Shreveport - Bossier, Louisiana's Other Side

SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER, LA-The Louisiana Office of Tourism, along with other state and federal government agencies and private sector entities, continue to work together to monitor the impact of the oil spill and cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

Much of the Louisiana Gulf Coast is unaffected by the oil spill and remains open for commercial and recreational fishing. All nine Louisiana coastal parishes (counties) continue to offer travelers historic and cultural attractions, world-acclaimed indigenous food and music, and notable restaurants and overnight accommodations.

Shreveport-Bossier, located in the northwest corner of the state, has not been affected by the oil spill. The sister cities, like most of the other parts of the state, are open for business and hope the remainder of the country will continue to support tourism, which is one of the state’s biggest economic engines.

The primary affected area is around the mouth of the Mississippi River in the southeast region of Louisiana. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast maps identify an "area of uncertainty" that extends around the origin of the spill.

“The nation has been so supportive of Louisiana over the years,” said Stacy Brown, president of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. “One of the most helpful things people can do for Louisiana is to continue to visit the state and enjoy all of our cultural attractions, festivals and events.”

Memorial Day weekend around the state will be festive. Starting in Shreveport-Bossier, the Mudbug Madness Festival, which celebrates the beloved crawfish, will be held May 27-30 at Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport. There will be great zydeco and Cajun bands, lots of crawfish cooked just the way you like it, games and activities for the kids, and an overall great time for the entire family. For more information call 318-222-7403 or visit www.mudbugmadness.com.

In West Monroe, the Louisiana Southern Fried Festival will be happening May 28-30. It will feature a regional high school rodeo, lawnmower races, square dancing, chainsaw sculpting, furniture-making and more. For more information call 318-325-9160 or visit www.lasouthernfriedfestival.com.

The Jazz Pilgrimage Brunch is May 30, 8:15 a.m., in New Iberia at St. Edward Cafeteria. There will be a Pilgrimage March and Second Line. For more information call 337-560-5595.

The New Orleans Wine and Food Experience is May 25-29 is one of the most prestigious festivals of its kind, celebrating 19 years of wine and food. The 2010 event brings together world-renowned winemakers, celebrated chefs and industry insiders in a showcase of signature events and one-of-a-kind seminars designed to entertain, educate and inspire.

For more information and updates on the oil spill visit www.louisianatravel.com. For more information about Shreveport-Bossier visit www.shreveport-bossier.org and www.shreveportbossierfunguide.com.

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The 12th Annual Sunflower Trail and Festival will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, June 5, in Gilliam., behind the Crossroads Museum/Library. Various vendors will be set up and a  variety of artisans will display their art work, crafts, pottery, and jewelry, along with plants, antiques, glassware, and numerous other interesting wares.  There will be several children’s activities, food and drink vendors (including home-style cooking at the Main Street Café) and lots of entertainment.

To enjoy the beauty of the sunflower trail, tour Louisiana Hwy. 3049 between Shreveport and Gilliam, which will include the towns of Dixie and Belcher.  Sentell Road makes a circle off of Hwy. 3049 and has a large showing of the various sunflower varieties, as well as a field of wildflowers.

Bring the family and enjoy a day in the country at the festival and see the lovely sunflowers along the way.

For more information, call Helen Adger, Mayor of Gilliam at 318-296-4393, or Karen Logan at 318-296-4303.

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SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER, LA--- Fertitta’s Delicatessen is celebrating 50 years of making the Muffy. To celebrate this achievement, Fertitta’s will have a birthday party for the Muffy, 11 a.m., June 12 at the restaurant, 1124 Fairfield Ave., in Shreveport, La. The event is open to the public. The band ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ will perform and the small Muffy will be on sale. If you buy one small Muffy at regular price, you get the second one for just $0.50. Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover and other honored guests are expected to speak at the event.

Fertitta’s Delicatessen and Catering Service has undergone many changes, but owner Agatha Fertitta McCall says there are some things that will never change. “We won’t change the recipe for the Muffy. That is our signature sandwich and what we are famous for. Besides, my daddy said he would come back from the grave to haunt me if I ever changed his sandwich. I want my daddy to rest in peace.”

