Good starts

Tweaks to Fourth of July feast plans are being made in households around the Golden Triangle today. In some of those kitchens, some newly-minted MUW culinary camp “graduates” are probably helping with preparations.

Rolling & coasting: Foam and marbles help teens avoid summer ‘brain drain’

Excited chatter and laughter filled an activity room at the Boys & Girls Club of Columbus Wednesday morning. The collective sound was positive — made moreso because it came from 20 or so teenagers some might expect to be wasting a summer day sleeping, or hunched over a device of some kind. Not this group.

Independence Day festivities offer music, food and fireworks

Events during the first two weekends in July offer the Golden Triangle opportunities to celebrate the “Spirit of ’76,” even after Independence Day.

Countdown to a sweet Fourth

In just a week, many of us will be giving the menu a last once-over, dropping by the grocery store for that item we forgot, or checking our decor inventory of things red, white and blue. Next Thursday, our nation celebrates the Fourth of July.

Time capsule: Looking back, through the lens of Carl Brown’s camera

For more than four decades, Carl Eugene Brown (1918-1998) was a recorder of history in Lowndes County and its surrounds. Frame by frame, he photographed community celebrations, grand openings, recitals, animals, businesses, proms, plays and portraits — the milestones and the everyday.

July Quick Bites: stitchery and summer blossoms

Summer is in full swing: hot days, warm nights — and hopefully free time to add to knowledge, dust off a skill or expand a horizon.

Still cooking: Thirty-three years and counting for Clara Hicks and Harveys

Clara Hicks still remembers the day she learned of a job opening for line cook at Harveys Restaurant in downtown Columbus.

All in the family: Father’s Day gives pediatric dentists extra reason to smile

When a child grows up to follow in dad’s footsteps, most fathers will admit to a bit of pride. But when pediatric dentist Dr. David K. Curtis really thinks about the fact that not one, but both of his children, became pediatric dentists themselves, it can sometimes, he admitted, seem almost surreal.

Stop in at the ‘Dry Branch’ for a night in the Old West

Kick off the spurs and pull up a chair Friday as the Columbus Arts Council and Columbus Community Theatre revisit the frontier with “Songs of the Dusty Trails & Wild West Tales.”

June is National Iced Tea Month: Explore the flavors

Is there such a thing as a tea-aholic? If so, I am one. Honestly, I will choose a dining destination based on the tea it serves. Perhaps I’m not alone: According to a survey by the Tea Council of the USA, Americans consumed more than 84 billion servings of tea in 2018.

Reuse – refresh – ReSale: Habitat for Humanity ReSale Store is more than a ‘good deal’ — it’s a good deal more

“Hey, guys! Donation!”

Habitat for Humanity ReSale Store Manager Abby Davis’ shout was followed by the deep rumble of the building’s wide metal lift door being raised. A vehicle pulled up with a hefty donation for the store — in this case, a sofa.

100+ Women Who Care to soon give first Impact Award

Two short months after 100+ Women Who Care Columbus held its inaugural meeting in April, the group is ready to make a substantial donation to its first Impact Award recipient. When members gather Tuesday, June 18, they will vote for one Lowndes County nonprofit organization to receive an amount currently at about $13,000.

Reflections: A fusion of glass, color and creativity

A trio of “goddesses” watched over proceedings as Melody Vydas set to work. The squat, primitive ceramic figures, just 3 to 4 inches high, were grouped near the artist’s small kiln she uses to turn bits of dichroic glass into one-of-a-kind jewelry in her home studio in north Columbus.

Home repair blitz: Amish Work Week bonds visiting and local volunteers in common purpose

Dust danced on the narrow gravel road leading to a Noxubee County address GPS doesn’t recognize. Trees grew close on both sides of the hard-packed earth punctuated by the occasional dip. The only feature unexpected in the rural setting was an unbroken quarter-mile-long line of freshly-turned dirt bordering one side of the road.

Sign up for Quick Bites: florals, tomatoes, beekeeping

June Quick Bites from the Mississippi State University Extension Service offer free hour-long interactive video workshops on timely topics.

Let summer begin: Memorial Day weekend kick-starts grill season

Are we good and ready? The long weekend ahead heralds the unofficial start of summer — and the official start of grilling season. School’s out, vacations beckon, and if you have a pool, jump in it because temps in the 90s have found us. Don’t expect them to release their hold any time soon.

Going to bat: Grassroots effort helps more kids ‘Play ball!’ and learn life lessons

At age 17, Josh Phillips of Oktibbeha County had never played organized baseball. Never stood on a pitcher’s mound, staring down home plate. Never worried about a two-knuckle grip or the mechanics of a curveball.

Loaves & Fishes annual event enjoys a different twist

Loaves & Fishes Community Soup Kitchen’s annual fundraiser will have a different look this time around.

Versatile empanadas: Looking for alternatives to the summer hot dog?

With a whole summer patio party season before us, my thoughts wander to alternatives for the same-old burgers and hot dogs we often fall back on. Influenced by Cinco de Mayo just past, I’ve started thinking specifically about empanadas for an upcoming birthday celebration with a fiesta flair.

Mom to mom: MOPS knows moms need a support system, too

As a young mother, Lorena Thomas was feeling a bit lost in 2010. She had two small daughters born 18 months apart, no experience with children and few people to lean on or ask advice of.