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K-12 students invited to free community event

Though Floyd A. Marshall, Sr. is no longer with us, his influence remains – still guiding, still inspiring, and still making a difference. A dedicated Guidance Counselor at St. James High School, Mr. Marshall devoted his career to helping students pursue higher education, secure scholarships, and reach their fullest potential.

I was driving alone on Hwy. 1 this week from Thibodaux to Lockport. The car was quiet, no radio, so that I could enjoy deep thinking while enjoying my surroundings. I really like seeing all the roadside vegetable stands filled with potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. I enjoy seeing how the vendors display their produce, sometimes on the tail gate of the truck, on a folding table set in the shade, and some in baskets waiting to be dumped into a plastic bag and handed over to the buyer. I stopped at one stand near Raceland to buy the peaches that were advertised on small, corrugated signs leading to the vendor’s location. The man was very friendly and confessed that there were no peaches left. He suggested that I buy from his plentiful collection of cucumbers, but somehow a cucumber was no substitute for a ripe, juicy peach, at least in my thinking. I drove a little further and noticed that the temperature inside my car was 97 degrees. The next roadside sign advertised firewood for sale. The bundles were stacked up near the sign. I wondered how many customers stopped for some. A yellow road sign near a church said Dead End in bold print and I glanced down the street to notice the graveyard. A sign with a double meaning, I reckon. A yellow triangle School sign hung upside down because the top screw was missing. How fitting, I thought, since school was out for the summer. Although there are still many blue roofs and homes and buildings that are still uninhabitable, new structures or new-again homes are also visible, giving all who take time to see, a sign of hope and revival.