The Jambalaya News

VOL. 1, NO. 19 /DECEMBER 17, 2009

ALSO:• New Year’s Recollections

• The Golden Age of Christmas Music

• Celebrating the Diversity of the Holidays

DECEMBER 17, 2009 Volume 1 • Issue 19

Randy RoachSenator Willie Mount

Don DixonKevin GuidryHal McMillin

Phil de AlbuquerqueJacob ColonnaLarry Spears

Kevin ThibodeauxKip Texada

Michael RaichelBritney Glaser

Brandon ThomasMarcus Wilridge

Frank HarrellBob BranklineCarol SensleyTom AnninoJames Stahl

Joshua BenoitEric Crawford

Rev. Roger TempletonGary Brown

DECEMBER 17, 2009 PAGE 3Volume 1 • Issue 19

GENERAL715 Kirby St., Lake Charles, LA 70601Phone: 337-436-7800Fax: 337-990-0262

PUBLISHERPhil de [email protected]

NEWSMANAGING EDITORLauren de [email protected]

EDITORLisa [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSKay AndrewsLeslie BermanSara BlackwellGeorge ClineDan EllenderCheryl KrullErica McCreedyMike McHughJeanne OwensMary Louise RuehrBrandon ShoumakerSteve Springer, M.D.

ADVERTISINGSALES CONSULTANTPatricia Prudhomme

SALES ASSOCIATESFaye DrakeKarla TullosLazette ProcterKaty Corbello

GRAPHICSART/PRODUCTION DIRECTORDarrell Buck

ART/PRODUCTION ASSISTANTMichelle LaVoie

BUSINESSOFFICE MANAGERKay Andrews

Legal DisclaimerThe views expressed by The Jambalaya News columnistsare their own and do not necessarily reflect the position ofThe Jambalaya News, its editors or staff.

The Jambalaya News is solely owned, published by TheJambalaya News, LLC, 826 Ford Street, Lake CharlesLouisiana 70601. Phone (337) 436-7800. Whilst everyeffort was made to ensure the information in this maga-zine was correct at the time of going to press, the publish-ers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors oromissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the stand-ing of advertisers nor by the editorial contributions. TheJambalaya News cannot be held responsible for the returnof unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations,even if they are sent to us accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. The views expressed do not necessar-ily reflect those of the publisher.

Copyright 2009 The Jambalaya News all rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without priorwritten permission is prohibited.

December 17, 2009 • Volume 1 • Issue 19

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On Cover: Susy Courville, front left, Phil deAlbuquerque, Clarice Raichel, Carol Sensley, MichaelRaichel, the Rev. Roger Templeton, Thom Hager, Kip Texada, Penny Miller, Frank Harrell, JoshBenoit, Britney Glaser, Helen Lewis-Dunn, Brandon Thomas, Don Dixon, Gary Brown, JohnnySuydam, Kevin Guidry, Jacob Colonna, Wendell Benoit, and Tom Annino. Photo by Lisa Yates.

COVER STORY24 NAMI’s Hometown Heroes

REGULARS6 The Boiling Pot10 The Dang Yankee12 The Zestful Life14 What’s Cookin’15 Tip’s Tips17 Animal 41119 House Call46 Sports Report

FEATURES18 Visions of Gingerbread20 Bayou Biz: Paradise Smoothie32 The Golden Age of Christmas Music35 New Year’s Recollections36 Riding High44 Candice Alexander: Art is Everything

ENTERTAINMENT39 Funbolaya40 Killin’ Time Crossword41 Family Night at the Movies42 Red Hot Books51 Society Spice56 Jambalaya Jam58 Eclectic Company61 The Local Jam

contents


From the Publisher

A Bigger PlanAs we begin to close out another year, I’d like to share a tradition of ours

with you. Lauren and I pick a relaxing day shortly after New Year’s. (In thepast, it was while we were taking down the Christmas tree and putting awaythe decorations. Since it’s usually around 5 degrees in Boston this time of year,what else can you do?)

We put the video camera on a table, press the record button, and talk aboutthe past year and all that has happened to us. Then we discuss what we thinkthe next year will bring and what our goals are. It’s funny to watch the oldvideos as the years go by. You learn that life is not predictable—but it’s alwaysan adventure!

In January of 1999, I anticipated another wonderful year traveling theworld as a tour guide. In March, I asked for the first week of May off so that Icould be with my baby sister as she got her master’s degree from my almamater, Michigan State University. I was assured that it wouldn’t be a problem.

But in late April, I received a call from my supervisor while on tour inGermany, telling me that I would have to be “on the road” the first week ofMay on a southern plantations tour. I was furious that I couldn’t see my sistergraduate.

The first day of the tour was not a happy one for me, since all I kept think-ing was, “Why couldn’t I be in Michigan today? Life isn’t fair!” At thatmoment, a beautiful blond came up to me and said “Hi! I believe my mom andI are on your tour!”

A year later we were married.In the summer of 2003, Lauren and I returned to Boston from Dallas after

visiting my brother. “We’re home for the year!” I said as we started unpackingour suitcases in our 150-year old Victorian home in Taunton “No more travel-ing for us!” “Sounds good,” Lauren replied. A month later, we found a bed andbreakfast for sale on the Internet in a city we had never visited called LakeCharles, La. In early November, we arrived here with our dog Rhiannon—ready for an adventure!

I never could have guessed that six years later, we would be publishers. Wehad started 2009 by saying we were going to take it easy. Instead, we now havea fun, wonderful group of people all working together to make The JambalayaNews the fastest growing publication in Southwest Louisiana—and having thetime of our lives!

I believe there is a bigger plan out there for us thatwe don’t know about. We just need to let go andenjoy the journey. We don’t know what 2010 willbring, but Lauren and I sure have a lot of fun try-ing to guess!

As you go through your life, I truly hope youhave a lot of adventures, too. And when thingsaren’t going the way you anticipated, be ready—because there may be a bigger plan for you.Someone just may come up to you and say “Hi!”and change your life forever.

Note: We’re giving our hardworking staff afew weeks off to enjoy the holidays with theirfamilies. Our next issue will be out on Jan.14. Happy New Year!

– Phil de AlbuquerqueTJN

Volume 1 • Issue 19 DECEMBER 17, 2009 PAGE 5

After eight long months, the Children’sMuseum in Lake Charles has reopened itsdoors! This would not have been possiblewithout support from the community, areaschools, volunteers and its many donors!

The second and third floors of themuseum are open to visitors, along with a

portion of the first floor. The main part ofthe first floor is still under constructionwith plans to reopen Sunny’s Market, BabyBayou and Rowdy’s Cowboy Café the endof December.

The ArtSpace is open with a full list ofweekly activities for this month. The fol-lowing programs will be offered for themonth of December:

Thursday, December 17: Wright Brothers Day Learn about the Wright Brothers first flight

and receive an airplane glider!

Holiday Activities: December 19-30

Saturday, December 19: Bulber Youth Orchestra

Get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy a won-derful performance by the Bulber YouthOrchestra at 11 a.m. on the third floor.Afterwards, cake and drinks will be served in thethird floor party room in celebration of the open-ing of the new exhibits.

Monday, December 21: Gingerbread House At ArtSpace Workshop at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.,

learn how to make a gingerbread house with gra-ham crackers and icing. Each workshop is limitedto 15 children.

Tuesday, December 22: Headband Workshop At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., learn how to make

beautiful headbands with Christmas fabric! Eachworkshop is limited to 10 children.

Wednesday, December 23: Cookie Decorating At ArtSpace, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., learn to deco-

rate your own yummy cookie. Each workshop islimited to 15 children.

Thursday, December 24 - Sunday, December27: MUSEUM CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 28: Kwanzaa Celebration Exotic fruit salad will be served in celebration

of Kwanzaa. Learn about beautiful African fabricmotifs in the ArtSpace at 11 a.m.

Wednesday, December 30: Hot Chocolate Day Keep warm and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate!

Thursday, December 31- Friday, January 1: MUSEUM CLOSED FOR NEW YEAR’S

The museum is still seeking funds to rebuild exhibits.Donations can be mailed to the Children’s Museum at 327Broad Street, Lake Charles, LA 70607 or made at anyCameron State Bank or MidSouth Bank branch.

Museum hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondaythrough Saturday. Admission for children and adults during

the month of December is $6. Memberships are available.Contact the Children’s Museum at (337) 433-9420 or visitwww.swlakids.org for more details and special events.

Grayson Johnson plays with theSWLA WaterWorks exhibit on thefirst floor at the Children's Museum.

TJN


The

BoilingP l

Cameron State Bank Announces Recent PromotionsRoy Raftery, Jr., president and CEO of Cameron State Bank announces

recent promotions for Terrie LeBlanc and Janice Constance. LeBlanc wasnamed assistant branch manager at the CSB location in Vinton. She has beenwith CSB for 13 years, with over 30 years in the financial industry. Constancewas named the assistant branch manager for the Maplewood branch inSulphur. With 27 years of banking experience, she has been with CSB for 10years.

LA Fitness Announces New OwnershipLA Fitness Health Club has announced that it’s under new ownership and

management effective October 2009. The 24-hour health club, located at 4324Lake Street, currently offers water aerobics, spin and body sculpture classes inaddition to cardiovascular and weight training equipment. LA Fitness is alsoone of the only facilities in the area to offer an indoor heated pool, dry sauna,steam room, whirlpool, and outdoor pool. New owners are Al Prebula, AdamVeron, Richard Baggett, Tony Perot and Jim Ingram. The acquisition of thehealth club will have no impact on current operations; however, several posi-tive enhancements will be made to the facility, including enhanced servicesand classes. Personal tours and customized fitness plans are available. For moreinformation, call 478-8686.

W.O. Moss Medical Center Receives NCQA RecognitionLSU Health Care Services Division - W. O. Moss Regional has received

Recognition from the Physician Practice Connections-Patient CenteredMedical Home (PPC-PCMH) Program for using information systems to

measure practice-wide clinical quality and improve clinical outcomes at thepoints of care. PPC-PCMH recognizes those practices that use informationsystematically to improve the quality of patient care. Patients notice and appre-ciate the improvements in care. “The physicians at W.O. Moss RegionalMedical Center are to be commended for their achievement in earningRecognition,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. To find out if yourphysician is PPC-PCMH-Recognized, or for further information about theprogram, visit www.ncqa.org/ppc or call Kris Like, RN, Moss Regional QualityAssurance director at (337) 475-8349.

Interest-free Charge Plan at MSUAn interest-free student charge plan is available to students enrolled for the

spring 2010 semester at McNeese State University to assist with the purchaseof books and supplies through the McNeese bookstore. The Personal TouchAccount (PTA) allows students with a valid ID and a current paid fee receipt toestablish a student charge account at the bookstore, which can be used at thebeginning of the semester for one month for the purchase of up to $600 inbooks and supplies. At the close of the purchase deadline, each student is billedfor purchases made and the amount is split into two payments.

PTA accounts for the spring will open Jan. 4 and close Feb. 12. The firstpayment will be due March 15 and the second payment will be due April 15.For more information, call the McNeese bookstore at (337) 475-5494.

Kjellsten Participates in Fitness SymposiumAllie Ieyoub Kjellsten, certified Personal Trainer

and founder and owner of Project Fit, recently partici-pated in the American Council on Exercise 2009Fitness Symposium in San Diego, CA. Continuing Edclasses were taken in the following areas: Fundamentalsof Female Fitness, Boot Camp Complete, Training theCore, Speed, Agility, Quickness and Power,Fundamental Principle for Training Kids, HighIntensity Strength Training for the Time-EfficientExercise Sessions, and Top Fitness Professionals: LifeCoaches and Educators. Project Fit is has just moved toits new location at 528 7th St.

Green Joins The Wound Healing Center at WCCHTyson Green, D.P.M., has joined the Wound

Healing Center at West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital.Green will see patients at the center, which specializesin the outpatient treatment of chronic wounds andnon-responsive conditions. He also practices at theCenter for Orthopaedics and is a member of the WestCalcasieu Cameron Hospital medical staff. Greenearned a degree in Podiatric Medicine from TempleUniversity in Philadelphia. As part of his work with theWound Healing Center, Green underwent specialized

New owners Al Prebula, left, and Adam Veron.

Please submit press releases to [email protected]

Dr. Green

Allie Kjellsten


• Corporate Gift Baskets• Christmas Gift Baskets

Sweet trays • Dessert CakesParty Cakes • Pies • Cookies

910 Sampson St. Suite F, Westlake, La.Ph:(337) 497-0263•E-mail: [email protected]

www.bakedbybecca.com

Tues.-Fri. 10am-6pmSat. 8am-Noon

training and updates on new wound care therapies at the National HealingInstitute at Ohio State University. A resident of Lake Charles, Green is a mem-ber of the American Podiatric Medical Association, American College of Footand Ankle Surgeons, the American Diabetes Association and the EuropeanAssociation for the Study of Diabetes.

Mayor Roach Announces Appointment of Willie King, Jr. to LC North Redevelopment Authority

Mayor Randy Roach recently announced the appointment of Lake Charlesbusinessman Willie King, Jr. to the Lake Charles North RedevelopmentAuthority. King is the president of King’s Transmission Services, Inc. andKing’s Funeral Home in Lake Charles. He has been involved in numerous edu-cational initiatives and programs in the area. His many civic-related volunteeractivities have included being United Way Small Business Campaign Chair,1999 to 2002; president of Project Build a Future; and chairman of marketingfor Charles Moore Davis Boy Scouts. He is the 2008 recipient of the GoodSamaritan Award. King holds a bachelor’s degree in theology and is a veteranof the United States Army. The Lake Charles North Redevelopment Authoritywas enacted into law during the regular session of the state legislature this year.

Cardiovascular CT program at West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital Expands

Michael Turner, M.D, a cardiologist with Cardiovascular Specialists ofSWLA will begin seeing patients weekly at West Calcasieu CameronHospital’s new Diagnostic Center in Sulphur. Dr.Turner, board-certified in cardiac CT, will serve as thecenter’s cardiac CT program director and will seepatients at the center each Wednesday afternoon. Withthe addition of Dr. Turner, the Diagnostic Center willbe the only establishment in Sulphur, aside from thehospital, to offer outpatient cardiac CT Scans. TheDiagnostic Center of West Calcasieu Cameron Hospitalis located at 250 South Beglis Parkway, Suite 2, inSulphur. Office hours for the new center are Mon.through Fri. from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more informa-tion, call (337) 310-8834 or visit www.wcch.com.

Buccaneers Raid La. Association of Registrars BanquetThe salty Buccaneers of Lake Charles stormed the Isle of Capri Casino’s

Aruba Room recently to raid the La. Association of Collegiate Registrars andAdmissions Office’s annual banquet. Attendees caught beads and partied withthe pirates. A good time was had by all. Aaargh!

F. Miller Construction Becomes Newest WCP Tenant West Calcasieu Port officials have announced that F. Miller Construction,

LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Orion Marine Group, Inc. (NYSE:ORN), has become the port’s newest tenant. F. Miller Construction recentlycompleted the relocation of its equipment yard from Highway 90 East in LakeCharles to its new facility on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway waterfront at theport, located 12 miles south of I-10 on Highway 27. The relocation enables thecompany to expand its operations in the Louisiana market. In 2006, OrionMarine Group purchased F. Miller Construction, a 75-year-old Louisiana-

Left to right: Mark LaVergne, Jimmy Bastow, Jean Lafitte 2009 LloydLauw, Madame Lafitte Jonelle Lauw and Donnie Istre.

Michael Turner, M.D.


The CHRISTUS St. PatrickHealthy Living Marketplace will giveshoppers a free Ne’Qwa Christmasornament with a purchase of $75 ormore beginning December 2.

These hand-painted ornamentshave been created exclusively forCHRISTUS Hospitals. A limited sup-ply is available and each ornament isnumbered.

Ne’Qwa is the Chinese term forhand painting on the inside ofmouth-blown glass. From outlin-ing to shading to color application,all work is done in freehand byskilled artisans from remote vil-lages throughout China.Depending on the intricacy, oneornament can take several days tocomplete.

The Marketplace is located onthe first floor of CHRISTUS St.Patrick Hospital. When you shop theCHRISTUS St. Patrick Marketplace,you Shop With a Mission, as the pro-ceeds go directly back to CHRISTUS

to support the missionof extending the heal-ing ministry of JesusChrist.

Free Gift Deal at CHRISTUS St. Patrick

Healthy Living Marketplace

The Lake Charles YMCA is nowtaking registration for WinterBasketball, which will be held at theEDS gym on Saturdays from Jan. 23thru Feb. 27. Also, on Dec. 19, therewill be a YMCA garage sale in theparking lot of the Y. All proceeds will

go to the YMCA’s Capital Campaign.Donations can be dropped off at 618Kirby and will be taken until Dec. 16.For more information, please contactJennifer at (337) 912-5897.

Winter Basketball, Garage Sale at YMCA

TJN

TJN

based company in order to expand its operations in Louisiana. The WCP offers2,500 feet of waterfront property on the waterway. Other tenants includeDevall Towing and Devall Diesel. Current tenant activity includes bargeoperations, maritime fueling service, diesel repair, heavy-equipment contract-ing and maritime supply operations.

PRCA Calf Roping Rookie of the YearThe title of Calf Roping Rookie of the Year for the Professional Rodeo

Cowboys Association belongs to Shane Hanchey, 20, of Sulphur. He was inLas Vegas recently to accept his prizes as the 2009 PRCA Tie-Down RopingRookie of the Year. The Cowboy Militia endorsee raked in $41,480 over theregular season roping and tying calves, despite having to switch horses midwaythrough season. He also competes for the Hill College rodeo team and quali-fied in the College National Finals Rodeo this year, where he had the fastesttime of the finals. A former two-time Louisiana State High SchoolChampion, Hanchey is also a former champ of the Guymon Pioneer DaysRodeo and recently won the Marana (Ariz.) Invitational Match Roping.Shane is the son of Gail and Doug Hanchey. TJN


Glitter, feathers, glue and shoeboxes.Who knew that Mardi Gras could be socrafty? The Lake Charles/SouthwestLouisiana Convention & VisitorsBureau is inviting the community tobedazzle their shoeboxes and help usherin the 2010 Mardi Gras season.

