Trinity Community Health Care will celebrate 15 years of “Primary Health Care Service Regardless One’s Ability to Pay,” opening in Winnfield July 1, 2009, and expanding through the years to provide services in Grant, Bienville, Lincoln, Rapides and Avoyelles parishes.

Launched as Winn Community Health Center with 5 employees and one small office behind the old Sonic on the 5-lane, the health center has grown to include the 6 parishes with over 300 employees.  The name “Trinity” was adopted as the center expanded over time with multi-parish clinics.  In 2023, Trinity treated 144,000 patients, including those on Medicaid, Medicare, private pay and uninsured.  Since 2009, Trinity has served 850,000 patients.  Trinity has a $20 million annual payroll and over $55 million in assets.  

Services include primary care medicine, pediatrics, mental health and behavioral services, dental health, podiatry, pharmacy and at some centers, gastro-intestinal services.  They also offer diagnostic testing in eye care and diabetics.  Trinity has 40 school-based clinics in Winn and Rapides parishes, with some 12,000 students enrolled.

During the spring groundbreaking of the 3-story, 52,000 square foot headquarters in Winnfield of their multi-parish health center, CEO Deano Thornton explained that in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he was mayor at the time and became acutely aware of the lack of local health care services available to Medicare patients.  

An answer seemed to lie in the Federally Qualified Health Center program which local individuals began to pursue.  In July 2009, Winn Community Health received that FQHC designation.  Thornton would resign as mayor to pursue this larger dream.  In the face of early observers suggesting that they “might be moving too quickly,” the CEO noted, “We now have 7 stand-alone clinics plus our 40 school-based clinics.” 

He told the Journal, “At Trinity, we want to bring more specialty services to our communities.  There are several expansion projects in the works that should be announced in the next few months.”

The new Winnfield facility is now under construction and is expected to take 18 months to complete. The first floor will house the pharmacy, pediatrics, primary care, behavioral health and radiology. The second floor will house oral health services, vision health services, and physical therapy. The third floor will house administration, billing, finance, IT and medical records for the entire Trinity network, along with a large meeting room and a commercial kitchen. 

Paid Content

By Michelle Bates

A new hotel and two new restaurants could be on their way to Arcadia with the passage of a resolution by the Arcadia Town Council in support of an investment company interested in building here.

In June’s town council meeting, Mayor O’Landis Millican explained that Black Gems Investments is interested in building a hotel and two restaurants – Little Caesar’s Pizza and Dunkin’ Donuts. The hotel and two restaurants would be located on nine acres north of the Sonic Drive-In.

“…the Town of Arcadia stands in support of Black Gems Hospitality, and are excited to work with them for the economic development growth of the Town of Arcadia,” the resolution reads in part. “We stand in full support of all three anticipated projects and any future projects.”

“This is a group that is formed of 16 different others,” Millican said, explaining they are building a casino in Chicago and have a “Zip’s Cleaners” in Grambling.

“Their plan is to develop the property that Douglas Sapp has, and they’ve already been approved,” he continued. Speaking to council members, he said, “You’ll see in your packets approval from Red Roof Inn, and they’re looking to build a four-story HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof.”

The investment group already has financial backing by Gibsland Bank & Trust Arcadia, the mayor continued, adding the timeline of construction would be seven to eight months once everything is finalized.

“They plan to do a modular build,” he said. “They’ll bring it in on trucks and build it on-site. They’re just waiting to sign the contract with the modular company.” Little Caesar’s and Dunkin’ Donuts will be “pod-style” restaurants, in which both restaurants will be a small scale drive-through.

“They’re looking to attract traffic off of Interstate 20,” Millican said. “And they’ll use Dunkin’ Donuts to distribute donuts to stores throughout our area.

“The issue they’re dealing with right now is a bedding issue,” he continued. “If they can get 60 percent of the beds filled at the Red Roof Inn, they’ll build a Hilton studio hotel as well.”

Investors said they see the multi-faceted plan as a way to address what they claim is a lack of on-campus housing at GSU and food insecurity both on campus and in the community. The studios that may be coming to Arcadia would focus on housing students from GSU, according to an April 12 article from the Ruston Daily Leader.

The university would shuttle students to and from school.

“Grambling will be like a light shining on a hill for the rest of the folks to see,” investor Douglas Sapp said. Sapp, who lives in Houston, is an Arcadia native whose family has a long history in the Grambling-Arcadia area.

Town Attorney Sean Crain explained the process by which Arcadia will annex Sapp’s nine acres north of Sonic. In short, he said he’d submit a petition to have it approved by the Bienville Parish Police Jury.

“At the next council meeting, the town will just follow the normal procedure for annexation,” Crain said. “Once the ordinance has been passed, the town will need to file it with the (Bienville Parish) Clerk of Court within 10 days, and it will become effective 30 days after passing.”

