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Salad Days Student Art Exhibit now on display at City Hall

Salad Days are here again!

After a few years off due to the pandemic, the Salad Days Juried Exhibition of Student Art returned this year with an opening reception and award presentation on Friday, March 10. The 32nd annual exhibit, featuring the works of St. Tammany Parish students from kindergarten to 12th grade, is currently on display in the George Dunbar Gallery Gallery at the Slidell Cultural Center at City Hall.

“We are incredibly blessed to have so many talented students here in St. Tammany Parish and I would like to congratulate all the Salad Days artists,” said Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer. “I invite everyone to come to City Hall and see these amazing works of art.”

This year’s juror is Victoria Allen, an editorial illustrator, artist and art teacher. A former Salad Days student, Allen started painting when she was young and had work accepted into local and regional exhibits. Her more recent work has been showcased, recognized, and received awards in numerous exhibitions and competitions both statewide and nationally. Allen graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BFA in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design, and then worked in New York City as an illustrator with Imaginary Forces. In 2020, she received her Master’s in Mass Communication and Certificate in Strategic Communications from Louisiana State University. She now works as a Social Media & Creative Strategist for TILT advertising agency in Baton Rouge and is also an Adjunct Professor of Visual Communication at LSU Manship.

Salad Days entries are divided into four age categories. First, Second, Third and Honorable Mentions are awarded in each category.

Category A (5 – 8 years old)

  • 1st Place – Laura Chin, Flamingo
  • 2nd Place – Matthew Landry, Blue Jay
  • 3rd Place – Jack Tomasich, Monet of Flowers
  • Honorable Mention – Dru Chagnard, The Lost Alligator
  • Honorable Mention – Laura Chin, Springtime Bears

Category B (9 – 11 years old)

  • 1st Place – Ashley Mannin0, Blue and Me
  • 2nd Place – Owen Davenport, The Wolf and the Starry Night
  • 3rd Place – Aaliyah Atamanyuk, Pretty in Pink
  • Honorable Mention – Albert Bernard Jr., The Prince of Rails
  • Honorable Mention – Dylan Landry, Bruce the Moose
  • Participating artists – Joseph Bordes, Amelia Chin, Rhyan Higginbottom, Morgan Roberts, and Olivia Yi

Category C (12 – 14 years old)

  • 1st Place – Hana Wall, To See Clearly
  • 2nd Place – Hana Wall, Cursing Imagination
  • 3rd Place – Max Stark, Tiger
  • Honorable Mention – Melanie Clapp, Dog
  • Honorable Mention – Cambrie Roger, A Glimpse of Peace
  • Participating artist – Camille Hicks

Category D (15- 18 years old)

  • 1st Place – Zoe Boudreaux, Fishy Business
  • 2nd Place – Abigail Gumpert, Misery Loves Company
  • 3rd Place – Connor Carollo, Chess with Grandpa
  • Honorable Mention – Kaiden McKleroy, Apres la nuit
  • Honorable Mention – Ella Steele, Serendipity
  • Participating artists – Kate Marks, Nhi Nguyen, Alexis Cierra St. Romain, Rylie Richards, and Isabella Vindell

The Slidell Cultural Center is located at 2055 Second Street, on the first floor of Slidell City Hall. Gallery Hours are Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12 to 4 p.m. Gallery viewings are by appointment only by calling the Department of Cultural & Public Affairs at (985) 646-4375. Same day appointments are available. Admission is free.

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St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Sunday, March 12 – Olde Towne Street Closures Announced

In preparation for the Olde Towne Merchant Association’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, several streets in the Olde Towne area will start closing at 6:00 a.m.

For public safety, any vehicle that is left parked along the parade route after 6 a.m. on Sunday, March 12, will be towed at the owners expense.

This includes sections of:

  • Bouscaren St.
  • First St.
  • Erlanger Ave.
  • Fremaux Ave.
  • Teddy Ave.
  • Front St.
  • Carey St.
  • Cousin St.
  • Robert St.
  • Brakefield St.
  • Guzman St.
  • Bryan St.
  • Cleveland Ave.
  • Bilten Ave.
  • Mayfield Ave.
  • Old Spanish Trail
  • Lee St.
  • College St.
  • William Tell St.
  • Ciruti St.

Please refer to the parade route map to see the affected streets.

