.)

•

Percentage of mothers who expected to book theirown Mother's Day brunch reservations in 2012,

according to an OpenTable survey: 65.

•

In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a periodof 80 years, no one reported a single case where

an ostrich buried its head in the sand

•

More than 50% of the people in the world have

never made or received a telephone call." B E S T H A P P Y H O U R I N T H E A R E A !

$ 2 . 7 5 D O M E S T I C L O N G N E C K S ! "

1711 S. BURNSIDE • GONZALES • 644-8901

V i s i t o u r w e b s i t e : w w w . p a r k p l a c e o f g o n z a l e s . c o m “ L I K E ” U S O N F A C E B O O K

EVERY DAY AT HAPPY HOUR ,

TRY YOUR LUCK AT ROLL-A-DAY!

DJ MUSIC& NUDE KARAOKE$4 Naked Ladies

for Our VIP’s

Monday Monday

Tuesday &

Wednesday

Thursday Thursday

Friday Friday

Saturday Saturday

Every Sunday Every Sunday

DJ MUSIC / KARAOKE

Tues. $5 Double Wells for VIP’s Weds. VIP Special $4 Vegas Bombs

5/23 Jennifer James

& Dustin10-12 KARAOKE & DJ MUSIC AFTER

5/30 PAT-E & RYAN

10-12 KARAOKE & DJ MUSIC AFTER

6/6 CAM & MIKE10-12 KARAOKE & DJ MUSIC AFTER

6/13 SENOR’ PUPPET10-12 KARAOKE & DJ MUSIC AFTER

5/17 ... BACKLIT STEREO5/24 ... TRUE SPIN5/31 ... PHUNKY MONKEYS

6/7 ... TRUE SPIN

6/14 ... PHUNKY MONKEYS

5/18... LOUISIANA

5/25 ... AM/FMW/JUSTIN McCOY

6/1 .. NOT FOR SALE

6/8 .. KARAOKE

$4 Jager Shots for Our VIP’s

NO COVER

MEGATOUCH, FOOSEBALL AND POOL TABLES.

SHOW YOUR PARK PLACE APP OR TEXT AT THE DOOR & GET A FREE DRINK • W/COVER ON BAND NIGHTS!

SHOW YOUR PARK PLACE APP OR TEXT AT THE DOOR & GET A FREE DRINK • W/COVER ON BAND NIGHTS!

REGISTER WITH

US TO RECEIVE

DISOUNTS AND

SPECIALS THAT ARE

ONLY AVAILABLE

TO VIP CUSTOMERS!!

VISIT

www.parkplacemobile.com

TO GET YOUR PARK

PLACE APP. TO RECEIVE

TEXT ALERTS VIA SMS,TEXT txme4 PPVIP TO

368266!

28



“Baseball,Baseball,

Who has theBaseball?”

This past week my son needed

three references for a research

paper entitled ‘The history of

baseball’. We started by checking

the internet, then a baseball triviabook helped us find critical facts

but we needed some current

baseball information. We haeded

to a super sized retail store to

find current magazines about

todays baseball. I was sure they

had what we needed.

We entered the magazine and

book department where we

began my quest for a magazine

that covers baseball.

There were magazines formen. There were magazines for

women. There were magazines

for your furniture, your sex life

and for hunting. After a few

moments I realized the titles

were in alphabetical order. I

headed for the B’s. There was

boxing, biking and Buff. Beauty,

Brides and B.E.T. Soon I was in

the ‘C’ section, Cars, Cooks and

Crafts, Coins, and Cinema.

Where the Hell is Baseball?I surveyed magazines about

zits, skateboards and cartoons,

Hot Air Balloons, Crossword

puzzles and muscles. Cosmo,

Jumbo, Zydeco, I’m just a

Joe Smo. Where the Hell is

my baseball?

Panic momentarily set in.

I know.... try the ‘S’ section for

sports. My confidence grew.

Football and Tennis was front

and center. I saw wrestling,fishing, running and gunning.

Track, SWAC, Cracked, I want

my baseball back. Camping was

there then magazines about hair.

Dogs and Cats were everywhere.Still baseball was nowhere.

I took a step back, looked

around the building making sure

I was in Wally World, the store

that has everything.

Yea, everything but baseball.

Political magazines and Who’s

Who, Tattoo, I even saw one

about VooDoo. Surfing,

swimming, tanning and fun.

If I don’t get some baseball

I’m gonna get my gun.

Nowhere, amoung this vast

literary buffet is one sign of

America’s favorite past time. It’s

just not here.

My blood pressure is up, my

rage was building, when it hit

me. There is but one possible

answer for the absence of the

subject matter for which every

red blooded American should

desire.

