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W e d n e s d ay, J a n u a ry 7, 2026
50¢N
152ND YEAR, NO. 13
Children’s Museum of St. Tammany drops
noon balloons Young partygoers
PHOTO BY ANDREW CANULETTE
kicked off 2026 early
Arthur Hardy built his Mardi Gras Guide into a local institution over the past 50 years. The Mandeville resident is retiring from daily work with the magazine, but his name will remain on the publication.
on Dec. 31 with a morning of play and a kid-friendly Noon
Arthur Hardy retiring but his legacy remains
Year’s Eve Bash at the Children’s Museum of St. Tammany near Mandeville. It’s an annual event that includes music, kooky glasses and other party favors and treats, as well as
Arthur Hardy harbored no illusions when he published his first Mardi Gras Guide way back in 1977. INSIDE, 2A & 3A Sure, he was dedicated to making a quality product that captured the most
playtime with some of their favorite
CARNIVAL 2026
Andrew Canulette ANDREW’S ANGLE
activities inside the museum. It gives the young ones a chance to welcome the new
ä See ANGLE, page 2A
year 12 hours early so they can be tucked
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
in their beds on time
Q&A WITH THE LORD OF MISRULE
that night. For more info on
Merriment knows no bounds after the St. John Fools of Misrule named their Lord of Fools during the group’s 2025 Carnival procession.
museum programing, visit www.cmstkids. org online. ä More photos. PAGE 4A PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
Jim Campbell just cannot have too many camellias
STAFF PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD
A few questions for the biggest fool in Covington BY DARREN COOPER Contributing writer
The northshore welcomes the 2026 Carnival season on Jan. 10 when the St. John Fools of Misrule make their15th annual march through Covington. Before the festivities — and foolishness — we were granted an exclusive interview by the Fools Council of Unreason with this year’s Lord of Misrule, whose name is withheld for obvious reasons — he has a family — to get details on this year’s foolishness. Lord, I have always wanted to know, what makes you such a good fool? A fool is someone, in my
BY DARREN COOPER Contributing writer
Decades after it began, Jim Campbell’s love affair with camellias is still in bloom. “It’s wonderful; it’s like a wonderland,” said the 85-yearold northshore resident. “I don’t grow grass. Grass is my nemesis. I don’t want to see a green lawn, I want plants.” Of the plants, camellias are his favorite. Campbell, the founder of the Northshore Camellia Club and former president of the National Camellia Society, even has his own variety of camellia flower named for him. The Jim Campbell Camellia was created by a friend in Georgia who grows camellia from seeds. Campbell describes it as kind of fluffy, purple and pretty. “It’s a good landscape flower. Most camellias are grown because they are beautiful flowers, but maybe not a pretty plant, but I like plants that are good for a garden,” Campbell said. Campbell grew up in New Orleans, attended Tulane University and had a career as an architect helping out on the design of Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, buildings at LSU and the state. He moved just north of Covington on the Bogue Falaya River in the late ‘60s, piecing together a 17-acre lot. He stopped one day after spotting a man selling camellias on the side of the road. That man, Willie Burris, owned a
opinion, who embraces life and enjoys all the things life has in store and surrounds himself with others who enjoy celebrating life and being foolish. And how does one become the Lord of Misrule? It is a misconception. People think it’s a random act. People think we hand out cake and one piece has a bean and whoever chooses the lucky piece with the bean is the fool. That is not the case. The bean chose me. I did not choose the bean. And the bean is no fool. The bean knows these things. So, it’s a magic bean? I am saying it is a magic
ä See FOOL, page 2A
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PHOTO BY MATTHEW PAYZANT
Jim Campbell, founding president of Northshore Camellia Club and former president of the National Camellia Society, is getting ready for the annual ä See CAMELLIAS, page 4A camellia show on Jan. 11.
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