Articles by Jan Swoope
WoodmenLife chapter to commemorate 9/11 with ceremony
On Friday, Sept.11 a special In Honor and Remembrance ceremony will take place in Columbus.
It’s kickoff time for tailgates and good eats
Everybody and their neighbor seems to have come down with a raging case of football fever around here lately. No wonder: Both Mississippi State and Ole Miss kick off their seasons Saturday, the Bulldogs on the road in Hattiesburg, the Rebels at home.
‘Suddenly, Last Summer’: Tennessee Williams Tribute play opens in Columbus, then on to ‘P’town’
Rent Auditorium in Columbus stood cavernous and dark on an August evening, save for a few lights high above its stage. Below them, a cast, director and crew gathered for play rehearsal.
‘Prairie Images’ captures rural beauty
Frances Hairston is seldom happier than when she is exploring the rural fields, wildflowers and streams of the prairie.
McKeever returns to Columbus with Seniority Conference
Joe McKeever of New Orleans has been preaching for more than 50 years. Twelve of those were in the pulpit of First Baptist Church in Columbus.
Need an easy dessert? A Caledonia cook keeps it simple
Rebecca Hester may be fairly new to the Golden Triangle, but she’s an experienced hand at coming up with simple solutions when dessert is called for.
A Clay County couple finds alpacas appealing — and that, like potato chips, one isn’t enough
Meet the cast: Taylor is the hog, whenever chow is involved. Skylar, with her dark, coffee-colored coat and stark white face, boasts a certain theatrical flair. And Chaos, one of the two males, is partial to “cushing” in front of electric fans on hazy summer afternoons.
West Point’s 37th Prairie Arts Festival is around the corner
West Point’s Prairie Arts Festival has come a long way since its debut in 1978.
Motion picture of ‘Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff’ eyes area for film
“Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff,” a contemporary version of a novel by Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award winner William Inge, plans to film on location in and around Starkville, said veteran producer Robert Weinbach of Los Angeles.
Cotton to headline 20th annual blues festival in West Point
Live blues return to West Point Friday, Sept. 4 when the Black Prairie Blues Festival begins on the Mary Holmes College campus.
Planning Labor Day menus? Reinvent a summertime favorite
Corn on the cob is a quintessential cookout companion. Stovetop, oven-roasted, open fire or grilled, this hand-held staple will be part of many an upcoming Labor Day celebration.
Together again: Fifty years after disbanding, the boys of the National Guard 31st catch up on old times
They started out with only a photograph from the 1950s, one that ID’d all the guys by last names. That’s what most of them called each other by, last names. No addresses, no first names in many cases, no database to help track the men down. That didn’t stop Carl “Buck” Hildreth and Bobby Gale of Columbus from trying to locate former Mississippi Army National Guardsmen of the 31st Division, the “Dixie Division.”
Area authors to be featured in first Mississippi Book Festival
The inaugural Mississippi Book Festival Saturday, Aug. 22 at the State Capitol in Jackson celebrates the state’s literary legacy as well as a current host of talented writers.
Hospital volunteer recognized for 30 years of service
Almost anyone who has visited Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle has seen them — the volunteers.
Spud club: Make a date with an old standby for National Potato Day
Stores are not stocking up on greeting cards, and I’ve yet to hear of an employer doling out a day off, but Aug. 19 is National Potato Day.
Second chances: SILO takes on the task of helping former inmates stay out once they get out
Second chances are taking root in a modest gray building on Military Road in Columbus. The peeling, faded paint is gone. Choking weeds are a thing of the past. The roof leaks no more. This building is experiencing a rebirth. It’s what the hands and hearts behind SILO Inc. hope for every former inmate who walks through the doors.
Main Street Columbus receives nonprofit status, marks 30-year milestone
On the eve of its 30th anniversary, Main Street Columbus has received 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, the organization announced recently.
The bell sounds: All the learning ahead requires plenty of fuel — food fuel, that is
Back-to-school fever reaches a high pitch this week. Minds will turn (yes, some reluctantly) from swimming to sums, from camps to compositions.
Do unto others: A giving spirit is alive and well in rural Oktibbeha County
The neatly-lettered sign out front was inconspicuous; the facility was less than grand — but even before mounting the steps to the small, beige tin-sided space, indications were that something special was going on inside.
CAC Art Rocks season kicks off with full weekend ahead
“Art Rocks!” at the Columbus Arts Council — and rolls and inspires and expands horizons.