The Muffy, like many other good things in life, was a happy accident. In 1927, the Fertitta’s opened the first family-owned food store in the city and in 1960 they started ordering food products from New Orleans. One of those products was muffaletta bread.

The story goes that one day Papa Sam Fertitta decided to make himself a sandwich using the muffaletta bread and products he had in the store. A businessman came in and Papa offered him some of the sandwich to try the imported bread. The businessman went to a company Christmas party that evening and told everyone about the sandwich he had eaten at Fertitta’s.  On Monday morning, several people showed up for this highly-talked-about sandwich. As the days went on, more and more people came and the Fertittas were gently “forced” into the sandwich business.

Papa Sam stopped making Muffys in 1980 when Agatha took over. She has made the Muffy for 30 years now, longer than her father made it. “It’s a family place. It’s a part of the uniqueness of this city,” Agatha said. “The olive mix is the secret of the whole Muffy and only our family knows the recipe and makes it. We have a unique product. You can’t go anywhere to get anything like our sandwich.”

In 2008, they sold their one millionth Muffy.  “Muffy” is now a registered trademark owned by Agatha. “Selling one million Muffys is a big deal, but what makes it truly unique is that every Muffy has been made by someone in our family in that same little corner store,” she says. “We are going to just keep doing what we’re doing. It’s obviously working! I would love to see us make 100 years on this corner.”

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Sci-Port to hold Space Day celebration this Saturday, May 15

 
Space Day at Sci-Port: Louisiana's Science Center will hold Space Day from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. this Saturday, May 15. There will be a variety of presentations, hands-on activities and planetarium programs to enjoy.

Hands-on activities for all ages include:
* Light Detectives, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
* Sun Cookies, noon & 3 p.m.
* Modeling the Milky Way, 1 & 4 p.m.

 Programs in the Rasberry-Powers Children's Gallery include:
* Seeing Through Alien Eyes, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
* Make Your Own Moon Rock, noon & 3 p.m.
* Galaxy Face Painting, 1 & 4 p.m.

Programs in the Dayna & Ronald L. Sawyer Space Dome Planetarium include:
* Birthday Skies, 11:30 a.m. & 4:30 p.m.
* Secrets of the Sun, 12:30 p.m.
* Under the Same Sky, ongoing 1 to 6 p.m.

 Other activities will include observing the sun through solar-filtered telescopes on the Windham Family Rooftop Terrace from 1-3 p.m. and in Sci-Port's SWEPCO Demonstration Theatre where Broadmoor Middle Laboratory students will present the result of their Reduced Gravity Opportunity NASA experiment at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

All activities are included with regular admission and free to Sci-Port members.

Sci-Port is located at 820 Clyde Fant Parkway on the downtown Shreveport Riverfront. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 pm. Monday - Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. For general information call (318) 424-3466 or visit www.sciport.org.

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The annual PRIDE (Proud Residents Involved in Developing our Economy) Banquet was held last night from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Horseshoe Casino Riverdome. The elegant event was the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s chance to say thank you to thousands of people that make this area a true tourist destination. The PRIDE Awards Banquet was one event put on by the bureau in order to clebrate Tourism Awareness Month.

The Hospitality/Tourism Industry employs some 37,100 people in the Shreveport-Bossier area. The PRIDE Banquet is held every year in order to honor the frontline people - the heart of the tourism industry - in front of their hospitality peers.

“We are so very proud of our industry,” said Stacy Brown, bureau president. “They are the reason, why Shreveport-Bossier is the number two destination in the state and our popularity continues to rise with the leisure tourists, conventioneers and film makers.

An estimated 300 people attended the banquet to see the following recipients receive their awards.

