In the movies: Happenstance lands a Columbus painter and his artwork in a movie

If he wasn’t before, Bob Nolan of Columbus is now a firm believer in that old adage about being in the right place at the right time. The right place, as it turns out, was the garage of an apartment he and his wife have with their daughter in Franklin, Tenn. The right time was a warm day in May, when a production crew happened to be filming at the upscale apartment complex for a new motion picture.

Photographer Joe Sarcone’s negatives and photographs donated to Columbus Library

For many decades, photographer Joseph “Joe” James Sarcone documented the places and faces of Columbus. Now, a visual archive of his work — and a slice of the city’s history — has been donated to the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library for preservation.

Flair on the Fourth: There’s still time to add patriotic pizazz to your holiday table

So, you’ve been too busy washing sand out of vacation swimsuits to plan much for the Fourth of July. Or, maybe you’ve been putting in so much extra effort at work so you can actually be away from the office tomorrow you’ve not had time to dream up a holiday menu. Perhaps you just need a little special something to take to a gathering of family or friends.

Well, don’t fret.

‘Any Hero’: A Columbus crafter helps deployed service members keep in touch with home

There are no greeting card shops in Baghdad or Kabul, but one Columbus crafter is doing what she can to ensure that a father deployed in the Middle East can send his wife at home a pretty anniversary card, or a Navy mom at sea for months at a time has a special birthday card to mail her daughter.

Plans for ‘Fireworks on the Water’ head for patriotic crescendo

An extraordinary fireworks show, a rousing wind symphony concert and feel-good blues from an award-winning artist add up to Fireworks on the Water — a free Fourth of July extravaganza in Columbus organizers hope will be memory-making for everyone who attends.

Pickin’ time: Blackberries are ripe in Caledonia — get them while they last

Summer days begin early for Rissa Lawrence of Caledonia, especially when her near 500 Kiowa blackberry plants come into their full glory. That’s when the retired educator opens her Victorian Place Garden for pick-your-own enthusiasts to enjoy the harvest.

What’s special about Columbus? Nominate your pick for National Geographic map

Is there something special about Columbus you think everyone should know about? Well, this is your opportunity to tell someone.

At home on the range: As numbers of women in agriculture climb, they get a little help from Annie’s Project

“Get down, Gabby,” Mary Jane Coign gently admonished an exuberant mixed breed dog greeting visitors to the farm. The retired Mississippi State University research chemist was dressed for the field in sturdy khakis, work shoes, straw hat and bug spray. It was time to go check on the cows and calves.

“Just don’t move too fast, or they’ll probably scatter,” she cautioned with a smile.

Kids cook!: MUW’s Culinary Camp gives next generation of cooks the right ingredients

Young cooks had a hard time containing their excited anticipation Friday afternoon while waiting for parents to arrive at Mississippi University for Women’s Culinary Arts Institute. It was demo day, the last day of their week-long adventure at culinary camp, and they were eager to show off what they had learned.

Having fun … at Camp Rising Sun

There is a special place children who are battling — or have battled — a diagnosis of cancer can go. A place where they are not “different,” not “the sick kid.” A place where memories of hospitals and treatments recede and life is just about summertime, camp and all that goes with it — swimming, fishing, campfires, scavenger hunts, crafts, archery, canoeing, spirit sticks and new friends.

Gardner’s new gospel recording is ‘right on time’

Kenny Gardner has been singing since he was 3 years old, spreading the gospel with his dad, Bro. James Gardner. He’s even recorded a few albums along the way. But for the past 12 years, as he founded and pastored Columbus Christian Center, the idea of going back into the studio simmered on a back burner. Until now.

Former narcotics bureau captain, author signs books in Columbus Thursday

Drug deals gone bad, harrowing gun fights and shadowy undercover work are part and parcel of Tupelo native Merle Temple’s complex past. The experiences inspired and informed his debut novel, “Ghostly Shade of Pale.”

Celebrating dads: Looking for man-food ideas for Father’s Day? Keep reading

In case you hadn’t noticed, Father’s Day is just around the corner. On Sunday, June 16 families everywhere will celebrate dads, and many of them will do it with some form of feasting on manly foods. Dude food, if you will.

Barham among quarter-finalists for new Grammy educator award

First there were more than 30,000 nominees. And now there are 217. When that narrowed list of quarter-finalists in the running for the first-ever Grammy

Makin’ it in Nashville: It’s a long road from hard rock to the Opry stage — one Columbus musicmaker talks about the journey

It was a memorable birthday gift, the milestone kind. One many an aspiring musicmaker in Nashville works toward for years. That it happened for Columbus

TV’s acerbic chef brings ‘Hotel Hell’ to Starkville

Fox Broadcasting’s prolific Chef Gordon Ramsay is raising his profile in the Golden Triangle for the second time in the past several weeks.

Delta delicious: Tour the ‘Soul of the South’ when Table Talk hosts author of ‘Eat Drink Delta’

For more than three years, on and off, veteran food journalist and Jackson native Susan Puckett delved into the Delta, its history, its communities and, most of all, its food.

Building bridges: A vintage family photo links past and present

The old photograph was folded and worn, its edges fading, like the 16 faces looking out from its sepia surface. Donna Pannell Bain remembers the day she found it, tucked among forgotten newspapers and pictures her great-aunt Sadie Robinson had stored away before her death in 1998.

Sounds of Summer makes its return to the Riverwalk

The lazy, hazy days of summer will get a high-octane welcome to the Golden Triangle Thursday when the Juke Joint Gypsies kick off Sounds of Summer at the Columbus Riverwalk at 7 p.m.

Indulge in ‘Good Food’ — Table Talk’s June focus

If there’s one thing the Deep South appreciates it’s good food. So the Friends of the Columbus-Lowndes Library and the Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market are teaming up to present a series of insightful talks on the topic each Wednesday in June for Table Talk: A Casual Visit with Books.