Home Care In Heflin, LA

The Annual Rapides Parish Rodeo is returning to Cenla with two big shows on November 24th and 25th at the Rapides Coliseum in Alexandria.

The show will feature everyone’s favorite events as some of the best cowboys in the world will compete to win a prize of 30,000 dollars. The show will also be including a new Free Style Bullfighting event where the cowboys will become daredevils by performing death defying stunts and tricks with the bulls.

Both shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are now on sale at the Coliseum, AA Western Wear, and the Leisure Travel Office at Ft. Polk. Military discounts are available and this event is a huge fundraiser for the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation.

Children’s tickets will start at 12 dollars. Reserved seats will also be available.

Here is a list of the contestants:

Bareback Riding

•Jake Brown - Cleveland, TX: On his way to his 3rd NFR in December, $103,000 in 2017 earnings, over $400,000 in career earnings. Sitting number 7 in the PRCA world Standings.

•Bill Tutor - Huntsville, TX: On his way to his 1st NFR in December, $96,000 in 2017 earnings, $150,000 in career earnings. Sitting number 11 in the PRCA World Standings.

•Tanner Phipps - Dalton, GA: 2017 Rookie of the Year.

Saddle Bronc

•Cody DeMoss - Heflin, LA: On his way to his 13th NFR in December, $120,000 in 2017 earnings, over 3 million in career earnings. Sitting 4th in the PRCA World Standings

•Bradley Harter - Loganger, LA: 10 NFR qualifications, 20th in the 2017 standings, 1.2 million in career earnings. (Saturday Only)

•Heath DeMoss - Heflin, LA: On his way to his 9th NFR, 1.2 Million in career earnings, sitting 12th in the PRCA world Standings with $89,000 in earnings.

Bull Riding

•Cody Rostockyj - Hillsboro, TX: 1 NFR qualification, $330,000 in career earnings.

•Jeff Askey - Martin, TN: 1 NFR qualificaiton, $380,000 in career earnings.

Tie-Down Roping

•Randall Carlisle - Athens, LA: on his way to his 2nd NFR, $480,000 in career earnings, 12 in the PRCA world Standings.

PRCA BullFight

•Evan Allard - Vinita, OK: 3rd in PRCA World Standings, 3 time Ardmore, OK Freestyle Champion, 2 Time Salinas, CA Freestyle Champion.

•Jon Roberts - Friendship, TN: 6th in PRCA World Standings, 2nd at 2017 Spring Rapides Parish Pro Rodeo Bull Fights.

•Blake Miller - Troy, TX: Hottest rookie sensation going!!

Editor’s note: In this monthly column staff writer James Heflin indulges his sweet tooth by sampling desserts made at area restaurants.

It's best to take some things slow, and moving away from pure chocolate to non-chocolate desserts requires a particular ease in the saddle.

That's why I started non-chocolate-ward with the chocolate cannoli at La Fiorentina. It's got that certain — well, not savoir faire, but whatever they say in Italian — style of the boot-shaped peninsula, but then the whole business is drenched in chocolate. A good starting point on my voyage toward the eventual destination: La Fiorentina's sfogliatelle.

La Fiorentina's cannoli recipe has been around a long time, says Mauro Daniele, general manager of the Northampton bakery.

“My great-grandfather was a master baker in southern Italy. My grandfather came over and started a bakery in the South End (of Springfield).”

That was in 1946. These days, La Fiorentina’s got three locations including one in Longmeadow. The Northampton store opened a mere quarter-century ago.

A good chocolate cannoli is, in some respects, the well-shod Italian cousin of the brasher American Boston Cream doughnut. It's got creamy filling, but it's no half-hearted custard or airy nothing. It is instead a dense, chocolate chip-studded ricotta cheese, whipped into a sugary, punch-you-in-the-face starring role.

It's got fried dough, too, with a hint of that same flavor that makes doughnuts doughnut-y. But a Fiorentina cannoli delivers plenty of crunch, unlike the soggier attempts that are all too common. There's nothing shy about a good cannoli.

The chocolate cannoli's up-front style is almost entirely countered by its cousin, the puff cannoli. La Fiorentina's puff cannoli arrives with its ends coated in hazelnuts. And for this chocolate junky, the hazelnut, with its echo of Nutella, paves the way beautifully to the chocolate-free world. Though it's still a daunting world.

