The Watchman 10-29-2025

homage to the 50th anniversary of

Francisville. Each crew

Witch army sweeps in to combat domestic violence

BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER Contributing writer

“Have Broom, Will Travel” is no longer the adage. Hundreds of “witches” descended onto the bluffs of St. Francisville October 23 riding bikes, hobby horses, golf carts and capped by a league of foot soldiers. The annual Witches Ride drew a record crowd and about 700 participants to the event that raised more than $45,000 for the Purple House Foundation, organizers said. The ride was the brainchild of local consultant and dietician Stacey Verdicanno. The fundraiser supports area causes and serves as another draw to the St. Francisville tourism scene.

Last year’s ride was the milestone that marked the launch of the Purple House Foundation, a haven for women and children escaping domestic violence. Each ride has built both resources and momentum for the house.

A stunning Wicked Witch Veronica Noonan offers instruction to her flying monkey-cat Gomer Noonan said a two-week-old Gomer was a stowaway in a van her husband bought at a government auction, and he loves the interaction and attention.

The ride started at Parker Park and moved along Ferdinand and Royal streets As the number of participants has grown, the ride is morphing into a parade with onlookers lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the creative and colorful covens. Awards for the best-dressed witch, best-decorated bike, best hat, and more were given at the conclusion.

Yellow Leaf artists embrace, engage, demonstrate

BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER

Contributing writer

Artists Clare Keefer and Leon Hollins III are different, but alike. They both balanced the worlds of displaying art and living art seamlessly during the 22nd annual Yellow Leaf Art Festival by stepping out of their craft to talk to festivalgoers or explain the significance of a piece of artwork.

The festival, held Oct. 24-25, faced weather challenges that moved the schedule up by one day to avoid a predicted volatile Sunday storm. What remained was a soggy but realistic canvas of art in action and artists who became the featured attractions Keefer is a nurse who creates custom wood etchings. She seemed

enveloped by the precision of hot etching pencil, but became animated with the stories and inspirations of her art.

“Oh, you are taking Carl!” she exclaimed, noting that the newly purchased cutting board was named Carl, the beautiful great heron etched into the surface. She and her husband, Mel Keefer, also a nurse, operate Woodside Carpentry, a local business that produces custom furniture, cabinetry and woodcrafts.

Leon Hollins III, a photojournalist and graphic designer, also spent his quiet moments with an instrument in hand while breaking quickly to engage visitors to the Art Natchez Gallery tent.

Art Natchez is a collaboration of artists familiar with Arts for

All and the St. Francisville art community “We met Lynn Wood, Kelly Ward, and that crew,” he said. “We joined Arts for All, and we came down a couple of times and conducted some art classes.”

“So we’re quite familiar with this area.”

Hollins is a former computer software designer who took a life veer embracing a career in photojournalism and later graphic design. The flow between the two is a natural progression.

“To me, it’s all the same thing,” he said. “Yes, art is art. I love what I do with the camera or with the pencil or with a pen.” The festival is organized by Arts for All, whose organizer, Lynn

ä See YELLOW LEAF, page 3G

Daylight

Felicianas ready for Halloween DATE CHANGE: The Jackson Spooktacular and Trick-or-Treat has been moved to 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, because of expected

weather The Spooktacular will be on College

and features a

n Trick-or-Treat in

St. Francisville is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. n The Trick-or-Treat hours for the

of Clinton will be from 5:30 p.m to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. n A Trunk-or-Treat for

at

will be Thursday, Oct.

yers Row in

Decorating starts at 8 a.m. Schools, beginning with Silliman

arriving at 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Jackson Quad Area, 10 a.m. Clinton Quad Area, 10:30 a.m. Clinton Elementary, 10:45 a.m. Jackson Elementary and 11 a.m. Slaughter Elementary Art and Music planned The Feliciana Artist Group will be filling the Clinton United Methodist Church, 1321 Old South Drive, with Art and Music from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nov 1.

Formerly a Ford dealership, new St. Francisville brewery aims to be community hub

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Folks can throw back pretzel bites and beers while looking at a 10-barrel brew system in a former Ford dealership in St. Francisville. After two years of planning and 14 months of construction, Bayou Sara Brewing Co., 11943 Ferdinand St., held its grand opening Oct. 24. The idea to open a brewery

Snacks and door prizes will be available as visitors walk around to view art work by local artists in the Feliciana Artist Group. Local musicians Mark Babin Band, Matthews Trio and P B ‘n Jammers will be playing

The event is for adults and costs $20 Tickets will be sold at the door

All proceeds from the event will go to further develop the opportunities for Feliciana Artist Group.

