Several years ago, country music icon and noted Mississippian Marty Stuart and I were on the dais of a radio show. While we were each waiting our turn to go on the air, we struck up a conversation about one of my favorite subjects — and most certainly one of his — our home state of Mississippi.
National Entertainment News
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, along with The Laurel Garden Club, will present its annual Garden Lecture on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the museum. Nationally known arborist Robert “Bob” Thibodeaux will be the featured speaker.
Just a little over 32 years ago, I was a few weeks into the honeymoon phase of my first restaurant opening. There have been 17 other openings since then. They have all been stressful and hectic, but there is something about the first one that holds such a special place in my heart.
Wedding scheduled for March 14
Last week, a Facebook ad crossed my timeline in search of recent college graduates who might be interested in driving a hot dog on wheels all over the country for a year. Most people would be shocked reading such a solicitation. I, however, didn’t give it a second glance. I am an expert in r…
The following people filed for marriage licenses in Jones County Circuit Court
If you grew up here in Laurel in the 1960s, you may have lived in one of the lovely old homes on the Avenues. Houses that had milk doors and wide porches, wooden stairways that creaked and claw-foot bath tubs.
Kiwanis Club of Laurel immediate Past President Lowell Howell won the 2019 Kiwanis Club of Laurel "Ralph T. Simmons Trophy" for the most Pancake Day tickets sold for Kiwanis Pancake Day. He sold 289 tickets for a total of $1,734. The trophy is named for Simmons, who won the award each year f…
There is a game I play with a few of my foodie friends. It’s based on the question: “If you could only eat one food item for the rest of your life, what would it be?” It’s a harder question to answer than one might think. I love steak, but would I want to eat steak three times a day forever? No.
Park Place Garden Club had its January meeting in the beautiful home of June Wheeler with Jayne Cooper also hosting.
The Ellisville Garden Club's December meeting was at First Baptist Church of Ellisville Family Life Center.
The West Jones High School Key Club won the Kiwanis Maple Syrup Trophy for the most 2019 Kiwanis Club of Laurel Pancake Day ticket sales. WJ members sold a combined 777 tickets, which totaled $4,662. A portion of the ticket sales will go to the West Jones Key Club to assist with club project…
Potty-training chronicles
Mardi Gras season is here! Parades in Laurel, Ellisville coming
Feb. 1: February Hub City Maker’s Market, Town Square Park, 10 a.m.
In the 1960s and early 1970s of my youth, there wasn’t a lot of dining out in my family. Most special occasions were hosted by my grandmother in her dining room. On the rare instance our family dined out, my favorite restaurant was a place called Captain John’s.
There are many ways to sum up a person’s personality and character. Attaching labels to them is a shortcut, but probably the most frequently used. I am called a restaurateur, columnist, author, tour leader and a few other choice — and sometimes unsavory — things. But of all of the titles or …
The following applied for marriage licenses in Jones County Circuit Court
With 2020 only days away, I cannot quit thinking about the changes our family is soon to undergo in just 10 weeks or so. While I know my husband and I will have a lot of adjusting to do, I cannot imagine what KJ will be experiencing soon. Not only will KJ be promoted to a big brother in 202…
If Laurel residents and visitors ever wanted to see a 7-foot-pinecone dropped for New Year’s Eve in lieu of a balloon or ball, they’ll get their chance on Tuesday.
The November meeting of the Ellisville Garden Club was at Ellisville United Methodist Church.
Jan. 3: Afroman, Brewsky’s, 10 p.m.
The following applied for marriage licenses in Jones County Circuit Court
The annual Jones College Christmas Celebration featuring the Concert Choir will offer the audience an opportunity to enjoy the Christmas season musically and through giving this year. Director Dr. Joel Dunlap is asking the audience to bring one new, unwrapped toy to benefit the Salvation Arm…
Memories are the fuel that ignite and continually stoke this column. I have written in this space for more than 20 years — approximately 1,000 words per week, 52 weeks per year — and have never missed a week. Not one. I write mostly about food, but family and familial memories often enter t…
Dec. 3: Downtown Book Club, YWCO, 6 p.m.
