Preservation series focuses on beach wade-ins

This week’s Preservation in May installment pays tribute to the men, women and children who stood up for Civil Rights in Biloxi in the late 1950s and ’60s and fought to desegregate the beach.

“The Roll Call: Biloxi Wade-in Memorial & Tribute Ceremony” begins at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Dr. Frank Gruich Sr. Community Center, 591 Howard Ave. The program will feature presentations by former Gov. William Winter, other dignitaries and witnesses to the protests. As part of the program, Hancock Bank will make a presentation to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

The free program also will be followed by a reception.

Preservation in May, the community’s annual month-long salute to Biloxi’s colorful past, each Thursday features the retelling of a significant event in Biloxi’s history or a visit to an area of historical significance.
Read more about the series

 

Going, going, gone! All items sold at city auction

The city auction on Saturday produced more than $100,000 for city coffers, and several of the 169 bidders walked away with huge deals.

With more than 500 items to bid on and 211 attendees, the city impound yard off Popp’s Ferry Road was a busy place to be.

From 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., surplus or seized vehicles, jewelry, tools, heavy equipment, office furniture, bicycles and more were auctioned off to the highest bidder.  All items were sold “as is, where is” with no guarantees or warranties.

The auction was conducted by longtime auctioneer Nick Clark who said “there were unbelievable deals,” and “everything seemed to sell for what it was worth.”

The most popular items at the auction where the vehicles.

“The highest selling vehicle was a black 2006 Toyota Tundra that sold for $5,750” said Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols.  “The lowest bid went to some miscellaneous tools for just under $5.”

Heavy equipment was also very prevalent at the auction.  The highest selling item of the day was a 1999 Bio Grinder, a stump grinder that sold for $19,900.  That was followed by a John Deere Dozer for $7,500.

“I am pleased with the results of the auction,” said Nichols.  “It went smoothly and everyone seemed to be happy with their purchases.”

In addition to the bidding, a concessions area was available and manned by the Biloxi Police Explorers and shuttle service was provided by the Biloxi Fire Department.
See photos from the auction

 

News and notes

Weekly reports: To see the reports from the Biloxi Fire, Police and Community Development departments, click here.

A baseball authority: Rick Cleveland, the award-winning sports columnist and director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, will be the inaugural speaker at the Sal & Mookie’s All-Star Luncheon Series this Friday at noon at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. The luncheon is part of the museum’s multi-media exhibition “Our Love Affair with Baseball.” To make luncheon reservations — deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. — call 228-374-5547 or click here. Cleveland, a former Clarion-Ledger columnist who now writes a column in newspapers throughout Mississippi, is an authority on college baseball in Mississippi.