Feliciana Explorer May 21, 2024 Graduation Edition

EXPLORER EXPLORER Feliciana

Proud to be the Felicianas' only locally owned, managed, and staffed newspaper.

A Message to Our Graduates from the Feliciana Explorer

Here we are again celebrating the graduation of another class of students from our Feliciana Schools. Congratulations to the Tigers, Knights, Saints and Wildcats who will walk across the stage and receive their diplomas. The Feliciana Explorer was started to provide much needed community coverage in the Felicianas. We have followed these students through their schooling, whether it was covering academic achievements, athletics or other extracurricular activities. I want to give the 2024 graduates of our Community High Schools a bit of advice: Don’t ever let the Felicianas leave your heart! You need to experience life, go to college, get a job, have a family, travel – but don’t forget where you came from because you will find that there are few communities anywhere with as much to offer as the Felicianas. We may not have the glitz and glamour of faster paced places, but don’t be fooled! This community is special and we need the Felicianas’ best and brightest to come back here after your travels and experiences. Consider the Felicianas home, consider it your family.

Congratulations from The Duggan Family and the Feliciana Explorer!

2024 West Feliciana High School

Neal Haynes Funeral Service Assistant Scott Haynes Manager

Chloe Adams Parker Bennett

Johntydrix Cain

Allen Kathleen Bigner

Dylan Cedotal

Adams William Bergeron

Broderick Carmenia

Deriron Allen

Katelen Blaylock

Kimberly Chaires

Anasol Arce

Miles Bryant

Ashlynn Culley

Sara Adams

Cali Berry

Lauren Cazabat

Riley Anderson

Faith Blydenburgh

JaTavion Cryer

Matthew Arceneaux

Emma Bush

Jonirea Cummings

Falynn Cupit

Joseph DeJean

Presley Cutrer

Julia DeLee

Shelby Dunaway

Nicholas David

James Dornquast

Grant Duos

2024 West Feliciana High School

2024 West Feliciana High School

Brody

2024 West Feliciana High School

James Patton

Joel Rogers

Devin Quebedeaux

Eliana Shidaker

Allie Peters

Desmond Roundtree

Julie Ralph

R’Mya Smith

Katherine Robert

William Spinks

Samarah Price

Taylar Seymore

Barry Richardson

Mikell Smothers

Anjoli Robledo

Emily Stelly

Caleb Stuart

Jaminecia Tolliver

Marisa Summitt

Da’Vean Tuniors

Erick Sullivan

Jesus Torres

Audrey Surprenant

John Wadsack

Adam Theriot

Kathryn Walters

Sha’Niya Sullivan

Hayden Travis

Makhil Tate

Tamia Walker

JohnHenry Thorne

John-Philip Warner

and the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office

Brian Spillman, Sheriff from

Samiryah Branch

Maegan Davis

Ida Brown

De’Andre Duncan

Deasianae Dunn

Terion Dunn

Kyjuan Dunn

Dabori Elzy

Aniyah George

Sherailynn Dunn

Bryal Flowers

Stanley Gilmore

Terrance Jones

Hermessia Porter

Jones

McMullen

Mya Thomas

Jackson

Gernesha Sylvester

Diamond Jones

R’yan Moore

Rand Tunia

Ivory Turner

Ty’quincia Whitfield

Jabori Turner

Ja’myra Williams

Najuwa Williams

Ta’kari White

Makenna Williams

Sa’myria Williams

2024 East Feliciana High School

Ja’darius Wright

Jackson Bauer

Gunner Ellis

Charles Hunt

JoAnna Cornette

Whitney Gros

Zayne Landry

Parker Blount

Andrew Fowler

Brady Jett

Abigail Crowe

Benjamin Hausey

Garrett Manuel

Jackson Day

Braxton Hill

Kamryn Miller

William Cooper

Andrew Gayle

Kameran Kent

Raeghan Cunningham

Madison Havard

Raelyn McGrew

Bella Diel

Ashlynn Horne

Shelby Morris

Phillip Nason

Avery Simpson

James Vines

Joslyn Parnell

Rhyder Stafford

Anna Whittington

Alexander Otwell

Weston Sims

Piper Walker

Andrew Payne

Brennan Stowers

Kayden Wilkins

Cenny Qiu

Bryan Villavaso

Kirsten Worsham

Karis Otwell

Hunter Smith

Kody Watson

Kylie Phenald

Gavin Stowers

Nate WIlliams

Elizabeth Rogillio

Riley Vince

2024 Slaughter Community Charter School

Graduates!

