225 Magazine [October 2022]

Fall forward

ON A CRISP evening last October, as a pink sunset melted into an inky black sky, a crew of Baton Rouge General volunteers carted thou sands of pumpkins across fields around the city. They worked into the wee hours of the morning to prepare the annual Pop-up Pink Pumpkin Patch outside the hospital’s campuses.

As part of its Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign, the hospital collects Porcelain Doll pumpkins from about 50 farms around the country. The rare species of pumpkin comes in pastel shades of pink and blue-green.

This year, the event—which is always on a surprise, unannounced day—will pop up at the hospital’s Bluebonnet, Mid City and Ascension campuses. Guests can wander the grounds in search of a free pumpkin to take home.

It’s an event I never miss. It just puts me in the Halloween spirit, and I love that it’s for a great cause, reminding women of the importance of getting a yearly mammogram.

Personally, I think October is the best month in Baton Rouge. Just as the weather starts

to cool off, there are so many great seasonal events (take a peek at our calendar on page 108 for proof). I love weaving through the Corn Maze at LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, the corn stalks rustling in the wind. I always try to visit the 13th Gate at least once per season. It’s incredible to see the intricate details in the sets, costumes, make-up and acting—and get a scare at one of the top haunted houses in the U.S.

But perhaps the best part of fall is seeing how the local arts scene comes alive—as detailed in this month’s cover story, starting on page 28.

From holiday-themed shows to outdoor concerts, it’s truly the most wonderful time of the year to experience the arts.

A few years ago, I attended Baton Rouge Gallery’s Movies & Music on the Lawn series for the first time. As soon as I parked my lawn chair on the grounds and soaked in the sights and sounds, I was mad at myself for waiting so long to check out this event.

The recurring series invites a local band to create and play a live soundtrack for a classic silent film. (This month, The Michael Foster Project and Buster Keaton will play a score for Sherlock Jr. during the Oct. 8 event.) There’s free popcorn, everyone brings a fold-up chair or blanket to cozy up on, and the crowd watches the spectacle together in collective awe.

No matter how long you’ve lived in Baton Rouge, there’s probably some magical experience or attraction you haven’t been to yet.

So this season, try something new—visit a gallery you’ve never toured before, buy tickets to a local theater or comedy show, or take an art class. You might just fall in love with it—and your city all over again.

To good health and good times,

‘More than a football game’

These are the words I kept hearing said as people buzzed about LSU and Southern’s first-ever football matchup last month.

The sight of the Human Jukebox and the Golden Band from Tigerland performing together in a unified Tiger Stadium was enough to bring many in the city to tears. It was such a special, stunning collaboration. Seeing the bands join together to spell out 2-2-5 and S-U and L-S-U on the field gave me chills—in the best, most heartwarming way. I even heard that the two bands stayed after the game for a friendly “battle of the bands.”

With a sold-out football game and historic crowds flocking to LSU’s campus, the only thing left to hope for? More like this, please.

And Baton Rougeans might just get it—in September, the presidents of both universities, along with the governor and the mayor, signed the LSU-SU A&M Agenda. It’s a “commitment over the next five years to expand the positive and collective impact of the two institutions, in partnership”—one that seeks to benefit not just students but the city, state and the region at large.

“We have a unique opportunity as two great institutions in one Baton Rouge to support the community that supports us,” said LSU student body president Lizzie Shaw in a press release.

The future looks bright.

Moments from the game

A special shoutout to 225 digital staff writer Olivia Deffes and 225 contributing photographer Jordan Hefler. They both dedicated their Saturdays to covering the matchup, with Olivia reporting and capturing videos-from-above in the press box, and Jordan taking photos on the field. You’ll find Jordan’s images above (and on our table of contents page!) and on 225batonrouge.com, and Olivia’s videos on 225’s social media pages.

Jennifer Tormo Alvarez Editor

For your gallery wall

The image of both bands spelling out 2-2-5 is our monthly “Framed” art print. Thanks to LSU Athletics for sharing the image! Turn to page 110.

JORDAN

JACOB REEDER COURTESY ATHLETICS

Burden Museum & Gardens offers discovery and adventure through historic, natural and educational experiences that provide a window into Louisiana’s rich cultural past. Situated on 440 acres in the heart of Baton Rouge, Burden Museum & Gardens includes the LSU Rural Life Museum, LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and Windrush Gardens.

Upcoming Events

Harvest Days & Corn Maze*

October 1 and 2 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.

LSU Rural Life Museum and LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens

Advance tickets required and available at bit.ly/HDXCM22

StoryTime in the Garden

October 1 and November 12 9 a.m.-noon Free

LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens (Pavilion)

Birding at Burden* October 22 and November 19 7-9 a.m.

LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens Tickets available at Eventbrite.com

Corn Maze Saturdays* October 8, 15, 22 and 29 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens

Tickets available at https://bit.ly/CornMaze22

Night Maze & Bonfire* October 29 . 6-9 p.m.

LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens Tickets available at https://bit.ly/CornMaze22

Haints, Haunts and Halloween* October 30 2-4:30 p.m. LSU Rural Life Museum

Learn more at https://www.lsu.edu/rurallife

Wine & Roses Rambler* November 13 Noon-2 p.m. LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens

Learn more at https://bit.ly/WineRoses2022

Red Rooster Bash* November 17 6:30 p.m. LSU Rural Life Museum

Learn more at https://www.lsu.edu/rurallife

For details about these and other events, visit our website or call 225-763-3990.

*Advanced tickets or registration may be required for some events.

Burden Museum & Gardens 4560 Essen Lane DiscoverBurden.com Baton Rouge

Open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily . 225-763-3990

Publisher: Julio Melara

EDITORIAL

Editorial Director: Penny Font

Editor: Jennifer Tormo Alvarez

Managing Editor: Laura Furr Mericas

Features Writer: Maggie Heyn Richardson

Digital Staff Writer: Olivia Deffes

Digital Content Editor: Dillon Lowe

Staff Photographer: Collin Richie

Contributing Writers: Cynthea Corfah, Tracey Koch, Benjamin Leger, Christina Leo, Zane Piontek, Domenic Purdy, Marien Richardson

Contributing Photographers: Ariana Allison, Wesley Faust, Jordan Hefler, Amy Shutt

ADVERTISING

Sales Director: Erin Pou

Account Executives: Manny Fajardo, André Hellickson Savoie, Jamie Hernandez, Kaitlyn Maranto, Audrey Taunton

Advertising Coordinators: Devyn MacDonald, Brittany Nieto, Cassidie Tingle

STUDIO E

Director: Taylor Gast

Multimedia Strategy Manager: Tim Coles

Corporate Media Editor: Lisa Tramontana

Content Strategist: Allyson Guay

Account Executive: Judith LaDousa

MARKETING

Marketing & Events Coordinator: Taylor Falgout

Training & Events Coordinator: Emma Dubuc Events: Abby Hamilton

ADMINISTRATION

Business Manager: Tiffany Durocher

Business Associate: Kirsten Milano Office Coordinator: Sara Hodge

Receptionist: Cathy Varnado Brown

PRODUCTION/DESIGN

Production Manager: Jo Glenny

Art Director: Hoa Vu

Senior Graphic Designer: Melinda Gonzalez

Graphic Designers: Emily Witt, Ashlee Digel

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Audience Development Director and Digital Manager: James Hume

Audience Development Coordinator: Ivana Oubre

Audience Development Associate: Catherine Albano

A publication of Melara Enterprises, LLC

Chairman: Julio Melara

Executive Assistant: Brooke Motto

Vice President: Penny Font

Chief Operating Officer: Guy Barone

Chairman Emeritus: Rolfe H. McCollister Jr.

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©Copyright 2022 by Melara Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved by LBI. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. Business address: 9029 Jefferson Highway, Ste. 300, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Telephone (225) 214-5225. 225 Magazine cannot be responsible for the return of unsolicited material—manuscripts or photographs—with or without the inclusion of a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.

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TASTE THE DIFFERENCE.

SINCE 1859, our family estate has raised sugarcane on the banks of an ancient Mississippi River oxbow in Pointe Coupée, Louisiana. This sharp bend in the river has made for fertile land, sweet sugarcane and enchanting rum. Generations have farmed this land. This estate rum is a tribute to them.

Made from 100% Grade A sugarcane molasses, these fine sipping rums embody the essence of Louisiana’s sugarcane harvest. Unfiltered and distilled in small batches, Oxbow Rum has no sweeteners or additives. Experience the bright, smooth taste of sugarcane in every sip. 70802 OXBOWRUMDISTILLERY.COM

About our restaurant review Istrouma Eatery and Brewery in St. Gabriel:

“We loved this joint!! The kiddos had fun, the adults had fun!!

—Oak Pointe Wellness Center, via Facebook

“Was there on Sunday and the classic pep pizza BLEW MY MIND!!! Seaux good ” —@hi.gwen.riley, via Instagram

On our tour of Mid City’s new mixed-use development with Parker Barber, D’s Garden Center and the forthcoming Barracuda taco restaurant:

“Amazing! There has been a hole in my heart since Gordon (Mese) closed up (Garden District Nursery) and I’m over the moon to see what will be happening right down the street! Yah!” —@minimimimeme, via Instagram

“I’ve been wanting to go to Barracuda and now it’s coming to us! Gov’t Taco should be worried, IMO.” —@tristan_shipwreck, via Instagram

Analytics and comments are from Aug. 1-31, 2022.

TOURS GALORE

Follow 225 on Instagram and TikTok for our video tours of local restaurants and attractions. Recently, we’ve filmed Sugarfield Spirits’ new winery and cidery in Gonzales, Golfsuites and Shipley DoNuts’ latest location. We’ve also compiled guides to food and drink flights, plant shops and creative arts studios.

COLLIN

At Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute, treating cancer goes beyond just treating cancer. It also means treating everything that comes with cancer, including the complications and side effects. Cancer takes everything. We’ll stop at nothing to care for you.

Which is why we’ve been the region’s leading cancer treatment destination for decades. And we won’t stop there.

This art is

YEARS BACK, cigarette vending machines were a fixture in the corridors of certain bars and restaurants, a midcentury convenience allowing smokers to re-up with onsite ease. A few coins in the slot and a jerk of the knob released the machine’s treasure with an audible plunk, a Pavlovian sound that, unhealthy as it was, triggered sweet relief.

Such machines have been outlawed, but the magical plunk of any vending device still holds charm, believes the Art-o-Mat movement, which converts decommissioned cigarette machines into purveyors of tiny, original art.

There are nearly 180 refurbished Art-o-Mats across the country, including one at the Baton Rouge Gallery. For a mere fiver, you can buy a token, drop it in and pull a knob. Out plops a diminutive piece of art, a small box holding handmade jewelry, or a small craft.

“It’s just really fun,” says Baton Rouge Gallery board member Debbie Daniel, who has a personal collection of about 100 Art-o-Mat pieces—all from Baton Rouge Gallery’s machine. Many line the windowsills of her home. “You’re getting an original piece of art from artists from all over the United States. I just think it’s so cool.”

Art-o-Mat machines are the brainchild of North Carolina artist Clark Whittington, who created the first one for a solo art show at a local Winston-Salem café in 1997. Whittington saw the project as a clever way to fuse art and commerce, filling it with his photographic work mounted on small rectangular blocks. Spectators could buy them for a dollar.

The café owner liked the machine so much she wanted it to stay permanently, prompting the formation of a collective of artists who continued to stock it long-term with their work. It sparked a movement to produce more Art-o-Mat machines, which have since been acquired by arts organizations, museums and private businesses nationwide.

The Baton Rouge Gallery installed its first in 2013, a popular piece positioned near the restrooms that was a dead ringer for a functioning cigarette machine, bedecked in brown burlwood and ’70s flair.

Daniel recently suggested the gallery trade its original Art-o-Mat for one customized to reflect BRG’s lively brand. The new machine, made by Whittington and his team, is lacquered in automotive paint in the gallery’s signature shades of blue, magenta, yellow and black (the same found in a four-color printer). It was unveiled in July 2021.

“We wanted ours to be beautiful, and it is,” Daniel says. “It’s all glammed up.”

The machine is stocked with work from nationwide artists, including some from Louisiana, who are part of the Art-o-Mat partner group Artists in Cellophane (AIC). When supplies get low, the gallery restocks the machine by ordering more work from AIC.

“We have people who come in just for this,” says Baton Rouge Gallery President and CEO Jason Andreasen. “We had a family come by this summer who was going from Michigan to New Orleans, specifically making stops at Art-o-Mats, and they came in to experience ours.” batonrougegallery.org

MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON

COLLIN

RICHIE

Baton Rouge Gallery board member Debbie Daniel owns around 100 Art-o-Mat pieces, which she’s collected from the machine at the gallery.

Baton Rouge Gallery first installed an Art-o-Mat in 2013, but last year it unveiled a new machine customized to reflect the gallery’s lively brand and colors.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of many interesting birds you can find in Baton Rouge, according to the Baton Rouge Chapter of the National Audubon Society.

SAVE THE DATE

Oct. 9

BIRDING’S COMPETITIVE SIDE is on full display in the 2011 comedy The Big Year, the story of hardcore enthusiasts traveling extreme distances to be the first to document the most species spotted from January to December. But this month’s annual international birding event, The Big Sit!, is just the opposite.

Held in communities across the globe every October, including nearby Plaquemine, the event gathers small groups of birders in one place to document birds they see over a 24-hour period. The rules require participants to sit in a 17-foot diameter

configuration, a mandate rooted in the birder’s belief that if you stay anywhere long enough, all sorts of avian life will pass through. Birders get comfy, socialize, sometimes share a picnic and record their sightings in eBird, a popular birding app.

Volunteers from the Baton Rouge Chapter of the National Audubon Society will host a Big Sit! Oct. 9, sunrise to sunset, at the Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site. For details about events in the Capital Region, visit braudubon.org. To learn more about how to organize your own, visit thebigsit.org

A productive month

OCTOBER IS A great time for local produce.

“You’ll see the market get more and more full as the month goes on,” says Darlene Rowland, executive director of BREADA, which operates the Red Stick Farmers Market. “We’ll have all sorts of greens, heirloom pumpkins, satsumas and a lot more produce that people get excited about.” Greens are particularly bountiful with market vendors bringing mustard, turnip and collard greens, along with kale, spinach and Swiss chard.

Think your kids won’t eat these nutrient-dense veggies? Rowland, who has two young sons, says

she routinely chops up greens and adds them to different recipes.

“I do it a lot with soups and red beans and rice,” she says. “I’ll also put chopped mustard greens in lentils, with diced sweet potatoes or butternut squash, which adds sweetness and gets rid of the greens’ bitterness.”

This month, the Red Stick Farmers Market resumes its Tuesday market at the Main Library, held from 3 to 6 p.m., and its Wednesday mobile market at the ExxonMobil YMCA ,from 9 a.m. to noon. breada.org

TONS OF LITTER removed from the forested area behind LSU’s Burden Museum and Gardens this year, the result of a multi-year effort to abate a seemingly endless swath of debris collected over decades and caused by polluted stormwater. Burden received a $500,000 EPA grant for the project, which also includes installing catchment devices to prevent litter from polluting the area in the future. lsuagcenter.com and louisianastormwater.com

—New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a written statement the morning after she said at a town hall meeting, “If you don’t have adequate police, it could mean there will be no Mardi Gras. That’s a fact.” Cantrell was responding to a question about the NOPD’s high rate of attrition, and her comment triggered a backlash from angry business owners. While Mardi Gras returned in New Orleans this year, some parade routes were shortened due to police labor shortages. Baton Rouge parades were able to roll as normal in 2022.

STOCK

STOCK

“We ARE NOT canceling Mardi Gras. New Orleans, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a shortage of public safety personnel that includes police, fire, EMS—across the board— you name it.”

Strong Families Build Strong Community

WHAT’S NEW

Buzz feed

Compiled by 225 Staff

Yay for beignets

There’s a new spot for south Louisiana’s most famous dessert. Beignet Done That debuted in July in Coursey Commons, a retail center on Coursey Boulevard. The shop serves beignets (including beignet fingers and flavored beignet flights), specialty espresso and tea drinks, breakfast items and more. There’s even a drive-thru window. beignetdonethatbr.com

Hit ‘subscribe’

Pairing coffee with art makes sense, as it seems every local coffee shop is highlighting pieces of art. So with Nick Miner’s new passion project, Curate Coffee + Art—cofounded with Katie Miner—he aims to bring the vibe of a coffee shop to customers’ front doors. For $25 a month, Curate Coffee + Art will ship you a box containing a premium roasted coffee and an exclusive art print. Boxes ship twice a month all across the country. joincurate.com

OCT. 11

HERE ARE SOME IDEAS FOR CELEBRATING:

Indulge in your favorite Southern restaurant.

