And So it Goes in Shreveport: fun

Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

What to do in Shreveport/Bossier in March

Spring is upon us and there is a lot to do in Shreveport-Bossier as we ease into the season.

Here are just a few of the events going on over the next couple of weeks:

March 13 - 17 is 318 Restaurant Week which provides an opportunity to dine at local restaurants at special prices. Participating restaurants create prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner. In addition, five restaurants will be offering an elevated dining experience led by a local, celebrated foodie each night of the 318 Restaurant Week.

March 15 head over to Flying Heart Brewing in Bossier City for Whiskey Tricks. Find your inner craic with Flying Heart Brewing & Pub and Jaya McSharma! Sample Jameson, Jameson Black Barrel, Caskmates Stout, Caskmates IPA, and Cooper's Croze. Plus enjoy their monthly special; Reuben Pizza. Tickets are $25 until 11:30p 3/14, after that time you will have to purchase them at Flying Heart ($40).

March 17: St. Patty's Day Adopt-a-Thon by Friends of Bossier City Animal Control - Find your new furry friend from 10 - 3 at Bossier Animal Control, 3217 Shed Road in Bossier City.

Also on March 17 Patty in the Plaza 2018 will be from 5-11 at festival plaza downtown. Ticket info can be found here.

March 19: Fundraiser for Shreveport-Bossier Animal Rescue from 5 - 8 at Newk's, 5423 Youree Drive in Shreveport. Eat at Newk's and SBAR gets a donation. Win-win!

March 20: Girls night out at Heels and Reels at Robinson Film Center, downtown Shreveport. Watch Emma Stone in her break-through performance. All she wanted was to see what it feels like to be popular, but when a little white lie gets out, Olive’s lily-white reputation gets soiled. She finds her life paralleling the unenviable Hester Prynne's in "The Scarlet Letter."

Also on March 20 you can head to 2John's to see Cole Vosbury and Amanda June from 6-10.

March 23: ARTini Glass Painting at Bossier Arts Council on Barksdale Blvd., Bossier City.
Each year as part of the ARTini fundraiser, artists and community members help paint 300 Martini glasses. Bring a small snack to share and they will provide everything else. There is no cost to attend this event. Students are welcome, but must be at least 12 years old. Registration is NOT required for this event.

Also on March 23 head over to Norton Art Gallery where they will be showing Ferngully: The last Rainforest on the front lawn of the museum for FREE!! Bring your chairs and blankets and enjoy a movie under the stars. Local food trucks will be on hand with yummy treats to enjoy starting at 7:00 PM. Movie begins at 8:00 PM. Food Trucks: Sweetport McCoy's Butcher Block Ono's Traditional Hawaiian Cuisine BeauxJax Mobile Cajun Eatery.

March 24: Fundraiser for Camp Rainmain! The first-ever Corn Dog Busker Arts Festival, hosted by Clark McLendon, will be held, 12-9 p.m., Saturday, March 24 in Bossier City's new East Bank District and Plaza (across the street from the Bossier Arts Council - BAC). This day-long festival will feature free corn dogs and lemonade, with live music buskers performing throughout the plaza. All money raised by performers, as well as any other donations made at the festival, will benefit Camp Rainman of NW Louisiana. There will also be a corn dog-eating contest, which will crown the Corn Dog King and Queen. Admission is FREE!

Also on March 24 is the first Crawfest in Betty Virginia Park. Crawfest is a FREE ADMISSION, family friendly event held on Saturday March 24, 2018 in Shreveport's historic Betty Virginia Park. This is the first festival of its kind ever to be held in the Park. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the South Highlands Neighborhood Association for improvements in the park. There is an all day line-up of great bands and food trucks.

March 25: Come out and celebrate Easter with Rhino and Deuce! Get Easter pictures of your fur baby done by an amazing photographer, take a chance winning raffle baskets, enjoy our costume contest, let your pup take part in our egg hunt, and enjoy food provided by Uneeda Taco. The event is from 1-5 at Columbia Park in Highland.

If you have an event you'd like included, leave a comment!

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Craft Beer Catching on in Shreveport

The craft beer industry is on the rise across the nation and in the past few years the Shreveport-Bossier area has been the beneficiary of that. We now have three craft breweries in our area and within a slightly larger radius many, many more. In Texas, craft beer is a huge industry and you can plan an entire vacation travelling around the state to sample craft beer in cities from Nacogdoches to Austin, to Houston, San Antonio, McKinney, Dallas, and Fort Worth. There are over 100 microbreweries in Texas alone.

