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Little Walter Music Festival this Weekend in Alexandria
Alexandria, La. – Blues. It is a feeling. It is music. It is the spirit of Marion “Little Walter” Jacobs, who has been coined, “in-arguably the single most influential artist in the history of Blues harmonica,” according to his biographers in Blues With A Feeling: The Little Walter Story.
The man behind the harmonica, the one who is said to have revolutionized the sound of Blues harmonica sounds through amplification, was born in a small Avoyelles Parish town in Central Louisiana. Only a few years old, he and his family moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, where he grew up.
The spirit of Little Walter returned last year to Alexandria by means of a music festival in his honor. The inaugural festival was held in May 2013, at the downtown amphitheater in Alexandria and featured local and regional Blues bands.
The 2014 Little Walter Music Festival will held Saturday, May 24, again at the downtown amphitheater in Alexandria, beginning at 11 a.m.
The festival will highlight Blues, Gospel, and Zydeco acts during the daylong festivities, which are free and open to the public. Trolleys will be running throughout downtown Alexandria for easy access to the Amphitheater. A trolley map can be found on the Little Walter Music Festival Facebook page. Food and beverages will be sold during the event.
The tobacco and smoke-free event will feature local musicians and singers Anointed & Appointed, and Tim Free AKA “Bigeasy Freezy.” Other artists such as Tullie Brae & the Medicine Man Revue, Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, Grady Gaines & the Texas Upsetters, and James Harman & Nathan James with Josh Hyde & the Hitchhikers will perform throughout the day at the Amphitheater.
Nacomi Tanaka & the Blues Temple will be performing at approximately 1 p.m. Tanaka and her band are bringing Little Walter’s music to the festival from their home country of Japan.
Special guest Mud Morganfield will introduce the free showing of the movie “Cadillac Records” at Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center at 5 p.m. Morganfield is the eldest son of Muddy Waters, whose life is chronicled in the movie “Cadillac Records” alongside Little Walter and Etta James. Morganfield will also perform after the movie at the Amphitheater as a “Tribute to dad – Muddy Waters.”
When Little Walter’s daughter, Marion Diaz Reacco, and Muddy Waters’ son, Mud Morganfield, meet at the Festival, it will be the first time the bloodlines have reunited since Walter and Waters played together.
Jacobs, now a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, made his way north via North Louisiana, the Mississippi Delta, and Memphis, arriving in Chicago in 1947. Jacobs made a name for himself in Chicago with his harmonica sounds, playing with greats Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers.
According to Muddy Waters, “Little Walter…set the example for the world in harmonica playing.”
Sponsors of the 2014 Festival include the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority, the Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Partnership for Tobacco Free Living, Jena Choctaw Pines Casino and the Little Walter Foundation.
For more information about the festival or the Alexandria/Pineville area, visit www.AlexandriaPinevilleLa.com, www.facebook.com/littlewaltermusicfestival or call 1 (318) 442-9546.
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2014 Boutique Holiday Open House
Are you ready for the holiday season? Here is a great way to get in the spirit of the holidays – and knock out some of your shopping list! Join the fun during the Holiday Open House in the Alexandria/Pineville area.
These shops are participating, so shop local and happy holidays!
- Crossroads Gifts & Gourmet (Pineville) – Nov. 9, 9 am-5 pm; Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Delta Interiors (Pineville) – Nov. 16, 9 am-5 pm; Nov. 17, 1-5 pm
- Fowlco Printing Company (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Funky Fleur de Lis (Alexandria) – Nov. 9, 10 am-5 pm; Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Gypsy Junction (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Hoity Toity (Alexandria) – Nov. 9, 10 am-4 pm; Nov. 10, 12-4 pm
- John Ward Interiors (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Junkin on Main (Glenmora) – Nov. 22-23, 10 am-7 pm
- Kitchen Warehouse (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Life’s Little Treasures (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- MA Designs (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Plantation Pride (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Rick Ferguson Flowers (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Sassy Girl (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 1-5 pm
- Shabby Chic Boutique (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-4 pm
- Southern Chic (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 11 am-5 pm
- Sue’s Child Shop (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Terra Home (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
- Trotter’s (Alexandria) – Nov. 10, 12-5 pm
Visit www.TheHeartofLouisiana.com for addresses, contact information and maps to these shops and more!