Grab a po-boy or bowl of gumbo, or head to Plaquemine for some awardwinning soul food—Deborah Dickerson, the owner the town’s famous D’s Southern Soul Cafe, was named the 2022 Soul Food Pioneer.

Visit the Southern Food & Beverage Museum.

Take a road trip to New Orleans for conversations and exhibits spotlighting food hailing from various Southern states.

Try a new recipe. Pick up a community cookbook, such as the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s River Road Recipes, or dig through 225’s catalog of original recipes at 225batonrouge.com/ recipes

$500,000

The amount the EPA will be awarding East Baton Rouge Parish for a Brownfield Assessment Grant, which is meant to support the clean-up and redevelopment of sites with “real or perceived contamination.” Beginning this month, the Planning Commission will use this funding to advance the Imagine Plank Road Master Plan, the Scotlandville Community Plan and the Mid-City Medical Corridor Plan. brla.gov

Weddings on the go

Baton Rouge now has its first mobile wedding chapel: event company Sips To Soiree launched the Mo’Belle Chapel in September, which can be delivered to on-site locations for brides who want a smaller venue. The company also provides mobile bartending housed in a stylish retro camper and a converted horse trailer. It’s part of a trend of mobile food and drink cart services setting up shop in Baton Rouge, the most recent being the Tippy Tap, another luxury mobile bar that launched Capital City operations this fall. Find the chapel on Instagram at @sips2soirees.

For the kids

Kiddos ages 5 and under are encouraged to come by the LSU Museum of Art with their caretakers on the first Thursday of each month. For $5 per child, attendees will get to enjoy a themed art lesson. “Art gives hope,” says Brandon V. Lewis, the museum’s educator and public programs manager. “I’ve seen firsthand how art changes children’s lives. The earlier we get them into art exploration, the better.” Here are the upcoming themes. lsumoa.org

Oct. 6: A Screaming Fun Time – Scream Art Creation

Nov. 3: Fall into the elements of design – Abstract leaf art creation

Dec. 1: Landscapes and learning – Abstract and collage tree art

DIGIT

DIGIT

How sweet it is

Where to find horchata around Baton Rouge— including some icy twists on the classic

HORCHATA IS A beloved drink in Latin America and Spain with roots in Mexico dating back to the 16th century. The drink has also exploded in popularity in U.S. food culture in recent years, the evidence of which can be found anywhere from its titular Vampire Weekend song to grocery shelves stocked with horchata-flavored ice cream.

Depending on the country of origin, the creamy drink is typically made with soaked and ground seeds, nuts or white rice. It’s often sweetened with flavors like vanilla and cinnamon, and sometimes even coffee, cocoa or fruit.

Where can the drink be found in Baton Rouge? There are many restaurants and grocery stores carrying horchataflavored items. Here are a few.

MARIEN RICHARDSON

EATERIES

Los Plebes “Tacos & Mariscos” 9830 Florida Blvd.

La Mexicana 7034 Siegen Lane 648 Louisiana 30 W B, Gonzales

Mexican Grill Rio Verde 14210 Airline Highway, Gonzales

Mi Cuevita Plus 1853 W. Muriel Drive

La Tienda Latina y Taqueria 6031 Siegen Lane

El Tio Taqueria 9656 Burbank Drive

Dos Hermanos Tacos and Burritos Express 175 Sharp Road

Blue Corn Tequila and Tacos 7673 Perkins Road, Unit A5

Los Alvarez Exxpress Latin Restaurant 850 Gardere Lane

MARKETS

Ideal Market 1871 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. 9301 Burbank Drive

La Morenita 7981 Florida Blvd.

ICY TWISTS

These spots bring creative flavors like coffee, strawberry or ube, and even ice cream.

Zero Degrees Baton Rouge 3260 Highland Road

Popaletas Michoacan 4855 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Unit B

Zero Degrees’ ube- and strawberryflavored horchata drinks.

Paradise lost

BY MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON // PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

INSIDE: New direction for the Downtown Development District

IT MIGHT BE Baton Rouge’s most popular recreational feature, but lately, the look—and smell—of the University Lakes suggests its longawaited improvements are coming not a minute too soon.

By late summer, algae blooms had spread over most of the surface of City Park Lake, the six-lake system’s second largest body of water. In University Lake, invasive water hyacinths had choked the Dalrymple Drive shoreline, extending for several yards into the lake itself.

The overabundance of vegetation around the two main lakes was worse than ever. And in the baking summer sun, big sections of plant life were rotting, releasing foul odors even as runners and walkers continued to use the area for exercise.

Since the lakes system was converted from a cypress swamp to a series of lakes in the 1930s, its shallow depths have invited too much vegetation to grow. The lakes have also been unable to properly filter nutrient runoff that drains into the water bodies from stormwater. It’s a problem that’s visibly worsened with each passing year.

At the same time, however, this summer also finally provided visual evidence that the lakes’ highly anticipated restoration project had kicked off.

In August, a four-week dredging test run, known as the Advanced Work Project, concluded in a small portion of University Lake near East Lakeshore Drive and Stanford Avenue.

Its purpose was to dredge one small area before major dredging begins in earnest, and to create a small island with the dredge materials to examine their usefulness in building up shorelines, future additional islands and pedestrian pathways.

The exploratory work is helping construction teams learn more about the lakes’ conditions before the project kicks off.

The next step, says University Lakes Project lead and CSRS Principal Mark Goodson, is to wait for final permitting from the Army Corps of Engineers, which is expected to come by the end of the year. Once that’s in place, the first phase of the actual work in restor ing and improving the lakes can begin.

Phase I includes dredging and deepening five of the six bodies of water in the system to about 10 feet. Those include City Park Lake, Lake Crest, Lake Erie, Campus Lake and College Lake. (Dredging of University Lake will occur in Phase II.)

A previous hurdle—the $35 million required for Phase I improvements— has also now been cleared, said Gov. John Bel Edwards, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome and other officials in

a late April announcement, which will allow the project to move forward.

For decades, the idea to improve the water quality and recreational poten tial of the University Lakes has been discussed by community leaders.

But in 2016, the idea began garnering serious attention, when the Baton Rouge Area Foundation funded a high-caliber master plan created by Boston-based firm Sasaki.

The plan triggered new momentum for an overhaul. A complex new entity representing the lakes’ many stake holders, including LSU and BREC, was formed to oversee the project. Called University Lakes LLC, the organiza tion was established by the LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation, an affiliate of the LSU Foundation. LSU owns University Lake and three of the smaller lakes near it, while BREC owns City Park Lake as well as Lake Erie. The day-to-day operations of University Lakes LLC is managed by local firm CSRS.

Goodson says the forthcoming dredging in Phase I will address City Park Lake’s current algae bloom and overabundance of vegetation.

“Part of the reason the algae is flourishing in City Park Lake is the water is shallow and warm and has little oxygen,” Goodson says. “It’s full of organic material and nutrients that algae like, and a big part of what we’re

doing with the dredging is to eliminate those conditions.”

Goodson continues, “We’re deepening lakes so sunlight won’t be able to reach the bottom and vegetation won’t be able to grow so easily, and the water column will be able to move and keep the water circulating.”

While dredging is seen as the lake’s lynchpin project, there’s more to Phase I than just deepening the lake bottom. This part of the project, which should be completed by December 2023, also calls for two major pathway improvements. One is a new pedestrian boardwalk that will cross University Lake and connect East Lakeshore Drive to South Lakeshore Drive (the area known as the Peninsula).

A second Phase I project removes barriers between City Park Lake and University Lake at May Street so that water will flow between them.

May Street will be realigned to include a new bridge crossing over the newly linked lakes, and the current May Street greenspace and parking area will be reshaped to include pedestrian pathways that extend to East Lakeshore Drive, an intersection now known for its dangerous pedestrian conditions.

In addition, Campus Lake, which is mostly silted in, will also be partially

An overhead view of the lakes this summer

filled to create greenspace and pathways connecting LSU’s Miller Dorm to parking lots assigned to its residents. Design firm Sasaki will complete the Phase I design by the end of this month, Goodson says.

But while the community has been eagerly awaiting these improvements, some homeowners around the lakes are concerned, says attorney George Bayhi, who, along with Carolyn Moore, are nonvoting community representatives on the Lakes’ project advisory board.

At a public meeting in August, residents voiced skepticism about the viability of the landscaping and designs proposed for the project. More than 100 participants attended the meeting.

“I get regular calls from people expressing dissatisfaction with some of the proposals beyond dredging the lake,” Bayhi says. “Our neighbors are very concerned that their concerns aren’t really being addressed.”

Specifically, residents of the Stanford Point condominiums, which overlooks the section of University Lake where the boardwalk will be built, don’t like the idea of a public boardwalk being constructed near the backs of their homes, Bayhi says.

He also says that homeowners are concerned about who will ultimately oversee the University Lakes’ mainte nance, since more recreational features will no doubt draw additional users who bring more cars and more litter.

“There’s never been any plan on who’s going to maintain these improvements,” Bayhi says.

At least not yet. BREC Superintendent Corey Wilson, a voting member of the advisory board, says the project partners are determining the costs of annual maintenance and who will oversee it.

Currently, BREC and the City Parish are the primary providers of maintenance, which includes grass cutting and litter removal, Wilson says. Once the project is finished, it’s likely that a newly formed organization will provide maintenance.

“So the idea is that there will be one entity that takes care of all six lakes,” Wilson says. “Certainly, by the time we’re finished and probably much sooner than that, we’ll have a concrete plan of what that organization looks like.”

Officials aren’t sure exactly when Phase I will begin—but Goodson says they remain confident that the work will conclude by end of 2023.

WHAT’S THE LATEST TIMELINE?

Phase I - to be concluded by December 2023

• Dredging (cleaning, clearing and deepening) of five of six of the lakes

• Pathway improvements, including a new pedestrian boardwalk crossing University Lake and connecting East Lakeshore Drive to South Lakeshore Drive

• Removing barriers and creating flow between City Park Lake and University Lake; realigning May Street with a bridge spanning both lakes

Phase II - TBD

• Dredging University Lake

• Pending full funding of an estimated total $31 million. It is anticipated that $6 million will first come from state capital outlay (priority one) funds followed by another $20 million (priority five), in combination with $5 million committed from LSU Athletics.

• Future phases could include recreational amenities like improved greenspace, pedestrian pathways, boardwalks and lighting improvements, but will likely require additional funding.

The Stanford Boardwalk will connect East Lakeshore Drive to South Lakeshore Drive and help pedestrians avoid Stanford Avenue car traffic.

Downtown’s direction

A Q&A with Downtown Development District’s new executive director, Whitney Hoffman Sayal

By Maggie Heyn Richardson

SINCE THE MID-’90S, millions of dollars have been invested in down town Baton Rouge, transforming the once sleepy district into a lively hub for arts and entertainment, dining, events and everyday life.

Just in the last two years, the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center opened, along with the renovated River Center Performing Arts Theatre, the new River Center Branch of the East Baton Rouge Public Library and the first units in the anticipated Residences at Rivermark, an upscale development in the former Chase skyscraper.

But there’s plenty to be done, says Whitney Hoffman Sayal, recently appointed executive director of the Downtown Development District. Sayal is just the second person to lead the organization since its 1987 founding. She fills the role long held by Davis Rhorer, who died in 2021 from complications of COVID-19.

A Nebraska native, Sayal earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Louisiana Tech and a master’s degree in landscape architecture from LSU before embarking on a career in urban planning that included an eight-year stint working at the DDD. She left the threeperson organization in 2020 to advance her career at BREC on its urban trails program.

After Rhorer’s untimely death, Sayal wanted to resume her mentor’s work. She competed in a national search for the executive director spot.

The Baton Rouge Metro Council unanimously approved her appointment in June.

225 checked in with Sayal about her vision for downtown, the new parking meters we’re seeing on its streets, and her most interesting— and surprising—past job.

Childhood comes and goes in a blink. We’re here through the stages of your life, with the strength of the cross, the protection of the shield. The Right Card. The Right Care.

COURTESY

COLLIN

RICHIE

Whitney Hoffman Sayal

ANSWERS HAVE BEEN EDITED FOR CLARITY AND BREVITY.

It’s been almost 20 years since Baton Rouge began its downtown revitalization. How are we measuring up?

In terms of Plan Baton Rouge II (the most recent downtown master plan), there are a few things left, but we’re mostly complete. I think we really need to spend some time celebrating the success of that, because plans are notoriously known for staying on a shelf. But with this one, we did not do that. And it really took a lot of stakeholders coming together in support of that plan to be where we are today. Still to be done is looking more at Downtown East, the area east of the interstate to the railroad tracks. We have expanded our boundary to include it, but it hasn’t really been looked at carefully. Also, I think going forward, we’ll focus a lot on the connections between downtown and the rest of our community.

What is your vision for downtown?

The basic vision never changes: to make it a space where people can live, work and play 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I don’t know that we’re there quite yet, but it continues to improve. We will be doing a strategic plan with our stakeholders, but in my job interview, I talked about six strategic points. One was rebranding downtown, because we’re kind of entering a new era. Another was building an authentic inclusive culture through effective engagement, and another was fostering a diverse business community and economy. We might also look into a “clean and safe” program, which other downtowns have, where you have people dressed in uniform trained to welcome visitors, provide directions, provide litter pick up and basic maintenance and other services like basic security. I think it would be a huge value to downtown.

Creating more residential opportunities has been a priority for several years now. What’s happening with housing?

It’s funny. When I applied for my previous position here in 2012, I was asked to write what I felt downtown was missing, and my two responses were ‘a grocery store and a pharmacy,’ because that’s what was needed to bring residents and really make downtown a 24/7 active community. Now we have those. And between them and the rehabilitation tax credits for historic buildings, it’s given us the ability to bring more residential units into the heart of the Central Business District. Now you see the Residences at Rivermark. That’s going to be huge. You’ve got The Heron (luxury apartment building), as well. It’s just becoming a place for residential life. We’re seeing more families. We’re seeing empty nesters. We’re seeing young professionals. We have a lot of infill opportunities for more housing, especially when you look at Downtown East.

A perennial complaint about downtown is having to pay for parking. What do you think when you hear that?

I think when you go to pretty much any city’s downtown, you expect to pay for parking. People from Baton Rouge will go to New Orleans and expect to pay for parking and to walk a little to their destination, right? For some reason, when it comes to Baton Rouge, everyone still wants to be able to pull up in front of a business downtown. But that’s been almost impossible because we haven’t had the turnover parking, where people are parking, taking care of business, then leaving. They’ll stay in one spot all day, especially with so many broken meters.

You announced in August that a new parking system is being installed this fall, and will replace meters. This is supposed to help with turnover parking, right?

Yes, we’ll have a functioning parking system, so it’ll be easier for law enforcement to monitor meters. People will use them to conduct their business, then

move on. The new meters work with an app and a credit card, but you can still use coins. There will be kiosks on each block, so it won’t be as cluttery either. It’s going to create the turnover parking that our businesses need to survive.

What additional amenities would you like to see in downtown?

We’re going to have the Bus Rapid Transit line come through downtown from north Baton Rouge to LSU, which will be important, and which we very heavily advocated for. I’d also like to see more public art. We were blessed with the (reflective) Rotary sculpture, ‘Sing the River,’ (on the riverfront), and that’s been huge. I think that beautifying our streetscapes is going to be really important. We also have an aging infrastructure. A lot of cities struggle with that, but infrastructure projects will help catalyze continued private development.

What would you recommend a downtown visitor experience?

I think our museum and attractions are great and can keep you busy for a day or all weekend. Come stay in a hotel and really absorb the experience. I think our Downtown Greenway (bike path) is fabulous, going from North Boulevard and then connecting on TJ Jemison Boulevard. The ‘Sing the River’ sculpture. I love Third Street. It’s so lively, and you’ve got so much going on.

Tell us something that very few people know about you?

I was an ocean lifeguard in the summers after high school in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. That was probably one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. People don’t really know this, but folks come from all over the world to ocean-lifeguard. I had friends from Costa Rica, France and Russia. It was a lot of fun.

Ashley Rogillio

WHEN ASHLEY ROGILLIO attended LSU for her masters, she always envisioned working with adults as a community counselor. Now, she spends her days in meetings and conversation with children. A school counselor at Lowery Elementary in Donaldsonville, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Whether it’s class lessons, one-on-one counseling sessions or restorative circles for small groups, Rogillio helps her third through fifth graders navigate tough battles they may be facing inside and outside of the classroom. Rogillio works to reconcile everything from recess arguments to classwork struggles and even more serious situations at home, and each day brings something different her way.