Anyone can participate! There areschool group divisions as well as divi-sions for amateurs ranging from childto adult, and new to the contest is anadditional category for adult civicgroups and organizations.

“The first shoebox float contest heldby the bureau took place last season,and the response from visitors to thewelcome center was overwhelminglypositive. It definitely brought MardiGras to the forefront and put a magnify-

ing glass on how important Mardi Grasis to everyone in the community,” saidShelley Johnson, executive director.

The deadline for registering is Mon.,Dec. 28. Floats will be received at thebureau’s welcome center, 1205 N.Lakeshore Drive, on Fri., Jan. 8, andjudging will take place on Sat., Jan. 9.

Visitors to the bureau will vote ontheir favorite floats until Wed., Feb.17, and the People’s Choice Awardwill be announced Thurs., Feb. 18.

For a registration form, visitwww.swlamardigras.com and click on“Get Involved” or contact the LakeCharles/Southwest LouisianaConvention & Visitors Bureau at (800)456-7952.

Mardi Gras Shoebox Float Contest - Call for Entries!

TJN

Last month, David Sickey, Vice-Chairman of the Coushatta Tribe ofLouisiana, attended the White HouseTribal Nations Conference inWashington, D.C. The conferencecoincided with Native AmericanHeritage Month and was part of aseries of federal announcements andinitiatives designed to strengthen therelationship between the U.S. govern-ment and Native American tribes.

“Last month was a very importantone for Tribes across the country. Notonly was it a time to honor and rec-ognize Native cultures, but it markedwhat I believe is an important turningpoint in the relationship betweenTribes and the Federal Government,”said Sickey. “The Obama administra-tion has shown a serious interest inimproving communication betweenWhite House policymakers and Triballeaders.”

The Tribal Nations Conferencewas held at the U.S. Department ofInterior and was attended by leadersfrom most of the 564 federally recog-nized Native American tribes. Eachfederally recognized tribe was invitedto send one representative to the con-ference.

The conference came on the heelsof President Obama’s Nov. 5 executivememorandum that directed all federaldepartments and agencies to developaction plans for implementing thepolicies and directives of Executive

Order 13175, Consultation andCoordination with Indian TribalGovernments, which was issued byPresident Clinton in 2000.

President Obama also issued astatement encouraging all Americansto observe Native American HeritageDay on Fri., Nov. 27, and promisingthat his administration was “commit-ted to strengthening the nation-to-nation relationship with Tribal gov-ernments.”

“This is a very exciting time for theCoushatta Tribe of Louisiana and forall Tribes,” said Sickey. “The Presidentand the Department of the Interiorhave opened new lines of communica-tion and have shown a great amountof respect for Tribal governments. Weare hopeful that we are entering a newera in government-to-governmentrelations that will benefit all Nativepeoples and the entire country.”

President Obama delivered theopening and closing remarks at theTribal Nations Conference and discus-sions were held on topics such as eco-nomic development and naturalresources; public safety and housing;and education. A number of keyadministration officials attended theevent, including Interior Secretary KenSalazar, Agriculture Secretary TomVilsack, Commerce Secretary GaryLocke, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis andIndian Health Service Director Dr.Yvette Robideaux.

Coushatta Leaders Comment on White House Outreach

to Native Americans

TJN


❑ Leather Jacket❑ Chaps❑ Boots

❑ Purses❑ Jewelry❑ Accessories

❑ A New Harley-Davidson Motorcycle

YankeeDangThe

By Mike McHugh

If you are one of this column’sloyal readers, you’re probably stand-ing there in the chilly (for aSoutherner) December morninghours at your favorite pick-up spotfor this publication. You’re anxious-ly awaiting the arrival of Phil’s deliv-ery truck so you can read The DangYankee as soon as it hits the stands.If that’s the case, then, as you readthis, I will at the same time be mak-ing last minute preparations for aholiday trip back to Yankee Land.You also need to get a life.

I do this every other year. (Gohome for the holidays, that is, notget a life. That I never do, accordingto a small circle of friends.) I don’tknow why; I believe it is instinct,like salmon swimming upriver tospawn and then die, if a bear doesn’teat them first.

I try to convince my family andfriends up North that it’s reallyinsane for my wife and I to travelthere this time of year. No, it makesbetter sense for all 238 of them tocome down here for the holidays

Merry YankeeChristmas!

instead. They could charter a plane.They could tie up the airport secu-rity line for several days, especiallywith one particular nephew, whowears more metal than Iron Man.What fun that would be!

I got as far as forcing a vote onthe proposition this year. We lost,238 to 2. At least it was close. So, it’soff to Yankee Land we go!

We’re going for two weeks, dur-ing which we have to figure out howto fit in visits with all 238 people.That works out to 17 people a day.So, we had to hire an out-of-workRepublican Party campaign chair-man to plan the junket so we couldfit it all in. That’s worked out well,except that we haven’t gotten anyRSVPs for the $1,000 a plate pan-cake breakfast with Santa.

Since we travel for the holidays, itseems reasonable that I can avoidthat thing I hate most about the sea-son: putting up lights. My wife,unfortunately, does not share thatopinion. This year, as usual, shekicked me out the front door withtwo large plastic bins and the admo-nition that I could not go backinside until everything that was inthose bins was on the house.

Don’t get me wrong. It isn’t somuch the putting-up-the lights partthat distresses me; it’s more the get-ting-all-the-lights-to-work part. Imean, in my job every day, I trou-bleshoot problems with industrialprocesses that involve complexchemistries. Yet, I can’t for the life ofme figure out how to get a string ofChristmas lights to completely lightup.

So, having lost the battle thisyear, I ended up running the lightsas usual, but I’ll tell you one thing.Never again will I try to get cutewith them like the one year when Itried to spell out “PEACE ONEARTH” with the lights. Eventhough I had tested all of the stringsin advance, after plugging them in Iended up with “PEA ON LAP,” anda lot of puzzled looks from theneighbors.

When I tell folks around herethat we are going home for the holi-days, they invariably comment onhow delightful it will be for us tohave a white Christmas. I know thatthey really feel sorry for us and arejust trying to find a silver lining inthis cloud of despair. However, con-trary to popular opinion in theseparts, the East Coast is not Alaska,and snow in December there isquite rare. I think that the way theSaints are playing this year, we’regoing to be the ones to miss theblizzard while we’re away.

When you travel for the holidays,another logistical nightmare is howto deal with the Christmas presents.Not only do you have to buy thegifts, you also need to ship themback and forth, which ends up cost-ing more than they’re worth. (I’dlike to see you work that out onyour whiteboard, UPS dude!) Thisyear I got smarter about it, realizingthat maybe I shouldn’t have askedmy sister-in-law for that foosballtable. So this year, for her gift sug-gestion list, I simply put down “dia-monds.”

So, enjoy all of the snow herewhile I’m gone. My only hope isthat they carry the Saints games onthe local Fox affiliate up there. Well,maybe that’s not my only hope.Here’s also hoping that all y’all havea Merry Christmas and a HappyNew Year, wherever you may findyourself this holiday season.

And thank you, Lauren, for giv-ing your talented, hard-workingcontributors time off for the holi-days. TJN


The holiday season is in full swing.For many of us, that means morethan just shopping. It also meansbreaking out the holiday decorations.

Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C.wants you to keep the festivities fromturning tragic by remembering someimportant holiday lighting safety tips.

“This is the time of year when we allcome together to celebrate the holidayswith our families and friends,” saidSheila Pounders, Regional CustomerService Manager. “But it also can be adangerous time if we don’t remember torespect the power of electricity and takecare to follow safety guidelines bothinside our homes and outside.”

According to the National FireProtection Association, in the four yearsbetween 2003 and 2007, Christmas treeswere to blame for an average of 250home structure fires each year. Thirty-six percent of those fires occurredbetween Dec. 24 and Jan. 2. On average,one of every 18 reported homeChristmas tree fires resulted in a death.

Electrical issues were a factor innearly half of those fires.

Problems with decorations thatlead to fire are only part of the story.In each of those years, about 5,800people per year were treated at hospi-tal emergency rooms for falls associ-ated with holiday decorations.

Following simple safety rules,however, can ensure the holiday sea-son remains bright.

INSIDE LIGHTING TIPS:• If using a live tree, make sure it isfresh and green, with needles that arehard to pull from the branches.• Place the tree in a stand with water,well away from heaters or the fire-place. Check water daily.• Examine all lights before putting themon the tree or using them in other home

decorations. Do not use lights withfrayed wiring or loose sockets and makesure they have been tested for safety byan independent testing laboratory.• For greater efficiency and safety, usesmaller, cool-burning LED lights.• Make sure all light sockets havebulbs in them. Children are fascinat-ed by lights and could put their fin-gers in empty sockets.• Keep bulbs from touching treebranches. Never burn candles on ornear the tree and never use flamma-ble decorations.• Never use lights on a metallic tree.If the lights become faulty, the entiretree could be electrified.• Be careful not to overload extensioncords, outlets or even whole circuitsin your house.• Turn off decorative lighting whenyou leave the room.• Place wires where they can not tripanyone. Do not run them under rugs.

OUTSIDE LIGHTING TIPS:• Make sure the lights you put up aredesignated for outdoor use.• Use a non-conducting fiberglass orwooden ladder when working withstrings of lights. Also, stay clear of alloverhead wires.• Do not replace bulbs when the elec-tricity is on.• Never let light bulbs touch flamma-ble materials such as plastic or drygrass and leaves.• For outside use, work only withthree-wire grounded extension cords.• Use rubber gaskets in light socketsor hang sockets downward to keepwater out.• Keep connections and lights off theground by hanging them over wood-en stakes.• Turn outside holiday lights off whenaway from home or asleep.

Safe Lighting Practices Make for Happier Holidays

TJN


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LifeThe

By Sara Blackwell

Although the origin and purposeof Kwanzaa, Hanukkah andChristmas vastly differ, each of thesereligious and cultural holidays pro-mote family values and quality timein prayer and meditation—as well asthe exchange of gifts and great food.

KwanzaaDarleen Wesley is a longtime resi-

dent of Lake Charles and a mother ofthree beautiful children. She and herfamily have celebrated Kwanzaa andChristmas since 1995. “You do nothave to choose Christmas orKwanzaa. Each person can choosewhether they want to celebrate one,or the other, or both,” Wesleyexplained.

Kwanzaa begins the day afterChristmas. The celebration includesseven important principles to consid-er, one per day for one week. Theseprinciples are called the Nguzo Saba.A special candle is lit each day as theprinciple is read and considered.Wesley says that her entire family sitstogether in the living room and eachchild takes a turn lighting the candlefor that day. “Then we read the prin-ciple of the day and discuss, as a fam-ily, how we can incorporate the prin-ciple into our everyday lives.”

Wesley states that Kwanzaa pro-motes gift giving, but only gifts thatyou make yourself. “My children typi-cally make necklaces or a food dishfor the celebration at the end of theseven days,” she said.

After the days of principles andcandles have passed, there is a largefeast celebrating African-Americanhistory. “It is important for theAfrican-American community toteach their children history and theorigin of their ancestors,” Wesley said.“Kwanzaa is a tool to educate and tocelebrate our culture and all that theAfrican American people have expe-rienced. There is a bond that shouldbe continued and this is a great wayto strengthen and continue the bondof African-American people.”

Celebrating the Diversity of the Holidays


Wesley’s children attend SacredHeart Catholic School where, shesays, they are taught the principlesand celebration of Kwanzaa.Additionally, Kwanzaa is celebrated atSacred Heart Church, including afeast at the end of the seven days,which is open to the public. Wesleyencourages people to consider it notas a substitute for Christmas or anyother holiday tradition, but as anadditional festivity.

HanukkahAlso known as the Festival of

Lights, Hanukkah is an eight-dayJewish holiday commemorating therededication of the Holy Temple inJerusalem. Diane McCarthy works atTemple Sinai in Lake Charles,although she is not Jewish herself.“This [Hanukkah} is in remembranceof the miracle in which a one-daysupply of oil was found in the templebut lasted eight days.”

Hanukkah is observed for eightnights by the kindling of the lights ofa special candelabrum: the nine-branched Menorah.

A candle is lit every day for eightdays with a special prayer for eachday. This year, Hanukah begins onDec. 11 and ends on Dec. 19.

Along with its spiritual origins,the emphasis is on family. Everyonegathers each night for the prayer andcandle lighting, and gifts areexchanged every day for the entireeight days. Of course, no gathering iscomplete without good food. “Manyfamilies eat latkes, a potato pancakewhich is fried in oil, with brisket dur-ing Hanukkah,” McCarthy said.

A custom that is especially popu-lar with children is the spinning ofthe dreidel. A dreidel is a four-sidedspinning top with each side markedwith a letter from the Hebrew alpha-

bet. This game is similar to gambling,but is typically played for pleasure.

ChristmasChristmas is rooted in the birth of

Jesus Christ and is a celebration of hisbirth and life on earth. Of course,there’s a lot of commercialism thathas obscured the true meaning of theholiday, but like it or not, Santa andhis reindeer are here to stay.

Let’s face it: most everyone enjoysthe lights, decorating the tree and thegeneral excitement of the holiday.Kids eagerly wait for Santa Clauswhile adults take pleasure in thegreat sales at their favorite stores.Towns throughout Southwest

Louisiana take pride in theirparades and even fireworks, andmost businesses throw fun par-ties for their employees.Christmas is the time to bringfamily and friends together, butit’s also the time to rememberthe foundation of the Christianreligion, Jesus Christ.

As the mother of a Christianfamily, we attempt to keep the

focus of the holiday on the birth ofJesus by singing “Happy Birthday”

to Jesus first thing Christmas morn-ing. Also, we try to attend aChristmas musical at a local churcheach year.

We also have a tradition of provid-ing Christmas to a local underprivi-leged family. We purchase their gifts,food and everyday necessities; wrapthe gifts together and deliver every-thing to the recipient’s home. My chil-dren get to see the excitement on thefaces of the less fortunate childrenwhen they open their gifts. Since wespeak Spanish, we always try to find aSpanish-speaking family to help.

My husband covers our home,inside and out, with Christmas lightswhich blink and dance to music. Wehave a secondhand, slightly patheticChristmas tree, but it is covered withseveral “First Christmas” balls andhomemade keepsakes created by ourwonderful children.

Christmas is an especially funtime of year for our extended familyas well. My mother makes the bestholiday meal and creates the mostloving atmosphere in her home for allof us to enjoy. We are very grateful forfamily and for God who sent his sonto be born to this world.

So, regardless of your religious,cultural or ethnic background, enjoythis holiday season and have a veryHappy New Year! TJN

1717 E. Prien Lake Rd., Suite 6B (located inside the Wise Building)Angelica Floyd (337) 302-4176 • Karen Hartfield (337) 377-1157

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What’sCookin’

Rolled Sugar CookiesINGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup shortening• 1 cup sugar• 2 eggs• 2 cups flour• 2 tsp. baking powder• 1/2 tsp salt• 1 tbs. milk• 1 tsp. almond extract

PREPARATION

Mix all the ingredients well. Roll out on afloured surface. Cut to desired shapes. Bake at350 degrees for approximately eight minutes.Cool on rack and decorate as desired.

Enjoy!

Baked By Becca910 Sampson St. Suite F, Westlake, LA337-497-0263www.bakedbybecca.comTues. – Fri. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.Sat. 8 a.m. - noon

If you have a recipe and story youwould like to share, e-mail us [email protected]

Looking for delicious holiday treats and notime to bake? Look no further! Baked by Becca inWestlake is thrilled to be celebrating its thirdanniversary on Dec. 19. Becca Foy specializes inall types of cakes: wedding, birthday, specialtyand dessert, along with cookies, muffins, brown-ies, and cupcakes. She also offers party trays, giftbaskets and party supplies. Special orders areencouraged.

For you bakers out there, we asked Becca tocontribute a holiday dessert recipe. She wasdelighted to give us a family favorite that’s sim-

ple to make and fun to decorate.“This is my grandmother’s recipe, and my

uncle’s favorite,” Becca said. “We used to go toher house every Christmas Eve morning to makeSanta Claus face cookies. The toppings werecoconut for the beard, raisins for the eyes and acinnamon red hot for the nose. We never misseda Christmas without making them. When mygrandmother died, my mother took over. We stilluse the original cookie cutter from the 1950s,and I use this recipe in my shop. This holiday tra-dition lives on through me!”

Santa Face Cookies

TJN

Becca Foy is ready for the holidays.


Although this particular column isa departure from my usuaI, I considerit a “tip” nonetheless.

As the Christmas season approaches,I would like to share a custom that hasbeen in our family since the 1950s. Itwas originally started by the Sneadfamily, who shared it with us. It hasbecome an annual practice, and weconsider it an important part of ourfamily’s Christmas celebration. We callit the Christmas Creche.

A date is selected, usually a week-end or two before Christmas. Onefamily member’s home serves as thehost location and the rest of the fami-ly comes over, each bringing a dish toshare. Gifts are exchanged with thoseof us who won’t be together onChristmas itself.

The Christmas gospels of both St.Luke and St. Matthew form the basisof the practice, using the figurinesfrom the crèche scene itself. Thenativity scene is vacant of everythingbut the stable and manger.

The individual crèche figurines aredistributed among the family mem-bers with the youngest member of thefamily given the baby Jesus (in thearms of his/her mother if too youngto participate).

It begins with all of us singing “OLittle Town of Bethlehem,” led by oneof the more talented voices.

“O little town of Bethlehem,How still we see thee lieAbove the deep and dreamless sleepThe silent stars go by.Yet in thy dark street shineth The everlasting lightThe hopes and fears of all the yearsare met in thee tonight.”The eldest member of the family

performs the reading.READER:And it came to pass in those days

that there went out a decree from

Caesar Augustus, that the worldshould be taxed, every one into hisown city. And Joseph also went upfrom Galilee, out of the city ofNazareth, into Judea, unto the city ofDavid, which is called Bethlehem; tobe taxed with Mary, his espousedwife, being great with child. And so itwas, that the days were accomplishedthat she should be delivered.

