played with really struggle with their second career choice,” Hester said. “What do I want to do? It’s really not about the money part of it … It’s about having a purpose – something that drives you every single day. The last thing I wanted to do was sit at home and not have a career in mind, and just exist.

“My paintings don’t come from me – they come through me,” Couch, a Tibetan Buddhist, said. “The way I work is that I open myself up to the environment and the emotions I have. It’s just like breathing. You are breathing in the environment. That’s reflected in my interpretation of what that feeling is about.

Jean, who recently moved to Bossier City from Magnolia, Ark., is the owner of Shreveport’s new Mosquito Joe franchise. With locations in 36 states, Mosquito Joe’s mission is to get rid of – or significantly decrease the number of – those pesky, irritating, flying insects.

“Aly told me she was a nutritionist and trainer, and she could get me where I wanted to be (weight-wise) in six months,” Montelepre remembered. “I just kind of looked at her … she looked at me and said, ‘Give me a shot.’ She told me again, ‘Give me a shot.

“We don’t curl up in a ball and cry about the situation,” said the executive director of Prize Foundation, which oversees Prize Fest. “We make lemons into lemonade. We immediately started to do that. There was never a consideration – ever – that we would be skipping a year.

“The neat thing about it is the one brand, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, will have complete, full kitchens.” Williams said. It’s designed for the extended-stay guest – if a person wants to stay in the area for business or lifestyle changes.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that 2020 was the year the live music died, or at the very least, was put on indeterminate hold.

“The community supported me and my practice all those years, so I decided I wanted to give back to the community,” Dr. Bakowski said. “What better way than lighting up the bridge? It is something that can be enjoyed by all. It will showcase Shreveport-Bossier, instill civic pride, and be seen by millions driving I-20.