Health fair set for Jackson

The third annual Jackson Health Fair will be at 10 a.m. Nov 1 at Trinity Baptist Church. The event will feature hands-only CPR, heart health education, and cancer screening provided by the Our Lady of the Lake, as well as biometric screening. Vision screening, health and nutrition education, the LifeShare Bloodmobile, and fall prevention will be available

The Humane Society will offer pet adoptions.

Live music, free food including pastalaya and fried fish, and inflatables for the kids will be available.

Louisiana School to hold meeting in Baton Rouge

Representatives from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches will host an informational session for prospective students and their families at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov 1, at the Louisiana Culinary Institute, 10550 Airline Highway, in Baton Rouge.

LSMSA is a tuition-free, public high school for high-achieving sophomores, juniors, and seniors Learn more online at lsmsa.edu.

The sessions are free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to register online before the day of the session at lsmsa.edu/info-sessions.

“Information sessions are such a great opportunity for families across the state to get a closer look at the LSMSA experience,” said Emily Shumate, LSMSA’s director of Enrollment and Student Success “It’s always inspiring to see students and their families discover the opportunities that await them here ” Feliciana homecoming parades

n The West Feliciana Homecoming Parade is Oct. 31. The theme is Trick-orTreat Down on Saints Street

n The East Feliciana High Homecoming Parade is at 11 a.m. Oct 31, in Clinton. The theme is Nightmare in the Tigers’ Den.

Sock it to the library

All branches of the Audubon Regional Library will be participating the in “Sock It To Me” sock drive. The library will be accepting new socks through the first week of December Socks will be donated to local organizations to give to those in need this holiday season. Boxes set up at each branch for donations. Honoré to speak at Veterans Day program in Jackson

Retired Lt. Gen. Russell Honoré will be the guest speaker Nov 8 at the Veterans Day Program beginning at 10 a.m. at the Feliciana Veterans Park on La. 10 in Jackson.

Honoré, a native of Lakeland, served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia, from 2004 until his retirement in 2008. He gained national attention for his role as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, which was the military relief effort after the 2005 hurricane. n Clinton is Home Foundation hosts Meet the Veterans from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov 8 at the Green Door at H Mercantile, 12408 St. Helena St., Clinton. n Plans for a memorial park for Clinton are developing and interest and support have been shown, according to spokesperson Marsha Kemp She said Clinton Mayor Mark Kemp and Jim Parker discussed various things with her at a recent meeting Plans are to form a committee of veterans, their family members and people from the community to further pursue the project. If interested, call or text (225) 439-9705.

Music event coming

Our Lady of Mount Carmel will present Music on the Mount festival and race on Nov 1. The festival is $15 a person in advance, $20 at the gate. Ages 7 and under are free. The races are 10K ($35), 5K ($25) and 1 mile ($15) Cost is $10 for youth in all races. Visit felicianacatholic.org for details.

Email Leila Pitchford at lpitchford@ theadvocate.com.

DEMOCRAT

to the

unconventional coven plays

Francisville. Each

Witch army sweeps in to combat domestic violence

BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER Contributing writer

bluffs of St. Francisville October 23 riding bikes, hobby horses,

carts and capped by a league of

soldiers. The

Witches Ride drew a record crowd and about 700 participants to the event

raised more

the

House Founda-

organizers

The ride was the brainchild of local consultant and dietician Stacey Verdicanno. The fundraiser supports area causes and serves as another draw to the St. Francisville tourism scene.

Last year’s ride was the milestone that marked the launch of the Purple House Foundation, a haven for women and children escaping domestic violence. Each ride has built both resources and momentum for the house.

A stunning Wicked Witch Veronica Noonan offers instruction to her flying monkey-cat Gomer Noonan said a two-week-old Gomer was a stowaway in a van her husband bought at a government auction, and he loves the interaction and attention.

The ride started at Parker Park and moved along Ferdinand and Royal streets As the number of participants has grown, the ride is morphing into a parade with onlookers lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the creative and colorful covens. Awards for the best-dressed witch, best-decorated bike, best hat, and more were given at the conclusion.

Yellow Leaf artists embrace, engage, demonstrate

BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER

Contributing writer

Artists Clare Keefer and Leon Hollins III are different, but alike. They both balanced the worlds of displaying art and living art seamlessly during the 22nd annual Yellow Leaf Art Festival by stepping out of their craft to talk to festivalgoers or explain the significance of a piece of artwork.

