DENHAM SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON • WALKER • WATSON • AMITE • HAMMOND
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Darlene Denstorff AROUND LIVINGSTON
Livingston Parish Library sets date for 10th Book Festival
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W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 9, 2025
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FUN FOURTH FOR THE
The Livingston Parish Library has announced the date for this year’s Livingston Parish Book Festival, which will commemorate the event’s 10year anniversary. The 10th annual Livingston Parish Book Festival will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Main Branch in Livingston, at 20390 Iowa Street, Livingston. Hosted by the Livingston Parish Library, this event is free and open to all ages. This year’s Book Festival will feature a Renaissance theme. Held every year in the fall, the Livingston Parish Book Festival is the Library’s biggest single-day event, featuring author discussions, book signings, live music, food, face painting, games, crafts, and other family-friendly activities.
ä See AROUND, page 3G
Charles Salzer SPORTS ROUNDUP
Bids out for Walker High baseball field
PHOTOS BY DAVID NORMAND
Five-year-old Evelyn Landry, left, dances with her sister, Cecelia Landry, 2, during the annual city of Walker’s Celebration in the Park held at Sidney Hutchinson Park on Saturday. ä More photos. PAGE 4G
With apologies to Chuck Berry, John Fogerty and Jackie Robinson, it is safe to say that the Walker High construction project involving upgrades to its baseball and softball fields has rounded third and is heading for home. While not the musical equivalent of Berry’s, and later Fogerty’s, lyrical references to Robinson as the brown-eyed handsome man circling the bases after hitting the ball out of the park, Walker’s efforts are expected to be a symbolic home run. Contractor bids are still being finalized, but construction is expected to start in a matter of weeks. Give or take a few days affected by the south Louisiana weather, the work is estimated to be finished in approximately 100 days.
Dancers with the Christian Home Educators Fellowship School march down La. 16 during the inaugural We the People Fourth of July parade in Watson.
ä See SALZER, page 2G
Hunt for the rougarou, spot venomous snakes in Tickfaw BY CATHERINE S. COMEAUX Contributing writer
Catherine S. Comeaux and her family spent three summers exploring state, national and provincial parks — from Louisiana to Alaska, to Nova Scotia and all along the Mississippi River in between. This year, she turns her attention to our Louisiana state parks to discover the natural beauty of the South less than a day’s drive from home. Beware! Venomous snakes, alligators, three-toed amphiumas and rougarous inhabit the swamplands and riverbanks of Tickfaw State Park. Adventure needs a little danger lurking on the edges,
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Tickfaw River
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Tickfaw State Park Killian Amite River Staff map
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Lake Maurepas
so don’t let these minor threats stop you from exploring this 1,200-acre park along the Tickfaw River in Livingston Parish.
The Tickfaw River originates in Southwest Mississippi and flows 113 miles to Lake Maurepas, with several curvy miles passing through the state park. The park’s small boat launch drops river-goers into Gum Bayou, which leads to the main channel. Paddlers can head up or downstream to enjoy the twists and turns that hold surprises around every bend, like oldgrowth cypress trees and alligators sunning themselves on the sandbars. The paddle trail is an out-and-back trail. Heading upstream on the way out allows paddlers to experience more of the park and, if the current is swift,
PHOTO BY CATHERINE S. COMEAUX
The paddle trail at Tickfaw State Park is an out-and-back trail. Heading upstream on the way out allows paddlers to experience more of the park and, if the current is swift, allows for a natural assist on the return to the ä See TICKFAW, page 3G boat launch.