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facebook.com/theponchatoulatimes www.ponchatoula.com/ptimes DECEMBER 18, 2014 34 th YEAR NUMBER 12 50 €
Serenity House annual Toy Giveaway is Saturday
On Saturday, December 20 at 11 a.m. The Ponchatoula Community Center will be the
scene of the Serenity House annual Toy Giveaway organized by Ponchatoula artist Nancy
Lowentritt. One of her many "elves" Earl Boudin is pictured here with a load of bicycles
donated by local citizens like Jeff LeSaicherre and Parker Layrisson. (Times Photo)
You gotta heart!
Serenity House Toy Give-
away Chair artist Nancy Lo-
wentritt is pictured with sup-
porter Parker Layrisson and
one of the bicycles being given
away to make some lucky kid's
Christmas. (Courtesy Photo)
Serenity House homeless shelter
toys drive in its final days!
Special to The Times
There is still time to donate new unwrapped toys, books, games,
bicycles, etc. for less-fortunate children, (from babies to toddlers,
all the way up to 17 years old)! Everyone who has generously given
toys, their time, or cash/check to help these children smile this
Christmas is thanked and applauded!
Serenity volunteers are still
working hard buying bicycles
with your cash donations, and
accepting books and games.
Coordinator Nancy Lowen-
tritt, Ponchatoula artist, told
The Times:
"We would love for you to
participate in any way you can.
Any amount no matter how
large or small is fine. It's all for
the kids.
"On Saturday December 20,
starting at 11 a.m., all children
who might otherwise not have
Christmas, are invited, and en-
couraged to come to the Pon-
chatoula Community Center,
enjoy a hot holiday, meal with
your family, and pick out your
very own present. Besides, we
heard that Santa Claus is com-
,ing to visit the kids and ta:ce
pictures!
Ms. Frances Seymore, tie
shelter director, is so grateful to
everyone from the bottom of her
heart. People are so kind to the
shelter residents all year, and
this is her way if giving back
to the community. She will be
cooking all next week. They will
welcome baked or fried turkeys
and hams, side dishes and des-
serts. Whichever way you want
to express the Season for Giv-
ing, it will be appreciated by so
many," said Ms. Lowentritt.
Contact Toys Coordinator
Nancy Lowentritt for drop-off
locations in Hammond and Pon-
chatoula: 985-386-2068.
All State Scholar
Athlete Certificate
During half time at the su-
perdome 5-a state champion-
ship Dec 13 Ponchatoula senior
Steven Allen was awarded an
All State Scholar Athlete Cer-
tificate from the LHSAA for
averaging a grade of 4.0 ev-
ery year during his 4 years in
school. {Times Photo by John
Beadle)
The strawberry that would not die
Rene Curran brought back ing from the administration of
to life this longtime icon of Pon- Mayor Charles Gideon. The
chatoula, a giant strawberry gifted local restorationist and
that graced the roof of the for- artist restored the strawberry
mer Ponchatoula City Hall dat- to its former luster and says he
Judge Jeff Johnson of
Ponchatoula
Having won decisive-
ly (62% of the vote), Pon-
chatoula's Jeff Johnson had
the solid backing of a host
of Ponchatoulans in his suc-
cessful run for the tri-parish
Division A District judge's
bench in Tangipahoa, St.
Helena and Livingston Par-
ishes. (File Photo)
Jack Vaughan
Jack
Vaughan
dead at 78
STARKVILLE -- Jack Park-
er Vaughan, 78, died Dec. 12,
2014, at his residence.
Services were set for Monday
Dec. 15 at St. Joseph Catholic
Church in Starkville, MS.
Welch Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements, Mr.
Vaughan was born March 21,
1936, to the late Myra and J.S.
Vaughan in Ponchatoula, Loui-
siana.
He was a graduate of Mis-
sissippi State University and
a member of Sigma Chi frater-
nity.
He was 2014 president of
the MSU Athletic Council and
a member of the MSU Bulldog
and Dug-out Clubs. He was
formerly employed as an insur-
ance and real estate broker and
operated a bottling company in
Louisiana.
He served as an official for
the National Football League
and the Southeastern Confer-
ence.
In addition to his parents, he
was preceded in death by his
sons, John Vaughan and Jack
Parker Vaughan Jr.
He is survived by his son,
Scott Vaughan of Ponchatoula,
Louisiana; daughter, Eliza-
beth Vaughan of Ponchatoula,
Louisiana; four grandchildren
and two great-grandchildren.
will add leaves once the weath-
er warms. It is on display on
the side of a shed, facing North
Seventh Street at the home of
the artist's sister Cathy Allen,
(Times Photo)
Dreamy gifts
These customized pillows can contain the name of the
lucky gift recipient. Some include characters from the hit
movie Frozen, while others bear the logo of favorite sports
teams. (Times Photo)
Shhhhh!
Don't give away Santa's
secret
By BRYAN T. McMAHON
The biggest Christmas open secret in Ponchatoula is
the location of Santa Claus' Southern Workshop.
It doesn't take the CIA, the
FBI, or an investigative report-
er from The Ponchatoula Times
to tell you what everyone who
pays the slightest attention al-
ready knows.
Of course Santa's Southern
PLEASE SEE PAGE 3
OURPONCHATOUIA
By OLE HARDHIDE
The Alligator
Steve and Rita Vuljoin are celebrating their 65th anniversary
this week. Amazing! And nice. Congratulations.
Thank you to the super fireman who tossed to Ole Pinchpenny
the Publisher a soft stuffed likeness of yours truly during that
fantastic Chamber of Commerce Ponchatoula Christmas Parade.
I do believe it softened his flint-like heart, if for only a second or
two.
I'd like to toss one of my healthy alligator nephews in the di-
rection of the Amadon who made Ebenezer Scrooge look like a
kindly ole gent. This is the one who took it on himself to steal
Santa's Mailbox from in front of Middendorf's and with the help
of his less-than-helpful accomplices, trash as much of the hand-
crafted cheery Christmas display at the Pass as they could lay
their grubby paws on.
Were it up to me, I would have given Dasher, and Dance and
Comet and Blitzen the night off on Christmas Eve, and just har-
ness up the Amadon (it's an Irish word chosen carefully, and I do
not believe you will find its equivalent in English) and let him i
pull the sleigh by himself, all night long.
On the other hand, we should start calling Nancy Lowentritt
the artist "Christmas Carol" for all the hard work she is putting
in on readying presents for the wee little ones who otherwise
would not have a Christmas. Funny, isn't it, how the least of us
(I'm thinking here of the homeless clients of Frances Seymour
over at House of Serenity who are working so hard on Saturday's
annual toy giveaway) can make the rest of us look like we are
standing still, while they race around us, doing good works?
And of course they are not the only ones. You humans really
can make me tear-up with pride, when you put your mind to it.
I do believe the Chamber's Liz Anderson must have sent out
thugs with blackjacks to convince so many groups to come march
in our Christmas Parade. How else do you explain the participa-
tion of the dance team from Marrero, the Independence Middle
Magnet band and dance team? Those happy feet from the Inde-
pendence Dance Revelations Academy in Independence did their
best Ginger Rogers imitations. And so many other foreign feet on
our parade route?
I found myself hoping that Sheriff Daniel Edwards did not
have special information that we spectators did not share, since
he was riding in an impressive-looking military invasion truck,
some of us were barefoot. Perhaps it was a preemptive
move designed to scare off ISIS. Who cares? It worked!
