Volume 1, Issue 1

V O L . 1 . I S S U E 1 . O C T 3 . S H R E V E P O R T . L A

S H R E V E P O R T - B O S S I E R ’ S V O I C E F O R T H E U N D E R G R O U N D

LA FILM PRIZE SCHEDULE PG. 3

Page 2 | Heliopolis | Volume 1 Issue 1 | Oct. 3, 2013 | heliopolissbc.com | #clearthelogjam

Heliopolis StaffEditor-in-Chief

Karen E. [email protected]

Managing EditorKelly McSwain

[email protected]

Content EditorsSusan Fontaine

[email protected]

Jerry [email protected]

Business ManagersMark Flentge

[email protected]

Spencer [email protected]

Layout EditorsRobyn Bradley

[email protected]

Kelly [email protected]

PHOTO EDITORTaryn Ferro

[email protected]

Mallori BrandonDr. Loren Demerath

Matt HaynesChris Lyon

Lindsay Johnson NationsMiles Jay Oliver

Robert E. TrudeauJerry Underwood

PHOTOGRAPHERSAw Snap Photography

Robert E. TrudeauCover photo by Aw Snap Photography

Pictured: Pete Fetterman, Jon Mackey & Ian Quiet

Heliopolis is published bi-weekly on Thursdays by The Front Row Press, LLC, 500 Clyde Fant Parkway, Suite 200, Shreveport, LA, 71101. No portion of this publication may be reproduced

by any means without written permission. An endorsement of information, products or services is not constituted by distribution of said publication. Views and opinions expressed do not

necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013.

HeliopolisVolume 1, Issue 1

Oct. 3, 2013

Dear Heliopolis Readers,

First of all, thank you for opening this up. We’re excited to have your eyes reading our content. In each issue, we will bring you news and entertain-ment you care about with articles written from the heart by people you probably see around town on a daily basis. And maybe some new ones, too!

Several of our staff members were part of what was formerly the Shreveport Catalyst. We appreciate the continued support as we transition to our new project. We intend to be new, innovative and com-mitted to showcasing the spectacular things the Shreveport-Bossier area has to offer in terms of arts and culture.

We love the SBC, and we want every issue to be an opening of our hearts and our love for this region. There is great potential and, as corny as it sounds, we, collectively the younger generation, are the future. There are great things happening and op-portunities are there for those willing to seize them. Come along for the ride!

Cheers! Kelly McSwain, Managing Editor Karen E. Wissing, Editor-in-Chief

Pictured (left to right): Susan Fontaine, Chris DeRosia, Ryan Mustapha, Garrett Johnson, Amjad Azzawe, Karen E. Wissing, Spencer Teekell, Taryn Ferro, Danielle Hillman Miller, Landon Miller, Matt Haynes, Jerry Underwood, Robyn Bradley, Lindsey Johnson Nations, Ashley Clark and Kelly McSwain / Photo by Robert E. Trudeau

Official Sponsor

#clearthelogjam | heliopolissbc.com | Oct. 3, 2013 | Volume 1 Issue 1 | Heliopolis | Page 3

Orange Slate

“Cabbie”“Clowns & Robbers”

“El Gato”“The Hummingbird”

“Lineman”“Patience”

“Self Storage”“Silo”

“The Sound of Trains”“Stall”

Green Slate

“5ive Courses”“The Curators”

“The Elysian Equation”“Last Call”

“Necrophilia: A Love Story”

“Red River Ode”“Ruby and the Dragon”

“Running Girl”“Samson”

“Seventeen Summers”

#lafilmprize • #lafp2013 • #vivalafilmprize

LocationsCapri Theater

620 Milam StreetShreveport, La.

71101

Robinson Film Center617 Texas StreetShreveport, La.

71101

Friday 2 p.m.

Friday 5 p.m.

Friday 8 p.m.

Friday 11 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m.

Saturday 12 p.m.

Saturday 3 p.m.

Saturday 6 p.m.

Saturday 9 p.m.

Friday 2:15 p.m.

Friday 5:15 p.m.

Friday 8:15 p.m.

Friday 11:15 p.m.

Saturday 9:15 p.m.

Saturday 12:15 p.m.

Saturday 3:15 p.m.

Saturday 6:15 p.m.

Saturday 9:15 p.m.

Friday 2:30 p.m.

