The Ville Platte Magnolia Garden Club presented its Civic Pride Award for August to the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce and Evangeline Tourism office located on Main Street. The building was the original fire department building and later became city hall under Mayor Dr. B.A. Soileau in 1941. The building was built as a construction project for the city under the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt established the National Youth Administration to address the problem of unemployment amongst Depression-era youth to promote on-the-job training. Aside from the history of the chamber office, viewers can enjoy a beautiful landscape of holly and magnolia trees, beds of vinca, fountain grass, knockout roses and much more. The club awarded the Garden of the Month prize to Gary and Lynn Landreneau. The order, balance and grooming of the beds surrounding the home are the reason this garden was selected. The colorful garden is filled with bedding plants of purple verbena, cock comb, begonias, lantana and boxwood. The Magnolia Garden Club thanks the community for its efforts in keeping yards and surrounding areas litter-free and well-groomed.