Four-legged Chicken

 Every so often you come across an anomaly in farming that gets written up in the local newspaper. Here's one from 1968: a four-legged chicken.

This was apparently not picked up by the Associated Press and run nationally. 

Spotting the Sports 1968

 My very first newspaper job where I actually got paid was in 1968. It involved writing various sports stories and the "Spotting the Sports" column for the St. Tammany Farmer newspaper in Covington. 

Here are some of the articles that were part of that summer between my high school graduation and starting college at Southeastern. Bob Landry, the editor of the Farmer, usually wrote the Spotting the Sports column but he was on vacation. 

Click on the articles to make them larger and more readable.

The Covington Community Center Story

 

50th Wedding Anniversary

 In June of 1961 Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ernst Blattner celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. 

They lived in the house between Blossman Oil and Lee Lane. That's where my newspaper office was for a while in 1973.  Dr. M.A. Breen, the chiropractor, was in the eastern most potion of the house at that time. 

Football Teams 1974

 A full page picture layout of area high school football teams appeared in the News Banner issue of  August 18, 1974. Here they are. Click on the pictures to make them larger. 

Today's Personalities Feature Photos 1972

   Fifty-three years ago the Covington Daily News would run a small photo and personality profile on a different Covington community citizen every day. It was called "Today's Personality," and it was placed in the bottom right corner of the front page. 

Here are a few of those from October of 1972 newspapers. The people spotlighted are Mrs. Peggy Earle, Mrs. Chris Larson, John Moticheck Jr., John Howe Fuselier, Mrs. Eugene Childress, Tina Lazo, Rev. Baxter Pond, Flo Horton, and Roger Carter. Click on the images to make them larger.

Links of Interest:

More Today's Personality Showcase

More Today's Personalities From 1972

Today's Personalities Back In 1972

More Today's Personalities

Today's Personality Back Then

Abbey Concert Draws 200

 Judith Krogsgard and Dominic Braud, O.S.B., were the area's favorite singers in 1972. Here they are at a concert in the auditorium at St. Joseph's Abbey. 

Click on the images to make them larger. 

Benet Hall hosted a number of community theatrical events...

Links of interest:

Music Stores, Lessons and Teachers

Father Dominic Braud

St. Tammany Historical Society

History of St. Joseph Abbey Presented

Cub Scouts Urge Fire Prevention Efforts

 Fifty-three years ago, these guys were telling the community about the importance of fire prevention. Click on the images to make them larger. 

The People You'd Run Into in 1961 Covington

 In 1961 columnist Fred Darragh wrote in the St. Tammany Tribune a detailed description of the people and places one would visit on a typical day in downtown Covington. 

Sit back now, relax, and enjoy the "heartbeat of the town" as described by Darragh. 

Click on the above article to make it larger. 

Here is the text from the above article:

COVINGTON BEAT With Fred C. Darragh

Walk down Boston street -- any Saturday morning -- 

AND LISTEN TO THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR TOWN!

Pick up your mail and stop at the P.P. (Parcel Post) window for a package, delivered in a flurry of good-natured insults tossed back and forth with Dick Schroeder and Russell Sharp. Stop on the post office steps to pass the time of day with Lucille Glisson, whose usual cheery greeting has been reduced to a whisper these past. few months due to a throat injury suffered in a minor car accident. Assured that the condition is a temporary one, your large legion of friends are all pulling for a speedy recover, Lucille.

Wave cheerfully to Julia Stone, whose twinkling toes seem to fly over. rather than on, the ground. as she covers the distance between office and bank. Something in her return wave seems to carry the assurance that "God's in His heaven -all's right with the world."

Stop in the middle of the block to exchange chit - chat with Frank Patecek and Randy Powell, two of Covington's leading realtors who speak of deals in the hundred thousands. but who daily settle for less -- MUCH LESS. Randy was my landlord for a number of years, and Frank has been a fellow conspirator with me in many schemes and varied, to sell projects ranging from Tung Festivals to Lions' Club Barbecues, to the general public, for community improvement and welfare.

Step into the cool cavern of Tugy's Bar, an institution in the Southern Hotel since the mid-1930s when Julius Tugendhaft assisted by the late, well loved, Barney Carey, Sr., and Tony Bacarisse, quit tending bar for Sam Haik to open what has affectionately come to be known as "The Office" by a large segment of both genders of the community.

