Submitted by Chris Resweber

Sewing/Quilting Group meets every Tuesday Morning at 10:00 am at Magnolia United Methodist Church.  If you like to sew or quilt and enjoy fellowshipping with other women with same interest, please join us.  Cost is $5/mo.  Contact Joan Hebert at 262-0187 or call church office at 261-2789 for more information.

By Mia Freneaux

3 years ago this month a handful of Central artists met together and decided to form a group that would support each other and encourage the visual arts in the community.  To that end, the Art League of Central was formed and is presently almost 40 members strong, 22 of which are active participants.  The League meets every 2^nd Monday of the month at the Joor Branch of the Public Library at 6:00 to critique each other’s work and plan upcoming events.  The group has been extremely busy, each month bringing a new activity.  They have participated in paint outs at the Prays’ home on Greenwell Springs Rd and in St. Francisville, they have had booths at the Central Christmas Parade, they have done an Art Walk and had exhibits at the library, at jazz picnics at Magnolia Square, and at the Baton Rouge General Hospital Mid-City.  Gallery hopping in locales such as Covington and attending art exhibits are other favorite activities.  This month they went to Cabela’s in Gonzales and painted in their exhibit room.  They are planning another Art Walk in October, where original art is for sale for under $100.00 (just in time for Christmas!), and are getting ready for their part in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.  This year, 5 original paintings will be raffled off in support of the Relay.  Look for League members selling raffle tickets at local stores, each ticket is only $1.00 and could win you an original work of fine art!  The League is presently developing their own website, which would showcase members’ work, and establishing ways to encourage up and coming young artists.  Membership is only $20.00 a year and is open to anyone 18 and older.  We welcome all skill levels, whether hobbyist or working artist.  Please note that September’s meeting will be on the second Thursday at 6:30 due to a scheduling conflict.  This applies to September ONLY.  If you’d like more information, please call 413-2162 – we’d love to hear from you!

Pictured here are members of the Art Leage at their paint out at Cabela's.

By Beth Fussell

The First Annual CentralSpeaks.com Charity Treasure Hunt sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce ended last weekend.  Participants visited Central businesses over a period of four weeks to pick up clues that eventually led to a phone number for the last clue.  The first person to call with the final clue answer on Saturday night won the Treasure, which was made up of both cash and gift items totaling over $1000 in value.  The prize was a compilation of donations from the 24 participating Central area businesses that each donated a prize and some cash for the winner.

The winners of this year’s Treasure Hunt were three teenagers: Cale McKey, Dylan Laird, and Layton Laird, who worked together on the Hunt.  The boys won $450 in cash plus gift cards to various Central businesses and restaurants, along with donated prizes like a drill, cell phone accessories, and a huge LSU pillow, among others.  When the guys came to claim their prize, we were surprised and touched to hear that they are donating $100 of their prize money to Central Relay for Life.  We are grateful that young men would choose to give to a charity when no one asked or expected them to do so.  This is a wonderful example of the kindness and generosity displayed by so many of the people here in Central.

When it comes to Central’s willingness to give, the Treasure Hunt has been a prime example of that.  Not only did the 24 businesses donate prizes for the winner, but they also gave money to the Treasure Hunt charity, Central Relay for Life, which is an annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.  Participants in the Treasure Hunt also donated to Relay when they picked up their clues.  One thing we were not expecting, however, was that members of the community who were not even participating in the Hunt would donate to the cause.  Because of these donations from businesses, community members, and Treasure Hunt participants, over $1,000 has been raised so far for the Central Relay for Life.  Many generous Central business owners have asked to keep the donation containers at their businesses even after the Treasure Hunt has ended, because they would like to continue raising money for Relay for Life.  So if you would like to make a donation to Relay, stop by one of the businesses in the list below, as most of them are still accepting Relay donations.  If you are a business owner who did not participate in the Treasure Hunt but would like a donation container for your business, please call CentralSpeaks.com at 262-3730 and we will bring a container to you.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in and donated to the Treasure Hunt.  A huge thank you is owed to the following Central businesses who donated to the cause and without whom the Treasure Hunt could not have happened.

