Zachary Plainsman-Advocate 06-17-2026 by The Advocate

Baker ‘field of dreams’ becomes reality

Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY

Lions coming to Zachary

The Zachary Mid City Lions Club inaugural Charter Banquet is at 6 p.m. June 26 at the Zachary High Auxiliary Gym, 4100 Bronco Lane.

Hosted by the Baker Lions Club, the banquet celebrates the chartering of the Zachary club. For tickets or information, contact Sherri Collins, (225) 916-6542 or cortellia914@gmail. com, or Gloria Johnson, (225) 937-2868 or gharrj@bellsouth. net.

Christmas in July

The Zachary Farmers and Artisans Market will host Summer Santa from 9 a.m. to 1 p m July 11.

Play mahjong to support dogs

Pungs for Paws, a fundraiser for Must Luv Dogs Rescue, is at 2 p.m. June 20 at First United Methodist Church, 930 North Blvd., in Baton Rouge.

The mahjong fundraiser is presented by Magnolia Mahj Individual entry is $30 and the event will be set up. A table for four is $100, which includes a table contest that the entrants set up. On-site vendors, a rafﬂe for a tile set and door prizes will be available. Register at form.jotform.com/mustluvdogs/pungpaws.

Camp postponed

The Coach Brew Mega Camp has been postponed. New date will be announced later Library millage election set

Election day for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library millage continuation is June 27. The proposed action is the same dedicated millage for the library that expired in 2025, but at a reduced 9.5-mill tax rate. The millage would remain a dedicated tax, and the library’s funding is almost entirely from this tax, library leaders have said.

Library staff is also holding meetings to “Write the Next Chapter.” The ﬁnal talk will be held at the Main Library at Goodwood at 2 p.m. on June 25. For information and to see more meeting choices visit www.ebrpl.com/millage. Save the date

The fourth annual Zachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival will be from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m Aug. 14-15 at 20055 Old Scenic Highway in Zachary. Email Leila Pitchford at lpitchford@theadvocate.com.

BY FRANCES Y SPENCER

Contributing writer

Tiny T-ball players bobbing in helmets dwarfing their heads ran across a shiny diamond not realizing that the journey to bring their park to fruition predated most of them. The significance was not lost on the community’s leaders and residents: “Play ball” was a long time coming, The Baker Youth Baseball Field ribbon-cutting ceremony was Saturday as leaders key to its development celebrated the new facility and highlighted the field’s historical importance and its role in fostering community Baker Mayor Darnell Waites laud-

ed the funding efforts and years needed to create something unique in recreational offerings. “I’m really excited to be here this afternoon to bless this field and to open it up for us and I want everybody to know that this is our field, this does not belong to BREC; this is our field,” he said. “Give us a big round of applause.” Recreation Director Gerald Collins was overcome with emotions he celebrated the accomplishment and gave credit to those instrumental to the city and its young people,” Collins said. Collins went on to explain he didn’t share the original vision of Waites.

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HONING IN

Young baseball players sharpen skills at Zachary summer camp

Community news report

The Zachary High baseball team shared throwing and batting skills June 8-11 during a summer camp. Boys and girls ages 5-14 took part in the camp at John Herty Field.

LEFT: Adelyn McElroy, 8, participates in the ZHS baseball camp.

ABOVE: Zachary High graduate Camden Massingill helps out with the camp.

Zachary High baseball summer campers take a water break in between sessions.

Zachary council mulls millage increase

Emergency chief says extra $100,000 could help amid FEMA uncertainty

BY OLIVIA McCLURE

Contributing writer

Facing an upcoming decision about whether to raise Zachary’s property tax millage, City Council members were told at their June 9 meeting that the additional funds generated by the increase could help offset an expected lower reimbursement rate in the event of a natural disaster Some on the council, however questioned whether that is justiﬁcation for taxing residents at a higher rate.

The council has the option to keep the property tax rate at the current 5.07 mills or go up to 5.48 mills. Members have declined to increase the millage for the past couple of years.

As it stands, the property tax brings in $1.24 million If the council elects to “roll forward” the millage, the city would collect another $100,000, according to chief ﬁnancial ofﬁcer Kim Ford.

That money could come in handy if a hurricane or other disaster strikes Zachary, said emergency preparedness director Ty Stephens. The Federal Emergency Management Agency which in the past has reimbursed 75% of costs associated with disasters, is making changes that will leave municipalities on the hook for 50% of those costs, Stephens said.

“It’s obviously up to you guys,” he told the council. But even a small amount of extra money would “give the city a little cushion in case something ever were to happen like that and it wouldn’t just deplete everything we had to pay for this emergency so just kind of a rainy-day fund, so to speak.”

Council member Jennifer Landry agreed that the FEMA changes would create a “substantial increase” in disaster recovery costs. And council member James Graves said the higher millage would increase the average household’s monthly budget by only $1 or less.

“We’re talking about putting less than a dollar on our constituents, on our members, for emergency situations, for us to have a little bit of funds here in the city,” he said. Landry urged her colleagues to schedule a workshop to discuss how rolling forward the millage could affect various areas of the city budget before voting on the matter in the coming weeks.

Baker Recreation Director Gerard Collins offers color commentary June 13 during a T-ball game at the Baker Youth Sports park.

PHOTO BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON Players from the Giants race to field the ball hit by a player from the Bayou Boyz during the first T-ball game on the new field June 13 in Baker

Campers cool down in the locker room during a break.

PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS

Zachary High’s baseball team hosts its summer camp recently at the John Herty Field.

Coach Jacob Fisher teaches campers a catch and throw technique.

Musician, club owner Floyd Brown dies

Baker native had cancer, niece says

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

Floyd Brown, a longtime ﬁxture on the Baton Rouge music scene, died June 9 at 79 after a lengthy battle with cancer, according to his niece, Dara Stuart.

“He was one of the greatest,” Stuart said Friday morning.

A swamp pop/country singersongwriter-guitarist and Nashville recording artist, Brown is known for hits including “Kiss Me Just One More Time,” “I Can’t Sleep If I Can’t Sleep With You” and “There Lies the Difference.” His heartfelt ballads and the dance bands he led have brought fans to the dance ﬂoor since the early 1960s Brown also owned nightclubs at different times in the city, among them Sweetwater Tavern, Floyd Brown’s Embers, The Brown Derby, Studebaker’s and Floyd Brown’s.

“It’s a shock for everyone,” Baton Rouge singer Chase Tyler said of Brown’s death. “I don’t think anyone saw it coming.” Tyler was a 17-year-old aspiring musician when he met Brown in the early 2000s Brown was delighted that Tyler wanted to record “Kiss Me Just One More Time” for his ﬁrst album.

Joel Dicharry, cofounder and executive director of Commission Mankind, with Tamara Dayton, president of Zachary Rotary

PROVIDED PHOTO

“Floyd was a mentor early in my career,” Tyler said. “He was always a sweetheart to me and very encouraging to the younger artists coming up behind him.”

But as widely known in the Baton Rouge area as Brown was, Tyler believes he was an underappreciated artist.

“Floyd was underrated as a vocalist, and he was an amazing singer-songwriter,” Tyler said. “He had a lot of success early on, one of the true icons of swamp pop and country in south Louisiana. A legend.”

Throughout the day on Friday, the Fans of Floyd Brown Facebook page ﬁlled with memories of the popular artist.

“Floyd is a part of my life story,” posted Donnice Vessier “… My sisters and I knew every word to his music To us he was a big star!

All grown up I still loved going to see him. His voice never changed and he was still a big star to me.

To this day, his music still brings me back.”

Walker musician and Brown collaborator Jody Mayeux said simply, “I lost my best friend Mr Floyd Brown this week.”

Brown was just 14 when he recorded his ﬁrst record in 1960. It was the promo song for a new water park and campground in Liv-

Zachary Rotary speaker serves clean water to poor communities

Community news report

The speaker at the May 28 Zachary Rotary Club luncheon was Joel Dicharry co-founder and executive director of Commission Mankind, a nonproﬁt organization dedicated to bringing clean water and hope to vulnerable communities around the world. Dicharry, along with his wife Joye Dicharry, founded Commission Mankind in 2019 after years of participating in international mission trips, where they witnessed ﬁrsthand the critical need for access to clean water in underserved areas. In 2020, they moved their family of nine to Kenya, where they encountered powerful stories of faith, resil-

MILLAGE

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But when Landry made a motion to set the workshop, Brandy Westmoreland, John LeBlanc and Ambre DeVirgilio said “no,” causing the motion to fail. In discussion preceding the vote, they worried about charging Zachary homeowners higher taxes to collect what they feel is a relatively small amount of cash.

“If we have a FEMA natural di-

Floyd Brown continued to perform in small gigs at area restaurants, festivals and other events up until several months ago.

ingston Parish called Thunderbird Beach.

