Browsing: Living

This Saturday at 3:00 p.m., a group of Pike County performers will take the stage at the Ford Center in Oxford as part of the Mississippi Theatre Festival. The production is free and open to the public, with ASL interpreters present. What makes the performance especially meaningful, however, is who is standing under the lights.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) has a lot going on this month – as always. But the MDWFP wants Mississippians to remember two important dates, both of which involve hunting.

BILOXI—Many people make New Year resolutions, but Sandra Moss doesn’t.  Instead, she makes life resolutions and listens to her inner calling.

“If something in you keeps calling, listen,” she said. “Sometimes the bravest thing you can do isn’t starting over; it’s finally starting true. And remember: age isn’t the barrier; hesitation is.”

Some Mississippi traditions are built on competition. Others are built on community. And then there are the special ones—like Biloxi’s annual Arbor Day Run—that manage to do both while making room for everyone along the way.

In downtown McComb, Pike School of Art – Mississippi is steadily building something rooted in community, access, and shared creativity. Rather than operating as a traditional gallery space, Pike School of Art focuses on classes, workshops, and community-centered programming designed to bring people together through hands-on learning and conversation.

Students throughout Mississippi (somewhat reluctantly, for the most part) headed back to school this week, but before we know it, the 2025-2026 school year will officially come rushing to an end in just a few short months.

MOSS POINT—The All-American Soap Box Derby youth gravity racing program has been operating since 1934, and the only way residents of Mississippi can get to the current International Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio, is through Moss Point.

Rarely does Mississippi experience a New Year filled with snow and flashy parties, but that doesn’t stop the people from gleefully ringing in the New Year. 

There’s something charming about the way Mississippi rings in the new year. Sure, other places watch a polished crystal ball fall in Times Square, but we prefer seafood, anchors, glowing signs, and celebrations that feel like home. In Mississippi, we drop what we love — and sometimes we keep it classic too.

Chicago has its deep-dish pizza, and foodies flock to Philadelphia for Philly cheesesteaks. Down in New Orleans, the po-boy has a long and storied history. In Oxford, the iconic food most identified with the town is the humble chicken on a stick.

Christmas traditions are important. 

They strengthen family and personal bonds. They also link one generation to the next. When parents pass on activities such as baking tasty treats, watching holiday specials, or decorating a Christmas tree, they pass on values, faith and identity. These experiences allow families to slow down, reconnect and appreciate one another. For children, traditions provide a sense of stability and joy. By sharing traditions with the next generation, it ensures that the message of Christmas endures.

Every Christmas, I find myself thinking less about what’s under the tree and more about what surrounds it. The familiar faces, the shared stories, the traditions that don’t come from a store but from years of being passed down. As the season slows just enough for us to notice, it becomes clear that the most meaningful gifts are often the ones we didn’t realize we were being given all along.

One of the things I miss most about Mississippi is the beautiful, uniquely southern way Christmas is celebrated. Since this will be my first Christmas in Boston, I’ve been contemplating ways to make it feel a little more like home while embracing a new season in my life. 

Oxford was already buzzing last Saturday, but tucked between the Grove and the Ole Miss Student Union stood a quieter symbol of the moment—one that felt just as meaningful as kickoff.

POPLARVILLE — As Mississippi’s blueberry industry faces a steep decline, one Poplarville farm is finding new ways to keep the state fruit growing — from fresh berries to teas, baked goods and even dog treats. 

For Kayla Walker, Lambing Day began not as a book idea, but as a quiet moment of discovery. During Christmas break in 2023, she finally sat down to read The Tower of the Flock: The Christmas Story by Dr. Christine Van Horn—a book that would shift how she understood the nativity story she had known her entire life. What she found were biblical connections and historical details that challenged long-held assumptions and invited deeper reflection.