Legworks by Terri dance studio will be holding their second annual Dancing with the Stars fundraiser.  This event will be held this Thursday, May 20th beginning at 6 PM at Kristenwood Reception Hall (14025 Greenwell Springs Road).  The evening will feature a dinner, a silent auction, dance performances by the Legworks dancers, and singing by Kaitlyn Courville, the recent winner of 100.7 FM's High School Idol.  The dress code is casual.  Dinner will include green salad, brisket, garlic potatoes, green beans, a dinner roll, and dessert.  Tickets for the event are $25 per person.  All proceeds will benefit the Legworks by Terri dancers as they travel later this year to Florida.  The girls will be performing in the Orlando Champs Bowl and the Miami Orange Bowl.  For more information about this fundraiser or to purchase tickets, contact Legworks by Terri at 261-1999 or Rachel Pourciau at 572-9343.

By Michelle Freneaux

With summer on its way, I believe it’s only natural to suggest that we all spend some time outside this week. The weather is getting warmer every day, gearing up for a nice, hot summer season, and there are several places we can go to enjoy it.

This weekend, plan a picnic for your family, or for you and your significant other. It can be a great way to unwind for an hour or two for those students knee-deep in studying, and a celebration for those college students just finishing their own finals. First, you need to find a location. There are parks scattered all around Central, but two especially nice ones are Jackson Park, located on Sullivan Road near Gurney Road, and Lovett Road Park, located on Lovett Road near Magnolia Square. They both have seating areas, fields, and playgrounds where you can bring the little ones while the rest of the family sets up the picnic. Invite grandparents and bring a camera for some great memory-making opportunities! Even if you’re going out with your significant other, running around on a playground is still allowed.

Next, figure out the food you want to bring. Obviously, picnic food needs to be simple and portable. If you don’t want to go buy Lunchables® for everyone, get the family together that morning to assemble the picnic basket. Bring foods like sandwiches, pasta or cracker salad, juice boxes, and packaged desserts. Here’s a picnic checklist you can use:

In your basket:      In your ice chest:

Sliced bread (Smart White or Wheat)   Deli meats (turkey, roast beef, or ham are ideal)

Jar of sliced sandwich pickles    Tomato slices

Packs of fruit gummies for dessert   Lettuce, already torn to sandwich size

Cheese or peanut butter crackers Squeeze bottles of mayonnaise and mustard

Plates (reusable plastic ones from home, or paper) (bring a plastic knife for each if you have jars)

Napkins       Sliced cheese (your family’s favorite kind)

Forks or spoons for pasta salad    Juice boxes, Capri Suns®, or bottled water

Grandma’s famous pasta salad (in a plastic container)

If you’re not going too far, an ice chest may not be necessary. Remember to pack smart; don’t waste space, and don’t crush your bread, crackers, or juice boxes.

If you don’t have a pasta salad recipe, look one up online or go check out a picnic cookbook from the library. If all your picnic foods are finger foods, cleanup is easier, but bring reusable or recyclable utensils for things like pasta salad, serving pickles, and spreading jarred condiments. Plates should be plastic that you can bring home, wash, and reuse, or biodegradable, like paper. Try to avoid Styrofoam or disposable plastic, as it is not biodegradable and just takes up space in landfills. During cleanup, don’t forget to recycle any plastic bottles or recyclable containers. Each container will have the Recycle, Reduce, Reuse symbol on it if it is recyclable. If you can, rinse off food remnants from recyclable materials. You cannot recycle something covered in food.

Finally, go have fun on your picnic! Remember: it’s a time to relax and enjoy time with your family.

On May 1^st 2010 The Central Area Baton Twirlers traveled to Kenner, Louisiana to compete in the Louisiana State Twirling Championships.  They took home 15 state titles, 8 second places, 3 third places, and one fourth place.  The team consists of girls ranging in age from 7-19 years from all over the Baton Rouge area.  The team is under the direction of Jamie Guillot Gerage of Zachary.  Jamie is a past Miss Majorette of Louisiana and Miss Majorette of the South and was the Central Private Feature Twirler from 1997-2002.

The team was awarded the title 2010 Beg. Juvenile Louisiana State Dance Twirl Champions. 

Team Members and their titles: 

Kenley Wilson is a sophomore at Southeastern Louisiana University, where she serves as the feature twirler for the Spirit of the Southland Marching Band.  Kenley was crowned 2010 Int. Teenage Miss Majorette of Louisiana and 2010 Int. Teenage Miss Crescent City. 

Alexis Brugier is a sophomore at Covington High School, where next year she will serve as feature twirler for the Covington High School Marching Band.  Alexis was crowned 2010 Int. Junior Miss Majorette of Louisiana and 2010 Beg. Junior Two Baton Champion.

Lillie Franklin is in eighth grade at McKinley Middle Magnet School.  She won 3^rd place in the Nov. Preteen Miss Majorette of Louisiana.