And as an added bonus: here is a link to a printable shopping list! http://blog.localhem.com/local-hems-printable-boutique-holiday-shopping-list/
Holiday Shopping Open House
Alexandria Zoo adds Multi-Million Dollar Exhibit
Alexandria, La – The Alexandria Zoological Park will open its newest exhibit – The Land of the Jaguar – Saturday, September 28, 2013 during a grand opening event at the zoo.
The Grand Opening event will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to the opening of the new exhibit area, the event will feature cultural food, dance, and ceremonial performances by Mayan artists. Regular zoo admission will apply. Admission and train tickets will be available at the Zoo office for pre-sale. Friends of the Alexandria Zoo members will receive free admission.
The Land of the Jaguar, a renovation of the South American area, is the largest project the zoo has undertaken since the Louisiana Habitat exhibit. The area encompasses approximately three acres, and includes the oldest section of the zoo, which has not been renovated since the 1970s. Over the Zoo’s 87 year history, this is only the second time this area has been renovated.
“I am very proud of our zoo and its Director Lee Ann Whitt. With this expansion, Lee Ann continues to honor and expand the legacy of her husband, Les Whitt, who was a monumental director and a key player in the zoo’s conservation mission,” Alexandria Mayor Jacques M. Roy said. “This zoo, which is recognized globally for its wildlife conservation efforts, is an excellent example of what smaller cities can accomplish with the support of its citizens, private and corporate donors and the city. I am grateful for everyone’s ongoing dedication to keeping our zoo world class.”
The exhibit will immerse visitors in a unique environment created with giant rocks, rivers, waterfalls, lush vegetation and South American structures as they journey through the Mayan ruins of Central America, the Amazon rainforests, and end at the edge of the Andes Mountains.
One of the highlights of the new exhibit area is the new grand entry. The new entrance resembles the Mayan ruins of Central America and includes the night house for squirrel monkeys.
The purpose of the new exhibit is to create awareness of the plight of species indigenous to South and Central America, as well as their habitats. Land of the Jaguar will entice visitors to explore and experience life on a different continent.
“The new ‘Land of the Jaguar’ exhibit expands and enhances the commitment to preserving endangered species and the city’s goal of maintaining a quality zoo. I encourage everyone to come visit the zoo and enjoy the new exhibit,” Mayor Roy said.
Land of the Jaguar is funded through a SPARC grant, with additional funding from the City of Alexandria, Friends of the Alexandria Zoo, and private/corporate donors. Donors include the Roy O. Martin Foundation, Bindursky Family, Doug Young Nursery, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Flores, Forest Hill Nurseries, Mrs. Caroline G. Theus, and Murphy Oil Company.
The Alexandria Zoological Park was established in 1926 at Bringhurst Park near its present location. The zoo began as a tiny linear menagerie of cages constructed of chain link fabric and iron bars with gravel, dirt or concrete floors. Over the years, Alexandria Zoo has transformed into an award-winning facility and a recognized participant in the worldwide conservation efforts for endangered species. The zoo was first accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in 1986 and continues to meet the ever-rising standards set by the organization.
For more information about the Alexandria Zoo, call (318) 441-6810 or visit online at http://www.thealexandriazoo.com. Follow the Zoo on Facebook.com/TheAlexandriaZoo to see updates on the exhibit renovations and learn more about the Zoo’s events and animals.
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Bebu is one of the Alexandria Zoological Park’s new jaguars.
Alexandria Zoo Has 2 New Jaguars
Bebu is one of the Alexandria Zoological Park’s new jaguars.
Alexandria, La – Two new inhabitants for the new Land of the Jaguar exhibit have arrived at the Alexandria Zoological Park. The South American area renovation, which features a new Mayan temple entrance and several new animals, will open to the public on Saturday, September 28, 2013.
Two new jaguars have been in quarantine at the Alexandria Zoo to allow them to adjust to the new environment and zookeepers. The young male, Bebu, was born in the wild in Panama in October 2011. At only four months old, his mother was killed. He was sent to the Parque Summit Zoo in Panama, where he stayed until coming to the Alexandria Zoo.
