Zachary Post • Tuesday, January 13, 2015 • Vol. 10, No. 2 • Published Weekly • Circulation 16,000 • zacharypost.com © 2015

PRESORT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDZACHARY, LAPERMIT NO. 6

CAR-RT PRESORTPOSTAL CUSTOMERS

ECWSS Postal Patron Local

See DONNA DOUGLAS on page 8

The Post is the place for Zachary news.

Proud to be Zachary’s only locally owned, managed and staffed newspaper.

See MORE HAIRSPRAY on page 4

Hairspray Comes to ZacharyZHS Theater to Come Alive Next Week for Live Performances

The 1950’s are out and change is in the air! Hairspray, winner of eight TONY Awards including Best Mu-sical, is a family-friendly musical piled bouffant high with laughter, ro-mance and deliriously catchy songs.

It’s 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turn-blad has only one desire - to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. She must use her new-found power to dethrone the reign-

The ZHS cast of Hairspray on set at Zachary High School Performing Arts Theater.

ing Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network, all without denting her ‘do!

The culturally relevant subject matter reminds us all of where we’ve been, and how far we have to go. In the end, the world becomes one through the power of song and dance.

Run Dates : January 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, & 31 House Opens at 7 p.m.

Tickets available online, $10 Adults, $5 students plus service fee.

Zachary Bypass Slated to Open for Traffic January 15

The recently constructed Zach-ary Bypass is ready for business. Join Mayor David Amrhein and city officials for the official ribbon-cut-ting ceremony on Thursday, January 15th at 10 a.m.

The ceremony will take place at the intersection of the main en-trance, Montegudo Boulevard and Bob Odom Drive. Immediately fol-lowing the ribbon-cutting ceremony, family members of the Montegudo and Odom families have been in-vited to be the first to drive the new Zachary Bypass. The bypass lies on a tract of land which was once owned by the Montegudo family. Bob Odom Drive was named after

one of Zachary’s long-time residents and Louisiana’s longest serving ag-riculture commissioner.

The bypass offers an alternative connection to, or from Hwy. 19, at its intersection north of Hwy. 64; an improvement sure to reduce traffic on each thoroughfare. “We are com-mitted to continuing to address the effects of rapid growth in Zachary. A key part of those efforts is to en-sure that our roadways are safe and that traffic flow on our streets is im-proved. This infrastructure improve-ment will not only help to promote the economic growth of our city, but improve safety for its drivers as well,” says Mayor Amrhein.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activities PlannedThe Dr. Martin Luther

King, Jr. Zachary Com-mittee will hold their annual Memorial Cer-emony on January 19 at the New Pilgrim Baptist Church located on Old Weiss Road. A march from Zachary City Hall to the Church will begin at 6:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The theme of this year’s pro-

gram will be “When will there be peace?”

In addition, the Com-mittee will be holding their annual Scholarship Ball on January 24 at the Baker Municipal Build-ing. Attire is semi-formal. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased by calling

Sharon McKnight at 225-654-2636 or from Fred West at 225-241-0143.

Zachary Acting Legend Donna Douglas Leaves a Tremendous LegacyBy James Ronald skains

Donna Douglas was forty years old in 1973 when she appeared at the Fish Creek Campground and Entertainment Center’s Annual Arts, Crafts and Music Festival lo-cated north of Pollock, Louisiana.

Having been at the festival and talked with Ms. Douglas at length, I found her to be as “peppy” in person as a 20-year-old and even more vivacious and charismatic than she appeared on the TV or movie screen. She had a great sense of humor about all things going on around her.

The annual Fish Creek Campground event was held in mid-June of 1973. My

business partner in Fish Creek Camp-ground was Jessie Cline, a longtime “red-neck” logging contractor. We were able to book Donna Douglas for the feature attrac-tion at the event because of her connection with Eck Bozeman of Winnfield.

