The Feliciana Explorer May 14, 2024

EXPLORER EXPLORER Feliciana

Herman Batiste: “The Legend”

“There’s good, there’s great, and then there’s Herman Batiste”

By Patricia Stallmann

rachal2743@gmail com

225-721-5534

Regionals and State

At track and field regionals last month in Lafayette, as Herman Batiste waited his turn at the long jump, his coach said, pointing: “That kid just jumped twenty-three feet!”

Batiste’s mother quickly countered, “No, he didn’t! That’s not true!”

A week or so later, as the three told the story, Coach Alonzo Jones leaned back, his smile revealing a hint of mischief. “Herman believed me, not his mom, so he jumped 23 feet 9.” His prior best was 23’5 at the state championship in 2023.

Herman Batiste, says his East Feliciana High coach, “is the best male track athlete in the state, from 5A to Class C.” During the athlete’s junior year, Jones dubbed him “The Legend,” explaining, “There’s good, there’s great, and then there’s The Legend, and that’s Herman Batiste.”

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

printing of these statements

Chief Judge John Michael

Chief Judge John Michael Guidry announces his candidacy for election to the District 2 Seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court. The primary election will be November 5, 2024.

Chief Judge Guidry is in his 26th year as an appellate court judge on the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. On January 1, 2023, he made history when he became the 15th Chief Judge on the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal and the first African American to hold that position in the more than 100-year history of the court.

Prior to his election to the Court of Appeal, Chief Judge Guidry served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the

On April 23 at the University of Louisiana–Lafayette regionals, Batiste won not only the 2A long jump, but the boys 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.27 seconds, the 300 meter hurdles with 37.96 seconds, and the high jump at 6’6 in a tie.

On Friday, May 3, representing East Feliciana at the state championship in Baton Rouge, on his way to “Outstanding Athlete” honors, he won first place in long jump at 23.35 feet, first place in 110 meter hurdles at 14.31 seconds, and first place in 300 meter hurdles at 37.9 seconds.

Coach Jones notes, “The state limits the number of events to four. If the rules allowed Herman to compete in six, he’d win six. He triple- jumps at 47 feet, and that’s joking and playing during practice. That score would win state. He could win the 200 and 400. And he’s got the strength for the throwing events.”

And yet this young man, while

making sure that he lives up to his talent at every moment and in every meet, remains humble.

Louisiana State Senate. Chief Judge Guidry is also a former commissioner on the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission and the Greater Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Commission. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at the Southern University Law Center and formerly served as an adjunct professor with the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy on the Baton Rouge Campus of Southern University. Chief Judge Guidry is a 1983 graduate of LSU and a 1987 cum laude graduate of the Southern University Law Center

District 2 of the Louisiana Supreme Court was recently redrawn by the legislature and now includes:

Avoyelles Parish; Concordia Parish; portions of East Baton Rouge Parish; East Carroll Parish; East Feliciana Parish; Iberville Parish; portions of Lafayette Parish; Madison Parish; Richland Parish; St. Helena Parish; portions of St. Landry Parish; Tensas Parish; West Baton Rouge Parish; and West Feliciana Parish.

John Michael Guidry

This year: Herman Batiste, “The Legend,” lifts off on his way to first place in high jump at LSU’s 2024 “Last Chance” qualifier. Photograph submitted by Carolyn Johnson

In 2023 at LSU: Herman Batiste gives it his all in the long jump event at state. Photograph by Michael Odendahl

Notice is hereby given that Mary Anne Turner Sanford, the duly appointed

utrix of the Succession of Chapman L.

