COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL
ST. TAMMANY
N O L A.C O M
|
W e d n e s d ay, J a n u a ry 15, 2025
1an
Cromer resigning effective Jan. 20
Slidell pastor still inspired by the words of MLK BY SARA PAGONES
Contributing writer
Slidell minister Norman Farve can still feel the power of Martin Luther King Jr.’s words when listening to recordings of his speeches, even though it has been nearly 57 years since the civil rights leader and Baptist pastor was killed by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis, Tennessee. “The way he speaks — ‘I have a dream!’ His speaking is drawFarve ing,” said Farve, pastor of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Slidell. “When I hear him speak, it just draws my attention to how great a man he was.” That greatness, and the impact that King had, and still has, will be front and center at Farve’s church on Jan. 20, when marchers, first responders and political officials line up for an MLK Day March that begins and ends at the church on Fourth Street. The observance, organized by the Ministerial Alliance of Greater St. Tammany, includes an essay contest for schoolchildren on Jan. 18. Winners will read their essays aloud at Pentecost Missionary Baptist Church at 6 p.m. A banquet will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan 19 at Hartzell Mount Zion Methodist Church. And the celebration will culminate with the 2-mile march that steps off at 1 p.m. and ends with a church service at Tabernacle. For Farve, observing the holiday that commemorates what would have been King’s 96th birthday remains important — perhaps even more so, he said, given the divisions that roil the country. “We are living in trying times,” he said. That was also true in the 1960s. “King came through some times where you don’t say some of the stuff he was saying,” Farve said. “But he said it because it was in his heart. And I do believe he knew God sent him here to do what he
ä See PASTOR, page 4A
Councilman at large Bill Borchert will serve as mayor until special election in fall BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS BY SCOTT THRELKELD
Jimmy Corkern Jr. exults after finding the king cake baby, making him the Lord of Fools, during the St. John Fools of Misrule parade through downtown Covington and crowning ceremony at the Covington Trailhead during their 14th event to kick off the northshore’s Carnival season Saturday, Jan. 11.
Fools of Misrule signal start of Carnival Season continues with parties and parades through Mardi Gras
Trailhead where the year’s Lord of The St. John Fools of Misrule brought Fools is selected. The honor this year went to Jimmy Corkern Jr. who, in true the hijinks and tomfoolery of Carnival tradition, was chosen ä More Carnival to a new level when after finding a lucky bean in the they took to the streets of historic photos. PAGE 2A king cake shared among the men. downtown Covington on Jan. 11 to A colorful cast of characters, all kick off the season in St. Tammany. sartorially snappy for the evening, The march, more of a ramble at joined them on the march and the bar points, begins each year with a midcrawl that followed. It was the 14th afternoon party at the Seiler Bar on North Columbia Street. The Fools, and time the Fools have brought misrule to the streets — all in the name of good Jewels (their female counterparts,) fun and giving St. Tammany Parish a eventually spill into the street and fitting Twelfth Night celebration. make their way to the Covington BY ANDREW CANULETTE | Staff writer
Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer is leaving his post at the helm of city government nearly 18 months early to take a job with Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration, which will cause a series of dominoes to topple in the government of St. Tammany’s biggest municipality. When Cromer leaves on Jan. 20, Slidell City Council member Bill Borchert will take over as mayor until a special election can be held — likely in October — to fill the mayor’s post. Then, in March of 2026, around five months later, voters will decide another mayoral election, this time to elect someone to a full, four-year term along with other city-elected offices as part of the city’s regular four-year election cycle. Borchert said his at-large council seat would remain open at least until the October special election, when the council would appoint an interim member should he win the special election. Borchert is expected to be joined by at least two other candidates in any special election: Police Chief Randy Fandal and City Council member Trey Brownfield.
‘A good opportunity’ “I’m going to miss it,” Cromer said of his time as Slidell’s mayor, “but this is a good opportunity for me.” Cromer, 66, will join the Landry administration and handle legislative affairs for the state Department of Transportation and Development. He said the plan is to move to state government later
ä See CROMER, page 4A
Columbia Street Landing gets a little community love BY KIM CHATELAIN Contributing writer
PHOTO BY KIM CHATELAIN
The decades’ old stage at Columbia Street Landing, in dire need of repair, will be engineered and reconstructed, but it will remain a simple structure in keeping with the beauty of its natural surroundings.
In the early 1800s, the Columbia Street Landing where the Bogue Falaya River meets the southern end of Columbia Street near downtown Covington was a focal point for commerce on the bucolic northshore. The small, bare-bones harbor provided docking space for schooners and steamers that transported cotton, building materials, mail and whiskey to and from other river cities in the region. Often referred to as the birthplace of Covington, it is where many early settlers of St. Tammany Parish first set foot on the firm soil of what came to be one of the state’s more enticing communities. Today, the Columbia Street Landing is a tranquil, off-the-beaten-path riverside gathering spot that includes a ga-
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zebo, gardens, a fountain, seating and an outdoor events stage. It is home to a spring and fall concert series featuring local musicals. The main blemish on the otherwise picturesque little park is its aging and weathered stage. But thanks to the efforts of community leaders, the stage and the park itself could soon become more befitting of its historical significance. Jan Robert, cochair of the Old Covington Neighborhood Association, said the organization has teamed up with the local garden club to engage in a “full court press” to improve the small park. Volunteers spruced up the gardens and raised money to commission a sculpture honoring the late Becky Gelatt, a civic leader who conceived and launched the Keep Covington Beautiful campaign and the city’s Tree Board. The sculpture by Covington art-
ist Michael Eddy was installed last fall. Recognizing that the decades’ old stage was in dire need of repair, community volunteers set about an effort to replace rotting boards that make up the stage and surrounding benches. When they began pulling up rotten wood, they realized the stage’s foundation was also falling apart. Robert said local architect Randy Aultman was brought in to devise plans to rebuild the stage using elements and materials related to Covington’s history. Those plans were then presented to Mayor Mark Johnson and the Covington City Council. The city government allocated $70,000 toward the reconstruction of the stage and engineering work is underway for the project, Erin Stair, the city’s chief administrative officer, said.
ä See LANDING, page 2A
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