TREE RECYCLING AVAILABLE CURBSIDE AND AT DROP-OFF LOCATIONS ä Page 4G
ADVOCATE THE MID CITY
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THURSDAY JANUARY 7, 2016 H
GARDEN DISTRICT • SOUTHDOWNS • GOODWOOD • TARA • SPANISH TOWN • CAPITAL HEIGHTS LSU LAKES • MELROSE PLACE • BEAUREGARD TOWN THEADVOCATE.COM
Darlene Denstorff
AROUND MID CITY
BUSY BODIES
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Basketball tourney is Jan. 15-17
Photo provided by REBECCA DOCTER
Maintenance supervisor Carl Smith stands in front of the historic Old State Capitol building in downtown Baton Rouge. Smith reports having a paranormal experience in the old building.
Saturday is the entry deadline for BREC’s annual MLK Basketball Tipoff Classic, slated for Jan. 15-17 at Sports Academy, 1002 Laurel St. The tournament has a twogame guarantee. Age groups are 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. Cost is $75 per team. Call (225) 344-9688.
Things go bump in the night
Teen author talk
Young adult author Robin Palmer is the featured guest at a teen book talk at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Main Library. Palmer, the author of “Geek Charming,” “Cindy Ella,” “The Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and the tween series Lucy B. Parker, will read from her newest book, “Once Upon a Kiss,” talk about her experiences as an author and answer questions. Books will be available for purchase and a book signing will follow the presentation.
Story and craft time
Celebrate National Aviation Day with a story and craft time at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at River Center Branch Library’s Children’s Room. Children ages 3 to 11 will listen to a reading of “Hot Air,” by Marjorie Priceman, then make a construction paper balloon festival picture to take home.
Winter is snow much fun
Jump into winter by making snowflake charm bracelets at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Main Library’s Children’s story time area, then meet the Snow Queen of Narnia during a reading of a chapter from “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis. Registration is required and limited to 10 children ages 8 to 11. Call (225) 2313740.
Snowman bookmarks
It’s tough to make a snowman with Louisiana’s weather, so head over to the River Center Branch Library to make a popsicle stick snowman bookmark between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily Monday through Jan. 15. This event for children ages 3 to 11 will be held in the Children’s Room on the second floor.
Vision lecture slated
Dr. Vincent L. Shaw Jr. will present a free public lecture titled “Optimize Your Vision” at noon Monday at Baton Rouge General Physicians Family Health Center’s second-floor Gehringer Conference Room, 3801 North Blvd. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and is limited to 55 people. Call (800) 561-4127 or visit peopleshealth.com/wellness by Sunday to preregister.
Rock out at Eden Park
Teens looking to embrace their inner rock star are welcome to play “Rock Band” on the Xbox 360 at Eden Park äSee AROUND, page 3G
Advocate file photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING
BREC educator Martha Basile, background, watches as Arielle Prier, 5, from academic magnet kindergarten teacher Mona Myles’ class at The Dufrocq School, navigates an obstacle course Oct. 1 during a school visit by one of two ‘BREC on the Geaux’ mobile recreation trucks.