According to the Brewer’s Association, small and independent breweries grew by eight percent in 2016, and in 2015 the craft beer market was $22.3 billion dollars which is 21% of the market. That is getting into pretty big money. There are over 4,000 breweries in the United States. Bars are getting in on the wave too; The Round Bar in Shreveport has 60 taps serving craft beer. In Des Moines, El Bait Shop, has over 200 craft beers on tap. Shreveport-Bossier is a little behind the curve in embracing craft beer but now that it’s finally here the public is supporting it in a big way.

The first craft brewery to open a tasting room in Shreveport was Great Raft Brewing in October 2013. Bossier City’s first craft brewery, Flying Heart, opened in Spring 2015. Our third brewery, Red River Brewing, licensed the day before Great Raft in 2013 but opened their tasting room in

The patio at Flying Heart

2016 just on the edge of downtown Shreveport.

Each of our three breweries have a distinct personality and ambiance. There are no beer snobs here: everyone who patronizes one of these establishments is a lover of craft beer – period. While the brew houses hope to make a profit, and a perhaps a living, each supports and encourages visitors from out of town to visit the other breweries.

This is the craft brew culture: of course there is competitiveness, but there is also support. In the eyes of a local brew master, “it’s us against the big guys like Anheuser-Busch.” It’s clear that Big Beer would like for the independents to go away. Sales of brands like Miller Lite and Budweiser are down and Big Beer is responding by buying out small breweries. Consider that in 2015 Time Magazine reported that Big Beer’s plans to quash the rising challenge from microbreweries included buyouts, and now in 2017 craft beer sales have declined slightly because of these buyouts:

“The [Brewers Association] reports that, in 2016, craft brewers produced 24.6 million barrels of beer, or 1.4 million more than the previous year. However, the craft beer industry also lost out on 1.2 million barrels that would have been considered ‘craft beer’ had their breweries not been acquired by larger corporations prior to the start of the year.”

How is a little brewery to compete with Big Beer and why should we want them to? Craft beer is popular because each blend is unique. To qualify as a craft beer, according to the Brewer’s Association, a brewery must produce “less than 6 million barrels per year; not be more than 25 percent owned or controlled by a non-craft brewer; and brew beer using only ‘traditional or innovative’ ingredients.”

Strawberry Shandy with fresh watermelon

For example, Flying Heart produces several delicious seasonal Shandy style beers which are very popular: the Strawberry Candy Shandy and the Blackberry Shandy they produced in the summer of 2016 were extremely well received. While not always embraced by some craft brewers, the Shandy beers are often favorites because of their versatility and light alcohol content. On a hot, humid summer day in Louisiana, a Flying Heart Strawberry Candy Shandy with a chunk of cold watermelon floating in it can’t be beat. For the consumer who wants a heavier, stronger beer, Flying Heart’s Barrel 52, a robust porter with a whiskey finish, is the way to go. That’s the beauty of craft beer – it’s not mass produced one size fits all anymore.

Red River Brewing has their own specialty beers with a strong line of rich porters, a popular wheat ale named Hay Ryed, and a German style lager, Heliopolis, which is very popular.

Great Raft’s popular Southern Drawl and their pale ale, Commotion are found pretty much everywhere in town: their taproom, restaurants, grocery stores, bars. As the only local brewery of the three to be distributed by Eagle Distributing, Great Raft is closer to the Big Beer model than the other two breweries. Eagle distributes Abita, Budweiser, Corona, Michelob, etc., as well at the Great Raft beers.

Red River Brewing Hay Ryed

Against the big beer names like Budweiser and Miller Lite, the craft breweries work a little harder to get their beer, and their name, out there. All three breweries host events such as game nights, cornhole tournaments, local history seminars, and book clubs to help draw in customers. Food trucks are a huge part of the craft brew game: the two cottage industries often piggyback on each other.

With summer in the South upon us, take advantage of Shreveport’s growing craft industry and check out each brewery. Don’t feel obligated to pick a favorite: each offers a unique contribution to the craft industry and we certainly need to support local business. Take advantage of Flying Heart’s large patio from where you will soon be right in the heart of the very exciting Downtown Bossier expansion which is nearing completion. Visit Great Raft’s huge warehouse, play a game of cornhole, or sit inside their tasting room. At Red River, their large, brightly lit interior provides space for a medieval sticks game and cornhole as well as gallery space for local artists. They also have a patio in the shadows of I20 near downtown Shreveport. All three offer tours of their brewery.

