JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI | City With Soul

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Mississippi’s first LGBTQ shelter opening in Jackson
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JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi’s first LGBTQ+ domestic shelter has opened in the capital city.

Officials said the Jack Myers House took a decade of planning and executing.

“There has been a lot of love and attention for the city and for the state. And there are a lot of community members that have really come together to really help get the Jack Myers House open,” said Jason McCarty, executive director of the Mississippi Harm Reduction Initiative.

The idea started in the 1970s with a man from Pelahatchie. Jack Myers provided resources to those in need.
“They were taken cared of and protected and loved. And Jack’s been doing that his whole life. And that’s why I’m thrilled that they named the center after him or the house after him to honor him while he’s alive, so he can see it because this city owes a lot to him,” said Stan Nichols, the manager of the Jack Myers House.

The house will serve as a resource hub for residents and those who are seeking help in the community.


“Our clients can stay up to 90 days. There are shop placements, there’s resumé building. There is a recovery aspect to it, as well. So if there is a substance use disorder, we can get you back into treatment. We can help you with those aspects. There are support groups for people surviving domestic violence, support groups for mothers of domestic violence,” said McCarty.

The Jack Myers House will hold a grand opening in July.

https://www.wjtv.com/news/local-news/mississippis-first-lgbtq-shelter-opening-in-jackson/

Discover Mississippi: Carousels at the Agriculture Museum

Elaborate carousels, replete with carved and lacquered horses and other animals take you back in time.

When the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum opened in 1985, 22 exhibits were available to tour on the 39-acre property in the center of Jackson. One area that takes visitors back to a simpler time is its fictional Small Town, Mississippi. Reminiscent of a 1920’s town, the exhibit is complete with a general store, filling station, sawmill, blacksmith shop, doctors’ office and more. One of the ways people found entertainment was on elaborate carousels, replete with carved and lacquered horses and other animals.


By 1988, Small Town, Mississippi had its own carousel. Manufactured by the Allan-Hershell Company of North Tonawanda, New York, the 1928 carousel features cast aluminum galloping horses and sleigh-style seats, and a custom canvas top. The carousel house features painted scenery. Each of the animals on the carousel has a scene painted on the saddle. The carousel is retrofitted with 144 lights and 12 mirrors. The nostalgic carousel fits the overall theme of Small Town.

A larger carousel will now be added to the museum, thanks to a generous donation from Miskelly Furniture.

“The original carousel is great, but it’s best suited for small children,” says Justin Nipper, marketing and events specialist at the Ag Museum. “There is a height and weight limit. The new carousel can handle adult riders.”


The large antique carousel was acquired by Miskelly Furniture from a theme park in Argentina. Known as the “Caring Carousel,” it was located in a special wing of the store in Pearl. Customers paid $1 to ride the carousel, and the proceeds benefited many local charities, including Make-A-Wish Foundation, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and more.

“Over $200,000 was raised since Miskelly Furniture added it to their new building in 2004,” said Justin.

An announcement was made on October 19, 2020 that Miskelly Furniture was donating the carousel to the Ag Museum. Oscar Miskelly made the announcement with Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson and Hayes Patrick, Executive Director of the Mississippi Ag Museum on hand.


At the press conference, Commissioner Gipson said, “We are very excited to accept this unique donation on behalf of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. This attraction will make a great addition to the multiple exhibits we currently offer across the grounds of the Museum complex. I look forward to seeing the joy their generous donation brings to all the families that visit the museum.”

The carousel had to be disassembled at the furniture store and taken in pieces to the Ag Museum.

“Because it was October, the state fair was in town,” says Justin. “The same people to assemble the rides at the fair were dispatched to Miskelly’s to disassemble the carousel. That wasn’t a job for just anyone. It required someone who understood what they were dealing with.”

The carousel will be reassembled inside a new carousel house once one is built.

“The location has been determined,” says Justin. “It will be on the grounds of the Ag Museum near the Children’s Barnyard and Multipurpose Building.”

There is no time frame for the construction.

“The Ag Museum Foundation is working on raising funds for the carousel house.”

The Ag Museum is located at 1150 Lakeland Drive in Jackson. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

https://magnoliatribune.com/2024/06/11/discover-mississippi-carousels-at-the-agriculture-museum/

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Updated the last post with news from Friday & Saturday

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WNBA star Breanna Stewart joins other athletes with donation to Jackson sports complex, The Ark

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Late last year, The Ark, a rapidly growing sports complex in South Jackson, received donations from major names - including NBA superstar Kyrie Irving.

Now, the latest star to donate is 2023 WNBA MVP Brianna Stewart.

”The Ark has been a place, like I said, beyond my imagination and dreams. We are just thankful for donations of people like, you know, Kyrie, Brianna Stewart, Angie Thomas, those who’s helped us out so much, as well,” State Representative and founder of The Ark Ronnie Crudup Jr. said.