Mary and Joseph should beplaced in the manger scene.

All sing “It Came Upon TheMidnight Clear:”

“It came upon the midnight clearThat glorious song of oldWith angels bending near the earthTo touch their harps of gold.Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,From heaven’s all gracious King.”The world in solemn stillness lay tohear the angels sing.READER:And she brought forth her first-

born son, and wrapped Him in swad-dling clothes and placed Him in amanger because there was no roomfor them in the inn.

The baby Jesus should be placedin the manger scene.

All sing “Away in a Manger:”“Away in a manger, No crib for His bedThe little Lord Jesus Laid down His sweet headThe stars in the bright sky Looked down where he layThe little Lord Jesus asleep on thehay.”READER:And there were in the same country

shepherds abiding in the fields keepingwatch over their flock by night. And,Lo, the angel of the Lord came uponthem, and the glory of the Lord shoneround them; and they were sore afraid.And the angel said unto them, “Fearnot, for behold, I bring you good tid-

ings of great joy, which shall be for allpeople.”

The angel, shepherds and sheepshould be placed in the manger.

All sing, “Joy to the World:”“Joy to the world, The Lord is come.Let earth receive her King.Let every heart prepare him room.And Heaven and Nature sing, andHeaven and Nature sing,And Heaven, and Heaven and Naturesing.”READER:For unto you is born this day in the

city of David a Saviour, which isChrist the Lord. And this shall be asign unto you. Ye shall find the babewrapped in swaddling clothes, lying ina manger. And suddenly there waswith the angel a multitude of theheavenly host praising God, sayingGlory to God in the highest and onearth peace and goodwill toward men.

Now, when Jesus was born inBethlehem of Judea in the days ofHerod the King behold there cameWise Men from the east to Jerusalem,saying “Where is He that is born Kingof the Jews, for we have seen His star inthe east, and are come to worship Him.’And, Lo, the star, which they saw in theeast, went before them till it came and

stood over where the young child was.The star should be placed in the

manger.READER:And when they were come into the

house, the saw the young child withMary, His mother, and fell down andworshipped him.

The three wise men and camelsshould be placed in the manger.

READER:When they had opened their treas-

ures, they presented him gifts; gold, andfrankincense, and myrrh.

All sing “We Three Kings ofOrient Are:”

“We three Kings of Orient areBearing gifts we traverse afarField and fountain, moor and moun-tainFollowing yonder starOh, Oh, star of Wonder, star of LightStar of royal beauty brightWestward leading, still proceedingGuide us to thy perfect light.”

Merry Christmas and Happy NewYear to all of my readers!

If you find this column of interest, letThe Jambalaya News know. Comments,suggestions, ideas, info, etc. are welcome.Send to [email protected]

TJN

By George “Tip” Cline

Passing on a Christmas Tradition


What is manual therapy? Manual therapy is a clinical approach utilizing skilled, specific hands-on techniques totreat impairments of the muscles and joints. Kim B Anderson, PT, DPT completed a graduate program whichfocuses on the hands-on techniques of manual therapy and has extensive experience in applying these techniques.Kim also enjoys working with patients who may have experienced a decrease in balance indicated by increased fallsat home. It makes her smile to think that she can help someone to be safer and more independent at home.

Here at Hope Therapy Center, our skilled therapists treat patients from infants to geriatric adults and garnerpositive results in part because our patients receive one on one treatment with a licensed therapist. We love whatwe do and it shows. If you feel that you would benefit from physical therapy, ask your doctor for a prescriptionand get started on increasing your function!

From left to right: Jill Willis,PTA; Sonya M. Brooks, MA, CCC-SLP; Kim B. Anderson, PT, DPT; Mika Doucet, LOTR, MOT;

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Call today for more information or to schedule an appointment with Kim at 478-5880.

ANiMAL 411Trotting briskly down the street,

she crossed the intersection of BroadStreet and Enterprise Boulevard, barelydodging the wheels of a slow-movingpickup. Not missing a beat, she contin-ued north on Enterprise. She was adog with a purpose—survival.

The driver of a passing car sawthe fast moving beagle, and pulledinto the old Dimmicks’ Auto Partsparking lot. Expecting her to take off,the woman got out of her car and wassurprised when the small dog camerunning up to her.

Lifting the scrawny, stinky doginto her car, the woman made a men-

tal note: “Male Beagle, we’ll call him‘Snoop Dog.’”

Risking being late to work, thewoman brought Snoop Dog home.She asked her husband to bring himto the vet. The dog’s starved condi-tion and huge swellings concernedboth of them. The woman thoughthis testicles were grossly swollen.Also, what are the chances of rescu-ing a heartworm negative dog inSouthwest Louisiana?

As you may have guessed, I wasthe woman, and Snoop Dog is thelatest addition to Krull’s home forwayward hounds.

Dr. Matt at Lake Area AnimalHospital called and said that “he” wasin fact a “she.” She was an olderfemale with two mammary tumors.Miracle of miracles, though, she washeartworm negative.

Dr. Matt gave her the requisiteshots and treated her for coccidia, aparasitic, protozoa organism thatcauses diarrhea, nausea and GI irrita-tion. Though mostly found in veryyoung pets, coccidiosis can occur inanimals that lack a mature and effec-tive immune system. Street survivorslike Snoop Dog sometimes havecompromised immune systems due

to genetic, developmental or environ-mental conditions. Malnutrition isfurther compounded by the symp-toms of coccidiosis.

Dr. Matt recommended that wegive Snoopy (a feminine spin onSnoop Dog) a few weeks to put onsome weight and build up herimmune system. Getting Snoopy toeat was a challenge. Her teeth wereworn well beyond her years; so eatingdry food isn’t easy for her unless soft-ened up with broth, milk or water.Snoopy is also a very finicky eater.The canned dog food that the othermutts drool over doesn’t appeal to

By Cheryl Krull

Saving Snoop Dog:Just in Time for the Holidays


her. She also refuses to take treatsdirectly from your hand. Bill theo-rizes that particular behavior is partof her survival street sense.

Two weeks later, we were able tohave Snoopy spayed in addition tohaving her tumors removed. Snoopymakes the third cancer survivor inour household. In addition to thethree mutts that can wear their pinkbandanas with pride are two dogsthat suffer from seizures. It seems ourhome is moving towards being a spe-cial needs facility with every newarrival.

Are they worth it? You bet!All but two of our dogs are res-

cues. The Queen (Daisy) and QueenMother (Kizzy) have always lived thegood life. The others, however, wereadopted or rescued without us know-ing their stories. My heart breakswhen one of them cowers if youreach to pet them unexpectedly, evenafter many years of being treatedwith love and kindness and beingdownright spoiled.

Snoopy is a joy to have in ourhome. I love the way she follows mearound with her whole rear end wag-ging and brown eyes shining. Nosense of entitlement with her—notyet, anyway. She knows she has falleninto the good life.

Whatever Snoopy’s story is, shewasn’t abused. Humans and the otherdogs are her friends. But, how didshe end up on the street in such poorhealth?

Though I don’t consider myself a“front-line rescuer,” I certainly cansee how the active members of ourarea’s remarkable rescue groups startsuffering from compassion fatigue.There are too many homeless, aban-doned and abused animals to savethem all.

But all of us can do our part bybeing the voice for those who cannotspeak for themselves. Even those whochoose not to have animal compan-ions can help by speaking up againstanimal abuse and supporting arearescue groups with donations of timeand/or money. Those of us with ani-mals can be responsible for their wel-fare by having them spayed orneutered and making sure they arecurrent on shots and receive monthlyflea and heartworm prevention.

Above all else, we can make this abetter world for people and animalsby teaching our youth to live by theGolden Rule – do unto others as youwould have them do unto you.Compassion and empathy for ani-mals kindles compassion and empa-thy for humans. Cruelty towards ani-mals often results in cruelty towardshumans.

TJN

All of us matter and all of us havea role to play. Imagine a world devoidof animals, different cultures, ethnicgroups and religions. Let us allembrace our differences and worktogether to make this a better placefor all of us–two–legged andfour–legged alike.

Cheryl Krull is SpinnakerCommunications' president and chiefexecutive officer, managing businessoperations and marketing. A LakeCharles native, she has worked atPPG for more than 20 years as alicensed tankerman and hasextensive industry experience.She is very active in the com-munity, volunteering at sev-eral non-profit and non-government organiza-tions, her favorite beingDr. Joe Stark’s Lake AreaAnimal Hospital. In addi-tion to her love of animals,she is an avid long distance bicy-clist and a Stephen Minister (in train-ing through University UnitedMethodist Church.) Cheryl is also awould be “geek” and is studyingXHTML, CSS and Web design. Pleasevisit www.spinncomm.com and also hernew work in progresswww.animal411.us.

Drs. Matt and MichelleTraynor of Lake AreaAnimal Hospital removeSnoop Dog’s stitches.


If you’re heading for L’Auberge duLac Casino and Resort during the holi-day season, you’re in for a treat.

Stop by Le Beaucoup Buffet andtake a look at the amazing gingerbreadvillage that was created by a team ofpastry chefs, with a little help from theresort’s engineering department.

“Pastry cook Preston Smithdesigned it, and five chefs worked onit,” said Bill Foltz, pastry chef. “It tooktwo weeks to build.”

The village was created with over 25different kinds of candy and nuts inaddition to the gingerbread, not tomention the Triscuits and Wheat Thinsthat make for clever roof shingles. Theshiny glass windows are made of gela-tin sheets.

The village Christmas tree consistsof layers of authentic Parisian mac-arons, which were flown in from NewYork. Foltz explained that these delec-table treats are so unique that chefshave to be specially trained to make

them. “It’s an art,” he said.The entire creation is in a cli-

mate-controlled case located at thefront of the restaurant.

“It can’t be too dry or too wet,”said Foltz.

The village isn’t for sale, but if youwant something extravagant, you canpurchase a two-foot tall, eight-poundchocolate Santa, made by the talentedpastry team. The Santas also come inwhite chocolate and retail for $100.

The village is certainly getting a lotof attention. While we were there,resort guests stopped by to take photosand exclaim over the display, with onewoman excitedly telling me how muchshe enjoyed macarons on a recent visitto Paris. “See, honey?” she said to herhusband, pointing to the tree.“Remember those cookies we had inFrance?”

Foltz said that this is the first timethey’ve created a gingerbread village—and they’ve only just begun to show offtheir talent.

“After the New Year, this will comedown, and we’ll come up with anoth-er creation, probably with a Mardi-Gras/Valentine’s Day theme,” he said.

“We want people to say, ‘Whatare they going to come up with

next?’”

By Lauren de Albuquerque

TJN

Pastry Chef Bill Foltz


Sponsored by

According to a 2001 study of intentional animal abuse published by the Humane Society of the

United States, 13 percent of these cases involved incidents of domestic violence, 7 percent coincided with child abuse

and 1 percent with elder abuse.

By Steve Springer M.D.

In the Palm of Your HandsThis past week was national hand-washing awareness week. I know

that may sound a little corny, or at the very least, a bit “naggish” but it iseasy to underestimate the importance of this little procedure.

Direct inoculation of a mucus membrane of the T Zone (eyes, nose ormouth) is the primary mode of contracting viral and bacterial diseases.

The poster on this page was generated by a family physician in Ohio,Dr. William Sawyer M.D., whose campaign for hand washing has beenapproved by both the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and theAmerican Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

The majority of disease enters our bodies from our hands; for respira-tory and gastro-intestinal diseases, it is the portal of entry 100 percent ofthe time! This why the “Four Principles of Hand Awareness” are soimportant.

Let’s review those four principles:1) Wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating,2) Do not cough into your hands,3) Do not sneeze into your hands, and 4) Above all, do not put your fingers into your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Believe it or not, the fourth principle is one of the main recommenda-tions from the CDC to prevent the spread of the flu.

Hand sanitizers?Another question I often get in relation to this topic concerns alcohol-

based hand sanitizers. A controlled study of 200 workers at FedEx in 2004 showed that plac-

ing hand sanitizer dispensers in the office and educating workers abouttheir use resulted in a 21 percent reduction in absenteeism.

The CDC has recognized the importance of these alcohol-based sani-tizers as part of good hand-washing principles and has officially support-ed their use.

So remember...the key to avoiding that cold you get every year or eventhat stomach bug that’s going around right now is right in the palm ofyour hand!

TJN


One New Year’s resolution thatnever seems to go away: eat healthi-er and, in return, lose weight.Instead of munching on celerysticks, consider fruit smoothies fora quick healthy breakfast or after-noon snack.

Larry Spears, savvy smoothieexpert and owner of ParadiseSmoothie and Coffee Shop inSulphur, made a healthy BerrySensation smoothie for this editorto try.

Smoothies like the BerrySensation can help build up immu-nities to fight those winter coldsand take off those holiday pounds.

It’s made with fresh ingredients,including strawberries, raspberriesand blueberries that contain plentyof antioxidants that boost immuni-ties; and, it’s not high in calories,but filling, suppressing the appetiteto help keep weight off during theholiday season.

“The varieties are endless,”

Spears said, adding his customerslike to chose their own fruit combi-nations. “We have a calories sheetthat shows the calories, fats, oils andother nutrients to help you whenyou are choosing your ingredients.”

Paradise Smoothie and CoffeeShop can be a challenge to find, ifyou don’t know your way aroundSulphur. It’s located at 1570Maplewood Drive, next to SnapFitness and behind Walgreens onBeglis Parkway.

A lot of people stop in to pick upa smoothie after working out at thegym. That was Spears’ routinebefore buying the business inNovember.

FIREFIGHTER TO ENTREPRENEURSpears, 31, worked as a firefight-

er before a horrible motorcycleaccident nearly ended his life. Hespent three weeks in the IntensiveCare Unit at the hospital.

“I lost everything I had,” he said.

“I had to learn to walk, talk, readand write again.”

He recovered from his injuriesand returned to work; however, hisdoctor sent a letter to his superiorsrecommending termination ofemployment or putting him out ondisability. Spears said neither was anoption for him.

“I chose to resign,” he said. “I’vefaced bigger challenges. Besides,resigning gave me the option ofcoming back one day.”

Meanwhile, he was unemployed.“I was looking for anything,”

Spears said.He found work doing a little bit

of everything from umpiring localgames to network marketing andcarpentry.

While working in network mar-keting, Spears read RobertKiyosaki’s best-selling book RichDad, Poor Dad, which advocatedfinancial independence throughinvesting, real estate and owningbusinesses.

“I signed up for his coachingprogram, because I believe youbecome like the people you hangaround,” he said. “I also continuedmy self affirmations, believing inthe power of the spoken word.”

His affirmation: “The doors ofopportunity open up for me.”

Spears said it was challenging,but he kept a positive mental atti-tude with the support of his friends

at Victory Worship Center inSulphur.

“If you have two dogs, Faith andFear, which one are you going tofeed?” he asked. “Whichever oneyou feed will grow.”

Then one day, Spears walked intothe store after a workout to get asmoothie.

“It turned out the lady behindthe register was one of the ownersand she told me the place was forsale,” he said.

Spears said he was able to purchasethe business at a fair price. He saidentrepreneurship was a goal of his.

“Since the accident, I’ve had a lot ofhopes and dreams come true,” he said.

THE MENU AND AMENITIESAt Paradise Smoothie and Coffee

Shop, you can get sandwichesbetween 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. –turkey and cheese garnished withlettuce, tomato and a pickle; hamand cheese; turkey and ham; grilledcheese; chicken salad; tuna salad;and hot dogs, served on white orwheat bread. Also, you can getnachos, Frito chili pies, chips, cook-ies and Blue Bell ice cream!

Oh, and don’t forget the freshbrewed coffees – regular, decaf,dark roasts and special blends. Plusthere are specialty espresso lattes –caramel, mocha, cappuccino, andespressos – even specialty herb teasand hot chocolate.

Five computers with free Internetservice, wi-fi, two large plasma TVs,a wii with tennis, boxing, golf andbowling are among some of theamenities available to customers.

By Lisa Yates

Paradise Smoothieand Coffee Shop:

A Healthy Start for the New Year

Larry Spears, owner of Paradise Smoothie and Coffee.


Spears said the space off to theside is available for meetings.

“It’s a place to meet and mingle,”he said. “Full Circle Cell is a Biblestudy group that meets here.”

You can join some friends in aspotlessly clean living-room stylecouch area, or just grab somethingand go.

Spears said he’s adding a windowwhere the smoothie machine is, sokids can watch as their smoothiesare made. He said they love towatch the sealing machine that sealsthe lid to the smoothie cups.

“Kids love our straws and lids,”he said. “Our straws are massive –like tubes. Our sealing machineseals the lid on and kids love topoke through it with their straws.”

Another change: new signageinside and out.

“We’re having the menus on ourwalls redone,” Spears said. “The pre-vious owners sold sandwiches, butthey were never listed on the menu.”

Spears added he is expanding thebusiness to reach LouisianaSwashbuckler fans.

“We’ll be attending all of theSwashbuckler games and sellingthere,” he said. “We’re all over theplace!”

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHYSpears’ business philosophy is

simple: give people what they want.“Customer satisfaction is the

key,” he said. “You have to give peo-ple what they want. We’ll try tomake the customer happy the bestwe can.”

He also strives to create a posi-tive workplace for his six employeesand allows them to create their ownschedules. He said it’s working outwell for everyone.

Spears said business is good.What’s the secret to his success?

“So many things have broughtme to where I’m at today,” he said.“More than anything, I attribute mysuccess to God.”

Part of his philosophyinvolves giving back to thecommunity. When heheard NAMI SouthwestLouisiana wanted to spon-sor this issue of TheJambalaya News, he pro-vided the funding in orderto publicize the organiza-tion’s charity basketballgame against the HarlemAmbassadors on Jan. 13, atthe Lake Charles CivicCenter. He’s also playing in

the game!“Whenever I was a child, that

was a dream of mine to see theHarlem team play,” he said. “When Iwas a kid, we were poor. I wanted tobreak that tradition and reach mydreams, so I could give others thechance to go see them.”

