Tree of Life Community Mural

Alexander Art Studio

Check out this beautiful addition to downtown Lake Charles on the south-facing wall of Candice Alexander's art studio. Support this ongoing project by sponsoring a leaf or purchasing a t-shirt, and get your name or business listed on this living wall. The goal with the Tree of Life mural is not only to further beautify downtown Lake Charles, but also, in the long term, to support art lessons for children in need. Sponsorships and donations will go towards supplies like paint, aluminum, or vinyl, and the hard work of Alexander and her talented team of artists. For more information, visit www.candicealexander.com, stop by the studio at 900 Ryan Street, call (337) 433-2299, or email candice@candicealexander.com.  

 

Laser Tag at the U.S.S. Orleck

The USS Orleck is offering Super Summer Savings on Laser Tag. Book and pay for your summer event soon to receive your $50 catering package for free. Visit www.orleck.org for more information.   

 

Call for Parade Entries, Fourth of July Red White Blue & You Parade 

The City of Lake Charles is calling for entries into the Fourth of July Red White Blue & You Parade. Entry forms are now being accepted for parade units including floats, marching units, vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and golf carts. From organizations and businesses to the neighborhood kids, all are welcome to join the fun. Parade units are invited to use red, white, and blue star-spangled decorations to add to the patriotic spirit of the parade. The parade will roll on Ryan Street from Mill Street to 7th Street beginning at 6 p.m  

 

McDonald's of SWLA Donating Coffee Sales to Local Nonprofits 

For the next several months, you can help support the missions of local nonprofit organizations by simply buying a cup of coffee. McDonald's of Southwest Louisiana has kicked off McCaf? Coffee for a Cause-an innovative, new program that donates a portion of McDonald's coffee sales on Mondays to nonprofits in the region.

  

Each month a different area nonprofit will be spotlighted, and all 10 McDonald's locations in Calcasieu Parish will participate. Through the end of June, the Literacy Council of Southwest Louisiana will be the first nonprofit to benefit from McCaf? Coffee for a Cause. 

  

"The health and vibrancy of local nonprofits is a direct reflection of the health and vibrancy of Southwest Louisiana," said Doug Gehrig, local owner and operator of McDonald's of Southwest Louisiana. "The causes and missions of these nonprofits are close to the hearts of the McDonald's team and their families."

  

The Literacy Council is a community-based nonprofit that seeks to improve education skill levels for Southwest Louisiana adults, children and families by offering a diverse range of instructional programs such as workplace skills development, tutoring sessions, computer literacy and English as a second language. 

  

"The Literacy Council's mission is to build a strong literate community for Southwest Louisiana's families," said Tommeka Semien, executive director of the Literacy Council. "We're excited to work with McDonald's to help grow support for our vision."

  

Other area nonprofits that will benefit from McCaf? Coffee for a Cause include: Dancing Classrooms, The Children's Museum, Habitat for Humanity Calcasieu Area, Inc., Harbour House ETC, and March of Dimes Foundation.

  

For more information about McDonald's of SWLA, call 337-436-3368 or visit www.mcdswla.com. For more information about the Literacy Council, call 337-494-7000 or visit www.literacyswla.org.

 

Movies Under the Stars
Prien Lake Park
July 3 - The Goonies
July 10 - E.T.
This summer an extra season of Movies Under the Stars will screen at Prien Lake Park in celebration of Parks and Recreation Month's 30th Anniversary. So dig out your fluorescent socks and headbands for a totally 80's look as you join us for some 80's classics. On July 3, they are showing "The Goonies" (PG) where it is kids versus a golf course developer in a showdown that results in a full-on treasure hunt complete with an ancient pirate map and lots of high-spirited adventure. On July 10, they are showing "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (PG) which won four Oscar nominations by telling the touching tale of a lonely boy who befriends an alien accidentally left behind on earth. Movies Under the Stars is free to the public and the seating is on a first come first serve basis. Each film starts around sundown but you're encouraged to come early to grab a good seat. Picnic blankets, lawn chairs and refreshments are welcome. Food can also be purchased on site. Prien Lake Park is located at 3700 West Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles. Movies will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather. For more information please contact Lacie Carter at lcarter@cppj.net or call 721-3515.

