One of the Parks & Recreation Department’s most-anticipated programs each year is the Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet.
And you have a chance to see this year’s ceremony, thanks to Cable One, which will air a 55-minute special about the program every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Cable One Channel 70 throughout the month of October.
The Aug. 26 ceremony saw the induction of the sports hall’s Class of 2018: Eric Fortenberry, who former Indians basketball coach Jackie Laird called “one of the best Biloxi players of all time,” along with baseball standout Glenn Lamas and former football stars Johnny “Red” Wetzel, Art Bressler, Marvin “Bubba” Dickey and the late Mark Barhanovich.
“Creating a documentary about the Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame came out of a discussion about the importance of sports to the City of Biloxi and to those who play it, those who watch it, and those who support it,” said Mike Fleming, regional sales manager for Cable One Advertising. “To be able to showcase an event that honors those who are legendary in the City of Biloxi is an honor for us. We are excited to make this one of many events along the Gulf Coast that we will be showcasing on Cable One Channel 70.”
Gallery: Photos from the ceremony
Visit the Sports Hall of Fame online
Be a sponsor for next year’s banquet
Tickets on sale for Biloxi First roast of mayor
It’s one of the hottest tickets of the year each year, and this year will be no different. Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich will be the roastee for the 16th annual Biloxi First Roast, which will take place Thursday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. at the IP Casino Resort Spa.
The event is the major annual fundraiser for Biloxi First, a non-profit organization that has provided more than a quarter-million dollars in funding for innovative classroom projects in Biloxi Public Schools.
Gilich, who was elected mayor of Biloxi in a special election in May 2015 and was elected to his first full term in June 2017, will be roasted by well-known Biloxian, insurance agent and raconteur Errol Bradley; businessman, musician and Biloxian of the Year Robert Collier; advertising executive Ted Riemann; and Jaye Brice, the mayor’s sister. Emcee will be Reed Guice, who himself was roasted last year.
Tickets are $50 for an individual; $250 for a patron sponsor, which admits two; or a $1,000 reserved corporate table for 10. To reserve your seats or tables, contact Dewey Mason, 228-229-8733, dewey.mason@bxsi.com; or Ann Denison, 228-860-8871, ann.denison@biloxischools.net. Ticket money should be sent to Biloxi First, P.O. Box 488 Biloxi, MS 39533.
Past honorees for the Biloxi First roast have been Shorty Sneed, Susan Hunt, Jeff O’Keefe, Butch Oustalet, Chevis Swetman, Ron Peresich, Gerald Blessey, Bill Holmes, Tommy Gollott, Cono Caranna, A.J. Holloway and Larry Drawdy.
See your invitation to the roast
See the biography of “FoFo” Gilich
Gallery: Scenes from the 2017 roast of Reed Guice
Video bonus: And Reed Guice sings, 2017
St. Vincent, VFW have outdoor events this weekend
More and more Cruisers will be showing up on Biloxi roadways this weekend, and the RVs have begun taking up positions on West Beach. We’re on the cusp of the 2018 edition of Cruisin’ The Coast, but there’s more to do outdoors this weekend.
The Annual Friends of the Poor Walk/Run 2018, sponsored by St. Vincent De Paul Society, takes place Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the Biloxi Bay Bridge. Tables will be set-up at the foot of the Biloxi side of the bridge for registration. Walk at your own pace, organizers say. There’s no time pressure and no distance required. Details: 228-388-1837 or fatimasvdp@bellsouth.net.
Meantime, the Biloxi VFW Post #2434 holds an Outdoor Flea Market Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its Pass Road location, 1644 Pass Road, the former McDonald’s location. Vendors spaces are $20 each. Details: 228-388-4356 or 228-392-2400.
Elsewhere this weekend: The 44th annual Slavic Invitational Golf Tournament takes places on six gulf coast courses through out the weekend, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art hosts a Pop Up Art Show, and music icon Charlie Daniels entertains at the IP, “Chicago The Musical” is at Beau Rivage, and Anjelah Johnson is at Hard Rock.
See the weekend entertainment lineup
See the city’s monthly Community Calendar
Hemphill to begin work on Porter next week
Porter Avenue south of the CSX railway will be a bevy of construction next week, as Hemphill Construction begins replacing drainage and water mains on the street, which is north of the Biloxi Lighthouse off U.S. 90.
“Two-lanes of traffic will be maintained and opened on Porter although there is a possibility that Porter for limited times will be reduced to one-lane,” said Walt Rode, the city’s infrastructure manager, who noted priority will be given to emergency vehicles leaving and entering the Lopez-Quave Public Safety Center, which is on Porter Avenue a couple of blocks off the beach.
The work is expected to take two to three weeks, and Rode said access to the Biloxi Visitors Center and Biloxi Lighthouse Park also will be maintained.
Video: See this month’s video update
See today’s Traffic Update
