DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT
THE ASCENSION
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, M a r c h 12, 2025
1GN
Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
On a personal note … Most people know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and February is Black History Month. Fewer know that March is National Kidney Month, a 31-day awarenessraising, grassroots effort to spread the word across the country about the importance of kidney health, and one that’s important to my family. My kidney journey started as a child. The pains and infections I endured for years resulted in kidney surgery at 13 to fix a kidney birth defect. For the next 60 years, visiting urologists and nephrologists helped manage my lingering kidney issues. I always knew one day everything I was doing to preserve my kidney function wouldn’t be enough and dialysis and a transplant would be in my future. The future is now. I’ve been on the kidney transplant list for two years and have found a matching donor. My transplant team is carefully watching my numbers and surgery could be this summer. I inherited my kidney issues, but many people have kidney problems and don’t know. March 18 will be celebrated this year as World Kidney Day, which highlights the importance of preventive interventions to avert the onset and progression of kidney disease. Please ask your doctor about your kidney health and if they find something take it seriously. Thanks to a supportive family, friends, co-workers and one special person — my donor — I know I’ll be OK. Make sure you’ll be OK and ask about your kidney health.
Amateur radio license class The Ascension Amateur Radio Club will host a free online class for anyone interested in getting their amateur radio license. The classes will start at 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for four weeks. Ham radio operators can provide emergency backup communications for local or state governments during disasters, maintain communications with families outside of effected areas or learn about electronics, computers,
Ascension GOP Roundtable Scott McKay, publisher of the internet political newspaper The Hayride and RVIVR.com will be the keynote speaker at the March Ascension GOP Roundtable, sponsored by Ascension Republican Women. The Roundtable starts at 11:30 a.m. March 20 at the Clarion Inn, 1500 W. La. 30 in
ä See AROUND, page 2G
PHOTO BY WENDY LOUP
Heather Collier, of Collier’s Creatures, holds her 5-year-old albino pine snake Mac n Cheese on March 1 during HERPS Exotic Reptile & Pet Show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.
PHOTOS BY WENDY LOUP
Elisa Valera, owner of Elisa’s Cuban Coffee and Kitchen, hands Prairieville resident Blair Pucheu a bottled water Nov. 17 during the Oak Grove Primary Food Truck Festival. Elisa’s food truck can often be found in downtown Baton Rouge on weekdays.
Parish finalizes food truck plaza at Gonzales courthouse Years in the making
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
A new type of court will soon be opening at the Ascension Parish courthouse in Gonzales. While jury selection is still out for the vendors, officials say the food truck court will accommodate up to six trucks at one time. The new plaza, which officials hope to open by summer, is in front of the courthouse on East Worthey Street. It will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. And it is likely among the first food truck plazas in the country operated by a government agency, infrastructure director Ricky Compton said. The plaza construction followed the Gonzales City Council’s passing of a food truck ordinance for the city last fall, which saw some residents concerned about competition with local businesses.
Compton said the plans stretch back to when the courthouse finished construction, and the clerk of court approached the parish government about designing a cafe in the building. “When they have large jury duty selections or, you know, several court cases going on, they have a lot of people in that courthouse that need food,” he said. The plan was shelved until the parish received American Rescue Plan Funds to finish landscaping. But it really took shape after the Oct. 14 Gonzales City Council meeting, during which the council voted 4-1 to approve new regulations for food trucks. Those included permits for both the trucks and site-specific permits for
Hints of spring were found at the biannual Merry Market at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. Shoppers were treated to 350 booths offering spring and Easter decorations, clothing and accessories. The popular family-friendly event also included children’s activities and pictures with the Easter Bunny. For the Ogea family, organizers of Merry Market, the fall and spring shopping extravaganzas have been a team effort for the past 25 years. “The Merry Market this past fall had 12,000 attendees over two days,” said Anne Ogea, owner and producer of Merry Market. The brisk rate of attendance is welcomed growth from the hum-
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ä See SHOW, page 4G
PHOTO BY WENDY LOUP ble beginnings of the Merry Market, Ogea said. “We started small,” Ogea said. “We held church teas and Christmas parties. Then we grew and grew. We originally held the markets in Baton Rouge and 10 years ago, we moved to Lamar-Dixon. We love Lamar-Dixon because they have so much to offer everyone. They are right off the interstate;
Contributing writer
they offer free parking, and they allow strollers. “We keep ticket prices low, and this works out good for families who want to pack up their kiddos and have a day to shop. A lot of shows make you pay for parking and their ticket prices are high. Families end up having to pay
ä See FOOD TRUCK, page 2G
Gonzales-based Fine and Dandy was one of the 350 vendors at this weekend’s spring Merry Market at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.
BY WENDY LOUP
BY WENDY LOUP
Long snakes, small lizards and large-shelled tortoises were the stars of the weekend HERPS Exotic Reptile & Pet Show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. The popular event, held March 1-2, attracted around 80 vendors to the expo, according to HERPS Exotic Reptile & Pet Show organizer Shawn Gray. Attendees were able to learn more about their own pets, as well as talk to breeders and other reptile enthusiasts. “The expo provides animal education and information on how to care for the animals,” Gray said. “People can talk to breeders and others to find the right animal for you, instead of just purchasing on impulse. You can get the right information about the feeders, environments for the animals as well here.” Gray said among the snakes, geckos and other reptiles, the bearded dragons are always a crowd favorite. “The show features a variety of different sizes and types of animals,” Gray added. “We have a lot more than just big snakes.” The ERPS Exotic Reptile & Pet Show travels around the state with stops throughout the year, including Sulphur and Slidell. “We love the show being in Gonzales,” Gray said. “It is one of our most popular. We typically have around 3,000 to 4,000 visitors each day.” Gray started the show in 2017 to help the public learn more about animals. “My involvement in reptile shows started as a fascination of reptiles,” Gray said. “I became
Merry Market shoppers prepare for spring at Gonzales event Contributing writer
Snakes, lizards, tortoises star at reptile show