Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
Veterans Day ceremonies planned A Veterans Day ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Nov. 8 at the Lemann Memorial Center in Donaldsonville. The event will include a pop-up shop from noon to 4 p.m. A Gonzales veteran parade will start at 2 p.m., Nov. 9, sponsored by the Ascension Veterans Memorial Park Foundation. The route is Irma Boulevard to Worthy Road to Burnside Avenue and ends on Cornerview Street. In Gonzales, veterans will be honored during an 11 a.m. ceremony Nov. 11 at Ascension Veterans Memorial Park, 612-S. Irma Blvd. The Donaldsonville VFW Post 3766 and American Legion Post 98 are sponsoring the day. For more information, call (225) 223-3641. Family Fest in Donaldsonville A Community Fall Fest for Families with children is planned from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the River Road African American Museum, Donaldsonville. Food, health screening and activities are planned for the day, which is sponsored by the museum and Aetna Better Health of Louisiana. Needs pecans cracked The Arc of East Ascension is offering pecan-cracking for 50 cents a pound. Drop of your pecans Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1122 S. East Ascension Complex Blvd., Gonzales. For more information, call (225) 621-2000. Splash pads closed for season The Ascension Parish splash pads at Oak Grove and South Louisiana Fairground are closed for the season. Ascension GOP Roundtable announces November speaker Retired Brigadier Gen. Paul Warfield Tibbets IV will be the featured speaker at the November Ascension GOP Roundtable, sponsored by Ascension Republican Women. The Roundtable is set for 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 at the Clarion Inn, 1500 W. La. 30 in Gonzales. Tibbets is the grandson of Paul W. Tibbets Jr., the pilot of the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in human factors engineering, Tibbets was inspired to join the United States Air Force, not by his famous grandfather but by his father, Paul W. Tibbets III, a pharmacist and hospital administrator who served in the United States Army Reserve, retiring as a colonel. Tibbets IV served as deputy director for nuclear operations in the Global Operations Directorate of the United States Strategic Command, where he was responsible for the nuclear mission of the nation's ballistic missile submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers. In June 2015, he assumed command of the 509th Bomb Wing. In July 2017, he became Deputy Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, retiring on 1 Dec. 2018. Cost of the lunch is $30. Guests can prepay with Pay Pal by visiting paypal.me/ARW225 or with Venmo. Reservations are requested. A $5 room fee will be collected for those not dining. RSVP: (225) 921-5187 or email ARWUS3@gmail.com. Food distributions set Ascension Parish's commodity distribution is set for the second Tuesday of each month in Donaldsonville and the second Wednesday of the month in Gonzales. Distributions are from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Frank Sotile Jr. Pavilion in Donaldsonville and the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.
