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MAHJONG, PICKLEBALL and more of the Capital Region’s favorite IRL diversions

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An LSU & LSU AgCenter Facility

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Corn Maze at Burden

Harvest Days

Haints, Haunts, & Halloween

Night Maze at Burden

Every Saturday in Oct. + Sunday, Oct. 4 9am - 4:30pm Corn Maze is Fall fun for the whole family! Traverse the maze, take a hayride to our sunflower field, explore the Corn Crib, visit the petting farm, pick a pumpkin in our pumpkin patch!

SCAN FOR TICKETS

Saturday, Oct. 3 Sunday, Oct. 4 9am - 4:30pm Experience the history of 19th-century rural Louisiana during harvest time. Watch live demonstrations of traditional crafts and skills, including open-hearth cooking, basket weaving, wood carving, leather working, and more. SCAN FOR TICKETS

Sunday, Oct. 25 2pm - 4:30pm Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, activities, and charm of an old-fashioned country fair. Enjoy storytelling, cake walks, games, and trick-or-treating!

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Friday, Oct. 30 6pm - 9pm Try to find your way out of the corn maze in the dark at Night Maze. Wear your Halloween costume and enjoy the hay mountain, corn crib, giant bounce pad, and more. Join us for this fun, family event. SCAN FOR TICKETS

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CONTENTS //

The LSU Museum of Art has been tapped for the Smithsonian Institution’s “50 for 50” program, which lends artwork from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., to one museum in each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico.

COLLIN RICHIE

What’s Up

15 New anti-litter initiative makes a splash 17 What’s new: Little Lennon Play Cafe and more

37 A real estate veteran’s BR pad

Around 225

43 Dumpling master class 47 Dining in: An on-hand meal

19 Breaking down the City-Brooks Park debate 22 Cover story 24 All for pickleball 28 Who’s playing mahjong 32 Inside a tabletop game shop 33 Shuffling the deck with a bridge club 34 More BR-area pastimes 35 What to bring to the next game night

In every issue 8 Editor’s note 13 Feedback 60 Calendar 62 I am 225

Home

225 / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225batonrouge.com

Taste

Thrive

51 Magnolia Children’s Group’s mission

Culture

55 Smithsonian loan program picks LSUMOA 59 Baton Rouge’s newest needlepoint shop

ON THE COVER

Dot, crack, BAM!

Hear that? Follow the click-clack sound. A mahjong match is in session. This tabletop game is sweeping the Capital Region, hooking players of all ages and backgrounds. With artistdesigned mats and tile sets with playful motifs, there’s something for anyone who wants to pick up this popular game. This month’s cover features a technicolor match at downtown’s The Mahjong House, complete with baby pink tiles and coordinating accessories. Read more about this ancient game’s newfound popularity on pg. 28. Photo by Collin Richie.

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F RE E PA RK & MUS EUM PAS S ES

EDITOR'S NOTE //

I RANG THE doorbell with just a little nervousness. Fresh out of college and working as a reporter for a small daily newspaper out of state, I had been invited by one of my colleagues to fill an empty spot during her regular game of Bunco. Aside from my writer friend Lucy, I didn’t know a soul at this gathering, but it wasn’t long before this group of Southern ladies had me laughing as we rolled dice and swapped tables, a game format that ensured that I got a chance to meet everyone in attendance that night. I was no Bunco prodigy—I think I took home the booby prize of an embroidered dishtowel—but being surrounded by friendly faces for an evening meant a lot during a time when I was far from home and family. Games have a way of doing that—whether their participants are working up a sweat swinging paddles or their most strenuous effort is stretching to stack tiles on a table. While you’re focused on hitting a ball or choosing a card or tossing a beanbag, there’s no time for awkward silence when the conversation dies down. Anxiety vanishes and friendships form. South Louisiana is seeing a resurgence of this sort of group activity these days. After years in which people dove deeper and deeper into their smartphones in search of community in their social media feeds—only to find themselves feeling even more isolated—the sunshine is starting to

JORDAN HEFLER

Deal me in

creep back in and Capital Area residents are seeking out real-life experiences with real people. We’re appreciating more than ever the value of face-to-face contact and interaction. Louisiana is hardly alone in this realization. My email inbox is haunted with headlines like these: 93% of Gen Z admit to spending more than five hours a day on their phones. 74% of them say they feel addicted to social media. 55% of people say doomscrolling leaves them more anxious.

Tile time

But at the same time I’m seeing happier headlines, like one last month from The New York Times that observed that Gen Z and millennials are embracing “grandma hobbies” (case in point: our needlepoint story on pg. 59) in search of calm and community, or another that shared tips for having an “analog weekend.” And a 2025 Gallup study found that playing games in person with friends or family was associated with a higher wellbeing rate than playing online alone. Devices down, the takeaway is that getting together around a Monopoly board or a pickleball court is good for the soul. Luckily, you don’t have to look far to find places to do just that in the Capital Region. This month’s cover story highlights a handful, but I’ll bet you have your own favorites, too. Maybe you are meeting up with your in-laws for a game of Mexican Train that goes into the wee hours, or hanging out in a college apartment over hands of gin rummy. With any of these, the final score is almost irrelevant—everybody’s a winner. Let the games begin!

Kelli Bozeman Editor-in-Chief

All (winning) hands were on deck on a late summer morning at The Mahjong House in downtown Baton Rouge, as the 225 editorial team collaborated with the venue’s own fun-loving creatives to bring our cover vision to life. Shown here with me are managing editor Olivia Deffes, The Mahjong House’s Jennifer Waghalter and Matilda Johnson, and photographer Collin Richie and his son Ford.

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TRUST IS EVERYTHING Whether you’re cheering on Trey'Dez Green and LSU Football in Death Valley or conquering your own health goals, the same spirit that drives the Tigers drives FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake to deliver best-in-class care Louisiana trusts – for every fan, every family and every community. As Championship Health Partners, the Lake and LSU are advancing health, sports performance, education and research to transform healthcare for Louisiana and the Gulf South.

FMOLHealth.org/LSU

Trey’Dez Green LSU Tight End

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Publisher: Julio Melara

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief: Kelli Bozeman Managing Editor: Olivia Deffes Features Writer: Maggie Heyn Richardson Digital Staff Writer: Catherine Clement Digital Content Strategist: John McElwain Staff Photographer: Collin Richie Contributing Writers: Ava Borskey, Ashley Sexton Gordon, Rachel Holland, Tracey Koch Contributing Photographers: Ava Duplechain, Sean Gasser, Cat Graves, Jordan Hefler, Amy Shutt

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TOP STORIES

Readers’ notes

Who let the dogs out? 15+ places to get your hot dog fix this summer

Re: Our home story on a hidden gem Airbnb dubbed “the Greenhouse”

“ CONGRATS !! And THANK YOU for supporting local growers.” —@mistandmallow

“Oh, you mean I can have a staycation without going anywhere. I’m in” —@abbymariel

“Looking forward to seeing your creations come to life for my daughter’s wedding in 2 weeks ” —Kimberly Aldridge Brown on Facebook

“That’s a really cool house. Glad it’s being used for something instead of just rotting away.” —Emilie Roper Smart on Facebook

AVA DUPLECHAIN

Re: Our feature on local flower business Lucky Bug Blooms

KIM MEADOWLARK

First Look: NOLA-born eatery Vals opens its first BR location today on Perkins Road

COURTESY LUCKY BUG BLOOMS

This new food truck brings an East Coast specialty to south Louisiana

COLLIN RICHIE

SAM HANNA/COURTESY VALS

CAT GRAVES

July 2026’s most-read articles at 225batonrouge.com

Re: Our profile on home baker Beth Ford, founder of Joe’s Bakery “Her pecan bars are sooo yummy ” —@bakingforbusiness “Best tasting goodies ever!!” —Mallory Brignac on Facebook

Comments and analytics are from July 1-31, 2026. They have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

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During that time, her heart stopped twice. Thankfully, the doctors were able to bring her back. Because of Louisiana Blue, we didn’t have to worry about paying for the care she needed. We were able to focus on her recovery. Now she’s healthy and we’re all back to normal. Sometimes normal is the best thing. Boring is wonderful! “

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This Month [ S E P T E M B E R ]

@ BREC INCLUSIVE ART IN THE PARK

END OF SUMMER POOL PAWTY

Forest Community Park Sept. 1 | 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Liberty Lagoon Sept. 12 | 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

STORYTIME

MINI ART FEST

CANDLE MAKING CLASS

SUNSHINE SOCIALS: TAILGATE TAKEOVER

Church Street Park Sept. 2 | 10 a.m.-noon Independence Community Park Sept. 10 | 5-6 p.m.

SOAP MAKING CLASS

Howell Community Park Sept. 10 | 5-6 p.m.

THE SOCIAL SPOT [TEENS] Antioch Blvd. Park Sept. 10 | 5-6 p.m.

ZOO + ME MORNINGS

BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo Sept. 12 | 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Art Studio at Baringer Road Park Sept. 12 | 1-4 p.m.

Milton J. Womack Park Ballroom Sept. 18 | 6-9 p.m.

10 + UNDER FUN TENNIS TOURNAMENT Independence Community Park Tennis Center Sept. 19 | 8:30 a.m.-noon

PADDLE AWAY

Highland Road Community Park Boat Launch Sept. 19 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

EXPLORE BREC’S FALL

PlayBook brec.org/playbook THE WILD POUR [21+]

BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo Sept. 20 | 2:30-5:30 p.m.

SILENT DISCO [TEENS]

Antioch Blvd. Park Sept. 25 | 5-6:30 p.m.

ASIAN MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL

North Sherwood Forest Community Park Sept. 26 | 3-6 p.m.

