Ghost stories to be chronicled on Travel Channel

Liz Dunnebacke, producer for the Travel Channel, described to Franklin Rotarians at Tuesday’s weekly meeting, her charge to search out and find ghost stories in St. Mary Parish for a new show to be shot locally in the upcoming months.
Dunnebacke said of her job description for the show, “I look for people who might have ghost stories, and I also do a fair amount of research into the local community to find how these stories might tie to local history.”
The show-to-be, not yet named, will be similar to a show that has already aired for two seasons on Destination America, called Ghosts of Shepherdstown.
Dunnebacke explained that the stories for the show will maintain their original narrative form through the process of production, interspersed with re-enacted dramatic cutaways to keep the viewer visually engaged.
When asked if local talent will be considered for roles in the re-enactment scenes, Dunnebacke assured that it would.
Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard, who was in attendance, expressed interest in the possible positive economic impact the show’s filming could have on the city, saying, “I just keep thinking about our Main Street area and all the prospects for tourism coming from this particular program.”
Donnebacke said that the impact of the show would not be negative, adding, “Franklin is such a beautiful town. I think we (the show’s crew) are going to love it here.”
Another guest at the Rotary luncheon Tuesday was St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum, who gave a brief address concerning the current climate of endeavors of SMPSO.
According to Anslum, patrol numbers are being raised from six patrol members per shift—to seven, the K-9 unit has been moved from the Narcotics Section to the Patrol Section, a drone program has been adopted; and a reported $1 million of expenditures is said to have been cut in the last two years to offset a reported 13 percent state revenue cut from that same time.
In addition to Aslum’s address, Rotarians were introduced to two West St. Mary High School seniors Braesha Alexander and Justin Chauvin.
Alexander said she participates in basketball, track team, National Honor Society, National Beta Club and she was a member of the 4-H Club. She said she wishes to attend Southeastern University to major in nursing and become a nurse practitioner.
Chauvin said he participates in NHS, NBC, is part of the football team, is on the track team and is in the 4-H Club. After graduation, he intends to attend University of Lafayette to major in engineering, because his father is an engineer and he likes tinkering.