AAS

Central Florist

Central Perk

CH2M Hill

Claire Marie’s

Computer Evolutions

David’s Tiger Express

Hunt’s Tire & Car Care

Mats N’ Frames

Merle Norman

NAPA Auto Parts

Pat’s Home Center

People’s Bank

Pit Crew Barbecue

Polly’s Home and Garden

Price Co

Rogers Regional Eye Center

Romero’s Food Mart (Joor @ Core)

Romero’s Food Mart (Joor @ Lovett)

Ross Tire & Service

Smooch My Pooch

Subway (Hooper)

Walton J. Barnes Attorney

Wireless Unlimited

Article by Debbie Dougherty, Photos by Jacob Jolibois

            Nestled within the community of Central is a wonderful place to visit.  You can travel to Whoville, enjoy High School Musical, Annie and most recently, Footloose!  I am referring to an amazing venture being nurtured by the Clinkingbeard and Dean families.  Folks I am referring to the Central Community Theatre.

The cast from Central Community Theatre blew out the walls of the Manship Theatre in the Shaw Center in Downtown Baton Rouge during five performances of “Footloose” last week, all to the back drop of a live orchestra.

I am privileged to say that I have attended every production of CCT and the productions began as wonderful and are only getting better and better.  I dare say that “Footloose” was the best performance yet.  The amazing thing is the cast is comprised of mostly Central youth.  The talent we have in our community is astounding!

The work put forth in a production of this size is overwhelming. This entails hours of practice, costume frenzy, stage settings, stage crew, producers, directors, dance choreographers and the list goes on and on. Yet every time this troupe comes together for a production, the end result is pristine!

The starring cast of “Footloose” included:

Garrett Smith as Ren McCormack  

Chelsi Hefner as Ariel Moore

Dillon Chustz as Willard Hewitt

Emma Graves as Rusty

Josiah Ortego as Reverend Shaw Moore

Claire Clinkingbeard as Vi Moore

Support cast is too numerous to list but each young man or lady on stage brought this Broadway musical to life in Baton Rouge last week and did so on a professional level.  One other tidbit is all five performances we sold out!

Please take the time to attend the next production by this fine group.  Karen Clinkenbeard has done a phenomenal job starting from the ground up.  It does the heart good to see so many family members, neighbors and friends coming together in support of our children and our community.  Treat yourself next production!  We are so very Central Proud!!!!

CentralSpeaks.com and the Chamber of Commerce designed the Treasure Hunt in the hope that it would do several things: provide some entertainment, share some facts about Central's history, bring foot traffic into Central businesses, and, most importantly, raise money for Central's Relay for Life.

One person, who we feel does not represent the character of most Central citizens, has taken it upon themselves to sabotage the Treasure Hunt by removing some information from the Central Library that is vital to solving some of the clues.  Pages were removed from several binders containing information about Central's history.  By doing so, this person has not only hindered the ability of others to participate in the hunt, but has also taken pieces of Central history from their proper place where they can be viewed by everyone.  This sort of mean-spirited gesture is not what the Treasure Hunt is all about- it is meant to be a fun activity to benefit a charity.  We are disappointed that this happened, and we will be sure in next year's Treasure Hunt that we avoid the possibility of this sort of sabotage. 

We request that whoever took the missing pages from the library return them to the library.  If you would prefer, you may also go to the CentralSpeaks.com office at 12023 Sullivan Road and leave the missing pages anonymously in the slot in the red drop box on the side of the building, and we will return the pages for you.  If you have hidden the pages elsewhere in the library, please retore them to their proper locations in the binders.

Due to this issue, we will be including the answers to Clue #'s 4, 7, and 10 in the final Clue so that no one is at a disadvantage.  Furthermore, you will have until this Saturday evening to solve the Treasure Hunt, so you have plenty of time to finish working through the clues.  By solving the final clue, you will find yourself in possession of a phone number.  You will need to call this number Saturday evening and give us Saturday's winning Power Ball numbers in order to win the Hunt.  This way, we avoid a physical race to win, and no one gets hurt or gets a speeding ticket. 

