Forest service and Kent House to host "Kent House Bug Day"

The USDA Forest Service and Kent Plantation House invite children of all ages (and their parents) to attend the third annual “Kent House Bug Day” from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 8. The event will take place at the Kent House, 3601 Bayou Rapides Road in Alexandria. “Kent House Bug Day” is free and open to the public.

“For the third consecutive year, we’re partnering with the Kent Plantation House to offer kids the opportunity to have fun while learning about the beneficial role insects play in maintaining Earth’s ecological health,” said Doug Streett, project leader for the Southern Research Station’s insect research unit in Pineville, La. “We have an exciting line-up of activities for kids to enjoy as they explore the world of insects and see first-hand the benefits and challenges bugs bring to our lives.”

After entering the event, children will be given a “Bug Passport.” Children who get their passports stamped at all eight “bug stations” will receive a special gift. The stations are:

• Louisiana Insects: See mosquitoes, fire ants and termites, and learn fascinating facts about these pesky pests;
• Insectivores: See a hedge hog, bearded dragon, toad, bullfrog and salamander – some of which may eat live insects;
• Night Insects : Visit a dark room with night insect sounds, place your hand inside mystery boxes and guess contents, and view live cave cockroaches with flashlight;
• Beneficial vs. Pest: Hold live Bess beetles, see insects up close and personal, learn how insects help or harm humans;
• Honey Bees: Learn about honey bees, hold honeycombs and taste different kinds of honey;
• Pet Bug: Make your very own bug home and take home a live insect, learn how to care for your bug and how to catch/trap additional insects;
• Ant Trail: Pretend you’re a leaf-cutting ant and carry a leaf through an obstacle course to reach your nest; and
• Bug Food: Create ants on a log, pretzel butterflies and other delicious snacks. There will also be a photograph opportunity to have pictures taken with live Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.

For more information about “Kent House Bug Day,” call the Kent House at 318-487-5998 or the Southern Research Station at 318-473-7242.

The Kent Plantation House is one of the oldest standing structures in the state of Louisiana. Kent House offers tours and special events to visitors who want to see the homestead and working plantation of a successful Creole family typical of 18th Century Louisiana.

Learn more about the Southern Research Station’s Insects, Diseases, and Invasive Plants of Southern Forests research unit, based in Pineville, La., online at: www.srs.fs.usda.gov

BY: Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

Spring Herb Day at Kent Plantation House in Alexandria

Spring Herb Day, April 10, 2010 from 8:00 - 12:00 noon. Because of the unusually harsh winter here in Central Louisiana, our herb order has been increased. In addition to the additional good quality herbs always featured, there will be plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. We have also been able to locate something just a little different this year such as artichoke, asparagus fern and the very popular and much requested rose geranium plants. The Central Louisiana Rose Society will be selling cuttings of Kent House roses as well as other varieties. The Kent House Gardeners will be selling plants and the Colonial Dames their delicious home-made desserts.

Presentations:
Growing Old Garden Roses 9:00 a.m.
How to Use the Herbs You Grow 10:00 a.m.

Kent Plantation House
3601 Bayou Rapides Road
Alexandria, Louisiana 71303
318-487-5998

By: Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

Kent Plantation House is hosting "African American History Through the Eyes of Our Youth"

Kent Plantation House is again hosting “African American History Through the Eyes of Our Youth”, an art competition for children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Any form of art pertaining to African American History is acceptable. The exhibit is separated into grade level categories and judged by local artists.

Deadline for entries is 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 27th. All art pieces should be delivered to the Kent House Office in the Visitors Center.

Entries will be judged and prizes awarded at the Opening Reception on Friday, January 29th at 6:00 p.m. The reception, free and open to the public, will be held in the all-purpose room of the Kent House Visitors Center located at the rear of the complex. Refreshments will be served.

The entries will be on exhibit at Kent Plantation House through the month of February, Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. There is no admission charge to view the exhibit.

For additional information or an application, please contact Kent Plantation House at 318-487-5998.

Sugar Day at Kent House

The second Saturday in November brings Sugar Day to Kent Plantation House once again. This year’s festival, November 14th from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., promises to be filled with food, traditional crafts, music, and fun for all ages with the scent of cooking syrup filling the air. Admission to the grounds for the day will cost $3.00 per person and children six and under will be free.

New to the festival this year will be the poster competition. Area artists were invited to design the first commemorative poster for the 16th annual festival. The winning poster should reflect the image of the Sugar Day Festival. A commission of $300.00 will be awarded to the winning artist. The winner will be announced on Sugar Day. All entries will be on display in the Exhibit Room through the month of November.

Live music will be featured throughout the day. Headlining the musical entertainment will be Hadley J. Castille and the Sharecropper Cajun Band. Castille is a veteran Cajun fiddler who has been both an ambassador for Cajun music around the world and a strong supporter of efforts in South Louisiana to preserve the Cajun language and culture. He is the recipient of numerous musical awards. Castille, his son Blake and his granddaughter Sara Jayde Williams will perform at 10:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. D. C. Sills, local musician/songwriter and other musicians will also be performing during the daylong festival.

