Get Ready for Eight Hot Air Balloons at Zachary’s 2nd Annual
Really Hot Air Balloon Festival
B y T he Z achary P os T s Taff
Balloons and Everything Else
Imaginable
Thanks to “Downtown Live Zachary” and a funloving Zachary community, Zachary residents will gather with visitors from far and near at Zachary Community Park, a BREC facility, on Saturday, August 10, beginning at noon. The occasion: the city’s second annual hot air balloon fest.
The eight aeronauts, however—the balloon pilots—will arrive much earlier, at 5 a.m., to determine where to set up their balloons, which they will then launch at sunrise, well before the arrival of the crowds.
On the agenda for festival-goers: mechanical bull rides, a Kids Zone, an array of food trucks, and tent vendors offering everything from candles to cotton candy to Cosmopolitans to handcrafted chests and chairs.
Then, as dusk and dark descend, expect “balloon glow” to fill the sky as the balloons assume a magical “glow,” due to puffs of the fire and heat that keep them inflated.
Around the same time, 6 p.m., tether balloon rides will begin, weather permitting.
And from 6 to 9 p.m., The Chase Tyler Band will fill the air with Southern Rock, blues, country, Swamp Pop, and, in general, the kind of music, the critics say, “that makes you want to jump up and dance.” Joining founder Chase Tyler are Jude Hollier on bass gui -
tar, Jay Jordan on lead guitar, John Pisciotta on drums, and Mike Simoneaux, keyboards.
Fest Movers and Shakers
Really Hot Air Balloons, a family business in Zachary since 2018, loans its name to the festival, the suggestion, for last year’s inaugural event, of Mary Landry, then the director of community events for the City of Zachary and the balloon fest’s first committee chair.
Shawnel and Chad Hebert, and Shawnel’s father Shawn Krause, owners of Really Hot Air Balloons, welcomed the idea, as they had worked “for years” to bring a hot air balloon event to their city Now, says Shawnel, for the second year, the Heberts are serving on the Downtown Live Zachary festival committee.
When Landry retired, Mrs. Hebert reports, Ashleigh McHugh, Zachary’s director of economic development, “took the reins” as chair. Today committee members include Joey Welch, of The Bean Dip Factory food truck, who “oversees all food trucks, vendors, and novelties (the photo booth, for example, and the mechanical bull);” Nita Edwards, of the Zachary Farmers Market, who “oversees all arts and crafts vendors;” and David Gautreaux, in charge of alcohol sales.
The festival, Hebert notes, is “the big kickoff to raise money for the upcoming Downtown Live at the Gazebo music events.”
McHugh explains that the pop -
Balloons show their colors in a watery reflection during last year’s festival in Zachary. Photograph provided by Shawnel Hebert
In flight: The balloons just prior to landing on the Zachary High School football field parking lot. Photograph by Hope Stevens
Sunrise launching at Zachary’s 2023 hot air balloon festival. Photograph by Ashleigh McHugh
HOT AIR
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ular Gazebo series “features live concerts, food trucks, local craft and artisan vendors, and fun for all ages!”
Musicians appearing last year included “exciting artists like DK Harrell, an award-winning blues musician from Ruston, and The Phunky Monkeys, an electric 11-piece party band from New Orleans,” with Pants Party winding up the season.
Follow Downtown Live on Facebook and Instagram, McHugh advises, “for more information and announcements, as Fall 2024 concert dates will soon be announced!” And expect to find, once again, “artists who are playing in Zachary for the very first time.”
Hebert adds that while the balloon fest is the major fundraiser for Downtown Live at the Gazebo, “a portion of the proceeds goes to the BREC foundation, to help fund scholarships for graduating seniors.”
Welcome Back...and for the First Time!
The eight pilots include two Zachary teams, the Heberts and Shawn Krause, Mrs. Hebert’s father.
Louisiana pilots also include Karen Kent of Port Allen and John Good of Prairieville.
Frank Anger, Mike Hanson, and Geoffrey Jones hail from Mississippi, and Rusty Miller from Alabama.
All six of last year ’s pilots
are returning this year; Good and Miller will mark their first participation.
Thanks to the Sponsors Helping make Zachary a great and welcoming community are Really Hot Air Balloon Festival sponsors: BREC, Sonic, Thorton, Musso & Bellemin, Winn Dixie, Americana, the City of Zachary, Party Potty, Cleveland Co., Y-Farms Kennels, Denson Advertis -
ing, State Farm Insurance—Cecil Graves, Eagle Federal Credit Union, MIS Technology Group, Myles Law Firm, Landmark Bank, The UPS Store, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Benny’s Carwash, Raising Cane’s, Ozark Insurance Agency, RKM Primary Care, Louisiana Healthcare, Connections, John Hendry Insurance, Restore Counseling, Zachary Manor, United Rental, All Pro Tint, and Ferrell Gas.