The puff cannoli, thank heavens, proves that all is not lost without the cocoa bean. It's all but ethereal next to the regular cannoli.

Though they're both called cannoli, Daniele says, “They really have nothing in common except that they both have nuts and they're tubular.”

He explains that the cannoli is fried, the puff cannoli baked. The regular one has ricotta filling, and the other a much lighter pastry cream. The puff cannoli has a croissant-like flake, and its chilled cream is ephemeral — a peak of vanilla that quickly fades into the bready, buttery flavor of the pastry. It seems like a cannoli for when you can't quite take getting roughed up by the calorie load of the standard version.

Maybe it's just because mine was covered in chocolate, but for this diner, the dense, fried cannoli took pride of place.

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Daniele says the Italian baking tradition differs in some noticeable ways from its French and American counterparts. “The pastries are completely different. There are a lot more creams, custards, cheeses versus apple pie or chocolate chip cookies.”

There's also, he says, many more choices on offer at a typical Italian bakery. The display case at his place proves the point handily — there are rum cakes, mousse cakes, almond cookies, tarts and a rainbow of other confections.

“Each region in Italy has its own specialty,” Daniele said. “We take items from all over southern Italy. Some are what you'd get out of any bakery in Naples, and others are our own spin on things.”

Chief among the specialties of the Naples region, Daniele says, is sfogliatella. That rather forbidding word is said something like “shvoyatella,” and it's got a long history.

“It was invented by monks and nuns,” Daniele said.

And indeed, the prevailing story — a little research turns up variations on the theme — is that it was invented in a monastery or convent in the 17th century, and a Neapolitan baker took it to his own shop, where it grew in popularity.

Sfogliatella (that's the singular, and “sfogliatelle” the plural) is bold, even baroque. It looks like a pastry designed by the same dude who decorated St. Peter's Basilica. Which seems about right for the country that more or less sponsored the Renaissance and its ensuing complications. It's sometimes known as “lobster tail,” and its many layers make it look like something you might want to hold off on eating, lest you destroy a work of art.

Once you decide to tear down the edifice, you're met with a remarkably crunchy experience where the many layers have cooked brown on the edges. Further in, the dough becomes more chewy. And inside all that is a cavern of moist, dense ricotta filling. The principal taste is orange.

The rather unexpected thing about sfogliatelle is its mildness. It's got a whole progression of textures, from the crunchy exterior to the smooth filling, but beyond that citrus note, the flavors don't demand attention like those of other traditional Italian items like rum cake or cannoli.

At first, that seemed like a negative. Then I found the reason.

Blame the Italian predilection for taking the day's coffee in four million thimbles-full rather than an American bucket-sized mug. If you're only drinking a molecule of coffee at a time, you want that coffee strong enough to stand a spoon in. And when you pair a proper, unadulterated espresso with sfogliatelle, the flavors conspire. The orange ricotta cuts through the strong coffee; it's as if both flavors get amplified. It's a marriage so happy you may cry.

Taken that way, La Fiorentina's sfogliatelle is so successful a pastry it's worth trying to say it the right way. And that's saying a lot.

Have you discovered a confection at a local eatery that makes you want to skip the main course? Email James Heflin at [email protected].

You can’t blame the former commander of Fort Bliss’ combat sustainment support battalion if he feels as though he has been sprinting for the past two years.

Lt. Col. Raphael S. Heflin relinquished command of the 142nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion with the 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade on Tuesday. He had led the 1,000-soldier Atlas Battalion for the past 23 months.

“Busy might even be an understatement,” said Heflin, a 40-year-old from Atlanta. “There was no lack of things to do around here. The credit goes to the soldiers in the battalion, to deal with the level of op tempo, the number of missions we had.”

Heflin will go to the Pentagon, where he will serve on the Army staff.

He was succeeded by Lt. Col. Asuero “J.” Mayo Jr., who most recently worked at the Department of Defense Coordinating Element, Region 9 for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in California. Mayo is from Guam.

The battalion provides a wide range of support for the 1st Armored Division and the rest of Fort Bliss. These soldiers provide supplies and maintain and transport equipment and vehicles.

During Heflin's command tenure, the Atlas Battalion participated in and supported three Iron Focus exercises, two Network Integration Evaluations and one Army Warfighting Assessment at Fort Bliss.

