LIVINGSTON PARISH STUDENTS WIN STATE AUTO SKILLS CHALLENGE ä Page 7G
ADVOCATE THE HE LIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA
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DENHAM SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON • WALKER • WATSON • AMITE • HAMMOND • PONCHATOULA
THURSDAY APRIL 30, 2015 H
THEADVOCATE.COM
Darlene Denstorff AROUND LIVINGSTON
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Lunches benefit museum It’s not too late to order a smoked pulled pork plate lunch to benefit the Hungarian Settlement Museum restoration project. The lunches are $8 and include pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, roll and dessert. Orders must be made before Tuesday for pickup and delivery on Friday, May 8. The benefit is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 8 at the Hungarian Settlement Museum, La. 43, Albany. On-site dining will be offered, or delivery can be arranged for orders of more than five lunches in the Albany, Springfield and Hammond areas. For tickets, call (225) 6107475.
Dardenne promotes tourism
Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne will be in Denham Springs on Monday as part of a statewide expedition celebrating National Tourism Week. Dardenne will travel in a minicoach wrapped in Louisiana Travel’s latest tourism marketing campaign and statistics. He’ll be at Old City Hall, 115 Mattie St., at 8:30 a.m.
Soccer tryouts scheduled
Livingston Parish Soccer Association will host tryouts for its competitive league Twister team in May and June. Tryouts will take place at the LPSA Soccer Complex/ Sidney Hutchinson Park, La. 1029, Walker. The boys and girls under-11 through under-13 teams will hold tryouts from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May 9; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 12; and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 20. Players interested in the under-14 to under-18 teams can try out from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 4; 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. June 13; and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 15. Visit lpsa.org or email rachelnester@hotmail.com for more details.
‘It really is like a big family’ Live Oak High hosts Special Olympics
BY C.J. FUTCH
cfutch@theadvocate.com
Dakota Lang, like many of his classmates at Live Oak High School, has volunteered to help with the Special Olympics Regional Competition for Livingston Parish since he was a freshman. “I love it. I’m an only child, so I’d cheer on the athletes, and they’d hug on me and love on me. It was great. It really is like a big family,” he said. He keeps coming back every year because of that. “I see the same athletes every year, and I’ve gotten to know their parents, too,” said Lang, who is now a senior. This year, he turned in his paperwork to volunteer past the deadline, and when he realized he wouldn’t be able to help, he started “pestering my principal” every day until she finally agreed to put him on the list. Though they have only 12 full time employees, Special Olympics of Louisiana has a far reach when it comes to the community of people living
Advocate staff photos by BILL FEIG
ABOVE: From left, Kenneth McCoy, Andrew Ingraham and Zachary Johnson roll in the 25-meter wheelchair race Friday at the Special Olympics for Livingston Parish. LEFT: The event took place Friday at the Live Oak High School. High school and community volunteers, many wearing this T-shirt, helped out.
with special needs, said Charlie Courville, director of area management and outreach for the state organization. Livingston Parish athletes participated in the parishwide regional games on April 24 at Live Oak High School, and got through most of the events on the football field despite a lingering threat of rain. To Courville, who spent many years as president of an athletics association in LafayäSee OLYMPICS, page 4G
Rain, rain, go away
Women honored with trees in park dedication BY C.J. FUTCH
of flowers. The ceremony also served as a dedication for the new Sue Kissinger Wallner and park. Centerville is the eighth Lois Worthy Burton dedicated much of their lives to the natu- park to be added to the city’s ral world, and so it made sense park system, and was truly a that they be remembered with community effort, said Mayor a piece of nature in Denham Gerard Landry and former Mayor Jimmy Durbin. Springs’ newest park. “A lot of people have pitched In an emotional ceremony April 17, city officials and the in to help,” Durbin said, some Denham Springs Garden Club offering materials, some serdedicated two memorial trees vices and some volunteering in the new Centerville Park in to help with maintenance and upkeep. honor of the women. The park represents much Wallner, who died In February 2013, never went any- more than the people who where without a shovel, her helped make Denham Springs friend Jeanette Gatzman said, beautiful, Durbin said. It repand there aren’t many places resents an idea that the whole in the city that don’t have community believes in creata special touch of flora she ing and maintaining beautiful, litter-free spaces that the comadded. Burton, who died in January 2014, was known for her love äSee TREES, page 5G cfutch@theadvocate.com
Students of Year honored
Livingston Parish school leaders will honors the three parish Students of the Year during two May 7, events. The trio includes two regional finalists and the state äSee AROUND, page 3G Advocate staff photo by CHARLES CHAMPAGNE
Lu Smith, left, takes a photo of sister Gladis Moak outside Chandler’s Antiques on Saturday during the Antique District Spring Festival at the Denham Springs Antique Village. Rain forced many of the vendors to close their booths, but merchants were open for shopping. ä More photos at www.theadvocate.com.
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