The Alexandria Zoo coordinated efforts with two other zoos, the Living Desert Museum and the Sedgwick County Zoo, to import jaguars from Panama. The Zoo’s general curator was in charge of this coordinated effort and traveled to Panama to acquire Bebu and bring him home.
“It is through the help of the Friends of the Alexandria Zoo (FOTAZ) and each member of FOTAZ that has made this possible,” said Alexandria Zoo Director LeeAnn Whitt.
The young female, Maderas, was born at the San Diego Zoo on April 26, 2012. She was named for a volcano in Nicaragua due to her fiery personality.
“Having a breeding facility for jaguars at the Alexandria Zoo has been a long time goal,” said Whitt.
The jaguars will live in the new Land of the Jaguar’s jaguar exhibit, featuring a new façade with waterfall. Over the Zoo’s 87 year history, this is only the second time this area has been renovated. This area has not been renovated since the 1970s.
Land of the Jaguar is funded through a SPARC grant, with additional funding from the City of Alexandria, Friends of the Alexandria Zoo, and private/corporate donors. Donors include the Roy O. Martin Foundation, Bindursky Family, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Flores, Forest Hill Nurseries, Mrs. Caroline G. Theus, and Murphy Oil Company.
The Alexandria Zoological Park was established in 1926 at Bringhurst Park near its present location. The zoo began as a tiny linear menagerie of cages constructed of chain link fabric and iron bars with gravel, dirt or concrete floors. Over the years, Alexandria Zoo has transformed into an award-winning facility and a recognized participant in the worldwide conservation efforts for endangered species. The zoo was first accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in 1986 and continues to meet the ever-rising standards set by the organization.
For more information about the Alexandria Zoo, call (318) 441-6810 or visit online at http://www.thealexandriazoo.com. Follow the Zoo on Facebook.com/TheAlexandriaZoo to see updates on the exhibit renovations and learn more about the Zoo’s events and animals.
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Video: http://youtu.be/DRSoweIltfs
Date Set for 2014 Little Walter Music Festival
Alexandria, La – The 2nd Little Walter Music Festival will take place Saturday, May 24, 2014, in downtown Alexandria, Louisiana. Details and entertainment lineup will be announced at a later date.
“We are excited to announce the festival will be held again in Alexandria in 2014,” said Sherry Ellington, Executive Director of the Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The response from the 2013 festival was tremendous and we are already receiving inquiries about next year’s festival.”
Ellington also said the festival committee is working on an entertainment line-up that will range from local talent at the Amphitheater during the day to a ticketed concert at the Alexandria Riverfront Center in the evening.
For more information about the Alexandria/Pineville area, including hotel and restaurant listings, and the Little Walter Music Festival, visit http://www.theheartoflouisiana.com or call (800) 551-9546. For information on Little Walter, visit http://www.littlewalterfoundation.org.
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Community Volunteers Needed for Dixie Softball World Series
Alexandria, LA – Volunteers are needed during the Dixie Girls Softball World Series, to be held in Alexandria, August 2-8, 2013. The tournament includes all five age divisions, under the Dixie Softball organization, accounting for 60 teams.
Dixie needs a volunteer for each participating team to act as a point of contact for questions, directions, recommendations, etc.
Examples of questions would be:
• Where to eat lunch?
• How to get to the hotel from the ball field?
• How to get to the Mall from the ball field?
• Where is the closest Walgreens or CVS?
• Where is the closest washateria?
There will be an opening banquet at the Alexandria Riverfront Center on Friday, August 2, with play beginning Saturday at Johnny Downs Sports Complex on Hwy. 28 West and Vandenburg Drive in Alexandria, and continuing through Thursday. Approximately 6,000 visitors are expected in the Alexandria area for this event.
Each Team’s “Mom” or “Dad” will be admitted on one of the games, and are encouraged to go support “their” team. Sign up today by calling the Convention & Visitors Bureau (ask for Sam) at (318) 442-9546 or email sam@apacvb.org.
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2013 Dixie Girls Softball World Series to be held in Alexandria
2013 Dixie Girls Softball World Series to be held in Alexandria:
City to host all five age divisions
Alexandria, La – For the first time in the history of Alexandria Dixie Girls Softball, Alexandria will play host city to all five age divisions for the annual Dixie Girls Softball World Series at Johnny Downs Sports Complex August 2-8, 2013.
