Edgewater Mall celebrating tax-free weekend; other news and notes

“It’s like Black Friday,” Edgewater Mall manager Terry Powell says of the importance of this weekend’s tax-free shopping for clothing and shoes purchases.

The state-sponsored program — which began at midnight and continues to midnight Saturday — exempts taxes on individual items of clothing and shoes less than $100.

“This is very significant in the fact that just a few years ago, before we started doing this, back-to-school shopping had basically gone away,” Powell said. “This brought it back.”

And Edgewater Mall — with a million square feet of indoor retail — is offering hours as late as 11 p.m. in some stores, and promotions to lure in even more shoppers.

Said Powell: “People need to come in to register for a $1,000 gift card, and you can also win back the amount of your purchase.”

To find about more about Edgewater Mall and to see an interactive map of stores, click here.

Weekend preview: Music, Mama and fishing

Melissa Etheridge, Charlie Daniels and Vicki Lawrence and Mama will headline the weekend’s entertainment, and you can also find the 16th annual Carl Leggett Memorial Fishing Tournament taking place at Point Cadet Marina.

The rodeo, incidentally, will have a children’s division on Saturday.

For details on these events and others, courtesy of listings from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, click here.

City Council to meet Tuesday evening

The Biloxi City Council will meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Municipal Building on MLK Boulevard in downtown Biloxi.

Councilmembers will allow citizens a chance to comment on city’s proposed budget during the meeting.

Also on the evening agenda: updates of the city’s Land Development Ordinance and measures involving ongoing rebuilding projects.

To see the complete agenda and available resolutions, click here.

News and notes

Webcasting: Sherry Bell, a 30-year veteran of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, discusses the successes, challenges and innovative programs in the department she now directs. Also: Walmart moves forward. To listen to the 21-minute program, click here.

Fresh from downtown: One of the best places to find fresh produce, jams and jellies and even greenery is at the Biloxi Farmers Market each Tuesday and Thursday morning. To see dozens of photos from the market on Thursday, click here.

Jay Leno, stand-up guy: Late night TV host and all-around funnyman Jay Leno will be in Biloxi in August to host a benefit for Mississippians impacted by the Gulf oil spill. To read background on the performance at the Beau Rivage, click here.

Traffic update: To see the status of major road construction projects taking place in and around Biloxi, click here.