What to do in Shreveport in April

Shreveport is beautiful this time of year. The azaleas, dogwoods, and wisteria are blooming, the trees are leafing out, and the city's gardeners have a riot of blooming daffodils, tulips, and other beauties to admire. If you haven't made it over to Norton Art Gallery to catch the azaleas you better hurry!

There is so much to do and so many events this time of year.  Here are some local events that have caught my eye for April:

On April 4 you can catch the Downtown ArtWalk from 5:00 - 8:00 pm where you can experience art and artists, watch fun new street performers, grab a bite at a food truck or a special at a restaurant, walk through new exhibit openings, learn about some of the history of the area in a History in 5 talk and Sketch the City with AIA architect Mischa Farrell.

April 7:  Kids day at Caddo Parish Animal Shelter:  it's the 2nd Annual Kids Day at Caddo Parish Animal Shelter where they will have books, crafts, and family fun focused on pet education! Kids will be free to watch G rated movies, read pet education books to adoption animals, craft with some fun pet education booklets, and play with adoption animals. Snacks will be provided. The event will be from 10-2 and is free.  The animals love it!

Flying Heart Brewing and BeauxJax will have a block party on April 7 featuring food trucks and local vendors as a benefit for Gingerbread House.  The event runs from 11-6 at 700 Barksdale Blvd.

The Texas Avenue Makers Fair will be April 7 and will feature many local artists.  The event is from 10:00 - 5:00 at 888 Texas Avenue.

Also on April 7, the Shreveport Opera Guild is hosting its first character breakfast: “Beignets with Belle,” from 9:00-10:30 am on Saturday morning, at Logan Mansion in Shreveport (725 Austin Place). This family event will allow guests of all ages to interact with the characters Belle, Prince Charming, and Cinderella while enjoying fresh beignets prepared by Southern Faire’s Cindy Johnson, children activities, a photo booth by PicEnvy, and a short performance by Belle. Not only will children and adult attendees be treated to a morning with the characters Belle and Prince Charming, but Cinderella will also be there.  Tickets must be purchased in advance.

On April 13-15 the Sons of Confederate Veterans will host the Battle of Pleasant Hill Reenactment at Pleasant Hill in Sabine Parish.

Saturday, April 14, The Robinson will have a Family Matinee: Babe.  The cost is $6.50 and there will be pre-show prizes!

The Renzi Center will have a benefit on April 14 at The Shop on Southern Avenue.  The Jazz & Blues Brunch will feature Buddy Flett and will run from 11:00 - 2:00.  Enjoy a delicious brunch courtesy of Marilynn's Place and e a cash bar with beer, Bloody Marys, and Mimosas for the 21+ crowd. There will also be Rhino Coffee's famous hot and cold blends.  In addition to great food and live music,there will be a raffle for a 55" Phillips Smart TV, provided by Lagniappe Foods. Raffle tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance or at the event.

Red River Brewing's monthly live music jam will be April 15; this is always a fun event with great music and good food!

The Shreveport Little Theater is staging Of Mice and Men from April 19-29.  Contact the theater for ticket prices. 

You can catch Beauty and the Beast on April 20 hosted by the Shreveport Opera at Riverview Hall.  Contact the Shreveport Opera for ticket information.

Centenary College and The Meadows Museum will host Art in the Meadow on April 21 from 10:00 - 4:00.   This is a free event featuring: art, sustainability, kid-friendly activities, and fun for the whole family. There will be Artists Alley, a makers fair featuring many local artists, designers, and makers as well as interactive booths with games, crafts, and activities geared toward kids of all ages that highlight art and sustainability. Bonus: there will be food trucks!

On Sunday, April 28, the Wizard of Oz production will be at the Strand. The national tour features dazzling special effects, sets, and of course the music!

The Foo Fighters will be at CenturyLink on April 24.  Tickets start at $39.

On April 24 the Heels and Reels event at The Robinson will be Working Girl.  The event is from 5:30 - 8:30 at the Robinson in downtown Shreveport.

April 28:  The ARTini fundraiser will be from 7-1l pm at the Louisiana State Exhibit Building.  It is a Casablanca themed event this year featuring live music, local artists, and much more. Twenty-Five area restaurants will create unique martinis and compete for the coveted titles of "Judges Choice", "People's Choice", and "Most M'artisanal".

Also on April 28 you can catch Lonestar at Margaritaville. Tickets start at $30.

If local politics interests you, on April 28 you can attend Leo Savage's announcement party as candidate for Shreveport mayor.  The event is from 4-7 pm at the Agriculture Building at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds.

If that's not enough for you, there is always Mudbugs Hockey which is so fun and the organization does so much for our community.  We have many great museums: if you've never been to the Shreveport Water Works Museum on Common Street you should definitely check it out.  The Spring Street Museum is also a very cool place with many interesting artifacts and history of Shreveport.  The Shreveport Aquarium is a great place to take the kids for a little something different to do.  You can catch a baseball game at Centenary (for free!) through April or at LSUS for a small charge.

There is a little something for everyone!

If you have an event you'd like added send me an email or drop it in the comments! 

