SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA AND WEST FELICIANA
DEMOCRAT THE ST. FRANCISVILLE
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
Leila Pitchford AROUND THE FELICIANAS
Deadline changes for the holidays We are entering the height of the celebration season. This means deadlines are different for just about everything in our lives, including here at The Democrat and The Watchman. Please submit copy for the Christmas Day edition by 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, and copy for the New Year’s Day edition by 9 a.m. Dec. 26. If you have some great Christmas décor or a fun holiday shot of the kids, send them our way with a short write up of who is in the photo and what’s happening. And remember Mardi Gras is fairly early this year. Some parades are in January. So don’t forget to send your Carnival news in a timely fashion. For those of you who have sent us items throughout the year, we thank you. Your efforts help share community events and other news with Feliciana residents and beyond. In the new year, those of you who are in clubs, churches or other organizations, please consider sending items to be published. We love hearing about the great and fun things individuals in the community are doing. Normal deadlines are noon the Friday before publication. So for the Jan. 8 edition, please send items by Jan. 3. Send items to extra@theadvocate. com. If you have questions, please contact us. We can help you get items sent to us. Merry Christmas to all!
Join the historical society The West Feliciana Historical Society Museum reminds current and future members that all membership fees are due by Dec. 31. Stop by or call (225) 635-6330 to get on the member list. This year, all members will receive a new car decal showing support for the group.
Hospital celebrates season West Feliciana Hospital’s holiday celebration continues through Dec. 31 with its drivethru Magical Lights display.
Save the date n The 20th annual Feliciana Family and Friends Mardi Gras Parade in Jan. 25 in downtown Clinton. Mardi Gras in the Country will line up at East Feliciana Middle School, 10410 Plank Road, Clinton. Gates open at 7 a.m., Lineup starts at 11 a.m., and the parade rolls at noon. Visit www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100064329323928 for contact information. n The 90th annual 2025 LSU AgCenter State Livestock Show will be Feb. 11-18 at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. n The Azalea Polo Classic in St. Francisville will be at 2 p.m., April 6. n Spring Angola Rodeo Tickets are on sale. The event is April 26-27. Gates will open at 8 a.m., and the rodeo will start at 2 p.m. All tickets are $20 per person. Ages 2 and under are free if they sit in a lap. No refunds or exchanges allowed. Call (225) 655-2030 or (225) 6552607 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or visit 0f472fe.netsolhost.com/
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Developers, officials consider compromise on rezoning issue BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
A lengthy discussion of a zoning issue before the St. Francisville Board of Aldermen resulted in a compromise Dec. 10 that may suit nearly everyone involved. The public hearing on a rezoning request for two pieces of property, including the old St. Francisville High School site, drew an overflow crowd of opponents to what likely
ST. FRANCISVILLE will be the last meeting of Mayor Robert Leake and the current aldermen’s terms. Four St. Francisville residents, Stuart Maginnis, Christophe Lavesseur, Carter Leake IV and Charlie Perdue, have purchase agreements with the St. Francisville Area Foundation on a 12.4acre tract now zoned for light in-
dustrial use, as well as two West Feliciana Parish School Boardowned tracts totaling 26.64 acres both zoned for medium-density, single-family residential use. The sale and development of the property has been delayed by the town’s moratorium on major residential development while a new sewage treatment plant is being built.
ä See REZONING, page 3G
PHOTO BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
Santa sits with Axel Corbin and Brayden Morgan at the Gingerbread House in Jackson.
Christmas spirit at the Gingerbread House
BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL Contributing writer
Wanting to share some of the Christmas spirit — the fun and the good feelings that come from giving — Dawn McQueen-Rollins, of Jackson, started a tradition that’s grown like the Grinch’s heart. It all started five years ago when she decided to decorates her house and give away two bicycles in a drawing. Her house, conveniently a warm brown color, was turned into the Gingerbread House. She said part of her Novem-
ber birthday present from her family was that they had to put up the candy decorations “on the roof and in the yard,” usually right after Thanksgiving. Then she invited people from the surrounding communities to stop by at their convenience, sit on the bench in the front yard and take pictures in front of the Gingerbread House. On the day of the drawing for the bicycles she arranged for Santa to listen to children’s requests for Christmas toys.
