PLANS UNDERWAY FOR SECOND ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF TREES

Plans are underway for the second annual Festival of Trees, benefitting United Way of North Central Mississippi. Last year over $20,000 was raised during this mulit-event spectacular, and this year, a new venue, more events, and increased participation promise for an even better year.

Festival of Trees, co-chaired by MSU Athletic Director Greg Byrne and wife Regina Byrne, will take place from Thursday, November 12 – Saturday, November 21 at the Griffis Room in the Palmeiro Center on Mississippi State University’s campus, and will feature a display of beautifully decorated Christmas trees, wreaths, hand painted platters, a gingerbread village, and other one-of-a kind items that will be available to purchase through live and silent auction during the festival’s opening event, the Holiday Party and Auction on November 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Other events include Ladies Night on Tuesday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m., which will feature food by Chef Ty Thames of Restaurant Tyler, wine pairings and tastings by the Savvy Grape, wreath-making display by Occasions, and Christmas table setting advise and demonstrations by Rubye Guest and Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, November 21 from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m., a special event in which children can visit with Santa, have Christmas photos made, make a craft they can take-home, and enjoy breakfast provided by local restaurants.

To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit www.festivaloftreesstarkville.org or call Regina Byrne at (662) 617-1711. Schedule for Festival of Trees is as follows:

Holiday Party & Auction – Thursday, November 12
7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $40 each
Features: entertainment by Keith and Margie, live and silent auction, food by Eat With Us Group, and more

Ladies Night – Tuesday, November 17
7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $25 each
Features: food by Chef Ty Thames of Restaurant Tyler, wine pairings and tastings by Savvy Grape, wreath-making display by Occasions, Christmas table setting advise and demonstration by Rubye Guest, and hostess and teacher gift suggestions

Breakfast with Santa – Saturday, November 21
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Tickets are $5 in advance, $8 at door
Features: visit and take Christmas photos with Santa, crafts, breakfast

Open viewing for the public –
Sunday, November 15 – 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, November 20 – 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Suggested donation is $5

CD: Tap water may be discolored temporarily, but safe to drink

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009 10:56:00 AM

DISPATCH STAFF REPORT

Starkville residents might experience some discoloration in their tap water in coming months, but city and state officials say it won’t be harmful to citizens’ health.

The Mississippi Department of Health is now requiring potable water suppliers in the state to phase in the new Ground Water Rule, published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Safe Drinking Water Act in November of 2006.

The new rule requires higher levels of chlorine in the system to protect consumers from potential contamination of the underground aquifers due to agricultural activities, septic tanks and leaking sewer lines. All of the water produced by the city of Starkville is pumped from underground aquifers.

According to Scott Thomas, chief drinking water operator for the city of Starkville, the higher levels of chlorine in the system may further oxidize existing deposits on the interior pipe walls and result in the water turning a brown color. This condition does not render the water unsafe to drink, but it may stain clothes that are washed with the discolored water.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

We interupt the P&Z debate for a little something different

If you like Boston and have tried Guitar Band Rock Hero, then you need to watch this:

CD: Counterfeit money returns to Starkville

JULY 17, 2009

JORDAN NOVET

STARKVILLE — It made its grand appearance last Friday night.

As Lt. Bill Lott of the Starkville Police Department tells the story, “somebody was eating outside one of the restaurants (in the Cotton District) and was approached by two black males who sat down and started talking with the victim” between 10 and 10:20 p.m. on Friday, July 10.

Lott identified the restaurant as Shaherazad’s.

Then, Lott, said, “One of the guys asked the guy, the victim, if he could make him change” for a $100 bill. “And apparently he did, and after a little while, he realized the bill was fake. And he approached them somewhere on University Drive, in that area of the restaurants, and told them it was fake and he wanted to meet somewhere … later and settle up. And of course the guy didn’t.”

The passing of counterfeit bills is not a first for Starkville. The most recent case took place in the city in December, and in 2002, Nick Turner, then a first-year running back for the Mississippi State University football team, was caught using counterfeit $100 bills.

However, last week’s incident does stand out: “Usually it’s businesses, not individuals who’ve been approached,” Lott said.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

CD: Making a stand: Greg’s Produce Barn, owned by Greg Bollinger, offers fresh produce to Oktibbeha residents year-round

JULY 13, 2009

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE — Greg’s Produce Barn is a colorful little place on Highway 12, just west of Starkville in the Longview community.

The tomatoes are big and red; the plums are a deep purple, and countless other fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables line the tables.

Watching over the produce is owner Greg Bollinger, who looks proudly at his selection of everything from apples, oranges and cantaloupes to cayenne peppers, sweet potatoes and cucumbers. He also has zucchini, watermelon, peas and bell peppers, among other things. And a steady stream of customers pick through his wares every Thursday, Friday and Saturday — the only days the business is open, though he keeps an “honor box” out on days the stand is closed.

“During the week I’ll have a few tomatoes out here and a few watermelons. People can put their money in the milk jug if I’m not around. … I can’t put everything out there, but I put a little bit of stuff out for them.”

Bolliger’s produce stand is open year-round, and when he’s not planting or preparing to plant something, he often can be found fishing or hunting.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

Grits ain’t Groceries: A guide to BBQ

Popmatters.com launches into a multimedia explanation of BBQ (and food) at blues festivals.

Written by G.E.Light a “native Southerner, doyenne of the Starkville “slow jam” food scene, long time host of “One Bourbon, One Sotch, One Beer” on WMSV’s The Juke Sunday blues programming, and general know-it-all wiseacre,” it adds in a ton of Youtube videos from blues legends to support the flavor of the article.

