by Jeanni Ritchie
So many events, so little time! I’m doing things a bit differently this month as there are so many summer offerings.
First, here are some links to find the full offerings of events in June.
Facebook Events: Put events in the search bar and set your parameters (this week, next month, etc.) to get a full list of events happening around you or things your friends have expressed an interest in.
Cenla VBS: Join this group to see multiple posts about Vacation Bible Schools in Central Louisiana. Not only are they free, your child can get a year of Sunday School in one week and have fun doing it!
Cenla Summer Camps: Like the VBS group above, this one tracks summer camps from art to dance to gaming to sports to zoo to sensory-friendly camps, you’ll find it all here. You must join the group to see its offerings.
Cenla Playdates + Mom Breaks: This is another one of my favorite groups. They always have meet-ups for play dates and Mom’s Night Out. Join the group and see why their motto is “It Takes a Village.”
Explore Alexandria-Pineville: Central Louisiana’s official visitor’s bureau and tourism agency, they have a wealth of information. Stop by their downtown location across from the Randolph Riverfront Center.
Rapides Parish Library: All branches kick off their summer reading programs and the amount of free programming available is astounding. Stop by your local branch to pick up an Event Guide or check it out online @https://rpl.events.mylibrary.
Arts Council of Central Louisiana: Visit https://louisiana-arts.
Ticket Sites: You can always go on Ticketmaster or Event Brite to view upcoming shows in your area. One of my favorite sites is Bandsintown.com because they often post events before tickets go on sale. They are your “Save the Date” site!
Louisiana Tourism: Visit ExploreLouisiana.com
Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals: This org tracks all the fairs and festivals across the state annually. Visit www.laffnet.org for a complete list or to request a brochure. They provide complete contact info and short descriptions of each festival like the Washington Parish Balloon Festival June 6-8 and the Louisiana Corn Festival in Bunkie June 12-14.
Next, I give you a dozen events that I have a special connection to in some weird way. It is my cliff’s notes of events – please search for others using the links above. Life’s too short to spend it in front of the tv!
June 6: 11 AM- 2 PM. Community Baby Shower for Rapides Parish Families, Downtown campus CLTCC, sponsored by Cenla Family Focus. I remember my baby showers well, the excitement of it all and the much needed STUFF it takes when you bring a life into the world! Some mothers don’t have those opportunities but this community event provides it for them. Spread the word or come celebrate these mamas. Like Mattie Crump always says, it takes a village…
June 6: 6:30 PM Book Exchange and Hang Out, Let Love Be My Motive Studio, 1122 7th Avenue, Glenmora. Bring a wrapped book to exchange. Who doesn’t love books? Remember those mystery bags you’d get at the school carnival as a kid? This is a mystery book! Read it then donate it to a free little library in your area.
June 8: 2-6:30 PM. Master Class with Rockette Courtney Crain at Red River Dance. Ages 9 and up. Each session is 1.5 hours. The days of kicking my toes to my nose are long gone but NYC is at the top of my bucket list and seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall is at the top of my sub-bucket list once I get there. How cool that she’s coming here!
June 9-12: 8:30 AM- 2:30 PM Frozen Dance Camp, Get to the Pointe Ballet Academy for ages 3-10. Remember that unusual snowstorm we got last winter? I ran around to everyone’s house out here on the family compound at daybreak, throwing snowballs at their windows and loudly singing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” before pouting like Anna when their Frozen hearts sent me away!
June 10: 6 PM. Caregiver Cafe, hosted by The Broom Tree for special needs caregivers and parents, Jake’s Place, 5508 Monroe Hwy. Meeting once every three months, this group helps navigate challenges as well as provide a safe space for parents. Childcare available onsite in new special needs playground next to the meeting. Whether you are caregiving for a special needs infant or memory-impaired senior, caregiver support is vital and I will promote every resource out there.
June 13: 11 AM-2 PM, Party in the Park, hosted by the City Of Alexandria. Frank O Hunter Park. Free food, live music, fun and games. The COA has this cool mobile recreation trailer with games and they do a great job with these public parties. Growing up a COA kid, their events always remind me of my own childhood.
June 14: 7:30 PM. Something to CLUC about! After a brief hiatus the Central Louisiana Ultimate Comics (CLUC) is back with The Super Sweet Comedy Comeback Show at Fighting Hand Brewery in Pineville. BYOF or visit the food truck parked outside for the evening. I’ve had an article on ice about CLUC til they returned so I’m glad they are back!
June 19: 6 PM. Summer Speakeasy benefitting the Rapides Symphony Orchestra (you know, the people who brought us Jean Meilleur of Jeans ‘N Classics?!) Community Center at England Airpark
June 19: 11 AM- 1 PM. Backyard BBQ at Summerhouse Alexandria. Live music, BBQ, community tours. Enjoy an afternoon with seniors whether you’re in the market or not for placement for you or your parents. Personally I think the idea of senior living communities are amazing and I’d love to live in one RIGHT NOW! A full calendar of events, built in friends, 24/7 maintenance?! It’s like summer camp for grown-ups!
June 21: 8 PM. Neal McCoy, Paragon Resort Mari Showroom. Continuing my love of 90’s country with the artist who gave us The Shake and The Wink….Luke Bryan will be performing in Lafayette the same night but I won’t be at either because as much as I love country, I love my Christian music a little more and I will be in Brandon, MS for the TobyMac concert that evening.
June 26-29: 94th Annual State Convention, VFW Dept. of Louisiana. Randolph Riverfront Center. Come for camaraderie, workshops, elections, and celebrations. I love State Conventions! From Beta to Y-Teens to French Club, I loved them all. Welcome, Veterans!
June 28: 11 AM- 3 PM. Kids Business Market at the Alexandria Mall. I remember this event well from last year. I’d struggled to get the names of participants (understandably they were protecting minors) and finally reached 9-year old Ella Gwin for an article about her bakery, Sister’s Sweet Shop. A couple of weeks later I got an email with national news stories and there was my article about Ella and the Kids Market! I was so excited. I’m sure Ella will be back, having won three blue ribbons for her cookies at the state fair after joining 4-H this year, along with other aspiring chefs, jewelry makers, and more!
I’ll end with a bonus event and a funny story from our trip to Monroe for my niece’s graduation. When I saw the 3rd Annual Zydeco Food Truck Festival June 28 and 29 at Fairground Rd. in Natchitoches, I remembered our dinner in Ouachita Parish. Zydeco meat pies had been on the menu so I asked what a zydeco meat pie was. I’m thinking she’s going to tell me either crawfish or a beef/pork mixture. Instead she takes her pad and draws a little meat pie with the fork-tined crust to seal. I laughed and pointed out I was from Louisiana, I just wanted to know what kind of meat was in it!
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist from Central Louisiana. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