As enthusiasm grew with family and friends, they gave away four bicycles, she said. This year McQueen-Rollins announced that on Dec. 14 Santa Claus, Mr. Grinch and the Gingerbread Man would be present for pictures from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and there would be drawings for six bicycles. The six bicycles were possible, she said, because of the generosity of her husband Murphy, her sister Kathy McQueen, Bill Ford, Kay Lawson Halphen, Brenda Allen Brian,
ä See CHRISTMAS, page 2G
Parish President asks council to approve zoning map to protect ‘quality of life’ BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
The West Feliciana Parish Council again delayed adopting a new zoning map, despite pleas at its Dec. 9 meeting to put it into effect to protect the parish’s “quality of life.” The council’s meeting came several hours after The Advocate outlined some details of a proposed AI data center that Parish President Kenny Havard said will be a bigger investment than the River Bend nuclear power plant, the parish’s largest source of tax revenue. “Please do what you can to protect this parish,” Havard said to close out the meeting. The parish is operating under a land development ordinance approved last year, but a new zoning map had not been drawn at that time. As a result, the parish is using an old map of how the parish is divided into land-use zones. The current council, with four
PROVIDED PHOTO
Parish President Kenny Havard, right, signs the oath of office book held by Clerk of Court Stewart Hughes in January. Havard is trying to get West Feliciana Parish to adopt a new zoning map.
members who took office in JanuThe council last month agreed ary, has not been able to agree on a to some amendments Councilman new map Havard’s administration ä See MAP, page 3G put forward earlier this year.
Jan Risher LONG STORY SHORT
Cat Island offers wonder and awe Consider this a cautionary tale, in the best sense of things. I first heard of Cat Island Wildlife Refuge when I moved to Louisiana. People told me that the largest bald cypress tree in the world was there. I planned to go see it right away. That was 23 years ago — and I finally made the relatively short trip to see it last week. The experience was worth 23 years of build-up. While I had heard tales of having to take a boat and all sorts of other challenges in getting there, the trip wasn’t difficult. I drove up from the newspaper’s office in Baton Rouge with a friend, and the entire adventure took less than three hours — including a lovely lunch in St. Francisville. Granted, with the rains since we went, getting through the wildlife refuge might be a bit trickier. I wouldn’t recommend going after lots of rain. However, I can’t encourage readers enough to put this experience toward the top of any Louisiana adventures list — it’s a great idea for a family excursion during the holidays. Cat Island Wildlife Refuge is about 74 miles from New Orleans, 123 miles from Lake Charles, 208 miles from Shreveport and only 35 miles from Baton Rouge. Some background: According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest and most diverse network of lands and waters dedicated to ensuring the long-term future of America’s fish and wildlife heritage. The lands and waters of the system fall mostly along rivers, coasts and wetlands. Cat Island Wildlife Refuge was established in 2000 as the 526th refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System. It consists of 10,973 acres in West Feliciana Parish, located on Creek Road in St. Francisville. Cat Island’s website doesn’t recommend relying on electronic navigation systems to find your way around the refuge, as it is in one of the most remote regions of the state. That said, ours worked just fine. However, once inside, we relied on the ample signage that guided us to “the tree,” the national champion bald cypress. We found the signage obvious and easy to follow, leaving no doubt about how to find the treasured tree. Through the years, people have told me that reaching the tree is difficult, especially if there has been a lot of rain. I understand that better now. There’s a low-water bridge crossing Bayou Sara toward the entrance of the refuge that isn’t passable if the river is running even slightly high. Plus, the Mississippi River runs along part of the refuge’s edges. Water can be an issue. Once we crossed the bridge over Bayou Sara, we drove about 30 more minutes down a twisty dirt road before getting to the well-marked “Big Cypress Trail” that goes straight to the big tree. The trail head’s sign reads: “National Champion Baldcypress. It is the largest baldcypress in the United States. The tree is 83-feet tall, 54 feet in circumference, 17-feet in diameter. It is the sixth largest tree in the United States and the largest tree of any species east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is estimated to
ä See RISHER, page 4G