Parish Fair 2011 Opening Ceremonies

 From 15 years ago, below is a short video of the opening ceremonies of the 2011 St. Tammany Parish Fair in Covington. 

Click here to view the video on YouTube

Kute Kids From the 1970's

 In the mid-1970's the St. Tammany News Banner newspaper ran a weekly column featuring "Kute Kids," with pictures provided by the parents (or grandparents) of the youngsters. Here are some of them.

 Click on the images to make them larger. 

Johanna Julian                             Dennis Bordelon Jr.

Jeremy John Cox                   Frank Miguel Barney

Aaron Fabre Jr.                         Tonya Ducre

Lesley Andre Schlenker                   Kristy Lynn Motichek

Stephanie Amber Moore                Dominque Yvette Hamler

John R. Davis & Alex J. Davis Jr.                       Curtis Hays II

Robert William Sharp Jr.              Kathleen JoAnn Massie

Ronnie Chauvin                     Brian Matthew Volpe

Corey Jerome McDonald                 Kraneshia L. Brumfield

Misty Marie Purvis                             Michael Jason Gilhaus

Covington Miniaturized

Many kinds of artists ply their trade in St. Tammany Parish, working in a wide array of styles and media. One of the oldest forms of art is that of miniaturization, that is, making miniatures of people, scenes and architectural models, many times for use in dioramas in museums.

Matt Hardey of Covington is one such artist, but he has combined these miniaturization skills with his love of model railroading. As result, for the past 32 years he has been building a model train layout that showcases downtown Covington as it looked in 1927. He went way back to a time when trains, both passenger and freight, were almost a daily routine for the growing city. 

The layout occupies a wide shelf all around the room perimeter, about four feet off the floor, with the walls painted blue with white fluffy clouds artistically added for a sunny day background. A large number of realistic looking "trees" from two to 12 inches in height line the wall, giving the whole layout an amazingly realistic setting. The trains are HO scale, so that calls for a 1:87 downscaling of the buildings on both sides of the train track. 

That makes constructing them and decorating them a challenge sometimes, even though there are model train layout building kits that can supply tiny sheets of corrugated tin, bricks, and almost microscopic pieces of lumber. Many of the building walls are put together using separate small pieces of lumber glued on a frame. 

Click on the images to make them larger. 

His layout includes miniature versions of the Covington Grocery and Grain building, the Delta Pine Products factory (which burned down many years ago), and the St. Tammany Manufacturing and Ice Plant (which housed the city's first electrical power generators).  All three of those were in the area that is now the St. Tammany Parish Justice Center and its parking lots. His rendition of the area included a group of pipes that passed overhead across Jefferson Avenue, leading from one section of the Delta Pine Plant to another section where products were processed and packaged. Cars had to drive under the rack of piping when on Jefferson, he said. 

The Alexius Bros. Hardware store and lumber yard is portrayed, complete with stacks of wood and signage painted on the side. Further along is Gibson Street, with a cattle corral where Marsolan's Feed Store would be, a church building (identified from old postcards) is depicted where Downtown Drugs is now located. On nearby Vermont Street, he has two old residential buildings with porches, one of which is still there. 

On the other end of Gibson he has a representation of Nathan's Sandwich Shop building (originally Charlie's Bar and now Mattina Bella Restaurant). Next to that is the two story building with a second floor front balcony that was occupied by a hotel, a bar, and a restaurant. Across the "street" from that is an old hotel building, the Commercial  Hotel, which would later become Hebert's Cleaners. 

Downtown Covington in 1927 would not be complete without the Little Napoleon Bar at the corner of Gibson and Columbia, and Hardey has that faithfully reproduced in miniature, based on newspaper photographs and postcards. It was a happening place. 

The Little Napoleon Bar and Gibson St. Hotel

The detail in the buildings is extraordinary. 

Some of his re-creations may be the wrong color, he admits, but he does whatever research he can to determine the actual color of the historic buildings, often relying on the memories of old-timers who remember what the structure looked like before it was torn down. 

That was not a problem when he recreated the Covington train depot, since it is still standing, though long since converted to office space. He did go into quite a bit of detail with the train depot, even making the windows clear so visitors could look into the interior and see the waiting benches and the people sitting on them. He even has some chalkboards hanging on the wall, one with the train schedule and the other with  a map of the railroad track system. The print is so small they are unreadable without a magnifying glass, but they are there. 