Bozeman, a former Postmaster at Win-nfield, was a tourist promotion advocate. After retiring as Postmaster, Bozeman de-cided to get a firsthand look at tourist de-velopment by getting a job at the fledging Silver Dollar City tourist attraction near Branson, Missouri. Bozeman became the operator of Sullivan’s Grist Mill the year the Beverly Hillbillies TV shot several epi-

sodes at Silver Dollar City.Silver Dollar City’s enticing of the

Beverly Hillbillies to film shows there became one of the great promotional feats of all time. Silver Dollar City, with its ex-posure to the 50 plus millions of Beverly Hillbillies fans, became an overnight trav-el destination location.

Douglas, the sweet-talking blonde bombshell from Pride, Louisiana best known then as “Ellie May,” captured the hearts of Silver Dollar City and of the Hillbillies’ nationwide audience in a series of TV shows filmed at the Missouri tour-ist attraction.

Bozeman’s claim to TV fame came in the episodes filmed with Donna Douglas. The story line of those episodes was that Ellie May had baked a big cake to enter into a local baking contest. Although El-lie May’s cake was beautiful to look at, it was so hard that the judges could not slice it to taste it because it was too hard to even break with a hammer. Bozeman, as the op-erator of the Silver Dollar City Sullivan’s Grist Mill, came to the rescue of Ellie May by buying the stone hard cake as a grind-ing stone for his grist mill.

Bozeman and Donna Douglas kept

2 Zachary POST Tuesday, January 13, 2015

P.O. Box 1637Zachary, LA 70791

Phone (225) 654-0122Fax (225) 208-1165

Email stories and photos to info@zacharypost.com

Published Tuesdays52 weeks a year

Deadline for news and advertising: Wednesday 5 P.M.

Call for advertising rates.

Publisher & EditorDaniel Duggan

Graphic DesignerTina Adams

Account ExecutivesGeorgiana Walls

Ashley Evans

Contributing WritersJames Ronald SkainsJen Bayhi-Gennaro

Glitter EditorCalla Duggan

Fried Food EditorChandler Duggan

Bike Trick EditorCecelia Duggan

Deleting Files EditorColton Duggan

DRY’S

Dr. Kemp Amacker Retires After 35 Years of Family Practice

Dr. Amacker in 2015

Dr. Kemp Amacker with Zachary Family Practice has re-tired after 35½ years of service in the Zachary community.

A retirement party for pa-tients, staff and friends will be held in his honor on Thursday, January 15th, from 3-4:30 p.m., in the cafeteria of Lane Region-al Medical Center, 6300 Main Street, Zachary.

Born in Poplarville, Missis-sippi, and raised in Bogalusa, Dr. Amacker graduated from LSU Medical School - Shreveport in 1976. Upon completion of his family practice residency at Earl K. Long, he founded Zachary Family Practice in 1979. Lane Regional Medical Center pur-chased the practice in 1993 and has been instrumental in helping the practice thrive ever since.

For the past 28 years Dr. Amacker has also served as Med-ical Director for the residents at Lane Nursing Home, a role in which he will continue, as well as attending to the residents of Grace Nursing Home. He is an active member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Louisiana State Medical Society, and has enjoyed many years as a preceptor for LSU medical students.

Looking back over his ca-

reer, Dr. Amacker said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my years of practice here. I don’t think my patients realize how much they

have meant to me, sharing their health concerns, their joys and sorrows, and even allowing me into their private lives. I will truly miss seeing them on a reg-ular basis.”

“As a family physician Dr. Amacker cared for thousands of patients from the region for ev-erything from treating the com-mon cold to diagnosing more serious illnesses,” says Randy Olson, Lane CEO. “Dr. Amack-er has always embodied Lane’s core values of excellence, in-tegrity, compassion, respect and commitment, and all of us at Lane wish him the very best and thank him for his dedication to the health and welfare of his pa-tients.”

Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Zachary POST 3

New School Board Hears Concerns from TaxpayersBy Jen Bayhi-GennaRo

Superintendent Scott Devillier and the incoming School Board members met for their regularly scheduled workshop and meeting on Tuesday, January 6, beginning at 6 p.m. It was the first for the incoming board mem-bers, who were sworn in at the 7:00 meeting. However, the swearing-in was hardly the news of the night: nu-merous concerned citizens and cam-era crews from all of the local news stations were in attendance to address the council on tax concerns.