Red White Blue & You

Saturday July 4, 6pm

Downtown Lake Charles

The parade will roll on Ryan Street from Mill Street to 7th Street beginning at 6 p.m.Follow the parade to the Civic Center Arcade Pavilion. The program kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with Blue Grass music from Market Blue, a concert by the Lake Charles Community Band backed by the Louisiana Choral Foundation and friends, and recognition of the Armed Forces. There will be on-site food vendors and face painting for the kids. Every member of the audience will receive a complimentary flag to wave. This year's festival t-shirt was designed by noted artist Candice Alexander and will be for sale for $5. The evening will be topped off with a fireworks extravaganza over the lake. All events are free. For a parade entry form and rules, go to www.cityoflakecharles.com, email dfasske@cityoflc.us or call 337-491-9159.

 

Lake Charles Young Band Nation Summer Camps 2015

Recording/Engineering Camp: July 6-10 

Session 2: July 20-24 at Central School

For registration or more information, visit www.youngbandnation.com 

 

Splash Dance with Watercolor - Children's Painting Classes

July 6-10

Nancy Melton's watercolor class for kids 3rd grade and up will paint animals, learn about famous artists, and experiment with many watercolor painting techniques. Register through Leisure Learning at McNeese, 337-475-5616, and direct any questions to artistnancymelton@gmail.com  

 

Branch Out Summer Art Camp 2015

July 6-10, 13-17, 20-24, 27-31 / 9-11:30am daily 

Imperial Calcasieu Museum

Looking for something fun for your children or grandchildren this summer? Try our Branch Out Summer Art Camp! This year we will be exploring the different styles of the Art Deco movement.

 

Registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Open enrollment begins May 11. Tuition is $55 for museum members and $70 for non-members. Scholarships are available. Tuition is refundable only if the Director of the Imperial Calcasieu Museum is notified two weeks prior to the beginning of the child's class. This will allow the Camp Director to add children from the waiting list.  

 

Classes are open to students who have completed grades K through 8. Class sizes are limited to 50 children per session (10 per teacher). Registration forms are available at the Museum and at our website, www.imperialcalcasieumuseum.org.

 

CTC's 2015 Summer Theatre Workshop
Register now, classes begin July 8
Children's Theatre Company - Central School Arts & Humanities Center 

The Children's Theatre Company (CTC); Kerry A. Onxley, Artistic Director presents its annual SUMMER STARZ SERIES.  These summer theatre workshops are designed to introduce newcomers to the world of theatre and challenge young performing veterans to perfect advanced theatrical concepts and production techniques.  All workshops conclude with performance demonstrations and are for boys and girls ages 5-18.  Workshops include: Basic Theatre Workshop, Acting for the Camera, Shakespeare Workshop and Musical Theatre Workshop.  Professional instructors lead students through a fun-filled exploration of voice, movement, creative play-making and character development.  All workshops have limited enrollment and are held at Central School of the Arts & Humanities Center (809 Kirby Street).  For registration information and workshop details, click on Summer Workshops at www.childrenstheatre.cc.  Email at mail@childrenstheatre.cc or call (337) 433-7323.

 

Summer Film Series @ The Imperial Calcasieu Museum

Thursday July 9 - The Intouchables (hosted by Reed Mendelson)

Thursday July 16 - Boogie Nights (hosted by Jim Serra)

Thursday July 23 - The Blind Side (hosted by Mark Judson)

Thursday July 30 - Still Alice (hosted by Sharon Nichols)

Thursday August 6 - Run Silent Run Deep (hosted by Bill Shearman)

Thursday August 16 - Seven Days in May (hosted by Charles St. Dizier)

 

This year we will be featuring six fantastic films chosen by local film-buffs who will host a discussion after each screening. The screenings will be shown in the Gibson Barham Library of the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. Doors open at 5:30 and the screenings begin promptly at 6 p.m. Admission is $5 for non-members and free for members. Popcorn is free! There will also be snacks & refreshments available for purchase.