Suit No. P-108989, Section “26”, of the 19th Judicial District Court for East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, has filed a Petition for Authority to Sell Succession Property in order to sell the Estate’s interests in following described immovable property for no less than THREE MILLION DOLLARS ($3,000,000.00), pursuant to the cash offer in the same amount from Cecil Graves, or for the highest offer or in the best interests of the Estate, all as subject to approval of the said Court at a hearing set for June 19, 2024 at 9:30 a.m., of the following described property: One (1) certain tract or parcel of land, together with all buildings and improvements thereon and all of the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, situated in SECTIONS 67 AND 68, TOWNSHIP 3 SOUTH, RANGE 3 WEST, West Feliciana Parish, State of Louisiana, bounded on the West by Highway 61 Bypass, on the North by Ruiz, on the East by Caspers Creek, and on the South (then) by Rosedown Plantation, containing approximately 48.413 acres, more or less, and being more particularly described according to a map thereof made by Raul S. Gonzalez, C.E. and Surveyor, dated April 10, 1972 and entitled “Map Showing Survey of a 50.29 Acre Tract as Found on the Ground and Located In Sections 67 & 68, T-3-S, R-3-W, St. Helena Meridian, West Feliciana Parish for Theodore G. Solomon” and being a portion of that property acquired by Chapman L. Sanford by Act of Exchange with Theodore G. Solomon, recorded in Conveyance Book 63 at Page 536 of the conveyance records of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.

LESS AND EXCEPT:

1. One (1) certain tract or parcel of land, together with all of the improvements situated wholly or partially thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes and advantages thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, situated in the Parish of West Feliciana, State of Louisiana, located in Section 68, T3S, R3W, G.L.D., containing approximately 0.473 acre, and being more particularly described in that sale document from Chapman L. Sanford to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for the Hwy. 61 Bypass, recorded as Original Document #89746 in Conveyance Book 153 at Page 884 of the conveyance records of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.

2. A certain tract or parcel of land, together with all buildings and improvements thereon and all rights, ways, privileges, servitudes and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, situated in Sections 67 & 68, T3S, R3W, GLD, Parish of West Feliciana, State of Louisiana, containing 1.403526 acres, more or less, bounded on the North by, now or formerly, Robert L. Ruiz, on the east and south by the remainder of Tract “B”, and on the west by U. S. Hwy. 61, and being more particularly described as “TRACT C” on a plat of survey by John M. Bankston, Jr., PLS, dated November 6, 2005, entitled “Map Showing The Removal of Tract “C” from Tract “B” of the Mrs. Camilla Bradley Truax and Mrs. Helen Bradley Callicott Property Located in Section 67 & 68, T-3-S, R-3-W, G.L.D., West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana for The Highlands Bank” (now the site of the Investar Bank).

The above-described property of the Estate of Chapman L. Sanford contains approximately 48.413 acres, more or less.

Attorney for Succession: Gregory E Bodin, LBRN 18802 – 450 Laurel Street, 21st Floor, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70801 Telephone: 225.381.7000 Facsimile: 225.343.3612 Email: gbodin@bakerdonelson. com

In Our Business Community

Bank of St. Francisville Announces Three New Board Members

Elizabeth D. Levasseur, a native of Baton Rouge, moved to St. Francisville in 2011 with her family.

She received her Bachelor of Science in finance from Texas A & M University in 1999 and retired from Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Incorporated, in 2021 after 22 years, serving as Senior Vice President of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs.

Currently, she is the Chief Compliance Officer of KG&L Capital Management, LLC, an investment advisory firm in St. Francisville.

Mrs. Levasseur is the current board president of The Julius Freyhan Foundation, which supports the restoration of the historic Freyhan School building in downtown St. Francisville as well as

She is a former board member of the Krewe of Assisi, a charitable organization whose primary mission is to raise funds to support charities in West Feliciana.

James J. Clyde

A Louisiana native, James J. Clyde has been a part of the St. Francisville community for 14 years.

He received a Bachelor of Science from LSU in 1991 and a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. He has been the owner and president of Vivatas, an IT consulting company, for 20 years, and is active in real estate.

Mr. Clyde has served on the Board of Advisors for Arete Scholars, a nonprofit organization helping provide high-quality education opportunities for disadvantaged children.

Lawrence Maestri, together with George Murrell, has grown MaestriMurrell, Inc., from one employee in 1989 managing multi-family properties for the Resolution Trust Corporation to over 100 employees today managing and brokering a diverse portfolio of commercial, retail, and multi-family properties throughout Louisiana and Mississippi.

Maestri-Murrell continues to be known as a leader in brokerage, management and development services.

Lawrence and Kris Ann Maestri have been married for 34 years and have two children, Caroline and Miller. He is a member of the Chapel on the Campus and serves on its Financial Committee and Care Ministry. He is an avid golfer and fisherman.