WNBA star Brianna Stewart made the donation alongside her sponsors PUMA and Clif Bar.

The amount of Stewarts donation is undisclosed, but Crudup Jr. did share the WNBA star matched Kyrie Irving’s donation from 2023.

These efforts made by sports stars don’t go unnoticed by the kids who come to the facility.

“One more main celebrity, but especially a basketball player, because we do a lot of basketball stuff here. So it’s been great to get folks of that caliber to be able to, you know, encourage the young men, the young ladies who are even out there today, to be able to go and shoot for their dreams and kind of give them some light on the wall they can look towards,” Crudup Jr. said.

The donations allow The Ark to continue to expand with the purchase of a fifth basketball court already made, it will be installed by the end of 2024.

Other future plans include expanding the boxing and gymnastic programs.

Less than a year later since its opening, Crudup is happy to see The Ark become what he hoped it would for the next generation.

“This place is all about exposure. And so we want to expose kids to other opportunities and ideas of things that they may not think is out there, as we do our Tumblr program real soon. We’re kind of getting things wrapped up. They’re gonna start before the end of the year. We try to expose kids so those type of things that they know that there are scholarships available, and tell them that in cheerleading and so these are the things that we really want to do here. It really tried to expand the minds and the thoughts of a lot of these folks,” Crudup Jr. said.

Other long term plans for The Ark include adding a pool, so they can offer swimming lessons and possibly create a swim team in the capital city.
https://www.wlbt.com/2024/07/01/wnba...s-complex-ark/

VILLAGE AT MADISON BEGINS LEASING MORE SPACE IN DEVELOPMENT

The Village at Madison is now starting preleasing for two additional buildings that will be built later this year, which will feature retail, restaurant, and office space.

The plan has been approved by the City of Madison, and construction will begin this summer for the second and third buildings within the development. The developers, Main Street Investors, released building plans that include a building consisting of 12,000 rentable square footage for mixed use retail (Building D) and a 2,400 square footage stand-alone building (Building G). Multi-tenant Building D will have spaces available ranging from 1,500 to 4,900 rentable square feet. Pinpoint Commercial Real Estate’s Ellis “BB” Mitchell and Sam Cox are representing the developer and leasing the spaces.

“The development will ultimately consist of 60,000 SF of restaurant, retail and professional office space,” Mitchell said. “75 zero lot line residences will also be located on site, which will provide excellent foot traffic for businesses located at The Village at Madison.”

Mitchell said they are targeting businesses such as quality restaurants, fashion or style boutiques, health and beauty operators, medical users, professional office users and other retail and office users.

“It is our goal to source quality, locally owned and operated businesses to The Village at Madison,” Mitchell said. “We feel that The Village at Madison will provide a ​much-needed mixed use development on the East side of Interstate 55 for people to come eat, drink and shop. The development provides excellent visibility from Madison Parkway and is ideally located between I-55 and Hwy 51.”

City of Laurel- Explore

Half Shell Oyster House found its home in The Village at Madison as the first business to commit to the development in 2020.

“Half Shell is regularly packed for lunch and dinner, and we feel their continued success within the development is extremely attractive to users looking to house their restaurant or retail business at The Village at Madison,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said they already have secured multiple letters of intent from businesses looking to locate in the development, and they still have spaces available in the 1,500 to 4,900 square footage range in the new buildings. Once construction begins this summer, it is anticipated to take 10 to 12 months in efforts to complete the new building by the summer of 2023.

Main Street Investors is comprised of partners Dr. Michael Manning of Ridgeland, Lee Stafford of West Point, and Mark Castleberry of Starkville.

“The Developer, Mark Castleberry, has 30 years of experience in commercial development and we feel that his vision on this project will result in The Village being one of the more unique commercial developments in our market,” Mitchel said. “The Village at Madison, inspired by the Garden District in New Orleans, will provide Madison residents and its visitors with an upscale and unique place to come and eat, drink and shop locally.”
https://www.northsidesun.com/local-c...ce-development

THE VILLAGE AT MADISON BUILDING D & COMMERCIAL SITE PACKAGE















https://www.beyondgroupms.com/the-vi...b-0df179b74367

THE VILLAGE AT MADISON - BUILDING B

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WOW Thank you legend Breanna Stewart for your investment in our community may your generosity comes back to you 10-fold. You're an amazing/once in a generation player and I can't wait to watch you play in the WNBA finals this year!!!! Your gift will help our youth (who sometimes feel forgotten about) be able to reach their dreams of making to the highest level (the pros) and using that dream to see the world and eventually give back to the community like you are doing Ms. Breanna!! May you and your family reap the rewards of your generosity (huge heart)!!!! Thank you again my sister!!