Browsing: Living

The fireworks have faded, the lawn chairs are folded, and the last sparkler has burned out. But if your Fourth of July was anything like ours, the celebration isn’t quite over. It’s sitting in your refrigerator, waiting for one more delicious meal.

The National Independence Day Parade takes place annually on July 4th in Washington, D.C., drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators. The massive patriotic event features invited marching bands, fife and drum corps, giant balloons, equestrian units, military displays, and celebrity participants, all celebrating America’s birthday. And this year, the Mississippi Christian University (MC) Marching Band has been selected as the only ensemble from Mississippi to perform.

If your family is anything like mine, the week before the Fourth of July is a busy one. Between tracking down sparklers, making grocery lists, and figuring out who is bringing what to the cookout, the holiday seems to sneak up every year.

There was a food packing party in Moss Point recently, that brought people together to help feed others. The Extra Table event engaged 100 pairs of hands to pack 10,000 meals, in less than an hour, that will go a long way to help people less fortunate than we are.

There is a common misconception that art only exists in big cities, tucked inside towering museums or performed on grand stages beneath bright lights. Some people look at communities like Tupelo and see untapped potential, imagining what the arts could become here.

Storm clouds threatened and laughing gulls called as my three children and I made our way to the crowded beach where a portion was sectioned off. This was our second time attending a sea turtle release. The crowd of all ages beamed with excitement and anticipation. Up ahead, a table displayed literature, stickers, and turtle skulls. Staff from the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies were ready to educate, interact, and host this real-world science lesson.

June is National Dairy Month,  a month to celebrate the hard-working dairy farm families and the nutritious dairy foods they provide. Mississippi is home to 25 dairy farmers, most of whom operate family-owned farms. In 2025, Mississippi produced 8.8 million gallons of milk, with the top two milk-producing counties being Walthall and Marion. Did you know that Mississippi’s most consumed dairy product is ice cream, no surprise, followed by milk. Here are some simple ways to support your local dairy farmers and bring nutritious treats into your summer routine.

There is something special about the foods we associate with our fathers. It may be a recipe they perfected over decades, a meal he cooked only on weekends, or the simple dishes he always requested when the family gathered around the table.

From the beginning of time, dads have been known for dispensing advice. Whether solicited or unsolicited, this advice has helped children deal with whatever situation they are facing. It may be given during a conversation before an important life event, while taking care of household chores, or even while just driving around town. No matter how it’s given, it often stays with us long after being spoken, and more poignantly, it becomes a cherished memory once dad is no longer here.

I want to take you back to Tatiana Martin’s beautiful yard in Vicksburg this week to look indoors at her orchids to see that her passion for gardening extends beyond the landscape beds.

There are certain sounds that define a Mississippi summer.

The hum of cicadas on a hot afternoon. The squeak of the back door opening and closing a hundred times a day. A basketball bouncing in the driveway. The mixer running because someone decided it was the perfect day to make brownies. The laughter coming from a backyard adventure—or the inevitable, “Mama, come look at this frog!”

If you know where to look, there are secret Ole Miss spirit messages written over north Mississippi, all thanks to University of Mississippi alumnus and pilot Joshua Gregory.

Yeah, the class slogan for my Pascagoula High School Class of 1966 was “We’re as great as great can be, the Seniors of ’66 are we.” Pretty corny I’ll admit, but it did—and still does—kind of speak to the feeling my classmates and I had/have about each other. That sentiment continued to be evident as we gathered in Pascagoula last week for our 60th class reunion.

I am somewhat ashamed to admit this, but I had no idea that Mississippi has an annual Pickle Fest. Much to my amazement, the Pickle Fest, held each year at the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum, was voted the “Best Small Festival in Mississippi” in 2022 by the Mississippi Tourism Association. No wonder it is billed as a “Kind of a Big Dill!”

A second opportunity is not given to make a first impression, so it is important that the first impression be one to remember. With I-10 as the gateway to coastal Mississippi from Alabama with more than 40,000 guests annually, there was a need to upgrade the current Mississippi Welcome Center to help create a positive impression for guests.

As a child, summers in Mississippi always included trips to some of our state parks. Those trips included hiking, swimming, boating, fishing, and lots of outdoor picnics. But my favorite memories of Mississippi state parks in the summertime involved short little getaway trips and staying in one of the park cabins with cousins and friends.