It's summer: A roundup of programs for youth

The summer programs at City Park Recreation Center and Broussard-Harris Recreation Center begin in earnest Monday and will run until July 17. Franklin’s Summer Food Program will offer free breakfast and lunch to Franklin youth for seven weeks at both locations. Breakfast is served from 8-9 a.m. to any child under 18 years of age. Kids five years old and younger must be accompanied by an adult. From 9-12 p.m. recreational activities are scheduled. Lunch is served from 12-1 p.m. and recreational activities resume until 3-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, the wading pools at both centers will be open from 1-4 p.m. Pickleball will be played at City Park Rec. Center on Wednesdays from 3-5 p.m., and at Broussard Harris Rec. Center, aerobics will be held Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. Line dancing for seniors will take place Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 a.m.
There’s lots of Summer Reading Program activities and entertainment at the St. Mary Parish Library system’s branches across the parish.
Here’s a wrap of what’s coming. Schedules are included after the list of performers:
Harvey Rabbit
Graduates of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Tim and Laura Allured started their professional career as Calcasieu Parish music teachers for three years. In 1986, they went into early retirement from teaching to pursue full time entertainment that led them to five years on Carnival cruise ships out of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, as well as steamboats out of New Orleans. When they returned to the schools it was in a different capacity. Still educators, they combined entertainment with education and started performing for libraries’ summer reading programs. They have been recognized on national television several times, and the “Harvey Rabbit Cartoon Hour” aired on local cable. Their straight-to-home videos are available in schools and libraries from coast to coast.
Jeff Boyer
Jeff Boyer has proven to be a crowd-pleasing performer for over 21 years. He studied acting at SUNY Watertown, and it was the Boston Shakespeare Company that brought his skills and calling to focus. In 1993, Boyer transitioned his performances for family audiences. Six years later, in 1999, he started Jeff Boyer Productions and in 2005 he went on to create bubble shows. Combining the powers of comedy, science, and bubbles into one, this one-man team has continued to attract and please international audiences ever since.
Kabuki Kru
The Kabuki Kru brings music and dance all together in one-of-a-kind performances that are electrifying and personal. A hip-dance group that teaches today’s youth the importance of self-importance, positive thinking, self-confidence, and dedication are to everyday life through skits incorporating popular, urban dance with everyday positivity.
Lady Chops
Elizabeth “Lady Chops” Vidos is making her way down to St. Mary Parish Library System with her one-woman drumming show. A talented percussionist, her past work includes the hit off-Broadway show “Stomp,” and her “Drum Roll Please” program is energetic, interactive, and fun for all ages. Incorporating over 15 different instruments, including body percussion and the Cajun rubboard, into her performances, she provides great, informative entertainment for her audience.
Mattew Noel
Matthew Noel showcases what wonders can be done with the use of a yoyo. Acquiring his love for magic at an early age, Noel was inspired by the PBS special “In Motion” that motivated him to attempt juggling. As an adult, he and his brother learned and practiced their yo-yo ninja skills during their stay in Singapore. Noel placed second in the East Texas Regionals, and he placed fourth in his division at the World Yo-Yo Competition. For the past 14 years, his passion has helped him improve his skills, combining this with his comedy and juggling act to provide a comedic act for children and their parents to enjoy.
Science Tellers
Science Tellers incorporate the importance of storytelling, imagination, and science to entertain children of all ages with this once-in-a-lifetime event. Journey with them to the Wild West, where a legendary bank-robbing outlaw is back in town, ready to strike again. It’ll be up to two young kids to saddle up to foil the great heist, but not before stopping a runaway train, escaping an abandoned mine shaft, and discovering how an abandoned piano can play an “instrumental” part in putting a rotten cowboy back behind bars. Be ready to transform into an action-packed buckaroo with Science Tellers to put away a rotten outlaw once again using the power of science.
Sir Crazy Pants
Sir Crazy Pants isn’t fond of cute and cuddly shows. He plans for you to bang your head, rock your socks off during this energy-inducing rock n’ roll show. Families tend to lose their minds and blow their tops while enjoying a Sir Crazy Pants show, and believe it or not, this makes Sir Crazy Pants a very happy performer. This is your opportunity to get crazy with musical comedy and to forget about the outside world while doing so.
The schedule for all presentations is:
Sir Crazy Pants
Amelia Branch: June 4 at 10 a.m.
Berwick Branch: June 4 at 2 p.m.
The Harvey Rabbit and Friends Show
Bayou Vista Branch: June 7 at 10 a.m.
Franklin Branch: June 7 at 2 p.m.
Science Tellers
Patterson Branch: June 15 at 10 a.m.
West End Branch: June 15 at 2 p.m.
Matthew Noel
Franklin Branch: June 18 at 2 p.m.
Centerville Branch: June 19 at 10 a.m.
Patterson Branch: June 19 at 2 p.m.
Berwick Branch: June 20 at 10 a.m.
West End Branch: June 20 at 2 p.m.
Bayou Vista Branch: June 21 at 10 a.m.
Amelia Branch: June 21 at 2 p.m.
Kabuki Kru
Franklin Branch: June 27 at 10 a.m.
Bayou Vista Branch: June 27 at 2 p.m.
West End Branch: June 28 at 10 a.m.
Patterson Branch: June 28 at 2 p.m.
Amelia Branch: June 29 at 10 a.m.
Berwick Branch: June 29 at 2 p.m.
Elizabeth “Lady Chops” Vidos
Patterson Branch: July 2 at 10 a.m.
Franklin Branch: July 2 at 2 p.m.
West End Branch: July 3 at 10 a.m.
Centerville Branch: July 3 at 2 p.m.
Bayou Vista Branch: July 5 at 10 a.m.
Berwick Branch: July 6 at 10 a.m.
Amelia Branch: July 6 at 2 p.m.
Jeff “Bubble Trouble” Boyer
Franklin Branch: June 20 at 10 a.m.
Bayou Vista Branch: June 20 at 2 p.m.
St. Mary Community Action Agency’s Summer Food Service Program that begins on June 11 with seven feeding sites providing meals for children throughout St. Mary Parish.
Five sites will serve breakfast and lunch while two sites will only serve lunch. In addition to providing meals, there will be constructive activities including arts and crafts, fun games and theatrical performances.
The sites on the west end of St. Mary Parish are:
—St. Mary Alternative School, 131 Clausen Road South, Verdunville, serving breakfast and lunch
—West St. Mary Civic Center, 1498 Hwy. 318, Four Corners, serving breakfast and lunch
—Raintree Elementary School, 501 Raintree Drive, Baldwin, serving breakfast and lunch
The sites will be closed on July 4 for the Independence Day holiday. Meals are free and no child will be turned away based on age, race, color, creed, disability or nationality. Breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 9 a.m. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. and ending at 12:30 p.m.