calendar up & coming

Every Saturday in May & June Natchez Farmers Market Downtown 300 N. Broadway 8:30 am-Noon

Through May 15 Natchez Garden Club Spring Pilgrimage 17 Historic Homes 601.443.9065

MEADVILLE meadvillems.com

MCCOMB pikeinfo.com mccombarts.com mcrrmuseum.com

FB: McComb Farmers Market

May 13

Iron Horse Festival Bo Diddley Pavilion Downtown 10 am-10 pm

May 20

20th Annual Golf Tournament Fernwood Country Club

T-times 8 am or 1 pm 601.684.2291

June 17

Boys & Girls Club 4th Annual Golf Tournament Quail Hollow Golf Course

8 am 601.684.5437

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NATCHEZ

Live Music Events Calendar visitnatchez.org/full-eventcalendar visitnatchez.org kreweofphoenixnatchez.com natchezpilgrimage.com

FB: Downtown Natchez Farmers Market thetowersofnatchez.com natchezgardenclub.org natchezlittletheatre.com natchezgardenclub.org / 601.890.2388 littleeasytours.com toursnatchez.com

Through May 20 Natchez Festival of Music natchezfestivalofmusic.com

May 5, 12 & 19

Live @ 5 River Bluff Park / The Bandstand

5 pm / Free

May 6

Joe Fortunato and Allen Brown Golf Classic

Duncan Park Golf Course

Tee times 8 am and 1 pm $400 / 4-player team 601.446.6450

May 6

Talk Derby to Me Stanton Hall / Carriage House 4 pm / $35 / Cash Bar

May 20

YMAN Green Ribbon Run Broadway

7:30 am / $35 601.660.0412 adm@yallmeansallnatchez.org

June 3

White Linen Night 100 Block N. Commerce St. 5-7:30 pm 985.377.3324

June 10

Natchez Bicycle Classic

7 am-5 pm

FB: Natchez Bicycle Classic

June 15-18 & 22-25

Snow White Natchez Little Theatre

7:30 & 2 pm 601.442.2233 thenatchezlittletheatre.com

June 17

Legends Celebration Natchez City Auditorium

6:30 pm magnoliasessions.org

June 22

Mickey Gilley Memorial Golf Scramble Duncan Park Golf Course Noon Registration / $80 225.933.2300

July 27-29

Natchez Food & Wine Festival Downtown 601.445.4611 natchezchamber.com

PORT GIBSON

FB: portgibson.chamber msculturalcrossroads.org

SUMMIT pikeinfo.com

May 6 & 20

Saturdays in Spring Events Williamson Nursery 601.276.2794

VICKSBURG southernculture.org visitvicksburg.com vicksburgartassociation.org tarawildlife.com vicksburgtheatreguild.com downtownvicksburg.org

Through May & June

Vicksburg Art Association

Spring Show

Old Constitution Firehouse Gallery

Noon-4 pm 361.331.7621

May 5-7

Red, White & Blue Air Show

Southern Heritage Air Foundation Museum Hanger 318.574.2731

May 5 & 12

Spring Classics in the Courtyard

Southern Cultural Museum Noon-1 pm 601.631.2997

May 12-21

And Then There Were None Parkside Playhouse

7:30 & 2 pm 601.636.0471 vicksburgtheatreguild.com

May 13

Chill in the Hills

10K, 5K Walk, 1-Mile Fun Run

Downtown

8:30 am

601.636.5703

Martins@ Midtown

May 13

2nd Saturday

Downtown

All Day

May 20

Author Series @ Vicksburg

National Military Park

Timothy B. Smith, Speaker Book signing

2 pm 601.636.0583

May 20-July 28

“Southern Exposure”

All-Day Summer Camp SCHF

7:30 am-5 pm

Ages 4-13 601.631.2997

Eventbrite.com

May 27

Lake Fest

Eagle Lake

601.218.8100 eaglelakematers.com

May 28

Symphony @ Sunset

Vicksburg National Military Park

7 pm

601.456.0804 friendsofvicksburg.org

June 2

2nd Saturday Downtown / All Day

June 3-4

Little Miss & Little Master

Vicksburg City Auditorium

7 pm

601.695.3737

June 5

Miss Mississippi Parade

Downtown

7 pm

June 7-10

Miss Mississippi Pageant

Vicksburg Convention Center

$30 & $40

601.638.6746 miss.mississippi.com

June 9

Blues Show

Vicksburg City Auditorium

8 pm

601.634.4511

June 10

Author Series @ Vicksburg

National Military Park

Isaiah Tadlock

Book signing

10 am

601.636.0583

June 17

Juneteenth Heritage Festival

Halls Ferry Park

10 am-7 pm

662.719.2087 or 601.630.5847

WESSON

FB: Wesson Chamber

May 5 – 6

Founders Day

601.643.8403

FB: Wesson Chamber ____________________

WOODVILLE woodvillems.org woodvillemainstreet.org

FB Woodville/Wilkinson County Main Street Association ____________________

Be sure to confirm details of the events should changes have occurred since events were submitted.

