Giving thanks for a walk in the park
I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all
Warren Brady
ary Sports to perform a Thanksgiving review of all the things for which to give thanks as it relates to sports in the greater Zachary area.
This year I thought a nice change might be to identify something that if you took a short trip and made a short walk you too
could be thankful. The inspiration came from last summer when I was overly motivated to perform what my grown children refer to as “death hikes” in the Colorado mountains. In preparation for these outdoor excursions, training routines included walking five flights of stairs at the downtown office for my other job, walking multiple laps on the flat roads of my neighborhood and wearing out a treadmill while listening to boring conference calls where people synergized their paradigm shifts.
One warm fall Sunday, I took off to explore places in Zachary
PHOTO BY WARREN BRADY Walking the Young Forest Primitive Trail
ZACHARY SPORTS
PHOTO BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Lt Col (retired) Darrin Spears is flanked by a unit of Zachary High Junior ROTC cadets Tuesday November 11, 2025 during the annual Veterans Day flag-raising raising program at the Regional Veterans Park on the campus of Lane Regional Memorial Center.
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that would provide for a pleasant wander “beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
Though there may not be major changes in elevation, I found that and more in Zachary
Of course, the journey started with the walking path behind Lane Regional Medical Center The path is just over a half mile and, with recent completion of most upgrades at Lane, readily accessible.
Next, the short trip (by car) to the Zachary Youth Park. There are walking paths throughout the six turf fields, two T-ball fields, one high school softball field, two high school/middle school baseball fields and two covered batting cage areas within the 33acre complex.
A short hop, skip and jump to the south through the Youth Park and I was met by an outdoor basketball court, three fishing lakes, two dog parks, skate park, two sand pit volleyball areas, splash pad, hard-surface walking paths, picnic areas and pavilions associated with the BREC Zachary Community Park.
In addition to trails around the lakes, dog parks and other major features, there are two walking trails.
The Young Forest Primitive Hiking Loop is 0.5 miles that takes you through well-maintained pea gravel trails through
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pine plantation and bottomland hardwood forest. It connects to the Americana Trail that takes you from the park to the Americana subdivision through bottomland hardwood forest. When walking the Americana Trail, I saw rabbits,
some very jingly bells, and the book “The Boy Who Said Wow” by Tom Boss about a nonverbal boy who goes to a concert and says “Wow!”. Children will engage in hands-on musical and movement activities with teaching artists from the Kids’ Orchestra. All ages and skill levels are welcome. The Kids Orchestra event will be at the Zachary Branch Library at 11 a.m. Dec. 6. It is available at other branches. Baker bike giveaway
The city of Baker is holding a bicycle and toy giveaway at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at Baker Municipal Building, 3325 Groom Road. Recipients must turn in a registration form to City Hall by Nov 27.
squirrels and deer You can either return the way you came through the woods or walk a very wide sidewalk along Highway 64. Trail maps are available at the BREC website (Zachary_ParkPondTrailMap.pdf). For first time
Dec. 13 Market at St. John
The annual Mistletoe Market is from 9 a.m to 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at St. John the Baptist Activity Center on Lee Street in Zachary Pictures and story time with Santa will be available at 10 a.m. Chase Santa in race
The Zachary Charity League Chasing Santa 5K and half-mile fun run are Dec. 13. Runners who catch Santa win a special prize. The race starts and ends at Zachary High, passing five of the area’s seven schools Strollers are welcome. Warmup is at 8:15 a.m. followed by the national anthem The half-mile event starts at 8:30 a.m., and the 5K, a chip timed race, is at 9 a.m. Cookies and cocoa will be served postrace. Kids who finish the half-mile run get to
hikers, fear not. For all of the trails identified civilization is not far away and there is no change in elevation. If there are other trails nearby that I missed, pass it along and let me know Of course if you want to
ignore the words of Mark Twain, “Golf is a good walk spoiled” you can put a club in your hands and hit Copper Mill or the Beaver Creek golf courses for a stroll down the fairways and greens. Skip the cart if you want to enjoy the ex-
choose a toy from Santa’s bag, and ornaments will be given to the 5K finishers.
Visit runsignup.com/Race/LA/Zachary/ ZacharyCharityLeagueChasingSanta5K to sign up. Register by Dec. 1 to receive a T-shirt.
The 5K runners are given an hour to finish. Street reopen at 10 a.m. 5K runners may run the half-mile run for no extra fee. Strollers are welcome.
A warmup is at 8:15 a.m. and the national anthem is at 8:25 a.m. Race proceeds go toward scholarships, teacher grants and Snack Packs for Kids, which provides healthy snacks over the weekend for children who come from food insecure homes.