It's a bit early for the post-prandial customers who drop by for an exchange of gossip or discussion of the various sports activities ranging from bowling, through Little League ball, to Country Club golf. It's a bit early for the usual evening routine, so what do we find?

Tugy and Jack Brown sharing a shaker of coffee from the hotel dining room, as Otis Heintz jots down his weekly order, while Jake Seiler (as much a regular as Tugy himself drops by to report progress on his new house.

Joe Ward and Shelby West lend a nautical touch to the gathering. Joe, just in from a stint in the Gulf, joins happily in the general conversation. Shelby sits, silent and withdrawn, at one of the tables, darkly pondering, not where his next meal may come from, but where and with whom it will be enjoyed. A gourmet of note. and bachelor to boot, Shelby loves nothing better than to dine with friends on a fare that he usually provides.

This is the quiet time. The place will empty and fill a number of times before eleven o'clock closing, with a variety of people seeking momentary escape from the hurley-burley of the workaday world, but if you listen real hard you will begin to hear the HEARTTHROB OF OUR CITY.

•••

At the bank corner you may bump into Art Lemane and Dan Berlin, escaping their bank cages for a few minutes "coffee break". Their conversation may range from baby care to carnival balls. but I'm willing to bet a stale cooky that it's far removed from debits and credits.

Crossing the street to Hebert's Drug Store we get a friendly wave from deputies Anna Lee Koepp and Joyce Keifer, the most decorative fixtures in St. Tammany's law enforcement structure. They may be OFFICE deputies but they do make an ARRESTING sight in their trim uniforms.

Back in the drug department pharmacist Stanley Bridges is busily counting pills for numerous prescriptions, while making occasional side remarks to Lucille Hebert or salesman John Felker who keeps all of the drug stores on the COVINGTON BEAT well supplied with panaceas for our numerous aches and pains. The only thing to make Stanley miss count is to call him "papa", a title of which he is inordinately proud.

Passing the time of day with O.J., we pause at the perfume display which John Cannon is regarding with slightly jaundiced eye. I bring him out of his reverie by asking him to find a buyer for two completely equipped tropical fish aquariums which I possess, knowing full well that if there is a buyer within 90 miles of Covington salesman John. (who is also a  minister and deputy sheriff) will find him.

St. Tammany Tribune Newspaper May 12, 1961

Links of interest:

WARB Memories

Bogue Falaya Shopping Plaza

Claiborne Hill Business Map

A Walk Around Covington in 1904

Walking Tour of Covington - 1983

Bowling League Winners - 1961

 Several group photos of local bowling league winners were featured in the April 28, 1961, issue of the St. Tammany Tribune Newspaper. Here they are. Click on the images to make them larger. 

Roy's Knife & Archery Shop

  Roy Blaum established Roy's Knife & Archery Shop in 1976. A former sports and news photographer for the Times Picayune and cameraman for WWL-TV in the 1960's,  he was also widely recognized as an outstanding knife maker. He died on Thursday, July 3, 2025.

Roy Blaum playing his guitar was a common sight, along with his wood-carvings, photography exhibit and the wide variety of sporting goods inside his store at 319 North Columbia St., Covington, LA. (Photos by Ron Barthet)

According to his obituary posted at E. J. Fielding Funeral Home in Covington, Roy was born in New Orleans on April 8, 1935. He attended Tulane University and majored in Architecture and Business Administration. He enlisted in the Army in 1956 and served as a radio operator in Korea. 

In Korea he discovered his passion for photography. After his military service he attended San Mateo College in California in order to study photography. He was then accepted to Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California for advanced photography studies. 

He later worked as a cameraman for Channel 8, WVUE-TV filming news and sports, and producing commercials. He became the Chief Cameraman with channel 4, WWL-TV and WYES-TV, filming news, documentaries, commercials, production and special features for Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace shows on CBS News.

He was also a Cameraman and Stringer for United Press International and UPI films, Newsweek, Time and Life Magazines as well as the Associated Press. He completed a film for Plaquemine Parish on life styles and industry. 

In addition, he was a staff photographer for the Times Picayune, Daily Record and States Item newspapers in New Orleans. It was around this time that he began to learn the Harmonica. This led to him to serve as a cameraman, editor, and performer of original harmonica music for a documentary called “Help”. 

