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Mid City Redevelopment Alliance’s Mid City Neighborhood Challenge

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

Every year, the Mid City Redevelopment Alliance’s Mid City Neighborhood Challenge offers $1,000 to neighborhood groups for resident-led projects focused on improving their own neighborhood. This year, the GDCA was awarded $1,000 this year to undertake a native tree planting effort throughout the neighborhood!

In the past several years, the Garden District lost many canopy trees due to ice, wind, and father time. Because trees provide numerous benefits such as reduced temperatures, stormwater management, improved air quality, and improved mental health, the GDCA, in partnership with Baton Rouge Green and the Mid-City Redevelopment Alliance, is undertaking a volunteer tree-planting project to fill in existing canopy gaps in our neighborhood. 

The GDCA will soon be soliciting homeowners who want a native tree planted in front of their house. If demand exceeds funding, the GDCA will prioritize locations based on the lack of existing tree canopy and spatial distribution throughout the neighborhood. The chosen homeowners will then consult with our resident landscape architects regarding tree type and location. The planting will take place this fall through a coordinated volunteer effort. 

Stay tuned for more info!

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Jacob LuneauMid City Redevelopment Alliance’s Mid City Neighborhood Challenge
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Photos: 2023 Easter Egg Hunt

Kids from around the neighborhood gathered earlier this April on a sunny Sunday afternoon to find over 700 Easter Eggs!

We give a special thanks to Kathryn Mount for organizing the event and to all our members whose dues make these events possible.

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Jacob LuneauPhotos: 2023 Easter Egg Hunt
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December/January Crime Update

Here’s the most recent update from Mike and our police officer that monitors the neighborhood, Corporal Seth Gauthier:

The Garden District experienced five significant security incidents in the month of December.

  • Vehicle Theft on Olive. The vehicle was left unsecured with the keys inside.
  • Burglary of a dwelling on Broussard. The homeowner was present at the time.
  • Burglary of a dwelling on Park. No other pertinent information is available.
  • Vehicle Burglary on Drehr. Vehicle was unsecured but nothing was taken.
  • Vehicle Burglary on Olive. Vehicle was unsecured and a pistol was taken.

There were multiple other false alarm calls along with suspicious incidents.

Of course, it goes without saying that valuables should not be left unsecured—especially firearms. Criminals love to “cruise” the neighborhood and pull on door handles in search of easy crimes of opportunity. If a purse or a firearm or some other valuable item is visible, they’re going to work a lot harder to steal it.

Also, report street light outages and other safety issues through the Red Stick Ready website or app. Stay safe! 

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Jacob LuneauDecember/January Crime Update
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2023 GDCA Annual Events

Get ready for 2023 around the Garden District. In line with our mission to build community, we have another exciting year of events planned for our friends and neighbors. We’ll kick off the year at our Annual Meeting in just a few weeks, and we’ll announce those details as soon as we finalize the date and location.

Check out the dates for the other upcoming events and mark your calendars.

GDCA Annual Public Meeting
Sunday, February 26th

Easter Egg Hunt
Sunday, April 2nd

Crawfish Boil
Sunday, April 30th

Fall Picnic
Sunday, October 1st

Champagne Stroll
Sunday, October 22nd

Christmas Light Contest Judging
Thursday, December 14th

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Jacob Luneau2023 GDCA Annual Events
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Live Oak Love in 2023

We’re looking for our next block to target for tree maintenance! The optimal block would have one or more households that care enough about this initiative that they’d be willing to donate funds for a couple of trees. At the end of 2022, we nearly had a successful fundraising campaign for a block in the GD, but we didn’t quite meet our goal. So we’ll keep trying! If you know of a block that might have this level of interest, please let us know!

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Jacob LuneauLive Oak Love in 2023
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Pop! Fizz! GDCA Champagne Stroll 2022

Thank you to everyone who joined us or hosted us during the 2022 Pop Fizz Champagne Stroll! It was a resounding success, and it looks like everyone had a great time! We’d like to extend a special thanks to our guide, Captain Day, who was our flight director throughout the evening! Check out the photos below from this year’s event, and please reach out if you’re interested in helping or hosting next year!

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AshleyPop! Fizz! GDCA Champagne Stroll 2022
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Get Ready for the GDCA Christmas Light Contest!

Garden District Christmas Light Contest
Thursday, December 15th, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
The GDCA Board will be riding through the neighborhood to judge the best holiday lights in the neighborhood. We accept bribes and anything spiked! Awards will be announced in the December Newsletter.

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AshleyGet Ready for the GDCA Christmas Light Contest!

