COMMUNITY

Did you know that Ponchatoula, Louisiana, is known as the “Strawberry Capital of the World?” That is why the town hosts a huge, annual event in honor of this tasty fruit. This year, the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival will return for its 50th anniversary from Friday, April 8 through Sunday, April 10. You won’t want to miss this berry entertaining family event. Bring your friends and family to this sweet festival where you can enjoy a weekend of parades, carnival rides, strawberry eating contests, the Strawberry Strut, and, of course, lots of strawberry-based food. There will also be live performances by Clay Cormier, Category 6, Nashville South, Beaucoop Bougie, and Amanda Shaw. The festival is free and open to the public. ■ lastrawberryfestival.com

Once again, Newsweek has recognized Woman’s Hospital on its list of World’s Best Hospitals for gynecology and maternity care in 2022. Woman’s is one of five hospitals in the world to receive such recognition, and is the only hospital in the country to be recognized for those specialties. “I truly believe our team at Woman’s is one of the best in the world, and being recognized on a global level for our patient satisfaction scores and medical outcomes is a reminder that our community believes it too,” says Cheri Johnson, MSN, RNC-OB, Woman’s senior vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer. “We love taking care of women and babies and helping to bring new life into the world.” ■ womans.org

A group of volunteers from The Leadership Ascension Foundation, called Team U Matter Ascension, is creating an app and website that will be a resource for the Ascension Parish community that will increase access to mental health resources and awareness. With 1 in 5 Americans experiencing poor mental health, Team U Matter knows the importance of increasing access to, educating, and developing such a resource for its community. The app will personalize mental health content for individual users, while the website will have a directory of resources for topics such as drug abuse and depression. This project is in need of donations for its development, which you can make at their events. ■ umatter ascension.com

Of Moving Colors Productions (OMC), a Baton Rougebased contemporary dance company, will continue to move through time with the premiere of their spring performance, Clock Tower. The performance will feature works choreographed by Artistic Director Garland Goodwin Wilson, along with company dancers Anna Schwab and John Allen. Clock Tower is inspired by Wilson’s time in Eastern Europe and is based on one of the oldest astronomical clocks in the world located in Prague. You can watch the dancers light up the stage with this masterpiece starting Thursday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Manship Theatre at Shaw Center for the Arts. Tickets are available online or at the Manship Theatre Ticket Desk. ■ ofmovingcolors.org

One-in-eight Americans struggle with infertility, yet only one-quarter to one-third of healthcare insurers offer coverage for infertility treatment. In Louisiana, insurance companies are not required to cover any assistive reproduction techniques, which makes it difficult for Louisianians who cannot otherwise afford infertility treatment. That’s why Gift of Hope is offering a free cycle of IVF for one Louisiana individual or couple that is struggling to conceive. In order to receive this grant, they must earn less than $100,000 per year, have no or limited insurance coverage for infertility, and have medical reasons to require IVF. Since 2006, there have been 24 Louisiana couples chosen for the Gift of Hope IVF Grant. ■ fertilityanswers.com

A Girl’s Guide to Puberty and Periods is an illustrated body-positive book by a team of adolescent health researchers including Dr. Marni Sommer (DrPH, MSN, RN), Maggie Schmitt (MPH), Christine Hagstron (MPH), and Caitlin Gruer (MPH) that teaches girls ages 9-14 everything about puberty. Unlike other puberty books, A Girl’s Guide to Puberty and Periods provides first-hand accounts of other girls’ experiences with their first periods along with their advice for girls who are approaching womanhood. These stories from all types of girls across the U.S. are incorporated to help readers understand that their changing bodies are normal and beautiful. The book is available for purchase on Amazon and at other major book retailers. ■ amazon.com

If you find yourself visiting the Baton Rouge Metro Airport anytime soon, there’s a new statue in the aiport that you won’t be able to miss. The Baton Rouge Zoo has placed an 18 foot-tall giraffe sculpture in the Baton Rouge Metro Airport in its effort for the public to recognize giraffes as an endangered species in need of conservation. Dorand & Associates from New Orleans worked for 12 hours to assemble the statue, which is similar to what the company created for the Nashville Zoo and Airport. Now, travelers at the airport are welcome to visit the giraffe, read the facts and information from the Baton Rouge Zoo, and take pictures with it. ■ brzoo.org Celebrate books, food, and bad puns at the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library on Goodwood on Sunday, April 3 from 2-4:30 p.m for the library’s annual Edible Book Festival. Participants are invited to create a punny and edible representation of any book’s title and put it on display at the library. At 2:30 p.m., you can vote for your favorites in categories such as Least Appetizing, Best in Show, Wittiest, and more. The winners of each category will be announced at 4 p.m. and awarded a prize. Anyone can compete. To present your creation at the festival, all you have to do is bring it to the library at 2 p.m. For more information, you can call (225) 231-3750 or visit the library online. ■ ebrpl.com

The LSU Museum of Art has announced its newest exhibition, Eugene Martin: The Creative Act. It’s the museum’s first major exhibition of this Louisiana-based artist’s work, featuring a selection of art from a collection of 31 works. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1938, Martin dedicated his life to living and working as a full-time artist, creating a body of work defined by periods, from black and white ink drawings to bright and colorful acrylic paintings. The Creative Act focuses on Martin’s unique, colorful, and abstract art from 2008, especially his collages. The exhibition at the LSU Museum of Art will also allow visitors to create their own Eugene-Martin inspired collages. You can see the art from Thursday, April 7 until Sunday, October 2. There will be a free gallery talk on Friday, April 8 at 6 p.m. for those interested in learning more about Martin’s creative process. ■ lsumoa.org

Audubon Zoo is excited to announce the birth of four maned wolf puppies. The zoo’s first-ever wolf puppies were born on January 31 as the first offspring of Brisa (female) and Sheldon (male), who arrived at Audubon Zoo in August 2021. Maned wolves are native to the grasslands and scrub forests of South America, and they are considered a near threatened species due to human-wildlife conflict and habitat destruction. Right now, the maned wolf family at Audubon Zoo is bonding and adjusting, and visitors may be able to catch a glimpse of the babies while the animal care staff closely monitors them. ■ audubonnatureinstitute.org

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum (LASM) is pleased to announce its newest planetarium show, Space Opera, which will take place in the W. Pennington Planetarium. It’s the largest and most advanced planetarium in Louisiana, and it’s one of the few planetariums in the southeastern region of the United States. Jay Lamm, Director of Planetarium Facilities, describes the show as “an artistic, philosophic, scientific, and cinematic

experience” during which the planetarium theater functions as the inside of an alien spaceship that makes stops around the solar system. This 40-minute-long show is perfect for anyone who loves astronomy and astrology, and its price will be included in your cost of admission into LASM. ■ lasm.org

Take a trip back in time to the vibrant ancient China with a magical performance by Shen Yun, A Heavenly Gift. Shen Yun is a group of Chinese artists that aspire to bring back to life a lost culture that the country’s communist government has wiped away. The group revives ancient Chinese culture with classical Chinese dance that incorporates stunning costumes and high-tech backdrops with an incredible orchestra. You can watch these legends come alive at the Raising Cane’s River Center Theater for Performing Arts on Saturday, April 9 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Be prepared for a theatrical experience that will take your breath away. Business wear or evening attire is requested. ■ shenyun.com/baton-rouge