The festival, held Oct. 24-25, faced weather challenges that moved the schedule up by one day to avoid a predicted volatile Sunday storm. What remained was a soggy but realistic canvas of art in action and artists who became the featured attractions Keefer is a nurse who creates custom wood etchings. She seemed

enveloped by the precision of hot etching pencil, but became animated with the stories and inspirations of her art.

“Oh, you are taking Carl!” she exclaimed, noting that the newly purchased cutting board was named Carl, the beautiful great heron etched into the surface.

She and her husband, Mel Keefer, also a nurse, operate Woodside Carpentry, a local business that produces custom furniture, cabinetry and woodcrafts.

Leon Hollins III, a photojournalist and graphic designer, also spent his quiet moments with an instrument in hand while breaking quickly to engage visitors to the Art Natchez Gallery tent.

Art Natchez is a collaboration of artists familiar with Arts for

All and the St. Francisville art community “We met Lynn Wood, Kelly Ward, and that crew,” he said. “We joined Arts for All, and we came down a couple of times and conducted some art classes.” “So we’re quite familiar with this area.”

Hollins is a former computer software designer who took a life veer embracing a career in photojournalism and later graphic design. The flow between the two is a natural progression.

“To me, it’s all the same thing,” he said. “Yes, art is art. I love what I do with the camera or with the pencil or with a pen.” The festival is organized by Arts for All, whose organizer, Lynn

ä See YELLOW LEAF, page 3G

n Trick-or-Treat in Downtown St. Francisville is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. n The Trick-or-Treat hours for the town of Clinton will be from 5:30 p.m to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. n A Trunk-or-Treat for students will be Thursday, Oct. 30, at Lawyers Row in Clinton. Decorating starts at 8 a.m. Schools, beginning with Silliman Institute, start arriving at 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Jackson Quad Area, 10 a.m. Clinton Quad Area, 10:30 a.m. Clinton Elementary, 10:45 a.m. Jackson Elementary and 11 a.m. Slaughter Elementary Art and Music planned The Feliciana Artist Group will be filling the Clinton United Methodist Church, 1321 Old South Drive, with Art and Music from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nov 1. Don’t forget

Daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m Sunday, Nov 2. Be sure to adjust your clocks back an hour

Daylight saving time will begin March 8.

Felicianas ready for Halloween

DATE CHANGE: The Jackson Spooktacular and Trick-or-Treat has been moved to 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, because of expected bad weather The Spooktacular will be on College Street and features a trunk-or-treat.

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Folks can throw back pretzel bites and beers while looking at a 10-barrel brew system in a former Ford dealership in St. Francisville. After two years of planning and 14 months of construction, Bayou Sara Brewing Co., 11943 Ferdinand St., held its grand opening Oct. 24. The idea to open a brewery Formerly a Ford dealership, new St. Francisville brewery aims to be community hub

Snacks and door prizes will be available as visitors walk around to view art work by local artists in the Feliciana Artist Group. Local musicians Mark Babin Band, Matthews Trio and P B ‘n Jammers will be playing

The event is for adults and costs $20 Tickets will be sold at the door

All proceeds from the event will go to further develop the opportunities for Feliciana Artist Group.

Health fair set for Jackson

The third annual Jackson Health Fair will be at 10 a.m. Nov 1 at Trinity Baptist Church. The event will feature hands-only CPR, heart health education, and cancer screening provided by the Our Lady of the Lake, as well as biometric screening. Vision screening, health and nutrition education, the LifeShare Bloodmobile, and fall prevention will be available

The Humane Society will offer pet adoptions.

Live music, free food including pastalaya and fried fish, and inflatables for the kids will be available.

Louisiana School to hold meeting in Baton Rouge

Representatives from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches will host an informational session for prospective students and their families at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov 1, at the Louisiana Culinary Institute, 10550 Airline Highway, in Baton Rouge.

LSMSA is a tuition-free, public high school for high-achieving sophomores, juniors, and seniors Learn more online at lsmsa.edu.

The sessions are free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to register online before the day of the session at lsmsa.edu/info-sessions.

“Information sessions are such a great opportunity for families across the state to get a closer look at the LSMSA experience,” said Emily Shumate, LSMSA’s director of Enrollment and Student Success “It’s always inspiring to see students and their families discover the opportunities that await them here ” Feliciana homecoming parades

n The West Feliciana Homecoming Parade is Oct. 31. The theme is Trick-orTreat Down on Saints Street

n The East Feliciana High Homecoming Parade is at 11 a.m. Oct 31, in Clinton. The theme is Nightmare in the Tigers’ Den.

