Picture Perfect!
Ruston Women’s Specialty Center will be having a ‘Minutes for Munchkins’ 4-D ultrasound marathon on Feb. 5 to benefit the March of Dimes. For a $40 donation, you will receive 15 minutes of 4-D ultrasound. You may also choose to have this precious moment recorded on DVD for an additional $10 donation. All money donated will be given to the March of Dimes. Appointments are required. Limited space is available. Please call 2555-9414 for appointments or more information. Ultrasounds performed for March Of Dimes fundraising are for entertainment purposes only.

North Central Louisiana TEA Party Patriots
will have their monthly general meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8 at Christ Community Church, located at 2301 N. Trenton St. The Rold of Religion will be the constitutional topic and the speaker's topic will be "Progressivism." All area residents are welcome to attend.

The regular monthly meeting of the Grambling-Ruston Charter
chapter No. 5240 of the AARP will meet at 11 a.m. Feb. 9 at the Fellowship Hall of the New Rocky Valley Baptist church in Grambling. Membership in the local chapter is open to all members of the national chapter or anyone 50 years or older.

The Ruston Parkinson Support Group
will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10 in the Community Room of Community Trust Bank on Trenton Street. Anyone interested in Parkinson disease is cordially invited to attend. For more information, call 255-1684 or 255-2805.

Due to the recent rain, Ruston Parks and Recreation
is postponing its Winter Classic Softball Tournament on Saturday. Games will begin at 9 a.m. Feb. 13 at the J.C. Love Softball Complex. There is still time to register a team. The fee is $70 per team, and there will be a Coed and Men’s Industrial Division. For more information, call Ashlynn or Ryan at 255-5800.

United Campus Ministries of Grambling State University
and the Wesley Foundation are preparing 200 plus "Meal Kits" for the Homeless Community of New Orleans on Feb 14. Anyone who wishes to contribute to this project can call 274-3135.

Cedar Creek School will

honor Anita Charczenko for 20 years of service to the school from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Cedar Creek elementary building.

Ruston Parks and Recreation
is currently recruiting soccer coaches for its spring season. The games are played on Saturdays and the first game is set for Saturday, Feb. 20. The season is approximately six to eight weeks. Each volunteer coach sets his own practice schedule, but RPAR recommends they not practice more than three hours per week. Call the RPAR office at 255-5800.

The second annual “Kupcakes for Kids”

fundraiser to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 12. The pre-Valentines Day event will be in the lobby of Community Trust Bank, located at 1511 N. Trenton St. in Ruston. Cupcakes will be available for $1 each or for $10 per dozen.

Simoneaux Memorial Jam
The 11th annual John Simoneaux Memorial Jam is scheduled for Feb. 27. A T-shirt design contest, free to enter and open to the public, will be held through Feb. 15. The winner gets $100, their art on the front of the T-shirt and two free shirts.

The design must be a black and white line drawing with no lettering. A guitar with wings must be part of the design. All art will become property of the Johnny Jam Committee.

All entries must be postmarked by Feb. 12 ore e-mailed by Feb. 14. Send drawings to Ken Carter at 606 University Blvd., Ruston, 71270 or e-mail trishcarter@hotmail.com.

Lincoln Parish Girl Scouts are out and about taking
orders for Girl Scout Cookies. Pre orders will be taken from Jan. 15 to Feb. 1, and delivery will begin on Feb 26. The girls will begin their booth sales in front of local stores also on Feb 26. For more information, call Robin Hennigan at 255-4561.

The city department of water utilities
will close the entire intersection of Monroe Street and Arizona Avenue to traffic beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. The intersection is scheduled to reopen by mid-afternoon on Tuesday. The closure is required to allow the department of utilities to make necessary repairs to the water distribution system in this area. For questions or concerns, call the water utilities office at 251-8611.

The RCSS annual Mardi Gras Ball
will be from 7-12 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Ruston Civic Center. Tickets will be $50 each. Cash or check will be accepted.

Tickets include free wine, beer, champagne and catering by Campatori,

Music will be by Harmon Drew Orchestra. There will be a North Central Louisiana Arts Council silent auction. Tickets will be sold for a chance on a fleur de lis pendant set with diamonds. For more information, call Becky at 243-8887.