A year later, in 1961, Brown had his second release “Teenage Vision,” on S.J. Montalbano’s Montel label.

“S.J. and Jimmy Clanton (a young national recording star from Baton Rouge) came to my home and picked me up in a limo,” Brown recalled in 2005. “We went to Cosimo Matassa’s studio (in

FIELD

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He thought existing fields and BREC partnerships were sufficient, but the mayor needed him to see that this field is Baker “This field creates community, it brings everybody together for a common purpose,” Collins said. “It’s not about baseball, catching, hitting or running it’s about the relationships that are built through participation in sports.”

Baker Recreation is open to collaborations with BREC and surrounding community parks. Ofﬁcials from the Zachary Youth Park participated in the park dedication and Collins said he’s hopeful that the neighboring communities can work together to forward youth sports.

ience, and God’s provision while working to establish sustainable water solutions for communities in need.

Commission Mankind has implemented clean water projects in more than 12 countries, serving some of the world’s most atrisk populations through community wells, solar-powered water systems and strong partnerships with local leaders.

Joel Dicharry said he is passionate about serving the poor, reaching forgotten communities, and building meaningful partnerships that create lasting impact.

Commission Mankind continues to connect individuals with opportunities to make a difference around the globe.

saster, $100,000 ain’t going to matter It’s going to be so much more than that,” Westmoreland said.

She believes decisions about the millage and the city’s budget — which the council already has approved for the 2026-27 ﬁscal year — should be based on actual expenses, not just-in-case scenarios.

“We can’t tax our constituents so that we have an emergency fund for a cushion,” she said, noting that many residents are already grappling with rising costs such as higher insurance premiums.

Brandon McGee, from City of Baker Recreation, said youth sports include baseball, T-ball and football. The Baker Area Sports Association, a nonproﬁt organization, has been formed to continue raising funds for facility completion projects.

For information on City of Baker Recreation or to make donations to the Baker Area Sports Association, visit cityofbakerrecreation.com.

New Orleans). Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew had just finished a session and they were there. Mac Rebennack (aka Dr John) was there. All those people that were around there that I met, I had no idea who they were then.”

“Teenage Vision” stayed No. 1 on Baton Rouge’s WLCS-AM for about 11 consecutive weeks, he said.

Brown went on to have 45 rpm releases on Johnny Vincent’s Jackson, Mississippi-based Ace label in 1962, Baton Rouge-based Lou-Jay Records in 1964, and then on the Enterprise label, a subsidiary of Stax Records, in 1969. He continued to put out 45 rpm releases over the next two decades, with four in the 1970s and then ﬁve in the 1980s.

In 1979, Brown released his ﬁrst album, “Finally,” on Jimmy Rogers’ Baton Rouge-based Bayou Boogie Records.

Brown’s career got a boost in the ‘80s after his win on the Nashville Network talent show, “You Can Be A Star.” This led to appearances with Ralph Emery on TNN’s “Nashville Now” and a featured spot on the TNN nostalgia show, “Play It Again Nashville.”

“By winning ‘You Can Be a Star,’ I met so many people,” Brown recounted. “I mean doors opened up that you would not believe.” Unfortunately, the MCA record-

ing contract that accompanied Brown’s “You Can Be A Star” victory got dropped during a record company shake-up. A similar thing happened a few years later when Capitol Records was interested in him, Brown said. Again, the company president was let go, and with him went Brown’s record deal.

Brown’s final single release came in 1990, with “Hurt You, Haunt You, Heal You” on the Baton Rouge-based Genesis label. In 2005, a 12-song compilation album, “The Best Of Floyd Brown,” was released on AMG Records. “Everywhere I play,” Brown said in 2005, “somebody comes up and wants those songs on a CD. So that’s why we put this CD together, the best of the stuff that I’ve done.”

Brown continued to perform in small gigs at area restaurants, festivals and other events up until several months ago.

Brown is survived by his wife, Linda; sons, Duke and Dustin; and two sisters, Sandy Duhon (Duddy) and Vickie Marshall (Gary). A celebration of life will take place at Sandy’s Daiquiris, Erwinville, with a date to be announced later John Wirt contributed to this report.

Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

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PROVIDED PHOTO

STAFF PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

Baker Mayor Darnell Waites cuts the ribbon on the new baseball field while surrounded by area dignitaries during a ceremony June 13, 2026 in Baker

A Baker T-ball player waits in the dugout to play on the new baseball field.

