A tradition of tea for tots and teddy bears; Tammany Tracker ä 3G
THE ST.TAMMANY
ADVOCATE
1G
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 23, 2015 H
COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL THENEWORLEANSADVOCATE.COM
Nature Center recruiting volunteer planters
Sharon Edwards TAMMANY TIMES
It’s beginning to look a lot like ... Carnival I’ve been thinking about serving king cake at our family’s annual Christmas party. That’s how closely Mardi Gras follows on the heels of the holidays. Mardi Gras 2016 is Feb. 9. But you can look for the Carnival fun to begin in St. Tammany in January. During that month, there will be parades with floats and parades with boats, dogs and even lawn mowers. Women in St. Tammany form two superkrewes: the highly anticipated Krewe of Eve parade, which rolls Jan. 29 in Mandeville, and the Krewe of Selene parade, Feb. 5 in Slidell. On Mardi Gras, families can enjoy parades in several cities and towns throughout the parish. Here’s the rundown: JAN. 9: It all begins at 6 p.m. when the St. John Fools of Misrule make merry, marching from the Columbia Street Tap Room through the historic St. John District in Covington. JAN. 10: The first street parade to roll is the Krewe of Claude. The parade begins at 1 p.m. in Slidell. It takes the traditional route, beginning near Pontchartrain Drive and ending at Lindberg Drive. The Krewe of Poseidon, a new krewe with more than 300 riders, will follow. JAN. 17: The Krewe of Slidellians parades at 1 p.m. Presented by the Slidell Women’s Civic Club, it’s open to adults from the community, who can ride on the Melting Pot float. This year’s theme is “An Evening of World Celebration.” To join, call (985) 640-6664. JAN. 23: The Krewe of Bilge floats the season’s first boat parade through the Eden Isles canals. It starts at noon at the Marina Cafe and ends at The Dock in Slidell. The theme is “Toys and Games.” JAN. 23: Slidell’s original walking parade, the Krewe of Mona Lisa & MoonPie, parades at 7 p.m. in Olde Towne Slidell. The theme is “Mona’s Battle of the Bands.” The parade begins on Carey Street and ends there with a street party. JAN. 24: The Mystick Krewe of Perseus parades at 1 p.m. with the theme “Precious Gems.” The krewe brings more than a dozen floats and special throws to the parade. JAN. 29: The Krewe of Eve celebrates a landmark anniversary when its parade rolls at 7 p.m. in Mandeville with the theme “30 Years of Fun and Games.” The krewe rides Blain Kern floats and hosts a marching band competition. It starts at the junction of La. 22 and U.S. 190 and ends on the East Causeway Approach. JAN. 30: Four-legged critters and their two-legged friends parade in the annual Krewe de Paws at 10 a.m. in Olde Towne Slidell. Proceeds and after-parade events benefit local nonprofit animal assistance äSee EDWARDS, page 2G
Sweetness & Lights Advocate staff photos by SCOTT THRELKELD
Christmas decorations at a home in Clipper Estates in Slidell are reflected in the water.
Rudolph’s nose might have created the original holiday glow — predating, of course, even the Christmas trees that came into vogue in the New Orleans area around the 1870s. Those were lit, for brief moments of viewing, with candles positioned in holders among the branches. They weren’t the safest of yule lights, but they were the simplest. My, how times have changed. Today’s glorious lights can blink and pulse to music and change color. Through time, however, all these forms of
Ronnie Dunaway’s home won first place in Olde Towne Slidell Main Street District’s recent contest. Judging criteria was based on unique design, placement of decorations and overall presentation. Photo provided by Olde Towne Slidell
illumination have shared the same mission: lighting the way for the spirit of Christmas to find us. Here’s a look at how
neighborhoods around the area are ushering in the season of peace and goodwill toward men.
Large-scale decorations make the most of the space at a Toy soldiers guard the walkway at a home in Slidell. home in Slidell.
I love St. Tammany Parish, and one of my favorite places on the entire north shore is the Northlake Nature Center. It’s a 400-acre preserve of natural habitat smack dab in the south central heart of the parish, and it is a place to reconnect with the Earth and the wonderful intricacies of the outdoors. The NNC’s board of direcREC & tors and staff LEISURE are dedicated ANDREW to quality proCANULETTE gramming as well, which helps call attention to the property and its mission of conservation. Two of the NNC’s biggest outings of the year are scheduled to take place Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 in connection with Arbor Day. But before you say, “Well, that’s a long time from now,” consider that volunteers already have begun to sign up to assist with plantings on those two days in early 2016. Since the north shore was hit with a devastating pine beetle infestation in the early 1990s, the nonprofit NNC has coordinated the planting of cypress and pine seedlings on the property, located just east of Mandeville. Executive Director Rue McNeill estimated that 40,000 seedlings have been planted onsite during the past two decades, and those were primarily by the hands of dedicated and environmentally aware volunteers. It’s not a difficult job, really. With the use of a simple tool called a dibble, a small hole is made in the ground, and the seedling is placed in that space. The roots are covered with dirt, and extra soil is placed at the base of the small tree to ensure it stays in place. Most grow into mature cypress and pine, and they provide a scenic backdrop for the NNC. This year, however, McNeill said their source of seedlings (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) is not offering them for purchase. So, if NNC officials cannot locate another source, they may plant wildflowers instead. “We did some wildflower planting last year in addition to the seedlings,” she said. “It might be time to beautify the area even more with some wildflower patches. They take years of reseeding to really take off. It takes a while, but when it does happen, those wildflower patches are just beautiful.” Each year, as many as 100 volunteers show up at the NNC for the Arbor Day plantings. Everyone meets in the parking lot (off U.S. 190) just west of the entrances to Pelican Park and Fontainebleau State Park. There, they receive instruction on which areas of the preserve to head to, and a guide normally goes with each group to answer any questions that may arise during planting. There is no age restriction äSee CANULETTE, page 2G