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Jan Risher
Sailing from Louisiana to Morocco and all the places between I’m planning a trip to Morocco — by ship from New Orleans — for next year. I had thought arriving there would mark my 50th country. It will not. And still, I count countries. Yes, it will take a long time to get there. Yes, that is a statement about the journey being the thing — not the destination. Counting has been on my mind lately, as we prepare to move back into our house after the fire and figure out what survived. I started keeping track of states when I was a kid. My country list started in 1992 when I went to Mexico, my second country. Truth be told, I had never flown on a plane until August 1987, after I drove a U-Haul truck to move across the country to Reno, Nevada. The trip home for Christmas was not up for discussion.
STAFF PHOTOS BY ENAN CHEDIAK
A variety of religious themes are hidden throughout the Chauvin Sculpture Garden in Chauvin.
Hurricane Ida left a bayou town’s enchanting sculpture garden in ruins. Here’s how it was saved. PROVIDED PHOTO
Jan Risher in 1993 in the main square of S’tara L’ubovna, Slovakia, having a snowball fight with local students who were learning English.
I remember my best friend and college roommate telling me, “Someone told me that the first time you take off in a plane, you can’t help but smile.” Whoever told her that was right — I smiled. For the next five years, the only place I flew was home — with the exception of my first business trip. In 1988, I flew from Reno to Los Angeles. I remember walking into my hotel near the airport and seeing a lot of really tall guys. Like, really tall guys. I eventually learned they were the Detroit Pistons who were playing the Lakers in the NBA Finals. For a 24-year-old from small-town Mississippi, the experience felt otherworldly. During the next decade, my world got considerably larger. I moved to Europe and visited 10 more countries. I went to all sorts of places in the Caribbean. I visited six countries in West Africa. Once you’ve been to a dozen or so countries, you have to start being pretty deliberate about where you’re going next. For years, I thought I was at 44 countries. Then I went to India and Nepal. Then Scotland. Then Türkiye and Greece. I had used an app called Been to count countries since right around the time apps started. My country count stood, I believed, at 49. For the joy of a round number, I’ve been excited about getting to my 50th. One day, I visited the app and it said I had not been to 49 countries.
ä See PLACES, page 1G
BY VIOLET BUCARO Staff writer
CHAUVIN — When Hurricane Ida’s 150 mph winds ripped through this small Cajun town five years ago, dozens of statues in the Chauvin Sculpture Garden toppled, cracked and broke apart. Some were beCHAUVIN headed, others lost SCULPTURE limbs. A year later, GARDEN shoulder-high in tall Open daily from grasses, three re8 a.m. to 5 p.m., tired art professors their 70s meanat 5337 Bayouside in dered through the Drive in Chauvin l garden, wide-eyed (985) 594-2546 at the devastation. The sculptures were on their way to decaying into the banks of Bayou Petit Caillou. “When we came out, we all three looked at each other and said, ‘This cannot get destroyed. We need to figure out a way to keep this,’ ” said Greg Elliot, a sculptor and former Nicholls State University professor. The narrow garden looked “beyond repair,” said Dennis Siporski, who was a professor of ceramic
Amanda Voisin, left, and Megan Champagne, upper right, look at an hourglass made of old Crystal Hot Sauce bottles with Eliza and Rylee, lower left to right, at the Chauvin Sculpture Garden.
arts at Southeastern Louisiana University. The sculptures — more than 100 of them — sprung up here more than 30 years ago on a patch of land near the water in Chauvin, a small fishing community of 2,500 people
ä See GARDEN, page 3G
‘THE CONFIDENCE TO TRUST MYSELF’
Former sorority members reflect on rush week Nancy Bennett Theisen, center, is pictured with her Alpha Phi sorority sisters Becky Othold, left, and Ann Siddall, right. The trio were on the way to Disney World for their senior spring break in April 1976. PROVIDED PHOTO
BY LAUREN CHERAMIE
Staff writer
Every year, right before the jitters of the first day of school set in, young women across the country get butterflies for something else, possibly more stressful than the first day of college: the first day of sorority recruitment, or rush. They show up in TikTok-ready fashions prepared to gab, smile and clap their way through the process.