New Hotels:
• VALUE PLACE – Bossier City
• SLEEP INN – Shreveport
• HAMPTON INN – Millicent Way - Ala
• COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT – Louisiana Boardwalk

Communications Friends of the Industry:

• FERTITTA’S DELICATESSEN – Agatha McCall
• WINE COUNTRY – Michael Brady

Convention Friends of the Industry:

• ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA – Burnadine Moss Anderson & Evelyn Valore
• KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS – Ed Twohig
• CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATION INSTITUTE – Deanie Galloway
• GULF COAST ASSOCIATION GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY – Scott Caswell
• LOUISIANA MATH & SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION – Jan Graff & Jean Ware

Tourism Friends of the Industry:

• USSSA (Super NIT) – Frank Griffin
• SHREVEPORT CAPTAINS – Craig Brasfield
• DRAGONBOAT RACE – John Coutret
• USA WEIGHTLIFTING DEVELOPMENT CENTER at LSUS – Kyle Pierce
• USFA (Memorial Day Tournament) – Bobby Hair
• R.S.V.P. – Teresa Micheels
• Chesapeake
• Encana
• Petrohawk
• SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER FILM OFFICE: Arlena Acree & Pam Glorioso
• MILLENNIUM STUDIOS: Diego Martinez
• FLY BRANSON: Shreveport Airport Authority –Bill Cooksey

Media Friend of the Industry:
Maggie Martin


New Event of the Year:

PUB CRAWL:

• Downtown Development Authority – Don Shea  
• SRAC/ArtSpace – Bonne Sommers    
• HappyHour.com-Richard Raley
• Shreveport Parks & Recreation – Shelly Ragle

BREW:

• Downtown Shreveport Unlimited-Melanie Bacon
• Red River Revel-Kip Holloway

City Wide Event of the Year:
MARDI GRAS SEASON 2010
• Krewe of Aesclepius – Doug Kochenderfer
• Krewe of Centaur –  Dana Bridges
• Krewe of Gemini – Chris Stansell
• Krewe of Highland – Bob Marak
• Krewe of Harambee – Verna Smith
• Krewe of Sobek – Cassandra Smith


In Recognition of your special support of the kiosk on THE “BOOM OR BUST” BY-WAY: Dr. Stephen Taylor, Mayor of Vivian & Dale Barnett, Mayor of Plain Dealing

LEGEND OF THE INDUSTRY – Forest Dunn – LA State Exhibit Museum

HOTEL EXECUTIVE – Barry Regula – Boomtown

HOTEL EXECUTIVE -  Inki Shaver – Holiday Inn Express West

OUTSTANDING ATTRACTIONS PROFESSIONAL – Chris Jay – Robinson Film Center

OUTSTANDING PERFORMING ARTS PROFESSIONAL – Jamie Killeen – Shreveport Little Theatre

HOTEL SALES PROFESSIONAL  (Full Service) – Jodee Minter

HOTEL SALES PROFESSIONAL – (Limited Service) – Allison Young – Homewood Suites

HOTEL FRONT DESK PROFESSIONAL –(Full Service)–Margarita Royal – Holiday Inn Bossier City

HOTEL FRONT DESK PROFESSIONAL – (Limited Service) – Susie Gillen – Holiday Inn Express West

(TIE) HOTEL BANQUET PROFESSIONAL –
• Venita Taylor – DiamondJacks
• Andrew Hamilton – Sams Town

(TIE) OUTSTANDING FOOD SERVER –

• Dexer Huewit – Horseshoe 
• Tina Randall – Holiday Inn West

OUSTANDING HOUSEKEEPING PROFESSIONAL – (Full Service) – Janice Harris – Hilton


OUTSTANDING HOUSEEEPING PROFESSIONAL (Limited Service) – Mary Rachal – Microtel

OUTSTANDING MAINTENANCE PROFESSIONAL –
Tensey Jackson – LA Boardwalk

(TIE)OUTSTANDING VALET/BELLMAN/GIFT SHOP PROFESSIONAL
• Randall McMillen – Hilton
• Christopher Crochet – Boomtown

 
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Shreveport Little Theatre will hold open auditions for its five Main stage productions for their 2010-2011 season at 7 p.m., May 24-25, at the Woman’s Department Club.  Additional auditions may be held approximately 7 weeks prior to each production for supplemental casting. Auditions for Academy students for Pippin and other Academy productions will be announced at a later date.
 
Actors age 17 and up who are interested in participating in any of the five Main stage shows should attend. Actors will be asked to read a gender-appropriate monologue, which the theatre will provide, or prepare a 1-minute comedic monologue of their choice. In addition, anyone wishing to be considered for a role in one of three musicals, needs to prepare 16 to 32 bars of a song in the style of their choice.  Scores will be available if anyone wishes to sing from the show. Sides will be available at the audition, or in advance by stopping by the SLT box office during regular business hours beginning May 17. Anyone wishing to audition who is unavailable on audition dates should call or email the theatre for more information.
 