West Feliciana Hospital is here to help you
Get Ready for Sch l
Featuring two pediatric clinics and a behavioral health team, we are here to help prepare your kids for the upcoming school year.
PEDIATRICS
Our pediatricians offer the highest quality of care and a special loving touch. Back-to-school prep includes:
• Wellness Exams • Advanced Vision Screening
• Vaccinations • Advanced Hearing Screening
• Sports Physicals
VIP sponsor is Hot Tails seafood restaurant of Zachary.
The City of Zachary and all of the fest’s organizers extend their heartfelt and funloving thanks.
Please note: All balloon activity is weather permitting! For further information, please email downtownlivezachary@gmail.com.
If your child has any issues or hesitation about the upcoming school year, we provide mental health services and more for ages five and older with a holistic and positive approach. Treatments include:
• Attention De cit Disorder Testing • Anger Issues
St. Francis Pediatrics Pediatric Clinic of St. Francisville
• Anxiety or Depression Issues • Bullying Issues
• Situational & Adjustment Disorders
Balloon glow at the 2023 hot air balloon festival in Zachary. Photograph by Joey Welch
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
Louis Smith - Candidate Statement for Member of School Board District 3, Division 1
Greetings, East Feliciana residents! My name is Louis Smith, and I am running for Member of School Board, District 3, Division 1 in East Feliciana Parish. I am a 42-year-old resident of District 3. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in education from Southern University in Baton Rouge and a Master of Education degree from Northcentral University in Educational Leadership. I was appointed by majority vote of the members of the school board to the East Feliciana Parish School Board during a special meeting of the board on the evening of July 18, 2024, to fill the vacancy until the election cycle has been completed. As the interim board member, I plan to work with my colleagues on the board, the superintendent of schools, the employees of the districts, community members, and students to continue a path that will garner East Feliciana Parish Schools as a premier school district of choice in Louisiana. Through this work, I plan to build trust, amplify transparency, and hold all accountable for improvement in our district. Although I am not an educator anymore, I have vast experiences in the field of education including work in Louisiana and Mississippi. I have been trained by and trained many great people who work daily to ensure that students are the number one priority for academic growth. If elected, I will continue to work for the children to ensure that they have all the tools that are necessary to be productive citizens of our parish, this state, and our nation. Feel free to follow me on Facebook (Louis Smith, EFPSB Candidate, District 3, Division 1)
as I continue this election journey. If you have any questions for me, feel free to call (225.975.3747) or email (louis.smith.139@gmail. com) me. Your support is greatly appreciated. As always, remember to “Thrive with Purpose” and Go Tigers!
Best,
Louis Smith
Our Bluffs Family Came Together in Joy! The 4th
With Jann Peck, The Bluffs
On Thursday, July 4, The Bluffs community celebrated its still-new repurposing with fireworks that, coincidentally, also celebrated the nation’s freedom. Like moms and dads hosting an old-fashioned block party, officers of the property owners association brought their neighbors together…as Jann Peck put it, “in fellowship and joy!”
Peck explains that her role—her “mission”—as POA chair of communication and events, “is to bring back a sense of community, unity, and family despite the dormancy of the amenities.”
Those “amenities” include the clubhouse, with its restaurant and events spaces, the health center and swimming pool…and the golf course, the famous Arnold Palmer design that over the decades hosted everything from single play to tournaments, large and small. Now POA Vice President Kyle Dunaway muses that nature trails may replace the 18 holes; present owner Harold Leone, however, says Peck, “strongly believes that will not happen.”
Perhaps emphasizing the people of The Bluffs instead of the “amenities,” however, makes more sense than selling something that no one ever seemed to define precisely, that never seemed to work for very long, that existed, to all appearances, in spurts and in a number of interrelated and unre -
lated parts, including a golf course that, from one point of view, dominated the lives surrounding it. And that can certainly be a good thing! And was, during The Bluffs’ glory days.
Of course, the residents enjoyed those amenities; more than a few moved to The Bluffs to enjoy a top-flight course a few steps from home. Families moved in with an eye toward that pool and those Easter Sunday buffets at the
restaurant.