For more information, call (337)528-6843, or visit at 1570Maplewood Dr. in Sulphur. Businesshours are 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Mon.-Thurs.; 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.&Sat.;noon-8 p.m., Sun. TJN

Cassie Couvillion, employee of Paradise Smoothie.


www.thejambalayanews.com • (337) 436-7800

“Our ad has made the phones ringoff the wall! It has been amazing.Phil & Lauren have been wonderful.A special thanks goes to FayeDrake whom I would not want tobe without. Teamwork has helpedpush us over the top.”

– Dixette’ Williams, OwnerSlender Solutions

1602 W. McNeese St, Lake Charles • (337) 562-9400

I was privileged to be asked to beone of the judges of the annualGingerbread House Contest, held inconjunction with the yearly SouthwestLouisiana Christmas Lighting Festival.We certainly have some talented folksin the area!

The winners were announcedrecently at the Lake Charles/SouthwestLouisiana Convention and VisitorsBureau’s Welcome Center, 1205 N.Lakeshore Drive.

The contest features awards in dif-ferent categories including amateur,school groups, and professional bak-ers. Southwest Louisiana’s goodwillambassador and mascot, GumbeauxGator, was on hand to take pictureswith the winners.

This year, entries highlightedthemes such as the Calcasieu ParishCourt House, a New Orleans Saints-themed winter wonderland, a candydreamland and more.

In the Teen division, AndreaWilliams took first place, OliviaVincent took second place and AshleyCooks, Andrea Celestine and DevinGuy took third place.

Dixie York’s class from D.S. PerkinsElementary placed first in the Pre-School Developmentally DelayedDivision, and Tina Harris’ class fromVincent Settlement Elementary tooksecond place.

In the Pre-School Division, Kids360 Learning Center took first placeand Rusnak’s class from St. Margaret’sElementary School took second place.

In the Elementary Division, thefirst grade classes at Pearl WatsonElementary School earned first placehonors.

In the Middle School Division, PatRobichaux’s art club at Vinton MiddleSchool captured the first place vote.Debbie Wild’s class at J.I. WatsonMiddle School earned second place

and the CRAFT Program at Oak ParkMiddle School placed third.

Taking home first place in theHigh School Division was Pro-Startfrom Sulphur High School. CulinaryArts at College Street T&I won secondplace.

First place in the Amateur AdultDivision went to Meagan Dougay.Mona Holman, Melanie Evers andAngie Newell placed second, andVictoria and Jessie Cart placed third.

The L’Auberge du Lac Bakery Teamwon first place in the ProfessionalDivision.

Best of Show went to MeaganDougay. Her entry was a gingerbreadfishing camp on the bayou completewith an alligator, a fisherman, apirogue and realistic trees.

The winning gingerbread houseswill remain on display at the bureau’sWelcome Center throughout themonth of December. The final awardto be announced, “People’s ChoiceAward,” is yet to be decided. SouthwestLouisiana’s residents and tourists visit-ing the center during the month ofDecember will vote on the winners oftheir liking in both the children andadult divisions, which will beannounced Tues., Dec. 29, at 10 a.m. atthe Lake Charles/Southwest LouisianaConvention and Visitors Bureau.

The CVB would like to give a spe-cial thanks to the sponsors for theircontributions for prizes: A Piece ofCake, Casa Manana, Children’sTheatre Company, the Isle of CapriCasino & Hotel, L’Auberge du LacCasino Resort, Putt-Putt Golf and theSouthwest Louisiana Swashbucklers.

For more information, contact theLake Charles/Southwest LouisianaConvention and Visitors Bureau at(337) 436-9588 or visit www.visit-lakecharles.org.

Lauren judges the creative ginger breaddisplays at the CVB.

TJN


While many local sports fans were glued to their TVsets watching the New Orleans Saints clinch the NFC Southtitle in overtime, others were at the Pryce/Miller RecreationCenter gym practicing for a charity basketball game.

They will be giving of their personal time every Sundayafternoon for more than a month to practice for the game.Jacob Colonna, an attorney with the Richard Law Firm,explained why.

“It’s a worthy cause,” he said. “When you have peoplewho cannot help themselves by definition, it is importantpeople help them the best they can.”

He and other community leaders will be holding courtas the NAMI Southwest Louisiana’s Hometown Heroeswhen they compete against the Harlem Ambassadors 6:30p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

“NAMI Southwest Louisiana would like to invite every-one to an evening of exciting family fun and communitysupport, as the internationally acclaimed HarlemAmbassadors challenge NAMI Southwest Louisiana’sHometown Heroes to an exhibition and fundraising basket-ball event at the Lake Charles Civic Center,” said PennyMiller, NAMI Southwest Louisiana director of marketingand development.

This is the first year for the fundraiser. Miller said shegot the idea from visiting the Harlem Ambassador’s Web

site, where the team is featured helping localorganizations through amazing basketballtricks and keeping everybody enter-tained.

“We needed to find a supplementalfundraiser for the fall, so I beganlooking at different options,such as concerts and galas,when this came across mydesk,” she said. “Out of all ofthe options, this was the mostinteresting.”

Miller said in order tomake it work, she would haveto find local players peoplewanted to see – and she did!

THE PLAYERSUnlike the Globetrotters, the Ambassadors don’t travel

with a pre-selected opponent. Instead, they play localcelebrities, making every show different and spontaneous.The team they will be facing includes a local pastor, a cou-ple of television personalities, a few politicians, firefighters,business owners, athletes, and then some. The NAMISWLA Hometown Heroes are:

Susy Courville, front left, Phil deAlbuquerque, Clarice Raichel,Carol Sensley, Michael Raichel, the Rev. Roger Templeton,Thom Hager, Kip Texada, Penny Miller, Frank Harrell, Josh Benoit, Britney Glaser, Helen Lewis-Dunn, BrandonThomas, Don Dixon, Gary Brown, Johnny Suydam, Kevin Guidry, Jacob Colonna, Wendell Benoit, and Tom Annino. Players not pictured include: Eric Crawford,Mayor Randy Roach, State Sen. Willie Mount (D-District 27),James Stahl, Larry Spears, Kevin Thibodeaux, Hal McMillin,Marcus Wilridge and Bob Brankline.By Lisa Yates


• Randy Roach, Mayor of the Cityof Lake Charles; • State Sen. Willie Mount (D-District 27); • Don Dixon, Chief of Police, LakeCharles Police Dept.; • Kevin Guidry, Calcasieu PoliceJuror, District 9, Child AbusePrevention Council Member, andNational Football League Alumni;• Hal McMillin, President,Calcasieu Parish Police Jurors,District 14 Police Juror;• Phil deAlbuquerque,Owner/Publisher, The JambalayaNews, and President of the Board of

Directors ofthe Lake Charles

Children’s Museum;• Kip Texada, Director, Ward 3Recreation, First Head Coach of theLa. Swashbucklers; and, McNeeseState University Alumni;• Michael Raichel, A.M. BarbeHigh School Graduate, VarsityBasketball Player, U.S. Naval veter-an, and NAMI SWLA consumer; • Britney Glaser, KPLC TV,Channel 7, News Anchor andHealth Reporter, and BigBrothers/Big Sisters Volunteer;• Brandon Thomas, DefensiveBack for the La. Swashbucklers and2009 All-SIFL Team; • Marcus Wilridge, Wide Receiverfor La. Swashbucklers, SIFL’sOffensive Player of the Year;• Frank Harrell, St. Louis HighSchool Band Director, former Sam

Houston High School Principal,former Westlake H. S. BandDirector for 23 years;• Carol Sensley, Assistant YouthDirector, Living Word ChristianCenter, and former MSU Women’sBasketball Coach;• Tom Annino, KPLC TV, Channel7, Sports Director;• James Stahl, Enbridge, NAMISWLA Committee Member andVolunteer; • Josh Benoit, Firefighter First-Class, Sulphur Fire Department;• Bob Brankline,Firefighter/Paramedic (replacingWendell Benoit, due to injury);• Eric Crawford, NAMI SWLABoard of Directors, and NAMISWLA Consumer; • The Rev. Roger Templeton,Associate Pastor, St. Luke-SimpsonUnited Methodist Church, andNAMI SWLA Board of Directors;• Gary Brown, Conoco Phillips,NAMI SWLA Board of Directors;

• Jacob Colonna, Attorney,Richard Law Firm; • Kevin Thibodeaux, formerWashington Generals and MSUBasketball player, and former MSUVarsity Basketball Player; and,• Larry Spears, Owner, ParadiseSmoothie and Coffee, Second HalfSponsor, and NAMI SWLA’sSponsor for The Jambalaya News.

The team will be coached by HelenLewis-Dunn, who is the assistantdirector of Calcasieu Parish Parks andRecreation. She’s also an entertainerknown to many as “C.C. the Clown.”

“Come out and see a whole lot ofcelebrity people make clowns of them-selves,” she said jokingly.

Even though the coach will dress inher clown costume for the game, she’sserious about winning. Lewis-Dunnand her team are in it to win it!

“Most definitely,” she said. “Mystrategy is to put the tallest players onoffensive and defensive rebounds and(have them) go back up with it.”

Assisting her, as needed, is JohnnySuydam, veteran coach of McNeeseState University Football and Baseballand the voice of MSU Cowboy Football.

Maison D’Amis provides safe, affordablehousing to people with mental illness.

NAMI SWLA received a national housingaward for the facility in July, 2009.


1570 Maplewood Dr., Sulphur, LA 70663(337) 528-6843

Mon-Thurs: 8am-9pm • Fri & Sat: 8am-10pm • Sun: 12pm-8pm

“I don’t know about the talent ofthe other team, but anytime you have ateam with Harlem in the name, youknow you’re up against some prettygood athletes,” he said. “I do know thatthere are a lot of college stars on theteam, but several of our dignitarieshere are outstanding athletes, as well.”

Thom Hager, SIFL president andowner of the Louisiana Swashbucklers,will serve as the game’s guest referee.He encourages everyone in the com-munity to come out and see the game.

“First of all, it’s one-of-a-kind enter-tainment,” he said. “We have sometremendous athletes in the communityparticipating along with communityservice providers – centers of influencein the community. It’s raising moneywith the fun factor. It’s a great causemixed with fun, family entertainment.”

NAMI SOUTHWEST LOUISIANANot only does the game promise to

be fun and exciting, but it will alsoraise money for NAMI SouthwestLouisiana.

What is NAMI?The National Alliance on Mental

Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largestgrassroots mental health organizationdedicated to improving the lives ofindividuals and families affected bymental illness.

NAMI has more than 1,100 affili-ates in communities across the country– including Southwest Louisiana - whoengages in advocacy, research, supportand education. Members of NAMI arefamilies, friends and people living withmental illnesses such as major depres-sion, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),panic disorder, post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD), and borderline per-sonality disorder.

The local NAMI affiliate, NAMISouthwest Louisiana, is located at 715Ryan Street, Suite 203, in the UnitedWay Building in downtown LakeCharles. The local telephone number is(337) 433-0219.

Clarice Raichel, NAMI SouthwestLouisiana executive director, saidNAMI SWLA continues its mission ofserving Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu,Cameron and Jeff Davis Parish familiesthrough a wide range of services andeducation programs.

“We are not mental health profes-sionals,” she said. “We are a familyorganization helping families find theresources they need in the community.”

HER STORYRaichel said the statistics are alarm-

ing - one in six people is diagnosedwith a mental illness and one in four isdirectly affected by mental illness. Herown son, Michael, had a psychoticbreakdown when he was 26 years-old,which she said led to her advocacywork with the NAMI organization.

“He was a junior engineering stu-dent at McNeese State University, whenhe had his breakdown,” she said. “A lotof people think people with mental ill-nesses have low IQs, or they’re indi-gent, but that’s not true. It can affectanyone from A to Z, but you only hearabout the indigent.”

Her son played on the varsity bas-ketball team in high school and haddreams of playing college ball. Aftergraduating, Raichel’s son served inthe U.S. Navy. She said after returninghome there were changes in hisbehavior.

NAMI SWLA Executive Director Clarice Raichel (center) is greeted by her son Michael Raichel, and her sisters Charlotte Koons (far left) and

Marty Cox (far right), during The Women’s Commission of SWLA, where she received the Jack V. Doland Citizen of the Year Award.


Please contact the special servicesand equality office at least 72 hoursbefore any home event to requestaccommodations for individuals withdisabilities. This includes the needfor materials in an alternative formatsuch as large print or Braille, signlanguage interpreters, accessibleseating, and accessible parkinginformation. Ph: (337) 475-5428.

“Michael had issues with depres-sion in high school; however, it wasunder control until approximately1995,” she said.

Raichel said her son was evaluatedwith the diagnosis of schizophrenia.

“That was something we knewnothing about,” she said.

Since her son was an adult over theage of 18, Raichel said the family couldnot get him treated without his con-sent, which he did not give. She had noidea where to turn until she foundNAMI.

“I was working on my master’sdegree at McNeese, so I went to thelibrary looking for help,” she said. “Inthe back of a journal on mental health,I found the NAMI organization withan 800 number. I called the number

and was given the name of a local con-tact, Vera Morgan, who is now a dearfriend.”

Raichel, and Michael’s fatherlearned of a local support group andbegan attending on a regular basis.

“There were about eight people inthat first support group – wonderful,supportive people,” she said. “Becauseof this organization and what they toldus, it made possible for us to obtainhelp for our son’s mental health.”

At the first NAMI meeting, Raichelwas given a checklist of things to do.

“I learned that I could get helpthrough an OPC (order of protective

custody) if he became a threat to him-self or someone else,” she said. “I askedthe people in the group, ‘How am Igoing to know when that happens?’They said, ‘You’ll know.’”

Raichel said it was a parent’s night-mare watching as her son spiraleddownwards.

“For an entire year, I watched himdecompensate,” she said, noting therewas an incident that led to her son’shospitalization. “I had everything doc-umented, thanks to what I had learnedthrough the NAMI organization. I wasable to go to the coroner’s office toobtain the protective order. It was sentto the judge, who signed it, so my soncould be hospitalized.”

Since receiving help, he is doingbetter. Raichel said her son is 41 now,

living independently and taking hismedication.

“Michael tells me ‘Thank you’ everyday for the work I’m doing for theNAMI organization,” she said.

Raichel also serves as an advocate atthe national level on the NAMI Boardof Directors in Washington, D.C.

At the local Women’s Conference inOctober, she received the Jack V.Doland Citizen of the Year Award forher work.

“You know the best thing aboutreceiving this award was that I got tostand up and tell the women at theconference about mental illness,” she

Hundreds of local citizens participated in NAMIWalks for America to raise money and awareness about our country’s need for a world-class

treatment and recovery system for people with mental illness.

When we’re raising awareness, we’re removing the stigma.

Clarice Raichel, NAMI Southwest Louisiana executive director.


said. “When we’re raising awareness, we’reremoving the stigma.”

NAMI SWLA SERVICESThrough the dedicated efforts of grass-

roots leaders, NAMI Southwest Louisianafocuses on activities that offer support, edu-cation, and advocacy. The programs are freeto the public, including these classes:

• NAMI Basics designed specifically forparents and other primary caregivers of chil-dren and adolescents who are living withmental illness. Caregivers who suspect theirchild is experiencing symptoms of mental ill-ness will also benefit as they begin to navi-gate the evaluation and treatment process.

• Family-to-Family provides caregiverswith communication and problem-solvingtechniques, coping mechanisms and the self-care skills needed to deal with their lovedone’s mental illness well as its impact on thefamily.

• Women and Depression (in partnershipwith Family and Youth Counseling, theLouisiana Office of Mental Health, and theLouisiana Office for Addictive Disorders)assists participants in developing a personal-ized plan, with identifying tools, to serve as aguide to help them stay well, maintain rela-tionships and to recover a full life.

• Parents and Teachers as Allies helpsteachers and other school professionals betterunderstand the early warning signs of mentalillness in children and adolescents and how bestto intervene so that youth with mental healthtreatment needs are linked with services.

• Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is imple-mented through law enforcement agencies,where specially trained patrol officers provideservices to mentally ill individuals and theirfamilies in times of crisis – 24 hours a day,seven days a week. The overall goal of CIT is totreat mental illness as a disease, not a crime.The objective is to stabilize the crisis and getthe consumer to the appropriate resource forappropriate care.

Raichel said NAMI SWLA began imple-menting the CIT training program in 2005.She said CIT training helps law enforcementbetter understand mental illness and learn cri-sis management techniques.

“If you have a family member (with mentalillness) in crisis and you need to call the police,ask for a CIT officer,” she said.

Also, Louisiana has been selected to partici-pate in a pilot program called CIT and Youth.CIT and Youth is geared toward youth and lawenforcement, modeled after the adult programwith special emphasis on violence at home andin schools.


“Southwest Louisiana is lookinginto the program,” Raichel said.

In addition, NAMI SouthwestLouisiana has been instrumental inobtaining housing for people livingwith mental illness.

“In 2007, NAMI SWLA applied forand received a HUD 811 housing grantfor the chronically mentally ill,” Raichelsaid.

The Maison D’Amis apartmentcomplex, located at 401 Gerdsen St.,was completed in Oct. 2007, and pro-vides affordable housing for people liv-ing with mental illness. In 2009, NAMISWLA received the NAMI NationalPhillip and Sarah Francouer Award,which honors outstanding achievementin providing housing or other neededservices to people with mental illness.

Raichel said all 23 apartments areoccupied with a waiting list for open-ings.

“We are currently developing a planfor additional housing for the mentallyill,” she said.

Services also include numeroussupport groups for consumers andfamily members, one-on-one appoint-ments, (limited) emergency medica-tion funds, and outreach activities at

conferences, health fairs and festivals,where volunteers distribute literatureand educational materials to increaseawareness about mental illness.

“Education is a big component,”Raichel said. “A lot of people don’tunderstand the illness. One thing thatis so important to do is listening to thefamilies. Another thing we do is assur-ing them not to feel guilty in seekinghelp, whether that’s getting an OPC orcalling for a CIT officer.”

