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 a n u a ry 7, 2026
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Darlene Denstorff AROUND LIVINGSTON
Hungarian Embassy plans consular days at library The Hungarian Embassy is hosting consular days on Jan. 9-10 at the Albany-Springfield Library, 26941 Highway 43, Hammond. The new honorary consul, Andrea Zsombok, will be at the library to discuss and meet area residents. For an appointment, email consul.was@mfa.gov.hu. Indicate that you are interested in the extramural consular days. Include your full name, date and place of birth, phone number, email address and the requested services. Services provided include passport issues, Hungarian ID, registration of life events and declaration of settlement. Area residents are invited to drop by to meet the consular and embassy staff on Saturday from 2026 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information is available on https://washington.mfa.gov. hu/en/consular-information or https://washington.mfa.gov.hu/ page/consular-information.
Gumbo cook-off planned The Watson Bird and Sausage Gumbo Cook-off is set for Jan. 31 at Livingston Fairgrounds. Gates open at 10 a.m. and opening ceremonies are at 11 a.m. A $15 donation gets you samples of the gumbo. Entertainment starts at noon, and awards will be presented at 4 p.m. All proceeds donated to Honor Flight Louisiana, Baton Rouge Soldier Outreach and Books for Boots. For information, call (225) 337-0041.
Cornhole in Walker Play cornhole every Friday at the Walker Community Center. The weekly tournaments are $10 for the lower division and $20 for the upper division. For information, call (225) 305-7183.
Krewe of Denham Springs sets parade The Krewe of Denham Springs Mardi Gras parade rolls at 3 p.m. Jan. 31 through the historic Denham Springs Antique Village and down Range Avenue.
Chamber plans events The Livingston Chamber of Commerce is planning its installation of board members and committees on Jan. 7, the annual meeting and awards banquet Jan. 22 and gala on March 13. Send news and events for Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes to livingston@ theadvocate.com by 4 p.m. Friday or call (225) 388-0731.
PHOTO BY RICHARD MEEK
Gail Maurice is all business as she applies water coloring during a Christmas ornament class Dec. 12 at the Livingston Parish Library’s AlbanySpringfield branch.
COMMUNITY BONDS Retirees turn to library to learn skills, get creative
BY RICHARD MEEK Contributing writer
Carefully choosing her colors, Gayle Maurice put the finishing touches on a Christmas ornament, one decorated with the pages from discarded books in the Livingston Parish Public Library system. But for Maurice and the eight other ladies who shortly before Christmas gathered at the Springfield-Albany Library, the afternoon was much more than adding another decoration to an already crowded tree or mantle. Rather, it offered an outlet, a social haven to spend time with others, a classroom of sorts to learn new skills in the dusk of their lives. “I like learning new things; it keeps my mind sharp,” Maurice, 86, said. “It just adds a lot to my life; I come to the classes all of the time and I really enjoy it. “It’s more than just doing a craft; it is the getting together.” Amalynn Adkins, who works in cataloging at the main library in Livingston but until recently served as adult services coordinator in Springfield, said similar classes were offered at the system’s other branches. Explaining the ornament’s simplicity, she said the foundation was a laser cut of balsa wood formed into a triangle. The budding artists then selected from a generous choice of hues to paint the pieces of paper they had been provided. Perhaps fitting for a library, the paper came from discarded books that had been withdrawn from the library
A look back at 2025 through photos Community news report Last week, we took a look back at 2025 through photos taken by The Advocate photographers, reporters and readers. This week, we share our favorite photos from the second half of the year. We can’t publish The Livingston-Tangipahoa Community
News Section each week without our readers. Please share with us your story ideas, club news and photos. From school news to church activities, we want to include your news on our pages. Send your information and photos to livingston@theadvocate. com or call us at (225) 603-1998.
ä See PHOTOS, page 2G
Jayne Abadie carefully applies the finishing touches on her creation. system or donated books that were deemed in not good enough condition to add to the shelves, with the printed words adding a distinctive feature to each ornament. “We repurpose those pages for crafts sometimes,” Adkins said. Once colored to their satisfaction,
Charlie Thorne, 13, of Denham Springs, spots a northern bobwhite in a crape myrtle near his home Wednesday, June 25. PROVIDED PHOTO BY CHARLIE THORNE
the ladies tore the painted page into strips, layered them and pasted them onto the tree. Hair dryers were then used to dry the strips, the final step before the ornament lands in its new home.
ä See RETIREES, page 4G
Livingston Parish athletes take skills to high levels in 2025 Looking back on the 2025 year of athletics, it is easy to see that Livingston Parish made its presence felt in state competitions. Livingston is rated around 10th among the state’s 64 parishes in population, and the student-athletes it produced performed well. Basketball, baseball and softball
ä See SALZER, page 4G
Charles Salzer SPORTS ROUNDUP