MARCH 18
•Lutcher Theater Service Guild to meet
The Lutcher Theater Service Guild (in Orange) will hold a general meeting on Thursday March 18, 2010 begining at 5:30 p.m.
MARCH 18, and MARCH 27
•AARP Driver Safety Program Classes
The Driver Safety Program of AARP announces the classes for March, 2010. The class is a four-hour course. Each person completing the course may receive up to three years in auto insurance savings and should check with their individual insurance carrier for verification of the discount. No tests are given and membership in AARP is not required. Cost is $12 for AARP members (AARP card required) and $14 for non-members.
This course has been offered for 30 years by trained instructors and must be taken every three years in order to be current for the insurance discount. It is designed to help drivers improve driving skills, learn defensive driving techniques and offers practical information to reduce traffic violations and crashes. There is no final test to pass. Pre-registration for classes is recommended.
Moss Bluff Senior Center, 2868 US 171, Moss Bluff, will host a class on Thursday, March 18, 2010 starting at 8:30 a.m. Contact 217-0500 to register. Barbara McManus will be the instructor.
Ward 3 Recreation Center, Derbonne Sports Complex, 7903 Lake Street, Lake Charles, will host a class on Saturday, March 27, 2010, starting at 9 a.m. Call 477-2656 to register. Leave a message if necessary. The instructor will be Paul Arnold.
MARCH 20
•Celebrate the ‘Wearing of the Green’ in Southwest Louisiana
Southwest Louisiana will get the opportunity to celebrate the “Wearing of the Green” at the 2010 St. Patrick’s Day 2010 celebration on Saturday, March 20, at the Brick House, 110 Pine St.
The event, which will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is presented by the Celtic Nations Heritage Foundation.
Entertainment will be provided by a pair of Celtic bands from Lafayette, Drowsy Maggie and Farouche, balladeer Andy Blanton and the Lone Star Pipe Band.
A children’s area will be provided with a petting zoo and games.
Food will include such Celtic favorites as Irish stew, shepherd’s pie and scotch eggs.
Admission is $5 per person, with children under 10 and under being admitted free. A Family Special makes it so families will pay no more than $20, regardless of family size.
St. Patrick’s Day is an annual feast day that celebrates St. Patrick, the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland.
For more information, call 439-4888.
•SWLA Genealogical Society to meet
The regular meeting of the Southwest Louisiana Genealogical Society, Inc., will be held on Saturday, March 20, in the Carnegie Meeting Room of the Southwest Louisiana Genealogical & Historical Library, 411 Pujo Street, Lake Charles, beginning at 10 a.m. Coffee and fellowship will begin at 9:30 a.m. The program will be "The Many Cultures of French Louisiana" presented by Jim Bradshaw of Washington, LA. Guests are always welcome.
MARCH 24 - APRIL 28
•Calcasieu Kennel Club Obedience Classes
A six-week obedience course sponsored by the Calcasieu Kennel Club will begin on March 24 from 6 to 7 p.m. outdoors at Burton Coliseum. Handlers will be taught how to train their dogs to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test to be held on Wednesday, May 5. Cost of the class is $40. Call now as space is limited. Contact Sallie Shepherd at 478-2627 for more information or email ckcevents@yahoo.com.
MARCH 25
•Childhood obesity seminar
Healthy children gain weight as they grow, but extra pounds—more than what's needed to support their growth and development—can lead to childhood obesity, a serious medical condition that often starts kids on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
If you think these issues are weighing down on your family’s health, there is a seminar for you. Join Danette Null, MD, a family practice physician on staff at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, for A Growing Problem: Childhood Obesity, a free seminar that will cover the causes and effects of this alarmingly common problem, as well as offer helpful tips and suggestions for treatment and prevention.
A Growing Problem: Childhood Obesity is a free seminar being held at 12 noon on Thursday, March 25, in the Shearman Conference Center at Memorial Hospital on Oak Park Boulevard. Refreshments will be provided, and reservations are required.
For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.lcmh.com or call (337) 494-2936.
MARCH 26
•‘Dinners To Go’ Fundraiser for Sulphur Kiwanis
A ‘Dinners To Go’ fundraiser hosted by the Sulphur Kiwanis Club will be held on Friday, March 26, 2010 at the Lion’s Club on Maplewood Drive. Tickets can be purchased from any Sulphur Kiwanis member for $10 each. Dinners will come packed with 1 lb boiled, headless shrimp, corn and potatoes. For information contact Russell Castille at (337) 625-5388, Millie Deville at (337) 528-9131, Chris Foster at (337) 527-5066 or Sharon Mele at (337) 625-2500. All proceeds support the Sulphur Kiwanis Scholarship Program.