Local architects bought the depot building from the railroad in 1982, he said, and  Hardey was able to get a copy of the depot plans from the new owner. He used those plans to construct his replica in miniature. He wound up spending a lot of time on the train depot building, but it was the center focus of his entire train layout, so it was worth it. 

The train depot

(Click on the images to make them larger)

Behind the train depot is the famous Covington water tower on Theard Street, with its water storage tank suspended far above the landscape. Each of the four support legs of the water tower has the recognizable criss-cross metal bars (which took a while to glue into place). Today the water tower is a key landmark overlooking the Covington Trailhead. A stylized illustration of an early Covington train locomotive graces the side of the tank today. 

Hardey hasn't yet built a model of the water plant's historic red and white building on Theard St. underneath the water tank, but he is gathering research and preparing to put one together. He found the plans for the original water tower building at Covington city hall, so he will be using that for precise measurements. 

In an effort to represent many of the landmark business operations in Covington he included many business and industrial locations although they were only adjacent to downtown. That included a Standard Oil storage area with several tanks, since Covington hosted several storage and supply facilities. 

Many of the buildings in his layout he didn't have any plans for, so he had to research, design, and lay out the floorplan and frame structure himself. 

While some his buildings didn't actually exist in 1927 Covington, he added special structures to honor his friends and acquaintances. He labelled one building Glockner's Fresh Seafood, in honor of the Mandeville family that made a name for themselves in that trade. Inside he built miniature wash stations to clean the fish and crawfish. 

Another building was named after the late Robert Seago, an area band leader and also a model train enthusiast. Seago was also a well-known artist, and he helped Hardey paint the clouds in the sky that surrounds his masterpiece of miniature downtown Covington.

One wall of his train layout represents the train track and downtown buildings of Bogalusa. That helps portray the scenario of where logs from St. Tammany would be transported by rail to the paper mill there. Another section of the track along the wall represents 1927 New Orleans, where the tracks offered several interchange connections to Covington and all points north. 

"Sometimes we have three guys in here all running separate operations of the train system, and one guy handles the carloads coming out of Bogalusa to Covington that are then replenished with carloads going back into Bogalusa," he explained. "A railroad simulator," Hardey says.

It must call for some intense coordination when three separate train engineers are trying to complete their assigned tasks on one big layout. It is a small-scale testament to the ingenuity of those pioneers in big train transport operations that conducted the business of the nation, from one end to the other, back in the days following the industrial revolution. 

He noted that the tracks that went to Folsom from Covington were taken up around 1920 so it didn't apply to his 1927 layout. During their life span the Folsom tracks brought many carloads of timber from the piney woods into Folsom's big saw mill there, and the resulting lumber was shipped by boat to points around the world. 

When one of his fellow model train enthusiast friends ran out of room in his house for his model train layout, he gave the layout to Hardey. But, when the fellow enthusiast bought a bigger house last year, Hardey decided to give the section back to him. It freed up some space for more Covington buildings and landscapes. 

The background scenery is composed of all kinds of trees, but it is not necessary indicative of the actual landscape surrounding downtown Covington. 

Off in one corner, the train track passes over a tranquil river, the Bogue Falaya, with a miniature fisherman in a boat and his buddy fishing from the bank. That portion of the track in actual scale reality is now Tammany Trace, a recreational bicycle trail which, in the 1990's, commandeered the train track route from downtown Covington all the way to the Salmen Nature Park near Slidell. 

Hardey mentioned that in Covington around 1927, there were passenger trains coming in twice per day. 

Some portions of the layout feature train operations that didn't actually occur in Covington. One of those is a coal dumping station, where coal cars travel out onto an elevated section of track and pour their carloads of coal into waiting dump trucks. He had the kit parts to build one of those, so he built it and put it in a corner far away from the downtown Covington section.

One such building represents a locomotive workshop, where locomotives under repair would go in and have crews maintain the engines. That building even features a pit underneath a portion of the track so repair crews could access the under carriage workings. There wasn't one of those in Covington, but it's a reflection of the special maintenance demands of running a railroad. 