She said NAMI is working withmental health professionals, stressingthe importance of hearing the families’voice as part of the treatment process.

SUPPORTNAMI Southwest Louisiana is a

volunteer organization dependent ondues and the NAMI Walk as its sourceof income.

Annual dues are $35 for families;Open Door dues are $3, which is aneconomic ability to pay category.Dues include publications and mem-bership to the local, state and nationalorganization.

The NAMIWalks for the Mind ofAmerica is a nationwide fundraisingand mental health awareness program

that is held in more than 80 communi-ties around the country, including righthere in Southwest Louisiana.

“In 2003, NAMI SouthwestLouisiana was selected as one of the 16pilot programs across the country toinitiate NAMIWalks for the Mind ofAmerica,” Raichel said.

The Jambalaya News was one ofthe local sponsors at its 2009 fundrais-er, which was held April 25, at the LakeCharles Civic Center. Miller said theevent was a success raising $98,000;however, the amount fell short of theirgoal of $150,000.

“I believe it was due to the econo-my,” she said.

In order help NAMI SouthwestLouisiana get closer to its fundraisinggoal, organizers set a goal of $40,000for its charity basketball game. Theysaid 100 percent of the money raisedwill stay here in Southwest Louisianato benefit local families.

Miller, who chairs the event, saidthe response has been good so far, andshe hopes it continues.

“I am honored, overwhelmed, andhumbled at the number of supporters,both in the civil service and businessfields, that have stepped up to support

NAMI Southwest Louisiana and thisevent on our behalf,” she said. “Theirsponsorship, support, and participationvalidate our cause and their under-standing of the need for mental healthservices in the Southwest Louisianacommunity.

“We can only stamp out the stigmaof mental illness if we stand together,acknowledge it, and address our needstogether.”

TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIPSAdvance tickets are $7 for students

(and seniors 55+) $9 for adults and canbe purchased at the Lake Charles CivicCenter Box Office; Meaux’s WesternWear, 3911 Common St. in LakeCharles; and at NAMI SWLA’s down-town office up until the day of the event.

Tickets are available at the door thenight of the event at $9 forstudents/seniors and $11 for adults.

Sponsorships still available include$1,000 Quarter Sponsors; $250 PlayerSponsors; $100 Banner Sponsors; and,$100 Ticket Package Sponsors. Fordetails on sponsorships and deadlines,call (337) 433-0219, or [email protected] for moreinformation.


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Have a sweet-tooth? Experience an arrayof chocolaty flavors with nutrient-richtreats like cacao beans, raw chocolatebars and super cookies

301 W. Prien Lake Rd., Lake Charles, LA337-477-7977

We’ve got SCOOTERS, ACCESSORIES,and GIFT CARDS for everyone

on your gift list!

NAMI Southwest Louisiana Inc. isa qualified 501 C (3) non-profit organi-zation and all donations are taxdeductible.

Sponsors to date include the follow-ing: Event Sponsor, Richard Law Firm,L.L.C.; First Half Sponsor, L’AubergeDu Lac Casino Resort; Second HalfSponsor, Paradise Smoothie andCoffee; Quarter Sponsor, Hilliard &Hilliard; Business Player Sponsors,Business First Bank, Compro- Tax Inc.,COPS N’ JOCKS, Sulphur FireDepartment Local 3765, LouisianaSwashbucklers, Richard Law FirmL.L.C., The Jambalaya News, HoumaFilter & Supply Co., U.S.M.C. League,Det. 535; Personal/Private PlayerSponsors, Randy Robb, Hal McMillin,State Sen. Willie Mount, The RaichelFamily, Mayor Randy Roach, LatoniaMorrison, Dr. Peter J. Dorsey D.D.S.,James Stahl; Banner Sponsors,Boudreaux’s New Drug Company;Scofield, Gerard, Singletary &Pohoreskly; Veron, Bice, Palermo &Wilson L.L.C.; Center for Orthopedics;and, River Oaks Apartments.

Ticket Package Sponsors are theRichard Law Firm L.L.C.; Randy Robb;Susan Fry; NAMI National Board ofDirectors; U.S.M.C. League, Det. 535;The Civic Center Marquee AdvertisingSponsor is Suzy Courville. The PostGame Meal Sponsor for the HarlemAmbassadors will be provided bySeafood Palace.

The Media Sponsor is KPLC TV.The Jambalaya News Sponsor forNAMI Southwest Louisiana is ParadiseSmoothie and Coffee.

SUSY’S STORYSusy Courville is a registered nurse

who got involved with NAMISouthwest Louisiana when her then 14year-old daughter was diagnosed witha mental illness.

“I didn’t know what to do,” she said.“I kept thinking ‘What happens now?’Even though I was an R.N., there was alot I didn’t know about mental illness. Ithought it would never happen to me,

or my own child, but the truth is itcould happen to anyone – even ifthere’s no history of mental illness inthe family.”

Courville found help at NAMI.“NAMI helped me,” she said. “I had

the opportunity to meet with otherparents who were walking the sameroad as me. I received education aboutmy daughter’s illness – current educa-tion and education about the latestmedications available.”

Prior to receiving this information,Courville feared the worst.

“I thought when you had a childdiagnosed with a serious mental illness,that’s it, the child would be locked upand you would never experience yourchild again,” said. “That’s not true.”

Courville’s come full circle sincethat time; and now, she works as a reg-istered nurse in a psychiatric facility.

She also serves as the NAMISouthwest Louisiana Board ofDirectors President along with VicePresident Sherrie Raymond, SecretaryNola Ducote, Treasurer Eric Crawford,and board members Lt. David Anders,James Anderson, M.D., John Bleich,Stephanie Boyd, Gary Brown, Ta’ShanaLeach, Veronica Malbrew, DavidMedus, Rudie Soileau and RogerTempleton.

Even though Courville’s daughterstill struggles, she’s doing better.Today she’s a senior at McNeese StateUniversity.

“A lot of parents feel guilty,” she said.“The important thing to remember isyou did nothing wrong. This diseasedoesn’t care if you have money, if youhave no money, if you’re middle class orif you’ve been nice to everyone yourentire life – it can happen to anyone.”

Courville said it is important toimprove the quality of life for thoseaffected by mental illness and to sup-port research to someday eliminatethese illnesses.

“It may not happen in my lifetime,but it could happen in my daughter’slifetime with enough support,” she said.

Several non-profit organizations willhave information booths set up at theNAMI SWLA event, including:

• Calcasieu Parish Sherriff’s Office Youth Division

• Boy Scouts of America• Calcasieu Women’s Shelter• Fatherhood Mentoring

Foundation, Inc.• Foreman-Reynaud

Community Center• United Way of SWLA

• Genesis Complex Therapeutic Riding

• Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf

• Junior Achievement• Literacy Council of SWLA• Big Brothers/Big Sisters• Boys and Girls Villages

Foundation• Camp Fire USA• The D.A.R.E. Program• Red Cross Rape Crisis Outreach

Community Outreach

TJN


Look for lots of high-flying andslam dunking when the HarlemAmbassadors, an exhibition basketballteam, take on NAMI SWLA’sHometown Heroes.

The hometown favorites includelocal celebrities such as PhildeAlbuquerque, owner and publisherof The Jambalaya News. Does he thinkhis team has a chance of winning?

“Bringing in donations for NAMIwill be the biggest win,” he said.“Winning the game will be a bonus!”

Brandon Thomas, defensive backfor the Louisiana Swashbucklers andthe 2009 All-SIFL Team, said he’s in itto win it!

“Anytime I play a sport, I’m in it towin it,” he said. “I don’t like to lose. Ihave a competitive nature”

His strategy: Defense.“Defense wins championships,” he

said.The Jambalaya News spoke to

several players to find out what strat-egy they’d use against the HarlemAmbassadors. Here’s what they had tosay:

Phil deAlbuquerque: “I will dis-tract the opposing players with clownantics while my team makes baskets.”

Kip Texada: “As an ex-coach Iknow it’s important for everybody togive our best effort and whatever hap-pens, it’s for the cause.”

Britney Glaser: “My strategy –maybe I’ll out charm someone on thecourt!”

Frank Harrell: “I’m hoping once Iget out on the court the opponents willfall down laughing and I can gostraight to the goal!”

Carol Sensley: “Just last the entiregame and have fun.”

Josh Benoit: “Play defense.”The Rev. Roger Templeton,

“Breathe. Keep breathing and get thecoach to keep me on the bench!”

Gary Brown: “Defense and deny,deny, deny!”

Jacob Colonna: “Play from theheart.”

For Colonna, losing is not an option.“My boss, Ron Richard, told me not

to come back unless I win!” he joked.

The HomeTeam SharesIts Strategy

By Lisa Yates

TJN


Playing a shiny black record on aturntable is somehow as comfortingas a good wintertime fire. You have totend it, sometimes it crackles andpops, and setting the needle gentlyinto the groove feels like kindlingmusic with your own fingers. SinceCDs hit the market, records werealmost ostracized by tiny technology,but they are making a comeback—perhaps because baby boomers havestacks of them—not to mention theupcoming generation actually likestheir retro ambience. The record andrecord player, in fact, ignited thegolden age of popular Christmasmusic that stirred nostalgic heartsfrom the 1930s to the 1960s.

Prior to the 1930s, records couldonly be played on their manufactur-er’s record player; they were not inter-changeable in the marketplace. When

sound studios standardized generalrecord formats, the 78-rpm recordturned to gold. Also, around 1930,silent movies starting talking—andsinging—and the movie musical wasborn, birthing a golden age forHollywood as well.

In addition, the microphone gaveus “crooning.” Before the microphone,songsters had to belt it out loudenough for back row listeners, but themike was invented in the early ’30s,allowing a singer to express emotionthrough nuances and varying tones inhis voice. Bing Crosby’s 1935 “SilentNight” was one of the first huge hitsbenefiting from the new microphonetechnology. This song issued in theera of heartwarming, sentimentalChristmas music sung by big nameslike Nat King Cole, Perry Como, MelTorme, and Frank Sinatra.

After World War II, there wasmoney to spend, so record playersbecame fixtures in 1940s livingrooms. So did the stacks of records,including a proliferation of Christmastunes. Ten-inch records were sold inalbums—folders with pages thatlooked like picture albums—thus theterm “album” that eventually referredto a long-playing record.

Collecting Christmas albums cantake two avenues: The music itself,which has a homey, nostalgic sound,then all the peripherals used in mar-keting the music—sheet music, pic-ture sleeves, album covers, and adver-tisements for the music. Many collec-tors play the records, while some justdisplay the album cover as art. Today,CD covers often replicate old albumcovers.

Several songs highlight theChristmas season. One is “Rudolph theRed-Nosed Reindeer” from a 1939poem created on the job by Robert L.May in 1939 for Montgomery Ward.The tale is about Santa Clause’s ninthreindeer whose unusually bright rednose causes him to be a misfit, yetempowers him to become the hero,leading the team through “one foggyChristmas night.” The song eventuallygave rise to a CBS television specialthat has aired several times eachChristmas season since 1964.

Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”shot to the top ten on the record chartsin 1943 during World War II. The ideaof returning home for Christmas origi-nated during WWI when soldiersthought the war would end quickly.The homesickness caused by the long,

By Jeanne Owens, Charleston Gallery and Antiques

This "stereophonic" record from the 1950s features cowboy star Gene Autry singing

the popular “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and other Christmas favorites.

Albums were books of records in sleeves--one song on a 78 rpm

record in each--thus the name of "album" referring to a recording.

This Christmas album from 1946 by Decca Records includes

Judy Garland, Deanna Durbin, and Kenny Baker.


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drawn out WWII engendered the line “ifonly in my dreams”—a sentiment that rangtrue to many listeners abroad and at home.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” wasallegedly written in 1942 by a 16-year oldhomesick college student, Buck Ram, butwas copyrighted in 1943 by Kent and JamesGannon. Bing Crosby’s rendition recordedby Decca Records touched a tender place inAmerica’s heart—soldiers abroad and civil-ians at home—and earned Crosby his fifthgold record.

The song was the most requested atChristmas USO shows in both Europe andthe Pacific, and is attributed for boostingmilitary morale more than anyone or any-thing of that era. Countless artists includingPerry Como (1946) and Frank Sinatra(1957) recorded their versions of the song,and it was even requested by NASA’sGemini 7 astronauts to be piped to them asthey hurtled back to earth after the longestflight in the US space program.

Most of us think one of the most popu-lar Christmas songs is titled “ChestnutsRoasting on an Open Fire.” However, it isactually called “The Christmas Song.” Thiswintry tune was written on a blistering 1944summer day by Mel Torme and Bob Wellsin an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool.”Wells thought if he could envision himselfin a winter scene he could cool off, so hejotted several lines onto a spiral pad. Tormerecalled seeing four lines written in pencil:

“Chestnuts roasting… Jack Frost nipping…Yuletide carols… Folks dressed up likeEskimos.” Within 40 minutes, the song waswritten, including all music and lyrics.

Nat King Cole first recorded “TheChristmas Song” in 1946, then re-recordedit with a small string section—the versionthat was a massive hit on both pop and R&Bcharts and was inducted into the GrammyHall of Fame in 1974. Cole recorded thesong again in 1961 in stereophonic soundwith an orchestra conducted by RalphCarmichael—now consid-ered the definitive versionand the one that plays onradio stations nationwideeach holiday season.

Old Christmas recordsare great collectibles, andrecordings by stars like RoyRogers, Elvis Presley, MahaliaJackson, and Frank Sinatraadd to their collectability. Wehum to old Christmas tuneswhile we hang ornaments onthe tree; they enrich the eggnog,they brighten the moment, theybring generations together. Just aswe hold old records in our handsand place them onto a warmturntable, we hold the old songsin our hearts and set them spin-ning in our minds for a short,sweet season.

Christmas Music branched out to include

many genres including black gospel spiri-

tuals such as "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" and

"Go Tell It On the Mountain" by Mahalia

Jackson. Lionel Hampton dropped

into the studio during this recording

session and was invited to take

over the "vibraphone."

Elvis Presley crooned through many

Christmas albums. This one is an

interesting joint project with country

singer Jim Reeves--including "Blue

Christmas" and "Take My Hand,

Precious Lord" with Elvis and the

Jordanaires.TJN


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4521 HWY 171 N. • (337) 217-2378

New Year’s Eve was always anexciting time for me, starting fromchildhood. My parents would get alldressed up to go out, telling me thatwhen I woke up the next morning, itwould be a new year. I couldn’t quitefigure out how that worked, but itsounded very magical, so I loved theidea of it.

I remember one New Year’s, whenI was seven or eight years old. Myparents and my aunts and uncles wereall out at parties and my cousinKaren, who was around 14, was homebabysitting me and her brother,Richard. She invited a bunch of herfriends over and we popped popcornand made purple macaroons. At thestroke of midnight, we all ran out intothe snow banging pots and pans,yelling, “Happy New Year!” We allgot a good laugh a few days laterwhen Karen told us that her mothercommented that her pans appeared tobe “out of shape.” We never did con-fess!

Back in the day, Guy Lombardoand his Royal Canadians were the bigthing on television every New Year’s,playing Auld Land Syne at the strokeof midnight, after the ball dropped inTimes Square. Then Dick Clark camealong with his New Year’s Rockin’Eve. The first one, in 1973, was host-ed by Three Dog Night. Rememberthem?

In high school, New Year’s Eve wasall about parties in someone’s base-ment, with black lights and patchouliincense, drinking Boone’s Farm Applewine (yuck) and listening toAerosmith, Led Zeppelin and theMoody Blues. During the disco years,the parties were huge affairs held atclubs with champagne and fogmachines and mirrors. We’d put onour platform shoes and Qiana jump-suits or dresses and we were ready todance the night away! Those were thedays.

As I got older, things changed.When you’re in a relationship, youcalm down. Boston always has a huge

First Night celebration, but even backthen, you wouldn’t find me hangingout on the streets at night when thetemperature was in the single digits.So we’d go to house parties or havefriends over, or we would drive to theClarke-Cooke House, a wonderfulrestaurant in Newport, Rhode Island,where I would indulge in a great biglobster, and we’d then go to the clubdownstairs to party.

A New Year’s ritual I alwaysenjoyed was to put a coin outside inthe early evening, and take it in aftermidnight on New Year’s Day. Thiswas supposed to ensure that youwould be bringing more money intoyour home that year. One time, it wasso cold that the quarter I had put outa few hours earlier was frozen solid tomy deck!

I remember one New Year’s Evethat I spent with my cousin Karen(she of the pots and pans party) inPhoenix, where she now lives withher family. She and her husband hadbecome Mormon, and Mormons are aconservative lot—no alcohol, nosmoking, no caffeine. Definitely nopartying. So that night, we went outto dinner at a Mexican restaurant—and then we came home and went tobed. By 10 p.m. Hello? I don’t recallever being asleep for New Year’s, butsince I had nothing else to do, that’swhat happened. I awoke to the soundof firecrackers going off somewherein the neighborhood, and I assumedthat meant it was midnight. HappyNew Year to me, I guess.

There was one New Year’s Eve inthe mid-90s that was so very sad forme. In late summer, my sweet Scottiedog, Samba, was diagnosed with avery rare form of nasal cancer. Therewas nothing that the doctors inBoston could do for her, so I went onthe Internet and found a vet in NewYork who claimed to have had successwith an innovative surgery and treat-ment specifically geared towards thistype of canine cancer. So we broughtSamba to New York, and after meet-

ing with the vet, decided to let himdo the surgery.

Big mistake. They supposedlyremoved all the cancer, but she suf-fered terribly from the effects of thesurgery, and she was never the sameagain. On New Year’s Eve day, myfriend Karen and I took her back tothe clinic in New York. They discov-ered that the cancer had returnedwith a vengeance. I had no choice butto have her put down.

I will never forget that long, sadride home. I had lost my baby girland I was heartbroken. I called myboyfriend, Jimmy, and told him toremove any evidence of her—hertoys, bowls, etc. I just couldn’t handlecoming in the house and seeing any-thing that related to her.