Councilman Timothy Williams, District 5, made the motion to accept the resolution, seconded by Councilman Joseph Pruitt Jr., and the vote was unanimous in favor.

Nancy Bergeron, of the Ruston Daily Leader, contributed to this report.

By Michelle Bates

The 41st 2024 Saline Watermelon Festival is fast approaching, and it will have a variety of activities for the whole family.

Set for Saturday, July 13, the annual watermelon festival will begin with the Saline Watermelon Pageant Thursday, July 11, and Friday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. both nights at the Saline High School gymnasium. The pageant crowns are custom this year, Festival President Anna Duck said.

On the day of the festival, each queen will participate in the annual parade, whose lineup begins at 9 a.m. with the parade beginning at 10 a.m.

On Festival Day, His Mission Team Bass Tournament will be at 5:30 a.m. until 2:45 p.m., where participants can fish any lake. However, registration will be at the Mill Creek Public Boat ramp, Friday, July 12, from 6 until 7 p.m. Weigh-in will be at 2:45 p.m., at the festival stage. First place will win $500. Contact the mission team for more information at 318-471-7047 or 318-268-1134. Proceeds from the bass tournament will be used to support their out-of-state missions, helping families in need. It will also support local missions where the organization helps elderly and the under-privileged with handicapped ramps, safety issues and minor home repairs.

With a time to be announced, SWF is bringing back the arm wrestling contest, which will be held on Festival Day at 4th Street. Must be 18 to enter, or 15-17 year-olds with parents’ consent. There will be a $20 entry fee with awards for first, second and third places. “It’s been 24 years since the last arm wrestling event,” Duck said. For more information, contact Robby Morgan at 318-540-3183 or John Warren.

A car show will also be presented with open classes, including to cars, trucks, tractors, bikes, Jeeps, or military vehicles. Admission is free for spectators and families. For more information, contact Quince Plunkett at 318-259-7466.

The Dam Melon Run will be Saturday morning at 7 a.m., with a $20 registration fee. All proceeds from the run will benefit the Storehouse of Saline Food Pantry. Sign up will begin at 6 a.m. at Saline High School. Awards will be given to first, second and third place in all age groups. The race will begin at 1255 Cooper Street in Saline.

The Festival Committee is also presenting its first photo contest, where winners will be announced on kick-off night, Monday, July 8. Each 8×10 photo will be placed in the windows of all the businesses in downtown Saline all week.

Karaoke Night will also return this year on Festival Day from 4 until 6 p.m. There will be three rounds, with a prize awarded to first place. Contact Stephanie Goss at 318-581-1275 or Lee Cavazos at 318-542-2618 for more information. Entry forms can be picked up and dropped off at BFE Pool Hall/Tea Shop, located at 129 Highway 9 in Saline.

“The festival is the biggest it’s been since 1999,” Duck said.

Festival t-shirts will also be available for sale for $20. Sizes include Youth: XS, small, medium and large; Adult: small, medium, large, XL, 2XL and 3XL. Call any member of the festival committee or email salinewatermelonfestival24@gmail.com.

There will be many more activities for everyone in the whole family all week long before Festival Day. Go to their Facebook Page for more details.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries would like to thank Governor Jeff Landry for signing Act 272 into law, as well as the Louisiana State Legislature, and Representative Dewitt, for the passage of HB 802.

Act 272 is an act that recognizes the ethical obligations of a hunter to recover game they have taken and provides for a legal method to do so.  It allows a licensed hunter or tracker to pursue a deer that was legally shot and mortally wounded, to utilize lights and a blood-trailing or tracking dog, and then dispatch the deer with a handgun if the deer is found alive. This does not include LDWF Wildlife Management Areas.

Certain restrictions apply to this activity to prevent the unlawful use of dogs to hunt deer and nighttime hunting activity. No more than one dog may be used per tracking party in pursuit of the wounded deer. However, a second dog may be utilized for the purpose of deer retrieval training. Tracking dogs shall be on a handheld leash or utilize a GPS tracking collar. Any mortally wounded deer discovered alive after legal hunting hours may be dispatched by the licensed hunter or tracker by using a centerfire handgun with a barrel no longer than six inches caliber no larger than .45 or smaller than .25. The licensed hunter or tracker may pursue a mortally wounded deer onto private property only if he has received verbal or written permission from the landowner.

This law becomes effective on August 1.

My youngest sister just had a baby pretty recently. I say recently, but Mila is about 6 months old now and she is like a real-life baby doll. At six months old, they become a little more fun. They are starting to eat baby food, sit up and perhaps become a tad bit mobile. But I also remember with my three, that is about the time that their little personalities start to shine through. Not to mention, parents are hopefully getting a little more sleep at this point, which makes everyone a lot happier in general.  