Another structure tucked in a corner is a gantry crane, which features an overhead lifting mechanism that could pick up heavy machinery off of a flatbed train car and then slide over and place it on a truck bed. Someone gave him the gantry crane set up, so he put it together and placed it where it would be noticed, although not part of the downtown Covington scene. 

The responsibility of building such a train layout that mimics the operation of a real railroad also brings with it the responsibility of maintaining the dozens of component parts. He says it is a constant job to check the buildings and structures for things that have fallen out of place or need spiffing up. The whole thing being on a platform four feet off the floor gives him the space to crawl under it all and connect wires to all the building lights, exterior and interior. The underneath space is also filled with roll-around cabinets filled with tools, parts, and train cars. 

All the building structures were glued together, piece by piece, using several different kinds of glue. His work bench is on one wall, and it offers a wide variety of small screwdrivers, needle-nose pliers and tweezers. 

For now, plans call for a few more key buildings, a little more work on the Bogalusa train section, and just keeping an eye out for new projects. 

Hardey can explain which railroads originally served the Covington area, their history, their business merges over the years, and the important mode of transportation it provided. 

Hardey also explained the workings of modern-day model trains, saying that the locomotives now contained computer chips that receive electronic signals from the tracks. Those signals come from a central computer with a number of controls. Each locomotive has its own electronic identity, and each track has its own electronic identify, so to enjoy moving the trains along the layout all one has to do is push on the buttons. We are all familiar with the way electric trains used to work, but starting in the early 1990's computers hit model train control systems and everything changed. Locomotives now puff smoke and blow their whistles on computer commands. 

Modern day full-size train operations use the same sort of computerized systems. 

He loves the model train layout project, declining to speculate how many hours he has put into the project over the years, but saying it is better than playing golf or hanging around bars. As far as the train layout representing 1927 Covington, "the research goes on and on," he said.

He got his first train when he was seven years old living in Covington. Now somewhat older, his dream is that one day, after he is gone, someone will come into his train layout room and re-locate the downtown Covington section into a local museum somewhere. It is definitely museum-quality work, and a great bird's eye view of how Covington used to look, and also how important the train was to the growing community. 

Model train enthusiasts have their own association, of course, and a regional convention was recently held in Baton Rouge. Some model train aficionados have much larger layouts than Hardey, he said. In fact, a few of those train model enthusiasts in the Covington area have bigger train layouts housed in separate big buildings.

It is an artistic expression of history, a form of the ancient art of miniaturized representations of historic people and places, and it certainly offers a multi-faceted trip down memory lane. Except in this case, Memory Lane is about a quarter-inch wide.

The Bogalusa Train Yard

Links of interest:

St. Tammany Ice & Manufacturing Company

Alexius Brothers Hardware

The History of the Covington Grocery & Grain Company

Little Napoleon House

Nathan's Sandwich Shop

Mackie Pine Oil Plant Fire

Covington Train Depot

Covington's Waterworks Building

Knights of Columbus Overview from 1961

 In 1961 Fred Darraugh of the Tammany Tribune newspaper wrote a lengthy account of the history of the Knights of Columbus Covington Council 3061. Here it is. Click on the article below to make it larger and more readable. 

Text from the above article:

St. Tammany Tribune June 3, 1961

Covington Knights of Columbus 3061 By Fred C. Darragh

June is the month of brides -- and also the month for the election of officers of most of the civic and fraternal organizations of this, and surrounding communities. While sorely tempted to draw a parallel between our blushing brides and the eager club leaders of both genders I shall refrain -- not because the brides would suffer -- but because the other innocents, leaping nimbly forward, have yet to experience their brief moment of glory when district brass shall install them in office via the fried chicken or cold steak route.

Seriously though, I would very much like to salute, from time to time, the various active organizations in this vicinity with a review of their past activities, particularly as they relate to community advancement and welfare, and offhand I can think of no better organization to start the ball rolling than the 130 Knights of Columbus in Covington Council 3061.

Organized in the spring of 1947 at the instigation of the Rev. Canisius Blumel, O.S.B., Assistant Pastor of St. Peter's Church, the charter class of Knights, recruited from Covington, Madisonville. Mandeville, and Abita Springs, were initiated into the order at Gretna, La., Sunday. June 1, 1947.