It shocked me that the

section of the store that shelves

hundreds of magazines didn’t

have baseball. I figured there

must be one reason and one

reason only for not being

available. BASEBALL

MAGAZINES MUST HAVE

BEEN SOLD OUT.

Thoughts from Bully

hair forumhair forumS A L O N

Committedto HealingHair &PlanetEarth

L’ANZA’s Products & Actions Promote AHealthy & Sustainnable Earth.

6 2 2 . 2 1 8 3

If you are running out of space?

We are the place.Storage Space Available



Memorial Day is a UnitedStates federal holiday which occursevery year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in theUnited States Armed Forces.

Formerly known as DecorationDay, it originated after the American Civil War to commemo-rate the Union and Confederatesoldiers who died in the Civil War.By the 20th century MemorialDay had been extended to honorall Americans who have died in all wars. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, whileLabor Day marks its end.

Many people visit cemeteries andmemorials, particularly to honorthose who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave innational cemeteries.

By the early 20th century,Memorial Day was an occasion formore general expressions of memory, as people visited thegraves of their deceased relativesin church cemeteries, whether they had served in the military or not.It also became a long weekendincreasingly devoted to shopping,family gatherings, fireworks,trips to the beach, and nationalmedia events.

Annual Decoration Days forparticular cemeteries are held on aSunday in late spring or early summer in some rural areas of the American South, notably in themountains. In cases involvinga family graveyard where remoteancestors as well as those who were deceased more recently areburied, this may take on thecharacter of an extended family reunion to which some peopletravel hundreds of miles. Peoplegather on the designated day andput flowers on graves and renew contacts with kinfolk and others.There often is a religious serviceand a "dinner on the ground," the

traditional term for a potluck mealin which people used to spread thedishes out on sheets or tableclothson the grass. It is believed that thispractice began before the American Civil War and thus may reflect the real origin of the"memorial day" idea.

Memorial Day is not to beconfused with Veterans Day;Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving, while Veterans Day celebrates the serviceof all U.S. military veterans, livingor dead.

Memorial Day Remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

USS MISSOURI • PEARL HARBOR



Meet theFacesBehind theGold Shield

I’d like to start this column by simplysaying “I love my job and the people Iwork with.” I truly could not have imag-ined having so much fun working in thepest control industry. This was a ratherbizarre career change for me, but I amvery glad I made that decision.

Just for the many people that do notknow us, J & J Exterminating has beenaround for over 53 years in Louisiana.The founder of our company opened hisfirst business with his older brother in

Crowley in 1959, and to this day, thatoffice is still going strong. Since then, wehave grown to 11 offices in the State of Louisiana and continue to bring promi-nence and dominance to these areas.

2012 was a fantastic year for J & JExterminating of Baton Rouge. Our little4 man operation from 2012 shot up to 7by April 2013. We received one of themost prestigious awards from our yearlycompany gathering of “Highest GrowthAchieved 2012”. To say that we wererunning like crazy, all hours of the dayand night would be a drastic understate-ment.

J & J Exterminating has been advertis-ing with Mike at Ascension Magazine fora little over a year now, and we have metsome really interesting new people aswell as help build our clientele. MikeStrong has been a friend for quite sometime, and he has definitely been a hugepart of our success in AscensionParish…I owe him for sure, but don’t tellhim I said that

Although I know everyone has appreci-ated the good looking guy in the picture,and what recommendations I have givenover the past issues of termites,mosquitoes, ants, etc., I now havesomething else to discuss. I would likeyou to meet everyone behind our successat this office…

William Wilson,Residential Pest Technician

When he first came on, I was a bitskeptical because of his young age andlack of knowledge in the industry. I wasmore concerned about the customers

that I had been servicing myself, and Iwanted to know that they were going tobe taken care of. Needless to say,William turned his customer base intomore like a fan base. After a few shortmonths, the customers who I had beenservicing for years, they had begun toforget who I was. As you can imagine,

this stung a little, but it was all for thegreater good. William brought a wholenew dimension to customer service withhis punctuality, professionalism, and hisgreat attitude towards life. His customerbase was beginning to grow immensely,and every single last one of them wantedWilliam, and William ONLY to be the oneservicing their home. To me, this is thehighest form of a compliment.

