Welcome Wednesday, but come on Friday! Sorry–thinking out loud. Independence Day is fast approaching and we can’t help but to crave for another 3-day weekend (yes!). So as we patiently wait for the evening of July1st, we find ourselves daydreaming about this past weekend.
Saturday was hot just like any summer day in Mississippi, so that meant that heat and sweat were in vast abundance. But you know what? That didn’t stop crowds of people from coming to hear the platforms of various political candidates at Politix in the Park.
Tommiea King, a local photographer, showed up at the event with a very nice camera in hand. She has contributed the photos included in this post. To view the entire set, visit it on Picasa. Thanks Tommiea!!!
Several months ago, Dr. Bill Cooley approached me with an excellent idea for the blog. He had just come across an article in the New York Times that featured a young man who he believed grew up in West Jackson. What intrigued Dr. Cooley was the fact that the young gentleman was in Switzerland making a living by shopping at flea markets!
We’ve all been to flea markets. They are places with various vendors and a variety of furniture, clothing, and nick nacks (aka odds & ends). Well, the guy in the article frequents these places with keen eyes for the purposes of stocking his online store, Quintessentia.
The gentleman’s name is Arthur Rooks, and judging from his store’s stock, he has frequently called checkmate on rare finds at local flea markets. His mom, Barbara Rooks-Jackson, still lives in West Jackson.
Click here to check out the great New York Times article about West Jackson native, Arthur Rooks.
If you’re looking to bask in the full glory on the sun’s Vitamin D, then here are two events for you to attend tomorrow:
Politix in the Park
Surely you’ve seen the many political signs that have been posted around the metro. True, they’re not too pretty…but they also don’t say much. Don’t pick a candidate based on who has the most signs! Take an opportunity Saturday to speak directly with those running for office during Politix in the Park.
The event takes place at Koinonia Coffee House and offer free food as well as space jumps, face painting, and space jumps for the kids. Koinonia will also offer refreshments for sale, and if you haven’t been there before you should definitely try an Iced Major (caramel & chocolate iced coffee).
Event organizers announced that over one dozen candidates have confirmed their attendance.
Politix in the Park starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m.
NOTE: If you’re interested in volunteering to help with this event, a volunteer meeting will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at Koinonia Coffee House (136 S. Adams St.).
West Jackson Summer Festival
Photo by Flare of Flickr (Creative Commons)
Came across an announcement about this event this morning via the Clarion Ledger:
The West Jackson Summer Festival offers hip-hop, blues and gospel at Sheppard Park. It’s free and the fun starts [Saturday] at 9 a.m.
Someone also tweeted about the event:
The 1st annual West Jackson summer fest is this Saturday from 9am until at Sheppard Park. Grills & coolers welcome but no alcohol— T.O. (@Chokl8Tweethart) June 23, 2011
Unfortunately, that’s the only information we have about the Summer Festival, but if you’re looking for something to do Saturday, swing on by and check it out. Sheppard Park is located on Hattiesburg Street near Jim Hill High School.
Photo by Sandor Weisz of Flickr (Creative Commons)
Oh joy! Your family has a newborn, and your new baby is all cute and cuddly–full of potential. But what’s next? You can read the dreaded baby books like in the movie Knocked Up, OR you can get advice from other people who’ve been there and done that in the world of babies. Oh, and one more thing…this newborn baby that I’m referring to doesn’t wear pink or blue. Instead, it wears an Employer Identification Number and coos with email notifications and phone calls. The newborn is none other than your new business.
Going into business can be scary, and navigating through the rules and expectations of your industry of choice can be a little daunting. That’s where SCORE come in. SCORE stands for the Service Corps of Retired Executives and describes itself as “a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide.”
All that was said to say this–Thanks to the Jackson Business Accelerator Collaborative, SCORE is now being offered in Jackson!
With the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as its partner, SCORE offers free and confidential advice to small businesses through local and online counseling, workshops, and more and the organization has been mentoring small business owners for more than forty years.
Entrepreneurs who sign up for SCORE will have access to a network of over 13,000 volunteers who offer small business entrepreneurs confidential business counseling services at no charge. SCORE volunteers have the knowledge and experience to help any small business owner get the help they need.
If you are interested in learning more about SCORE, contact James Griffin of the Small Business Accelerator Collaboration at (601) 371-1296, (601) 540-5415, or jamesgriffin601@yahoo.com.
P.S. The SBAC is seeking feedback from business owners. If you own a business, float on over to their online survey. It’s very short, but your feedback could help make a great service even greater.
Speaking of Koinonia, this week’s Friday Forum will feature two speakers: Ann Jackson with the MS Department of Health’s Tuberculosis Clinic & Dr. Bill Cooley. Dr. Cooley will announce an exciting venture that will be here in West Jackson.
Need a hint about the venture? Hmmmm…let’s see…have you heard of a hot dog special before?
What if I told you that there’s a race going on? In fact, you aren’t in this race, but you can determine who wins. Welcome to the world of democracy!
Unfortunately, many Americans have come to believe that power rests in the hands of those with prominent titles such as Governor, Senator, Representative, Supervisor…well, the list goes on and on. The fact is that the real power rests in your hands. Yes, the people who successfully garner the aforementioned titles have some aspect of power, but it is all the result of you doing your part to give them such power.