Courtney Yoes, manager of the Facebook page Zachary Business Review, was among the attendees. Yoes’ Dec. 30 post asking members what they think of the proposed tax increase garnered 528 comments as of press time. Among the most ac-tive commenters was Jessica Soileau, a ZHS graduate who now lives in Zachary but commutes to her job in Lafayette.

In a lengthy speech, Soileau ad-dressed the Board at the workshop to ask if they would consider putting community members on school-re-lated boards and committees, stating there have been a lot of good ideas on the community news feeds. “We may not be able to participate in ev-ery meeting, but if it’s something we can add value to from a budget perspective, I would really like for you to consider putting community members on those boards,” she said. “The biggest concern from Facebook is $4.5 million tax increase is a huge amount to ask. That is an incredible amount over the current operating budget. The biggest concern is the percent, and if we are capped, what are we going to do in the future and

how will we meet those needs?” Hubie Owen welcomed Soileau,

who runs 12 cancer centers in Lafay-ette, to join the finance committee, then addressed her concerns on the tax. “What it does is gives the board the ability to charge one cent. We can charge anything less than that. It can be changed four times a year. We can do a quarter cent and if it’s not enough we can go up. If we do a cent and it gets us out of a jam, we can go down on it.”

“I don’t agree,” Soileau said. “Get what you need and don’t overtax the population for a tax that’s going to be indefinite and not matching your strategic plan,” she said. “I just think there are a lot of opportunities to look deep and try to find some financial gains,” she said.

“We’ve cut, we’ve cut, we’ve cut and we are here today,” Devillier said. “The issue is that I just want the pub-lic to know the facts. All I want to do

is give you the facts. You have more people on Facebook than showed up at the seven town hall meetings. We’ve had the meetings and nobody came. We DO want the public in-volved,” he stressed. “This Board is going to have the toughest job in the history of the Zachary School Board, and I’ve been here since day one. We have been good stewards over these years, and I don’t know if the people believe that. We are in this together, as a community, as a Board, to do what’s right for the kids,” he said. “We want to put the decision in the hands of the people.”

Both Yoes and Soileau spoke to the news after the workshop. “If they give us a reason, we will vote,” Yoes said. “We want to know why the bud-get isn’t working. They just have to convince us.”

“You have been overspending, obviously! In utilities alone, you would save $4.5 million if you did

a cost analysis. This is high school football. You don’t need a million dollar football field,” Soileau said to the group of concerned taxpayers in attendance.

The actual meeting lasted less than 20 minutes, beginning with the swearing-in of all new board mem-bers. Devillier then delivered the good news of grants received prior to Christmas break and in the last few days. The district received a $75,000 Jump Start grant in the career and technical area, which will help pre-pare more students for the workplace and industry. And, as long as BESE approves on January 14, Zachary will also receive an early childhood grant for $50,000 plus an additional $4,000 in technology to work with seven lo-cal childcare facilities and ZELC “to make sure we are all working togeth-er to educate the little ones,” Devil-lier said. And finally, we received a public school risk management grant of $4,964 to update safety in our schools.

Board President David Dayton is stepping down from his yearlong post, and nominated Hubie Owen as Board President. Owen nominated Beth Kimmell as Vice President. Both were approved unanimously. In Zachary, the Board president and vice president positions are yearlong posts, whereas some other districts allow the term to run four years or even indefinitely.

Finally, Devillier said the Board is in the process of forming com-mittees, and again extended the in-vitation to members of the public to become members of them. More information will be provided as the committees are formed.

Five newly-elected members and four incumbents were sworn into office during the January 6 School Board Meeting. Ann Watkins, Gwen Fuselier, Marty Hughes, Heidi Vessel, and Donna Grice join incumbent Beth Kimmell, Hubie Owens, David Dayton and Gaynell Young on the Zachary Community School Board.