 

28th Annual Cajun Music & Food Festival  

July 17-19

Burton Coliseum

Sponsored by the Lake Charles chapter of the Cajun French Music Association. Featuring arts & crafts, great Cajun food and drink, cake walks and sweet shop, silent auction, and music from Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie, Chris Miller & Bayou Roots, and many more. Sunday July 19 will be a French Mass with choir and a coffee/donut social, at the Cajun Music Building at 3481 E. Prien Lake Road, starting at 8am.    

 

Paint Shop Fun classes

July 18, and August 15 - 11am-3pm

Haven Furnishings  

Have some Paint Shop Fun at Haven Furnishings! They are offering a full line up of chalk painting classes this Summer.  You can learn the basic techniques from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on either June 13, July 18 or August 15 for $125 which includes all supplies and lunch.  You can learn more about repurposing - creating a treasure to take home - from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on either June 18 or July 30.  Registration for repurposing is based upon the piece you will be working on, and it will include wine and hors d'oeuvres.  Finally, you can learn how to paint your own piece on June 20 or July 25 from 10 a.m. until you are finished. Registration is $30/hour and includes hands on instruction in a limited 4-person per class setting.  Call (337) 433-2001 for more information, or stop by to shop at 2801 Ryan Street in Lake Charles. 

 

43rd Annual Gridiron Show

Saturday July 18, 6pm

Rosa Hart Theatre / Lake Charles Civic Center 

Gridiron, the annual night of skits, songs and laughter, is the show that the American Press called
"the 'Saturday Night Live' of Southwest Louisiana." It's a local tradition! The fundraiser pokes fun at local and state newsmakers and the media through skits, songs, monologues and videos.
Proceeds from Gridiron benefit the Ad and Press Club Scholarships at McNeese State University
and Sowela Technical Community College.

This year's show takes place Saturday, July 18, in the Lake Charles Civic Center Rosa Hart
Theatre. Doors will open at 6:00 pm for a social and networking. During that time, guests will be
able to visit several serving stations that will feature heavy hors d'oeuvres and other specialties
from local restaurants and vendors. The show begins at 7:30 pm.

The ticket prices are tiered according to location as follows: Rows 7 to 15, $50.00; Rows 17 to 25,
$40.00; Rows 26 to 29, $30.00; and Balcony, $25.00. To get your tickets, email your information to gridironshow@yahoo.com, or order online at www.adpressclub.com. Tickets go fast, so don't delay - get your order in today!

 

2nd Annual Family Fun Day

Saturday July 25, 10am-1pm

Pinederosa Park (Westlake) 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southwest Louisiana is excited to announce 2nd Annual Family Fun Day to be held on July 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pinederosa Park in Westlake. This family friendly event will feature entertainment, great food, prizes, and lots of family fun. Admission is free and open to the public. For additional information visit www.namiswla.org.  Please RSVP by calling (337) 433-0219 or emailing aarmstrong@namiswla.org 

 

12th Annual Art Melt 2015
Call for Entries (deadline extended to June 5)
Event on July 25, 2015
Louisiana Capitol Park Museum (downtown Baton Rouge) 

Submit your winning piece to Louisiana's largest juried art competition. Applications are open for both the exhibit and the Arts Marketplace. For more information, go to

www.artmelt.org or email artmelt@forum35.org.

 

Photographic Interpretations art exhibit

Opening Reception on August 8, 6pm

Stellar Beans

This new exhibit from Stacy Bearden and Tabatha Osborne features over 30 pieces ranging in subject from wildlife to vehicles, portraits, and locations. Bearden will be taking Osborne's photographs as reference and drawing/painting as inspired. Independent works from each artist will also be shown. For more information, visit www.stacybearden.com and www.myphotodreams.com. 