At LSU, women stand in line on the sidewalks of “the row” on campus in the August heat. The 12 traditional Panhellenic sorority houses are decked out in themed decorations looking out over University Lake. Throughout the recruitment process, potential new members are sorted into different schedules and visit an array of sorority houses for parties. The women mingle in line with other
ä See RUSH, page 1G
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BOOKS
Enjoy home reading with these 6 Louisiana children’s books
BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
School is back in session. With the return of early mornings comes the return of home reading time mandated by teachers. To help with book selection for home reading time, here are a few local books for children under the age of 10. “Boudin Boy Meets Cracklin’ Dog,” written and illustrated by Paul Schexnayder This bayou-based book picks up where “The Adventures of Boudin Boy” left off and tells the story of how Boudin Boy met his bayou buddy, Cracklin’ Dog. When Boudin Boy hears a cry for help, he runs “fast-fast at full blast” to rescue a tiny pup with a strong, quick kick. Using his swamp know-how and courage, Boudin Boy and his new friend Cracklin’ Dog outwit dangerous, wild hogs. Full of swampy illustrations, rhyme and alliteration, “Boudin Boy Meets Cracklin’ Dog” is a Louisiana celebration worthy of reading time. “Good Day, Louisiana Children’s Museum,” written by Shannon Kelley Atwater This board book takes you through a day of fun at the Louisiana Children’s
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Museum in New Orleans. Follow along as the children in the book pretend to be a turtle, chef, veterinarian, boat captain and more. The illustrations featured throughout the book were created with help from museum guests. Each page includes drawings and color additions from real kids and their caregivers. “A Sprinkle of Library Fun: Let’s Get a Cookbook,” written by Stacey L. Dempsey and illustrated by Lexi Renard In this educational and interactive book, Amy and her pup, Charlee, go on an adventurous walk to the nearby library in search of a cookbook. This book encourages young readers to use their manners, share, exercise and accomplish a goal. It also introduces them to things they may see outside and at the library. For added fun, readers get to search for Charlee as he hides throughout the book. “Sweet Dreams: Poems and Paintings for the Child Abed,” written by Rick Telander and illustrated by his artist friends This anthology of bedtime poems is an easy-to-read collection in the fashion of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, “A Child’s Garden of Verses.”
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Started when the author was sick in bed many years ago, this book is about caring for young boys and girls who must spend time in bed recovering. The 42 illustrations are unique for each poem and were created by Telander’s friends from four different countries. “Where Do Beignets Come From?” written by Erin Rovin and illustrated by Madi Hannan Another board book to cuddle up and read with the kids, “Where Do Beignets Come From?” creates a story of a coffee couple using love and ingredients to make their beignet children. The book is full of bright and colorful illustrations as the reader follows along with the recipe. A nice rhyme scheme gives a musical flow to the reading. “Where Y’at, Jockamo?” written and illustrated by Madi Hannan In this colorful tale, Jockamo the puppy is on a journey to find the best festivals in the state. The Australian Shepherd frolics from gumbo cook-offs to festival parades for his quest. Hannan is also the author of “Scrim on the Run” and “The Little Lost Alligator.” Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
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Danny Heitman
Seeds of reading program will help students continue to grow Among the reading items on my nightstand this summer was The Atlantic magazine’s recent cover story, glumly titled, “The Age of Reading Is Over.” In a long article, staff writer Rose Horwitch cited a number of sobering statistics, including the news that only 2% of Americans read to a child on a given day. Obviously, the country has much to do in expanding its circle of readers, especially the young ones who can carry a culture of books into the next generation. That cause involves special urgency in Louisiana, which has historically ranked near the bottom for literacy. Luckily, this summer brought happier tidings about the future of reading. I work across the street from a public library, and in this vacation season as in others, I saw the parking lot swell with visitors. Many of the patrons were youngsters attending Louisiana’s summer statewide reading program. The theme of this year’s program, “Plant a seed, read!” was an apt reminder that engagement with books outside of school can be the start of something that continues to grow even after children return to school. It’s an encouraging thing to consider now that another school year has begun. Participation numbers across Louisiana for this year’s summer reading program are still being tabulated. But according to the State Library of Louisiana, which helps coordinate and support each year’s summer reading program in parish libraries, more than 430,000 children and teens attended summer reading programs at Louisiana’s local libraries last year. Public libraries hosted more than 11,000 different events and sessions statewide during the summer reading program in 2025. “Summer reading programs give libraries a structured way to fulfill their most essential purpose: connecting people with books and building the habit of reading,” State Librarian Meg Placke pointed out. Summer reading programs were a happy part of my Louisiana childhood when I was growing up, and I missed them when I got too big to participate. In recent years, though, many local library systems, including my own, have offered companion summer reading programs for adults. It’s a nice way to extend the fun — and a good reminder that if grown-ups want more children to read, we should model how it’s done. I tackled three books for this year’s program, starting with “A House in Flanders,” a charming memoir by Michael Jenkins about an eventful summer he spent at an old estate in Belgium. I followed with “Lark Rise,” the Flora Thompson novel inspired by her childhood in rural England. July ended for me with “Ordinary People,” Judith Guest’s novel about a family’s struggles to recover from a life-changing tragedy. What did I get for being a three-book reader this summer? A staff librarian gifted me with a new book bag, a pocket journal and, in a nod to this year’s theme, some seeds for my garden. The biggest reward? The reading itself, which no summer should be without. Email Danny Heitman at danny@dannyheitman.com.
