Edge of the Lake Magazine October | November 2019

P E O P L E

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T R A V E L

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H E A LT H

OCTOBER

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A R T

| NOVEMBER 2019

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F O O D

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H I S T O R Y

Stay healthy.

Stay in the game.

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Same-day, next-day and Saturday morning appointments Locations in Slidell, Covington and Hammond Serving 12+ local schools and programs

Visit ochsner.org/nssports or call 985.898.7272 to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

Escape To The GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE Members and Guest welcome.

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Franco's Holiday Market Sip and Shop November 19 & 20, 2019 - 9am til 7 pm Open To The Public

FRANCOSMANDEVILLE.COM

985.792.0250

100 BON TEMPS ROULE

PUBLISHER Sarah Cottrell

The summer after your child’s senior year of high school is an interesting time, filled with preparing for college and watching our children explore the world on their senior trips, cramming as much as they can into a few short months like only the young do with that fierce attitude and zeal for life.

I watched my son travel around England with a group of friends, navigating the rail system and overcoming the challenges of international travel, cancelled flights, closed stations and ATM cards not working. As much as you try to prepare them for the obstacles, you never know what is going to happen. Traveling teaches so many life lessons and shows us how much they really can handle. I was so proud of the way he dealt with all the situations he found himself in.

Upon returning from England, I was beyond happy that my son chose me to accompany him on a trip. He had been given tickets to see our favorite soccer team, Liverpool, play a game in the United States, so we took a trip up to Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. It was the trip of a lifetime for both of us, made even more special by having passes that enabled access to the field and press box. It was such an impressive set up. The only negative is that the field is not designed to play soccer on, a challenge for international teams touring the United States and a subject for another time.

Creating memories, that is what summer is for.

PUBLISHER

EDITOR Michael Meyers ART DIRECTOR Erich Belk STYLE DIRECTOR Patty Beal BEAUTY EDITOR Caitlin Picou COPY EDITOR Mary-Brent Brown CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mary-Brent Brown Sarah Bonnette Charles Dowdy Liz Genest Smith STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Jerry Cottrell CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mary-Brent Brown Abby Sands Randolph Bergeron Matthew Schlenker Joel Treadwell SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVES Eloise Cottrell Rick Clasen ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Rebecca Blossman-Ferran Erin Bolton Debi Menasco Michelle Wallis-Croas

ON THE COVER Ceramics - Craig McMillin Photographer - Jerry Cottrell

The entire contents of this magazine are copyrighted

by EDGE Publishing. @ 2019 with all rights reserved.

Reproduction or use without permission of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Please email comments or story ideas to edgepublisher@yahoo.com.

EDGE PUBLISHING • 69170 HWY 190 SERVICE RD. SUITE 1 COVINGTON, LA 70433 • 985.875.9691

INNOVATION

IS HOW W E

OPERATE

For more than 65 years, we’ve been shaping the future of health on the Northshore. Forming a partnership with Ochsner has allowed us to further support our comprehensive care with the latest technology. We offer minimally invasive techniques for general surgery and for specialties from orthopedics to neurosurgery.

Our genuinely personal approach has earned more honors than any other area provider – including quality, safety and patient experience. That part never changes.

985.307.9808

| ShapingTheFuture.Health

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THREE RIVER’S ART FESTIVAL

HOLIDAY

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060

HAUNTED ST TAMMANY

IRELAND

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068

KICKIN’ PARKINSONS

VETERANS COURT

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COLUMBIA THEATRE

MY TURN BY CHEF BULENT DUMAN

FESTIVAL

STORIED

CAUSE

HISTORY

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GIFT GUIDE

TRAVEL

LEGAL

RESTAURANT REVIEW

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ART

AROUND THE LAKE

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LOCAL ARTISTS

HEALTH

NORTHSHORE MEDICAL COMPLEX

Page 07 Three Rivers Art Festival

SOCIAL

CHARLES OFF THE AIR RATTLING THE CAGES

2019

9 -1 0 N OVE M B E R • 1 0AM - 5 PM

H I STO R I C DO W NTO W N COVI N GTO N F R E E A D M I S S I O N • N O P E T S A L LO W E D • 9 8 5 - 3 2 7- 9 79 7 • T H R E E R I V E R S A R T F E S T I VA L . CO M

SPONSORS Block Sponsors City of Covington and The Braswell Family - 200 Gulf Coast Bank - 300 Winn Dixie - 400 Covington Business Association - 500 TD AMERITRADE - 600

Venue Sponsors Dependable Glass - Food Court Heritage Bank of Saint Tammany - Student Art Edge of the Lake - Music Stage Fox 8 - Art’s Alive Cleco - Children’s Area Bud Light - Artist’s Party

Friends of the Festival Tom Ballantine

Apprentice Sponsor E.J. Fielding Funeral Home

In-Kind Donors Abita Cafe Aubert Insurance Agency Garic K. Barranger Law Firm Correct Care Inc Covington Masonic Lodge No. 188 Covington Fire Department Covington Police Department Covington Trailhead Evamor French Market Coffee Heritage Bank & Trust St. Tammany Parish Justice Center St Tammany Tourist Commission Sound Landing Whitney Bank

Media Sponsors Edge of the Lake & Northshore Media Group Fox 8

2019 THREE RIVERS ART FESTIVAL Board of Directors

Brad Schroeder - Festival Chairman Amy Sellers - Secretary Kathy Fielding Smith - Treasurer Aimee Faucheux - City of Covington Liaison Maureen O’Brien - Parish Liaison Michele Echols - Board Member Skarlett Roa - Board Member Linda Thatcher - Board Member Cliff Bergeron - Board Member Sarada Bonnett - Event Coordinator

Festival Steering Committ

Sarada Bonnett, Event Coordinator Tom Ballantine, Photographer Peggy Des Jardins, Jurying/Judging Michele Echols, Arts Alive Aimee Faucheux, Logistics Sarah Federer, Advertising & Public Relations Megan Helwick and Clare Rogers, Student Art George Bonnett, Food Court Jude LeBlanc, Music Stage, Sound & Production Hannah Beal, Volunteer Coordinator Linda Thatcher, Hospitality Lisa Murphy, Children’s Hands On Area

Jurors/Judges Peggy Des Jardins Don Marshall Inga Clough Flatterman

Student Art Competition Judge Simone Burke DeMarias Sojka Norman Faucheux

Art Outreach (needs Mo’s art supply logo) Peggy Des Jardins Simone Burke Sarada Bonnett

Founding Members Northshore Media Group

mail: 69170 Hwy 190 Service Rd. Ste. 1 Covington, LA 70433 phone: 985.875.9691

email: edgepublisher@yahoo.com The entire contents of this magazine are copyrighted by EDGE Publishing. @ 2019 with all rights reserved. Reproduction or use without permission of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited.

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EDGE October | November 2019

Kieth Villere (Artist in Booth 340) Ron and Maria Burkhart Jan Robert Linda Davidson Rykert Tolendano Tony Gallart Paul Swain Joanne Gallinghouse (1953-2018)

Arousing Curiosity

Artist Nurhan Gokturk

by Madison Tripp

Covington Three Rivers Art Festival is in its 23rd year; my mom, Sarada Bonnett, has been the coordinator for as long as I can remember. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten to experience the festival from a different perspective. I got to know the artists and the inspiration behind their work. I wanted to give you the inside scoop on a few artists that I have found to have unique stories, or I love what they do.

Block 200 - Susan Clayton, here is what she has to say about her work. “With my pieces, I try to create some of the things that entertain me so much. I want to make those ideas and feelings a little more permanent so that I can share them with other folks. My sculpture is basically about comfort. My people are always comfortable where they are, and they are pleased with what’s happening around them. They find peace in their music, religion, the people they love, and the simple things they love to do. Each little soulful character has an important story to tell, and I hope other people can look at them and find some connection.”

Susan Clayton (Booth 225) Block 300 - Ana Andricain, the journey from broadway to jeweler; she discovered her passion for creating jewelry while appearing in the Broadway Company of Beauty and the Beast. She had several breaks during the show and loved to run back to her dressing room and come up with new design ideas. Most of her pieces were made right in the dressing room. She was commissioned to create jewelry

for several Broadway opening nights, and the Tony Awards and her “accidental” business grew from there.

(Booth 335) Block 400 - Nurhan Gokturk is a multidisciplinary artist and urban designer. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Nurhan immigrated to New York City at the age of three.

He received a Master’s Degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute. You can spot some of his projects at the Venice Biennale, Buenos Aires International Biennial of Architecture, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Detroit, London, Toronto, Vienna, as well as, across France, Germany, and the United States. (Booth 460) Block 500 - Sam Jones IV, works predominantly in mixed-media, most recently combining wood, metalleaf, wax pencils, and resin to create multi-dimensional engravings and drawings. He currently lives and works in Flippin, Arkansas. (Booth 554) Block 600 - Michelle Mardis likes to make the viewer’s imagination to wander with her subject matter. Her latest body of work has taken her love of color even further with new techniques, bold layering of colors with the aid of a pallet knife and brushes bringing Michelle’s latest succulent and wildlife imagery to life! (Booth 656) EDGE October | November 2019

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200 Block

THE BRASWELL FAMILY

200/202 Ryan Boase

3D Mixed Media

312

Deb Wight

201

Erin Curry

2D Mixed Media

315

Niki Fisk

203

Dale Strand

Glass

316

Mark Mallia

204

Len Heatherly

Painting

317

Jan Byron

205

Lynn Langhoff

Fiber

318

Michael Terra

206

Ken Tracy

Ceramics/Pottery

319

Neil Brown

207

David Goldhagen

Glass

320

Robert Zarcone

Fiber

438

Chase Mullen

208

Helene Fielder

Sculpture

325

Susan Bergman

Ceramics/Pottery

440

Eric Mor

209

Kenny Greig

2D Mixed Media

443

Mary Fischer

210/212 Jan Dicks

Functional Art Watercolor

327

Pui-Lan Cockman

334/332 Greg Davis

426

Phil Woodward

Jewelry

428

David stephens

Woodwork

432/430 Kristin Thorsen

3D Mixed Media

434

Fred Weber

Sculpture

435

Wendy and Joe Edwards

Photography

437/439 Carla Moll

Painting

444

Tanya Dischler

Photography

445

Sally Austin

Functional Art Ceramics/Pottery Painting Glass Jewelry Painting/ Woodwork Painting Glass Ceramics/Pottery Painting

214

Scott Mcqueen

215

Ronetta Krause

Jewelry

217

Kit Sunderland

2D Mixed Media

337/339 Christina Smith

219

Amanda Bennett

2D Mixed Media

338

Carol Hallock

Painting

449

Dan Finerman

220

Guiteau Lanoue

Fiber

340

Keith Villere

Metalwork

450

Teresa Merriman

3D Mixed Media

221/223 Amos Amit

2D Mixed Media

326/328 Suzanne Seiler

3D Mixed Media

335

Ana Andricain

Jewelry

446

Deana Hinchcliff

2D Mixed Media

447

Micheal Paul Cole

2D Mixed Media Fiber Photography Woodwork

Fiber

342

Tiim Kuhlman

Woodwork

451/453 Robin Lauersdorf

Drawing

Painting

343

Angie Spears

Drawing

452

Ronald Linton

Jewelry

Greg Arceneaux

Woodwork

344

Samuel Yao

Susan Clayton

Sculpture

345

Russ Schmidt

Painting

346

Tim Peters

Ceramics/Pottery

348

Maggie Grier

222

Elaine Lanoue

224 225 226

Kim Pierson

227

Sam Clark

228

William Ortman

229

Elaine Rader

230

Marirosa Hofmann

235

Marvin Bower

237 239

Fiber

455

Ghada Henagan

Woodwork

457

Nick Cantrell

Ceramics/Pottery

458

Patrick Whalen

Painting

459

Cym Doggett

Ceramics/Pottery Watercolor Photography Metalwork

Glass

351

Jayne DeMarcay

Jewelry

460

Nurhan Gokturk

Jewelry

353

Sandi Stewart

2D Mixed Media

461

Craig McMillin

Ceramics/Pottery

2D Mixed Media

354

Kent Follette

Ceramics/Pottery

463

Shaun Aleman

Painting

Fiber

355

Jake Asuit

Larry Hamilton

Glass

356

Finch n Fox

Joel Lockridge

Woodwork

357

Liping Jackson

240

Nancy Strailey

Drawing

358

Gary Ward

241

Margaret Luttrell

2D Mixed Media

359

Kristy Allmon

242

Ben Bensen iii

Painting

361

Cindy Cherrington

243

Gint & Regina Sabaliauskas

Ceramics/Pottery

363

Joey Blazek

244

Jeff Long

245

Isaac Mccaslin

249

Pippi n Frisbie-Calder

251

Christina Goodman

257

Michael Young

Metalwork Fiber 3D Mixed Media Woodwork Photography

258/260 Gregory Johnson

Painting Jewelry

500 Block 503/505 Craig Routh

Glass

504

Rachael DePauw

Painting

506

Jessica Joy

508

Kate Morgan

Woodwork Printmaking/Digital Art

509/511 Tai Taeoalii

400 Block

510

John Russell

512

Kreg Yingst

Woodwork

400

Sheryl McDonald

3D Mixed Media

513

Jacob Cruse

Ceramics/Pottery

402

Jimmy McDonald

Painting

515

John Hollingshead

259

Amy Collins

Painting

403

Jason Wilson

Ceramics/Pottery

517

Ashleigh Branstetter

261

Shirley Doiron

Drawing

404

Donna Guidry

Fiber

518

Tom Clements

300 Block 301

Lorrie Drennan

302

Kristy Ruffino

303

Cindy Aune

304

Sharon Johnston

305

Paulette Lizano

306

Wade Heyl

307

Brianna Martray

308

Jeremy Keller

309

Odie Tucker

310

Mickey Asche

311

Pat Juneau

010

Painting Functional Art 2D Mixed Media Jewelry Glass Woodwork Drawing Ceramics/Pottery Watercolor Painting Metalwork