My sister brought Mila over to my parents’ house last Sunday for Father’s Day. We were all just getting together to share a meal and letting all the kids run around the yard to burn some energy off in hopes that they would pass out and get a good night’s rest before we started a brand-new week.  

 My youngest, Kameron – and now officially my last baby – just turned three last month. Looking at Kameron, especially when she is interacting with Mila, always makes me sentimental. I always find myself wondering where those three years went. I hold the memory of her as a tiny 7-pound baby dearly in my heart, as well as my older two girls. But the older they get the harder it is to remember. Sure, big milestones like when they first learned to crawl, walk, their first day of school, losing their first tooth – all of those are easy to remember.  

It’s those mundane moments of motherhood that are the hardest to recall, but in my opinion the most precious – the quick joy of a late-night run to grab ice cream, the comfort of us all piling up in bed during a thunderstorm, the instant healing of a scrape with just a quick kiss from mom.  

Not to mention the constant changing of diapers, picking up messes on a daily basis and always having to decide what’s for supper. It can be draining at times and downright stressful at others, but it’s also beautiful – even those mundane moments of just everyday life. 

To be honest, probably 90 percent of our lives are made up of mundane moments. Yes, we have big trips planned sometimes that we look forward to for months, big life events scattered throughout, and there is always Christmas. But overall, it is those unassuming moments that fill in the in-between and they can be truly magical if you let them.  

When you look back on your childhood, what are some of the first things that you recall? When I think back, yes, I remember going to the waterpark maybe once a year, I remember big family reunions and getting our first puppy, but I also remember and deeply cherish just being outside riding bikes up and down the street with my cousins. I remember helping my mom shell peas on the front porch. I remember sneaking away to play in my aunt’s makeup. I remember little fishing trips with my dad. All those memories bring back such a level of comfort for me and stick out in my head more than anything else.  

Little moments like that truly become the biggest memories. I know it is hard, but if we as parents can remember that – it makes such a difference. So, you may think you’re just spending a boring day at home, letting them sit at a table while they finger paint and just trying to get through the day, but that just might be a core memory that they sit back and reflect on as an adult – being comfortable and feeling loved in a home, surrounded by their parents, spending time doing something they love with their sisters. You never know.  

There is ordinary magic that can be found in each day of your motherhood journey even through all the mess and mundane.

(Paige Gurgainers is a mother of three girls, publisher of Bienville Parish Journal and Claiborne Parish Journal and a digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)

A Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer for less than 12 hours, Ray Sibille sat on the couch in the lobby of the cozy Church Street Inn on a heat-em-up Sunday morning by the Cane River, his smile modest and sincere, bright as the morning sunshine.

“I still can’t believe it,” he said. “Everything’s been so wonderful. Just perfect. What a weekend…”

Just out of the elevator and around the corner comes Pat Day, a Colorado native and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee in 1991, in Natchitoches for the weekend, for his buddy Sibille. More handshakes and smiles.

Somewhere within their gravitational pull was Eddie Delahoussaye of New Iberia, a 2002 LASHOF inductee and a man who was almost as happy with Sibille’s induction as Sibille himself. Throw in Day and, between the three, you can count about 15,000 wins and $250 million in winnings.

Lot of money. Lot of winner’s circles. But to be a part of the Class of 2024, that seemed for Sibille to override all the rides around all the tracks.

“I thought I might go into the Hall a dozen years ago with Eddie,” Sibille said. “Then I thought, ‘Well, maybe I wasn’t quite good enough.’ But you know what? God’s timing is better than mine.

“If I’d have gone in then, my first grandson would be this big,” he said, pretending to hold a baby to his shoulder and pat it on the back. “And my other one wouldn’t be born yet. Now they’re both here and …”

What he didn’t say said it all. He just smiled. Pat Day smiled.

Through the glass front of the Church Street Inn, the bright sun poured through.

Saturday night’s audience in the Special Events Center behind the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame & Northwest Louisiana History Museum was among the largest and most receptive in the history of the Induction Ceremonies. Such a beautiful crowd. Smiles and laughter and a deep appreciation not only for the accomplishments of the inductees, but even more so for the personalities themselves, for the people who through a combination of genes and talent and work ethic and fate, found themselves in the glow of a night they won’t forget.

A few, like Sibille, had to stop for just a moment during their brief induction interviews Saturday might, stop and gather their emotions when they thanked some of the many people who helped each of them realize their dream.

The first inductee, Bobby Ardoin, set the tone when he cried, for just a moment, thanking his adoptive parents who, it turns out, raised a tireless educator and writer. “They let me do just about anything I wanted,” Bobby said to laughs. (They raised a good one.)

Grambling icon Wilbert Ellis brought about 200 fans with him (no exaggeration) and did not disappoint as he accepted the Ambassador Award, only the second ever awarded. In his acceptance interview, he preached respect and education, (and “preached” is used as a metaphor here, but just barely). Love Coach Ellis.

