DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT
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Outdoor Expo coming to Gonzales Louisiana Outdoor Expo starts Friday and runs through Sunday at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. The event features more than 200 vendors and displays on boats, power equipment, ATV, hunting and fishing gear, dockdog exhibition and more. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children 6-12. For more information, visit https://www.louisianaoutdoorexpo.com/schedule-of-events/.
Rodeo action planned Bulls, Bands and Barrels is coming at 6:30 p.m. Saturday to the Robbie G. Savoy Arena at Lamar-Dixon Center. The event features Tracy Lawrence and Tyler Nance For tickets, visit https://tinyurl.com/3t9zbcyp.
RRAAM 32 March marks a meaningful milestone for the River Road African American Museum. In March 1994, the museum first opened its doors with a mission to preserve and share the stories, culture and lived experiences of African Americans in Louisiana’s River Parishes. Today, the group celebrates RRAAM 32, honoring 32 years of preserving history and serving the community. Since its founding, the museum has been dedicated to telling the stories of African Americans who lived and worked throughout Louisiana’s plantation country from the era of enslavement through generations of resilience, achievement and cultural expression. After the loss of its original home in 2003, the museum relocated to Donaldsonville, where the museum continues to grow as an educational and cultural resource for residents, students and visitors. This anniversary also marks an important homecoming. After two years of being closed due to storm damage and renovations, the museum will reopen its doors at 406 Charles St., welcoming the community back to the heart of the RRAAM campus. To commemorate that legacy, the group is holding Preservation, Place & People: Celebrating 32 Years of History & Community, a two-day anniversary celebration taking place March 13-14 across the museum’s campus in the Historic District of Donaldsonville.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
W e d n e s d ay, M a r c h 11, 2026
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Seeds of Sinners
Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
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Film alliance promotes opportunities BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER Contributing writer
Jasmine Fenner is a young aspiring actor. She has talent, confidence and a personality that speaks to the camera. What she lacks is opportunity. She found her mecca of opportunity in Donaldsonville, the same place where Ryan Coogler found the canvas for his acclaimed blockbuster “Sinners.” Donaldsonville was as hot as fish grease March 7 when Fenner and others participated in Roots & Reels, the launching point for a series of community events organized by the Rolling on the River Alliance. The alliance fuses several disciplines — including production, acting, training and casting — designed to connect River Parishes residents with opportunities in Louisiana’s film industry. “We see this series of events as an entry point — not just for careers in film, but for entrepreneurship rooted in preserving our history and heritage,” Ashley Gaignard, CEO of Rural Roots Louisiana, said. “When our community members have the tools and connections they need, they can build businesses and livelihoods that honor where we come from while shaping where we’re going.” The open house and film experience was organized by Rural Roots Louisiana and was a buffet of industry excitement and opportunity. The event featured wig installations, costuming and makeup stations, and conversations with local
PHOTO BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Costumer and film wardrobe buyer Pamela Woods, left, fits actor Jasmine Fenner in retro fashions as she would on a movie set. Woods was one of many exhibitors at the Rolling on the River Alliance press conference ä See FILM, page 4G Saturday.
Small businesses celebrate springtime at Merry Market BY WENDY LOUP Contributing writer
Spring home decorations, Easter-themed lawn signs, and pastel children’s clothes were among the offerings at this weekend’s Merry Market in March in Gonzales. More than 350 booths sold jewelry, food, clothing and wellness items during the two-day event at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. The popular Merry Market is held twice a year, typically in NoPHOTO BY WENDY LOUP vember and March. Spring and Easter decorations donned the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center The event attracts both Ascenduring this weekend’s Merry Market in March. The popular shopping sion Parish and statewide vendors. A portion of the proceeds from the extravaganza featured more than 350 booths.
