Krewe of Bogue Falaya Names Grand Marshal

 Lisa Condrey-Ward, owner of the Southern Hotel in downtown Covington, was named Grand Marshal for the second annual Krewe of Bogue Falaya Parade to be held on Mardi Gras Day in 2025. The honor was announced at a special gathering at the hotel Tuesday evening. 

Video of announcement ceremony

Click on this link to view the video

Krewe Captain Larry Rolling introduced her to the crowd of more than 100 people at the special event. He commended her for making Covington a better place with an even greater future. A lifetime resident of Louisiana, she and her family moved to Covington in 1998, and she was involved in a successful law practice. She has been a past president of the Keep Covington Beautiful organization and the La. Trust For Historic Preservation. She is also active in the Covington Public Art Fund. 

She thanked the group for the honor and praised the Krewe for growing so fast and providing Covington with an outstanding Mardi Gras Day parade. 

"My favorite old photograph of Covington shows the king of Carnival arriving by boat in 1911," she told those in attendance. Local citizens of 100 years ago were proud of their celebration of Mardi Gras, she went on to say. Last year the Krewe revived that tradition of the arrival by boat, followed by a second line parade to the Southern Hotel.

She commended the residents of Covington for continuing to weave a strong tapestry of community forward into the future. "I think Mardi Gras Day is the time for us to celebrate what we are doing for this city, and I am going to have so much fun."

Click on the images to make them larger. 

Parish President Mike Cooper welcomed those present, telling how several years ago, he had asked Larry Rolling to set about getting a new Carnival krewe for Covington on Mardi Gras Day. The Krewe of Bogue Falaya was the result, a group which now has 600 members.

The 2025 parade will have 16 floats on the theme of "Movies in Paradise."

Among those present for the meeting were Mark Johnson, the mayor of Covington, and Jean Pelloat , the mayor of Madisonville. 

Krewe officials, from left, Jody Burke, Amy Tucker, Lisa Condrey-Ward, Larry Rolling, Betty Brock, Joanne Rucker and George Schaefer

Links for additional information:

2024 Krewe of Bogue Falaya Welcomes Grand Marshal 

Covington Mardi Gras History

Mardi Gras Pageantry in 1911

Covington Mardi Gras Get Ready

Hebert's Drugs

The history of the building at the southeast corner of the Boston St. / New Hampshire St. intersection was told by Carol Harrison in a 1972 article. 

 

History of Hebert's Drugstore Building

A summary based on an article written by Carol Harrison. 

The southeast corner of the Boston St. and New Hampshire St. intersection has an interesting history. Beginning in 1911, it was the site of the Parkview Theater, a movie show and entertainment stage operated by Sid Fuhrmann, one of the most artistic and creative people to have ever lived in Covington.

Fuhrmann was an actor, an artist, and a showman, and for years he had been directing and presenting plays in the park pavilion at Bogue Falaya Park, a few blocks down New Hampshire. He loved vaudeville, and he wanted to build a theater right in the middle of downtown Covington to entertain people.

Fuhrmann and C.N. Schoenberg built the building in 1911, using Fuhrmann's energetic and optimistic belief in the theater's success and Mr. Schoenberg's financial backing.

 The theater opened in 1912, spotlighting dance reviews, vaudeville acts, beauty contests, and other shows. It operated for 12 years, then Fuhrmann decided it wasn't big enough and a newer, larger theater would have to be built.

In 1926, Mr. Maurice Planche and Mr. E.J. Frederick decided to open an automobile dealership in the building. The Frederick-Planche Motor Co. was run by the two sons of Mr. Frederick, Hebert and Lawrence. 

 

They bought the Ford agency from Mr. Wehrli, and almost immediately ran out of cars to sell because Ford had to close its plant down for almost two years as it switched from producing Model T's to Model A's. During that time, the Covington business didn't have any cars to sell, but it did run a repair shop for the existing cars in town.

 

June 7, 1919 Newspaper notice

Finally in 1929, a new stock of cars came in, the long waiting list for customers was filled, and to celebrate, the Frederick-Planche Motor C. had a big parade around town to show off the new Model A's purchased through their business.

Covington Motors Inc. was owned by Philip Burns, Brian Burns, and Lawrence Frederick. The Boston Street building was owned by Philip Burns, and in 1939 the Frederick-Planche Motor. Co. became Covington Motors. The business was re-located to another spot almost immediately.

The next tenant for the building came in 1940, an ambitious young druggist and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver and Cecile Hebert. They had operated a drug store in Covington since the early 1910's, and were quite active in supporting the community. 

In 1914, Hebert Drug Store was located in the Frederick Building at the other end of the block. 