When he was a young coach, Class of 2024 inductee Frank Monica saw his Lutcher football team’s 27-0 winning streak snapped in the Class AAA 1976 semifinals by Jesuit, now Loyola, of Shreveport. At Lutcher, too. But after the game, Monica came into the winners’ locker room, got on a bench and told the Flyers how proud he was of them, congratulated them on how good of a team they were, and wished them a state championship — which they won the next week at Winnfield. So he lost with class — but he had plenty of opportunities to win with class, too: he’d go on to coach three different schools to three state titles. And all weekend in Natchitoches, he and his family beamed and spread the humor and humility.

Seimone Augustus. Perry Clark. Kevin Jackson. Kerry Joseph. Every inductee present radiated a sincerity and graciousness no one could fake. Go see them sometime. They’ll be waiting for you, in the Hall.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

I believe 2016 was the last time Toledo Bend was on fire. Well, 2024 has been very similar to that year so far. The Bend is once again an awesome fishery that is putting out not only quality bass, but bass over ten pounds. This past May during the Bob Sealy Big Bass Splash was the proof that anglers were looking for.

Now understand, all lakes go through some periods of decline and most rebound with good management. It’s like a deer lease; the only way to have quality deer is to manage the herd. It’s been through the coordination and dedication of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Management (TPWM) that Toledo Bend has been able to rebound and become one of the best fisheries in the south.

Here are some numbers from mid-May’s Sealy Big Bass Splash that will illustrate just how good the Bend is fishing at this time.

• Over the course of three days anglers brought in 94 bass over 6 pounds with 35 of those over 7.00 pounds. 
• For the first time in years the top 4 bass of the event were over 10 pounds….10.06, 10.52, 10.58, along with the winning bass of 10.64 lbs. 

All Sealy events also have an hourly payback for the top 15 bass each hour. Here’s what it took just to make the Top 15 each hour.

• Friday – it took a 4.16 lb. bass to make the Top 15.
• Saturday – it a 4.13 lb. bass to make the Top 15.
• Sunday – it took at least a 3.72 lb. bass to make the Top 15.

Now to the average person these numbers may not mean much, but to an avid bass fisherman they are eye popping. The numbers show just how good of a fishery Toledo Bend is currently. Additionally, it proves that the lake is putting out quality bass and that will encourage tournament organizations to schedule more events on the Bend.

Now there are other factors that have helped the Bend to become, once again, one of the best bass lakes in the country. Over the last year, there has been a resurgence of grass or what biologist call hydrilla. Both ends of Toledo Bend have good grass beds from Blue Lake (north of San Miguel) down to Housen Bay and Six Mile areas.  Lower water levels of 2023 and early 2024 have also been a factor due to the fact it has allowed more vegetative growth in the shallow water areas.

One thing is clear, Toledo Bend is once again in the category of “Best Lakes in America.” While Mother Nature is the determining factor on just how good this lake will be in the future, it’s up to all anglers to do our part with fish management. It’s our job to take care of our catch on tournament day and make sure the fish we release back into the lake are in great condition to be caught again.

Till next time, good luck, good fishing and let’s all try to practice catch and release on all our waterways. Keep what you can eat and throw the rest back to be caught another day.  

Steve Graf                                                                                             

Angler’s Perspective

Please send all non-profit calendar events to bpjnewsla@gmail.com

July 11 – 12

Saline Watermelon Festival Pageant – Saline High School Gymnasium

July 13 

Saline Watermelon Festival 

August 1 (10 – 12:30 p.m.)

Summer Lunch & Learn hosted by the Circle of Bienville Medical Center

The Arcadia Event Center

RSVP to Sharla McClusky at 318-572-0274 or sharla.mcclusky@ahmgt.com

September 6 & 7 

The Riley Jinks Memorial Rodeo, Ringgold

October 12 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

Car Show with Prizes, Raffles, Cake Auction and Food Trucks benefiting CASA

1952 N. Railroad Ave, Arcadia, La.

The following arrests were made by local law enforcement agencies. 

June 18

Eddie Crawley, 71, of Gibsland, was charged with battery of a dating partner (misdemeanor).

Cne Coleman, 34, of Heflin, was charged as a fugitive and with maximum speed limit. She was also arrested on a warrant for failure to appear (felony).

June 21

John Cheatwood Jr., 36, of Castor, was charged as a fugitive.

Christopher Proulx, 41, of Arcadia, was arrested on a charge of child support obligation (misdemeanor).

June 22

Juan Vargas, 46, of Dallas, Texas, was charged with maximum speed limit and driver must be licensed.

Keunda Lard, 34, of Ringgold, was arrested on two warrants for failure to appear (both misdemeanors).

