La. trails officials recognized for work

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel editor
• Published: Jan 11, 2009 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Among Louisiana’s natural treasures are wonderful parks and recreational trails throughout the state. The men and women who manage and maintain these trails often put in long hours and extra energy into keeping the areas functional and in good condition for use by residents and visitors.

Recently, John Tarver of Baton Rouge and Richard Kittok of Harahan were the first two from Louisiana to receive National Trails Awards.

Tarver received the State Trail Advocacy award for his work in development of the Louisiana Trails, a 65-mile-long project that redeveloped unused railroad right-of-way from Winnfield to Sibley in northwest Louisiana. This is a multiuse trail for hikers, joggers, equestrians, cyclists and All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) enthusiasts. The State Trail Advocacy award is presented to those who have demonstrated successful efforts to influence public policy relating to trails, planning, protection, development and maintenance.

Kittok received the State Trail Worker award for his service as president of the South Louisiana Trailblazers. The award recognizes an individual who demonstrates commitment and leads successful efforts to enhance trail recreation within a local area or state. The South Louisiana Trailblazers in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers and under the direction of Dr. Christopher Brantley, have developed an ATV facility at the Bonnet Carre Spillway in St. Charles Parish. The Bonnet Carre riding trails provide quality facilities for all forms of ATV recreational activity.

The Louisiana Trail and Bonnet Carre trails are both grantees of the Recreational Trails Program that provides federal matching funds for the development and maintenance of recreational trails. The RTP is funded by the Federal Highway Administration and is under the administration of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Office of State Parks, Division of Outdoor Recreation for Louisiana.

Covington’s MLK event
Covington will observe Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday by following President-elect Barak Obama’s words — “Yes, we can! Turning Dreams into Reality” — as a celebration theme.

The celebration begins Friday, Jan. 16, with Friday Night at the Movies, a citywide free movie, at 6 p.m. in Faith Bible Church, 1117 N. Columbia St. Saturday, Jan. 17, will be a clean-up day of District A. All interested persons can meet at Peter Atkins Park at 8 a.m. for an assigned area. The acts of service will end with a fish fry at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18. Individuals and congregations are asked to make a monetary donation to the St. Tammany West Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.

The holiday celebration on Monday, Jan. 19, begins with the March for Justice parade starting at 10:15 a.m. at the Rev. Peter Atkins Park and ending at Fuhrmann Auditorium, Greater Covington Center, 317 N. Jefferson St. A commemorative service begins at 11 a.m. Keynote speaker will be the Rev. Dartanian Sanders, a 30-year resident of St. Tammany Parish. Following the service people will gather at the Rev. Peter Atkins Park for food and fellowship.

The celebration ends Tuesday, Jan. 20, with an inaugural prayer breakfast to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama. For additional information, contact Covington City Councilwoman Francis Dunn, (985) 893-6813.

World War II quiz
Brush up on your history. The National World War II Museum in New Orleans sponsors its Quiz Night Friday, Jan. 16. Teams of four compete to take home prizes. If you don’t have a team, the museum will help you find one. Hours are 6:30-9 p.m. Refreshments and a cash bar are available. Fee is $10 members and $20, nonmembers. Register by calling (504) 527-6012.

Kitchen memories
The National World War II Museum is seeking memories of the World War II generation who did their part on the home front. The museum is encouraging individuals to share stories as part of a national program called Kitchen Memories.

Did you plow up a space in the back yard for a victory garden, or save old cooking oil to be turned in for the war effort? The museum is seeking memories of shopping, rationing, growing, cooking, serving and eating during the war from those who experienced these things first hand. Staff members are also encouraging people who did not experience the home front to gather stories from someone who did. The goal of the program is to produce a collection of stories, recipes and memories of World War II as a community kitchen project: a way to encourage oral history and talk across generations while these stories can still be collected first hand.

For guidelines on recording your kitchen memories or those of a loved one, visit
http://www.support.nationalwww2museum.org/kitchenmemories. The site contains information on submitting oral history, photos and wartime recipes to the museum’s archives. Call (504) 527-6012, ext. 229.