Families, laughter, and plenty of good food filled Alonzo and Edgar Streets in Coushatta on Wednesday, October 28, as First Baptist Church of Coushatta and First Methodist Church Coushatta joined forces for a community Fall Festival.

Families enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hot dogs on Alonzo Street and jambalaya on Edgar Street. Children moved between jump houses, a petting zoo, candy-filled trunks, and games. The cake walk featured dozens of delicious homemade cakes and cookies, while the toy walk offered a mound of prizes that delighted young participants.

Children loved the train, which carried them around the festival. Pastors Cory Tucker and Trevor Blair provided plenty of entertainment, spending the evening in the dunking booth to the delight of festivalgoers.

Planning an event of this size took many helping hands. Makayla Mills headed the First Baptist Church effort with the Children’s Event Committee, while Karen Squires led the First Methodist Church preparations alongside the Fun Bunch Committee.

“Thank you to all the people who helped with the festival,” Mills said. ” Their hard work made the entire event possible.”

Squires reflected on what the evening meant to the community.

“With all of the worries of the world today, it is wonderful to see the people of this community coming together. So many people from the churches came together in extraordinary ways. We all received the blessing here.”

The churches also want to thank Coushatta Mayor Ashanti Cole, Police Chief Michael McDuffy, and Red River Parish Sheriff Glenn Edwards for helping with the event.

While the games, food, and activities brought families out for the evening, cooperation among churches, local officials, and volunteers made the festival special.

For a few hours on a Wednesday evening, two churches and a community came together to share a little fun, a lot of laughter, and the simple joy of being neighbors.

---