SWAPPING STORIES: COMMUNITIES CREATE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY ä PAGE 8G
THE ST.TAMMANY
ADVOCATE
COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL C
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WEDNESDAY APRIL 22, 2015 H
THENEWORLEANSADVOCATE.COM
Conservation Cup unites lovers of horses, outdoors
Sharon Edwards TAMMANY TIMES SEDWARDS@THEADVOCATE.COM
Festival season in full swing Enjoying music outdoors is a sort of rite of spring. And while festival season is in full swing on the south shore, there are also three music festivals coming up right here in St. Tammany. First is Faith Music Festival on Saturday in Slidell; then a jazz and blues festival May 23 in Slidell; and in June, the Lacombe Crab festival plans a stellar lineup of entertainment and, of course, crabs.
Faith Music Festival
The second annual Faith Music Festival presented by Bethany Lutheran Church features live Christian music from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday in Heritage Park in Slidell. Admission is free, and praise bands from Living the Word, Bethany Lutheran and New Horizon and the group Ambiance will perform. Crafts and face painting are planned for children. All are invited to bring their own food and nonalcoholic beverages or purchase food and drink from the food booths. For information, call (985) 643-3043 or visit www.slidellfaithmusicfest. com.
Jazz & Blues Festival
A Leadership Northshore team will raise money to benefit school music programs with the inaugural Slidell Jazz & Blues Festival. Planned for noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at Heritage Park, there is big-name entertainment — as well as a spotlight on small jazz ensembles from local high schools. Look for internationally acclaimed pianist Ronnie Kole on the lineup, as well as Michael “Soulman” Baptiste, Third Coast, Ambiance, Manzella Sound, Audio Beach, Swingaroux and One Love Brass Band. Admission will be $10 for ages 13 and up; children 12 and younger enter free. The festival will benefit “Notes for Education Northshore,” to support local music education For information on vendor and sponsorship opportunities, call (985) 710-3691 or visit slidelljazzandblues. com.
Crabfest Lacombe
Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, SuperCharger, Waylon Thibodeaux, Benny Turner, Witness, Christian Serpas, Benny Grunch & the Bunch, Chubby Carrier, and the Shotgun Jazz Band — and fresh Louisiana crabs? There’s plenty to be excited about at Crabfest Lacombe 2015 to be held June 26-28 under the oaks in John Davis Park in Lacombe. Organizers say they will bring Crabfest back to its roots by focusing on Louisiana music, gourmet crab and seafood dishes, local arts and culture. For information, visit www.crabfest lacombe.com. Sharon Edwards is community new editor for The New Orleans Advocate.
Photo provided by COAST
Anthony ‘Tony’ DiVincenti leads the competition in weightlifting at the St. Tammany Council on Aging Senior Olympics.
Senior Olympians prep for serious competition BY ANDREW CANULETTE Special to The Advocate
Even with a welcoming smile on his 75-year-old face, Tony DiVincenti cuts an imposing figure. After all, he’s one of the most physical specimens in the room, though he could have collected his first AARP membership when the first President Bush had just taken over for Ronald Reagan in the White House. DiVicenti’s biceps bulge from beneath his taut athletic shirt. His neck and torso are lean, and his erect posture is noticeable. And he is not alone, as other “senior” athletes 50 or older were on hand at Cross Gates Athletic Club near Slidell on April 12 to take part in the opening event of the 14th annual St. Tammany Senior Olympic Games. The games, which are organized by Council on Aging St. Tammany, feature sporting activities ranging from
the individual (weightlifting, cycling, track and field) to team sports (volleyball and pickleball.) They began April 12 and will take place in various locations across St. Tammany Parish until June 27. DiVincenti was at Cross Gates to help direct the weightlifting events that attracted nearly two dozen people of differing shapes, sizes, genders and abilities. Throughout the morning, the seniors (some barely older than 50, some in their 80s) put their best efforts forward. Some, like DiVincenti, had a lifelong background in the gym. Others began lifting only months ago. They came for fitness and for friendship. But make no mistake, many of these seniors came for competition. “I think it’s a bit of all of that,” said 83-year-old Gus Rose, of Slidell. “I’ve been lifting practically my whole life, on and off. I like to compete, and I like to meet new people. I got back into this about seven months ago.”
