Come Saturday, everyone’s Irish — and well-fed

“This is one of those times when I wish I could just expand the Town Green,” Main Street Director Kay Miller says of this weekend’s Grillin’ on the Green extravaganza, which will be overflowing with music and food and have a Hibernia Marching Society St. Patrick’s parade rolling by.

The free event takes place on the Town Green – on U.S. 90 across from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Hibernia St. Patrick’s parade begins at the Biloxi Yacht Club at 2 p.m., rolls on U.S. 90 past the Town Green, turns north at Lameuse Street to pass City Hall, and turns on MLK Boulevard before ending on Reynoir Street.

Gulfport attorney Tim C. Holleman will serve as grand marshal and April Bullock of Biloxi will be colleen.

Over its 36 years, Hibernia’s parade has established itself as a relaxing follow-up to the city’s raucous Mardi Gras parades – call it Mardi Gras Lite – but Main Street’s upstart Grillin’ on the Green has gained prominence in the seven years since its inception. The Southeastern Tourism Society has named it a Top 20 event four consecutive years now.

“We have turned away arts and crafts vendors so we’d have plenty of room for everyone,” Miller says. “We have an outstanding lineup of well-known local musicians, and everything is in place for this to be another hugely popular event.

Backyard and professional barbecuers will offer the gamut from ribs to brisket and grilled oysters. The music menu, which also begins at 10 a.m., features Sister Jazz (Rochelle Harper) at 10 a.m., Rhythm & Rain at noon, and Barbara & Company after the parade.

“It’s going to be a great weekend in Biloxi,” Miller says. “We’re offering a lot of free entertainment with Grillin’ on the Green and the parade, and the forecast is for glorious skies. We should see lots of people enjoying themselves on the Town Green and throughout downtown Biloxi this weekend.”

The weekend lineup: Looking for things to do this weekend in Biloxi and all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast? The Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau has a list of possibilities for you. To see this weekend’s lineup, click here.

News and notes

Webcasting: Talk of the Popp’s Ferry road and the announcement of the new ward lines are in this week’s City Desk program. To listen to the program, which features Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols, click here.

Council agenda: Mayor A.J. Holloway will be asking the City Council to approve the appointment of businessman and civic leader Gavin Schmidt to the Biloxi school board during the council’s meeting on Tuesday. The Schmidt appointment is one of two dozen measures the council will be considering in a day that begins with an 11 a.m. meeting to discuss the extension of Popp’s Ferry Road to U.S. 90. To see the agendas and supporting documents for Tuesday’s meetings,
click here.

Some grate work: You can get a close-up look at the Popp’s Ferry bridge repairs in a collection of photos made as the work was being done Wednesday night. To see welder Dann Balius and his crew in action, click here.

Volunteers: It’s time to recognize the volunteers who help make thing happen in Biloxi. If you know of a deserving individual or group, you can nominate them for recognition in the upcoming Volunteer Recognition Awards. To learn more, click here.