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If you have any information for the Community Calendar, please email it to justin.schuver@bogalusadailynews.com.

 

Bogalusa Easter egg hunt

The city of Bogalusa will have its annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 3, from 10 a.m. until noon at Cassidy Park. There will be free admission. Find the golden egg, and win a new bike. The hunt will have 6,000 candy-filled eggs, and also feature a “special appearance” by special cartoon friends.

 

Easter egg give away drive-through

The Spartanette Service Club will have an Easter Egg Give-away Drive-Through on Saturday, April 3, from noon until 1:30 p.m. at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Young, 919 S. Dauphine St. There is no charge. The drive-through will have candy-filled eggs, and the Easter Bunny will be on hand to greet the children.

 

FOCUS Franklinton community bike ride

Tuesday, April 6, will be the “FOCUS Franklinton” community bike ride. The schedule is as follows: 10:30 a.m. until 11 a.m., meet at Jack Brown’s; 11 a.m., begin one-mile bike ride; 11:30 a.m., end at the Franklinton Branch Library; 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., activities and vendors. All ages are welcome. No ATVs or golf carts. FOCUS stands for Franklinton Organized Community Unified Support.

 

Testing for home-schooled students

All third-12th grade home-schooled students are invited to participate in the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP), which will be administered in Washington Parish schools beginning in April. If you are planning to enroll your student in a Washington Parish school for the 2021-22 school year, it is recommended that your student take the LEAP now rather than testing later for enrollment. All students are welcome to test, even if you plan to continue home-schooling during the 2021-22 school year. Please contact the school in your district before Wednesday, April 7, if your student will participate in LEAP this spring.

 

YMCA chicken plate fund-raiser

The Bogalusa YMCA will be having a smoked chicken plate fund-raiser on Tuesday, April 13. Pick-up will be available from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and the plates can be picked up at Nothing But Tha Smoke food stand, located at 424 Superior Ave. in Bogalusa. The cost is $10 each.

 

Yoga and meditation classes

Riverstone Gallery and Holistic Art Center, located at 415 S. Columbia St., offers a variety of yoga classes throughout the week. Tuesdays is “Gentle Yoga” at noon — this is perfect for beginners, seniors or anyone who wants to take it slow. Tuesdays also has “Yoga Flow” at 6 p.m. — this class focuses on the breath, and is slow to moderately paced. Thursdays is “Meditation Yoga” for all ages and abilities. Saturdays is “Gentle Yoga” at 11 a.m. — an easy-going pace, with a focus on flexibility and relaxation. Classes are $12 each, or purchase a four-class pass for $40. For more information, call 985-516-6919, or message the center on Facebook.

 

COVID-19 vaccines available

Rural Behavioral Health Services, located at 59448 Highway 10 W. in Bogalusa, has COVID-19 vaccines. Call 985-732-0253 for appointments. Walk-ins welcome. To receive your vaccine, bring a photo ID, proof of insurance (if applicable) and know your date of birth. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until noon and 12:30 p.m. until 4 p.m.

 

Public wi-fi locations

The Washington Parish Library System recently acquired state funding to boost their existing public wi-fi in order to further assist the students of Washington Parish who must do class work virtually. The signal at each branch has been strengthened considerably and usage is unlimited by any number of people. Each branch also has Hot Spots to check out to patrons who have limited access to internet at home or live in rural areas with little internet access. For more information, contact any branch: Bogalusa at 985-735-1961, Franklinton at 985-839-7805, Enon at 985-839-9385 or Thomas at 985-848-7061.

 

Montalbano Patriotic Award scholarship

Applications are available for the Montalbano Patriotic Award and can be picked up at the parish offices of Annunciation Catholic Church in Bogalusa and Holy Family Catholic Church in Franklinton. All graduating high school seniors who are members of either of these parishes are eligible to apply. The application/resume must include a small picture, and a 300-word, double-spaced essay titled, “What it Means to be a Catholic American.” The purpose of this essay and application is to highlight the applicant’s patriotism and Catholicism. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Deadline for the packet to be turned in to the respective church offices is the Friday, April 16. This award is sponsored by the Father Hubert Bordenave Assembly Patriotic Degree in memory of Frank and Ignatius Montalbano for their dedicated service to the Catholic faith and the Knights of Columbus. There will be two one-time awards of $250 each, one going to a member of Annunciation Parish and one to a member of Holy Family Parish.

 

Bogalusa Help Center

Bogalusa Help Center, the local food bank, is now a drive-through operation located at 350 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. It is open from 8 a.m. until noon every Wednesday (except the fifth Wednesday of a month), providing food to those in need in our community. Since partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank/USDA, and with generous donations from our community, BHC now distributes 35 to 40 pounds of food to each client each month, serving over 400 families each month. These distributions include canned goods, meat, dry beans, peanut butter, fresh fruit and vegetables, and more. New clients can apply each week. They must provide the following to determine qualification: name of head of the household; driver’s license or ID; address; number of persons in the household and ages; and SNAP or SSI printout, or proof of income of all in the household. Donations are always very much needed and are very much appreciated. For more information, BHC may be reached at 985-735-6404 every Wednesday.