Encourage your favorite restaurant to carry options from all three local breweries. If you don’t see the brew you want, ask for it. The craft beer industry has arrived and brings new and exciting things with it. We should all support that.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

The 1940s Radio Hour is a Hit at Shreveport Little Theater

Photo courtesy of SLT Facebook page

It's been a long time since I've been to The Shreveport Little Theater but we went out today to see Seva May's production of The 1940s Radio Hour which we enjoyed immensely.

Who doesn't love the music of that era: this production was right up my alley!

The story is set during a December broadcast of a live radio cavalcade show from the Astor Hotel in New York City in 1942. The first fifteen minutes or so are intentionally chaotic as the various characters dash in, brushing snow from coats, studying scripts, making phone calls, and getting ready for the show. There is a certain degree of audience participation as you are expected to applaud when the "Applause" sign lights up -- this is live radio after all!

The cast for this production is a likable, talented mix of veterans and rookies which was perfect for this story because that's what you probably actually had in such performances. It looked like the cast was having a great time with each other on stage and it all worked very well, I thought.

Luke Digilormo played B.J., a preppy sort of argyle sweater kind of fellow who nearly stole the show when they sang "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The sassy Geneva Lee Brown backed out of the song (she hadn't rehearsed it) and so the hapless B.J. was pulled up to the mike by the other girls in the act. Digilormo's expressive face and tall, thin frame were a natural for the song and dance number. It was

a real hit with the audience.

Jennifer Jackson played Ann Collier, who sang "That Old Black Magic" and nailed the 1940s look. She has a lovely voice. Madeline Collier played Connie Miller who was absolutely adorable in her duet with B.J. singing "How About You," and you'll have to see her "ad" for Eskimo Pies for yourself. Barbara Holmes played Geneva Lee Brown, and she was stunning singing "At Last" in a chill-bumps-inducing rendition of the Etta James classic. She was quite glamorous with her diamonds and her satin dress!

Absolutely precious was young Zoie Swint who played Wanda the delivery girl who just wants a chance in front of the mike. In her saddle oxfords and bobby socks, Wanda twirls her hair and closes her eyes as she listens to the other, more experienced singers, just waiting for her chance.

Bree Guggenhein played the part of Ginger, a sultry, sexy songstress who has the men all in a tither as she sings "Blues in the Night," shedding her red satin gloves as she goes.

Rick Stovall was a wonderful Johnny Cantone, the boozing, name dropping crooner who plans on leaving the show after the performance for hopefully greener pastures, much to the shock of his fellow cast members.

This production was the SLT debut of Casey Allen who played the part of Biff Baker, a saxophone player who is headed off to be a fighter pilot. Allen has a little of a Matthew McConaughey look to him, and has a very poignant scene at the end, when the "show" is over and he's taking his leave. He's a charismatic young actor who fit his part comfortably.

The show is filled with hits you remember from the era and in between songs there are the obligatory radio ads and jingles for refrigerators, scented soap, and laxatives. One of the girls is sipping a Coca-Cola while singing a Pepsi commercial. By the time the entire cast is spread across the stage singing "Strike Up the Band," you simply don't want the show to end.

Overall, the show was simply filled with great cast members who fully embodied the characters they were playing while still putting their own style and spin on each one. The Bill Causey band was an excellent choice for this production and I loved seeing my good friend Bill Allen on stage with his stand up bass!

Shreveport Little Theater is to be commended for a fun, outstanding production and regular theater patrons will hopefully excuse my ignorance of the original and previous productions of this show; theater reviews aren't my specialty but we enjoyed the show so much I simply hope to encourage you to go.

The show is running through November 15 and if you hurry you can probably still get tickets. It might even get you into the Christmas spirit a little bit as the cast sings Jingle Bells and Pops places a little Christmas gift under his tree.

We look forward to returning to SLT for a few of their upcoming shows. I have my eye on "Hot n Cole - A Cole Porter Celebration" coming up in February/March.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Take a Trip to the Eighth Annual Barksdale Oktoberfest

Barksdale Air Force Base hosted its eighth annual Oktoberfest celebration last night in support of Operation Bright Holiday which is a fundraiser to bring airmen home for Christmas. The first year they did this, they were able to send seventeen airmen home for the holidays; last year, over ninety servicemen and women were able to spend Christmas with their families because of this event.