Rose is a hairstylist in his “real job.” Weighing in at 150 pounds, the lithe octogenarian hoped to bench press 145 pounds in the competition and to curl 90 pounds. DiVincenti, a high-caliber competitive weightlifter in his heyday, said the senior games are beneficial to seniors. “I think it’s about giving elderly people something to think about besides illnesses,” he said. “It makes you think about how much you’re going to lift next week, rather than worrying about the doctor.” It’s not just about the weightlifters being healthier, of course. St. Tammany Senior Olympic Games coordinator Maria Pomes said people in all events aim for fitness, and they do so through friendship. She said she’s expecting more than 200 people to sign up for one of the eight senior games competitions in 2015. äSee SENIOR, page 2G
There are certain events throughout the year that whenever you speak to annual attendees, they automatically express hearty enthusiasm. The Land Trust for Louisiana’s annual Conservation Cup is one such event. Staged near Folsom for the better part of a decade, the cup is a major raiser of funds and awareness for the Land Trust for Louisiana. The Cup now is named in memory of Justin Addison — a Covington teenager who died in a traffic accident in early REC & 2013. Addison LEISURE was a huge fan ANDREW of all things “out- CANULETTE doors” and was 16 when he passed. This year’s Justin Addison Memorial Conservation Cup will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at Summergrove Farms, just east of Folsom. The Conservation Cup is, first and foremost, an event that makes possible the LTL’s mission to “protect and preserve natural areas in rural and urban communities for present and future generations,” said the group’s office coordinator, Karen Babin. It’s also an event that is growing. “I’m really looking forward to the event,” Babin said. “I attended even before I worked for the Land Trust for Louisiana, and there used to be about 300 people attend. Last year, the first year I began working with LTL, we had 500 people. We’re hoping it can continue to grow.” There are numerous reasons to believe it will. This year’s Conservation Cup will feature live, silent, and Calcutta auctions in which patrons can participate. Pony rides and arts and crafts will occupy the younger set, if so inclined, and live music will be played by the Regg Sanders Quintet. As a highlight, polo matches between the New Orleans Polo Club and the Point Clear Polo Club, of Alabama, also will take place. äSee CUP, page 2G
Snoball heaven year round Syrup running down her hands, Sally DeSalvo is just as colorful as the flavor menu at NOGS, the New Orleans Gourmet Snoballs, in Mandeville. It’s not your typical snoball stand, instead fashioned more like a vintage soda shop with a collage of pastel murals painted across the walls in vibrant New Orleans scenes. Born and raised in New Orleans East, DeSalvo comes from an Italian family known for their perfection in cookIN ing. Her fondest memoPROFILE ries were Sunday family DEBORAH dinners and standing in BURST the kitchen amazed at the preparation. That same attention to detail is found in the snoball syrup recipes. A dash of vanilla, a scoop of melted ice cream or a long-held family recipe for chocolate syrup. “There are many ingredients to achieve these flavors,” DeSalvo said adding that she and her business partner Brenda Cumbus Strohmeyer have
“Our customers are connoisseurs, it’s not just a snoball, it’s a dessert and they expect perfection.” SALLY DESALVO, co-owner of New Orleans Gourmet Snoballs worked hard perfecting the unique blends. “Our goal was to make the flavors pop and the response from our customers has been great.” DeSalvo opened her first business, Yummies, in 1995 and served snoballs, sandwiches and a daily hot lunch. Families made it their summertime ritual visiting Yummies every week in the 90s. “Even people on vacation would come every day,” DeSalvo said reminiscing. “We had a fabulous business for 10 years but had to let it go in 2006 when I became a full-time caretaker for my father and brother when they became ill after Katrina.” Today, people enjoy snoballs year round at NOGS, chatting with friends sitting at tables inside or outside on the patio deck. Besides the syrup, DeSalvo stresses the importance of maintaining that powdery ice.
“We use Southern Snow machines and they are maintained regularly but it takes the tricks of the trade along with blades and ice to produce a quality product,” she explained. “Each snoball is made as if we were making it for our own family, and we consider each customer our family.” DeSalvo also clarified why her shop can serve snoballs year round. Most snoballs stands are restricted to operating only six months because they are licensed to serve just snoballs. “In addition to year round snoballs, when the season changes we serve food, coffee, nachos and other treats,” she said pointing to the chalkboard menu. “We also offer the finest milkshakes, malts and sundaes you’ll ever taste.” As a child DeSalvo remembers the snoball truck that would drive through the neighborhoods selling snoballs. She attended McDonough Junior High and on the first day of entering seventh grade, she met her business partner in homeroom, they had lunch and the rest is history.
Advocate photo by DEBORAH BURST
Sally DeSalvo, co-owner of New Orleans Gourmet Snoballs, holds snoballs made by her partner, Brenda Cumbus Strohmeyer. Inga Flaterman, artist and resident of Mandeville, painted the Chartres Street scene and all the murals at NOGS, where äSee HEAVEN, page 2G snoballs are available year-round.