That night, we had friends over fordinner, and I remembered we openeda bottle of champagne and toastedSamba as the clock struck midnight.

The next morning, I got up andwent into the living room, and therewas Samba’s favorite ball, next to thecouch where she usually left it. Jimmyhad taken everything away before Ireturned home, and I knowthat ball was not therethe night before.Somehow, Ithink thiswas a signfrom

Samba, letting me know that she wasstill with me.

I met Phil in the spring of 1999. Byautumn, we were engaged and plan-ning our future. The year 2000 wasgoing to be momentous for the wholeworld, but especially for us, as wewould be getting married that May.

But on our first New Year’s Evetogether, we were so wiped out fromtraveling to Michigan to meet Phil’sfamily for the holidays, and planningthe wedding, that we just went to bedaround 9:30, and set the alarm for11:30 so we could get up and watchthe ball drop on TV. It was still thebest New Year’s I’d ever had because itwas spent with the man I was goingto marry.

Since then, every single New Year’shas been incredible—even if we juststay home. It’s wonderful having asoulmate that you can share every-thing with, and holidays are all themore special because of him. SoHappy Holidays, and Happy NewYear, honey. Thank you for makingmy life complete. TJN

By Lauren de Albuquerque



It’s a sunny afternoon in Sulphur, and 9-year-old D.J. Mitchell is sitting in the saddle onGoldie, a therapy horse at Genesis TherapeuticRiding Center.

Two “sidewalkers” hold onto D.J.’s legs, makingsure he stays balanced in the saddle, while Stephanie

Darbonne, a licensed occupational therapist at WestCalcasieu Cameron Hospital, examines D.J.’s progress with a

watchful eye.This unique horseback riding lesson is called hippotherapy, or

therapeutic horseback riding - a type of therapy that Genesis has pro-vided for 15 years – and, it’s the first of its kind in the nation to beowned and operated by a hospital.

Hippotherapy is a term that literally means “treatment with thehorse,” and can be part of an overall treatment plan for a broad rangeof children and adults with diverse needs. In hippotherapy, the

patient is positioned on – and actively responds to – the movement ofthe horse. The therapist directs the movement of the horse, analyzesthe client’s responses and adjusts the treatment accordingly. Asopposed to many traditional therapies, hippotherapy has a system-

wide impact including: balance, posture, respiration, speech/language,timing, circulation, strength, self-esteem, sensory input, perception, coor-dination, muscle tone, cognition, processing, impulsivity, emotions andbehavior – bonding and compassion.

Instead of using a saddle, D.J. is seated on a saddle pad held in place bya strap wrapped around the horse’s girth. He holds onto a handle connect-ed to the strap, while his team walks the horse around the arena.

D.J., who is autistic, has been riding at Genesis for three years. Hismother, Kimberley Mitchell, said the program has helped her son achievedramatic results.

“It’s helped him to be more social; and, it’s helped his coordination -he use to be clumsier,” she said. “Before, he struggled in school; and,

By Lisa Yates, photos by Darrell BuckStephanie Darbonne, Occupational Therapist; Hollie Clement, tech;Jessica Barefield, tech; with D.J. Mitchell riding Goldie.


Only the finest gold and silver wire iselegantly sculptured with handcraftedgemstones selected from around theworld for their exquisite characteristics.

By Designer

Charlie Wharton

now he’s on the honor roll.”Paula Koonce, Physical Medicine

Director at West Calcasieu CameronHospital, said for children like D.J.,therapeutic riding can be an indispen-sable tool to address their physical,cognitive and emotional needs.

“The therapists rarely use a saddle,”she said. “The children can correcttheir balance because they feel thehorse’s movement more directly thanthey would on a saddle.”

Koonce said the therapist will havethe children ride backwards, sideways

and even on their bellies!“Turning them backwards works

different muscles,” she said.“Sometimes there’s weakness on oneside, so we turn them sideways. Lyingflat like a potato sack helps relax them.You’ll see a lot of autistic children rock-ing back and forth to relax themselves,so we’ll get them on their bellies in thepotato sack position.”

Genesis Therapeutic Riding Centerprovides outpatient occupational thera-py services in a non-traditional healthcare setting. Koonce said the center

currently serves about 25 patients with11 on a waiting list. She said therapeu-tic horseback riding is beneficial forkids and adults with diagnosis such as:

• Autism• Traumatic brain injury• ADHD/ADD• Down’s syndrome• Stroke• Developmental delay• Cerebral palsy• Learning disabled/

behavioral disorders• Sensory integration dysfunction

• Multiple sclerosis• Other neuromuscular disordersShe said one of the components to

utilizing hippotherapy is knowing howto choose the appropriate horse for anygiven patient.

“If you have a floppy child, a childwith low muscle tone who has difficul-ty sitting up, you use a horse with afaster, choppier gait to help stimulatetheir muscles to contract which helpsthem to sit up,” Koonce explained. “Fora child whose muscles are tight, youchoose a horse with a longer, slower

OT techs Hollie Clement and Jessica Barefield prepare D.J. Mitchell for a riding lesson.

OT Stephanie Darbonne and D.J. adjust the horse’s saddle pad as Hollie holds the reins.


flowing gait in order for the movementto mobilize their pelvis and relaxthem.”

Koonce said children with autismtypically experience deficits in lan-guage and reading social cues. She saidbeing on a horse addresses many ofthese needs. For example, she has seenverbal skills increase as patients learncommands.

“We’ve had children with autismspeak their first words, not to the ther-apist, but to the horse,” she said. “Theytell the horse: ‘Go.’”

Another benefit: Children learnsequential thinking and how to followdirections.

To the best of their ability, thepatients have to halter their horse, leadtheir horse, groom their horse, tack uptheir horse and ride their horse.Koonce said this teaches responsibility.

“We work on attention and focus,especially when the child is having dif-ficulty in school,” she said. “We workwith teachers on the child’s IEP(Individualized Education Program)and help them to meet instructionalgoals. We also work with the parentsand give them homework they can dowith their child.”

Koonce said the program helps rid-ers with physical disabilities improveflexibility, balance and muscle strength.Riders with mental and emotionalstruggles build confidence, self-esteemand patience.

“Horses are non-judgmental – theyaccept you as you are,” she said. “Also,working with a big powerful animalempowers the child and builds his self-confidence. He gets to do somethinghis peers don’t do. This sets him apartfrom his peers in a positive way.”

For more information, call (337)625-3972, or visit the center at 886Landry Lane in Sulphur. Visit online atwww.wcch.com. West CalcasieuCameron Hospital is a United WayAgency. TJN


FF LYNBU AO A

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The Dot GamePlayers take turns connecting two dots. When a player completes a box, they write

their initial in the box. When all dots are connected, the player with the most boxes wins.

NEW YEAR’S - WORD SEARCHD N W O D T N U O C O G O C R

W O A A P M N L L R B E F A O

E I K E C H A M P A G N E T S

M T S S T M S H D Y L Y T E E

Y U E T O Y E P E F W S G T B

G L S M I E E M I E A G E A O

S O S O A M I R N E L N O R W

I S A E P D E Y E K C A L B L

A E S W N W P S R D M L O E G

C R D I O P A Y S I O D E L W

G T G R A A R I B Q L L L E Y

H H K H C N T R G A U U B C G

T S E T G U Y L O M B A R D O

C C N L E T H G I N T S R I F

C E R M I T I A O P U I R E P

Auld Lang SyneBabyBlack Eyed PeasCelebrateChampagneCountdownFireworksFirst NightGuy LombardoHappy New YearMidnightPartyResolutionRose BowlTimes Square


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Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com(www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission.


Planet 51(New Line Cinema, 2009)

Animated movies have alwaysbeen popular with kids, and Planet51 should be no exception. Youadults have seen this B-movie plotbefore: An alien creature terrorizesthe entire planet, but turns out to bepeaceful. This time there’s a twist.The alien is from Earth, and theplanet (Planet 51) is full of littlegreen people.

There’s one other interestingcurveball thrown in. The planet hasa culture that is just like our own,but stuck in the ’50s, right aroundthe time of America’s flying saucerscare. Planet 51, get it? Clever, huh?

To me, the whole thing was reminis-cent of the old Flintstone cartoons.Instead of Dino, the family pet is afrog-tongued gray thing straight outof the Alien movies. Everyone drivesa little flying saucer, but they justhover over paved roads. The alienswatch black and white TV, love bar-becues in the back yard and going tothe movies. The latest one comingout is a science fiction thriller calledHumaniacs III. The alien kids areall into mind control and flyingsaucers from other planets.

It’s an interesting setup. A wholeplanetful of aliens fearful of an alieninvasion. A strange creature actuallydoes touch down on Planet 51. It’sUnited States astronaut ChuckJohnson, a Buzz Lightyear kind ofguy, with a Wall-E kind of robot thathe calls “Rover.” If all this soundsjuvenile, well, it is. Your kids willprobably love it, especially whenRover gets scared and leaks oil in apuddle underneath himself. Itself.

By Dan Ellender

Director of the Children's Museum

Whatever.The story line is somewhat

tediously played out. A young aliennamed Lem has just gotten a job inthe local planetarium. (“The uni-verse is a big place, about 500 mileslong.”) He’s in love with Neera, thealien girl next door, and theirteenage romance weaves in and outof the story. Lem’s main competitionis the leader of a ’60s style protestgroup that wants to welcome thestrange creature from Earth.

The whole movie attempts to addpostmodern cultural references inmuch the way Wall-E and Back Tothe Future did, but it’s old hat andwill probably escape all except theoldest kids. There’s a mad scientistalien who wants to take outChuck’s brain, a macho gen-eral who wants him dead,and an army of bum-bling alien soldiersthat is really the onlycomic relief in themovie. The premise is sofull of potential, but itjust doesn’t get the treat-ment it deserves. At least,not enough to entertainadults.

As for your kids,they won’t see anything

they haven’t already seen on kid’s TVchannels. There are a handful ofpoop jokes and one reference toChuck Johnson’s “antenna.” Themovie carries a message of accept-ance and tolerance, something we’vehad up to our eyeballs fromHollywood. Your kids will probablynever fear mind control again.

The best thing you can say aboutthis movie is that the animation isexcellent. After decades of budgetcartoons, this is an art form that’scoming back, and providing jobs forall those out-of-work actors. Now, ifonly the writers can catch up andprovide decent storylines.

Skip this one and rent it for thekids when it comes out on video.

TJN


I’ve been filling my reading hourswith Christmas-themed books —mostly mysteries — and have foundthem fun.

My favorite of the bunch may beDecked with Folly by Kate Kingsbury.This true British cozy, part of thePennyfoot Hotel mystery series, takesplace just days before Christmas in thefirst years of the 1900s. Cecily SinclairBaxter, manager of the “country clubon the quiet southeast coast ofEngland,” and her staff are preparingfor the holidays when a dead body is

By Mary Louise Ruehr

Fun ChristmasReading

found in the duckpond. Everyone’s asuspect, includingthe staff andguests. Thedeceased was aformer employeeat the club andhad some compli-cated romanticrelationships, butwho would wantto kill him? Otherthan a couple ofmain characters,the rest are a bittwo-dimensional,and most of theirconversations arejust to move the plot along. But themystery is just complicated enough tomake it a great story, and it’s suitablefor any age.

My next favorite is an Amishromance by Cindy Woodsmall, TheSound of Sleigh Bells. In Pennsylvania,young Beth can’t get over the tragicdeath of her beau, Henry. She’s the liai-son between the Amish communityand the “Englischer” store owners, andwhen she travels to Ohio on business,she finds herself drawn to the artisticcreations of a mysterious “Old Man.”All her life, all she’s ever wanted forChristmas was a sleigh ride. And, after

a series of mistaken identities, shemight just get her wish. The story ismore full of insight about personalpain, both physical and emotional,than about Amish life, although thereare moments of reflection when“Sunday afternoon conversations ranlike threads through a homemadedress, each one helping to hold thefamily together.” It’s a very nice, quickread, perfectly suitable for all ages.

The Body in the Sleigh is thenewest of the Faith Fairchild myster-ies by Katherine Hall Page. Faith andher husband are spending Christmasin Maine when Faith finds a deadbody among the mannequins in asleigh on display at the local historical

society. Meanwhile, awoman tending hergoats on a nearbyfarm finds a baby in abasket, tucked inamong a passel ofhundred-dollar bills.Is the baby related tothe dead woman inthe sleigh? Faith takesit upon herself to findout how the womandied and to whom thebaby belongs.

The book has aslow start but the pace


does gain in intensity. It’s a goodchoice for those who want to take aleisurely vacation in a small town forthe holidays and spend time with “thewomen settled around the kitchentable with their coffee talking aboutrecipes, diets tried and untried, hus-bands, and kids. The things womentalk about.” It’s a very nice read, withsome adult language and situations.And there are holiday recipes, too.

Holiday Grind is part of theCoffeehouse Mystery series by CleoCoyle. Clare Cosi is a single motherand manager of the Village Blend cof-feehouse in New York City’s WestVillage. As the staff at the shop pre-pares for Christmas and Hanukkah,romance is in the air. Clare finds afully costumed Santa Claus dead in thesnow, and the police conclude that thedeath is the result of a random mug-ging. But Clare, who was a friend ofthe victim, is convinced that she’sfound some clues, and when she startschecking them out, her own life is putin danger. This is an enjoyable visit tothe city. Plus, there are more than 80pages filled with coffee recipes, tips,and a glossary of coffee-related terms.

Merry, Merry Ghost is CarolynHart’s second mystery based on theproblem-solving spirit of the lateBailey Ruth Raeburn. (The first wasGhost at Work.) Bailey Ruth’s ghostlyboss, Wiggins, sends her on a newassignment: watching over a youngorphaned boy who’s been united withhis elderly grandmother just beforeChristmas in Oklahoma. The boy’s ajoyful surprise to the wealthy familymatriarch, who decides to change herwill in his favor. But the relatives maynot be happy about losing their inheri-tance, and both the old woman andthe boy may be in danger. It’s up to thedead-but-bursting-with-personalityBailey Ruth to keep the boy safe.

Copyright © 2009 by Mary LouiseRuehr. Write [email protected]. TJN

Did you know that New Year’s is one of the oldest holi-days that is still celebrated today? The first known obser-vance was in ancient Babylon over 4,000 years ago.However, back then it was celebrated in March—signify-ing the new beginning of spring—and lasted 11 days.

The tradition of New Year’s resolutions also began withthe Babylonians. They made it a policy to return all itemsborrowed from one another, so they could begin the NewYear with a clear conscience.

The ancient Romans also celebrated New Year’s inMarch until 46 BC. There had been so many changesmade to the Roman calendar that the days were now outof sync with the sun. Julius Caesar felt the only way to

restore the calendar was to have New Year’s begin onJanuary 1. This tradition was eventually picked up byEgyptian and Celtic cultures.

The Origin of the New Year

TJN


706 Ryan St., Lake Charles • (337) 433-3670

It’s not hard to introduce CandiceAlexander. You can’t throw a rock inLake Charles without hitting a home,office, gallery, or festival that doesn’t fea-ture her work. She is perhaps one of themost recognized artists in the region,and because of her talent and her mar-keting efforts, it doesn’t seem as if shewill fade into the background anytimesoon.

Early yearsOriginally from Hathaway, Alexander

was, surprisingly, not exposed to muchart instruction during her younger years.

It wasn’t until the 11-year-oldmet artist Yvette Ward thatAlexander discovered a gen-uine interest for art. She quick-ly became enthralled withWard’s career as an artist, and Ward gaveher initial instruction and guidance bygiving her paintbrushes, books, and any-thing that would aid Alexander in hertutelage. “She gave me anything to createwith, and I was always doing something,”Alexander added.

After a 15-year friendship, Alexandercontinued her deep involvement in thearts by enrolling in McNeese’s art depart-

By Erica McCreedy

Each time a brush touches the surface, a new life is born.

—Candice Alexander


ment and completing a degree inprintmaking. She has blendedtogether an earlier love of graphicdesign with the printmaking skillsand knowledge she achieved atMcNeese to create her current work.

On the roadLately, the artist has been focus-

ing on life moment to moment.With a whirlwind tour still inprogress, Alexander currentlyspends her time (now and for thenext few weeks) at the AcadianaMall in Lafayette promoting andselling her wide arrangement ofprints, jewelry, shirts, paintings, andmore. When I visited her booth, Icould clearly see the success that theAlexander Art Studio has celebratedsince its installation in October of2002. In spite of the nearly over-whelming attention that Alexanderand her co-workers have received asof late, the studio is able to keep itshead above the water.

With the immense success ofMistletoe and Moss behind her,Alexander keeps her eyes on what’snext in line. The studio devotesmuch of its time to traveling shows,festivals, and events in places likeOcean Springs, Baton Rouge, andLafayette. But despite the continuouspromotional efforts, Alexander stillfinds time to work on new pieces.“Even though I’ve been gearing upfor Christmas sales, I’ve been work-ing on large oil paints that focus onabstract expression,” she said.

InspirationBut being the business-savvy

worker that Alexander is, much ofher time is devoted to figuring outwhat her customers want and how tosell it.

“The more I listen to what peoplewant, the more they love it,” sheexplained. If anything, Alexander isinspired by her customers and isconstantly altering and rediscoveringher work in accordance to what shefeels works outside of her studio.

While Alexander has spent muchtime abroad and out of state, shereturned to Lake Charles in 2006 toexperience her roots again. “I feelthat leaving was part of my success,”she said. “When I graduated in 2002,I didn’t know what I should do, so Ileft for New York City where Iworked so hard on my artwork. Butfour years later I realized that Ineeded to come back home, and it’sbeen the best three years ever.”

Since her return, Alexander hasturned her journey back home into acore inspiration in her current work.In the artist statement found on her

studio Web site, Alexander writes,“As an artist, I am exploring andrediscovering ideas and imagesthrough deconstruction, rebuilding,and layering. I am currently explor-ing themes of interpreted shiftsbetween dreamlike images and reali-ty to create surrealistic imagery.Reality shifts are the source of allsynchronicity and coincidencewhere dreams, wishes, and prayerscome true.”