BREC.ORg/thismonth BREC not/ discriminate the /basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, veteran status or sexual orientation in its programs and activities. 14does225 SEPTEMBER on 2026 225batonrouge.com

What,s up September

Things are

COURTESY CPRA

PICKING UP

B Y MAG G IE HEYN RICHARDSON

The Love Our Waterways anti-litter program launches this month

OR ANYONE STIRRED by the sight of a pelican’s beak snarled by fishing lines or turtles sunning near fast food trash, a new cleanup campaign helps channel your anti-litter energy. Organized by Keep Louisiana Beautiful, Love Our Waterways is organizing teams of volunteers to

pick up litter in and around the state’s 14,400 miles of waterways throughout September. The project builds on the success of a similar annual program, Love the Boot Week, in which volunteers pick up trash close to home. The weeklong April event saw 566 tons of litter retrieved around the state. For Love Our

Waterways, volunteers will focus on removing litter and debris specifically from the state’s rivers, lakes, bayous, beaches and shorelines. Capital Region volunteers might decide to remove trash in the Mississippi, Atchafalaya, False, Amite or Comite rivers, or work in Bayou Manchac, Thompson Creek or the Capitol, LSU or City

Park lakes. About 125 groups had registered through the program’s portal by the end of July. There’s a good reason for focusing on water, says Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, whose office includes Keep Louisiana Beautiful. “Eighty percent of litter on land ends up in our waterways,” Nungesser says. “I wanted to get

225batonrouge.com / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225

W H AT ' S U P / /

COURTESY KEEP LOUISIANA BEAUTIFUL

marine litter. They’re asked to our boaters more involved, our track the kinds of litter they find, charter fishermen, our oystermen which could include derelict crab and shrimpers, and also make traps, abandoned watercraft and everyone aware that the stuff you appliances. Larger items will be throw out the window can end up removed later by other agencies. in our waterways.” The inaugural Love Our Louisiana spends about Waterways program is taking place $91 million annually on litter in September to coincide with cleanup, according to a 2023 World Cleanup Day and the Ocean Keep Louisiana Beautiful study. Conservancy’s International The cost, largely absorbed by Coastal Cleanup Month. Litter local governments, has risen 65% is a complex, global problem, since 2010. Now in his third term, Nungesser says. Nungesser has made litter remedi“You’ve got to attack it from ation a priority, contacting states every angle,” he says. “I think that have successfully reduced this will bring new attention to litter and hiring a national conSportsman’s Paradise, and how sultant to develop new strategies. beautiful our lakes, rivers and Along with statewide cleanups, he coastline are.” created a mechanism for reporting litterers this year and is also pushing for private donors to fund cleanups along highways. He and his wife are sponsoring a fourThis mess of bottles, Styrofoam cups and mile section near his Covington takeout containers, and home, Nungesser says. other litter discarded Love Our Waterways groups Ad proof #1 Issue Date: Sept 2026 on land washed up in • Please respond by e-mail or or phone with your approval or minor revisions. will walk shorelines use paddle Capitol Lake after a • AD WILL RUN ASboats IS unless or motorized toapproval reachor final revisions are received within single rainstorm. 24 hrs from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Geaux Tigers! Come Visit Us This Season

COME SEE US MON: 11AM-9PM | TUES-FRI: 11AM-10PM | SAT & SUN: 10AM-10PM 16

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W H AT ' S U P / /

What else is new? Knuckle sandwiches W H AT ’ S N E W

Playing along Compiled by Catherine Clement

A new food truck brings an East Coast specialty to south Louisiana. Knuckleheads is a mobile eatery created by four friends who wanted to enjoy their favorite food—New England-style lobster rolls—closer to home. A traditional lobster roll is flavorful on its own, but these Livingston Parish natives wanted to spice things up. Experimenting with flavors led the crew to create Cajun-inspired rolls. Find it on Facebook.

Brick house

A new authorized buy, sell and trade-style LEGO store is open on Perkins Road. Bricks & Minifigs’ new shop lets enthusiasts browse new, old, used and rare LEGO sets. The space also offers cash for those selling old LEGOs, and it is also available for parties and events. bricksandminifigs.com

Fresh market

St. Francisville eatery Basel’s Market has moved into a historic home on the corner of St. Ferdinand Street. The cafe’s signature sandwiches, salads, sharables and sides are still being served for breakfast and lunch alongside coffee from its new espresso machine. Find it on Facebook.

CONNOR LAGNEAUX

BATON ROUGE’S littlest learners and their caregivers have a new spot for indoor fun at Little Lennon Play Cafe, now open on Lee Drive. Kids can suit up in grippy socks and head to the main play area to climb on and interact with toy sets while parents can watch from a variety of seating areas and grab a bite or a drink at Little Lennon’s cafe. The new space inhabits the location that previously housed A Cup of Joy Eatery & PlayYard. Little Lennon owner Savannah Lennon set up the space as a Montessori-inspired environment because she values learning through imaginative play. Kitchen sets, a market stand and a food truck help young children learn to share, communicate, solve problems and identify colors, letters, and numbers. The in-house cafe operates during business hours and serves croissants, coffee, dirty sodas and paninis. littlelennonplaycafe.com

225batonrouge.com / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225

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Monday-Thursda y 11 a.m. Saturday 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., 11 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Happy Hour: 3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. daily

Your guide to cocktails, dining, and hosting in the Capital Region. Published in the November issue of 225 Magazine, Sip + Savor gives your business the opportunity to connect with an engaged local audience through a full-page or two-page feature, plus exclusive promotion across 225’s social channels. Showcase your favorite dishes, happy hour specials, catering options, hosting packages, small bites and more. With food and drink ranking among 225 readers’ top interests, Sip + Savor is the perfect way to put your business in front of some of Baton Rouge’s most engaged foodies.

Learn how your business can be part of this special section.

SCAN TO GET STARTED

Around 225

In favor of keeping the City-Brooks Park’s 9-hole golf course intact, Liz Centanni gets in a round with her son

In the rough

MAG G IE HEYN R I C H A R D S O N / / PHOTOS BY COLLIN R IC H IE

After an intense summer, the City-Brooks Park master plan seeks final public comment this month

SHORT OF LSU football, you’d be hard pressed to find something that has divided local opinions and stirred emotions like BREC’s City-Brooks Community Park master plan. This month, residents will have a final chance to comment on a single draft proposal from national design firm Sasaki. The plan, initially presented to BREC’s master plan committee on Aug. 10, pulls elements from two earlier draft designs that were hotly debated in two public

meetings and over social media this summer, as well as suggestions from community stakeholders. This month’s meeting will give community members a chance to weigh in on the draft plan for BREC's Wampold Park on Stanford Avenue, as well as a proposed conservancy to govern City-Brooks Park, the University Lakes system and Wampold Park. Following the public meeting, the final plan will go to the BREC commission for approval, possibly at the end of this month. BREC officials say they rolled out the

225batonrouge.com / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225

AROUND 225 //

Young professionals, many with families, have argued for amenities beyond golf. Shown here are (from left) Damien Mitchell, Maggie Conarro, Adam Chapman and Jayla West.

City-Brooks Park master planning process this year because it’s a rare moment to both improve the park, which hasn’t seen new investment in about 20 years, and to seamlessly connect its environs, particularly the University Lakes system. The waterways are nearing the end of an $80 million restoration project. “The real conversation is what are we going to do in Baton Rouge that is excellent and special?” Baton Rouge businessman and BREC Commission chair Mike Polito says. “Are we going to keep waiting? That, to me, is the bigger question about City-Brooks Park and the Lakes.” But all summer, the planning process has been eclipsed by cynicism and rumor. Community members have pointed to the Lakes project as proof that both Sasaki and BREC are ineffectual. The Lakes’ hefty price tag paid for its essential ecological restoration but has delivered almost none of the hyped pathways and amenities conceived in its 2016 master plan, another Sasaki project. Residents also point out its years-long

unsightly shorelines. For City-Brooks Park, Sasaki’s charge was to envision ways to make the enviable, centrally located swath of land a signature civic space. The firm looked at survey data, met with stakeholders and dreamed big with two mixand-matchable options called “The Big Loop” and “The Stitch.” Both maintained the park’s 9-hole golf course but shortened it to accommodate other possible activities. “For a number of reasons, we came to the conclusion very early on that golf, as a use, should remain,” says Denver-based Sasaki partner and project lead Joshua Brooks, a Baton Rouge native and LSU alum. “From a historic perspective, the course has been there for many years, and it’s a convenience to the central Baton Rouge population.” But, he adds, the firm advised modifying it to maintain, and even improve, the experience while adding room for new amenities like walking paths. The course’s supporters aren’t having it. Outspoken locals and

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nearby property owners have argued for keeping it “intact,” as numerous yard signs read, publicly citing nostalgia and history. Active users point out its popularity among large numbers of young people, many of whom emerge from the public First Tee program, a BREC partner. They also point out a dearth of public courses. “This course is highly used every day. It’s a very relevant course,” says Liz Centanni, who routinely plays golf with her high school son at City Park. “We’re talking about hundreds of kids who are likely not going to be welcome at Santa Maria, Beaver Creek or Webb because those courses are so busy.” Centanni says that until now she has never taken an active stand on a community issue. But she says she doesn’t like the golf course being “cut up” for the sake of adding more natural habitat, one of the ideas proposed by Sasaki. “That small amount of land would mean nothing to wildlife, but it means everything to the golf course,” she says. For nonprofit leader and activist

Maggie Conarro and some other fellow young professionals, the energy being spent on discussing the golf course has been disappointing. Both plans maintain it, she says. And that should be enough to appease its supporters. “I just don’t think we’re going to get another chance like this to make something incredible happen in Baton Rouge,” she says. “It really is kind of a perfect storm opportunity. The question is, is Baton Rouge willing to make something great happen in our lifetime?” Conarro says she sees valuable ideas in the Sasaki designs that have excited many young working families, including an enhanced corridor on Dalrymple Drive that would prioritize cyclists, runners and walkers, the park’s biggest users according to cell phone data. “There are great elements in both plans, yet the conversation is still about the golf course,” she says. “It’s frustrating.” Days before BREC’s July 14 public meeting, the golf course conversation got even louder when State Rep. Dixon McMakin introduced the so-called “McMakin Plan,” an off-the-books third option he pushed on social media that, among other components, advised leaving the course alone. Polito said it was disruptive to a planning process already underway. But McMakin’s plan seems to have influenced recommendations in the final draft, which softens the changes to the golf course. One goal of the planning process has been to improve Brooks Park and better connect it to the rest of the park. Hidden from view but just minutes away on foot from the current playground and Picnic Hill, the park is located on Eddie Robinson Drive near McKinley Middle Magnet School. It is a stark reminder of Jim Crow Baton Rouge when Black families weren’t allowed to swim in the larger City Park pool. A handful of residents, including retired executive and former Together Baton Rouge head Edgar Cage, have brought attention to the need to prioritize Brooks Park. Brooks Park still has a functioning swimming pool, but it’s a smaller version than the original.

