When you see the beautiful flowers growing at #3731 Bowling Lane in Orange, you will know that Louis Ardoin enjoys working in his yard and seeing his plants grow.

The raised beds at the front of the house have a nicely arranged mix of plants, set off by various borders of stones and wood at different levels. Two of those plants completely surprised him by spouting tall blooms just shortly after being planted. But they only lasted a few days and then disappeared.

The wood-boarded garden along 37th Street actually serves more than just beauty. Mr. Ardoin designed that garden to also keep excess water from the street drainage from overflowing onto his lawn – and it works. The tall Mexican Petunias in that bed provide constantly beautiful purple blooms.

Mr. Ardoin moved to Orange from Atlanta, Georgia, for a position in the transportation industry. His choice for a home on Bowling Lane enabled him to walk to work each day. He has since retired, and spends considerable time keeping his property beautiful.

Keep Orange County Beautiful (KOCB) recognizes and applauds the work that Louis Ardoin has been done to improve not only his neighborhood, but also the western edge of the City of Orange as it transitions into an industrial park on Tulane Road in Orange County.

Mrs. Sandra Hoke, a member of KOCB's Board of Directors, presented Louis Ardoin with their Summer 2022 Beautification Award on Thursday August 18th.

Most people don't even know that 37th Street exists. It starts at Robert's Steak House and Meat Market in Pinehurst and crosses Strickland Drive south to the railroad tracks. Along the way, the city of Pinehurst is on the left and the City of Orange on the right...then it turns into Orange on both sides, then Orange County on the right.

The road makes a left at the Railroad tracks and turns into West Masonic Drive, In front of Madison Lodge #126 Masons Lodge. Then under highway 87 overpass, turning into South Avenue in West Orange as it continues on between the railroad tracks and Walmart. When the street crosses Adams Bayou, it becomes Main Street – back into the City of Orange, and continues on until it ends at Lamar State College Orange.

Whew! That's across three different cities and unincorporated Orange County, four different governments, starting and ending in the City of Orange. And no one knows about it.

Keep Orange County Beautiful is a registered D/B/A for Gateway Cities Proud – Southeast Texas Inc., a Texas non-profit corporation.  KOCB has been active in Orange County since 1997.

KOCB's mission is easily expressed as "Trees & Trash" – more trees, less trash. You can learn more about them at their website, https://www.kocb.org/about/.