What to do in Shreveport/Bossier in March

Spring is upon us and there is a lot to do in Shreveport-Bossier as we ease into the season. 

Here are just a few of the events going on over the next couple of weeks:

March 13 - 17 is 318 Restaurant Week which provides an opportunity to dine at local restaurants at special prices. Participating restaurants create prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner. In addition, five restaurants will be offering an elevated dining experience led by a local, celebrated foodie each night of the 318 Restaurant Week.

March 15 head over to Flying Heart Brewing in Bossier City for Whiskey Tricks.  Find your inner craic with Flying Heart Brewing & Pub and Jaya McSharma! Sample Jameson, Jameson Black Barrel, Caskmates Stout, Caskmates IPA, and Cooper's Croze. Plus enjoy their monthly special; Reuben Pizza. Tickets are $25 until 11:30p 3/14, after that time you will have to purchase them at Flying Heart ($40).

March 17: St. Patty's Day Adopt-a-Thon by Friends of Bossier City Animal Control - Find your new furry friend from 10 - 3 at Bossier Animal Control, 3217 Shed Road in Bossier City.

Also on March 17 Patty in the Plaza 2018 will be from 5-11 at festival plaza downtown.  Ticket info can be found here.

March 19: Fundraiser for Shreveport-Bossier Animal Rescue from 5 - 8 at Newk's, 5423 Youree Drive in Shreveport.  Eat at Newk's and SBAR gets a donation.  Win-win!

March 20:   Girls night out at Heels and Reels at Robinson Film Center, downtown Shreveport.  Watch Emma Stone in her break-through performance. All she wanted was to see what it feels like to be popular, but when a little white lie gets out, Olive’s lily-white reputation gets soiled. She finds her life paralleling the unenviable Hester Prynne's in "The Scarlet Letter."

Also on March 20 you can head to 2John's to see Cole Vosbury and Amanda June from 6-10.

March 23: ARTini Glass Painting at Bossier Arts Council on Barksdale Blvd., Bossier City.
Each year as part of the ARTini fundraiser, artists and community members help paint 300 Martini glasses. Bring a small snack to share and they will provide everything else. There is no cost to attend this event. Students are welcome, but must be at least 12 years old. Registration is NOT required for this event.

Also on March 23 head over to Norton Art Gallery where they will be showing Ferngully: The last Rainforest on the front lawn of the museum for FREE!! Bring your chairs and blankets and enjoy a movie under the stars. Local food trucks will be on hand with yummy treats to enjoy starting at 7:00 PM. Movie begins at 8:00 PM. Food Trucks: Sweetport McCoy's Butcher Block Ono's Traditional Hawaiian Cuisine BeauxJax Mobile Cajun Eatery.

March 24: Fundraiser for Camp Rainmain! The first-ever Corn Dog Busker Arts Festival, hosted by Clark McLendon, will be held, 12-9 p.m., Saturday, March 24 in Bossier City's new East Bank District and Plaza (across the street from the Bossier Arts Council - BAC). This day-long festival will feature free corn dogs and lemonade, with live music buskers performing throughout the plaza. All money raised by performers, as well as any other donations made at the festival, will benefit Camp Rainman of NW Louisiana. There will also be a corn dog-eating contest, which will crown the Corn Dog King and Queen. Admission is FREE!

Also on March 24 is the first Crawfest in Betty Virginia Park.  Crawfest is a FREE ADMISSION, family friendly event held on Saturday March 24, 2018 in Shreveport's historic Betty Virginia Park. This is the first festival of its kind ever to be held in the Park. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the South Highlands Neighborhood Association for improvements in the park. There is an all day line-up of great bands and food trucks.

 March 25:  Come out and celebrate Easter with Rhino and Deuce! Get Easter pictures of your fur baby done by an amazing photographer, take a chance winning raffle baskets, enjoy our costume contest, let your pup take part in our egg hunt, and enjoy food provided by Uneeda Taco.  The event is from 1-5 at Columbia Park in Highland.

If you have an event you'd like included, leave a comment!

Take a Trip to The Norton Art Gallery

I'm feeling very cultured today; we went to the Norton Art Gallery this afternoon and had a nifty time.  We took Steve's visiting New Jersey friend and his family; they'd never been before.  I'd admonished them beforehand - "You can't take pictures there!"  and much to my pleasure, they've changed policy.  You can take pictures but no FLASH photography.

So there I am without my camera.  But I had my handy-dandy cell phone and I'll show you some of my favorite stuff.  That's a sophisticated term I learned in my 18 hours of Art History classes at LSUS - "stuff."

Seriously, the Norton has some beautiful and historically important work.  I'm excited about the Library they're working on which will be open as a research library in several months.  One of the guides told me they have some wonderful things in there.

One of the things Steve really likes at the Norton is all the Remingtons.  I didn't photograph any of those, mostly because I didn't think about it.  They aren't my favorite.  I admire them, but that's not what I go to see.  After a while, one Indian on a horse looks like another, to me.  But there's a painting of George Washington that I like that is believed to be painted by Gilbert Stuart's daughter Mary.  There is also Thomas Sully's portrait of Andrew Jackson dated 1845 and a cool 1794 miniature of George Washington  by Andrew Robertson.