AROUND 225 //

Its kiddie pool has been filled in, and the pool house hasn’t been improved since it was built in the late 1940s. “It seems almost intentional to me,” Cage says. “I hate to say it, or think it, but as I said at the [July 14] meeting, BREC has spent more to improve the dog park at City Park than for Black kids to swim at Brooks Park, which I think is a tragedy.” The Sasaki plans call for several Brooks Park improvements, including an outdoor track on the athletic fields located catty-corner from the pool, a feature echoed by McMakin. It also calls for a recreational center, pool improvements and connectivity to City-Brooks Park. It’s possible that Brooks Park could see improvements sooner than other parts of the master plan, says BREC director of planning and engineering Angela Harms. While funding for most of the City-Brooks Park master plan will need to be raised privately, Polito has said, BREC will likely pay for some Brooks Park projects through its regular budget because the park has

been slated for improvements for some time. Meanwhile, Harms has been working to design this month’s third and final public meeting in a manner that allows as many voices to be heard as possible, she says. Small group discussions may be part of the format. “It could be a way for people to have a conversation with others who may have different opinions,” she says. “Maybe someone says, ‘We disagree on this, but we agree on that.’” BREC is scheduled to host its final public meeting regarding the master plan for City-Brooks Community Park Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place in the ballroom of BREC headquarters, 6201 Florida Blvd. This information was correct as of press time; as events are subject to change, please contact BREC at 225-272-9200 for up-to-date details.

ARTS COUNCIL OF GREATER BATON ROUGE AND THE RIVER CITY JAZZ COALITION PRESENTS

OCT 07

ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ BAND FEATURING

PEDRITO MARTINEZ C u ban p iani st, com p o s e r, and pr od u ce r r eco ni z ed w o r ld w ide o r i s e xp lo s i v e blend o a zz, cla ss ical v i rtu o s i ty, and r o - C u ban r oo ts

Former Together Baton Rouge head Edgar Cage is for a master plan that also prioritizes the historic, yet forgotten, Brooks Park, which has a functioning swimming pool.

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TILES AND BLACK PADDLE: COLLIN RICHIE; PICKLEBALL: ISTOCK.COM/FONGFONG2; BLUE PADDLE: ISTOCK.COM/LIUSOL; CARDS: ISTOCK.COM/MIXMIKE, ISTOCK.COM/MORTENLAU, ISTOCK.COM/TOMOGRA

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ames have been around for centuries, helping humans connect, compete and creatively fill their leisure time. From casual ball sports to card and board games, these whimsical (and sometimes serious) pursuits are a kind of social glue, forging and fortifying relationships with their all-ingood-fun hype and bragging rights. We seem to need games now more than ever. Social disconnection has become a defining feature of American life, according to the American Psychological Association. Half of adults say they feel isolated, left out or lack companionship, revealed in the APA’s 2025 Stress in America survey. And Americans say

they have fewer close friendships than they once did, according to a 2021 State of American Friendship report by the Survey Center on American Life. The pandemic didn’t help, but social isolation has been brewing across the country for decades. Robert Putman’s iconic 2000 book on the subject, Bowling Alone, pointed out a marked decline in social groups due to the rise in electronics, time constraints, suburban sprawl and other factors. It doesn’t have to be that way. Greater Baton Rouge, already a naturally social place that values relationships and leisure activities, is pushing back. Across the Capital Region, there’s been an explosion of

face-to-face game culture. It’s easier than ever to learn to play pickleball these days, along with modern mahjong, classic bridge, board games, tabletop roleplaying games and a host of other competitive pursuits. Taking the first step might feel intimidating, but plenty of people were once novices, too. What have you got to lose? Competition is healthy and it’s fun to emerge as the victor. But that’s just one byproduct. Games reward those who participate with invaluable spoils, including new friends, stronger relationships, lessons learned and the chance to come back the next day and do it all over again. —MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON

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COLLIN RICHIE

The pickleball equivalent of a high five, tapping paddles over the net is a symbol of greeting and sportsmanship.

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Silly name, serious sport P BY OLIVIA DEFFES

art of Celtic Studios is bursting with action—but not the movie kind. Instead of the snaps from a film slate or a director’s call of “Cut!” there’s the sound of pickleball paddles slicing through the air before hitting their targets and emitting playful pops. Housed at Celtic Studios’ lot is Stacks, an indoor facility with 12 courts that are usually lively with players. Though not a new sport–it originated in the 1960s–pickleball is having a moment, to say the least. And staff at Stacks has seen the growth of the sport right here in Baton Rouge. Even on a summer Friday at 9 a.m., Stacks is packed. But according to staff, full courts are usually the norm for the facility’s open play sessions. Players range in age and experience levels, but that doesn’t stop them from interacting. How could they not strike up a conversation over their shared love for the sport? “Young, old, whatever you look like, wherever you come from,” one of Stacks’ owners, Bee Vo, says about the sport’s demographic. “Pickleball is so easy to learn but so hard to master that people really stick around.” Pickleball provides players with a fun source of physical activity. But there’s another positive side effect of the sport: community. It has played a major role in fostering friendships among players. At Stacks, it’s clear to see at the Member Hub, an area where players mingle between sets. The facility also hosts social events for members and even has a group

with the goal of getting good enough of players called Designated Dinkers, to compete in Senior Olympics-type who are available to hop into a game events. Johannessen and his wife even that’s down a player or help someone pack paddles when heading out of town new. because it’s not hard to find a place to “Pickleball is a very accessible sport, play, even on the road. which makes it an easy entry for “I don’t know if it’s just the physical young people looking for something act of hitting the little plastic ball or social and fun to do, and also seniors the movements involved in it, but who are maybe retired and looking to stay active,” Vo says. “When you get everyone underneath the same roof, they start intermingling and becoming friends with each other.” Avid player and Stacks member Bob Johannessen says he’s made plenty of connections since picking up the sport. But he says he was not always on board with the game. “When I first heard the word ‘pickleball,’ I scoffed, and I laughed and turned Robert Kelly, shown here giving pointers to pickleball enthusiast Kal Heck, my nose up,” he says. has become a beloved instructor in the Baton Rouge pickleball community “I thought, ‘That’s a since picking up the sport 18 years ago. sport? You’re playing playing pickleball is something totally on something the size of a postage different than I experienced when I stamp, and you’re calling it a sport?’ was a kid playing baseball or basketAnd then we gave it a try and said, ‘Oh, ball,” Johannessen says. “It was just like this is really addictive.’” ‘This is fun, and I can get better at it.’” Now, he plays up to nine times a But Johannessen didn’t just pick week, popping into Stacks for a match up a paddle and start playing. Instead, or heading to Government Street’s like many other Baton Rouge pickElectric Pickle to get some dinks in on leballers, he started with a lesson at an outdoor court. Besides playing often BREC from Professional Pickleball to get better, he’s also taking lessons

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SEAN GASSER

Local pickleball players are making the most of their favorite pastime

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Dinking destinations

Michelle Tubre, Cindy Kuragami, Daylon Daniel and Mike Tubre take to the court at Stacks.

Registry-certified coach Robert Kelly. Eighteen years after picking up his paddle, Kelly has helped thousands of “newbies” learn the ropes. He heads BREC’s pickleball program, teaching kiddie summer camps and holding private and group lessons. Kelly reaches even more players by leading pickleball courses for LSU’s kinesiology department, something he has done for the past four years. Kelly says he was first introduced to pickleball while looking for a recreational sport to help him stay active after retirement. Like Johannessen and other players, he says he didn’t think a game that involves an “8-ounce paddle and a 3-ounce ball” would change his life. In fact, he was first taught the rules of the sport by two elderly women. Just as many locals now remember Kelly as their introduction to pickleball, he still thinks of the silver-haired players who taught him the game back in 2008. Now he’s regarded as a “legend”

or “pioneer” of Baton Rouge’s pickleball scene. And he’s got over 300 medals that he has won at competitive tournaments and matches to prove it. But beyond the accolades and a post-retirement career, Kelly says there’s something else pickleball has given him. “I got over 2,000 friends that I’ve made,” he says. “And I was very much an introvert … But as a result of playing pickleball, I became much more of a social person.” Stacks co-owner Joshua Nguyen echoes this sentiment. “The biggest thing is the amount of connections and friendships I’ve made,” he says. “That to me is priceless.” It may seem silly to think that a sport like pickleball can have such a positive impact, but whether it’s growing friendships, spawning new career moves or simply improving mobility and helping to keep active, players agree that the sport has serious benefits. All it takes is an 8-ounce paddle and a 3-ounce ball.

