Guests update city council on numerous local events

Several announcements of upcoming events were made at the Franklin City Council meeting Tuesday.
Shawna Trahan, Resident Activity Director at Maison Jardin Assisted Living Center in Morgan City, said the St. Mary Parish Senior Olympics will be held May 29 at the Bayou Vista Community Center.
The date is a senior day of fitness, with activities and fun for seniors.
Bishop Jerry T. Hebert, World Mission Inc., presented a “gift” to the city.
He started a tennis camp for youths in Morgan City seven years ago and is an avid tennis player. Hebert said it has grown tremendously.
Youth 5-18 years old are eligible to participate. It is free to participate, and will be held at Caffery Park’s tennis courts.
“We want to give a chance to every child that wants to try it,” Hebert said. He said he believes there are future tennis stars here in St. Mary Parish as yet to be discovered. “We just want to give them an opportunity to try it.”
It will be held June 17-20 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Instructors are professional players.
Registration is June 15 at Caffery Park from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Registration forms can also be picked up at the Franklin library branch.
Pastor Allen Randle Sr. announced a “FFUN Summer Program”, the acronym standing for Foundation, Fundamentals and Unlimited Necessities” and will be held at both city recreation centers.
The non-profit event involves educational experiences, and since summers are for children, to include fun at the same time. Randle said there will be activities such as baseball, basketball, football, cooking, baking, social activities, homemaking, family activities, survivor skills, health and spirituality.
Activities will be for 1½ hours each day, June 3 to July 30, Monday through Thursday, from 9-10:30 a.m. at Broussard-Harris Recreation Center and 1-2:30 p.m. at the City Recreation Center.
There will be motivational speakers and more, Randle said.
Dawn Kaiser-Melancon gave the council an update about “Bikers on the Bayou” to be sponsored by the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce, Cajun Coast and the City of Franklin.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the cult classic film “Easy Rider,” plans are being made a large event across the parish.
She said as many as 2,000 participants may be in the parish.
In the film, the stars ride through St. Mary Parish. There are 10 locations that can be seen which were in the movie.
A flyer has been created to guide bikers and others to find those locations.
There will be bands, food vendors, car, motorcycle and rat rod show, swamp tours, demonstrations and contests, pirogue races and more. Check stations at Franklin and the Amelia Belle casino will have welcome packs for participants.
Those locations will have a red-white-and-blue gas tank mimicking the one on the motorcycle Peter Fonda rode in the movie.
All this will be on July 13, from 9 a.m. to dusk, across St. Mary Parish.
Kaiser-Melancon said plans are to make downtown Franklin look as close as possible to how it was in 1969. There will be a manufactured façade of the old Center Theater, prominently shown in the film, as it was back then. There will also be an “Ice” sign at the corner of Gates Drive, and Mardi Gras shield signs will be erected, as shown in the movie. A “Ben Franklin” store sign will be on Chic & Shabby, and a mailbox at the old Garden City post office location.
More details to come.
Meg Morgan, representing Claire House, said there will be an open house on May 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1101 Southeast Blvd, Morgan City.
Bayou to Main Marketplace is June 1, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the former Center Theater lot downtown; “First Thursday” June 6, merchants open until at least 6 p.m.; Franklin city-wide cleanup, June 8, 8-9:30 a.m., meet up at the Stage parking lot; and the city’s dance recital and art show July 20, the Teche Theatre, doors open at 5 p.m., recital at 6 p.m.