Still in the Early American area, they have a case of Paul Revere Silver and some pieces by Daniel Henchman.  I especially liked this teapot:

Their pieces were beautiful yet functional.  The museum also has a huge Revere cast copper alloy bell.

We came to what Steve called "the cow room" which had bronzes, paintings, and sculptures of cows.  There are two display cases showcasing these nifty Royal Doulton hand-painted cow plates.  Each plate has a different scene:

Showing at the museum until August 1 is a collection of works from artist Alex Dzigurski who painted fabulous seascapes.  He was a Serb and was born in 1911.  He graduated from the School of Art in Belgrade in 1929.  He was drafted into the Yugoslavian army in 1941, was taken prisoner shortly thereafter, escaped, fled to Vienna and worked as a housepainter until the end of the war.  He fled to Italy in 1945 and eventually to Pennsylvania in 1949.  He eventually settled in California and died in 1995.  The paintings at the Norton are from his wife's collection and they're gorgeous.  I took this picture, but it doesn't do it justice:

Here are a couple of other paintings I liked, both by Martin Johnson Heade:

I could totally see that one hanging in my house.  I love magnolias.

I liked this one, too:

All in all, it was a nice afternoon.  We walked the grounds out back afterward and it was hot but still very pretty.  It's prettier in the spring when all the azaleas are blooming but it's still very peaceful and nice back there.

If you live around here, put the Norton on your list of places to go.  It's a wonderful way to waste away the afternoon.  The Norton is known for its collection of Hudson River School paintings. The Bierstadts are gorgeous.  There is a Mary Cassatt there that I love but that wasn't out today.  There's a room of collectible firearms and a room of dolls (they kind of creep me out but some people are into that sort of thing.)  There's also a huge painting by Lloyd Hawthorne of Captain Henry Miller Shreve clearing the great raft from the Red River.  And finally, don't miss the tapestries that date from 1541-1546.  Most of them depict images from Plutarch's epic, Africa. 

Coming up August 17 through the end of the year will be Ansel Adams:  The Masterworks.

Below:  A brown pelican sculpture on the back grounds.  Bonus points if you can tell me what kind of flower that is.

Poems on Pennsylvania Avenue

Just in case you're feeling the need for more culture in your life:

"On tap at the White House on Tuesday night? A poetry jam — with smooth jazz, cool verses and spoken word. The literary and musical event in the East Room will include the actor James Earl Jones, the writers Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman (who are husband and wife), the jazz singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding and the pianist Eric Lewis. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote and starred in “In the Heights,” the Broadway musical that won a Tony last year, will also perform."

And you can watch live on your very own internet. I guess Elizabeth Alexander wasn't available.

What was Sinatra Really Like?

Quincy Jones on Frank Sinatra:

What was Sinatra really like?

Sinatra was one of those guys where he liked you or he didn't. So when he asked me to work with him, I got a bit nervous because I'd heard the stories. But we hit it off immediately, and I got to know the Frank that nobody wrote about, the guy who visited Billie Holiday in the hospital to make sure her bills were paid and who took care of Amos and Andy when they were down on their luck. He was a stand-up guy who didn't see color, and that was rare back then.

My mother is still a total groupie for Frank. It's so cute. She has a poster of him hanging on the inside of a closet door in the den. She opens the door sometimes and Frank watches TV with her. So funny.

Celebrity Worship

I have a lot of friends who are more tuned into celebrity-worship than I am so I am appealing to you for an answer. In this article we have the lovely Annette Bening coming down on Palin. That's fine - that's her right. I don't care. What just GETS me is why celebrities think they are more relevant than anyone else when it comes to politics just because they are famous?

Back in the "golden era" of Hollywood, when you were under contract to a studio, you did NOT discuss your politics in public and your dirty laundry personal life was also private. Actually, your private life was pretty much managed and manufactured by the studio. Times are different, celebs own their own studios and can do what they want.

I do NOT deny their right to express their opinion. Of course they can, just as I can. It's just when they get all preachy that gets under my skin. Johnny Depp comes to mind. I used to really like Johnny Depp's movies, but he got all "I hate America and I can't stand to come to America I'm going to stay in Europe until we have politicians in power that I can stand" on everybody. Gwynneth? You hate America? Fine. Stay in Europe. Shut up already.

It's not just politics. I mean I loved Tom Cruise. But he lost me long before he jumped on The Oprah's couch. Now I can't even stand to look at him. I mean, the way he tried to shut down SouthPark because he didn't like their Scientology episode....good grief. Get a grip.

There's a point when we know too much about celebrities. There is a point where it begins to damage their careers. I mean, Tom Hanks? John Travolta? They are just as political or Scientologized as others but they keep it to themselves for the most part. And I love their work. I do not care if LiLo and Sam Ronson are holding hands. Their business. I do not care if Britney is wearing underwear for crying out loud. But folks like Cruise and Depp and Gwynnie - I can't separate their work from their opinions anymore.

Do I just not GET the whole celeb thing?