Calendar of events

EVENTS: What to do throughout the year

January/February

Annual Camellia Show

Held at Homestead at Brookhaven Nurseries on Hwy. 51.

Annual Charity Ball — Krewe of Ceres

The Ball’s mission is to raise money for local charities.

March/April

Lincoln County Miss Hospitality Pageant

Mission is to identify, honor and utilize a young lady between the ages of 18 and 24 for the purpose of promoting Brookhaven and Lincoln County and then compete for state title to serve as Mississippi’s official Goodwill Ambassador.

“Goin’ to Town” Car Show

Hosted by the Ole Brook Cruisers featuring classic and collectible vehicles. Located in historic downtown Brookhaven.

Brookhaven Animal Rescue League’s Annual Barkfest

Annual fundraising event for the animal rescue organization featuring a day full of vendors, activities and entertainment held in May. Animal and family friendly.

Mississippi Spring Fest and Fair

Hosted by the Lincoln Civic Center, formerly called the Lincoln County Carnival. The fiveday event features a variety of rides, games, food, fun and a full rodeo.

May/June

Hogwild Cookoff

Annual BBQ cook-off and family festival offers food, fun and entertainment for the entire family.

Brookhaven Local Growers Farmers Market

Held each Tuesday from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Amtrak train station (Godbold Transportation Center) and Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in historic downtown Brookhaven beginning in June and continuing throughout the growing season. The market sells fresh dairy products, home-baked goods, local honey and fresh produce.

Girls Night Out

Ticketed shopping event Thursday night in June with T-shirts, coupon book and in-store promotions.

Mt. Zion Dust-n-Bones Mountain Bike Race

Ole Brook Rodeo

July/August

Brookstock Music Festival

Exchange Club Fair

Reminiscent of an old-time county fair, this local favorite runs for one week prior to the start of the first week of school each year. Entirely operated by volunteers and features rides handmade in the 1950s.

Lions’ Club Beauty Pageant

A tradition since 1943, formerly referred to as the Lion’s Club Water Carnival, funds raised by the pageant help provide vision screening for every child in kindergarten through second grade in the county, as well as other club projects.

4th of July Storm Avenue Block Party

Summer Concert Series September/October

Lincoln County Wildlife Expo

Located at the Lincoln Civic Center in September and features a kid’s activity center, big buck contest, 3D-archery shoot, food, fun and more.

46th Annual Ole Brook Festival, Oct. 1-2

A tradition since 1974, the festival is held in historic downtown Brookhaven. The event features over 200 arts and crafts vendors, kid’s zone, giant inflatables and more.

MS Girls4ACure 5K and 10K

BARL Celebrity Dinner

November/December

Christmas Open House

Held on a Saturday in November. Local merchants kick off the holiday shopping season with special sales and events.

Veterans Day Celebration

Chamber of Commerce Banquet

Held in November to honor community, business and education achievements and recognize outstanding volunteer accomplishments during the previous year.

Taste of the Trust

Sponsored by the Brookhaven Trust featuring an evening of culinary delights donated by various restaurants, caterers and chefs, to raise funds for various local projects.

Christmas Parade

Held the Thursday after Thanksgiving each year at 7 p.m. The parade ushers in the Christmas season and features marching bands, fire and emergency vehicle brigade, over 25 floats and 100 individual entries plus the highlight at the end of the parade with Santa on his sleigh.

Ole Brook Festival

The Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for its 46th Annual Ole Brook Festival to be held Oct. 1-2, 2021. The festival will begin with a kick-off concert to be held at Lampton Auditorium on Sept. 30 featuring MSA graduate and upcoming star Destiny Stone.

Anticipation is again high for another successful event. The festival held in early October each year has grown to be one of the most beloved traditions in the Brookhaven and Lincoln County area. Ole Brook will have its annual car show, kid zone, food alley, live music, and of course the arts and crafts flea market! As mentioned, entertainment will begin Thursday Sept 30 and continue until the close of the festival on Saturday Oct. 2. A complete lineup will be available soon on the chamber’s website. All main festival events are free to the public and free to park. All day Kid Zone activities will have an entry fee of $10.

If you are interested in being a vendor please visit www.brookhavenchamber.org or call 601-833-1411!

Chamber banquet

The Chamber of Commerce hosts an annual banquet to honor its members.

The annual banquet is held each year to give thanks to the Chamber’s 300-plus members. Business of the Year and Agribusiness of the year have a VIP table and are presented with awards. Along with the passing of the gavel from current president to incoming president-elect, tokens of appreciation are given to outgoing board members with special recognition of incoming board members.

A celebration of small business, industrial development and the area’s agribusiness unite for the evening. The Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber’s decades of success depend solely on the ongoing commitment of members. The chamber is planning another evening of fun and fellowship for this year’s chamber banquet in November.

Miss Merry Christmas

One of the many exciting events the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber hosts each year is the annual Miss Merry Christmas Contest.

Miss Merry Christmas represents Brookhaven and Lincoln County at any chamber-related events held throughout the holiday season, including Christmas Open House, ribbon cuttings, holiday events at local museums and the annual Brookhaven Christmas Parade.