Alex Hullaby, 35, of Ringgold, was charged with domestic abuse battery involving strangulation (felony).

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Notice of Death – June 25, 2024

Malachi Brown

Dec. 30, 2022 – June 18, 2024

Homer, La. 

Visitation: 1 – 6 p.m., Thursday, June 27, 2024, Memorial Funeral Home, Homer, La. 

Graveside service: 10 a.m., Friday, June 28, 2024, Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Haynesville, La. 

Douglas Davis

May 08, 1935 – April 24, 2024

Arcadia, La. 

Graveside Service: 10 – 11 a.m., Saturday, June 29, 2023, Hurricane Cemetery, Athens, La.

Charles “Bo” Thomas Blackwood

Oct. 23, 1940 – June 08, 2024

Homer, La. 

Memorial service: 2 – 3 p.m., Saturday, June 29, 2024, Cornerstone Church (formerly First UMC), Homer, La. 

Bienville Parish Journal publishes paid complete obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $80. Contact your funeral provider or bpjnewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Above death notices are no charge.)

By Brad Dison 

On Friday, Bert and Angie Hood were driving north on Hwy 155 from Saline. Just past Friendship, they passed a log truck which was driving about 35 to 40 miles per hour. As they neared Cox railroad crossing, they slowed to a stop for a passing train. They occupied the only car stopped on the south side of the railroad tracks.

Angie told Bert that they were having a run of bad luck because they had gotten stuck behind a slow log truck and then got stuck waiting on a passing train. Bert looked in his mirrors and said, “Oh my God, Oh my God.” He put the car in reverse and began backing up. Angie said she thought the train was going to blow up.

Then, the log truck they passed just minutes earlier passed them in the left lane and slammed into the train. The train dragged the truck to the left and all Angie could see was the trailer full of logs coming towards the driver’s side of their car. Angie screamed, “God please help us, God please help us!” She said “It seemed as if Bert could have rolled down his window and touched the logs. Wood debris and sap pounded the car, and we feared the worse would happen.

But God was there and said, not today. All three of us got out of our vehicles unharmed.” Bert and Angie’s car was not hit by the truck or the logs. The logs stayed on the trailer. Angie said, “We were all shaken and the driver kept saying that he just didn’t want to kill us so he hit the train. He hugged me and said he was sorry but his breaks went out. I told him that God was with us all. When we got home, I told Bert that our day was not so unlucky at all. Thank you, God!”

“God was there,” Angie said. His protection was there! Today could have been the last day that Bert, myself, and the driver of this truck ever spent on Earth. God had different plans.”

WEEK 4: LADY CHOPS: THE DRUMMING DYNAMO!

Lady Chops, a perennial performance favorite, stomps the yard at the Bienville Parish Library from June 26 through June 28! Lady Chops aka Elizabeth Vidos, is the coolest drummer in the percussion world! It’s not just about playing the drums; it’s about putting on a show! The 2024 Summer Reading Program “Adventure Begins at the Library!” continues, inviting readers of all ages to embark on literary journeys spanning fantastical worlds, historical epochs, and thrilling mysteries!

ABOUT LADY CHOPS
What sets Lady Chops apart? Her ability to mix traditional drumming with cool, modern twists. Imagine a drummer who can turn their entire body into an instrument – that’s Lady Chops for you. Her performances combine crazy precision with mind-blowing creativity.

Lady Chops isn’t just about performing; she shares her love for music. She runs workshops and educational programs, inspiring young drummers to pick up the sticks and create their beats. She believes music is more than just a hobby – it can help you develop discipline, creativity, and confidence. Where guys often dominate the field, Lady Chops breaks all the stereotypes. She’s proven that girls can rock the drums just as hard, if not harder. Her success is opening doors for more female drummers and showing everyone that talent and dedication have no gender.

Lady Chops is a trailblazer, an educator, and a role model. With her unique style, innovative techniques, and commitment to inspiring others, Lady Chops is changing the game, one beat at a time.

BRAG TAGS ARE BACK!

When you register for the Summer Reading Program you’ll also “snag” your first brag tag!  Preventing the “summer slide” continues to be the main objective of summer reading programs. This reading incentive motivates readers to read and collect all ten tags. It will impress teachers with how many books/pages they read during their summer vacation!

The 2024 Summer Reading Program is designed to help:

• Children be motivated to read.
• Children develop positive attitudes about reading, books, and the library.
• Children maintain their reading skills during summer vacation.
• Children have access to experiences that further their sense of discovery.
• Children have access to experiences through which they can learn to work cooperatively.
• Most of all – HAVE FUN!

SCHEDULE AND PERFORMANCE TIMES
Here are the schedules and times for each Bienville Parish Library for “Lady Chops!”:

Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Gibsland Branch at 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 27, 2024
Arcadia Main at 10:00 a.m. 
Ringgold Branch at 2:00p.m.