“I just love being a piece in their puzzle,” she says.

Although Rogillio has many tasks and responsibilities as a school counselor, her favorite part is getting to make an impact in her students’ lives. She admires their strong

attitudes and loves to see them meet the goals they have set for themselves.

“Sometimes we are so close to the situation, we forget where students started and how far they’ve come,” she says. “When we take the time to revisit all the work they’ve put in, we see just how much they’ve grown and changed.”

Of course, the students at Lowery Elementary reach their success with help from Rogillio, who was recognized for her work when she was named the state’s top elementary school counselor for 2021 by the Louisiana School Counselor Association.

Nominees “who are running a top-notch, comprehensive school counseling program” are chosen for the award, according to the association’s website. Though Rogillio works hard, she says she was surprised she was nominated and ultimately chosen for the 2021 award.

“Really, I’m just trying to do my job,” she says. “I don’t do it to get recognition.”

Though her job is rewarding, she admits it has tough challenges, too. She says the hardest part of her job as a school counselor is seeing some of the hardships her students endure and hearing about the trauma they carry with them.

“It really is hard to see students struggle with really difficult things at such young ages,” she says. “I know that as a school counselor it is rewarding to get to support them through those times, but I also wish kids could just be carefree and enjoy their childhood. I wish they didn’t have to deal with such adult problems.”

Rogillio’s students remain strong and resilient despite their circumstances, which is something she says makes her job worth it.

“I’ve seen students who are dealing with really big things still be able to come to school and perform well and use their situation as a motivator to do well for themselves and be successful,” she says. “That’s so powerful to see.”

“It’s so amazing to see a student come to me in third grade having difficulties in multiple areas, and then by fifth grade they made the honor roll.”

Guard your home the way he thinks he does of other May be Cox Homelife not a monitored includes home automation only; Cox Homelife Security service plan for for and related components. ©2022 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. MAG108474-0037

TWO NEW COMEDY spots. A literary festival making its post-pandemic comeback. A booming film industry. An innovative community arts center that’s quickly becoming a destination for regional artists.

These are just a few of the exciting developments to explore in the local arts world.

This season also happens to be the first fall full of events since 2019, after the pandemic threw a wrench in so much local programming in 2020 and 2021. Let that realization soak in—and then get out there and see a show. Support local theater, comedy and dance. Read a book by a Louisiana author, or enjoy a show by a Red Stick musician. Tour a gallery or museum.

Because art is such a big part of what makes living here special—and it’s more accessible than ever.

FALL RADAR

14 MUST ATTEND ARTS EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES

We asked local arts leaders to tell us one event hosted by their organization that they think everyone needs to check out. We’ve included their answers throughout the cover story.

COMPILED BY MARIEN RICHARDSON Answers edited for clarity and brevity.

Three-

FROM SYMPHONY CONCERTS TO GALLERY SHOWS TO PODCAST RECORDING, THE ARTS COUNCIL’S NEW HOME IS A BEACON FOR BATON ROUGE ART magic sided

FALL RADAR

Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge

“(Looking ahead), the Arts Council will celebrate its 50th anniversary with MPAC on Jan. 12, 2023. It is exciting to be part of the great arts and cultural offerings in the region, and to see in the past few years our arts sector embraced by business leaders as a vital component in the overall success of a city and region. Now a creative workforce drives what is cool, inspiring and livable in our community. Bravo!”

—RENEE CHATELAIN, president

LSU Museum of Art

“LSU Museum of Art has an exciting lineup of fall exhibitions—from ceramics by British printmaker Paul Scott, to paintings of the Mediterranean by 19th century American Impressionists, to life-sized sculptures by New Orleans artist Alex Podesta in his bunny persona! ”

—MICHELLE SCHULTE, senior curator and director of public programs

PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

Lundyn Herring, director of visual arts, hanging an exhibit in the Arts Council’s Shell Gallery.

Jonathan Grimes, chief operations officer, in the black box theater, which hosts intimate performances, classes and meetings.

THE DONOR WALL inside the main entrance of the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center says a lot about the role art plays inside this innovative building. Forget a staid scroll of names embossed on metallic plates or etched in bricks. The wall is a fanciful collection of colorful mounted triangles, plus-signs, half-moons and squares, with donors’ names inscribed on each one. And on some, tiny clay heads are perched.

“(Artist Mikey Walsh) pulled clay out of the Mississippi River bed to make these (clay head) figures as an acknowledgement of the Mississippians, the indigenous people, who were here before we were,” says Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge President and CEO Renee Chatelain. “The shapes are all so whimsical. That’s what she’s known for.”

Every corner of the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, it seems, is an opportunity to showcase and contemplate art. Open since January 2021, the center is housed in an iconic midcentury structure on St. Ferdinand Street known as the Triangle Building, which saw a $3 million overhaul under the Arts Council’s direction.

But the 12,000-square-foot space (quite an improvement over its previous 4,000-square-foot home on Laurel Street) is not just a headquarters for the Arts Council.

It’s also a thriving arts center with a public gallery, artists’ studio, black box theater, recording studio, rooftop terrace and community meeting space.

The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra is housed here. Other arts organizations flow in and out, including the dance company in resi dence, vagabondance, which provides

intensive dance instruction to the community in exchange for space.

The Shell Gallery on the first floor is open to the public and features chang ing exhibits of regional artists from the Arts Council’s 11-parish region. Down the hall, the black box theater hosts intimate performances, like the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s intimate Candlelight Concert series earlier this fall, which featured works spanning genres and time periods and light from 1,200 candles.

Next to the black box, the recording studio is available to podcasters and musicians. And across the hall, freeform studio space and a kiln room provides artists a place to work in exchange for rent, or for projects created for public spaces.

Generous light pours into the building from unexpected angles—it is a triangle, after all.

Move from floor to floor, and find art installed everywhere, from meeting rooms and offices to hallways and stairwells.

Stunning stained glass panels, for example, by artists Steve Wilson, Sam Corso and Paul Dufour, hang against a large window in a large meeting room. And installed outside the elevator in the main lobby is the work of the annual winner of the Arts Council’s prestigious Michael Crespo Fellowship. This year’s honoree was painter, muralist and local art teacher Geeta Dave, whose stirring, vibrant painting “The Power of Intuition,” will hang in the space for the next year. acgbr.org

—MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDS ON

Disclosure: 225 Editor Jennifer Tormo Alvarez is on the board of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

Gameday FOR WHOLE

Break a leg

THE CHARACTERS OF the interactive, zany cult favorite The Rocky Horror Show take to the stage this month as Theatre Baton Rouge once again per forms the 1973 musical that inspired the film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show It’s one of 10 shows the popular theater company is featuring in its 77th season, spanning August 2022 to June 2023.

Every show the organization puts on demands an intense commitment. Actors work for nine to 12 weeks, rehearsing until late at night. Set makers and tech crews work after hours to create mood-setting details. A resident costume designer fashions looks that reinforce each character’s believability. Except for a few paid staff members, Theatre Baton Rouge’s productions

are run exclusively by volunteers who donate thousands of hours to fulfill their personal passion for the theater.

“The commitment to this organization is amazing,” says Theatre Baton Rouge Artistic Director Jenny Ballard, in her ninth year at the helm. “Baton Rouge has talent coming out of the woodwork. I’ve never lived anywhere where it’s like this.”

Launched in 1946 as Baton Rouge Civic Theater, the organization origi nally staged performances at Harding Field Air Base, the current location of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and a former military training facility during World War II. A decade later, the Civic Theater changed its name to Baton Rouge Little Theater, a common name

then for nationwide community theaters. In 2013, another rebrand brought a new moniker: Theatre Baton Rouge.

“We just weren’t little anymore,” Ballard says. “And it was a miscon ception with ‘little’ in our name that we were a children’s theater.”

Family shows are part of each season’s repertoire, but so are a multitude of other genres, including adult musicals, complex farses and provocative dramas. No material is off limits, resulting in seasonal line-ups that include a little of everything. Experimental shows are held in Theatre Baton Rouge’s Studio Theatre, an intimate space on its Florida Boulevard campus that places audiences close to the action unfolding on stage. Broader appeal shows are staged on the Main Stage, originally built in 1962 after a major fundraising effort.

FALL RADAR

225 Theatre Collective

Playmakers of Baton Rouge

This season began with sold-out performances of The Wizard of Oz, continued with the stirring drama Doubt and moves next month to The Addams Family. Shows continue until June when the season wraps with the musical Legally Blonde

Ballard’s tenure has been defined by expanding Theatre Baton Rouge’s identity as a “teaching theater,” she says.

“(It’s) like a teaching hospital, where students can come and hone their craft, and work on skills that they can take to college or a career,” Ballard says. The theater features regular acting classes as well as its Young Actors Program, responsible for two of the season’s 10 shows.

“Our goal is to introduce as many new people as we can to the theater,” Ballard says. “It’s how we grow our talent and our audience.” theatrebr.org

“Join us for Night of Scary Stories, Oct. 13 at The Guru. This event will consist of dramatized storytelling of real, unexplainable and supernatural occurrences that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”

STEPHANIE BARTAGE, co-founder

“Playmakers is so excited to be celebrating our 40th Season (including shows like A Christmas Story the Musical, Dec. 9-18). It is also our first full season since 2019.”

TODD HENRY, executive director

WESLEY FAUST

‘The Rocky Horror Show’ is one of TBR’s most popular productions, with shows from Oct. 21-30. Pictured: Carole Moore as Columbia, Brendon Landry as Riff Raff, and Elaina Bachman as Magenta.

THEATRE BATON ROUGE INTRODUCES PERFORMING ARTS TO NEW AUDIENCES IN A CITY IT SAYS HAS ‘TALENT COMING OUT THE WOODWORK’

New ventures

GREG WILLIAMS REFLECTS ON 13 SEASONS OF CELEBRATING BLACK STORIES

THROUGH NEW VENTURE THEATRE AND WHAT COMES AFTER ITS CLOSURE

IN 2008, ACTOR and theater director Gregory Williams stepped away from the itinerant thespian life, which had brought him through many of the country’s great theater hubs, to return to his hometown of Baton Rouge.

He arrived with two things: a knowledge of the artistic and business sides of his craft; and a mission to carve a space for Blackness to be celebrated in the performing arts.

That space took the form of New Venture Theatre. But, after 10 years, 13 seasons and over 70 productions, a confluence of setbacks forced Williams to let the curtain fall on the project. It closed permanently this past June.

225 sat down with Williams to take a look back at New Venture Theatre, examining its accomplishments, what it means to lose it, and what comes next in his career—and Baton Rouge theater as a whole.

Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity. Find the full interview in 225 Daily ZANE PIONTEK

Tell us how you first developed the idea for New Venture Theatre.

I just kept struggling with walking into spaces and never being able to fully operate in my Blackness in theater. Even through colorblind casting, it felt like I was being asked to assimilate my character to what the white persona was, or I was wait ing ’til February when A Raisin in the Sun came. And I just had a bit of a breakdown. Through speaking to friends and some therapy, I realized it was a calling for me to start a company that creates a space to celebrate Black actors and actors of color.

When did you feel like you saw its mission come to fruition?

I think the second year of our operation, we were selected to be the first theater in the South to produce The Color Purple That was huge. Social media had kind of just bloomed, and we made sure that New Venture was at the forefront of all that.

What about Baton Rouge makes it such a good incubator for what you were trying to do?

When Alton Sterling got killed, we were producing a show called Hands Up Don’t Shoot. My inbox blew up with hate mail and support mail. The funny thing is, I real ized that no one in the city researched the show, because it was seven different per spectives of police brutality. We wanted to create conversations, not necessarily give answers. I learned this city sometimes suc cumbs to sensationalism, where we jump on bandwagons moreso than we under stand what the actual problem is.

Aside from that mail, it sounds like the wind was at the sails of New Venture Theatre. Why close?

The 2016 flood is where I really think it all started. We lost probably over $50,000 worth of costumes and set pieces, and most of our audience members lost their homes. You really can’t ask people to buy tickets to a theater when they’re trying to make ends meet. But a long time ago, someone told me something I never understood until the pandemic: ‘There

comes a time when you realize you have fulfilled a mission.’ When the pandemic happened, I started to understand that theater would never be what it was before. And that’s not a bad thing—it was just going to become something new. Before New Venture Theatre, I could not see Black boys and girls really performing anywhere. And now I look around, and there are so many opportunities. What I had set out to do, in my own little way, I had done.

What changed over the last decade?

It really hit me when a friend asked me to sit in on an audition. They were doing Descendants, the Musical. It was the first time I really heard a panel acknowledge everyone’s talent. Before, I would literally hear people say things like, ‘Could a Black girl play Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast?’ Even though she’s a pot! In this audition, someone said, ‘Well, she’s the best singer,’ without mentioning her race. It brought me to tears.

Let’s talk about your most recent project: Hoodoo House TV. Hoodoo House is my chance to tell Black queer stories. For the longest time, I have felt like there was this missing story of the guy who stays behind in the South and doesn’t run to what I call these gay meccas, like Atlanta or New York or Chicago. What happens to the folks who stay and survive and thrive? I wanted to create a streaming platform—which I feel in a lot of ways is the future of storytelling— that just focused on Black queer stories: the good, the bad and the ugly.

What makes you choose to stay here and tell Southern stories?

I’m one of those weird people that loves this state: I love the food, people, culture. I have such a calling to uplift and celebrate this place that I think gets a lot of bad rep, but I see so much good in it. I think a lot of it comes from working with my grandfa ther, who taught me to look past what the world teaches you this one dimension of somebody is. I’m so excited to break that dimension up and tell full, well-rounded stories. hoodoohousetv.com

FALL RADAR

Upstage Theatre turns 20—and comes home for Christmas Founded and run by nowretired theater professor Ava Brewster-Turner, Upstage Theatre’s mission is nurturing and growing the talents of African-American artists. The award-winning company stages shows in its 50-seat black box theater on Wooddale Boulevard. Check out its last show of the year, Home for Christmas, Dec. 4 + 10. upstagetheatre.biz

New Venture Theatre director Gregory Williams

FILE PHOTO BY COLLIN RICHIE

Cecilia Cuntz, MD

Breast Surgeon

THROUGH COMEDY CLASSES AND SHOWS, BOOMERANG COMEDY THEATER AIMS TO TRAIN PROFESSIONAL COMICS WHOSE WORK CAN STAND UP ANYWHERE

AT BATON ROUGE’S new Boomerang Comedy Theater, you’ll find laughs of a caliber you may not have known existed.

That’s because what you won’t find is your run-of-the-mill comedy club where any average Joe can stumble into an open mic and try out his notso-tight five.

Inside their comedy club, tucked in Mid City in the former Hearthstone Drive home of The Leather Apron Theatre Co., Boomerang owners Angi and Travis Noote say they strive to bring high-quality, professional standup and improv comedy to town.

They accomplish that in large part with their training curriculum— divided into 101-, 201-, 301- and 401level classes—which aspiring comics must progress through before they can take the Boomerang stage.

“My passion and my background has always been providing a framework for other people to accomplish whatever they’re accomplishing,” Travis says. Both he and wife Angi have backgrounds in corporate communication and teambuilding workshops. “I want to make that framework so that anybody who comes in the door—whether audience member, performer, or worker or volunteer—is gonna have a good time.”

Before or after drinks or dinner at nearby spots like Elsie’s Plate & Pie and The Radio Bar, audiences can enjoy standup shows, improv showcases, musical theater productions and more. The venue even hosted the second annual Baton Rouge Improv Festival this past spring.

The attention to quality that under girds all of Boomerang’s operations has two sides, the Nootes say: Training performers to deliver professional-cal iber standup and improv creates a more consistently enjoyable experi ence for the audience. On the flipside, “if people are going to pay to go see a professional show,” Angi says, “then we feel like the performers should be treated like professionals.”

Part of that is the performer expe rience, with Boomerang’s backstage greenroom boasting numerous ame nities and refreshments that create a professional feel for performers. And while that certainly helps, the real kicker is this: Performers get paid. In the world of ameteur comedy, money for aspiring pros can be as rare as a puppeteer selling out a stadium.

But Angi and Travis don’t just want their performers to feel like profes sional comedians; they want to equip them with the tools to make a real go of it. The training is a big part of

that, but to take things further, the two owners have outfitted their club with professional-grade cameras to film performers’ sets and assemble submission reels that they can send to comedy festivals and the likes as they forge ahead in their careers.