The Slidell Police Department will begin closing down streets along the parade route to vehicular traffic at a later time. Please do not congregate in the streets until all the streets are closed.

 

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Olde Towne Streets closed March 18 for Elite Fishing Block Party

In preparation for the Elite Fishing Weigh-in event and Block Party on Saturday, March 18, several streets in Olde Towne Slidell will start closing at 8:00 a.m. This includes sections of Bouscaren, First and Cousin streets.

The City of Slidell is happy to partner with Elite Fishing Series, Louisiana Northshore and Olde Towne Slidell Main Street for this event on Saturday, March 18, from 10 am to 6 pm. Admission is free.

Once bollards are in place, any vehicle that is inside the perimeter will not be able to exit Olde Towne until after 6 p.m., when the bollards are removed. Once bollards are in place, no vehicles will be able to enter or leave the closed off areas in Olde Towne.

For more information about this event, please visit https://eliteredfishseries.com/tour-stop-2/

 

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Slidell hosts George Dunbar documentary screening on March 16

Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer is inviting the community to join him for the public screening of George Dunbar: Mining the Surfaces, a new documentary from WLAE-TV, on Thursday, March 16 at 6 p.m. at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium. The screening is presented in partnership by George Dunbar, WLAE, Olde Towne Arts Commission, and Olde Towne Slidell Main Street. Admission is free.

The documentary features world-renowned artist George Dunbar and covers his expansive career as an artist.

“George has made Slidell his home for many years and his inspiration can be seen throughout our community,” said Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer. “He was an integral part of creating the Slidell Commission on the Arts and the city’s Cultural Affairs Department, designing the gallery for the original Slidell Cultural Center, and creating a rich cultural atmosphere here in Slidell. I hope that everyone joins us March 16 to celebrate George.”

From WLAE-TV: “From the early days of Abstract Expressionism in New York, working with giants like Franz Kline and Willem de Kooning, showing with the former, his body of work has run like a river through the varied series and mediums over time. George Dunbar’s love of New Orleans, his inspiration derived from the landscape here, his place in the rise of modern and contemporary art in the area, and his rare approachability as an artist of voluminous contribution, are the substance of this long overdue documentary on the man and his work.”

The Slidell Municipal Auditorium is located at 2055 Second Street in Olde Towne Slidell. Doors open at 5:45 and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is free.

For more information about City of Slidell news and events, please visit MySlidell.com and the “City of Slidell, Louisiana” on Facebook.

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City offices closed Feb. 20-21 for President’s Day and Mardi Gras

In observation of President’s Day and Mardi Gras, city offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 20, and Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. Offices will reopen during regular hours on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.

Essential personnel will remain on duty, should an emergency arise. If Slidell residents experience problems with their water or sewer service, they should call the City Services 24-hour emergency hotline at (985) 643-6140.

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USAF Band of the West performs free concert on Feb. 23 in Slidell

Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer invites the public to join him on Thursday, February 23, at 6 p.m. for a concert featuring the United States Air Force Band of the West Velocity Jazz Ensemble. The concert will be held at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium and admission is free.

The USAF Band of the West is a musical organization with an outstanding record of achievement. The Airmen assigned to the band are highly-trained professional musicians who have dedicated themselves to serving their country through music.

The USAF Band of the West travels more than 125,000 miles annually and provides hundreds of performances to military and civilian audiences throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico. The organization is made up of the large ensembles Concert Band, Ceremonial Marching Band, Dimensions in Blue, and three popular music groups, Warhawk, Top Flight, and Velocity. Small ensembles within the unit include Freedom Brass, Gateway Brass, Spectrum Winds, Nightwatch, Mission Winds, and protocol combos. This diversity enables the USAF Band of the West to perform practically any style of music from classical and country to marches and mambos.

The USAF Band of the West has performed for presidents, heads of state, and dignitaries from around the world earning an outstanding reputation among America’s military bands.

The USAF Band of the West has a long lineage in the United States Air Force. The band was created on October 1st, 1941 at Moffett Field, California and moved to Enid Army Airfield soon after. With the birth of the United States Air Force in 1947, the band moved to what eventually became Lackland Air Force Base. The band was inactivated in 1955 but reactivated in 1959. The title “Band of the West” was used for years until May 1st, 1997 when it was granted official status.

