The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration’s Round Table Luncheon is the most exclusive, yet casual, opportunity for the public to enjoy hearing from the Class of 2025 inductees.

It’s next Saturday, June 28, at 12pm at Riverside Reserve, 104 Mill Street, in Natchitoches. There are still a few seats available among the 300 guests for the seventh annual Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation.

Registration is available for the luncheon and can be made by visiting LaSportsHall.com, or by calling 318-238-4255. It is a ticketed event and only a few dozen seats are still open to see and hear from 2025 inductees including Nick Saban, Andrew Whitworth, Vickie Johnson, Danny Granger, Danny Broussard and Joe Scheuermann.

Festivities begin next Thursday evening, June 26, at 5pm with the free of charge Welcome Reception open to all, no registration necessary, at the Hall of Fame museum facing the traffic circle at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches.

The Friday, June 27 slate begins with the BOM Celebrity Bowling Bash at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. Friday evening is the free Rockin’ River Fest concert on Cane River Lake in downtown Natchitoches, from 6-10:30pm, with the Class of 2025 introduced at 9:15 right before a sports-themed fireworks show over the water.

Events Saturday include the free for kids Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp, the Round Table Luncheon, and the Induction Reception and Ceremony, which is sold out. A waiting list is being compiled.

The Round Table Luncheon starts with tremendous Louisiana cuisine and quickly kicks into gear with Fox Sports announcer (and 2020 LSHOF inductee) Tim Brando interviewing small groups of inductees on stage in a very informal and fast-moving setting.

A poignant scene at the 2019 luncheon unfolded before the program when Peyton Manning, being inducted later that day, stopped by to greet LSU legend Johnny Robinson, who was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame two months later.

Scenes like that, up-close access and the fun-filled dialog between Brando and the Hall of Fame inductees combine to provide a memorable 90-minute event.

The Hall of Fame Round Table Luncheon shapes up as a highly entertaining opportunity for guests to have a up-close-and-personal experience and be entertained and well fed in a casual setting, with a touch of elegance at Riverside Reserve on the banks of Cane River Lake just a mile from downtown Natchitoches.

June 18 marks the anniversary week of the death of Ray Charles, one of the most influential musicians in American history. Though he passed away on June 10, 2004, the week surrounding his death is often a time of reflection and remembrance for fans and artists alike.

Known as “The Genius,” Ray Charles helped shape modern music by blending gospel, blues, jazz, and country into a sound that became the foundation of soul. His influence stretched far beyond any single genre, and his legacy continues to impact music today.

Born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, Georgia, in 1930, he lost his sight at age 7 due to glaucoma. Raised in poverty and orphaned as a teen, Charles’s early life was filled with hardship. Yet he found purpose through music, studying classical piano and composition at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.

After moving into the professional music scene, Charles signed with Atlantic Records in the 1950s, where he found success with hits like “I Got a Woman” and “What’d I Say.” He revolutionized the industry by bringing gospel-inspired vocals into popular music, a move that gave rise to the soul genre.

Among his many classics, “Georgia On My Mind” became especially iconic, later adopted as Georgia’s official state song in 1979. Over his six-decade career, Charles earned 17 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1986.

Charles’s contributions went far beyond music. In 1961, he refused to perform at a segregated venue in Georgia, taking a stand that would later be seen as a quiet but powerful moment in civil rights history. Throughout his life, he supported causes that uplifted underrepresented communities, particularly those with disabilities.

Despite personal struggles—including a long battle with heroin addiction—Charles maintained a prolific career and remained a generous supporter of programs for the blind and disadvantaged youth. He fathered 12 children and continued to perform and record well into his later years.

His final album, Genius Loves Company, was released shortly after his death and featured duets with artists like Norah Jones, Elton John, and Bonnie Raitt. The album earned eight Grammy Awards in 2005, including Album of the Year, further cementing his legacy.

A memorial service was held on June 18, 2004, at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, where stars such as B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, and Willie Nelson paid tribute to the late artist. Then-President George W. Bush called Charles “a great American legend.”

Ray Charles passed away at age 73 from liver disease, but his music continues to resonate with audiences of all ages. As fans remember him during the week of his passing, his life stands as a testament to the power of perseverance, creativity, and soul.

From a blind child in the segregated South to a global icon, Ray Charles redefined what was possible in music—and proved that genius knows no boundaries.