“Home for the Holidays” October 20 – 22, 2022 “Bringing the Vintage Experience to You” Do you watch home remodeling shows and wonder where they find the unique pieces they put in the homes they remodel, or do you have a Pinterest board filled with ideas for your home? Vintage Market Days® brings all of that to you! With numerous of the best vendors in Vintage from across the US – they bring truckloads of repurposed, specialty “finds” that will be unique to your home! Vintage Market Days® of Mississippi owners Chris and Jana Fuss are pleased to announce the Jackson area Vintage Market Days® event. “Home for the Holidays” will be held at the Mississippi Trade Mart at 1200 Mississippi Street in Jackson. The three-day event will take place October 20-22, 2023. “Vintage Market Days® started 11 years ago in Tulsa and has been expanding throughout the country,” said Jana. “We love adding special touches to make it a family friendly Vintage event, we have many vintage vendors than ever and they are bringing their one-of-a-kind finds. Vintage Market Days® vendors are some of the best in the country!” Vintage Market Days® also “gives back” at each event. The organization is honored to partner with the Metropolitan YMCAs of Mississippi, a powerful association of men, women and children committed to bringing about lasting personal and social change. With a focus on nurturing the potential of every child and teen, improving the nation’s health and well-being and providing opportunities to give back and support neighbors, the Y enables youth, adults, families and communities to be healthy, confident, connected and secure. “We are excited to help support the local area, specifically the YMCA’s feeding program,” Fuss added. Tickets can be purchased at the door (Fri - $15 and Sat/Sun $10) or in advance at https://events.humanitix.com/vintage-market-days-r-of-mississippi-home-for-the-holidays . Free readmission all weekend and children under 12 are FREE. The event is open 10 am - 5 pm Friday and Saturday, and 10 am -4 pm on Sunday.

By Kara Kimbrough I’m not here to reignite an argument about the differences between Cajun and Creole food. I’m gun shy about mentioning ANY food from these regions after causing a furor on social media last year. I innocently said I "didn’t like okra in my gumbo." There were a few supporters who agreed it wasn’t a prerequisite for old-school gumbo, but others disagreed. Vehemently. I distinctly remember the words, “You can’t make gumbo without okra or it’s NOT gumbo!” Ouch. Arguments aside, almost no cuisine surpasses either Cajun or Creole. Every dish includes some variation of seafood, tomatoes, sautéed vegetables, spices, fragrant rice…the list of delicious ingredients goes on. With the exception of oysters, I love each and every item that goes into a multitude of dishes representing these cuisines. That’s all I’ll say about it, other than sharing a few food ideas from last weekend’s Cajun/Creole tailgate party, along with a few recipes I tried in advance of the football game. First, our menu consisted of jambalaya; muffalettas; hot shrimp dip and Zapp’s chips; a grilled Cajun shrimp, sausage and vegetable dish; Creole potato salad; Cajun-spice chicken wings and tenders and a variety of desserts. My contributions were the muffalettas, chips and dip. I’ve shared the recipe for a crowd-size muffaletta in past columns, so I won’t repeat it. However, if you missed it, drop me an email and I’ll send the recipe. A few days before the game, I dropped by a library book sale and picked up an old cookbook filled with Cajun/Creole recipes. I revised them a bit to fit my tastes and am sharing them below, along with the shrimp dip enjoyed by my friends at the tailgate party. I hope you’ll be inspired to host your own dinner or gathering with a similar them and as the French say, “Laissez les bon temps rouler!” Hot Baked Shrimp Dip 1 pound small raw shrimp, roughly chopped (use popcorn shrimp to eliminate chopping) 2 tablespoons butter 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped ½ Vidalia onion, peeled and chopped 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning) 8 ounces cream cheese ½ cup mayonnaise 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ½ cup grated parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2-1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add butter, chopped bell pepper, chopped onion and garlic in the skillet. Sauté for 3-5 minutes to soften. Once the vegetables are softened, add shrimp and Cajun seasoning. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Stir in cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and hot sauce, if using. Stir until the cream cheese, and shredded cheese melts into a thick sauce. Turn off heat. Sprinkle top with the remaining ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are bubbly. Serve warm with chips, crackers or cut vegetables. Shrimp Boat Potato Salad 4 large red potatoes 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 cup olive oil 1 cup bottled Italian dressing 5 cloves garlic, sliced 1 bunch green onions, minced 2 bell peppers, chopped fine Salt and pepper to taste Red pepper to taste Boil potatoes; peel and slice in quarter-inch rounds. Place in a large bowl. Boil shrimp in seasoned water; drain and place over potato rounds. Add remaining ingredients – garlic, onions and bell peppers seasoned with salt and pepper. Refrigerate and allow to sit overnight for flavors to blend. Remoulade Sauce (can be used as a salad dressing, dipping sauce for boiled shrimp, crackers or chips or to make shrimp remoulade) ½ cup tarragon vinegar 4 tablespoons Zatarain’s Creole Mustard 1 teaspoon horseradish 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine (I omit this in mine) 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 large rib celery, chopped fine 3 green onions and tops, chopped fine 2 teaspoons paprika Dash of thyme and garlic salt ½ cup olive oil Salt and cayenne pepper to taste In a food processor or blender, whisk together all ingredients except olive oil. Whisk in olive oil a little at a time. Taste for salt and pepper. Chill well. If serving shrimp remoulade, add cooked shrimp before chilling. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer and travel agent from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

By Bob Garver “The Nun II” is the ninth film in the “Conjuring Universe,” a franchise tied to the adventures of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, but it is the third in the series chronologically. Demon-in-a-nun’s-habit Valak (Bonnie Aarons) has made appearances in installments both earlier and later in the franchise’s chronology. In other words, not only has this villain been defeated before, but I know for a fact that she’ll be defeated again. It’s hard to see the stakes as particularly high or Valak as particularly effective with that kind of record. Just like it’s hard to take this horror movie particularly seriously when the studio decided to release it in early September instead of closer to Halloween. Valak isn’t destined to take over the world (in the movie or out of it), so the greatest investment one can reasonably make is caring about the fates of the main characters. For fans that even remember 2018’s “The Nun” (the fifth film released in the “Conjuring Universe,” but the first chronologically), Taissa Farmiga is back as Valak-defeater Sister Irene, as is porter-turned-Valak-vessel Maurice (Jonas Bloquet). New this time are Irene’s companion Sister Debra (Storm Reid, a very of-her-era actress that feels out of place in this 1956-set movie), as well as Kate (Anna Popplewell) and her daughter (Katelyn Rose Downey), a teacher and student respectively, at the school where Maurice now works as a groundskeeper. I guess they’re all likeable enough, though no more that any number of similar characters in these movies. Valak, possessing Maurice, is on a mission to possess the eyes of St. Lucy, a Christian martyr. Surprisingly, even though eye-gouging is an important part of the lore that serves as a catalyst for this movie’s action, the movie never really engages in eyeball- or eyelessness-based horror. On one hand, I kind of respect the movie for not going for the obvious (or “cheap” or “exploitative”) gruesome visuals. But on the other hand, the movie may as well have gone for those as scares, because it isn’t effective with the ones it does give us. Instead, the movie relies on jump scares, most of which involve Valak suddenly appearing, which are cheap and exploitative. I was scared out of my wits a few days ago by a small, well-intentioned child tapping me on the leg to let me know I’d dropped something. Anyone can pull off a jump scare, including people that aren’t even trying. The filmmakers are trying, of course, too hard and in an expensive fashion. And you know what? So is Valak. Valak is deliberately using whatever demonic powers are at her disposal to jump-scare people. She’s not exactly gaining anything by just popping up, her tactics rarely lead to defeated enemies or the furthering of her missions. My theory is that she needs a confidence boost because she knows deep down that she’s not really good at anything else. It’s easy to see the filmmakers’ desperation to squeeze scares out of this weak material. They have to cheat and use dream sequences and cutaways because they know nothing scary is going to happen for a long stretch of time and they correctly sense that the audience is losing interest. Even when they have a good excuse to use Valak, it can only be for a quick burst because her appearance is only initially unsettling. Close-ups and lengthy looks at Valak are not this movie’s friend. Actually, that’s a good metaphor for this whole wing of the “Conjuring Universe,” Valak works great on the periphery of “The Conjuring 2” and “Annabelle Creation,” but when the movie is either installment of “The Nun” and the pressure is on her to be the main source of scares, it becomes apparent that all she has is popping out. Grade: D “The Nun II” is rated R for violent content and some terror. Its running time is 110 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Ever sit around and wonder ‘Just what is the difference between fear, dismay or panic?’ Well, now that you have brought up the subject, let me give you my illustration of the differences. Fear – when you have a tiny baby in your care. You are totally responsible for its safety and welfare, its learned behavior, and the next few years coming down the road. That, my friend, definitely falls into the category of creating fear. Fear for yourself, that you will do your job correctly. Fear for the baby, as there is no way to foresee and totally avoid harm or tragedy. You can hope for the best, decide to teach and train endlessly, but you cannot predict what will happen in the conceivable future. Good and bad will inevitably appear and color the years that are coming. The future can be just plain scary. Dismay – The predictable “Oh No!” emotion of right now, when you are the proud but harried adult in charge of an energetic, fearless, unstoppable toddler. You start your day with that two- year-old fed, bathed and dressed. Your home is fairly tidy, at least the room where you have been cleaning the last few minutes. But then you follow your instincts and rush into the kitchen where Tommy Toddler has recently escaped. Only to find every last pot and pan pulled out and strewn on the floor. The oven is preheating, thanks to his tiny fingers unerringly finding the Temperature On knob. Following yesterday’s discovery that his favorite cereal is in the pantry, he has left the opened box on the floor under the breakfast table with at least half the contents being gobbled up by his ever-present sidekick, Penny The Puppy. Your toddler has somehow also learned to pull a chair up to the refrigerator and is joyfully pushing the in-door water lever and watching water pool on the floor at his feet. That, folks, is dismay. The present in all its glory. Panic – when that other human in your house is a teenager. The childhood teaching days are basically over, and you are required to mostly trust that you have done your job well. Now you are on stand-by, watching constantly and waiting for the times when you are still needed for help. Those days, or nights, when your defiant, confident, rebellious, I-know-it-all baby adult crashes and burns. You live with the knowledge that it is probably going to happen, sooner or later. And you will need to firmly correct some behavior, dry some tears, and give out a few healing hugs and kisses. While you hide your panic behind a patient and loving façade. Ongoing anxiety, waiting for disaster to hit – the panic stage of life for the parent of a teen. I realize that this isn’t a guaranteed description of being a parent. But you have to admit, it defines pretty accurately what those three emotions can make a person feel.

By Kara Kimbrough Finally...fall is on the horizon! In 10, give or take a few, days, it'll "officially" be time for hot apple cider, cozy sweaters, soup bubbling on the stove and pumpkin spice lattes. I was going to mention the smell of burning leaves, but decided against it since most southern states are under a burn ban. In short, it's still hot and dry. But regardless of the weather, most of us are enjoying game day food, either on a college campus or in front of a TV. And even more will soon be engaging in fun fall activities. Here are a few of my favorite fall "must haves" - decor, supplies and recipes - that are perfect for tailgating, porch parties, TV watching and generally enjoying cooler (here's hoping!) weather. Most of the items can be found at large retailers or warehouse stores. If you can't find one of them, drop me an email and I'll help you search. 1. Folding Canvas Wagon - Hauling heavy dishes, pans of food and iced beverages onto a college campus is not for the faint of heart. If you have to park and walk at least a mile, having a wagon in which to haul your tailgate supplies is a must. I found mine at Sam's Club. Unlike a name brand version, Sam's Member's Mark brand was a few dollars cheaper, larger and had side pockets, vital for holding cell phones and chargers, utensils, napkins and more. 2. Two-Ingredient Dessert - Need a quick dessert for an early morning or afternoon game that's reminiscent of breakfast but good for any type of gathering? Spray a 11x17-inch dish with cooking spray and pour two cans of cherry pie filling (or another favorite fruit flavor) in the bottom of thedish. Using three cans of Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls, separate dough into 15 rolls and place over pie filling, cinnamon side up. Bake at 375 degree for 30 minutes. If rolls start to brown too quickly, cover with foil. When cool, drizzle icing over top of each roll. Cut in squares and serve...and most importantly, don't tell anyone everything's from the can (unless asked!). 3. Folding Charcoal Grill and Fire Pit - Who doesn't love grilling meat before the big game or when on a road trip? I know I do, but hauling around a large grill isn't feasible. This lightweight foldable grill - when also doubles as a fire pit once the meal is done - is large enough to grll for a crowd of 10, but is esay to set up, lightweight and easily fits in the trunk once folded. Even better, it costs less than $50. Search online for a version that meets your needs. 4. Portable Salads - I always reach for heavier fare when tailgating, but there's usually one in the crowd that prefers green or fruit salads. However, serving these foods can be challenging, especially when using paper plates. A compact way to serve any type of salad is to pack individual servings in clear plastic cups, pop on the top and stick a plastic fork into the opening for the straw. Thiis method also works well when serving children chips and dips - simply add chips to the bottom of the cup and add their favorite dip on top for portable dipping. 