Today, “We can still enjoy fellowship,” says Peck, pointing out that the community has not only reinstated the formerly and now once again annual celebration of the 4th, but will also continue the Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween Carnival, Turkey Trot, and Snacks with Santa. Not one of those family-and-friends gatherings has been lost.
Over 300 people attended the
Fourth of July get-together. Thanks go to the POA Board of Directors: President Josef Hatch, who oversaw the fireworks show, Vice President Kyle Dunaway, the show’s man on the ground, Secretary-Treasurer Ben Green, Board Member Conna Williams, and Communications and Events Chair Jann Peck and her committee, who planned, organized, and hosted the event. Peck extends the Board’s
Fireworks light up Thompson Creek and the clubhouse area of The Bluffs Community on the 4th of July! Photograph provided by Paul Charbonet
thanks—and the entire community’s thanks—"to Tiffany, Laurel, Ava, Emily, and Grant Haynes for the Kids’ Tent that offered face painting and corn hole and frisbee and other games and prizes.”
And how to celebrate without great food? Thanks go to Chef Nikki Davis and husband and partner David Voigt of A Hint of Lime Tacos, who kept the delicacies coming, along with complementary Margaritas for those of age.
“We can rise above our circumstances,” says Peck. “We can still enjoy fellowship, and that makes us stronger
“I cried when I saw the video our drone captured.
“I thought: Mission accomplished! Our Bluffs Family came together in joy!”
Peck envisions extending “community” past The Bluffs’ borders “by offering more activities in the near future, such as July Funday Mondays for Bluffs children, Fall Community Garage Sales, Village Block Parties, Community Pot Luck Picnics....all steps to engage the residents and also to filter out into neighboring communities, encouraging them to visit us at Thompson Creek.”
Before the bell rings...
Preparing the field behind them to launch the evening’s fireworks show are members of The Bluffs property owners association: Board Member Conna Williams, from left, Vice Chair Kyle Dunaway, Chair Josef Hatch, and Communications and Events Chair Jann Peck. The Fourth of July celebration, says Dunaway, joins the community’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween Carnival, Turkey Trot, and Snacks with Santa events.
Photograph by Patricia Stallmann
EVENTS CALENDAR EVENTS CALENDAR
July 30, 2024
Please submit calendar notices to: rachal2743@gmail.com.
OPEN NOW: Zachary Youth Park Fall Ball Registration is OPEN NOW through August 4: baseball for 8 and under, 10 and under, and 12 and under; senior men’s softball for ages 40 and over; and co-ed softball. Please visit www.zacharyyouthpark. org for details. For more information, call 225-654-6529.
TUESDAYS: The Rotary Club of St. Francisville invites you to join the members weekly at West Feliciana Parish Library for one hour on Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. to find out how you can become a member and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our community, and in ourselves. You will meet interesting people, both local and from around the world, sharing their wealth of knowledge during our meetings. Breakfast is served. For more information, visit stfrancisvillerotary. org or rotary.org.
WEDNESDAYS: Community Music
Jam meets at the West Feliciana Parish Library, 5114 Burnett Road in St. Francisville, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Drop in during a jam session to find out more.
NOW through Sunday, September 1: Registration for flag football at West Feliciana Sports Park—preseason practice is September 9 through 20, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday; games are September 23 through October 31 at 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. To register, visit www.wfprec.com. Fee: $75.
NOW through September: Pop Up Art Exhibit featuring works by Elaine Erikson and Ronnie Collins at the Julien Poydras Museum and Art Center in New Roads. A grant from the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area funds this collaborative project of the Arts Council of Pointe Coupee and the Pointe Coupee Historical Society. Erikson’s painting of a pair of ducks in a marsh setting, “Fulvous Whistling Ducks,” won the 2022–2023 Louisiana Duck Stamp Contest. She lives in the historic district of St. Francisville, where she is active with Arts for All and the Yellow Leaf Festival. Ronnie Collins, of Jennings, Louisiana, is a well known muralist, having painted murals across the country for the past 30 years. Place: 500 West Main Street. Times: Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact Mindy LaCour at 225638-6575 for additional information.
Tuesday, July 30, and Tuesday, August 27, 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, July 31: Wednesday Night Dinner, The Green Door at H Mercantile, 12408 St. Helena Street, Suite B, in Clinton. Tuckers Seafood will prepare shrimp and grits, bread, corn and a drink for $19.99. Time: 4:30 p.m. Preorder at hmercantile. com or 225-244-7110.
