Biloxi residents will see a host of recovery-related events and milestones over the next several weeks and through Aug. 29, as the community marks the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
Centerpiece of the month of milestones will be a Katrina memorial observance on Tuesday, Aug 29 at 8 a.m. on the Town Green, where seating will be provided. The sixty-minute program will include local clergy, Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church Choir, the singing trio Ame, Mayor A.J. Holloway and others. Mississippi Public Broadcasting plans to air the program that morning on its statewide radio network.
The Town Green ceremony, however, is only one of several milestones on the August schedule, which includes the re-opening of Grand Biloxi, the casino resort on Point Cadet; ceremonies on Aug. 19 and 29 to thank volunteers and first responders; and the Aug. 29 re-opening of Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, which is expected to be the seventh of Biloxi’s nine pre-Katrina resorts to re-open.
The city also expects a wave of national media coverage around the first anniversary of the storm. Reporters from virtually every major print and electronic news media organization around the world have either visited the community or carried stories of the storm or recovery effort.
“We’ve worked to tell the story of Biloxi and to make sure the rest of the nation sees us as a community that was thriving before the storm and is looking to be a great city again,” said Mayor A.J. Holloway, who this afternoon was interviewed by ABC News and faces an interview with National Public Radio Tuesday morning.
Added the mayor: “The best tool we have in telling our story is the manner in which our residents have dealt with this ordeal. We have a very compelling story here.”
The month of milestones in Biloxi
Here is a list of milestone events taking place in Biloxi in the weeks leading up to Aug. 29, the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
Thursday, Aug. 17
10 a.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. – Final annual cablecast of “A Lady Called Camille,” to 100,000 Cable One households along the Gulf Coast. This program had been used by the City of Biloxi each year in its efforts to educate residents about the dangers of storms and flooding.
Saturday, Aug. 19
4 p.m. – “Katrina Remembrance,” Coast Coliseum. Features stage production and video montage in a program designed to thank the thousands of volunteers who have helped in the Katrina relief and recovery efforts
Tuesday, Aug. 29
8 a.m. – “Biloxi & Katrina: One Year Later,” a city-organized memorial observance on the Town Green, U.S. 90 at Lameuse Street. Seating and bleachers available on limited basis. Sixty-minute program will include local clergy, Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church Choir; national, state and city leaders; the singing trio Ame, and others.
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Continuous screenings of 50-minute, city-commissioned “Katrina & Biloxi” documentary, along with national newscasts that aired in immediate wake of storm. At Saenger Theater in downtown Biloxi.
9:30 a.m. – Kickoff of daylong build of new playground at John Henry Beck Park in east Biloxi; sponsored by The Home Depot, KaBOOM!, Playworld and Hands On.
10 a.m. — Beau Rivage Resort & Casino re-opens.
10 a.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.: Airing of city-commissioned documentary “Katrina & Biloxi: A story of resolve and resilience” to 100,000 Cable One households along the Gulf Coast.
1 to 7 p.m. – A Katrina Memorial Blood Drive, Edgewater Mall, near Dillard’s entrance.
The Red Cross says this drive “is dedicated to those we lost, the heroes, survivors and volunteers helping to rebuild the Coast.” To schedule an appointment: www.givelife.org and use sponsor code Katrina.
2 p.m. – “Heroes Helping Heroes,” Saenger Theater, downtown Biloxi. A ceremony to thank the many first responders working in our community in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Program, which is open to the public, will include remarks by Biloxi Fire Chief David Roberts, Biloxi Police Chief Bruce Dunagan and others, along with airing of Atlanta Fire Department’s 15-minute documentary “Heroes Helping Heroes.”
Thursday, Aug. 31
9:30 a.m. (estimate) – Kickoff of daylong build of new playground at Miramar Park on U.S. 90 in east Biloxi; sponsored by The Home Depot, KaBOOM!, Playworld and Hands On.