Fleur de LisAlexander’s most recognized

series of late, Fleur de Lis: WorldsWithin, shares a direct correlationwith her artist statement. It layers atraditional image of the fleur-de-liswith more contemporary designsthat stretch from the natural worldto professional careers.

“If someone would have told mefour years ago that most of my workfrom the past two years would befocused on the fleur-de-lis, I wouldnever have believed them,” she said.

When Alexander was working inNew York City, she was commis-sioned by a client to create anengraving featuring the fleur-de-lis.Even though the customer neverclaimed her order, Alexanderbrought the engraving back home,and each time she made a print, itimmediately sold.

Over 300 prints later, Alexanderrealized a decision needed to bemade: Either leave behind theimmensely popular and perhaps over-used Louisiana icon or embrace it.

“I felt the need to rediscover thefleur-de-lis, and I pushed it to awhole new level. Now, the seriesbrings together professions, services,nature, food, the whimsical, and thespiritual,” said Alexander. The seriescontinues to run strong with theinclusion of the theme into jewelryand clothing.

The future in focusThe future for the Alexander Art

Studio, which is celebrating itseighth anniversary in March, is pep-pered with new projects and newways to further bring Alexander andher work to the next level. She is alsoin the conception stages of workingon a voiceover film.

While her career is rapidly pro-gressing, Alexander strives to stayfocused. “It has taken a lot to under-stand how to break through and notjust survive as an artist. It’s reallyhalf art and half business. Over thepast ten years, my art and businesshave grown. It’s my dream cometrue, but it’s speeding up.” TJN


Calcasieu Parish has the highest child abuse rate in the state.

If you suspect that a child is being abused, call your local police department immediately.You can make the difference in a child’s life.

Please contact the special services and equality office at least 72 hours before any home event to request accommodations for individuals with disabilities. This includes the need for materials in an alternative format such as large print or Braille, sign language interpreters, accessible seating, and accessible parking information. Ph: (337) 475-5428.

Dec. 22 @ 7 p.m. McNeese Men’s Basketball vs. Southern.

Sports Report

By Brandon Shoumaker

Sponsored by

Indian poet and philosopher SriChinmoy once wrote that, “Death is notthe end. Death can never be the end.”

Tell that to the contingent ofMcNeese football fans and commen-tators that is in deep mourning overthe Cowboys’ fourth-straight earlyexit from the playoffs.

Crank up The Cure. Break out theBaudelaire. It’s time to have a pity party.

After reading some columns andforum posts following McNeese’s 49-13 home loss to New Hampshire,you’d think that the Cowboys’ footballprogram couldn’t compete with theBarbe Bucs and was going to disbandand join Hofstra among the ranks ofex-football schools.

“Matt Viator’s just a high schoolcoach.” Waaaa!

“We’re being out-recruited.” Boohoo!

“The fans aren’t supportive.” Sniff!“McNeese may never win another

playoff game as long as it exists.” Mama!Was the playoff loss disappointing?

Yes. But guys, please don’t get so emo onme. You’re going to get black fingernail

polish on all of this nice, neat column.While it was kind of ironic that the

latest team to plant a tombstone onthe Cowboys’ national championshiphopes happened to be the GraniteState, I think the reports on the deathof the McNeese football program arebeyond premature.

I mean, if you look at the 2009 sea-son objectively, I think you’ll find thatMcNeese persevered in the face ofadversity. You’ll find that theCowboys had a pretty successful sea-son despite returning a grand total ofnine starters and battling a plethoraof injuries to key players.

Look at the facts. McNeese, a teamthat was predicted to finish as low as 7-4in some circles and second in the

Southland Conference in one preseasonpoll, returned just one starter on theoffensive line but was still able to aver-age 223.6 yards per game and 33 rush-ing touchdowns. Some of that had to dowith the otherworldly talent of runningback Toddrick Pendland, but thosenumbers also include the one gamePendland completely missed and thethree or so games where he played butwas less than 100 percent.

At quarterback, Derrick Fourrouxpassed for 2,307 yards and 20 touch-downs and rushed for 678 yards andfive scores. The Cowboys scored on 91percent of their red-zone opportunitiesand outscored their opponents 407-278.

In addition, freshman tailbacksChamplain Babin and Javaris Murraycame in and combined to rush for 623

It’s Not the End of the World

DECEMBER 17, 2009 PAGE 47Volume 1 • Issue 19 Sports Report

yards and six touchdowns either asbackups or starting in place of theinjured Pendland.

Again, all this with one returninglineman.

On defense, McNeese lost startinglinebacker Deron Minor for the seasonwith an injury and several Cowboysdefenders spent part of the seasonbanged up. Even so, McNeese allowedjust under 158 yards per game rushingand 191.5 ypg passing; intercepted ninepasses and forced 12 fumbles.

The Cowboys’ top three tacklers ofthe season were all sophomores. SeniorMatt Kreamer was fourth in tackles fol-lowed by Hayden Dobbs in fifth. Dobbswas a true freshman. Junior defensiveend Josh Ellison, a backup last season,led the team in sacks and tackles for loss.

Want more? In the secondary, soph-omore Seth Thomas led the team withthree interceptions while MalcolmBronson, the team’s leading tackler,added a pair of picks.

McNeese finished the season 9-3with losses coming on the road to FBSschool Tulane, on the road to a laundrybasket of penalty flags (and, conse-quently, Stephen F. Austin) and theaforementioned loss to New Hampshire.That’s one Bowl Subdivision team with22 more scholarships to hand out thanMcNeese and two FCS quarterfinalists,if you’re counting.

The Cowboys went on the road andupset the No. 2 FCS team in the nation,Appalachian State, and gave the GreenWave everything they could have want-ed before Tulane pulled away in the sec-ond half. All that and they still won apiece of the Southland Conference title.

Not bad for a bunch of underdogs.I understand the expectations fans

and media alike have of McNeese Statefootball and it has been a tough time thelast few trips to the playoffs. I get it. Butto say that the program is uncompeti-tive, that it will never win another play-off game, is ludicrous.

I don’t believe anyone has theanswers to McNeese’s playoff woes rightnow. It could be a mental block; it couldbe the Russians; it could be anything.The point is the Cowboys were youngthis season. They battled their butts offto even make the postseason and thatincludes winning its last six regular sea-son games to earn that at-large bid.UNH got ahead, McNeese got down onitself, things snowballed and it was allover. Those games happen to youngteams, especially in pressure situations.

And as far as fan support goes, let’spick a (semi-) random FBS school (Ipick Northern Illinois) and comparehome attendance. In three home gamesthis season, McNeese outdrew FBSschool Northern Illinois. That’s right.McNeese outdrew a team from the hal-

lowed FBS. Three times. Among FCSteams currently remaining in the play-offs (William & Mary, Villanova, AppState and Montana), McNeese regularlyoutdraws William & Mary andVillanova, though comes up shortagainst the other two. Last week, 2,661hardy souls came out to watch Novapound on New Hampshire in a quarter-final playoff game.

There were probably as many ormore Cowboy fans in the Superdome towatch the Tulane game than there wereactually, living Green Wave fans. Almostfive times as many fans came to watchMcNeese’s game with UNH. Sure, they

may not have stayed after the Wildcats’game-clinching pick six, but that doesn’tmean they don’t love their Cowboys.Wait until Tiger Stadium gets a load ofPokes fans.

So, yeah, McNeese’s football seasonmay have died a little prematurely thanany Cowboys fans may have hoped, butit’s not the end of the world and it does-n’t mean McNeese is through being aplayer on the national scene. The sunwill come out and McNeese will have itsday again.

Now, put away those darn ElliottSmith albums. You’re dripping tears onthis page.

BrandonShoumaker is agraduate ofMcNeese StateUniversity andhas coveredsports for morethan sevenyears for vari-ous publica-tions. Coachesor parents withstory tips may contact Brandon [email protected] or send him amessage on Twitter (@bshoumaker).

Sports ReportTJN

Brandon Shoumaker


Bea Hebert, Katsie Fanelli and Shalonda Gims

Phil and Lauren de Albuquerque with George Swift

Andrea Collins and Joey Racca

Burn Rourk and Greg Locke Peter O'Carroll and Jim Ray

Taking Care of BusinessThe Jambalaya News teamed up with the Chamber SWLA to host

November’s Chamber After Hours at our new office at 715 Kirby St. Talk about taking care of business!It certainly was the night to network. Over 150 guests enjoyed delicious

food and libations courtesy of Josh Rogers and The Landing under a hugetent from Groves Rentway. Baklava and pralines were provided by DianaBackhaus and Dru Ellender of B&B Catering. Rick Sanders of PlatinumLimo brought one of his fabulous limousines to our location so guestscould see what his company has to offer.

And many lucky folks walked away with door prizes contributed by

Platinum Limo, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Coldstone Creamery, Holiday Inn—Sulphur, The Wine Store and Expressions.

In addition, every attendee went home with a goodie bag from theCVB filled with all kinds of good stuff from area businesses such asCameron State Bank and Slender Solutions. And they all included aJambalaya News mug!

The Chamber told us that we had one of the most well attended AfterHours events that they’ve ever had.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the event the successthat it was. We all had a blast!

Tamara and Donald Landry

TJN


For more information, including a 360 degree inside view of the buildings, please visit our website at www.empireoftheseed.com. For rental information for the CalcasieuMarine Bank or the Cash Grocery & Sales, please contact Tommy Eastman of Flavin Realty, Inc. at (337)478-8530 or by email at [email protected].

The historic Calcasieu Marine Bank Building has been a part of Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana since 1928. The elegance of this treasured landmarkmakes it perfect for your special event.

Calcasieu Marine Bank844 Ryan St.

Lake Charles, LACorner of Pujo & Ryan

Cash Grocery & Sales801 Enterprise Blvd.

Lake Charles, LACorner of Broad & Enterprise

Available to rent for all your event needs!Weddings • Reunions • Corporate Events • Mardi Gras • Parties

Lauren, Derenda Grubb and Phil

Ellie Stalker, Linda Robertson and Carol Ann Gayle Chip and Tracy LeMieux Annette Garber, Kathy Armentor and Roman Jenks

Dwayne DeRouen, Kevin Hebert and Randy GoodloeMargaret McCloskey and Andrea Arceneaux


109 W. LAGRANGE, LAKE CHARLES

(337) 477-6868 (337) 477-2888

Give the gift of love this season.Gift Certificates Available!

Photo by Christina Louvierre Photography


Becky Farque and Summer Schmitz

Rosie and Kristina Bruchhaus

Laurie Moffett and Heather Priola

Milissa Thibodeaux and Tracy LeMieux Mattie Waite and Julia Walker

Mary Cathryn Conner and AnnaBeth Robideaux Angela Broussard, with Gerald and Linda Touchet Rose and Dick Ostafin

Noah and Phoebe Fincher-Dupree, Amber Mize and Jimmy Fincher-Dupree

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Enchanted roses were everywhere at the production of “Beauty andthe Beast.” With such a large cast, it was evident that those behind

the scenes worked diligently to present such a flawless production.The entire audience was drawn into the drama that included laugh-

ter, sadness and, of course, a happy ending. It was quite a sight tosee the lighted, enchanted roses waving in the air and pointed

toward the Beast to help Belle save his life. An extremely talentedcast with an ever-strong and supportive director and production

staff gave us the pleasure of a very memorable evening.

HOLIDAY & MARDI GRAS RUNWAY FASHION SHOW

The Barbara Dubose Holiday & Mardi Gras Runway FashionShow and Brunch had the glitz and glitter that was just ThePerfect Fit. Mardi Gras and holiday vendors displayed beads

and bangles, sequins and feathers, ceramics, jewelry andmore in the upper level of the Charleston Hotel. The

Runway Fashion Show was exciting and included casual,cocktail and Mardi Gras attire. It was a merry brunch with asingle red rose at every place setting. The menu included alovely tropical fruit salad followed by grits and spinach cake

topped with jumbo lump crabmeat. Dessert was a warmchocolate lava cake with a raspberry compote topped with

whipped cream. Yep, that will get you festive, all right.


Gladys and Keri Buller

Peggy Caire, Mavis Raggio, Molly Harless and Mary Savoy Colleen Phillips and Dina Cuccio

KIWANIS CLUB OF SOUTH LAKE CHARLES

Artists/exhibitors were contacted early and KevinMattingly worked diligently to spread the word that theannual Kiwanis Club Antique, Art & Handicraft Fair was

coming to town. Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club ofSouth Lake Charles since 1972, the fair has become a

shopping tradition. The Friday evening Sneak Peekincluded free gumbo with ticket purchase. Artisans and

crafters from near and far displayed a great selection of varied goods to the delight of the shoppers.

Traditionally an arts and crafts show, this year's eventhad a new look with an emphasis on art and addedevents. The featured artist was Elton Louviere, whounveiled a painting created especially for the event.

Angela Noland, Angela Matte, Nomica Guillory, Pam Robinson and Whitney Manns

Lauren and Hayley Smith and Asa Tindall


“Serving Southwest Louisiana with Excellence”

1145 Hodges St.Lake Charles • 70601Office (337) 802-7726

Fax (888) 877-6530www.alvinguillory.com

Contact John Robinson,

Realtor(337) 526-5399

[email protected]

Molly Reed and Peggy Borel Sara Simoneaux, Elisa Oakley and Nicole Medlin

Alice Manning and Dolores Edwards Don Ash and David Martin

Robert and Stephanie Ryder

Andrew, Emily and Christy Rhoads


Margaret Cromwell and Stan Chapman Jacob Theriot, Ryan Nugent and Elizabeth Ray Jenny Slaydon and David Richard

Janet and Neill Osborne Carma Manns, Conductor Predrag Gosta and Jonathan Manns

LAKE CHARLES DISCOVERY SERIES/SYMPHONY

And the beat goes on--as does the search for the next conductor for the Lake Charles Symphony. Classical music

enthusiasts had the opportunity to meet the second of fourcandidates at the home of Carma and Jonathan Manns at theThursday evening Discovery Series preceding the Symphony

performance on Sunday afternoon. Conductor Predrag Gostatalked about the upcoming performance and his choice of

compositions. On Sunday afternoon, the audience was treatedto a stunning presentation of "Pictures at an Exhibition" com-posed by Modest Mussorgsky. The orchestra, board, and thecommunity, will choose a conductor to lead the Symphony

from the 2010-2011 season forward. The two remaining candi-dates will present at concerts in early 2010.


Tracy GilmoreStylist/Barber – Manager

2406 Ryan St., Lake Charles • (337) 433-0760

Formerly at The Stag Barber Shop

Megan Peters, Gray Pumpelly, Julie Lundy and Anna Pumpelly Chasity Thomas and Tessa Oliver Carlin Chapman and Jenna Fazende

Marvin Fox, Luz-Maria Lopez and James Breaux Rebecca Holland and Jeff Doyle

POSADAS, RETABLOS AND ICONS: THE LATIN AMERICAN WAY

In celebration of her Latin American roots, Luz-Maria Lopezopened "Posadas, Retablos and Icons: The Latin American

Way" featuring her artwork at the Imperial CalcasieuMuseum's Gibson-Barham Gallery. Simultaneously, an exhibittitled "Images & Icons" was on display in the Museum Libraryfeaturing iconographic art created by Calcasieu Parish SchoolSystem art students. Raised in Honduras, Luz-Maria Lopez wasan art school student by age 10. Inspired by stories told by hergrandmother, and in her honor, Lopez shares Latin American

culture and lore and depicts the strength and beauty ofwomen like her grandmother. Words cannot aptly describe

the beauty of the art by Lopez and the students. A must see.TJN


SOWELA’S 25TH ANNUAL ART SHOW

NOW THROUGH DECEMBERSowela Technical Community College’s

25th annual art show is now on exhibit at theCentral School Arts & Humanities Center. Itincludes a wide array of industrial art from studentsin the college’s commercial art degree program. Some ofthe vivid displays were selected by a panel of local media and advertis-ing professionals to compete for placement at the local student divisionof the ADDY Awards in February 2010. The exhibit will remain at theCentral School throughout the month of December.

WESTLAKE BAND’S CHRISTMAS CONCERT DEC. 17The Westlake High School Band will present its annual Christmas con-

cert at 7 p.m. on Dec. 17 in the school’s auditorium. The Band Boosterswill serve gumbo in the school cafeteria from 5-7 p.m. before the con-cert. Cost for the gumbo is $6; concert admission is free. For more infor-mation, contact Jay Ecker, band director, at 433-6866.

TAMALES AND TEQUILA NIGHT AT ICM DEC. 17

Imperial Calcasieu Museum at 204 W. Sallier will present “Tamales, Tequilaand Jay and Maria” on Thurs, Dec. 17 from 6-9 p.m. Join us for a tamaletasting and other refreshments with a Latin flavor, sample eight differentkinds of tequila, and enjoy a dance demonstration with “lessons” by local

Latin dancers, Jay and Maria! Seating is limited; youmust have a reservation. $10 for non-museum

members; free for members.

BARBE HS SOUNDS OF THE SEASON DEC. 17The Barbe High School Chorus will present

its annual Christmas concert, “Sounds of theSeason,” at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Cathedral ofthe Immaculate Conception on the corner ofKirby and Bilbo Streets. The concert will be per-

formed by candlelight. The Barbe ShowChoir will perform some Christmas

songs after the concert. Admissionis free.

DANNY O’FLAHERTY’S IRISH CHRISTMAS DEC. 20Join entertainer Danny O’Flaherty for an Irish Christmas! A

Carol Dinner and Concert will be held at the Brickhouse, 110Pine St., at 4 p.m. on Dec. 20. Enjoy turkey and all the trimmings

prepared by Brickhouse Catering followed by a concert of Celtic holi-day tunes. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at Bella’s Bridal/Mr.Formal on 2603 Ryan St. For info/reservations, call 564-4702 or 439-4888.