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Grab your paddle and get warmed up. It’s time to get out on the court and play pickleball. Luckily for local players, the Capital Region has no shortage of courts or facilities to get your game on. Check out these designated dinking spots for your next match.

BREC Parks

Various locations Looking for an outdoor spot to play? Find courts across BREC Parks with the biggest pickleball action located at Greenwood and Highland Road community parks. brec.org/pickleball

Electric Pickle

1509 Government St. These outdoor courts, opened in 2024, provide Mid City with outdoor courts to play. Open play costs only $5, and the facility has plans to open a restaurant and bar for players to hang out. electricpicklebr.com

Stacks

9550 Dawnadele Ave., Ste. B Located at Celtic Studios, Stacks gives players a place to hide away from weather and hot temps with its 12 indoor courts. Here, members or new players can get a match going, rain or shine. stackspb.com

Court to Table

7477 Burbank Dr. Eat, drink and dink all at one place with Court to Table. Reserve an indoor or outdoor court and squeeze in a game before catching live music or meandering to the Funky Pickle bar for a drink. Hungry? The Kitchen serves up a stacked menu of apps, mains and desserts. courttotable.com

Pickleball Kingdom

28145 Walker S. Rd., Walker You know a sport is getting popular when a national chain comes to town. This indoor pickleball club opened last year in Walker, giving players yet another option. New to the sport? Try Pickleball Kingdom’s free Pickleball 101 class. The facility also offers memberships and event rentals. pickleballkingdom.com

COLLIN RICHIE

Where to play pickleball in the Red Stick

ALABAMA’S BEACHES RULE #125

THE BEST WAY TO WELCOME FALL IS

barefoot in sugar-white sand.

BOO

AT A L A B A

AC H E S . C

Plan your fall escape

The best family memories usually happen somewhere between the plans.

On Alabama’s Beaches, fall brings warm Gulf waters, fewer crowds, and room to let the day unfold naturally. Build a sandcastle. Take a beach walk. Enjoy the sunset, or try something unexpected.

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COLLIN RICHIE

Four’s company at each colorfully set table at The Mahjong House.

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A moment for

MAHJ

B Y MAG G IE HEYN RICHARDSON

Lovely to look at, fun to touch, good for your brain and chock-full of new friends, mahjong has taken the Capital Region by storm

SEAN GASSER

Mahjong Rouge by friends Mauree matches are underway. They take t’s a sunny weekday afternoon Brooksher and Stephanie Politz but place in local libraries, community at Greystone Country Club in have quickly expanded throughout spaces, restaurants, meeting rooms, Denham Springs and six tables of the region. living rooms, retail stores, sorority mahjong are underway. Colorful Mahjong aficionado Amanda Bolton houses and bookstores. Middle-aged mats with whimsical designs lie across started Mahj Central in 2025 to provide women are the game’s core constiteach surface, while the soothing clickan option closer to her Central home. uency, but they’re joined by growing clack of the game’s iconic tiles is audi“I just wanted to teach others in the numbers of college students, families ble as players aim to create a winning area to play,” Bolton says. “But it blew and men. hand. The session has been organized up. I have seen tremenby Mahj in the City GBR, dous growth over the one of a growing number last year. It’s just really of area-wide mahjong taken off.” outfits. Bolton, who works Experienced players full time, is passionzip through multiple ate about the game. games, while newbies She recently hosted take it slower to hone a summer mahjong their skills. Regardless retreat in Ocean of level, the assembled Springs, Mississippi, enthusiasts say they attended by 80 women relish the opportunity from six states. She has to refine their skills. also opened a dediMahjong, they insist, is cated space called Mahj just plain addictive. Central, The Studio to “We’ll play sometimes at Barnes & Noble,” says Gamers gather regularly for mahjong events put on by Mahj in the City, host mahjong events. A pharmacist by Mahj in the City regular operated by Dawn Birdsong and Jennifer Doughty (foreground). training, Myra Black Lydia Acosta. “And when founded another business, RX for Its fans say the game is both socially they say they’re closing, we’ll say, Mahjong, which teaches lessons and satisfying and mentally stimulating. ‘Okay, we’ve got time to squeeze in hosts open play events. Black runs it Many swear that it eases loneliness. one more game.’” with her daughter and co-founder, “We had one person tell us she went With its aesthetic charm, opportua pharmacy technician. She sees the from a really lonely existence to havnity to socialize and sense of accomgame as both a positive escape and a ing 200 friends,” says Mahj in the City plishment, modern mahjong has confidence builder. “I fell in love with GBR co-founder Dawn Birdsong. spread like wildfire across the country it at the same time that I was all of a Organized opportunities to play in and greater Baton Rouge over the past sudden an empty-nester,” Black says. Baton Rouge proper started around few years. It’s conceivable that on any “It became a great resource for me to two years ago with the opening of given day across the Capital Region,

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sets designed with masculine colors and textures. “Men enjoy it,” she says. “It’s got strategy and competition.” Back at Greystone Country Club, Acosta confirms a common declaration: Playing mahjong has helped her feel less isolated. After moving home to Baton Rouge in 2016, she faced personal challenges that included house flooding, caring for an aging mother, and a cancer diagnosis. But after winning a set of tiles in a raffle and learning about mahjong online, she took a chance and signed up for Mahj in the City’s Bambird Scramble, a ladder competition. Even though Acosta says she didn’t feel confident about her skills, she began showing up for matches and soon caught on. Acosta doesn’t hold back when she says the game has changed her life. “Mahjong for me is about community,” she says. “I’m kind of the poster child for it.” SEAN GASSER

get out and do more things.” The East Baton Rouge Parish Library has also gotten into the act with mahjong open play currently offered at its South, Main and Jones Creek branches. It started with a patron request. BellSouth retiree Faith Ourso approached the South Branch, known for its adult game leagues, about offering mahjong. She had been playing with a group called the Baton Rouge Bammers for several years and wanted to share the fun. Branch manager Patrick Abadie and lead librarian Alia Kempton immediately said yes. Though mahjong’s revival first caught on with women, a growing number of men “Our patrons really wanted are also enjoying the game. this program,” Abadie says. that combine experiences at The game surge since her business “The library is about creating Mahjong House with overnights in opened in 2024. The downtown unique experiences, adding quality her downtown Baton Rouge vacaBaton Rouge cottage offers lessons, of life, connection and community. tion rentals, including one in the hosts events and sells high-end I think all of those things can be same building as the game venue retail mats and tiles. She says found in the mahjong program.” and retail site. she has recently seen an uptick Jennifer Waghalter, founder of Waghalter says she’s also seeing in mahjong as a cornerstone for the city’s first dedicated mahjong more men play, including her colcorporate events. She has also space, The Mahjong House, says lege-aged son. There are even game created “stay and play” options she has watched demand for the

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month Pennington Biomedical is making a significant impact in pediatric obesity research Learn How: www.pbrc.edu/childhoodobesity or scan the QR code 30

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MAHJONG MAXXING

From free to fancy, there’s something for everyone in the Capital Region’s growing mahjong scene

Rx for Mahjong Locations vary @rxformahjong Lessons and group play at locations like Houmas House, Jabby’s Pizza and The Plantry Café. Mahj Central Locations vary The Studio 18564 Magnolia Bridge Rd. mahjcentral.com Players sign up for lessons and matches through an online portal. Recently opened The Studio, a dedicated space.

Mahj in the City GBR Locations vary mahjinthecity.com Hosts private lessons, group lessons and a “Bambird Scramble” ladder league where players opt into matches over multiple weeks.

The Hive Mahjong 2229 Augusta Ln. Denham Springs @thehivemahjong Opened in June, the facility offers members 24/7 access to play mahjong and hosts lessons and events.

The Mahjong House 747 St. Charles St. mahjonghousebr.com Baton Rouge’s first dedicated space for all things mahjong including classes, open play, tournaments, a retail collection and overnight “stay and play” experiences.

Magnolia Mahj Locations vary Find it on Facebook Zachary-based organization that offers lessons, open play meetups, private parties and tile set rentals.

Mahjong Rouge Locations vary @mahjong_rouge Launched in 2024 and hosts private lessons, private parties, open play for beginners and experts and children’s lessons.

ISTOCK.COM/LARSHALLSTROM

East Baton Rouge Parish Library South, Main and Jones Creek branches ebrpl.com Weekly open play with mats and tiles available. Dates and times are found in the library newsletter and online.