EDGE October | November 2019

405

Carol Carmichael

406

Steve Windham

Drawing

Watercolor Ceramics/Pottery Fiber 3D Mixed Media Drawing Woodwork Printmaking/Digital Art Ceramics/Pottery Fiber Jewelry Photography

Painting

520

Melanie Blackerby

2D Mixed Media

Woodwork

522

Paul Nikitchenko

2D Mixed Media

408

Christine Ledoux

Glass

523

D S Reif

409

MItch Evans

Woodwork

524

Patricia Watkins

2D Mixed Media

525

Sean Corner

Sculpture

Jewelry

526

Gary Curtis

Watercolor

Functional Art

528

Alain Bathelot

410

Peter Boutte

411

Barbara Nelson

412

Michelle McLendon

414/416 Joshua Lee Nidenberg 415/417 Keith Andry 418

Petty Shepard

419

Erika Mock

421

Amy Millspaugh

423

Glenn Mace

424

Betsy Green

425

Dustin Headrick

Photography

529/527 Shawn Thomas

Watercolor

533

Phillip Sage

Fiber

534

Greg Little

Fiber

535

Michele Benson Huck

Ceramics/Pottery Woodwork

536/538 Royal Miree

Painting Ceramics/Pottery

Drawing Fiber Printmaking/Digital Art Woodwork Ceramics/Pottery Sculpture

537

Tracy Rouyer

3D Mixed Media

Jewelry

540

Emma Fick

Watercolor

Metalwork

541

Feltus Wirtz

3D Mixed Media

542

Stefany Brown

543

Heaven McCaulley

544/546 Anthony Arkus 547/545 Cassidy Breaux

Jewelry Functional Art

600 Block

Metalwork Painting

Jean Havet

2D Mixed Media

Connie Kittok

2D Mixed Media

635/633 Jason Stoddard

Jewelry

Jewelry

636

Charles Gatewood

Painting

Woodwork

637

Ian Williams

Sculpture

638

Sarah Nelson

Jewelry

639

Charles Anderson

Painting

640

Tracy Wilson

Ceramics/Pottery

643/641 Sandy Duffy

Fiber

Chris Cumbie

552

Renee Ford

Jewelry

605

Amber Anne Palo

553

Suzi Eveleth

Glass

606

Katie Dirnbauer

554

Sam Jones IV

2D Mixed Media

607

Tone Low

555

Trish Ransom

3D Mixed Media

608

Michael Bond

556

Peg Usner

Painting

609

John Marc Anderson

3D Mixed Media

645

Linda Gossett

Ceramics/Pottery

Woodwork

611

John Mroczek

Jewelry

646

Allison Esley

2D Mixed Media

612/614 Carol McCrady

Fiber

648

Rachael Adamiak

Ceramics/Pottery

649

Josh Price

Painting

650

Jack Pine

Glass

Glass

651

Toby Skov

Photography

558

Don McWhorter

561

Erh Ping Tsai

562 563

Ceramics/Pottery

602/604 Alexander Brown

Elissa Brown

634

549

557/559 Patrick Kielkucki

3D Mixed Media

600

631

Printmaking/Digital Art

Jewelry

613

Kris and Al Clement

Sam Collins

Printmaking/Digital Art

616

Glade Beaver

Jane Slivka

Painting

619

Charlene Heilman

621

Sunny Liang

Photography

654

Christopher Smith

622

Steve Coburn

Ceramics/Pottery

655

Holt Lewis

623

Christy Boutte

2D Mixed Media

656

Michelle Mardis

624

Layl McDill

Sculpture

657

Steve Ayers

625

Michael Vagner

628

Nancy Michael-Susaneck

630

Lauren Thomas

Jewelry

658

Paula McKinney

3D Mixed Media

659

Michael Davis

Fiber

660

William Colburn

EDGE October | November 2019

Woodwork Painting Functional Art

Jewelry Sculpture

Drawing Woodwork Painting Ceramics/Pottery Fiber Painting Sculpture

011

POSTER ARTIST

JOEY BLAZEK - Fine Art of the Coastal South

by Sarada Bonnett

E

very year near the end of July, I start looking at the work of the artists who have been juried into our show and I present three or four pieces to the board for them to select our poster artist. This year, as the votes were tallied, Joey Blazek was revealed as their unanimous choice.

Joey Blazek was born in 1954 in Beaumont, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from Lamar University in 1976. After graduation, Blazek began working as an art director for Vance-Mathews, Inc. Later, he would be promoted to serve as the firm’s creative director.

In the early 1980s he started his own design firm, Blazek Design, producing print and electronic media for clients in Beaumont, Houston and parts of Louisiana. His work is a product of what he has lived and learned over the past 60 or so years. He focuses on the Gulf Coast’s abundant wildlife

and its coexistence with the region’s industrial, maritime and agricultural landscape.

I was very excited that the board chose Joey to be our poster artist. The painting that you see on this year’s festival poster speaks to me in a special way. Looking at it, I feel as if I were a child sitting on the water’s edge, watching this gentleman fish. It reminds me of when things were slower, when we could truly unplug and enjoy life. Everything moves so fast now.

I hope you spend a slow day with us at the festival. Stroll down Columbia Street, popping into our amazing artists’ tents.

Browse through our local shops and boutiques. And eat at our marvelous food court or in one of our city’s incredible restaurants.

I look forward to seeing you all November 9th & 10th. Joey will be in Booth #363 – please stop by and say hello.

SPOTLIGHT ARTIST

Greg Davis

by George Bonnett

After suffering several heartbreaking events during the course of a single year, Greg Davis sold almost all of his possessions and embarked on a year-long global quest to discover his meaning, his purpose.

Among the items he packed for the trip was a $400 point-and-shoot camera.

Near the end of the journey, Greg would find his true calling. Although it had been a fascinating trip, nothing could prepare him for what happened during a chance encounter with a Black Hmong blanket weaver. Though he didn’t know it at the time, Greg would take a photograph that would launch a

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EDGE October | November 2019

successful career in photography and change his life forever.

Greg had noticed the woman’s hands: deep blue and green, worn from seasonal indigo dyes. He wanted to take a photo of them, but the blanket weaver didn’t speak English. He gestured and she understood, holding her hands out toward him.

Fate – some might call it a divine appointment – worked out well for Greg. That photo, taken with that point-and-shoot camera, was featured in National Geographic magazine. It would eventually lead Greg to his true passion: connecting people in vastly

different worlds through the medium of photography.

Since that first chance encounter with the blanket weaver, Greg’s work has been featured in events ranging from local festivals to international exhibitions. He is currently represented by the National Geographic Image Collection.

THE ART OF FOOD sponsored by

STUDENT ART

by Megan Helwick

FOOD COURT

Hambone Beck N Call Paella Nola Smoky Dʼs BBQ Coffee Rani Food Truck CHILDRENʼS FOOD COURT

Grandmaʼs Kettle Corn—Kettle corn Rolling Cones Ice Cream Old School Eats Rue Chow

ALONG COLUMBIA STREET

Isabellaʼs Pizza—Pizza—200 Block The Nuttery—300 Block

The exhibit staged, all of the preparations and coordination done. Now, for the fun part.

I get to watch the children from all over the Parish weave through the exhibit, their eyes passing over each piece of art on display until they locate their own. You have to witness for yourself the excitement in their faces as they proudly show off their artwork to families and friends. To be a part of the festival that allows the creativeness of these young artists to be on display and foster a sense of admiration of the arts is humbling.

I love giving my time to such a worthy cause, and I could not do it without the amazing ladies on the committee. I believe art is essential; it allows students to use their imagination and be creative. The skills acquired when engaging in the arts, spill over into academic achievement.

As Student Art Chair, it takes time and preparation. I have to reach out to the teachers far in advance to allow the student the adequate time they need to produce their masterpiece.

I revel in this part of this festival as it allows our art community to come together and support our young artists in the parish. CTRAF is a fantastic opportunity for students to experience what it’s like to be an exhibiting artist. Who knows we may be fostering the next Michelangelo.

Not only does it bring the art community together locally, but so many visitors to the festival come from around the country – and the student art exhibit is no exception. We are lucky to have the beautiful atrium of the Heritage Bank as the setting for the exhibition. Be sure to stop by and visit the Student Art Exhibit in Heritage Bank at 205 N. Columbia St this year.

EDGE October | November 2019

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ARTISTS PARTY AND AWARDS

STUDENT ART EXHIBIT

Saturday, November 9,2019 5:30 Jake Gunter & Artists Awards 7:00-9:30 Johnny Hayes Band

Saturday 10:00 - 5:00 Exhibit Viewing

MUSIC STAGE

Sunday 10:00-3:00 Exhibit Viewing 3:00 Awards Ceremony 4:00-5:00 Artwork Pickup

Saturday 11:00 Brooke Hagler 12:00 Christian Serpas 2:00 Kass & Jon Michael 4:00 The In-Laws Sunday 11:00 Maddi Tripp 12:00 Reed Alleman 2:00 Jake Gunter 4:00 Kathryn Rose

CHILDREN’S AREA

Arts & Crafts provided by: Children’s Museum of St. Tammany Creative Arts of St. Tammany Northlake Nature Center Culinary Kids Painting with a Twist Grayhawk Perkins Bayou Yoga St. Tammany Parish Library Archbishop Hannan High School

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EDGE October | November 2019

CHILDREN’S STAGE

Saturday 10:00 Music Academy of Performing Arts 11:00 New Orleans Opera 12:00 Grayhawk Perkins 1:00 Body Expressions 2:00 Creative Arts of Saint Tammany 3:00 Lancaster Talented Art Students 4:00 Playmakers Theater Scenes from Christmas On The Bayou Sunday 10:00 5,6,7,8 DANCE! 11:00 Grayhawk Perkins 12:00 Ballet Apetrei - Artistic Director Kelly Fortier 1:00 LPO 2:00 Northshore High & Pearl River TMT Brooke Hagler 3:00 Singsations- Gail Adams Productions 4:00 Playmakers Theater Scenes from Christmas On The Bayou

Gotta Luv

Thursdays in Oct.

