City of Ruston

09/05/2026

It’s Game Day!

If you’re heading to Louisiana Tech for today’s game, be sure to check the attached map before you hit the road. It includes suggested routes to help you get to Joe Aillet Stadium and navigate around any road closures or construction.

Take a look, plan your route, and give yourself a little extra time getting to the game.

We’ll see you at Joe Aillet Stadium! 🐶🏈

09/04/2026

The Tech Trolley is a collaboration between the City of Ruston and Experience Ruston , providing a free and convenient connection between Downtown Ruston and Joe Aillet Stadium on Louisiana Tech home game days!

The trolley will follow the same route that has been used successfully for the past several years, with two pickup locations before heading to the stadium:
1. Railroad Park in Downtown Ruston
2. Corner of Everett Street & West Mississippi Avenue (Where the new parking is on campus)
3. Drop-off at Joe Aillet Stadium

The attached map shows the full shuttle route, pickup locations, and stadium drop-off for reference.

2026 Louisiana Tech Home Games:
9/5 – vs. Northwestern State – 6:30 PM, Theme: This is Home
10/3 – vs. Army – TBD, Theme: Those Who Served
10/10 – vs. UL Lafayette– TBD, Theme: Past Meets Future
10/24 – vs. Old Dominion – TBD, Theme: Welcome Home
11/14 – vs. Southern Miss – TBD, Theme: One More
11/21 – vs. Arkansas State – TBD, Theme: The Next Generation

For each home game, two Tech Trolley buses will continuously run the route, beginning two hours before kickoff and continuing until one hour after the game ends. Both buses will follow the same route.

This route has worked well in past seasons because it serves both our campus and downtown communities. Fans have an easy way to get to the stadium while also having the opportunity to park downtown, grab a meal, shop, and spend time in the Entertainment District before and after the game.

We are always excited to bring the Tech Trolley back for football season. Game days bring great energy to Ruston, and this partnership allows us to extend that atmosphere beyond the stadium and into our downtown businesses and public spaces. It is a great way to create a better experience for residents, students, visitors, and local businesses!

Please feel free to share the attached route map and information with anyone who may need it throughout the season. This route will remain the same for each home game.

We are looking forward to another great season and plenty of busy game days in Downtown Ruston!

09/04/2026

The framework for the new Willis Knighton Health medical office building in Ruston is starting to rise, giving us a first look at the size and scale of what’s taking shape along Willow Glen Drive.

The four-story medical office building is designed to bring Willis Knighton Physician Network clinics together under one roof, with room for additional services and specialties in the future.

It’s exciting to see this project move from plans on paper to steel in the air. We’ll keep watching the progress as this new addition to Ruston takes shape!

09/03/2026

The City of Ruston is ready for Game Day!

Thanks to the linemen who helped hang Louisiana Tech flags along West Alabama!

See you Saturday at the Joe! Go Dawgs!

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

Water System Flushing

Starting today, September 3rd, the City of Ruston will be utilizing Utiliserve, LLC to perform flushing of the water system in the area South of W. California Ave and West of Hwy 167 for approximately 2-3 business days, then they will be moving to the area South of E. California Ave and East of Hwy 167 for the next 2-3 business days.

During that time, you may experience discoloration of water and/or temporary lower than normal water pressure. We ask that you please notify us if you experience water discoloration or lower water pressure by sending an email to the following email address, [email protected] to document this information and please include address, time of day noticed and any other helpful information along with flushing your home if you see the water is discolored until it clears back up.

Work being performed is a proactive measure to update the asset management plan for current and future planning.

09/02/2026

A Vision Comes to Life: Honoring Chief Chris Womack

After several years of dreaming and working towards a new home for Ruston Fire Department Station #2, that vision came to life yesterday with the grand opening of the department’s brand-new station on W. California Avenue.

During his 35 years with the Ruston Fire Department, Chief Chris Womack helped shape the vision for what would become the new Station #2. Although he passed away in November 2025 after a battle with cancer, before he could see the station completed, his presence can be felt throughout the building. From helping design the station to having his bunker gear proudly displayed in a case near the front entrance, Chief Womack’s legacy is part of Station #2.

