Thursday, November 20,
1986--6th Year, Number 8
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THE PON CHA TO UL A TIMES 50
ELCOME HOME HARDHIDE
By BRYAN T. McMAHON
Editor & Publisher
Ponchatoula's Number One tourist
attraction is coming home Saturday to a
whole day of parades, fanfare and
The parade forms up at 9 a.m. at
Ponchatoula's Winn Dixie Supermarket,
whose Manager Bill Hill has offered to
supply marchers with Winn Dixie Dell
cookies and with Kool-Aid. The
"Hardhide and Heroes Homecoming"
parade is scheduled to begin at 9:30
a.m. from Berryland Shopping Center,
heading east to the new alligator cage.
Ole Hardhide has been at "summer
camp at Shorty Rogers' Alligator
Campground in Hammond while the
Chamber completed a more spacious
and humane cage for the famous
reptile.
Saturday will also mark the dedication
the new municipal attraction at the
alligator cage site downtown.
Ole Hardhide the Alligator will be
sharing the limelight on his return to
Ponchatoula with the football greats of
this past season, especially the Poncha-
toula Green Wave and the Poncha-
toula Gators.
Darrell Adams' Junior Gators and all
of the other gridiron squads in the city
are invited by the mayor to join in the
"parade of honor for the football heroes
and a hearty welcome home to our alli-
gator"
Ole Hardhide is the nation's only
newspaper columnist of his species,
appearing weekly on the front page of
The Ponchatoula Times. He is also
Ponchatoula's single biggest tourist
attraction, providing a draw of visitors to
the Country Market, the Mail Car Art
Gallery, Collinswood Museum, the old
Cypress Locomotive and the war
memorial marked by the nation's largest
.... Z ¸••
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Winner
Environmentalist Albert Poche of the Governor's Mansion - a prize put
,desboro, president of the up for raffle by Hebert, a member of
lanchac Fisherman's Auoclation, the Ducks Unlimited committee
the surprlm winner Thursday of which hosted Thursday's fundraislng
eight with Governor Edwin banquet in the Blue Room.
and Rep. Dennis Heberl at (Times Photo)
s Unlimited a big success
Staff Report
Nearly a week after the event people
still raving about the great food and
times enjoyed at this year's Pon-
toula Ducks Unlimited benefit
Famed chef Ronnie Sledge prepared
groaning board of wild game and sea-
dishes. Louisiana Secretary of
Jim Brown delivered a rousing
address. And thousands of
were raised at an after-dinner
suction for the international con-
on efforts of DU.
The annual dinner was held in
Cowen's Blue Room, put
by a steering committee of
30 local DU members headed by
Byard "Peck" Edwards. Next
it was announced, will
popular local sportsman and conser-
Valley Kraft.
Proceeds from the Ducks Unlimited
are used to safeguard sensi-
nesting areas and habitat for water-
along the migratory route
from Canada to Mexico. DU
the vital lands outright so as to per-
protect them from develop-
The local organization, as mirrored by
attendance Thursday, consists of
conservationists and environ-
And it was an environmental warning
Jim Brown sounded during his key-
speech. "1 have talked to the
in New York and do you
what they are saying? They say
the two best places to build are
of Baton Rouge and in Tangi-
pahoa Parish. This is where the next big
developments are expected to take
place.
"But these same people say that
environmental concerns are the number
one concern, making environmental
concerns our number one priority. We
now spend the least in the nation on
protecting our environment. We are at
an important crossroads," challenged
the rumored candidate for governor.
Brown's serious comments followed
some good-natured ribbing of Poncha-
toula's Rep. Dennis Hebert, who
arranged for the Secretary of State's
appearance and introduced him to the
capacity crowd.
Hebert, as a member of the DU com-
mittee putting on the event, came up
with one of the most sought-after raffle
items, dinner for eight with Hebert and
Guy. Edwin Edwards at the Governor's
Mansion.