4 Zachary POST Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Wreckers always on call, request us from a wreck - we work with all Insurance CompaniesWe can haul storage buildingsWe can haul your equipment too!Discount rates for fleet companies

www.LakeAfterHours.com

ZACHARY LOCATION18989 Old Scenic Hwy • (225) 654-8850Mon-Fri 9AM-9PM • Sat-Sun 9AM-6PM

Illness and injury don’t take time off. That’s why our experienced medical staff, great service, and trusted tradition are in place to keep your family healthy.

7 days a week.

WHAT A RELIEF!

ZHS Theater Department Brings Broadway to Zachary Next Week

HAIRSPRAY Cast:Stage Manager: Joe HavardTracey: Emma DryCorny: Grant WashingtonAmber: Bethany GodboldBrad: Caleb ClaytonTammy: Lauren SmithFender: Reid SaariBrenda: Ashley SoileauSketch: Kade RicheShelley: Morgan MazzarellaIQ: Ethan ScherrerLouAnn:Sophia Nowiki

Hairspray: The Broadway Musical

Book by: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan

Music by: Marc ShaimanLyrics by: Scott Wittman, Marc

ShaimanArrangements by Marc Shaiman &

Harold WheelerDirected by: Trish DryProducer: Jen MastersonAssistant Director/Intern: Shelbi

BushVisual and Performing Arts Coordi-

nator: Jeremy ReynoldsChoreographer: Tony CollinsAssistant Musical Director: Alana

Scott, Jamarcus SmithLink: PJ CottanoPrudy: Madeline BrownEdna: Cece KellyPenny: Breann BursonVelma: Brooke CranfordSpritzer/Principal/PE Coach: Curtis HooperWilbur:Eric ScherrerSeaweed:Tony CollinsDuane: Jake ThomasGilbert: Jeremiah BrownStooie:Jovonte McDanielThad: Jamarcus Smith

The Dynamites: Anika Jackson, Kennedy Jarvis, Kaitlin Hayes

Pinky’s Ladies: Camryn Hayes, Talor Barnes, Dominque Ferguson, Zoe Heeter

Pinky/Bum: Jamarcus SmithLittle Inez: Kyla BatesMotormouth Maybelle: Alana

ScottGuard/Officer: Peyton WhitcombGuard/Matron: Aidan HillCindy: Dominique FergusonLorraine: Camryn HayesBeatnic Chic: Julia CoreilJailbird Girl: Ashley SoileauChorus/ Ensemble: Dominique

Ferguson, Kenlee McHugh, Julia Coreil, Ashley Soileau, Zoe Heeter, Taylor Barnes, JakeThomas, Jeremiah Brown, Jovonte McDaniel, Camryn Hayes, Kennedy Jarvis, Lauren Smith, Madison Russell, Lauren Taylor, Ja-marcus Smith, Jordan Miler, Chelsea Bernard, Anika Jackson, and Antonio O’neal.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Zachary POST 5

6 Zachary POST Tuesday, January 13, 2015

demco.org/DEMCOLouisiana

Do you have the write stuff?

Enter the 2015 Rural Electric Youth Tour Essay Contest, sponsored by DEMCO, and you could be one of four students to win an all-expense paid trip to WASHINGTON, D.C.! Now is your chance to be a part of history.

Visit demco.org for rules and information.

kEEping CurrEnt: tip #1

DEMCO awards college/university scholarships

each year at our annual membership meeting. Learn more at our website today.

* DEMCO-ology 101 *

The New Year off Right atBREC Fitness CENTERS!

Star t225-272-9200 • BREC.ORG/FITNESS

North Sherwood Forest Community Park3140 N. Sherwood Forest Dr.

Santa Maria Golf Course18460 Santa Maria Ave.

Webb Park Group Exercise & Training Facility 1351 Country Club Dr.

Womack Park6201 Florida Blvd.

Providers as trusted as the name that stands behind them.