Merry Markets go to the Sparrow Foundation, which aims to help fight human trafficking in Louisiana. The family-friendly event included a children’s play area, known as the Kidz Zone, as well as pictures with the Easter Bunny. A Children’s Entrepreneur Market was held for youth ages 5-17. Many Ascension and Baton Rouge vendors featured homemade items and niche offerings. Renee Knighten, owner of Geaux Wrap Gifts, sold various gift-decorating accessories, such
ä See MARKET, page 3G
‘We could visibly see the missiles’
Prairieville family in Dubai as conflict began BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
A cellphone suddenly buzzes with the sound of an emergency alert. The interview pauses. It’s a notification of a possible missile attack. That was the daily life for Christian Walker, his wife, Kate SinclairFaulkner, and their two children, while the Prairieville family was in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai during the war with Iran. They finally made it home Saturday night but not after having to deal with the war. “We were eating dinner, and it was the first time we could visibly see the missiles breaking up,” Walker said about the evening after the war broke out. “It kind of looked like shooting
stars, almost. Meteors.” The conflict started March 7 with U.S.-Israeli strikes, including one that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has spread across the Middle East. Walker said his family felt relatively safe where they were, but the war’s presence was never far removed. “We’ve seen some (missiles), but we really feel and hear them, because I’ll be … kind of sitting inside while the kid naps, and then you can just hear it, feel it,” he said. “And then the wall and the curtains slightly shake.”
be much harder with three little ones when we’re outnumbered,” he stated. “So those things kind of prompted it.” He said that when the conflict began, his children were napping and his wife was enjoying time outside. “She came in just with this look on her face, you know,” he said. “She had received a message about the conflict beginning.” Until Thursday, Walker said the last alert to come in warning of missile and drone attacks had been about three days before, in the middle of the night. He said an alert came in around an hour before speaking with The AdMissile alerts during interview vocate, and another one buzzed during The family arrived Feb. 18 after the interview. planning the trip for a while because they had accumulated airline miles, Trying to find ways home Walker said. A few days after the strikes began, “We kind of finally had to come now the U.S. Department of State urged because my wife’s pregnant and we Americans in more than a dozen couldn’t do it much later in the pregä See DUBAI, page 2G nancy, and then we figured it would also
PROVIDED PHOTO
Christian Walker, his wife Kate Sinclair-Faulkner and their two children in Dubai. The Prairieville couple was on vacation in the city when the war with Iran broke out.
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AROUND
Continued from page 1G
Mattress fundraiser Head over to the East Ascension High gym for its 13th annual mattress fundraiser on March 22. East Ascension High School’s one-day event is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For one day only, East Ascension High School will be transformed into a full mattress showroom. Shoppers will find 27 different mattress styles to try, available in all sizes and price ranges. The sale will also feature adjustable bases, luxury pillows, premium sheets and mattress protectors. All products come with full factory warranties, are made to order, and will arrive within two to three weeks. Delivery is available. Every purchase benefits East Ascension High School. Custom Fundraising Solutions, the company behind
the Mattress Fundraiser, introduced this innovative program in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2005. For more information, visit bit.ly/beds4eahs26. To watch a video that explains how the Mattress Fundraiser works, visit vimeo. com/637591323 Contact cfslouisiana1@ cfsbeds.com or call (337) 991-5033 for more information.
been turned over. For information, visit carashouse.com.
Food distributions set Ascension Parish’s commodity distribution is set for the second Tuesday of each month in Donaldsonville and the second Wednesday of the month in Gonzales. Distributions are from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Frank Sotile Jr. Pavilion in Donaldsonville and the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. All recipients must be prequalified by visiting the Ascension Parish Health Unit, 1024 E. Ascension Complex Blvd., in Gonzales or the Donaldsonville courthouse, 300 Houmas St. Contact Layne Melancon at (225) 450-1006 or layne.melancon@fmolhs.org.
Egg a home for Easter Cara’s House Animal Shelter is “egging” houses in the Ascension area. Prices range from $20 to $85 for 25 to 150 eggs. Stuffed eggs will be delivered to the requested yard after 9 p.m. April 4 for Easter morning. If weather is bad, eggs will be left in a bucket. Orders must be submitted by March 27. The shelter is in need of volunteers, fosters and adopters for the pets at its shelter. And if you’re missing your pet, don’t forget to call the shelter to see if it has
Contact Darlene Denstorff by phone, (225) 388-0215 or (225) 603-1998; or email, ascension@theadvocate. com or ddenstorff@ theadvocate.com. Deadline: 5 p.m. Friday.
Prairieville student named to Rhodes College’s fall 2025 dean’s list Community news report Abby Froelich of Prairieville, was named to Rhodes College’s fall 2025 dean’s list. To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must be enrolled in at least 16 credits of academic
Students who are enrolled in the honors program or independent Research and receive a grade of IP for that work will have their qualifying grade point average determined on all other graded work.
work and achieve a semester grade point average of 3.70 or better. Those students who choose to take a course under the pass/fail option must have a minimum of 12 additional graded credits of work to be considered for this honor.