ONE great state FOUR great apps
The Advocate ■ theadvocate.com ■ Wednesday, September 2, 2026 ■ 3G
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STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK
Gary LaFleur points to an old photograph of Kenny Hill, the creator of the Chauvin Sculpture Garden.
GARDEN
Continued from page 1G in Terrebonne Parish about 20 miles southeast of Houma. The garden appears like a maze from a surreal Acadiana adventure movie or twisted fairy tale, populated by bizarre, lean figures: wide-winged angels, Jesus, musicians. Cowboys and Native Americans clinging to a 45-foottall lighthouse tower made of some 7,000 stacked bricks. Life-sized self-depictions of its creator, Kenny Hill, appear around every turn, in what seems to be his own version of a Nativity scene. To the right of the entrance, a blonde-headed, eyeless sculpture of Hill holds his own bleeding heart in the hands of his long arms. At his feet, a misspelled quote reads: “IT IS EMTY.” “He didn’t explain things a lot,” said Gary LaFleur, a bayou studies professor at Nicholls State University who heads Friends of Chauvin, the garden’s advisory board. “But it ends up being a blessing,” he said. “Everybody can take a different type of meaning from their visit.” The real-life Hill is from Springfield, in Livingston Parish. He abandoned the garden in 2000. Though his whereabouts are unknown, locals believe he is still alive. Among those who have worked to preserve it — and the academics who study folk art — Hill’s work is a prime example of “outsider art,” a style that is self-taught and often driven by the artist’s inner visions. After Hill left, Siporski contacted the Kohler Foundation, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that focuses on art restoration. (And yes, with roots in Kohler Co., maker of plumbing fixtures.) The arts foundation soon purchased the abandoned lot and restored it into a public park within two years. It was its first large-scale preservation project outside of Wisconsin. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helped reconstruct the site. Hill’s homemade house, which was ready to fall into the bayou, was demolished. The waterfront bulkhead was stabilized. Overgrown grass and banana trees were cleared, and a permanent gallery was built across the street. The garden was gifted by Kohler to Nicholls State, which has continued to preserve the site since 2002. The preservation project was not for money or recognition, said Terri Yoho, director of the Ruth Foundation of the Arts. It was inspired by the “inner gratification” that the late billionaire philanthropist Ruth DeYoung Kohler II found in supporting the arts and education, often projects that are unconventional. Yoho and Kohler agreed to invest $1 million. “Going back, it is a success story,” Yoho said. “It’s inspiring kids, young artists, families.” After Ida hit in 2021, the site fell into ruins. The garden flooded, sculptures shattered. Contractors estimated it would take nearly $500,000 to
PROVIDED PHOTO
One of the pieces damaged during Hurricane Ida in 2021
A variety of sculptures stand at the Chauvin Sculpture Garden in Chauvin.
Eliza, from left, Rylee and Colin look up after entering the lighthouse. repair, which neither the professors nor the university had. LaFleur called the Kohler Foundation. Although Ruth Kohler had died a year before the hurricane, her legacy fund has given hundreds of thousands to the Chauvin restoration effort, LaFleur said. No lawyers. No contracts. The work commenced with a written description and a handshake.