Vincent Dantoni,Commercial Pest Technician

We brought Vince over to run ourCommercial Pest route, which believe itor not, can be very, very tough and takesa lot of discipline. Who better to handlethis than a retired Navy veteran? After

20 years in the service, he wanted to tryhis luck in the pest control industry. Asfunny as it sounds, this was the perfecttransition for him and for us. This is aguy that wakes up and hits the roadevery morning around 4 am to get ajump start on his day. Vince is in chargeof all our commercial pest controlaccounts, which takes much dedicationand commitment. He has learned tostrengthen the relationships between ourcustomers and J & J Exterminating bybringing a very high value of service toour customers. By doing this, he has hada tremendous impact on our success inhelping these people with not only thepest problems in the place of work, butas well as helping with their issues at

their homes as well.

Russell Hano,Residential PestTechnician/Termite Specialist

Now, here is a guy that has been inthe termite/pest control industry forover 10 years and possesses a lot of knowledge. When he first came to me,he had just gotten out of the landscapingfield and was looking to make his moveback into the world of pest control. Wehad been struggling for a while, trying tofind the right person that would fit for allthat we believed in, and sure enough herehe came. Having someone on your teamwith so much experience brings much joyto us. There are a lot of rules andregulations that we have to followaccording to the Department of Agriculture and this guy holds all of us upto these standards. Experience isn’tsomething that is given, it is earned. Inthis business, it’s called “Sweat Equity.”Russell is a guy that will roll his sleevesup and get dirty with the best of ‘em.Having him solving our residential pestand termite issues was definitely a hugestep in the right direction.

Erin Allain,Account Manager

The addition of Mrs. Allain wasprobably one of the proudest moments of this office. We were looking for someonewho had the capability or growing ourmarket and strengthening our customerbase, and boy did we pick a winner!Having someone who is so genuine,trustworthy, and simply polite, is such abreath of fresh air. One of my favoritestories of her is that a customer askedher “Did you really crawl under my houseto inspect it for termites?” Not knowingthis is a woman who is not afraid tothrow a jump suit on, get under a house,crawl all around and not leaving until sheis finished with her investigation. Herresponse to this was…“I would like foryou to crawl to the furthest point underyour home and look up….there you willfind my business card hanging from your

floor joists.” After that, he was a believer.She has been known for not only settingup our customers for the right treat-ment, but she will be right there along

side of the guys the whole time thattreatment is being done.

Brenton Hano,Termite Technician

This guy is the most ambitious, eagerperson I know. Brenton is constantlycoming to me with suggestions on how tomaximize his time in and out of the field,as well as being very persistent aboutgiving him additional things to learn andperfect. He brings so much energy to ouroffice and is one of the hardest workingguys in the company. For being as young

as he is, Brenton has mastered all therules and regulations that were given tohim by the Department of Agriculture.He continues to impress me daily withhis knowledge and his own personalneed for perfection.

Barbara Heil,Office Manager

Where to begin?? Mrs. Barbara playsthe most valuable role in this entireoffice. Barbara brought over quite a fewyears in the pest control industry, whichwas exactly what the Dr. ordered. Sheanswers the phones, schedules all thetermite jobs, runs Accounts Payables andReceivables, handles payroll, and is ourHuman Resources Dept. To put it into

perspective, she is the glue that holdsthis office together. Without her, wewould be a bunch of lost souls. She ismy right hand wo-man and without herprofessional knowledge of all the basicfunctions, we would not be wherewe are today!

Special thanks to each and every oneof ya’ll playing such a huge part of oursuccess, and I look forward to the futureof J&J Exterminating Co of Baton Rouge.

J&J Exterminating Coof Baton Rouge6313 Equity Drive• Baton Rouge La 70809

225-756-2444www.jjext.com

BUGGIN’ OUT with Ron Barattini



Jambalaya Festival Band Schedule 2013Thursday,

May 23rd

Eatel Sound Stage

(outside)

Na Na Sha7:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Friday,

May 24th

Eatel Sound Stage

(outside)

Hai Karate5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Chee Weez9:00 PM - midnight

Lotto Sound Stage(inside Gonzales Civic Center)

Chubby Carrier7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Don Rich10:00 PM - midnight

Budweiser Stage(outside)

Not For Sale4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Saturday,

May 25th

Eatel Sound Stage

(outside)

Ampersand2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Blue Eyed

Soul Revue5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

TK Hulin &

GG Shinn9:00 PM - midnight

Lotto Sound Stage

(inside Gonzales Civic Center)

Cliff Nickens

11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

90 Degrees West2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Kenny Cornett &

Killin’ Time5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Ryan Foret &

Foret Tradition9:00 PM - midnight

Budweiser Stage

(outside)

Fly by Night10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

T-Boy Moore

& Just Us1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Free Style5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Sunday,

May 26th

Eatel Sound Stage

(outside)

