Giving back: Charity Boil to benefit homeless coalition

For a fourth year, the Northside Charity Boil organized by Colin and Desiree Krieger will benefit the Golden Triangle Homeless Coalition.

Seniors’ send off

Surely it was only a month or two ago that students went back to class after Christmas. Or so it seems to me. But no, graduations are upon us. Mississippi State’s seniors received diplomas this past weekend and soon area high schools — and The W — will send their newly-minted graduates out into the world. So, it’s party time — a final send-off to honor graduates at one of the most exciting junctures in a young life. There are many ways to make it special; here are just a few to consider.

Good moves: One skilled chess player is on a mission to pass it on

Jamarius Daniels stared intently at the chess board in front of him. The seventh-grader propped his elbow on the table, his hand motionless in the air as he considered battle plans and risks. After a quiet moment, he began snapping his fingers.

“I have a plan,” he murmured. Snap, snap, snap.

Stepping out of the kitchen: Reichle begins a well-earned retirement

After years devoted to feeding school children in Columbus, Dot Reichle is taking off the chef’s apron. Tuesday was her last day as food service manager at Heritage Academy. It marks not only a departure from school service, but from a career also spent feeding the community at large.

Headed to Market Street: Old Glory inspires a renewal for first-time festival artisans

It seems fitting that American flags came to the rescue of a man born on the Fourth of July.

For J.D. Fondren and his wife, Adrianne, crafting wooden replicas of the flag has gone from an idea to a demanding occupation in fewer than four short months. It’s also lifted the young couple from Steens from what they describe as a “low” in January to new heights of fulfillment.

Eager students help ‘Feed the Need’

The sound of a buzzer sent cheers through the Columbus Christian Academy gym filled with students April 18. The occasion was a Feed the Need “packing party,” the culmination of a month-long, mission-based CCA fundraiser.

Four free Quick Bites programs on tap for May

As the school year races toward its close and summer is in the wings, the Mississippi State University Extension Service offers four timely Quick Bites programs in May.

Lowndes Extension to host Tomato Battle, seminar

The fifth annual Lowndes County Tomato Battle will soon be underway. It begins with a brief tomato growing seminar at 6 p.m. Monday, May 13 at the Lowndes County Extension Office, open to all tomato growers.

New day for a spring tradition

It may have happened more than 60 years ago, but Betty West Land still remembers learning to make cheese straws from Edna Banks, a family neighbor.

Family tree: There’s more than one way to preserve a family story

Don’t be surprised, when talk turns to family trees, to see a smile break out on the faces of Jeff and Stacy Farnham. The words “family tree” usually bring to mind genealogical diagrams going back generations. The Farnhams, however, have — well, an actual tree.

Grandparents learn there’s a ‘little genius’ in the family

McDonald and Angela George of Columbus received a stunning phone call recently, one very few people will ever get. Their son, Edmund, was reaching out from across the Atlantic Ocean, and the news was amazing: The Georges’ 4-year-old granddaughter, Alannah, was officially being accepted into British Mensa.

Delicious reads

Visitors to the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library found more than “food for the mind” April 11. The library’s third annual Edible Book Festival showcased something for the taste buds as well.

A twist on Easter’s green bean casserole

Many years ago, I quietly fell into the role of green bean casserole maker for our family’s special occasion dinners.

In your corner: Fighting back against Parkinson’s disease

It was in July of 2018 that Mary Anna Nelson noticed a tremor in her hand on the steering wheel as she drove. She feared it was an ominous sign; her brother had battled Parkinson’s disease for the previous four years. By December, her suspicions were confirmed. Nelson had Parkinson’s disease.

Easter brunch

The W’s Culinary Arts Institute kitchen was “styling” on the morning of April 2. From chef station to station, an Easter brunch was coming together and looking good. That’s the purpose of a food styling class: to prepare food to look as tempting as possible for photography, video or film.

‘How can we help?’: After the storm, it takes a team

As the beam from his flashlight fell on the damage, Johnny Johnson’s heart sank as he walked through drizzle, debris and darkness toward Hunt School. Just hours earlier, an EF-3 tornado had hit Columbus, leaving its destructive mark on neighborhoods and structures including the school on 20th Street North — and the R.E. Hunt Museum and Cultural Center housed inside.

Pilgrimage visitors reconnect with family past in Columbus

Dianna Buder Suratt has never lived in Columbus, but her visit to the city during the 79th annual Spring Pilgrimage felt like coming home. It was also “the best birthday present I could have had,” said the Canton, Georgia, resident.

‘Amazing’ garlic

So many foods, spices and herbs we take for granted have amazing histories. Garlic is one of them.

Girlchoir home tour goes ‘Strolling on South Side’

A variety of styles will distinguish the annual Columbus Girlchoir Tour of Homes Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to noon. Three houses near downtown Columbus will open to visitors for the nonprofit choral organization’s major fundraiser.

Downtown Columbus readies for Spring Open House

Downtown Columbus’ Spring Open House April 5-6 offers area residents and visitors yet another good reason to be out and about in the Golden Triangle this coming weekend.