That prize was won by environ-
mentalist Albert Poche, president of the
Manchac Fisherman's Association and a
staffer in the Department of Environ-
mental Quality.
Other prizes included subscriptions to
this newspaper, wildlife prints, DU col-
lectibles, and a wide range of outdoor
items contributed by area businesses.
Large ticket items included a Mexican
hunting trip and framed collector's item
prints released on a limited edition basis
by DU, which commissions the nation's
top wildlife artists annually to create the
posters, and limited edition firearms- all
of which were auctioned off to the
highest bidder by DU committee
member and professional auctioneer
Henry Arnold.
pole-supported American Flag.
He will be accompanied down main
street by the Ponchatoula High School
Band under the direction of Larry Villa-
Iobos. It is hoped that weather will allow
the band to display one of Ponchatoula's
giant flags on its march downtown, as it
did at the recent Ponchatoula-Hammond
football game - a first for downtown
Ponchatoula.
Mayor Charles Gideon, Chamber
President Mrs. Jeanne Zaleski, and the
Chamber's Alligator Cage Committee
Chairman Mrs. Joel Smith are organizing
the Chamber-sponsored parade and
dedication ceremony.
They said that everyone is invited to
march or drive in the parade•
Mrs. Zaleski said that street dancing
(music provided by Butch Meyn) on
Northeast Railroad Avenue will follow a
brief cage dedication ceremony and
nraise of the local sports teams and the
P.H.S. Band.
Dressed as an alligator, American
Legionaire E.J. Rolling is expected to
take part in the parade and post-parade
ceremonies and will also be leading citi-
zens to a craft show at the Legion Home
on Saturday.
Civic and non-profit organizations
have been requested to provide booths
in the area of the cage to sell edibles,
according to the mayor and the
Chamber ladies.
Among the booths will be one
manned by the Chamber, set up to sell
tickets to the upcoming Volunteer of the
Year Banquet, personalized alligator
cage bricks and Swamp Stomp posters.
The new cage was built through a
grassroots citizen effort that included a
charity subscription drive donated by
The Ponchatoula Times, two successive
charity auctions supported by the
merchants and hosted by the annual
Councilman apologizes
City Hall uproar ends
By BRYAN T. McMAHON
Editor & Publisher
The long,and fruitless investigation
into a councilman's allegations of public
theft by city employees came to an end
at Thursday's meeting of the Poncha-
toula City Council.
Councilman Danny Pepitone capped
the flap he had created with a public
apology to Ponchatoula city workers
gathered in the council chambers to
hear Mayor Charles Gideon sum up the
results of his and the sheriff's criminal
investigation into Pepitone's charges.
Gideon, speaking to a packed council
chamber filled with members of the local
Cub Scout pack, citizens and city
workers, recounted Pepltone's
allegations of theft one-by-one, and
reported the findings of the investiga-
tions showing that the charges made bl
Pepitone were groundless.
Following tense minutes of this,
Gideon at last turned to the council-
man and said, "If you have something
more concrete than this I want you to
bring the information forward."
Pepitone admitted that his charges
and the investigation had "put a cloud
over the city." And he attempted to
stand by his earlier story that his alle-
gations were the result of "a city
employee coming by my house on
numerous occasions. Why he denied
this during the investigation is some-
thing he has to live with," said Pepitone
of the city employee, identified by an
investigative report in this newspaper as
James Quinn.
"'1 never mentioned any names (of
who his information was) except when l
spoke to the two detectives, l guess
some reporters do not have the sources
that one reporter has," said Pepitone.
It was The Times that first revealed
that Quinn had been named by
Pepitone and had passed a lie detector
test administered by deputies during
which time Quinn denied telling Pepi-
tone of any theft of city property by city
employees. That same investigative
report revealed that Pepitone had
turned down an offer to take a lie
detector test to back up his claims.
Pepitone's public apology was laced
with elements of his original story, that
he made his charges after being told by
a city employee of cases of theft:
"1 take full responsibility for what has
happened and because of this l apologize
to anyone who might have been
offended. But I apologize for be.ing
naive enough to beltmse this employee,"
Pepttone €l.
