SPONSORS SOUGHT: Jackie & Chuck Melsheimer at CM Farms are celebrating their 6th year providing "Fall Fun for Fun on the Farm!" CM Farms is Southwest Louisiana's premier fall destination and is a quickly growing fall agritainment farm. Among many family friendly activities, they offer field trips and a 12 acre corn maze. They are a real working, 720 acre, family owned and operated farm with cattle, sheep, watermelons and cantaloupes and their Fall Corn Maze! They are currently seeking businesses that might be interested in some unique exposure and would like to share in this good, clean family fun. In 2013, they had over 7,000 guests, and their goal for 2014 is to reach 10,000 guests. Sponsors will be featured in all printed material and in many other forms of advertising and many other perks.  For more information on being a Sponsorship Partner with CM Farms, click here.  Visit their website at www.cmfarmsllc.com for more information about their facilities, events, and offerings.

L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles recently announced its 2014 lineup for Liquid Society, its wildly popular summertime poolside concert series. The series runs weekly through August 14 with Weezer scheduled as the final powerhouse concert of the season. The 2014 season features 13 dynamic acts; tickets are $10 or $25 per show. - See more at: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/04/28/630725/10078689/en/Photo-Release-L-Auberge-Casino-Resort-Announces-Lineup-for-Liquid-Society-Poolside-Concert-Series-Launches-May-22-With-Iconic-Rock-Band-The-Wallflowers.html#sthash.5Y0vo6YE.dpuf.

The City of Lake Charles' 16th annual Downtown at Sundown concert series continues with Roddie Romero & the Hub City All Stars on May 30; and Boomerang on June 6.  Concerts will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. downtown on Ryan Street. The popular, family-friendly event is supported by corporate sponsorships from The American Press, Capital One Bank, CITGO, Delta Downs, Entergy and Sasol. For more information, call 337-494-9159 or go to www.CityOfLakeCharles.com. Beverage sales during Downtown at Sundown will benefit the Literacy Council of SWLA.

The Fort Polk ACAP Center is sponsoring a Job fair/Hiring event at the ACAP Center, Wednesday May 28, 2014, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.  The location for the Job Fair is 7438 California Ave., Bldg. 4275, Fort Polk.  Their last fair resulted in over 200 job seekers in attendance who were eagerly seeking employment. This is a great way for employers to recruit/hire and/or provide pathways to employment for our transitioning Soldiers, Wounded Warriors, Veterans, and Family members.  These are the best

candidates for your jobs!  There is no cost to employers.  For more information, please contact Denise Tresch, denise.r.tresch.ctr@mail.mil  or Noel Collins, Elizabeth.n.collins.ctr@mail.mil  phone 337-531-1591 or 337-531-8792.

Sassy Oil & Vinegar presents a Flavor Fare Workshop at the Central Library on May 28, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Attendees will get to indulge in some sweet and savory science with Liz Fuselier of Sassy Oil & Vinegar.  She will teach participants who to give foods an extra kick with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as well as how they are infused, and their nutritional benefits.  Register at  www.calcasieulibrary.org.

The Arts Council of SWLA is accepting applications for the 2014-2015 Tourism Marketing Initiative grant. The grant is funded annually by the Lake Charles/SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau and is one of four grants the Arts Council administers. All applications must be received, not postmarked, by Friday, May 30, 2014 by 5 p.m. at the Arts Council office at Central School.  Nonprofit organizations domiciled in Calcasieu Parish are eligible to apply for special projects and events occurring within the parish, and funds are dedicated for only marketing and promotional expenses such as billboards, advertising, and brochures. Applicants may submit one application and may request up to $2,000 for a specific project. All projects must take place between June 15th, 2014 and July 14th, 2015. Applications and guidelines can be downloaded at www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org. Grant assistance is provided by the Arts Council and can be requested before the grant deadline by calling (337) 439-2787 or emailing Arts Council grant administrator Amie Herbert at cdc@artsandhumanitiesswla.org.

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Human Services Department is teaming up with Evangeline Home Health and the Medication Assistance Program to offer free educational health screenings covering a variety of topics once a month. Each screening will be accompanied by a speaker and literature covering that month's topic. Screenings are open to anyone in Calcasieu Parish. All screenings will be held the fourth Thursday of each month from 8:30am to 10:30am at the Allen P. August Multi-Purpose Annex located at 2000 Moeling Street in Lake Charles.  The next few screenings are on May 29 (Vision and Hearing), June 26 (Blood Pressure, Pulse, Oxygen, Blood Sugar, and Cholesterol) and July 24 (Vision and Hearing).