BREC caters to community with slew of activities for all ages and interests BY DARLENE DENSTORFF
ddenstorff@theadvocate.com Gloria LeBlanc spent the last Wednesday of the year the same way she spends most Wednesdays. She had her morning cup of coffee, exercised with around 40 of her friends and played board games at BREC Independence Park with members of the Busy Bodies. It’s a routine LeBlanc recommends for other seniors in the Baton Rouge area. Sheila Smith, the center’s head of adult leisure programs, said she stays busy organizing several senior programs for folks like LeBlanc who want to stay active. She started her day supervising the assembly of new table tennis equipment. In a room at the back of the park’s community center, Smith pointed to a photo of the Busy Bodies group. “Don’t they look like they’re having fun?” Smith said, adding that the exercise program stresses low-impact movement for cardiovascular conditioning. Smith said having fun while you exercise is a key to keeping fitness in your routine. Smith, 82, who has worked with BREC for 12 years, said she enjoys meeting new people and helping folks stay active. The average age of the Busy Bodies members is 80. Cheryl Michelet, director of communications for BREC, said programs like the senior exercise group and a popular Tea Dance held every week at BREC’s main building on Florida Boulevard provide seniors a way to stay active. The Tea Dance, which gets its name from its afternoon start, draws a crowd of around 100 each week who enjoy refreshments and dancing. Musicians perform “high energy” music, Smith said, adding that the seniors
Advocate staff photo by DARLENE DENSTORFF
BREC Busy Bodies members Gloria LeBlanc, Sallie Segura and Janet Davis play a game of Scrabble Dec. 30 at Independence Park Community Center. The women get together at least three times a week for exercise, snacks and board games. enjoy fast-paced dances and “not that slow stuff.” The dance has been around for more than 30 years and has seen a few marriages and courtships blossom. Despite that longevity, many in Baton Rouge don’t know about the senior programs provided at Independence Park and other parks around the parish. Michelet said a series of community meetings held in the last two years highlighted BREC’s current program and revealed new programs residents want to see developed. She said BREC’s Imagine Your Parks Plan meetings gave residents a chance
to provide comments on the future of BREC parks. “We’re always looking for new trends … and trying to respond to meet interests” of the residents, she said. Renovation projects have started at several parks, and residents should see improvements all around town. Recent renovations at the Florida Boulevard facility included updates to its upper deck area. Batting cages and workout areas were added so children and adults can exercise together. The area also features pingpong, vidäSee BREC, page 3G
CASA honors program volunteers Each month, Capital Area CASA honor a volunteer. HonCapital Area Court Appointed ored in 2015 were: Special Advocates Association n Lynnez Gray-Thompson, relies on dedicated volunteers, January organizers said. n Kimberly Mockler, February The group has more than 150 n Rachel Podnar, March volunteers who advocate for n Andy McCall, April abused and neglected children n Sabrina Noah, May in need of safe, permanent n Samantha Hawkins, June homes. n Connie Jordan, July Advocate staff report
n Gladys Wicker, August n Naiwen Guo-Xing, Septem-
CASA is accepting volunteers into its next training course, which begins Jan. 19. CASA ber will hold an orientation session n Irina Sterpu, October at 11 a.m. Saturday to provide n Craig Winchell, November more information about volunn JoAnn Johnson, December CASA needs volunteers in or- teering. Call (225) 379-8598, visit casder to continue serving children in East Baton Rouge Parish who abr.org or email volunteer@ needs a voice, a news release casabr.org for future dates and more details. said.
Museum uses ghostly tales to teach history of Old State Capitol BY REBECCA DOCTER Special to The Advocate
One night while working in the basement of the Old State Capitol, Carl Smith said, he was exiting a bathroom stall when the door flew off the hinges and smacked into him, leaving him out of breath. Smith said the door’s hinges are designed to open in the opposite direction. He believes he was attacked. Perhaps by a ghost. “That’s the worst thing that ever happened to me, in there,” Smith said. A maintenance supervisor, Smith has worked at the Old State Capitol for the last eight years. During his time in the 168-year-old building, he’s had his fair share of scares. Smith had a paranormal experience before he worked at the Old State Capitol and said he’s not sure who the ghost might be, if that’s what it was. The bathroom incident is the only physical paranormal experience Smith said he’s ever had on the Old State Capitol grounds, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t come in contact with other ghostly spirits he claims are roaming the halls. There’s a hot spot — a place with a sign of ghost activity — in the basement, which functioned as a prison and hospital during the Civil War, Smith said. He’s heard the click-clack of shoes roaming across the upper floors. Large, heavy doors sometimes open and shut on their own. The casts of ghost-hunting TV shows have made their way through the building’s hallowed halls, each reporting something different. Opened in 1847, the Louisiana Old State Capitol has stood the test of time, and many know the historical events that occurred, such as the impeachment proceedings for former Gov. Huey P. Long. Not many, however, know Confederate Gov. Henry Watkins Allen is buried in the building’s lawn. Museum curator Lauren Davis said after the Civil War, Allen fled to Mexico, as did many other members of the Confederacy. He died in 1866, and his body eventually was moved to Lafayette Cemetery in New Orleans. From there, it was exhumed and taken to the grounds of the Old State Capitol. His plot is designated with a marker. äSee CAPITOL, page 3G