Bringing it back Elliott, a skilled sculptor, presented a master plan. “We were all pretty competent artists,” he said. “It’s just one of those things where the almost coincidence fell in place to make sure that it happened.” Using cranes, scaffolding and hoists, they drilled rebar into concrete and metal anchors into the ground. Then they repainted each sculpture. Suspended sculptures were secured and reinstalled. “I’d be damned if he didn’t do it,” Siporski said of Elliott’s plan. “If you would’ve seen what it took to do it, you would have said it was impossible to repair, and he did it all.” Kimberly Arp, a printmaker and former art professor at Louisiana State University who joined Elliott and Siporski in the effort, said he had never worked with concrete figures. A sculpture of a large eagle had face-planted into the ground, with loose rebar hanging out. Fixing it was one of the group’s biggest feats. “It’s kind of magnificent that it was able to get back to its original state,” Arp said. “We are probably most proud we overcame that and got it back up right and in place.” The work was finished in April, in time for the region’s annual “Blessing of the Fleet,” a tradition rooted in prayers for a successful fishing season. As for Hill, stories vary on whether he is aware of any of this. Some say he has been invited to come back and finish his work. “He just chose not to,” said Andrew Cuneo, who grew
STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK “You can kind of tell that it was made with whatever he had on hand, you know? But it was a sizable house that was right here,” Cuneo said, pointing between two oleander trees. In January 2000, Hill got an eviction notice. He had a week to vacate. With only the clothes on his back, Hill left his magical world behind without saying goodbye. “He literally walked away from the garden. People saw him walking down the road that day and offered him a ride. He said, ‘No, I’m walking,’ ” said LaFleur. Perhaps he walked all the way to Arkansas to be with his brother. He may be in Baton Rouge with family. But no one at the garden seems to know exactly where he is now. (No one seems to need to find out either.) “This labor of love is a gift to the people on the bayou, but it’s a double back gift to me,” Hill said, according to a Vieux Carré Courier newspaper clip from STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK 1993. He hoped to “wake the brains of people looking at it.” One recent visitor, Amanda Voisin, said, “It looks like an outlet for a lot of pain.” At the same time, she said it is a great place to bring her kids to explore another world.
Beckoning visitors “It’s never been better,” Siporski said. Busloads of visitors have traveled from faraway places to see the sculpture garden — China, Denmark, Brazil. “It would take an hour to list all the places,” Elliott said. LaFleur occasionally guides visitors. One Sunday afternoon, wearing a baseball cap to shield his face from the sun, he walked with children and their mothers who stopped by for a visit. He STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK crouched down to point to a hidOne of the many self-portraits of Kenny Hill stands at the sculpture den symbol. Perhaps one of the most ingarden. triguing sights of the garden the garden toward a flowered isn’t a sculpture. It is the layout up two houses down. area. A group of tortured souls itself. From an aerial view, nine Who was — or is — Kenny Hill? weep and crawl toward a rain- circles, some big, some small, The artist is almost as enig- bow-colored road. Angels are are arranged in a particular order, like a map. Tiny versions matic as his creations, but this suspended above. “Every single person on this of the layout are sprinkled much is known, or believed to be path is getting touched by an an- throughout the garden. known: “It’s for us to decide what it Kenny Hill was born in the gel in some kind of way,” LaFleur means,” LaFleur said. Some 1950s, although documentation said. is missing. He was raised PenteAnother sculpture depicts believe the symbol is the order of the planets or an costal and left his wife and astrological prophecy. kids before he moved to Perhaps it’s the celestial Chauvin, according to the alignment to a Second artist docents and physical Coming, said local Madrecords. He began sculptdison Scott, who works ing after the death of his as an artist docent. mother, Dovey Hill, who “A lot of people think loved rose bushes. he was a weird guy that In the 1980s and into the was building sculptures. ’90s, he spent his free time I just think he was trying building this other world to get through his life, on the small lot he rented. trying to get through his He used one 5-gallon buckSTAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK struggles,” Scott said. et of homemade concrete Raegan Boudreaux, at a time. He used leftover, Gary LaFleur points to various artifacts at the who grew up down the mismatched paint from nearby museum. street, said that some of his friend’s paint store, metal mesh, iron rods and mis- Hill stepping from darkness to the kids she rode with on the cellaneous objects. Textured de- light, one leg painted black and school bus believed that the tails came from a fork or spoon. the other in color. Elliot said he sculptures would come to life In the middle of his garden, an thinks Hill is time-traveling to at night. “The energy depends on angel carries an hourglass made salvation. “Some people say he was cra- where you are. It is both heavy from two Crystal Hot Sauce bottle necks cut in half. Behind her, zy. I don’t think so. It’s way too and peaceful,” she said. Siporski said that each time he there’s a sculpture of Hill carry- rational and thought out,” Elliott visits, he sees something new. ing a large wooden cross. He is said. Hill built his house off the shackled to a boat anchor behind base of a trailer and collected Email Violet Bucaro at violet. him. A dark ash path twists through wood along the bayou. bucaro@theadvocate.com.
