Kara Martinez Bachman
NOLA.com
Mandeville, LA, United States
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Past articles by Kara:
John Schneider and Tom Wopat share pros, cons of 'Dukes of Hazzard' legacy
"I've never denigrated it or tried to make light of it. It was what it was," Schneider said. "It was an awful lot of fun to do, and of course it's become iconic. There's really nothing not to like about it, except that it does give us no credit acting-wise or singing-wise ... in fact, it kinda removes all that." → Read More
John Schneider, Tom Wopat bring 'Dukes of Hazzard'-inspired Christmas to south Louisiana
The "good 'ol boys" aim to conjure the nostalgia of the television series, "Dukes of Hazzard" -- and rustle up some country Christmas magic -- when they present the second year of "Home for Hazzard Christmas: John Schneider and Tom Wopat in Concert" on Saturday, Dec. 5. The event will take place in a rustic, tin-roofed barn at John Schneider Studios, the actor's working film studio on 58 acres… → Read More
When 'Cinderella' visits Saenger Theatre, cast member Chauncey Packer gets to visit home
Even though the bright lights of Broadway are calling his name, Chauncey Packer loves New Orleans too much to leave for long. He's been away two months now, traveling as part of the Broadway touring cast of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella," coming to the Saenger Theatre Oct. 27 through Nov. 1. → Read More
Dwight Yoakam's 'Second Hand Heart' concert brings country to the Orpheum
Dwight Yoakam is scheduled to play the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas, on Sunday. → Read More
Abita Town Talk: It's not so weird to pair a pint with an opera
Opera on Tap, held several times a year at the Abita Brew Pub, the Four Points Sheraton French Quarter and The Rusty Nail, proves that beer and opera aren't such strange bedfellows. → Read More
Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival created a cultural melting pot through music
Warm, humid weather and appropriately scorching music were the themes of the day at the Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival, held Sept. 25-26. Washington Parish's premier music festival -- held in Cassidy Park -- again drew crowds of roots music fans for the 4th year of the celebration of all things blues. → Read More
The Old Feed Store Music Series tunes up for fall
Shoppers out running Saturday errands would stop for an unplanned break when they heard the deft picking of a banjo or the sorrowful wail of a horsehair bow dragged across a fiddle. They'd take a brief rest on seats made of seed sacks to relax with a few bluegrass, gospel or country tunes, heard in the unlikeliest of places. → Read More
Weird, wonderful rides attract bike enthusiasts to Louisiana Bicycle Festival
Weird and wonderful rides, clusters of iridescent bubbles set aloft, and boombox thumps broadcast from moving bikes set the tone for the Louisiana Bicycle Festival, held for the 14th time on Saturday, June 20 in Abita Springs. → Read More
For '9 to 5: The Musical' actress, workplaces now more woman-friendly
Arianne Poole wishes she could say exactly what she thinks -- by using sarcasm -- just as her character does in "9 to 5: The Musical," to be staged in July at Playmakers Theater of Covington. Poole was cast as "Violet Newstead," the role played by Lily Tomlin in the film original by the same name that also starred Dolly Parton. → Read More
Trailer 'rezoning' question creates (even more) humor at local theater
Recently, some locals showed up at 880 Lafayette Street in Mandeville to check out the new trailer park they had read about. They looked around outside and saw nothing, so went inside the building at that address to inquire; what they found wasn't at all what they had expected. → Read More
2015 Ginny Awards honored the best of Slidell Little Theatre
Slidell Little Theatre honored the best of this year's stage season with the 2014-2015 Ginny Awards, held June 6 at the theater. The event, free and open to the public, was a way to acknowledge volunteers who make the magic happen both onstage as well as behind the scenes for the theater's six main stage shows each year. → Read More
Deacon John, Don Vappie among lineup for Dew Drop Jazz Hall fall season
The fall concert season, which will include traditional jazz and blues acts, will kick off on September 11 with a performance by north shore jazz banjo player Don Vappie, who will appear with his Creole Jazz Serenaders. → Read More
Parish-wide awards program now being created for north shore theater community
For the actors, directors, venue owners and community volunteers of the north shore, a new awards ceremony aims to recognize the hard work of the theater community in St. Tammany Parish. The Northshore Theatre Awards, sponsored by Empire Theatrics, will acknowledge the best in local stage arts. → Read More
Boilin' at the Brewery will put focus on Covington Heritage Foundation
The Covington Heritage Foundation is seeking diners interested in preserving the past while enjoying a tasty culinary treat hailing from south Louisiana. The CHF will host its second annual crawfish boil, "Boilin' at the Brewery," on May 31 at Covington Brewhouse. → Read More
St. Tammany Crab Festival coming to Slidell June 27-28: Mark your calendar
The St. Tammany Crab Festival, which was held last year in the nearby town of Lacombe, has announced that it will hold the 2015 event on June 27-28 at Heritage Park, 1701 Bayou Lane, in Slidell. → Read More
Little Free Library brings literacy to the streets
Slidell's first known "Little Free Library" proves that literacy may be delivered in simple ways. We don't need access to the entire Library of Congress; sometimes, it only takes a few well-chosen books to change, edify or inspire, and a collection of impactful or wildly entertaining ideas can fit in a space not much larger than a knapsack. What's more, those words can actually become part of a… → Read More
Horseback riding in St. Tammany? Leave your smart phone at home
Horseback riding is a tradition on the north shore. Since the time I was a child growing up in eastern New Orleans back in the 1970s, I can remember families making the trek, either to Folsom or Slidell, or on a bit further to Hancock or Pearl River Counties in Mississippi, to ride one of these beautiful beasts that city kids were seldom around. The tradition continues, and getting away on the… → Read More
Pianist Tom McDermott brought music education out of the classroom, into the Dew Drop
The evolution of a true south Louisiana art form - jazz - was the topic du jour for over 160 third grade students from Woodlake Elementary School in Mandeville. The best thing about the day's lesson is it didn't happen in the classroom. It wasn't read about in textbooks nor written on the blackboard. The lesson of the day was performed in the flesh, in a place where jazz was just beginning its… → Read More
Sexual misconduct, faith and determination explored in 'Doubt: A Parable' at Slidell Little Theatre
"The Catholic Church and school is just a setting. Put the same story in a public school setting, and it is just as horrible of a situation," Mendoza said, of the drama penned by John Patrick Shanley. → Read More
Despite weather worries, Mardi Paws doggies saw big crowds, warm, dry skies
Just as the last batches of frilly, comical, or just-plain-confused dogs waddled past the reviewing stand erected near Lafitte Street, Mardi Paws captain Denise Gutnisky looked down on it all with a smile on her face. → Read More