Shortly thereafter Roy began to master the guitar. He moved to the north shore in 1978 and began his life at the shop. He started making knives and opened three knife shops, including the one on North Columbia St. in Covington. 

He was an avid bass fisherman and traditional bow hunter. He became well-known for his amazing and whimsical carved figures and shared them with many people. Memorial services were scheduled for E. J. Fielding Funeral Home, 2260 W 21st Avenue, Covington LA 70433 on Friday, July 11, 2025, at 9:30 AM with interment following in the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery.

 

For more information about Roy and his shop, CLICK HERE for an Inside Northside article.

Roy's Knife & Archery Shop, 
Columbia Street, Covington

In May of 2020, Roy made headlines by speaking out about how government-enforced stay-at-home orders due to CoVID did not apply to him and many other business owners. 

Video of Roy inside his Knife & Archery Shop

(To view the video click on the "Play Triangle" in the center)

Below is a sample of one of the many Blaum photographs that appeared in the Times Picayune Newspaper:

Links of Interest:

Roy Blaum received the Key to the City from Covington Mayor Cooper

Archery World Video of Roy Blaum playing guitar

Morning Advocate Photo

https://covingtonweekly.com/tag/roy-blaum/

The Store Website

St. Scholastica Priory

The land in the southeast quadrant of the Stafford Road/Smith Road intersection north of Covington was originally homesteaded in the mid-1800's on a land grant given to Joseph Schneyder. The title for the property was recorded in 1890.

The area was the home of St. Benedict's Chapel, one of the first churches in the rural areas northeast of Covington. 

Click on the articles to make them larger and more readable.

In the 1930's Schneyder heirs sold some of it to Lester Alexander, who named it "The Flying A Ranch." He was  head of the Alexandria Shipyard and a well-known area industrialist. In 1952 he was listed among the many Covington area civic leaders who were taking part in a fund-raising drive for the Benedictine Sisters.

The shipbuildinghistory.com website provided the following information:

AMERICAN MARINE CORP. New Orleans LA

Lester F. Alexander started this shipyard on the east side of the Industrial Canal in New Orleans, immediately south of the I-10 bridge, before World War II. The yard was a pioneer of the offshore industry, building not only the famous "Breton Rig 20" and John LaBorde's early submersibles but also the first supply boats for Tidewater.  

He was also instrumental in proposing the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet canal.

 Alexander died in 1957.

The property was purchased by the Benedictine Sisters in 1958 and became the group's new Priory. 

The new Priory location became a favorite gathering place for many groups and even weddings. The St. Scholastica Academy 4-H Club would meet there often. Hundreds of visitors from throughout the area enjoyed the grounds and outdoor activities offered by the Priory. 

Original plans for improving the property included moving all the students from the Covington St. Scholastica Academy site to a new Stafford Road location. 

Click on the articles to make them larger. 

Funding for the ambitious project proved a challenge, however. The Sisters did move their own group residence from Covington to the Alexander home on the property in 1964.

A 4-H group poses in front of the Flying A Ranch sign. 

The Junior 4-H Club at St. Scholastica Academy was active in a variety of programs, many of which were demonstrated at the Priory grounds. 

Click on the articles to make them larger and more readable.

By the early 1960's plans were made for a more modern building to serve a variety of purposes, including a convent, a retreat house, picnic grounds, and hosting other Catholic community events. 

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The property became a favorite stop on Covington's many Spring Fiesta Garden Tours. 

It became the place for Easter Egg hunts, Engaged Encounters, Student Field Days, and SSA Reunions, with an occasional wedding because of the beautiful grounds. The nuns at the Priory were involved in many community projects, from making dolls for area children to handcrafted items for sale in fund-raising drives. 

The Priory hosted conferences and lectures by visiting dignitaries. 

After serving the Catholic community for many years, some of the property was sold to developers and became Terra Maria and Alexander Ridge subdivisions. The frontage on Stafford Road however continued to be owned by the Catholic church and became a nursing home for several years. Most recently that building was converted as a Congregational Center for the Marianites of Holy Cross.

Earlier this year, the Catholic Church re-purchased the additional property to the rear of the congregational center from the developers and is clearing it and making improvements. The first thing the Marianites did was demolish the  large 1965 structure which had been abandoned for decades and fallen into ruin.