Friday, June 28, 2024
Castor Branch at 10:00 a.m.
Saline Branch at 2:00 p.m.

MY TOWN SCAVENGER HUNT!
Children and parents who love a good scavenger hunt can pick up a “My Town Scavenger Hunt”. Hidden throughout their town are cards with QR Codes that give clues to the locations of five QR cards hidden somewhere in town.  Find all five QR Codes and you get a sweet treat!

Look for the Pull & Post Fridge Flyer in the Bienville Parish Library Event Guide for times and a list of performers. You’ll also find all you need to know at your Bienville Parish Library, in the Summer Reading Program brochure, and on the BPL website: www.bienvillelibrary.org

SEE YOU AT THE LIBRARY!

Celebrate the 4th of July at Mt. Lebanon Historical Society’s annual Flag Raising Ceremony at the Stagecoach Trail Museum.

The program will begin at 8:00 a.m. A special part of the program will be honoring our veterans. A covered dish breakfast will follow.

Please bring your favorite breakfast food to share, and bring a lawn chair for seating.

The museum is located south of Gibsland at Highway 154 and Stagecoach Trail Road.

Hundreds of kids who dream of playing in the pros – or, kids who just love to play – are registered for the already filled-to-capacity free New Orleans Saints & Pelicans/Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Junior Training Camp on Saturday morning on the Northwestern State campus in Natchitoches.

The JTC annually provides two hours of full throttle fun alongside Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members and NSU coaches, and staff from the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans community relations department. It is presented by Natchitoches Regional Medical Center.

Everyone who registered should have received an email Monday with a link to an easy-to-complete JTC waiver form that needs to be submitted online by Friday at 5. Those who don’t return that form online will have to complete it Saturday morning before being able to join the fun. JTC organizers are using the online form to hopefully avoid a bottleneck of kids whose participation could be delayed by having to fill out the form on Saturday.

If there are questions about the waiver form, or if it wasn’t received, call the LSHOF Foundation office at 318-238-4255. The camp filled to capacity last month.

The LaSportsHall.com website has the full schedule for the Induction Celebration this weekend. The JTC is one of three free events, beginning with the Thursday evening Welcome Reception from 5-7 at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches. The biggest free ticket is Friday night’s Rockin’ Riverfest concert from 6-10:30 on the
downtown riverbank, featuring a fireworks show after the Class of 2024 is introduced at 9:15.

The Junior Training Camp runs from 9-11 a.m., starting with registration between 8-9 a.m. at the Webb Wellness and Recreation Center (WRAC) gymnasium. Due to the full capacity of 350 campers signed up, it’s important for parents to get their campers checked in well before the fun starts at 9 a.m. Then, campers get introduced to the sports stars who will be coaching them for the next two hours, inside focusing on basketball skills, and outside at Turpin Stadium, with football and general sports skills instruction.

Every camper will bring home two free T-shirts, other items, and a coupon for a meal at Raisin’ Canes. Photos from the camp will be posted on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Facebook page, and so will a highlight video.

The goals of the JTC are simple – a fun, and thrilling, experience for the kids, free of charge; skills instruction from some of the best to ever play, or coach, the games; and promotion of health lifestyles and positive life choices.

The campers are separated into two groups. One stays inside for the first hour for basketball instruction, while the other is next door at Turpin Stadium, having football fun. The groups switch locations in the second half of the camp.

Parents can follow their favorite campers and watch all the fun from the stands in the gym and on the east side of Turpin Stadium – where it will be sunny, and hot, watching some really cool memories being made.

If you have a Facebook, then I am sure you are aware of the whole “Memories” thing that pops up. If not, it is a collection of your past Facebook posts, photos, anniversaries, etc. Half of it, I do not care to see because they are either me being super cringy 10 years ago, photos with exes or particular days of the year that I just don’t wish to remember.  

On the other hand, there are some that I love to see pop up every year, like funny videos with my sisters, photos of the girls when they were younger and old memories shared between a group of high school friends about 14 years ago- a group of friends that I thought would be friends forever.  

There have been more times than I can count in the last few weeks that I have found myself wishing I could go back in time to when things were much simpler, like high school. I did not exactly love the whole schooling part, but just not having a damn thing to worry about.  

My oldest, Emerson, is entering her last year of elementary school and will soon be moving on to the same school I graduated from and while I do fondly remember high school and most of my childhood for that matter, I also not so fondly remember a couple tricky transition years. And I think we may soon be approaching those years (to my dismay).  

Going through this transition from tween to teen was indeed rough and I am sure parenting through this transition will be, as well. Remind me to ask my mother, BUT I am fairly sure she got extremely tired of hearing me blare, “Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” by Britney Spears, from my room on repeat for days on end. But that’s really why this transition period is so tricky – you’re no longer a child exactly, but you’re also nowhere near being an adult.  

