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Positive change never happens overnight; it starts with planting a seed that is nurtured over time.
There are people in Abbeville who want to see that positive change, and they are ready to plant, literally.
Multiple groups are coming together to create “Harmony Park.” The community garden will be located at 820 S. Lamar St. in Abbeville, a property adjudicated to the city in 2008, and is eligible to serve a public purpose.
Keep Abbeville Beautiful’s Charlene Beckett said a donation by Mrs. Phallie Sellers from the Community Foundation of Acadiana, Vermilion Chapter, helped get this project going.
“We received the donation for seed money to create a community garden,” Beckett said during Tuesday night’s Abbeville City Council meeting. “It will be located on the corner of South Lamar and Martin Luther King Drive, because that is the property that the city already owns.”
Keep Abbeville Beautiful (KAB) is just one of the groups involved in the creation of the community garden. Joining the effort is the newly formed iCreate, the Abbeville Garden Club, Abbeville Councilwoman Terry Broussard, whose district includes the lot Harmony Park will call home, and neighborhood volunteers. A committee has been formed to oversee the project. Experts with the LSU AgCenter are also guiding the group.
“The plans to develop a community garden at 820 S. Lamar are underway with all of this support,” Beckett said. “The committee has agreed that there is a need and a desire to beautify and create the garden. The garden will include various fruit trees, vegetables and bedding plants.”
The property is in the process of being cleared and an assessment is being made to designate areas for a Healing Garden with flowering plants, fruit trees, 15 raised vegetable beds, a compost bin and a shed to store the items.
Terry Broussard said this is something she has long wanted to see come to fruition.
“Community gardens allow for the creation of social ties and build a greater feeling of community,” Terry Broussard said. “The garden is part of the beautification project I’ve been focused on. Though we’re in the early stages, I’m feeling excited. I’m equally excited to have citizens from the community give their time, and a huge thank you to The Community Foundation of Acadiana Vermilion Chapter.”
James Broussard, part of the iCreate group, said on Tuesday that this is a worthwhile project. Broussard previously spoke to the Rotary Club of Abbeville and the Kiwanis Club of Abbeville about the garden.
“It is a good opportunity to not only beautify the community,” James Broussard said, “but it is something that we can all be proud to be a part of.
“We are hoping to connect with different people throughout the community.”
That includes people with gardening experience.
“We’re looking for people who have a green thumb,” James Broussard said.
James Broussard, who has worked with youth as part of the city’s Biddy Basketball league, said a major goal of this project is to have youth involved.
“We want to get them interested in something,” Broussard said, “that is a healthy thing to do, from a nutrition standpoint, but also gets them outside and helps the area look better.
“We hope this will be the first of many (gardens) throughout the city.”
Councilwoman Broussard agreed that having youth involved is extremely important.
“We want to make sure that we involve the youth,” she said. “We want to have kids out there.”
Anyone who wants to get involved by giving time and or donations can contact Beckett at (337) 652-2239 or by email at abbevillemainstreet@cox-internet.com. People can also adopt beds in the garden.
“We have discussed soliciting donations to create the beds, and once constructed, individuals or families can adopt a raised bed or volunteer to assist in the success of the garden. Once adopted, they will be provided with the garden plot, water, mulch, compost and gardening information.”

January 28, 1943 ~ February 06, 2021

“Heart of Gold”
A heart of gold stopped beating,
Strong working hands at rest.
A character like no other,
Kindness at its best.
A life lived to the fullest with
Every single chapter.
A smiling face, always joy,
humor and laughter.
Never selfish and always kind,
An honest man with a
Loving legacy left behind.
The very best this world could hold,
Now your Lord and Savior
Has called you home.
Oh death where is your sting?
The angels usher you into heavens glory
As they triumph and sing.
God waiting at the gates
There on His throne
“well done my good and faithful servant,
Welcome Home.
-Author: Brittney Gaspard

ABBEVILLE - Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9th, 2021, at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, honoring the life of Harris John Gaspard, 78, who passed away on Saturday, February 6, 2021, at his residence. Father Matthew Barzare will officiate the service with burial following at St. Anne Cemetery in Cow Island. Pallbearers will be Gary Gaspard, Tony Trahan, Terry Gaspard and Matthew Guidry, Scotty Gaspard, and Luke Gaspard.
He is survived by his three sons, Gary Gaspard and wife Ronda of Cow Island, Terry Gaspard and wife Eva of Cow Island, Scotty Gaspard and wife Tricia of Abbeville; three brothers, Doise Gaspard, Alton “Tanny” Gaspard and Wilton “T-Neg” Gaspard; one sister, Glenda Raye Delahoussaye; eight grandchildren, Brooke Trahan, Tony Trahan, Kayla Gaspard, Katlan Gaspard, Amber Gaspard, Brittney Gaspard, Maci Gaspard and Luke Gaspard; and eight great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, JoAnn Hollier Gaspard; parents, Edvard Gaspard and the former Sylvia Rider; and a sister, Glenda Mae Migues.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Monday, February 08, 2021 from 12:00 PM until 9:00 PM with a rosary to be prayed at 7:00 PM; Tuesday, February 09, 2021 from 8:00 AM until time of service.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