Sock it to the library

All branches of the Audubon Regional Library will be participating the in “Sock It To Me” sock drive. The library will be accepting new socks through the first week of December Socks will be donated to local organizations to give to those in need this holiday season. Boxes set up at each branch for donations. Honoré to speak at Veterans Day program in Jackson

Retired Lt. Gen. Russell Honoré will be the guest speaker Nov 8 at the Veterans Day Program beginning at 10 a.m. at the Feliciana Veterans Park on La. 10 in Jackson.

Honoré, a native of Lakeland, served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia, from 2004 until his retirement in 2008. He gained national attention for his role as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, which was the military relief effort after the 2005 hurricane. n Clinton is Home Foundation hosts Meet the Veterans from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov 8 at the Green Door at H Mercantile, 12408 St. Helena St., Clinton. n Plans for a memorial park for Clinton are developing and interest and support have been shown, according to spokesperson Marsha Kemp She said Clinton Mayor Mark Kemp and Jim Parker discussed various things with her at a recent meeting Plans are to form a committee of veterans, their family members and people from the community to further pursue the project. If interested, call or text (225) 439-9705.

Music event coming

Our Lady of Mount Carmel will present Music on the Mount festival and race on Nov 1. The festival is $15 a person in advance, $20 at the gate. Ages 7 and under are free. The races are 10K ($35), 5K ($25) and 1 mile ($15) Cost is $10 for youth in all races. Visit felicianacatholic.org for details.

Email Leila Pitchford at lpitchford@ theadvocate.com.

DEMOCRAT

Keefer adds art etching and designs to custom woodcrafts Saturday during the

YELLOW LEAF

The following people were booked into the West Feliciana Parish Detention Center between Sept. 28-Oct. 19: Oct. 1

ROBINSON, BEATRICE: 37; 131 Bailey Circle, Ferriday; malfeasance in of-

fice sexual conduct prohibited

Oct. 2

FOWLER, PAULA: 23; 12666 Island Road, St. Francisville; seven counts pornography involving juveniles

Oct. 3

JOHNSON, KELLI: 34; 11825 U.S. 61, St. Francisville; bench warrant

Oct. 4

KING, KENDRIC: 18; 195 Carolina Ave., Ferriday; illegal possession of stolen firearm, violation of protective order

FREEMAN, MONICA: 24; 94 Judy Dahl Road, Woodville, Mississippi; contempt of court, violation of protective order, child desertion

CANNON, TYLESHA: 20; 8083 Carver Road, St. Francisville; simple battery

Oct. 6

PITTMAN, ERIN: 32; 4303 Cooper Lane, Jackson; improper lane usage, security required, possession Schedule II narcotics

PITTMAN, LAUREN: 37; 4303 Cooper Lane, Jackson; two counts possession Schedule II narcotics, possession Schedule III narcotics, three counts possession Schedule IV narcotics, resisting an officer

PARSONS JR., RICHARD: 39; 7688 Ed Lejuene Road, Addis; sexual battery

Oct. 8

WHITFIELD, ALFONSO: 36; 4514 Richmond Drive, Ethel; theft

Oct. 9

SULLIVAN, KENNY: 39; 5181 Commenas Drive, St. Francisville; three counts probation warrant AL THAYABAT, JASMINE: 29; 10006 Avenue I, Baton Rouge; probation

warrant

Oct. 10

MCGEE, CARL: 62; 6796 Bayou Sara Way, St. Francisville; simple assault

DUNCAN JOHN: 36; Louisiana State Penitentiary, St. Francisville; battery of a correctional facility employee

RICHARD, CHASE: 40; 5236 Pine Road, St. Francisville; general speed law, driver must be licensed, careless operation

Oct. 11

METZ, JAMES: 41; 8941 Old Tunica Road, St. Francisville; drug paraphernalia, possession with intent to distribute Schedule II narcotics, proper display of license plate, operating vehicle while license is suspended, expire/no registration

Oct. 14

VERDICANNO, ASHTON: 25; 6283 Joe Daniel Road, St. Francisville; possession with intent to distribute Schedule I, possession of firearm/

attempting crime, possession Schedule II narcotics, possession drug paraphernalia, possession Schedule IV

BANFORD, TYRICK: 17; 9378 Jones Vaughn Creek Road, St. Francisville; fugitive warrant

Oct. 15

ARDOIN, DALIN: 44; 6894 Ouida Irondale Road, St. Francisville; switched plates, possession Schedule I, no proof of insurance/registration, reckless operation of a vehicle

