CD: Officials: Avoid fires, check smoke detectors

TIM PRATT

Fire officials in Starkville are urging residents to check their smoke detectors this winter following two blazes in area homes over the past week.

The most recent incident was reported to Oktibbeha County E-911 around 9 a.m. Tuesday from Azalea Lane, where an electrical fire began behind a wall and the elderly resident’s smoke detector had dead batteries.

“Luckily she happened to be home at the time of the fire and smelled the smoke before the fire got big and she was able to call 911,” Fire Marshal Mark McCurdy said. He did not release the woman’s address on Azalea Lane.

The fire started inside a living room wall due to a faulty wire connected to an electrical outlet, McCurdy said. Firefighters had to cut out a roughly 3-by-3-foot section of wall to gain access to the blaze.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

Starkville Young Professionals November Social

The SYP November 10th Social will be held at Mugshots will benefit the MSU
Visiting Poets and Fiction Writers Series and will feature the Creative Writing Staff sharing their recent work, some of which will be published in an anthology titled The Surreal South due out this month. We will tell you more about this as the date approaches, but first I just wanted to send out a notice about the next visiting writer in the series.

Gerry LaFemina
Thursday, Oct. 29 7:30 pm
McCool 100, MSU

This is event is FREE, open to the public, and a great way to take advantage ofthe arts and culture available to us here in Starkville.

Gerry LaFemina is a former punk rocker whose most recent collection of poetry, Figures from The Big Time Circus Book/ The Book of Clown Baby, includes a pop-up circus in the middle!

Find more info, and a link to Gerry’s homepage at:
http://starkvilleeats.com/today/details/335-gerry-lafemina-poetryfiction-reading.html

Downtown Pumpkinpalooza to take place October 23

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GREATER STARKVILLE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP
DATE: September 14, 2009
CONTACT: 662-323-3322; jglaze@starkville.org

Downtown Pumpkinpalooza to take place October 23

Plans are underway for Downtown Pumpkinpalooza, a new event sponsored by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, Starkville Community Market, and Starkville Downtown Business Association, to take place on Starkville’s Main Street on Friday, October 23, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. the night before Mississippi State’s football battle against the University of Florida.

Main Street will be closed from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. from Jackson Street to Washington Street, offering a street fair atmosphere for children, families, MSU football fans, and Starkville residents of all ages. Downtown merchants will extend their hours so children can trick-or-treat to each store, Starkville Area Arts Council will sponsor a pumpkin painting contest for children, and a pumpkin patch with locally grown pumpkins will provide the center of activities on Main Street.

Starkville Community Market vendors will set-up Friday evening selling their fall produce, breads, pies, and other treats, street musicians will perform along Main Street, and an inflatable jumper will be on-hand for children. Restaurants on Main Street will offer dinner specials for children wearing costumes, and Main Street merchants will participate in a window decorating contest.

Cre8ive Warehouse is sponsoring a scarecrow contest in which visitors are encouraged to create and dress-up scarecrows using creative themes and bring their creations to Main Street for judging. Festivities will kick-off at 6:00 p.m. with a pep-rally to cheer on the Bulldogs featuring Mississippi State cheerleaders, pom-squad, and Bully. Downtown Pumpkinpalooza t-shirts will be available for purchase, and pumpkins may be purchased from the pumpkin patch. Bring your camera for pictures in the pumpkin patch!

For more information on Downtown Pumpkinpalooza, please contact Jennifer Glaze, vice president for tourism development at (662) 323-3322 or jglaze@starkville.org.

Stuff To Do: SYP events

From SYP president Grady Dixon

Greetings SYPers

I hope you all had a great 4th of July.  Those of us that spent time at the State Theatre on Saturday certainly enjoyed ourselves…especially seeing the completion of the 482-lb BBQ sandwich.  Photos of this thing have spread rapidly across the country…I even have been contacted by colleagues in other states that saw my photo linked in an email or website.  So, I will post a link to the best image I have seen of the actual sandwich…with Jeremiah Dumas for scale.

Vegetarians be warned of graphic material:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogersmith/3688345768/
Just for fun, here is the link to photos of the old record.  It looks like they cheated by using large chunks of meat that would not be feasible to eat in sandwich format…amateurs!
http://www.ulikafoodblog.com/2008/05/bar-b-curios-worlds-largest-barbecue.html

A quick reminder that our Forum scholarship is due THIS Friday…the sooner the better so we can have a decision by Monday morning.  Read more here:
http://starkvilleyoungprofessionals.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/leadership-forum-scholarship/

The Starkville Daily News is hosting an informal poll regarding the sale of alcohol on Sunday:
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/content/view/156378/60/

To make it even easier to participate, John Genin, of BetterStarkville.com, has created a quick and easy web form that will automatically submit your vote:
http://www.betterstarkville.com/sdn/
Please note that the form will only submit YES votes.