MARCH 27, 28
•Southwest Louisiana Garden Festival set
This year’s Southwest Louisiana Garden Festival will be March 27 to March 28 in the Burton Coliseum on the corner of Gauthier Road and Gulf Hwy. in Lake Charles.
Robert Turley, LSU AgCenter horticulture agent, said people who attend the festival can learn where to obtain gardening products, accessories and services as well as about garden clubs and plant societies in southwest Louisiana.
Information covered during the two days will include traditional woody and herbaceous plants appropriate for the area and new and improved garden plants and shrubs that will be sold at local garden centers.
Participants are urged to enter the Burton Coliseum at the south entrance opposite the Livestock Show Barn. It is handicapped accessible. 4-H members will collect the $2 entrance fee for adults; children 12 years and under can enter free.
For additional information on the festival, contact Turley at (337) 475-8812, ext. 23.
APRIL 17
•Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Fest
The movers and shakers of the south are pleased to present the first Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Fest on Saturday, April 17, in downtown Lake Charles. This festival will be held in the Downtown Merchants Parking Lot on the corner of Broad and Ryan Streets between the hours of 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Crawfish, crawfish, and more crawfish. That’s what going to be happening at the first Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival. Enjoy the best music, food and fun at one of the largest Crawfish Festivals in Southwest Louisiana. Featured artists are the Gator Band and True Spirit, Linda Toussaint, Zydecane, and Lil Nate and the Zydeco Big Tymers.
Come out and bring the whole family for good fun and fellowship all day long. Come on and get in on the action Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. at the Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Fest. Tickets are only $7 before 6 p.m. and $10 after 6 p.m.
APRIL 22
•Senior Citizen's Safety Awareness & Fun Day
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office will be holding a Senior Citizen’s Safety Awareness & Fun Day on Thursday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be at the Lake Charles Civic Center and is free for seniors 55 years and older. For more information, call 263-4563.
APRIL 23
•Golf tournament in Sulphur
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso will be sponsoring the LHSAA Golf Tournament on Friday, April 23, at the Frasch Golf Course. It will be a four person scramble with a $75 entry fee per player. For more information, contact Pam LeBlanc at 491-3713.
APRIL 24
•NAMIWalks for the Mind of America
The 8th Annual NAMIWalks for the Mind of America will start at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 24, at the Lake Charles Civic Center Amphitheater. If you would like to walk or find out more about this event, go to www.nami.org/sites/namiswla or call 433-0219.
ONGOING
•‘Frasch Pictures America’ exhibit
The Brimstone Historical Society and Frasch Elementary would like to invite the public to a very special exhibit. Frasch Elementary’s library (led by Jeni Anderson) and the Art Department (led by Jennifer Manuel) have worked very hard to prepare a display which incorporates history, art, and literature all in one exhibit. The exhibit is part of a “We the People” grant. This grant is given by the National Endowment of the Humanities to special programs throughout the country.
The display features paintings, writings, and collages from 4th and 5th grade students at Frasch. This will be on display from now until April 1, so don’t miss your chance to see how “Frasch Pictures America!” The Henning Cultural Center also has new Saturday hours. The Cultural Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, effective immediately.
For more information about this or upcoming exhibits, please call at 337-527-0357.
•Care Help of Sulphur “Life Skills Classes” Schedule
April 9 - The Hidden Job Market; May 14 - Skills Assessment; June 11 - How to Prepare a Budget. Location: 112 E. Thomas St. in Sulphur from 1 to 3 p.m. Call 528-2273 to reserve a seat. There is a drawing for a Wise Penny Thrift Store Gift Certificate. Please visit their website at www.care-help.org.
•Wise Penny Thrift Store New Hours
Care/Help of Sulphur’s Wise Penny Thrift Store new hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Care/Help is opening one hour early for your shopping convienence. Every first and third Friday is 50 Cent Day for clothes, shoes, and purses. They also have daily 50 percent off sales.
•Lifelong Learning Center Classes
Take charge of your life in 2010 by enrolling in classes at the Lifelong Learning Center. Classes are available for adults wanting to get their GED or improve their reading, writing, math, and spelling skills. The Learning Center also offers ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. These classes are for people moving here from other countries who need to learn the English language. Classes are taught by experienced and qualified instructors in small group class settings to allow for individualized attention. Morning and night classes are available. Improving your skills today makes for a brighter tomorrow. Call 494-7000 for more information, or to find out how you can register for classes at the Lifelong Learning Center. Free bus tokens are available to help with transportation needs.
•Mayor’s Commission for the Needs of the Disabled
On the second Wednesday of each month, 10:30 a.m., the Mayor’s Commission for the Needs of the Disabled meet in the Sulphur City Council Chambers, 500 N. Huntington Street.