So how do you wield your power? That’s easy. Get out and vote. But don’t get out and vote sporadically. Casting a ballot in which you choose candidates based on the (D), (R), or (i)<incumbent> that rests next to their name is a willy nilly way of voting. But if you approach the voting booth armed with your popsicle stick and a cranium full of knowledge…THEN you are the master (shonuff) [reference to The Last Dragon].
A group of Jacksonians are looking to provide a venue at which you can learn as much as you can about the various candidates in these various political races.
They’ve dubbed the event, Politix in the Park, and it’s a way to hear the candidates’ platforms first hand while personally broaching your questions to the candidates.
The event offers more than politics. Free food will be available as well as space jumps, face painting, and a dunking booth for the kiddos.
Politix in the Park will take place this Saturday at Koinonia Coffee House (136 S. Adams Street) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., so bring your lawn chairs, kick back, and enjoy the show! (sorry, no coolers or grills allowed)
Father’s Day. It’s a time in which dad gets to enjoy yet another year with…a new necktie. Yep, that tie collection grows stronger by the year and dad can thank us for it! Try something different for 2011 and bring dad (and his new tie) to the Jackson Zoo. Dads get in free with the purchase of a child’s admission, plus, the whole family will get to enjoy a free Car & Bike Show.
Oh, and if dad wants to show off his prized car or bike, then he can place it in the car show as well. Just clean it up for him and have him show up to the zoo by 12 noon to register for the car show.
The Jackson Zoo is open daily from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
If you’re looking for the Clark Kent of Jackson, then look no further than Jason Thompson. Have a conversation with him and he’ll seem unassuming yet deliberate in his responses. Clark Kent worked in the newsroom to keep a pulse on damsels in distress–Jason works at the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi to keep a pulse on Mississippi’s youth. But when trouble arises, Jason ditches his work attire and dons the guise of…PyInfamous! (superhero music plays in the background)
When kids need a male figure as a role model, the unassuming Jason steps in and saves the day as a mentor. When Jackson was lacking an “urban hang suite”-type lounge, Jason used his entrepreneurial prowess (and marketing degree) to partner with others in opening Suite 106. Another day saved. But when “swag” began to rear its ugly head, disguised as hip hop, PyInfamous emerged, and he has been a nonstop swag-slayer!
So why is PyInfamous being mentioned on this blog? Is he from West Jackson? Nah, he actually lives in South Jackson; but he publishes thought provoking music without the use of profanity. That in itself is a breath of fresh air in Hip Hop.
But I digress, the reason PyInfamous is being mentioned on this blog is because he is currently in the running to become the Coldest MC in the nation! In Coors Light’s Search for Coldest competition, PyInfamous is the lone representative for the South–having won the Southern title by outshining a myriad of other southern MC’s.
Now, PyInfamous, despite his powerful delivery and flow, needs YOUR help. Call it his kryptonite, but PyInfamous cannot win the national title in the Search for the Coldest without your votes. If he wins, the title of Coldest MC in the nation could belong to an artist who is one of our neighbors. Better yet, it could belong to a Jacksonian who is very involved in the community and committed to improving this city.
Below are a couple of tracks from PyInfamous. The first track is the one that was submitted for the competition. Let’s win this for Jackson! To vote, click the link below and click “Judge now” on the right side of the page. You’ll unfortunately have to listen to all four of the artists before you can vote (come on, take one for the team). After you the videos are done, click the “vote for this artist button that’s above PyInfamous’ name. If you’re feeling really generous…repeat! You can vote every day until June 17th.
Need a little voting practice? How about this…the Jackson Community Design Center is in the running for a $10,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh project. The kicker? They need your votes to win.
Last year, the JCDC hosted the Jackson is ART summer program at the Capitol Street Boys & Girls Club. The program challenged students to think about the current conditions of Jackson and ways to improve them through art and architecture. The JCDC wants to return to the Capitol Street Boys & Girls club again, but they need your help.
How can you help? Simply go to the project page and register (registration is really quick if you have a Facebook account). Then, click the vote button and you’ve done your good deed. You can vote every day in June, so don’t forget to return to the Pepsi Refresh site as often as you can (and wear that vote button out!).
If you want to spread the word, share the link…or better yet, share this post. Now, go vote!
After coming across news of Johnny Dupree’s visit to West Jackson, we figured we’d add some additional options too! Yep, you are officially busy on Thursday evening. Enjoy!
Precinct 2 COPS meeting, 6 p.m.
No, this isn’t a meeting for cops by cops; nor is it the resurrection of the COPS television show (First 48 has that market taken care of). COPS stands for Community Oriented Policing Strategies and its purpose is to generate monthly dialog between the residents and officers of Precinct 2.
This month’s meeting will be Thursday (tomorrow), June 9 at 6:00 p.m. Meetings are held in the former Atmos Energy offices at 711 W. Capitol Street.
Jackson 2000 Spring Social, 5:30 p.m.
When it comes to race relations, Mississippi has come a loooonng way! Groups such as Jackson 2000 hope to further progress positive race relations in this state starting with the capital city.
Jackson 2000, a non profit civic organization, will host its Spring Social at Koinonia Coffee House on Thursday (tomorrow), June 9th at 5:30 p.m.
This is your opportunity to learn more about Jackson 2000′s efforts to promote racial harmony and facilitate racial understanding in the metro area.
This is a FREE event and will feature free food/drinks and live jazz by Jazz Beautiful featuring Pam Confer.
Also, make sure to check out the group’s photos from last year’s social. It was a beautifully diverse crowd.