Tuesday, July 14th…SYP July Social at Bulldog Lanes.  $10 gets you 2 hours of bowling with the highest score of the night earning a cash prize.  As usual, the beer cart will be available and Bulldog Lanes has agreed to put out some appetizers for everyone.

Saturday, July 25th…Downtown Starkville Christmas in July, hosted by the Downtown Business Association.  At this event, we will have a tent set up to advertise The Festival of Trees, which was a huge success last year (raised over $20,000 for charity).  We are looking for some people to volunteer their time to help run the tent.  Please contact Jennifer Prather (JPrather@saffairs.msstate.edu) or Robyn Cain (rcain@starkville.org).

Stuff to do: Starkville Tea Party “SAVE OUR INDEPENDENCE !” RALLY

Submitted to Starkville-Now.com

At 10 AM on July 4, 2009, Starkville Tea Party members, supporters, and
other concerned citizens will gather in front of the Oktibbeha County
Courthouse to join the nation-wide celebration of our independence and to
protest the increasing loss of our freedoms at the hands of
nonrepresentative “representatives” in Washington and Jackson.

Come join us and send a message to Washington and Jackson that we are not
going to take it anymore!

For more information, e-mail starkvilleteaparty@gmail.com or call (662) 465-6190.

Stuff To Do: SYP events

From SYP president Grady Dixon

SYPers

It is hard to believe, but June is almost over and we are approximately half way to the return of students and traffic.  Oh
well, in the meantime, here are some SYP events taking place in the month of July.

Saturday, July 4th…The Bistro at State Theater, along with help from City Bagel, will be constructing an attempt to break the world record
for the largest BBQ sandwich.  Representatives from Guinness Book of World Records will be present.  The event will begin at 5 pm on the
Friday before, and the weigh-in will take place at NOON on Saturday.

Afterward, the sandwich will be cut up and sold for $8 per plate with all proceeds going to support the Starkville Police Department.  We
encourage all SYP members to attend, but we are also looking for volunteers to help collect money, serve food, etc.  If you are
interested in helping with this, please email me directly (gradydixon@gmail.com).

Friday, July 10th…Applications for the SYP Leadership Forum Scholarship are due.  For more information, visit this website:
<http://starkvilleyoungprofessionals.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/leadership-forum-scholarship>

Tuesday, July 14th…SYP July Social at Bulldog Lanes.  $10 gets you 2 hours of bowling with the highest score of the night earning a cash
prize.  As usual, the beer cart will be available and Bulldog Lanes has agreed to put out some appetizers for everyone.

Saturday, July 25th…Downtown Starkville Christmas in July, hosted by the Downtown Business Association.  At this event, we will have a tent
set up to advertise The Festival of Trees, which was a huge success last year (raised over $20,000 for charity).  We are looking for some
people to volunteer their time to help run the tent.  Please contact Grady Dixon or Regina Byrne (reginabyrne@hotmail.com).

Finally, if you have any events or announcements that might be of interest to the group, feel free to pass them along.  We hear from a
lot of SYPers that want some fun events in addition to monthly socials.  Well, if you are planning something fun and have room for
more people, let us know about it.  It can be a pick-up softball game, a bike ride, an out-of-town trip, etc.  The SYP board does not have a
monopoly on initiating SYP functions.

Have a great weekend
Grady Dixon

Event: Starkville Tea Party meeting this Saturday

Submitted event from “Things@StarkvilleNow.com.”

Starkville Tea Party will hold our next meeting THIS Sat, 27 June (4th Saturday of month) at the Bluefield Water Assoc. Bldg from 3 - 4:30 PM.

(Directions to Bluefield Bldg.: From Starlville Wal-Mart, go west on Hwy 12 toward Longview. The Bluefield Water Association is approximately one half mile from the intersection of Hwy 12 and Old Hwy 12 (where the New Lite Grocery Store is) on the North side of Hwy 12. There is a sign in front of the building.)

This meeting will be a special lecture/planning meeting involving a 30-40 min. business segment and a 30-40 min. educational lecture. The meeting will begin promptly at 3 and adjourn promptly at 4:30.

The business segment will include follow-up business from our last planning meeting and plans for coordination with and participation in the upcoming nationwide 4th of July event.

The educational segment will include the first of the following 3 educational lectures given by Robert J. Allen

Lecture # 1. The US Constitution - Its Christian design

Lecture # 2. The US Constitution - What it says

Lecture # 3. PROOF “Separation of Church and State” is FALSE

Come join us. We need your input and strengths. Come enjoy the lecture and learn how our forefathers designed a wonderful nation that we now need to recover from the clutches of liberals who have been busy destroying it for decades.

