DONALDSONVILLE ROTARY CLUB HOSTS SENIOR CHRISTMAS PARTY ä Page 4G
THE ASCENSION
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THURSDAY DECEMBER 10, 2015 H DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT • SORRENTO THEADVOCATE.COM
Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Holiday calendars fill up Here’s a few more events to add to your holiday calendar: SATURDAY: 9 a.m. to noon, A Cajun Family Christmas Festival, Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, tickets are $10; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., River Region Art Association’s Art Gumbo Market, Houmas House Plantation in Darrow; and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Volunteer Ascension’s free Christmas Movie Night at Jambalaya Park in Gonzales, featuring “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” and “Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure.” SUNDAY: 2 p.m., JFA Christmas Parade in Gonzales; and 4:30 p.m., Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra Holiday Brass Christmas Concert at Houmas House
Preteen boys and puberty
Plans for neighborhood unveiled
BY ELLYN COUVILLION
night for a 350-home subdivision that will be developed by Level Homes of Baton Rouge. The subdivision would be GONZALES — At the start of the new year, public hearings will part of the mixed-use Edenbe held for the residential por- borne community south of Intion of the Edenborne Develop- terstate 10 that’s home to River ment off La. 44, as well as for Parishes Community College. Murphy said the subdivision an expansion of a longtime local would be built in three phases, business. Deric Murphy, president of with a clubhouse and green Quality Engineering and Sur- spaces to be included in the veying, presented site plans first phase. Planning and Zoning Commisto the Gonzales Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday sion members also heard from ecouvillion@theadvocate.com
Brian Marchand, owner of Marchand’s Interior and Hardware, established in Gonzales in 1949. He’s looking to expand the business, located on Alexander Street in the oldest section of Gonzales. The existing store is zoned commercial retail, and Marchand is asking that adjacent property now housing offices and storage for the company be rezoned from business to retail commercial, as well. The company would like to build an
8,800-square-foot addition to the Marchand’s store there. Public hearings on the site plans for the Edenborne subdivision and for the rezoning request for the Marchand company will be held at the Planning and Zoning Commission’s next meeting, on Jan. 4. A landowner who would like to develop a destination-type recreational vehicle park off La. 44, south of Interstate 10, came to tell commissioners what he’s envisioning for the
MAKING
seasons BRIGHT
Advocate photo by MARK H. HUNTER
Apostle Alice S. Martin, pastor of Divine Grace Temple, and Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office Capt. Joey Mayeaux both said the Police Appreciation Day event on Saturday was important to improving relations between law enforcement and the community.
“Growing Up: Boys, a Class for Preteen Boys” will be held from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the Sister Vernola Conference Room at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales. The class, for boys ages 10 to 12 and their moms or dads, will discuss the physical and emotional changes preteen boys experience as they go through puberty. Cost is $15 and preregistration is required. Call (225) 621-2906.
Church hosts Police Appreciation Day
Repitcon stops in Gonzales
BY MARK H. HUNTER
If snakes and repitles are your thing, visit the Repitcon Repitle Show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 ages 5 to 12, free for 4 and younger.
Special to The Advocate
Cookies and crafting
The Donaldsonville Branch of Ascension Parish Library will hold its cookie swap and stemware snow globes craft time at 10 a.m. Saturday. Bring in your homemade seasonal goodies, sample everyone else’s and exchange recipes, then create a holiday stemware snow globe that doubles as a candle holder. Call (225) 4738052 to register.
Teen Book Club to meet
Advocate staff photos by HILARY SCHEINUK
ABOVE: Ascension Sheriff Jeff Wiley, top right, addresses volunteers before the start of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office’s Christmas Crusade for Children on Dec. 3 at Wal-Mart in Gonzales. TOP: Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy clerks Calice Bonadona, left, and Stacy Smith check out a basketball during the shopping spree.
Crusade for Children offers lesson in giving BY KATE STEVENS
Special to The Advocate GONZALES
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Ascension Parish Library’s Teen Book Club will meet at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Galvez Branch. The club is open to all teens in grades 6-12. There is no required reading — just come discuss the book you’re currently into. Call (225) 622-3339 for information.
of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s
Volunteer tax prep
of toys and gifts for needy children.
River Parishes Community College, in partnership with Capital Area United Way, will offer free income tax return preparation to local residents through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program beginning Jan. 25. RPCC is recruiting volunteers for training as tax äSee AROUND, page 2G
park. The park would have a large lake, pier and gazebo, clubhouse, pool, play area and possibly cabins for short-term rental, said Tom Pertuit. “There will be a major lake in front and the park will be grown with native trees, a more naturalized park,” Pertuit said. A portion of the property is in city limits, and Pertuit said he would be seeking to have the remainder annexed by the city.
ore than 250 local families will have a brighter holiday
season thanks to supporters
Office Christmas Crusade for Children program who recently purchased more than $24,600 worth The Christmas Crusade for Children program, which has been around for more than 20 years, will provide at least 687 Ascension Parish children 12 and younger with toys this holiday, said Allison Hudson, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman. That number is expected to increase as last-minute applications for assistance come in, Hudson said. äSee CRUSADE, page 3G
Volunteer Kader Dunn, 13, takes a card from Sgt. Charlene Gautreau on Dec. 3 in Gonzales. ä See a video about the event at www.theadvocate.com.
GONZALES — Willie Baxter used to avoid the police, he said, but for about an hour on Saturday he sat next to an Ascension Parish deputy as they ate plates of jambalaya and enjoyed friendly fellowship. Sitting next to Baxter, at a long row of tables set up in the front parking lot of Divine Grace Temple, was Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office Staff Sgt. Richard Boe. About a dozen local law enforcement officers and nearly 100 Temple members and community residents were attending the first — but probably not the last -— Police Appreciation Day sponsored by the Temple’s Men’s Fellowship group. “There was a time I wouldn’t be near a police officer unless I was handcuffed, but I gave my life to Christ and all that changed for me,” Baxter said. “This (event) is important because we need communication between the authorities and the community.” Boe agreed. “This keeps us in touch with the community. A lot of times all you have to do is ask to find out what the problem is,” he said. “The community supports us hands down, second to none.” Apostle Alice S. Martin, pastor of the 300 member Divine Grace Temple, located at 728 E. La. 30, said she had been burdened to host an event like this for awhile, especially in light of the clashes across America between some African-American communities and their police departments. “I felt in my spirit that the Lord wanted to bring the policemen and the church together as one,” Martin said. “We’ve got to keep order in the church and the police need to keep order out in the world so we can have äSee POLICE, page 2G