It is significant that the infant council's first big activity was dedicated to the welfare of the community, and that it met its first test with flying colors when, in the face of a torrential downpour on the night of December 11, St. Peter's Auditorium witnessed one of the largest crowds in its history to turn out for a benefit to raise funds to finance a non-sectarian community Christmas tree party for kiddies whom St. Nick might otherwise overlook.

This was the beginning of a decade of highly colorful and entertaining community Christmas celebrations which Mayor Emile Menetre recognized by official proclamation as the Knights paraded Santa Claus, enthroned on a variety of ingenious floats, through the streets to Covington Hi gymnasium to the gay music of the Covington High School Band, and caroling groups from St. Paul's, St. Scholastica's and St. Peter's. Two parties were held each year to introduce Santa Claus -- first at the high school for white children who packed the gymnasium to near capacity -and again at night for all Negro youngsters, at the Holy Family Mission.

In the beginning the Knights introduced Santa on the Sunday before Christmas, while the Covington Lions Club bade him God-speed on Christmas Eve at a party on the courthouse lawn. After the first few years, however, everybody, from church organizations to a variety of "well-heeled" individuals grasping at a chance for some publicity, began to get in on the act, until Santa Claus threatened to out-number the children. This, plus the ever-increasing cost, as well as other factors, decided the Knights to abandon this program in favor of donations to St. Vincent de Paul, and other charitable activities.

Going back to the early years of the organization, the Knights continued their civic activities by sponsoring an Annual Graduates' Gift Dance, at which graduates of all public and private high schools were invited (with their dates) to dance to the music of such bands as Russ Papalia, in the Covington High School gymnasium.

During this time too, Covington Council turned to the problem of salvaging the Civil Air Patrol. Sponsoring this organization the Council conducted an unprecedented publicity drive which served to spur recruitment, and further aided by sponsoring a dance to raise funds that would enable the C.A..P. to procure much needed government equipment.

With the pattern set, the Knights of Covington Council really shifted into high gear. In addition to the activities already discussed, they sponsored a boy to Pelican Boys State, sponsored a Boy Scout troop, were granted the first charter for the Columbian Squires in the State of Louisiana, raised funds to fill in the parochial school playground, and were hosts to the K.C. State Basketball Tournament, winning the State Title, and sponsored a team in the local soft ball league.

These activities were accorded state-wide recognition with the presentation of the State Deputy, Achievement Award, proclaiming Covington "The Outstanding Council in Louisiana" at the 1949 convention in Alexandria.

A full report covering the Council's activities in the nearly fifteen years of its existence would be impossible to compile here. Let it suffice that we cover a few of its more unusual activities such as sponsorship of the first three ring circus to successfully operate in Covington; The Festival of Music a musical evening with the Gregorian choir of St. Joseph's Abbey, the Covington High School Band, and soloists from St. Paul's and St. Scholastica's; a repeat sponsorship of the State Basketball Tournament, and host to the Notre Dame School of Youth Leadership in the Southeastern United States.

A brief run-down of activities in this rapidly expiring fiscal year prove the Knights capable of shifting their programs to meet the changing times. In this past year they sponsored a soft ball team in the Covington League; furnished much needed athletic equipment to the Holy Family Mission; donated an undisclosed sum to the St. Vincent de Paul Society; won Team Award at the State K.C. Golf Tournament in Shreveport; sponsored soft ball tournament at Community Center; sponsored a bowling team locally, and basketball team in the State Tournament; sponsored Boy Scout Troop 325, and presented a 50 star flag to troop; host to State Officers Meet at the K. C. Youth Camp at St. Joseph's Abbey; sponsor active blood bank; co-sponsor of St. Peter's Horse Show, August 26-27; sponsored annual barbecue at community center, and will sponsor the State Golf Tournament at the Covington Country Club September 8-9.

Officers for this year have been Rev. Stephen Mueller, Chaplain; P.J. Swett, Grand Knight; Dan Berlin, Dep. Grand Knight; Carl Helmers, Chancellor; Eugene Cassanova, Jr., Recorder; Russell Sharp, Financial Secretary; Adam J. Seiler, Treasurer; Warren Troxclair, Lecturer; John Fielding, Advocate; Melvin Griffin, Warden; Bob Bottner and Arthur Scheck, Inside Guards; Geo. Blow, Outside Guard; Manning Henry, Hubie Gallagher, and Frank Sheuermann, Trustees.

