“Holiday in Dixie is still alive and going strong today, recognizing and celebrating the signing of the Louisiana Purchase and the arrival of spring,” Smith said.

The Shreveport-Bossier African-American Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual meeting and reception Feb. 19 at the Horseshoe Casino Riverdome in Bossier City. The evening began with a VIP reception, which allowed attendees to mingle with the award recipients and keynote speaker Margarita “Maggie” Anderson, the author of “The Empowerment Experiment.

“All of the organizations who applied were very well represented and it was a hard decision,” Gentry said. “However, we felt like our vision and mission was very closely aligned with Cohab’s, and that is why they were chosen to be our 2015 Philanthropy of the Year.

The Ark-La-Tex community has always shown great support and interest in Barksdale Air Force Base, as evidenced in hundreds of thousands of visitors who attend the Air Show and Open House every year. Now, to further foster community relations, Barksdale has opened some of their sports and recreation programs to the local community.

When husband-and-wife team Sara Hebert and Chris Jay see a void within the community, they work to fill it. Hebert and Jay have cultivated their live storytelling event “All Y’all” into a coveted event, and they’re preparing to carry on the developing tradition with their fourth installment, “Ladies Night,” set for 7 p.