The Natchitoches Jazz&R&B Festival, which is celebrating its 29th year on May 15-16 is widely regarded as one of the top if not, THE top music festivals in north Louisiana. 

According to festival chairman Rodney Harrington, the event is the culmination of a year long community effort and would not be possible without the generous support of area businesses, concertgoers, and musicians.

“First and foremost, we have a super hard-working board of directors and core group of volunteers who work all year long for no other reason than to help provide good quality musical entertainment for the people of our area and beyond,” said Harrington.

“The festival simply wouldn’t happen without the generosity of our sponsors or partners as we call them”, Harrington continued, “they step up to the plate year after year and allow us to put on a top quality festival featuring A-list artists  and first class sound and production.”

Harrington did say that ticket sales are critical, however, and at the end of the day, it’s all about putting” butts in the seats.”

“With advance online ticket sales, we are able to track where our purchases are coming from and it’s pretty eye-opening,” Harrington said, “ we have folks coming to this festival from literally all over the country, although we rely heavily upon people who are in driving distance.”

He encourages local businesses which, for whatever reason, did not become sponsors, to please consider buying tickets to give to their employees and/or customers. 

Harrington says that the festival was started over 30 years ago mainly to provide a venue for local musicians to perform and it still maintains its loyalty to that group.

“The lineup of performers includes lots of local acts and they are going to be amongst the best you’ll see at the festival, “says Harrington.

For the first time, this year’s festival will feature a stage where all performers will play only their original music.  This will be in the beautiful setting of Beau Jardin and will be presented in cooperation with The Natchitoches Original Music Showcase.

BREAKING NEWS ALERT:  VIP TICKETS ARE NEARLY SOLD OUT AND THE JAZZ FEST BOARD ANTICIPATES TERMINATING THE FURTHER SALE OF THOSE TICKETS IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. 

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.natchjazzfest.com

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Wilmer McLean was a retired officer of the Virginia militia who became wealthy as a wholesale grocer based in Alexandria, Virginia.  In 1850, he married Virginia Beverley Hooe.  Three years later when Virginia was expecting their first child, Wilmer searched for a quiet, peaceful place for his growing family to live.  On January 1, 1854, Wilmer’s son, John Wilmer, was born.  Wilmer had his sights set on the 1200-acre rural Yorkshire Plantation north of Manassas along Bull Run, a 31-mile-long tributary of the Occoquan River.  Shortly after baby John was born, Wilmer purchased the plantation.  Three years later, they welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lucretia “Lula” Virginia.  Theirs was a perfectly peaceful existence.  They lived in a huge two-story house, some referred to it as a mansion, on one of the many rolling hills next to the lazy stream.  It seemed as if they were living in a dream world which would last forever. 

Their peaceful, dreamlike existence ended abruptly on July 21, 1861.  Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard had commandeered Wilmer’s home and barn as his headquarters along the strategic Bull Run.  Whether Wilmer and his family continued to live in their home with the soldiers or moved to a nearby home is unknown, but they remained in close proximity.  On that hot July day, Union and Confederate soldiers fought an artillery duel on Wilmer’s plantation.  General Beauregard later wrote, “A comical effect of this artillery fight was the destruction of the dinner of myself and staff by a Federal shell that fell into the fire-place of my headquarters at the McLean House.”  What became known as The Battle of Bull Run was the first major campaign of the Civil War. 

Following the battle, the soldiers moved to other battlefields.  Wilmer and his family returned to the peaceful existence on Yorkshire Plantation that they had enjoyed before the war.  Soon thereafter, Virginia became pregnant with their third child.  Once again, their peace was broken when soldiers converged again near the same strategic location.  For three days in 1862, August 28-30, Confederate and Union soldiers fought the Second Battle of Bull Run.  Shortly after the battle, Wilmer and his pregnant wife and their two children abandoned Yorkshire Plantation for safer environs. 

On January 28, 1863, Virginia gave birth to a daughter named Nannie.  Shortly thereafter, Wilmer and his family purchased a large home about 140 miles to the southwest in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia.  For two years, Wilmer’s family lived far from the fields of battle.  On April 9, 1865, Virginia was pregnant with their fourth child when Charles Marshall, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s aide, asked Wilmer to show him a suitable place for Lee to meet another general.  Wanting to distance his family from any connection to the war, Wilmer showed the aide a dilapidated home which he quickly rejected.  With no other contenders, Wilmer reluctantly offered the use of his family’s home.  At about 1 o’clock that afternoon at the McLean home, General Lee met with Union General Ulysses S. Grant.  The Civil War ended during that meeting when General Lee surrendered the Confederate Army to General Grant.  The Civil War began in Wilmer McLean’s front yard and ended in his front parlor. 

Through it all, Wilmer wanted a safe and peaceful existence for himself and his family.  In June 1870, Wilmer dedicated himself to ensuring that the citizens of Manassas township in Virginia had the same safe and peaceful existence that he had wanted to provide for his family.  In June 1870, Wilmer McLean, whose homes bookended the Civil War, became a Justice of the Peace.

