Mississippi
2023 events include beloved annual festivals and celebrations for every age group – Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper
![2023 events include beloved annual festivals and celebrations for every age group – Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper 2023 events include beloved annual festivals and celebrations for every age group – Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper](https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/01/012523_WEB_Visit-Natchez-2023-calendar.jpg)
2023 occasions embody beloved annual festivals and celebrations for each age group
Revealed 10:17 am Tuesday, January 24, 2023
- Natchez Balloon Competition (Photograph courtesy Go to Natchez)
NATCHEZ – Go to Natchez this morning launched its 2023 calendar of occasions for town, together with the return of a number of beloved annual festivals, live shows and celebrations which might be excellent for all ages to take pleasure in.
“We’re happy to share our thrilling lineup of occasions deliberate for this yr, starting from music festivals and vacation celebrations to sizzling air balloons and historic experiences,” mentioned Devin Heath, govt director of Go to Natchez. “These occasions showcase the most effective of what Natchez has to supply, together with our native flavors, hospitality, historical past and tradition. We stay up for welcoming locals and guests alike to make unforgettable recollections in Natchez in 2023.”
1. Mardi Gras Parade, February 17
This parade is held in downtown Natchez starting at North Broadway, that includes brilliantly lit adorned floats, reside music and rather more. This occasion is free and open to the general public beginning at
6:30 p.m. For extra data, go to https://www.kreweofphoenixnatchez.com/upcoming_events.
2. Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration (NLCC), February 23-24
This annual celebration, which started in 1990, is a theme-based lecture sequence enhanced by movies, workshops, exhibitions, e-book signings, live shows, discussions and extra. The convention is made attainable partially by the Mississippi Humanities Council. For extra data, go to www.colin.edu/group/natchez-literary-and-cinema-celebration.
3. The Highway to “A Raisin within the Solar”: The Hyperlink Between the Hansberry Household of Gloster, Mississippi, and Alcorn A & M School, February 28
The Natchez Historic Society will current J. Janice Coleman, professor of English at Alcorn State College, as she traces the critically acclaimed 1959 play, “Raisin within the Solar,” to the affect of the cherished residence library of Lorraine Hansberry’s grandfather, an 1891 Alcorn graduate, in Gloster, Amite County, Mississippi. For extra data, go to https://www.natchezhistoricalsociety.org/1801.html.
4. Natchez Powwow, March 25-26
Each March, 1000’s collect on the Natchez Bluff to have fun the realm’s wealthy Native American heritage. The annual occasion contains conventional Native American dancing, singing and enjoyable. For extra data, go to www.natchezpowwow.com.
5. Natchez Backyard Membership Spring Pilgrimage, March 1-Might 15
Guests could tour fourteen distinctive and delightful historic Natchez Backyard Membership houses – some obtainable for the primary time in fairly some time – in addition to museum residence Rosalie, on this unique tour. Many provide late afternoon or night occasions comparable to a candlelight dinner at Magnolia Corridor and a possibility to satisfy the homeowners at Elms Court docket. For data and a listing of taking part houses, go to www.littleeasytours.com.
6. Pilgrimage Backyard Membership’s Spring and Fall Pilgrimage Excursions, March 11-April 11 & September 23-October 20
In a practice courting again to 1932, Natchez opens the doorways to its beautiful historic houses to welcome vacationers from the world over. The celebrations embody excursions led by costumed hosts in Nineteenth-century characters, theater performances, distinctive shows and reside music, all centered on town’s gorgeous historic houses. For extra data and a listing of taking part houses, go to www.natchezpilgrimage.com.
7. Euro Auto Competition Automotive Present, April 21-23
The 2023 Natchez Euro Fest Basic European Auto & Bike Present combines European engineering and sweetness with southern hospitality. This family-friendly occasion is free and held on the Natchez Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and can characteristic classic and new unique autos and bikes. For extra data, go to www.euro-fest.internet/natchez.