The unit also sent soldiers to support five rotations at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Most recently, the battalion sent 190 soldiers to NTC in October and into November along with Fort Bliss’ 1st Brigade.

During the latest trip to NTC, the battalion oversaw a sustainment task force that included another 300 soldiers from all over the Army.

The battalion also sent soldiers to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., in January of this year, also to support 1st Brigade.

In addition to these training exercises, the battalion was busy overseas.

The Atlas Battalion sent about 90 soldiers to Afghanistan last year as part of a logistical team that also included the Sustainment Brigade headquarters and sister battalion, the Special Troops Battalion.

Twenty soldiers from the battalion's 606th Movement Control Team deployed to Kuwait and recently returned home. Two soldiers deployed to and have returned from Jordan during Heflin’s command, and a series of small teams went to Africa to train partner nations, like Djibouti and Kenya, in support operations.

The battalion also ran the 21-day controlled monitoring area for troops returning from Liberia after they had participated in efforts to stop the deadly Ebola virus. Atlas soldiers ran the monitoring area at Fort Bliss from February to May 2015.

Heflin said his soldiers “made money for the Army every day,” meaning they went above and beyond expectations to accomplish their missions.

He will miss the pace of the battalion and “serving with soldiers in the trenches,” but looks forward to the challenges that lie ahead, Heflin said.

“But it will be a great opportunity to dial back and spend more time with my family,” he said. “At the end of the day, that is where I sacrificed the most.”

David Burge may be reached at 546-6126; [email protected]; @dburge1962 on Twitter.

Lt. Col. Raphael S. Heflin

Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Mercer University; master’s in public policy management from Georgetown University

Awards: Bronze Star (one oak leaf cluster); Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal (three oak leaf clusters); Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal (one oak leaf cluster); Joint Service Achievement Medal; and Army Achievement Medal (one oak leaf cluster)

Family: Married to LaShawna, originally from Atlanta. Son: Jayden, 7.

Kansas BASS Nation President Richard Heflin made a lifelong dream come true last weekend at the 2021 TNT Fireworks BASS Nation Central Regional on Milford Reservoir.

Heflin finished tied for eighth overall amongst nonboaters during the event April 21-23 in Junction City and was the top co-angler on the Kansas team, joining top boater Nick Luna, of Grain Valley, Mo., (14 pounds, 9 ounces) as the state’s representatives for the 2021 BASS Nation Championship. That event is slated for Nov. 3-5 on Ouachita River in Monroe, La.

The Topeka angler had the third-largest bass among nonboaters at 2 pounds, 10 ounces, and posted a three-day total of 6 pounds, 1 ounce, to qualify for nationals, edging out Buhler High School senior angler Nathan Fideldy, of Hutchinson (21st overall, 3-4).

Ray Cates, of Overland Park, also qualified while fishing for the Missouri team as a nonboater. He posted a three-day total of 9 pounds, 8 ounces, to finish first among the Missouri team’s co-anglers and second overall among all co-anglers.

Jesse Jordan, of Stilwell, finished 24th overall amongst boaters, posting 6 pounds, 14 ounces, with Leavenworth’s Larry Stoafer right behind him in 25th (6-9).

Other notable Kansas boaters include Alan Daniels, of Kansas City, Kan. (43rd, 3-0); Hays’ Klint VonFeldt (44th, 2-14); Whitewater’s Rick Wheeler (46th, 2-8) and El Dorado’s Kenny Turpin (49th, 2-5). Notable Kansas co-anglers included Yates Center’s Joel Porter (t-24th, 2-8); McPherson’s Justin Harris (31st, 1-15) and Berryton’s Mike Turner (t-35th, 1-12).

HAYS BASS ANGLERS ASSOCIATION

A total of 46 teams competed during the first Hays Bass Anglers Association Open tournament of the season April 24 on Wilson Reservoir, with Team Brown coming away with the top prize after posting a 21.45-pound bag.

Just behind them were the team of Unruh and Hopkins with 20.21 pounds for second, with Keeley and Leiker rounding out the top three with 19.47 pounds.

The big bass pot was shockingly split by a pair of monster fish, as the Browns tied with Killion and Colpetzer, each with a 7.69-pound lunker.

The next HBAA Open is scheduled for May 15, also at Wilson.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS KANSAS

Brandon Manis and Marc Shepard teamed up to pull out the win April 24 at the Special Olympics Kansas benefit crappie tournament at Clinton Reservoir.