Lil’ Bit Meaux 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Eddie Smith Band

w/ The Bayou

Boogie Band

HornSection3:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Boogie King

All Stars8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Lotto Sound Stage(inside Gonzales Civic Center)

Lil’ Bayou Band1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Kenny Fife & Bac

Trac w/ PattyBristor

4:30 PM - 7:30 PM

The All Star Band:

Van & Grace

Broussard, Steve &

Mike Broussard,

Luther Kent,

Chris LeBlanc,

David Adamsand

Pat Sanchez8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Budweiser Stage

(outside)

Back Lit Stereo9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Yeti Buford1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Motor Vated4:30 PM - 7:30 PM



Memorial Day

Weekend Band Schedule

• Friday - Karaoke 7-11

• Saturday - Little Bayou Band 9pm-1am

• Sunday - Charlie Moran & Mainline 9pm-1am

622-4884

Karaoke Every Friday 7- 11 • Live Music Every Saturday - Sunday • 622-4884



One of my goals in writing thesearticles is allowing you to get toknow our local musicians on a morepersonal level and appreciate how lucky we are that they give back somuch to our community.

Most of you know that we are

going on a Swamp Pop Cruise next April with the Ryan Foret Band, soI figured this was a good time tointroduce all of you to their premierdrummer Mr. Lynn Boudreaux. I’mgoing to be spending a week withthese guys so I wanted to know Lynna little better also. Two birds, onestone y’all know the drill.

A natural drummer Lynn wasdriving his mom crazy beating on hisTupperware drums at five years old.(How about that ad, Tupperware?) Around six years old L ynn got his firstdrum set, sort of. The drums werecovered with heavy paper so they didn’t even make it through a wholeday and Lynn was back to theTupperware. It appeared that this was

going to last so at seven, Lynn’s fatherMelvin brought him to Music Inc.and Mr. Jimmy Millet outfitted him with a real set of drums and Lynngave his Tupperware back to his

mom.Until high school Lynn was truly

self-taught. He spent a lot of timeplaying along with the music on theradio until he joined the band at East Ascension under Band Director SheilaBell and Assistant Band Director

Parrish Sonnier. Parrish set up asummer drum camp that Lynn readily signed up for. Parrish even went toget him on the first day of camp andLynn was so shy he didn’t answer thedoor. Lucky for us he did answer thedoor on the second day and really started his career that day. One day Parrish asked Lynn to give him a“groove”. Not knowing whathe wanted Lynn did some rolls.Parrish explained to Lynn thata “groove” on the drums islike a guitar “riff”. It is arhythm beat pattern such asfunk or blues. Once heunderstood and learnedsome “grooves” the drumsreally made sense to Lynn.

Knowing from an early agethat he wanted to play musicprofessionally he was a sponge,absorbing all he could fromother drummers andmusicians, and studyingthe different styles of drummers he admired. At seventeen he gota call from MikeBroussard, Sr.Seems that Mike’sregular drummer,Donald “Quack”Gautreaux, couldn’tmake the weddinggig they had bookedat the Rec Center inGonzales could Lynndo the job. Heck yes!

That was an impressivefirst gig; Mike is astickler for a tightsound.

After graduation from High SchoolLynn went to Southeastern where hecouldn’t play in the marching band,since they didn’t have one, but heplayed in the Symphony band andlearned more about reading music.He prefers to play by ear but knowinghow to read music is a valuable tool. At eighteen he got a call from BlaineBrignac of the Tighen-Up Band.They needed a drummer so Lynn joined Blaine, Travis Fredrick, EveBraud, Mike Broussard, Jr., Jeremy Babin, Thad James and Mark Daigleand played with them for three years.

During this time the band recorded acassette that Grace Vassar of “Grace’sLounge” financed for them. Gracesaw a lot of bands and could pick outtalent when she saw it.

Lynn started working at Music, Inc.for Jimmy Millet during this time andafter a couple years there he started tobelieve this was what he would do forhis living. However, this wasn’t hispath. Randy Lachalia, from Lafayette, was the leader of the band Dominoand they wanted Lynn to play withthem. They toured around the regionfor two years.

After Domino Lynn started playing with the Calico Cats and toured theregion with them for another couple years. Upon leaving them he ended

up back at Music Inc. until he becamea member of the House Band at theStockyard Saloon in Lafayette. Twicea month the band would open for themajor acts coming through Lafayette.Lynn was able to open for some bignames such as Diamond Rio, Leanne Womack, Lone Star, Ronnie Millsapand T. Graham Brown. This gig sureadded to Lynn’s diversity in playing.For a time he wanted to be a studiomusician. For the next seven years heplayed with the Cam Pyle Band doinggigs from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.