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Roll with it

B Y CATHERIN E CLEMEN T / / PHOTOS BY COLLIN R IC H IE

Little Wars has built a fellowship of gamers that spans generations

hen Van Vo took ownership of what is billed as the oldest operating independent game store in Louisiana, he knew he wanted to reinvigorate the community that he had been a part of since childhood. Little Wars first opened its doors in 1987 on Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge, and it has been selling games and hosting tournaments ever since. Shortly after taking ownership of Little Wars in 2017, Vo planned a tabletop gaming event to welcome a dwindling community back to the store. Just as Vo had set up and was ready to welcome players, the building’s electricity went out. It was July, so the temperature in the building rose to over 80 degrees, and Vo started to think about canceling the event. But the response he received was unexpected. People were too eager to see this beloved store’s revival. Equipped with personal fans and battery-powered lamps, players and friends gathered in the store that night to play the tournament as planned. “It was just incredible,” says Vo, “and it still sticks with me that they would personally choose to be miserable for the sake of this community.” Vo says Little Wars functions equally as a shop and event space. It hosts tournaments and events for any pastimes Fantasy and fun are at the heart of the action customers are interested in. The main at Little Wars in games like Warhammer types of tabletop matches include the (above) and Dungeons & Dragons (top). role-play-focused Dungeons & Dragons, pop-culture zeitgeist due to the popularity the card game Magic: The Gathering and of the Netflix show Stranger Things. Many miniatures battle simulator Warhammer. parents began taking intrigued children to And though these are the most commonly the store to learn more about this fantastical played, smaller franchises also have a space game from the past. at Little Wars. If interest is expressed in a It became so popular among kids that the lesser-known game, Vo will invite players to store launched its first D&D program for casual gatherings until a larger community players ages 11 to 16 in 2018. Even with the is built. From there, the group may grow ever-present temptations of video games large enough to hold official tournaments in and social media, these young people have collaboration with game publishers. chosen to spend their free time picking up a Little Wars patrons range from established retro hobby. members who have been playing these clasAs technology becomes more present in sics since the height of their popularity in the children’s lives, they begin to crave expe’80s to middle and high schoolers looking for riences that exist beyond a screen, Vo says. an after-school activity. “I honestly think that the more technoAround the time Vo took over the store, logical the world becomes, the more a Dungeons & Dragons was reentering the

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counterculture develops,” Vo says. “I spend all day at work sitting in front of a computer. I don’t want to go home and then also sit in front of a computer.” Little Wars’ young community has grown so much that the store held its first D&D summer camp in 2026. Vo says he was most excited to see adults who grew up playing the game introduce their children to this world. It takes a strong community to keep generations coming back to a space after almost 40 years. It’s the same type of community that will gather in an un-air-conditioned building in the middle of July to prove their dedication. The space Vo has cultivated is much more than just a shop for so many. And this new wave of interest from young people gives the space the same attention it saw in the ’90s. When Vo travels to conferences, he speaks to other game store owners from around the world, and they have seen the same positive trend. “At the end of the day, people will always want to spend time with each other in person,” Vo says. “Everything that I sell at my store you can probably buy for cheaper off of Amazon or some online seller. But people come and they support us because they like to have the community space where they can spend time with other people.”

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Bridge Club president Vicki Kellum (standing) leads a vibrant group of players who gather regularly for hours-long games.

Bridging the Gap

B Y RACHEL HOLLAN D / / PHOTOS B Y S E A N G A S S E R

At the Baton Rouge Duplicate Bridge Club, strategy brings players to the table, but community keeps them coming back

aton Rouge’s bridge community has quietly built something people increasingly struggle to find: real-life connection and community. At the Baton Rouge Duplicate Bridge Club, players gather around card tables not only for the challenge of one of the world’s most strategic games, but also for the friendships that keep them coming back day after day, week after week. The four-player card game is centered around strategy, critical thinking and partnership. But for many players, the biggest draw is the community built around it. “First of all, you have to love the game. If you don’t love the game, it’s not going to work,” says Vicki Kellum, president of the Baton Rouge Duplicate Bridge Club. “Then I think it’s a safe place. It’s a fun place. We have people that come after they retire, relocate to Baton Rouge, are visiting family, or after the loss of a spouse because they are lonely. If you move here to Baton Rouge, it’s a great place to play bridge and join the community.” Although bridge has been played for generations, from casual kitchen tables to regional and national tournaments,

Kellum says its staying power comes from more than the game itself. “There are a lot of [groups of] four ladies playing bridge in their kitchen,” Kellum says. Keith Sliman first learned bridge while attending LSU, but decades passed before he returned to the game after retiring. Today, he and his wife Sherri play together at the Bridge Club. “It’s the one thing my wife and I do together,” Sliman says. “We go home, and we say, ‘Okay, what happened? What can we do?’ And we study together. It’s really good for us.” Games take several hours to play, with players breaking for lunch together before getting back to their cards. Over time, competitors become companions. “We’ve made friends,” Sliman says.

“There’s another couple, Barbara and Jack. They don’t play together, but she agreed to mentor me and my wife, so Sherri and I go to Barbara and Jack’s house on Saturday afternoons and we play for a couple hours, and she teaches us, then we go eat dinner. And now we’re talking about going on vacation together.” While most players are 55 and older, the Bridge Club is working to introduce the game to a new generation. Through the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), the club supports youth bridge programs and offers beginner lessons locally for adults interested in learning. “Bridge Club endures because of the community and the competitiveness,” Kellum says. “It’s good for your mind, and it’s good for your soul.”

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Game stops

By Olivia Deffes

We might be living in a digital age, but it’s time to ditch your phone for a while! The Baton Rouge area provides plenty of social scenarios that promote camaraderie with a playful dose of competition. No matter if you’re loyal to board games or want to reignite your love for the sports of PE classes past, there’s something local for every gamer.

Feel like a kid again with this library offering. Engage in a game of Risk or Catan, or embark on a roleplaying campaign of Dungeons & Dragons with other players. With over 300 board games and expansions, there’s always something to play. See the GUGL in action at the South and Bluebonnet Regional branches.

Disc golf

Frisbee meets golf for this sport. Instead of clubs, tees and holes, players fling discs at targets. Find local players and courses by joining the Baton Rouge Disc Golf Association group on Facebook.

Cornhole

A tailgate pastime and backyard staple, this seemingly lax lawn game can get pretty serious when those beanbags start to fly. Matchups of varying levels go down every Wednesday night at Court to Table, headed up by Westside Cajun Cornhole.

Kickball

Elements of baseball and soccer mix at Perkins Road Community Park when Red Stick Area Kickball kicks it on the field. This co-ed league has been around for a little over two decades, giving locals a source of recreational and competitive play.

Chess

Get in on the silent action of this one-on-one board game by joining in with the Baton Rouge Chess Club. All ages and skill levels are welcome to battle for checkmates at the club’s weekly meetups at Boba Partea on O’Neal Lane.

Croquet

Grab a mallet, aim and smack with the Red Stick Croquet Club. Yep, this centuries-old European lawn sport has a stronghold in Baton Rouge, with the club hosting weekly play times at City-Brooks Community Park Croquet Court.

Interactive game venues

Try simulators at Loft18 or get a high score on a retro video game at BR.cade. Looking for a modern game night? Check out Surge Entertainment by Drew Brees on Burbank Drive or head to one of BR’s claw arcades to try your luck for plushie payouts.

LIVE MUSIC IN TOWN SQUARE

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LEFT: ISTOCK.COM/JSOLIE, ISTOCK.COM/ALEKSEI BEZRUKOV, ISTOCK.COM/KEITHBISHOP; RIGHT: ISTOCK.COM/ MICHAEL BURRELL, ISTOCK.COM/FLOORTJE, ISTOCK.COM/SPIDERSTOCK, ISTOCK.COM/VADYM KALITNYK

EBPL’s Grown-up Gaming League

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1 3

Let’s play! Elevate your game nights with these items from local brands and shops B Y O LI V I A D EFFES / / PHOTO B Y COLLIN R IC H IE

Hosting the next gaming gettogether or organizing an upcoming match? Don’t settle for boring game accessories. Look around the Capital Region for unique pieces, from mahjong mats featuring designs by a local artist to a performance-focused pickleball paddle by a Baton Rougebased brand.

1. Pickleball paddle, $44.95, from Highlandside Interiors, Gifts & Monogramming 2. Dice Menagerie 10 in Luminary Poly Sky/Silver, $12, from Red Stick Reads

6 5

Nebula: Mega-hedral Nocturnal/blue 7-Die Set, $23, from Red Stick Reads 3. E2-CF FLEX-FOAM Launch Edition paddle, $175, from GRIT. 4. Jennifer Poe “Heaven Sent” mahjong mat, $90, from The Mahjong House 5. Mardijong Mambo Tiles, $425, from The Mahjong House West Wind Mahjong LSU Mahjong Set, $425, from The Mahjong House 6. Giant Shiny Dominoes, $22, from The Modern Munchkin Co. 7. Jenga Vintage Bookshelf Edition, $48, from Baubles by Bella Bella

225batonrouge.com / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225

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Northern

EXPOSURE Selling high-end Manhattan real estate helped John Musso develop an eye for creating his own curated Baton Rouge home

B Y A S H L E Y S E X TO N GO R DO N // PHOTO S BY COLLIN RICHIE

225batonrouge.com / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225

“I was inspired by the art I saw in the apartment of the head of design for Kenneth Cole,” says Musso of the vibrant paintings he creates. “It was fun and colorful.” The walls of this sitting room are lined with his personal work.

HOME //

N A TREE-LINED street in the Bocage neighborhood—amidst grand stately manors that are generations old and new construction that razed the past for the lots alone—sits an unassuming midcentury house with a treasure trove of style hidden just beyond the front door. It took creative vision to recognize the potential, and real estate veteran John Musso has that in spades. “The bones were there. That’s

what my experience in New York real estate taught me,” says Musso. “I’ve learned how to see past dated décor. I know how a space can completely change with light, color and furnishings.” Musso, a Baton Rouge native, developed his knack for spotting potential while selling some of the most coveted real estate in Manhattan. Disillusioned by the auditing and tax track he had pursued during his years at Millsaps College—and a stint at the London

225 / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225batonrouge.com

School of Economics—he turned away from 90-hour workweeks and set his sights on selling and leasing residential property. He ultimately found himself on a team with The Corcoran Group, a luxury real estate company, representing properties on the Upper East Side. He then answered a job opening on Craigslist that changed his trajectory and expanded his experience even further. “The job was posted under ‘Real Estate,’ but I had no idea it

was for one of the top-producing teams in the country,” says Musso, referring to a position at the renowned Douglas Elliman group. “My accounting and finance background actually got me hired because New York transactions require an extensive financial review and board package for every buyer. This includes three years of tax returns, bank statements, investment statements and more. Every single cent must be accounted for and presented to the

HOME //

Every nook offers an opportunity for design, including this cozy yet colorful space in John’s front sitting room. His own art lines the walls.

building’s board for review before the building authorizes the buyer to close.” At Elliman, Musso became part of a team that achieved $650 million in residential sales and gained access to homes that most others would never have the opportunity to view. He attended private home parties, perused potential real estate offerings and negotiated with clients all over the world. He had an active social life and a solid and satisfying career. And then the pandemic hit. 225batonrouge.com / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225

HOME //

A sectional sofa from Room & Board in New York found a new home as the anchor of Musso’s Louisiana living room. The leather chair is from Brazil.