CD: Battling the bug: Starkville, Columbus pull out the stops to control mosquitoes

JULY 2, 2009

TIM PRATT

STARKVILLE — In the city of Starkville, Joseph Goddard is a mosquito’s worst enemy.

The 22-year-old Mississippi State graduate has been on a mission to control the city’s mosquito population for each of the past three summers. He places mosquito larvicide tablets in standing water to kill the insects before they hatch; he sprays chemicals to kill mosquitoes in areas where they’ve become a problem, including the city’s streets and neighborhoods; and he has eight New Jersey mosquito traps set up throughout town.

A New Jersey trap, Goddard, who works part-time for the city, explained Wednesday while checking one of the devices, contains a light, which is meant to attract mosquitoes. Below the light is a fan, which sucks mosquitoes into the trap. He counts the mosquitoes caught in each trap twice a week to monitor the population in different parts of town.

If a trap contains five to 10 mosquitoes, the area probably isn’t too heavily infested, he said. If a trap contains 50 or more, however, he might decide to spray the area with an adulticide, which kills adult insects, he said.

When the number of mosquitoes increases, like they do a week to 10 days after a heavy rain, Goddard tries to locate the source of the insects, larvicides the standing water in that area and sprays to reduce the adult population. He also takes other steps to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds, like picking up tires and trash where water might accumulate.

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.

New Publication Promotes Starkville Area Restaurants

June 29, 2009

Publisher announces new restaurant guide for Starkville, Mississippi.

STARKVILLE, MISS — New students, residents and visitors will soon have a
publication to make finding great food even easier. CollegeTown Cuisine is
pleased to announce the Starkville Menu Guide — a free, high-gloss
collection of the area’s best restaurants, in full-size magazine format.
Over 8,500 copies will be made available in several venues across
Starkville and the Mississippi State University campus. The inaugural
edition is set to be distributed on August 17th, 2009.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Jaynie Quave, a junior marketing
major at Mississippi State. “When I first came to Starkville for school,
I was always trying to find great places to eat. It would have been so
much easier to find all of my local favorites.”

In addition to containing menus from participating restaurants, the guide
will feature a convenient locator map, as well as several local writers’
perspectives on dining in Starkville.

Starkville Account Representative Brian Thorne says it’s all about
“creating a win-win” for everyone.

“The Starkville Menu Guide has the potential to be the only food resource
students and visitors would need — not just a cluster of entrées and
prices. The printed guide, with its online counter-part, gives the public
plenty of ways to find food… not to mention unsurpassed exposure for
restaurant owners and managers!”

The menu guide has been approved for delivery to all MSU dorms, ten local
hotels, thirteen property managerial/apartment leasing offices, and will be
available by mail — free of charge. It will also be online as a printable
Adobe PDF file.

“It’s simple,” says Thorne. “When you’re new in town, the first
thing to look for is food. You’ve got the traditional phone book, filled
with everything from Architects to Zydeco Musicians; or you’ve got the
Starkville Menu Guide, filled with menus, restaurants, and food. Which is
the obvious place to look? I think the answer is pretty clear.”

For menu placement or advertising, call Brian Thorne at 888-795-0397 or for
more information about the Starkville Menu Guide, visit the official
website at http://www.starkvillemenuguide.com.

It’s not “Fetch Something New”….

But it is something new. (More on that after lunch.)

We have added classified ads to StarkvilleNow. StarkvilleClassifieds.com is up. (Hit the “Classified Ads” link in the header.)

Until June 30th, the ads are free as we get the bugs worked out. After that, you can post a 5000 character ad with images for $5/21 days. Items that are for sale under $100 will be free with the same 21 day time limit.

The engine we are using is pretty cool in that it allows you to use a Google map to tag location plus embed video and photos.

Have at it and let us know what you think. Please email me any questions or suggestions (robbie@starkvillenow.com).

From the group that brought you Movies on the Green, the Community Market and StarkvilleNow

Here is you chance to join a group and make a difference….

Recruitment has begun for the 2009-2010 FORUM Leadership Development Program for Starkville and Oktibbeha County. The FORUM is the premier leadership development experience in Starkville and Oktibbeha County. Sponsored by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and the Mississippi State University Extension Service, this eleven month program offers an intensive, experiential exposure not only to leadership principles, but also to the economic, social and governmental sectors of Starkville and Oktibbeha County.

We are now beginning the recruitment process for the 2009-2010 class and a special invitation is extended to every StarkvilleNow reader to join this elite group of leaders in Starkville and Oktibbeha County. While the presented materials in each of these class sessions are valuable in themselves, the real benefit is derived from the opportunity to become close to and engaged with several emerging leaders in the community. I am proud to count among the program’s ranks at least seven individuals or have either run for or are currently holding pubic office (including one mayoral candidate and two alderman candidates in this year’s municipal elections), several members of various municipal commissions, and a host of sustained community activities such as the Johnny Cash Festival, the Starkville Community Market, Movies on the Green, and the renovation of Moncrief Park, among others.

For further information, please visit the program’s website at http://msucares.com/forum to learn more about the overall program and to see a roster of past and current participants. Also, please feel free to contact either Alan Barefield (alanb@srdc.msstate.edu, 662.325.3207) or Rachael Carter (carter@agecon.msstate.edu, 662.325.1793) for any questions you may have.

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