For more info write: Starkvilleteaparty@gmail.com, or call 662-465-6190.

Movies on the Green: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The Starkville Central Neighborhood Foundation’s annual series of Movies on the Green: Greensboro Street, that is! will conclude Friday, June 26 on the green of Armstrong Middle School in the historic Greensboro Street Neighborhood with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

The movie will begin at sunset or approximately 8:30.

This free community event is co-sponsored by Armstrong Middle School, Video Magic 1, and Metrocast. The event is BYOP (Bring your own picnic) but some refreshments, including popcorn, will be available for purchase by the Armstrong Middle School Student Council.

For more information, contact Michelle Jones at 323-7095.

Starkville Area Arts Council announces StarShine weekend

The Starkville Area Arts Council is pleased to announce its 6th Annual StarShine Weekend, with events celebrating the culinary arts. The Bistro at the State Theatre will host the weekend’s events, scheduled for August 7-8, 2009. Robert St.John is headlining as Celebrity Chef.

StarShine kicks off on Friday, August 7 with an ol’ fashioned southern cook-off. Carnell McGee of Harvey’s Restaurant is ready to face stiff competition from local chefs in an effort to hold on to his “Best of StarShine” title.

Events continue on Saturday with a cooking class led by Chef St.John, who will demonstrate his skills and techniques in the kitchen while preparing some of his favorite dishes. Best of all, participants will enjoy the fruits of his labor!

StarShine culminates Saturday evening when Chef St.John prepares an exceptional four-course meal complete with wine pairings. Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on StarShine Auction packages, including dinner parties with local chefs and a fabulous vacation package.

Celebrity Chef Robert St.John is a restaurateur, chef, food writer, author, and a true original. St.John, one of the nation’s only food/humor columnists, began self-syndicating his weekly newspaper column 10 years ago and quickly amassed a loyal and fanatical readership. The Lexington Herald-Leader called him a “Jeff Foxworthy-style chef with an opinion on all things culinary.”

A native of Hattiesburg, MS, St.John is a 28-year veteran of the restaurant industry. For the last 22 years he has served as executive chef, president, and CEO of the Purple Parrot Café, the Crescent City Grill, and the Mahogany Bar in Hattiesburg and Meridian.

St.John’s column is published weekly in 30 newspapers. He has been appeared on The Food Network, The Travel Channel, and the Turner South network. He has two television projects in development, an internet radio station in development, and is an up-and-coming creative force in the gourmet food business. He writes a regular column for Y’all magazine and is a contributing writer to Taste of the South magazine.

A self-taught cook, St.John has been named the state’s top chef by Mississippi Magazine in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Additionally, the former Mississippi Restaurateur of the Year’s restaurant- The Purple Parrot Café- has been named the best fine dining restaurant in Mississippi and just received a Four-Diamond rating from the AAA Travel Guide.

St.John has authored seven books in the last six years, including:
-A Southern Palate, a collaboration with renowned watercolorist Wyatt Waters
-Deep South Staples or How to Survive in a Southern Kitchen Without A Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, a collection of updated and legitimized traditional southern recipes
-Nobody’s Poet, an anthology of his food columns illustrated by two-time Pulitzer finalist Marshall Ramsey
-My South, a collaborative effort with Rutledge Hill Press and the Turner South network
-Deep South Parties a collection of new and old Southern cocktail party favorites
-Southern Seasons, a coffee table cookbook and his second collaboration with watercolorist Wyatt Waters
-New South Grilling his third book with Hyperion was released in the spring of 2008

St.John is past president and chairman of the board of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association, and a past board member of the Mississippi Tourism Authority. He currently serves as chairman of the board of the Mississippi Arts Commission, serves on the board of The Mississippi Museum of Art, The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art Advisory Board, and is on the National Chef’s Council for the Chef’s for Humanity Organization.

St.John is married with two children who worship the ground he walks on (as long as that ground is in Toys R Us or The Gap). The Starkville Area Arts Council is thrilled to welcome St. John as the 2009 StarShine Celebrity Chef. For additional information about the weekend’s events, please call 662-324-3080 or visit StarkvilleArts.org.

Recycling at the Community Market

Recycling at the Community Market. Compliments of the City of Starkville and the city Sanitation Department the Alley Cat will be available at the Starkville Community Market to collect recyclables. The following recyclables are acceptable: all paper products including newsprint, magazines, hardback books, phonebooks, office paper, cardboard, aluminum cans and food cans, and all plastics.

When: Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month from 8:00am till noon

Location: Corner or Lampkin and South Lafayettet, Downtown.

For more information or volunteering please contact Nisreen Cain at info@greenstarkville.org or 662-312-8080

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