Darlene Denstorff AROUND
Hippity Hoppity Easter Market at Duplessis Park
Everything Easter will be on display starting at 10 a.m. March 21 for the Hippity Hoppity Easter Market in Duplessis Park. Food, arts and crafts, egg hunts and music are on the schedule.
Farmers market at East Ascension
Need some spring plants?
Stop by East Ascension High’s greenhouse from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday for an event sponsored by the school’s FFA Plant Sale and Farmers Market Flowers, vegetables, herbs, house plants, carpentry projects, jams, photos with the Easter bunny and other activities are on tap for the morning event.
Easter in the Oaks set
Food trucks, music, crafts, photos with the Easter Bunny and other activities are on tap from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Food Trucks at Oak Grove, 17186 Old Jefferson Highway, Prairieville.
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East Ascension softball shows up every day to compete
East Ascension head softball coach Toni Ricca has set standards for her team, and she believes that if they adhere, this team can be special.
“Our preparation for this season began in September and the girls have put in the work,” Ricca said. “We have a big senior class, and we agreed that the standards, expectations and culture had to be revamped when I took over We are seeing some early success with our ranking, but we know it must be sustainable.” Ricca is in her third season leading the Spartans and they have started out 12-2 overall, 3-1 in district and currently sit at second in the Division I nonselect power rankings
The lineup is loaded with seniors, and most of them played early for Ricca when she took over. “The seniors have all led in their own way; most of them played as sophomores. The players put the work in the fall and their willingness to put in the work has provided us with some early success,” Ricca said.
Leading the way is Southeastern signee, senior Cayden Tullier, who plays third base and leads the team with a .543 average. Fellow seniors Avery Stevens (.514), Madison Stevens (.400), Zakiah Jackson (.314), McKenzie Creel (.262) and Hartley Berthelot (Flex) make up the lineup.
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Fading hall hosted greats like Fats Domino
It’s getting a
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
Every day in Donaldsonville, thousands of people drive along Marchand Drive, passing mere feet from a legendary music and social venue that hosted the likes of Fats Domino and King Oliver, the man who mentored Louis Armstrong.
A two-story structure on Lessard Street, True Friends Hall was built in the early 1900s by the True Friends Benevolent Association, a fraternal society of Black men in the community The building acted as a community hub until it closed in the 1980s, but it remains the oldest and largest existing benevolent society hall in Louisiana.
For decades, it had been fading away And Charles Peters, a renovation specialist who recently stabilized the building, said the structure was close to being lost completely
“It was getting ready to fall down; I’ll put it like that,” he said.
“But I realized the material that the building was made out of was genuine. It was made out of lumber from trees that may have been 200 years old, 100 years old, before they were cut. So that’s why I said the building was worth putting back together It was worth putting back together.”
Now, a more than $2.2 million renovation project led by the River Road African American Museum is set to not only restore the build-
Ascension Public Schools to host special education resource fair
Staff report
The Ascension Public Schools Special Education Department and Special Education Advisory Council are planning the third annual Promoting Access and Connections Resource Fair for families of special education students from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on March 25 at the Gonzales Civic Center
She said the event is “all about ensuring families feel supported, informed and empowered within our community.”
The event will include:
n Comprehensive information provided from early childhood to post-secondary education
“By bringing providers, agencies and community organizations together in one place, we are helping families build meaningful connections and gain information that can make a lasting difference for their children,” said Special Education Director Jennifer Vicknair.
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Juniors Emma Blanchard (.526), Savannah Baker (.429), Adelynne Bradberry (.310) and Tierney Zenon (.259) round out the lineup.
n Kid-friendly activities for all ages such as adaptive sports, face painting, superhero/ princess characters, a sensory area and an adaptive toy area n Food to provide a comfortable experience for all attendees.
The event will showcase resources supporting individuals with disabilities. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with behavioral providers, receive advocacy assistance, consult with lawyers and financial planners, explore camp and recreation options, and connect with transition and independent living service providers. This is also a great opportunity for parents and guardians to connect with other families of special education students in our district while engaging with school administrators, special education teachers and staff.