The Calcasieu Parish Public Library will kick off the 2014 Summer Reading program with a very special "Kick-Off Celebration" on Friday, May 30, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Prien Lake Park Harbor's Edge Pavilion. There will be entertainment for the whole family as Matthew Noel and the Magic Yo-Yo perform feats of tricks, juggling, and comedy. The Friends of the Library, Calcasieu will also be selling 2014 SRP t-shirts and book bags. For more information regarding the Calcasieu Parish Public Library 2014 Summer Reading Program or for links to logging books, please visit www.calcasieulibrary.org.

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is hosting a Chenier Shindig on June 19, at the SEED Center.  Attendees will learn about the CRCL's role in restoring our coast and what it means to Southwest Louisiana residents.  The event will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.  RSVP by May 30, by calling 337-562-4593 or emailing oed@mcneese.edu.  This event is sponsored by Fenstermaker, the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, McNeese State University, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Calcasieu Parish, and the City of Lake Charles.

On May 31, there will be a free workshop for all businesses and entrepreneurs that serve Cameron Parish, or would like to begin working in and serving Cameron Parish.  The Creating a Winning Edge for your Business - Growing to Extremes Workshop will be held at the OLQH Family Life Community Center from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event focuses on practical business building strategies from business development and marketing expert, consultant, and best-selling author, Russ Holder. The workshop will cover three primary topics: trends and threats shaping the business climate, and why the old ways of dealing with those issues no longer work, creating a strategic growth plan that embraces these trends, threats, and challenges, and gaining control of the Nine Growth Keys of a business to maximize sales and profits in your present or future company.  Registration for the workshop is free but limited, so reserve your seat now by e-mailing cdateam@denisonassociates.com, by calling (337) 502-1911 or by registering online at http://lchworkshop053114.eventbrite.com

June

The Lake Charles Community Band starts up its Catch a Concert series on June 2, at the Civic Center Arcade Pavillion.  The concerts will be every Monday in June starting at 7 p.m. Bring along your chairs and picnic dinners.  If it rains, the concerts will be held inside the Civic Center.

Beginning June 2 and continuing through July 25, 2014 (closed for the July 4th Holiday), the City of Lake Charles will be sponsoring the Summer Food Service Program.  Eligibility is any child 18 years of age or younger or any person over 18 who has been determined mentally or physically handicapped by a state educational agency or local public educational agency of a state and is enrolled in a public or private nonprofit school program.  Breakfast and lunch will be served Monday through Friday at the locations throughout the City.  Please call the Summer Food Service Program at (337) 491-1270 for details.

NAMI SWLA will sponsor a Peer-to-Peer Education Program.  Peer-to-Peer is a unique, learning program for people with any mental illness who are interested in establishing and maintaining their wellness and recovery. The free of charge 10-week class (Tuesday evenings) will begin June 3, 2014 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., at the NAMI SWLA Office in the United Way Building at 715 Ryan Street, Suite 203, Lake Charles LA. For more information, please call 337-433-0219 or visit www.namiswla.com

Holiday Travel has lined up the following bus trips: Grand Canyon & The Hoover Dam on June 3; Niagara Falls on August 27 (passport required); Cape Cod on October 3; the Holy Land Experience - Orlando on October 19; and Christmas in the Smokey Mountains on November 30.  For more information on trip you can take, they host special meetings at their offices on trips to Disney, Alaska, River Cruises and more.  They are located at 3020 Ryan Street in Lake Charles.  You can contact them at 337-480-1090, 1-888-480-1090, or holidaytravel@suddenlink.net.  You can also visit their website at www.gowithholidaytravel.com.

The Calcasieu Parish School System and the Arts Council of SWLA is starting their 34th Annual Summer Arts Camp 2014 on June 3. Art classes, which offer a variety of engaged study in visual arts media and performing arts, are open to students who have completed grades kindergarten through eighth. The Arts Camp will take place at Lake Charles Boston Academy at 1509 Enterprise Boulevard. Classes will be limited in size, and class assignments will be made upon receipt of registration and tuition. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis, and forms can be downloaded under the Parents and Students menu at www.cpsb.org and credit card payments are accepted on the Arts Council website at www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org. Forms can also be picked up at the Arts Council office at Central School or at Lake Charles Boston Academy. For more information call Bobbi Yancey, Arts Camp Director, at 337-526-2908.

Haven Home Furnishings, located in the Palm Plaza shopping center in Lake Charles, will host Van Gogh 101 Chalk Paint classes on Saturday, June 7, and Saturday, June 14. Each class will last from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and are limited to eight people. The fee for the class is $125 with a $60 deposit due upon reserving a space. The fee includes lunch. The Van Gogh 101 Chalk Paint classes will teach students a variety of ways to distress a newly painted piece of furniture. For more information or to reserve a space, call Haven at (337) 433-2001. To keep up with the latest arrivals at Haven and future classes, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ShopHavenHome.

