Shreveport - Bossier, Louisiana's Other Side

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NWLA Master Gardeners

March 25, 2009

Butterfly Garden Opens Thursday, April 2

The brand new Graduating Class of 2009 Master Gardeners has taken on a class project the community will enjoy for years to come.

Thursday, April 2 a beautiful butterfly garden will be unveiled. This special garden will host all the flowers, plants, and herbs that butterflies find irresistible. There’s hummingbird sage, bottle brush bush, white yarrow and cone flowers to mention but a few. Citrus fruit will be trained on trellis’ as well as Meyer lemon, kumquat and dwarf Satsuma trees. There are also herbs galore, and a perennial garden.

This new Butterfly Garden is an open invitation to all butterflies in the area to come eat, rest, and cocoon.

The garden’s focal point is a bird bath around which there are flagstone and rock walkways so you can browse the butterfly garden in any weather.

It’s a great place to bring children and grandchildren to see what butterflies are visiting the Master Gardeners that day. There’s nothing quite like the fragile beauty of butterflies fluttering from one plant and flower to another.

This new Butterfly Garden is located on the Kings Highway side of the Randle T. Moore building at the corner of Kings Highway and Fairfield Avenue. Come appreciate the efforts of the twenty nine 2009 Master Gardeners graduates.


For more information contact:

Suzy Ryan NWLA Master Gardeners Publicity

Suzyryan5@yahoo.com

(318) 929-1159, (318) 564-6001

If you see this post it means that BlogEngine.NET 1.5.0 is running and the hard part of creating your own blog is done. There is only a few things left to do.

Write Permissions

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If you wish to use a database to to store your blog data, we still encourage you to enable this write access for an images you may wish to store for your blog posts.  If you are interested in using Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, VistaDB, or other databases, please see the BlogEngine wiki to get started.

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Good luck and happy writing.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26, 2009

Contact: Tarah Holland
Public Relations/Social Media Manager
318.429.0653
tholland@sbctb.org

NEW HOTEL FIRST OF ITS BRAND IN NORTH LOUISIANA

Shreveport-Bossier, La. – Hilton will soon add to the growth in hotel and lodging options on Louisiana’s Other Side as the first Homewood Suites by Hilton property in north Louisiana is set to open Feb. 12 on Financial Plaza in Shreveport.

"The Homewood Suites by Hilton has 259 hotels nationally, 40 under construction and 90 in design," said Adrienne Thorpe, Director of Sales. "The opening management team of the Shreveport property is excited to be the first to bring this concept to Northern Louisiana."

The concept of the Suites by Hilton property is upscale, extended stay with a variety of corporate amenities not found at other lodging properties, Thorpe said.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Shreveport features 123 suites – 33 studios, 65 one-bedroom units and 25 two-bedroom units. All suites feature full kitchens, pullout sofas, flat screen LCD hidefinition televisions and complimentary high-speed internet. The property also boasts a 24-hour business center and 24-hour fitness center.

The hotel offers a complimentary, hot Suite Start breakfast buffet (everyday) and a complimentary Welcome Home Reception (Monday through Thursday evenings) with complimentary beer, wine and a light meal for all of the overnight guests.

"It often serves as dinner for most guests and it’s all complimentary," Thorpe said. "It’s one of many unique services that we offer our customers to show our appreciation for their business."

Shuttle service also is available to Shreveport Regional Airport – just four miles away. Businesses or organizations looking for meeting or space can choose from a 462-square-foot boardroom and a 1584-square-foot ballroom, which can be split evenly to host more than one function simultaneously. Planners also may bring their own food or caterer or used services offered by the hotel.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Shreveport provides Hilton Honors points and miles.

According the Shreveport-Bossier Lodging Report 2008 conducted for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau by Randall Travel Marketing Inc., lodging occupancy rates in Shreveport-Bossier have outperformed national averages since 2002. Though national numbers have hovered around 63 percent since 2005, figures in the sister cities have consistently been higher – including a mark of 67 percent in 2007.

