By Renee Simpson

***Update: This event was rescheduled for Sunday, Dec. 20, due to forecasted inclement weather.***

St. Charles Parish dogs (and cats) will have their day at the first annual ‘Bark at the Bridge Park’ festival, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 12 at the West Bank Bridge Park in Luling.

The St. Charles Parish Humane Society and Animal Control will present the event, which will also feature food, music, raffles, pet adoptions and vendor booths featuring pet supplies and gifts.

Pet parents are welcome to bring their pets to the event to take holiday portraits with Santa.
Animal Control Director Angela Robert said she is looking forward to a large turnout.

“We all love our pets, but we’ve never had an event quite like this here in St. Charles,” she said. “It will be a great opportunity for local pet owners to get to know one another while supporting a great cause.”

Those looking to add a new pet to their families this Christmas should also attend, Robert said.

All proceeds from the event will support the new animal shelter project.

Parish president will sponsor senior luncheon
A senior citizens’ Christmas luncheon is planned for 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Jerusalem Temple located at 1940 Ormond Boulevard in Destrehan.

The event is free, and all St. Charles Parish seniors are invited to attend.

There will be great food, special live entertainment, a visit from Santa and free health checks from St. Charles Parish Hospital.

For more information contact Dwan Switzer at (985) 783-5000.

Get information about 2010 Census online
2010 marks the beginning of a new decade, and with it a new census count.

Census forms will be mailed to all households in St. Charles Parish and around the country in March and early April. Filling out the form is not only mandated by law, but it also helps governments and numerous other groups gauge what they’ll need in terms of future resources and funding.

That’s one of the reasons it’s so important that you fill in the form and promptly mail it back. Census information affects the numbers of seats your state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives. And people from many walks of life use census data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and more.

When you do the math, it’s easy to see what an accurate count of residents can do for your community. Better infrastructure. More services. In fact, the information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services like: Hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects and emergency services.

An accurate count is especially important for southeast Louisiana, because so many residents have been displaced. Here in St. Charles Parish that could mean an influx of new residents that need to be accounted for.

To get local information on the Census, including job opportunities and answers to commonly asked questions, visit stcharlesparish-la.gov/census.

Renee Allemand Simpson serves as Public Information Officer for St. Charles Parish government. She can be reached at rsimpson@stcharlesgov.net or (985) 783-5183.

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