The tournament will welcome approximately 6,000 visitors to the city, involving 60 teams from 11 states. The tournament participants include five divisions – Darlings (ages 7-8), Angels (ages 9-10), Ponytails (ages 11-12), Belles (ages 13-15) and Debs (ages 16-18) – from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
“Welcome to all the teams and families to Alexandria for the 2013 Dixie Girls Softball World Series. Outdoor recreation is one of the mainstays of Louisiana’s culture, and Alexandria’s own residents are the heart of the outdoor recreation economy. Alexandria’s parks, facilities and open spaces play a vital role in the life of our city. As this city continues to grow, our quality of life grows with it. We appreciate your choice to be here and celebrate youth athleticism and all the positive impacts it brings to young lives,” said City of Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy.
“Since 2009, we’ve completed or begun a number of upgrades to our recreational assets, improvements that will ultimately enhance Alexandria’s expansive array of outdoor recreational offerings and encourage more residents across all age groups to become active and involved in the community. Enjoy fresh air, good schools, friendly people, a relaxed atmosphere with a growing economy and a city that cares about its citizens while your here.”
The Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates economic impact for the event will be approximately $2.25 million. Executive Director Sherry Ellington says the tournament attendees will be staying in our hotels, occupying an estimated 1400 hotel rooms. The players, coaches, family, and other spectators will be eating, shopping, visiting attractions, and buying gas while in town.
“We want to welcome these teams to Alexandria and to make sure they enjoy themselves while they are here,” said Ellington. “It is an honor to host all five divisions and we thank the Alexandria Dixie Girls Softball organization for their efforts to bring this tournament to town.”
Dixie Softball (officially, Dixie Softball, Incorporated) is a non-profit organization based out of Birmingham, Alabama. Founded by James E. “Obie” Evans in 1968 and later, along with others incorporated in 1975, Dixie Softball organizes hundreds of local youth softball leagues in eleven states throughout the Southeast Corridor of the United States.
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Inaugural Little Walter Music Festival Next Weekend
Blues. It is the feeling. It is the music. It is the spirit of Marion “Little Walter” Jacobs.
According to his biographers in Blues With A Feeling: The Little Walter Story, “Little Walter Jacobs is inarguably the single most influential artist in the history of blues harmonica.”
The man behind the harmonica, the one who is said to have revolutionized the sound of Blues harmonica sounds through amplification, was born in a small Avoyelles Parish town in Central Louisiana. Only a few years old, he and his family moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, where he grew up.
He made his way north via North Louisiana, the Mississippi Delta, and Memphis, arriving in Chicago in 1947. Jacobs made a name for himself in Chicago with his harmonica sounds, playing with greats Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers.
According to Muddy Waters, “Little Walter…set the example for the world in harmonica playing.”
The spirit of Little Walter has returned to Alexandria by means of a new music festival in his honor.
The inaugural Little W
alter Music Festival will take place in downtown Alexandria, at the Amphitheater situated on the bank of the Red River Saturday, May 4, 2013. The festival includes a line-up of regional bands such as Bobby Rhodes and the Ministry of Blues, Josh Hyde & the Hitchhikers, and Mike Morgan and the Crawl.
The evening’s entertainment will wrap with a performance of Louisiana Music Hall of Fame Little Walter Legends. The LMHoF Legends include Hall of Famers Henry Gray and Leon Medica, as well as harp players George “Harmonica Red” Heard, Oscar Davis and Paula Rangell. The Legends will end the evening on a high note with a jam session featuring Little Walter’s hits “Juke” and “My Babe”, with special guest Lady Liz Neville.
The festival is free and open to the public. Food and beverages will be sold during the event.
For more information about the festival or the Alexandria/Pineville area, visit www.theheartoflouisiana.com or call (318) 442-9546.
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New Festival to Honor Blues Harmonica-Great Little Walter
Alexandria, La – The inaugural Little Walter Music Festival will strike a chord Saturday, May 4, 2013, at the downtown Alexandria Amphitheater situated on the Red River, honoring Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Blues sideman and bandleader “Little Walter.” The festival entrance will be at the intersection of Murray Street and Main/Second Street.