Friday 5:30 p.m.

Friday 8:30 p.m.

Friday 11:30 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m.

Saturday 12:30 p.m.

Saturday 3:30 p.m.

Saturday 6:30 p.m.

Central Artstation801 Crockett Street

Shreveport, La. 71101

Filmmaker Interviews@ artspace

Friday 2 p.m. “Stall”Friday 2:30 p.m. “Samson”Friday 3:00 p.m. “Clowns & Robbers”Friday 3:30 p.m. “Ruby and the Dragon”Friday 4 p.m. “Patience”Friday 4:30 p.m. “Self Storage”Friday 5 p.m. “Running Girl”Friday 5:30 p.m. “The Hummingbird”Friday 7 p.m. “Lineman”Friday 7:30 p.m. “Red River Ode”Saturday 3 p.m. “El Gato”Saturday 3:30 p.m. “Silo”Saturday 4 p.m. “5ive Courses”Saturday 4:30 p.m. “The Elysian Equation”Saturday 5 pm. “The Curators”Saturday 5:30 p.m. “Last Call”Saturday 6 p.m. “Necrophilia: A Love Story”Saturday 6:30 p.m. “Cabbie”Saturday 7 p.m. “Seventeen Summers”Saturday 7:30 p.m. “The Sound of Trains”

2012 LA Film Prize Winners

Chris Armand, Noah Scruggs, Thomas Woodruff“The Legend of Luther Anderson”

Photo by Christopher L. Jay


MSPS New Music Festival: New Media of the American SouthBy Mallori Brandon [email protected]

The MSPS New Music Festival 2013 (MSPSNMF) sure is a mouthful. Well, to be fair, it’s technically an earful. I know you are still trying to com-prehend the name of the event, right? Not exactly sure what an MSPS is? Maybe you’re curious about our defi nition of “new music?” You’re at least still with us on the year, correct? Luckily, you have me here as your trusty, lovable reporter to break things down for you.

MSPS – the McNeill Street Pumping Station – is a pretty amazing, pretty historic, pretty fabulous venue located at 142 N. Common St. It is one of the last known steam-powered water plants in the United States and was declared a Historic National Landmark in 1982. It lays eerily quiet most of the time save for the few caretakers and some rambunctious fi eldtrips every now and again, but the entire building truly comes alive for MSPS – every leaky pipe, every squeaky wheel, every dark nook, every naked cranny.

New Music Festival – I hate to break it to you, Shreveport, but there won’t be any collaboration between Miley and John Mayer on top of one of the empty water wells. No special guest appearance by Justin Timberlake rising in a cloud of steam from behind a hissing pipe. “New music” refers to a movement in which musicians and performers use sound to create atmospheric art.

“Well, hey, Mallori, isn’t all music considered atmospheric art?” Ugh, foiled again, Joe Public, but this particular atmospheric art, unlike most other sound art, is actually created upon the inspiration of not only the soundscape of our state and our city, but also the McNeill Street Pump-ing Station itself. A majority of the artists involved will be coming into our city early, exploring and creating specifi c pieces for this year’s festival.

This year’s artists range from those deeply infused with jazz roots, to those who fi nd the groove in all things electronic. Some fall on the line right be-tween; some don’t fall on the line at all, but all are highly creative individ-uals who bring not only audio, but also visual stimulation through lights, costumes, crowd participation and a need to make the music tangible, felt by all those sharing the experience.

For those that attended the MSPS New Music Festival in 2011, there will be some familiar faces. Peter Fetterman, Dacoda Montana, Ian Quiet, Al-lison Dickson West and Jordan West will be returning to represent our city for a second time, while long-distance traveler Simon Whetham has found time to return after a long stint in South America. However, overall, this year’s festival will be full of fresh faces and sounds.

“This year’s MSPS is defi nitely building off of the success of the 2011 festival, which attracted international attention by challenging artists to engage actively with the spatial and acoustic qualities of the historic pumping station,” said minicine? Founder David Nelson. “This year the concept has been expanded to include investigation of place, both the physical landscape and history of our area. In addition, the curators, look-ing at the work of artists from the Southern United States, have expanded upon the exploration of new and experimental music to include legacies in jazz and other music forms unique to the south.” Like last year, the festival is divided into two nights. On Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m., there will a free prelude presented by UNSCENE! It will take place on the 700 block alley between Crockett and Cotton Street in downtown Shreveport. The performers will be De La Mirdster, Christian Greenwood, Peter Fetterman, Dubb Normal, Drab Ruby, Ian Quiet, Party Party Partners and Homer Flynn. This event will be open to the public and will bring life to “an urban alleyway within the bowls of the new Shreveport Common Arts District.”