“Always a fun time and for a great cause,” Manis said of the event.

The pair were using Top Secret Jigs ToadTamers in black and chartreuse and a custom color, Cajun Craw.

Topekan Dustin Hobbs took second place, while Jeremy Conway, of Lawrence, took third in the 29-boat field.

Mike and Eric Schrock, also of Lawrence, finished fourth and posted the big fish at 1.96 pounds, just barely topping Manis’ 1.95-pounder.

BASS NATION CENTRAL REGIONAL

Leaders April 21-23 on Milford Reservoir

BOATERS

Angler ... State team ... 3-day total

Kris Bosley ... NM* ... 23-5

Christian Gladfelter ... NM ... 22-12

Chris Johnson ... ARK ... 19-8

Brandon Moss ... OK ... 18-2

Chad Petrie ... TX ... 17-2

Jared Miller ... CO* ... 15-10

Nick Luna ... KS* ... 14-9

Mike Wheaton ... MO* ... 14-5

Travis Sneith ... CO ... 13-9

Shane Morgan ... CO ... 12-8

Other Kansas team results — 24. Jesse Jordan 6-14, 25. Larry Stoafer 6-9, 32. Branden Garrison 4-10*, 44. Klint VonFeldt 2-14, 46. Rick Wheeler 2-8, 49. Kenny Turpin 2-5, t-54. Jason Baird 0-0, t-54. Matthew Mesplay 0-0, t-54. Josh Pladies 0-0*.

Other Kansans — 43. Alan Daniels 3-0^.

*Resident of different state

^Fishing for Missouri team

NONBOATERS

Leaders April 21-23 at Milford Reservoir

Angler ... State team ... 3-day total

Hunter Neuville ... LA ... 9-10

Ray Cates ... MO* ... 9-8

Russell Vines ... ARK ... 7-6

Brad Hauf ... NM ... 7-5

Glenn Hahn ... TX ... 6-12

Morgan Fitzgerald ... CO ... 6-6

Bobby Maynard Jr. ... TX ... 6-6

Scooter Wright ... OK ... 6-1

Richard Heflin ... KS ... 6-1

Ryan Fontenot ... LA ... 5-14

Other Kansas team results — 21. Nathan Fideldy 3-4, t-24. Joel Porter 2-8, 27. Kyle Torkelson 2-3*, t-31. Justin Harris 1-15, t-35. Mike Turner 1-12, t-39. Jeremy Jackson 0-0, t-39. Clayton Rudman 0-0, t-39. Reggie Smithson 0-0, Cody Paxton 0-0*.

Other Kansans — t-39. Brent Goss 0-0^.

*Resident of different state

^Fishing for Missouri team

HAYS BASS ANGLERS ASSOCIATION

Open No. 1 leaders April 24 on Wilson Reservoir

Team ... Pounds of fish

Brown/Brown ... 21.45

Unruh/Hopkins ... 20.21

Keeley/Leiker ... 19.47

Hamel/Peterson ... 18.33

Cocker/Wright ... 18.25

Devine/Devine ... 17.61

Rudman/Harmoney ... 16.51

Calvin/Cornell ... 15.58

Page/Kirkley ... 15.40

1st High Stakes — Brown/Brown

2nd High Stakes — Unruh/Hopkins

*Big Bass — Tie between Brown/Brown and Killion/Colpetzer, 7.69

Here are the current leaders after four performances of the Reno Rodeo.

Bareback Riding: First Round: 1, Bobby Mote, Stephenville, Texas, 80 points on Western Rodeo's Another Gray. 2, (tie) Brian Bain, Powell Butte, Ore.; Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas; and Casey Breuer, Mandan, N.D., 78 each. Second Round: 1, (tie) Steven Peebles, Redmond, Ore., on Rosser Rodeo's Willhock and Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., on Big Bend Rodeo's Faded Winds, 83 points each. 3, Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 82. 4, Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., 81. Total on two: 1, Bobby Mote, Stephenville, Texas, 159. 2, (tie) Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., and Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 157. 4, Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., 156.