Elizabeth D. Levasseur promotes awareness of the history and future of education in West Feliciana

Parish.

Lawrence Maestri

continued from page 1

“When you talk about Herman,” says his coach, “remember the God element.”

The Only Way to Beat Batiste

As for the 2024 state championship high jump, Batiste’s signature event, officials ruled that he could not complete his jumps, as he had returned too late after winning the 110m hurdles. Athletes, the LHSAA rules read, have 10 minutes to return to an event they must interrupt to compete in another event on their schedule.

“I told them I’d be right back, after the hurdles,” the athlete says. “No one said anything about a time limit…but when I came back, they said I had missed it.”

They awarded him second place, pairing his second and final attempt of 6’2 to a competitor’s final jump of 6’2 and declaring the other athlete the winner, when Batiste had nailed 6’10 on March 1 of this year at the West Feliciana High School field before the district meet.

Batiste’s disappointment, Coach Jones explains, is largely due to his having trained hard to break the state record of 7’. He was ready to meet that final high school measure of his ability.

Before the March 1 leap of 6’10, his recent high jump record includes:

—During this year’s indoor track season, on January 20 at LSU’s “Last Chance” meet—the last chance to qualify for the indoor state championship—he jumped 6’9. Previously, he had hit 6’8.25.

—At the McNeese High School Indoor Meet on January 27 in Lake Charles, at the “Last Chance” qualifier for the 2024 indoor championship, he beat his personal best with a jump of 6’9.

—For the indoor state championship itself, he won the high jump with 6’8.

“The high jump,” says Darren Matthews, his middle school coach, “is Herman Batiste’s best event.”

Batiste, however, appeared less concerned about his forced forfeiture and more concerned that East Feliciana “would have placed second instead of fourth this year if the officials had allowed me to compete.” He doesn’t mention that East Feliciana entered only two athletes in the boys events, when other schools entered as many as ten.

Asked to comment further, he pauses and says simply, “I wouldn’t want that to happen to anyone else.”

For an athlete who, according to his middle school coach, “upholds the highest standards of sportsmanship and teamwork,” that ruling tested his character. He believes in standing up for what he believes is right, he says, and, at the same time, he practices good sportsmanship.

The pursuit of excellence, however, has taught Herman Batiste to focus, not only on the field and in the classroom but far beyond. The true award, the only one that really matters at this stage: While “everyone in the SWAC” came calling, says Coach Jones, Southern University pursued Batiste with a double scholarship: both track and football.

The only way to beat Batiste is to keep him from competing.

Don’t let that happen again to anyone else, says The Legend.

But never mind. Herman Batiste quotes his favorite Bible verse, Proverbs 18:16: “A man’s gift will make room for him and bring him before great men.”

Long Road to Success

Herman Batiste began preparing for that final high school meet when he was only 5, and even younger, and his brother Orthello, nine years older, found sports opportunities and activities for Herman at every turn, even including him in his own. On one occasion, he brought Herman along to play basketball at Burden Park in White Castle. Their cousin, Ryan Johnson, was the coach.

“I got the ball,” Herman recalls, “and I just shot it. It went in. The

coach asked me if I could do that again, and I did it again. And again. I kept making it.”

Is that when you knew your talent was exceptional?

“I was only 5!” he laughs. “I didn’t know anything!”

Herman’s inspiration—“his best friend, his everything,” says his mother—was his brother Orthello.

Around that time, she decided that repeating kindergarten would give her youngest a strong start in elementary school.

Next, he repeated first grade, Orthello at his side, encouraging him.

By the time he was 8, with Orthello’s guidance and his mother’s everpresent support, he was playing football with the White Castle Kings, a community team, whose coach, John Morris, Mrs. Johnson notes, “is now the mayor of White Castle.”

Then one night, when Herman was 10 and in the fifth grade and Orthello was 19, the older brother, before leaving to visit a friend, stopped to say goodby

“He told Herman,” Mrs. Johnson recalls, “‘I know you’re going to be successful. You’re very smart. Remember how much I love you.’”

That night, Orthello died in an automobile accident.

“It was as if he knew,” Mrs. Johnson says, when he stopped to encour-

age Herman to live up to his promise.