This might all make it seem like Boomerang is some high-stakes comedy bootcamp designed to create nothing less than the world’s next Richard Pryor or Robin Williams.

But the vibe is much more lax; the Nootes say they simply want to give anyone who shares their passion all the tools they can. In fact, their long-held dream of opening their own comedy club originally had nothing to do with upping the ante of local comedy, but of spreading awareness and appreciation of its offstage benefits.

“I think that’s at the root of my love for it,” Travis says. “There are myriad benefits, as simple as just getting up and moving.”

ANOTHER NEW COMEDY SPACE

“I want to heal the world with laughter. This is a place for people to forget what’s going on in their lives and laugh the pain away.”

—Shedrick “Seddy Sed” Marshall told 225 earlier this year about Silly Rabbit Comedy Club, Baton Rouge’s first Black-owned comedy club. Marshall opened it in January at 9945 Airline Highway, Suite C.

He and Angi place great empha sis on the ability of comedy—group improv in particular—to help people break out of their comfort zones, cooperate better as teams and overcome social anxiety as individ uals. They’ve even been in talks with groups of military veterans who have found improv to be an effective treat ment for some of the lingering psy chological effects of their combat experiences.

“You have to be a little bit vulnerable to be that ridiculous,” Angi says. “There’s something really freeing about not having to meet any expectations other than just what’s right there in that moment.”

So that’s what you’ll find at Boomerang Comedy Theater: a space for quality performers, a passion to foster their talents and a wellintended suggestion to try it out for yourself.

COLLIN RICHIE

WITH JUST A little movement, anyone can dance.

That’s exactly what Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre is trying to teach young children with its Ballet for Every Body program. Through easy moves and funny stories, the educational pro gram encourages dance for body types and ages.

Along with learning simple ballet and contemporary dance moves, students will hear about body positivity, the art of storytelling through dance and how to be a good audience member. Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s marketing and communications director Christine Perkins says the program aims to break ballet stereotypes and coach children to find their inner dancers.

“Ballet kind of has this stigma about it, that you have to look a certain way and have to be a certain size,” she says. “That’s really not the case. Ballet dance can be lovely on all bodies, sizes and shapes.”

Since its start at the beginning of 2021, Ballet for Every Body has been implemented in two schools: Mayfair Laboratory School in Baton Rouge and Rollins Place Elementary School in Zachary. Because of COVID-19, the schools had limited capacities for assemblies, so Ballet for Every Body became a recurring program throughout the school year. In total, it reached 785 first and second graders in its first year.

“It was just wonderful and gratifying to see them get it and know that they understood the ideas we were trying to

get across,” Perkins says. “They even went away laughing and dancing.”

Participants are instructed by professional and studentlevel dancers. Ballet for Every Body was created with younger students in mind, so each dance is short and simple with humorous narrations to keep children engaged.

Students learn how different body types move in their own ways and discover how to tell stories through their dance moves. But Perkins says the program is about more than ballet. It spans to include other dance genres so chil dren can learn something about dance that they may not have known before.

“You never know what’s going to click,” she says. “Some kids will love ballet and never have an inkling that that was in their future. Some get into the art of dance and realize they love contemporary or another style, so we wanted to open those doors for kids in their minds that this was some thing that they could love.”

This school year, Perkins says the program will undergo some light redesigning and adjustment with new cast mem bers after the company holds auditions—and will hopefully continue to expand.

“We want as many people as possible to appreciate the arts, because it really enriches the community as a whole,” she says.

FALL RADAR

Of Moving Colors

“On Oct. 21, we’ll be bringing back our Clock Tower show, which premiered this spring. It’s a beautiful work that’s really relevant now about how we see ourselves amidst the people around us and how they see us, too. Join us after the show for some Champagne and to meet the dancers. People always say there’s not enough to do in this city, and I beg to differ. I can never see all of the amazing things that are happening here, and I’m excited to be a part of that offering!”

GARLAND WILSON, artistic Director

Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre

“After five long years, The Nutcracker - A Tale from the Bayou returns in all of its holiday glory to our home stage, the River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts, Dec. 17-18. Our dancers can’t wait to take the stage amidst the many magical sets and effects.”

CHRISTINE PERKINS, marketing and communications director

Bring it to your school

The Ballet for Every Body program will be available for schools around late fall, and Perkins encourages interested schools to reach out to the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre by email or phone for more information. Find contact info at batonrougeballet.org.

FALL RADAR

The Walls Project

“Our public art program is excited to start mural production on another downtown visual land mark while expanding our apprenticeship and STEAM programming. With the celebration of our 10-year anniversary behind us, our grassroots public art program has exciting interactive art installations on the horizon.”

MORGAN UDOH, public arts program coordinator

Artin placesunexpected

BATON ROUGE IS A RICH ENVIRONMENT FOR SPOTTING FASCINATING WORKS OF ART—IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK

“THERE’S SO MUCH here to see,” says Chelsea Norris, co-director of Ann Connelly Fine Art, a gallery frequently hired by businesses, health care facilities and other organizations to create onsite art programs. “There’s so much regional talent, and we’ve also been able to attract a growing number of significant artists to the community to create works here.” Here are a few the gallery has helped foster that you can enjoy across town.

Angela Gregory bas-relief panels

WATERMARK HOTEL

The historic Watermark Hotel on Third Street holds the work of sculptor Angela Gregory, a pioneering artist from New Orleans who trained in France and worked throughout the 20th century, creat ing many public commissions. In the late 1940s, the building’s first occupant, Louisiana National Bank, hired Gregory to create eight bas-relief panels depicting the state’s economic history, including its natural resources, transportation and commerce. The detailed murals are a fine example of Gregory’s remarkable craftsmanship, says Nor ris, adding that the rest of the art in the Watermark’s lobby “sort of morphed around the murals.” The collection includes edgy, lenticular works that seem to shape-shift as the viewer changes position.

Little Treasures

OUR LADY OF THE LAKE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital is chock-full of visually appealing art and design meant to help children and families feel more comfortable in times of distress. One piece, “Little Treasures,” intends to connect with kids through its accessible scale and diversity of images, Norris says. “We tried to be really thoughtful when we commissioned it,” she says. “It’s a grid of 120 tiny little paintings, installed floor to ceiling—so a young person can engage with the work,” she says. “We worked with artists from all over the region to source the works, as well as people who work in the hospital who are also artists.”

MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON

KEF! mural THE OVERPASS MERCHANT

Murals are big in Baton Rouge, thanks to the Walls Project and the previous work of orthodontist Kevin Harris, who recruited international muralists and street artists to contribute to the Museum of Public Art in Old South Baton Rouge. Norris says that foundation has helped Ann Connelly Fine Art successfully recruit other internationally known muralists, including KEF!, a German street artist who the gallery brought to Baton Rouge in 2017 to create both public and private commissions. Spot KEF!’s fanciful mural, complete with signature curlicues, on the Overpass Merchant’s exterior wall at Perkins Road and Christian Street.

Meditation Art Wall (Lord, Hear Our Prayers) by Stephen Wilson

MARY BIRD PERKINS CANCER CENTER

Part of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s Healing Arts program, the Meditation Art Wall is a stunning 22-foot piece designed by Baton Rouge stained glass artist Stephen Wilson. Visible from the lobby, it reflects and refracts light in beautiful jewel tones, Norris says. A portion of the work also forms a wall in a quiet meditation room on the other side of the lobby, where small groups of patients and family members can pause to reflect on their cancer journeys while taking in the moving design.

Louisiana Arts and Science Museum

“LASM’s newest exhibition, ‘Diamonds of History: Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore,’ on display through January 2023, highlights the contributions, struggles, and triumphs of 29 influential women from the past and today, depicted by New Orleans artist Ashley Longshore. She has also created a colorful ‘Gem’ painting that will debut at the museum to highlight the women whose portraits are on view and are true ‘Diamonds of History,’ whose persistent sparkle will never fade.”

SERENA PANDOS, executive director

DIGIT 1%

The Percent for Art program calls for state construction projects totaling more than $2 million to spend 1% of the overall cost on acquiring or restoring local art. Thanks to this, Louisiana state build ings are great places to spot art. “The Gates of Dawn” by Michael Crespo at the Clai borne Building downtown is one standout example—a massive, allegorical painting.

COURTESY

EYE WANDER PHOTO

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FALL RADAR

The Louisiana Book Festival is Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Louisiana State Library, Louisiana State Museum, State Capitol and Capitol Park Event Center in downtown Baton Rouge. louisianabookfestival.org

Book it

This month’s Louisiana Book Festival brings attendees face to face with Pulitzer authors and the state’s top literary talent

FROM ERNEST GAINES to Anne Rice, Louisiana has long earned praise for its writers. Whether you attribute it to the state’s inspiring landscapes, cultural depth or rich—and often sordid—history, there’s no ignoring the many great stories woven by Louisianan minds.

If you’ve yet to delve into the treasure trove of Louisiana’s written arts, you can always dip your toe in at a local bookstore, or a Wikipedia query on the history of Louisiana’s famous authors

and poets. But if you’d prefer to dive in head-first, there’s no better place than the Louisiana Book Festival, which returns Oct. 29 to downtown Baton Rouge.

“With everything we do, we try to promote a culture of literacy and reading, but also Louisiana’s rich literary heritage,” says Louisiana State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton, a key organizer of the Book Festival.

While many would likely associate Louisiana’s literary heritage with dusty old books from the hardscrabble times of Southern yore, Hamilton and all her Book Festival cohorts want to show how that heritage continues to flourish in the modern world.

Starting that morning, a legion of around 200 authors and poets will flock the grounds of the state library to partake in what Hamilton rather casually boasts to be “the largest single event put on by any state agency, outside of the Angola rodeo.”

The day kicks off with the conferral of the Louisiana Writer’s Award at the state capitol, the recipient of which will be announced in the weeks before the festival. After that, attendees can explore a truly manifold selection of programs, from speeches and forums held by authors and poets of all stripes, to cooking demos where Louisiana chefs show off recipes from their latest cookbooks.

“We try to have something for every genre, for

every age group,” Hamilton says, adding that she’s often seen families arrive together and then split off to explore their respective interests. “There really is something for everybody.”

Among the writers in attendance will be Pulitzer-winning writer and poet Jericho Brown, award-winning children’s author and Grammywinning musician Johnette Downing, Robert Olen Butler—another Pulitzer winner—and many more, the length and variety of which too vast to be enumerated here.

But for the many celebrated writers who will attend and all the literary clout each carries, Hamilton says she and her team go to great lengths to ensure that all the writers are accessible and that everyone gets what they come for.

“Some of these big book festivals, you’ll go, and you’re one of 1,000 people in a room—you’ll never get to talk to that author,” Hamilton says. “Whereas here, we keep the room small, we have a lot of authors, and you almost always get to meet your author and get your book signed by them.”

ZANE PIONTEK

BUILD YOUR BATON ROUGE BOOKSHELF reads

SOMETIMES ALL IT takes to engross readers is a direct connec tion to a familiar experience or place. That’s where local writers come in. Baton Rouge authors come from all walks of life with a single goal: to help promote literacy and a love for stories.

“Reading is so important at all ages and all stages of life, pro viding opportunities for discovery and lifelong learning,” says East Baton Rouge Parish Library director Spencer Watts.

Try building your own Baton Rouge-themed bookshelf full of local stories to make you laugh, cry and learn something.

You can start by exploring the local library system, with more than 14 branches to choose from. We asked EBRPL for help us compile a list of a few books with a local lens. Picking one up is bound to connect you to a story worth reading.

Read the extended article on our 225 Daily newsletter.

DOMENIC PURDY

Terri Dunham’s The Legend of Papa Noel: A Cajun Christmas is the classic Christmas storybook we all know, reworked to fit Louisiana. Santa rides through the swamp on a boat pulled by eight alligators.

Louisiana Saves the Library and Ava’s Place by Emily Cogburn nod to Cogburn’s time working in libraries and her experience moving to Louisiana. You’ll recognize inspiration from Louie’s Diner, too. “People really like to open a book and see a place they recognize,” she says.

Richard White’s Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long is a LSU history professor’s bio of the state’s infamous governor, from his election to assassination.

Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory is a coming-of-age tale about a small-town girl. Also check out Nowhere Better Than Here, based loosely on the 2016 floods. “I want people outside of Louisiana to realize what’s going on down here,” says the Brusly High School English teacher.

Ava Haymon’s Eldest Daughter is a collection of poems that vividly describes life as a woman in the South during the mid-20th century.

Rannah Gray’s Familiar Evil details the international search for Baton Rouge TV personality and child pred ator Scott Rogers. It won 13 national and international book awards, and it was adapted into a true crime series on the Investigation Discovery Network in August.

Gary L. Stewart and Susan Mustafa’s The Most Dan gerous Animal of All is the memoir of Stewart, whose journey to find his biological dad leads him to believe his father is the Zodiac killer. It was adapted into a FX series.

Bone Lady by Mary Manheim—an LSU forensic anthro pologist—details how the author’s expertise in forensic pathology helped law enforcement solve high-profile crimes. “I include forensic anthropology, so in a sense, they’re not only following an interesting story, but they are also learning a little bit,” Manheim says.

Cashed Out by Mike and Ayan Rubin is a legal thriller set in Baton Rouge that follows a failed lawyer after his marriage falls apart. It won a coveted Jack Eadon award and was shortlisted for a Silver Falchion Award. “Louisi ana is the main character in all of our books,” Ayan says.

Three Feet Under by Christee Atwood is a humorous commentary on the midlife crisis.

“I believe that reading books, especially from local authors, reminds people that there’s a book in them,” she says. “It’s a wonderful feeling to read books from authors in the area and realize what talent could be sitting next to you at any given moment.”

Lindsey Duga’s Glow of Fireflies is part of a series of young adult spooky tales by Duga, whose has had books published by Scholastic.

M.O. Walsh’s The Big Door Prize asks readers: What would you do if you knew your life’s potential? It inspired Apple TV+ series on the way from the producers of Schitt’s Creek

Independent sounds

“THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT the swamp air here that makes a really different kind of songwriting,” says Mookie Darden of local band Baby in the ‘90s. Per haps that’s why community

Self Portraits: The Most Self of Portraits by Crumble

Under the stage name Crumble, Duncan Bark ley combines electronic, hardcore, math rock and jazz into fast-paced, upbeat dance music. During the pandemic, Barkley traveled the country in a van. From May 7, 2020, to March 7, 2022, the adventure coalesced into 100 songs across a series of four albums, collected as Self Portraits. “It was very helpful, inspiration-wise, to be in different places,” Barkley says.

Null by Nocturnal Broadcast

Combining roots, math, progressive rock and jazz on a March album, Null, and at shows at spots like Yes We Cannibal, Mid City Ballroom and Chelsea’s Live. “I think it’s crucial to go out and experience other people’s work to feel inspired and motivated or energized to do my own,” Connor LaCour says.

To a Dark Boy by Wakai

Raised on soul, motown, psychedelic funk and hip-hop, Wakai—real name Austin Johnson— struggles to identify his style. “My sound is gumbo,” he says. Form ing a studio at 15 and the musical group Cul De Sac Collective, he branded himself Wakai, an acronym for “When America Kills All In formed.” His latest, To a Dark Boy, pays homage to Gwendolyn Bennett’s poem “To a Dark Girl.” Watch for an EP entitled Flashbacks next.

No Problem by Shipwrecked

Shipwrecked’s sound is inspired by guitarist and singer-songwriter David Bankston’s youth during the 2000s. Alongside guitarist Garrett Howell, bassist Jade Marais and drummer Hannah Hy man, the band debuted in 2017. “We grew up in the pop-punk, emo boom and we wear that on our sleeves,”

Bankston says. These influences are clear on No Problem

Rebuilt from Memory by Baby in the ‘90s

The indie-rock band owes its name to a childhood on the cusp of the millennium, says guitarist and song-writer Mookie Darden. “People my age were babies in the ’90s,” Darden says.

“It gives a certain aes thetic I like to put in my music, of Nintendo 64 and hanging with friends in the summer.” It’s re sulted in two EPs, a stu dio album, Rebuilt from Memory, and a second album underway.

Foul-Mouthed and Fool

Hearted by Dalton Wayne and the Warmadillos

Dalton Wayne and the Warmadillos blend metal, punk-rock and country. In 2018, Wayne was joined by drummer Mark DuPont, guitarist James McCann, guitarist Joey Holoway and pia nist Josie Menard. “We don’t sound like any thing in Baton Rouge,” Tillman says. That shows on a studio album, a live EP recorded at Chelsea’s Live, and a new album due in the fall.

