Monday, October 13, 2025

Art In The Park 1989

 Here are some scenes from the Art in the Park festivities in Covington's Bogue Falaya Park back some 36 years ago in 1989.

Click on the images to make them larger.









Sunday, October 12, 2025

Norman Criner, Etchings Artist, Widely-Praised

 One of the most renowned etchings artists in the St. Tammany area was Norman Criner, who was nationally-recognized for his talent. As a member of the Art Association he taught classes, gave talks, and took part in a number of exhibits in the early 1970's. 
  
Criner was a native of Houston, TX, worked in New York for several years and then became a resident of Madisonville for several years. He received his formal training at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and also studied with Frank Reilly of the Art Students League. 

While best known for his etchings, he also worked in oils and mosaics. Among his many accomplishments was serving as art editor for a New York publisher, in addition to free lance work for Collier's, Red Book, and various advertising agencies. 

His work was showcased in the Grand Central Galleries, Museum of Modern Art and other galleries in Manhattan, and he did some mural work for a number of architectural commissions and a Florida banking chain. 

His etchings of local St. Tammany scenes were a favorite, and Criner taught a class in etching at the art association. He was described in local news items as "a prominent New Orleans graphic artist." He died on October 20, 1971, at the VA Hospital in New Orleans after a short illness. He was 53 years old. 

The Art Association honored him with a Memorial Exhibit "Retrospective," saying that through his art work and his teaching of classes, he had a great influence on artists in the area. 


Click on the articles to make them larger. 








Friday, October 3, 2025

Fair Parade 2025

 Friday morning's St. Tammany Parish Fair Parade featured the Northshore High School marching band, a large number of dance teams, football teams, and pageant winners, plus several elected officials. Here are some photos from the extravaganza that rolled through downtown Covington all the way out to the fairgrounds where opening ceremonies were held. 

Click on the images to make them larger.

Lining Up Prior to the Parade


















And the parade begins













































Later that night, the sheriff's department took a photograph 
of the fairgrounds with its aerial drone


Here's the Sheriff's Office aerial drone picture of the parish fair midway from last year, 2024. 




See Also: