DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT
THE ASCENSION
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, A p r i l 29, 2026
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Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
Library activities set for early May n Ascension teens can pick up a Flower Pinch Pot — Packet Pick Up on May 1 at multiple branches. Celebrate spring by creating an air-dry clay and dried flower pinch pot. n The Winnie the Pooh Prom is at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 2, at the Donaldsonville location. Babies and toddlers can dance, play, and pose at a photo backdrop. A handprint craft and refreshments are included.
Market open this weekend The Magnolia Market is an indoor shopping event in Gonzales, May 1-3, at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center (REV Center), 9039 S. St. Landry Ave., Gonzales.
ä See AROUND, page 4G
PHOTOS BY WENDY LOUP
Troy LeBoeuf ASCENSION SPORTS
ACHS softball punches ticket to Sulphur Ascension Catholic softball coach Stacie Grant knew the Bulldogs were in for a tough game in their quarterfinal matchup with Cedar Creek, the result was a 6-4 win and advancing to the state tournament in Sulphur on Friday. “We knew that Cedar Creek was a well-rounded club that will compete. They would bring intensity, and we had to match that for seven innings”, said Grant. The Bulldogs (17-11) are the No. 4 seed and will play the No. 1 seed Riverside on Friday at Frasch Park in Sulphur. ACHS jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a homerun by junior Ava Gauthe. Cedar Creek answered and took a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning, then the Bulldogs went to work. “We responded after being down 4-2, we talk about resilience and being a true Bulldog. Junior Lillie Young got us going with a double followed by a single by junior Sophie Crochet. Junior Caroline Diez stepped up with one of three consecutive doubles, followed by junior Hayden Theriot and sophomore Ainsley Allen. That stretch put us up 6-4 and Ava shut the door after that along with our defense,” said Grant. Ascension Catholic played a very difficult schedule this year against larger classification schools, but the message never changes. “Together We Can is something we embody, we compete as one unit, not individual mindset on this team. Our goal from day one was to get to Sulphur and compete for a state championship”, said Grant. Adversity is something all teams deal with and the Bulldogs lost a key player late in the season, a significant loss. “We lost a major piece of our team in sophomore Emma Delatte, she was injured in a game on April 1. She is sidelined for the rest of the season, but she continues to lead from the dugout and brings energy to help
ä See LEBOEUF, page 4G
Five-year-old Maggie Maddie, right, of Prairieville, waves to her family, along with her sister, Landri Maddie, 9, during Saturday’s St. John the Evangelist’s Festival de la Prairie.
Life on the Prairie
BY WENDY LOUP Contributing writer
Live music, carnival rides and a 5K race were all part of this weekend’s St. John the Evangelist’s annual Festival de la Prairie. The popular fair ran April 24-26 at the grounds of the Prairieville church. Musical entertainment included the Peyton Falgoust Band, the Mojoes Dance Band and Dutchtown High School’s Dutchtown Sound. Silent auctions, jambalaya, and bake sales were also included in the weekend festivities.
Dutchtown High School’s band Dutchtown Sound performs Saturday, along with assistant band director Daniel Modenbach.
Carnival rides such as the Fireball entertain visitors. Fireball riders swoop down.
The Himalayas was one of a dozen rides at St. John the Evangelist’s Festival de la Prairie.
Memorial event offers crawfish, vendors
BY WENDY LOUP
Contributing writer
The Bob Jackson Crawfish Boil-Off filled the Lamar Dixon Expo Center’s pavilion Saturday with aromas of cayenne pepper, garlic and other seasonings during the annual cooking competition. The annual event, hosted by the Jackson Foundation, raises funds to provide scholarships to students looking to pursue a career in STEM or skilled labor trade disciplines in the River Parishes area. This year’s Jackson Foundation scholarship recipient is River Parishes Community College student Evan Reddix, a process technology student pursuing a career in STEM. More than 30 teams participated in the cooking contest while 30 vendors were on hand to sell crafts, clothing and baked
goods. The crawfish boil-off, began after the death of Robert Lee Jackson Sr., also known as Bob, to honor his memory and his lifetime of devotion to his community. Jackson, who grew up in Geismar, was a father to five children. He was one of the founders of the Geismar Volunteer Fire Department. He volunteered with the Ascension Parish Fair Association, the Jambalaya Festival Association of Gonzales and was a member of the State Airport Committee of Gonzales. Jackson passed away in 2015 of pancreatic cancer when he was 75 years old. For his five children, the crawfish boil was the perfect chance to honor his father’s love of gathering and helping others.
PHOTO BY WENDY LOUP
Volunteers gather crawfish during Saturday’s Bob Jackson ä See MEMORIAL, page 4G Crawfish Boil-Off at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.