Baker parade
The Baker Christmas parade, “Home for the Holidays,” is at 10 a.m. Dec. 13. Parade participants should register at tinyurl.
ercise. Get outside, take a stroll, breathe in the fresh air and be thankful.
Warren Brady covers sports for The Plainsman. He can be contacted at zachary@theadvocate. com.
com/4ye6n35v
Library mystery party
Visit the Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library, 13600 Pride-Port Hudson Road, for an Ugly Christmas Sweater Murder Mystery Party at 3 p.m. Dec. 13. Dec. 22 Library holiday music
Madam Dulcimer and Lady Chops will present lively dulcimer and drum holiday music for the whole family. Among the many shows are the 10 a.m. show at Baker Branch Library and the 2 p.m. show at Zachary Branch Library on Dec. 22. Registration may be required; call the specific location directly All children under the age of 9 must be accompanied by an adult. Email Leila Pitchford at lpitchford@ theadvocate.com.
One of the Zachary Park ponds provide a nice spot for a peaceful walk.
PHOTOS BY WARREN BRADY
A deer walks by on the Americana trail during a recent walk.
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Lt. Col. (retired) Lawrence J Baker, addresses the crowd gathered Tuesday, November 11, 2025 during the annual Veterans Day flag-raising program at the Regional Veterans Park on the campus of Lane Regional Memorial Center Baker serves as the Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer and Director of Physician Recruitment at Lane.
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“While saying ‘thank you for your service,’ feels like the right thing to say when you see a veteran, I believe that living the values that veterans defend and the potential of the America that our founders envisioned brightens the light of America for others to see and for others to emulate.”
Baker addressed and applauded the veterans in attendance.
“We are the beacon of freedom at our core, we are meant to symbolize liberty and democracy,” he said. “Your service and dedication to freedom and love of country came shining through through ultimate sacrifice, lives were lost and we missed them so living for something greater than self — you will forever know in foreign lands you stood strong and unafraid.”
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Backers of a controversial gokart track in Zachary won the right to continue racing at their beloved facility at the City Council’s Nov 11 meeting — but they’ll have to abide by a few new restrictions the council imposed to assuage a bevy of concerns about noise and dust.
The council chamber was packed for the hearing, which came about after the city received complaints about 593 Motorsports Kart Club. It’s located on W.J. Wicker Road, which runs between Port HudsonPride Road and Plank Road.
The track opened in the spring, and the city had granted it an occupational license. But because the track is located on property zoned as residential, it still needed a conditional use permit, which is required for land uses that differ from their zoning.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, which met earlier this month, recommended denying the track a permit. But council members overrode that recommendation, with the majority deciding the track was eligible for the permit under the provisions of the city’s Unified Development Code.
Supporters of the track talked up its family-centric atmosphere and how it provides a constructive experience for racers, many of whom are children. They emphasized that their organization is a private club on private property — and that they are not operating a business open to the public.
“We want to have fun. We want to be able to enjoy the place and do it the right way,” said track owner Joshua O’Neal, of Slaughter
For example, rules requiring mufflers are in place, and races are always over by 10 p.m., he said. He has tanks on site so he can spray water on the track to keep dust down.
A parade of supporters — most of whom do not live in Zachary spoke to the council, urging members to vote for the permit, which they said would preserve a place where kids get to spend time with mentors and delve into a unique sport.
“It’s a classroom, a workshop and a community space all in one,” said Jacob Church, a high school welding teacher from Clinton whose daughter races at the track Races, he added, bring visitors to Zachary and are a boon to local businesses.
Several girls accompanied Lisa Graham, of Greenwell Springs, to the mic. The track offers space for an activity that is beneficial for neurodivergent kids, she said
“So many traditional activities expect kids to sit still, stay quiet and fit in with social norms,” she said. “Racing isn’t like that.” Glen Desselle, a W.J. Wicker resident, said he regularly sees the track full of families and children. Visitors don’t leave behind trash, he said, nor are they disruptive.
“I don’t hear any noise when they race,” Desselle said. “The only way I know they’re racing is when I see the flag out front.”
A few of his neighbors gave a starkly different version of events.
The din of go kart engines, they said, interrupts their gardening endeavors, drowns out family conversations and disturbs livestock and wildlife. It’s not the peaceful lifestyle they’re accustomed to in a rare section of Zachary that remains rural in character Their road remains dominated by pastures and populated by longtime residents, many of them descendants of W.J. Wicker One resident, Stacy Alonzo, played an audio recording on her cellphone. A chirping bird competed over the sound of go karts. Alonzo, a great-granddaughter of Wicker, said the noise is inescapable during races, permeating the walls of her home.