Rockin' the Rails Concerts (Covington Trailhead) - 5PM

Oct. 12

STAA Fall for Art (Downtown Covington) - 6PM

Oct. 18

Sunset at the Landing Concert (Columbia St. Landing) - 6PM

Oct. 19

Oxtoberfest Beerfest (Covington Trailhead) - 3PM

Oct. 25

Columbia Street Block Party (Downtown Covington) - 6:30PM

Oct. 26

Nightmare on Columbia Stroll, Costume Contest & Concert (Downtown Covington) - 5PM

Nov. 3

Hope House's Men Who Cook (Justice Center Garage Rooftop) - 4PM

Nov. 9-10

Three Rivers Art Festival (Downtown Covington) - 10AM-5PM

PROOF SHEET

Attached is a proof of your ad that will run in the June/July issue of EDGE of the Lake magazine. This ad will run as is unless we receive changes by (9.12.2019) at 5:00 PM. Please make any changes or approve via email.

Old Mandeville Business Association

presents

Empty Bowl

Sips of the Season

Christmas Past

Benefitting The Samaritan Center

Girod Street, Old Mandeville

Girod Street, Old Mandeville

SUNDAY November 17, 2019 3-6pm

FRIDAY December 6, 2019 5-9pm

SATURDAY December 14, 2019 10-4pm

Tickets $45/person Pontchartrain Yacht Club

Mug Price: $20 Mugs available for purchase at Blent, Cameo Boutique, Das Schulerhaus, The Grapeful Ape, & K Gee’s” Saturday, October 5, 2019

Admission is Free

Tickets available at Das Schulerrhaus, K-Gee’s, Gran’s Attic and The Samaritan Center

Food, Beverages, Craft Vendors, Music, Kid’s Zone, Train, Carriage Rides and more!

For more information visit oldmandevillebiz.com and Facebook tag @oldmandevillebusinessassociation All Sponsored by The Old Mandeville Business Association

016

EDGE October | November 2019

www.afd-furniture.com

985.871.0300

Complimentary In Home Design Services Available Baton Rouge, LA B Covington, LA B Mandeville, LA B Long Beach, MS

EDGE OF THE LAKE • 69170 HWY 190. SUITE 1 • COVINGTON, LA 70433 • PHONE 985 733 4670

EDGE October | November 2019

017

A Gumbo of Ghouls:

3 Spooky Spots on the Northshore

STORY LIZ GENEST SMITH PHOTOS ABBY SANDS

O

nce upon a time, I lived in a 200-year-old Victorian house that was rumored to be haunted by a Civil War soldier. Strange things happened on occasion, but I became a believer one night when I entered a dark room with my arms full of laundry. My roommate was standing behind me when I said, “Hey, help me out, I can’t see a thing.” A lamp about five feet in front of me turned on. We stared at each other in complete awe, then nervously laughed it off at first, but it happened multiple times after that. I’d enter a dark room, and a light would mysteriously turn on. I made sure to thank our gentlemanly spirit each time it happened, but kindly requested that he not make himself visible because, well – I knew I’d keel over.

You might chalk it up to old wiring and/or coincidence. But where’s the fun in that?

Especially if you live in Louisiana, where ghost stories are as plentiful as gators and gumbo.

The legends are often relegated to New Orleans’ French Quarter or majestic antebellum homes, like the internationally renowned Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, but never fear… I’ve dug up some local haunts right here on the Northshore, just in time for this spookiest of seasons.

Simply listing the stories seemed inadequate, so I chose to do a little historical research for context, and suddenly this fun little story turned into a major undertaking. When I kept running into deadends, one of the many local librarians I enlisted for help suggested I contact a local paranormal investigator named Dave Young. What a lucky break!

Dave is a biomedical technician who calibrates life support equipment for a living, but his “hobby” is investigating strange happenings in private residences on the Northshore. He experienced some strange phenomena as a kid and conducted his first investigation decades ago at the age of 19. His pro bono work is a team effort, including a medium to gauge the spiritual energy and tech experts to handle the recording devices and electronic equipment.

After interviewing homeowners and researching the history of a property, the team will go in to assess the situation. Sometimes nothing happens, sometimes incredible things happen.

The ultimate goal is to help the homeowners to cleanse the house, learn to live with the “other occupants” if they’re friendly, or – in extreme cases – encourage them to “get out”!

(That last part should be spoken aloud, as in creepy whisper.)

Dave graciously agreed to meet up at a coffeehouse so I could pick his brain. He was not only familiar with most of the stories I was researching, but was also able to correct or clarify my findings, drawing from both his experience and historical knowledge of the area. As we got into deeper discussions about his work, he started telling me about some truly terrifying experiences. One in particular involved a house up in Bush that wound up negatively impacting both the health and emotional wellbeing of several members of Dave’s team in the ten-plus years since they first investigated it. Not only does this spot have countless anecdotal reports of disturbing incidents, but there’s legitimate historical proof that pretty much everyone who’s lived there since it was built in the 1800s has experienced a lot of really unfortunate, and in some cases, horribly violent events. And by the way, it sits vacant today, as realtors are having a, um, devil of a time finding the next victim, er – buyer.

Convinced that the cold chills and headache I started to develop the more Dave spoke of this case were clear-cut proof that malevolent forces were trying to take possession of my very soul, I decided to steer the conversation back to the kinder, gentler tales of spectral activity.

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I asked if he found the Northshore to be a particularly haunted region, and he said it’s actually pretty active. Before it became today’s picturesque suburb of New Orleans, the region was first populated by various tribes, then wealthy New Orleanians and tourists escaping (and sometimes bringing) yellow fever from the city, then troops who occupied the area during the Civil War. There are also stories of corrupt politicians, dangerous criminals like Bonnie and Clyde and mafia wiseguys hiding out in our piney woods. With a colorful history like that, we were bound to have a restless spirit or two lingering around.

Because I’m not allowed to hog an entire issue to myself, I had to narrow the stories down to the three that seemed to have the most complete historical and/or anecdotal information available.

Silk Lady of Madisonville The most documented ghost story I came across is definitely that of the Silk Lady. According to legend, back in the 1800s, a young woman was riding along an old logging trail on the swampy edge of Madisonville, known as Palmetto Flats, when something spooked her horse. It threw her, and she died. Some versions of the story say she was returning from seeing her lover off on some sort of trip; one or two mention that she was married and there is some sort of buried treasure involved.

Unlike many of the other stories, this one is a can’t-miss, as it’s literally on the map. If you take a drive down Johnson Street, across from the Piggly Wiggly, you’ll actually come across an oversized street sign, emblazoned with “Silk Lady Lane.” It’s a private drive, mind you. So I guess you can look, but not touch, no matter how tempting it is to trespass. The same is not true if you visit the very accommodating folks at the Madisonville Museum. Along with its many historical artifacts, the former jail on Cedar Street houses news clippings and both written and audio documentation of firsthand accounts of encounters with the shrieking, hovering Silk Lady – including one from former mayor Peter Gitz.

Dave told me he’s heard of a Blue Lady who protects a treasure buried somewhere on the site of the former home of Louisiana’s first elected governor, William Charles Cole Claiborne. It’s just a stone’s throw across Highway 22 from Silk Lady Lane – near, where else?

The Claiborne Oaks subdivision! So the stories are either intertwined, or we have neighboring ghosts!

Native American Mounds of Lewisburg Village If you’re not familiar with it, Lewisburg is basically a little enclave located on the west side of the Causeway in Mandeville. Legend has it that when Europeans began to settle the area, Native American mounds were discovered in this little village, and the artifacts and bones they contained were removed, upsetting the original “residents.”

Soon after, strange noises and sightings, including a monstrous black dog, were reported. It is also said that the Union troops who were

camped out in this area asked to be moved elsewhere due to these bizarre occurrences.

Researching this story was a little more difficult than the Silk Lady.

Despite a few anecdotes, no one could seem to find any hard evidence or documentation about the exact location, let alone excavation of Indian mounds in this specific area. A friend who’s a relatively new resident in that area had never heard of the stories nor the mounds, but I spoke with one older local gentleman who told me that he personally knew an unscrupulous developer of areas immediately adjacent to Lewisburg whose crews came across Native American artifacts, but chose to keep it hush-hush and plow over them, nonetheless. (Allegedly.)

It’s also important to keep in mind that that area changed hands many times between the mid-1700s and about 1829 when Judge Joshua Lewis, for whom it was named, bought it. Plus, Confederates reportedly burned all its docks and landings in anticipation of the arrival of a Union ship and its soldiers during the Civil War so that leaves many opportunities for the plunder or destruction of any nearby antiquities.

I’ve personally wandered around this neighborhood many times over the years in an effort to find the mounds, but to no avail. On the suggestion of a longtime resident, I focused on the zone between Copal Street and the lake in Lewisburg. There were a few thickly wooded, privately owned areas that may or may not have been harboring them, but to my surprise, I spotted one very large black dog, at least fulfilling one portion of the old legend. My research told me that, in old lore, a spectral black dog could either be malevolent or benevolent. This one’s vigorously wagging tail and lolling tongue may have been a part of its devious plan to lure in unsuspecting victims, but who really knows? Approach with caution.

When I asked Dave if he knew anything about the Lewisburg mounds and haunted legend, he told me, “I have had several investigations where Native Americans were involved in this parish.

It was quite the battlefield at one time when the Choctaws came into the area, pushing out the Indigenous tribes.”

Any in Lewisburg?

“No, but along Sharp Road (just a few miles to the northeast), there are several Indian mounds that were disturbed. One family who lives in [one of the subdivisions] told me of their daughter’s encounters in the woods behind their house with a Native American girl, who would play with her and once gave her beads.”

While it’s true that Lewisburg and Sharp Road aren’t exactly in the same “spot,” they’re both along Bayou Chinchuba, so let’s call that the location of this particular spooky spot.

Donz on the Lake in Mandeville If you take a drive or stroll along Old Mandeville’s lakefront, you might imagine that the likeliest places to be inhabited by beings from beyond the grave would probably be one of the many stately old homes, surrounded by wrought iron fences and ancient oak trees

LETTER FROM THE PARISH PRESIDENT

draped in Spanish moss. They certainly look the part, and very well may be harboring haints. But who would think twice about the square, nondescript, white-washed building at the corner of Girod and Lakeshore Drive?

Ah, but don’t judge a book by its cover. For about 40 years, it’s been the home of Donz on the Lake, a beloved little dive bar and pool hall, but this building was once used as a hospital during the Civil War. Dave confirmed, through firsthand testimony that he gathered, that bar patrons and employees have reported seeing apparitions, including a nurse (some accounts say she’s a nun) and a young Union soldier back by the pool tables. Others claim to have heard moaning, footsteps and the sound of clinking surgical knives.

Dave recalled another account that I hadn’t heard, in which a group of people sitting at the bar witnessed the same inexplicable phenomenon.

“When they looked out over the lake,” Dave explained. “They saw this misty image of a group of soldiers. They said it was like seeing into another dimension before it disappeared.”

Cool, right?

Honorable Mentions This is by no means a complete list of local hauntings. I wish I had the time and space to delve into many others, like the phantom monastery that was said to have once stood in the wilds of Covington on River Road, where all occupants allegedly perished when a local tribe burned it to the ground in the 1700s. People who accidentally happen upon the site are said to see a vision of the building, like a film negative, and hear Gregorian chants echo through the woods. After stumping many librarians and historians with this one, I was relieved to hear that Dave was familiar, though his version was a bit different.

“I was told the original monastery was on the Tchefuncte, between the I-12 bridge and Madisonville,” Dave said. “The Union troops coveted it. There are ruins and a tiled pool back in the woods. A friend of mine found it when he was younger. Maybe a subdivision was built over it?”

Another honorable mention was the Maple Street Bakery in Abita Springs, in which Dave says he and countless other people – including a police officer – have had strange experiences over the decades, from physical touches to spectral images and moving objects. He says it was once a tuberculosis clinic and that it’s flanked by the Choctaw execution grounds across the street and the Abita hanging tree behind it. Creepy!

I realize a lot of people will view stories like this as pure nonsense, but Dave has a really good way of explaining it to kids and nonbelievers.

“Newton wouldn’t have understood the sight of a 747,” he reasoned with a shrug. “There are laws of physics we just haven’t discovered, yet.”

We have secured $52 million in state-allocated Federal Redistribution funds for the next phase of the widening of I-12. This funding will complement the $25 million in Federal BUILD Grant money we secured in December of 2018 to widen I-12 from LA Highway 21 to US Highway 190. We have worked diligently through months of relentless pursuit — including countless conversations with State officials — to underscore the necessity of this next phase, and we ultimately solidified the message and secured this critical road funding. In under 12 months, we succeeded in obtaining $77 million to address one of our Parish’s most significant infrastructure needs.