Craft demonstrations from throughout Louisiana will include basket making, woodworking, duck carving, blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, quilting, cornhusk crafts, and flint napping. Some of the demonstrators will be selling their crafts and the Kent House Gift Shop will be open featuring historic and regional books, cards, toys, syrup, jams and jellies, and a variety of other items. Additionally, costumed docents will be churning butter, making soap and candles, and cooking in the open-hearth kitchen.

Special children’s activities, some traditional and some new, will be offered throughout the day. Tours of the House will be offered free of charge but admission tickets will be necessary. Additionally, visitors will be able to choose from among tamales, jambalaya, gumbo, meat and crawfish pies and hot dogs. Desserts include funnel cakes and delicious homemade cakes and cookies.

To condense the long open-kettle sugar making process, the demonstration at Kent House begins with cane juice already reduced to syrup. Cane syrup from David Stewart of Alma Plantation in Lakeland, Louisiana will fill ‘la batterie’, the fourth and smallest of the traditional kettles in which the sugar cooking was finished. Volunteers will spend the day minding the fire and stirring the syrup. This year, local celebrities and dignitaries will help stir with long handled paddles while standing on top of the mill.

Commercial sugar making in Louisiana dates officially to 1795. Though primarily a cotton plantation in its heyday, Kent Plantation grew and processed some sugarcane for its own use. The re-creation of today’s 1840s-style open kettle sugar mill at Kent House dates back to 1994. A ten-year project, the Kent House sugar mill began with the 1982 donation of sugar kettles from Augusta Plantation by descendants of Dr. William Haas, and a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Franklin H. Mikell.

Kent Plantation House, the oldest standing structure in Central Louisiana, dates back almost as far as commercial sugar production in Louisiana. Its mission as a historic site and museum is to interpret the history of Central Louisiana between 1795 and 1855.

For more information about Kent Plantation House Sugar Day 2009, call 318-487-5998.

Rapides Parish offers many things to do and see in July

City of Pineville’s 9th Annual Fireworks OVER Buhlow Friday, July 3rd

Musical entertainment by Avery Michaels & Exit 209 at 6 p.m.; The Show Band Hott Ticket at 7:45 p.m.

Enjoy Independence Day with your family on the 4th and welcome in the holiday with us on Friday, July 3rd!

Gates Open at 5:00 p.m. • Music Begins at 6:00 p.m. Admission is FREE!

No ice chest or pets please, as there will be a concession stand under the stage
area. Everyone is encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket as the concert
grandstand by Buhlow Lake will give you a great view of the music and fireworks.
Jumpers for the kids plus the La. National Guard rock climbing wall.

www.pineville.net

____________________________________________________________________________________

ACES TO HOLD YOUTH CLINIC
June 29th – July 1st

Alexandria, LA; June 15, 2009 – The Alexandria Aces of Continental Baseball League (CBL) announced today they will be hosting a three day clinic for those interested in learning the fundamentals of the game of baseball.

The clinic will take place over a three day period, June 29, 2009 through July 1, 2009, and is open to kids of all ages. Each day the clinic will begin at 9:00 am with instruction on how to play the game.

Monday, June 29, 2009: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

There will be fee of $60.00 per participant. If you have any questions, please contact the Aces office at 318-473-2237.

The CBL enters its third season of offering professional baseball and welcomes the opportunity to bring the excitement and tradition of professional baseball to communities with a long-standing love affair with the Nation’s favorite pastime. Every night, history is made in the CBL’s ballparks in Texas cities, Texas City (Bay Area-Houston), Texarkana, and Alpine (Big Bend) and Alexandria, Louisiana. Join us today for great professional baseball and a value-packed experience for fans, friends, and families!


_________________________________________________________________________

Louisiana Soul Food Picnic
Saturday, June 27th

Come sample some good ole Louisiana Soul Food at Central Louisiana's Soul Food Picnic
Saturday, June 27 in Downtown Alexandria (DeSoto and Third Street) at 6:00 p.m. Hosted by Magnolia State Peace Officers and sponsored by the City of Alexandria. Free and open to the public. Cash bar.

_________________________________________________________________________

Southern Forest Heritage Museum to host Liberty Fest

The Southern Forest Heritage Museum will host Liberty Fest on Saturday, July 4 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. This event promises to be a day of good old fashioned fun!!! Come explore and enjoy this 40 acre historic sawmill complex as we celebrate American pride on the Nation's birthday.

Historic World War II items will be displayed in a special exhibit which will be centered around our connection to the manufacture of Higginsboats. Memorabilia will be on loan from both The National World War II Museum in New Orleans and the Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum on Camp Beauregard in Pineville. A model Higgins boat will be on display, as well.

There will be a special guest appearance by an original"Rosie-the-Riveter," Ethel Kelley who has been honored by the Smithsonian. She will be on hand with her costume and some memorabilia.

Historic World War II films will be shown in our theatre. This mini film festival will run throughout the day.

A parade is being planned. We will have water slides, and angel train rides for the children and rail motorcar rides for everyone. There will be hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks sold on site. No ice chests are allowed. Admission is $5 per person. Children under 3 years old are free.