End of article

Link Of Interest:

KC Abbey Summer Camp Fishing

Phelps Family Portrait

 A Phelps Family Photograph showing a multi-generational gathering in the Bush-Folsom road area in 1908. Click on the image to make it larger. 

The Kaufmann Home

 In the mid-1930's George Kauffman and his daughter Olga built a new home on Jahncke Avenue in Covington. Here is a newspaper article telling about the house and its owners. It's a story telling about how people came to St. Tammany to visit, but wound up wanting to live here. 

Click on the images to make them larger. 

Lions Club New Officers in 1959

 In July of 1959, some sixty-five years ago, the Covington Lions Club elected new officers for the coming year. Click on the image below to make it larger. The photo was taken professional photographer Art Lemane.

Link:

Covington Lions Club Charter Program 1943

John Stire, Community Minded Citizen

 Many contributions were made to the town of Abita Springs by John Stire. Here is his obituary from 1949. Click on the image to make it larger. 

Green Webb, His Life Story

 Webb Green was the subject of a news feature article in the St. Tammany Farmer in 1955. It told about his life, his old age, and his "old gray mare." Click on the images to make them larger. 

As a bricklayer, he helped build the Frederick Building and the Southern Hotel in downtown Covington as well as many other brick buildings around town.  

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

Vic Keating Knew Crawfish

 In 1972 Vic Keating amazed the area with the size of the crawfish he was getting out of ponds on his property in Ward Two. Click on the images to make them larger. 

May 1972 Covington Daily News

Today's Personalities from May, 1972

Some 52 years ago,  back in 1972, the Covington Daily News newspaper had a feature every day on its front page, in the lower right corner, showing a picture of a local person and calling them "Today's Personality." 

Here are a few of those individuals  spotlighted. Today's individuals included Billy Musselwhite, Dan Berlin, Catherine Rose App, and Paul Canik. Click on the images to make them larger. 

Billy Musselwhite

Dan Berlin

Catherine Rose Appe

Paul Canik

Mary Landry Recalls Early Covington

 In July of 1977 (some forty-seven years ago) Mary Landry celebrated her 92nd birthday with family and friends. At her birthday party, she told many stories about her early life and how it was in Covington in those years. Here is the article from the St. Tammany Farmer which described that gathering and those memories. 

Mary Landry Celebrates 
92nd Birthday With Memories of Life

July 7, 1977 St. Tammany Farmer

Under the cool shade of several pecan trees, Mary "Mamaw" Landry of Covington celebrated her 92nd birthday Sunday with a number of family members and friends attending. The get-together took place at the home of her daughter, Mrs. W. Donice Bulloch Sr.

Five generations of children and grandchildren were on hand for the festivities. All total, she has 11 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

Mrs. Landry was born in Shubuta, Miss., and came to Covington in 1924. She recalls her childhood days in Shubuta well, saying that her parents did not keep her tied down like a lot of parents did. "They let me get out. I had a lot of friends." She especially enjoyed visiting an uncle who had an old colonial home in Mississippi. His kids called her Aunt Mary on her many frequent visits, she remembers.

A Happy Life

"I really had a happy life," she said Sunday. "It was pretty tough raising my kids, but I enjoyed them, too."

Her father, although suffering from rheumatism, ran a boarding house after they moved from Shubuta to a sawmill town where the timber industry was big. She recalls going to a girls boarding school in another town when she was a teenager. The school dormitory housed a good many girls, some from out of state, and she recalls that she would return home almost every weekend, sometimes riding the caboose of a freight train on Friday. 

"We always had a way to get home," she commented. She also remembered that boys were allowed to date girls at the school, only at certain times and under strict rules. "The boys used to serenade us with guitars and sing," she fondly recalls. "It was a whole lot different then than it is now."

"They didn't have a lot of rowdy parties and drinking parties or anything like that. We didn't know anything abut those such things," she noted. But life there was not monotonous, she said, there was always something new to do.

She first married Luther Gavin and lived in Mississippi a while, while he served as doctor under contract with some sawmill concerns. She remembers a movie screen built next to her house at one time, and she would watch the shows free.

She has gone to the movies when ever she got the chance, seeing her favorites Bing Crosby and Abbot and Costello. "I liked the funny ones," she said, commenting on the movies. "They didn't have much shoot-em-ups like they do now. I think those shows today are a bad influence on the young people," she commented.

