Lifestyle

Northwestern State University’s 74th Demon Battalion and Department of Military Scienc hosted a commissioning ceremony May 9 for graduating seniors who took the oath of office to serve as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. The event was held in conjunction with spring commencement exercises in which the four earned undergraduate degrees as ROTC cadets.

The new officers are 2nd Lt. Peyton Bordelon of Alexandria, 2nd Lt. Loren Higginbotham of Jennings, 2nd Lt. Breanna James of Stonewall and 2nd Lt. Andrew Wesley of Shreveport. Bordelon earned a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice with a minor in military leadership. Working to become a Medevac pilot and flight officer, he will train to fly the UH-60 Black Hawk as an Army aviator in the Louisiana Army National Guard.

Madison Abigail Magee, recent graduate of Logansport High School, receives DeSoto Parish LSU Alumni Scholarship from Dudley Glenn, Vice President of the local association.

(photo by David Maroski)

Join us this weekend at BackAlley Community Theatre in Grand Cane for our final laughter-filled weekend with Wage Warfare. Young Hope finds herself sandwiched between prim Bonnie and surly Louise, with the only apparent relief is a sudden opportunity for promotion. Antics ensue when the three women all vie for the promotion, along with a hapless boss, Mr. Clogsworth, and a rising star — Aaron Starr.

Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 2:00 pm, May 31, June 1 and 2. Purchase your tickets or reserve your season ticket seat at backalleygrandcane. com. For questions, call our box office at 318-461-0202.

Cast members include Heath Lemme, Julia Parr, Annaclaire McGarland, Kim Pepmiller, Amy Hall, and Hunter Tuck. Director is Windy Parr, Assistant Director is Bailey Parr, and Stage Manager is Karen Schmidt. Wage Warfare is written by Scott Hann and published by Eldridge Publishing Company.

The Books and Biscuits April meeting took place at Debbie Carr’s house. Debbie, who is always a wonderful hostess, made wonderful ham and cheese sliders for us to enjoy. Others brought deviled eggs, chips and dip and a wonderful cake. Since April was our book selection month, members brought many books for selection, but, as always, we had to narrow the list. Our book selections for the rest of the year and for part of the 2025 year are as follows: 5/7/24 Louisiana Longshot by Jana De-Leon 6/4/24 19 Minutes by Jodie Picoult 7/9/24 The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon 8/6/24 Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther 9/3/24 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishigure 10/8/24 Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble 11/5/24 Defying Jihad by Esther Ahmad 12/5/24 The Women by Kristin Hannah 1/7/25 North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan 2/4/25 Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi 3/4/25 The Pact by Jodie Picoult

The American Rose Center (ARC) will open for the 50th blooming season on Wed., April 3. The new hours of operation are Wed. - Fri, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sat. and Sun., 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission to the gardens is $5 per person or $10 per family. Peak rose bloom season is expected between mid-April and mid-May.

The American Rose Society is also celebrating the 50th anniversary of basing its headquarters in Shreveport, La. They will have numerous special events to celebrate with details on www.Rose.org or the ARC Facebook page (https://www.facebook. com/American-RoseCenter/). Spring events will run from mid-April to mid-May during the peak spring bloom.

I was stunned this past Easter weekend to learn that President Biden had declared Easter Sunday to be “Transgender Visibility Day.” Easter, the highest, holy day of the Christian year for millions of Americans and still billions more around the world. That’s the day President Biden thought best to endorse and highlight transgenderism.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (Shreveport, LA) responded that the White House “betrayed the central tenet of Easter—which is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” He further stated, “banning sacred truth and tradition—while at the same time proclaiming Easter Sunday as ‘Transgender Day’—is outrageous and abhorrent.”

Join us for our final laughter-filled weekend with “Rex’s Exes” by Jones Hope Wooten. Showtimes at Back-Alley Community Theatre in Grand Cane are Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 2:00 pm, April 12, 13, and 14. Purchase your tickets or reserve your season ticket seat at backalleygrandcane. com. For questions, call our box office at 318-461-0202.

We find the Verdeen cousins of Sweetgum, Texas — Gaynelle, Peaches, and Jimmie Wyvette — teetering on the brink of disaster again. Wishing to celebrate a big 5-0 birthday and the success of the Wide Bride Boutique, the surprise is on them with a startling twist as party plans shift to a hastily-planned family funeral instead.

Join us for a day full of fun including Easter egg hunts, games, prizes, and food…all for free. Bring a basket to collect eggs on March 30, starting at

12:00 p.m. to Andy Whitaker Lane in Grand Cane.

For more information contact Lynda Foster 318--

422-3805, Jean Foster 318--

461-7157, Carolyn Foster

318-470-8300, Elisa Beck

318-518-7622 or Adrienna Jefferson 318-871-0844. Happy Easter!

Performing this weekend at BackAlley Community Theatre are two talented singer/songwriters Al Boogie (Alex Troegel), a hometown favorite originally from Mansfield, and Kaitlyn Jewett from Cleburne, Texas. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9, at 7:00. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at backalleygrandcane. com. Call 318-461-0202 for questions.

Boogie and Kaitlyn will perform favorite chart topping songs along with their original songs. Boogie is a honky tonk, southern rock, and outlaw country connoisseur, and Kaitlyn performs southern country,JohnnyCash, and 70’s and 80’s rock. Both artists performed on NBC’s The Voice Season 24, with Al being a Reba pick. Call our box office at 318-461-0202 for questions.

These performances featuring talented singer/songwriters Al Boogie (Alex Troegel), a hometown favorite originally from Mansfield, and Kaitlyn Jewett from Cleburne, Texas. Both artists performed on NBC’s The Voice Season 24, with Al being a Reba pick. Kaitlyn and Al will perform favorite chart topping songs along with their original songs. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9, at 7:00. Tickets are $15 and go on sale Monday, February 19, at backalleygrandcane. com. Call our box office at 318-4610202 for questions.