It's a very good cause, indeed!

The team at BAFB that stages this event works for months in preparation. Col. Anderson is a perennial organizer of this event and is always aided by a great crew; this year Lt. Monique Roux headed things up and I know there were many others in assist. While the event has many of the same favorite contests from year to year, there is always some new twist or event that keeps it fresh every year; the organizers learn from previous years and so each year the event is better and better.

For example, the first year there were not nearly enough beer taps - only five. The lines were ridiculously long. The next year there were fifteen; a huge improvement. The first year they ran out of beer within an hour -- the next year there was plenty of beer. I learned from experience too; bring a giant beer stein from home and you don't have to stand in line nearly as often as everyone else!

We were, as always, the first to arrive; they were still setting up when we got there.

We had plenty of food, fun, beer, and music last night.

Dinner was Jaeger Schnitzel, brats, green beans with onions, cucumber dill salad, chicken, German potatoes, and giant pretzels. For dessert, German Chocolate cake.

Our fried Jerry came with us this year.

The band loved Jerry and dubbed him "Luigi." They even played a song for him.

The band was the very talented Alpenmusikanten who has played this event from the first year. These guys are incredibly talented musicians and are very much in demand during Oktoberfest season. We are very grateful that they continue to return to BAFB and support this event!

I lifted my camera to take a photo and Wolfgang shouted "Picture!" in the middle of their song and they posed.

They work the crowd and make certain everyone has a good time.

The children dominated the dance floor in the early evening and it was huge fun watching them run in circles and dance. The band would cue them on occasion: "OK kids, everyone SCREAM!" And they did. And then the cue: "STOP!" and they did. Col. Anderson led them in the Chicken Dance.

We took the obligatory Oktoberfest pictures, sort of.

The contests were back. I sat out of the costume contest this year. I'm glad I did -- a guy with a baby won. How can you compete against that?!

There was the Shoe Slapping Contest.

There was a yodeling contest too, but I was in a beer line and missed that.

The band encourages a lot of audience participation: this is volunteer Margaret on the washboard.

She did a great job!

The Hand Jive:

There was no Yard Drinking contest this year, which made me sad.

The annual homage to beer:

We were, as always, the very last to leave.

I'm already waiting for next year!

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Trip to the 2015 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival

Take a Trip to the American Legion Cross Lake Floatilla 2015

Take a Trip to Two Memorial Day Ceremonies in Shreveport

Take a Trip to the Battle of Natchitoches

Take a Trip to Miss Cammie's Dinner Table

Take a Trip on Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Miami OK

Take a Trip to Coushatta, See the Lawnmower Man, and a Crop Duster

Take a Trip to the 2014 Cross Lake Floatilla: Loving the Lake Life

Take a Trip to the Barskdale AFB First Annual Luau

Take a Trip to the 2013 Highland Jazz and Blues Festival

Take a Trip to Natchitoches for a Sons of the American Revolution Grave Marking Ceremony and Some Gator Bites

Take a Trip to the Sixth Annual Barksdale Oktoberfest

Take One More Quick Trip to Jefferson, Texas and Explore Room 104

Take a Trip to the Cross Lake Flotilla 2013

Take a Spontaneous Mother's Day Trip to Jefferson, Texas

Take a Trip Along East Texas Back Roads

Take a Trip to the "Going Green on the Red River" Festival

Take a Springtime Drive Down the Cane River Heritage Trail

Take a Spring Break Trip to Arcadia Louisiana

Take a Trip to the 2012 Natchitoches Christmas Festival
Take a Trip to the 2012 Grand Cane Pioneer Day and Christmas Parade

Take a Trip to the 2012 Highland Jazz and Blues Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Vets for Vets Event

Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Photographs of the Vietnam War Exhibit

Take a Trip to Octoberfest 2012 at Barksdale Air Force Base

Take a Picnic Trip to the Lock and Dam and a Detour to Lake Bistineau

Take a Dinner Ride Through East Texas

Take a Trip to an End of Summer Party and Listen to Soulfish Blues Band

Take a Summer Trip to Jefferson, Texas and Meet New Friends

Take a Trip to Dallas, Texas and The West End

Take a Stocking the Freezer Trip to Ed Lester Farms and Find a Cool Truck!