8. The Rhythm Evening Membership Hearth Commemoration, April 22
The Rhythm Evening Membership Memorial Museum will commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the Rhythm Evening Membership Hearth of April 23, 1940. This annual occasion tells the tragic story of the Rhythm Evening Membership hearth that killed greater than 200 folks, together with Walter Barnes and his band members. It’s free and open to the general public. For extra data, go to https://www.rnconsitemm.org.
9. Competition of Music: A Month-Lengthy Celebration, Might
Rejoice the humanities in Natchez with a sequence of reside musical performances all through the month of Might. Company can expertise particular reveals from musicians spanning numerous genres, together with blues, rock & roll, theater and rather more all through the autumn and spring seasons. For extra data, go to www.natchezfestivalofmusic.com.
10. 157th Annual Miss Lou Memorial Day Parade, Might 29
To honor our nation’s veterans, Natchez will maintain the 157th Annual Miss Lou Memorial Day Parade, the place members will march from Vidalia, La., throughout the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge, to the Natchez Nationwide Cemetery, the place a celebratory ceremony shall be held. The parade will start at 8:45 a.m. and the ceremony will begin round 11 a.m.
11. Mudbug Music Competition, Might (Dates Coming Quickly)
This brand-new pageant, which kicked off in Might 2021, options unbelievable reside music from nation music superstars, contemporary crawfish and all kinds of meals distributors complemented with chilly beer, drinks and cocktails alongside the Natchez Bluff. Company may also take to the streets Friday evening for Smoot’s Epic Avenue Celebration with meals, reside music, drinks and enjoyable for the entire household.
12. Natchez Bicycle Basic, June 10
With the slogan, “Come for the Experience, Keep for the Celebration,” cyclists of all talent ranges are invited to Natchez for this thrilling occasion. This basic contains paved and gravel routes which stretch by means of among the most scenic parts of the Natchez Hint Parkway. For extra data, go to https://www.fb.com/natchezbicycleclassic.
13. Worldwide Crepe Myrtle Competition: A Month-Lengthy Celebration, July
Hundreds of Crepe Myrtle timber flower with breathtaking magnificence every July in Natchez and this occasion is held after the primary bloom. Guests are invited to take a self-guided tour by means of historic downtown and the Natchez Cemetery to see among the space’s high gardens, historic websites and to admire the fantastic thing about summer time in Natchez. For extra data, go to www.fb.com/NatchezCelebratestheBlooms.
14. Natchez Meals and Wine Competition, July 27-29
After retiring in 2018, Natchez’s Meals and Wine Competition is again this yr in collaboration with the Natchez Adams County Chamber of Commerce to coach locals and guests about culinary traits, experiences and wine and to have fun all that the fantastic meals the area has to supply. For extra data, go to https://www.fb.com/natchezfoodandwinefest/.
15. Soul Meals Fusion Competition, September (Dates Coming Quickly)
The Soul Meals Fusion Competition is an immense culinary and cultural expertise that highlights the realm’s conventional soul meals cooking, fused with historic folklore, cultural arts and music remedy from the varied background of Natchez. For extra data, go to www.fb.com/soulfoodfusionfestntz.
16. Natchez Balloon Competition, October 20-21
Since 1986, the Natchez Balloon Competition has stuffed historic downtown Natchez with hot-air balloons, native reside music and dozens of artwork and meals distributors. From the pageant web site on the gorgeous grounds of Rosalie Mansion, guests can savor unbelievable fall climate and luxuriate in pageant actions, together with the night balloon glow, fireworks and carnival rides, all whereas taking in spectacular views of the Mississippi River. For extra data, go to https://natchezballoonfestival.com/.
17. Y’all Means All Natchez, October 27-29
Y’all Means All Natchez is an LGBTQ+-friendly pageant that celebrates the range of the Natchez group whereas elevating funds for suicide prevention. Notable weekend occasions embody drag queen bingo, a welcome reception at Choctaw Corridor and speakeasy after-parties, the Battle of the Belles and Beaus contest and rather more. For extra data, go to www.yallmeansallnatchez.org.