A potential fire disaster was averted in 1915

Nabiscos were served

In 1940, one year before World War II, he made the move to the corner of New Hampshire and Boston Streets. Hebert didn't need the entire building for their drug store, so they divided it into three sections and let out the other two rooms for other business enterprises.

He added a soda fountain and tables and for many years, Hebert's Drugs was the leading drug store in Covington. 

In 1954 he was Chairman of the Hospital Board

 Stanley Bridges was a long time pharmacist there. 

 

Stanley Bridges

For a few years, the building was home to Dunnings Florist. 

 The Original Harrison Article

Here is the actual article by Carol Harrison published in Pathways Magazine in 1972. It continued her series of imaginary conversations among the old buildings in downtown Covington. This episode features Carol's Corner building (identified as C.C.) talking to Hebert's Drugs (identified as H.D.), the building at the southeast corner of Boston Street and North New Hampshire, now occupied by del Porto Restaurant. 

Click on the images to make them larger and more readable. There are three pages to the article. 

Page One

Page Two

Page Three

 

Photo of the building as a car dealership

Above, a row of 1928 Model A Fords with Mayor Wallace Poole, in the coat, sitting next to Fire Chief Joe Hoffman. Also in photograph are Nick Seiler, Bill Wanner and Ted Bonney.

1970's

In the sidewalk out front

Today

See Also:

Gratitude Opens The Door

Houses That Talk! Smith Hardware

Here is another article by Carol Harrison published in Pathways Magazine in 1972. It continues her series of imaginary conversations among the old buildings in downtown Covington. This episode features Carol's Corner building (C.C.) talking to Smith Hardware (S.H.), the building at 228 N. Columbia Street.

Click on the images below to enlarge them for easier reading. 

 

An interior photo of Smith Hardware in the late 1970's

See also:

The Story of Smith Hardware

Houses That Talk! Hebert's Cleaners

In the 1970's Carol Harrison Jahncke delighted area residents with a series of articles featuring Covington houses that talk, giving their history in an imaginary conversation. It covered many buildings in the downtown Covington area. 

The article below deals with the building which housed Hebert's Cleaners, mid-block on Gibson between Columbia and New Hampshire. 

Click on the images below to enlarge the text. There are two pages. 

Page One

Page Two

This is what the building looked like 20 or so years ago. 

Unfortunately, the 1997 tornado collapsed the first story of the Hebert's Cleaners building. 

1997

Today

Carol Saunders Jahncke, Writer - Activist

In 1973 Carol Harrison Jahncke delighted area residents with a series of articles featuring Covington houses that talk, giving their history in an imaginary conversation. It covered many buildings in the downtown Covington area. 

Carol Jahncke

The article below dealt with the building which housed her bookstore at the time, Carol's Corner Bookstore. It was located in the middle of the block on Lockwood Street, between New Hampshire and Columbia. 

Click on the images below for a larger view. 

Page One

Page Two

Carol also wrote another "Houses That Talk" style book about her own place north of Covington. The title of the book was "Homeplace, A Love Affair," and in it she had a conversation with her own house and the property upon which it was built. 

 

 

Her other literary efforts included the following:

 

Louisiana Visit - 1976     (also released on audio cassette tape)
Mr. Kentzel's Covington - 1979
The Christmas Spirit - 1980
Covington Revisited - A Story for Young People - 1985
Covington and the Shopping Centaur - 1986 

 

For more information about Carol, see the following blog entries:

Carol's Map Place 

St. Tammany Rivers Songs Introduced 

The Legendary Jim Metcalf 

Winner of Chamber Contest 1982 

Local Authors Night At The Library 

Olde Town Festival 

 

Carol Jahncke and friends

Carol Saunders Jahncke passed away on Tuesday, January 1, 2008. Here is the obituary information provided by E. J. Fielding Funeral Home. 

 

She was born July 21, 1929 in New Orleans to the late Mea East and Eugene D. Saunders and was a resident of Covington most of her life. Carol Jahncke was in many regards a Covington icon. She owned several shops in Covington most notably 'Carol's Corner', a small book store.

Her love of Louisiana and Covington in particular led her to write several books including Mr. Kentzel's Covington, Louisiana Visit, and The Christmas Spirit. Carol Jahncke's extensive list of civic involvement includes her promotion of the official Covington song 'I'm in Love Again With Covington'. 

She logged many volunteer hours with St. Tammany Hospital as well as The Hospice of St. Tammany. In memory of her late husband, she donated several items to and worked at the Maritime Museum in Madisonville where she was known, in character, as Mrs. Thurston.

Carol Jahncke was a hiker having hiked most of the Appalachian Trail, she was a well accomplished golfer, and she was especially an avid gardener. But most of all she was a lover who enjoyed doing all of these activities.

Other articles in her "Buildings That Talk" series were:

Hebert's Cleaners

Smith Hardware

Hebert's Drugs