“The creative director for Ralph Lauren would always lean photography up and down the hallways, which gave me the idea to do the same,” says Musso. A few pieces by photographer Richard Phibbs complete a collected look that includes a blue bird lamp from Birds of a Feather in St. Francisville and a painting of Musso’s own design.

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“New York City completely closed during COVID,” Musso says. “Especially real estate. No one was going into anyone else’s home. It shut down the real estate market in that area for almost two years.” Musso retreated to his family’s condo in Florida, where sheer boredom and social distancing gave him the opportunity to create. He bought canvases and paints, then watched videos on everything from how to mix colors to the art of torching resin. Soon he had walls of self-created, colorful art. He moved into an industrial, concrete loft in Miami with the thought that he would one day return to New York, but the New York he knew was evolving into something else entirely. His friend group was dispersed throughout the United States and abroad, and the real estate market was changing as well. The world he knew before the pandemic was gone. He could return to Manhattan, but it would never be the same.

“I lived in a 600-square-foot pre-war building on Central Park West. And all that time, I knew only one neighbor,” says Musso. He considered the closeness he shared with his parents and extended family and friends and decided to leave the concrete loft in Miami behind for a more traditional abode in Baton Rouge. “Today, I have a relationship with many of the neighbors around me. It’s a completely different experience.” Musso took his urban experience, his keen eye and his vibrant art and transformed this standard midcentury house into a welcoming, personal retreat. Every piece of furniture and every accessory has a story, and it makes family gatherings and neighborly drop-ins even more interesting. His years away from Louisiana have shaped the way he sees homes and design. “London sparked my appreciation for art, New York refined it through years in luxury real estate, and Miami gave me the time

HOME //

during the pandemic to begin creating my own artwork,” he says. “Those experiences have influenced not only my home, but also how I market real estate. I truly believe thoughtful design and presentation create an emotional connection with buyers and help homes sell.” Musso got his Louisiana real estate license and joined Coldwell Banker One—encouraged by its

93-year-old owner Betty Phelps, who also happens to be a neighbor. These days, he’s back in the world of real estate, surrounded by friends and family, and he has gained a whole new perspective. “Experiencing different cities, cultures, art, design, and luxury real estate gave me a unique lens,” Musso says. “But being back home near my family is what makes it all worthwhile.”

“I’ve become obsessed with plants,” says Musso of a luxury he could not indulge in New York.

In his office, Musso painted the walls and ceiling “Tricorn Black” by Sherwin Williams to contrast with his colorful books and accessories. He also painted a vintage light fixture here.

The primary bedroom looks out to the outdoor space and the pool beyond. The framed feathers above the headboard resemble wings and were purchased at The Corbel in St. Francisville. 225batonrouge.com / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225

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INSIDE EASY DINNER IDEAS

Dumplings

101

An inside look at how these trendy Asian treats are made B Y MAGGIE HE Y N R IC HAR DSO N // PHOTO S BY SEAN GASSER

AS HE SAT down to create a new dining concept a couple of years ago, restaurateur X Chen knew that anything dumpling related would be a hit. There’s just something about the diminutive, savory morsels that diners can’t resist. Chen’s aptly named Dumpling & Bao opened last fall on Siegen Lane and immediately secured a loyal following with a straightforward menu largely composed of pan-fried and steamed dumplings, soup dumplings and bao buns, all stuffed with a handful of different fillings. A second Baton Rouge location opens later this month in Long Farm Village. “I saw the idea in California in a restaurant that served soup dumplings and other kinds of dumplings,” says Chen, whose multi-unit Nova Restaurant Group is based in Lafayette. “People have loved Dumpling & Bao. It’s done very well.”

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TA ST E / /

How it’s done

Another Dumpling & Bao has opened in Crowley, and more locations are planned for the Capital Region and Lake Charles, Chen says. Dumplings of all sorts are widely available at a growing number of fast-casual Asian eateries in the Capital Region, as well as on the frozen food aisle of supermarkets. But there’s an art to making them fresh, Chen says. When planning Dumpling & Bao, Chen sent representatives to spend a couple of months at a Los Angeles dumpling eatery to learn the skill. It paid off. Not only are the dumplings made from scratch at Dumpling & Bao, but diners can It’s dough time watch the process unfold through a Plexiglas window. Workers roll out Chen uses a 50-50 combination of all-purpose flour and Korean flour, which has a finer texture circles of dough that are precisely and less gluten. The flours are combined with dry sized to hold tiny scoops of pork, seasonings, then slowly mixed with water, Chen chicken, shrimp, crawfish or veggie says. The dough is kneaded, rolled into balls, then filling. Once they fill the wrapper, set aside to rest. Chen adds coloring to batches of dough to designate what fillings they hold. they crimp the edges before sending Green denotes veggies, red signals crawfish, them off to the bamboo steamer or is for shrimp, and black is for black truffle. sauté pan. Issue Date: Sept 2026 Ad proof #5 pink Chicken dumplings have a yellow hue, while pork • Please by e-mail or phone withChen your approval or minor revisions.dumplings are served in plain dough. “Notrespond everyone can do it,” • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within says.

Have your fill The fillings are various combinations of uncooked ground or minced proteins, finely chopped veggies and seasonings. Their consistency resembles a smooth paste.

24 hrs from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

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TA ST E / /

The right stuff Careful not to overfill the dumpling, which will tear the dough, a worker places a small amount of filling in the center. Then they fold the dough over to form a crescent, folding and crimping to form an attractive edge that won’t loosen during cooking. In the case of soup dumplings, they palm the dumpling and gently twist the top knot.

Circle up The dough is rolled into a long cylinder, then cut into small pieces and pressed into flat circles. A team member uses a small plastic rolling pin to roll each circle into a thin, even dumpling wrapper.

Get it while it’s hot After a trip to the steamer or sauté pan, the dumplings are plated or served in a bamboo steamer, accompanied by dipping sauce and chili oil.

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TA ST E / /

For Salad Grazing Board recipe, go to 225batonrouge.com/ food-drink/recipes/ saucy-supper

Pasta with Quick Pink Vodka Sauce Yield: 4 servings 1 tsp. salt 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided ½ cup chopped shallots ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes ¼ tsp. dried Italian herbs 3 cloves minced garlic 5 oz. tomato paste ½ tsp. kosher salt ¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper ¾ cup vodka or dry white wine 1 cup heavy cream 8 oz. (½ lb.) dried pasta 1½ cups reserved pasta water

Saucy supper

B Y TRACEY KOCH / / PHOTO BY A MY S HUTT

Pantry and fridge staples come together to save busy family dinners

HE LAZY DAYS of summer are behind us, and the transition of moving away from the relaxed, unscheduled lifestyle of the summer holidays to a more structured workweek routine starts to creep back in in September. I have always relied on the school year calendar to restart my internal clock, and regardless of having school-age children at home, for me the energy of the autumn generally has a faster and more organized pace. During the fall months, I tend to eat out less frequently during the week and cook more weeknight dinners. To help me get back into the swing of things, I like to do a bit of an overhaul in

my fridge and pantry, restocking my shelves with a few staples that help me put together quick and easy meals any night of the week. A few of my favorite pantry staples that I keep on hand include extra cans of tomato paste for whipping up a quick pink vodka pasta sauce, as well as lowsodium bone broth for easy soups and stews. I also like to stock unsweetened coconut milk and curry paste for simple homemade curries. Other essentials include dried cranberries, toasted chickpeas, jars of olives, and a couple of high-quality store-bought salad dressings, making it easy to create a variety of delicious salads whenever I need a quick meal. Both my Quick Pink Vodka

Sauce and Salad Grazing Board are simple to put together any night of the week while using ingredients that I have on hand. The pink sauce is delicious tossed over any shape of pasta. It can be served as a main dish by adding any leftover protein you have on hand, or as a side dish along with a salad. The salad grazing board is a great dinner idea to put together when you need to stretch your leftovers. You can change up the flavor profile depending on the types of vegetables, proteins, toppings, and dressings you use. Plus, it can be tailored to suit anyone’s preferences, since a salad served in this manner easily allows you to create your own personal salad.

For pasta, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tsp. salt and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. While pasta water is heating, for sauce, heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet; add shallots, red pepper flakes and Italian herbs. Sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue sautéing for another minute or until garlic becomes fragrant. Stir in tomato paste, kosher salt and black pepper, and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring as it cooks. Turn off heat and add vodka or wine; stir to combine. Turn heat back to medium and bring sauce up to a simmer. Add heavy cream and stir until incorporated. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering sauce for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to allow flavors to come together while pasta is cooking. Once pasta water has come to a rolling boil, add pasta and stir well. Allow pasta to come back to a boil, stirring every 3 minutes to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking. Depending on shape of pasta, it should take 8 to 10 minutes to cook. Before draining pasta, turn heat back to medium on sauce, and reserve 1½ cups pasta water to add to sauce. Drain pasta and pour pasta directly into pan with sauce. Toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until sauce is smooth and evenly coats pasta without being too thick.