PEDIATRICS

Amanda L. Talbot, MD, FAAP Lynette F. David, FNP

Pediatrics of Zachary 18989 Old Scenic Hwy, Zachary

(225) 654-6140

Now Accepting New Patients

FAMILY MEDICINE

Vicki Z. Munson-Whetstone, MD

Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group – Zachary Clinic

4242 Hwy 19, Suite C, Zachary (225) 286-8100

Now Accepting New Patients

OLOLPhysicianGroup.com

Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Zachary POST 7

ClassifiedsWE NEED HELP – Business is too GOOD! The Zachary Post and Feliciana Explorer newspapers continue to grow and we are looking for a Sales Account Executives to join our newspaper family for a territory to be based in Baton Rouge . We are look-ing for the right people to not only sell to existing clients, but who want to be part of the community by getting involved with civic and business organizations. The ideal candidate will develop new business, service existing accounts, must not need to be micro-managed, conduct needs assessments, create proposals and close sales. Excellent customer service and relationship building skills are essential. Experience working with Ad Agen-cies and Small Business Owners is a plus. Must be moderately computer literate, and an interest in the editorial side of the paper would push applicants to the top of the list. We offer a very competitive package of base salary + generous commission. This is a fun and easy job for the right individuals. If you feel like you would fit in with our team please email us at daniel.duggan@zachary-post.com or fax resume to 225-208-1165.ESTATE SALE. January 17 and 18. 7am. Cash only. Furniture and etc. 9989 Wilcox Road, Apt 2A, St. Francisville.3 Lots Available at Lake Jolie Vue. Great Subdivision. Beautiful lots. All in Zachary School District. Call Becky Robinson, Keller Williams Realty Red Stick Plus at (225) 937-0384. “Each office independently owned and operated.”Cook wanted. Monday - Friday 6:00-2:00. Must enjoy cooking for groups in a camp program. Group sizes and ages varies. Call 225-938-1498Beautiful ash colored dinette set. Seats 6, sage green, brown-gold marble faux table top. 1 year old, 4 wing back chairs and large bench. Excellent condition. $350. 225-286-5201 or 225-978-4276.Wedding Gown, white sheer lace sleeves and lace beaded bodice, long train, veil included. Excellent condition. Size 10. $40. 225-286-5201.Sears Craftsman Push Mower, 5.5 series. Great condition. 4 years old. Recently oil change, air filter change, tune up done. $80. 225-286-5201.FOR RENT. 2BR/2Bath Mobile Home on Private Lot. Central School District. $750/month plus Security Deposit. No Pets. Stove, Fridge, Washer/Dryer All included. Call (225) 954-0655.FOR RENT. 3 BR/1 Bath Trailer. Bluff Creek Area. All Electric. Appliances in-cluded. $300 Deposit/$600 per month. No Pets Allowed. Call (225) 683-5265.Clerical FT 8am-5pm – Exp preferred in Quick Books, invoicing, trucking permits, trailer leasing and general office duties. Must be detailed oriented and able to multi-task. Smoke free office. Fax resume’ 225-658-2243 or email to gis70791@att.netFree puppies. Medium-Rat Terrier size. Mother is Rat Terrier. Father’s breed is unknown. Great with kids. About 3 months old. Call (225)683-1587.Truck Driver: Heavy Equipment, Lowboy Driver Needed for Statewide hauls. MUST have experience. Email resume’ gis70791@att.net or fax to 225-658-2243 and call 225-259-0576.Collin’s Cottage, 1840’s with 6.33 ac, Clin-ton, heart pine floors, 12 ft. ceilings, modern kitchen. Appraised $260,000. Will consider offers, financing available through Land-mark Bank. Steve DiLorenzo, Feliciana Hill Country, Office: 683-5454 or Cell: 719-18104 acre Homesite, off Blairstown Rd. (Hwy 959) $32,000 No restrictions, owner financ-

