‘Idol’s’ Murray sings at home for Red Cross benefit

The Golden Triangle was justly proud when its own Jasmine Murray made it into the Top 13 on American Idol’s Season Eight only a few short months ago. On Saturday, Aug. 22, the former Columbus Girlchoir member returns to her roots to join a host of performers lending their talents in support of the American Red Cross Tenn-Tom Chapter.

Hear America roar: Sturgis revs up for rally, music and more

The big bikes are coming. They will roll into Mississippi from every direction, converging on the town of Sturgis — population 200 plus — Aug. 14-16. Thousands of motorcyclists and enthusiasts will gather at the 13th annual Sturgis South Motorcycle Rally in Oktibbeha County to enjoy national music artists, good food, vendors and fleets of gleaming bikes.

Wonderful watermelon: This summer favorite celebrates its big moment

One bite into a cool, crisp wedge of watermelon takes us back in time. We’re kids again, parked at a picnic table or barefoot in the back yard, melon juice running down our chins, trickling between our little fingers. And we don’t have a care in the world.

Belly dancing, anyone?

There is nothing unusual about the Columbus Arts Council offering classes. But three new August offerings with an unconventional twist arrive soon at the non-profit Rosenzweig Arts Center in the center of historic downtown. Belly Dancing Bootcamp, a Juggling for Dummies workshop and free sketching sessions will take centerstage.

Match point: With simple supplies and respect for her past, Bessie Johnson passes on a lost art

Bessie Johnson has come to appreciate the humor in it. But when check-out clerks first suspected her of being up to no good after repeat store visits to buy armloads of wooden matches and bottles of glue, the moment wasn’t quite as amusing.

Unrest in Honduras steers local youth to missions at home

The pounding of hammers and swish of paint brushes were punctuated with laughter as a team of youth and adult volunteers from the Columbus of Christ gave a modest home on 18th Street North a new lease on life Wednesday.

New Columbus Choral Society sets auditions

Enthusiastic organizers have been hard at work laying solid groundwork for the newly-formed Columbus Choral Society. The group dedicated to bringing more fine art choral singing to the Golden Triangle has set initial auditions for Thursday, Aug. 13, and Tuesday, Aug. 18. Interested singers, male and female, over the age of 16 are invited to audition in the First United Methodist Church Choir Room, 602 Main St., between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” invites audiences to engage imaginations

“Welcome to the tale of a delicious adventure in a wonderful land,” the narrator entreats as the curtain rises on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” With green-haired Oompa Loompas, rivers flowing with chocolate, ballooning bubble gum and other mind-blowing mishaps, the audience is invited to suspend belief during this fantastical play that entertains even as it reminds us dreams can come true.

Old farm, new life

“I see you,” Scott Enlow grinned, triumphantly plucking a stray squash bug from a plant thriving with bright yellow and green zephyr squash. Then, before heading back to the house where he grew up, the genial Columbus man cast vigilant eyes one last time across rows of summer vegetables in a garden like no other in the Golden Triangle.

Red Barber recordings hit one out of the park

Walter Lanier “Red” Barber was born in Columbus in 1908. He left the Friendly City decades ago, going on to become one of the most famous broadcasters in sports history. He was the play-by-play pioneer of televised Major League Baseball, the first voice of the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers, and, in 1978, the first broadcaster to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Mel Allen. With colorful phrases like “tearin’ up the patch” and “I’ll be a suck-egg mule,” he carried a bit of his Southern roots with him wherever he leaned into a microphone.

Local man prays third time is the charm for kidney transplant

For 25 of his 32 years, Johnny Grammar Jr. has lived with the reality of kidney disease. After two previous transplants, at age 15 and again at 19, the Columbus man is a walking testament to the patience and prayer he says he’s tried hard to practice. He urges others who may be in his situation to hold on to hope.

Although he has long been on three separate transplant lists, Grammar had begun to feel he would see no end to dialysis, the life-sustaining treatment for those with end stage renal disease.

At 89, this senior volunteer is still going strong

You won’t hear Vergie Gee boast about it, but the fact remains the 89-year-old Columbus woman has done more for Alzheimer’s research in the past several years with her delicate and careful stitches than most people will ever know.

Gordo author, songwriter releases uplifting book, attends signing

One day, while sitting on a park bench, author Mark D. Jones, of Gordo, Ala., was asked by an old man, “Why do you do what you do? Why do you work where you work?”

King of Pop’s passing sparks library blog explosion

Columbus-Lowndes Public Library Archivist Mona Vance had quite a shock Tuesday morning when she checked the library’s Local History Announcements blog. The historian has lately been accustomed to seeing between three to 10 blog hits per day on average. Imagine her surprise at discovering what amounts to a 2,026 percent increase in weekly statistics.

Don’t tell Tom Keller he’s out of his gourd — he’s heard it before

Tom Keller still remembers the day he said to his wife, Madaline, “Don’t tell our neighbors we’re gonna drive 1,000 miles to a stupid gourd show.” That was 15 years ago, not long after the one-time Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer had retired following 43 years in the auto and real estate business in West Point. The couple were heading out at the time to their first gourd show, in Ohio.

Barista! For the connoisseurs of coffee, it’s all about pulling the perfect shot

Somewhere between the plain ole cuppa joe and java of old, America’s coffee drinkers became adventurous. What began in the early 1970s with start-up for Seattle’s Best and Starbucks turned into a caffeine-laced evolution that gradually spread from one coast to the other. Our love affair with the intense Italian nectar espresso — and the delectable concoctions it inspired — was on.

One-man coffee bar

David Dunn shies away from the word “obsession.”

“‘Passion’ sounds better,” he chuckles, “let’s say I have a passion for roasting my own coffee.”

When the dinner bell rings, volunteers step up for Camp Rising Sun

For 21 summers, peals of laughter from children attending Camp Rising Sun have echoed through the tall pines surrounding Camp Pratt in western Lowndes County. For a few days each June, fishing, archery, arts and crafts, rock walls and talent shows help round out a traditional camp experience for youngsters who have already had to deal with some very untraditional stress in their young lives.

As Dirty Presley, Daniel Peeples gets to go a little crazy

There’s a side to Daniel Peeples you might miss on the first pass. Quiet and unassuming, the 23-year-old comes across as a reticent teddy bear of a guy. But don’t be lulled into assumptions. Put a beat or song idea into his head, and a recording camera in his hand, and mild-mannered Daniel morphs into Dirty Presley, an out-there extrovert on a mission.

Saddle up for Dusty Trails and ‘vittles’ at RAC

Singing cowboys and gals are dusting off the songs of the old west for a unique open mic night at the Rosenzweig Arts Center Saturday, June 27. The Columbus Arts Council has invited poetic cowpokes to join in, too, with spoken word.