Ava Antor

Caleb Carraway

Alexis Demoulin

Selah Flowers

Willie Bell

Carson Chaney

Lucas Eubanks

Jace Graham

Jace Babineaux

Cameron Carraway

G’nyra Dunn

Kaitlyn Forbes

Jaxon Black

Destiny Clarkston

Audrey Falgoust

Emmaleigh Graves

Shelby Caldwell

Chance Deggs

Makayla Feierabend

Christian Guy

Layla Babineaux

Aubrey Chandler

Mckenzie Duplessis

Gabrielle Garman

Loghon Byrne

Timothy Degeneres

Jackson Feese

Kyra Guthrie

Ca’Tyra Carmena

Chase Deggs

Kaylie Fletcher

Tracy Harris

2024 Slaughter Community Charter School

Chelsie Slaughter

Jaleah Williams

Sanders Ryleigh Treloar Viola Henderson Derek Reed Jack Smotek

Kayla Woodruff

Adrianna Jackson

Garrick Scott

Raymond Villavicencio

Bianca Lewis

Elizabeth Shoats

Christopher Weatherman

Taylor Holden

Jalen Roberts

Jordyn Staton

Curtrevius Wyre

Bradlie Langlois

Carrinecia Sensley

Landon Wall

Brody Mouton

Brianna Sims

Mar’asia Weatherspoon

2024 Central Private School

Andrew Dugas

Levi Jacobs

Julia Myers

Ryne Sandifer

EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS

May 21, 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) Crosscountry: 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.

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 225663-0696.

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 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 225425-8034 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-walker-percyweekend-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

EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR

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 225-7848447.

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 on the water featuring night jumps by professional water skiers from around the world! You don’t have to go far for this top-notch entertainment in Zachary, at beautiful Tri-Lakes, home of Bennett’s Water Ski and Wakeboard School, 18505 Barnett Road. Tickets are $20 a car load. Visit LANightJam.com.

Who’s Ready

Saturday, June 8: Help Create Happy Tales for Happy Tails! Is there room in your home and your heart for one more? Stop by Happy Tails dog adoption day at Tractor Supply, 7327 Highway 61 in St. Francisville. Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. But no need to wait! Call or email Michelle Hamilton, Happy Tail Rescue, for details about the dogs now looking for homes: 225-245-4123 or thehappytailrescue@outlook. com.

Saturday, June 8, in St. Francisville: The Day the War Stopped. On a hot June day in 1863, Union soldiers under the flag of truce came searching for fellow masons in St. Francisville to bury their commander with masonic honors. Confederate masons put aside their differences and stopped the war for a short time to honor the higher calling of brotherly love. Also on June 8, Feliciana Lodge #31 will hold the Sixth Annual Feliciana Cup Jambalaya Cookoff. Does your lodge have what it takes to unseat Kentwood? Enter at: https:// felicianalodge31.com/annualcookoff.

MARKET DAYS

CLOSED: The Farmers Market at Audubon Regional Library in Greensburg is closed until summer.

Thursdays—May 16, 23, 30: St. Francisville Community Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 9961 Wilcox Street in St. Francisville.

Call Claudene Cockrum, 225715-3597, or Faye Ritchie, 225245-1752, or email jritchie49@ bellsouth.net.

Saturdays—May 18, June 22, July 20, August 17, and September 21: “Pop-Up Tent Community Market.” Host: St. Francisville Tractor Supply. Time: 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Tractor Supply parking lot, 7327 Highway 61. All products are welcome. No vendor fee at this time. Please contact Krista at Tractor Supply, 225-635-2223, if you plan to set up in May.

Saturdays—May 18, 25: Zachary Farmers Market has begun NEW SPRING AND SUMMER HOURS: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lee and Main Streets. Contact zacharyfarmersmarket@gmail. com.

First Fridays—June 7: Jackson Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the town hall gazebo on Charter Street (Highway 10). Contact Ginger Goudeau at 225-933-4911 or ging130@yahoo.com.

First Saturdays—June 1: Clinton Community Market Day, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. along St. Helena Street (Highway 10) in downtown Clinton. Contact hmercantilellc@gmail.com.

Springtime awakens the child in all of us! It brings longer and warmer days with more time to spend outdoors. It also brings seasonal allergies.

At Lane Pediatrics, we are here to help you and your children get the most out of spring. From wellness exams to seasonal allergies and illnesses, we’ve got your springtime wellness covered. Our team is experienced in caring for newborns, toddlers and teens. So enjoy the outdoors and trust Lane Pediatrics to keep your little ones healthy.

Our Services

• Newborn Wellness Checks

• Well-baby Exams

• Developmental Screenings

• Preventative Checkups

• Immunizations

• School & Sports Physicals

• Primary Care Services

• Flu Shots

• On-site Laboratory Testing

Heintz

Tijani

Sapkota

BUSINESS DIRECTORY | CLASSIFIEDS

REAL ESTATE

FOR SALE: 2000 28x76

4br/2ba Mobile Home for Sale. ASking $20,000 plus you move. Needs some repair. Only serious inquiries. 225-301-2439. Room for rent in Zachary $125 a week 225-400-5017 HELP WANTED/ SERVICES OFFERED

NOW HIRING. Cashier and Kitchen help needed. 5am2pm. Apply in person at TMC Concessions, 4347 High Street, Zachary (Next to Chris’s Specialty Meats) or call (225) 2865744.

Experience Labor Workers Needed in the Felicianas call 225-955-7584.

MISCELLANEOUS/ ITEMS FOR SALE

OCC Equipment rentals - 4 bobcat skid steers with grapple ready to go .call Frank 225-9313005. Can deliver.

Cross Creek Cowboy Church. Sundays breakfast 9:30, service 10:30. 21160 Plank Road, Zachary. Come as you are. Crosscreekcowboychurch.com

I will pay cash or your junk cars and remove any scrap metal. Call (225)276-4273.