Thursday May 19, 1983- 2nd Year, Number 34
TIMES 25 °
Q
anis Park
IIs old dream
By BRYAN T. McMAHON
over half a century but an
dream has at last
at what is now Kiwanis
!Pacious oak-shaded grounds
turned into a huge garden
doubtless have thrilled
of the old Community
up of local ladies who
Ponchatoula's land-
!;i!
gfield
peace,
iration
Staff Report
artist who moved here
nia over a year and a half
has found her ideal
Create Blood River
e first in a series of articles
Small community three
Springfield that is
artists and antique
perhaps drawn to the
same reason as artist
:d in the Springfield area
of the serenity, the water,
the seclusion• You
that these-days."
didn't find it in the
California, which
ind for the Bayou State.
and a career to
full-time to art.
however,
to keep her busy at a
tasks: the interior and
of Ponchatoula area
teaching art to local
nd to those who have
an ability to create, as
on numerous disci-
Water colors to decou-
Specializing in painting
of canvas, a tech-
adds another element of
finished piece.
Completed the renova-
of her Springfield
Toni Cookman is now
her attentions to the
where she has been
to do the interior and
work for the new Aw
who says the serious
which she's recovered
"life's short and !
might not be
has never looked
aSSected
mark Log Cabin constructed as their
clubhouse during the early half of
this century.
Members of the original club in-
cluded: Mrs. T.K. Butler. Mrs.
George Schmitt, Mrs. Dorothy
Welles. Mrs. Charles Van Vrancken.
Mrs Katie Edwards and others
whose names were not readi.ly avail-
able.
And they obviously had big dreams
of turning the park on the city's
southwest side into a botanical gar-
den that would be an attraction for
the entire region.
As popular as the club was, and as
dedicated the ladies, the situation by'
the late 1940's was such that the
club could no longer keep up the
clubhouse or the park. In 1950 the
Kiwanis Club took over the Log
Cabin and the park, restoring both
The Kiwanians were never accused
of having the "green thumbs" of their
lovelier predecessors, but they
always kept the park serviceable and
made basic improvements in addi-
tion to upkeep.
However, visitors to the park over
the coming seasons may well be
convinced the old Community Gar-
den Club still held sway there•
The indomitable Violet Collier.
Ponchatoula's Flower Lady and a
former member of the Community
Garden Club, has taken on the park
as a personal task of giant propor-
tions•
She is being joined by the Edwards
family, with the local family supply-
ing the beautiful new plants and trees
recently landscaped into the old park
scene.
The project is intended as a tribute
to Mrs. Katie Edwards and the other
founding members of the Community
Garden Club.
Mrs. Collier invited the Times
photographers to the park only after
raking every square inch of the newly
manicured lawn. much as a cautious
housekeeper would broom out that
last bit of dust before company came.
The park has been quietly, beauti-
fully transformed. Dogwoods have
been planted in :the shade of the live
oaks, and all about the bases of the
oaks are new beds of dwarf azaleas.
Crepemyrtle and magnolias are
planted all around.
The old water tower and its trashed-
out yard has been cleaned out, and
the grass has been cut. On the fence
separating the water tower lot from
the main park now grow Fermosa
azaleas and Confederate Jasmine.
Elsewhere George Tabor azaleas
and red salvia abound.
Ivy has been planted around some
of the trees, and even some beautiful
yellow roses have been planted.
The Flower Lady is planting holly as
well.
"And l'm not finished yet," declares
the recently retired policewoman and
now full-time city beautification
head.
Already the tennis courts have been
cleared of choking vines and the park
lawn trimmed to picnic-perfect con-
dition. "1 hope everyone does come
down and picnic with their children,
and enjoy our park, but please ask
them to be sure to pick up the trash
and put it in these barrels we
bought," asks Mrs. Collier, bending
over to pick up the broken cola
bottle.
Teaching children to enjoy the
plants while respecting her efforts is
a constant theme with the woman
who is now planning what she hopes
will be Ponchatoula's winning of next
year's Beautiful Cities Award.
Soon to be added to the Poncha-
toula landscape will be concrete park
benches at Kiwanis Park, in front of
the Ponchatoula Post Office and near
the Country Market.
And for years to come the trees and
plants at Kiwanis Park will be grow-
ing steadily more beautiful, a botani-
cal garden for everyone to enjoy.
Parish man
Ponchatoula businesses
Staff Report editor, Bryan T. McMahon. The city
City Attorney Allen
a long-shot, but a
before the city coun-
ty a Washington Parish
down businesses all
which are oper-
Canfield, a resident of
area and publisher of
asked the city to
Times out of
in the home of the
council on Thursday failed to handle
the complaint on the local level and
passed it and the city's zoning
ordinances on to the attorney general
for a ruling which will have the force
of law, according to Pierson.
Pierson told members of the council
during the meeting Thursday that
should A.G. William Guste rule that
businesses could not be operated out
of residential locations, that decision
SEE PAGE NINE
A park reborn
Under the old oak tree
Flower lady
Ponchatoula's Flower Lady, Violet
Collier, stands proudly in the new
flower bed that now graces the foot o!
the giant live oak at Kiwanis Park.
(Staff Photo)
A precaution...
Rolanda Clark, 7, and her sister
Sheila0 1 I. the daughters of Wildred
and Sandra Clark of Ponchatoula,
don't seem to mind being finger-
printed by Winn Dixie's Mrs. Evelyn
Winn-Dixie starts
Relan at the Ponchatoula store this
week. The "ldentlchtld" program is a
public service offered exclusively in
this area by Winn Dixie.
(Staff Photo)
kiddie fingerprint project
By BRYAN T. McMAHON
Editor & Publk=her
A stolen child; the image is one of
the most frightening that can be
imagined by any parent, so frighten-
ing that literally no one wants to even
consider th.eir child being kidnapped.