Plans for expansion funded by the $52 million include the addition of a third lane in each direction, as well as the widening of bridges over US Highway 190, Ponchitolawa Creek and Little Creek/Tammany Trace. Plans for the $25 million BUILD Grant to widen I-12 from LA Highway 21 to US Highway 190 are in design.

Maintaining sound infrastructure has always been a high priority. This funding will improve the safety of I-12 sooner rather than later to provide safer, more efficient travel for us all.

Pat Brister St. Tammany Parish President

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Kickin Parkinson’s Steps Into the Ring

STORY LIZ GENEST SMITH PHOTOS JOEL TREADWELL

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ne surefire way to draw attention to a worthy cause is to get a celebrity on board. But when a universally beloved public figure announces he, himself, is battling an affliction and dedicating himself to not only fighting his own battle, but helping others with theirs, that’s when people go from interested to inspired.

This is exactly what happened in 1998, when Michael J. Fox – star of the blockbuster Back to the Future movie franchise and wildly popular sitcom, Family Ties – stunned the world by announcing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease seven years earlier, at the surprisingly young age of 29, and was retiring from acting. Though he stepped away from acting, he stepped up to launch the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Much like Fox, Quentin Dastugue, C.E.O. of the New Orleans-based real estate firm Property One, Inc. and former four-term member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, made a choice to not only get proactive for his own benefit, but to help others, as well.

“I was diagnosed ten years ago,” the Covington resident explains. “And I decided the best way to attack it was to raise money, which I’m really good at, and volunteer for the drug trials. I also discovered that the Michael J. Fox Foundation was the most active organization and the most dedicated to research. So, I got involved.”

Before delving into Dastugue’s local fundraising efforts, it’s important to step back and understand the disease he and many others are battling.

ABOUT PARKINSON’S Back in 1817, English surgeon James Parkinson published an essay that tied multiple symptoms to a single disease that he aptly referred to as the Shaking Palsy. Symptoms matching its description – shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with walking, balance and coordination – were recorded as far back as ancient Egypt, but it finally earned its official designation when Dr. Parkinson’s research was embraced by the medical community. Parkinson’s disease didn’t become a household name, however, until Fox made his shocking announcement to the world almost two centuries later.

But, what is it?

Simply put, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive nervous system disorder that is brought on when brain cells die or no longer produce dopamine, a chemical that coordinates movement.

While people with PD may experience tremors, slowness of movement, limb rigidity and trouble with motor skills, they can also experience problematic non-movement issues, such as cognitive changes, mood disorders, fatigue, hallucinations and delusions, lightheadedness, sexual problems and sleep disorders.The cause is unknown, there is no cure and with an estimated 60,000 Americans diagnosed each year, it affects more people than Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis combined.

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It’s grim news, but patients and their loved ones can take heart that Herculean strides are being made to improve their odds and quality of life, thanks to organizations like the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and its grassroots campaigns, like our local one headed up by Quentin and his wife, Penny.

KICKINGPARKINSONS.COM

985.502.9800

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GO, TEAM FOX “To me, hope is informed optimism.” - Michael J. Fox The Fox Foundation’s official mission statement says it’s “dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.” And a few minutes on its website will make you a believer.

It contains a dizzying wealth of information and tabs within tabs, allowing you to dive as deeply as you like into all the components of this disease and the effort to understand, manage and someday eradicate it. Instead of being overwhelming, however, it is very clearly and succinctly organized into easily searchable sections for patients, families, researchers and those who are interested in joining the fight against PD. MJFF makes joining the fight extra simple with its Team Fox initiative.

The foundation’s grassroots programs, collectively called Team Fox, allow individuals to raise funds within their respective communities, which has so far added up to a whopping $80 million since 2006. MJFF proudly proclaims that all money donated by Team Fox members goes directly to research.

NORTHSHORE CONNECTION In addition to sitting on the national patient counsel, Quentin Dastugue, along with his wife Penny, launched their own chapter of Team Fox, which they named Kickin’ Parkinsons, to raise awareness and funds locally.

“We did a 5K run at first, but then I quickly realized my friends would rather do a cocktail party,” he says, chuckling. “Our goal was to make it the most attended Northshore event every year.”

Considering they’re among the top three Team Fox fundraisers in the country, it looks like they must have achieved that goal. This year’s event, held at Stone Creek Club & Spa in Covington on October 17, has an equestrian theme, so guests are encouraged to don festive Derby hats and their finest racing attire. Highlights will include live music from Flow Tribe, plus premium bars and specialty drinks, live and silent auctions, food offerings from top local restaurants and best of all – there will be real live thoroughbreds stationed at the front door for photo ops!

In addition to the annual soiree, Kickin’ Parkinsons has a partnership with New Orleans’ annual Crescent City Classic 10K race, and they’ve even launched a boxing program for local PD patients.

WHY BOXING? “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” - Muhammed Ali Every patient is different, so Parkinson’s treatment regimens vary, but options include medication, surgical therapy and lifestyle modifications. Where lifestyle modifications are concerned, experts agree that exercise is an important component in helping patients

LETTER FROM THE MAYOR

maintain balance and mobility in order to carry out daily activities.

While it may seem like an odd choice at first, boxing techniques, in fact, can help counteract (or “counterpunch,” if you will) PD’s symptoms. Beyond being a great fullbody workout, it can help someone with PD improve their balance, agility, endurance, accuracy, coordination and muscle strength, not to mention offering an outlet for the frustration patients often experience.

That’s why Kickin’ Parkinsons decided to partner with the Krav Maga Institute in Covington to launch the KP Boxing Fitness Program. Not only do they offer this specially designed program, but Kickin’ Parkinson’s is footing the bill for multiple PD patients to participate through the end of the year.

Quentin and Penny Dastugue credit their committee, friends, sponsors, partners and donors with helping to not only make this initiative possible, but also with helping to “drive scientific discoveries, move drug therapies more quickly to the patient and show people and families with PD that you care.”

To take advantage of the many programs and resources, or to learn how to contribute to the cause, visit KickinParkinsons. com.

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EDGE October | November 2019

The City of Mandeville is buzzing with events this fall. Our Mandeville Live Concerts have begun and for the entire first week of October, News With A Twist on WGNO will be spotlighting our wonderful City.

This includes news stories, advertisements and local highlights. The promotion ends with two live broadcasts at the Trailhead at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m., followed by the Mandeville Live! Concert featuring Soul Revival. The City participated with the station last year and representatives from News With A Twist said our citizens were the best!

The 2nd Annual Ozone Songwriter’s Festival will be held at The Mandeville Trailhead and Lafitte Street Station in Old Mandeville Saturday, October 19th and Sunday, October 20th. The Pontchartrain Film Festival returns to Mandeville at the Spitzfaden Community City November 1st – 2nd. Visit www. pontchartrainfilmfestival.com for the complete schedule.

Come out and enjoy a fabulous sunset on the Mandeville lakefront while being serenaded by The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra on October 26th. The event is free and the rain date will be October 27th. Bring your chairs and blankets, eating and drinking (non alcoholic beverages) are allowed this day on the lakefront. For more information visit ExperienceMandeville.org.

Hurricane season doesn’t end until November 30th. For the latest news and weather updates, sign up for EBriefs on the front of our website. While you’re at it, check out our new site. It’s even more user friendly and packed with information. Feel free to call my office at 985-626-1082 for information on any of our events or ways we may assist you.

Hope to see you soon!

Donald Villere City of Mandeville Mayor

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: N O I T A V R E S PRE ’s d n o m m a H g n Explori tre a e Th a i b m u l o C

STORY LIZ GENEST SMITH PHOTOS RANDY BERGERON

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s a relatively young nation, we’re not always quick to recognize that newer is not necessarily better, especially when it comes to architecture. Thankfully, the U.S. has come to embrace historic preservation more and more in recent decades, but some of our greatest buildings came dangerously close to demolition. New York’s legendary Grand Central Station, for instance, was slated to be leveled back in the mid-70s. And here in New Orleans, the Cabildo and Presbytère came perilously close to annihilation at one point. Who can imagine Jackson Square without its iconic backdrop of St. Louis Cathedral, flanked by those gorgeous edifices?

In addition to being aesthetically appealing, so many of these buildings hold cultural and historical relevance that simply can’t be replaced. In many instances, it took the passion and persistence of private citizens and civic groups to stop the madness and save important structures. Such is the case with Hammond’s Columbia Theatre.

Located at the corner of East Thomas and South Cherry Street in the heart of Hammond’s historic district, the Columbia opened to great fanfare in 1928. Though it’s thought to have been originally designated as a vaudeville venue, it debuted with a screening of a new silent movie that starred “Queen of the Screen,” Marion Davies. Patrons were also treated to a live musical performance by tenor Ted Norman and the inaugural notes of the theater’s pipe organ, followed by a big street party. Despite economic ups and downs, the theater persevered for decades, until the advent of television, shopping malls and multi-screen cinemas sent it into a death spiral in 1972.

A local banker made a valiant effort to refurbish and restore it to its former glory, but the Columbia nonetheless fell into disrepair, and was being threatened with the proverbial wrecking ball when two women came to the rescue in the 1990s – Marguerite Walter, then-director of Hammond’s Downtown Development District (DDD) , and Harriet Vogt, founder and then-director of Fanfare, Southeastern Louisiana University’s arts festival.

Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts 985.543.4366 columbiatheatre.org

The determined pair managed to unite the DDD, the City of Hammond and Southeastern in a common effort to secure state and federal funds to not only restore the theater, but also purchase two adjacent buildings, which became much needed administrative offices, dressing rooms, and rehearsal and conference spaces.

The university took ownership in 2001, the theater reopened in 2002, and it has been a vibrant, artistic hub for downtown Hammond and the entire region ever since. And now, a brand new artistic director is ready to usher in a new era.

When former director Roy Blackwood decided to retire, the university didn’t have to look far for a suitable replacement. Associate theatre professor Jim Winter was thrilled just to be considered, but was over the moon when he landed the job.

“I already thought I had my dream job,” he admits, humbly. “But this is next-level. I sometimes have to remind myself that, holy cow, this is really my job. It lets me apply all my skills.”

Jim’s professional acting and academic careers took him from New York to the British Isles to China before he finally wound up in Hammond, by way of New Orleans. He’s received multiple honors and awards, written textbooks, published plays, co-founded two theater companies and the Hammond Horror Festival, and he became a full-time SELU faculty member in 2005.

He graciously agreed to be my tour guide on a recent visit.

There’s no doubt that in addition to being a cultural beacon, the Columbia’s exterior is quite a visual beacon, with its stately, classic, two-story facade and stunning neon marquis that illuminates the street at night with all the extravagance of a Mardi Gras parade. Stepping inside is a different story, however, as you’ll find an understated grandeur with only a few subtle adornments.

I wondered aloud if the years of neglect had simply destroyed too much of the lobby to be restored to its original state, but Jim explained that there was no lobby to speak of. The original utilitarian entry pretty much consisted of a ticket booth out front, and a popcorn stand inside. The contemporary new lobby, like some of the other renovated spaces, was added on to enhance today’s theater-going experience.

Quite honestly, there’s something to be said for a theater that’s attractive, but unfussy – saving the real wow factor for its stage productions.

As we checked out the behind-the-scenes parts of the theater, we came upon my favorite spot in the whole facility. Tucked away is a hallway featuring a brick wall that was once part of the exterior alleyway that separated this building from the next. It’s now painted white and covered in the autographs of countless performers who have graced the stage in recent years – from Judy Collins and Pete Fountain to Amanda Shaw and the name that sort of made me gasp, Gregg Allmann.

If you close your eyes while spending time with Jim, you’ll swear you’re speaking with movie star and fellow theater enthusiast, Matthew Broderick. He has a similar measured, deliberate cadence that belies a youthful enthusiasm.

That enthusiasm seems like a necessary characteristic for someone who is tasked with acting as custodian of both the physical structure and cultural legacy of the Columbia.

Jim understands and enjoys the fact that members of the community have nostalgic connections to the theater, noting that, “A lot of people remember it from either seeing movies or being in stage productions.”