18. Longwood Afternoon, October (Date Coming Quickly)
This occasion options reside music, meals, beer, carnival actions and crafts and is held on the grounds of Longwood Corridor. For extra data, go to www.longwoodafternoon.com.
19. Angels on The Bluff Cemetery Tour, November (Dates Coming Quickly)
The Natchez Metropolis Cemetery, one of many oldest burial grounds within the nation, hosts the Angels on the Bluff occasion every November, that includes iconic Natchez personalities buried inside the cemetery, portrayed by their descendants and different native residents in interval costumes. This elaborate manufacturing contains candlelight excursions of the gorgeous and historic web site, enchanting storytelling and musical tributes to the lives and deaths of a few of Natchez’s oldest “residents.” For extra data, go to https://www.natchez.ms.us/300/Angels-on-the-Bluff.
20. Annual Christmas Tree Lighting + Chili Prepare dinner-off, November 25
Christmas in Natchez kicks off with the annual tree-lighting occasion on Most important Avenue within the heart of downtown. Held on Thanksgiving weekend, this occasion options pyrotechnics set to music, Santa inside House Financial institution, caroling across the tree, scrumptious meals distributors, children rides and different family-friendly actions. For extra data, go to www.christmasinnatchez.org.
21. Christmas in Natchez, November 25-December 31
This Christmas celebration lasts from the Saturday after Thanksgiving till Dec. 31. The town of Natchez fills the season with magic and vacation cheer throughout this occasion, that includes caroling within the park, the downtown Christmas parade, ornamental Christmas excursions and rather more. For extra data, go to www.christmasinnatchez.org.
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Mississippi
How Mississippi State football is preparing for Arizona State weather, late kickoff
![How Mississippi State football is preparing for Arizona State weather, late kickoff How Mississippi State football is preparing for Arizona State weather, late kickoff](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/09/03/PNAS/75060541007-usatsi-24129028.jpg?auto=webp&crop=5472,3078,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football is preparing to play a team that, at least through one game, looks vastly improved from last season.
Coach Jeff Lebby admitted on Monday, and Bulldog players have noticed it too after Arizona State (1-0) thumped Wyoming 48-7 in its opener.
MSU (1-0) must also factor in the late kickoff that is scheduled Saturday (9:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Mississippi is hot, but so is Arizona — a different kind of hot, too.
Modifications and remedies are being made, such as the team leaving Starkville on Thursday instead of how it normally would on a Friday for a Saturday game.
“For our guys, just knowing exactly what we are getting into,” Lebby said. “We continue to talk about that through yesterday and this morning and (are) having those conversations to understand what it’s going to look like late in the week. We got to do a great job from a preparation standpoint of how we are hydrating, how we are eating and how we are resting to give us the ability to go on the road on this flight and be able to be at our best Saturday night.”
Just this week, Phoenix broke a record with its 100th straight day of 100-degree temperatures. According to AccuWeather, the high on Saturday in Tempe will be 107 degrees with a low of 86. The temperature should dip to around 91 near kickoff with a humidity of 24%.
“Coach Lebby has already been harping on that,” tight end Justin Ball said. “We’ve already been hydrating and making sure we are getting rest every single day. We leave on Thursday, so we already talked about the plan to make sure we are hydrating the entire plane ride there, making sure when we get there we get acclimated as quickly as you can and just staying together. Making sure we’re focused, make sure we keep the goal first and then execute the game plan.”
MORE: Jeff Lebby says Mississippi State football didn’t put on a good enough show. Here’s how he’s wrong
Mississippi State played well the last time it played in Arizona
The Bulldogs played Arizona in Tucson two seasons ago. They squandered a pedestrian Wildcats team 39-17. Kickoff for that game was at 8 p.m. PST though the temperature was 84 degrees at game time.