Too Afraid to Go to the Dentist?
PROVIDED PHOTO
Christian Walker rides a camel with his son while in vacation in Dubai. He and his family were stuck there as the conflict with Iran spread.
DUBAI
Continued from page 1G countries in the region to leave using commercial transportation, according to PBS News. The department announced Wednesday that a charter flight bringing home American citizens had departed the area. Walker said he and his wife have “been playing it by ear” and reaching out to the State Department. “They urge you to leave the Middle East, but you will call the State Department line, and then it’s like, ‘Press one if you’re in the Middle East.’ And you press it, and
it’s like, ‘Well, we’re not actively chartering or evacuating right now. Contact your airline,’ ” he said. The family has called their commercial airline each morning for seats home, but flights home keep being canceled and rebooked. “It was definitely very shocking and jarring in the beginning, and the idea of not being able to control or know when you go home is definitely not always the most easy feeling,” he said. “And then, you know, your mind can really go down a rabbit hole with if this prolongs. ... but I would say ultimately, from the day-to-day basis, how we’re taking it, we relatively feel safe where we are.”
ADVOCATE THE ASCENSION ADVOCATE, 40444 Cannon Road, Gonzales, LA 70737 (225) 388-0215 PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY Online at theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/ascension/
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Ascension Parish basketball players named to all-district team Ascension Parish basketball players were well represented in the 2026 Ascension Parish All District Basketball team. Making the team were:
Troy LeBoeuf
District 8-1A
First team: Ascension Catholic, Ja’Layah Brown, junior; Ascension Catholic, Ja’Mayah Brown, junior; Ascension Catholic, Mykayla Carter, freshman and Ascension Christian, Claire Montalbano, freshman Second team: Ascension Catholic, Aryn Fernandez, eighth grade; Ascension Christian, Lila Cate LeBlanc, eighth; Ascension Christian, Sadie Templet, junior Honorable mention: Ascension Catholic, Sophie Crochet, Khloe Thomas and Bentley Castagnos; and Ascension Christian, Gracie LeBlanc and Hollyn Bowler ASCENSION SPORTS
District 7-3A Donaldsonville Tigers First team: Shamya James, sophomore Second team: Na’Kaysha Rome, senior; Kelsie Valentine. sophomore Defensive team: Shamya James and Na’Kaysha Rome Honorable mention: De’Maiyah Schonberg
District 5-5A First team: Rhian Comery, Senior Prairieville; Briell Betts, junior, East Ascension and Aubrielle Theriot, freshman, Prairieville Second team: Marly Gatlin, senior, Prairieville; and Ali Graves, senior, Dutchtown Troy LeBoeuf covers sports for the Ascension Advocate. He can be reached at troyleboeuf@hotmail.com or ascension@theadvocate.com or on Twitter @Troyleboeuf.
Ja’Layah Brown shoots during a January. 2025 game.
PHOTOS BY WENDY LOUP
Dory Miller, center, and her husband, Kenny, along with their daughter, Dorian, travel from Lake Charles to feature her homemade wreaths during the Merry Market in March. Miller, owner of The Fancy Way In, creates extravagant and colorful wreaths.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Thousands of shoppers attended this weekend’s Merry Market in March at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.
MARKET
Continued from page 1G as wrapping paper, bags and boxes. Knighten has also run the Total Learning Center daycare in Baton Rouge for the past 40 years. She began Geaux Wrap Gifts six months ago as a plan for when she eventually retires from the daycare. “I wondered what I would do when I retire,” Knighten said. “I knew I would not want to just stay home. I want to travel and having this business will help me do that while attending the markets like this one.” Knight, who also participated in the fall Merry Market, said gift wrapping can add elegance to gifts. “Everybody is going to wrap gifts,” she said. “You could have a $5 or $6 item, but if you present it in a pretty box or bow, sometimes that can be more exciting than the actual gift itself.” Knight graduated from East Ascension High School in the 1970s and remained close to Ascension Parish. “I moved to Baton Rouge when I got married,” she said. “But I moved to the border of the two parishes because I wanted to stay close to my roots.”