During the grand opening, Mayor Ronny Walker reflected on Chief Womack’s impact, sharing that Womack was his first hire as mayor and the driving force behind the initiative to build a new Station #2.

The station’s opening was also marked by several special tributes.

A representative from Speaker of the House Mike Johnson presented the Ruston Fire Department with a United States flag flown from the U.S. Capitol. She also shared that Speaker Johnson’s father was a firefighter who served in Shreveport.

Ruston Police Chief Eric Watson presented a new Fire Department badge design featuring ‘In Memory of Chris Womack’ on the seal. This seal will be hung in the new station.

Following the ribbon cutting, Chief Joe Dan Martin joined members of Chief Womack’s family for a special unveiling. The new station was officially named the Chief Chris Womack Fire Station, ensuring that the man who envisioned a better Station #2 will forever be a part of it.

Yesterday was more than the opening of a new fire station. It was the celebration of a legacy and a life dedicated to serving the Ruston community. We are proud to honor Chief Womack and grateful for the lasting impact he made on the Ruston Fire Department.

09/02/2026

What could small, local projects do for the future of our downtowns and neighborhoods?

Join us in Ruston for a free public lecture on Incremental Development with Tiffany Elder, as she shares how small, locally driven projects can help bring vacant spaces back to life, encourage local ownership and strengthen communities—one step at a time.

Tuesday, Sept. 29 | 5:30–7:30 PM Ruston Civic Center | 401 N. Trenton St.
Free and open to the public

Whether you're interested in downtown revitalization, real estate, entrepreneurship or simply seeing our communities thrive, we invite you to join us!

RSVP: https://www.incrementaldevelopment.org/calendar/northlousiana-lecture2026

Tiffany Elder is an IncDev Faculty member, licensed general contractor, Realtor and real estate investor/developer based in Durham, North Carolina. She is the owner of Paradigm Construction and Paradigm Properties and specializes in renovating historic structures and developing new spaces.

Hosted by the LDEQ Brownfields Program and Louisiana Main Street, in partnership with the City of Ruston, Downtown Ruston, Experience Ruston and Visit Webster Parish.

09/02/2026

If you’re heading to Louisiana Tech for this weekend’s game, be sure to check the attached map before you hit the road. It includes suggested routes to help you get to Joe Aillet Stadium and navigate around any road closures or construction.

09/02/2026

Hotel >> Hospital >> Bar >> Boutique

Seaborn J. Harris and his family moved to Ruston, Louisiana, in 1896. After managing the Arlington Hotel, which was located downtown, Harris purchased a building and opened the Harris Hotel, with rooms ranging from $2.50 to $3 a night.

In 1927, a fire almost completely destroyed the hotel, leaving only the first-floor framework, which is now where Blue Iguana and The Collective operate their businesses today. Harris would later acquire the structure located directly behind the building that had originally housed his hotel, as seen in this first photo. It would become the new Harris Hotel, or, as some called it, Hotel Ruston. Seaborn Harris’s grandson would later establish a hospital in the building and practice medicine on the second floor.

During WWII, the building was taken over by the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) to house officers supervising trainees at Camp Ruston.

After the war, the building eventually stopped functioning as a hotel and hospital and became a commercial building. Stow’s would eventually occupy the building in the 1970s. The second floor still contained old hospital equipment from when Harris practiced medicine there. Stow’s operated for roughly 30 years and became a popular college hangout, famous for its game-day crowds, before closing in the early 2000s.

Many say the old hospital was haunted by the lingering spirits of former patients. Numerous patrons and staff reported hearing odd noises and footsteps. There were also rumors that Louisiana Tech alum Kix Brooks wrote the song Neon Moon about Stow’s after frequenting the hangout. However, it appears that Ronnie Dunn wrote the song by himself before connecting with Kix Brooks, and the song is believed to have been written in Oklahoma.

The building now operates as The Fashion of Ruston and Chartreuse Pear.

Whether the ghost stories are true or not, I guess you’ll have to ask the current occupants. 👻

What memories do you have of this building?

*If you have new information or corrections about this photo, we’d love for you to share them and help us tell the story accurately.