Not many players remain on Mississippi State’s roster from that 2022 season. But the ones who are, like linebacker Nic Mitchell, can benefit from the experience and also share it with teammates.
“We know it’s going to be a long flight, so we know we got to be hydrated,” Mitchell said. “It gives people experience that have done it before and they can tell the young guys how it’s going to be in the flight, how you got to hydrate and stuff like that.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Playing for Mississippi State not an option for Arizona State back Kyson ‘Sipp’ Brown
Arizona State forces 3 turnovers in win over Wyoming to start 2024
All offseason, coach Kenny Dillingham preached getting turnovers. Forty seconds into the season’s first game, the defense produced its first one.
Sophomore running back Kyson Brown is one of the faster players on the Arizona State football team. But Brown seems to have a little more pep in his step this week. Why? Well, the Sun Devils (1-0) are set to take on Mississippi State (1-0) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Mountain America Stadium.
Sure an SEC opponent is enough to get any athlete fired up. But the 6-foot, 200-pounder hails from Tupelo, Mississippi, which is where he got his nickname, Sipp. Tupelo is 67 miles north of the Mississippi State campus in Starkville that Sipp has visited a handful of times.
“I have family, growing up they were all Mississipp State fans and some Ole Miss fans,” he said. “Some of my family are debating whether they want to cheer for me or not. It’s going to be good. A lot of hometown friends. Got a couple guys I went to high school with there. It’s going to be good seeing those guys and hopefully, we compete at a good level and get the W.”
Brown, a mechanical engineering major, is enrolled in ASU’s Barret honors program, He emerged as one of the team’s most improved players. He saw some time on special teams as a true freshman in 2023 and has set himself up for a bigger role, although the ASU backfield has a lot of depth.
In the last week’s 48-7 win over Wyoming, Brown pitched in with six rushing attempts for 25 yards and two receptions for 73 yards. His 68-yard touchdown reception was the longest play from scrimmage that ASU had on the night.
“It felt amazing just to get back in the end zone again,” Brown said. “You come out of high school, you know I’m used to being in the end zone every game, all the time. That play, I knew — once I made the first guy miss — I knew I wasn’t going to let anybody catch me.”
Brown lived in Mississippi until moving to Lancaster, Texas, outside of Dallas, after his sophomore year of high school. He sat out junior year after the transfer. As a senior he averaged 9.5 yards per carry, finishing with 707 yards and 11 touchdowns on 74 carries while adding 14 receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Sitting out his junior year hurt his recruiting, but he still had notable offers from Purdue, Missouri and Houston. The balance of his options were lower-profile schools. Mississippi State didn’t offer.
He is happy with the end result. A place on the ASU football roster. In the offseason, he worked on his agility, flexibility and catching the ball, which was evident in his recent scoring play.
“We all have the big-play potential,” he said of his fellow running backs. “I feel my role is to make plays, wherever they put me be able to perform.”
Mississippi
Report shows Mississippi Legislature retirement reforms this year aren’t effective. See why
![Report shows Mississippi Legislature retirement reforms this year aren’t effective. See why Report shows Mississippi Legislature retirement reforms this year aren’t effective. See why](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/04/30/PJAM/73515915007-tcl-legislature-06.jpg?auto=webp&crop=2999,1687,x0,y100&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Lawmakers, PERS director agree they must work together in the future
How to plan for retirement using an online calculator
Retirement calculators can give you an idea of when you’ll financially be able to retire.
Problem Solved
State lawmakers will need to readdress concerns about the Public Employment Retirement System of Mississippi in 2025 if it is to remain viable long term, according to a July study.
Legislative actions in the 2024 Session to reduce public employer contribution rate hikes and increase state funding are not enough to address billions in unfunded future benefits to retirees, according to a report released by the Legislature’s third-party watchdog group, the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee.