Herman Batiste’s unflagging focus on improving his performance in both sports and academics is a living memorial to the man his brother was and would have been. A man lives on in the lives of those he inspired and in the memory of those he loved.

And Herman Batiste is inspired. As for his training regimen, “If I allowed it,” Jones says, “he’d be out there till pitch black dark every day.”

A few years back: Orthello Batiste, left, the inspiration for Herman Batiste’s achievement, appears to guard his younger brother even as he sleeps. Photograph provided by Carolyn Johnson

Three weeks ago: At East Feliciana High School’s senior picture day, Herman Batiste holds a few of the medals he’s collected over his three-year high school track and field career. Photograph by David Photography of Jackson

Mrs. Johnson adds, “And when he gets home—we installed hurdles and outside lights—he keeps running the hurdles, and he works with the neighborhood children, teaching them football, basketball, and track.”

The God Element

A person who has a God-given talent “has a purpose in life,” in sports and beyond sports, says Coach Jones, adding, “No amount of coaching can make an athlete great.”

But what the coach calls “the God element” refers not only to an athlete’s talent but to the people who come together around him, the right people at the right time, every step of the way, as if by plan.

From the very beginning, Herman Batiste’s mother, Carolyn Johnson, and his brothers Orthello Batiste and Arlando Lumar, acknowledged his talent and provided the structure and opportunities he needed to achieve.

Darren Matthews, the middle school coach, reports, “Years ago, I saw this kid who was in fifth grade running up and down the basketball court, and I recruited him. He played middle school varsity sports for us when he was in elementary school.”

The coach acknowledges what Jones has referred to briefly as “naysayers,” those few who questioned, early on, whether the athlete could match his sports prowess with academic achievement. “He needed to build his attention span,” Matthews explains, while seconding Orthello’s assessment of the young man’s ability.

“Last year I wrote a letter about Herman, discussing his excellent athletic skills, team spirit, and dedication throughout his academic and athletic career.

“ ‘He has shown exceptional performance in several sports, including football, basketball, and track and

Herman:

his track and field and football scholarships to Southern University are East Feliciana High graduate Herman Batiste, center, front row, and his parents, Hollis and Carolyn Johnson, and, middle row: his aunt, Marilyn Johnson, and his cousin, Ryan Johnson. In back are EFHS paraprofessional Karen Sims and teacher Cedric Walker. Photograph by Patricia Stallmann

field, and has consistently demonstrated excellent leadership abilities on and off the field.’

“I knew that he would prove the naysayers wrong and that someone might very well come along later,” asking for information about his early career. So Matthews wrote his tribute, which ends: “It was an honor to coach such a great and talented athlete.”

Later, when Herman Batiste entered high school in 2021 as a freshman, he encountered a force to be reckoned with…in the person of Trina Brown, the high school counselor.

“I had no idea he was an athlete,” she says.

“I looked at his age, and I saw that he should be graduating in 2024.

“When a kid has will power, I provide a plan, a fast track,” continues

this self-described “person who pushes academics.”

Her plan for Herman: He would graduate in three years, not four.

To accomplish that, his counselor says, “he could not slip.” No room for error. No mistakes.

On the plus side: He entered ninth grade with three high school credits. That meant he needed to earn seven credits a year for three years to reach 24, the minimum for graduation.

“I drew up a contract,” Brown says, noting that Mrs. Johnson needed to commit to her role, Herman needed to commit to his, and she, the counselor, to hers. The three signed on to Brown’s ambitious plan.

“And I stayed behind him,” she says, “I monitored him. I pushed…the same as I do for every student in this

building. I consider every one of them the same as my own biological child.”

The counselor learned only much later that had Batiste not “caught up the year” he lost as a child, he would have been ineligible to play sports his fourth year of high school due to his age… his career, perhaps, at a close.

The young man knew, however, what was at stake, and his mother knew.

“I wanted to keep doing what I love to do,” he says today, “playing football and running track.” He remains grateful that both Mrs. Brown and his mother were present during every school day, as Mrs. Johnson also works at the high school. But he knew that the motivation to meet his responsibilities, both academically and athletically, had to come from within himself. He pushed himself.

