Community Calendar

Join Us for a Creative Experience!

Kids Art Club is a monthly meetup for kids aged 9-14 to learn and utilize their creative gifts. Digital Artist, Muralist, and BCCNL Board Member, Brandon Virgil, Sr. is the teacher and coordinator of this club. He will engage with kids, teaching new skills and offering experiences for thriving young artists.

Brandon and Charlene Virgil are thrilled to host Kids Club's Monochromatic Session! Bring the kids for an inspiring art experience with special guest artist Camille Fabian. This is a perfect opportunity for young creatives to learn, grow, and explore their artistic talents in a supportive community environment.
Spaces are limited - register today and let your imagination shine! Be sure to register now to secure your seat in this artistic adventure where creativity knows no bounds. Get ready to explore, create, and celebrate at Kids Club! We can't wait to see you there!

Kids Art Club will take place at Marbles Recreation Center, 2950 Renwick Street, Monroe LA, 71201.

REGISTER HERE:
https://forms.gle/MVg78TbJEspNbvPZ7

More Than “My Pleasure” is happening at Pecanland Mall with David Benson, a longtime Chick-fil-A Operator with 40+ years of experience in leadership, team development, and customer service.

For just $20, you’ll get lunch, real leadership insights, and the chance to connect with other young professionals across Monroe.

Come for lunch, stay for the conversation, and leave with a few lessons you can take into your own career.

Hansel Gill, director of the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, will speak on the subject, "The Future of Space Exploration," on Tuesday, September 15, at 5:30 p.m. in the Union Museum of History and Art. He will be joined by NASA aerospace engineer Dr. LaQuieta Huey of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. They will share America’s vision for space exploration and highlight the many successes of NASA’s Artemis program. The program is part of the NASA exhibit currently displayed in the museum, located at 211 N. Main Street, Farmerville, LA.
Michoud, also called "America's Rocket Factory," builds the massive Space Launch Systems that propel astronauts and payloads beyond Earth's gravity. Michoud has more than 3500 employees on site, and is one of the world's largest manufacturing facilities.
Dr. Huey is a North Louisiana native, who earned her B.S. degree in physics from Grambling State University in 2000 before going on to earn higher degrees elsewhere.
The public is invited to meet these NASA luminaries who are leading the way in space exploration, using science, math, imagination, and creativity.
At Michoud, Director Gill oversees the crucial infrastructure where elements of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft are assembled. Director Gill earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Oakwood University in 1996 and his master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Alabama – Huntsville in 2007.
Dr. Huey is a materials engineer and physicist with more than 18 years’ experience at NASA Marshall. Her career spans aerospace engineering, materials science, and optical engineering, with a focus on advanced materials and their applications in space systems. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Grambling State University, her doctorate from Alabama A & M University, and her M.B.A. from Florida A & M University.

The I-20 Career & Opportunity Expo will bring employers, job seekers, educational institutions, workforce partners, and community resources together for an evening focused on employment, advancement, and what comes next. The event will include career opportunities, educational resources, professional connections, and door prizes throughout the evening.

The expo is free and open to anyone exploring a new job, a career change, educational opportunities, professional development, or resources that can help them take the next step.

Free resume building and career services will be on site to help!

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet directly with regional employers and hiring representatives; learn about current and upcoming job openings; explore education, training, certification, and career-development opportunities; participate in on-site conversations and potential interviews; connect with workforce and community-resource organizations; register for door prizes throughout the event.

Participants are encouraged to dress professionally, bring multiple copies of their résumé, and come prepared to speak with employers about their experience, interests, and career goals.

