by Jeanni Ritchie
It’s the shortest month of the year but there is no shortage of activities for you and your family to enjoy in Central Louisiana this February. From award-winning national touring productions coming to Coughlin-Saunders to the global sensation Harlem Globetrotters arriving at the Rapides Parish Coliseum, you’ll want to button up your coats and throw on some Mardi Gras beads instead of sitting at home with all Cenla has to offer this month.
We’ve even got a new film arriving in the almost 100-years old Looney Tunes franchise this month, The Day the Earth Blew Up.
Check out these February events:
Feb. 1: Monster Truck Winter Nationals, 7:30 PM, Rapides Parish Coliseum
Feb. 1: National Writing Project of Acadiana, 9 AM-3 PM, ULM Alumni Center. Are you like me and just need a few hours of uninterrupted silence to finish that writing project or assignment? Join this one-day retreat for just $5 and enjoy scenic, secluded silence! Call 337-482-5781 for more info.
Feb. 1: NEW MOVIE RELEASE: Dog Man (based on the popular children’s book series by Dav Pilkey)
Feb. 1: CPP’s Jeeves Takes a Bow, 7:30 PM, Kress Theatre (Show runs 1/30-2/2 and 2/6-2/9with 7:30 PM shows Thursday-Saturday and 2:30 PM Sunday matinees)
Feb. 5: Harlem Globetrotters, 7 PM, Rapides Parish Coliseum
Feb. 5-6: Save Cenla ASIST Training for Suicide Prevention, CLTCC, Ferriday. Visit Savecenla.com for info on this and additional training sessions.
Feb. 6: Jambalaya Fundraiser for Deputy Sarah Pickering (lost father and home in fire), 11 AM- 1 PM, RPSO Warehouse, 435 John Allison Drive, Call 318-619-0525 or 318-709-4836 for tickets.
Feb. 6: Big Bang Theory Trivia Night, 7 PM, Fighting Hand Brewing Company, Pineville
Feb. 6: River Oaks Square Arts Center, 5-7 PM. Opening Reception for three new exhibits. Visit RiverOaksArtsCenter.com for current and upcoming exhibitions
Feb. 7-8: One Another Marriage Retreat, 6 PM, HIS Church, free marriage retreat with on-your-own date night. 1381 Pinehurst Drive, Pineville. Call Megan at 318-794-0566 for more info.
Feb. 8: Moon Pie Festival Pageant, 9 AM, Ball Convention Center (Save the date now for the 2nd Annual Moon Pie Festival March 22, 2025 … this was one of my favorite events in 2024!)
Feb. 8: Candied Yam & Cornbread, 12 PM, Rapides Parish Library Martin Luther King branch. Join master storytellers Rosa Metoyer and Sylvia Davis for this beloved annual Black History Month program.
Feb. 9: Daddy-Daughter Stunt Clinic, 1:30-3 PM, Midstate Cheer, 1634 Military Hwy, Pineville. (This was my first official newspaper assignment last year…what a fun event! I met local cheerleading standout Addilyn Bass and her Ryan Gosling-lookalike dad Chas. Great event for daddy-daughter bonding!)
Feb. 10: Arts Council of Central Louisiana presents The Aluminum Show, 7 PM, Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center
Feb. 12: Cenla Women’s Connection Prayer Breakfast, 10 AM, Calvary Baptist Church
Feb. 13: Poetry Out Loud Regional High School Competition, 6 PM, Hearn Stage, Kress Theatre (see article Cenla Poetry Competition Leads to D.C. in this issue of 318 Central)
Feb. 13: ASH Theatre presents annual student-produced Legacy as part of Black History Month (runs through 2/16)
Feb. 13: Pineville High Theatre presents Beetlejuice Jr. (runs through 2/16)
Feb. 14: NEW MOVIE RELEASE: Captain America: Brave New World
Feb. 14: Matinee Musicale, 2:30 PM, Rapides Parish Symphony Orchestra, Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center
Feb. 14: NEW MOVIE RELEASE: Paddington in Peru
Feb. 14: Kenny Lattimore, 8 PM, Mari Showroom, Paragon Casino Resort, Marksville
Feb. 15: Wayback Arcade’s 5th Anniversary, 11 AM- Midnight, 1305 Military Hwy, Pineville. Karaoke, Tournament of Champions, door prizes
Feb. 21: 2025 Night of Lights Mardi Gras Parade, 7 PM, Main Street, Pineville
Feb. 21: NEW MOVIE RELEASE: The Unbreakable Boy
Feb. 21: Glenmora Galentine’s Night Out, 5 PM, Let Love Be My Motive Studio, Glenmora
Feb. 22: GriefShare: Loss of a Child, 9:30-11:45 AM, Calvary Baptist Church, Alexandria
Feb. 22: Masquerade Ball featuring Shadow Road Band, 8 PM- 12 AM, formal attire and masks encouraged but not required, Train Station Event Center, 5290 England Drive, Alexandria
Feb. 22: Cenla Fly Fishing, 8:30 AM-12:30 PM, Kisatchie Fly Fishers, Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery, Forest Hill
Feb. 22: Cotile Lake Mardi Gras Celebration, 3 PM, Boyce
Feb. 22: Mardi Gras Extravaganza, 8 PM-12 AM, Los Pinos Weddings and Special Events, 770 Fish Hatchery Road, Forest Hill. No Krewe needed!
Feb. 24: Arts Council of Central Louisiana presents A Taste of Ireland, 7:30 PM, a night of Irish music and dance by world-class performers, Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center
Feb. 25: Dirty Dancing in Concert, 7:30 PM, Heymann Performing Arts Center, Lafayette. A showing of the classic film with live music and dance.
Feb. 27: ASH Theatre presents Heathers (runs through 3/1)
Feb. 28: While We’re Waiting parental bereavement support group, 6 PM, Starfish Ministries Book Nook. Call Susan @318-206-8102 for more info.
Feb. 28: NEW MOVIE RELEASE: The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Feb. 28: AMGA Classic Cars and Cheerleaders Parade, 5 PM, Downtown Alexandria
Feb. 28: A Taste of Mardi Gras, presented by the Louisiana Restaurant Association Cenla Chapter, Randolph Riverfront Center, 7-11:30 PM