While Lynn was in Lafayette helearned to hang and finish drywall.So until his music was able to supporthim he did that and installed floors with Jeff Hood in Baton Rouge.

Some of you may have heard of Lynn’s cousin that plays music-Kenny Fife. So far as Lynn knows he andKenny are the only members of thefamily that play music. In 2006 Lynngot a call from his cousin Joe Fife who

wanted him to hear the Ryan Foretand Foret Tradition Band from the West Bank of New Orleans. Lynn wasable to hear Ryan not long after.

Ryan had Lynn sit in with the bandduring their gig and obviously liked what he heard; Lynn joined the banda year later. Lynn has been with Ryansince then and played on the last twoalbums and a few songs on theprevious album.

I am always interested in whoinfluences musicians, Lynn’s list isimpressive. Some of his majorinfluences were: Mike Broussard and

Nite Train, Kane Glaze & Cousin,Kenny Fife & Bac Trac, Heart & Souland Wayne Toups and Zydecajun.

Lynn’s father, Melvin, died from abrain tumor in 1996 but his mother Vera follows him as much as she can. Vera loves to dance and who better todo it to than your very own son.Lynn’s sister, Melanie Michaels,taught dance at “All About Dance”for 25 years plus. Lynn is arrangingthe music for their recital this year.Lynn went all the way to Zachary, tofind himself a beautiful nurse that works at Woman’s Hospital in theOncology Department, for a girl-friend. In his off time he loves fishingand basketball. So if anyone has bas-ketball tickets they can’t us give Lynn

a call.I had a very enjoyable time gettingto know Lynn a little better and hope you enjoy this article as much as Ienjoyed the process. I was impressed with Lynn’s passion for his music andcareer. He is an all-around good guy and another great ambassador for Ascension Parish and South Louisianaand the Cajun Culture. Now I can’t wait to spend a few days at sea withLynn and the rest of the band.

I want to express my thanks toLynn for granting me thetime for this interview.

Roland DoucetGuaranty Broadcasting

100.7 FM WTGE

Lynn BoudreauxThe Natural Drummer



JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL 2013 POSTER

JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL 2013 POSTER on sale at the Festival in the Recreation Center ... $15

or call 225.647.2937 to order a print.

On Sale Now

ART WORK BY MIKE STRONG

THE MAKING OF THE JAMBALAYA FESTIVAL POSTER 2013

It starts with a sketch Put a little color Block in some shapes

Start adding some detail Create images of your message

Finalize the art images



Jambalaya Festival2013 Event Schedule

Thursday May 23

Cooking ContestChamp of Champs 1:00 PM

Carnival 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM(Pay one Price $20)

Friday May 24

Cooking Contest • Heat 1-410:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Carnival 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM(Pay one Price $20)

Saturday May 25

Cooking Contest • Heat 5-86:30 AM - Noon

Heat winners announced at 5 PM

Arts & Craft Show • 9:00 AM - 6:00 PMIrma Blvd

Car Show • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PMIn Front of the KC Hall

Mini Pot Contest (Ages 17 and under)10:00 AM - Noon

Mini Pot Contest (Ages 18 and older)2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Carnival 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM*(Pay one Price $20)

5:00 PM - 11:00 PM*(Pay one Price $20)

Sunday May 26

Cooking Contest • SemiFinals6:00 AM - 7:30 PM

In Font of Gonzales Civic Center

5K & 1 Mile Run/Walk Registration7:00 AM

5K Run 8:00 AM1 Mile Run/Walk 9:00 AM

Arts & Craft Show 9:00 AM - 5:00 PMCarnival 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM*

(Pay one Price $20)

5:00 PM - 10:00 PM*(Pay one Price $20)

Cooking Contest Finals 1:00 PM

Weekends Passes for rides and amusements are $50

Op

Mon/Tues - 3 till

Weds - 2 till

Thurs - Sun 1 - till

EAST CREEK TOWN CENTER • 14505 HWY. 44 • 225.622.3719 • Veterans Get First Round on the House with I.D.