New Sponsor Spotlight


The GDCA would like you to meet one of your new neighbors, Mr. Joe Astone. See the Q+A below to learn more about his new printing business. 

How long has your business been in the Garden District/Mid-City and/or the Baton Rouge area?
Since its inception in June 2022.

What is your background?
After getting both an undergrad (ISDS) and graduate degree (Finance) from LSU, I have had a 22 year career in Finance/Financial Information Systems that has made me dig into the left side of my brain a lot. This business is a departure in exploring the right side, and I couldn’t be happier.

How did the idea or concept for your business come about?  
I have a friend in Key West, FL, who is involved in a restaurant group and said they buy an insane amount of clothing to sell, and they wouldn’t care who they bought it from, as long as it is quality.  I started thinking about it, and I loved the idea of helping promote other businesses that way.  Whether it be the most-serious of medical logo or a conceptual piece of art reminiscent of Mad Magazine, I want to see how it looks on a shirt, hat, pants, shoes, or anything else.

What is unique about your business?  
My business is all about helping people, and I actually mean it.  One of my first prints was the adoption day shirt for a little 9 year old girl I know.  Coming from a day job that can be cold, calculating, and DRAINING, doing something like that makes me feel like a million bucks.  I also have a machine that is intended to make the most-intricate shirt designs with as many colors and details as you want.  This is the lesser-common method, but also the most exciting.

What goods or services does your business provide?
I do Direct-to-Garment printing as well as embroidery and wide-format printing.  I can do small-batch shirts, and therefore I can service small- to medium-sized businesses at lower cost than national houses.  I offer graphic art through a partner, so that is available as well.

How many employees do you have?
It’s me and me alone right now.  Anyone who has one of my items literally has a hand-made garment!

Do you have a targeted clientele?
Small- and medium-sized businesses, non-profits, and club organizations.  I can even embroider on cleats!

What do you use to promote/advertise your business?  Please provide website address, etc. for any social media platforms that are utilized.
My business is brand new, and I haven’t gotten into my promotion/advertising yet, but an update could soon follow!!  CavPrintShop.com is going to be the URL but it has not been made public as of this writing.  I am also on Instagram: @CavPrintShop

Do you have seasonal promotions/offers? What are they?
I will be doing a 12.25% off sale this December.

Is your company involved in any community activities?
I will be, and I can’t wait!!  I grew up playing soccer and would love to get into that community, as sports were the haven I had as a child–especially when I needed to run out that teen angst we all know we went through.

Is there anything else you would like for your neighbors to know?  
Is NOW an appropriate time to remind all the “whippersnappers” to stay off my lawn??

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AshleyNew Sponsor Spotlight

GDCA Mission

On November 9, 2022, the GDCA Board voted unanimously to adopt the Mission Statement below. After a brief discussion, some edits were made to the original draft. In this form, Ashley Braquet Gremillion, moved to accept the mission statement and Ted Magee seconded it. 
“The mission of the Garden District Civic Association is to enhance the quality of life for all Garden District residents by building community, preserving the historical and aesthetic character of the neighborhood, promoting safety and awareness, and addressing the needs of the community.”
We hope that these words help our neighbors to understand the mission of the GDCA Board, as we strive to be good stewards of the Garden District.
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AshleyGDCA Mission
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November Crime Update

Here’s the most recent update from our police officer that monitors the neighborhood, Corporal Seth Gauthier:

A look into the crime stats for the GDCA in the month of October revealed a handful of Simple Burglaries and a couple of Simple Criminal Damage to Property reports. There were several non-crime reports for false alarms, several 911’s and suspicious activities that did not lead to any crimes found. Cpl. Gauthier was contacted by Laura Seymore who lives on Drehr Ave about a crew of juveniles responsible for property damage complainants. He directed the patrol Officers to make patrols at the times she said they frequented the neighborhood, but he has not seen any other reports since October 20th, after the first incident. 

As always, in case of an emergency, contact 911 for immediate assistance. If it is a non-emergency, but Police are needed, you can contact the BRPD Police Dispatch Center at 225-389-2000. If you would like to pass information to Cpl. Gauthier or the other Patrol Officers, you can contact Mike Helms via his email [email protected], and he will forward that information to Cpl. Gauthier and the other officers.

Remember to cover the basics – lock your car doors, don’t leave things in plain view, and don’t leave anything of value inside your vehicle, such as purses or firearms. If you have a security camera installed, it’s amazing how much the footage collected can help officers at times. Also, report street light outages and other safety issues through the Red Stick Ready website or app. Stay safe! 

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Jacob LuneauNovember Crime Update