The Ascension Advocate (12/25/14)

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 25, 2014 H DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT • SORRENTO THEADVOCATE.COM

Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION

DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM

Tai chi classes back in Ascension Ascension Council on Aging is bringing back its popular tai chi classes. Patricia Landry’s classes will be available on Wednesdays starting Jan. 7. This will be a six-week session for a $60 fee, which must be paid in advance, according to a COA news release. The Gonzales Senior Center at 526 S. Irma Blvd. is under construction, so classes will be held at another location, All About Dance Studio, 306 E. Spillman St., Gonzales, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The class is considered a basic- or beginner-level program. Space is limited. For more information or to register, call the Gonzales Center at (225) 621-5750 or the Donaldsonville Center at (225) 473-3789.

Trained up in families’tradition Annual bonfire taking shape

BY KATE STEVENS

Special to The Advocate

GONZALES — As the calendar turns from November to December and turkeys make way for holly and Santa Claus, the Laiche and Duplessis families know where to find their young men. They’ll be outside working on the bonfire. Constructing a special bonfire on family property on La. 74 and setting it ablaze before revelers on New Year’s Eve is a tradition the men have continued for 13 years to honor the memory of slain family member Luke Villar. Villar, 18, was killed during a 2001 armed robbery in St.

Amant. The families always had burned brush piles and even built tepee-style bonfires to usher in the new year, but after Villar died, the men decided during a Thanksgiving camping trip to honor him with a special bonfire, said Courtney Laiche, Villar’s cousin. “He liked bonfires, and he liked family,” Laiche said of Villar. “It’s just a good way to get together and stay united.” The men discuss what to build over the Thanksgiving holiday and, during the first weekend in December, haul willow trees from friends’ property along the Mississippi River to 28 acres belonging to Laiche’s parents. Every weekend through December is taken to construct and perfect each year’s bonfire, Laiche said. The bonfires are usually mod-

eled after something taking place in current events. Last year, the families burned a 28foot space shuttle in honor of the end of NASA’s space shuttle program. They constructed and burned a fleur-de-lis when the Saints went to the Super Bowl in 2009. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, they built a Blackhawk helicopter after watching them fly between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Other years, the men have built a tank and the south end zone of Tiger Stadium. This year, ideas were more difficult to come by, so when a locomotive engine was suggested, the men all agreed. “We’re kind of winging it this year,” Laiche said. On the Saturday before

Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND

Caleb Duplessis, center, and Mark Blackwell steady a log while Courtney Laiche makes a cut Saturday. The Laiche and Duplessis families’ annual bonfire will be a replica of the steam äSee BONFIRE, page 4G engine locomotive Jupiter.

STREET SCENE

Holiday garbage collection days moved

Republic Services will not collect garbage on Dec. 25 or Jan. 1 in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Ascension Parish subscription customers with Wednesday collection instead will be serviced on Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. Recycling collection on Mondays is not affected. Customers are reminded to put carts out Friday evening because collection will start early on the Saturday makeup collection day. Service to Sorrento residents will not be affected. Bulky trash pickup on the last Saturday of the month will be made as usual on Saturday. Customers with questions can contact the company at (800) 222-3903 or at customerserviceBRNO@republicservices.com

Advocate staff photos by HEATHER MCCLELLAND

Walter Riley performs with the Plaquemine High School band Saturday in Crescent Park after the Donaldsonville Christmas parade.

Santa Claus closes the Donaldsonville Christmas parade on Saturday. The parade featured floats, marchers and bands. Gary Joseph, riding a festively dressed horse, waves to spectators during the parade.

AVA scholarship applications due Dec. 31

The deadline to apply for the Ascension Veterans Association scholarship is Dec. 31. “Through the generosity of Ascension Veterans Associations and the supporters of our veteran programs, this scholarship is in honor of area Americans and troop supporters,” Tanya Whitney said in a news release. “This scholarship focuses on individuals accomplishing exemplary civic service and patriotic ideology.”

Kae’Lyn August, 5, left, and her sister Katelyn August, 3, dance to music while waiting for the Donaldsonville Christmas parade on Saturday. The Donaldsonville Alumni Association organized the parade.

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