But I can talk from experience here and have shared a few of the things with Emerson that were harder for me during this time, in hopes that it makes it a little less harsh for her.

Number one: Friendship Drama  

And there will be plenty of it. Emerson already has a good grasp on what a good friend looks like – ones that cheer you on and pick you up, ones that are respectful and have your back when you’re not around. And at all costs…do not tolerate mean girl behavior, as a matter of fact, stand up to it.  

Number two: Beauty is Confidence  

Being beautiful isn’t about how you look on the outside even though society may not always make it seem that way, especially with social media these days. (And yes, social media was a thing when I was in high school – I am not that old – but it most definitely is on a different level now) Being beautiful is how you treat others, how freely you share in laughter and not seeking validation from anyone except yourself.  

Lastly, number three: Nothing (and I mean nothing) will ever change my love for you! 

My love for all my girls is not conditional. It doesn’t depend on how many things they achieve, the paths they take, who they choose to love, how many mistakes they make or how many times they slam their bedroom doors shut and scream that they hate me! There is nothing that they could ever do or say that would make them love them any less. I will always have their backs and be the loudest one in the room cheering them on.  

We might have a few knock-down-drag-outs during this transition period, and this may be the hardest time of my parenting journey and that’s what I am going to do – parent you! And you may hate me for it for a little while, but in the end my deepest desire is to be your mother now, so that maybe we can be friends later.

(Paige Gurgainers is a mother of three girls, publisher of Bienville Parish Journal and Claiborne Parish Journal and a digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)

This week a new College World Series champ will be crowned, and that champ will be from the South, and that is unlikely to change any time soon. 

For the foreseeable future, unless they redo geography, Omaha in June is likely to look a lot like this year’s All SEC-ACC showdown. 

Before LSU won its first NCAA baseball title in 1991 and began a string of southern teams showing up in the CWS as often as biscuits show up with butter, the Bible Belt Baseball Boys were generally out of the running by the end of May. In college hardball, the South just couldn’t hang. Didn’t care, really.

You can take this train of thought back to the inaugural Series in 1947, when California, led by future American League MVP Jackie Jensen, beat Yale two games to none. 

(USELESS INFORMATION ALERT HERE: Yale was the first team to have the popular mascot of Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech was the second. Also, Yale finished 19-10-1 that season, 9-3-1 in the always competitive Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League. The other teams in the league finished either 7-5 or 6-6, which means they were the equivalent of any division in today’s NFL.)

Consider for a moment that Yale played 13 regular-season conference games back then. It was like a college football season today, with every game counting. Also of note (or could possibly be considered as More Useless Information), the Eli Nine were helped to the Series in ’47 by infielder George H.W. “Hot Corner” Bush, the future president, who is rumored to have kept his old Yale glove in his Oval Office desk drawer; never hurts to have your leather handy.

So, the game has changed — the Golden Bears finished the season 31-10 and got to play more games than the weather-addled Yale team — but what’s the same is that Yale and California weren’t from the South then and still aren’t. What the Golden Bears did was start a trend, one aided by the South’s love for football and the West Coast’s love for the more laid-back game of baseball. Pacific and Mountain Time teams would continue to dominate the Series for years, even decades, until LSU came along.

Check the record books pre-1990 and you will see a CWS dominated by Southern California, Arizona State and Arizona. Every now and then, a Texas or Miami would show up. During those formative years, teams from the north had all the impact of a snowball in a five-alarm fire, and that impact is the same today. To put it in perspective, Ohio State won a national title in 1966, the year Bush was first elected to the House of Representatives. A lot has happened since then, but one thing hasn’t: a Northern Team hasn’t sniffed the CWS.

Southern teams have won 11 of the past 14 College World Series — and finished second the three times Southern teams didn’t win it all. 

For years and years, the West Coast had it made, baseball-wise. They had it made for sure — right up until the time the South started caring. And we won’t quit caring any time soon.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Last week we covered some of the issues going on with anglers on our lakes and waterways. We talked about the confrontations taking place daily as guys compete for water space. Every angler, of course, wants an area of the lake to themselves. Twenty-five to thirty years ago, this might have been possible but not in 2024! Since the Covid pandemic, it is crazy how many people have taken to the outdoors, and specifically the water, for either fishing or just pleasure boating.

So, with so many people on our lakes and rivers, competition for water space is at an all-time high. Today, I’m going to grab my whistle and put on my coach’s cap and teach anyone willing to listen (boat captains and high school anglers) on the unwritten rules of tournament bass fishing. Actually, these rules should apply to all anglers!  