SFHM is in Rapides Parish between Forest Hill and Glenmora on Highway 497. For more information contact 318-748-8404 or visit www.forestheritagemuseum.org.

__________________________________________________________________________

Kent Plantation House, 3601 Bayou Rapides Road, Alexandria, Louisiana 71303 is accepting applications for the following summer camps:

JANE IN JUNE, June 22nd - 26th, 2009, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Jane in June is a summer camp that revolves around women's activities and pastimes for young ladies ages 10 - 15. Tuition: $150.00 for the week.

Campers will:

• Sew a Quilt
• Make a Dream Sachet
• Learn to Crochet
• Attend and Host Authentic Tea Parties
• Learn Games of the Era
• Tour the House and Grounds

On the last day of the camp, the young ladies will host a Parents' Tea in the new Visitor's Center to show off their completed projects. Lunch, snacks and all supplies will be provided. Registration is limited. Please call 318-487-5998 for additional information

___________________________________________________________________________________

CAMP KENT HOUSE, July 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st, 9:00 - 5:00. Open to children ages 7 - 12. Tuition: $20.00 per day. Campers may attend one or all camps. Bring a sack lunch. Snacks, drinks and craft supplies will be provided.

• July 10th: BEES AND BUGS, Learn about good and bad bees and bugs. Do a bug craft and construct a bee mask.
• July 17th: Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow? Learn what would have been grown on the plantation in the early 19th century. Pot your own seeds and plants to take home.
• July 24th: Tasks and Chores of the Good Old Days: Corn grinding, butter making, baking cornbread, making candles, soap, corn husks dolls and more.
• July 31st: Visit a Farm: A trip to a working farm. Get close and personal with the animals. That afternoon, make and enjoy home-made ice cream at Kent House.

Please call 318-487-5998 for additional information.

Source: Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

Grand Opening of the new Visitors Center at Kent House

The Kent Plantation House Board of Directors are pleased to announce the Grand Opening of the new Visitors Center located on the Kent House site. The ribbon cutting will take place on Thursday, February 19th at 10 a.m. The entire project from announcement to completion spanned a six year period which included three governors; Governors Mike Foster, Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal.

This multi-purpose building was built with Capital Outlay funds through the Louisiana State Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism - Office of State Parks. The nearly two million dollar building was built by local construction company Westerchil Construction.

The new Visitor’s Center is approximately 4,000 square feet and provides ample space for greeting visitors, as well as providing educational, administrative, conference, instructional, and storage needs. The Center also includes rental spaces and special rates will be implemented as part of the Grand Opening event.

“This building is absolutely beautiful and functional at the same time,” explained Alice Scarborough, Executive Director of the Kent House. "It will allow for additional space for our education programs and exhibits as well as serve as a perfect backdrop for weddings, receptions and meetings.”

“The Kent Plantation House is an educational, cultural and historical landmark for the central Louisiana area and we are thrilled with the new Visitor’s Center,” said Amy Robertson, President of the Kent House Board of Directors. “We invite everyone in the community to attend the grand opening and take a tour.”

For more information about the new Kent House Visitor’s Center and the upcoming Grand Opening contact the Kent House office at (318) 487-5998.

By: Alice Scarborough, Executive Director, Kent Plantation House

Rapides Parish Events

Kent Plantation House, 19th Century Mourning Tours, October 1st - October 31st. Tour times scheduled for 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. Closed Sundays. Cost: $6 adults, $5 senior citizens, $2 children ages 6-12. For more information, call 487-5998.

Downtown ArtWalk on October 12th, in Downtown Alexandria from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. A free, family-oriented walking tour featuring visual arts and live entertainment. Visit the various museums, studios & galleries all located within a few blocks. Downtown businesses will offer food and drinks for purchase. Admission is free. For more information, call 484-4474.

Fall Herb Day and Yard Sale, Kent Plantation House on October 13th, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Up to 74 varieties of herbs for sale. Admission is free. For more information, call 487-5998.

Sawmill Trade Days , October 13th, LaCroix Park (Hwy 8 West in Pollock) beginning at 8:00 a.m. Antiques, collectibles, farmer's market, concession, arts and crafts, jellies and jams, tools and more. Auction, 1 p.m. Each vendor may sell up to 2 items, no set-up fee. Admission is free. For more information, call 765-3796.

Annual Silent Auction & 2008 Raffle Calendar Kick-off on October 14th, Libuse Czech Community Hall from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Items of interest to bid on may include, but not limited to pysanky eggs, jewelry, Czech Crystal, kolache, original paintings, and more. Need not be present to win. Free admission. For more information, call 473-2745.

Jewish Food Festival on October 14th, at the Jewish Temple from 11:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. For more information call 561-7370.

Zoo Boo on October 29th - October 31st at The Alexandria Zoo from 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., admission is $4.00 per person, all ages. Biggest Halloween party in town for all ages! Kids 12 and younger can trick-or-treat along the decorated trails as scenery comes to life. For more information, call 473-1143.