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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2015 H
B O C AG E • C O U N T RY C LU B • H I G H L A N D • J E F F E R S O N T E R R AC E • K E N I LW O R T H • P E R K I N S • U N I V E R S I T Y C LU B THEADVOCATE.COM
Darlene Denstorff ON THE SOUTHSIDE
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Plenty of family fun around town Saturday’s story time at Burden program will feature storybook readings and imagination-themed activities in the LSU Agricultural Center Botanic Gardens at Burden. Children ages 3 to 8 are invited to take part in the program, which begins at 9 a.m. with the last reading starting at 10:30 a.m. The garden is located in the Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie. The LSU AgCenter and the Junior League of Baton Rouge are sponsoring the program. Call (225) 763-3990.
Red Stick’s prancing ambassadors
Babycakes bring funk to parades BY C.J. FUTCH
cfutch@theadvocate.com On most days, Erin Rolfs is a smart, responsible and effective marketing professional who talks, acts and dresses the part. But on a few precious days every year during Mardi Gras season, she puts on the costume of her alter ego, Baby Ruthless Rolfs, and makes bringing the funk to the Spanish Town parade her No. 1 priority. Rolfs and Aimee “Famous Amos� Spangenberg founded the Prancing Babycakes dance troupe in 2008 with a core group of good friends, Rolfs said. Spangenberg moved to New Orleans and is no longer an ac-
tive member, Rolfs said, but is always with them in spirit. Troupe members gathered Sunday morning for their annual dress rehearsal. The women put together their own costumes based on their Babycakes ä See a nicknames, unified only by the colors video — red and black — at the advocate. and their white majorette boots. com. There are a couple of troupe members with dance experience, and they do the choreography for the marching dance numbers, which all the Babycakes spend a few weeks learning before parade season starts.
“It’s a way for us to go back to high school, dress up and dance in a way that would otherwise be totally inappropriate for adult professionals,â€? Rolfs said, but without the drama that comes with high school. “I don’t think we’ve ever had any serious disagreements,â€? Chelsea “Charleston Chewâ€? Harris said. “What are we going to do, go home and have hurt feelings because the girls didn’t pick your song?â€? They add members very slowly and organically. Usually, someone from within the group brings a friend in. But anyone with a little commitment to fun can start their Advocate staff photo by HILARY SCHEINUK own troupe, and that’s what Led by, from left, Holly ‘Rancher’ Maynard, Kris ‘Hershey’s Rolfs encourages other women Kris’ Webb, Chelsea ‘Charleston Chew’ Harris and Peggy ‘Ole to do. Snicka Moose’ Russell, the Prancing Babycakes, an all-female äSee BABYCAKES, page 5G dance troupe, practice Sunday by the State Capitol.
At the library
From arts and crafts to visiting animals, the East Baton Rouge Parish Bluebonnet Regional Library will be busy this week with programs for all ages. Here are a few of the things on tap.
Basic gardening
The East Baton Rouge Master Gardeners will host a basic gardening class from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bluebonnet Regional Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd. Members of the gardening club will teach participants about selecting and preparing a site for a raised bed and materials to used for the beds. During the vegetable gardening segment, participants will learn how to successfully plant and cultivate a vegetable garden. The master gardeners will also learn how to grow tomatoes and other popular crops.
Be My Valentine
Children ages 5 to 8 are invited to decorate a puppet and listen to Valentine’s Day-themed stories during a Saturday program at the Bluebonnet Regional Library. “Be Mine, Be Mine, Sweet Valentine� by Sarah Weeks, and “Lizzy and Skunk� by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, will be read during the hourlong program that begins at 11 a.m.. Registration is required, and supplies are limited. Call (225) 763-2260.
Zoomobile
The ZooMobile will be at the Bluebonnet Regional Library at 3 p.m. Monday. The program will feature äSee SOUTHSIDE, page 4G
A female Rufous hummingbird perches in the back yard of Chandan and Naresh Sharma.
Advocate staff photos by TRAVIS SPRADLING
A buff-bellied hummingbird perches deep in a thicket of li- Jennifer Sabala, front, chapter president Jane Patterson, left, and Kimberly Bassett train their binoculars on tree branches at the Stuart Avenue home of Cindy and Mike Macolini, observing a buff-bellied hummingbird Saturday gustrum branches. during the annual Baton Rouge Audubon Society Chapter’s winter hummingbird tour.
Louisiana winters draw birds,watchers Experts give advice on habitats
BY C.J. FUTCH
cfutch@theadvocate.com Along with the camellia blooms, winter in south Louisiana brings a few species of hummingbird, and Dennis Demcheck, an amateur bird watcher who has developed expertise over the years, and Jane Patterson, president of the Baton Rouge Audubon Society, shared their knowledge with Audubon members and the general public. Demcheck spoke Jan. 30 to a group of Baton Rouge Audubon Society members about the birds that are in-
creasingly spending winters in the Baton Rouge area at the Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center in advance of the 2015 Hummingbird Tour Saturday of four area backyards with reliable hummingbird sightings. Demcheck’s talk centered on the behaviors and preferences of the ruby-throated hummingbirds, some of whom live year-round in the area, and other types — the rufous, buff-belly, and black chin hummingbirds — that can be sighted in winter, where some groups recover after their migration, either from South and Central America, or from farther north. The best way to spot them is to provide them with attractive food and, maybe more importantly, Demcheck said, habitat.
“Joan LeBlanc’s house is one of those magic spots. I don’t know what she does, but she always seems to have a lot of birds at her feeders,� he said just after arriving at LeBlanc’s home, which was one of four stops on the hummingbird tour. “Well, I don’t know what I do, either,� LeBlanc said, though according to Demcheck, her yard shows a few great examples of what bird lovers can do to encourage the birds to stick around. She has several small feeders in many areas of her backyard, which is preferable to one large bird feeder, for a couple of reasons. “The birds are not impressed by how large your container is. They won’t be more likely to come to a bigger feed-
er, and the chances are better that the sugar water will go bad in a larger container,â€? Demcheck said. “So it makes more sense to use several three-ounce feeders and forget about the large feeders.â€? Also, he said, plant flowers that bloom in winter. As with other types of birds, hummingbirds prefer natural nectar that flowers provide and, more importantly, the bugs that fly around those flowers. “The nectar is only a small part of the hummingbird diet, necessary because they move so fast and burn so much energy,â€? he said. They get their vitamins and minerals from insects — another great reason to attract the äSee BIRDS, page 5G
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