THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
AROUND ZACHARY
In observance of Diabetes Awareness Month, Lane Family Practice, 2335 Church St., in Zachary will offer free diabetes screening exams from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 21. No appointments are needed. Exams include diabetic retinal eye scans conducted by Williamson Eye Center, waist circumference risk, blood pressure reading and a glucose finger-stick check. Participants will receive a gift as well as nutrition and healthy eating facts.
W e d n e s d ay, n ov e m b e r 13, 2024
$1.00n
11TH YEAR, NO. 5
SALUTE TO
H VETERANS
Leila Pitchford
Clinic offering free diabetes screenings
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Zachary hosts morning program, inaugural parade
Chase Santa in Zachary The Zachary Charity League Chasing Santa 5K & Kids HalfMile Fun Run is Dec. 14 at 4100 School St. Chase Santa through the streets of Zachary and win a special prize if you catch him. Hot cocoa and cookies will be served after the race. All runners who register by Dec. 1 will receive a T-shirt. Kids half-mile finishers will receive a toy from Santa’s bag. The 5K is a chip timed event. Finishers will receive a Christmas ornament medal. Runners in the 5K may also participate in the half-mile run for no extra fee. Strollers are welcome. The race starts and ends at Zachary High School. Stay for the Zachary Christmas Parade at 10 a.m. The family-friendly event raises funds for Zachary Charity League. Race proceeds go toward scholarships, teacher grants and the Snack Packs 4 Kids program, which provides healthy snacks over the weekend for children living in food-insecure homes. The race route passes by five of Zachary’s seven schools, which are the heart of the league. Register at https://runsignup. com/Race/LA/Zachary/ZacharyCharityLeagueChasingSanta5K. Email zacharycharityleague@ gmail.com with questions.
Christmas grand marshal The Zachary Chamber of Commerce announced it will have its first Christmas Parade grand marshal, a role that will be filled by Zachary Mayor David McDavid. The annual Christmas Parade, which will march Dec. 14 down Main Street, is themed “Luau Under the Mistletoe.” The chamber is asking children’s groups, community organizations and local businesses to get creative with the Hawaiianthemed parade. Entries may include floats, dancers, costumes, horses and more. Cost for entry is $125 for nonchamber members
STAFF PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Retired Lt. Col. Darren Spears walks along side the Zachary JROTC on Monday in the Zachary Veterans Day Parade.
Veteran Daniel Beier, right, of the Army/Army Reserve/Louisiana National Guard, salutes during a veterans ceremony in Regional Veterans Park.
Community news report Zachary honored its veterans Monday morning with a ceremony in Regional Veterans Park and inaugural parade through the city. Families lined the roads to wave to the veterans riding in parade. The Baton Rouge Corvette Club provided convertibles for the veterans’ rides. More on 2G.
Army veteran Bob Walls attends the commemoration celebration.
ABOVE: Marine veteran E. Reginald Barkley bows his head. LEFT: Zachary students line Church Street to watch the parde.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
Teams take stock and get hot for the playoffs What a wild and crazy way to end the regular season for the Zachary Broncos football team in the 4-5A district finale Nov. 7 against Catholic at home. Never say never again. In November 2017, I witnessed a Broncos 6757 victory over Destrehan on the road, in the rain and in the playoffs. It was a weird experience that I thought I would never see again. The 2024 regular sea-
son finale was another one of those nights where the Warren offenses Brady could not be stopped ZACHARY (1,149 toSPORTS tal yards between both teams), and the defenses, well let’s just say they were not at the top of their games, resulting in a 73-55 Bears win. The Broncos just could not dig themselves out of the 17-0 deficit early in the first quarter.
ä See BRADY, page 3G
Zachary council questions rent break policy for train depot Tenant business owner’s request denied BY OLIVIA McCLURE Contributing writer
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Zachary running back Davekio Ruffin powers for a first down against Catholic linebacker Jacob Heinz in the second quarter of the District 4-5A game Nov. 7 in Zachary.
Since it started leasing out its historic train depot a few years ago, Zachary has given tenants a break on paying rent in exchange for making improvements to the building. That won’t be the case any longer after the City Council voted Oct. 22 to deny a request for rent credit from the cur-
rent tenant, citing concerns about whether the practice represents an appropriate use of public funds. Pam Leavy recently opened The Depot Diner after buying TMC Maverick Enterprises LLC, the entity that holds the lease with the city and previously operated a barbecue restaurant in the space.
ä See DEPOT, page 5G