Rule #1: Don’t back your boat down the ramp if you’re not ready to launch. This is a major sore spot with anglers as so many times some anglers will block the ramp by loading all their gear, putting on the running light, loading their rods, removing the trailer bar and unhooking all the trailer straps. Do all this before you get to the ramp! Same goes for pleasure boaters; do all your prepping away from the ramp. Now when you get to the ramp, you’re ready to drop the boat in the water and get out of the way.

Next, brush piles….Rule #2: You don’t own a sunken brush pile. This might be the most controversial topic among tournament anglers and can be a major source of tension. But you must understand, that even though YOU spent hours sinking brush piles all over the lake, in reality, you do not own them. Once anything is sunk on a public waterway, it is no longer YOUR personal fishing spot, it’s public. YOU DO NOT OWN THAT OR ANY OTHER BRUSH PILE! Anyone and everyone have just as much right to fish that brush pile as the person that put it there.

Now, with all this being said, if I know that an angler in the tournament put out a particular brush top, I’ll honor him by not fishing it. Also, if I see a good friend fishing a particular brush pile, I’ll check it off my list of places to fish out of respect for him.  

Here’s the thing about brush piles; most lakes have hundreds of brush piles all over the lake. All you have to do is use your electronics and go find them. Which leads us to Rule #4: Go find your own fish! Don’t rely on another angler to find fish for you! Find them on your own! You’ll get a greater satisfaction from fishing when you do it on your own.

Rule #4: Don’t cut another angler off! This is the most controversial unwritten rule there is and the one that has created the most verbal wars on the water. Nothing sets a bass fisherman off quicker than another angler cutting them off. If you see a boat going down a stretch of boat docks, grass line or tree line, don’t run in on him and start fishing a few hundred feet in front of him. THIS IS A MAJOR NO NO! Give the angler his space and go at least 300 yards or more before dropping your trolling motor. Or start behind the angler and go away from him which is what he would prefer anyway.

Rule #5: Don’t run up on another boat and shut down on top of them. This is more of a problem on lakes that have a defined boat lane with little to no wiggle room. If another angler is fishing close to the boat lane, shut down at least 40 yards from them and idle by him a few yards before getting back on pad.

In some cases, anglers will motion you with a hand signal waving you on to stay on pad and run by them. I personally would rather have someone just run by me on pad rather than shutting down and throwing a 2-foot wake on me. A running boat produces a smaller wake than one with a fast idle. But it’s always good to be courteous and let the other angler tell you what they want you to do.

Rule #6: Never drop waypoints with your GPS of another angler’s fishing spot. This one is a major issue with all tournament bass anglers. Just because you see one of the local favorites on a particular body of water fishing a specific spot, does not mean you should idle by him and drop a waypoint. I’ve seen anglers go out of their way to mark another angler’s location only to return and fish the same spot. If you can’t find your own fish, don’t enter the tournament!

Rule #7: At no point should an angler have a pair of binoculars in their boat! This really makes an angler using them look pitiful. It shows you’re spending time sitting and watching other anglers catch fish while you’re waiting for them to leave so you can fish that spot. Don’t do this! Binoculars have no place in a bass boat!

The next two rules (#8 and #9) apply mainly to anglers fishing a pro/am tournament. Rule #8: Don’t throw past the front of the boat. This is actually a written rule, but also the most overlooked or ignored rule by co-anglers. Some co-anglers think they can cast anywhere they want, but that’s not the case. The co-angler should fish the water from the imaginary line from the middle of the boat to the back of the boat. My advice to co-anglers…if you want to fish in front of the boat, then sign up as a boater/pro.

Rule #9: Make sure to help the boater/pro with gas on tournament day. Most guys will never ask for the money, so it’s up to you (co-angler) to offer. It’s pretty much understood that unless gas prices are high, $40 is a good offer. Some boater/pros may not take it, but it’s a courteous gesture on your part to offer, especially if you covered a lot of water that day.  

Finally, Rule #10: Your bass boat is not a rocket ship! You’re not impressing anyone on the lake by going fast. So SLOW DOWN and be courteous and respectful of all boaters. In the words of former Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jimmy Johnson…speed kills! Now obviously he was talking about football, but the same rule applies for going too fast in a bass boat.

Whether we think it or not, we (anglers) do not own any portion of the lake. Everyone is entitled to all areas of any public lake or river. So be respectful of all boaters using the lake. As hard as it can be, exercise patience and try to be nice.

The rules listed above have been passed down to me by previous generations of anglers during my many years of tournament experience. These are things that all bass fishermen need to be reminded of from time to time.

We all get frustrated, but today our lakes and waterways are overrun with boaters and it’s up to us to educate each other as to what is considered acceptable behavior on the water. If you know of anyone, like a boat captain, high school angler or someone new to tournament bass fishing, please share this information with them.  Till next time, good luck, good fishing and when in doubt…set the hook!

Steve Graf                                                                                                     

Angler’s Perspective