The festival will begin at 5:00 pm with Bobby Rhodes and The Ministry of Blues. Josh Hyde and the Hitchhikers will take the stage with legendary guitarist Buddy Flett, featuring harp player A.J. Cascio, to perform Little Walter covers along with original songs from his latest CD, The Green Room. Texas Bluesman Mike Morgan & the Crawl will follow with gritty originals and covers, highlighting his guitar punches and jumping Stax/Volt-era soul, reminiscent of Otis Redding’s Otis Blue with a 21st century feeling.
Headlining the event is the “Louisiana Music Hall of Fame Little Walter Legends.” Multiple Louisiana Blues harp artists, LMHOF member Henry Gray and a cast of Louisiana Blues All Stars will help usher “Little Walter” into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame with a presentation from LMHOF President Mike Shepherd. Closing the event is a jam session featuring Lady Liz Neville, former lead vocalist in the Hotel Bentley’s Mirror Room, along with the LMHFO “Legends” band on Little Walter’s classic hits, “Juke” and “My Babe.”
“Little Walter” revolutionized the sound of the Blues harmonica through amplification just by clasping a microphone to the harmonica as he played. Born Marion Walter Jacobs near what is now Spring Bayou Road in the small town of Marksville, La., he spent several years in Alexandria before making his way to Chicago to eventually become a member of Muddy Waters band, where he began recording his unique style of Blues. According to his 2008 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, Little Walter “could make a harmonica moan and roar like a full horn section or produce an unearthly, haunting wail.”
The Little Walter Foundation, housed in Chicago, will be represented by Little Walter’s daughter, Marion Diaz Reacco, and other family members.
Admission to the festival is free. Merchandise, food and drink will be for sale.
Event sponsors include the Alexandria/Pineville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Little Walter Foundation, the Jacob(s) Project Foundation Inc., Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority, LouisianaTravel.com, City of Alexandria and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
For more information about the Alexandria/Pineville area, including hotel and restaurant listings, and the Little Walter Music Festival, visit http://www.theheartoflouisiana.com or call (800) 551-9546. For more information about The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, visit http://www.LMHOF.org. For information on Little Walter, visit http://www.littlewalterfoundation.org.
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Uncover the Mystery
When most people imagine Alexandria, they only see its surface features; the distinguished England Air Force Base, the mouth-watering local food, the enchanting beauty of Kisatchie National Forest.
While there is much to be seen around this city of ours, there is an underlying beauty that cannot be seen so easily. This beauty is an undercurrent of history that reveals some of Alexandria’s most intriguing mysteries.
If you visit Kent Plantation House, you will see the gigantic mill that once refined sugar to rich syrup. Once you cross the lawn, you will come to the stunning home built before the Louisiana Purchase. But if you examine its construction closer, you will see fingerprints imbedded in the bricks of the home. These perfectly preserved fingerprints belong to an unknown slave, born sometime in the 18th century, who built the home with his bare hands. There is no record of who the slaves were that forged the bricks or even where they were from. The only clues that remain are hundreds of nameless fingerprints.
Taking a short trip across the river will lead you to historic Fort Buhlow. Walking along the grounds allows you to witness the rough texture of conserved Civil War cannons. Once inside, the primary showcase displays artifacts from the mysterious Mardi Gras shipwreck that took place more than 200 years ago. While there are some clues, archeologists still do not know the ship’s origin or why exactly it went down. Did an unusual storm take down the vessel? Or was it a raid of ruthless pirates?
The intricate construction of the Hotel Bentley in downtown Alexandria seems to allow tangible time travel into the 1800s. Its breathtaking structure and décor hold more than just antiquated value. They contain images of elite parties hosted by John Wayne and Roy Rogers. They hold visions of famous war heroes like Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower and General George Patton meeting during the WWII Louisiana Maneuvers. What kind of strategic planning took place in the undisclosed room? What snippet of precious history lays within the walls of the Bentley that no one else will ever have the privilege of knowing?
The stories could go on. You see, our city’s surface features, while impressive, are not its most treasured assets. It’s the invisible glimpses of history secretly sealed throughout the Alexandria and Pineville area that make our city the heart of Louisiana. The question is, what’s keeping you from seeking out the splendor? What’s stopping you from uncovering the mystery yourself?
–Kalee C. Bernard
Visit Alexandria/Pineville Area 