DENHAM SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON • WALKER • WATSON • AMITE • HAMMOND
ADVOCATE THE LIVINGSTON -TANGIPAHOA
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, J u n e 25, 2025
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Darlene Denstorff AROUND LIVINGSTON
Young Professionals Conference planned The Livingston Chamber of Commerce is planning its Young Professionals Conference June 26 at Forrest Grove Plantation, Denham Springs. Doors open at 11 a.m. and speakers and networking runs through 1 p.m. Speakers include “American Idol” season 17 winner Laine Hardy, who will share his story. Hardy is a singer and musician from Livingston; and Paxton Moreau, co-owner and CEO of Off the Hook Restaurants. Justin Barksdale, owner of Barksdale Safety Solutions and Barksdale Leadership Solutions, will also talk. To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/5xkfnbxz.
PHOTOS BY DAVID NORMAND
Children applaud during a performance of the Crescent Circus at the Denham Springs/Walker Branch Library on June 18.
IT’S A CIRCUS
Fireworks coming July 5 Walker’s Celebration in the Park and Fireworks will be held from 5 p.m. to dark July 5 at Sidney Hutchinson Park.
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Charles Salzer SPORTS ROUNDUP
Zyan Whitney, 9, right, looks surprised as Nathan Kepner pulls a coin from Zyan’s shirt.
Decell takes over as softball coach at Denham Springs Old workout routines are blending in with new coaching this summer for the Denham Springs softball team. Always a time when athletes put in unsung work, the warm season is a chance for the Yellow Jackets to go through the paces as preparation for their 2026 season. This year, it’s also part of a feeling-out process thanks to the presence of first-year coach Decell Amanda Decell. A familiar face in Livingston Parish, Decell won more than 200 games in 11 seasons at Doyle High, including the 2018 Class 2A state championship. She spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Live Oak, and will look to turn around the fortunes of the Jackets, who haven’t finished with a winning record in five seasons. The workouts began earlier this month and, so far, the focus has been on effort and attitude. “With softball, you don’t have to be the biggest or the strongest. You don’t have to be the most talented, but you have to have a group of girls that loves each other, that loves the game and loves to compete,” Decell said. “That’s what I’m trying to build this year. If I can get them to play hard for me every game then that’s a win. We’re going to be successful just because of that.” There is a long history of softball success for Denham Springs with nine title game appearances and four championships. The last of those championships came in 2000, well before Decell took Doyle to the
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Denham Springs celebrates Juneteenth BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer
Denham Springs residents and a handful of elected officials sang gospel songs and bowed their heads in prayer June 19 in the historic L.M. Lockhart Park Gym to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States 160 years ago. The celebration included a parade on Saturday. Camp Empowerment and the West Livingston Advisory Committee hosted about 70 people at the annual Juneteenth Community Celebration. Pastors, local elected officials, children and a Louisiana Supreme Court justice all shared songs, prayers and speeches about the importance of Juneteenth. The federal holiday commemoPHOTO BY DAVID NORMAND rates the date in June 1865 when Union troops arrived in Texas, the A float rider tosses a bag of treats to the crowd during the second annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration westernmost state to secede from parade in Denham Springs on Saturday. the United States and join the Confederacy, to enforce the “You cannot our state’s highest Emancipation Proclamation and free more than hide history. court, then the sky is 250,000 slaves. And if you try the limit,” Guidry told Louisiana Supreme to take it out of the audience. “But it’s a choice that you have Court Justice John Guidry, the fourth Af- the schools, try to make each and every rican American justice to take it out of day.” The Rev. Debra elected to the state Su- the community Keller, of Denham preme Court, delivered — we will told the crowd an impassioned speech hide it in our Springs, about the history of Jureflecting on history. hearts.” “You cannot hide histoneteenth and why it is important to celebrate ry. And if you try to take JOHN GUIDRY, it out of the schools, try to Louisiana Supreme it. “It reminds of freetake it out of the commuCourt justice nity — we will hide it in dom. It teaches us to our hearts,” Guidry said celebrate progress to applause. even when there is more work to Guidry said Juneteenth reminds do. It teaches us to remember the people that history can’t be rewrit- struggle, because freedom was not STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON ten, but through struggle and hard free,” Keller said. Members of the Camp Empowerment Choir perform at the annual Children from Camp work, anyone can make it. Juneteenth Community Celebration at the L.M. Lockhart Park Gym on “If a poor boy from the bottoms ä See JUNETEENTH, page 2G Thursday in Denham Springs. of south Baton Rouge can sit on