NAMI Southwest Louisiana will offer its NAMI Basics education course for parents and caregivers of children and teens with emotional and behavioral difficulties free of charge on Saturdays, June 7, 14 & 21 from 10 AM to 3:00 PM at the NAMI SWLA office, 715 Ryan St., Suite 203. For more information please call 337-433-0219 or visit www.namiswla.com.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission and the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury is hosting "Ticket to Work" on June 9 for people who have a disability and want to work.  They will receive valuable information on programs and services available in the region.  It will be held at the Business & Career Solutions Center located at 2424 Third Street in Lake Charles at 10am.  To register or to get more information, contact Catherine Thomas at 721-4010 ext 5010 or cthomas@lwia51@com.

38 Special is bringing their signature blast of Southern Rock to the Isle of Capri Main Stage on Friday, June 6 at 9 p.m. in the Event Center. Best known for their breakthrough hit "Hold On Loosely" and the 1982 Billboard No. 1 Hit "Caught Up in You," the southern rock band is sure to get the crowd energized with their explosive performance. Tickets for 38 Special are only $20 with a Fan Club card and $25 without and can be purchased online at www.lake-charles.isleofcapricasinos.com, at the Isle of Capri Banana Cabana Gift Shop or by calling 1-800-THE-ISLE.

The Louisiana Small Business Development Center at McNeese State University is hosting "Starting & Financing a Small Business" on Thursday, June 12, at the SEED Center.  Registration begins at 2:30 p.m. and the seminar is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no charge for the seminar, but pre-registration is required.  Please call (337) 475-5529 or email lsbdc.msu@lsbdc.org, so they can prepare for your attendance.  The seminar will help you discover if you're really an entrepreneur, give you information on financing your start-up, teach you how to write a business plan, and help you understand what a banker really wants to know.

Family & Youth is hosting a nonprofit training session on "Hidden Rules for Working with Difficult People" on June 13.  Attendees will soon understand more about so-called difficult people, the four catagories to be aware of, and more importantly, how to "manage" this awareness.  Admission is $10 for United Way and Junior League Members, $25 for general admission.  For more information, contact Roxanne Camara at Roxanne@fyca.org or 436-9533.  You can also visit www.fyca.org to register.

Sowela Technical Community College and the ABC Training Center are partnering to offer the following Accelerated Craft Training Classes in Pipefitting or Electrical. There will be four levels per craft/20 weeks total training per craft.  Classes will be held from June 16 to November 13.  There will be five weeks of training per level, 7 hours of combined instructional and lab training per day.  Classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the ABC Training Center in Westlake. The total cost of training is $800. Register at the ABC Training School.  For more information, call ABC at 337-882-0204.

Lake Area Medical Center will host a Volunteer Services and Senior Circle OPEN HOUSE on Wednesday, June 18, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Senior Circle Activity Center, located on the campus of Lake Area Medical Center. The event is open to adult men and women interested in learning more about the hospital volunteer program, as well as the many benefits of joining Senior Circle. To become a Lake Area Medical Center volunteer, a person must be at least 18 years old and be willing to volunteer at least four hours each week. Senior Circle membership is open to adult men and women age 50 and up.  Membership cost is  $15 per year and members get access to day and overnight trips, exercise classes, game days, informative lunch and learn sessions, a dining out club, national and local discounts, and much more.  Call (337) 475-4002 for more information or to RSVP.  To learn more about the hospital volunteer and Senior Circle programs, visit www.lakeareamc.com/volunteers and www.lakeareamc.com/seniorcircle.

With KPLC, SOWELA is also offering a Leadership Institute featuring regional leaders!  Each seminar will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in their new Arts & Humanities building. Here is the line-up for the rest of the year: Dr. Philip Williams (June 19), Martin Thompson (July 17), Jeff Lynn (August 21), Fil Bordelon (September 18), Alta Baker (October 16) and Dr. Neil Aspinwall (November 20).  Call 337-421-6964 or email rosemary.august@sowela.edu for more information or to register.

June 20 through June 22, Mallard Cove Golf Course will host the 37th Annual Lake Charles Men's City Golf Championship sponsored by IBERIABANK.   The entry fee for the Lake Charles Men's City Golf Championship is $125 and entry forms can be picked up at all IBERIABANK branch locations in Calcasieu Parish and at Mallard Cove Golf Course.  The entry deadline is June 13, or after the first 160 paid entries have been received.  Entry forms will be available starting May 12 at Mallard Cove Golf Course and local IBERIABANK branches. The long drive competition takes place on Friday evening, June 20, at approximately 5:30 p.m.   Only players entered into the tournament are allowed to participate in the long drive competition.  Mallard Cove Golf Course is located at 4300 Mallard Cove Drive at the Chennault International Airport.  For more information, contact Derek Smith, 491-1204.                                  

