Sept. 13
Yacht Rock Beer Fest
Sugar Mill Pond in Youngsville
Slam free beer samples and dance along to live music performances covering some yacht rock hits.
Sept. 26-29
Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival
Main Street in New Iberia
Louisiana
10+ south Louisiana festivals worth a day trip this fall – [225]
![10+ south Louisiana festivals worth a day trip this fall – [225]](https://i3.wp.com/d1dxs113ar9ebd.cloudfront.net/225batonrouge/2024/08/iStock-1478332839.jpg?ssl=1 "10+ south Louisiana festivals worth a day trip this fall – [225]")
Stock photos
Celebrate Louisiana’s sweetest crop with parades, car shows, live entertainment and more.
Sept. 27 + 28
NOLA Coffee Festival
New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Have some cups of joe with two days of coffee education, barista demos and tastings from over 25 roasters.
Oct. 2-6
St. Tammany Parish Fair
St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds
Step right up! This fair celebrates 115 years of rodeos, pageants, music, food, exhibits, rides and more.
Oct. 4-6
Louisiana Cattle Festival & Fair
Downtown Abbeville
Moo-ve it on over to Abbeville for cattle shows, parades, tasty eats and plenty of room for a few fais do-dos.
Oct. 16-27
New Orleans Film Festival
Various locations
Grab the popcorn. This Oscar-qualifying film fest gathers movie fans for screenings of over 150 films.
Oct. 26
Sweet Dough Pie Festival
Grand Coteau Town Park
Get your sweet treat fix with sugary desserts stuffed with custards and fruity fillings made by pastry chefs and home bakers.
Nov. 2
NOLA Zydeco Fest
Crescent Park
Taste and see what Louisiana Creole culture has to offer with flavorful cuisine, art vendors, dance classes and more.
Nov. 7-10
Port Barre Cracklin Festival
Veteran’s Memorial Park
Follow the savory smell of deep fried cracklins to find a carnival, pageants, live swamp pop music and more.
Nov. 9 + 10
Covington Three Rivers Art Festival
Downtown Covington
Hundreds of local artists pop up in Covington for this outdoor, juried festival.
Nov. 9 + 10
Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival
Louis Armstrong Park
Feast on gumbo varieties while listening to the sweet stylings of brass bands.
Nov. 21-24
Southern Screen Festival
Downtown Lafayette
Film lovers and moviemakers can participate in screenings, panels, parties and more.
Nov. 16
Beignet Festival
New Orleans City Park Festival Grounds
Sample sugar-dusted and savory stuffed beignets, and enjoy live music, an art market and a beer garden.
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of 225 Magazine.
Louisiana
Louisiana babysitter arrested after toddler drowned in pool and wasn’t found for 20 minutes
A Louisiana babysitter was arrested after a toddler fell into a pool and drowned after being left underwater for 20 minutes, according to authorities.
Joann Johnson, 37, was charged with one count of negligent homicide on Wednesday after the 3-year-old boy died in her in-home daycare in Prairieville on May 18, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Two young children in Johnson’s care were playing in the backyard that afternoon, “without any safety wear,” when the 3-year-old fell into the pool and drowned, cops wrote in a statement.
The toddler was unconscious for a whopping 20 minutes before Johnson was seen on surveillance footage pulling him out of the water, police said.
Emergency responders rushed to revive the boy with CPR, but he was ultimately pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Police filed an arrest warrant for Johnson following an investigation. The babysitter turned herself in on Wednesday and was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail.
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children 1-4 years old in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
RUSTON, La. (KNOE) – Louisiana Tech University’s College of Education and Human Sciences announced it has established a new Center for Literacy and Learning designed to expand evidence-based reading support for children and professional development for educators across North Louisiana.
The university’s Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership said the launch of the Center for Literacy and Learning at Louisiana Tech, also known as L3, will provide diagnostic assessments, tutoring and workshop opportunities, combining academic research with hands-on clinical practice.
“As literacy rates and reading achievement continue to present challenges across Louisiana and the nation, the Center for Literacy and Learning is rooted in supporting evidence-based instruction, applied research, and community partnerships,” said Dr. Dustin Whitlock, interim department head of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership.
Officials said planning for the center began more than a decade ago as faculty sought to expand literacy services for local schools and the surrounding community, but the effort faced delays due to space and funding challenges.
University leaders said momentum increased after faculty partnered with the Louisiana Department of Education and literacy experts nationwide to create a professional learning course for Louisiana K-3 educators. The course, “The Science and Art of Teaching Reading,” focuses on structured literacy practices aligned with Science of Reading research. Louisiana Tech said funding connected to the course and the state education department helped make the center possible.
Megan Hunt, a teacher at A.E. Phillips Laboratory School, was selected to lead the center. Whitlock said Hunt brings a strong background in foundational literacy instruction and is working toward becoming a certified UFLI coach.
“Mrs. Hunt’s skill and expertise allow her to support both students and educators through high-quality literacy instruction and professional learning,” Whitlock said.
Hunt said the center is aimed at building long-term support for literacy instruction through collaboration with districts, families and community partners.
“Literacy affects all aspects of life and is ultimately how people access opportunity and how communities grow stronger,” Hunt said. “When children become proficient readers, it represents more than just academic progress; it changes the trajectory of their lives.”
Local school leaders also praised the partnership. Michelle Thrower, K-2 facilitator for Lincoln Parish Schools, said professional development and resources connected to Louisiana Tech have supported literacy growth in the district.
“Our collaboration with Louisiana Tech has been a cornerstone of our success in elevating literacy proficiency across Lincoln Parish Schools,” Thrower said, citing DIBELS growth tied to the UFLI Foundations curriculum in K-2.
Louisiana Tech said the center will operate through three main components:
- The Literacy Clinic
- The Literacy Institute
- The Literacy Resource Center.
The center is expected to provide individualized assessments, targeted intervention services, literacy workshops and educator professional development.
Officials said the components will be developed in phases over the next few years.
For more information, Louisiana Tech said the public can contact Dr. Dustin Whitlock at whitlock@latech.edu.
Copyright 2026 KNOE. All rights reserved.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday that Louisiana was one of the few states chosen for a $134 million rare earth element initiative in a move that would give the U.S. more independence from China, Reuters reports.
ElementUSA has been awarded about $67 million for a rare earth refining facility projected to cost $850 million in St. John the Baptist Parish to ramp up its production of core material for military vehicles, naval ships and aircrafts.
Louisiana’s rare earth element initiatives are aimed at relocating the critical American minerals supply chain for electric vehicles, renewable energy and national defense. The minerals include bauxite residue, which is a waste product from aluminium production. The plant is expected to produce roughly 150-1,000 metric tons of rare earths annually.
Oklahoma was also chosen to receive grant money for a refining facility in Tulsa.
Reuters has the full story.
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