ASCENSION’S PREMIER DESTINATION FOR DAIQUIRIS, SPORTS, SPIRITS & ENTERTAINMENT

Monday thru Friday Daiquiris & Draft Specials

Happy Hour 4-7Mon - Live Music .. Starts @ 8pm

Tues - Service Industry Night

Wed - Karaoke • 9pm

Thurs & Fri - Live Music

Sat - Ladies Night 7-10pm



Prep Time:30 minutes

Servings:8 servings

Ingredients:

8 Fresh Roma Tomatoes

2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 Tbsp Crack ed Black Pepper (fresh if available)

½ cup olive oil

2 boxes Boursin garlic & herb cheese

3 oz fresh bleu cheese crumbles

Method:

P r e - h e a t y ou r o ve n t o 4 5 0 d e g r e e s . Ve r y c a r e f u l l y s h a v e t h e b o t t o m o f t h e t o m a t o t oc r e a t e a f l a t s u r f a c e . C u t t h e t o p o f t h et o m a t o a n d u s i n g a m e l o n b a l l e r , c a r e f u l l y h o l l o w o u t t h e i n s i d e o f t h e t o m a t o . C o a tt h e t o m a t o e s i n o l i v e o i l a n d s p r i n k l e t h e m

w i t h s a l t a n d p e j p p e r . I n a s e p a r a t e c o n t a i n e rc o m b i n e t h e B o u r s i n a n d b l e u c h e e s e t h e ns t u f f t h e t o m a t o e s . I n a n o v e n s a f e d i s h ,b a k e t h e t o m a t o e s f o r a p o x 1 0 m i n u t e s , o ru n t i l t h e c h e e s e s t a r t s t o b u b b l e . P r o m p t l y r e m o v e t h e t o m a t o e s f r o m t h e o v e n a n d a l l o w t o c o o l b e f o r e e n j o y i n g t h e m .

S e r v e a s a s i d e d i s h f o r h e a r t y m e a l s o r u s esm al le r to ma to es as a unique appetizer

Stuffed Roma

Tomatoes

Executive Chef

Ben Jarreau &Sous ChefBrandon Kling

Cooking Gourmet at Homewith SNO’S SEAFOOD & STEAKS

House of Mougeot

Specializing in Women's, Juniors andChildren’s clothing and Jewelry.Come see our beautiful dresses,baby blankets and bows.Professionally designed and craftedby our local vendors!

Give us a visit. I’m sure you’ll bepleasantly surprised.

Tammy Mougeot, Owner

13119 Airline Hwy • Gonzales, LA 70737 • 225-644-3550( Behind Sno’s Seafood )

A Unique Boutique & Salon

Call Lauren

for appointment.

Walk-ins

Welcome

• LicensedCosmetologist

• Permanentmakeup

• Hair restoration

Full Service Salon



PHOTOS BY Mike Strong & Rhett Bourgeois ( Rhett’s are the good ones.)



Beauty Mergeswith Civic

Responsibility at JFA

Pageants

The 46th Jambalaya Festival seasonkicked off Saturday night at the Gonzales

Civic Center as a capacity crowd attendedthe 2013 Miss Gonzales and Miss TeenJambalaya Pageants. A number of youngladies vied for the titles, each a winner in thiscommunity.

The evening opened with pageant director,Elise Tureau, introducing the current MissGonzales Jambalaya, Meredith Conger andMiss Teen Gonzales, Lexie Scioneaux, whowere joined on stage by the nine contestantscompeting for their coveted titles. After muchpomp and circumstance, the evening culmi-nated with the crowning of Stevi Girouard asMiss Gonzales and Alyssa Gordillo as MissTeen Gonzales.

Mistress and Master of Ceremonies, Carol

Ann Frederic and Todd Longintroduced the contestants individually as theinterview and evening gowncompetitions commenced. Frederic, whohas been a proponent of the JambalayaFestival since its inception, will be missingfrom the festival in May for the first time ever,as she and husband Frank attend thegraduation in Kentucky of their granddaugh-ter. It was clear that her spirit and supportwill be missed.

The aspirants for Miss Gonzales includedeventual winner of the overall title, Ms.Girouard, who also won the fashion andinterview categories. Stevi, an EastAscension High School graduate, who is

majoring in social studies at SoutheasternLouisiana University, is a lifelong resident ofGonzales who would love to return to EA

to teach history as well as sponsor thecheer team.

First alternate, Jacqueline Gautreau, is aDutchtown High grad currently attendingNicholls State University where she seeks aMasters Degree in Elementary Education.

Jacqueline is a member of the Colonelettesdance team as well as Delta Zeta sorority.

She aspires to teach kindergarten at SpanishLake Elementary.Second alternate, Maria Vidrine, was

also named Miss Congeniality and mostphotogenic. Maria’s real pride illuminated asshe spoke of her Cajun heritage and shetraces her ancestry back to the earliestFrench settlers of Louisiana, the Acadie.She is a St. Amant High School graduatecurrently studying anthropology at LSU. Sheclaims as her personal creed, “God first,family second, self last” and lists MotherTheresa as a role model.

The competition for Miss Teen Gonzalesincluded title recipient, Ms. Gordillo, who alsowon the fashion and interview categories.