It is almost my absolute favorite time of the year and I cannot wait to experience Christmas through KJ’s eyes this holiday season. Although KJ was here last Christmas, he was only 9 months old and not very interested in the holiday festivities. However, I feel like this year will be a compl…
During the excitement of the winter holiday season, the Mississippi Ag Museum will host its Homestead for the Holidays event. On Thursday and Friday, Dec. 12-13, the Ag Museum will be open from 5-8 p.m. for this joy-filled holiday event. Admission will be $6 for adults and $4 for children, a…
Panels of the internationally acclaimed AIDS Memorial Quilt — the 54-ton, handmade tapestry that stands as a memorial to more than 90,000 people lost to AIDS — will be on view in two locations in the Pine Belt today (Saturday) through Wednesday in commemoration of World AIDS Day.
The primary and traditional American holidays are Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving. I enjoy each of them for different reasons. There are two that typically bring my family together, Christmas and Thanksgiving. We’ll cover Christmas in a …
Lashonda McLeod of Washington, D.C., and Julius Harper of New Orleans exchanged wedding vows at 5 p.m. Sept. 13, 2019, at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McLeod in Columbus. The Rev. Jessie Slater officiated.
The following applied for marriage licenses
With Thanksgiving festivities soon to start, you may already be dreading the Tupperware bowls that will be sure to fill your refrigerator. However, if you are feeling burnt out on turkey sandwiches, there are innovative ideas to reinvent your Thanksgiving leftovers.
My mother Sylvia is kind and beautiful. She is the definition of strength and exudes love and warmth wherever she goes. She is covered in grace from head to toe and has never skipped a beat while raising my sister and me. This describes lots of mothers, but mine did it all while battling bre…
Nov. 1: Royal Horses Album Release Party,
Laurel Little Theatre continues its 59th season with a November production of the Neil Simon comedy “Broadway Bound.”
The picturesque 1939 bungalow-cottage style Hennis-Landrum home on West 15th Street was selected Yard of the Month by Park Place Garden Club. The home was purchased by Maurice and Sheila Hennis and their son Mason in 2015. Mason, who is a landscape architect major at Jones College, designed …
Nancy Bell was one of dozens of people who went to The Loft last weekend for an Animal Rescue League fundraiser called Puppies on the Patio. The cost of admission was $20 and attendees got mimosas, hors d’oeuvres and all the kisses they wanted. Proceeds went to the Laurel ARL.
Disclaimer: I know Jim will probably negate everything that I present in this column; however, he is not the one that has been up with a fussy toddler at 1 a.m. three nights this week.
Eight members of Park Place Garden Club attended the Southern Pine District's fall meeting in Meridian on Oct. 3. The meeting was hosted by the Dalewood Garden Club and the Forget-Me-Not Garden Club of Meridian and was beautifully decorated for the awards luncheon. Park Place was awarded an …
Gamma Iota celebrated its 47th presentation of annual awards to recognize special achievements and award the Outstanding Woman of the Year.
A parents’ meeting and registration for the Greater Pine Belt chapter (Laurel) of the National League of Junior Cotillions will be on Wednesday between 3-4 p.m. at the YWCO on Oak Street in Downtown Laurel.
With cooler weather on the horizon and the fall season upon us, it is time to bring out your pumpkin decor. There is no need to break your bank if you are needing to add new flair to your home this season. Here are some easy DIY projects that are sure to make you 'fall" in love!
Since I made a “Summer Bucket List,” I thought it would only be fitting to share our “Fall Bucket List.” Now that fall is on the horizon, I cannot wait to experience some of my favorite traditions with KJ.
Oct 1 - 4 Week Beginner Yoga Course, 7pm, Yoga Central
Mississippi Southern District Transportation Commissioner Tom King was the program speaker at the September Ellisville Garden Club meeting in the home of President Elizabeth Barnes.
United Way of the Pine Belt Region hosted its official fall campaign kickoff this month with a breakfast meeting at Sanderson Farms, Inc. corporate headquarters in Laurel.
Oct 1 - 4 Week Beginner Yoga Course, 7 p.m.,
The Northwood Garden Club announced that the September Yard of the Month was awarded to Mr. and Mrs. Mike Wilson of 2612 North 6th Ave. in Laurel. The yard is beautifully landscaped with box hedges surrounding the home along with a beautiful Big Tooth Aspen Tree in the front yard. An Americ…
Football season is here with some can't miss gameday recipes
Mayor Johnny Magee was in Mason Park as The Jagged Edj dedicated a bench to honor Charlotte Ann Saik, an original member of “The EDJ Chicks.” She was the coordinator and cornerstone to the group from its beginning, when the group was formed at Jones Junior High in 1966, earning her the names…