He also recognizes it for the rare gem that it is.

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“How many theaters like this are around and up and running?” he muses, as we stand in the balcony, surveying the space. “For its size, it’s oddly intimate, and every artist comments on the incredible acoustics.”

I couldn’t help but notice that in the otherwise pristine building, there was a very incongruous row of seats covered in plastic in the balcony. It’s the direct result of enduring a delay in replacing the aging roof, he admits.

“When you have budget cuts to education, an off-campus entertainment facility sometimes gets underfunded,” he says with a shrug.

Which brings up another challenge. Staffing.

“We only have four full-time staff, a few interns, and a couple of part-timers. It’s a little frustrating. It really limits us because I don’t have the manpower to take it to the next level.”

That manpower is mostly the need for loading stage sets in and out in a safe and efficient way. It’s a huge undertaking that requires skilled labor, which typically comes at a steep price. While the theater can’t afford to hire a huge crew of professional stagehands and technicians, SELU students can get paid to acquire this valuable hands-on experience, which will make them “real world ready” if they want production careers.

Luckily, maintaining a stellar standard of programming is not one of the challenges Jim faces. The busy, diverse schedule includes classical and contemporary concerts, festivals, dance and of course, theatrical events, including children’s theater productions. The facility also plays host to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for multiple shows each year.

It would seem like a huge challenge to juggle all of this theater’s moving parts and multiple associations. As the old saying goes, “Too many cooks can spoil the broth.”

But, Jim insists that’s not the case with the Columbia.

“I’m a servant to many masters,” he jokes. “But I’ve had enormous support from the administration, staff, community and advisory board. It’s an odd dance, but we’re a non-profit, which helps. And the university grants us a lot of autonomy when it comes to programming.”

Despite the challenges, Jim is very hopeful for the future.

Among his many broad goals, he wants to maximize the potential of the theater and reimagine some of the existing space. But he has another, more specific goal.

“I want this to be more utilized by the university. A lot of students don’t even know about us,” he says, incredulously. “I’d love to see classes here.”

It seems like a perfect opportunity to not only pass on a love of theater to the next generation, but also to teach them the importance of appreciating this particular theater, and others like it, to preserve and extend a rich historical and cultural legacy.

Photos by Randy Bergeron/SLU Communication and Creative Services

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THREE RIVERS STORY SARAH BONNETTE

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dward Weston, a 20th century American photographer, said “Good composition is merely the strongest way of seeing.”

Whether in wooded home studios or busy workshops, four established Northshore artists see, and then create, stunningly strong compositions with their chosen mediums.

Covington woodworker and furniture maker Greg Arceneaux arranges the grains he finds in cypress, mahogany and other hardwoods into works of art that combine beauty and functionality. Pulling from inspirations from her childhood, Mandeville painter Tanya Dischler composes vibrantly colorful new images of Louisiana wildlife, sugarcane fields or her massive backyard, sometimes using years-old watercolor paintings as a base. Abita Springs jewelry artist Jayne DeMarcay sees future geometric-inspired earrings, pendants and bracelets with fine engraved details and colorful stones in thin sheets of sterling silver and 14k gold. Folsom ceramic artist Craig McMillin imagines how combinations of zinc crystalline glazes will turn the lumps of clay he’s thrown into eye-catching and memorable wall-hung platters and functional ware.

All four artists will be part of the kaleidoscopic composition that is N. Columbia Street during the Three Rivers Art Festival on November 9 and 10. It will bring 200 artists from across the country – 23 of whom call the Northshore home – to exhibit all sorts of artwork along six blocks. There’ll be leather bags, metalwork, jewelry, ceramics, photographs, paintings in every medium and more.

Arceneaux, Dischler, DeMarcay and McMillin are all veteran exhibitors. While Dischler and McMillin have taken periodic breaks from participating, Arceneaux and DeMarcay have exhibited consistently since the juried festival’s earliest days.

It started 23 years ago as a way to draw crowds to Covington to see and purchase original artwork and patronize local businesses.

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GREG ARCENEAUX Three Rivers is “always excellent quality artisans and artists. It’s where we feel like our presence should be,” Arceneaux said. Besides showing at Jazz Fest for the past 33 years, Three Rivers is one of the remaining festivals in which he and his wife, Liz, exhibit their roux spoons, cutting boards and Acadian and Creole furniture.

That might include one of their Creole dining tables, noted by a scalloped apron and cabriole legs, or Arceneaux’s version of a Bautac chair, a traditional Louisiana plantation chair with a high back, curved sides and a thick leather seat.

Their roux spoons came about when scrap from a chair’s rail piece fell to the ground. “We were looking at them and said ‘You could probably stir with this,’” Greg said. “And I hate to throw away any useful wood.”

Furniture making and woodworking, Liz added, is “very wasteful. You generate 20 to 25 percent waste on a project.

So that scrap then turns into roux spoons. We used to just use scrap for our cutting boards, but now we sell so many of them we purchase wood.”

What festival-goers see in the Arcenaux’s booth in the 200 block is the “tip of the iceberg,” Greg said. “It reminds people we’re still here, and we’re still doing this,” Liz added.

What Arceneaux, with help from Liz, has done for nearly 50 years is preserve and celebrate Louisiana’s decorative arts heritage, particularly the 18th century furniture made

by Creole, Acadian and French settlers.

“Our standard Creole and Acadian style [furniture] comes from Louisiana, comes from our unique history,” said Greg, whose own family has been here since the early 1700s. “I was always curious about what our forefathers used in their homes and what their decorative art was. I visited museums and met collectors and was inspired by what I saw.”

Pieces are made using indigenous woods – cypress, walnut, cherry and mahogany among others – and with “18th century joinery made with modern tools,” Liz said.

Arceneaux’s interest in woodworking and furniture started with his childhood in Baton Rouge, “always in the woods, picking blackberries and swimming in the rivers and being chased by cows,” Greg said. “I was curious about plants and nature.”

He majored in wood sculpture at LSU. Yet, creating sculptural forms didn’t satisfy him, according to the artist statement on his website, www.gregarceneaux.com “I wanted to do something that had beauty and art, but

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also wanted to impact people’s daily lives. And furniture’s a great intersection with having a functionality in people’s lives, but it can still be a beautiful asset,” Arceneaux said in his Covington showroom and workshop.

His Creole and Acadian pieces can be found in private homes throughout Louisiana, nationally and abroad. He’s done custom pieces for designers in Mississippi, California and Brooklyn, as well as for Manhattan-based designer Richard Keith Langham.

Notable projects include replicating furniture to replace what was destroyed in the Cabildo’s 1988 fire, as well as constructing an 18-foot table and cabinetry for the Louisiana Supreme Court.

He built beds and armoires for Hotel Peter and Paul, which opened in a renovated Marigny church last year, as well as benches for the Historic New Orleans Collection’s recent expansion. The 31 copies of a Creole Ladderback chair he made for the LaCour House in Pointe Coupee Parish were shown in the August/September issue of “Garden & Gun” magazine. That historic building sits on property owned by Jack and Pat Holden, a couple dedicated to preserving Louisiana’s history. They helped Arceneaux research furniture examples before there were books on the topic, such as Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture: 1735-1835, published in 2010.

Arceneaux’s work has brought many accolades. He has been recognized as a master craftsman by the Louisiana Division of the Arts. And the Ogden Museum of Southern Art featured his furniture – and the drawings that go along with each piece – in a 2010 exhibition. A 2012 show at the Historic New Orleans Collection, entitled “Furnishing Louisiana,” also included his pieces.

Pointing to a Creole pencil post bed being built in his workshop, whose headboard features a wave of beautiful, dark wood grain, Arceneaux said he has trained himself to look for such details in order to maximize a furniture piece’s beauty.

“There’s plenty of great mechanics who can glue wood together and do it quickly, but it takes some artistic vision to be able to look at the wood and create a composition,” he added. “That’s what I always try and do, is make a composition out of it, the same way a painter makes a composition out of their painting or a sculptor makes a composition out of a sculpted detail.”

photos by Jerry Cottrell

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TANYA DISCHLER

Dischler exhibited in Three Rivers for its first 10 years before taking a break to run her own gallery. She returned 10 years ago and has exhibited every year since in her usual spot in the 400 block. In 2017, she was named the festival’s poster artist.

“I’ve watched Three Rivers evolve into one of the top shows I do. It’s a great avenue to showcase my work to established clients, as well as meet new ones. It’s well organized. Artists’ hospitality is extremely important, and they seem to go overboard for the artists,” said the artist who travels to 12 to 15 regional art festivals per year.

The intense colors found in Dischler’s mixed media and acrylic pieces often draw festival-goers to her booth. She uses those colors and abstract backgrounds to put the focus on the subject she’s portraying, whether Louisiana’s varied wildlife – birds are a subject she turns to time and again – or the gnarled oak seen through her backyard studio windows.

“I believe color is something we all see differently, therefore, it makes it very personal,” Dischler said in an interview about her festival poster. “I’ve witnessed my palette go through many changes over the years. I try to

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follow wherever it is taking me!”

It was in using the colors left on her palette after a day of painting – she didn’t want to waste them – and responding to each brushstroke she instinctually placed on watercolor paper that her “Burning Cane” series was born.

The series – typically long paintings that show a clear horizon line between the sky and cane fields – is inspired by her childhood.

Dischler grew up on Bayou Salè in St. Mary Parish, the daughter of a sugar cane farmer and a mother with an artistic bend. Nearby, her grandparents’ sugar plantation was surrounded by her aunts’ and uncles’ residences. “We always called it ‘the place’, ‘our place,’” she said.

“I was born on the bayou and close to the Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by marshes and swamps and sugarcane fields as far as you could see. Those were playgrounds for me and my cousins,” Dischler added. “It’s where my love of nature and its inhabitants began. I can’t help but paint it.”

At first, art was just a hobby for Dischler while working sales jobs in south Louisiana. When she became a stay-athome mom to her two boys, she took workshops in Lafayette

photos courtesy of Tanya Dischler

where they lived at the time. Classes at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of LouisianaLafayette, followed.

“I fell in love with watercolor almost immediately, but I still wasn’t as excited as I thought I should be. My technical skills got perfect, so much so that my paintings became stiff and unemotional,” Dischler said. “That’s when I started experimenting on my own to try to loosen up and get more movement and texture into my paintings.”

The classes she took at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston with artist Douglas Walton were a game-changer. “It wasn’t so much what he was teaching, but how he was teaching,” said Dischler, who moved to Old Mandeville in 1997. “It was structured, but not in the regular way. He didn’t teach technique, so to speak. He taught how to find out what makes you different. ‘What is your creativity? What is your uniqueness and how do you express it in painting?’”

Known for her unique way of capturing Louisiana, Dischler’s artwork has been featured in dozens of solo and group exhibitions and included in numerous private collections. It’s also been in several publications, including John Kemp’s book

Expressions of Place: The Contemporary Louisiana Landscape.

Her more than 40-year career has been a journey in selfdiscovery and listening to the creative muse, whether it tells her to paint over an old piece or stop working on one of the paintings laid out in her studio. Named Beyond the Bayou Studio, it flooded during Hurricane Katrina, leaving her with hundreds of damaged large-scale watercolor paintings. Some were salvageable.

“I started tearing some up,” Dischler said. “I looked back at the floor and saw all these colorful pieces of paper and thought ‘I’m sure I’ll do something with that one of these days.’”

That day has come. “I’m revisiting those pieces of paper.

They are my favorite thing to do,” she said of the colorful scraps tossed in boxes and piled in flat file drawers. “I can still remember what the whole painting was.”

Dischler may use a scrap to draw her gnarled oak, Ibis birds in silhouette, or “funky party birds,” as she describes them.

Colors – bright oranges, warm pinks, soothing blues and greens – and unusual shapes from the old paintings create a vibrant backdrop for the new work.

“I’m always asking ‘what if ?’” Dischler said.

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JAYNE DEMARCAY Fine lines and other small details engraved into sterling silver and 14 karat gold are what set apart DeMarcay’s jewelry pieces.

Her interest in wearable art came from her father, Herbert Chernetz, himself a jeweler for a company that worked with jewelry stores and diamond brokers. Starting at 15 years old, “I worked with him part-time,” she said.