5. Viral Boat Dip - I had to google the reason this concoction is called "boat dip." Supposedly a TikTok video of people eating this dip on a boat caused the millions of viewers that saw it to label it "boat dip." To make this year's sensation. combine 16 ounces of sour cream, 8 ounces Mexican shredded cheese blend, 10-ounce can of Rotel, package of taco seasoning and 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro. Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir well; refrigerate before serving. Favorite additions like crumbled bacon, chopped olives and other ingredients only add to the flavor. Last, I'm a sucker for any recipe that lends itself to personalization with my alma mater's colors. Seeing someone else's bowl of black and gold "Muddy Buddies" inspired me to find a similar recipe and make it my own. I'm including a basic recipe for this perennial snack - perfect for tailgating or snacking in front of the TV. I tailored it to my own tastes by using three melted Snickers bars instead of regular chocolate and peanut butter. However you choose to make it, it's an old school snack that's still winning over fans in 2023. Team Colors Muddy Buddies 6 cups Rice Chex cereal 3 cups Chocolate Chex® cereal 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ½ cup peanut butter ¼ cup butter or margarine 1 teaspoon vanilla 1- ½ cups powdered sugar Combine all cereals in a large bowl; set aside. Place chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute, then stir. Continue warming mixture until smooth and combined, about 30 seconds longer. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and stir until evenly coated. Transfer to a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add powdered sugar to the bag and seal; shake until well-coated. Evenly spread cereal out onto waxed paper to cool. Once mixture is cool, add Skittles or M & M's in your team's colors and stir well.

Officials joined Central Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons in Jackson today to announce a partnership between the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), the Hinds County Board of Supervisors and Hinds County Sheriff’s Department to utilize inmate labor remove litter from Hinds County highways. “We are committed to cleaning up the Jackson-metro area and our interstates, which has a problem with trash. We can spend hundreds of thousands to contract out litter removal and within days trash will once again cover our right-of-ways here,” said Simmons. “This program will be a game changer and will put us in a situation where our highways will be beautiful. Through these collaborative efforts, we will keep Mississippi beautiful.” The program went into effect immediately. Inmates began picking up litter this morning along the east frontage road of I-55 at Meadowbrook Rd. and extended northbound. During pickups, the Hinds County’s Sheriff’s Department will be present to provide safety and security for the inmates. “To the citizens of Hinds County, this program is back. This is something I also get complaints about from the citizens of Hinds County regarding inmate labor. I’m happy to report that we found a way to effectively provide manpower and equipment to go along state highways in the City of Jackson and Hinds County to do trash pick up,” said Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones. “This is a major movement for us and for the people of Hinds County, so when people travel our county and city, they will see clean areas.” Per the Memorandum of Understanding, the Mississippi Transportation Commission will furnish the locations, supplies, safety gear and advisory signs, and will reimburse the county for costs associated with the execution of the agreement, including reimbursement to the county for the actual cost of the sheriff personnel assigned to this duty. “Today is a great day for Jackson. I would like to thank Commissioner Simmons and MDOT for providing the funding for this program, Sheriff Jones for providing the supervision and MDOC for providing the inmates,” said Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham. “This is my number one complaint from the citizens of Jackson. Today we are here to tell the citizens we care, and we have a process for which you are going to see individuals picking up litter.” Although the program is great news to citizens of Hinds County, officials continue asking the public to refrain from littering and contributing to the state’s $3 million litter problem. “As Commissioner, I want to remind the citizens, although we’ll be picking up trash through this program, don’t go out and throw more trash out. Stop putting the trash on the highways. We don’t want you to use this excuse to throw trash on our highway system.” Sheriff Jones also reminded the public that law enforcement will continue holding drivers accountable if caught littering. Put trash where it belongs and remember to recycle when possible. It’s not just a can or food wrapper you’re throwing away—it’s taxpayer dollars. MDOT partners with local counties to use inmate labor to remove litter from the state’s right-of-ways. MDOT assists in securing transportation mileage reimbursement, an hourly supervisor reimbursement and a vehicle when available. For more information on MDOT’s Inmate Litter Program, visit GoMDOT.com/DontTrashMS. Click here to view video.

