🌱 Annual Dreamnight Event This June + Mother Daughter Duo At Work

Good morning, Baton Rouge! I'm here in your inbox this morning to get you caught up on everything you need to know about what's going on around town.

But first, your local weather:

• Tuesday: Thunderstorm. High: 89 Low: 71.
• Wednesday: A shower and t-storm; humid. High: 84 Low: 66.

Here are the top three stories in Baton Rouge today:

1. On Friday, Jun. 2, the Baton Rouge Zoo will host the 17th Annual Dreamnight Event, which is a private event for children battling pediatric cancer. Zoo directors Jim Fleshman takes a lot of pride in the zoo hosting this event, as he believes it important to give these children opportunities to enjoy their childhood and experience fun activities in between all they are going through. The invite-only event not only offers a valuable educational experience, but also be face painting, ice cream, and meet and greets with princesses and dinosaurs from Petite Princess Co and The Dinosaur Experience. The event will run from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and will be free for the children as well as their families. (BRProud.com)
2. Baton Rouge officers are searching for the hit-and-run driver believed to be involved in the death of a motorcyclist earlier this month. It is believed that motorcyclist Alfred Odds was riding on Greenwell Springs Road when the car struck him head-on around 1:00 a.m. on May 6. Investigators believe the driver was driving a dark-colored 2013-2018 Ford Taurus and fled the scene westbound. If anyone has information relating to the case, they should contact the authorities as soon as possible. (WBRZ)
3. A mother-daughter duo with a powerful bond is serving the Baton Rouge community. Stephanie Thomas is a crew manager for a family-owned McDonald's franchise and recently her daughter Daja was given the opportunity to be a member of her mother's crew. Rather than be stressed working for her mother, Daja takes on the opportunity with an open mind, as she knows her mother will keep her accountable and she will continue to grow. Stephanie is proud of her daughter's commitment to her work both as an employee and as a student at LSU, and the powerful duo uses each other as motivation to be the best they can be. (BRProud.com)

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Today and tomorrow in Baton Rouge:

Tuesday, May 16

• Tea Dance At Milton J. Womack Park (1:00 PM)
• Let's Knit Together! At East Baton Rouge Parish Library (6:00 PM)
• Polymer Clay Flowers - Bluebonnet Regional Branch Library (6:30 PM)

Wednesday, May 17

• Intro To Microsoft Word At East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:00 AM)
• Strictly Business: Tim Barfield At East Baton Rouge Parish Library (11:00 AM)
• CCBR "À La Carte" Dinner & Cocktails At City Club Of Baton Rouge (5:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• If you haven't had a chance to stop by and visit the new Sapo Springs exhibit yet at BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo, you are missing out on a great time. Take some time out of your busy schedule to check out hippos, monkeys, and much more; the zoo is open daily at 9:30 a.m. (BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo via Facebook)
• Starting this Friday, you can see Sammie Vaughn as Amy March at the Baton Rouge Theatre in Little Women! The show will be premiering this Friday at 7:30 p.m. and will be running all the way through May 28; make sure you get your tickets while you can as there are only 90 seats per performance. (Theatre Baton Rouge via Facebook)
• Come out on Jun. 17 for a football camp your young star won't forget! Washington Commander Danny Johnson is hosting a free camp for children 8-14. A Southern University graduate, Johnson is coming to bring kids lessons they can use on and off the field. (Louisiana Youth Sports Network via Instagram)

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Featured events:

• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Delighted Every Week (May 16)

Thanks for following along and staying informed. See you all soon for another update!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.