A Giants fielder holds up the ball after a hit by a player on the Bayou Boyz during the first T-ball game.

Pride student accepted into Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

Community news report

Ava Nehring of Pride was recently elected to membership into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest alldiscipline collegiate honor society Nehring, who attends the

University of Southern Mississipi, is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter Only the top 10% of

seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10% of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

COLLEGE HONORS LISTS

GPA of 3.750-4.000.

Belhaven University

Belhaven University, in Jackson, Mississippi, named the students on the Spring 2026 dean’s list.

Students from the area include Jayda Duncan and Todd Goudeau, of Zachary; and Alyssa Wilson, of Greenwell Springs.

To be eligible for the list, a student must achieve a GPA of 3.4-3.99 while taking a full course load of at least 12 semester hours.

Champlain College

Nicholas Funk, of Zachary was named to the Champlain College president’s list for the spring 2026 semester Funk is majoring in game design.

Champlain College is in Burlington, Vermont.

Students on the list have achieved a grade-point average of 4.0 or higher during the semester

Delta State University

Reece Achord, of Zachary, was named to the spring 2026 president’s list at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.

President’s list students achieved a 3.80 or better GPA, based on a 4.0 scale, while completing at least 12 semester hours of coursework with no incomplete grades or grades lower than a C.

James Madison University Zachary resident Anna

Beauchamp has been named to the president’s list at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, for the spring 2026 semester

Students who earn the honor must carry at least 12 graded credit hours and earn a GPA of 3.900 or above.

Beauchamp is majoring in nursing.

Southern New Hampshire University

Southern New Hampshire University announced the spring 2026 dean’s list. The spring terms run from January to May

The list includes Kristine Offord and Roman Alexander, of Zachary; and De-Jon Scott, of Baker

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum GPA of 3.500 to 3.699 for the reporting term are named to the dean’s list.

Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired 8-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer Trine University

Michaela Doiron, of Zachary, a Trine University student, was named to the president’s list for the spring 2026 semester Doiron is majoring in biomedical engineering.

To earn president’s list honors, Trine University students must complete a minimum of 12 hours and have a

Trine is in Angola, Indiana.

University of Central Arkansas

Autumn Vessier, of Greenwell Springs, was named a presidential scholar at the University of Central Arkansas for spring 2026.

Students must achieve a 4.0 GPA with a minimum course load of 12 credit hours to qualify for the honor University of Central Arkansas is in Conway, Arkansas.

University of Louisiana Monroe

The University of Louisiana Monroe announced the students on the honor rolls for the spring 2026 semester Mahogany Thomas and Terrolyn Woodridge, both of Zachary, were named to the president’s list

Eligibility for the president’s list requires full-time enrollment (minimum of 12 semester hours completed) and an undergraduate student is required to earn at least a 3.9 GPA.

Claire Connor, Madison Guillory and Austin Wiltz, all of Zachary were named to the dean’s list Eligibility for the dean’s list requires full-time enrollment (minimum of 12 semester hours completed) and an undergraduate student is required to earn at least a 3.5 GPA.

Community news report

Southeastern Louisiana University celebrated its 1,215 graduates May 16, in two commencement ceremonies in the University Center The ceremonies mark the 100th anniversary of Southeastern’s first graduating class.

During the afternoon ceremony, Southeastern celebrated its 100,000th graduate.

Gracie LeBlanc, a psychology major from Cut Off, received the distinction and was awarded a special plaque to commemorate the occasion.

The university awarded its highest academic honor, the President’s Medal for Academic Excellence, to 26 students with the highest cumulative GPA in the university’s ﬁve colleges.

Medal recipients from the region were: n Brenna Stamper, of Gon-

zales, art, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

n Kyleigh Overheim, of Watson, business administration, College of Business

n Collin McClure, of Watson, English education; Layla Meng, of Denham Springs, social studies education; and Austin Nelson, of Albany, social studies education, all of College of Education

n Chrysler Mitchell, of Denham Springs, kinesiology, College of Nursing and Health Sciences

n Carlie Bankston, of Denham Springs, chemistry; Ajyol Dhamala, of Hammond, computer science; and major Jared Talbot, of Walker, computer science, all of College of Science and Technology

Area students receiving associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees were: Masters degrees

Pride: Alexis Berthelot,

curriculum and instruction; and Avery Flotte, curriculum and instruction.