Sources:

1.     Jim Rogers, “Crumbling bar is all that’s left of Yorkshire Plantation,” Potomac News, July 23, 1990, accessed April 26, 2026, https://eservice.pwcgov.org/library/digitallibrary/hsdw/M_Folder/McLean76-274/pdfs/McLean76-274NewsArtA.pdf.

2.     Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, Virginia), July 7, 1870, p.2.

3.     Kristi Finefield, “A Tale of Two Houses and the U.S. Civil War,” Library of Congress, April 9, 2015, accessed April 26, 2026, https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2015/04/a-tale-of-two-houses-and-the-u-s-civil-war/.

4.     Hparkins, “The Peculiar Story of Wilmer McLean,” National Archives, November 10, 2010, accessed April 26, 2026, https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2010/11/10/the-peculiar-story-of-wilmer-mclean/.

5.     “The McLean House – Site of the Surrender Meeting,” National Park Service, Accessed April 26, 2026, https://www.nps.gov/apco/mclean-house.htm.

6.     “Wilmer McLean,” Findagrave.com, accessed April 26, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5824/wilmer-mclean.

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If you grew up in the 1960s, you probably remember a time when home appliances were built like tanks, weighed like tractors, and behaved like mischievous cousins who couldn’t be trusted. Ours certainly did. We had a refrigerator with only one big outer door, and inside that door—like a frosty little secret—was the freezer compartment. It was the kind of setup that made sense only to engineers who had never met actual children.

The top hinge of that refrigerator had screws that were, shall we say, “spiritually backslidden.” They were stripped, worn, and holding on by the power of prayer alone. If you opened the door too quickly or too wide, the hinge would give up entirely, leaving the entire refrigerator door hanging by the bottom hinge like a drunk uncle leaning on a lamppost.

And when that happened, it made a noise. A loud noise. A noise that said, “Someone is trying to sneak a popsicle.”

My mother, who possessed the hearing of a bat and the reflexes of a ninja, would shout from the other room, “Fix the door!” And we kids would scramble like we were disarming a bomb. Because in the 60s, you didn’t sneak snacks. You attempted them. And you were usually caught.

The tea pitcher lived in that refrigerator too, which meant that even the simple act of getting a drink of tea required the stealth of a Navy SEAL. The door could be opened quietly, but children in the 60s were not careful. We were loud, clumsy, sugarmotivated creatures who believed we were invisible as long as we whispered.

Looking back, that refrigerator door was more than a household hazard. It was a spiritual formation tool. It taught us patience, discipline, and the consequences of lukewarm commitment. Because if you approached that door casually—halfheartedly, carelessly—it betrayed you. Every time.

And isn’t that a picture of the Christian life?

Revelation talks about being hot or cold, but not lukewarm. Lukewarm is what happens when we try to follow Jesus casually, quietly, or only when we think no one is watching. Lukewarm faith is refrigeratordoor faith: it looks sturdy from the outside, but the hinges are loose, the screws are stripped, and the whole thing falls apart the moment life swings too wide.

But when we approach our faith with intention—with reverence, steadiness, and a little holy fear—we discover that the door holds. The hinges strengthen. The whole thing works the way it was meant to.

That old refrigerator is long gone, but the lesson remains: a life of faith can’t be sneaked into or stumbled through. It must be opened with purpose.

And if you ever doubt that, just remember: God hears everything. Even the sound of a kid trying to steal a popsicle.

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The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) of Natchitoches is proud to announce the launch of its new “Rooted in Faith, Driven by a Mission” Church Outreach Program — a dynamic initiative designed to partner with local churches to support women and families facing pregnancies and parenting challenges.

Grounded in the love of Christ and guided by the belief that every life has purpose and value, this outreach program will empower congregations to actively engage with WRC’s life-affirming mission.

Through presentations, partnership opportunities, and volunteer engagement, WRC seeks to build a network of faith communities committed to offering hope, support, and practical help to women and families in our communities.

“We believe that every local church is a vital part of the mission to serve and support women with compassion, truth, and grace,” said Nicole Woods, Executive Director of the Women’s Resource Center. “This outreach is more than just a program — it’s a movement to unite the Body of Christ in making a real impact in our community.”

The “Rooted in Faith, Driven by a Mission” program will include:
Sunday church visits and presentations
Educational materials and outreach resources
Opportunities for church members to volunteer or give
Ongoing updates on WRC services, needs, and success stories

With an ever-growing client base, the WRC is currently serving women from ten different parishes. With just three full-time staff, our outreach efforts during business hours are limited. That’s why we’re calling on the Body of Christ to come alongside us — together, we can serve more women and families with the love of Jesus. Churches interested in scheduling a visit or learning how they can get involved are encouraged to contact WRC directly at 318-357-8888 or visit the website at http://www.wrcnatchitoches.org.

Together, we can be the hands and feet of Christ to those who need it most — because every life matters, and every woman deserves hope.

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