Drug treatment court a second chance for youth
April 2, 2009Rosalie "Rose" Billiot
April 6, 2009
It’s time again for children of all ages to capture ladybugs at the 10th annual Ladybug Ball. Houma will be crawling with more than 100,000 of the critters.
RE/MAX Good Earth Realty’s annual Ladybug Ball extravaganza is set for April 25 at Southdown Plantation, 1209 Museum Drive, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In the event of bad weather, the ball will be held the next day.
The Ladybug Ball is designed with kids in mind. Founder Linda Faulk said ladybugs help to preserve grass and flowers by eating the insects that are on them, which, in her opinion, is the best pesticide-free way to rid plants of bugs.
The former grade school teacher-turned-Realtor envisioned an event whose mission was to teach children how to be environmentally friendly when she launched the program 10 years ago.
“The main thing we’ve learned is that if [the ball] is good, the people will come,” she said. “It’s all the better if children are getting educated at the same time.”
It has become a tradition to release 100,001 ladybugs and 201 butterflies on the day of the event so children can capture the critters and take them home or release them back into nature, Faulk said.
In addition, the day’s fun includes a master gardeners’ horticulture education booth, the annual Best Ladybug Attire Contest, costumed Disney characters, an Audubon Zoo exhibit, silent auction, raffles and games galore.
“Every year, the event just keeps on growing,” Faulk said.
The cost for individual activities – the ladybug cookie decorating, water guns, beanbag toss, food booth, face and nail painting, craft making, sand and spin art and the like – is $1 each.
Ball-goers can also purchase the newly designed Ladybug Ball T-shirts and prints.
Faulk said for the bug release, bug cages are allowed. They can also be purchased at the ball.
“This is a non-profit event for teaching kids about the environment,” Faulk said. “We are helping to save the environment one bug at a time.”
For more information about the Ladybug Ball, contact Faulk at (985) 851-3999.