To prepare for the ACT and to stay on track while doubling up his class load, Batiste took advantage of the school system’s 21st Century EF Accelerate Afterschool Program throughout the school year, and the 21st Century EF Accelerate Summer Program during the summers.

All athletes in East Feliciana’s public schools, the counselor says, take part in a 45 to 50 minute tutoring session four days a week, Monday through Thursday, before reporting for practice. As Batiste played football and basketball and took part in track and field, he performed that extra work throughout all sports seasons.

Many seniors, who complete 28 hours, may leave campus at 1 p.m. during the school week. Batiste was there all day, every day.

Very few agree to such a rigorous contract, says Brown. “Very few perform this degree of catch-up.

“His senior year, his third year,

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Ready for Spring?

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was the most challenging: He completed English III and IV, and Algebra II and III.”

His ACT score, Coach Jones adds, was 25, which places him at the top of the first 75 percent of all who took the test.

Despite the academic load—and traveling to compete for his school— he earned a solid B overall.

Talk about focus.

That’s what Herman Batiste did, over three years, to earn the right to compete in the state championship, not only the long jump and the hurdles, but the high jump as well.

Still, he smiles broadly, holding his 2024 state championship “Most Outstanding Athlete” plaque high above his head.

Team Herman Coach Jones credits Superintendent Keisha Netterville for creating the academic and athletic environment that nurtured Batiste.

The school system is the “village” that, like a family, raises its children, with roles for students, their parents and extended family members, teachers, coaches, school counselors, administrators, school employees, and the wider community, all working together to meet each student’s individual needs. Herman Batiste is one of many who have taken advantage

of the opportunities the East Feliciana public schools offer.

Only one example of what Netterville calls “Homegrown Pride,” her five-year plan for the system, is the new state-of-the-art track that shines just back of the high school building.

“We used to dodge potholes,” says the Coach. “Now our track is the best anywhere.”

School Counselor Trina Brown and Athletic Director Cedric Anderson, Mrs. Johnson notes, “were here from Day One” for Herman and, as Brown says, “for every student in the building.”

When Hollis Johnson joined the athlete’s family, he joined Herman’s mother, Grandmother Deloris Lumar, aunts, and family friends who have accompanied the athlete to his competitions, at least 28 in the past three years.

Mrs. Johnson’s summary of her son’s athletic achievement:

“In 2022, for district, regionals, and state, he placed first in the high jump and 300 meter hurdles and second in the 110 hurdles and was named “Most Outstanding Athlete” at each event. He ran summer track, which led to the Junior Olympics in North Carolina, where he placed second in the nation.

“In 2023, at the indoor state championship, he won first in the high jump; and in outdoor track district and regionals, he won first in the 110

hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump, and high jump. He also broke a record in the 300-meter hurdles at the Episcopal district meet in Baton Rouge. At state, he took first place in the long jump and the high jump. He went to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Junior Olympics and placed sixth in the nation for the high jump.

“In 2024, at the indoor state championship, he won first place in the high jump and 60 meter hurdles. He went to New York for the Nike indoor track competition and placed fourth in the nation. For district and regionals, he won first place for long jump, high jump, 110 hurdles, and 300 hurdles. He broke his record for the district meet at Episcopal in the 300-meter hurdles, and he also broke his record at University of Louisiana in Lafayette for regionals in the long jump. For both district at Episcopal and regionals at UL–Lafayette, he won “Most Outstanding Athlete.”

And then, at the state championship, he won three events and nailed “Most Outstanding Athlete” one last time.

“Herman’s parents,” says Coach Jones, “have invested the time and money to get him where he is. No matter where the team goes, even during the summers, his parents are there.” Mrs. Johnson, a track and field athlete herself during her school days, was perhaps the first to recognize her son’s ability. Her determination

EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS

EVENTS CALENDAR

May 14, 2024

Please submit calendar notices to: rachal2743@ gmail.com.

