Weekend Events in Ruston-Lincoln Parish!

Friday, January 31– Sunday, February 2

Warmer weather is moving on in and this weekend will be a great one in Lincoln Parish! Check out all the events going on in the area and make your plans for Super Bowl Sunday! Sorry Seahawk fans, GO BRONCOS!

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

You know the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp now see it live on stage! 

7:30-9:30pm at the Howard Auditorium 

SATURDAY

Lady Techsters vs. UTSA

Come check out the Lady 

Techsters dominate the court!

6:00pm at the Thomas Assembly Center

North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners' Seminar

This third annual gardening seminar features 

Steven Chamblee, chief horticulturalist

 for Chandor Gardens in Weatherford, TX. 

8:00am-12:00pm at Lomax Hall

Girl's Night at 3Docs Brewhouse

Get the girls together because ladies get in 

free tonight! Don't miss this event with DJ Griever!

10:00pm-2:00am at 3Docs Brewhouse

SUNDAY
Super Bowl Party at Sundown

Come enjoy food and drinks specials 
as you watch Super Bowl XLVIII!
5:00pm at Sundown Tavern 

Revelry Super Bowl Party

They're serving up food and drinks 
specials all afternoon while you watch 
the Broncos take on the Seahawks! 

3:00pm at the Revelry 

For a complete list of events, visit experienceruston.com.

Have an event you'd like to feature? Give us a shout at (318) 255-2031.

           

Angela Manning Wins Hospitality Award

The Ruston Lincoln Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau is proud to announce the 2013 recipient of the Lincoln Parish Hospitality Award is Angela Manning, Director of the North Louisiana Exposition Center. The award will be presented at the Ruston Lincoln Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet on February 4th at the Ruston Civic Center. 

Throughout the year Manning has worked to bring several events to Lincoln Parish. During 2013 the exhibition center hosted the Louisiana Peach Festival Rodeo, North Louisiana Team Roping, and Cotton Country Horse Show. The exhibition center also brought multi-day events to Lincoln Parish such as the North Center High School Rodeo, World Series Team Roping, Run for the Diamonds and the Sugar Bowl Classic Palomino & Quarter Horse Show. 

“These events are a true economic tourism engine for Lincoln Parish. Participants, as well as fans, friends and family traveling in support, are often staying one to three nights in Lincoln Parish hotels and RV locations. These attendees are eating in local restaurants and shopping at local retailers resulting in a visible impact on the parish’s economy,” says CVB Marketing Director Amanda Quimby.

“I feel honored and blessed to receive this award and give God all the glory,” says Manning. “I do this for the children. I grew up in this area riding horses and attending rodeos, mostly in outdoor arenas. I know the special feeling that comes with walking into an indoor arena like ours.”

Angela Manning
2013 Hospitality Award Recipient

Manning has plans in the upcoming years to improve the exhibition center to make way for even more events.

“We’ve been working toward getting a covered warm up area and 100 more stalls added to the arena so that we can host bigger, better, three-day shows,” says Manning. She explains these are amenities many show participants require, and the exhibition center would beneficial greatly.

Manning is also excited about the 2014 calendar as it is loaded with new and reoccurring events. Throughout the year the North Louisiana Exhibition Center will host the Rabbit Breeders Show in April, Antique Tractor Show & Pull in August, as well as multiple high school rodeos, three-day Youth Rodeo Bible Camps, horse handling clinics, and a barrel racing clinic with world champion barrel racer Lance Graves. For a complete list of events, visit www.nlec.lincolnparish.org.

The Lincoln Parish Hospitality Award began in 1999 to reward and recognize members of the community who provide a significant benefit to the tourism economy of Lincoln Parish during the past year.

                                      

Take a child to a museum and invest in their future.

When was the last time you visited a museum with your family? Months? Years? Ever? The new year is always full of resolutions, goals and excitement for a fresh start. Make 2014 the year you devote time and energy into investing in your child's future, in more than just the obvious ways. 

While reviewing various travel articles earlier in the month, I came across an interesting piece on traveleffect.com about the benefits of taking children to museums and historical monuments. According to a survey done by the Wagner Group, educational travel has a clear impact on children’s academic performance and career growth. The research showed that adults who traveled in their youth were more likely to graduate from high school and 63% of that group goes on to graduate college.

"The best part of this survey is that regardless of ethnicity, family income, age and gender, travel’s benefits to education and future success is universal,” says Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.

Museums can be an important and enriching part of everyone’s life. They offer pleasant, positive learning opportunities for adults and children of all ages. Especially during the impressionable years in children, it’s necessary to empower them key skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, imagination and observation and understanding.  For kids and young adults both, the educational benefits go beyond simply re-enforcing classroom lessons. These experiences add insight and understanding, but also open their minds to new ideas and new interests.

Suggest visiting a museum to your family soon… and prepare for the whining and complaining that will commence. Explain that you aren’t punishing them with boring school activities outside of school hours, but investing in their education and their future.

 “This research shows that simple educational additions to your itinerary whether it’s local culture, history or nature can have major impacts on future career success,” says Dow. 

The study showed students who traveled in their youth make nearly 12% more (around $5,000) annually later in their careers than those who did not travel. Also, among those who traveled, 86% believed the educational trips made them more intellectually curious inside and out of the classroom, and 90% said their travels were actually fun and inspiring.

The kids still aren’t convinced? Check out these six ways provided by traveleffect.com to make trips to a museum more fun for the family. 

1. Let the kids help plan the itinerary, starting with taking a virtual tour before you leave home. 
2. Stage a scavenger hunt in a museum. Buy post cards when you arrive and look for the “real thing” as you make your way through the exhibit. 
3. Don’t try to see it all!  That’s impossible in a major museum—or city.  Focus on the kids’ interests and a couple of museum exhibits. 
4. Divide and conquer, especially if the kids are different ages and have different interests. 
5. Seek out interactive family discovery zones. 
6. Leave when the kids have had enough!    

Granted, not every city has extensive, national museums within driving distance. Exploit the local! Ruston and Lincoln Parish offer a variety of museums rich with culture and history. Stop by the Lincoln Parish Museum, the Autrey House, the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and the Louisiana Military Museum where admission is free. Or the kids can explore scientific phenomena and wonders of the world at the Idea Place for $4 per student.