THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& 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, d e c e m b e r 25, 2024
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11 YEAR, NO. 11
Holiday Lights at Lane display up through Jan. 5
The Lane Foundation is hosting its inaugural Holiday Lights at Lane display.
Community news report
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Even a newspaper job can’t stop Christmas I grew up in the newspaper business. That means our Christmas plans depended on when my dad was scheduled to work. When I was 4, my dad moved us to Odessa, Texas. He was scheduled to work Christmas Eve and then have a few days off. His boss came in early in his shift and said finish what you are working on and get out of here. So, my father called my mom and said pack everything. They loaded the station wagon with kids, suitcases and presents, and my dad drove overnight to Campti, Louisiana, so we could greet my mom’s family first thing Christmas morning. After a few hours there, we drove to Baton Rouge to see his family. My high school and college years, we lived in Clinton. I remember really warm holidays and the Christmas everything froze, including our pipes. As a young adult, I remember the Christmas that Exxon exploded. Lots of newspaper stories there that take too long to explain. A memory I shared with friends recently: When I worked for the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, I had to work Christmas Eve. My car was packed so that I could head straight to my parents’ place in New Orleans after work, hoping to be on the road by 10:30 p.m. Early in the evening, Al Nassif, the senior statesman of the design desk, leaned over. “You’re driving to New Orleans tonight?!” he asked. A few minutes later, he grabbed my stack of work and told me to hit the road. I wound up beating my father home that night. Then came the holidays without my grandparents, then my parents, and now my brother. But the Grinch taught us very early: “Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, was singing, without any presents at all! He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other ... it came just the same.” The story continues, “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought ... doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps ... means a little bit more!” Indeed, Christmas does mean more, whether we are at home alone or in the middle of a big celebration. Christmas comes if we just embrace it. We at The Plainsman, The Watchman and The Democrat wish you a fantastic Christmas, no matter your circumstances. As the Grinch learned, those don’t matter.
ä See AROUND, page 4G
Lane Foundation’s inaugural Holiday Lights at Lane display is up through Jan. 5 on the walking track at Lane Regional Medical Center. The track is decorated with lights, and people are invited to stroll the half-mile path for some holiday merriment. The entrance to the Holiday Lights at Lane is behind the hospital at the end of West Park Drive, 6300 Main St., Zachary. It is open nightly, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., through Jan. 5. Four photo stations are set up. For information or to donate to the Lane Foundation, visit LaneRMC.org or call (225) 6586699.
PHOTO BY SONYA GOSS
ä More photos. PAGE 3G
CHRISTMAS ON PARADE
Council gives OK for Aspen Dental site plan BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Plains Veterinary Hospital float in the Zachary Christmas Parade.
PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS
Dondrell Fleming with his sons, Bradlee Fleming, 6, and Braden Fleming, 3, at the Zachary Christmas Parade before he goes on duty as a city police officer. ä More photos. PAGE 2G Zachary Mayor David McDavid led the Dec. 14 Zachary Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas Parade as grand marshal. He was followed by marching bands, dance teams, floats and other entries. Sharon Phillips and Thomas L. Scott Jr. served as parade hosts and judges were Myiesha Beard, David
Conachen, Brandon Noel and Terrie Johnson. Awards went to: Best Overall Theme: Plains Veterinary Hospital Best float: Louisiana Foot and Ankle Best marching: Zachary High marching band Best Riding: 593 Motorsports
An Aspen Dental clinic proposed for property at 5912 Main St. in Zachary is on its way to becoming reality after the City Council on Dec. 10 approved a site plan and agreed to waive setback requirements for the facility. The council’s decision came after it spent several minutes hearing comments from employees and the owner of an existing nearby dental office. They raised concerns about the Aspen Dental facility bringing more traffic to an already busy area where they struggle to find openings to pull out onto Main Street. And, with the council giving the OK for the building to be constructed closer to the lot lines, they’re worried the new clinic could obstruct drivers’ view. “I’m afraid when the building comes, it’s going to cause an issue,” said Kelley Owens, who owns Hood Dental Care, which sits across Secretary Road from the lot where Aspen Dental wants to build. “It’s a big building for a small lot.” The lot is the site of a defunct car wash near Walmart and Lane Regional Medical Center. Project representatives explained that it is irregularly shaped, which presented challenges in planning the 3,500-square-foot facility and necessitated the waiver request. They defended their design and said the clinic will be an asset to Zachary. “What we’re going to be doing here with this new dental office is bringing something that will be very aesthetically pleasing,” said developer Mike Birnbrey, of the Atlanta-based Southbound Development Group. “It’s a national tenant that’s got locations all throughout the country, and they do a really good job.” The council also voted to change the property’s zoning classification from commercial neighborhood to commercial general, which city planner Bryant Dixon said is a better fit for the location and proposed use of the property.
15th annual Big Horse Open wrestling results Warren Brady ZACHARY SPORTS
On Dec. 14, both of the Zachary High gyms were used as competitors from around the state competed in the 15th annual Big Horse. More than 284 male and 87 female wrestlers competed in the all-day event that hosted 28 boys teams and 16 girls teams. Coach Ben McHugh explained the day as “we got six mats laid
out, jambalaya cooking out back, Santa Claus walking around and hanging out with the kids and 600 wrestling matches taking place.” The outstanding wresters were Dutchtown’s Cole Gross (144 pounds) and St. Paul’s Caleb Shartle (175 pounds). The ZHS boys finished third overall and the ZHS girls finished fifth. The 2024 boys team winner
was Brother Martin and the 2024 girls winning team was Chalmette High. McHugh was proud that “we placed in eight of the 14 weight classes and had three wrestlers in the finals on the boys side, and four girls finished in the top four.” From 102 pounds to heavyweights, the Broncos varsity competed well with Landon Blackwell
finishing third at 102 pounds, Andrew Shelton finished fourth at 113-pound contest, Eli Roberts placed second at 132 pounds, Matt Umali third at 138 pounds and Cordell Blanks finished second at 144 pounds. Talan Ard placed fourth at 150 pounds, Tyson Breda was second
ä See BRADY, page 4G