Articles by Jan Swoope
There’s really no ‘Jane’ in Sugarcane Jane – just good music
Savana Lee Crawford will tell you she’s not the ‘Jane’ in Sugarcane Jane.
Cooking for TV: Starkville teen’s cooking show premieres on MPB May 5
Mark Coblentz spent this past Monday afternoon like a lot of high school guys — at spring football practice. Like plenty of boys, he likes to hunt and hang out with friends. But how many 15-year-olds have their own cooking show on television? Mark does.
It’s National Volunteer Month, and some volunteers just keep ‘loving and giving’
Jail is last place anyone meeting Dottie Porter for the first time might expect to find the engaging 80-year-old. Nonetheless, Porter has a standing date at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center every Thursday morning.
Columbus book signing set for Joe Lee’s latest, ’40 Days’
Author Joe Lee of Brandon will attend a book signing for his new novel “40 Days” from 1 p.m. until approximately 3 p.m. Saturday at Books A Million in Leigh Mall in Columbus.
Starkville Pilot Club plans to make a ‘splash’ Thursday
Pilot Club of Starkville hopes the community will turn out to make waves from 5-8 p.m. Thursday when the club hosts a celebrity wait night and silent auction at Starkville’s Sweet Peppers Deli. Funds raised will be used to enhance the J.L. King Memorial Park splash pad.
Spring brunch: It’s that time of year …
Spring is the season of awakening and the perfect time for a brunch.
Girlchoir Tour to feature Old Waverly homes
Distinctive decor, architectural detail, spring blooms, tunes and tempting tastings are in store as the Columbus Girlchoir presents its annual home tour Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m. until noon.
Art ‘n Antiques joins Pilgrimage event lineup for first time
For the first time, Columbus’ annual Art ‘n Antiques will be held during the city’s Spring Pilgrimage.
Mt. Zion Baptist Church to celebrate 175th anniversary April 15
In April 1843, when only a few dirt roads and small farms dotted the east Lowndes County countryside, a group of 20 met and formed what would become Mount Zion Baptist Church in the New Hope community.
Tomato growers, get ready to rumble
A tomato growing seminar at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 will set the stage for not only a robust tomato harvest but also the fourth annual Lowndes County Tomato Battle.
SCT’s ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ is a madcap musical
Start with a “man in a chair,” add two lovebirds on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a misguided Don Juan and gangsters posing as pastry chefs and you have the makings of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” Starkville Community Theatre’s latest production.
Spring’s early gift, sweet strawberries are in
With winter’s freeze in the rearview mirror, fans of fresh produce are eager for the harvests ahead. One has begun at Mayhew Tomato Farm, where strawberry picking is in full swing.
Tales from the Crypt: Spirits from the past return for a visit during Columbus Spring Pilgrimage
Wind swirls through Friendship Cemetery on a cool March afternoon, carrying with it fragments of the past.
Cultural diversity will take center stage at International Fiesta
It’s like taking a trip around the world without ever buying a plane ticket.
The eggs have it
Sunday’s dinner is pretty well planned. Some of the grocery shopping is out of the way. Setting and decorating the Easter table is still ahead, and for many it’s one of the most enjoyable “tasks.”
When a craftsman’s skills meet up with a guitar player’s soul …
It was probably inevitable that Tim Yoder would build guitars one day. He’s worked with wood since his mid-teens, holds a mechanical engineering degree from Mississippi State and can flatpick, fingerstyle or rock out at the drop of a hat.
April Quick Bites: spring florals, honey bees and business plans
Spring has officially arrived and the Mississippi State University Extension Service Quick Bites program of video workshops announces its April offerings.
Smith’s ‘The Fighter’ focus of book signing, writer’s talk Monday
The deck was never stacked in Jack Boucher’s favor. Readers first meet him as a toddler abandoned at a Salvation Army secondhand store in Tunica, and life only gets more harsh from there.
Here comes Peter Cottontail
Easter has always been special for my family. First, for its spiritual significance. But also for the sweet joy of waking up Easter morning to venture into the backyard to see if the Easter Bunny had hidden eggs and left us baskets filled with surprises.
Personal expression: A home tour reveals ‘the world of Nawrocki’
Art deco was on my mind as I arranged a visit to Tom Nawrocki’s home in eastern Lowndes County. I’d learned he had more than 100 art deco-style lamps he’d made with his own hands.