And yet, the inevitable statistics
force us to recognize that child
abduction is an epidemic problem,
with children reported vanishing
from the streets of cities across the
country. And Ponchatoula is no
exception.
"i've heard some stories from
mothers that would curl your hair.
One came in just the other day and
said that she had left her child in the
car only once and a man was caught
trying to take him from the car, and
it was here in Ponchatoula."
CEE PAGE THIRTEEN
Edwin Edwards opens local office
,..uwm Edwards is openi his Tan- 51 North across trom Sammy's
gipahoa Parish headquarters Satur- Daughters restaurant, will be offi-
day with music and refreshments, cially opened at :30.
The headquarters, located on Hwv. The ublic Is ur • ,
Sheriff's jail plan blocked?
• BATON ROUGE---Responding to
legal arguments from Tanglpahoa
Parish, the state bonding commis.
sion on Tuesday morning reportedly
blocked the release of $6.5 million in
state funds for a new jail in Tangipa-
hoa Parish.
The money involved would have
become available to the parish with-
in scant weeks had it not been
blocked.
Action occured following a closed
session of the commission following
arguments advanced by Ponchatoula
attorney Byard "Peck" Edwards that
the local police jury illegally com-
mitted the parish to standing behind
the bond issue financially without
taking the issue to voters.
Locals in attendance included Ed-
wards, representatives of the sheriff's
office, Police Jury President Ronnle
Bankston and candidate for sheriff
Frank Edwards, spotted in the audi-
ence.
.EE PAGE TWO
MY PONCHATOULA
By OLE
The
My oh my, how my high
school buddies have shown that
football is not the all-important
school sport it's cracked up to
be. Not that the head knockers
aren't this green gator's favorite
gladiators of fall, it's just that
the equally hard-working boys
of summer, the tracksters,
hoopers and in every sport keep-
ing right up with the guys, the
lady Waves have been calling
down national and state atten-
tion to that piece of paradise
called My Ponchatoula.
I wonder what Dr. Melvin
Allen, Jackie Kupper, the
Boosters and the rest could do if
they set up a feeder program for
the gridiron program? (Sure
worked for baseball this year,
eh?) Anyway, athletes and
Hardhide have a lot in common,
with the difference being that
I'm better at isometrics than
they (every sunny afternoon at
the pond is a workout!).
Still, you want to know the
definition of tough? Mrs. Willie
E. Branch. That's tough,
tougher even than the second
generation which was beside
itself with concern after Poncha-
toula's unstoppable business-
woman broke up her knee and
injured her head. Imagine their
shock when, bandages, braces
and splints in place she just kept
right on working! (And there's
some folks who accuse this
gator of being tough).
Hey Sammy Voorhies and your
pretty wife Emily, I bet you
didn't see a reptile anywhere in
Africa as pretty as me when you
were over there as missionary.
I'll be glad to show you the grin
that made Tarzan famous if
you'll step outside Charles
Morse's house and walk clown to
the pond. (Seriously Sam and
Emily, it sounds like you helped
an awful lot of people and I just
hope Ponchatoula gets a chance
to hear the story of your
service).
Donna Corkern and her fellow
Gardenettes reportedly had a
swell luncheon at the (l just
can't believe the ad in this
paper) Ignda's Fallacies Restau-
rant on Wednesday. ! hope you
ladies have plans to raise plenty
of vegetables to make Ole
Hardhtde some exotic summer
dishes, (like Donna).
Pretty Mlchelle had a swell
surprise birthday party for her
sunken lawyer friend and his
wild crew over at the great law
office in the A&P parking lot on
Tuesday. (Is it true that a local
Ponchatoula dentist and a law-'
HARDHIDE
Alligator
yer are forming a new corpora-
tion specializing in Viking
funerals?).
Out Springfield way my alliga-
tor cousins report Torn Water-
man appears to be ready to
build a church. Why else did he
buy all that stained glass. (Ask
Friar Tom).
Hey Billie Settoon, you up and
around enough yet to keep me
posted, or do I have to rely on
my librarian buddy Mrs. Vivian
Loper to keep me in-the-know?
I had just tons of folks tell me
about Bob Troyer ("The Law-
yer") and his own method of fly
fishing. It seems that everything
that flies is Troyer's idea of fish.
(Counselor, I like seagull. All
gators like seagull. You could
have maybe avoided this
embarrassment by just pushing
your catch through the holes in
the cage).
A lady who said she saw dirt
taken from a city culvert project
placed in a North 7th Street
yard wants to know how she can
get some. Lady, this gator does
not deal in dirt. I don't even live
in dirt. Ask your leaders.
Addie Morris is the sweetest
thing since her last batch of
desert goodies and I'm glad to
see the Jaycees gave her a
plaque for making them so
tubby, especially at their recent
banquet. How about it Kiwanis?
Can you cook any better?
And I hear the curry dinner this
year was so good plans are
already underway to have an-
other one as soon as the wea-
ther cools off some. Congratu-
lations on the hard work Shirley
Welles, et al.
Sheri's biggest complaint
about the American Mideast
(Washington D.C. and environs)
is that she says the food is
nothing like you can have taken
out to a quiet desk at the
hardware here. They haven't
discovered salt and pepper yet,
let alone real spices, Cher!
(Sheri's why the hardware's the
popular eatery it is) Meanwhile
a certain local candidate with a
spicey name is said to carry a
small bottle of tobasco to even
the hottest political parties.
Those who turn to science
fiction in summer (we're talking
about books here, the rectangu-
lar things with the pages and no
command stick, flipper buttons
or Pac Man sound effects, such
as they are) might still 9el a
chance to see the great classic
Dune acted out in a stage play in
• SEE PAGE TEN
