By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

RESERVE – The Reserve150 planning committee will be meeting tonight at 5:30 in the lobby of St. John Theatre to put the finishing touches on plans for a slate of events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the town.

The fun will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 30, with a cemetery walk at St. Peter Cemetery from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Then, on Thursday, Nov. 11, St. John Theatre will host the premiere of a documentary about Reserve from local filmmaker Jeff Duhe.

The show starts at 7 p.m., and DVDs of the documentary will be available after the show.

A few days later, on Sunday, Nov. 14, Regala Park will be the site of the Reserve150 Fun Day. The festivities begin at 11 a.m. and continue through 5:30 p.m. The day will feature a gumbo cook-off, games and music.

Before the fun begins, a couple of educational events are in the works.

On Oct. 2, a team from the World War II Museum will conduct an educators’ oral history presentation. Also, starting Oct. 14 and continuing on Thursday evenings through December, the Reserve branch of the St. John Public Library will host a series of historical lectures.

According to Judge J. Sterling Snowdy, who has spearheaded the Reserve150 celebration from the beginning, the group plans for all events to be free of charge, but to do so, they are in the process of fundraising. Donations are tax deductible, and anyone wishing to become a sponsor can write to Reserve150 Committee, c/o Reserve150, P.O. Box 527, Reserve, LA 70084 or call 504-487-4645.

Also, the committee is seeking sponsors for Reserve150 banners, which will be hung on telephone poles across the community.

Sponsoring a banner costs $70, and the sponsoring party may keep the banner after the celebration. Contact Snowdy at snowdy@ rtconline.com to sponsor a banner.

Lastly, the committee would like to remind everyone that Reserve150 T-shirts are still available for $10 per shirt.

Additionally, the group is working on yard banners and a Christmas ornament.

For more information, visit www.reserve 150.org.