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Backroads

Take a Trip to the 2012 Cross Lake Floatilla

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation

Take a Trip to Jefferson, Texas

Full Metal Jacket Saturday: The Oktoberfest Edition

Oktoberfest at BAFB

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Oktoberfest: My Favorite Holiday is Here

Oktoberfest 2015 has officially kicked off in Munich: "O'zapft is!"

The annual celebration is expected to bring six million visitors this year.

There is no more Bacchanalian festival in existence with perhaps Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It's obviously my favorite holiday -- I have blogged at least 47 times about it.

Locally, Shreveport has joined the nation in forming their own version of Oktoberfest which will be Sunday, September 25 at Zocolo on Ashley Ridge. It is $20 to purchase a buffet pass, but you don't have to pay just to get in. If you plan on drinking, beer is $6.00; live music will be via Professor Pork Chop.

Steve and I will be attending the annual Oktoberfest festivities at Barksdale Air Force Base on October 2; this is a fundraiser for Operation Bright Star which brings airmen home for the holidays. We have attended all seven years so far; this one makes eight. We have the proud honor of being the first to come and the last to leave each year.

I was honored to win the costume contest two years but got robbed last year; an indignity I hope to remedy this year.

No, seriously, it's all in good fun and this is a celebration that gets better every year.

The food is great.

The beer is cold and plentiful.

And what better way to celebrate than partying with the men and women of our military?

And it's for a great cause. Doesn't get any better than that. Tickets are available at the Barksdale Club.

Can't wait!

This might get you in the mood:

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Take a Trip to The Battle of Natchitoches

Today the South rose again in the fictional battle of Natchitoches.

The little city of Natchitoches, Louisiana celebrates its 300th birthday this year and as a result there has been something exciting happening in the area all year long; this weekend there was a Civil War reenactment in which Confederate and Union forces fought it out on Front Street.

There never was an actual battle for Natchitoches, although of course there were many Civil War skirmishes in the area and there were well known battles at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill roughly 35 miles away. Grand Ecore was important, too. There was plenty of Civil War activity around these parts, but never any actual "Battle of Natchitoches."

But today, there was a Battle of Natchitoches!

We got there about 10:30 this morning and the encampments were waking up, finishing off breakfast, and setting up shops and displays.

Steve got a t-shirt.

We walked around and looked at the camps.

And listened to a fellow playing an accordion by the river.

There was a blacksmith there making cool items for sale:

Around noon the Confederate troops marched down Church Street from the riverfront and gathered outside the Immaculate Conception church on 2nd Street where they received a blessing of their standard from the priest.

The ladies followed behind their men:

And then the blessing...

...in front of Lasyone's, where they make the best meat pies in the world.

Anyway.

Then the Confederate troops headed to their bivouac area while the Union troops gathered by the Cane River. I loved the period costumes the ladies wore...

...but they were all in character with the ladies shouting "Get those Yankees! Get 'em, boys!"

The boys in gray plotted the battle plan...

...and the Union forces got their final instructions...

The tents sat empty.

Finally the Union forces made it up to Front Street...

...and the Confederate troops began marching up the side streets toward Front Street.

The ladies waited on the sidelines...

and the battle began.

It was fun as a spectator. These guys were looking around the corner waiting for the Confederate troops to make a move; one guy looked over at us and asked, "Are they coming yet?" Steve shouted, "Why would we tell you? We're on their side!" They laughed -- everyone was having fun.

Soon the air was filled with smoke as the two sides fought it out:

It wasn't long before we had a man down...

(But he got up later, saying "I feel much better, guys!" and rejoined the battle).

I got a kick out of the photographers trying to get a good shot of the "dead man."

He got right on down there with him...

Men were "down" on both sides.

And the battle raged on.

This went on for probably 30 or 45 minutes I guess. Maybe longer. There was a lot of firing and the smell of cordite hung in the air.

Reloading:

Finally the Confederate troops captured the Union army's regimental flag...

...as Steve said, right there in front of the Japanese sushi bar on Front street!

And with much cheering, the battle was done.

The ladies were happy:

Then the armies gathered up their "fallen" and off they went.

The troops returned to their "camps"...

...And we went to find some lunch.

It was my first reenactment so I really didn't know what to expect; I loved it! It was just good fun on a gorgeous fall afternoon.

Many, many groups from all over the country took place in this reenactment. I was impressed with their authenticity, their good humor, their willingness to share their knowledge and talk history with anyone who wanted to visit. Families and kids were all involved in it together; kids were shoveling dirt over campfires as the adults broke camp and loaded up to hit the road.

It was a fun day!