Attractions

Tune in to see actor Jeff Daniels as a Buckless Yooper. In addition, learn about a professional baseball team’s mascot called Mr. Celery, and the Museum of Funeral Customs that has one focus — death.

Business

Ever drink an okra martini or lather up with a luxury soap named after the lowly boll weevil? Need live crickets – fast? Click here to find out more about these and other businesses that offer unusual products and services!

Dining

Pass the napkins, please. You can get a fried double bologna burger, or try a pig sandwich, green chili slopper or coffee potato ice cream. Wash everything down with a white birch beer from the Hall of Foam.

Oddities

Time out: A Division I college football game actually had a final score of 222-0. Also, somebody had to invent Mother’s Day, and a city called Skullbone got its name from hosting bare-knuckle boxing matches.

Festivals

What’s that smell? Be sure to attend a celebration that features outhouse races, then bring a breath mint to the annual Garlic Festival. In addition, applaud the lucky and deserving winner of the Slug Queen Pageant.

Crickets, Crickets Everywhere
Business is jumping these days at Armstrong’s Cricket Farm in West Monroe, La., and Glennville, Ga.

Today the two cricket-growing sites ship a total of 8 million gray crickets each week to pet stores and bait shops throughout North America and Europe.

“About 85 percent of our crickets are now used as animal food in the pet industry to feed snakes, lizards, birds and frogs,” says Jack Armstrong, general manager of Armstrong’s Cricket Farm/Louisiana division. “The other 15 percent is used for fish bait.”

In addition to the U.S. customers, Armstrong’s ships crickets five times a week to Europe and 10 times a week to Canada.

Both farms annually produce a total of 400 million crickets that are kept alive in several large buildings. Prices vary depending on the size of each order. For example, 10,000 live crickets sell for approximately $150.

“We also supply the pet and fish industries with worms we grow,” Armstrong says. “Crickets and worms make for an unusual business, but it sure is interesting.”

Images of Ouachita online is loaded with interesting information, photos and feature stories about this great community. There’s even a cool photographic video tour. Whether you are interested in visiting or relocating – or just curious – you will enjoy exploring Images of Ouachita online.

Visit www.imageswestmonroe.com for more.