225batonrouge.com / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225

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Many spinal and nerve conditions improve with conservative care. What non-surgical treatments should i try first? We save surgery as the last resort and try Physical Therapy or Chiropractor Care first. If that doesn’t work, we will often try various types of injections and small procedures before surgery…kind of like WD-40 for the rusty hinges of the spine.

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Thrive

Preservation and promise

B Y AVA B O R S K EY

ESTORING HISTORY and rebuilding futures. Christian and Karen Vigé are spending their present making that motto possible. In 2025, the husband-and-wife duo founded Magnolia Children’s Group, an organization that seeks to create safe, trauma-informed environments for foster children by revitalizing deteriorating state properties. “When you think about Louisiana, our beautiful state, and you think about old, dilapidating buildings, the possibilities are endless,” Christian says. “There’s firehouses, old schools, plantations, old government housing, army barracks—and most of them are sitting across the state in areas where we need resources.” Louisiana has approximately 7,000 children in foster care, with 48 homes for every 100 in the system, as reported in a recent Louisiana Illuminator article. While many are unaware of the challenges Louisiana’s foster system faces, Christian learned more about the state’s foster care crisis after serving on several boards, including Capital Area CASA and the Louisiana Department of Health’s Child Death Review Panel. He currently serves as co-chair of the Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board, a state government group that advocates for Louisiana children’s policies and programs. Helping children was a cause that always weighed heavily on Christian and Karen’s hearts. The two lead their lives with a strong Christian faith and an attitude best summed up by the phrase, “If not us, then who?” When they became parents to their own son and daughter, their perspectives were widened even

SEAN GASSER

A new nonprofit aims to serve vulnerable children while giving a new life to forgotten buildings

Magnolia Children’s Group founders Christian and Karen Vigé pose at the site of a former church across the street from the Department of Children and Family Services’ Office of Economic Stability on North Boulevard in downtown Baton Rouge. This intersection of Louisiana history and care for children is symbolic of the couple’s mission to build a brighter future for those in foster care while restoring pieces of the state’s history.

further. “As a mom, it breaks my heart to think of a child whose birthday is forgotten,” Karen says. “It makes me want to take all the children, and I can’t do that. No one can do that.” Instead, Christian and Karen kept thinking and praying about what they could do. The idea came to them in an unlikely place: a couple’s weekend getaway. Christian and Karen were staying at a bed and breakfast in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and while eating brunch with the owners, they learned that the building was an old Victorian mansion previously owned by the state. The B&B entrepreneurs purchased, renovated and repurposed it, breathing

new life into a previously abandoned asset. “We were sitting on the screened-in porch reading and just having some downtime, and it really just hit us,” Christian recalls. “Why can we not do the same thing, but for Louisiana’s most vulnerable children and families?” Ever since, Christian and Karen have been hard at work, leveraging their connections in child welfare and bringing Magnolia Children’s Group to life. The Magnolia model is built to serve as a landing pad for foster children. It’s designed to be an alternative to traditional emergency placement and reduce the number of moves a child experiences.

When children land at Magnolia, they can stay until the best possible placement becomes available, giving DCFS time to find longer-term foster families, adoptive opportunities or kinship care. In addition, as soon as children arrive at Magnolia, they can immediately receive 24/7 trauma-informed care. Magnolia is building a staff with Trust-Based Relational Intervention training, a holistic caregiving approach for children experiencing trauma, loss or adversity that can make transitions less stressful. “One of the things that we wanted to make sure about Magnolia was that everything we do would be through the lens of a child,” Christian says.

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THRIVE //

Magnolia Children’s Group plans to partner with community organizations including Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, shown here.

COLLIN RICHIE

to raise a child, and it’s an arduEven simple changes in lanous work.” guage, like referring to therapy The first Magnolia location is appointments as “sunlight sesset to open within the former sions,” make the Magnolia culture Louisiana School for the Visually stand out. Impaired at 1120 Government “Magnolia, the word, directly St., which also happens to be the means purity, dignity and nobilcurrent home of the Family Youth ity,” Karen says. “That is what we Service Center. believe children should receive.” Fundraising is actively underTo ensure children receive way, with Magnolia Children’s the best care and resources, Group hosting its first gala on Magnolia strives to be a bridge Sept. 24 at Church of the King. by building partnerships with Christian says the funds raised pre-existing community orgawill directly support the organinizations including Front Yard zation’s mission and the hiring of Bikes, Grandparents Raising the rest of the Magnolia team for Grandchildren, Youth Oasis and their first Baton Rouge site. Long more. The Magnolia leaders also term, the goal is to replicate the invite former foster children to Magnolia model across the state speak on their lived experiences, so that every child has a safe and and they’ve built a diverse board secure place to stay, no matter the with member backgrounds day, time or situation. ranging from construction and “We’re a mom and a dad trying historic preservation to pediatrics to show children that they have and child development. someone that’s going to support “Children are often the them,”#3 Karen says. “Every child voiceless, but weSept need to help Ad proof Issue Date: 2026 Louisiana continue to raise awareness,” • Please respond by e-mail or phone with your approvalin or minor revisions.should know there’s • AD WILL RUN AS IS“It unless approval or final revisionssomeone are received within who’s backing them.” Christian says. takes a village 24 hrs from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

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Culture

INSIDE NE W NE E D L E P O INT SH O P

National TREASURES The LSU Museum of Art will represent Louisiana in a new Smithsonian loan program B Y MAG G IE HEYN R I C H A R D S O N

COLLIN RICHIE

LSU Museum of Art executive director Mark Tullos and curator Michelle Schulte

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C U LT U R E / /

HE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION’S Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., is home to one of the country’s most important collections of modern and contemporary art anywhere. Now, some of those works will be on loan to 51 selected museums nationwide, including the LSU Museum of Art in downtown Baton Rouge. “It’s a big deal to have art of this caliber from a national collection,” says LSUMOA executive director Mark Tullos. “We’re really proud.” Timed with America’s 250th anniversary, the “50 for 50” program lends artwork from the Hirshhorn to one museum in each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico. LSUMOA is representing Louisiana in the first-ever program. Alice Walton’s Art Bridges Foundation, which has long aimed to make fine art more accessible, is funding the program. It worked with the Hirshhorn to select museums that represent a wide

RICK COULBY/COURTESY HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

The Brutalist-style Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, located beside the National Mall in Washington, D.C., holds an acclaimed collection of post-World War II artworks, at least one of which will be headed to Baton Rouge.

swath of the American experience. Some institutions are in major metropolitan areas, but about 30% are in communities with populations of 150,000 or fewer. And like LSUMOA, 20% of the chosen museums are affiliated with a university or college. Other similar institutions include Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick, Maine, and the University of Texas’ Blanton Museum of Art in Austin. “Those are well-respected institutions,” Tullos says. “We’re in really good company.” The “50 for 50” selection is one of several recent accomplishments for LSUMOA, Tullos says. Over the last two years, it has earned accreditation from both the American Association of Museums and the American Association of Academic Museums and Galleries. On a mission to raise its local profile, it also launched a buzzy new annual fundraiser in March, Southern Palette, which attracted about 2,500 patrons with

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a regional chefs’ showcase. The museum has come a long way since its previous life as a small period room collection in the LSU Memorial Tower. A move to the Shaw Center for the Arts in 2005 allowed it to expand into a modern 13,000-square-foot space, displaying part of its significant collection of Louisiana and Southern art along with Chinese jade, Newcomb pottery and decorative arts. The museum also hosts many traveling exhibitions every year, including some by nationally renowned artists. LSUMOA doesn’t know yet what Hirshhorn pieces it will host, or when they will arrive, says curator Michelle Schulte, who submitted the “50 for 50” application. Among the pieces she requested from a possible list of 200 were works by Jackson Pollock, William de Kooning, Louise Nevelson and Edward Hopper. Once LSUMOA is notified which piece, or pieces, the museum will receive, Schulte will build an

exhibit around them, pulling from LSUMOA’s catalog and private collections to create a compelling visual narrative. Schulte says she’s looking forward to creating an exhibit that allows the museum to reach past its regional perspective. “I really wanted to expand the idea of contemporary art beyond our own region, and to bring in pieces that represent other parts of the United States,” she says. Coinciding with the “50 for 50” exhibit, which will likely open next year, the museum is relocating its gift shop from the first floor to its main fifth-floor space. Visitors will be able to purchase local and art-themed items on their way out, Tullos says. “It’s the way museum gift shops are supposed to be structured,” he says. Expect to see goods branded with whatever high-profile work arrives from the Hirshhorn. Baton Rouge will be its new home, at least for a while.

C U LT U R E / /

MOA to come

Walter Inglis Anderson, Pelicans on North Key, circa 1960, watercolor on paper, partial gift of Leif Anderson

“The South’s Most Illusive Artist: Walter Inglis Anderson”

Sept. 17-Jan. 3 View more than 40 works by one of the South’s most beloved and mysterious artists, known for his vibrant depictions of Gulf Coast nature. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art (WAMA) in Ocean Springs organized the exhibition, pulling iconic pieces from its own collection and from the Anderson estate. You might have visited the WAMA, but this exhibit also seen watercolors, block prints, Issueincludes Date:rarely SEPT 2026 Ad proof #4 ceramics and sketches. On Sept. 17, the or documentary WalterorAnderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art • Please respond by e-mail phone with your approval minor revisions. theASIslander will beorshown at Manship Theatre, • AD WILLofRUN IS unless approval final revisions are received within followed by a reception 24 hrs from receipt ofat thisthe proof. A shorter timeframe will apply foropening tight deadlines. upstairs museum to celebrate the of this exhibit. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

COURTESY THE JOHNSON COLLECTION, SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA

COURTESY WALTER ANDERSON MUSEUM OF ART, OCEAN SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI

While patrons wait for the big reveal of the high-profile artwork that will be loaned by the Smithsonian, LSUMOA has plenty of other colorful programming in the works for this fall:

Aaron Douglas (1899–1979), The Toiler, circa 1935, oil or tempera on board

“Southern Gothic: Literary Intersections with Art from the Johnson Collection”

Oct. 1-Jan. 3 Southern Gothic’s weird, romantic and creepy traditions are assembled in an exhibit inspired by the writings of authors like William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Tennessee Williams and Toni Morrison. See paintings, printmaking and sculpture that represent a darkly Southern throughline from The Johnson Collection in South Carolina alongside selections from LSUMOA’s permanent collection and significant loans from the Louisiana State Museums system, the Newcomb Art Museum at Tulane University, the Roger Houston Ogden Collection, and Baton Rouge art collector Jeremy Simien.

