A rose to fall and Halloween-themed events across the Golden Triangle. Starkville hosted its annual Pumpkinpalooza on Thursday, bringing out children and adults alike, many donning costumes, for food, games and fun. The annual Boo Parade brought dozens of children in costumes through downtown Columbus. Meanwhile, the Community Benefit Committee, led by sheriff’s deputy Rhonda Sanders, is hosting its annual haunted house at Columbus Fairgrounds this weekend. In Clay County, the sheriff’s office plans to let children come in on Halloween night and dig donated candy from a full-size coffin that inmates built last year for the occasion. Trunk-or-treats are planned for Sunday in Columbus and Caledonia.
A rose to the We Build It Better course at Columbus Middle School, where eighth-graders will learn about invention and innovation with a little history sprinkled in. The seven-unit course will focus on 21st century workforce concepts. The first of those units explores aviation, in which students will learn 3-D printing skills, build a model of a Wright Brothers Airplane and an Airbus A320.
A rose to this year’s Welty Writers’ Symposium, which went on this week despite the cancellation of the annual Welty Gala. Mississippi Delta novelist Steve Yarbrough was the keynote speaker for this year’s symposium, which kicked off panels and presentations featuring myriad novelists, storytellers and poets throughout the three-day event. For 34 years, Mississippi University for Women has hosted the Welty Symposium, named for Mississippi native short story writer Eudora Welty, providing eager audiences exposure to wonderful writing and insight from famed authors to up-and-coming local writers.
A rose to area schools observing Red Ribbon Week last week. Established in 1985, Red Ribbon Week’s drug prevention message is as critical today as ever. Schools do a great job making the week fun and memorable — usually with theme days and activities — while also conveying the serious consequences associated with drug use. By teaching kids early about the dangers of drugs and how to avoid them, not only do they also use that information for themselves, they also take the message home.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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