Crumble

Nocturnal Broadcoast in

Dalton and Warmadillos Shipwrecked

Wakai

Lights, camera, action

New technologies and opportunities are training the next generation of filmmakers to live and work right here in Louisiana

AS FILM CREWS took over streets and spaces around downtown and Mid City to film National Treasure earlier this year, it sent a clear message: the local future of filmmaking is bright.

The Disney reboot is a signal fire for the innovations coming out of the Capital City, with the next generation of filmmakers being taught on stateof-the-art technology at LSU.

Thanks to a five-year $1.25 million grant from the Louisiana Economic Development’s Entertainment Division awarded in 2021, LSU’s digital media center was outfitted with a virtual production stage, utilizing the same

technology from Michigan-based Fuse Technology Group that brought The Mandalorian to the small screen.

A curved wall of LED screens capa ble of producing 3D environments, in conjunction with video game design software from Epic Games and motion capture programs, was installed in February. By the start of the summer semester, the first class completely uti lizing the technology was underway.

By the second day, professors Derick Ostrenko and Marc Aubanel were already allowing students to take on roles within their film crew, includ ing camera operator, motion capture

supervisor and video engineer. The technology is run like a professional film set.

“One of the coolest things is that we are able to get students from the school of theater, screen arts, science, digital media, engineering, music. There are just a lot of areas we are able to bring together that do a really good job at a particular skill set,” says Ostrenko, a professor at the College of Art & Design. “We’re showing the students what’s possible and how to bridge all these technologies together.”

Ideas are exchanged in this new envi ronment, with the set being adjusted on the fly to create a makeshift talk show set to test the screen’s capabilities.

Recently shot in BR

• Greyhound (feature film shot in 2018)

• Paradise Lost (scripted series filmed in 2019)

• Crater (feature film shot in 2021)

“We’re hoping this can close the gap with what a professional production might be and what a student projection is. We’re evening that playing field,” says Aubanel, the director of digital media arts and engineering.

Just a 15-minute drive from the groundbreaking innovation on LSU’s Date: October 2022 Ad proof #1

• National Treasure (scripted series filmed in 2021-2022)

• The Mascot (feature film expected to begin this year)

PHOTOS BY ARIANA ALLISON

campus is Celtic Studios, the central hub for almost all filmmaking in the city, bringing together various talents to sustain the industry. And with help from organizations housed there, like the local branch of the New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC), the studio helps connect individuals to opportunities.

On the set of National Treasure, carpenters and painters transform soundstages into lost temples, while electricians work on screens similar to those used at LSU. The goal of a place like Celtic, the studio’s executive director Aaron Bayham explains, is to open up the industry to every kind of career.

“A lot of people don’t realize there are a lot of different types of opportunities to work in film,” Bayham says. “People think of actors or directors, but there’s a lot of things that happen behind the scenes, whether it’s construction or wardrobe or makeup or visual effects.”

One of the thriving parts of the industry in Baton Rouge and on Celtic’s lot is Crafty Apes, the largest cinematic visual effects company in Louisiana.

Launching in January 2020, the group

is involved from script-to-screen, head of studio Sam Claitor explains, working with the filmmakers to develop a film’s visual language through its effects.

“Working in visual effects means we work in tech,” Claitor says. “The technol ogy is always evolving, so a big part of our job is staying ahead of the curve.”

Their work has kept them busy, with local productions like Where the Crawdads Sing and Home Team booking them well into next year. In fact, Crafty Apes helped LSU install and develop its virtual production stage earlier this year.

Between the innovations at LSU and the work at Celtic, the future of Baton Rouge’s film industry is operating on a digital frontier.

“It’s like the wild west right now,” Ostrenko says. “The future is this merger of the virtual and the physical and what you can do between that.”

With films and television shows increasingly utilizing technologies like motion capture, virtual sets and comput er-generated images, institutions in Baton Rouge are on the cutting edge of bringing what’s on the big screen closer to reality than ever before.

“We’re helping (creative partners) make their dream a reality,” Claitor says.

DOMENIC PURDY

The back-to-school experience should be a great one!  In these pages, local schools focus on their approach to learning, what makes them unique, important dates and details, and what families can expect in the coming year.

SPONSORED

To the

EPISCOPAL SCHOOL OF BATON ROUGE

GRADES SERVED

PRE K3-12

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

Episcopal takes a personalized approach to education. Small class sizes, knowledgeable and caring staff, innovative campus resources, three full-time college counselors and project-based lessons enhance the Episcopal experience. A robust tuition assistance and scholarship program ensure a variety of students earn admission.

LIST SOME OF YOUR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS.

Our vibrant arts program lets students express themselves through theater, dance, visual art and music. Because Episcopal is a 2A school, more students have the opportunity to compete, play and achieve athletically. Students also participate in service-learning projects to make a difference in their world.

Middle School. Our Middle School curriculum sets students up for success as they advance to Upper School and plan for the future. College counselors connect students with the university that best meets their needs.

ROLLING ADMISSIONS.

MIDDLE/UPPER SCHOOL

OPEN HOUSE

NOVEMBER 3, 4:30-6:30 PM. (REGISTRATION 4:30-5:30 PM)

VISIT EPISCOPALBR.

ORG/ADMISSION FOR RESERVATIONS OR TO SCHEDULE A PRIVATE TOUR

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

Beginning in Lower School, teachers encourage a love of learning that builds as students progress to

THE BRIGHTON SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

The Brighton School serves students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. Our faculty is highly trained and well-equipped to work with this population of students. In addition to our core classes, students receive an hour of specialized and focused reading therapy every day.

WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH?

GARDERE COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

GCCS offers many special events and activities, including: a weeklong stay at Camp Ozark, Girls on the Run, Christian Youth Theater, yearbook, book club, soccer, art, drama and theater set design, monthly field trips, and Story Time Saturday. provides the necessary education God-given

GCCS was established to provide a quality education for students in the Gardere area who desire to excel in academics and for parents who desire a strong Christian foundation for their children regardless of their financial circumstances. Parents are active in the learning process and partners in providing an inclusive and trusting learning environment.

LIST SOME OF YOUR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

The Brighton School embraces multisensory learning. Having one approach or one pace does not work for our students. Our teachers use multiple approaches and resources to design curriculum. As fast as we can, but as slow as we need allows us to meet the needs of each student. ENROLLMENT THROUGH WEDNESDAYS 70810

HEALTHY HABITS SHOULD BE A FAMILY AFFAIR

PUT IT ON THE CALENDAR

Make sure to schedule a back-to-school checkup with your child’s pediatrician— it can address not only physical and developmental needs, but also social and emotional issues.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Good health is linked to school performance, so keep these dietary guidelines in mind: Limit solid fats, cholesterol, sodium, added sugars, and refined grains. Start every day with a healthy breakfast, which improves cognitive function.

GET MOVING

Research shows that moving our bodies (at any age) can increase our concentration, attitudes, cognitive skills, and attention. Exercise has also been proven to improve children’s behavior in the classroom, so make sure kids age 6 to 17 get at least an hour of physical activity every day.

GO TO SLEEP

After a relaxing summer, the structure of a new school year brings an opportunity to reset. Evaluate your child’s exercise, sleep, and screen times to create a routine that helps your family to get a good night’s rest.

As cute first-day pictures fade into memory and frenzied schedules become the norm, it’s more important than ever to prioritize your children’s health. Encourage the whole family to focus on healthy habits, and you’ll ensure your young scholars get the most out of this school year!

Whether you are concerned with how much your baby is eating, social concerns for your 4 year old, or your teenager is having body image issues, we’re here for you

GERM ALERT

Infections increase each year when kids return to school. Help prevent respiratory infections and stomach flus from spreading by putting a thorough hand-washing routine in place. If you or your child feels sick, stay home to avoid spreading germs.

MENTAL HEALTH

From pandemic-induced social effects to cyberbullying, things that bother the mind can manifest as physical pains like headaches and stomach issues. Watch out for changes in kids’ behavior, including aggression, anxiety or distress. For help, reach out to a doctor or school counselor.

SPORTS PHYSICALS = WINNING

Sports physicals are important tools for physicians and parents to discover specific issues like nutrition, injuries and fitness. This is also a great way to evaluate how kids feel about their participation in sports.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOU!

They say you can’t fill from an empty cup—this especially applies to parents and guardians because you can’t have a healthy child without a healthy parent. Many of the tips listed here are helpful for all ages, so start by making healthy choices a family affair.

We praise God, love, grow, and share our Christian faith by providing an “Education Anchored in Christ.” YEAR FOUNDED

TRINITY LUTHERAN SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

We are Anchored in Christ—daily religion classes, weekly chapel * Anchored in Academics— cultivating intellectual curiosity and a lifelong love of learning * Anchored in Character—developing leadership and God-given talents * Anchored in Service—instilling a passion for serving others * Anchored in Diversity—sharing hope with students of all backgrounds. * Students are guided to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for success as citizens of our nation, as neighbors in our communities, and as Christians living in today’s world.

TOTAL ENROLLMENT Etc.

OPEN HOUSE OCTOBER 20, 6:30-7:30 PM

Issue Date: October 2022

• Please respond by e-mail

• WILL RUN AS of

• Additional

WHAT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES DO YOU OFFER?

Athletics: soccer, flag football, volleyball, basketball; Clubs: Drama Club, Legos Club, Yearbook Staff, Cooking Club, Games Club, Lutheran Junior Honor Society; Events: weekly chapel, Donuts for Grown-ups, Fall Festival, Grandparents Day, Field Day, Outdoor Education.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2022. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 Fax 225-926-1329

SACRED HEART OF JESUS SCHOOL

Steeped in Catholic tradition, Sacred Heart of Jesus School is a diverse community dedicated to educating the mind, body and spirit.

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

The historic campus and diverse population of Sacred Heart of Jesus School situated in the heart of Baton Rouge is not only welcoming, but beautiful. We provide a holistic approach to the development of each child’s potential. Our newly renovated classrooms add a modern touch to our traditional campus.

TOTAL ENROLLMENT

OPEN HOUSE

JANUARY 19, 2023, 5-7 PM 15:1 STUDENT/ TEACHER RATIO SERVED Rouge 70802

OCTOBER 27 9 A.M.-1 P.M. OR EMAIL MMILLER@ SACREDHEARTBR.

COM TO SCHEDULE A PRIVATE TOUR 10:1 STUDENT/ TEACHER RATIO SERVED K3-8

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

Sacred Heart prides itself on a caring, nurturing, faith-filled learning environment, and close-knit community. Teachers value reaching each child by creating an individualized learning experience, and our school counselor has implemented a social-emotional learning curriculum. Students attend Mass weekly and live their faith daily to discover their Catholic identity.

Nationally ranked means the best care for your little ones!

Children’s Hospital New Orleans has been recognized as a Best Children’s Hospital for 2022-2023 by U.S. News & World Report! This first-ever U.S. News & World Report ranking reflects our unwavering commitment to provide the best possible care to all kids and only kids - right here in Louisiana.

Find a provider today at chnola.org/BatonRouge.

HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMEN EARN COLLEGE CREDIT WITH PATHWAYS PROGRAM

Going into his first year as principal of Glen Oaks Magnet High School last year, Robert Signater was tasked with another opportunity: the Pathways to Bright Futures program.

Glen Oaks was chosen as the pilot for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System’s program which allows students to take advanced-level courses through Baton Rouge Community College with the hopes of eventually earning an associate degree or industry-based credential (IBC) along with their high school diploma. “My initial thought was, ‘Wow, let’s see what this is and what would it do to benefit the students of Glen Oaks,’ says Signater. “Once I learned more about it, I really became excited. I think it’s the best thing that ever could have happened to our campus.”

The school system will be expanding the Pathways program in the 20222023 school year to all incoming ninthgraders throughout the district. “The ability to take advanced level classes, whether AP, dual enrollment, or on a pathway to earn an IBC while in high school is an amazing life changing

opportunity,”explained Academic Supervisor, Suguna Mayweather, who worked hands-on with the pilot cohort of students affectionately referred to as the “1st Class.”

FINDING THE PATH

The five Pathways offered are technology; construction and manufacturing; medical and pre-med; transportation and logistics; and liberal arts and management. “As freshmen, it inspires and gives them hope that they have what it takes to go to college and be successful,” Signater says, “That level of empowerment for students is priceless.”

Each of the Pathways offered was created in partnership with area businesses and industry leaders to fill workforce gaps in high-need, high-wage, and high-growth jobs. “With this program, we are preparing young people not just for graduation from high school, but for a life filled with opportunity. This includes preparing them to be career-ready, or for the next steps in their college career,” Mayweather says.

MEASURED SUCCESS

Historically, Glen Oaks has had a low engagement in dual enrollment and advanced-placement coursework, but the average GPA of the 1st Class was 2.59 (the district average is 2.44). Seventy-one percent of the students who participated in the 1st Class earned dual-enrollment credits. Of those, eight students earned three hours of college credit, 14 earned six hours, 15 earned nine hours and 18 earned at least 12 hours.

Overall, students in the 1st Class demonstrated higher performance in GPA, promotion rate, and LEAP 2025 than students in the previous year’s freshman cohort. This debunks the notion that high stakes testing and other measures are the sole indicators of advanced coursework readiness. It is believed that higher rigor and expectations are attributed to the students’ performance.

Visit ebrschools.org/brightfutures to learn more.

PARKVIEW BAPTIST SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

Parkview’s devotion to a curriculum balanced in abundant life, academics, arts and athletics in a Christ-centered community provides an exceptional environment for each student to reach their full potential. We also offer Parkview Flex, a flexible, individualized learning program for students in high commitment athletic or artistic endeavors.

LIST SOME OF YOUR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES OR EVENTS.

Parkview Athletics offers 18 different sports. We have a robust arts program that includes marching band, concert band, vocal performance, visual arts, theatre and the Parkview Digital Network. Our robotics team regularly attends regional and international competitions, and our students can choose from more than 50 clubs.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

We encourage our students to be well-rounded, try new activities, play multiple sports, and

discover talents. Parkview offers a challenging and supportive academic program, as well as extensive opportunities for creative expression, spiritual development and community service. Our campus is truly one big family.

ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL DAY SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

Our 75-year legacy of excellence has produced leaders for generations and continues to prepare our students to meet 21st-century challenges. From Old State Capitol Easter egg hunts to downtown library student art exhibits to picnics along the Mississippi River, our downtown location offers unique historical and cultural academic opportunities.

WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH?

St. James offers an integrated and accelerated curriculum designed to exceed national and state standards. Our teachers use innovative teaching practices to foster collaborative efforts such as project-based learning, problem-solving groups, and authentic assessments. Instruction is differentiated to meet the unique needs, interests, and abilities of our students.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

At St. James, your child can have it all—a caring, personalized, day school experience combined with

the academic and leadership preparation needed for future success. St. James is the perfect environment to propel bright minds to explore their curiosity, expand their vision, and discover their purpose. #LoveLearnLead

CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

As the only school in the nation recognized six times by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, Catholic High School has set the standard for excellence in education in the Baton Rouge area for the past 128 years.

WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH?

CHS focuses on a holistic approach to education with members of the faculty striving to create an atmosphere for learning that provides young men with ample opportunities to thrive.

LIST SOME EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS.

CHS offers many activities centered around arts, academics, faith, leadership and other interests (40 student organizations and 13 LHSAA sports programs). Our students are able to pursue interests that help them build relationships that support success in all aspects of life.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

Students have daily interactions with caring adults who guide and support them in their lives beyond school. Administrators, campus ministers, counselors, and other educators work to foster a school environment centered around each young man reaching his full potential as he becomes the man that God created him to be.

One of the most common symptoms I hear in clinic is regarding dry eyes. And when I tell my patients “Your eyes are watering because you have dry eyes”, I get the ‘deer caught in headlights’ look! Unfortunately, this is only one of many symptoms of dry eye disease. My approach to the treatment of dry eye is simple and effective but it all starts from exploring different methods of healing this disease from the inside out while following a specific treatment plan. After all, your eyes are a part of your body. Scan here to learn how it all starts with YOU!

KENILWORTH SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

Kenilworth offers extensive STEM programs such as Robotics, Coding, and Intro to Stem Careers. We are one of five schools in the state with an Aquaponics Lab. Our Science Research Mentorship program pairs students with a college professor to perform real world research and experiments.

WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH?

Kenilworth believes that all students can reach their maximum potential when given the proper tools and opportunities.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

Next fall, we will expand to serve grades K-8 and include a comprehensive computer science program in a new state-of-the art facility. Each year,

our students demonstrate excellence in robotics competitions and science fairs. Our students take high school courses, including Algebra 1 and English 1 to earn high school credits.

JOIN US FOR

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20

3:30-7 p.m.

For Girls in Grades 6-8 and Their Parents

Tour campus with Student Ambassadors.

Visit with teachers and administrators.

See performances and demonstrations showcasing the arts, academics, sports medicine and the STEM Lab.

Watch technicians at work in our student-run Help Desk.

Enjoy performances by the SJA cheerleaders, SJA/ Catholic High band and the Red Steppers competition dance team.

Register at visitsja.org

LEARN ALL ABOUT WHAT MAKES THE ACADEMY SO SPECIAL.

Founded in 1868 by the Sisters of St. Joseph. St. Joseph’s Academy has a non-discriminatory admissions policy. 3015 Broussard Street | Baton Rouge, LA 70808 (225) 383-7207 | www.sjabr.org

OUR LADY OF MERCY SCHOOL

WHAT IS SPECIAL OR UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

Mercy is not only a campus of classrooms. After the dismissal bell rings, students come together on the field, court, stage, labs and bleachers to continue to thrive and grow in friendship. Saturdays and Sundays, teachers, students, administrators, parents, and grandparents are seated side by side in our church pews.

WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH?

We provide smaller class sizes, which allows our students to thrive. We also host an accommodation program for students with exceptional needs aimed at keeping families with children of differing abilities together on the same campus.

LIST SOME OF YOUR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.

Mercy has a band, choir, Broadway Junior Theater program, football, basketball, volleyball,

cross country, track & field, tennis, swimming, cheer, dance, a Winter Auction, Spring Fair, and much more.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

Mercy prepares students and their families to live lives of purpose rooted in the Gospel and Catholic Tradition. Excellence in all things is our standard and is determined by what is pleasing to God.

ST. THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

STM believes in an academic focus that teaches key concepts promoting success in school as well as in life. Partnering academics with athletics, co-curricular activities and fine arts is vital in order to help educate a child in recognizing his or her strengths and interests prior to entering high school. St. Thomas More proudly educates more than 650 students from preschool through 8th grade with 75 dedicated staff members in a faith-filled environment.

LIST SOME OF YOUR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS.

Athletics include football, basketball, cheer, cross country, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball. Clubs include Asian Club, Band, Beta, Choir, Christians in Action, Drama, MathCounts, Quiz Bowl, Spanish Club, Student Council and Youth Legislature.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

STM offers leveled math and language arts classes in grades 1 through 4 and can enhance or remediate

the curriculum to fit a child’s academic needs. In 5th grade, students can move into an honors track. Prayer, Catholic curriculum and paraliturgy experiences form the overall climate of the school.

ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

St. Luke’s is the only K-8 model Episcopal School in Baton Rouge. This model is beneficial because it allows faculty to know, nurture and educate students as individuals. We provide a strong sense of community, and there is no pressure for our students to grow up too fast.

WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH?

Consideration goes into curriculum planning for each level. Accommodations are made for students needing them, and opportunities for advancement above grade level are also made available.

LIST SOME OF YOUR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.

Our athletic program (open to 3rd-8th graders) combines the idea of nurturing mind, body, and spirit, benefitting our student-athletes on the field and in the classroom. We currently offer flag football, cross country, basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball and track & field.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

St. Luke’s is a place where every student can play a role in our community and find their passion. From our overnight field trips beginning in 5th grade, to our wide variety of enrichment classes, students grow in self-confidence and independence.

MOVIE IN THE PARK: ROCKY HORROR

Independence Park Theatre Lawn

Oct. 1 | 8-10 p.m.

REAUXLLER JAM

Perkins Road Community Park

Oct. 1 | 2-5 p.m.

BREW AT THE ZOO

BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo

Oct. 7 | 7-10 p.m.

THE SPOOKY SPECTRUM

Highland Road Park Observatory

Oct. 8 | 6-10 p.m.

MESSY MASTERPIECES

Saia Park

Oct. 8 | 10 a.m.-noon

RIDE + ROLL

Perkins Road Extreme Sports Park

Oct. 9 | 2-6 p.m.

CARDIO AT THE PAVILION

Independence Park Theatre Lawn

Oct. 10 + 17 + 24 | 5:30-7 p.m.

SWAMP HAUNTED HIKES

Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center

Oct. 14 + 21 + 28 | 6 p.m.

GEAUX FISH CATFISH RODEO

Burbank Soccer Complex Pond Oct. 15 | 7:30–11:30 a.m.

INSIDE OUT ARTS:

PAINT LIKE A FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST Zachary Community Park Oct. 15 | 10-11:30 a.m.

FAMILY GAME NIGHT

Independence Community Park Oct. 21 | 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Fall in love with BREC!

BREC.ORG/PLAYBOOK

TRICK + TREAT: ART UNLEASHED

City-Brooks Community Park

Oct. 21 | 5-8 p.m.

SUNSHINE SOCIAL: IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN Jefferson Highway Park

Oct. 21 | 6-9 p.m.

BOO AT THE ZOO

BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo

Oct. 22 + 23 + 29 + 30 | 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

FULL MOON FETE: TRUNK OR TREAT Forest Community Park

Oct. 29 | noon-3 p.m.

BREC.ORg/thismonth

ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL HIGH SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

Our school is founded on the belief that we are persons uniquely gifted by God. With a passionate, experienced faculty and challenging curriculum, students are given the opportunity to acquire knowledge and to recognize and develop their God-given talents within the context and tradition of a Catholic co-educational community.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

St. Michael fosters the spiritual, intellectual, and personal development of students, and offers diverse learning styles to help prepare them for promising futures. Extracurricular activities include football, softball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, swimming, soccer, art, theater, yearbook, band, choir, and many other clubs and sports, totaling over 20 athletic teams and 30 clubs. shorter

As schools become more STEM focused, Maker Faires give students an opportunity to connect with the community, share projects and show off their creativity. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, these free events are engineered for makers of all ages.

Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of the items on display employ the best of STEM, design-testimprove, with the focus on creating something new, usually to solve a specific problem. Sometimes, the problem is whimsical and sometimes they solve broad, useful problems.

This year’s event, October 15, 10am-5pm at the Main Library at Goodwood, the 9th Annual Maker Faire will shine a special spotlight on sustainability. This year you can meet the Baton Rouge BeignYAYs! They’ll show off some sweet dance moves and get sparkling with

some of their biodegradable glitter. Learn more at batonrouge.makerfaire.com and connect on social media @BRMakerFaire.

FOSTER YOUR MAKER SPIRIT AT A FREE MAKERSPACE WORKSHOP.

or magazine collages. Send a before and after photo and it will be featured at this year’s Maker Faire. Upload your pics at ebrpl.com/upcycle or email them to ebrplmakerspace@gmail.com along with your name and a brief description of your project. For more info on this year’s Maker Faire, visit batonrouge.makerfaire.com MAKER FAIRE CONNECTS WITH A CREATIVE COMMUNITY

Library branches will be helping makers create in its high-tech MakerSpaces with special themed programs October 10-14. Makers in Baton Rouge who embraces the DIY or DIT (do-it-together) spirit will gather at the 9th Annual Baton Rouge Maker Faire October 15, 10am-5pm at the Main Library at Goodwood. Sustainability is the theme, and the event celebrates work highlighting sustainability and sustainable work practices, like using local materials, contributing to ecological restoration, reducing waste and so much more.

SHARE YOUR UPCYCLING PROJECT.

Upcycling is the process of transforming waste into something new. Projects can be any creative re-use or repurposing that gives new life to old stuff, like plastic bottle planters, a pallet sofa, a quilt made out of old t-shirts,

SPONSORED

THE DUNHAM SCHOOL

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL?

Dunham focuses on the individual student while delivering an academic program that includes STEM, robotics, coding and virtual reality. Harkness, a robust discussion-based methodology applied across humanities courses, prepares students to communicate effectively as they share ideas and perspectives. A seven-time Apple Distinguished School, Dunham integrates technology across the curriculum.

WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR EDUCATIONAL APPROACH?

Dunham provides students with a college preparatory education set in the framework of Christian instruction and example. Teachers accommodate various learning styles within the classroom to keep students engaged and challenged. Advanced, honors, and AP courses are offered, and additional academic services are available for students with specific learning differences. The school offers a wide variety of sports and academic clubs.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT YOUR SCHOOL?

Dunham students thrive in an environment where they are known and prayed for by talented teachers

and coaches. Small classes allow for greater academic engagement and achievement. In addition to leadership, arts, and athletic programs, Dunham offers numerous extracurricular opportunities for students to explore interests and stay connected with peers.

It's that time again to prepare for college and workforce training!

FAFSA Night is mandatory for all 12th grade students in EBR. Students and parents should bring the items listed below. Food and prizes will be given to students and families.

To complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you will need:

- Your Social Security Number

- Your Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)

- Your federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned. (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.)

- Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)

- Records of untaxed income (if applicable)

- An FSA ID to sign electronically

CENTRAL SCHOOL SYSTEM

Providing a World-Class Education for All

The Central Community School System is investing in excellence to ensure every student receives a world-class education.

The Central Community School System is investing in excellence to ensure every student receives a world-class education.

World-Class Academics

World-Class Academics

• Multiple High School Pathway Opportunities: Health Sciences, LSU Engineering, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Hospitality & Culinary, and Business

• Multiple High School Pathway Opportunities: Health Sciences, LSU Engineering, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Hospitality & Culinary, and Business

• All High School Graduates receive credits toward a college degree or a high-wage/high-demand industrybased certification

• All High School Graduates receive credits toward a college degree or a high-wage/high-demand industry-based certification

• Numerous gifted and talented programs offered

• Numerous gifted and talented programs offered

• K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programming integrated into learning

• K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programming integrated into learning

• Began first cohort of new Wildcat College Program that will allow seniors to graduate with an Associates Degree

World-Class Facilities

• Multi-million dollar upgrades at Tanglewood Elementary School and Central High School

World-Class Facilities

• Multi-million dollar upgrades at Tanglewood Elementary School and Central High School

• Athletic improvements in newly turfed Wildcat Stadium: new entrance and concessions

• Athletic improvements in newly turfed Wildcat Stadium: new entrance and concessions

• New baseball turf, new track, and new athletic locker rooms

• New baseball Turf, new track, and new athletic locker rooms

Central High School Rendering (Background)

Tanglewood Elementary Rendering (Background)

A nod to the odd

The makers behind the new Obscure Art Market bring a unique, eerie beauty to taxidermy— for Halloween (and beyond)

BY OLIVIA DEFFES // PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

BATON ROUGE HAS become known for its growing arts scene, but a new niche group is on the rise: the obscure art community. From spiderweb jewelry to framed preserved butterflies, oddities are being embraced by local makers who gain inspiration from nature’s curiosities.

Putting their own spin on taxidermy, these artists ethically source their materials from sanctuaries and even roadsides and encase them in vintage frames and glass domes. Their goal is to create new life out of materials that might have otherwise been buried or forgotten.

Recently, they launched the Obscure Art Market pop-up, where they can sell their goods and connect with the community.

From dried animal hearts to bleached jaw bones with teeth still intact, these items are fitting for spooky season but can also add something unique to home decor year-round. Meet these Baton Rouge creators who are turning passed creatures into conversation-starting art.

INSIDE: The maker behind a new skin care journal

Shantell Gomez is the maker behind Framed Findings and the founder of the Obscure Arts Market

Obscure Art Market

Baton Rouge’s Obscure Art Market embraces those who love all things odd—and occasionally spooky. The makers define “obscure art” as unconventional, sometimes dark objects transformed into beautiful creations. The event boasts taxidermy, antiques, jewelry, sculptures and other art. Ahead of Halloween, catch the next market Saturday, Oct. 22, at Brickyard South and the 13th Gate. Find the event on Facebook

ODD STORYLAND

STORY BERTHIER TRIES to make death as pretty as possible. From framed vertebrae to stuffed parakeet heads, Berthier works to memorialize the critters she works with by making art that freezes them in time. Almost every creature is given a name so that it can live on in its new life as an art piece.

“I try to capture the beauty of nature even after it’s gone,” she says. “I’ve always been a weird little child. Looking back, I’ve always picked up stuff. I’ve always been intrigued by bugs, and I will never be the one to harm the spider.”

Berthier began her business, Odd Storyland, by selling colorful gemstone jewelry. It has since expanded to include pet memorials, pinned bugs and other oddities that Berthier finds fascinating. She dreams up creative ways to display her art in objects like gumball machines, clocks and candle lanterns. Berthier creates her own jewelry, which now consists of chains holding gothic pendants and corked jars containing bones, teeth and dried flowers.

“My mission is to preserve things that would usually freak people out and try to make them pretty,” she says.

Fans can shop her creations through her Instagram page and catch her at local pop-ups like the Obscure Art Market. instagram.com/oddstoryland

FRAMED FINDINGS

SHANTELL GOMEZ remembers her mother’s greenhouse as the place that first sparked her curiosity for bugs. As they got trapped in the hot space, the bugs naturally passed away. Gomez would discover all types of dead insects, just like the ones she uses today to create art with her business, Framed Findings. What started as a part-time project has progressed into a full-time business that now includes jewelry, domes and, of course, framed pieces.

“I don’t necessarily describe my art as creepy,” she says. “I would describe it as a way to give some kind of life after death or seeing some type of beauty after death. So I just try to incorporate that as much as I can with my pieces.”

Gomez sources her materials from nature or from sanctuaries. She says she keeps an eye out for bones when she walks her dogs along the levee. She even got to keep some dental pieces from her previous job as a vet tech, and she uses scaly skin from a friend’s pet snake’s monthly sheds. Gomez makes sure to get full use out of all her materials by creating earrings and collages with broken wings and miscellaneous leftovers.

After realizing that there was a growing community of people who appreciate oddities and curiosities in Baton Rouge, Gomez spearheaded the first Obscure Art Market held at Brickyard South this past July. This pop-up market specializes in oddities and works to bring this new arts community together.

“I just wanted a pop-up that was all-inclusive,” she says. framedfindings.bigcartel.com

THE URBAN FLORA

ARIKA SHAFFETT CARRIES a pair of gloves and a bag with her everywhere she goes. She wants to be ready in case she spots some roadside animal skeletons to use for her art. She even recalls a time when she was driving to buy driftwood out in the country and saw a full goat skull on the side of the road. The skull was next to a live alligator, but Shaffett knew this find was too good to pass up.

“I pulled over, got out of the car and was like ‘I’m going to fight this alligator for this goat skull,’” she says. “And I still have that goat skull displayed in my own curiosities cabinet.”

As someone who loves plants and works with them daily, Shaffett initially focused her business on plants, operating under the name Pot It Like It’s Hot. She has since rebranded into The Urban Flora, inspired by new life taking over what would naturally decay. Though Shaffett loves to make pieces from bugs and bones, she’s also expanded her art to include other creations like repainted dolls, vintage pieces and plants.

Catch her at various pop-ups around town like the Obscure Art Market, The Pink Elephant’s trunk sales, and events like this fall’s White Light Night and next spring’s Hot Art Cool Nights. Shaffett encourages everyone to give obscure artists a chance. She says people might be surprised and want to start their own collections. instagram.com/the.urban.flora

Comfortable in your skin

Meet the skin care journal you didn’t know you needed—and the woman behind it

By Cynthea Corfah // Photos by Wesley Faust

SKIN IS THE body’s largest organ. So naturally, there’s a lot to learn about it.

During the pandemic, Katherine “scottie.” Lea—the founder of Alter Planning Co., a local company that specializes in functional planners and journals—began to do just that.

After following estheticians on Twitter, she noticed a trend of people discussing how they were struggling with different skin issues. So, she decided to create a tool to help herself and others understand their unique skin.

In 2022, Alter Planning Co. released CMPLXN, an educational skin care journal that includes a skin assessment, a breakdown of different skin types, a glossary of ingredients commonly found in products, a daily morning and evening routine log, and an educational guide to skin, skin care and skin care components.

“Skin is confidence,” scottie. says. “Tracking your skin is cool. But (CMPLXN is) also something you can use as a reference when you notice your skin isn’t doing what you want it to do.”

She has combination skin—sometimes oily,

sometimes dry. In CMPLXN, she addresses skin issues she, her family members, friends and people in her online community have struggled with, such as acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, oily skin and dark eye circles.

She worked alongside three estheticians from across the U.S. for over a year to develop CMPLXN—fact checking, studying products and reading scientific skin studies. Contributing skin specialists included Nayamka Roberts-Smith of GoldenRx and Labeautyologist, Starasia Abraham of Melapop Skin Clinic and Sabrena Experience Labs, and Eden Gilliam of Eve Milan New York.