Superbells, Supertunias do Well in Hanging Baskets

ARTICLE | Dr. Eddie Smith PHOTOS | MSU Extension Service

Every year, I look for ways to add interest to my front porch with colorful hanging baskets, and there are many different plant choices and combinations that make this possible. One of my favorite hanging basket combinations is Supertunia petunias and Superbells.

Supertunia petunias are great for hanging baskets because they have mounding, trailing growth habits and function as both fillers and spillers in containers. They are also excellent landscape plants, best suited to be placed near the front of beds.

Superbells are also called million bells or trailing petunias because of their prolific, bell-shaped flowers and their resemblance to petunias. Like Supertunias, Superbells have mounding, trailing growth habits.

These plants are native to South America and typically grow 6 to 12 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide. They are both best grown in containers where soil moisture can be easily controlled since they don’t tolerate constantly wet soils.

Superbells are low-maintenance plants that require no deadheading. They do best when located in a full-sun location.

I believe Superbells Grape Punch and Superbells Yellow planted with Supertunia Persimmon make an outstanding hanging basket combo. The color contrast of purple with warm sunset colors of orange and yellow is mesmerizing.

Another great hanging basket combination is Supertunia Vista Fuchsia, Snow Princess, and Laguna Compact Blue with Eye. The pink of Supertunia Vista Fuchsia pops with the beautiful blue flowers with white eyes of the Laguna Compact Blue with Eye and the cascading white flowers of Snow Princess.

If my plants begin to look open or a bit tired, I give them an allover trim. I use a sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears to trim back up to 1/3 of the volume of the plants. After any trim, I use a water-soluble fertilizer to provide instant energy to help kickstart new growth, branching, and flowering.

The plants take a week to recover from the trim, but the end result is fuller plants with more blooms going forward. I repeat the trim as needed throughout the growing season.

If you are looking for a hanging basket that is different and unique, try a Goldfish plant.

The dark-green leaves provide a backdrop for orange flowers that resemble tiny goldfish. The flowers on a Goldfish plant may be red or yellow. Native to southern Mexico, Brazil, and Costa Rica, this plant comes in more than 25 different varieties.

Consistently water and fertilize these baskets to keep them popping with color all summer long on your front porch.

Dr. Eddie Smith is a gardening specialist and Pearl River County coordinator with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. He is also host of the popular Southern Gardening television programs. Locate Southern Gardening products online at extension.msstate.edu/shows/southerngardening.

Hanging baskets are great for bringing color to the landscape. This arrangement contains Supertunia Vista Fuchsia, Snow Princess and

Growing plants in containers is a great way to control soil moisture. These Superbells Grape Punch, Superbells Yellow and Supertunia Persimmon do not tolerate constantly moist soil.

Spring and summer bring a sea of tiny "goldfish" blooms to this hanging flower. The dark-green leaves of the Goldfish plant set off its unique flowers in red or yellow.

Birthday Celebration for Concordia Head Start Vidalia Site

A Candyland-themed birthday celebration honoring Supervisor Cynthia Dixon was held at Concordia Head Start (CHS) Vidalia Site in Vidalia, Louisiana, on Monday, January 30, 2023. The celebration was planned by her daughter, Trista Demby, with additional assistance from family, friends, and CHS Vidalia Site staff to allow Mrs. Dixon the opportunity to celebrate her birthday with her “bonus children.” Students were able to participate in a coloring contest, game of pin the cherry on the ice cream cone, scratch game, and gumball guessing game for Candyland-themed prizes and giveaways. In addition, staff and students were treated to a Candyland-themed sweets table, treat boxes filled with Candyland-themed goodies, cupcakes, cake, and ice cream. Photos submitted by Trista

Lexie Franklin and Kyleigh Franklin

Treyvn Taylor, Bryson Melton, and Justiss Hubbard

Cynthia Dixon and Trista Demby

Cynthia Dixon and Mary Knight

Bayleigh Tennessee

Brylie Brooks

David Lillie

Zyion Smith

Anna Shows

Jeremiah Orellano

Jade Jefferson

Quincy Hawkins, Jr.

