Around the Westside for Aug. 22, 2012

Choir plans first prayer breakfast

Chozun, a recently formed choir ministry under the direction of White Castle Mayor Gerald Williams, will host its first prayer breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday at the LA Iberville Banquet Hall.

The choir, founded in April, draws its membership from churches throughout the parish .

The group, which the mayor assembled to sing for a revival service in White Castle, has already performed in New Orleans, St. Francisville and other locations in Louisiana.

The Rev. Geoffrey Sykes, of the Greater St. Mary Baptist Church, will serve as the keynote speaker for the prayer breakfast.

Tickets are $10.

For more information about Chozun or the prayer breakfast, contact Roselyn Pinkney at [phone], Amanda Johnson-Barrett at [phone] or call [phone].

Fishing for a cure

The Casting for a Cure Bass Fishing Tournament 2012 & Auction will take place Saturday on Morrison Parkway in New Roads.

The tournament is an annual fundraiser for cancer research.

The tournament will take place from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. The auction is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. For more information, contact Tanner Pourciau at [phone].

Town hall meeting

City Councilwoman Ray Helen Lawrence will host a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 30 at the West Baton Rouge Library in Port Allen.

Topics for discussion include blue tarps, financial responsibilities for the uninsured and successions for repair grant information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For more information, call [phone].

Battery recycling

Keep West Baton Rouge Beautiful has started a parishwide battery collection program to promote battery recycling.

Rechargeable batteries and A, B, C and D batteries can be dropped off for recycling at Addis Hardware, Port Allen Hardware & Supplies, West Side Lumber Co., West Baton Rouge Parish Library, and Po-Folks Fruit & Vegetables. Deposit batteries in the marked battery collection boxes at each location.

For questions, or more information, call [phone].

Cather portrayal slated

The Pointe Coupee Parish Library invites the public to attend “Willa Cather Speaks,” a one-woman show featuring nationally acclaimed author and scholar Betty Jean Steinshouer.

Steinshouer portrays Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather, author of the 1927 novel “Death Comes for the Archbishop.”

Steinshouer’s performance, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Pointe Coupee Parish Library, culminates the communitywide reading of Cather’s novel. For more information, call Randy Harelson at [phone].

Barrel races

The New Roads Multi-Use Center will host two barrel race competitions this weekend.

The first, the National Barrel Race Competition, will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday. The facility hosts the Baton Rouge Barrel Race Competition at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Both events are free and open to the public. The center is located at 1400 Major Parkway in New Roads.

To submit news, contact Westside Bureau Chief Terry Jones by phone, [phone]; fax, [phone]; or email, [e-mail].