On this episode we are in the town of Pascagoula on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the 86th annual Jackson County Fair. http://www.co.jackson.ms.us/ds/Fairground.html
The Jackson County Fair takes place the third week in October each year and runs for one week Sunday though Sunday. It is absolutely free and open to the public. But after Hurricane Katrina pounded the coast; the fair was cancelled for 2005 season.
Like the Jackson County Fair and the gulf coast; Horn Island was heavily damaged by Katrina but it too continues to battle back.
Tucked off the coast of Ocean Springs, Horn Island is the largest barrier island in the Mississippi Sound. Serving as the first line of defense to the coastline for storms, such as Hurricane Katrina, Horn Island has constantly changed over the years. This alteration to the terrain is natural among barrier islands, constantly molding the landscape while often hiding some of the island’s unknown beauty that lies within.
http://www.nps.gov/guis/index.htm
The Jackson County Fair has tons of entertainment options. From rides to carnival games to live musical performances to barrel racing; there is no shortage of things to do. This year they are even holding a Jackson County Idol Contest for locals to demonstrate their musical prowess.
And speaking of musical talent, in our next story we show off some of the musical talent that has come from the great state of Mississippi.
Mississippi has produced hundreds of nationally and internationally known musicians. It is time we recognized and honored their achievements. The Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame two major objectives are to showcase successful Mississippi musicians and encourage public interest in and education about Mississippi's music heritage. Some of the accomplishments of the many talented musicians in our state are now on display at the Jackson International Airport.
http://www.msmusic.org/
Fair food can be addictive; corn dogs, candy apples, funnel cakes, chicken on a stick and taffy. All the things that we love but we know aren’t the healthiest foods for us to eat. But the Jackson County Fair only comes around once a year, so we splurge a little.
And just like the fair, Mardi-Gras only comes around once a year and the most popular place to get your fill of King Cake is in Picayune, Mississippi.
From the beginning, Paul’s Pastry Shop in Picayune has prided itself on quality. Beginning in1970, Paul’s became well know for their quality in everything they made, but, it was their unique approach to their king cakes that made them famous. In 1973, Paul’s decided to do a little something different with the traditional king cake and originated the idea to add a layer of cream cheese inside their king cakes. Thirty seven years, and 50 different fillings later, Paul’s makes over 50,000 king cakes during the Mardi Gras season, and ships thousands of them to folks nationwide.
http://www.paulspastry.com/
The arts pavilion at the Jackson County Fair has many one of kind items from talented artists throughout the area. People compete for the coveted blue ribbon.
And speaking of talented artists, in our next segment we head west to Biloxi in search of that cities most talented and recognized potter.
George Ohr, the mad potter of Biloxi as he called himself, once again has his place on the Gulf Coast, albeit a temporary place, at the Ohr-Okeef Museum just a block off highway 90.
His life straddled two centuries, the latter years of the 1800’s and the early part of the 1900’s hundreds. Although by 1905 he had already produced the bulk of his work. But it wasn’t until 50 years after his death in the 1970s that George Ohr really gained the acceptance he should have had all along.
http://www.georgeohr.org/
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