Chick-fil-A is hosting a Big Trout Bonanza benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project on June 21, at the Calcasieu Point Landing.  The event will be from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 337-244-0637 or email BigTroutBonanza@gmail.com for more information.

The Arts Council of SWLA has announced the application for the Decentralized Arts Funding (DAF) is available online for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. This competitive grant program is funded by the Louisiana Division of the Arts and administered annually by the Arts Council.  For the last 20 years, the DAF grant has distributed arts funding on a per-capita basis to all 64 parishes, and it provides operating support to area arts nonprofits and project assistance funds for arts events, arts education programs, and cultural activities in the five parish area. Eligible applicants for project assistance funding include arts and non-arts non-profit organizations, schools, school boards, governmental agencies, colleges and universities, and individuals with a fiscal agent. Operational support funds are available only for non-profit arts organizations. Grant-funded activities must take place between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015. Guidelines and applications can be downloaded online at www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org. The deadline to apply for a DAF Grant is Monday, June 30, 2014. Each year the Arts Council distributes nearly $200,000 annually to arts initiatives and organizations in SWLA through four annual grant programs. Grant writing assistance and consultations are available year-round through the Arts Council office. For more information on Arts Council grants or services, visit www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org or call (337) 439-2787.

This year KZWA 104.9FM /Vibe 105 Foundation Inc. presence "The Essence of Freedom" one of the biggest Juneteenth Festivals ever! They will celebrate "The Essence of Freedom" with Maze featuring Frankie Beverly performing live in concert June 28, 2014. Also, to hit the stage, Mel Waiters, Andre Pitre, Tommy Hammond, & Bel-AM with a host of local performers at the Lake Charles Civic Center.   The annual Celebrity BBQ cook off, vendors courtyard, Kids Zone, Lip Sync for your life with Oak Park Elementary, celebrity look-a-like, Lip Sync Performance, Zydeco with the youth, and many more family fun activities will be featured in this year Juneteenth Festival.  For more information, click here.

The Girl Scouts of Louisiana - Pines to the Gulf recently announced the following camps. Beau Camp 2014 is an overnight camp at the Uskichitto Retreat Center in LeBlanc from June 29 to July 4.  The deadline to register is May 29 and camper fees are $125.  (Call Leslie Rougeau at 337-340-0753 or email ebgstroop420@yahoo.com for details.)  There is also a specialty day camp - Adventures in Nature - at Tuten Park in Lake Charles.  This camp will focus on nature themed outdoor activities about gardening, flowers, native plants, insects and hiking. Through crafts, games and badge activities girls will get an introduction to nature while having fun!  The camp is from June 2 - 6, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for only $60.  The deadline to register is May 12.  (Call Kara Guillory at800-960-2093 ext 312 or email kguillory@gslpg.org  for the details.) Another specialty day camp is Girls Power Up at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette - Madison Hall from June 9 through the 13.  The camp is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and campers will be exposed to various types of Energy, design, build and test a conservation device in preparation for a STEM competition, tour a solar energy power plant and lots more. (Call Genny Vaughn at 800-960-2093 ext 105 or email gvaughn@gslpg.org for details.)

July

After selling out in 24 hours, the Lutcher Theater has added a second performance of one of America's most beloved comedians of all time, Bill Cosby. Great seats are now available for Thursday, July 24, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now from $35-$75 at www.lutcher.org or by calling the Lutcher Box Office at 409-886-5535.

The Marshland Dash 5K is making its debut run on Saturday, July 26, 2014. The 3.1 mile run will allow runners to enjoy the beauty of our lake front homes and the magnificence the lake.  Your business has an opportunity to be out in front of the thousands in attendance through the highly visible advertisement, and your donation is supporting the Hackberry High School 4H members - 4th through 12th grades - as they are "preparing to impact their community and their world". Organizers are looking for business sponsors at  the Mallard Level ($500), Pin Tail Level ($250), and the Teal Level ($100).  Each level has a wonderful slate of benefits.  Please contact Angela Guth at (337) 794-2626, or angelap@jdbank.com.

The Odyssey Salon is once again giving back to the community with their Haircuts on the Beach Bayou event on July 26.  There will be great food, live music, a Car & Bike Show, Boat Run, Poker Run, and haircuts!  Organizers are currently looking for bands and sponsors. Volunteers and Suggestions should call 437-3997.