A little winter weather can't slow us down
Though the sleet, snow and ice have semi-halted the town for a few days, there are still those who refuse to be deterred by the massive flurry of flakes.
Ellie Hilton, along with her mother Joy Powell, sisters Anna and Jody Powell and cousin Emily Morris recently headed to Walt Disney World to participate in the Princess Marathon. Their team of "Gladiators in Glass Slippers" joyfully rose at 3:30 a.m. to meet with the other 25,000 plus athletes to run the streets of Orlando. Dressed in costumes from Peter Pan, the girls hit the pavement and before they knew it were crossing the finish line in unison. What a fantastic way to start the new year and check another one off the bucket list.
Congratulations to Mary Kathryn Crigler on her spectacular win at Dancing with the Louisiana Stars! I heard her outfit and dance were both sensational.
Gregory Hudgins, Sarah Katherine Ewing, Mary and Michael Durham and Kiran Seshagiri enjoyed a festive dinner at Restaurant Sage last week to celebrate Kiran's birthday. Gregory, of course, did an over the top table complete with elegant floral arrangements saturated with late winter colors of gorgeous greens and fiery fuchsia. The party feasted on platters of grilled oysters fresh from the sea and vintage wines. Gregory reports the wine reminded him of rich Indian rubies, which I think is a great suggestion for my upcoming birthday.
Also seen enjoying a night on the town at Sage were Jane and Lovell Hayden, some of my grandparent's very best friends.
This years ArtsWorks 2015 award ceremony was held at the Vantage Tower Ballroom and sponsored by Community Trust Bank and hosted by Vantage and Affinity Health Network. The awards are given to deserving people/businesses in the community who help each year to broaden and enrich the area's art scene.
A special thank you to the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council's Tommy Usrey for all the hard work he does every year in ensuring our continued variety of ballet, music, art and theater. Our area is extremely lucky to have such a devoted leader of the arts community. The event was co-chaired by the trio of Cathy Myrick, Leigh Ann Goff and Rhonda Neal and emceed by Dr. Corey Trahan, The Arts Council's Visiting Artist.
The 2015 recipients were: Kiper Hardware & Lumber of Winnsboro which received the BART award; Volunteer of the Year went to our great friend, Kim Leija; the Edmund Williamson Award was bestowed upon Dr. Derle Long of VAPA at ULM; this year's Emerging Artist Award went to Luke Matherne and the prestigious Mary Lee MilamAward, which is given to a dedicated arts volunteer and without whom our community could not thrive, was awarded to the very talented Margaret Lauve, also one of Gregory and my favorites ladies in the world. Congratulations Margaret!
Don't miss the always fun Twin City Art Foundation's Off-The-WallFundraiserat 6:30 p.m. on March 13 as it returns to the Masur Museum of Art. Executive Director Evie Stewart does a fantastic job, along with her crew of volunteers, on this huge bash.
In addition to the Off-The-Wall silent auction of wonderful artwork, the evening includes live music, door prizes, and the Bon Voyage Trip Raffle for a trip anywhere in the world!
Proceeds from Off the Wall support exhibitions and educational programs at the Masur. Call 329-2237 or visit www.masurm
Our area usually doesn't see this much winter weather activity and, personally, I'm more than ready for sunshine, tennis and sandal weather. Therefore, I appeal to the only one who may be able to put a stop to this scene straight out of "Frozen."
Of course I could only mean Punxsutawney Phil, who came out of his burrow February 2nd at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and saw his shadow, thus promising us six more weeks of winter.
"Dear Phil (may I call you Phil?) — I am asking you to consider recanting your prior testimony stating we will have six more weeks of winter. Perhaps you were mistaken that you saw your shadow? Was it, in fact, definitely YOUR shadow? Eyewitness accounts are quite often deemed unreliable. I await your response and hope to have to take no further action.
Yours truly, (first time writer/ longtime fan) Allyson".
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray…"
~ Former Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis
Gregory Hudgins and Allyson Campbell are guest society columnists for The News-Star. You can share social news, tidbits and photos with them by email — allysoncampbell@ yahoo.com or grh75@yahoo. com. The News-Star reserves the right to edit submissions for content or photo quality.