NOW: Register for Zachary schools summer camps. 1) ZHS Wrestling: June 17–20, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., ages 6–14, cost, $125 per wrestler; $25 siblings discount. 2) ZHS Baseball: June 10–13, 9 a.m.–noon, 5–14 years old, $120. 3) ZHS Agriculture Camp: July 15–19, 8 a.m.–1 p.m., 5–10 years old, $150. 4) Lady Broncos Volleyball and Basketball: June 10–12, kindergarten–seventh grade, $110 for one or $200 for both. 5) Volleyball: 8 a.m.–11 a.m., Basketball: noon–2 p.m. 6) Cross-country: June 24–27, first–sixth grade, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m., $100. 7) Boys Basketball: May 27–31, Ages 4–14, 8:30 a.m.–noon, $110. 8) Rollins Place Elementary Arts and Science: July 8–12, completed first to fourth grade, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., $180 by May 2 or $200 after May. Visit zacharyschools.org/summercamps/ to register.

Tuesday, May 14: “The Art of Storytelling” workshop at the Audubon Regional Library’s Clinton Branch, 11023 Bank Street. The library invites adults 18 and over to discuss memoirs and storytelling at 1 p.m. Listen to others’ stories and find your own voice. Come ready to share your life stories with neighbors and friends. To sign up for one of the eight openings, stop in or call 225-683-8753. For more information, visit our webpage at www.audubonregional.net.

Thursday, May 16: “Conversations and a Pair of Teeth” at 6 p. m., Afton Villa Gardens, will “showcase the history of the property as told through actor portrayals of those who have lived there.” Visit devan@visitstfrancisvillela.com, as more information will come soon.

Thursday, May 16: At Zachary Branch Library, 1900 Church Street, teens interested in architecture and engineering can create something cool out of cardboard with Makedo cardboard construction tools. Time: 4 p.m. For more information, call 225-658-1840.

Friday, May 17: West Baton Rouge Museum’s May Historical Happy Hour features: Ed Willis and Blues 4 $ale! Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Place: The Juke Joint stage near 6th Street on museum grounds, 845 N. Jefferson Avenue, Port Allen. This FREE event is open to the public. Ed Willis is bluesman from New Orleans who has been playing music since he taught himself as a child. Along with bassist Charles Barker and drummer James Clark, Ed formed the band Blues 4 $ale in 2002. They’ve since appeared at the Bay Harbor Festival in Bay St. Louis, the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival in New Orleans, the Voice of the Wetlands, the Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival, and regularly at New Orleans venues Vaso, Bamboulas, 21st Amendment, and 20/90, and have toured across the U.S., Europe, Canada, and South America. For more information, visit www.WestBatonRougeMuseum.org.

Friday, May 17: “Evolution of the Revolution” art exhibit. This month’s Historical Happy Hour at West Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Avenue, Port Allen, does double duty as an opening for the art exhibit, which will be on display at the museum from May 18 to August 25. This fascinating multi-media installation— presented by the California African American Museum and created by Surreal Box Cinema— features huge, colorful photographs depicting

key moments in Black history, and is the product of collaboration between photographers and set designers Lynn Rossi and Nichelle Evans. The exhibit will be open to the public during Historical Happy Hour. Bring blankets, folding chairs, and liquid refreshments of choice to enjoy an outdoor performance by Ed Willis and Blues 4 $ale. For more information, visit www. WestBatonRougeMuseum.org.

Saturday, May 18: Birding at Burden, “a birdwatcher’s dream come true. During a twohour guided tour led by birding specialists through the birding loops at Burden Museum and Gardens, birdwatchers may glimpse northern mockingbirds and ruby-throated hummingbirds, seven different woodpeckers, waterfowl, wading birds, and a variety of resident migratory songbirds. Time: 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Place: 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge. Capacity: 15. Fee: $10. Register at Eventbrite. com.

Sunday, May 19: Cajun Jam with the Cajun French Music Association, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the West Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Avenue, Port Allen, led by special guest Shannon Lejeune! Musicians may join in informally to play traditional Louisiana songs. We encourage all who play acoustic instruments (no amps, please), as well as the fiddle, accordion, guitar, washboard, triangle, and double bass, to attend and take part. Refreshments are welcome. This FREE event is open to the public. For more information, visit www.WestBatonRougeMuseum.org.