JESICA KINCAID, USA RICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following President Joe Biden’s inauguration, one potential opportunity for change in foreign policy is the U.S. relationship with Cuba.
So close yet still so far
The Trump Administration had curtailed Obama-era diplomatic and commercial improvements with Cuba, however, those tensions may once again start to thaw, though the level of engagement President Biden will undertake remains to be seen. An open trade relationship with Cuba would benefit many U.S. industries, especially the U.S. rice industry.
“Cuban per capita rice consumption is more than seven times that of Americans and with the capacity to grow less than half of the island’s needs, the country imports roughly 500,000 MT of rice per year,” said Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice director of international promotion in the Western Hemisphere. “For a brief period in the early 2000s, the U.S. was permitted to sell and ship to Cuba and consumers there were excited to have access again to our high-quality rice.”
In 2004, at the peak of the commercial relationship, 176,000 MT of long grain rice was purchased, making Cuba the sixth largest export destination that year.
“During challenging years, like 2020, with tough economic conditions and a sufficient long grain supply, the U.S. could have greatly benefited from an export market just 100 miles from our shores, and potentially outperform some of our export competitors like Vietnam and Brazil,” said Grigsby.
In support of a renewed relationship with Cuba, USA Rice joined with more than 20 other national agriculture trade associations in signing a letter from the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC) encouraging the new administration to resume efforts to normalize relations with Cuba.
The group urged restoration of regulations to those in place on January 20, 2017, suspension of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, and resumption of full operation of the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
Despite support from many in the agriculture community, there remain significant challenges to overcome before a gainful relationship with Cuba can resume. While the Biden Administration has indicated it intends to engage with Cuba, the extent to which they are willing and able to do so remains unknown. Many simultaneous problems, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing economic crisis, will likely take priority.
Grigsby added, “In addition to the changes requested in the letter, USA Rice also supports lifting of the U.S. trade embargo and removal of third-party financing restrictions for agricultural trade with Cuba, both of which require Congressional action in addition to Administration-driven regulatory changes.”

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Main Street Program was one of nine projects nationwide to receive grant funding through the Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program (HRSP).
The National Park Service, which oversees the HRSP grants, awarded Louisiana Main Street $662,000 for the rehabilitation and revitalization of commercial buildings around the state. Grant awards in the amount of $55,000 each will be given to owners or tenants of historic buildings located within officially designated Louisiana Main Street districts. Grants are available for either interior or exterior building rehabilitation projects.
To be eligible for the HRSP funds, a building must be located within a Louisiana Main Street district in a community with less than 50,000 population. The building must also be either individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places or a contributing element in a National Register Historic District. In addition, buildings that are eligible for either of these National Register designations but not currently designated can qualify. All proposed rehabilitation work must comply with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Deadline: Grant applications must be submitted online through the Submittable platform no later than for the grant cycle no later than March 31, 3021. Paper applications will not be accepted. Matching Funds: This grant requires a $5,000
monetary match toward hard costs. Matching dollars must be used for actual construction/restoration hard costs only. Contributions of design work or other sweat equity, equipment, etc., are encouraged, but are regarded as in-kind and cannot be used as fulfillment of the match requirement for the purpose of this grant.
This is a reimbursement grant: The grant award will be paid only upon completion of the work described in the approved scope of work that will be outlined in the grant agreement to be executed upon selection of the grant recipients. All grant-funded work must comply with:  The scope of work outlined in the grant agreement  The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation
Issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) by your local historic district commission does not guarantee that the proposed scope of work meets The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Louisiana Main Street may amend the proposed scope of work to ensure compliance with the Standards. Project Review Prior to Start of Construction: Grant recipients must meet with Louisiana Main Street staff or its designated representatives at the building site to discuss the Scope of Work and any design needs prior to beginning of construction.
Please contact, Charlene Beckett, Abbeville Main Street Manager, for more information: 337-652-2239 or email: abbevillemainstreet@cox-internet.com.
This project is supported through a grant from the Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior.