It’s time to get ready for another great year of learning in Avoyelles Parish Schools. Whether enrolling a new student or completing registration requirements for a returning student, all registration information can be found on the Student Registration webpage.
Families are also encouraged to bookmark the Back-to-School Resources page, where important information such as school supply updates, fee schedules, dress codes, open house dates, transportation information, and other back-to-school details will be added and updated as they become available throughout the summer.
Hot, humid summer weather will persist across Arcadia Parish through the weekend, with afternoon temperatures near 90 degrees and scattered thunderstorms possible, especially late in the day. Rain chances increase early next week as a wetter pattern develops.
Wednesday (June 10): Partly sunny, hot and humid. High near 93, low around 74. A typical summer feel with muggy conditions.
Thursday: Partly sunny and warm with continued humidity. High near 91, low around 74. Isolated afternoon showers cannot be ruled out.
Friday: A mix of clouds and sunshine with scattered afternoon thunderstorms developing. High around 90, low near 74.
Saturday: Warm and humid with partly sunny skies and another chance for pop-up afternoon storms. High near 91, low around 74.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy and slightly cooler with scattered afternoon thunderstorms possible. High near 88, low around 72.
Monday: Cloudy and not as warm with periods of rain and thunderstorms becoming more widespread. High near 79, low around 67.
Tuesday: Humid conditions continue with additional showers and thunderstorms likely. High around 81, low near 67.
Expect a classic June weather pattern for Louisiana — hot afternoons through the weekend followed by increasing storm coverage and a modest cool-down by early next week.
Reese Smigura and her official artwork. (Photo courtesy of Avoyelles Arts Council)
The Avoyelles Arts Council has announced that Reese Smigura is the designer of the official artwork for the 15th Annual Avoyelles Arts & Music Festival.
Reese is a junior at Avoyelles Public Charter School and a talented art student of Callie Borne. Her creativity, artistic vision, and dedication have earned her the honor of having her artwork represent this year’s festival celebration. The Council is excited to showcase Reese’s design as the festival celebrates 15 years of art, music, culture, and community on July 4, 2026, during the Avoyelles Arts & Music Festival.
Bunkie will host the 38th annual Louisiana Corn Festival this week, Thursday, June 11, through Saturday, June 13.
Get ready for a fun-filled weekend the whole family will love. Enjoy live music, carnival rides, delicious food, arts & craft vendors, contests, the parade, and so much more.
The festival has a new logo, but this amazing tradition remains the same.
Ticket prices are $5 for ages 12 and up, and $1 for under 12.
The Fox Theatre has announced the cast of Dearly Departed. Congratulations to the cast and student team. The theatre is thrilled to begin this journey with everyone and cannot wait to see “Dearly Departed” come to life on The Fox Theatre stage this August.
The cast is as follows.
Bud Turpin: Carson Davis • Raynelle: Tatem Benoit • Ray-Bud: Collin Clement • Lucille: Kinzly Dauzat • Junior: Jory Bordelon • Suzanne: Brees Vasquez • Marguerite: Reese Smigura • Royce: Annabelle Deshautelle • Delightful: Brynn Anderson • Reverend Hooker: Daniel Luu • Veda: Kylee Smith • Norval: Daniel Luu • Nadine: Gabbie Blount • Clyde: Reid Anderson • Juanita: Ja’la Gulliver • The Joy of Life Singers: Alyssa Jones, Gabbie Blount, Kylee Smith, Reese Smigura, Ja’la Gulliver • Junior and Suzanne’s Kids: Reid Anderson, Brynn Anderson, Carter Clement • Radio Announcer: Natalie Carnicle
Cleco is launching its Watt Matters energy-saving campaign to help customers reduce their energy usage and lower their monthly bills during the hot summer months.
“Each summer, Cleco shares programs, resources and practical tips to help customers reduce their energy usage,” said Tracy Daigrepont, director of customer experience at Cleco. “While customers can’t control the weather, they can control how they use energy, and during the summer months, every watt matters.”
The campaign focuses on three key areas.
Manage It
Cleco’s Budget Billing program allows residential customers to pay approximately the same amount each month, making it easier to manage household budgets year-round.
Save It
Small changes, such as using a ceiling fan, turning off and unplugging unused appliances and switching to LED lights can help customers use energy more efficiently.
Know It
Cleco’s MyAccount platform and free mobile app allow customers to track current and projected energy use, helping them make informed decisions and manage usage. Customers can sign up for daily email and text alerts through their MyAccount profile. “Cleco also offers its Power Wise energy efficiency program,” said Daigrepont.
“The program provides energy-saving solutions to residential and business customers, including an on-site residential weatherization assessment at no out-of-pocket cost, appliance and device rebates, and an online store, Clecomarketplace.com, where residential customers receive instant rebates and manufacturer discounts on items like smart thermostats, advanced power strips, showerheads and more.”
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) would like to remind the public it will conduct commercial alligator lottery harvests on 23 LDWF Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), 28 public lakes and one U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) property beginning on Aug. 26, 2026. Applications are now available and are due by June 15.
(Please note: This is the longstanding commercial alligator lottery harvest and not the recently adopted recreational alligator lottery, which will have a separate lottery application in the coming months.)
Commercial alligator lottery applications can be found on the LDWF lottery application webpage. To apply, click on the Lottery Applications tab, update or create customer details similar to purchasing a license and then submit the application. There is a $5 application fee and a $3.50 transaction fee.
