Six Mardi Gras parades will roll this weekend in neighboring cities, a preface to the daylong Fat Tuesday extravaganza in downtown Biloxi next week.
Tonight, you’ll find a parade in Ocean Springs, then three more on Saturday (Jackson County, Gulfport and Diamondhead), and two on Sunday (Pass Christian and North Bay).
You’ll also have a chance this weekend to create your own Valentine Cards at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, see the Mississippi Coast Surge hockey team at the Coast Coliseum or enjoy public ice skating after hockey.
Incidentally, this weekend’s musical performances include Diana Ross at the Beau Rivage, the Biloxi Blues Festival at the Coast Coliseum, and Loverboy at the Hard Rock.
To see the complete entertainment lineup, as compiled online by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, click here.
State of the City headed for another sellout
It’s still more than two weeks away, but only about a hundred of the original 700 seats remain for the annual State of the City address, which Mayor A.J. Holloway will present on Monday, Feb. 25 during a luncheon at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.
“It sells out every year, but I think tickets have sold a lot quicker this year,” says Tina Ross-Seamans, executive director of the sponsoring Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce. “I think there’s a high level of interest when it comes to what’s happening in Biloxi.”
This year, the Biloxi High School jazz band will entertain during the program. “They’ll be playing when we open the doors at 11,” Ross-Seamans said. “The program will begin at 11:30, and we’ll also have them perform when everyone is having lunch.”
Tickets to the affair are $35 per person. Email your request to info@biloxibaychamber.org or call 228-435-6149.
The mayor’s presentation also will be televised the next day by Cable One in Biloxi.
News and notes
Award-winning floats: City, school and carnival leaders presented awards to the award-winning designers in the annual shoe box float contest during the City Council meeting on Tuesday. To see the list of winners, along with a link to photos of their winning entries, click here.
Webcasting: Hear a host of Mardi Gras safety tips in this week’s City Desk webcast. To listen to the program, click here. Also, to see the Biloxi parade route for Tuesday, click here.
Election 2013: As of this writing, 15 candidates are seeking office in Biloxi in the upcoming municipal elections. Three are running for mayor, and 12 are vying for seats on the City Council. To see the key election dates and ward maps — existing and proposed — along with a list of candidates for 2013 municipal elections, click here.
City Council: The next scheduled meeting of the Biloxi City Council will be Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Traffic update: To see the status of roadwork through the city, courtesy of the Traffic Update compiled each weekday by the Public Works Department, click here.
Reminder: The annual Children’s Mardi Gras Walking Parade will roll through downtown Biloxi on Monday at 11 a.m. For details, click here.