Doctor House Calls

Her doctor husband used to take a horse and buggy to make calls in winter, keeping a blanket over him on the coldest days. In summer, he would ride horseback to visit his patients. He kept his own horses. He would even deliver babies at the homes, since hospital delivery was out of the question in many cases. "Sometimes I think the women having their babies at home got along better than the ones who have them at the hospital now," she noted. If hospitalization was needed, people would have to travel quite a ways.

"Doctors paid more attention to you then," Mrs. Landry said. "They would sit down and talk to you. If a patient was real sick, the doctor would stay with them. "Her husband stayed with a patient there days and nights one time until the critical illness eased.

"But I don't care how old or how sick you are today, you've got to go down to the doctor's office, " she noted. "They need some old-time doctoring in this country now."

Preachers

The country also needs some old time preachers, she feels. "We need some preachers who will get up and tell folks the truth about all this business," she stated. She told the story of how a friend of hers asked a preacher why he didn't preach about fire and brimstone any longer. The preacher's reply was that he would lose his congregation if he did that. Mrs. Landry felt it may do some good, however.

"Morals have gotten pretty low in these United States," she said. "It started happening after World War Two." She agreed with the recent decision of a Wisconsin judge who was speaking about a youth convicted of rape. "That judge could not really blame the kid," she said, "what with the way girls dress today. Well, girls today don't dress decent. Back in the days when I was a girl, we didn't go around half naked like they do today. Boys had more respect for girls back then, too."

Covington

Her Covington memories include her time operating the boarding house on Gibson Street where Hebert's cleaners is today. She recalls the long trains bringing in hundreds of weekend visitors, many of which stayed at her boarding house. She remembers the dirt roads in Covington, the schooner loading dock on the Bogue Falaya River, the lack of sidewalks and the lack of electric fans.

She remembers hot weather, the same as today, but "we got accustomed to it," she said. "We didn't have air conditioners back then." She remembers seeing the first automobile in town, using the first telephone, and clicking on her first electric light.

She made a home for herself and her three children in Covington beginning back in 1924. Besides Mrs. Bulloch, her children include Mrs. Victor E. Bradley of Covington and C. Burr Gavin of Evanston, Ill. Her second husband was the late Alphonse Landry.

Among those on hand to help her celebrate her July 5th birthday this week were Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Bulloch Sr., Mrs. Victor Bradley Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Allen R. Bruhl and their son Jeff, Mr. and Mrs. Leon C. Buras and Sherrie, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Buras and Allen and Ryan, Mr. and Mrs. Leon C. Buras III, Mr.and Mrs. W. D. Bulloch Jr. with Adrianne, Donice III and Andrew, Mr. and Mrs. H. David Bulloch with Brian and James, Michael Bulloch, Mr. and Mrs. Gary E. Nordgren with Melissa, Gary Jr. and Cynthia.

End of article

Singing Strong - Scooter Lee

 Scooter Lee is a well-known singer/songwriter from Mandeville who got her start way back in the late 1960's. 

Here are a few newspaper clippings from the 1970's.

According to her website, "From the age of 3, she was on the coffee tables singing at the top of her lungs and on key too.  Her career started at age 14, when she was signed to Allen Toussaint‘s label in New Orleans recording with Irma Thomas, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. She was soon labeled "the little lady with the big voice"; recording country blues for the label. Scooter Lee has made her living from music the past 30+ years and shows no signs of stopping."

"In the late 1970's she toured with majors like Linda Ronstadt, Kris Kristofferson, Tammy Wynette, John & June Carter Cash and many more. Then came the 80’s with her 5 piece band sponsored by RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, working 10 months a year every major state fair and other festivals along the way. 

"For years, she did two or three shows a day, and even added the Bob Hope USO Tours to her resume and gained experience on stages in countries she’d only dreamed about."

She has even launched a senior exercise program that uses line dancing as exercise for the older set. It's called "Dancing for the Dream."

For more information about her, visit the following link: 

https://www.scooterlee.com/about-scooter/

Click here to go to her Facebook Page.

Here's a link to a YouTube list of her best songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu24EEsQcVk&list=OLAK5uy_lDm0quhMJL9aSkCJ3sDcx5r0hwZdhgHMc

Also this link:

https://www.scooterlee.com/