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The Tigers celebrate after defeating Coastal Carolina 5-3 in game two of the College Worl d Series finals in Omaha, Nebraska, on Sunday. The roar is restored. When Jay Johnson took over aas the LSU baseball coach in 2022, the six-time national champion Tigers were in the midst of a 13--year title drought. The Tigers returned to the top of college baseball during the 2023 season. LSU survived s a dicey regional that went to a winner-take-all final at Alex Box Stadium against upstart LLittle Rock. Then LSU dominated, sweeping the super regional and College World Series in seveen games. After Sunday and Johnson’s second national title, he has LSU threatening to reboot a dynnasty that blossomed under legendary coach Skip Bertman. No. 8 is on its way to Baton Rouge. ä SEE COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE TIGERS’ COLLEGE WORLD SERIES WIN. PAGGE 1B
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100TH YEAR, NO. 358
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LSU center fielder Chhris Stanfield, right, celebrates with catcher Luis Hernandez as they both score on a two-run single by left fielder Derek Curiel in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the Collegge World Series finals against Coastal Carolina on Sunday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. LSU scored four runs in the decisive inning and won 5-3 to earn its ssecond title under coach Jay Johnson in four years. BY KOKI RILEY OMAHA, Neb. — To calll anything a dynasty requires a certain level of consiistent, championship excellence. The Boston Celtic cs in the 60s, New York Yankees in the 90s and UCo onn women’s basketball in the 2010s certainly fit th he description. LSU winning five national championsh hips in 10 years under Skip Bertman definitely qualiifies. Coach Jay Johnson n’s Tigers aren’t quite there yet, but what LSU acco omplished Sunday afternoon at Charles Schwab Fielld was remarkable nevertheless and potentially the b beginning of another baseball dynasty in Baton Roug ge. For the eighth tim me in program history, and for
the second time in three seasons, LSU won the national championship. The Tigers took down Coastal Carolina 5-3 in Game 2 of the College World Series final to secure the 2025 title. “Unbelievable. I’m so proud right now,” Johnson said. “It’s not to be taken for granted being here two years ago. That was special. Greatest night of my life. “This is equal and maybe even tops it in some ways.” The win secured Johnson’s second title in four years at LSU, making him the first coach in college baseball history to accomplish that feat at the same school. The Tigers did it despite bringing back just 12 players who appeared in a game from last year’s team, adding 12 players from the transfer portal,
three junior-college recruits and 10 freshmen in the offseason. “We (added) really talented freshmen ...,” Johnson said. “In a month’s time, we were able to add Chris (Stanfield). We were able to add Anthony (Eyanson), Zac Cowan, Luis Hernandez, Danny Dickinson to those 12 guys who were the right 12 guys.” With the score tied 1-1, the fourth inning proved to be the difference between a coronation and a Game 3 on Monday. The Tigers scored four runs on a walk, a hit by pitch and four singles to take a 5-1 lead. Sophomore Jake Brown led off with a walk before a single from junior Jared Jones and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for the junior Stanfield.
Rabalais: Thesse Tigers measure up to LSU’s toweringg expectations, Page 4C
Braswell’s fingerprints all over Tigers’ College World Series title, Page 5C
See which Tigers made an appearance on the All-CWS team, Page 5C
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