Crosspoint Community Church of the Nazarene
with their Food Share America program will be ordering from 3-6 p.m. Feb. 11 and from 9 a.m.-noon Feb. 13. Distribution will be Feb. 27. There are no eligibility requirements. Anyone who would like a menu can call 318-497-3446 and leave their name and address, and the church will send them a menu.

La Leche League of Ruston
will meet at 10 a.m. Feb. 15 in room 101 of Grace United Methodist Church instead of Lincoln Parish Library, which is closed that day. All women interested in breastfeeding are invited. Babies are welcome. The group offers a lending library with topics on breastfeeding, childbirth, parenting and nutrition. For more information call Marcella Snow at 251-1148.

The Ruston chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness
will host a support group meeting from 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, in the community room of the Community Trust Financial Center, located at 1511 North Trenton Street in Ruston. Sandra L. Hudson, R.S.W., of Grambling; Antoinetta M. Grigsby, M.S.W., G.S.W.,of Simsboro; and Colleen Stewart, R.N., of Monroe, will facilitate the meeting. All persons whose lives are affected by mental illnesses are invited. For more information, call 247-3982.

The annual meeting of the Monroe chapter of the Retired State Employees Association
will be held March 3 at 9:30 a.m. at the West Monroe Convention Center, 901 Ridge Ave.

Dianne Guillot , chapter president, will introduce the state officers and board members attending this year’s Monroe area meeting. Expers from the Louisiana State Employee’s Retirement System, the Office of Group Benefits and a representative from Great-West Retirement Services will be available to answer questions.

Guillot encourages retirees in the parishes of Caldwell, East and West Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas and Union to attend.

For more information, retirees may contact Allen Reynolds or Paula Clark of the Retired State Employees Association at 1-866-938-0961.

The Village of Simsboro will host a “Family Day in the Park”
from 10a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 6. The day will consist of food, fun, games, various vendors and live entertainment. The Village of Simsboro would like to invite everyone to attend this family oriented event. Residents are invited to bring their classic cars for the open show. For more information or to participate in this event, contact Town Hall at 247-6248.

Entries are being taken for 2010 Dixie Horizon Entertainer
scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, March 27. Entry form and $40 entry fee due at 3 p.m. March 22. Entry forms are available by contacting the Dixie Center for the Arts, located at 212 North Vienna St. in Ruston, at 255-1450 or CJ Matlock, show coordinator, at 251-2086. Entry forms and more information can be found on the Dixie’s Web site at www.dixiecenter.org. Participants must bring their own tape or CD the day of the competition. The winner will be determined by three judges. The new Dixie Horizon Entertainer will perform Saturday, April 10 on the Dixie production “Joe Woods Wildwood Express Showcase” as the 2010 Dixie Horizon Entertainer and will carry the title for one full year. Tickets for the Joe Woods Wildwood Express Showcase are on sale now. They cost $15 floor and $12 balcony. Tickets for the 2010 Dixie Horizon Entertainer Search, planned at 2p.m. Saturday, March 27, are $5.

Both the Dixie Horizon Entertainer Search and the Joe Woods Wildwood Express Showcase will benefit the Dixie Center for the Arts. For more information or questions call the Dixie at 255-1450 or visit the Dixie Web site: www.dixiecenter.org.

Residents who need a GED
can call Karen Howard Stephens, family literacy specialist, at 251-9952 or Janice Savage , early childhood specialist, at 251-8236. The Lincoln Parish Even Start Program is located on the campus of the Lincoln Parish Career Academy.

Participates seeking their GED will learn the educational skills needed to reach their fullest potential, as well as prepare them for future opportunities. Parenting sessions are also held weekly and focus on developmental concepts as well as parenting skills.

A licensed Child Developmental Center is available if childcare is needed. The Child Development Center is also located on the campus of the Lincoln Parish Career Academy. If you are a high school student and need childcare please contact the Even Start Family Literacy Center for an application. A Lincoln Parish High School student may continue their education at the school they are attending and bring their child to Even Start Child Development Center.



Tuesday, February 09, 2010