The main event will, of course, take place at the McNeill Street Pump-ing Station on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. General admission will be $20 while all students carrying an ID will be able to attend for $12. Anyone under ten will be given free admission. The event will span multiple stages throughout the museum. GoGreenly and Lagniappe Catering will have various food and beverage installations set-up throughout the property as well. A shuttle will be provided for those who choose to park on Common

Street to avoid the overfl ow parking at the Waterworks Museum.

Artists who will be performing on this night will include Them Natives; Hop Torvald; Alvin Fielder; Kidd Jordan; Chris Parker; Dickey Landry; Jason Robira; Diamond Terrifi er; Magicicada; Duane Pitre; Sunwatchers; Simon Whetham; James Eck Rippie; Andrew Raffo-Dewar; Brad Davis; Jon Mackey; Allison and Jordan West (the Occidentalists); Greg Randall; Rick Silva; Talice Lee; Dacoda Montana; Andrew Blanton; Morehshin Allahyari and the Party Party Partners.

The MSPS New Music Festival is truly an event that is unique to not only our city and state, but to our country as well. Curators Robert Peterson and Robert Greenwood have spent the better part of the last two years planning for this event despite living across the country and spending a majority of their days traveling. Their belief in creating something magi-cal for our city is incredibly inspiring. With the help of the minicine? crew of David Nelson, April Dahm and Jon Mackey (amongst countless other volunteers), this festival brings in national and international acts while spotlighting our locals whose visions go beyond the scope of the Shreve-port city limits. It celebrates our culture in such a way that one cannot help but feel proud. What we consider an old building transforms into a fantasy land for one night; what we consider a dirty street or mucky swamp becomes a soundscape for an artist that will be heard by people for years to come.

Even if you have no clue what to expect; even if you cannot remember the full name of the event; even if you have no idea what I am talking about – do yourself a favor and make plans to be at this festival. There will be something lurking in some part of the Waterworks Museum that will make you happy that you came, proud of your home, and excited to have been a part of something unlike anything else.

McNeill St. Pumping Station New Music Festival 2013


“The Shreveport Waterworks, long known as the McNeill Street Pumping Station (MSPS), was once literally connected to every home and business in the city. It represents a sort of metaphorical heart and arteries that tie us all,” said David Nelson, founder of the MSPS New Music Festival. “It’s a place from which to share new directions and work of some of Shreveport’s - and the world’s - exceptional artists. Water, air, earth and fi re, these things all seem interchangeable with audio, video, installations and art.”

Nelson is also the founder and director of Shreveport’s avant garde microcinema called minicine? For 18 years, minicine? has provided a platform for independent fi lm, music and art.

As early as 2002, minicine? presented a fest at the Shreveport Waterworks Museum. “For this program we turned a 20-foot strip of lawn between two deep, football fi eld-sized concrete basins into an outdoor cinema,” said Nelson. “Inside the building we hosted hidden art exhibits, a drum circle and other musicians. The goal was to initiate a search and discover experience, with audience both experiencing the various media and the unique spaces of the Water-works.”

Nelson knew the Waterworks as did few in Shreveport. In the late 1990’s, newly returned from a twenty-year odyssey in Texas and New Mexico, he was invited to join the MSPS Preservation Society. He saw that “it was one of Shreveport’s secret treasures, as both an architectural and engineering landmark.”

The evening at the Waterworks was fi lmed by PBS: WNET-NY and aired on a program called EGG: the arts show. “They were documenting the microcinema movement taking place nationally,” remembers Nelson.

In 2009, minicine? created a prototype event for the MSPS New Music Festival. “By this time we also had set up a 501(c)3 nonprofi t organization known as Swampland, Inc., with a Board of Directors. We primarily focused on site-specifi c performances and installations by artists whose work did not otherwise have appropriate venues available in Shreveport.”