Victoria Williams is in sixth grade at Live Oak Middle School.  She won 2010 Beg. Preteen Miss Majorette of Louisiana, 2010 Beg. Preteen Miss Crescent City, 2010 Beg. Preteen State Strutting Champion, 2010 Preteen Show Twirl Champion, 2^nd place in state modeling and 2^nd place in state two baton. 

Lacey Brugier is a sixth grade at Covington Middle School.  She was crowned 2010 Int. Preteen Miss Majorette of Louisiana, 2010 Beg. Preteen open two baton champion, and 2010 Beg. Preteen State Two baton champion. 

Sarah LeDuff is a sixth grader at Central Middle School.  She received 2^nd place in the Nov. Preteen Miss Majorette of the Louisiana and 2^nd place in Preteen Show Twirl. 

Leah Howell is a fifth grader at Central Intermediate School.  She was crowned the 2010 Nov. Preteen State Basic Skills Champion.

Mya Levet is a fifth grader at Forest Heights Academy of Excellence.  Mya received 2^nd place in the Nov. Preteen State Twirling Championship. 

Dalayli Franklin is a 4^th grader at Forest Heights Academy of Excellence.  She was crowned the 2010 Nov. Juvenile Miss Majorette of Louisiana. 

Kierston Kelly is a 3^rd grader at Forest Heights Academy of Excellence.  She received 2^nd place in Nov. Preteen Basic Skills Championship and 3^rd place in both the State Marching and State Twirling Championships.

Julie Thompson is a 2^nd grader at Tanglewood Elementary.  She received 2^nd place in the Nov. Juvenile State Twirling Championships.

Caura Holiday is a 2^nd grader at Forest Heights Academy of Excellence.  Caura was crowned the 2010 Nov. Juvenile State Basic Skills Champion.

Samantha Hill is a 2^nd grader at Forest Heights Academy of Excellence.  She received 2^nd place in the Nov. Juvenile State Marching Championships.

Samantha Dunaway is a 2^nd grader at Forest Heights Academy of Excellence.  She received 4^th place in the Nov. Juvenile Louisiana State Twirling Championships. 

      The team will be holding their annual day clinic on Saturday, June 12^th at Blackwater Methodist Church.  No experience is needed and girls of all ages are welcome.  Please e-mail centralareabatontwirlers@yahoo.com for more information.  

Pictured above are: Top Row (L to R) Victoria Williams, Alexis Brugier, Lillie Franklin, Jamie Guillot Gergae, Kenley Wilson   Middle Row (L to R) Mya Levet, Sarah LeDuff, Leah Howell, Dalayli Franklin, Lacey Brugier   Front Row (L To R) Caura Holiday, Samantha Hill, Julie Thompson, Samantha Dunaway, Kierston Kelly

Central Community Theatre's summer musical this year will be Footloose.  Auditions for the musical are open to youth entering the 6th grade through young adults up to 24 years old.  Auditions will be held at the Central Community Theatre from 10 AM to 2 PM on Saturday, May 22nd.  An appointment must be made in advance in order to audition.  Appointments can be made by phone by calling Central Community Theatre at 938-7433.  At the audition, each person should prepare 16-30 bars of a song from a musical and a monologue 30 to 60 seconds long.  Those who make the callbacks will be expected to return Sunday, May 23rd at 2 PM for the second round of auditions.

Kaitlyn Courville, a senior at Central High School, has won the title of High School Idol.  The competition, put on by the radio station New Country 100.7, invited high school age youth to come show their musical talent.  Kaitlyn Courville and Heather Hand both made the final round, which was held on Wednesday at La Carretta's in Denham Springs.  Congratulations to Kaitlyn, who has also won a laptop computer and back stage passes to a Carrie Underwood concert.

The High School Idol competition, sponsored by 100.7 FM, showcases high school singing talent.  The winner will receive back stage passes to a Carrie Underwood concert and a new laptop computer, as well as the title of High School Idol.  Central High School senior Kaitlyn Courville and Denham High School senior Heather Hand, a member of Zoar Baptist Church, are both in the finals.  The final round is Wednesday, May 5th at 4 PM a La Carrettas in Denham Springs.  Everyone is invited to come support these two girls as they compete in the final round of the competition.

Legworks by Terri Dance studio will be holding a free carwash on Sunday May 2nd at Wayne's Detailing on Hooper Road from 10 to 2. They will be raising money for their expenses to dance in The Champs bowl in Orlando and The Orange Bowl in Miami this December. Donations will be accepted.  The Jambalaya Shoppe will also be selling Jambalaya dinners! Please help support this group of girls as they dance their way to Orlando and Miami!

By Michelle Freneaux

Kaitlyn Courville, a senior at Central High School, is a semifinalist in New Country 100.7 The Tiger's High School Idol contest. She was interviewed Tuesday morning live on the radio. She will perform next Wednesday, April 28th at LaCaretta's in Denham Springs for a spot in the finals. The judging is based on audience applause and judge's score, so she needs all of Central to come out and support her! You can find out more about her on www.kaitlyncourville.com.