Bachelors degrees Baker: Morgan Fresina, psychology; Lucas Hill, communication; Annalise Leep, accounting; Ethan Robinson, supply chain management; and Will Sensley, communication. Greenwell Springs: Lydia Bell, elementary education grades 1-5; Baylee Crochet, psychology; Destiney Gary, kinesiology; Sarah Gil, management; Ashton Howard, art; Lillian Reeves, accounting; Cody Thibodeaux, business administration; and Anne-Marie Ross, management. Pride: Lailyn Kleinpeter, accounting; and Grace Toler nursing.

Zachary: Preston Diaz, history; and Anyah Matthews, kinesiology

The following people were booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison or issued a summons by the Zachary Police Department from June 4-10:

MARK BOLIN: 20; 1084 Russum Westside Road, Port Gibson, Mississippi; aggravated second-degree battery, possession of drug paraphernalia, sale/distribution/or possession of legend drug, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles

AMIE BROWN: 49; 709 West Ave., Slaughter; simple battery

MCKENZIE CARMENIA: 26; 3918 Hollywood St., Baton Rouge; aggravated battery and domestic abuse battery —child endangerment, violation of protective orders

JEROME COLLINS: 50; 9450 Deer Run Ave., Baton Rouge; two counts of possession/ distribution manufacturing Schedule II, possession of drug paraphernalia, three counts of distribution or possession Schedule I

CODY DU’BROC: 20; 9857 Street D Apt. 31, St. Francisville; sexual battery — rubbing/touching, carnal knowledge of a juvenile, indecent behavior with juveniles

LATUNIA FLOWERS: 48; obstruction of justice, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, second-degree battery

ERIC FRANKLIN: 26l; 334 Genola Road, Clinton; cruelty to juveniles

DIAMOND GAINES: 29; 4250 Hidden Pass Drive, Zachary; contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, domestic abuse battery — child endangerment

DOMONIQUE GAINES: 25; 1084 Russum Westside Road, Port Gibson, Mississippi, aggravated second-degree battery, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles

CARL JACKSON: 45; 20320 Fawn Drive, Zachary; possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, two counts of possession/ distribution manufacturing Schedule II

TONYA KIRKLAND: 50; 6508 Donnie St., Zachary; entry on or remaining after forbidden

TAHITI SMITH: 46; 488 East Flonacher Road, Zachary; no insurance, theft, access device fraud

TAHITI SMITH: 46; 488 East Flonacher Road, Zachary; theft

PATRICIA WALL: 48; 165 Cedar St., Brookhaven, Mississippi; theft over $5,000

Zachary swimmers shine in Tristan Vessel Invitational

Community news report

The 2026 Tristan Vessel Invitational, held May 29-31, featured 592 swimmers, high point awards, state records and qualifying times.

Zachary High participants included Reece Achord, class of 2024; Matthew Hughes, class of 2025; Richard Wells, class of 2026; Warren Griffin, class of 2028; Cade Hebert, class of 2028; Caleb Conner, class of 2029; and Jackson McElroy, class of 2030.

ZHS swimmer Libby Hughes, class of 2027, was also present as a spectator

The Tristan Vessel Invitational is an annual competitive swim meet held at the LSU Natatorium.

The meet honors the memory of Tristan Murray Vessel, a Zachary High School and Tiger Aquatics swimmer who died in a car crash in 2022.

At the time of his death, Tristan was ranked ﬁfth by Louisiana Swimming for boys graduating in 2022.

The meet supports the #TEAMTRISTAN foundation, which promotes youth swimming in Louisiana. The meet was ﬁrst held June 24-36, 2022.

Awards to the high point winners in each age group category were presented by Jennifer Murray, Tristan’s mother, and Colin Vessel, Tristan’s uncle and ZHS class of 1994.

Murray said, “So far this year, the foundation has given out about $2,400 in funding for swim lessons and summer swim programs.” She added that 1 total of $1,500 in scholarships two academic and two athletic — were given to ZHS seniors. Among the top ﬁnishes

at the meet were:

Louisiana State Record for boys

13-14 50 meter breaststroke: Eli Clavier

National qualifiers

Speedo Sectionals: Adelaide Drennan, 200 meter

breast stroke

Speedo Sectionals: Grace McIlwain, 200 meter breast

stroke

Winter Junior National Championship: Faith Kubricht, 50 meter freestyle Junior National Championship: Sadie Allen, 50 meter butterﬂy