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Treasure Hunt and to all of the businesses who contributed.  The final clue is available beginning on Wednesday, and the Hunt will end on Saturday evening.

The CentralSpeaks.com Annual Charity Treasure Hunt sponsored by the Central Chamber of Commerce began on July 23rd.  If you have not yet picked up your first clue, it is not too late.  Clues will be available at businesses until the end of the hunt next week.  The following is a list of the locations where you can pick up each clue.  You will need to visit only one of the two businesses listed for each clue.

Clue #1: Ross Tire (on Greenwell Springs Road) or Walton J. Barnes Attorney (on Hooper Road)

Clue #2: Rogers Regional Eye Center (on Magnolia Bridge Road) or People's Bank (on Wax Road)

Clue #3 PriceCo Supply (on Greenwell Springs Road near Sullivan Road) or Wireless Unlimited/AT&T (in the shopping center at Wax and Sullivan)

Clue #4: NAPA Auto Parts (on Joor Road) or Computer Evolutions (at the Sullivan and Wax intersection) 

Clue #5: Hunt's Tire and Car Care (on Greenwell Springs Road past Sherwood) or CH2M Hill (at Greenwell Springs and Hooper intersection)

Clue #6: AAS (on Monterrey near Greenwell Springs Road) or Central Florist (corner of Hooper and Sullivan)

Clue #7: Central Perk (Sullivan at Greenwell Springs) or David's Tiger Express (corner of Hooper and Joor)

Clue #8 (released today): Romero's at Lovett and Joor (the Shell station) or Pit Crew BBQ (Hooper near Blackwater)

We try to pair up businesses that are not right next to each other so that you can choose the business most convenient for you.  Stop by any time during business hours to pick up your clue and to make a donation to the Central Relay for Life (optional).  Business owners and employees are welcome to participate in the hunt, as they gain no unfair advantage.  CentralSpeaks.com owners and employees are the only people who are not eligible.  You can see the full Treasure Hunt rules and details HERE.

Come out and give the Treasure Hunt a try- it is a great way to learn a little more about your city and its businesses, and all proceeds go toward cancer research and support through the Central Relay for Life.  Plus, you could win the treasure worth $1,000 in cash and merchandise.

The CentralSpeaks.com Annual Charity Treasure Hunt sponsored by the Central Chamber of Commerce began on July 23rd.  If you have not yet picked up your first clue, it is not too late.  Clues will be available at businesses until the end of the hunt two weeks from now.  The following is a list of the locations where you can pick up each clue.  You will need to visit only one of the two businesses listed for each clue.

Clue #1: Ross Tire (on Greenwell Springs Road) or Walton J. Barnes Attorney (on Hooper Road)

Clue #2: Rogers Regional Eye Center (on Magnolia Bridge Road) or People's Bank (on Wax Road)

Clue #3 PriceCo Supply (on Greenwell Springs Road near Sullivan Road) or Wireless Unlimited/AT&T (in the shopping center at Wax and Sullivan)

Clue #4: NAPA Auto Parts (on Joor Road) or Computer Evolutions (at the Sullivan and Wax intersection) 

Clue #5: Hunt's Tire and Car Care (on Greenwell Springs Road past Sherwood) or CH2M Hill (at Greenwell Springs and Hooper intersection)

Clue #6 (today's clue): AAS (on Monterrey near Greenwell Springs Road) or Central Florist (corner of Hooper and Sullivan)

We try to pair up businesses that are not right next to each other so that you can choose the business most convenient for you.  Stop by any time during business hours to pick up your clue and to make a donation to the Central Relay for Life (optional).  Business owners and employees are welcome to participate in the hunt, as they gain no unfair advantage.  CentralSpeaks.com owners and employees are the only people who are not eligible.  You can see the full Treasure Hunt rules and details HERE.

Come out and give the Treasure Hunt a try- it is a great way to learn a little more about your city and its businesses, and all proceeds go toward cancer research and support through the Central Relay for Life.  Plus, you could win the treasure worth $1,000 in cash and merchandise.