 

13th Annual Imagination Celebration

Saturday August 29

Lake Charles Civic Center Coliseum 

Join us at the Lake Charles Civic Center Coliseum for the 13th annual Imagination Celebration! This evening is just for the grown ups... and will be "the cat's meow!" We will celebrate the rip roaring 1920's with our Celebrity Karaoke Contest and sample fabulous food from 20+ area restaurants! Come dressed in your "bee's knees" 1920's attire! We're hoping the bids for the unique, must have items in our live and silent auctions will bring in a lot of "clams." There will be dancing to follow and you might take home a fabulous prize as we draw winner's names throughout the night! "Hot diggety dog!" Reserve your table today.  

 

Lutcher Theater 2015-2016 season announced 

Kristin Chenoweth, who recently co-hosted the 69th Annual Tony Awards, will be a part of Lutcher's 2015-2016 season when she performs on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Current Lutcher season subscribers will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets to see Ms. Chenoweth, along with national tours of Broadway hit shows, magnificent musical events, dance phenomenon, and other stars such as Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers, when they renew their season tickets. Those wishing to become new season ticket holders, with the purchase of four or more shows for the 2015-2016 Lutcher Season, may do so at the end of June. Individual tickets go on sale in late August. Fourteen incredible events are scheduled for the Lutcher's 2015-16 Performing Arts Series. More information about the Lutcher 2015-2016 Season will be available at www.lutcher.org or by calling the Lutcher Theater Box Office at 409-886-5535.

 

89th Season Tickets on Sale now, Lake Charles Little Theatre

Begins on September 4

The Lake Charles Little Theater has announced the lineup for its 89th Season, and you can beat the rush by reserving your season tickets today!  The season begins on September 4th with "Nunsense, A-Men!", and continues with "Christmas Bells" in November, "Santaland Diaries" in December, "Tobacco Road" in February 2016, and "Tuna Does Vegas" in April 2016.  Season tickets range from $45 to $80.  Visit www.thelclt.com for more information on these shows and ticket reservations.

 

"The Great Big Doorstep"

September 19, 20, 26, and 27 

The Strand Theater (downtown Jennings)

A Block Off Broadway Community Theatre's production of "The Great Big Doorstep" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett from the novel of E.P. O'Donnell will be held September 19, 20, 26, and 27, 2015 at the Strand Theater in downtown Jennings. It is an amusing comedy about a Cajun family, under the direction of Lin Fake. 

 

A Depression-era comic masterpiece, "The Great Big Doorstep" centers on the Crochets, a Cajun family who live in a ramshackle house. The Crochets dream of one day owning a stately house befitting the doorstep they have salvaged from the river and proudly display outside their home. The memorable characters in this play have their own concerns. The patriarch, Commodore, is full of wild bravado as he fluctuates between scheming and laboring. His wife reigns as the queen of retort, though toughened by years of making do and doing without. The Crochet children also cope with personal struggles: Topal, restless and moody, and recently dumped by her fiance, Tayo Delacroix the barber. Arthur attempts to strike out on his own while dodging the coddling of his mother and the fury of his father. Evvie plans to join a religious order after renouncing a lover; and twins, Gussie and Paul, and baby T.J.

 

 

The production is supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Arts Council of SWLA.  

 

Chennault International Airshow 

Chennault International Airport
Tickets are now on sale for heart-pounding thrills and chills at the Chennault International Airshow. Headlining the 2015 lineup will be the thrilling aerobatics of the Thunderbirds - the U.S. Air Force's premier jet demonstration team. The Chennault International Airshow will offer countless stomach-dropping air stunts and gravity-defying routines, aircraft exhibits, and family-friendly activities in the Kid Zone. General admission tickets are good for one full day of aviation fun, and presale online tickets are $19 for adults ages 13 and older. Tickets sold at the gate will be $22. Children ages 12 and under can enter for free when accompanied by an adult. Amateur and professional photographers can purchase Photo Tour tickets for $50, which allow pass holders to receive an escorted ramp tour of aircraft before gates open to the public on Saturday morning. A limited number of Photo Tour tickets will be sold and are only available for sale online prior to the event. To purchase general admission or Photo Tour tickets online or to learn about the 2015 event lineup, visit the Airshow's website at www.chennaultairshow.com.