For more information about Ascension’s special education programs, visit AscensionSchools.org/schools/other-programs/ leblancspecialservices.
“Our bats have been strong so far, we have speed throughout the lineup and coming off the bench as well. We use that speed to create some chaos on the field,” Ricca said.
AROUND
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Easter Egg Hunt in Sorrento
Grab the kids and head over to the Sorrento Community Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday for the Town of Sorrento’s Easter egg hunt.
The event will include crafts, inflatables and the Sorrento Fire Department will be serving free hot dogs
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 Don-
The pitching staff is deep with Baker (seven wins), Zenon (three wins) and Creel. Creel plays first and pitches, she is a Coastal Alabama signee. Stevens plays shortstop and is a Baton Rouge Community College signee. Riley Bourgeois provides speed as a reserve and plays in the outfield. Chloe Johnson is another speedy runner that Ricca can call on. District 5-5A is strong again with several
aldsonville 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
teams ranked. Walker is ranked number one; the Spartans beat them 12-7 earlier in the season. St. Amant is ranked fifth, followed by Dutchtown (12) and Prairieville (19). The Spartans are on nine-game winning streak and face district rivals, Dutchtown and St. Amant this week.
Ricca knows that this district will prepare her team for the playoffs, but the standard has been set, and the team must stay locked in.
“At the end of the day, our focus is al-
shelter And if you’re missing your pet, don’t forget to call the shelter to see if it has been turned over
For information, visit carashouse.com.
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
ways on controlling what we can control, taking it one pitch and one play at a time. We must continue to trust in our preparation and stay hungry My message to the girls is to be ready to compete and to this point, they have done that,” Ricca said.
Troy LeBoeuf covers sports for the Ascension Advocate. He can be reached at troyleboeuf@hotmail.com or ascension@theadvocate.com or on Twitter @Troyleboeuf.
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. 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.
40444 Cannon Road Gonzales, LA 70737 (225) 388-0215
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY Online at theadvocate.com/ baton_rouge/news/communities/ ascension/
Darlene T. Denstorff ddenstorff@theadvocate.com
OFFICE: (225) 388-0215 CELL: (225) 603-1998
RIVER PARISHES WRITER Christopher Cartwright christopher.cartwright@theadvocate.com (225) 388-0125
East Ascension coach Toni Ricca talks to her team.
East Ascension coach Toni Ricca congratulates Cayden Tullier
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assembled group at the museum on Wednesday that the project was in the design phase and wanted to hear memories from those who experienced the hall during its heyday
“There’s a lot of stories that we haven’t uncovered yet, a lot of just visual imagery that we’d love to get out of anyone who has ideas of what that space used to look like, what it used to feel like, how you used to feel when you were in it,” she said “We want to recreate that and we don’t want to recreate it without you all.”
Celebrating 32 years, the museum already has renovated a Rosenwald School building to promote education and reopened it’s main museum building, which had been closed due to storm damage.
‘Meet at the True Friends Hall’
Benevolent societies existed across south Louisiana and provided community assistance during the Jim Crow era. This frequently took the form of insurance or loans, Hambrick stated, as companies discriminated against Black people.
“You could go to that organization, and they would come to your aid They would provide burial for you. If you were having a wedding and a marriage, they would make sure that you had the space,” he said “So, it was a community-based center for social, civic and benevolent opportunities.”
The True Friends Hall served as a central meeting place for the society and community It was built in phases and included a barber shop on each side, a main dance floor, and an upstairs area for private society meetings.
“If there was something going on in the community and there needed to be an emergency gathering, or crisis or celebration, they would say meet at the True Friends Hall,” he said. “It would be a safe place where they knew they had the privacy.” ‘It was perfection’ Its social scene was just as important.