For more information about Homewood Suites by Hilton Shreveport, call Director of Sales Adrienne Thorpe at 318-549-2000 or visit www.shreveport.homewoodsuites.com.

AT A GLANCE

What: Homewood Suites by Hilton Shreveport

When: Officially opens Feb. 12

Where: 5485 Financial Plaza, Shreveport

Information: 318-549-2000 or www.shreveport.homewoodsuites.com

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September 24, 2008
Contact: Tarah Holland
Public Relations/Social Media Manager
318.429.0653
tholland@sbctb.org

Shreveport-Bossier City, La. – Shreveport-Bossier will highlight its savory flavors alongside Natchitoches, Sabine and Minden as members of the Red River Riches extension of the “My Louisiana” experience at the 2008 Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival, Sept. 26-Nov. 9 in Orlando, Fla. This will mark the 13th year of the festival, which is hailed as one of the largest and longest-running food and wine festivals in the world and ranked one of the best food and wine festivals in the United States by Forbes Magazine.

“We are delighted to be able to showcase our amazing food, culture and heritage,” said Stacy Brown, president of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. “This unique opportunity ill allow others to see, experience and learn what makes this region so great.”

Louisiana will be the only state featured in this around-the-world sensory experience. The Louisiana exhibit will feature a food kiosk, artisan area, cooking demonstrations, entertainment, children’s activities, and a merchandise and artisan shop. Each week, one of Louisiana’s six culinary regions will showcase their individual flavors, centered on the state’s newly launched Culinary Trails program. The Red River Riches will be the focus of the fourth week of events, Oct. 19-25.

Area participants include:
• Chef Saul Williams, Guillaumes Gourmet Services – Outdoor cooking demonstration
• Chef Ben Fidelak, Maison Louisiana Catering – Outdoor cooking demonstration
• Chef David Bridges, Bella Fresca Restaurant – Party for the Senses; City Taste
• Glenda Etheridge – Tamale demonstration
• Eugene Mosely – Demonstration of pen and ink drawings
• Debbie Paul, Shelaghley Woods – Demonstration of fine wood turning
• Panderina Soumas, Soumas Heritage Creole Gift Shop – Storytelling
• Dixie Tradition Band – Entertainment
• Professor Porkchop and the Dirty Dishes Band – Entertainment
• Regional cultural ambassadors – Guest relations and face stenciling

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival provides an opportunity for Louisiana to showcase its unique culture to an international audience with a high tendency to travel.

“Louisiana is a state with such a strong heritage and an incredibly vibrant culture, and will serve as a great experience along with all the other festival offerings at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival,” said Jim MacPhee, Epcot Vice President.

Visitors to the festival come from across the globe to experience the finest in culinary traditions, culture and entertainment. In addition, the festival will provide the state an opportunity to showcase the Louisiana Culinary Trails program to a global audience that has a higher focus on culinary tourism.

“We are honored to be invited to take part in such a respected and successful event as the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival,” said Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu in an announcement on Monday. “Louisiana’s participation in the festival will provide us the opportunity to share our unique culture and authentic heritage with travelers from all over the world.”

Complete list of events:
Week 1: Creole Fusion region in the New Orleans area, including St. Tammany and Jefferson parishes
Week 2: The Delta Delights region, covering northeast Louisiana including Ruston and Monroe, in partnership with the Prairie Home Cooking region in the center of the state, including Alexandria
Week 3: Seafood Sensation region, including Lake Charles and the surrounding area
Week 4: Red River Riches region in the northwest corner of Louisiana, including Shreveport
Week 5: Cajun/Bayou Bounty region in Acadiana, including Lafayette
Week 6: Capital Cuisine region in southeast Louisiana including Baton Rouge and the surrounding
area

For more on the Shreveport-Bossier: Louisiana’s Other Side, visit www.shreveport-bossier.org.
For more information about the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival, call (407) 939-3378 or visit www.disneyworld.com/food.
For more information on Louisiana, visit www.louisianatravel.com.

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