•PART 4
"We lawyers are always curious, always inquisitive, always picking up odds and ends for our patchwork minds, since there is no knowing when and where they may fit into some corner."
-----Charles Dickens
In 1999 local lawyer Wayne Kuhn became interested in creating "Down by the Branch" at the Washington Parish Fair. A centrally located spot that had gone largely unused on the Fairgrounds was selected for excellent entertainers for whom the Stage was too big and the Playground was too noisy.
Mr. Wayne reflected on its small start - two people in the audience for the first performers out of New Orleans. But before long, there was a packed house.
I well remember when my husband Rodney and I - Franklinton natives -- discovered "Down by the Branch." We had departed the Stage area one year with our daughter on our way to the Midway when we stopped in our tracks, "Wait, what is this?" Infectious music. A newfound area and experience at the Fair. And before we knew it, Betsy - a clarinetist and pianist with appreciation for music - had taken a seat and was tapping her toes.
With a mind like a steel trap, Mr. Wayne recalled a number of early, top performers - Grandpa Elliott Small (1944-2022) who was an icon at the Fairgrounds was chief among them - at "Down by the Branch." "One of the best harmonica players I ever heard," Mr. Wayne reminisced. And Grandpa Elliott, who was a New Orleans French Quarter street musician, became famous worldwide as a performer for "Playing for Change." He became known for his rendition of "Stand By Me," a song originally written (together with Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber) and performed by Ben E. King.
Grandpa Elliott appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and he sang the National Anthem in Dodger Stadium. He also played the blues with "Stoney B."
And Mr. Wayne also reminded me that Oscar, a fantastic guitarist, who plays with Los Super, performed at "Down by the Branch" every year. All these entertainers Wayne counts among his good friends. Lucky folks, they are.
With his significant contributions to the Fair, it stood to reason that Wayne Kuhn was selected the Washington Parish Fair Association Honoree in 2004. And in 2005 he was named Volunteer of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals, after the local Board nominated him. But shunning the limelight, Mr. Wayne continued to praise other Fair volunteers. He informed me that Walt Sylvest and Mike Mobley, who helped build the Playground, are responsible for the picnic tables, apparently all of them, on the Fairgrounds. According to Mr. Wayne, they just kept building them.
But back to Mr. Wayne, his volunteerism has not been limited to the Fair. He served as former Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Hospital Service District No. 1 for Riverside Medical Center, and he kindly remembered my dad, the longtime Administrator/CEO of the Bogalusa Community Medical Center (now Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa).
Mr. Wayne informed, "Your dad would come by and speak to us when our children were born." Digressing, like clockwork Daddy checked the patient registration at the Bogalusa Medical Center every morning, stopping by patient rooms and greeting locals he knew. People kindly remember, to this day.
Mr. Wayne was a dedicated member of the Franklinton Chamber of Commerce, serving as former Chairman of the Civic and Youth Committee and as former Vice President, and he was the President of the Franklinton Rotary Club from 1979-1980. So, it was fitting that Franklinton named Wayne Kuhn Citizen of the Year in 2012 for his inimitable contributions to our town.
Wayne Kuhn didn't miss out on anything in Franklinton. He was ardently involved in the Franklinton Community Theatre, something he described as "the most enjoyable." For the production "Annie," he played bit parts while his daughter Laura was one of the orphans; he was "Bundles," the laundryman, the sound effects man on the radio show, and also a member of President Roosevelt's Cabinet. Mr. Wayne also played Bob Hopeless in the USO show and Archie Campbell in the "Hee Haw" show. And both he and his wife Sarah were in "Play On," a comedy play. Good times were had by all participants, and the audience.
Wayne and Sarah Kuhn raised their family in First Baptist Church of Franklinton where he had an early start. According to Wayne, the son of Louis and Maxine Kuhn, "Mother literally carried me there as a baby." Mr. Louis was in the milk business and often had the car so the family walked to church on Cleveland from their home on 13th Avenue. As an adult, Wayne not only worked with the youth, as a Sunday School teacher and director, for twenty-five years, but he also served as a Deacon.
It was Richard Morgan - Mr. Wayne proclaimed "Never a better man than him" - who declared, "Wayne, you'll be remembered for Down by the Branch and the Red Pumpkin Hunt." The latter is elaborate poetry with clues that he perpetuated. I am sure Mr. Richard was right. But I will remember Mr. Wayne's humility. Never has a man done so much for his community and been willing to claim so little credit. Without fail, he recognized others.
I thought it was time to recognize him. Wayne Kuhn - an honest lawyer, a devoted family man, a dedicated Fair volunteer, and a friend of the people in Washington Parish.
Hats off to Wayne Kuhn upon his retirement from the full-time practice of law.