Alyssa is a cheerleader at Dutchtown Highand participates on the competition team aswell as running cross-country. She viewspositivity as her greatest asset saying the

trait is deeply rooted in her Mexican-American heritage of which she is so proud.Just as proud as her parents, Pedro andJana are of her.

Providing stiff competition in the teen cate-gory was first alternate and most photogenic,Renee Delaune. Renee championed thespirit of community in her hometown as thereason she would be proud to be Miss TeenGonzales. She is an EAHS Spartanette andclass vice-president. She wants to make apositive difference in the lives of children asa neo-natal nurse.

Second alternate went to Jenna Cornett,an aspiring singer/songwriter who hasauditioned for The Voice, a popular NBC

singing competition. Jenna is a member ofthe St. Amant High School choir and was

named Ascension Idol in 2012.The pageant hopefuls assembled onstage

arrayed in a semi-circle around the outgoingqueens. Attired in simple all-white garb, instark contrast to the full on pageant regaliaadorning Meredith Conger and LexieScioneaux, the contestants appeared asladies in waiting attending to their queen. AsMarilyn Monroe’s voice sang “Diamonds Area Girl’s Best Friend” they performed a spirit-

ed dance routine to the delight of all present.Obviously this competition was going to behotly contested.

Before the new queens could be crowned

current royalty must abdicate. MeredithConger and Lexie Scioneaux did so in twoemotional farewell addresses. Lexie,escorted by her grandfather, ArthurScioneaux, took the stage first. She foughtback tears as she recounted “a perfect yearand perfect friendships, especially withMeredith Conger.” The tears flowed moreprofusely when Lexie thanked her friendsand family, particularly mom, Laurie. Themoving address was greeted by astanding ovation.

As Lexie concluded her goodbyes, thisyear’s contestants gathered stage left, eachcontemplating what the next year of theiryoung lives might hold in store. The nervous

energy was palpable as Meredith arrived,escorted by her dad, Mark. Very soon one ofthem would wear the crown.

Meredith spoke of the whirlwind the pastyear had been. As Miss Gonzales she hadtravelled far and wide representing her city,including a stint in Washington D.C., whereshe met with members of Congress fromour area.

Meredith choked up when telling of thebonds formed with fellow pageant winnersfrom around Louisiana, many of whom werepresent. The affection between these“rhinestone sisters” is apparent. Sheproffered many thanks but singled out hermom, Laurina. Meredith concluded with

advice to her successor. “Have fun becauseit goes by way too fast.” With that herreign ended.

As Stevi Girouard assumed the crown andtitle of Miss Gonzales Jambalaya 2013, shewas joined on stage by her parents, Daneand Sharon. They smiled broadly asStevi said, “it is an honor to representthe city I love.”

Articles Provided by The Creole



Toddlers andTiaras withoutthe Tantrums

The flower of Ascension Parish youth wason display at the Gonzales Civic Center onSunday afternoon as over 50 of our youngcompeted in nine divisions in the annualJunior Gonzales Jambalaya Pageants,sponsored by the Jambalaya FestivalAssociation. From toddlers to tweens theydonned their Sunday best to compete for thecoveted titles. Nervous moms and prouddads were beaming proudly in the largecrowd of enthusiastic supporters.

The pageant opened with the contestantsin the Baby King (0-2 years) division takingthe stage. Maverick Clements,Anthony Verlander, Ethan Bourque, AceBateman and Jason Kaigler did their best toimpress the judges. Maverick Clements wasawarded the title of Baby King.

Next to grace the stage were the Junior

King (2-4 years) hopefuls, Ethan Sutton andHudson Clements. Young Mr. Sutton wasrecipient of the crown.

Then it was the ladies turn. The Baby Miss(0-11 months) contestants were JoHannaWatson, London Louque, Mia Scioneaux,Kensleigh Pearson, Kadyn Templet andReece St. Pierre. London Louque tookthe honors.

They were followed by the Toddler Miss(12-23 months) competitors. The large fieldconsisted of Alyssa Perez, BraelynnAnderson, Averie Bourgeois, Jordyn Brown,Londyn LeBlanc, Abby Cadarette, AnaleeTemplet, Ava Odom, Makenna Quinn andGabrielle Bennett. Averie Bourgeois

prevailed over this crowded field.At precisely 2:36 p.m., as the participants

entered the spotlight, the festivities were

interrupted. The Civic Center fire alarmsounded and an automatedmessage implored everyone to head for thenearest exit. As moms and dads rounded uptheir youngsters and scurried for the exits itwas determined that one of the rambunc-tious youths hadaccidentally (we choose tobelieve) pulled down a fire alarm. Much tothe relief of the contestants and their fami-

lies, Mr. Doty Gautreau with the City ofGonzales arrived to save the day byresetting the alarm, and a good laugh washad by all.