Miss Merry Christmas leads the night parade in all her glory, decked out in her authentic red velvet and white fur trimmed cloak that even Santa himself would be envious of. Contest information will be available for incoming seniors this fall.

Katie Sproles is Miss Merry Christmas 2020-2021

Miss Hospitality

Miss Hospitality is chosen annually in the spring.

The winner is chosen from high school senior girls and young women up to age 24. She represents the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce area, and participates in the annual Christmas parade, Downtown Jazzed Up, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and other Chamber events.

The program now also has a Little Miss Hospitality, age 6-10, who accompanies Miss Hospitality to the state pageant.

Abby Gayle Smith is Lincoln County’s Miss Hospitality 2021

Christmas parade

A Brookhaven tradition spanning five decades, the annual Christmas parade is one of the most highly anticipated Chamber events each year.

The parade is held the first Thursday evening of December and draws thousands of spectators, filling downtown with lights, music, and tons of Christmas joy.

Each year, Miss Merry Christmas and a grand marshal are chosen to lead the parade.

A host of spectacular floats from local businesses, churches, dance groups and scouts enjoy waving to the crowds to ring in the holiday season. A crowd favorite each year are the talented marching bands. Make sure you stay until the end, because Santa and his host of helpers throw out candy to wrap up the parade route. With the new addition of our downtown lighting project, the Christmas parade is now more festive than ever.

Downtown Jazzed Up Mardi Gras

The “Downtown Jazzed Up” event is the brainchild of several members of the downtown association, the chamber’s Creative Economy Committee and the Brookhaven Tourism Council.

The main objective of the Mardi Gras event is to promote local dining and retail and to bring the community together to enjoy the city’s newly renovated spaces in the downtown area, all while remaining a family-friendly evening. Local retailers keep their doors open well after normal Saturday hours while pedestrians enjoy historic tours guided by local volunteers, including students from Brookhaven High School.

Directly following the jazz concert, a traditional Second Line parade led by an authentic brass band will walk down Cherokee Street with beads, cups and stuffed animals being given out to parade-goers.

Needless to say, Downtown Jazzed Up is a major success and the committees are in the planning process to host the next event this coming Mardi Gras season. If you are interested in being involved contact the Chamber of Commerce.

Legislative

breakfast The premier summer shopping event in Brookhaven, Girls Night Out was

Each year the Brookhav- established to boost retail en-Lincoln County Chamber during the month of June. of Commerce hosts our local The 10th annual event chamber members to join was celebrated in 2021, us for an afternoon under with more than 1,000 tickthe rotunda at the ets sold. state’s capitol in The event has grown into Jackson! Our one of the most anticipatlocal elected ed events the Chamber is officials and involved in throughout the state legislators spend a day of networking. This is a great opportunity for local business leaders to connect. In year’s past, our chamber has scheduled meetings with Mississippi’s Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and Secretary of State! If you aren’t a member of the chamber and would like to be reminded of 2022 plans for Brookhaven Day, please contact us so we can get you a formal invitation to join us! Girls Night Out year. The Chamber’s retail and restaurant members are all encouraged to participate in the popular event. Tickets are sold in advance for $20 — that includes an official Girls Night Out T-shirt, a tote bag, a $10 meal voucher to a restaurant of their choice and a coupon book to use the evening of Girls Night Out and throughout the summer.

Ladies fill the town for a night out of shopping, dining and, most of all, fun. With dozens of participating retailers and restaurants during the most recent event, the Chamber is already looking forward to next year’s Girls Night Out.

For more information email admin@brookhavenchamber.com.

Recreation opportunities are plentiful

Brookhaven and Lincoln County have a wide variety of recreation opportunities available, especially during the summer.

Children can learn and have fun at the Lincoln County Public Library during its summer reading program, and learn new skills at the Brookhaven Parks and Recreation Department.

If you need to cool off, spray parks are open at City Park, Bi-Centennial Park and Bethel Park from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sept. 30. If it can be swatted, hit, kicked, thrown, dribbled, painted, choreographed or cooked up into a nice meal, the Brookhaven Recreation Department can teach it.

Registration is first come, first served for classes at the recreation center. Classes at the rec department include: gymnastics, soccer, cheer, dancing, voice, acting, piano, martial arts, football, basketball, tennis, softball and more.

The Jimmy Furlow Senior Citizen Center also offers a variety of activities, including dancing, fitness, games, bingo and more.

BROOKHAVEN PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES

1. MAIN OFFICE 2. DEPOT 3. CITY PARK TENNIS COURTS 4. DR. A.L. LOTT SPORTSPLEX 5. HANSEL KING SPORTSPLEX 6. BI-CENTENNIAL PLAYGROUND, TRAIL, SPRAY PARK 7. BETHEL SPRAY PARK 8. CITY PARK PLAYGROUND, SPRAY PARK 9. KID’S KINGDOM 10. MULTI-USE TRAIL 11. BROOKHAVEN BUILDING 12. JIMMY FURLOW SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER

9

1

10 3 8 6

2

12

7 4

11 5