The theme was “Sound and Space Experiments,” and it featured local artists Peter Fetterman and Destiny Toro on amplifi ed saw, tongs and fi ddle. Also performing were Ian Quiet, Allison Dickson West, Jordan West, Jon Mackey and Christopher Alexander.

It was headlined by the downtown New York duo Phantom Or-chard: Zeena Parkins on harp and Ikue Mori on computer. Video was projected high upon the aged walls of the pump room. Experi-mental sonicalia emanated from every cul-de-sac and closet in the Waterworks. Andrew Parsons designed food installations for each artist’s area.

Robert Peterson and Robert Greenwood joined the team as cura-tors in 2011. An international call to artists challenged them to “play the building” and make site-specifi c art. On the fi rst night artists performed on Texas Avenue in a roofl ess building; the walls were thick with vines and trees. “Under a full moon it was magical,” said Nelson.

“At the Waterworks, the headliner was Canadian artist Tim Hecker, whose cathedralesque sounds memorably fi lled the immense volume of the main pump room and rattled the windows.” Also playing were artists from Iceland, England, Argentina and across the USA.

Simon Whetham of Bristol, UK, arrived at the pumping station a week early to make fi eld sound recordings at the site. His work was later released on the Berlin label aufabwegen under the title “Hy-drostatic.” Brooklyn sound artist Eli Kezler utilized a 30 foot high outdoor chlorine storage tower as the armature for an array made up of hundreds of feet of piano wire that stretched out across a vast settling basin. They were featured on NPR and other international media following the event.

“Local videographer Dacoda Montana used the 15’ concrete walls of an underground basin for a fi ve-projector video and live sound installation. Andrew Parsons hung bananas and apples from the low branches of a spreading oak.”

Visitors love the event: “The most common remark we hear from visitors is: ‘I had no idea this existed in Shreveport!’ In many cases, they are referring to the Waterworks. In other cases, they are re-ferring to the uniqueness of the artists gathered. For most it is the combination.”

PRESENCING:NEW MEDIA OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH

Detailed information about artists and scheduling can be found at www.mspsnmf.com

Friday Oct. 11De La MirdsterChristian GreenwoodPeter FettermanDubb NormalIan QuietParty Party PartnersDrab RubyHomer Flynn

Saturday Oct. 12Them NativesHopi TorvaldSimon Whetham / James Eck RippieAndrew Raffo-Dewar / Brad DavisAndrew Blanton / Morehshin AllahyariAlvin Fielder / Kidd Jordan / Chris ParkerDickey Landry / Jason RobiraDiamond Terri�erAllison & Jordan WestGreg RandallRick Silva / Talice LeeDacoda MontanaMagicicadaDuane PitreSunwatchers Jon Mackey

www.mspsnmf.com

PRESENCING:NEW MEDIA OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH

Friday Oct. 11 (7pm-11pm) MSPS Prelude: Presented by UnSceneAdmission: FREE 700 Block Alley betwixt Crockett & Cotton StreetDowntown Shreveport, LA 71101

Saturday Oct. 12 (7pm - 11pm) MSPS New Music Festival 2013Admission: $20 (Get tickets online & at the door) Shreveport Waterworks Museum142 N. Common. St.Shreveport, LA 71101

Detailed information about artists and scheduling can be found at www.mspsnmf.com

Friday Oct. 11De La MirdsterChristian GreenwoodPeter FettermanDubb NormalIan QuietParty Party PartnersDrab RubyDrab RubyHomer Flynn

Saturday Oct. 12Them NativesHopi TorvaldSimon Whetham / James Eck RippieAndrew Raffo-Dewar / Brad DavisAndrew Blanton / Morehshin AllahyariAlvin Fielder / Kidd Jordan / Chris ParkerAlvin Fielder / Kidd Jordan / Chris ParkerDickey Landry / Jason RobiraDiamond Terri�erAllison & Jordan WestGreg RandallRick Silva / Talice LeeDacoda MontanaMagicicadaDuane PitreSunwatchers Jon Mackey

The MSPS New Music Festival 2013 will contexture experimental tendencies, legacies, and new directions in music and art installation in an inquisitive look at new media of the American South.new media of the American South.

www.mspsnmf.com

Visionary at Work: David Nelson’s minicine?, Swampland and MSPS New Music FestivalBy Robert E. Trudeau [email protected]

McNeill St. Pumping Station New Music Festival 2013


Invested in individuality and inspired by her “swamp rat muse,” Kathryn Usher avidly supports artists’ rights and defends free expression. From iPhone photography collections, to graffiti, to art camps for kids, she adds a unique flair to our community with diverse and creative passions.

