THE ZACHA Y
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, D e c e m b e r 3, 2025
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Residents sue council, owners over go-kart track permit
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Pick the best tree at the police station The Zachary Police Department is holding its Tree Decorating Contest — Law & Order Holiday Edition through Dec. 22. The department invites people to vote for their favorite Christmas tree decorated by local businesses, one vote per person per day. Donate a toy for an extra vote. Community Night is from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec 17. Stop by and take pictures with Santa, see the trees, vote, and donate toys for the Zachary Police Department Community Policing to help make a child’s Christmas wishes come true.
Shopping and more on Main Mistletoe on Main Street is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Friday in downtown Zachary. Activities include s’mores, train rides, lights in the park, Santa and Mrs. Claus, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, food trucks, artisan vendors, snow globe photos, tree lighting, letters to Santa and shopping on Main. Other Christmas activities include:
DEC. 6 Christmas parade
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS
One Zachary resident in High Plains Crossing decorates their yard with a reindeer and sleigh.
MERRY AND BRIGHT
Christmas lights are shining all around Zachary. Photographer Sonya Goss took her camera around town Sunday in search of the holiday spirit, and she found decorated houses and businesses brightly lit. Send us photos from your favorite holiday The Crump family starting off their holidays with Joy. lights and displays. Email photos to zachary@ theadvocate.com.
The 2025 Zachary Christmas Parade will be themed “Christmas Movie Spectacular.” It will roll at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 from Rouses on Church Street to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Entry fee is $100, and the deadline to apply for a spot in the parade is Nov. 17. Sign up at forms.office.com/r/b8qkhsEujS.
Black pot cooking contest set Downtown Live at The Gazebo is holding its inaugural Bayou Black Pot Cook-Off on Dec. 6 during the Zachary Christmas Parade Downtown. Each team chooses what goes in their dish. Awards will be presented for first, second and third place along with a People’s Choice Award. Register at forms.office.com/r/SWigFGsZvj. Team entry is $80 by Nov. 28. Then it rises to $100. Tasting wristbands will be $5. The group is seeking volunteer musicians to play in the gazebo. RULES: 1. All dishes must be cooked in a cast-iron pot. No open fires. 2. One 10x10 canopy is allowed per team. 3. Each team must have a fire extinguisher readily available. 4. Cooking teams that chose to sell full-size plates must provide their own plates and utensils. (Sampling bowls for judging will be provided.) 5. Dishes must be completed by 11 a.m. For information or questions please email us at downtownlivezachary@gmail.com. The schedule, rain or shine, is 5:30 a.m., register and begin; 8:30 a.m., registration ends; 11 a.m., food ready to serve and judging begins; and 12:30 p.m., winner announced.
Nutcracker music Books & Music celebrates the
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12th YEAR, NO. 8
The Christmas tree at Zachary City Hall.
White lights display at HugYourPeople Memorial Park. Christmas lights at Lane Regional Medical Center.
Upset about the Zachary City Council’s recent blessing of a go-kart racetrack in their neighborhood, a group of residents calling themselves Zachary’s Citizens for Justice is suing the city and the track over the decision, saying it runs afoul of the development code and should have never happened. The group — largely comprised of residents of W.J. Wicker Road, where the 593 Motorsports Kart Club racetrack is located — wants to the council reconsider the conditional use permit it approved Nov. 10. The track needs the permit because it isn’t a residential land use, and the W.J. Wicker Road area is zoned as residential. At the meeting where the permit was granted on a 3-2 vote, residents complained that the track — which already had been operating for several months without the permit — generates a significant amount of noise that disrupts their lifestyle. Many have lived on the road, which has large lots and a country feel that evokes the Zachary of yesteryear, for decades. Backers, however, argued the track is a positive for the community, offering a constructive activity for youngsters, a gathering place for families and economic benefits for businesses in the city. When the council OK’d the permit, it included several stipulations, such as limiting when races can be held. But that wasn’t enough to ease the minds of W.J. Wicker Road residents. So they organized Zachary’s Citizens for Justice, hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit against the city and the track. “These residents believe the permit was granted improperly because the proposed use is not allowed within the residential area,” resident Diane Fletcher told the council at its Nov. 25 meeting. “Their suit also argues that there are several zoning and procedural standards that are not followed and they were not adequately addressed during the approval process. These concerns include whether the project complies with the existing zoning rules, how it may affect noise, traffic and whether it’s compatible with the residential
ä See PERMIT, page 2G
Zachary headed to next round of playoffs Team is one game closer to state title
BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer
The long road to the Caesars Superdome is nearing its end, with schools needing to clear just one more hurdle to reach the state title game. Zachary High took a step closer to the dome with a win Friday. The Broncos are no strangers to deep playoff runs. Zachary has won four state titles since 2015, with its most recent in 2021. Zachary finds itself back in the Division I nonselect semifinals, but this run has been different. The Broncos (9-3) lost three of their last four games of the regular sea-
son and entered the playoffs as the No. 13 seed. After beating Salmen 48-15 in the first round, the Broncos have turned into road warriors. Zachary then upset No. 4 Denham Springs 44-21 in the regional round. The Broncos faced No. 5 Central in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats beat Zachary 35-33 when the teams met in the regular season at Zachary High School. Down 27-24 in the rematch, Zachary quarterback Michael Kirby scored on a 4-yard keeper with just 11 seconds left to send his Broncos to the semifinals in a 31-27 win. Zachary trailed 21-14 at the break, but used a big defensive showing to fuel the comeback. Now, Zachary will face No. 1 Ruston (10-2) with a chance to make it to the Division I nonselect state title.
PHOTO BY PATRICK DENNIS
Zachary running back Tylek Lewis breaks into the open for a long touchdown run as Catholic defensive back Blaine Bradford defends during their game in Memorial Stadium Thursday.