Ava Roy

Danecia Taylor, Avery Thompson, Aly Jordan, Brunner Maples, Huntley Holland, Peace Morales, Laikyn Tyler, Caleigh Beard, Paisley Floyd, Kenleigh Kitchen, Ella Seals, Maycee Cormier, and Cristan Green

Cristan Green, Aly Jordan, Paisley Floyd, Brunner Maples, Maycee Cormier, Ella Seals, Caleigh Beard, Peace Morales, Huntley Holland, Kenleigh Kitchen, and Avery Thompson

Celebrating Beltane to Welcome Summer

ARTICLE | Alma M. Womack

For many Christians, their ancestors worshipped pagan gods before Christianity was introduced to what is now Great Britain. One of their major pagan holidays is coming up now, the celebration of Beltane, which is interpreted variously as “The Great Fire,” “The Lucky Fire,” or “The Bright Fire.”

It begins at sunset on April 30 and concludes at sunset on May 1. Beltane was celebrated as the blossoming of earth after the bleakness of winter. Beltane is also known as the Gaelic May Day Festival.

Halfway between the Spring and Fall Equinoxes, Beltane is considered the official beginning of summer. It was celebrated in ancient times by the Scots, Irish, Welsh, Manx, etc., and was observed for over 2,000 years before falling out of favor with the Christian church.

These societies celebrating Beltane were agricultural societies, and their Gaelic calendar was set around agricultural seasons. Beltane marked the end of winter, time for cattle to be moved from their winter pastures, time to prepare the fields for planting.

One of the oldest customs of Beltane was its giant bonfires. The cattle, on their way to summer pastures, would be driven between two large fires to rid them of winter diseases. These fires would have added to them the herbs fennel, rue, chervil, and thyme to act as fumigants to get rid of fleas, lice, and other pests.

People would also jump over the fires to bless and cleanse themselves from the ails of winter and to bring prosperity and fertility to their household. Flames, smoke, and ashes from these fires were considered to have special properties and power.

Eating oatcakes also was part of the ritual of Beltane. These oatcakes, baked in the ritual fires, had nine knobs on each of them that represented the nine important Celtic gods. Later, the knobs were changed to a cross after the introduction of Christianity. A community feast was held at the conclusion of Beltane.

In the nineteenth century as part of celebrating Beltane, yellow flowers were collected and left at doors and windows or fastened to livestock or milking equipment, another way to welcome the coming summer.

One of the longest standing traditions of Beltane has been that a person did not borrow fire from another’s home. It was believed that the borrower would hold power and influence over the house that provided the fire.

By the end of the eighteenth century, many of the Beltane celebrations waned. The lighting of the bonfires became nearly non-existent until they were revived in Edinburgh in 1988.

Today, the celebrations are a mix of old and new customs. The pagan tradition celebrated Beltane as the Great Wedding of the God and Goddess. Today, it is common for Beltane to be a day for the handfasting ceremony when a couple join their hands and pledge their lives to each other. It has been done for centuries in the old countries and also in our colonies. It was most notably done in rural areas that had no permanent preacher. When a traveling preacher came through the area, he would bless their marriage through the church. Solved long engagements!

The May Pole was part of the early celebrations for it symbolized the fertility of the earth and the potency of God. The ribbons intertwined were green (growth and fertility), red (passion and strength) and silver/white (cleansing). They were woven together to symbolize the spiral of life and the merging of the God and Goddess.

If you choose to celebrate Beltane today in honor of your ancestors, you could dance around a May Pole, light a cleansing fire, or simply brighten up your home with beautiful yellow flowers.

And this, dear readers, is your history lesson for today. Since I don’t have any cattle to run between two bonfires on their way to summer pasture, I think that decorating with yellow flowers is a nice touch—just a small nod to my ancestors who braved the ocean voyage from the Old Countries and settled in the colonies to help build a new nation.

Alma M. Womack lives on Smithland Plantation on Black River, south of Jonesville, Louisiana. In addition to her duties as maitresse des maison, she is the keeper of the lawn, the lane, and the pecan orchard at Smithland.