“I was exposed to a lot of different techniques because he did a little bit of everything,” DeMarcay added. “Unlike a lot of jewelers at art shows, my background is really in the jewelry industry.”

She studied art at LSU, “but went back to metal,” she added. “I just really loved it.”

After working as a jeweler for 15 years, DeMarcay’s efforts to learn a new technique – engraving – opened a world of new design possibilities.

“They were still doing a lot with engraving in New Orleans. Usually you’re a jeweler, an engraver or a watchmaker. My dad told me ‘Jayne, learn to engrave,’” DeMarcay said. “I couldn’t get anybody to teach me, so I sat at my dining room table and taught myself how to do it.”

Engraving uses the same tools “as for diamond setting, which I was proficient at,” she added. “It’s a different motion and a different way of sharpening your tool.”

Popular in New Orleans, engraving usually features lettering and scrolling designs. “That’s what I taught myself how to do. But I like more contemporary design, so I took that technique and turned it into a straighter kind of line,” DeMarcay said.

Those lines may be found radiating out from the center of a brilliant stone in a pendant, intersecting curving pieces of gold or silver added to a piece to give it dimension, or complementing the sides of a triangular shape in a pair of earrings.

“I’ve always just been fascinated by lines, the way things work together,” DeMarcary said, picking up a pendant in

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the light-filled studio she and her husband, also a jeweler, built behind their home. “I like doing things that you can really wear a lot; you can make it casual or dressy.”

Geometric forms figure prominently in DeMarcay’s work.

In one pair of earrings on her website, www.demarcay.com, diamond shapes float on top of squares. A hinge – often incorporated into the design because of the artist’s love of movement – connects those pieces to series of triangles and a circle.

“I like architecture and Art Deco, but there’s also kind of a softness. It’s not real boxy,” she said.

DeMarcay’s jewelry starts with thin sheets of sterling silver or 14-carat gold. “Many jewelry designers start with the stone and design around the stone,” DeMarcay said. “I don’t really do that. The center for my designs is the engraved detail. The stones are usually an accent to the design.

“There’s always variations to a theme. One design leads to the next design. There’s always alternatives,” she added. “Sometimes you’ll have something, and somebody will want something different, which gives me even more ideas.”

Saks 5th Avenue stores in New York City, as well as in Florida and New Orleans, were the first retail outlet to carry DeMarcay’s jewelry. But she left the retail world when she discovered art shows where she could meet the people who would be wearing her artwork.

“It’s much more enjoyable than dealing with stores. I enjoy meeting people and getting their feedback and designing things for them. I do a lot of custom,” she said.

Although she’s cut back on the number of shows she travels to, DeMarcay still exhibits in Three Rivers. Not just because it’s home, but because “it’s a great place to see my work,” she said.

“It really is about the art…What’s nice is the quality of the artwork, so we’re in good company,” she added. “And there’s a loyal audience.”

photos courtesy of Jayne DeMarcay EDGE October | November 2019

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CRAIG MCMILLIN For McMillin, the old is new again. He’s made the decision to return to creating functional ceramic wares such as mugs and smaller bowls, in addition to the large-scale bowls and platters for which he is known.

“I’m making more accessible pieces,” he said. “By revisiting things I haven’t done in 10 or 15 years, I have a different eye. I have a different technique. I have a different feel for it. Things come out a little bit differently than they did in the past.”

McMillin’s decision came after a summer spent traveling more than 7,000 miles to art shows. His stops included West Palm Beach, Houston, Crested Butte, Colorado and Sausalito, California among others. What he observed on his journey was people’s reluctance to purchase art.

“They’re not celebrating life. That’s what buying art is. It’s celebrating life,” he said.

McMillin’s life as an artist began when he was introduced to clay in high school in Corpus Christi, Texas. After that, “I went to a school for a few years that kept my hands in clay. That led me to my next step, which was a working apprenticeship in Texas,” he said.

After meeting his wife, Ana, there, the couple moved to Louisiana – she is a New Orleans native – and set up the first ceramics studio in Folsom in 1991.

When McMillin built his current studio – just before Hurricane Katrina – followed by the construction of an oversized kiln, “it was with the idea that I could work big,” he said. Not wanting to copy other artists who’d already done large vases, he set out to see how big of a platter he could make.

He commonly says it took four years of trial-and-error with pieces that were too heavy, didn’t make it through either the throwing and firing processes, or didn’t meet his standards in order to be sellable.

But he succeeded. His largest platters measure 48 or more inches in diameter. There also are sizes ranging from 15 inches to 33 inches, as well as smaller works sold in Southern Avenue in Covington.

They are immediately recognizable as McMillin’s work thanks to the glazes, made of zinc crystals, with a little barrier of alumina oxide. “Alumina doesn’t melt,” McMillin said.

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The layers of glazes – usually somewhere between three and five – turn into bursts of color radiating out from each platter’s center. Spots of intensity create even more visual interest. “Nothing that I do anymore is one glaze,” McMillin said. “I have a cover glaze, then what I’ll do is underglaze and sometimes I’ll overglaze after I’ve put that cover glaze on, just to get more out of it.”

McMillin was introduced to crystalline glazes when Ana took a workshop on them in north Louisiana, about the same time he was moving into his expanded studio.

The crystalline glaze “has a big learning curve to it,” he said, sitting in the cooled section of his studio where forms are created on a pottery wheel. Nearby a large platter awaits glazing. “And it has a very narrow path that you have to walk to have it come out successfully.”

“Once you figure out the glaze recipe, that doesn’t change a whole lot,” McMillin added. “What’s changing is the application and a little bit on the firing. I’ll alter the firing schedule a bit to get a different effect from the crystals.”

McMillin admits glazing puts him in another world.

“I think of it as desk work,” he said. “I imagine that if you’re working behind a desk, on a project, you’re thinking abstractly. That’s what I’m doing. I’m seeing what’s happening in the kiln, what I expect, what I hope happens.”

“I have a plan, but I’m hoping it will come out better than the last one,” he said.

It’s the glazes that pushed McMillin to make the leap from utilitarian craftsman to fine art ceramics. “I said ‘I am not going to have my foot in both worlds. I am going to jump in whole hog: all crystalline, all decorative stuff. Function is going to be secondary. Form, aesthetic, as much as I can get out of this glaze is going to be my priority.”

“And other than what I’m going through right now, I’ve stayed true to that for a long time,” he added.

Exhibiting in Three Rivers – which McMillin said he tries to do every three to four years – gives him a chance to reintroduce his work to hometown audiences.

“I want the show to be high-quality, and I want the show to be successful,” he said. “It’s the community’s responsibility to support their artists. It’s not ‘Good luck. I hope you have a great show.’”

photos by Jerry Cottrell

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LETTER FROM THE MAYOR

During my campaign, the question I heard most often was, “If elected, what are you going to do about the speeding? The running of stop signs? It’s dangerous and it must be stopped.”

On any given weekday over 15,000 people drive into and out of Covington. Many of our streets were laid out over 100 years ago … downtown streets over 200 years ago. Our streets were not designed for this much traffic.

We, the community of Covington, have a real need to slow our speed. We need to step back, take a deep breath and add a few minutes to our trip. We need to “Slow Our Roll.”

I have always believed in “due process.” First, ask nicely. Second, state it firmly. Third, execute consequences.

For the month of September, I am asking nicely for all drivers to develop the habit of driving slower in our little city.

For the month of October, I am stating firmly that all drivers should drive slower in our beloved city.

In November, consequences may be implemented for those who fail to develop the habit of driving slower.

Please, “Slow Your Roll.” My preference is we avoid the last step.

Mark Johnson City of Covington Mayor

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Attached is a proof of your ad that will run in the June/July issue of EDGE of the Lake maga as is unless we receive changes by (9.12.2019) at 5:00 PM. Please make any changes or ap

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NORTHSHORE MEDICAL COMPLEX

STORY CHARLES DOWDY

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or most of the people travelling on LA 434, it was simply a big, abandoned four-story building. There had been rumors about what would become of it. For two years, the former Lacombe Heart Hospital sat empty.

But some local health care providers saw opportunity, and they recently held a press event to show off their multimillion-dollar, repurposed and renovated medical

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complex in Lacombe.

Ochsner Health System (OHS), St. Tammany Parish Hospital (STPH) and Slidell Memorial Hospital (SMH) have joined together in a partnership to open the Northshore Medical Complex, which will serve patients as they recover from surgeries or other hospital-based treatments. They are joined in this venture by Select Medical Holdings Corp.,

one of the largest operators of critical illness recovery hospitals in the U.S. and LHC Group, a national provider of in-home health services.

Parish officials praised the move because, in addition to letting patients stay close to loved ones as they continue their treatment, it will also keep as many as 200 jobs in St. Tammany with the potential to add even more. Chris Masingill of St. Tammany Corp. emphasized that these will be good paying jobs.

One section of the new facility will care for critically ill patients who have left the hospital but are not ready to be home yet. Another part of the building will provide rehabilitative care, giving patients some independence as they recover from strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, and more.

Joan Coffman, President and CEO of St. Tammany Parish Hospital, said the launch of the complex in Lacombe means STPH patients who need post-acute care will have direct, seamless transition into the facility.

“We’ve had rehabilitation inside our Covington main campus for decades,” Coffman said. “Now, together with our partners, we have the full spectrum of post-acute care in one place. Next, we plan to renovate our old space to add more general medical and post-surgical acute care beds, a much needed resource inside our hospital.”

Stirling Properties bought the more than 200,000 square foot structure for $22 million. Shortly thereafter the three hospitals announced their plan for the facility. Ochsner predicts they will invest another $15 million in it before they are done.

Kerry Tirman, CEO of Slidell Memorial Hospital, said SMH and OHS formed a strategic partnership to expand access to care, advance quality and innovation and increase value for patients.

“This new complex is the next step in centralizing and growing health care services for St. Tammany Parish,” Tirman said. “Through partnerships like this one, SMH and Ochsner Medical Center-Northshore have the opportunity to make a significant investment in our community by offering critical post-acute care services, growing jobs and expanding administrative services on the Northshore.”

At the press event Ochsner officials predicted that one in four discharged patients would need some type of post-

photos courtesy of Northshore Medical Complex acute care, and that sometimes this can get lost in the shuffle.

Patients could end up in the wrong place and without any coordination of services.

The CEO for Ochsner - Northshore Region is John Herman. He added, “The partners have worked together to plan and open this specialized destination care center for patients upon discharge from the hospital to provide postacute care right here in St. Tammany Parish. All services involve additional partnerships with national best-in-class providers.”

Herman added that the Northshore Medical Complex is a new, innovative approach in this region to provide transparency and visibility into care for patients and enhance continuity of care, patient satisfaction and quality outcomes.

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GIFT

guide

1

OUTFIT Columbia St. Mercantile 231 and 236 N. Columbia St. Covington 985.809.1690

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HOLIDAY DECOEUR Decoeur 222 N. Columbia St. Covington 985.809.3244 EDGE October | November 2019

CHEETAH TRENCH Francos 100 Bon Temps Roule Mandeville 985.792.0200

4

ICEE MACHINE Blossom Girl 1281 N Causeway Blvd. #3 Mandeville 985.626.6280

5 6

NECKLACE The Villa 1281 N Causeway Blvd #1 Mandeville 985.626.9797

SEASONAL CENTERPIECES American Factory Direct Furniture 68490 Highway 59 Mandeville 210 New Camellia Blvd.

Covington 9555 Airline Hwy. Baton Rouge 9064 County Farm Rd. Long Beach, MS 985.871.0300

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7

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SAVING GRACE CANDLES The Wine Seller & Habanos 1567 Gause Blvd.

Slidell 985.645.9436

SEASON TICKETS Cutting Edge Theater 767 Robert Blvd.

Slidell 985.649.3727

9

COPPER AND GAS LANTERNS Gulf Coast Lanterns 401 N. Columbia St. Covington 985.900.2232

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GIFT CARDS Janie Brown’s Restaurant 27207 Highway 190 Lacombe 985.882.7201

HOTEL HAPPENINGS Southern Cup Polo Day - October 6th @11am Pack a picnic - Complimentary Champagne Summergrove Farm

HOLIDAY POP- UP

November 9th & 10th @10am Featuring Award Winning Artist and Artisans Julie Vos Trunk Show

ROARING BACK TO THE TWENTIES January 31st @ 9pm, New Years Eve Party

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JIMMY MAXWELL ORCHESTRA FOR INFORMATION ON TICKETS AND ROOM PACKAGES VISIT SOUTHERNHOTEL.COM/NYE

southernhotel.com

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9/4/2019 9:58:13 AM

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STORY MARY-BRENT BROWN PHOTOS MARY-BRENT BROWN

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n a kayak under a bridge in Dublin, I learned that there are more Irish people living outside of Ireland than inside its borders. The Potato Famine of the 1800s pushed my own ancestors to America’s shores, and then westward to Iowa. If you are even a little Irish, some of your ancestors may have come here as a result of the famine as well. I recently traveled to my forefathers and foremothers’ homeland and felt as lucky as a four-leaf clover to be there.

My college roommate is studying in England, and we went to Ireland for a visit. I had a layover in London, so our girls’ trip started there. After a night-long delay (RyanAir is cheap, but sometimes you get what you pay for) we flew into Cork, a picturesque city built along the River Lee in southwest Ireland. Our first stop was Blarney Castle. You probably know Blarney from its famous stone. One of my favorite Sherlock Holmes mysteries involves an accidental death at the Blarney Stone, later, of course, revealed to be a murder. You see, a person must lean backwards quite far over a ledge to kiss the stone and “gain eloquence.” Nowadays there is a designated employee helper as well as iron safeguards to prevent a fall, but not back then. Sherlock discovered that the murderer had surreptitiously greased the man’s boots, causing him to slip right down 90 or so feet to his death.

The grounds of Blarney Castle are as lush and green as you expect Ireland to be and meticulously manicured. There is even a bonus poison garden, which includes plants such as opium and wolfsbane, some of which grow straight from the ground into cages to prevent tourists from snatching any. The castle itself dates to the 1400s and the outside is impressive, although quite the contrary on the inside. The line to kiss the famous Blarney stone starts outside the wooden castle doors and winds up to its parapets. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to look at in the small stone rooms, so clearly the Stone attracts enough attention that the owners don’t feel the need to dress the line up a bit.

APPR After giving our smooches to a rock, we journeyed to Galway. This is where we spent the most time, as I received recommendations galore from friends. One who studied abroad here could name each street performer by act and location two years after the fact. One was a bagpiper, and he did not disappoint. In the town itself we enjoyed live music at a number of pubs, and especially enjoyed Taaffe’s Bar and The Front Door, where locals gather nightly. We, of course, had to seek out fish and chips and found a battery of delicious fish options at McDonagh’s, no surprise since they’ve been open since 1902.

You may have seen Claddagh rings with the symbol of two hands holding a crowned heart, which are quite popular in the U.S. These represent loyalty and love and people say the hand and direction you wear it can signify relationship status. You can visit the Claddagh or “An Cladach,” meaning ‘the shore’, in Galway on the western side of the city

by Galway Bay. The Claddagh, built in the fifth century, was once a fishing village with its own king.

More centrally located is Eyre Square, formally titled John F. Kennedy Memorial Park after the President who made his last overseas trip here before his assassination. Similar to the Covington Trailhead, the square hosts markets and concerts. And if you’re looking for shopping, Shop Street is nearby. It hosts local Irish retailers as well as “high street” brands like Top Shop.

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As delightful as Galway was, we took a couple of day trips while we were there. The first was to the Aran Islands. This historic set of three tiny islands off the western coast of Ireland is a real treat.

We visited Inis Mor, the largest at 12 square miles and just over 800 residents. The islands are most famous for Dun Aonghasa, a fort from 1100 B.C. located on Inis Mor near the edge of a 300 foot cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Archaeologists have long traveled here to discover the secrets of this Iron Age structure, and as a bonus the view is absolutely breathtaking! What’s left of this fort is mostly closely-set stone pillars arranged in a large semicircle. These chevaux-de-frise prevented horses or an army from infiltrating the fort. Historians believe rituals and deity offerings were performed at the cliff ’s edge, and with no one around and mist flowing freely it was easy to imagine.

At the base of the hill fort lie the visitors’ center and Kilmurvey Craft Village, although village is a generous term. The village offers an abundance of hand-knit clothing and Celtic-inspired crafts.

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It was a nice place to warm up, because even in June it can be quite cold, especially with the sea spray and breeze. Since it was too chilly to bike down the hill, we traveled to Kilmurvey with a local who hires his van out as a taxi for tourists. When not at their fishing gigs, many residents park at the dock at ferry arrival times, shuttling visitors between the few local destinations.

While residents are dedicated to traditions, still speaking Irish and relying on fishing and agriculture as a main source of income, tourism is becoming more a part of daily life.

The next day we took a trip on a tour bus to the Cliffs of Insanity – known only as the Cliffs of Moher to those who somehow haven’t seen The Princess Bride over the past 32 years. This was definitely where we saw the most people, as it is a huge tourist destination. The views were truly breathtaking from 700 feet above the water and the visitors’ center is a wealth of knowledge, both about the cliffs’ history and Ireland’s. Among the many placards and exhibits about everything from geology to wildlife was my personal favorite, a video of the cliffs from the perspective of a bird as it sweeps and ducks among the cliffs.

Finally, we hit Dublin as our last city. Shops offered all the kilts and sheep wool hats you could imagine, along with sweaters knitted according to specific family patterns based on last name. For Harry Potter fans, the Trinity College library looks magically close to the Hogwarts library. It also houses the Book of Kells, a national treasure of Ireland. This illuminated manuscript contains the four New Testament gospels and was written in calligraphy and illustrated with Celtic knots and iconography in a monastery around 800 A.D. Kayaking along the River Liffey, meaning River of Life, under the many bridges, such as the famous O’Connell and Ha’penny bridges that join the two sides of the city was a unique way to see the area. Our tour guide from City Kayaking was very knowledgeable, especially about the Great Hunger, also known as the Potato Famine. It was caused by mold that destroyed successive years of the potato crop. In five years, a million people died from starvation or from typhus and other famine-related diseases and another million left the country, reducing Ireland’s population by a quarter.

Even today, the population of Ireland is low, with the entire country holding fewer than five million people.

Seeing my ancestors’ homeland made me feel more connected to my fellow Murphys back home in Iowa. I can still hear the Gaelic music being bagpiped across the old stone streets in Galway.

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EDGE October | November 2019

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EXPLORE THE NORTHSHORE

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Rocky Horror Monster Ball 2000 in all of its Glory. Come in your Favorite 1980 Club Kids Outfit. The Club Kids’ “cult of crazy fashion and petulance”: They … are terminally superficial, have dubious aesthetic values, and are master manipulators, exploiters, and, thank God, partiers! Don’t Dream it Feel it!

OCT. 18TH - 26TH

Friday & Saturday 8pm

EN

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Vintage Vouge an evening of music The Feel of Christmas Trahan plays more than 40 characters in the comedy, which follows a day Vintage Vogue …..

The Feel of Christmas is a holiday in the life of Sam, a reservation-line New songs with a blast form the past ! show to get you in the Christmas spirit. receptionist at one of New York’s trendiest restaurants. The play, inspired TH TH Come kick off the Holiday season and by characters Mode created with Mark Attached is a the proof of your ad thatFriday will run in the June/July issue of feel EDGE of the Lake maga Setlock (who originated role), was the Spirit! & Saturday 8pm first as presented at the Vineyard Theatre changes by (9.12.2019) at 5:00 PM. Please make any changes or ap is unless we receive TH TH in 1999, transferring to the Cherry Lane Theatre and running for nearly Friday & Saturday 8pm 700 performances.

NOV. 15 & 16

NOV. 29 & 30

NOV. 1ST - 9TH

Friday & Saturday 8pm 767 ROBERT BLVD. SLIDELL | 985.649.3727 | CUTTINGEDGETHEATER.COM

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Monday - Saturday: 9am - 7pm Deli (serving amazing food): 11am - 3pm

1567 Gause Blvd. Slidell, LA (Near Office Depot)

EDGE October | November 2019

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22ndjdc.org/veterans-court

A New Start

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ix veterans graduated from the 22nd Judicial District Veterans Court in April of this year. One of the graduates, U.S. Army veteran Roderick Jackson, who severed in the Infantry Division for six years and did several combat tours said, “I am glad that this Vets Court exists because it gave me a new start.” That simple statement sums up what the Vet Court is all about.

Veterans Court in St. Tammany Parish was established in April of 2017 under the leadership of Judge Raymond S. Childress. The first year was spent preparing, training and working to get grants, said Judge Childress. The 22nd Judicial District Veterans Court is a specialty court, and was established to address judicially involved armed forces veterans who suffer from drug or alcohol dependence, posttraumatic stress and/or closed head injury. It is modeled after drug and behavioral health courts. The program is designed for veterans who are currently facing prosecution in one or more criminal cases.

The program offers treatment options that are judicially supervised, and is designed to divert veterans from the traditional criminal justice process into appropriate rehabilitative alternatives with a high degree of accountability.

Requirements are designed on a case-by-case basis to best meet the needs and abilities of each veteran. Along with a case manager, each veteran is provided with a mentor who provides personal advice and experience, recommendations and guidance.

The benefits of successful participation may include reduction in the term of probation, dismissal of criminal charges and reduced or suspended incarceration.

Jackson talks about returning home from his combat tours and how hard that was for him. Like so many, he struggled with the challenges of returning to civilian life. He talks about how during Army training he was asked to scale a wall that was too tall to climb alone. Soldiers had to learn to work together so that they all could climb over the wall: they never left a soldier behind. “In Veterans Court, you don’t have to do it alone either,” he said. “I will be coming back to help the next vet and the next vet and the next vet climb over whatever hurdles they are facing.” It is an attitude and commitment like this that will make the Vet Court successful for those that choose to participate.

Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) Secretary Joey Strickland shared his words of wisdom with the graduates, reminding them that one goal of the Veterans Court is to help veterans overcome difficulties, reducing recidivism among our veterans. But, perhaps most importantly, the main goal is to provide men and woman who have served our country with the support here at home that they need and deserve. “To each of you veterans who have committed to completing this program, I say ‘keep on keeping on – It will pay off for you and your loved ones.’” Judge Childress ended the graduation by saying that veterans understand responsibility and once they come to the conclusion that the court has their best interest in mind, they commit.

LETTER FROM THE MAYOR

Dear Citizens, As the cool fall weather approaches, Slidell is in the middle of festival season. Please join us for the City of Slidell’s Bayou Jam Concert series this October in Heritage Park. Worldrenowned pianist Ronnie Kole will perform on Sunday, Oct. 6, with special guests Bobby Ohler and John Perkins. The next week, the Northshore Community Orchestra will perform on Sunday, Oct. 13, and Vince Vance and the Valiants return to Slidell for the Bayou Jam Halloween Bash on Sunday, Oct. 27. Concerts are 5 to 7 p.m. and admission is free.

A few of the many other events happening in October include the Olde Towne Merchant Association’s Zombie Crawl on Friday, Oct. 4, Olde Towne Pumpkin Fest on Saturday, Oct. 5, Olde Towne Slidell Main Street’s Oktoberfest on Oct. 5, St. Margaret Mary Food and Fun Fest Oct. 18-20, Mona Lisa and Moonpie Parade on Saturday, Oct. 26 and the Olde Towne Historic Antique Association’s Fall Street Fair on Oct. 26 and 27.

We are blessed to have so many wonderful events in Slidell and St. Tammany Parish. Get out and enjoy the fall weather and the many wonderful events happening in our community.

Greg Cromer City of Slidell Mayor

FREE CONCERTS

n i k c o R ’ails the R

Experience

Mandeville!

The public is invited to participate in 2 live broadcasts 5:00 pm & 6:00 pm

Friday, October 4

October 3 TUBA SKINNY

5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

419 N. New Hampshire Historic Downtown Covington 985.892.1873 GottaLuvCov@covla.com www.covla.com City of Covington CovTRAILHEAD

October 10 WHERE Y’ACHT

October 17 CHEESEBURGER RANCHERS October 24 NEW SUIT

Trailhead Face Painting!