The hall was part of the Chitlin’ Circuit, a network of performance spaces that accepted African American performers during the era of racial segregation, and it hosted acts including Fats Domino, Plas Johnson — who played the Pink Panther cartoon theme and King Oliver
“This was a place where Black artists could travel, be housed and fed in an environment where segregation was a part of their lifestyle,” Hambrick said “It was separate, it was safe and it was theirs You couldn’t stay in hotels, restaurants, and various places so if you came to the True Friends Hall, you got a place to stay.”
Varnel Jackson Sr. grew up in Hohen Solms and played the trombone with the Leonard Julien’s Orchestra from 1955 to around 1960. Led by Modeste resident Leonard Julien the band included Julian’s son, nephews, friends and Jackson’s father, Clinton, who had the nickname “Sing Do.”
Jackson, 87, remembered playing at least twice at True Friends Hall
“We would play there and we would take turns going to take a dance with our girlfriends who were sitting there in the audience, waiting and looking at us and listening to us play,” he said, laughing.
He added that the dances there were so lively that his shirt would get soaked in sweat as the night progressed.
“We would dance so much,” he said. “I would go to the boys’ room wearing a shirt, take it off and wring it and put it back on and go back out and dance.”
At Wednesday’s meeting, former state legislator Roy Quezaire Jr said he remembered sneaking out to watch the balls through the building’s windows.
“My brother, God rest his soul, and my cousin and the boys in the neighborhood, we would sneak around and come out in the evening and get the milk carts and crates and stand on the side of the building and look through the window,” he said.
“And you would see the ladies in the gowns and the gentlemen in the tuxedos and the way they waltzed and danced, it seemed as though they were just gliding, just gliding because it was perfection.”
STAFF PHOTOS BY JAVIER GALLEGOS
The interior of True Friends Hall, a historic building which is undergoing a long-term renovation by River Road African American Museum
The Louisiana Outdoor Expo featured more than 200 exhibitors this weekend at the
EXPO
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“Dogs need an outlet,” Mahon said. “This sport is fun, and the teamwork is rewarding. It builds relationships with the dogs, as well as camaraderie and community
“It is just an awesome sport. Anybody’s dogs who like water can do this.”
Golden Eagle has won multiple dock diving championships, including the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge in 2025 and International Dog Sports Champi-
onship in 2025. “One of the best things about dogs is how they relate to us,” Mahon added. “They are so forgiving and unguarded.”
While hunters and fishermen walked around testing out reels and equipment, other exhibitors attracted the unusual, but growing, hobby of chicken farming.
Eric and Lisa Hammons showcased one of their large chicken coops, which included a chandelier, faux carpeting and side panels for flowers.
The Hammons, owners of Chick Chick Coop, traveled from Farmerville, near
Monroe for the outdoor expo.
The Chick Chick Coop slogan, “Charm for your Farm,” is a hobby chicken farmer’s wish come true.
Eric Hammons said hobby farms and chicken coops are growing in popularity
“People are concerned about where their food comes from because most foods are ultra-processed,” Hammons said. “They are looking for ways to get natural foods. Chickens are a great source of protein, and eggs are a superfood.”
Chick Chick Coops are handcrafted in the United States and designed for mo-
Eric and Lisa Hammons, owners of Chick Chick Coop, showcase their chicken coop Sunday during the Louisiana Outdoor Expo. The custom-built coops are designed for mobility in the backyard.
Chick Chick Coops feature add-on accessories, such as a solar-powered chandelier, that Eric Hammons repurposed from a vintage chicken feeder
bility in a backyard.
The Hammons’ coops include a 40-pound feeder, holds more than a dozen gallons of water
The coop on display at the expo displayed a solar-pow-
ered chandelier that Hammons repurposed from a vintage chicken feeder. Hammons said raising chickens, even as a hobby, provides many benefits to those with a busy lifestyle
“Chickens are also some of the easiest animals you can have and maintain,” Hammons said. “Owning chickens will cause you to slow your life down and we all need to do that.”
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PHOTOS BY WENDY LOUP
Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.
Calvin Bessonet, DDS, FAGD