The request for our meeting place was a simple one: “somewhere in Highland.” As we sat on the patio at Stir, located at the corner of Creswell and East Kings, she began with a story about the pain from the sudden death of her husband of 25 years and how it led to a catalytic reaction on her creativity.

“It was a horrible, horrible year,” Usher said, “and I think that any way that anybody does grief and mourns is okay, ‘cause there’s no right or wrong way to do it.”

An inspired individual from a very early age, Usher decided instead of “making snow angels in the carpet” of despair following her hus-band’s overdose, she would put her drive into finding the rhythm of her life through a variety of artistic media, fostering what was born in her childhood home of Tulsa, Okla.

“I was really lucky… I was creative and had a lot of room to ex-plore simply by the way my parents parented. So, I spent a lot time reading, being myself. I didn’t need anybody else around to just really entertain myself,” she said.

In the late 70’s, Usher attended the Oklahoma Summer Arts Insti-tute for a series of summers. Of these early days, she said, “For two weeks, you sweated your ass off. And you worked intensively dur-ing the day, and at night, they wanted you to learn cross-discipline things. Like, I got to work with William Stafford, who’s a pretty well-known poet. Richard Avedon came. Fritz Scholder.”

Usher confessed that the richly textured artistic backdrop served only as the beginning of her education. She fell in love, left college and started a family. “I don’t want to represent myself as someone who’s got a degree or knows a whole lot,” she said. “I just ask ques-tions. That’s how I learn…by asking questions.” Although she may not consider herself an expert, Usher is definitely well-informed when it comes to art, which she defines as “a human expression of emotion, a human form of communication that’s in a finished and polished format. You can be creative. You’ve applied some aesthetic choices. You’ve done some editing. You go: ‘this has an idea in it that I want people to see, and I’m communicating an emotion.’” After settling in Shreveport, she found a home in radio. While working for 96.5 KVKI-FM, Usher said, “I was offered the morn-ing show at KRMD. It was [called] ‘Casey and Kathryn.’ We were the first male-female morning show team on a country station in Shreveport.”

She candidly admitted this was a pivotal time for her as a blossom-ing adult, albeit one fraught with some of the slings and arrows that befall many during those formative years. “I was hangin’ out at Shreve Square, drinking and going home with all kinds of men.” She went on to acknowledge she has “always used food, alcohol and hoarding to deal.” Eventually, Usher found sobriety, and that by using the tools learned in addictive behavior recovery, she could channel her energies into something positive: her art. Like the myriad of other creative women and men living and work-ing in the Shreveport area, Usher sees both positives and negatives to surviving as an artist in the city. She is currently battling public policy and the ideologies of the local majority, especially regarding one of her favored disciplines as a street artist, a seemingly foreign concept to many people.

“You can have street art as simple as kids takin’ off their tennis shoes, throwing it up over some power lines and marking your terri-tory. You can have some graffiti. You can have a can of spray paint and just do a mark… mark your territory, and say: ‘I’m here, this is me’ to the world… There are many different levels, depending on how much time and energy and money you have. You have street art where people have been killed in accidents, and people have me-morials. That’s a form of street art. It’s just a way of marking that you’re here and that you’re human.”

Usher recently turned up the publicity on her street art passion after a wall she had embellished with partner Nadine Charity was paint-ed over by the City of Shreveport. Granted, some would consider the work graffiti, and she doesn’t totally disagree, but she notes graf-fiti as street art is not new to the area.

“We had a show in 2009 at artspace that was put on by the official arts department of the city, which is the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. They brought in known graffiti artists to build this show.”

On the difference between graffiti and street art, Usher said, “I think they’re all related. I think they’re human expression. You have some street art that gets into advertising. You have, in bigger cities, known street artists. Why are they known: because they’ve done things illegally. [They] are now being tapped by companies because it is so cool. And there’s even controversy in some cities where mu-rals are no longer allowed unless they’re approved because they just want to stop that form of expression for whatever reason. It’s good to have dialogue. It’s good to talk about it.” Emphasizing the need for support within and for the local artist community, Usher expressed why she believes the city struggles to retain local artists. “I think if we don’t make this a city where color and creative expression is encouraged, then we lose our kids. They go to Portland. They go to Austin. They go to Seattle. If you’re not in a city that you think that you can be yourself, it’s a real challenge, so you go somewhere where you can be yourself.”