KINGZ OF ZYDECO DEC. 26.Get your fill of zydeco at the Lake Charles Civic Center Coliseum! Ten

bands will be performing from noon to midnight. Hosted by Diva “D” ofKZWA’s Zydeco Radio Show and also Lafayette’s own, Cupid, don’t missthe largest Cupid Shuffle in Southwest Louisiana! Tickets are $21.50 foradults; $11 for children. On sale now at the Civic Center Box Office, or callTicketmaster at (832) 618-9006.

SACRED SPACES DEC. 26The Lake Charles Symphony is thrilled to present “The Season’s Tour of

Sacred Spaces” which replaces the annual “Holiday Home Tour” thisyear. All of the sacred spaces are located in downtown Lake Charles.From 11 a.m. -1p.m., Immaculate Conception Cathedral – 935 Bilbo Streetand Sacred Heart Catholic Church – 1102 Mill Street are available fortours. Additional churches available to tour from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. are TheEpiscopal Church of the Good Shepherd – 715 Kirkman Street, FirstUnited Methodist Church – 812 Kirkman Street, and Temple Sinai – 713Hodges Street. The tickets will be sold in advance from the Lake CharlesSymphony office. For this year only, tickets will be sold at the door theday of the event. Please call 433-1611 for more information or to pur-chase tickets. The ticket price is $25.

MJA


As we enter Hurricane Season, we are dedicated to informing you of any weather threatening Southwest Louisiana. Part of our dedication

to keeping you informed and up to date is our KYKZ 96 Hurricane Tracking Chart sponsored by Cameron State Bank and Aggreko.The KYKZ 96 Hurricane Tracking Chart will be available June 1

at our sponsor locations or at the KYKZ 96 station. More information at www.kykz.com

FRIDA AT THE ICM DEC. 29Frida chronicles the life Frida Kahlo shared unflinchingly and openly

with Diego Rivera, as the young couple took the art world by storm.From her complex and enduring relationship with her mentor and hus-band to her illicit and controversial affair with Leon Trotsky, to herprovocative and romantic entanglements with women, Frida Kahlolived a bold and uncompromising life as a political, artistic, and sexualrevolutionary. The 2002 film won two Oscars and another 12 awardsalong with 28 nominations. Begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Imperial CalcasieuMuseum. Free admission for members; $5 for non-members. For moreinformation, call 439-3793

VFW MOSS BLUFF NEW YEAR’S DANCE DEC. 31The VFW Moss Bluff is the place to be on New Year’s Eve. Enjoy the

sounds of Charles Mann and the Louisiana Pride Band and gumbo atmidnight. Admission is $15 per person; set-ups available, $5 cork/icechest fee. Located on Hwy 171 North in Moss Bluff. Contact BarbaraImpastato-McCain at 855-7887 for more info.

DELTA DOWNS NEW YEAR’S BASH DEC. 31Rock in the New Year with all of your favorite 80s party songs per-

formed by a truly unique band, The Chee-Weez. Must be 21 or older toattend. The fun starts at 9 p.m. in the Delta Events Center. Admission isFREE! For more information, call (800) 589-7441.

VFW POST 2130 NEW YEAR’S DANCE DEC. 31Ring in the New Year at the VFW Post 2130 on Country Club Road.

Dance the night away to Bayou Roots from 8 p.m.- midnight. Enjoy freegumbo and the company of good friends. The event is $25 per couple.Call (337) 477-7546 for more information.

TWELFTH NIGHT JAN. 6Kick off Mardi Gras Season 2010 at the Lake Charles Civic Center from

7-10 p.m. Twelfth Night is an enchanting evening with the 2009 royalcourts of more than 50 krewes making their last glittering promenade,ushering in the 2010 season. Luxurious door prizes, music and dancing!Tickets are $5 in advance, or $6 at the door. Children 5 and under areadmitted for free. TJN

Danny O’Flaherty


THERE IS NO COST TO ATTEND

YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS TO ATTEND:YOU MUST BE 17 YEARS OF AGE ENROLLED IN THE TWELFTH GRADE OF

ANY CALCASIEU PARISH HIGH SCHOOL OR STATE-APPROVED NONPUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL OR PARTICIPATING AT THE TWELFTH GRADE LEVEL IN A HOME

STUDY PROGRAM APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION, OR ANY PERSON CURRENTLY REGISTERED TO VOTE

IN THE PARISH OF CALCASIEU. YOU MUST TAKE AND PASS THE OPEN BOOK TEST ON ELECTIONS LAWS WHICH WILL BE GIVEN AT THE CLASS.

IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION YOU MAYCONTACT PAULETTE DARTEZ,

DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS AT 437-3558, EXT. 123

COMMISSIONERS NEEDEDIf you are interested in employment as a commissioner working at a polling place on election day my electiondepartment will hold a general course of instruction

for new commissioners

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2010 AT 6:00 P.M.At the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse, 1000 Ryan Street,

Lake Charles, Louisiana, in Courtroom A, on the 3rd Floor.

YOU WILL BE TAKING AN OPEN BOOK TEST ON ELECTION LAWS.The class will last approximately 3 hours. You will need to

bring a pen or pencil everything else will be furnished.

Christmas We Have Heard On HighBy Leslie Berman

For most of my life, I’ve concealed a guilty pleas-ure: I love Christmas music. Solemn, silly, or senti-mental, traditional, modern or post-modern,whether it calls to me from a TV or movie screenwith surround-sound, spits tinny and underampli-fied from the Salvation Army bell-ringer’s boombox,or billows out of my old car’s rattling and cracklingfade-in-and-out speakers – I just love it all.

I hear those first notes of anyone’s recording of“White Christmas” playing on some Lite-FM radiostation, or find myself shopping in Books-A-Millionto the strains of “Santa Baby” or “Jingle Bell Rock,”and I start to bop and hum, or even sing out loud, asa great contentment steals over me.

Which I’d be the first to admit is really quite odd,because I’m Jewish, from an Orthodox family, andunlike some Jews from non-Orthodox traditions, Igrew up without Christmas. I don’t mean I didn’tknow about it, that I missed all the signs of theapproaching season from street banners to depart-ment store sales, that I never saw It’s A WonderfulLife or Miracle On 34th Street.

No, what I mean is that my family didn’t anddoesn’t celebrate Christmas. To this day, we have no

tree strung with lights and a carefully preserved col-lection of ornaments, we hang no wreaths or mistle-toe, our real estate is never decorated with blow-upvinyl yard Santas or Styrofoam rooftop reindeersleighs, and never in my life have we gone caroling,or stayed awake sipping hot cocoa so we could par-ticipate in a Midnight Mass.

That’s because I grew up without Jesus, as Jewishpeople do not follow him, and we are still waiting forthe coming of the Messiah. Friends who are goodChristians have often suggested that I should cele-brate Christmas anyway – make my own rituals, andshare in the holiday’s secular traditions without feel-ing guilty about ignoring its fundamental meaning.

They often argue that as there’s been a substantialdecline in the religious focus of the season forChristians (as amply evidenced by the commercial-ization of the holiday, which seems to be whatthey’re inviting me to enjoy), the holiday I would becelebrating would be about family and community,about gifts and food.

But despite their good intentions, I find that I canonly participate in the season secondhand, throughthe eyes and experiences of my Christian friends,

welcomed, to be sure, as an honored guest; butalways aware that I am an outsider.

Because once, while living in Israel nearly 40years ago, I went to Bethlehem as a Christmas Evesightseer. There, at the site of the shrine of themanger, in the company of many Christian pilgrims,I discovered that a modern day Christmas, for all itspagan and popular shopping and giving rituals, is,first and foremost, the time for his followers to cele-brate Jesus’ birth. Standing in the silent, reverentcrowd, I could appreciate their practices as a respect-ful fellow visitor, but as a non-believer, I could nottap in to the feelings of wonder, love and joy thatmust have satisfied fundamental longings of thosearound me who clearly did believe.

So how could someone Jewish, not in commun-ion with the Christian world, nevertheless feel sowarmed by Christmas music? I’ve been thinkingabout this aloud today in the company of award-winning lyricist Pamela Phillips Oland (who penned,among hundreds of other songs, the Grammy-nomi-nated and Country Music Award -winning “NobodyLoves Me Like You Do,” debuted by WhitneyHouston and Jermaine Jackson on the soap “As The


World Turns,” and honored for the Anne Murrayand Dave Loggins version).

Oland is a nice Jewish girl who’s written severalwonderful Christmas songs (including “New YorkChristmas” sung by Nashville-based singer/writerBenita Hill, herself an author of two of GarthBrooks’ number one hits).

To begin with, Oland and I noted the enduranceof Jewish composer Irving Berlin’s “WhiteChristmas.” It’s still the best-selling single of all time,although it was written andfirst recorded nearly 70years ago. It’s thesubject of a

Broadway musical, countless articles, and scholarlyand popular books.

That song defined for us a simpler time, evokingwhat New York Times journalist Stephen Holdenhas called a “primal nostalgia” – a pure longing forroots, home and the safety and security of child-hood – couched in memories of AmericanChristmases past. (Berlin embraced and laudedAmerica in many songs that captured our nationalqualities, values and dreams; his “God BlessAmerica” became the rallying anthem that salvedour wounded psyches following the attacks of9/11.) When I hear “White Christmas,” I oftenburst into tears. Childhood, nostalgia, longing,

indeed.Then Oland told me that when she writes

any song, she begins by remembering thatit’s the listeners she’s writing for, whether or

not she’s had their feelings or experiencesherself. So, she channels their presenceand imagines her lyrics falling on theirears, as she selects simple and straight-forward words that will bridge any gapbetween them, to be sure she’s convey-

ing her ideas in ways her listeners will understand. And Christmas songs? “Well, Christmas is about

love,” Oland told me. And suddenly I got it: I canhear and feel love in Christmas music and decora-tions, in community and church rituals, and ofcourse, in family and friends’ gatherings, because allof these are ways to express and share the comfortand joy that rest at the core of Christmas.

After we parted, I listened to a few of Oland’sChristmas songs, which like Berlin’s chart-topperexpress love, warmth, and nostalgia. I’m especiallyfond of “Christmas All Year Long,” which capturesmy sentiments perfectly: “I’ve waited all yearthrough / To finally reach December / ‘Cause that’swhen we’re reminded / That love is still alive andstrong / I’m wishin’ it were Christmas - All yearlong....”* To find out more about Pamela PhillipsOland’s wonderful work, check out her website atwww.pamoland.com.

*“Christmas All Year Long,” Music by Steve Bramson,Lyrics by Pamela Phillips Oland © 2003 FamousMusic/Paramount (ASCAP). TJN


In the spirit of the season the LAKE CHARLES LEAGUE

OF WOMEN VOTERSwishes you all the joys of the season. May you be blessed with peace, love and joy now and in the coming year.

PO Box 180, Lake Charles, LA 70602www.lwv-lc.org • [email protected] • (337) 474-1864

P.O. BOX 1120GRAND CAYMAN

KY1-1101(337) 436-7800 Ext. 110

Service HoursMon - Fri 6am-10pmSat & Sun 6am-9pm


The

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16• T-Joe Romero @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music,

Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Alvin Touchet @ Blue Duck Cafe, 7:30 p.m.• Jamie Bergeron & The Kickin’ Cajuns @

Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.• Centerfire @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino,

Westlake, 8 p.m.• Benji, Mike & Wayne @ Caribbean Hut, 9 p.m.• Scotty Doland @ Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17• Felton LeJeune & The Cajun Cowboys @ DI’s

Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Grove Inc @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8 p.m.• Come On And Go With Us @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.• Leroy Thomas & The Zydeco Roadrunners @

Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.• Rio Sabine @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino,

Westlake, 9 p.m.• Rockstar Karaoke @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,

L’Auberge du Lac, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18• Al Roger & Louisiana Pride @ DI’s Cajun Food &

Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Percy Sledge @ Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.• Crooks Carnival @ OB’s Bar & Grill, 8 p.m.• Laurel & The Electric Circus/Handsome Harry @

Toucan’s, 8 p.m.• ThingFish/Tracy McGinnis @ Caribbean Hut, 8 p.m.• Grove Inc @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton,

8:30 p.m.

• Idle Minds @ My Place, 9 p.m.

• Briant Lloyd Smith and Hot Gritz @ Blue Duck Cafe, 9 p.m.

• Band X @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

• Cold Sweat @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.

• Meriwether/Parallel The Sky/The Silent Planet @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m.

• Fresh Nectar/Lochness Mobsters/Drew Landry & The Dirty Cajuns @ Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19• Joe Simon & Louisiana Cajun @ DI’s Cajun Food &

Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Saints-Cowboys Game @ My Place, 7 p.m.• Abatis @ Toucan’s, 8 p.m.• Justin Pierce/Cold Sweat @ Caribbean Hut, Isle of

Capri Casino, Westlake, 8 p.m.• Steel Shot @ Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.• Grove Inc @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8:30 p.m.• Band X @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.• Elle!oh!Elle/Starluck @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m.• Electric Mudd/The Chris Shearman

Experience, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20• Zydecane @ Fred’s Lounge, 5 p.m.• Kevin Naquin & The Ossun Playboys, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22• Travis Benoit & Allons Dance @ DI’s Cajun Food &

Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23• Howard Noel & Cajun Boogie @ DI’s Cajun Food &

Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Alvin Touchet @ Blue Duck Cafe, 7:30 p.m.• Handsome Harry/Scotty Doland @ Luna Bar &

Grill, 8 p.m.• Devil & The Details @ Toucan’s, 8 p.m.• Parker James & Fat Boy South @ Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.• Whiskey South/Ceth Talbot @ Caribbean

Hut, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24• The Hotel Cazin Band @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music,

Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Coming Home Party @ Toucan’s, 8 p.m.• Ka-Nection @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8 p.m.• Static @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac

Casino, 9 p.m.• Shimmur @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.• Jag @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino,

Westlake, 9 p.m.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25• Merry Christmas Party @ Luna Bar & Grill, 8 p.m.• Johnny Raincloud Christmas Party @

Toucan’s, 8 p.m.• Foret Tradition @ Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.• Matt DelRossi @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs,

Vinton, 8:30 p.m.• Static @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,

L’Auberge du Lac Casino, 9 p.m.• Shimmur @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino,

Kinder, 9 p.m.• Classie Ballou @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of

Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26• Sean Ardoin @ Lake Charles Civic

Center, 11 a.m.

To list your event e-mail: [email protected]


Call our sales department for sponsorship information!

(337) 436-7800715 Kirby St, Lake Charles

MONDAY NIGHTS:Abita Beer Night

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS:Mondo Martini Night

THURSDAY NIGHTS:Be Well Night

Thurs. Dec. 17 @ 9:00COME ON AND GO WITH US & MORE...

Fri. Dec. 18 @ 10:00FRESH NECTAR, LOCHNESS MOBSTERS & DREW LANDRY & THE DIRTY CAJUNS

Sat. Dec. 19 @ 10:00THE ELECTRIC MUDD

Wed. Dec. 23 @ 8:00X-MAS EVE - EVE W/ HANDSOME HARRY BAND

Wed. Dec. 23 @ 10:00SCOTTY DOLAND

Fri. Dec. 25 @ 8:00MERRY X-MAS PARTY

Sat. Dec. 26 @ 10:00RESEARCH TURTLES, THE AMORISTS & THE LAST CHALERON

Wed. Dec. 30 @ 10:00SCOTTY DOLAND

Thurs. Dec. 31 @ 9:00PAPER PLAINS & MORE ...

Fri. Jan. 1 @ 6:00CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

Sat. Jan. 9 @ 10:00FOR KARMA & BROTHERS AND KINGS

• Hooterbros @ KC Hall, Westlake, 6 p.m.

• Scotty Pousson & The Pointe aux Loups Playboys @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• Travis Matte & The Kingpins @ Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.

• Matt DelRossi @ Gator Lounge, Delta Downs, Vinton, 8:30 p.m.

• Research Turtles/The Amorist/The Last Challaron @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.

• Shimmur @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

• Cedryl Ballou @ Caribbean Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, Westlake, 9 p.m.

• Magnolia Sons/In Liquid/Snidely Whiplash @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 10 p.m.

• Mike Zito @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill, L’Auberge du Lac Casino, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27• Warren Storm/Willie Tee & Cypress

@ Yesterday’s, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30• Geno Delafosse & French Rockin’

Boogie @ Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.• Chris Louviere @ Caribbean

Hut, 9 p.m.• Scotty Doland @ Luna Bar &

Grill, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31• Howard Noel & Cajun Boogie @ DI’s

Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Chris Miller & Bayou Roots @ VFW

Post 2130, 8 p.m.• Abatis @ My Place, 8 p.m.• Paper Plains @ Luna Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.• Butt Roxx @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 10 p.m.• Mojeaux @ Jack Daniels Bar & Grill,

L’Auberge du Lac Casino, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 1• Capital One Bowl Showing @ My

Place, Noon• Travis Benoit & Allons Dance @ DI’s

Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Nivero/Broadmore @ AJ’s Bar &

Grill, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2• Briggs Brown & The Bayou Cajuns

@ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• Gary Allan @ Coushatta Casino Pavilion, Kinder, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 3• Blues Tonic @ Mary’s Lounge, 5 p.m.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7• T-Joe Romero @ DI’s Cajun Food &

Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.• Twangsters Union @ Caribbean

Cove, Isle of Capri Casino, 8 p.m.• Chubby Carrier & The Bayou

Swamp Band @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8• Don Fontenot & Les Cajuns de la

Prairie @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• The Molly Ringwalds @ Yesterday’s, 8 p.m.

• Trim @ My Place, 9 p.m.• Odyssey @ Mikko, Coushatta

Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.• Tyler Read/The Silent Planet @ AJ’s

Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m.• Daylight Broadcast/Godspeed the

Jackal/The Roaring 20s @ Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9• Mack Manuel & The Lake Charles

Ramblers @ DI’s Cajun Food & Music, Basile, 6:30 p.m.

• Odyssey @ Mikko, Coushatta Casino, Kinder, 9 p.m.

• Static @ AJ’s Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m.• For Karma/Brothers and Kings @

Luna Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. TJN


Here at The Jam we’re busy little elves,

Putting out a publication that’s flying off the shelves.

Now we’re sending out some holiday cheer,

To thank y’all for making this such a fabulous year!

Happy Holidays from...

The Jambalaya News

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