Steer Wrestling: First Round: 1, Joshua Clark, Belgrade, Mont., 4.2 seconds. 2, Olin HAnnum, Malad, Idaho, 4.5. 3, (tie) Ryan Bothum, Caddo, Okla., and Jace Melvin, Fort Pierre, S.D., 4.7 each. Second Round: 1, Tanner Milan, Cochrane, Alberta and Jule Hazen, Ashland, Kan., 4.0. 3, John Herl, Goodland, Kan., 4.4. 4, Gary Gilbert, New Underwood, S.D., 4.5. Total on two: 1, Jule Hazen, Ashland, Kan., 8.9. 2, Josh Clark, Texarkana, Texas, 9.2. 3, Jon Herl, Goodland, Kan., 9.3. 4, Jace Melvin, Fort Pierre, S.D., 9.5.

Team Roping: First Round: 1, Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Ariz., and Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas, 4.8 seconds. 2, Nick Sartain, Dover, Okla., and Rich Skelton, Llano, Texas, 5.1. 3, Jake Barnes and Junior Nogueira, Scottsdale, Ariz., 5.2. 4, (tie) Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz., and Cory Petska, Marana, Ariz.; and Joel Bach, Mount Vernon, Texas, and Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M, 5,4. Second Round: 1, Bubba Buckaloo, Caddo, Okla., and Russell Cardoza, Terrebonne, Ore., 4.9. 2, Cale Markham, Vinita, Okla., and Buddy Hawkins, III, Columbus, Kan., 5,1. 3, (tie) Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas, and Kollin VonAhn, Blanchard, Okla.; and Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz., and Clay O'Brien Cooper, Gardnerville, Nev.; 5.3. Total on two: 1, Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Ariz., and Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas, 10.3. 2, Jake Barnes and Junior Nogueira, Scottsdale, Ariz., 11.3. 3, Joel Bach, Mount Vernon, Texas, and Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M., 11.4. 4, Travis Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jett Hillman, Purcell, Okla., 11.5.

Saddle Bronc Riding: First Round: 1, Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 84 points on Diamond G Rodeo's 18 Karat Kowboy. 2, Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La., 82. 3, Jacobs Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 77. 4, (tie) Tyrel Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba and Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 76 each. Second Round: 1, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 82 points on Rosser Rodeo's Hat Stomper. 2, Dean Wadsworth, Ozona, Texas, 77. 3, (tie) Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La.; Bradley Harter, Loranger, La.; and Sam Spreadbrough, Snyder, Texas; 75. Total on two: 1, Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La., 157. 2, (tie) Bradley Harter, Loranger, La., and Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 150. 4, Jacobs Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 149.

Tie-Down Roping: First Round: 1, Ryan Watkins, Dublin, Texas, 8.7 seconds. 2, J.C. Malone, Hooper, Utah, 8.9.. 3, (tie) Russell Cardoza, Terrebonne, Ore., and Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla., 9.3 each. Second Round: 1, Timber Moore, Argyle, Texas, 7.9. 2, Clay Long, San Angelo, Texas, 8.7. 3, Cody Quaney, Cheney, Kan., 9.0. 4, Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla., 9.1. Total on two: 1, Michael Otero, Lowndesboro, Ala., 18.3. 2, Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla., 18.4. 3, Cade Swor, Winnie, Texas, 18.8. 4, Ryle Smith, Oakdale, Calif., 18.9.

Barrel Racing: First Round: 1, Kassidy Dennison, Tohatchi, N.M., 17.31 seconds. 2, Kaley Bass, Kissimmee, Fla., 17.33. 3, Callie DuPerier, Bandera, Texas, 17.36. 4, Ruth Haislip, Acampo, Calif., 17.39. Second Round: 1, Kaley Bass, Kissimmee, Fla., 16.94. 2, Katelyn McLeod, Whitesboro, Texas, 17.16. 2, Christina Richman, Glendora, Calif., 17.19. 3, Kassidy Dennison, Tohatche, N.M., 17.23. 4, Michele Mcleod, Whitesboro, Texas, 17.39. Total on two: 1, Kaley Bass, Kissimmee, Fla., 34.27. 2, Kassidy, Dennison, Tohatchi, N.M., 34.54. 3, Christina Richman, Glendora, Calif., 34.61. 4, Callie DuPerier, Bandera, Texas, 34.67.

Bull Riding: First Round: 1, Caleb Sanderson, Hallettsville, Texas, 82 points on Diamond G Rodeo's Warbird. 2, Howdy Cloud, Kountze, Texas, 81. 3, Reid Baker, Comfort, Texas, 79. 4, (tie) Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas; Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo.; and Derek Kolbaba, Walla Walla, Wash.; 77 each.