The pageant resumed with the Tiny Miss(2-3 years) division. Brinley Bailey, AbigailLobell, Adelyn Hale, Makaela Buratt, RogueClements, Kaysen Dixon, Mikalyn Purser,Ryan Vidrine, Gabriella Rizzuto and KynzieTemplet vied for the prize. Gabriella Rizzutotook it home.

Next up was Petite Miss (4-5 years).Marlie Bourgeois, Blakeli Landry, Jeune-Claire Borders, Abigayle Mitchell and PresleyKling pranced and preened to the delight ofthe crowd. Presley Kling came away

with the title.Mini Miss (6-8 years) followed. Natasha

Stewart, Chloe Duplessis, Kyleigh Pearsonand Bentley Bateman were the competitors.Chloe Duplessis took home the large trophyand the title.

The seasoned veterans in Deb Miss (9-11years) took their turns to impress the judges.Gracie Guillot, Isabella Norsworthy, AlyssaPeralta, Amanda Hall and Shelby Cadarettewere the aspirants. Alyssa Peralta worethe laurels when all was said and done.

The old pros of Junior Miss (11-13)brought the competition to its close.McKenzie Nassar, Madison Latour, JacelynWheat and Abigail Erickson were each the

epitome of glitz and glamour in their turn. Itwas McKenzie Nassar who impressed the judges best and garnered coveted title.

As the day’s pageantry came to a close,

the Civic Center was a mix of smiles andfrowns, but one things for sure, everycontes-tant shined on Sunday. From the smallest ofthe small to the tween queens, each onewas a star!

Stevi RenaeGirouard

Stevi Renae Girouard is the 18-year old daughter of Dane and Sharon Girouard of Gonzales. She is a 2012 graduate of East Ascension HighSchool. Stevi is currently a Freshman at Southeastern Louisiana University, studying Social Studies Education. She is honored to have the chance to

represent a title so close to her heart and let everyone across the state know how wonderful the City of Gonzales and Jambalaya

Festival Association truly are.Stevi would like also to invite everyone in Ascension Parish to the Jambalaya Festival, May 23-26

Alyssa Gordillo

A dreamed was fulfilled when Alyssa Gordillo was crowned the

2013 Teen Miss Gonzales Jambalaya on May 4, 2013.Alyssa, 16, is the daughter of Jana and Pedro Gordillo and resides in Geismer, LA. She is a junior at Dutchtown High School where she is a member of the Dutchtown Varisty Cheer & Competition Cheer squad, Cross Country, Allied Health, and is a Dutchtown High Mentor. Alyssa has been involved in pageants since she was a baby and has been very successful leading up to her dream title as the 2013 Teen Miss Gonzales Jambalaya. Alyssa

says as a little girl it has been a dream of hers to reign over her hometown festival. She is excited that she now has the opportunityto give back to her community and the JFA that has so generouslyallowed her family to enjoy the festival and what it has to offer for so many years. For many years she has been one of the thousands in the crowd at the Jambalaya Festival, but this year it will be different because she will proudlystand out in the crowd humbly to represent her hometown this Memorial Day weekend. Although

Alyssa’s heritage background is Mexican-American, she definitelyhas picked up the South Louisiana Cajun taste buds for some of the best Jambalaya in the world.Alyssa would like to say she is honored to represent one of the old- est festivals in the state and will give her whole heart to serving the community, JFA, and the festival queens of Louisiana in hope to inspire young girls in our city as a role model. She would like to thank Elise Tureau and the JFA for accepting her into the Jambalaya Festival Association as their

2013 Teen Miss Gonzales and hopes she will make them proud during her year as queen.



Latil’s Landing Houmas House Plantation & Gardens

Invites You to Experience

OPEN DAILY Daily Tours:

Monday, Tuesday 9AM - 5 PM Wednesday-Sunday 9AM -7 PM

Cafe' Burnside:

11 AM- 2 PM daily Latil's Landing:

Wednesday through Saturday 6 PM- 9 PM,Sunday Brunch 11 AM - 3 PM;

Reservations Required

Latil’s Landing R E S T A U R A N T

R I V E R R O A D , B U R N S I D E , L A • 2 2 5 . 4 7 3 . 9 3 8 0 • k k @ h o u m a s h o u s e . c o m

J e r e m y L a n g l o i s ,

E x e c u t i v e C h e f



Like Us on

ascension magazine may 2013

Documents