By Bob Garver It has been five years since we last saw Robert “The Equalizer” McCall, as played by the ever-arresting Denzel Washington. In that time, we’ve had a pandemic, three seasons of the Queen Latifah TV series (not to be confused with the Edward Woodward TV series from the 80’s), and plenty of time to forget about this iteration of the franchise. I wish Washington and director Antoine Fuqua had forgotten about it too, because they both could have used the time they wasted on this movie doing something worthier of their talents. The movie opens with the aftermath of a McCall killing spree on the staff of a Sicilian mansion. McCall had to get the attention of a crime boss (Bruno Bilotta) in a way that involved not getting killed, but getting captured so the boss could get personally involved. McCall’s plan in this sequence and in the one at the film’s climax have the same problem: they require the bad guys to show exactly the right amount of mercy. Even though McCall knows about their ruthlessness, he expects them to bide their time, toy with him a certain way, and not kill anyone unnecessarily, lest we hold him responsible for getting an innocent person killed because he had to get cute with his strategy. The showdown at the mansion leaves McCall wounded. He’s found unconscious by the side of the road by a helpful small-town cop (Eugenio Mastrandrea), who takes him to a local doctor (Remo Girone), who lets McCall recover at his house. McCall quickly takes to the town of Altamonte, where everyone is friendly to him, but fearful of the local Mafia, especially payment collector Marco (Andrea Dodero), brother of big boss Vincent (Andrea Scarduzio, and yes, I do think it’s funny that the actors playing brothers share a first name, but not a last). He tries to stay out of the locals’ delicate relationship with the violent organization, but trouble seems to have a way of finding Robert McCall, and he soon finds himself having to topple the entire criminal empire. McCall’s feud with the villains isn’t limited to the parameters of the little town. He picked up some information at the mansion that ties the specific crime family to an elaborate cyber-crime ring. He relays crumbs of information to CIA agent Collins (Dakota Fanning). I expected Collins to help out McCall in some of the action scenes since he’s injured, but the character frustratingly never really gets in the game. I honestly started questioning if she was some sort of last-minute addition to the screenplay to pad the movie’s runtime, since she never interacts with any major characters besides McCall, and the movie’s action is pretty scant anyway. “The Equalizer 3” has done very well for itself at the box office over Labor Day weekend, so I must admit that the project has paid off commercially for Washington and Fuqua. But did this movie really satisfy their creative appetites? Maybe they wanted an excuse to spend time in Italy? That was definitely the case with “Book Club: The Next Chapter” from earlier this year. But while that movie – for all its faults – made Italy look like Heaven on Earth, this movie can’t help but make it look “gritty,” dragging it down to the tone of McCall’s world. My theory is that Washington wanted to prove something to himself, namely that he can still carry an action movie as he approaches age 70. The film’s box office definitely proves that he “can” (and I would have said he “can” even if the film wasn’t performing well), though he “should” have held out for a better vehicle. Grade: C- “The Equalizer 3” is rated R for strong bloody violence and some language. Its running time is 109 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 11th @ 5:30pm in the BEEMS LIBRARY!

Please join us this Sunday at 3pm. Be prepared to sing some old favorites: This little light of mine, Just a closer walk with thee, When the saints go marching in!

Jim and Nick had been neighbors for years. Not necessarily close friends who knew each other’s daily habits and dislikes, but friendly enough. Except when Jim did something that got under the skin of his neighbor. Which, unfortunately happened more than once in those years of living next to each other. Oh yes, Nick would confront Jim with the problems. Telling him exactly why he was upset, and why the problems were Jim’s fault. And Jim? His unfailing response was a nod and a smile, “Okay, I understand, and you have the right to feel the way you do.” Then he would turn away and return to whatever he had been doing when he was interrupted. Absolutely unfazed by Nick’s irritation and requests. Needless to say, this was NOT the response Nick wanted. He felt his opinion didn’t count to his lousy neighbor - there at least should have been apologies with some changes made. So predictably over a period of time, Neighbor Nick developed - shall I say - a bad taste in his mouth when Jim’s name was even mentioned. Disappointment had turned to irritation, which quickly upgraded itself to anger, and a newborn started living in their neighborhood – named Grudge. No question about it, Jim was being self-centered and disagreeable, even as he smiled and nodded. He was going to do what he wanted to do, not matter how it affected Nick. Not exactly being a team player or attempting to get along with his neighbor. And yes, Nick definitely had obvious reasons for disliking the man’s attitude. So here is my question. How long should Nick hold a grudge? Until Jim abjectly apologized? Given that man’s previous track record – good luck with that. Keep griping at Jim while attempting to convince the other neighbors that Jim was ‘a bad seed’ who needed to be ostracized, until he finally changed his behavior? Good luck with that one also – the Jims in life usually don’t respond well to anger, bullying and coercion. Scripture mentions a more effective way. Proverbs 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. 22For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. 23As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.… Be honest with yourself. In your own experience, if you are a Jim, are you eager to please a Nick who constantly is carping and angry with you? Not normally. We humans don’t usually fall all over our self to meet the needs and wants of a person we see as always irritated with us. That kind of willingness we normally reserve for the people who are kind, loving and caring. So, if you are Nick and wanting the Jim in your life to make some changes, maybe you should heed what your Creator advised. Make your own changes first.