Her hope is that the journal will help its users uncover the mysteries of their skin and understand what products are helping or hurting it.

“I hated going shopping for skin care before making this journal,” scottie. says. “I couldn’t trust skin care products to do what they said they were going to do. This is my way of helping people to not feel that. Let’s make educated decisions, not (ones) just on pretty packaging.”

SCOTTIE’S SKIN CARE REGIME

Morning

In the morning, I try to keep it simple. Usually, I use a hydrating cleanser and then a hydrating toner. Right now, I’m using rose water. I am obsessed with the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. It’s thick and has hyaluronic acid in it, and it’s super moisturizing.

One of the estheticians I worked with is also a chemist and a formulator. She made a hydrating repair cream that I’ve been using as a moisturizer. It’s super lightweight. It also has oatmeal and rice bran oil, so it’s great, especially for the (heat and) humidity.

Then I also use sunscreen. Through this research, I have come to understand just how important sunscreen is. Most skin care concerns can be helped by wearing sunscreen. I really like Supergoop!’s Unseen Sunscreen. It’s a chemical sunscreen with no cast. It’s not a lotion. It feels more like a gel. I don’t feel like I’m weighing my skin down, which is key.

Evening

Some nights I will use a salicylic acid, specifically on my T-zone and where I get oily. And then I’ll do a hydrating cleanser on my whole face.

Occasionally, I’ll do a mask. Another one of the estheticians I worked with, Eden, has a skin care brand, Eve Milan New York. In 2021, it won Allure’s Best of Beauty for its brightening vitamin C sheet mask. So occasionally, I’ll do that.

Then, I’ll do a toner (that COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence I mentioned, because I’m obsessed). Farmacy has a Honeymoon Glow night serum, and I’ll use that one to two times a week. I follow that with Melapop Co.’s hydrating repair cream.

ON THE SHELF

Some of scottie.’s favorite skincare products that she says keep her skin healthy and glowing:

• CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser, $10-18. cerave.com

• The Seaweed Bath Co. Active Defense SPF 50 Sport, $17. seaweedbathco.com

• Eve Milan New York Brightening Vitamin C + CoQ10 Sheet Mask, $15. evemilanny.com

• Mad Hippie Jelly Cleanser, $18. madhippie.com

• Heritage Store Rosewater and Glycerin hydrating facial mist, $11. heritagestore.com

• Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum, $39. peachandlily.com

• Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum, $60. farmacybeauty.com

• COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in one Cream, $26. cosrx.com

Skin Deep is a 225 series on how locals approach skin care, beauty and wellness. All insight shared is the subject’s opinion, and 225 is not endorsing their regimens. Please talk to your doctor or esthetician before trying a new product.

scottie. is the founder of Alter Planning Co., a local company that specializes in functional planners and journals

They provide additional marketing tools to their agents to support their service of the customer. They invest in their agents, the culture and the experience.

Their new building has two conference rooms, an internet café with charging stations, work and meeting space with state of the art audio and video technology.

The vision behind the new building remodel was to provide their agents with elevated office space to support them in representing their clients.

RE/MAX First has over 50 licensed real estate agents throughout the Greater Baton Rouge region, New Orleans, and Northshore. Their agents specialize in residential and commercial sales, leasing and property management. (225) 291-1234 | 13360 Coursey Blvd., Suite B | Baton Rouge, LA 70816

Mid City’s Spoke & Hub seems to understand brunch cravings sometimes outlast the weekend

INSIDE: Recipes for an at-home Oktoberfest all day Breakfast

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Brunch at Spoke & Hub

BY BENJAMIN LEGER

PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

About 225’s food critic: Benjamin Leger previously served as managing editor for 225 and was the editor of its Taste section from 2012 to 2021, editing, writing and steering the direction of its food coverage in print and online. He is passionate about all things food and food journalism, and has written about the greater Baton Rouge area’s cuisine and culture for nearly two decades.

spokeandhubbr.com

5412 Government St.

Sunday-Thursday, 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 8 a.m.- 9 p.m.

THE BRUNCH RITUAL is very much alive and well in Baton Rouge. And at a place like Spoke & Hub, with its prime location on Government Street, elevated diner vibes and Breakfast All Day section of the menu, you can bet you’ll find a big brunch crowd on any given weekend.

This concept from the City Group Hospitality crew opened at the beginning of the year in the former Bistro Byronz spot in Mid City. Its owners were betting that a neighborhood diner with a cycling theme would be a success in the increasingly bikeable Mid City.

So far, that bet seems to be right.

I’ve stopped in for dinner twice now, and while I didn’t have to wait for a table, the restaurant was always busy.

The kitchen serves a straightforward breakfast, lunch and dinner with a few twists—plus the Brakes Bar, a serious cocktail-focused speakeasy-style bar out back.

Knowing how much of a group event brunch can be at any popular restaurant, I didn’t want to risk it for an 11 a.m. seating. I made reservations the day before, and on a sunny Saturday morning, we were quickly ushered past the bustling but small waiting area to our table.

The crowd was boisterous, and my table needed to meet the vibe, so brunch cocktails were in order.

The drinks menu is varied, with specialty cocktails, Spoke & Hub’s takes on mimosas and bloody marys, and even boozy milkshakes and beer floats.

THE BASICS: City Group Hospitality—the team behind City Pork, the revamped Beausoleil and others—took over the former Bistro Byronz location on Government Street, gave it an interior overhaul and converted it into a neighborhood diner serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A dessert bar offers slices of weekly cakes and pies, while behind the building lies a sneaky little bar stirring up inventive cocktails with retro vibes.

WHAT’S A MUST: The croffles are a signature item, marrying croissant dough and a waffle, served in sweet and savory forms. Seafood Stuffed Eggplant Balls or the Fried Green Tomatoes are easy shareable items. For a breakfast or brunch outing, try the Chicken Fried Biscuit with its tender and crunchy chicken and rich country gravy. And pancakes are a must for any sweet tooth.

To start us off, we opted for a shareable appetizer. We were a small group, and our server suggested the Seafood Stuffed Eggplant Balls.

Three compact eggplant balls were flecked with bits of crawfish that imparted a strong and tasty crawfish flavor throughout the stuffing. There were more crawfish tails piled on top, along with sauteed green onions that added a nice touch. Everything was sitting in a hollandaise sauce that was creamy and buttery but could have used more seasoning.

The dish was just enough to give us something to munch on while we sipped our cocktails and waited on the mains.

Eager to try something from the Breakfast All Day portion of the menu, my partner ordered the Chicken Fried Biscuit.

One flaky and subtly sweet buttermilk biscuit was split open to cradle a large and tender boneless fried chicken thigh. The breading on the chicken was crispy and perfectly seasoned.

The other half of the plate was occupied by a thick, cream-colored country-style gravy speckled with black pepper and topped with crumbles of fried chicken skins.

The chicken skins added a unique and salty crunch, and the gravy was excellent for spooning over the chicken and biscuit.

My entree of choice—the Savory Croffle—wasn’t technically on the breakfast menu, but was definitely breakfast/brunch approved.

I wanted to see how Spoke & Hub handled the trendy avocado toast that’s become a favorite of the brunchloving millennial crowd. This also gave me the opportunity to try the restaurant’s unique take on a waffle.

Made with croissant dough that’s been pressed in a waffle iron, the “croffle” forms the base of Spoke & Hub’s avocado toast, as well as a couple of other croffle-based menu items. (The menu also noted that you could turn any sandwich into a croffle sandwich, and why not?)

Two half-moon-shaped croffles came smeared with an avocado mash, two sunnyside up eggs on top and a sprinkling of red pepper and everything-but-the-bagel seasoning.

The avocado was mixed with its own seasoning as well, making for an overall spicy but tasty dish. My only complaint here was that the croffle may have sat in the kitchen too long waiting on its other components,

The Seafood Stuffed Eggplant Balls were flecked with bits of crawfish and even more crawfish tails piled on top, all resting on a bed of creamy, buttery hollandaise sauce.

because it was soft and not as crispy as I would have liked. Its croissant origins were apparent, though, in the buttery and chewy layers of dough when pulled apart.

Rounding out our meal, we opted for a moment of pure sugary indulgence in the form of pancakes. After seeing the colorful sprinkles and whipped cream topping on a pancake order go by our table, it just seemed too good to pass up.

Thankfully, Spoke & Hub does it DIY style, meaning you can pile up as many or as few as you want and pick the flavor: chocolate chip, blueberry, banana, pecan or strawberry.

We went with one blueberry pancake, and it was a sweet and simple end to our meal, paired with a sweet whipped butter for added indulgence.

Our server was attentive and the food came out quickly, and my group left pleasantly surprised with how Spoke & Hub seems to hit the mark in a variety of ways. While it was a hot late summer day on my visit, the front porch and side patio seem primed for leisurely fall weekends of warm croffles and bubbly mimosas.

Between lunch and dinner, a hip and hidden cocktail bar and an impressive brunch offering, Spoke & Hub seems like it can do it all.

A dessert bar boasts a collection of rotating cakes, pies and sweet treats.

Hidden behind the restaurant is the Brakes Bar, a speakeasy-inspired spot with inventive cocktails.

Soft

German goodness

Toast to fall with an at-home Oktoberfest celebration

BY TRACEY KOCH AND STEPHANIE RIEGEL PHOTOS BY AMY SHUTT

LOUISIANA CULTURE IS known for great food, fun and festivals. The changing of the seasons at home made me think about all of the wonderful festivals that happen both here and abroad during the fall months.

I decided to dedicate this month’s recipes to one of my favorite fall festivals: Oktoberfest. In honor of this quintessentially fall event, I prepared a delicious German-style menu. The recipes are great to serve a crowd and are perfect for casual fall entertaining.

Oktoberfest originated in Munich on Oct. 12, 1810, as a celebration of the marriage of the crowned prince of Bavaria Ludwig I to Princess Therese Saxe-Hildburghausen. The five-day event concluded with a horse race to celebrate their union. Soon, this horse race became an annual festivity, combined with an annual agricultural festival to celebrate the harvest.

By 1818, Oktoberfest had grown to include games and music, along with food and drink booths.

Now over 200 years later, it has transformed from a quaint German festival to a globally known extrav aganza that attracts millions of people to Germany every year. Today, Munich’s many brewers construct massive beer halls, equipped with balconies, band stands and temporary structures that can seat up to 6,000 people for the gathering. The festival features rides, games, parades, music and dancing, along with all types of German foods both savory and sweet.

But the main attraction is the beer. Hundreds of German varieties are served, and it’s estimated that nearly 2 million gallons of beer get consumed over the course of the two-week event.

Here’s how to celebrate at home.

Prost!

Soft Pretzel Rolls with Spicy Mustard

There is nothing better than biting into a warm soft pretzel, and these easy semi-homemade pretzel-style rolls do not disappoint.

Instead of going through all of the fuss of making my own dough, I took a bit of a shortcut and used frozen bread from the freezer section in the grocery store.

To make things even easier, I didn’t even try to shape the dough into actual pretzel shapes. Well, OK, I actually did try making the pretzels into the traditional shape. But, in the end, forming the pretzels into rolls was much easier, and they were more tender after baking than the traditional pretzel versions.

A simple baking soda bath and egg wash brush gives the plain dough the distinct color and flavor of pretzels, resulting in a tender, delicious snack. I like to serve the pretzels warm with a little soft butter and lots of spicy German-style mustard.

Servings: Yields 18 soft pretzel bites

2 frozen bread loaves

6 cups water

1 3 cup baking soda

1 egg yolk

Coarse ground kosher salt

Flour for work surface

1. Place the frozen dough into a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow it to thaw.

2. On a floured work surface, divide each loaf into 12 pieces, creating 24 pieces between the two dough loaves. Roll each piece into a ball. Line a new baking sheet with parchment paper and place the dough balls onto the baking sheet. Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring 6 cups of water along with the 1/3 cup of baking soda to a rolling boil.

4. Beat the egg yolk with a couple tea spoons of water. Set aside the egg wash.

5. Carefully drop each pretzel into the boiling water with baking soda for 10 to 12 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pretzel bites, placing them onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

6. Brush each roll with a little egg wash. Sprinkle it with a bit of kosher salt.

7. Bake the pretzels in the heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until they have turned a deep medium brown. Remove the rolls from the oven. Serve warm with your favorite spicy mustard.

Schnitzel “Pork Cutlets”

Smothered in Mustard and Onions

There are many different types of meat dishes traditionally served at Oktoberfest. From sausages and rotis serie chicken to rich stews of large cuts of meats and thin cutlets breaded and pan fried. The latter is a very popular German dish called schnitzel. Schnitzel is simply meat cutlets pounded out, thin breaded and then sautéed to a golden brown. Schnitzel can be made using any type of meat, such as beef, veal, pork or chicken. It’s the ultimate comfort food and perfect to eat on a crisp October night. This dish can be served with egg noodles or potatoes. It’s an easy dish to make any night of the week, but can also be a great dinner party main dish.

Servings: 6

2 pounds pork tenderloins

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon Creole seasoning

4 to 5 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 teaspoons butter

1 medium sweet onion, sliced

1 cup dry white wine

1 ½ cups chicken broth

¼ cup spicy mustard

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1. Trim the fat and silver skin off of the pork tenderloin. Cut into 1 ½ inch slices. Place the pork medallions onto a cutting board and use a meat cleaver to pound into ½ inch cutlets.

2. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Measure out 3 tablespoons of the flour and set it aside.

3. Pour the remaining flour into a shallow dish and season it with the Creole seasoning. Dredge the pork cutlets into the seasoned flour. Set them aside.

4. Place a heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the vegetable oil. Working in batches, sauté the pork cutlets 2 to 3 minutes per side or until they are beginning to become golden. Put the pork cutlets onto a rack to drain.

5. Add in the butter and sliced onions. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are soft. Add in the remaining flour, and continue cooking another 2 minutes.

6. Carefully whisk in the wine, broth and mustard until smooth. Simmer the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. Place the pork cutlets back into the sauce.

7. Sprinkle in the dried thyme. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook over low heat 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every so often to prevent it from sticking. Serve along with German roasted potatoes and/or over noodles.

German Roasted Potatoes

Roasted tender new potatoes tossed in a little vinaigrette is a favorite potato dish in my house. It is so simple and delicious, plus it can be served with just about anything. This loose interpretation of a German-style potato salad is easy to put together in under 40 minutes. The trace of vinegar with the hint of dill and green onions elevates the potatoes to a more complex dish. It’s an easy option to serve a crowd, and it can be served warm or at room temperature.

Servings: 6

2 pounds small new potatoes

½ cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon spicy mustard

¼ cup white wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon dried dill weed

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Bring a 4-quart pot of water up to a boil and drop in the potatoes. Blanch the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

2. Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Place into the heated oven, roasting 15 to 20 minutes or until golden on the outside and creamy and tender inside.

3. In the mixing bowl, add the potatoes and whisk the green onions, mustard, vinegar, dried dill and remaining olive oil, salt and pepper.

4. Pour the vinaigrette over the warm potatoes Serve.

Beer-Braised Bratwurst with Red Onions

I love serving grilled sau sages as an easy appetizer. They are great filler food, and I tend to keep a few different types of sausages in my freezer at all times, in case people pop by and I need to serve something quickly. This Germaninspired Beer-Braised Bratwurst with Red Onions is a perfect pickup appetizer that can be served along with warm, fresh pretzels and spicy mustard. This bratwurst dish can also be served as a main course along with sauerkraut and German-style potatoes.

Servings: 6

12 ounces German-style beer

2 pounds Bratwurst or German-style sausage

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup sliced red onions

1. In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven, bring the beer to a simmer. Add in the bratwurst and continue simmering for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn them occasionally to ensure they cook evenly.

2. Remove the bratwursts and place onto a cutting board. Once cooled, slice and set aside the bratwurst. Reserve the cooking liquid in a heat-safe bowl or measuring glass.

3. Place the skillet back on the stove with one tablespoon of butter and the sliced

red onions. Sauté the onions 3 to 4 min utes or until very soft. Add in the sliced bratwurst and continue sautéing for an other 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions are beginning to caramelize and the bratwurst are browning on the outside.

4. Pour the reserved cooking liquid and remaining tablespoon of butter into the brats and onions to deglaze the pan and coat everything. Pour the bratwursts and onions into a dish. Serve with pretzels, spicy mustard and, of course, lots of Ger man beer to wash it down with.