She further explained what she sees as the biggest challenges facing Shreveport’s art movement today. “We don’t have a dialogue where the artists are getting connected to collectors. We have nonprofits that love to suck from the tit of the artist and say, ‘Give us your artwork for our fundraiser.’ And normally, the artist is not invited to the event. Normally, the artist is not given any information on who purchased the artwork, how much it was purchased for, so they can’t make the connection to that person that is collecting their art. I would encourage local artists not to do that anymore. There are other ways that you can support your favorite nonprofit.”

Usher also stressed that members and supporters of the arts com-munity should take a much more active role in universal backing for local artists and their work. She suggested the creative public band together to support each other.

Not one to be idle, Usher runs nearly continuously trending Face-book, Twitter and Instagram feeds, as well as uploading videos on her Vine account. She and Charity also have an upcoming podcast they’re hoping to produce through the Tipitina’s Music Co-Op in downtown Shreveport. With plans this fall to launch her first solo show through the Meadows Museum of Art, Kathryn Usher war-rants close following in the burgeoning arts scene.

Local Artist Profile: Kathryn UsherBy Miles Oliver [email protected]

“I think if we don’t make this a city where color and creative expression is encouraged, then we lose our kids,” said Artist Kathryn Usher. / Photo by Christine Bradley


It wasn’t long ago that Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors and Pabst Brewing Company completely dominated the nation’s brewery scene. Most of us have consumed one (or all) of these macro-brewed beers, but an increasing number of us are trading in these mass-produced lagers for fuller fl avored craft beers.

Craft breweries are defi ned as small, traditional and independent. Small, in the quantity of beer produced (less than 6 million bar-rels of beer a year); using traditional ingredients such as malted barley, sometimes adding non-traditional ingredients to enhance the fl avor and independent, meaning not more than 25 percent of the brewery is owned by a non-craft brewing entity.

For the last two decades, America’s microbreweries have been creating fl avorful craft beers, thus injecting some much needed creativity into the this country’s brewing scene. The rise of craft breweries can be attributed to many factors; arguably some of the leading factors being a desire for variety, more fl avor and a higher quality product.

If you want variety, you are in luck. According to the Brewers Association (a trade group and organization representing Ameri-can beer manufacturers), there are more than 2,500 American breweries today. That’s more than at any time since the late 1800’s and more than any other nation in the world. Over 2,300 of those breweries are craft breweries with nearly 1,600 more in the planning phases. What this means to the consumer is simple: handcrafted beer, new creative beer styles and more variety will be available in more local bars.

Two of those 1,600 breweries-in-planning will call Shreveport home. Stay tuned for grand openings from local breweries Great Raft Brewing and Red River Brewing Company. Both have plans to begin production in the coming months. Meanwhile, the next time you go to a bar or restaurant, challenge yourself to try some-thing new by requesting one of the new craft beers available in our market.

Drink craft beer, and support the underdog – America’s small, independent craft brewers.

Lindsay Nations is Founder and Vice President of Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport. Image courtesy of CraftBeer.com.

The DishBlue Southern Comfort Foods

By Matt Haynes [email protected]

Blue Southern Comfort Foods1173 Louisiana Ave.

Mon. & Tues. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Wed. to Fri. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. & 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

Comfort is recession proof.

After her Dallas business faltered and fell in the midst of the re-cession, Carolyn Manning came back to Shreveport to open the restaurant and beer garden that had always been her dream.

I walked into the small blue building on Louisiana Avenue and was surprised at how much bigger it is on the inside. Tables are arranged in a slightly asymmetrical fashion, with curtains keeping out most of the blazing sun. A gentle breeze circulated the room, accompanied by the smell and sound of meat sizzling, reminding me of one of those old country diners that make me nostalgic for a time that was never mine.

Insisting that I eat, Manning proceeded to make me a steak sand-wich – which should be considered a national resource – while she and her daughter took a few minutes out of their busy schedule to discuss how their restaurant came to be.

“When the economy went bad, I kind of lost everything,” Manning said. “So I started a catering business that went really well.”