Projections show the state’s retirement plan being less than 50% fully funded by 2047 and having $25 billion in liabilities. According to several municipal leaders who spoke to the Clarion Ledger earlier this year, the legislative move from lawmakers in the past session should save public employers from cutting positions and raising taxes to keep and hire more public employees.
“Change in approach for increasing the employer contribution rate, in addition to the one-time funds transfer, reduces the plan’s projected future funded ratio from 65.5% to 49.9%,” the report reads. “…The PERS plan is currently expected to be at a lower-funded level in the future than it currently is today.”
PERS Executive Director Ray Higgins told the Clarion Ledger he wasn’t surprised by the report’s findings.
“The PEER analysis seems to be an accurate report and generally reconciles with our information,” Higgins said. “Also, the legislative action from last session appears to be a short-term solution.”
While the report does not list out any specific recommendations for lawmakers this coming year, it says continued work will be necessary to fix the retirement system that has 118,000 retirees receiving benefits and 147,000 active members paying into the system.
In 2023, the PERS governing board, made up of mostly elected members, as advised by financial actuaries who watch over the state’s retirement plan, passed a rate increase on public employers, such as cities, counties and school districts from 17.40% to 19.90% that was to take effect July 1. The rate would have continued to increase to 22.4% by 2027.
In the 2024 Session, the Legislature passed two bills. Senate 3231, prohibits the PERS Board’s plan to gradually increase the employer contribution rate and replaces it with a plan to increase to 19.90% over the next five years in 0.5% annual increases. SB 3231 also takes the board’s only regulatory power to increase rates and puts it in the hands of the Legislature.
SB 2468 enacts a one-time transfer of $110 million of capital expense funds into the PERS trust.
More on PERS bill MS Legislature passes bill restricting state retirement board’s authority
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s Deputy Chief of Staff Leah Rupp Smith told the Clarion Ledger efforts Hosemann helped push forward that resulted in those bills’ passage led to a potentially more stable retirement system.
“To avoid this calamity while developing a future solution, the Legislature adopted a less-aggressive employer increase,” Smith wrote via email. “We are now informed the plan has a projected future funding ratio of 65.5% as of 2047, as compared to 48.6% projected one year ago.”
Republican House Speaker Jason White’s Communications Director Taylor Spillman did not reply to several emails requesting White’s comments on the report.
What are the big problems?
Higgins previously said the ratio of retirees to active members has seen a reverse trend since 2013, when there were 93,000 retirees and 162,000 active members. This increases the unfunded liability of the system as fewer people take jobs in government, reducing active members and more people retire, increasing the funding obligation of PERS.
The other issue lies with projections for the retirement plan’s future if state lawmakers decide not to take action in the years to come.
“While the ($110 million) funding for the first year is comparable, each year in the future could potentially see a greater deviation in expected employer contribution revenues for the PERS plan,” the report reads. “This deviation does not immediately constitute a problem for the PERS plan; however, careful evaluation of the plan’s future liabilities and funding needs will be necessary to ensure the sustainability of the PERS plan.”
Are there any solutions?
Higgins and Smith both said future work on PERS is still a top priority.
Higgins specifically mentioned a new retirement benefits package that could be offered to new public sector employees, which the PERS board has called tier 5.
“The Board has previously recommended a tier 5 for new employees to help better sustain PERS in the future and is currently considering what may be included or resubmitted in next year’s legislative package,” Higgins said.
Read about new Medicaid program Mississippi Medicaid prenatal care access program still awaiting federal approval. Why?
Earlier this year, Hosemann told the Clarion Ledger he wanted to see evidence that a new tier of benefits could help maintain the retirement system long term. Smith did not confirm whether Hosemann’s office is currently studying that idea in the legislative off season, but she did say the Legislature is looking at several ideas.
“The Legislature is exploring any option for a more viable plan,” Smith said. “The Lt. Governor continues to be committed to fulfilling current employee and retiree benefits, including the cost-of-living adjustment for these individuals.”
Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
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