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BY ZANE PIONTEK

INSIDE: National magazine with local roots / Artist’s Perspective

With the Fifolet Halloween Festival finally returning in full spirit, founders reflect on what it means to families in Baton Rouge PHOTO is

ACCORDING TO CAJUN folk legend, the Fifolet is a mischievous spirit. Embodied in a tongue of blue flame, it taunts wayward travelers with the promise of riches hidden deep in the Louisiana swamp. It’s a promise that, according to the legend, has led many such travelers to their doom.

But, for the founding members of Baton Rouge’s 10/31 Consortium, a Halloween-centric nonprofit that puts on the yearly Fifolet Halloween Festival, the treasure augured by the blue flame doesn’t come at such a high cost.

“We’ll tell people you can find your treasure at the Halloween festival,” says consortium founder, president and CEO Corey Toullier. He’s referring more to costumes and candy than cursed riches, “because there really is something for everyone, from kids to families.”

This year, the multi-day event kicks off Oct. 27, beginning with a pub crawl, followed by the costume ball, the Fifolet 5K, arts market, parade, and finally the awards ceremony on the night before Halloween—which, among other things, honors some of the best costumes from the preceding events.

And, with this being the first time these festivities have returned in full force since COVID, all the founders agree they’re looking at this year’s festival as an opportunity to throw

some fuel on the Fifolet flame.

“We’re hoping that the crowds come out, that it’s the biggest and best ever, because we haven’t had these events in two years,” Tullier says.

The 10/31 Consortium originally materialized in 2010 as a vehicle for organizing what many now consider the Fifolet Festival’s crown jewel: the Halloween parade, which rolls in downtown Baton Rouge. Tullier and consortium co-founders Jamie Schexnayder and Kelley Stein say their only firm goal when they founded the organization was to have that parade, with the nonprofit acting as a frame work through which to organize it.

“A parade is for the community,” Stein says. “Especially with Halloween being a kids’ holiday, it was important to the three of us that this was some thing that had a community focus.”

But as the young 10/31 Consortium took its first steps, the founders say they quickly realized Halloween in Baton Rouge needed some help.

“One thing we identified was (that) trick-or-treat was kind of dying in the inner city,” Tullier says. “It’s unsafe in some areas, (families) need security, they need funds. … So we really wanted to revitalize trick-or-treat in some areas of the city.”

That’s what sparked the consortium’s programs like “Trick or Treat Assistance,” which helps neighborhoods foster safe Halloween

2022 Fifolet Festival 27-30

Find the schedule at 10/31consortium.com/fifolet

celebrations for local children, and the “Costume and Candy Drive,” which collects donations of costumes and Halloween candy for children from families who may not otherwise be able to afford them.

But, close to the nonprofit’s heart

as children may be, “adults like Halloween, too,” Schexnayder says.

That’s why it organized a sixpronged Halloween festival—to offer that something-for-everyone Halloween “treasure.”

Reading the fine print

By Christina Leo // Photos by Collin Richie

SOME SAY THEY first saw the owl splayed on a table in a Mid City antiques shop beside a stack of vintage nonfiction. Others say they saw it staring from a magazine rack in a Perkins Road cafe, catching scone crumbs in its beak. And others still say that it wasn’t an owl at all that they saw, but a jackalope, and all the way in Los Angeles.

Of course, that depends on what time of year they spotted the cover of Fine Print, the literary and visual arts publication set for its second release of the year this October. Each biannual issue features a different artist’s illustration on the cover, an image chosen to help reflect the literature inside.

And those issues seem to commence at a rapid pace for the passion project created by graphic designer and editor-in-chief Christopher Payne, who originally fostered the idea while living in Los Angeles back in 2011. After a couple of early editions on photocopied pages, Payne started the publication up again in 2015, this time in its current newsprint format.

When Payne moved to Baton Rouge in 2021, he brought his role as editor with him, working from home and communicating with his team of volunteer editors to compile each issue and print them at Baton Rouge Press.

“I was inspired by a similar, nowdefunct publication, Mother’s News, that I discovered in Rhode Island,” Payne says. “I liked the idea of creating something at the intersection of highbrow literary journals and DIY zines—especially something with a ‘found object’ vibe that people could stumble upon in the wild and be inspired by.”

The mission has thus far been successful, with copies available wherever members of the Fine Print masthead may roam, networking with independent bookshops and other cultural centers in places like North Carolina, New Mexico and California. Baton Rouge, however, remains the hub for the submission-based publication.

Inside each issue, readers will find a curation of poetry, prose, artwork,

interviews and the enigmatic, zodiac-based “Letters to the Elements” written by local poet and managing editor Dylan Krieger, a Notre Dame graduate who earned her MFA in creative writing from LSU.

“Chris knew a friend of mine from college, Omar, who is still on our masthead, so I first got involved by submit ting to Fine Print and getting published with them,” says Krieger, who now helps edit submissions for each issue.

“Before I got involved, they had even published a Chilean poet, Raúl Zurita, who I had actually seen at a reading at Notre Dame. I just thought that was amazing; it’s a breath of fresh air to be able to include the voices of talented people who otherwise might not be as common in traditional literary magazines.”

For Payne, this empha sis on accessibility and

PICK UP A COPY

Find issues of the new edition of Fine Print, to be released on Oct. 3, at stockists including Circa 1857, Giraphic Prints, Pop Shop Records, Red Stick Reads and Yes, We Cannibal. Find the full list of locations at fineprintpaper.com/stockists

diversity is part of what sustains his push to carry on the publication after all these years, even if the money to do so has come from his own pockets at times. Still, he welcomes donations, submissions and ad placements from supporters, and looks forward to

evolving the press in broader direc tions, from hosting events to distrib uting more art objects like Krieger’s vinyl-recorded poetry readings.

“It’s cool that we’ve been able to create this cross-pollination between artistic communities in Baton Rouge

and across the country,” he says.

“I love reaching people who aren’t necessarily deep in the art or writing scene—to be able to create something that might impact them in a positive way is part of why we do this.”

fineprintpaper.com

An art and literature zine distributed around the country is created right here in Baton Rouge

The local team behind Fine Print: poet and managing editor Dylan Krieger and graphic designer and editor-in-chief Christopher Payne.

Judi Betts’ 3D paintings

“TO CREATE A NEW viewing experience from different angles, I’m accustomed to using a mirror. I look at my subjects (such as butterflies) in the mirror, because you can see them backwards and you can see your composition and say ‘Oh, this needs to be darker,’ or ‘Oh, this needs to be bigger.’ The best compliment I have received is that my paintings look unusual. To me, that means I was able to take an ordinary subject and look at it in an entirely new light. My paintings should look like me, so I love it when people say that. Or when they flip through a book and say, ‘Oh I saw your painting.’ It’s recognizable. I’m painting in my mind, even if I’m not at the easel. If you want to paint, you have to paint.”

AS TOLD TO DOMENIC PURDY

Quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.

About the artist

ART IS MORE THAN the combination of colors on canvas; it’s a personal culmination of an entire lifetime of emotions and experiences. That is the philosophy 86-year-old painter Judi Betts reflects on as she continues to paint in her home tucked away in a wooded corner of Baton Rouge. In a studio covered wall-to-wall in her paintings, subjects ranging from wicker chairs and cowboys to coastal Floridian homes, Betts remembers the exact meaning and purpose behind most every piece of art she has painted, explaining that she has anywhere from two to 10 paintings in various stages of completion at any time.

Painting in watercolor since she moved to Louisiana from Chicago in 1959, Betts has had her artwork

showcased across the world, including at the Taiwan Art Education Institute, the Federation of Canadian Artists and Walt Disney World’s EPCOT.

Her art has also graced mediums ranging from national television, DVDs, over 35 books and even wine labels, which she won five awards for. Named by the Transparent Watercolor Society of America a Master of Watercolor, she has also served as a judge for more than 150 national and regional competitions.

Her art, for which she has received the Louisiana Governor’s Award for Professional Artist (the state’s highest artistic honor), has been showcased in the rotunda of the Louisiana’s Governor’s Mansion, as well as California’s Oceanside Museum of Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Even now, after six decades of painting and

teaching art, Betts is as vibrant and full of enthusiasm as ever about art and its importance to society. It’s why she continues to teach even into her late 80s.

When she began teaching art over 60 years ago at East Ascension High School, she was the first art teacher hired in the parish. Six decades later, she has taught more than 425 workshops across the world, including in Norway, Italy, the Czech Republic and every U.S. state, with the exception of South Dakota and Delaware. She retired from her full-time job in 1985, but she continues to work with students in workshops, where she guides them in experimentation and finding their own style.

“I want them to have fun like how I have fun,” Betts says. “I want them to invent. … I try to steer them to not choose something that difficult.”

PHOTOS BY ARIANA ALLISON

“Two Frogs” by Judi Betts

ARTS BEST BETS MUSIC BEST BETS

OCT. 13

Come see the famous Swan Lake at the Raising Cane’s River Center this month. Witness effortless and elegant dancing by the World Ballet Series’ professional dancers as they portray the love story of Princess Odette and Prince Siegfried, and find out if Princess Odette can break free from the wicked spell that turned her into a swan. raisingcanesrivercenter.com

OCT. 14

Meet fantastical sculpture artist Alex Podesta and celebrate the opening of his new exhibit at the LSU Museum of Art. Create your own art inspired by the New Orleans artist, play gallery games, and enjoy refreshments at the free event. lsumoa.org

COURTESYRAISINGCANE

ALL MONTH

Perkins Rowe’s free concert series, Rock N Rowe, is back with a lineup bursting with local musicians. These concerts will rock rain or shine every Thursday, so grab your outdoor chairs and head out to Perkins Rowe to see acts like After 8, Chase Tyler, Press 1 for English and The Remnants. perkinsrowe.com

be the next best thing. As a recipient of the award for “World’s Best Tribute Band,” Killer Queen will make you feel like you’ve time traveled to see Freddie Mercury himself. lbatonrouge.com

OCT. 20

Come see the iconic reggae band The Wailers as it brings the One World tour to Chelsea’s Live. The band will play a set of their own music along with some of Bob Marley’s deep cuts. thewailers.com

ALL MONTH

OCT. 15

Come out to Mid-City Artisans to see art from Katherine Klimitas and learn about different dog breeds at the Breed All About Us event. See a display of Klimitas’ 64 watercolor paintings of dog breeds. You’ll be able to meet Klimitas her self along with precious rescue dogs. mid-cityartisans.com

OCT. 21-22 + 27-30

Issue Date: October 2022 Ad proof #1

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions.

Get ready to do the Time Warp again because The Rocky Horror Show is back for unique and interactive performances at Theatre Baton Rouge. Come dressed as your favorite character and get ready to watch and even participate in the cult favorite production. Get ready for Halloween with Dr. Frank N. Furter, Riff Raff, Magenta and the rest of the gang. theatrebr.org

• AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours 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.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2022. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge is back with the fall edition of its Sunday in the Park outdoor concert series. End your weekends with a carefree concert experience. These free concerts will be downtown every Sunday afternoon in October at the Shaw Center for the Arts Plaza. Enjoy some free music from acts like Jonathon Boogie Long, Alabaster Stag, Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble and That ‘70s Band. artsbr.org/sitp

OCT. 14

Sing along to Queen classics with cover band Killer Queen at L’Auberge Casino and Hotel. If you never had the honor of seeing the original band, this may

OCT. 28

Rock out with the guys from 38 Special at the Raising Cane’s River Center. Hear more than 40 years worth of big hits like “Hold on Loosely” and “Caught Up in You.” raisingcanesrivercenter.com

OCT. 30

Broadway and Disney stars join forces for an unforgettable concert with a setlist of childhood classics. Disney Princess: The Concert is coming to the Raising Cane’s River Center with songs from each princess’ story, voiced by Broadway, television and animated film stars. disneyconcerts.com/princess

CONGRATULATIONS

to CareSouth Medical and Dental CEO, Matthew Valliere, on being one of Baton Rouge’s Best Dressed!!

Your Team at CareSouth Medical and Dental! THANK YOU for all you do for our community!! Also,

225-650-2000 caresouth.org

Alabaster Stag

Where toplay Batonaround Rougethis month

NEW

All month

END YOUR WORKWEEK RIGHT

The Downtown Business Association’s seasonal concert series, Live After Five, is back for fall. Unwind under the sunset as you enjoy the sounds of a free concert each Friday of the month. Artists and musicians on the lineup include The Mixed Nuts, Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band, and Amanda Shaw & The Cute Boys. Grab your blankets and chairs and head downtown to kick off the weekend. downtownbr.org/live-after-five

TAKE ME TO THE BEACH (BOYS) The Beach Boys are bringing the sounds of summer to the fall season with show at the Raising Cane’s River Center. Jam out to all the classics like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Kokomo” and “Good Vibrations.” Don’t miss your chance to see these iconic Rock & Roll Hall of Famers here in Baton Rouge. thebeachboys.com

Compiled by THE

PARTY ANIMALS

Meet the animals of the Baton Rouge Zoo while enjoying an evening of beer and food tastings with live music and entertainment at the eighth annual Brew at the Zoo. Dress in your best “safari chic” outfit as you make your way through the zoo while tasting different brews and snacks. Each ticket holder will get to meet zoo animals and receive a complimentary lanyard and cup to make tasting easier. brzoo.org

OCT. 1-2: National Fried Chicken Festival, friedchickenfestival.com

OCT. 4-5: Wilco at The Civic Theatre, civicnola.com

OCT. 14-16: Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, jazzandheritage.org

SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE

Saturday Night Live alumnus John Mulaney is headed to Baton Rouge. Following a brief stint in rehab, Mulaney is back with “From Scratch,” a comeback tour that critics have applauded for tackling tough topics with humor, honesty and grace. It’ll be a night of big laughs from the famous comedian at the Raising Cane’s River Center. raisingcanesrivercenter.com

ALSO THIS MONTH

OCT. 1-2

Attendees at Harvest Days at the Rural Life Museum can experience 19th century harvest season reenacted by living history actors. Try soap making, take a wagon ride or make your way through the corn maze. lsu.edu/rurallife

OCT. 2

The 2022 Cat Video Fest is bringing all the cuteness to Manship Theatre. Watch funny, adorable cat videos. Proceeds go to Cat Haven Baton Rouge, a nonprofit that works to make Baton Rouge a no-kill community. manshiptheatre.org

OCT. 9-15

The Main Library at Goodwood is home to the annual Mini Maker Faire, featuring art, robotics, science experiments and more. batonrouge.makerfaire.com

OCT. 12-15

CHEERS TO OKTOBERFEST

The Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Greater Baton Rouge Chapter is joining forces with Anheuser Busch to bring a brandnew event to Baton Rouge. Oktoberfest will be held at Pointe-Marie, featuring local beer and food, plus entertainment from Chris LeBlanc. Proceeds benefit Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Education Foundation. lra.org

Tackle your holiday shopping list at the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s 39th Hollydays All proceeds support the Junior League’s community programs. juniorleaguebr.org

OCT. 15 + 16

Celebrate the city’s music and art at the second annual BRtistic Fest, presented by Pixel Collective and Skyline Distortions. The festival will bring together creative minds of all mediums.

OCT. 26-31

Feast on fried food and get your adrenaline pumping when the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair comes to town. Bringing the fun to Baton Rouge since 1965, the fair is back at a new location, the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. gbrsf.com

OCT. 27

The Old State Capitol’s annual Spirits of Louisiana returns, celebrating spirits by local distilleries and the spirited history of the building itself. Enjoy food, music and an art auction inside the downtown landmark. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org

OCT. 29

HERE COMES HALLOWEEN

The 10/31 Consortium presents the 2022 Fifolet Halloween Festival, with four days of spooky fun for everyone. Celebrate the holiday in a big way with events like a parade, costume ball, 5K run, arts market and a pub crawl. Get your costume together and get ready for an activity-filled weekend to ring in Halloween. 1031consortium.com

The Louisiana Book Festival is back for its 18th year. Browse books, meet other readers and authors, and attend presentations at various downtown locations louisianabookfestival.org

MORE EVENTS

Subscribe to our newsletter 225 Daily for our twiceweekly roundups of events. 225batonrouge.com/225daily

OCT. 13: Reba McEntire at The Cajundome, cajundome.com

OCT. 20-23: The 85th International Rice Festival in nearby Crowley, ricefestival.com

In every issue of 225, you’ll find a cut-out print on this page. FRAMED celebrates life and art in Baton Rouge, each one featuring a local photographer, place or graphic designer. Hang it in your cubicle, or frame it for your home gallery wall. Show us where you hang them by tagging them on social media with #225prints.

PHOTO BY JACOB REEDER / COURTESY LSU ATHLETICS

GET FEATURED We love spotlighting local photographers, artists and designers for this page! Shoot us an email at editor@225batonrouge.com to chat about being featured.