Browsing: Community Picks

The Ocean Springs Chamber–Main Street is excited to announce that Ocean Springs, Mississippi, has been named one of the top destinations in the 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Small Town Cultural Scene.

I first visited Ocean Springs with my mother in 2010. She accompanied me on a trip to New Orleans to check out some graduate schools, and we wandered down the coast and into the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. This was a very busy time of life for me, full of change and possibility. I don’t remember very much about that trip other than the Community Center murals, but I was caught up in the beginning of an unexpected turn. 

On any given Sunday in Ocean Springs, there’s a steady rhythm at Center Pointe Church—cars pulling in, doors opening, kids hopping out ahead of their parents, and a welcome that feels more like a front porch than a formal entrance.

PERRY COUNTY — The third annual “Back the Blue” 5D Barrel Run will be May 2 at the Perry County Multipurpose Center in Richton to help raise funds for the Perry County Sheriff’s Office. 

A new mountain bike park is in the early stages of development in Lucedale, where organizers hope to turn more than 60 acres of city-owned land into a regional destination for riders and families. 

New and expecting parents in Hancock County can receive free resources and education at a community baby shower May 7 at the Bay St. Louis Library.

There are festivals… and then there’s Starkville.

Because once a year, this Mississippi college town turns into something you really have to see to believe—where a bugler sounds the call, a flyover roars overhead, and hundreds of dachshunds line up like tiny, determined athletes ready for glory.

COASTAL MISSISSIPPI (April 20, 2026) – Coastal Mississippi is celebrating a major milestone as the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service approaches its 100,000th passenger since launching last August, underscoring the growing demand for rail travel along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

 The Hattiesburg Zoo is thrilled to introduce its newest residents to guests beginning tomorrow: three baby spider monkeys named Cider, Holly and Juniper.

The sound of live music will fill downtown Brookhaven this April as the Haven Spring Music Festival takes over the Historic Haven Theatre for three days of performances designed for the whole family.

At 9:00 on a spring morning in McComb, the Miracle League field comes alive. Players take their positions, volunteers step alongside them, and families gather along the fence line, ready to cheer. It is not just baseball being played. It is joy, connection, and a sense of belonging that stretches far beyond the game itself.

RUNNELSTOWN — More than two decades after Hurricane Katrina disrupted Perry County’s historical museum, the county is set to reopen the space April 18 in Runnelstown, restoring a place to preserve and share local history. 

The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center received 18 awards Saturday at the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters’ 2026 Excellence in Broadcasting Awards, including nine first-place honors across student and professional divisions.

HATTIESBURG — The Center at Forrest County is partnering with North American Midway Entertainment to bring “The Great Forrest County Fair” back for the second consecutive year April 17-25 in Hattiesburg. 

POPLARVILLE — Poplarville City Park’s splash pad has opened earlier than usual this year, offering local families a place for…

The Pine Hill Social is hosting a community flea market every Sunday in downtown Wiggins to bring the community together through the Pine Hill Association.