Directors Robert Darrow, Jared Watson, Richard King, and Laura Beeman will be in attendance to cast SLT’s Main stage Season. Each production will begin rehearsal approximately 4 to 6 weeks in advance of the opening. A full schedule will be given upon completion of casting.
 
Season details:
 Last of the Red Hot Lovers, September 9 -19
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!, November 4-14-
A Streetcar Named Desire, January 6-16, 2011
Little Shop of Horrors, March 3-13, 2011
Pippin, April 28-May 8, 2011 (a co-production with SLT Academy)
 
SLT’s Box Office is located at 300 Ockley Dr. in Shreveport and is open Monday - Friday from noon-4 p.m.
 
For more information on any upcoming projects call the box office at 424-4439 or email sportlittletheatre@gmail.com
 
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The annual PRIDE (Proud Residents Involved in Developing our Economy) Banquet will be held, 6:30-9 p.m., Thursday, May 13 at the Horseshoe Casino Riverdome. This elegant gala is the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s chance to say thank you to thousands of people that make this area a true tourist destination. The PRIDE Awards Banquet is part of National Travel and Tourism Week.

The Hospitality/Tourism Industry employs some 37,100 people in the Shreveport-Bossier area. The PRIDE Banquet is held every year in order to honor the frontline people - the heart of the tourism industry - in front of their hospitality peers. These honorees are mostly the men and women who first meet our visitors and are responsible for making their stay a positive one. Their dedication to their jobs also helps the community by saving each household in Caddo-Bossier Parish $190 in taxes annually.

“We are so very proud of our industry,” said Stacy Brown, bureau president. “They are the reason, why Shreveport-Bossier is the number two destination in the state and our popularity continues to rise with the leisure tourists, conventioneers and film makers.

Around 32 awards will be given in various categories and an estimated 300 people are expected to attend this year’s banquet.  Some of the Hospitality Awards include: Outstanding Guest Service/Front Desk, Outstanding Food Service/Banquet, Outstanding Community Awareness, Tourism Promoter of the Year, Distinctive Service Awards, and Convention Awards.

This event is open to the public. Tickets are $25 per guest. Please call 318-222-9391 to RSVP to the event.

Shreveport Little Theatre & Academy announces open enrollment for its Summer Discoveries Session and production of Les Miserables: School Edition, to be held at Marjorie Lyons Playhouse on the Centenary College Campus, July 5-August 1. Applications are being accepted now through May 28 only. Scholarships and work-study applications are due May 14. There will be an optional informational meeting and Q & A with SLTA Staff at 7 p.m., May 7 at Southfield School. 

SLTA will provide comprehensive theatre instruction, culminating with a live production of Les Miserables: School Edition. Academy workshops will provide comprehensive theater training through an integrated curriculum that meets the National Standard for Theatre Education.  Enrollment is limited and offered in four sections: Children’s Division (NEW!), ages 8-10; Interns, ages 11-13; Apprentices, ages 14-17; and Fellows, ages 18+. Fellows need to contact the Academy for more information before applying.

All classes are taught by trained faculty who are accomplished, professional theatre artists and educators. In addition, guest artists will teach specialty workshops.

This epic story of Les Miserables recounts the struggle against adversity in 19th century France. Unjustly imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread, petty thief Jean Valjean is released from his 19-year term and not only becomes an honest man, but the mayor of a prosperous town and a loving adoptive father – violating his parole in the process. The relentless Inspector Javert, who makes a decent life for Valjean impossible, consequently pursues him. Only years later, during the bloody Paris student uprising of 1832, after Valjean proves his mettle and saves the life of a young man hopelessly in love with Valjean’s adopted daughter, does the ex-convict at last attain the peace he has sought for so long.

Open auditions will be held from 7 p.m. -10 p.m., May 28 at Southfield School.  SLTA must receive your application forms and member dues before you can audition.  For further information about auditions, tuition, scheduling, financial aid, or to receive a packet, email sltacademy@gmail.com, call 424-4439, or visit the box office at 300 Ockley Dr.