Shoutouts

OHS Celebrates New Fine Arts Complex

A ribbon was cut, and a belated celebration commenced March 1 with the official unveiling of Oxford High School’s new Fine Arts Complex.

Though the complex had been seen by some students last August, COVID-19 kept parents and community members at bay until early March.

The complex, managed by Innovation Construction Management LLC, includes a 656-seat auditorium, complete with orchestra and rigging pit, theatrical lighting and rigging, a scene shop and several band, culinary and art classrooms.

The Fine Arts Complex construction was part of a 2017 bond referendum that received great support.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, those in attendance were treated to studentled tours of the complex that included hors d’oeuvres prepared by culinary students and a live demonstration of the new auditorium’s Steinway player piano.

Sweet Magnolia Branches Into Oxford

When Hugh Balthrop began making ice cream for his wife and three children in their Washington, D.C., home, little did he know that one day the cold, creamy confection would change his life.

Balthrop and his family moved to his wife’s hometown of Clarksdale in 2000, and in 2011, Balthrop founded his business, Sweet Magnolia Gelato Co.

Sweet Magnolia products are manufactured in Oxford, where the family has lived for the past two years. And in more recent days, Balthrop has opened a Sweet Magnolia retail store — only his second — in Oxford, at 1002 Van Buren, a few doors down from The Lyric.

“We saw an opportunity in Oxford,” Balthrop said. “For us, it was a no-brainer.”

Those with a hankering for a scoop of frozen sweetness can go inside and find a socially distanced table, pick up a to-go container from a freezer or call in and get your ice cream delivered curbside.

SHOUTOUTS continued

Oren Dunn City Museum Lauded

In late March, the city of Tupelo’s Oren Dunn City Museum was awarded the 2021 Mississippi Historical Society Award of Merit.

The award is presented annually to individuals or organizations for outstanding archival, museum, records management or media interpretation work. The award was presented by Mississippi Historical Society President Marshall Bennett.

The city of Tupelo received the award for creating its sesquicentennial website and plans, then pivoting due to the COVID-19 pandemic to renovate the museum.

“We at the Oren Dunn City Museum are grateful to the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City of Tupelo for entrusting us with telling the Tupelo story in a beautiful way,” said Leesha Faulkner, curator of the museum.

After having its doors closed to visitors for nearly a year, the renovated Oren Dunn City Museum is now reopened for tours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 under age 12, and veterans are free with proof of service.