A rose to all of our out-of-town visitors. Beginning over the weekend with the start of the 78th annual Columbus Spring Pilgrimage and continuing through the Market Street Festival on May 5, these few weeks represent the busiest time of the year for our area’s tourism industry. According to the Columbus Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, 18 events are scheduled during these five weeks. We welcome all our visitors as you take in the sights, sounds, food and events our community has to offer. But we hope you find the most memorable part of your visit to be the hospitality of our people. Welcome to town!
A rose to The Partnership and the charitably-minded food-lovers who continue to make Starkville’s “Restaurant Week” a success. Although restaurant week is still a couple of weeks away, the Partnership announced a key component of the event this week — identifying the three charities eligible for the $5,000 award from Cadence Bank. This year’s charities are Christian World Missions, Oktibbeha County Humane Society and United Way of North Central Mississippi. During the event, participating restaurants will distribute ballots to patrons allowing them to pick the charity they prefer to win the award. The charity with the most “votes” wins. Not only does Restaurant Week, now in its sixth year, promote good causes, it’s also a great way to promote and support the city’s restaurants. Let’s eat!
A rose to Thursday’s championship parade, which moved through downtown Columbus as a celebration of not one, but two state basketball championships. Players from both Columbus High School and Heritage Academy walked the parade route to celebrate their recent boys state basketball championship. At a time when our community often seems to be more and more segregated, it was refreshing to see these two teams come together to celebrate their own and each other’s achievements. That should be a reminder to all of us that while there are things that divide us, there are also many things we all have in common. When we share them, we make our community a stronger, better place for all of us to live, work and play.
A rose to Willie “Sweet” Scott, Eddy Scott, Shannon Scott, Robert Cunnings and Charles Clemmons, who are putting into practice a sound bit of biblical advice: “Faith without works it dead.” The men, all members of United Christian Baptist Church, have been setting up a “pop-up kitchen” on the corner of 14th Avenue and 20th Street North each Monday afternoon, distributing the food they prepare to all comers. It’s a low-key operation, just a group of men whose hearts have turned to those in their community in need. “It kind of started out with just talking,” Eddy Scott said. “We just had the opportunity to help somebody that may be hungry. We turn down nobody. We’re just doing what we feel led to do.” The men should be an inspiration to all of us. We do not always need an elaborate business plan or organizational structure to help our less fortunate neighbors. Often, all that are really required is a willing heart and an active hand.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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