A father of invention: One man’s tale on becoming an inventor of ‘bizarre and useful devices’

Bob Elder — inventor, artist, world traveler, problem-solver — likes to make things. Rarefied, mechanical things; practical, labor-saving things; beautifully artistic things. Give him a challenge, and chances are, the gears will start tumbling. The 76-year-old retired mechanical and design engineer already holds patents for various widely-used components of farm, material-handling and asphalt-laying equipment. And, he’s a deft hand with stained glass and wood-cut art, as well.

CD release party has Swing Shift ‘Back 40 Rockin’

“People have always been good to us, and we’d kinda like to put on a little party for our friends and fans,” says Swing Shift front man and founder Johnny Coleman. “They’ve been with us a long time.”

Get the holiday spirit at the Handworks Bazaar

If the past three years are anything to judge by, savvy shoppers with an eye to the holidays will be out in force Nov. 7 for the 2009 edition of the Handworks Christmas Bazaar in Starkville.

Recycling field trip stops at imagination station

Fourth- and fifth-grade MERIT students from New Hope Elementary School took a field trip Oct. 20 to learn about recycling first hand. After visiting the Lowndes County landfill, Triangle Maintenance and Columbus Scrap Metal, students took in the eye-popping sights at artist Elayne Goodman’s studio and yard, which are filled with whimsical art made with recyclables of every kind.

All the difference: United Way way agencies can

Mamie Cunningham, at 93, likes to sit on the front porch of her home, absorbing the comings and goings of the neighborhood. The longtime Columbus resident takes pleasure, too, in the time she spends with family members each day. It’s a joy made more special for the wheelchair-bound woman since her doctors’ recent pronouncement that she is cancer-free.

Art in Autumn: Kappa Pi art auction draws out success

For area art lovers, one of the much-anticipated events of the year is the Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity’s Art in Autumn auction.

CAC presents guitar virtuoso, Starving Artist opening Nov. 8

Lily Afshar, deemed “one of the world’s foremost classical guitarists” by Public Radio International, will bring her unique blend of Eastern and Western influences to the Rosenzweig Arts Center’s Omnova Theater Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3:30 p.m.

Cookie mama: From Care Bears to clone troopers, cookies rule in the Willcutt household

Grinning jack-o-lanterns, fanciful Frankensteins and dancing skeletons fill the kitchen at Lucy and Macy Willcutt’s house. But the 4- and 7-year-old sisters have nothing to fear. The Cookie Mama has just been hard at play, baking and decorating a fun-filled cast of characters ripe for gobbling up, each as sweet and tasty as the next.

Halloween night with MPR at Duff Green Mansion

The public is invited to join MPR at Vickburg’s Duff Green Mansion (1856), the source of many tales of benign paranormal activity. The investigation begins at 4 p.m. and extends beyond midnight.

Decorative Arts Forum explores the 19th century South and its changing palate

In the genteel dining rooms of the 19th century American South, many families entertained at polished tabletops adorned with some of the most exquisite decorative service hand-crafted abroad. Dining customs, as well, reflected changing times and European influences.

With the 2009 Decorative Arts and Preservation Forum and Antiques Show and Sale Nov. 5-8, the Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation explores all this and more with gala events, illuminating talks and a glittering array of antiques.

Bump in the night: Mississippi Paranormal Research tries to explain the inexplicable

Unexplained voices, shadowy figures, doors that open and close by themselves … it’s the stuff of sleepless nights. And especially as Halloween nears, a surprising number everyday folks feel plagued by just such bumps in the night. When their rattled nerves send them searching for answers online, many discover the Mississippi Paranormal Research team.

‘Empty Bowls’ will benefit Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen

In a show of community unity, school students, university faculty, area artisans and other caring individuals have pitched in to make more than 500 ceramic bowls for the Nov. 7 “Empty Bowls” event to alleviate hunger.

Mother and daughter partner as wedding caterers — and so much more

While it’s not unusual for blushing brides and dashing grooms to tie the knot or hold their beautiful receptions in some of Columbus’ gracious antebellum structures, what has evolved at Shadowlawn is a bit out of the ordinary.

Tony Allen entered a competition, but found an equine partner

Tony Allen of Vernon, Ala., leans on the metal railing of an indoor riding arena, black cowboy hat low on his forehead. His intent gaze follows his four-legged charge, which idly and confidently roams the new environment, investigating whatever sights and smells there are for a horse to explore.

One couple’s experience coping with the insidious thief, Alzheimer’s disease, may help others

Joe Seger is a learned man. Director of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University, a professor of religion, an authority in Middle Eastern pre-history, a holder of multiple degrees — including one from Harvard University. He is a gentleman accustomed to painstaking research and the quest for elusive answers.

A home for the heart: For Linder Burt, recovery leads to a new home and ‘ideal job’

For Linder Burt, preparing lunch and supper for a dozen adults every day isn’t a hardship; it’s a life-saving blessing.

As head cook at Recovery House, a substance abuse treatment facility for women, Linder brings very personal insight to the unique environment. Only 18 months ago, she herself arrived homeless and helpless at the Lowndes County agency, in dire need of treatment.

Games, costumes, bachelors highlight W’s Oktoberfest

With games and food booths, costume contests for people and pets — plus a bachelor auction — Mississippi University for Women’s Oktoberfest, Tuesday, Oct. 20, promises fall fun for the whole community. Admission is free to the event on Shattuck Lawn from 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Shades of the ’60s — Beatlemania strikes again

While it may not be the actual Fab Four, the live show in Rent Auditorium Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. will be a chance to relive the sound that inspired a sea change in music and pop culture.

Tennis, anyone?

Ponce de Leon might have been a few hundred years too early in his quest for the elusive fountain of youth. Two Columbus men may have trumped the Spanish explorer, discovering a secret or two of their own to long-lasting vitality — on courts where the crisp thwack of a tennis ball is a much sweeter sound than the creak of any rocking chair.

Blues bash: Live bands, food, fun highlight CAC Fall Blues Ball Friday

When it means friends, good food and dancing the night away to the music of Jesse Robinson and the 500 Pounds of Blues Band, Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry and the Black Prairie Blues Band, who wouldn’t want to have a bout of the blues?