A rose to Bulldog Bash, which brought tens of thousands to downtown Starkville Friday night for Mississippi’s largest free outdoor concert. Pop band Surfaces headlined the show at Main and Jackson streets. Musician Evan Giia and rapper Bryce Vine also performed, following an afternoon of entertainment and shopping at the Maroon Market. The MSU Student Association sponsors the concert and has a rich history of booking well-known talent for the event — among them All-American Rejects and T-Pain.

A rose to the Caledonia Cavaliers volleyball team, which claimed the program’s first-ever state title Thursday. The team, led by coach Samantha Brooks and game Most Valuable Player Brianna Holliman, bested Pass Christian in three sets to win the Class 4A championship game at Newell-Grissom Building at Mississippi State University. The Cavaliers defeated North Pontotoc, Tishomingo County and New Albany in the state playoffs to reach the championship round.

A rose to a group of West Point citizens raising money to build a dog park at the old West Side School site. The six person committee of Linda Young Lautar, Barbara Iles, former mayor Robbie Robinson, Bob Wyman, Ed Rice and Karen Dabbs saw the need for a dog park in the city and have raised more than half of the $30,000 it needs to get the effort off the ground. The city donated the land for a dog park, and the group has looked to other parks in Columbus and Starkville for inspiration.

A rose to the FORGE Foundation for another successful career expo this week at the East Mississippi Community College Communiversity. The annual expo introduces area eight graders to skilled-trade career paths through hands-on exhibits. More than 2,000 students drove nails into wood, laid bricks and used heavy equipment simulators, among other displays. Adults even got a taste of the expo this year, with the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce using the exhibits as the backdrop for a business after hours event on Tuesday. FORGE was founded in 2018 by local family-owned construction-based businesses in an effort to better recruit future generations to skilled trades. The group has now expanded its membership to include larger corporations like PACCAR.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.