Mississippi Roads is coming to you this week from the watery southern border of Mississippi.   We are at the Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulf of Mexico has been referred to as the “Mediterranean of the Americas” because of its strategic importance in terms of national resources, commerce, transportation and military operations.

The Gulf links the ports of five southern U.S. states, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas and six Mexican states with the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Naval Station Pascagoula occupies 187 acres of the man made Singing River Island, which is located in the Mississippi Sound at the mouth of the Pascagoula) River.  Naval Station Pascagoula was created in 1985 when the Navy selected the Singing River Island location as one of the new Gulf Coast strategic homeport sites. They provide support for Navy vessels and their crews and also serves as a home base for the Pascagoula Coast Guard Station.

In our first story, we climb aboard the 87 foot Coast Guard Cutter Pompano, meet her crew, and go out on patrol in the Gulf of Mexico. The Pompano is based out of the Coast Guard station in Gulfport and is one of the newer classes of ships in the fleet. She has a crew of ten and is armed with two 50 caliber machine guns. Her commanding officer is Lt.Jg Meg Rapelyee who says she joined the Coast Guard because of the unlimited opportunities available to women there.  

There are 12 floating casinos that line the Back Bay and the shore of the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi. The state opened its first casino in 1992 and today it is the third largest gaming jurisdiction in the country generating 2.8 billion annually.

In our next story, thanks to the generosity of one local gulf coast casino, a grand night of collaborative music and entertainment was pulled off without a hitch. 

The Wings performing Arts Program at the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center was chosen to participate in the Continental Harmony Program.  A major initiative of the American Composers Forum and the National Endowment for the Arts, Continental Harmony links composers with communities across the country. Originating as a Millennial Celebration , the program’’s overwhelming success is extending the reach of new music, building civic pride in communities, and providing new markets and artistic challenges for composers. 

Deer Island lies in the Mississippi Sound along with Round Island. But it is the barrier islands that cause this area along the gulf coast of Mississippi to have such flat smooth calm water. So, if you are looking for blue water with lots of wave action then you should head out to the barrier islands of Petit Bois, Cat, East and West Ship or Horn.

Next, we meet a group of people who travel out to Horn Island to do a lot more than soak up the surf and sand.  The Horn Island Art Experience is sponsored by the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum in Biloxi.  Artists from the area spend a week on Horn Island without any modern conveniences except for a renowned Gulf Coast chef to prepare their meals. The artists get back to nature in order to create works without all the modern day distractions.

The Gulf of Mexico is a great natural resource for our nation. On average, 1.8 billion pounds of fish and shellfish are harvested by the states that border the gulf. It is also a great place for recreational fishing. If you get a chance, come on down to one of the many docks that line the gulf coast beach and schedule a charter boat that will take you out into the Gulf of Mexico and haul in a huge catch.