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My friend loves to watch Purple Martins so much that she now has four birdhouses in her yard. When she put up the first house, she kept her eye open for the first Purple Martin to arrive and chased other birds away. Once the longed-for birds arrived, she and her husband enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Martins, and when they migrated, the birdhouses were diligently cleaned, preparing them for the next season.

PERIQUE TOBACCO SPECIALIST DIES: We learned last week of the death of Mark Ryan at age 69 in Clayton, North Carolina. We had an appointment to meet and chat with Mark over the Christmas holiday, but he was only here for a couple of days. He was to help us to sort out the history of the Mather Plantation in Convent. Mark founded Daughters & Ryan, Inc. in 1992, a company which he owned and operated for 28 years. In 2005, Mark purchased L. A. Poche Perique Tobacco Company in Convent, where he remained the owner until his death. Not long after he purchased the local company, Mark began hosting Drew Estate’s Louisiana Barnsmoker events at his tobacco barn. Those events were very popular among cigar and pipe smokers, attracting patrons from throughout the country. Drew Estate collaborated with Mark to implement L. A. Poche’s barrel fermentation project for the Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigar. Mark worked hard to preserve the legacy of the historic perique tobacco. He enjoyed hosting friends from everywhere to tour the perique factory and experience the local country. He won numerous awards for his contributions to the tobacco industry, including the cherished Golden Leaf Award. Mark visited St. James Parish monthly to check on his tobacco business and to enjoy the company of dear friends and colleagues, especially those who were as interested as he was in the history of perique tobacco farming.

The St. James Parish Economic Development Department would like to recognize the accomplishments, hard work, and leadership of our local businesses.