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Events Page

FALL 2026 EVENTS

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For tickets and more information, check out our website at lsu.edu/rurallife.

SIEGE OF FORT NEW RICHMOND SEPTEMBER 19-20 Experience the sights and sounds of the American Revolution! Join us for the 247th Anniversary Reenactment of the Siege of Fort New Richmond, also known as the Battle of Baton Rouge. Witness battle reenactments, military drills, and demonstrations of everyday soldier and civilian life.

HARVEST DAYS OCTOBER 3-4 Experience the history of 19th-century rural Louisiana during harvest times at our annual Harvest Days event! Join us for a weekend filled with live demonstrations of historic trades, performances, open-hearth cooking, and more. Don't miss this unique opportunity to step back in time and explore the rich heritage of Louisiana!

RED ROOSTER OCTOBER 15 Celebrating Louisiana's rich cultural heritage, featuring local cuisine, signature beverages, live musical entertainment, and Southern hospitality. All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the LSU Rural Life Museum. 6:30pm - 9:00pm

HAINTS, HAUNTS & HALLOWEEN OCTOBER 25 Gather your family and celebrate Halloween with a touch of Louisiana charm at LSU Rural Life Museum. Explore a historic country fair featuring trick-or-treating, hayrides, traditional games, storytelling, crafts, and plenty of old-fashioned fun for all ages.

225 / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225batonrouge.com

C U LT U R E / /

Stitch fix

B Y O L I V I A D E F F E S / / P H O T O B Y AVA D U P L E C H A I N

A new needlepoint shop gives stitchers a place to shop and hang FOLLOW THE RAINBOW of colored threads to The Red Stitch, a new needlepoint shop and social space on Jefferson Highway. The space, located next to Café Americain, is a stitcher’s paradise, packed with retail items including canvases, threads, self-finishing kits and needleminders. But The Red Stitch aims to be more than a store, offering cozy nooks for stitchers and other creatives to socialize. After finishing her first needlepoint project (and immediately buying three more), owner Sarah Edgecomb realized she wanted Edgecomb soft-launched her to create something that gave her new business with a smaller newfound hobby space and prospace also on Jefferson Highway. vided a place for community. An August grand opening for her “I got bit by the needlepoint bug permanent spot was attended by a big time,” she says. “I fell in love horde of stitchers, many of whom with it. ItDate: was so July relaxing, and itAd proof Issue 2026 #1 in a line that wrapped the was just something do with my • Please respond by e-mail ortophone with your approval orwaited minor revisions. • AD WILL RUNgot AS ISme unless or final revisions are received within building before doors opened. hands that offapproval my phone.” 24 hrs from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Right past the door is a “living area” with spots to lounge to the left and a wall of threads to the right. Latticework on the wall mimics the grid of a canvas, while pops of pink and burgundy call to The Red Stitch’s color scheme. Beyond the entrance, shoppers’

eyes immediately go to the wall covered in canvases, decorated with pop culture icons and witty phrases. Other details include a metal wall panel that displays magnetic needleminders, and a pink-wallpapered room dedicated to stitching, classes and mahjong. The shop also has plenty of nods to Louisiana, like its fleur-de-lis and sugarcane stalk logo and its branded white trays—reminiscent of a crawfish trays—that hold shoppers’ finds. Regulars are known as the Stitch Krewe. The name is even a playful spin on the English translation of “Baton Rouge.” “I think Baton Rouge just wanted a beautiful space where they can make beautiful things and look at beautiful things,” Edgecomb says. The Red Stitch’s new spot at 7517 Jefferson Hwy. is open Tuesday through Saturday.

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CALENDAR //

September Compiled by Catherine Clement

Country artist Koe Wetzel makes a stop in Baton Rouge during his world tour. The musician behind the three-time platinum hit “High Road” will take the stage at the Raising Cane’s River Center. raisingcanesrivercenter.com

Travel “Where the Streets Have No Name” at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. The museum’s “Rock the Dome” laser series at the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium will include a show inspired by songs from U2. lasm.org

Help Red Stick Farmers Market keep it fresh. Farm Fête brings together local chefs, artists, musicians, and foodies to indulge in delicious bites and drinks. Gather downtown for this special evening market fundraiser. breada.org/farm-fete

Get ready to get weird! Grammy Award-winning artist Weird Al Yankovic is coming to the Raising Cane’s River Center. Experience the singer’s original comedy rock hits and famed parodies live. raisingcanesrivercenter.com

225 / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 225batonrouge.com

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Sept.12: NOLA River Fest, nolariverfest.org Sept. 24-Oct. 4: NOLAxNOLA, neworleans.com/nolaxnola Sept. 25+26: BlackAmericana Fest, blackamericanafest.com

Attend a free celebration of Louisiana food, music and culture at Henry Turner Jr.’s annual A Taste of the Deep South Festival. Join local food and art vendors and musicians at the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library at Goodwood. hitcitydigital.wixsite.com/ henryturnerjrday

Concert Kitchen Live! at Manship Theatre blends the best aspects of Louisiana’s culture. Watch Chef Kevin Belton cook and share stories, spiced up by music performed by pianist and singer/songwriter John Papa Gros. Stick around to the end to try a bite of Belton’s dishes. manshiptheatre.org

NEW ORLEANS

Actors at Mid City Civic Theatre will perform the Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen. Baton Rougeans will have a chance to see this Broadway hit brought to life over two weekends. midcitycivic.org

19+20

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Opéra Louisiane’s season opener is a patriotic operetta that highlights the peculiarities of the United States. Life, Liberty & Laughter: The American Dream in Operetta is a joyful tribute that promises singing, dancing and laughter. operalouisiane.com

Suit up in your gameday garb and get ready to cheer. College football is back in Baton Rouge with LSU taking on Clemson in its season opener and Southern University battling Kentucky State University at its first home game of the season. lsusports.net and gojagsports.com

TOP ROW: COURTESY RAISING CANE’S RIVER CENTER, JORDAN HEFLER MIDDLE ROW: COURTESY LASM, COLLIN RICHIE BOTTOM ROW: SAM JONES, ISTOCK.COM/YEARS

11-13 + 17-20

ACADIANA Sept. 3-7: Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, shrimpandpetroleum.org Sept. 5: Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, zydeco.org Sept. 24-27: Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival, hisugar.org

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I AM 225 //

“I’m just a guy that lives my life on imagination and tries to bring it to the real world.”

Jhonn “Uncle Jhonn” Jackson

JORDAN HEFLER

WITHIN 24 HOURS of uploading a viral video to social media, Jhonn Jackson created a brand with a mission to help his neighbors and inspire others. In 2024, Jackson posted a video of himself repairing a fence for his neighbor. After one week, that video garnered over 8 million views, and he would go on to build a following of over 5 million in the next year. Despite this online success, Jackson’s days don’t look much different than the day of that first project. In the middle of the July heat, he’s building a fence in the Baton Rouge backyard of a woman named Nikki. She isn’t Jackson’s neighbor; in fact, the two had never met before Jackson showed up at her house. She’s just a homeowner who needed help, but he took on this renovation with the same mindset as that first fence repair. A new fence isn’t all Nikki received. Jackson and his team also pressure-washed and painted her front porch, cleaned up the landscaping and assembled a playset—all free of charge. After this renovation was complete, Jackson uploaded a video of the process to his YouTube channel, @UncleJhonnShow, and it reached more than 500,000 views within a week. The Uncle Jhonn brand has received national attention, but Jackson’s focus stays on the Baton Rouge community. His latest content follows the same principles as his first viral video. Jackson and his team complete free home improvement projects for people in and around Baton Rouge and post the videos online. With all the effort that Jackson puts into every renovation, his attitude is what keeps him excited to work. “I don’t like rushing,” Jackson says. “If I’m working here at Nikki’s house today, this is my favorite project. I want to give it my best.“ As Uncle Jhonn’s accounts continue to grow, so do the projects Jackson undertakes. Reaching more people through online interactions or in-person service continues to motivate the DIYer. And while young people look to him for inspiration to become a content creator, he says his videos inspire action for a different purpose. “I still look at myself as a regular guy that just makes videos,” Jackson says. “And I want to help a lot more people to not try and chase a fantasy, but to chase what’s really going on. The fantasy is the views and the likes and all that, but out here today, I’m really about to build a fence.” Jackson always knew he wanted to keep these repairs, renovations and builds free for the people who need them. He says he feels blessed to give back in this way and hopes the improvements transform more than just a backyard. DIY projects Jackson has completed in his own yard have helped to create a space that feels like home. He believes that transforming this part of a house can change how someone feels about where they live. “I know we can’t purchase everyone a house and move them to a new neighborhood, but we can share some of the success that we were blessed with and give them that feeling,” he says. “Even if it’s for a temporary moment, I know they’re going to remember it for a lifetime.” —CATHERINE CLEMENT

225 / AUGUST 2026 / 225batonrouge.com

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