Gideon closed the affair by praising
the assembled city workers for standing
up under the allegations of thievery,
and the public embarassment:
'1 want to congratulate the city
workers for passing this examination.
You are the only municipal force to be
found honest by your sheriff in this
parish," said Gideon, who went on to
praise city worker honesty in light of
what he said are substandard wages:
"1 don't know how you live. I don't
know how you pay your rent, your light
bill. The only thing that keeps you
working is dedication."
Dentist awaits drug sentence
Staff Report
NEW ORLEANS---Ponchatoula's
Melvin Allen D.D.S. faces a possible
sentence of 45 years in federal prison
and a $375,000 fine following his
appearance in federal court here
Thursday.
Allen pleaded no contest to three
federal charges of dispensing narcotics,
a heroin substitute, without a legitimate
medical reason.
Allen, 41, was charged with selling
prescriptions for Dilaudid, a powerful
pain-killer often used as a substitute for
heroin, according to authorities quoted
in the Sunday edition of The Times
Picayune.
The specific charges against Allen
centered on his alleged sale to a state
police officer of three separate pre-
scriptions for 20 Dilaudid tablets, at
$400 per prescription. Allen was
arrested at his downtown dentist office
Monday, June 2 of this year by State
Police, agents of the Drug Enforcement
Agency and officials of the U.S.
Attorney's Office.
He had been indicted by a federal
grand jury and was arrested on a federal
warrant.
U.S. District Judge Henry Mentz Jr.
on Thursday ordered a pre-sentence
report. Maximum jail time on each of
the three counts is 15 years in the
penitentiary and $125,000 fine.
The day of sentencing has not yet
been released.
Prominent in the Ponchatoula com-
munity, Allen last year served as com-
missioner of Dixie Youth Baseball here
and currently sits as president of the
Ponchatoula Rotary Club.
A busineuman from El Salvador (second from right) poses with LiUian
was In Ponchatoula this past week to Rose with the Commrtlum for Service
share Information and learn to Latin America, Francis Williams,
American business techniques from Dolores McCoy, and Allen Ernest of
the owners and staff of Ponchatoula's BrickAmerica.
BrickAmerica. Nester Galdanez (Times Photo)
Ponchatoula Antique Festival, by can
collections at Atop the Gator, a dance at
Aw Shucks, a poster by artist Sally
Craig, donations and a brick sponsor-
ship drive that has seen sources of local
citizens put up five dollars apiece to
have the names of themselves or their
loved ones included on bricks needed to
complete the tourist attraction. The
non-profit Ponchatoula Country Market
agreed to the use of additional land.
Ronnie Perrin donated his contracting
skills, Southern Pride Concrete didn't
charge for all of the concrete needed
and a committee of changing member-
ship labored for three years at the Pon-
chatoula Chamber of Commerce to
bring the idea, first proposed by then-
Chamber President Joe Singerman, to
fruition• The designer and builder of the
original cage, Hiram Caves, graciously
donated time and materials to provide
for the superstructure additions. Others
too numerous to mention participated
in this non-qovernment fund drive and
construction effort.
MY PONCHATOULA
By OLE HARDHIDE
The Alligator
Can you Ielievei.l'm coming home at last!
All of you youngples who have been patiently dating, jOst waiting for
a private audience with me to determine whether or not to go ahead and get
married, can now relax. Ole Hardhide's back. (Run, don't walk to the
nearest marriage license bureau).
Talk about Thanksgiving! Hammond might just offer the world its finest
reptile luxury condominium, health spa and fat farm in Shorty Rogers' Alli-
gator Campground, but home it ain't. And l'm oh-so-thankful to be home! I
enjoyed training the Saints this past Summer. l enjoyed snacks at City Huts
while tt and they lasted. 1 even took a regular shadowed corner table at
Buddy Bers Cabby's Restaurant and enjoyed many an evening spying on
my Ponchatoula swains and lasses catching a bit of fun outside the city
limits.