Oct. 16

JOHNSON, RICKEY: 35; 5898 Street A, St. Francisville; simple battery

DICKINSON, KADEN: 19; 14936 Easby Ave, Pride; possession Schedule I, possession drug paraphernalia, bench warrant

Oct. 17

BRISTER, COWANNA: 20; 115 Poplar Ave., Carriere, Mississippi; general speed law, operating vehicle while

license suspended, resisting police office with force or violence, possession Schedule II narcotics

Oct. 18

JUNOT, SEAN: 36; 11208 U.S. 61, St. Francisville; hit-and-run, reckless operation of a vehicle

Oct. 19

ARNOLD, LARRY: 59; 34315 La. 16, Denham Springs; illegal use of weapon, possession firearm while attempting/committing crime, two counts possession Schedule II narcotics, possession drug paraphernalia

BROWN, ASHLEY: 40; 8312 Carver Road, St. Francisville; simple battery two counts aggravated assault with a firearm

JONES, MACEY: 20; 10025 Byrnes Road, St. Francisville; driving under the influence 2nd offense, possession with intent to distribute Schedule I narcotics, no seat belt, careless operation

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goes back to 1995 at Camp Zama, Japan, where one of the four owners, Steve McKinney, was stationed in the U.S. Army with his wife Amanda McKinney

“I realized beer was expensive over there,” Steve said. “I was complaining to my mother one time, and she sent me a homebrew kit. I started making beer, and Amanda and I were like ‘Wow This could be really good.’”

Thirty years later the McKinneys began Bayou Sara Brewing Co. with Doug Cochran and his wife, Abby, who is also Amanda’s sister The brewery has two dining areas, a full kitchen, an outdoor patio and brew system.

An inside look

The building was developed in 1937, so there was a lot of renovation and construction to be done. The team installed new bathrooms, plumbing and concrete curbs surrounding the property to prevent flooding, done by local company Maginnis Construction.

Other projects became a community effort after the McKinneys asked for extra hands.

“All of a sudden, within an hour, 14 or 15 people showed up to help,” Steve McKinney said.

Some of the building’s original windows were removed, moved to another wall and welded to the frame by the fire chief, Steve McKinney said.

Details like reusing the original windows pay homage to the building’s history, and even the string lights are the original bay lights from the dealership’s garage that the team converted to LED.

“That’s one of the things we talk about a lot,” Steve McKinney said. “We want this to be the community hub. The community has been so supportive physically and cheering us on.”

The brew process

The metal goliath toward the back of the building is something many don’t see every day From the main dining area, customers can view the brewing system while sipping a beer

The importance of family is evident in the names of the five fermenters, each one named after both family’s daughters: Catherine, Caroline, Elizabeth, Kate

on Oct. 10

and Ella.

“Typically, just for the process of everything, you identify each vessel as something. Since we had five, and me and Doug, between the two of us, have five daughters, that’s what we named all the fermenters,” Steve McKinney said.

He gave a 60-second rundown on how the brew process works in the 10-barrel system, which is 310 gallons.

First, grains are dropped into a mill where they get crunched up, then travel to a hot liquor tank filled with hot water, which makes “basically a big tea,” he said. The mixture steeps for an hour, then travels to a kettle to boil for a little over an hour, which is where things like hops or berries are added.

From there, the liquid cools down and travels to one of the five fermenters (Catherine, Caroline, Elizabeth, Kate or Ella) where it sits for at least 10 days to two

weeks, sometimes longer for a lager

After sitting in a Brite tank for a couple more days (usually where the liquid carbonates), the brew gets kegged and goes back out to the storage cooler

Batches will be made about once or twice a week, Steve said. The system yields beer galore but also leftover grain, which is given to local farmers for animal feed. Of course, the grain is nonalcoholic since it doesn’t reach the fermentation stage.

The menus

The business will have 14 house-made brews on tap, but to start, it’ll have at least four brews until operations get in full swing: Blonde Ale, West Coast Pale Ale, New Zealand Pilsner and Single Hop Citra Pale Ale.

Manager Cece Pike said the menu has pub-like foods like pretzel bites with beer cheese.

There’s also a selection of appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, a kid’s menu and a brownie á la mode for dessert.

Steve’s favorite dish on the menu is the slider flight with three choices of pulled chicken, pulled pork or brisket on a brioche bun. Pike is most looking forward to the street tacos with pickled red onion and cilantro.

“We’ll have nachos, pulled pork, brisket, sandwiches, tacos,” Pike said. “Every food that pairs really well with beer and drinking alcohol.”

Bayou Sara Brewing Co., 11943

Ferdinand St., St. Francisville. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday