PFLAG Alexandria LA will host its next Connect meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 6-8 p.m., at 357 Windermere Blvd.
As the clock winds down on 2024, people across the globe prepare to usher in a new year with joy, reflection, and hope. New Year’s Eve is a night of celebration, marked by centuries-old traditions and contemporary festivities that unite communities and cultures in a shared moment of anticipation.
The history of New Year’s Eve dates back to ancient times when the Babylonians celebrated their new year with an 11-day festival in spring. The Romans later shifted the celebration to January 1, following the introduction of the Julian calendar. Today, the countdown to midnight remains a universal symbol of transition and renewal.
Modern celebrations vary widely. In Times Square, New York City, the famous ball drop attracts millions of viewers, a tradition that began in 1907. In Sydney, Australia, dazzling fireworks light up the harbor, while in Spain, revelers eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight for good luck. Japan rings in the New Year with the ringing of bells at temples, symbolizing purification and a fresh start.
Closer to home, families and friends gather for house parties, dining on festive dishes like black-eyed peas for prosperity and champagne toasts for celebration. Whether you’re attending a glamorous gala or enjoying a quiet evening with loved ones, New Year’s Eve offers a chance to reflect on the past year’s achievements and set intentions for the year ahead.
RPPJ reported that crews are out removing fallen trees. They are working on dead end roads first. Some have power lines in them, and Cleco has to assist in getting them safely accessible. Please stay off roadways if possible. There is still flooding in low lying areas. Many roads are closed due to flooding. Stay safe!
Since the end of November and throughout December, the City of Alexandria has reported on several successful Fight the Blight projects. The City asserts that each cleared site marks steady progress toward a safer, improved community.
Recent sites of Fight the Blight project completions include:
Come see the newly renovated Entertainment Center (formerly the Expo Hall) next to Rapides Parish Coliseum with performances by Rearranged (Little River Band Tribute), Knuckle Sammich, and The Cartoons on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, at 6pm.
Tickets are $10 or $5 with 2 nonperishable food items. Food items will be donated to the Food Bank of Central Louisiana.
The Entertainment Center is the perfect place for intimate concert experiences, as well as parties, receptions, banquets, and trade shows.
Tickets are available the Coliseum Box Office or at the door on the day of the show.
A proposed Title IX rule by the Biden-Harris administration was withdrawn on Friday, Dec. 20. This proposed rule would have required all publicly-funded schools to allow athletes to participate in female sports if those individuals identify as female.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced earlier this year that 18 school boards filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration in response to the proposed rule. The Rapides Parish School Board was included in that lawsuit and was the first school board in Louisiana to file suit.
RPSB Superintendent Jeff Powell provided the following statement in response to the withdrawal of the proposed rule:
“We were excited to hear about the Biden Administration’s pulling of their proposed Title IX regulations that would have redefined biological sex and potentially put our female students in harm’s way. As cited in a recent news article, it was because of the over 125,000 public comments and numerous lawsuits that led to this action. I am thankful that the Rapides Parish School Board, our attorney, Mike Johnson, and the Alliance for Defending Freedom stood up to this attempt by the federal government to create chaos in our public schools. We are also thankful for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and her support for Rapides Parish and our great state in leading this fight.”
Trailers will be out from the evening of Monday, Dec. 30, to the morning of Thursday, Jan. 2.
The Town of Cheneyville reported a change on Thursday to its holiday sanitation schedule. Trash pickup will be Monday, Dec. 30, instead of today, Dec. 27. The town apologized for the the inconvenience.
The Alexandria Farmers Market has closed for 2024. It will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
The Market reported that 2024 was very successful, with 50 markets for the year. They expressed hope that their vendors, staff, and amazing shoppers will have a fantastic holiday. They cannot wait to see everyone in 2025.
An usher was escorting visitors to a seat in the sanctuary. As they walked down the aisle the usher inquired, “Clapping or non-clapping?” You can stir up some hot mess debates about clapping in the church, especially when the clapping follows a musical selection. Congregations have been applauding children’s programs and Choir cantatas as we roll through this season. Applause breaks out every Christmas season, even in the most staid of congregations.
I think we should add applause to our Christmas celebrations.
A brief history of applause tells us that it became a more formalized cultural convention in the early days of the theater. Roman theater audiences, for example, were told “Valete et plaudite!” “Goodbye and applause” at the end of every performance, which was the ancient equivalent of today’s “Give it up for “Your favorite home team” as they enter the arena!
Given that the theater was the only place in those days where you could gather the bulk of the people, politicians also used applause as a form of early polling data, gauging the crowd’s reaction when they entered the venue and took their seats. Once, when the Roman emperor Caligula attended a performance, a certain actor received more applause upon his arrival than had the emperor himself when he arrived at the venue. The maniacal emperor Caligula reportedly muttered (while fingering his sword, no doubt), “I wish that the Roman people had one neck.” Whether it’s in an ancient theater or in a modern arena, the strength of applause is still the thing that can make or break a performer or a politician.
The Romans, in fact, had three categories of applause that further made its connection to the sounds of the material world. “Bricks” was the flat-handed clapping of polite applause, while “roof tiles” or the clapping of cupped hands meant that the audience liked you a lot. The best type of applause, however, was the sound of “bees” — a cacophonous buzz that included not only clapping hands but shouting voices as well. Listen to a modern audience clapping and you can definitely tell the difference between the smattering of applause that sounds like raindrops and the full-throated roar that sounds like thunder.
In Europe especially, synchronized applause is common.
And applause is accompanied by vocal acclamation, i.e., cheering.
One part of the Christmas story reads: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Do you suppose the angels were also cheering? The angels were sharing “good news of great joy” for all of humanity. For some reason I don’t see or hear them announcing this good news with an orotund delivery. I hear joyous applause and cheering.
It is like the joy of a child on Christmas morning.
Go ahead, “Let’s give it up for Jesus!”
Merry Christmas!
The Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce invites the public to its 111th Annual Meeting, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, from 11am to 1:30pm at the Randolph Riverfront Center in Alexandria. The Annual Meeting typically brings together over 400 business and industry leaders from throughout the region.
The Annual Meeting and Luncheon celebrates the year-ending accomplishments of the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce and provides an opportunity for Chamber leadership, investors and members to discuss plans for 2025. The program will include recognition of chamber board members and volunteers. The prominent keynote speaker will be announced one week prior to the event.
To attend, register using this link or on the event page.