In the vacuum of space far from Earth, how will astronauts build and repair essential structures? Louisiana Tech University professor Dr. Andrew Peters will discuss his research on this topic on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the Union Museum of History and Art. His “Welding in Space” talk is part of the museum’s NASA exhibit that runs from August 13 to Sept. 26.
Dr. Peters is currently working on a research project for NASA to develop a new generation of materials called vitrimers. These plastics are strong, lightweight, self-healing, and reusable. The research team is studying how to use ultrasonic welding to assemble these materials into large space structures that can be repaired or reconfigured on-site. The NASA grant will support a three-year collaboration among research teams from Louisiana State University, Louisiana Tech University, and Southern University.
Dr. Peters is associate professor of chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech University and principal investigator on the NASA research project, titled “Advancing Manufacturing of Sustainable Multi-Material Composite Structures for Space Applications Via Ultrasonic Welding.” The collaborative research began October 1, 2025. “If NASA uses our work, we become part of something much bigger and contribute to the future of space exploration,” says Dr. Peters.

Robotics teams from area schools will demonstrate their skills at the Union Museum of History and Art.

The event is in association with the museum's NASA exhibit on loan from the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. Teams confirmed so far are from Union Parish High School, Downsville Community Charter School, and D'Arbonne Woods Charter School.

Robotics are a key element in space exploration, most notably the current Mars robot rovers: Curiosity and Perseverance. NASA is planning a permanent lunar outpost, known as Moon Base, which will rely heavily on robotic systems before astronauts arrive.

As humans prepare for deep-space missions, a major obstacle must be addressed: What will they eat?
Louisiana Tech University biology professor Dr. Joshua Vandenbrink and his colleagues are currently researching that issue for NASA, focusing on mushroom cultivation. He will discuss his research on Tuesday, September 22, at 5:30 p.m. in the Union Museum of History and Art, 211 N. Main Street, Farmerville, LA. His presentation, "Growing Food in Space: Current Research and Future Perspectives," is a feature of the museum’s NASA exhibit on display from August 13 to Sept. 26.
Dr. Vandenbrink, associate professor in Louisiana Tech University’s School of Biological Sciences, received the NASA Research Initiation Award to study how edible mushrooms can be cultivated in space as part of sustainable life support systems for long-duration space missions.

Come join a Silent Book Club!  Show up to this room, bring a book you've been wanting to read, and enjoy the silence (and the snacks).  It is a chance for everyone to get together and read!

This free, public event will dive into the concept of incremental development, the traditional, time-tested approach that built America’s most beloved neighborhoods through small, locally driven projects taken one step at a time.

Downtowns and neighborhoods across North Louisiana are sitting on massive, untapped potential. Too often, communities struggle with vacant buildings and empty lots, lacking a clear roadmap to bring them back to life. This lecture is designed to change that. It is geared toward anyone with an interest in small-scale real estate development and community revitalization, including Main Street organizations, municipal leaders, local banks, chambers of commerce, economic development groups, architects, and existing developers.

“This training isn't just about real estate; it's about handing the tools of revitalization directly to the people who care most about their neighborhoods,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. By partnering with the Incremental Development Alliance, we're providing a roadmap to turn that untapped potential into economic growth. When we invest in our downtowns, we create thriving destinations for our residents and unforgettable experiences for our visitors. We want to empower local entrepreneurs to breathe new life into these untapped spaces, one small project at a time.”

Louisiana Main Street is proud to co-host this event alongside the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s (LDEQ) Brownfields Program. The training is made possible through partnerships with the City of Ruston, Downtown Ruston, Experience Ruston, and Visit Webster Parish.

The evening's lecture will be presented by Tiffany Elder, a faculty member of the Incremental Development Alliance. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Elder brings a wealth of hands-on experience as a licensed general contractor, Realtor, and real estate developer. Elder, the owner of Paradigm Construction and Paradigm Properties transitioned from a career as a software engineer to renovating historic structures and building dynamic new spaces.

Our annual Banned Books Reading will be on Tues., Sept. 29, at 6:30 PM in the Fishbowl (Walker 2-72). Please bring a passage from a banned book, explain why it's banned, and read it aloud. It's our time to celebrate the freedom to read!