She explained how she continued the business “full steam” and evolved it into a restaurant a year later.

Manning’s dedication to her business and her customers is astound-ing, as she gave me a brief glimpse into her day, which begins at 4 a.m. each day to begin cooking. She tries to buy as much local pro-duce as possible and makes everything from scratch, which explains why she is on her way to work and toiling in a 120-degree kitchen before most of us have hit the snooze buttons on our alarms.

“It’s like cooking three thanksgiving dinners every day,” said Man-ning as she goes down the list of what she cooks. “I don’t decide what to cook until I get up that morning.”

And what exactly is on the menu? Many swear by Manning’s burg-ers as being some of the best in town, and they certainly account for a large percentage of her daily orders. The menu also includes steak salads, sandwiches, pulled pork on a bed of four-cheese grits, pot roast, spare ribs, fried okra and countless other items that include homemade barbecue sauce, homemade salad dressings and her very own creation – bacon jam.

Aside from having renovated an abandoned property into a cozy restaurant and working daily from the break of dawn, Manning confesses some of her future plans. She hopes to turn the building behind Blue into a smokehouse where she can prepare her own meats and pos-sibly provide bottled versions of homemade sauces and dressings for the locals to take home.

Manning is an experienced chef, as well as an example of creativ-ity and ingenuity at any age; an inspiration proving that no matter how diffi cult things can become for us as a country, it is possible to pursue your passions and create something good for yourself and your community.

“This is my do-over,” she said as she clears away my empty plate. “And I’m having a blast.”

If any of you are wondering where the name “Blue Southern Com-fort Foods” comes from, stop by and ask Manning yourself.

Friday,october 18norlapreservationproject.com

All funds will go towards the

rehab and repurpose of

6 historic shotgun houses into a retail and

dining development in downtown Shreveport.

More detailsonline!

oCTobER 18

The PourCraft Beer Rising

By Lindsey Johnson Nations


Pet of the Week

Our pet of the week is Oliver from Shreveport Bossier Animal Rescue. Oliver was found beside a road in Haughton, La., by a concerned resident. He was starved, covered in fleas and likely near death. After being taken in from the Shreveport Bossier Animal Rescue, Oliver was taken straight to the vet where he was given a good bath, a bowl of food and began being nursed back to health. As a friendly cat currently in foster care, Oliver just wants a good home. To adopt Oliver, visit shreveportbossieranimalrescue.org and click on “adopt.”

Heliopolis readers, let me introduce you to the local citizens’ nonprofit organization devoted to discussing ideas for improving local quality of life: ABetterShreveport.

We hold meetings open to the public every Monday evening, 6-7 p.m., at the Wright Math Building on Woodlawn Avenue on the Centenary campus. (That’s across the street from the library just up from the Gold Dome.) Join us any time to offer your own perspective on an issue we’re discussing, maybe toss an altogether new idea into the mix, and you can always attend simply to listen.

Usually, a meeting will have a theme. On Monday, Oct. 7, we’ll be focused on how to make Shreveport more bikeable, so we’re calling on anyone to attend who’s willing to help make that happen. You can help us in mapping optimal bike routes, planning a used bicycle depot and coop-erative or joining a crew for bike symbol street painting on an upcoming Saturday.

Themes to come this season include downtown retail, community gardening at the Barnwell, building nature trails and walkways and converting drainage ditches to bike paths.

We hope you’ll tune into our radio show, too. “Time for ABetterShreveport” airs Mondays at 5 p.m. on 91.3 KSCL-FM. We out-line the agenda for the meeting at 6 p.m., and we feature guests, ranging from community leaders working on city projects, to residents modeling lifestyles that get more out of life here, to distinguished guest speakers that Centenary College brings to town and, yes, government agency directors and local politicians.

We also preview upcoming events in town that lack big marketing budg-ets, and we bring to the public the smaller ticket, less well-known enter-tainment values in town, including live performances by musical guests.

Visit us on Facebook or at our blog, abettershreveport.blogspot.com, and let us know what YOU think would give us a better Shreveport!

Dr. Loren Demerath is Chair of the Sociology Department at Centenary College and Executive Director of ABetterShreveport.

Living LocalABetterShreveport Calls All Bicyclists Oct. 7

By Dr. Loren Demerath

Documents

Volume 1, Issue 1