Classifiedsing available. Steve DiLorenzo, Feliciana Hill Country, Office: 683-5454 or Cell: 719-1810Condo for Rent in Zachary. 1100 sq. ft., 2 bedroom, 2 ½ bath, all electric. $975 de-posit, $975 monthly rent, 1 year lease. Call 225-287-2350. 6 acre mature wooded homesite. 450 ft highway frontage, Clinton $60,000. Steve DiLorenzo, Feliciana Hill Country, Office: 683-5454 or Cell: 719-181022 acres all wooded, peace and quiet on short dead end road, 4 miles from Clinton. $7,000/acre. Steve DiLorenzo, Feliciana Hill Country, Office: 683-5454 or Cell: 719-1810Now Hiring! All Star Chevrolet North is hiring for all sales positions. Contact Jim or Mark at 225-490-7903.Cross Creek Cowboy Church. 21160 Plank Rd, Zachary in blue Legendz building. Sun-days 10:30. Come as you are, bring your lawn chair. 225-721-0333. Facebook.com/CrossCreekCowboyChurch.Immediate opening for experienced Medi-cal Clerk and Medical Assistant. Please fax resume to: (225) 658-8840.1137 sq. ft. udpated home in Jackson, La. 2/3 BRs, 1 bath. Gas and electric. $66,900. Feliciana Properties, LLC. 225-683-6032.HOUSE FOR RENT. 8473 Steve Johnson Drive in Solitude, LA. $400 monthly rent. For more information, call(225) 931-5939, (225) 301-1540, or (225) 939-8533.For Sale 5 x 5 round bale bahaia hay $30. Square bales $4. Delivery available. Randy 658-8792Prime multi acre residential homesite in the heart of Zachary. Country living in the City! Ready to build your dream home. Brokered by Monte Real Estate 225-658-1515. Listed at $69,000 with 100% lot financing available through Brandy West-moreland at Guaranty Bank.For Sale! Seasoned firewood. $125 per truck load. Pick up only in Slaughter. 225-654-3236Drivers, CDL-A:Home EVERY Weekend!ALL Loaded/Empty Miles Paid! Dedicated Southeast!Or Walk Away Lease, No Money Down. For more information-Call: 1-855-747-6426

Call in or send us your Classified Ad

Only $10 Up to 20 wordsPhone 225-654-0122 or email

advertising@zacharypost.com

AUTO GLASS REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT(May Qualify for No Deductible)

VEHICLE INSPECTION STATION (All Parishes)Hwy 19

658-7906(local) · 921-2185(cell)

FELICIANA WINDSHIELDZachary’s Auto Glass Place

BUSINESS DIRECTORY | CLASSIFIEDS

ARTS, DANCE & MUSIC

ANTIQUES

CONSTRUCTION

CUSTOM DRAPES

225-936-8649

Fabrics, Slip Covers, Custom Drapery, Roman

Shades,Shutters & Upholstery

Credit cards accepted

“We come to you, FREE estimates”

DOG CARE

All Breeds Dog BoardingObedience & Retriever Training

www.y-farms.com • 225-445-5012

INSURANCE

REAL ESTATE

HOME & LAWN

HEALTH/FITNESS

“God is first in all we do”

FRAMING

DRY CLEANERS

HAIR SALONS

8 Zachary POST Tuesday, January 13, 2015

DONNA DOUGLAS continued from page 1

* Minimum monthly payments required. Interest will be charged at regular APR if balance is not paid in full during promotional, or if payment is late. Exclusions: iComfort, Tempurepedic, prior sales and closeouts,TV’s, bedding, appliances or in combination with any other offer.

FURNITURE & APPLIANCES, LLCSince 1957

HOURS: Mon-Fri 9:00-6:00 • Sat 9:00-5:00 3425 Hwy 1 S., Port Allen225-749-0076

372 Hospital Rd., New Roads

225-638-4526www.bellelosonline.com

"A family business of 57 years, we pride ourselves in service and integrity."

False River Road

FALSE RIVER

Hosp

ital R

oad

H

•Wal-Mart

Hwy. 1 Hwy 10

2nd Location...