“We understand progress, change and fun, but this is not the type of progress, change nor fun that benefits the entire established area where we live,” Alonzo said. “I understand the right others have concerning their property but it does not supersede the right of what many other property owners have enjoyed for generations.”
“We’re not against fun times,” said Kris Corkern, who also lives on the road. “It’s just not in the right area.”
Resident Barry Corkern said the
go-karts kick up a lot of dust, causing him to worry about his cattle and the hay they eat.
Other speakers pointed out that the track doesn’t match the residential character of their area.
After about an hour of comments, Mayor David McDavid shut down the public hearing so the council could begin figuring out what to do.
Council members offered praise for the racing organization’s efforts to offer a supportive environment for young people. Some said they’ve driven out to the racetrack themselves and have heard the buzz of engines firsthand In the end, Councilman James Graves made a motion to approve the permit with some restrictions The racetrack must comply with the city’s noise ordinance and will be limited to three race dates per month. Races must happen on a Friday or Saturday between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. The motion also included a ban on mini sprint vehicles.
Council member Jennifer Landry seconded the motion, which earned a third vote of support from council member Brandy Westmoreland, who urged her colleagues and audience members to be openminded
“Change is inevitable. Things are going to change,” she said. “I’m sure when people bought houses behind the high school they didn’t think that Friday night lights were going to be an issue.” Council members John LeBlanc and Ambre DeVirgilio, however disagreed and voted “no.”
“A conditional use permit is a special permit that allows people to put something in an area where it doesn’t belong, and it changes the characteristic of the neighborhood,” LeBlanc said With the motion carrying on a 3-2 vote, the track supporters broke out in applause. The rest of the audience wore looks of disappointment.
“For those of us who have lived there and have been paying taxes for a long time, I can tell you as one of them, I feel like the UDC just got flushed down the toilet,” said Larry Perkins, a resident of W.J. Wicker Road since the 1970s. “I don’t see anybody here that’s standing up for our rights.”
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Community news report
The Zachary High School Robotics Team was recently awarded $10,000 by the Entergy Charitable Foundation Grant.
This is the second year that the team has received this grant.
The award enabled the Bronco Bolts Robotics Team to compete in the 2025 FIRST Robotics Reefscape season.
The renewal of the Charitable Foundation Grant for 2026 will ensure that the Bronco Bolts will be able to compete in the 2026 FRC Rebuilt season.
The grant helped the Bronco Bolts purchase tools and robot parts to complete a viable competition robotics lab at Zachary High School.
During the Reefscape season, the Bronco Bolts reentered the field of FRC robots as a resurgent team, after an absence of four years due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Formally known as “Bronco Robotics,” Zachary High School students entered the world of competition robotics during the 2017 FRC season. In the 2026 FRC season, the Bronco Bolts will be considered a veteran team.
The Bronco Bolts plan to compete in the 2026 FRC Bayou Region in Kenner from April 1-4. If the Bronco Bolts qualify for FRC Worlds the team will be traveling to Houston at the end of April to compete in the world’s largest competitive robotics competition.
The following people were booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison or issued a summons by the Zachary Police Department from Oct. 30-Nov. 19:
APRIL ANDERSON: 39; 3255 39th St., Zachary; theft of a motor vehicle
CHERISH BLANKENSHIP: 36; 2895 Finch St., Baton Rouge; failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants
LAQUITA DANIEL: 35; 2211 Lot E Cane Creek Road, Centreville, Mississippi; reckless operation no driver’s license KYLE ELMORE: 20; 4215 W Central Ave., Zachary; simple criminal damage to property
LATIFAH FELDER: 33; 00404 Central St., Denham Springs; possession of marijuana
DEQUANO FERGUSON: 26; 6233 Guynell Dr., Baton Rouge; failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants COREY FORD: 42; 3830 N. Row Ave., Zachary; contempt of court RASHAWN GAUTHIER: 33; 6145 Deanne Marie Drive, Zachary; hit-and-run driving, simple criminal damage to property
SHAVON HUMPHREY: 42; 21031 Leviticus Drive, Zachary; aggravated assault with a firearm
JACOLBY MINGO: 19; 1927 Royal Aberdeen Ave., Zachary; battery of a dating partner, unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling
LAURA PENDER: 37; 2717 Valley St., Baton Rouge; failure to appear on outstanding bench warrants
COREY WHITE: 26; 1121 Willow
The Bronco Bolts Robotics Team received a grant to help with