EVERY THURSDAY IN OCTOBER

2019 FALL EDGE ROCKIN THE RAILS FINAL.indd 1

EDGE October | November 2019

Spooky Dune Buggy Cruise in!

Costume Contest!

Prizes!

Games!

Crafts!

October 31 LOST IN THE 60’S

Thank You Champagne Beverage For Your Sponsorship!

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Concert at 6:30 p.m.

October 5th featuring Soul Revival

October 31 5:30 Concert 6:30

9/11/19 12:07:04 PM

Saturday, October 26, 2019 4:00 p.m The Mandeville Lakefront *Rain Date: Sunday, October 27

— BOOK YOUR STAY TODAY! — Casino 900 +/- of the Latest Hot Slots · Live Keno Parlor High Limit Salon · Sports Book · 24 of your Favorite Table Games Beachside Hotel 115 Deluxe Rooms · 5 Junior Suites 9 Penthouse Suites · Beach Club — Pool & Bar Restaurants Jubilee Buffet · Blue Bayou Bar & Grill · Palm Court Café Bayou Caddy Oyster Bar · Beach Bar · Smokehouse Café Amenities Free Valet & Garage Parking · Free Live Entertainment General Store Gift Shop · Beachfront RV Park

My turn:

by Bulent & Ozzy Duman

ABOUT BULENT DUMAN In every issue, EDGE of the Lake invites a local chef or restauranteur to visit another eatery on the Northshore.

Ozzy Duman and her husband, Bulent, have been in the restaurant business for over ten years. Duman Pizza on Girod Street is their second pizza restaurant together. Their recipe for the pizza, the dough in particular, has been ten years in the making, and Ozzy describes it as “an ongoing science project.�. They have a ton of appetizers that pair well with their extensive wine list. All of their pizzas are hand tossed and baked well done in their firebrick oven. The tomato sauce is made in house daily with fresh ingredients. Dumon, with its chic but casual atmosphere, is closed on Monday and Tuesday and open for dinner only, except on Sundays.

MATTINA BELLA RESTAURANT 421 E. Gibson St, Covington 985.892.0708

On a normal day I run on coffee alone until about 2 p.m., so I was excited when my husband, Chef Bulent, took me to Mattina Bella for breakfast in downtown Covington.

I was very impressed with the building itself. It is light and airy in the main dining room with big windows that look out on the street. I really liked the dĂŠcor and the homey feel of the building. So that was a really good start for me when it came to our meal.

Many tables were filled, but it was quiet and a nice atmosphere to have breakfast in peace. I ordered the eggs Benedict with the blue crab meat. The English muffin never got soggy. Even at the end it still had that crunch that I like. The eggs were cooked beautifully, just runny enough, and the Hollandaise sauce was light and silky.

And it had just the right amount of crab meat on it. It was a healthy portion but not overpowering. Everything about what I ordered was on point, just beautiful.

My husband got the Greek omelette.

It was cooked just right, not overly dry.

And the portion size was very balanced.

Sometimes you order omelettes and they are huge. This one was just right. He was very happy with his selection.

We had coffee and orange juice with our meal. The coffee was delicious, and the orange juice was cold and refreshing.

We decided to have pancakes as a dessert. They were huge, fluffy and the best part was the homemade blueberry compote. It was not overly sweet and the blueberries still had a tangy taste, not buried by all the sweetness.

The hostess and then the server, Jessica, were very friendly. Jessica was perfect: not too chatty, but just enough. She always had an eye on our table and the timing of the plates and refills on coffee were just right.

It was a great meal in a charming place. I left feeling full, happy and quite honestly, in need of a nap.

30TH ANNUAL WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL Antique & Classic Boats

OCTOBER 12TH - 13TH MADIOSNVILLE woodenboatfest.org

OCTOBER 12 -9 MÂ DOWNTOWN COVINGTON

27207 Highway 190 Lacombe, LA 70445

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985-882-7201 janiebrownsrest.com

The City of Slidell’s

Concert Series in Heritage Park

October 6

Ronnie Kole

with special guests

John Perkins & Bobby Ohler

October 13 An Evening with the

Northshore Community Orchestra

October 27 Halloween Bash with

Vince Vance and the Valiants

Sundays • 5-7 pm • Heritage Park • Free Admission The City of Slidell’s Bayou Jam Concert Series is made possible by the Commission on the Arts and the city’s 2019 Cultural Season Sponsors: Renaissance • $5,000 Sponsors: Sophisticated Woman Magazine

Baroque • $2,500 Sponsors: Acadian Ambulance • C. Ray Murry, Attorney At Law Jazz on the Bayou/Ronnie Kole Foundation • Silver Slipper Casino

Neoclassical • $1,000 Sponsors: Councilman Bill & Laura Borchert • Lori’s Art Depot/Lori Gomez Art Lowry-Dunham, Case & Vivien Insurance Agency • Purple Armadillo Again

Impressionism • $500 Sponsors: Chateau Bleu • CiCi’s Pizza • Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer • Flatliners Entertainment Old School Eats Food Truck • Olde Towne Slidell Print Shop • Pontchartrain Investment Management Roberta’s Cleaners • Semplice’s Pizza • Sirocco Coffee Company • Slidell Historic Antique Association Terry Lynn’s Café & Catering • Weston Three 19 • Tanya Witchen - Engel & Völkers Real Estate

Supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts as administered by the St. Tammany Commission on Cultural Affairs.

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Leadership St. Tammany (LST) introduced the members of its Class of 2020 at a reception and ceremony. The event recognized the most recent St. Tammany Parish residents selected to take part in LST, a 10-month program that offers participants an in-depth look into the inner workings of government, business, civic and cultural organizations in St. Tammany.

Saint Paul’s School received a Service Learning grant from the Joe and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation for their “Reading Buddies” project, which will be completed in conjunction with Lyon Elementary in Covington. Kyle Kersker, Isaiah Ayo and Jacob Bounds, who were Reading Buddies during the 2018-19 school year, are pictured at the Service Learning reception.

Lee Road Junior High has been named the 2018-19 Top Achieving School in St. Tammany Parish for the second year in a row by the American Heart Association.

Students in grades K-6 raised nearly $10,000 by participating in the Kids Heart Challenge.

Maison Lafitte partnered with Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West and hosted their second annual Hammers and Heels Fashion Show benefitting Women Build 2019 Fueled by Chevron.

Attendees enjoyed a lunch catered

by The Lakehouse, a fun photo booth courtesy of Fidelity Bank and a live portrait painting of Women

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Build homebuyer Edward Dowling

by Scott Withington. (Photos by Tom Ballentine) Pirates took to the streets of Covington to celebrate Dr. Jay Saux’s birthday party with their annual fundraiser held at the Columbia Street Tap Room. Money raised was donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – St Tammany. (Photos by Matthew Schlenker) St. Tammany Parish Hospital, Ochsner Health System, Slidell Memorial Hospital, Select Medical Holdings Corporation and LHC Group, Inc. joined together to open the Northshore Medical Complex in the former heart hospital building in Lacombe.

White Linen for Public Art took place on the streets of downtown Covington. Locals and visitors, dressed in their cool summer whites, enjoyed a beautiful evening strolling around Covington, listening to live music and visiting the art galleries, bars and retail stores that stayed open for the event. (Photos

by Matthew Schlenker) The Alliance for Good Government hosted its Legislator of the Year event. The non-partisan political organization awarded Larry Rolling, Council-At-Large for the City of Covington, the St. Tammany chapter’s Legislator of the Year Award.

The Mandy Milkshakers held their Third Annual Polka Dots and Pearls Ball and Charity Auction.

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The event included food from local restaurants and live music from Four Unplugged. The auction included amazing items for bid, with proceeds directly benefiting Safe Harbor. (Photos by Cmills Photography) Christ Episcopal School celebrated its 35th birthday with a Founders Day chapel for students, teachers, staff and parents.

St. Tammany Hospital Foundation’s Healing Arts Initiative hosted a reception to open the seventh artist exhibition in its rotating art gallery series in the hospital’s main lobby. Aptly named “A Colorful Voyage,” the exhibit features vibrant beautiful pieces that will take patients, staff and visitors on a journey toward healing and wholeness.

Our Lady of the Lake School celebrated its 28th Taste of Tammany event. Guests enjoyed an elegant evening featuring a cocktail reception, dinner, silent and live auctions and music by The Bucktown All-Stars.

Slidell hosted its third White Linen and Lagniappe in Olde Towne Slidell. Residents and visitors alike arrived in their white linen to enjoy a lovely evening of live music, fine arts, afterhours shopping and a signature white linen night cocktail.

Want to be featured in Around The Lake?

Send your pictures to edgepublisher@yahoo.com

Rattling the cages STORY CHARLES DOWDY

Charles Dowdy is a broadcaster and writer living with his wife and four children on the Northshore. You can hear him each weekday morning from 6 to 10 on Lake 94.7.

They would rattle their cages at night. Steel on steel. Wood on steel. We could hear this incessant banging of little prisoners seeking freedom. I could not see them from where I was, but I could picture them easily enough. They had pulled themselves to a standing position. They were facing each other. Two tiny sumo wrestlers in diapers that hung low like they had been put on in a hurry. They had gone to bed in cute matching pajamas, dressed in a style my wife called “Eskimo chic.” Those had been stripped away and tossed to the floor below in sweaty protest. One crib on either side of the room. Nice beds. Or they had been when we bought them out of a mail order magazine. It was a nightly routine. One twin would rattle the bars. Then the other would grunt and do it harder. Then the first one would try to double that intensity with screaming and shaking. Then the other would join in until both were screaming and literally trying to tear apart their cages.

Our twins were children number three and four, born way too close to children number one and two. Our parenting attention tailed off as we added to our brood. With the first one you hovered while they slept, debating a call to the doctor because you cannot hear each and every breath. A year later child two was vomiting from her ears and you watched from a distance. She’ll probably shake that off, right? Children three and four, coming into the world as a two-for-one EDGE October | November 2019

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less than five years after all these little monsters invaded your normal, orderly life? Well, for a little while, they were prisoners in their cribs while their tired parents tried to steal some sleep.

“What was that?” my wife whispered in the dark.

It had been a random thump in the night. Different from the rattling cages and indecipherable chatter.

The rattling had stopped.

“Did one of them go over the side?” I whispered.

“Not unless they’re pole vaulters,” my wife said. “The edge is over their heads.”

It was quiet in the twins’ bedroom. Too quiet.

We rolled out of bed and slipped down the hall, easing open the door to their room. One twin was at the bars, holding himself up, and began rattling desperately for freedom when he saw us. The other? He was Marco Polo.

It was impossible, but he had somehow projected himself over the side of his cage and was tooling around the room.

He didn’t look at us when we came in. He knew what we represented. Hunching his shoulders, he dug his fingers into the carpet, trying to get under a couch before we captured him and returned him to jail.

Nights at our house could already be like a subway station at rush hour. I tell myself that keeping them in the cribs allowed us a little bit more sanity. Or maybe I couldn’t

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afford the new “big boy” beds. Who knows? But when I think about it now, I think about tiny prisoners trying to escape parents who were a little scared of letting their children age and grow.

We left those baby beds on the side of the road, thinking someone would take them. A few people stopped. Then kept going once they got a good look at them. Who wants a halfdestroyed, rattled to pieces crib? I ended up burning them in the back yard.

Time, and beds, passed like the blink of an eye. The twins survived us, and we survived them. It is hard to believe we are visiting colleges with those two now.

They are still rattling cages, but mostly just mine. As babies, there is no doubt we kept them in the crib too long.

But I can’t hold these two back anymore. They are men.

And they are about to fly over the side again. My wife and I definitely know and appreciate that it is time for this to happen. We will wait in the dark for the thump that tells us they have gone tumbling through the air, exploring a new world, and becoming who they are supposed to be without us.

We help women embrace life beyond cancer.

You Night is an alternative to traditional cancer survivor support groups, offering year-round empowering activities for women who have been diagnosed with cancer. Join us at our annual Runway Show & Celebration Thursday, October 24th at the Castine Center in Mandeville. You Night was voted the Northshore's Favorite Charity Event by Edge of the Lake readers! www.younightevents.com Supported by sponsorship and donations to the "We Lift You Up" Fund, Public Charity EIN 82-4444545

2019

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