The Slidell Municipal Auditorium is located at 2056 Second Street in Olde Towne Slidell. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Feb. 15, 2023 proclaimed “Safe Path to School” Day

February 15, 2023, is “Safe Path to School” Day in the City of Slidell, Louisiana to commemorate the one year anniversary of the passing of Emma Savoie, an elementary student who was struck by a vehicle at a Slidell area school last year. Mayor Greg Cromer held a press conference with St. Tammany Parish Public School System Superintendent Frank Jabbia, Dr. Andrew Pizza with Slidell Memorial Hospital, and Emma’s parents, Brent and Amy Savoie, the founders of the Emma Bell Foundation and the Safe Path to School Task Force. The goal is to bring awareness to a new public safety initiative for student safety and to increase safety protocols for students when travelling to and from school and while on the school campus.

After the tragic passing of Emma Savoie, an elementary student who was struck by a vehicle at a Slidell area school last year, the Safe Path to School Task Force was created by Emma’s family with the mission of bringing awareness of student safety by suggesting infrastructure changes to school parking lots, school zones, and public streets as well as school processes addressing students moving throughout the school grounds.

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Street closures in Olde Towne on Saturday, Feb. 11, for Krewe de Paws dog parade

In preparation for the Krewe de Paws dog parade on Saturday, Feb. 11, streets in Olde Towne Slidell will start closing at 7:30 a.m. (view the map to see which streets will be closed.) Once bollards are in place, any vehicle that is inside the perimeter of the safety zone will not be able to exit Olde Towne until after 1 p.m., when the bollards are removed. Once bollards are in place, no vehicles will be able to enter or leave the safety zone in Olde Towne.

This year’s theme is “Back in the Saddle” and Payton Malone with WWL-TV and Axle will serve as the grand marshals!

The Krewe de Paws was founded in 2009. The four-legged members of the Krewe parade in costume riding in wagons, strollers and shopping carts, pushed by their two-legged owners. Non-marching dogs are welcome along the route as well. The goal of the Krewe of Paws is to have a lot of fun, bring attention to Historic Olde Towne Slidell, and to raise money for a number of worthwhile animal assistance groups.

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Henry J. Calamari Tennis Courts closed for construction starting Feb. 13

Starting on Monday, February 13, the Henry J. Calamari Memorial Tennis Courts will be closed for construction. The original six tennis courts will be demolished and replaced with eight brand new courts. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, construction time should take 210 days. The new and improved tennis courts should reopen by September 2023. 

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Slidell Regional Education Center reopens; hosts classes from LSU, UNO and NTCC

The City of Slidell, Louisiana State University (LSU), University of New Orleans (UNO), and Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC), announced the reopening of the Slidell Regional Education Center (SREC) on Thursday, February 2, 2023. Slidell Mayor Cromer was joined by representatives from LSU, UNO, NTCC and other public officials.

“We are fortunate to able to open the Slidell Regional Education Center again,” said Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer. “SREC is important for our community as it educates our future work force and provides opportunities for our citizens to grow and enrich themselves.”

SREC originally opened in 2017 with LSU and UNO both offering professional development, continuing education courses, workshops, seminars and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) classes in Slidell. The facility closed in 2020 due to the pandemic and recently underwent a renovation.

“We are excited about reopening SREC with an expanded partnership, as NTCC joins LSU and UNO as the education providers,” said Mark Stahl, with Gulfcoast Regional Education and Training Consortium. “Also, we want to thank Mayor Cromer and the City of Slidell for their support and for remodeling the facility during the pandemic. The City of Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, and the regional business communities will all benefit.”

SREC is a collaborative partnership between LSU, UNO, and NTCC, with support from the City of Slidell and the Slidell Economic Development Alliance.

“The hope to grow and expand SREC in the future, so that our university partners can offer for-credit and master-level classes,” said Mayor Cromer. “I would like to thank Mark Stahl who has been instrumental in getting SREC started; our education partners LSU, UNO and NTCC; Slidell Economic Development Alliance for their support; and all of our Team Slidell members who had a role in making this project happen.”

LSU, UNO, NTCC and OLLI will begin offering classes this spring. Visit pace.uno.edu/srec/pace.uno.edu/srec/ to sign up and see the list of all the classes being offered.

The Slidell Regional Education Center is located at 1050 Gause Blvd. at the City of Slidell Business Campus across from Slidell Memorial Hospital.

For more information about City of Slidell news and events, please visit our website at MySlidell.com and our “City of Slidell, Louisiana” Facebook page.

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