Monday, May 20: Heirs Property and Succession Planning Informational Meeting. Location: Prevailing Word Christian Center, 6529 LA-1, Innis, Louisiana 70747. Time: 6 p.m. Veteran attorney Jonathan Reynolds will provide an educational presentation on the history and dangers of and solutions to the inherited ownership structure commonly called “Heirs Property.” Pointe Coupee Parish has the second highest unresolved heirs property issues in the state. Having a clear title is the key to qualifying for financial assistance from many government agencies and is necessary to build generational wealth. This event is sponsored by Pointe Coupee United Together in conjunction with Louisiana Appleseed, AARP, and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services. For more information, please contact Angela Miller at 502-240-8895.

Monday, May 20, and Tuesday, June 11: Dress Drive. The Slaughter Civic Club asks for donations of formal dresses suitable for bridesmaids, prom, or homecoming. The civic club will sell the dresses at its Back to School Bash, with all proceeds benefitting the Town of Slaughter and community events. Please drop off your dresses from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Delaney at 225-301-5734 or Adele at 225-931-2470. Third Tuesdays—May 21: The East Feliciana Drug and Alcohol Awareness Council Monthly Meeting takes place at the East Feliciana Public Health Unit building, 12080 Marston Street in Clinton. Time: 5 p.m. This meeting is open to the public. Please use the side entrance. For more information, please call 225-663-0696.

Friday, May 24, 2024, at 2:30 PM Audubon Regional Library Jackson Branch: Family Movie Day. Pop in at 2:30 p.m. for a family friendly movie. Afterwards, get creative with a craft session perfect for everyone! For more information, please contact your local branch. In Jackson: Jackson Square Plaza, 2637 Highway 10; call 225-634-7408. Find us on Facebook at

matches his, as well as her attention to every detail.

“Once,” says Jones with a smile, “she told the officials at a competition, ‘The high jump bar is not even.’ They adjusted it.”

Everyone associated with track and field competition in Louisiana, it seems, has come to know Herman Batiste and “Team Herman,” the cheerleaders who stand behind him every step of the way.

In one of the many threads that have woven together as if by design— the God element—Southern University’s track and field coach, Teremine White, met Batiste at the 2023 regionals in Lafayette…after discussing the athlete with Mrs. Johnson’s high school coach, Irving “Boo” Shexneider, “one of the best jump coaches in the world,” a man, says White, who “coaches the coaches.”

The Southern coach terms Batiste “a great athlete with great potential… one of the best to come out of East Feliciana in a very long time…and he could be one of the best ever to come through Southern University.

“He could compete in track and field for a very long time; he could be the best in the country.”

Should Batiste aim for the Olympics, White mused, mentioning “multiple event” competitions, Southern “could be there for him.”

Well done, Herman Batiste. Well done, Team Herman.

CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR

www.facebook.com/audubonregional.

Saturdays, May 25; June 8 and 22: Greater Baton Rouge Model Railroaders will exhibit its model train collection from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3406 College Street in Jackson, behind the Republic of West Florida Museum. No admission fee. For further information, or to book space at no charge for a birthday party, please email maczilla1@bellsouth.net or call 713-858-9251.

Tuesday, May 28, and the Last Tuesday of Every Month at 6 p.m.: Free yoga (all levels) at the West Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Avenue, Port Allen. Please do not eat beginning one hour prior to class, and please remember to bring a yoga mat. Classes convene in the Brick Gallery; please enter through the courtyard or the gravel driveway. For more information, visit www.WestBatonRougeMuseum.org.

Wednesday, May 29: The Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center mobile unit will provide free breast and skin cancer screenings and distribute colorectal cancer screening kits from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Audubon Market, 5452 Live Oak Centre Drive in St. Francisville. To determine eligibility, to make an appointment, or for more information, please call 225-425-8034 or visit marybird.org/services/get-screened.

Friday, May 31, through Saturday, June 1: The Ninth Annual Walker Percy Weekend in St. Francisville presents “Walker Percy and the Speculative South.” Tickets are available at: bontempstix.com/events/the-2024-walkerpercy-weekend-5-31-2024. Guests may attend only lectures and panel discussions or may add, at additional cost, the Progressive Front Porch Bourbon Stroll and the Taste of Louisiana Supper.

ONGOING through May 31: An Exhibition of Recent Work by Lynn Wood at Backwoods Gallery, 11931 Ferdinand Street in St. Francisville. Gallery hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call gallery owner Joe Savell at 225-721-1736.

