Avoyelles Pages Past
By Donna Culotta
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90 Years Ago
From our Sept. 26, 1936 editions
Federal loans to Avoyelles Parish farmers from May 1933 to July 1, 1936 totaled nearly $300,000.
E. J. Beridon, Jr. conducted a sale of choice mules and horses.
Gaston Maillett, Bordelonville High ag teacher urged people to inoculate winter beans for the best results.
Roy Gagnard was elected president of the Bobby Jones FFA Chapter.
80 Years Ago
From our Sept. 28, 1946 editions
Pope Pius XII received a ton of sweet potatoes from the Opelousas yam farmers.
Frank Lena III of Evergreen, a proud 14-year old Bunkie High School freshman with eight fine acres of sugar cane, was named the Outstanding Sugar Cane Farmer of Avoyelles Parish for 1966.
Marksville businessmen formed the “Marksville Merchants Association.”
Nolan Edwards was elected president of the Marksville High School senior class and Teen Normand was also elected president of the Mansura High senior class. At Hessmer High, Jerry Lee Guillory was elected president of the Literary Society and Genevieve Rachal was elected president of the Home Ec Club.
70 Years Ago
From our Sept. 29, 1956 editions
Billie Jon Mulhearn of Bunkie was crowned queen of the Louisiana Livestock and Pasture Festival.
Dr. Elliott Roy of Mansura was elected president of the Eighth District Catholic Physicians Guild and Dr. Elmo Laborde of Marksville was named a delegate to the state meeting of the La. Academy of General Practice.
At Marksville High School, John Couvillion was elected president of the senior class and the school also celebrated Constitution Week.
W.A. Quirk, III was elected president of the FFA at Bunkie High School.
Mike Gauthier at Moreauville High was chosen as senior class president.
The Marksville Garden Club received a ribbon from the Cotton Festival Flower Show.
60 Years Ago
From our Sept. 29, 1966 editions
Two queens were crowned, Claire Robin at Hessmer High and Wanda Maddie at Simmesport High.
C.C. Gremillion was elected as school board member from Ward 7.
The Avoyelles Home Demonstration Council was slated to sponsor the Women’s Division at the La. Livestock and Pasture Festival.
Mrs. Cornelia Couvillion Voinche of Bunkie passed away.
Darrell Fontane of Hessmer High was awarded the $500 Associated General Contractors of America Scholarship.
Six thousand acres of Land in Avoyelles were leased to Ag Producers.
50 Years Ago
From our Sept. 30, 1976 editions
Estine and Theresa Barron of Bunkie celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.
Avoyelles Parish farm income over the past year totaled over $44 million.
Philip Fanara, owner of the Dixie Dandy in Bunkie, was elected to the board of directors from the Eighth Congressional District for the Louisiana Retailers Association.
Verline Gagnard, program assistant for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service in Avoyelles, received a certificate of training.
At Hessmer High, Gregory Juneau was elected president of the FFA and Sherry Roy was chosen vice-president of the school band.
40 Years Ago
From our Sept. 27, 1986 editions
Mansura Mayor Harold Quebedeaux was re-elected.
Ronald Roy, Patricia Ours and Glinda Ducote were selected by the school board as Teachers of the Year.
Buck Earnest, who had been in the dry cleaning business for 26 years in Bunkie, was shutting down as he retired.
Faye Williams and Clyde Holloway qualified for the Eighth District Congressional run-off election.
Dr. Philip M. Laborde announced the opening of his Marksville office.
Mr. and Mrs. Estine Barron of Bunkie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
Shane Carmounche of Cottonport was chosen as a resident assistant for the semester at Northeast Louisiana University.
30 Years Ago
From our Sept. 26, 1996 editions
Jeanette Knoll of Marksville was elected to a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court.
In the Bunkie local elections City Judge James Mixon easily won re-election and in the Ward 10 Marshal’s race, Leon Franklin won with 74% of the vote.
In the judge’s election Mike Johnson was re-elected.
Billy Bennett and Kerry Spruill were in a run-off.
Paul Gauthier was elected mayor of Cottonport; Mark Jeansonne was elected mayor of Hessmer and Craig Couvillon was elected mayor of Simmesport.
The Marksville Tigers football team defeated Oakdale and remained perfect with a 3-0 season start.
Bunkie PD with help from an off-duty Sheriff deputy, Shannon Horton, arrested a man who had broken into Steele’s Florist.
20 Years Ago
From our Sept, 28, 2006 editions
Plans were underway to to kill the vegetation that was choking waterways in Spring Bayou, making fishing and boating nearly impossible.
The Cottonport Town Council raised fines for loud music hoping it would deter the problems that had been ongoing in the town.
Bunkie voters approved a 1/2 cent sales tax increase. It passed 640 or 78% to 180 or 22%. The funds were earmarked for a 15% city employees pay raise.
The Avoyelles High Homecoming court consisted of: Emily Bordelon, Britney Bordelon, Magen Arabie, Jalisa Draper, Tiffany Dalgo, Kelly Durand and Kelsey Moreau.
10 Years Ago
From our Sept. 29, 2016 editions
The USDA listed Avoyelles Parish as a disaster area due to the August flooding and eligible for federal disaster assistance.
Mayor John Lemoine canceled the traditional Halloween Haunted House at Marksville City Hall due to key volunteers helping families in flood-ravaged South Louisiana.
A conversational French class, sponsored by the CODOFIL and taught by retired teacher Gail Descant was held at the Marksville library on Saturday mornings.
Teachers of the month were Heather Hamilton, Shelby Garrison, Renee Bell, Wanda Clark, ReSheda Gulley, Sarah Armand, Lauren Ducote, Michel Morgan, Yvonne Saucier and Peria Pagan.
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