Only one commercial alligator lottery application may be submitted per customer, but applicants can rank and submit up to three hunt area choices on their application. Applicants must be legal Louisiana residents and 16 years of age or older. If selected, you will be required to purchase an alligator hunter license ($25) and to submit payment of $40 for each alligator tag allocated.
To assist applicants in selecting specific WMAs/public lakes, LDWF has posted the percentage of commercial lottery alligator harvest applicants selected for their first choice in 2025 by WMA or public lake as well as a map showing the general location of each area and the appropriate area manager’s contact information on its website. Go to the 2026 Alligator Lottery Choices page to see this information.
For more information concerning commercial lottery alligator harvests on LDWF WMAs or public lakes, contact the appropriate LDWF Field Office or email LAalligatorprogram@wlf.la.gov.
LEGENDARY INSIGHT: Basketball Hall of Fame member Seimone Augustus (right) of LSU, WNBA and Olympic fame cracks up acclaimed sportswriter Ron Higgins (center) and Fox Sports’ Tim Brando during the 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Round Table Luncheon.
Hall of Fame’s Round Table Luncheon will provide up-close, memorable moments
The “youngest” event during this month’s Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration is the most exclusive, yet casual, opportunity for the public to enjoy hearing from the Class of 2026 inductees.
It’s the Round Table Luncheon Saturday, June 27, at noon at Riverside Reserve, 104 Mill Street, in Natchitoches. There are still seats available for the eighth annual Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation.
Registration is available for the luncheon can be made by visiting LaSportsHall.com, or by calling 318-238-4255. It is a ticketed event.
Festivities begin Thursday evening, June 25 with the free of charge Welcome Reception from 5-7 open to all, no registration necessary, at the Hall of Fame museum facing the traffic circle at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches.
The BOM Celebrity Bowling Bash is at midday Friday, June 26 at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. Friday evening brings the free Rockin’ River Fest concert on Cane River Lake in downtown Natchitoches, from 6-10:30, with the Class of 2026 introduced at 9:15 right before a sports-themed fireworks show over the water.
Events Saturday, June 27 include the free Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp for kids, the Round Table Luncheon, and the Induction Reception and Ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center.
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 2026 inductees combine to provide a memorable 90 minutes.
The Class of ‘26 is headlined by a star-studded group: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 2025 inductee Sylvia Fowles, NFL stars Joe Horn, Todd McClure and Pat Williams, Major League Baseball All-Star Jonathan Lucroy and legendary basketball coaches John Brady, Mike McConathy and Dewain Strother.
Alexandria native and LSU baseball hero Warren Morris will receive the Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award, earning enshrinement into the LSHOF. His walk-off home run won the 1996 College World Series for LSU and resulted in the Bolton High School product becoming a lifelong spokesman for college baseball, the CWS and LSU.
LSU graduate and New Orleans native Gil LeBreton and multi-faceted Shreveporter John James Marshall are going into the Hall as the 2026 winners of the LSWA’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism. Former Tioga girls basketball coach and nationally-acclaimed high school sports administrator Kathy Holloway is being inducted as the recipient of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award.
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 the Riverside Reserve on the banks of Cane River Lake just a mile from downtown Natchitoches.
If you have ever experienced a summer bass tournament, then you understand the downside of one of these events. IT’S HOT! As a kid, I loved summertime, but as an adult I probably dread this time of year more than any other.
I’ve always said that I would rather fish on a 30-degree day than a 95-degree day. Why? Because I can put enough clothes on to stay warm in the winter, but I can’t take enough clothes off to cool down in the summer.
Early mornings are usually not as bad, as temperatures will range from 75 to 80 degrees. As the morning warms up, by 10 o’clock you’re starting into the hot zone of 88 to 90 degrees. Then around noon, you’re looking at 90 to 95 degrees and starting to fry like a Natchitoches Meat Pie!
Sweat is now running down your back and into places we won’t mention. It’s dripping off your nose every time you bend over to lip a fish or change a bait. You have now entered the “miserable zone” of summertime fishing.
The problem is there’s no shade to retreat to unless you’re lucky enough to find a bridge somewhere on the lake. But the problem with bridges is that’s where all the crappie fishermen are, as they too are retreating to shade.
But there are ways to help you stay cool, or should I say cooler, depending on how you dress. First, a good wide brim hat is a must to help keep the sun and its intense UV rays off your head and neck region.
Pull on a long-sleeve hooded shirt with built in UV protection like the ones I wear produced by Columbia Sportwear. They offer a variety of great UV protection shirts. There’s one I wear that it is truly unique; it’s made from plastic water bottles and is called the Columbia Omni Shade.
This shirt is like wearing an air conditioner, especially when you crank the big engine and run across the lake. It has a way of cooling you down quickly and giving you muchneeded relief from the heat while protecting you from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Even when you’re not running across the lake, just a slight breeze will help to cool you down wearing these shirts.
I wear long lightweight pants from both HUK Apparel and Columbia that also have built-in UV protection. The key to staying cooler on those upper 90-degree days is keeping the direct sunlight off the skin.
Now most people can’t comprehend or even imagine wearing long sleeves or long pants on a hot summer day. I used to be one of those guys. But ever since my Melanoma diagnosis in 2023, I have come to realize that long sleeves and long pants not only help me to stay cooler but also protect me from the sun’s UV rays
While I still hate fishing a tournament on hot summer days, I have found ways to cope with those high temperatures from June through August.
I’ve also found that I maintain a better concentration level throughout the day by wearing clothes to help keep me cool. Nothing is worse when fishing than being too cold, too wet or too hot, as it can make for a long miserable day.