But boy have 1 missed my Flower Lady, my galfriend Swampbreath, my
cousins Greenback, Ski-eater, and Manchac Muncher clown south of
Hammond in My Ponchatoula and the great swamp kingdom beyond.
I miss seeing Doc Get-it-On parade by in the matching white Lincoln. I
miss waking up at 3:30 a.m. to the soft gentle crooning of my Care Girls on
their way to work at Pauls.
I miss the Saturday Clean Sweep Party with their talk of clean main
streets and cleaned out Council desks. (They'll be the ones with the push
brooms walking behind the marching alligators in this Saturday's parade in
my honor).
I look forward to the smoky scent of Rusty's Care as soon as she gets her
barbecue pit set-up set up.
I miss my buddy and Will Ed Butler's buddy, Ole Smoky the Cypress
locomotive. 1 miss the volunteers of the Collinswood Museum, the artists of
the Mall Car Gallery and the Artisans Gallery and those displaying their
works at Charlotte s Webb, and I miss the tinkers and craftsmen, and
knitters, and nailers of the Country Market and I suspect them of running a
back shop for Santa Claus.
I was able to sneak back to town on occasion, such as when I wrapped
myself in trench coat and sunglasses and masqueraded as Linda Fairburn's
camera bearer during the Ponchatoula-Hammond football massacre, but
I've missed a lot more than that.
The countless pilgrims who have journeyed from far and wide only to find
my poor cage the victim of a jackhammer s mean tricks should not give up
the quest. I have returned. And wait until you see my new cage.
Who can doubt that the Chamber will have all the names of all the donors
printed in brass and put in place on the bricks, even with all this rain? Who
says musical petrified rock fountain builder Doug O'Bannon won't have my
new fountain ready in time for Saturday's big event? Have faith.
Ole Hardhlde is back and now downtown can thrive again, anxious
singles can be wed again (Pete Hoover has jumped the gun a mite by carting
over a giant rock surrounded by fist sized diamonds in a wheelbarrow to his
Norma, according to brother Ace Joey), and when the politicians get crazy
they can be flailed with reptile tail until they behave. Let the good times
once more roll!
One nice thing about coming home is I'U be able to start collecting the
donations of my faithful fans in plenty of time to help Mrs. Scuttle Kupper at
the big Lions Club benefit December 5. Big dackie has cooked many a pot
of jambalaya and manya chicken to help out others. Pay back time is now,
or to be more precise, December 5 at the benefit dinner.
l note that in the Kupper news Ktppy Kupper is a new employee at Gulf
South Machine. Yeah Ponchatoula industry!
Congratulations to Dawn Rocco and Cynthia Orgeron for opening the
newest booths in the Country Market, My Ponchatoula's Santa Workshop.
(Anybody got a little girl who needs a doll?)
President Gordon Burgess says he Will use the $50,000 per year
Causeway fund contribution to Tangipahoa that Dennis Hebert arranged for
ay for road repairs. That's fine, but could we not have one or two measly
his at one of the most-used launches in this part of the state, down at
Manchac. Dago Kraft would really appreciate it, as would Charles Branch,
as would Percy Boute, as would Valley Kraft, as would Rat Poche, as would
just about every sportsman, boater, skier and fisherman. As I reported
earlier, the only ones voting against the launch lights are my alligator
cousins who would have to work harder for their human feasts if the lights
were lit and they didn't have the stray pickings of boaters falling into the inky
waters of the Borrow Canal.
Hey Homer Hardin the church organist, has Assessor Lester turned up to
hear Dixie yet?
Dig this. Mtllville's Ron Centani the sailor is in this military exchange in
Sasebo, Japan when he runs across, you guessed it, pretty Miss Lisa
Ordoyne of Ponchatoula. A real rustling of the lotus blossums 1 am sure!
SEE PAGE TEN