REGISTER NOW: Arts for All “Summer Art Camp 2024” with Angel Mcgee, for ages 7 through 14, will take place June 10 through 14. The camp “will teach students lots of great art skills and will offer unique, fun projects: drawing while using many different mediums, portrait sketching, sculpting with a variety of products, watercolor painting, charcoal drawing with a twist, weaving, and MORE! Fee: $150 for the week. Contact Lynn Wood at birdmancoffeeshop@gmail.com to sign up.

ONGOING: SIX Hiking and Biking Trail

Locations in the St. Francisville area, dawn until dusk: 1) Tunica Hills Wildlife Management Area offers five hiking, biking, and ATV trails.

Location: 18 miles north of St. Francisville off Highway 66. 2) Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge offers two hiking and Nature trails and three ATV trails. Location: 7 miles west of St. Francisville off of Creek Road. 3) Mary Ann Brown Preserve offers three hiking trails. Location: 8 miles southeast of St. Francisville off of Highway 965. 4) West Feliciana Parish Sports Park offers one hiking and biking trail. Location: 3 miles north of St. Francisville off of Highway 61. 5) Clark Creek Natural Area (in Mississippi, but close to St. Francisville) offers one hiking trail 25 miles north of St. Francisville off of Ft. Adams Pond Road. 6) Audubon State Historic

Site offers one Nature and birding trail 6 miles southeast of St. Francisville off of Highway 965. For more information, visit StFrancisvilleLa. com, come by the Historical Society Museum at 11757 Ferdinand Street in St. Francisville, or email Devan@visitstfrancisvillela.com. Please check with the Sports Park to be sure that trails are open following the April 20 storm. NOW through Friday, May 31: Application Period for Master Gardener Classes, August 1 through November 7 at the West Feliciana Parish Extension Office, 10032 West Feliciana Parkway in St. Francisville. The fee is $200. Master Gardener volunteers receive over 40 hours of horticulture training in botany, plant propagation, entomology, plant pathology, weed science, soils, pesticide safety, lawn care, vegetables, fruits, herbaceous plants, and more! Application forms are available from Horticulturist Jessie Hoover, jhoover@agcenter. lsu.edu or 225-683-3101, or at www.lsuagcenter. com/FelicianaMG.

Saturday, June 1: The Inaugural Feliciana Wildflower Festival in Downtown Clinton (during the Clinton Community Market) and Downtown Jackson and surrounding areas will include education for kids and adults alike, entertainment, food, discussion panels, shopping, and fun activities for kids that include making wildflower crowns. Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Taking part: USDA–Natural Resources Conservation Service, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Pheasants Forever, East Feliciana 4-H, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Southern University AgCenter, Wisteria Alliance, Maypop Hill, McKowen Farms, H Mercantile, The Green Door at H Mercantile, the Galvez Distillery, and many more educational institutions and businesses. The Wildflower Photography Contest is under way. For more information on the contest or to sponsor the festival or volunteer, please email felicianawildflowerproject@gmail.com. More information can be found at Facebook.com/ felicianawildflowerproject.

Wednesday, June 5: Tupelo Elvis Festival Gala and After Party 6 p.m. at Tupelo Cotton Mill, 300 Elliott Street, Tupelo, Mississippi, with festival host Tom Brown and featuring Ben Thompson, Bill Cherry, Brandon Bennett, Cote Deonath, David Lee, Jeff Lewis, Jesse Aron, Jay Dupuis, and Nick Perkins backed by Tributes in Concert band. Visit tupeloelvisfestival.com for more information.

Register NOW: Youth Soccer Camp for boys and girls ages 6 through 13. Date: June 25 through 27. Place: West Feliciana Parish Sports Park, 10226 W. Feliciana Parkway, St Francisville, off Highway 61 north of Highway 10. Register by email at DenhamD@wfpsb.org.

Cost is $50; please pay by check or at tinyurl. com/ysmnaee3. For more information, call 225784-8447.

Saturday, June 8: LA Night Jam, Louisiana’s only water sports festival and professional extreme water sports competition and show, presented by Tides Medical, is back for its second consecutive year! Get ready for an amazing show

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