Wednesday, July 31: Audubon
Regional Library’s End of Summer Party. Join us for fun and games while we celebrate the end of summer. A balloon artist will be in Jackson at 10 a.m., in Clinton at noon, and Greensburg at 2 p.m. In Clinton: 11023 Bank Street; call 225-683-8753. In Jackson: Jackson Square Plaza, 2637 Highway 10; call 225-634-7408. In Greensburg: 6108 Highway 10; call 225-435-7135.
Wednesday, July 31: The TMM Project (The True Mission Matters Project), 11 a.m. at the West Feliciana Parish Library, 5114 Burnett Road, St. Francisville. Get ready for our latest interactive program that takes viewers on a tour through some of America’s most coveted arts and music scenes throughout history, featuring live musical instruments such as the flute, keyboard, acoustic guitar, saxophone, and triangle and inspired by the states of California, New York, and Louisiana. Get your boarding passes ready for our TMM Adventure Tour 2024! The Friends of the Library funded this FREE event. For more information, please call 225-635-3364.
Friday, August 2: Le Café Français will host its monthly gathering at the West Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Avenue, Port Allen: a cultural offering and program for those who speak French, are learning French, or simply support the French language and culture in Louisiana. Speakers of any variety of French and any level of comprehension are welcome. This program is open to the public and FREE of charge. Each meeting features a topic to spur discussion, live music often provided by John Richard and Tony Thibodeaux, and, as always, coffee and dessert. Time: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, visit www. WestBatonRougeMuseum.org.
Sunday, August 4: Behind the Barn Doors, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the West Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Avenue, Port Allen. At the Big Red Barn on the museum’s campus, guests will enjoy demonstrations on the craftsmanship of historic trades and agricultural practices. The March demonstrations include tinkering with Gary Hart and fiber arts with Linda Collins. For those seeking a more immersive experience, sign-up sheets will be available for future workshops. For more information, visit www. WestBatonRougeMuseum.org.
Saturday, August 3: Back to School Giveaway, 10 a.m. at the Zachary High School Gymnasium, 4100 Bronco Lane. The Dr. Martin Luther King Committee of Zachary is hosting this school supplies giveaway, which starts at 10 a.m. and continues as long as supplies last. Free school supplies, snow cones, and refreshments! The bookmobile will also be on location. Please consider bringing canned goods for the needy! For more information, call 225 933-6431 or 225 202-1076.
Saturday, August 3: Wags & Whiskers Gala 2024 will benefit, for the ninth year, the West Feliciana Animal Humane Society. Includes live music, delicious food and a cash bar, as well as a silent auction. Time and place: 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Mallory, 5747 Commerce Street in St. Francisville. General admissions tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children. Sponsorships come with complimentary tickets: Pick of the Litter: $150–$299; Bark at the Blues: $300–$549; Yowl at the Moon: $550–$799; Finally Home: $800 and above. Visit bontempstix.com for tickets.
BUSINESS DIRECTORY | CLASSIFIEDS
HELP WANTED/ SERVICES OFFERED
Experience Labor Workers Needed in the Felicianas call 225-955-7584.
Personal helper needed , some duties driving to doctor appointments , errands, as well as some light work . Call (225) 955-7584
Bank of Zachary - Universal Banker: Bank of Zachary is looking for a highly motivated individual to fill a Full-Time Universal Banker position. This position offers an exciting opportunity for candidates with prior teller, cash handling, customers service, or retail sales experience who are interested in beginning a career with opportunities for growth and development. Universal Bankers perform all Teller duties along with providing support in many aspects of retail with a broad knowledge of the bank’s products and services, along with account opening. Must be customer focused with ability to multitask and perform as a team player. Stable work history and high school diploma or GED required. 1-2 years prior/current banking, sales, cash handling, and/or customer service experience required. EEO/AA/M/F/ VETERAN/DISABLED. Send all resumes to hr@bankofzachary.com. MISCELLANEOUS/ ITEMS FOR SALE
FOR SALE: 1957 John Deere 420 – 2 Cylinder Gas Engine Tractor. ANTIQUE VALUE! Good Condition. Package deal: Bushhog, Discs, Hillers and Middle Buster. Cost $6,000. Contact Donald @ 225-278-1126
Now accepting enrollment for Summer and Full Time Care. A nurturing and safe environment for children to socialize, learn and grow. Also provides breakfast, lunch and two healthy snacks. Hours are 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM. For more information: 225-721-0715
Cross Creek Cowboy Church. Sundays breakfast 9:30, service 10:30. 21160 Plank Road, Zachary. Come as you are. Crosscreekcowboychurch. com
or your
and remove any scrap metal. Call (225)276-4273.