Today, Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson named Theresa Love as executive director of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. In this position, Love, a 26-year staff member of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) and former acting director of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, will oversee all daily operations and events at the museum. “I am proud to name Theresa Love as executive director of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum,” said Commissioner Gipson. “She has faithfully served the agency for 26 years now, and her experience and proven abilities will help further our vision to educate individuals on Mississippi’s rich agricultural history for generations to come.” Love has accumulated 26 years of experience working for MDAC, with a significant portion of her career dedicated to the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. Throughout her tenure at the museum, she has fulfilled various roles within education and volunteer services, as well as holding the deputy director, and more recently, acting director, positions. Love possesses an educational background with a bachelor’s degree in counseling. Her values are centered around family, community, history and education. A prime objective that she strives to achieve for the Ag Museum is to create a compelling experience for visitors that brings these core values to life. “I am grateful for this valuable opportunity,” said Love. “The museum has an exceptional team, and I strive to nurture the remarkable legacy of this establishment to educate and captivate guests about the rich agricultural history of Mississippi. With an abundance of available resources at our fingertips, my intention is to make the utmost use of them to foster an enthusiastic interest among our younger generation, urging them to explore and pursue careers in the field of agriculture.” In recognition of its 40 prosperous years of educating the public on Mississippi’s agricultural heritage, the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum will provide 40 unique experiences across the grounds for visitors during the 40th Birthday Celebration this Saturday, September 9. As her first major event as executive director, Love will oversee the museum’s upcoming 40th Birthday Celebration on Saturday, September 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Prior to the day’s activities, the public is invited to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony with Commissioner Gipson at 9:30 a.m. to kick off this event. This event recognizes the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum’s 40 prosperous years of educating the public on Mississippi’s agricultural heritage. The museum has partnered with several organizations who will assist in providing 40 unique experiences across the grounds that visitors can enjoy. In addition to all the usual exhibits, festivities will feature: The Dixieland Old Engine and Agricultural Club’s collection of antique engines and other agricultural tools will be on display throughout the day. Small Town, Mississippi, will host continuous demonstrations at the Print Shop, Doctor’s Garden, Masonic Lodge, Blacksmith Shop, Nature Trail, Schoolhouse and Multipurpose Building throughout the day. The Sawmill will be operated by museum staff for a special demonstration at 1:00 p.m. inside Small Town, Mississippi. The Central Mississippi Beekeepers Association will give ‘beekeeper talks’ inside the Heritage Center throughout the day. Museum staff will provide ‘collection talks’ on various ag-related topics inside the Heritage Center throughout the day. Live musical performances will take place at the Heritage Center from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A Mississippi 4-H Agent will be educating visitors on Mississippi’s 4-H program inside the 4-H Museum Learning Center all day. Several educational presentations will be held in the Sparkman Auditorium throughout the day. Presenters include the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Mississippi Forestry Commission, Chimneyville Weavers and Spinners Guild, Jackson Audubon Society and others. Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Kids Club will provide activities, including character interactions and more, inside the Ethnic Heritage Center all day. Face painting will also be available in the same building. Wagon rides will be available throughout the day with a Living History Presenter to provide commentary as visitors traverse the museum grounds. Living History Presenters will be dressed in period clothing and interacting with museum visitors as they perform various demonstrations that illustrate ‘farmsteading’ in years past at McDavid Cabin and the Fortenberry-Parkman Farmstead throughout the day. The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, located at 1150 Lakeland Drive in Jackson, is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information on the different experiences scheduled for the 40th Birthday Celebration, contact Rachel Bone at rachel@mdac.ms.gov, visit www.msagmuseum.org, call 601-432-4500 or follow the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Facebook.