Renee Knighten, owner of Geaux Wrap Gifts, is participating in her second Merry Market. Knighten’s booth featured various gift-wrapping accessories, including the popular Under Wraps gift boxes and paper.
Quality Manager and Management Representative
Virgo Boutique was one of hundreds of vendors featured during this weekend’s Merry Market in March at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. Other vendors drove from around the state to participate in the popular market. Dory Miller traveled with a trailer from Lake Charles to feature her extravagant and colorful homemade wreaths. Miller, owner of The Fancy Way In, is participating in her second Merry Market. “I originally heard you can get great exposure as a
small business,” Miller said. “We love coming here from Lake Charles. The people are always nice and welcoming.” Miller began The Fancy Way In three years ago when she realized she enjoyed wreath-making. “I would make wreaths for my own home,” Miller said. “I’d get feedback from friends and family that I
should expand. For me, making wreaths is like my therapy. I go to my craft room and tune the world out.” Miller’s husband, Kenny, and daughter, Dorian, have helped her turn her venture into a family business. The next Merry Market is scheduled for Nov. 13-15 at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.
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PHOTO BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Alaina Dunn talks about the COOL Cooperative and her group’s mission to expose young people to the film industry training Saturday at the Rolling on the River Alliance news conference.
FILM
Continued from page 1G film industry professionals and casting agents. Stevee-Rayne Warren, Workforce Program director at film industry nonprofit NOVAC, displayed her group’s members listed in the cast and crew of Coogler’s “Sinners.” NOVAC has three pillars of service: youth digital media, creative services, and workforce development. “We believe storytellers empower communities, so we empower storytellers,” Warren said. NOVAC serves all ages, but two groups, the COOL Cooperative and the soonto-be-opened Louisiana Academy of Production, have a distinct focus on young people. The COOL Cooperative trains students in area schools as well as special summer intensive engagements.
Alexis Brumsfield, owner of Lex Doll Hair Collection in Donaldsonville, demonstrates hairstyling and opportunities for stylists in film production.
Stevee-Rayne Warren, workforce program director at New Orleans Video Access Center, speaks to the upcoming and existing opportunities in the film industry. The Louisiana Academy of Production is a new charter high school set to open in August of 2026 in Baton Rouge. Students will re-
ceive a high school diploma with a pathway devoted to the film industry. The Alliances’ next community event will be the
River Road Juke Joint on Saturday, March 14, at The Hub in St. James Parish. The event will honor the juke joint tradition, featur-
ing a fish fry, history of juke joints in the River Parishes, music and a screening of “Sinners” at 5 p.m. Organized by Inclusive Louisiana, the event celebrates Black Southern culture and the connection between heritage preservation and economic opportunity. The series concludes with Lights, Camera, Opportunity: Free Film Industry Training Fair for the River Parishes. The training fair will be held on the Reserve Campus of River Parishes Community College on March 27 from 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union-approved trainers will lead sessions in costumes, scenic practices, construction, cinema lighting, and hair and makeup. The event organizers are the COOL Cooperative, IATSE 478 and the Descendants Project. Free pre-registration is available on Eventbrite. Visit https://www. eventbrite.com/e/lightscamera-opportunity-freefilm-industry-training-tickets-1984068447135.
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MARCH 20–22, 2026 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST COMMUNITY CENTER / HWY 51 / LAPLACE The Louisiana Sportsman Show features exhibits from some of the biggest vendors in the state. This is also a place where entrepreneurs showcase the culture of Louisiana. The 2026 Show promises to be better than ever with a large kids’ activity zone and a food court featuring some of the top restaurants from the River Parishes. This high-energy event draws anglers, hunters, and outdoor lovers from across the region. Bring the family and enjoy the show!
Meet Jimmy Houston! Share adventures with America’s Favorite Fisherman and get an up-close look at Jimmy’s signature Shell Rotella bass boat.
● Free Parking ● Free admission March 20 (Friday) for active members of the military, veterans, and first responders. ● Free Kids Fishing Tournament ● Wetland Watchers will bring their “critters” and knowledge of Louisiana’s diverse environment. ● Louisiana Educators will host STEM activities. ● Dogs are Welcome Enjoy amazing retriever competitions. For more information visit www.louisianasportsmanshow.com
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