48 15% DISCOUNT & 12 MONTHS NO INTEREST

Sale $599

Med Lift Recliner

1 YEAR NO INTEREST*January ClearanCe

Recliner Sale $299

Recliner Sale $269

Conner Recliner Recliner Sale $349

Sale $399

Twin Bronze or White Headboard................$395 Drawer Chest......... $119Solid Wood Bar Stools...$89Queen Iron Bed.........$249Twin Sleigh Bed.........$199

CLEARANCE

5 PC Dinette SALE $499 orig. $599

SaleQUALITY MERCHANDISE FOR LESS WITH DEPENDABLE SERVICE

Recliner Sofa or Loveseat

YOUR CHOICE $699

Sofa & Loveseat SALE $699

"Down Home" Collection

orig. $1699King Bed Sale $1199

ALL PCS ON SALE

Mattress ClearanceFloor Models

Mismatched Sets

Member

up a steady stream of correspondence un-til Bozeman’s death in 1994 at the age of 86. One of Bozeman’s dreams was to one day find another Louisiana entertainment venue at which Donna Douglas could ap-pear as Ellie May.

Another dream of Bozeman’s was to develop a major tourist attraction in north central Louisiana or in the Louisiana Flor-ida Parishes. Bozeman, in his career as a journalist, often wrote that “Tourist devel-opment can happen anywhere if you can give people things to do and see and plenty of good food.”

Bozeman considered the Feliciana area to be a “Tourist developer’s dream” with its under-developed tourist industry. Boze-man often visited the Feliciana’s, especially Clinton where his daughter Norma lived. He wrote several articles about the Felici-anas and its tourist development potential that would include an entertainment venue for Elli Mae and some of her Hollywood friends.

Bozeman not only became good friends with his “grinding stone cake baking hill-billy girl,” but he became friends with Don-na’s husband, Bob Leeds, who directed her in the Silver Dollar City episodes and pro-ducer, Paul Henning. Henning and Boze-man became lifelong friends. They talked for years about developing a Silver Dollar city like tourist attraction in Louisiana.

As one of this writer’s mentors and life-long friends, I was privileged to read sev-eral letters of correspondence between the “Beverly Hillbillies” crew and Bozeman.

During our two-day Fish Creek Camp-ground event in June of 1973, I was very impressed with Donna Douglas. She was

extremely beautiful physically, but also with a beautiful sweet spirit. I recall her as being physically strong and exception-ally smart. During her stay at Fish Creek Campground Douglas stayed in one of the camping motor homes, and we debated on how she should make her grand entrance.

We first considered Douglas riding on the top of an antique (1940 model) car. She was willing for the ride but her husband Bob Reed was not, so we compromised with Donna making her grand entrance in a horse drawn wagon. She seemed as much at home in the wagon as in a car.

After making her first round through the huge crowd that had turned out to see her, both she and her fans became very comfortable with each other. It seemed that she was just one of the regular camp-ers sitting around a campfire after dark.

This writer followed Donna Douglas’ career over the next four decades, always

happy to hear of her successes, especially her gospel singing career and her Chris-tian themed motivational speaking. After I moved to the Zachary/Central area, one of my goals was to meet Donna at one of her public appearances. I did see her at the Governor’s Mansion a few years back but she was so busy and in demand for pictures that I never got a chance to talk with her.

One of my new year’s resolutions was to get the opportunity to do an interview with one of my “heroes,” Donna Doug-las. When you begin to review the details of her long life, you become amazed at Donna’s career and the personal obstacles she overcome to become one of the best known people in America during the 1960’s.

She not only came from the small town of Pride, she was married at 17 and later had a child before leaving the Baton Rouge area for a career in New York and Hollywood. Where did she get her forti-tude and confidence for such a major ca-reer pursuit as she embarked on back in the late 1950’s?

Who were Donna’s mentors and where did she get such amazing courage to overcome all her obstacles between Ba-ton Rouge, New York and Hollywood? Perhaps, it was her Christian faith that kept her steady on course throughout her ca-reer and brought such success. Without a doubt, Donna Douglas was one of the few true ladies in the USA who were able to live the “American Dream” for a lifetime.

I will always believe that the single most important event in the development of Silver Dollar City and Branson into a major tourist mecca in the United States was the day that Donna Douglas walked through the front gates of Silver Dollar and introduced America to it. Not a bad career for a country girl from Pride, Louisiana (by the way of Baton Rouge) who never seemed to be adequately recognized by her back home peers for her wonderful achievements.

Donna Douglas