DENHAM SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON • WALKER • WATSON • AMITE • HAMMOND
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T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 24, 2024
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Albany High culinary program receives $5,000 grant Community news report Albany High School’s culinary students will have a new hydronics garden system, chef coats, knife sets, sous vide cookers, blenders and utensil sets thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Rachael Ray Foundation and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Albany High is one of 40 high schools nationwide selected for the grant, which will enhance the school’s ProStart culinary arts and restaurant management program with new equipment, curriculum and experiential learning opportunities. The funds from the Rachael Ray ProStart Grow Grant Program also will fund a field trip to the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute. “Our students will also benefit from this grant by using a portion of it to earn the ServSafe Manager certification,” said Suzanne Fekete-Stilley, the ProStart teacher at Albany High School. “Our kitchen and culinary classroom are currently
ä See GRANT, page 3G
Darlene Denstorff AROUND LIVINGSTON
Blood donations needed Judson Baptist Church is hosting a blood drive from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the church at 32470 Walker Road North, Walker. Our Lady of the Lake will be on hand to collect blood. For more information, call (225) 765-8843.
End of summer bash Cricket Wireless and Airborne’s End of summer Bash is planned for noon to 6 p.m. July 31 at 730 S. Range Ave., Denham Springs. Free face-painting, school supplies, arcade-style basketball tournament and special guest appearances are planned.
Arts Council plans class Art instructor Dena Olinde will teach children to create
PHOTOS BY VIC COUVILLION
Marita Gentry starts a painting while visitors to the Arts Council of Livingston Parish’s Gallery watch during a reception for arts participating in the council’s current exhibit of juried visual art. Gentry discussed painting with visitors while she continued with her creation.
CREATIVE SPIRIT
Visual arts in various media on display at Hummell Street gallery in Denham Springs
BY VIC COUVILLION
Contributing writer
A juried exhibition of visual arts in various media is on display through the end of July at the Arts Council of Livingston Parish’s Gallery on Hummell Street in Historic Downtown Denham Springs. Artists showing their creations were honored at reception at the gallery July 20. The exhibition, which includes oil, water color and acrylic paintings, photography, resin geodes and pottery, was chosen by members of the council for this exhibit. All pieces on display are for sale and the price of each is placed next to the art. An announcement for the show included this message, “a show to inspire, create and connect through the incredible power of art.” Amber Hilbun, president of the council’s board of directors, said the show “is an opportunity for our juried members to show their talent through the art that they have created. This show reflects the continuing efforts on the part of the arts
On entering the foyer of the gallery, visitors will notice a large painting by Kerry Curtin, an acclaimed artist and art teacher who frequently shows his works at the council’s gallery and at other shows in the region. This painting is one of two on exhibit and both demonstrate Curtin’s use of vibrant colors and motion that are hallmarks of his creativity. In one corner of the gallery are paintings of chickens by Janice Mann that command attention. Mann said she paints chickens because she has a flock of them at her home and considers them her pets. She paints in water colors and acrylics and said that painting has been a part of her life since childhood. “I grew up in Pittsburg and I started attending classes in junior high school,” she said. Amber Hilbun stands by one of her paintings. Hilbun, who is “I had the opportunity to even president of the council’s board of directors, is a regular contributor study are at the Carnegie Museum. After moving down here to exhibits at the gallery. I attended LSU for at time, studcouncil to bring great art to the serves our community. We con- ied at the Baton Rouge Commupeople of Livingston Parish and tinue to foster the work of local nity College and attended the the surrounding area. Over the artists, to hold art classes for all Louisiana Institute of Design. past year we have made some ages, and to be the center of the ä See CREATIVE, page 4G changes to the way the council creative arts in the parish.”
ä See AROUND, page 3G
Beausoleil Books in Lafayette sold to Cavaliers BY ADAM DAIGLE
Acadiana business editor It began with a simple plea on social media. Earlier this year James Colvin, who co-owns Beausoleil Books in downtown Lafayette with his husband, Bryan Dupree, simply shared their issue at hand with others in a Facebook group: a job was going to pull them away from Lafayette and something needed to be done about their bookstore. John Cavalier, who co-owns Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs with his wife, Michelle, responded. The two sides soon had a deal: the Cavaliers would buy the Lafayette bookstore. The deal was recently finalized, and now the small store at 302-A
Jefferson St. that opened in late 2020 will be rebranded as Cavalier House Books when it reopens next month. Both sides announced the move this morning. “They didn’t know what they were going to do,” Cavalier said. “They were just trying to figure it out. I mentioned to them that we’ve always wanted a second location and we’ve always loved their store. Everything they did here was quality.” The sale allows the store to remain open after initial considerations to shut it down, Colvin said. He and Dupree, who had met with the Cavaliers before they opened their store, were moving to Little Rock for Dupree’s position with the Air Force. Now downtown Lafayette’s book-
store can remain open. Cavalier said he would like to some way keep the Beausoleil brand as part of the store. “We had to make a tough decision,” Colvin said. “We were in the process of going to start to close and were searching around for people to take our inventory. They kind of fell in love with Lafayette and what we managed to build in just three years.” The Cavaliers closed the store for renovations, which include removing the wall that separated the store from the old Whisper Room and significantly adding to the store’s inventory, Cavalier said. It will also include moving the checkout station to the middle of the store
STAFF PHOTO BY BRAD BOWIE
Owners Michelle and John Cavalier are seen at Beausoleil ä See BOOKS, page 3G Books on July 9 in downtown Lafayette.