As we approach the unveiling of the 150th Mississippi Blues Trail next Tuesday, two new blues trail markers were erected in the Mississippi Delta this week.

On Thursday, February 16, Tommy McClennan was recognized with a marker at W. Broadway and N. Water Streets in Yazoo City. McClennan (c. 1905-1961) was one of America's most successful down-home blues recording artists during the period when he recorded 20 singles for the Bluebird label (1939-1942). Among McClennan's most notable numbers were “Bottle It Up and Go,” “Cross Cut Saw,” “Travelin’ Highway Man,” “Deep Blue Sea Blues,” “Whiskey Head Woman” and “New Highway No. 51 Blues.” McClennan, famed for his raucous, uninhibited singing and guitar playing, frequented the Water Street section of Yazoo City when he lived on the nearby J. F. Sligh plantation.

Pianist, vocalist and songwriter Mose Allison also received a blues trail marker in his hometown of Tippo. Allison performed at the Bologna Performing Arts Center at Delta State University earlier this week and was the recipient of the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Arts Commission during a ceremony in Jackson. Allison was born on November 11, 1927, in his grandfather’s farmhouse on the island in Tippo Bayou, about three miles from town. In 1956, Allison moved to New York City, where he soon achieved acclaim as a jazz artist. His music always retained a strong blues influence though, and in addition to covering the songs of Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, Allison authored blues standards, including “Parchman Farm.”

Join us as we celebrate the unveiling of the150th Mississippi Blues marker on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, honoring Furry Lewis. The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the intersection of Lamar Street and Carrollton Avenue in Greenwood, Miss. A reception will be held at the Crystal Grill immediately following the unveiling ceremony.

Backed by Mississippi cultural leaders, the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival is teaming up with The Infinite Theatre to bring their popular production of “Orpheus Descending” to Tennessee Williams’ home state of Mississippi this month. A total of nine performances are planned in three cities: Columbus, Oxford and Jackson from February 23-March 3.

For the past two years, this powerful rendition of “Orpheus” has been called “thrilling” with “outstanding performances.” It was a runaway success at the annual fall Festival, held in September in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Arts, culture and political leaders from Mississippi were so impressed with the production that a coalition of supporters has been formed and funds were raised for the New York-based Infinite Theatre’s production to come to Mississippi. It is co-produced by the Festival with over 20 people involved.

Here are some scenes from previous performances around the country. Photos courtesy of Josh Andrus and Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival:

The production is conceived as a morality play – to be performed in a house of worship. The imagery in the text comes not only from the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus, but from Williams’ own Episcopal upbringing in small-town Mississippi. “Orpheus Descending” takes place in the Mississippi Delta, where Williams spent his boyhood until the age of 7. The play follows the handsome, guitar-playing Val Xavier (Thomas Beaudoin) as he tries valiantly to turn his back on corruption. He appears in a metaphorical purgatory, arriving mysteriously in a small-town dry goods store run by an Italian immigrant named Lady Torrance (Irene Glezos). She’s married to an old, dying man, but Lady takes in the alluring drifter, giving him a bed in the store and thereby unlocking her long-repressed desire. Val’s arrival stirs up the insular, suspicious townspeople, leading to his inevitable expulsion, while the free-wheeling misfit, Carol Cutrere (Beth Bartley), haunts Lady’s store in a tangle of innocence and vice. Broken, brazen and defiant, these three tragic heroes are the ultimate outsiders. Yet their ordinary weaknesses reveal extraordinary zeal.

PERFORMANCES

Columbus – Feb. 23-25
First United Methodist Church, Artz Fellowship Hall, 602 College St.
662.328.ARTS (2787)

Oxford – Feb. 26-28
Paris-Yates Chapel, University of Mississippi
662.236.6429

Jackson – Mar. 1-3
St Luke’s United Methodist Church, 621 Duling Ave.
www.orpheusinfondren.com  

Calling all foodies and travelers!  Get ready to pack your bags and journey to the heart of the Mississippi Delta to experience luxurious accommodations, enjoy fine food and Find Your True South, Viking-style!

This Viking Culinary Experience prize package includes round trip airfare for two to Jackson, Mississippi, a rental car and gasoline, one room for a two-night stay for two at the Alluvian Hotel, a cooking class for two at the Viking Cooking School, and a tour of the Viking factory.  The lucky winner will also receive components for your own Viking outdoor kitchen including:  Viking 54" 500 Series Gas Grill, Viking 54" 500 Series Grill Cart, Viking Portable Refreshment Station, Viking 24" Freestanding Outdoor Beverage Center, and Professional delivery and installation service from nearest Viking distributor.  This prize has an estimated value of $18,000- $19,000.

Enter here for a chance to win this sizzling sweepstakes brought to you by the Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division and Viking Range Corporation.  See all official contest rules here.  The sweepstake runs through March 31, 2012.  Good luck!

Almost 2 weeks in, the Dixie National Rodeo and Livestock show has already produced a great turn out.  Held in Jackson at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds, this rodeo and livestock show is sure to keep you on edge, as bull riders, bronc riders, bullfighters, bulldoggers, ropers, rodeo clowns, and barrel racers compete for the win.

This is your chance to see World Champion cowboys ride the best of Smith, Harper, and Morgan rodeo stock.  So dust off your boots, gather your friends and family, and don’t miss the final week of the rodeo and livestock show.  Events include Livestock Shows, Dixie National Rodeo Dixie National Parade, Dixie National Wagon Train, Miss Dixie National Rodeo Pageant, Mississippi Junior Roundup, Sale of Junior Champions, Dixie National Rodeo Dance, Equine Expo, Farriers Competition, Farm Expo, Rodeo Breakfast, and special live entertainment.

Over the next few days, concerts will be performed for all of the country music fans by Rodney Atkins, Chris Cagle, Eli Young Band, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice, George Jones, and Jake Owen.

The Livestock Show runs through February 19 and the rodeo runs February 9-15.  Tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster. Get yours before it’s too late!

It’s History Month in Mississippi, and the state’s 13 Welcome Centers are offering travelers a glimpse into the True South’s history and heritage with special programs throughout the month of February.  

Today, the DeSoto County Welcome Center hosted Black History Day and treated visitors to a unique combination of fun and history. The program featured down-home cooking, quilt demonstrations, praise dancing, door prizes and live entertainment from local performer, Stephanie Norvell. Representatives from the DeSoto County Tourism office were also on hand to help with the activities. Throughout the month, the site will also present door prize drawings, map displays of nearby historical sites and video footage on the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. All activities will feature community members to give visitors an authentic slice of Mississippi history.

In Alcorn County, the Welcome Center will host African American art displays and poetry readings during February. The Woodville Hospitality Station is offering “Free for All” History passes to local historical sites.

Each Welcome Center is celebrating History Month with its own special programs and displays. In addition, free coffee, clean restrooms, maps, brochures, hotel reservation assistance and friendly, knowledgeable staff are available every day to help you discover your True South. Stop by and experience genuine southern hospitality!

Want to know about the Welcome Centers? Go to http://www.visitmississippi.org/welcome-centers.aspx.

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, it is time to start planning what you are going to do with your significant other this year.  Often a commercialized holiday of chocolates and stuffed animals, Mississippi is bringing a whole new meaning to what Finding Your True Love on Valentine’s Day is really about.

The lucky winner of this fantastic sweepstakes will receive a package that will be the pathway to True Romance.  By registering, you are entered for a chance to win a four-day, three-night trip to Mississippi.  The package includes a two-night stay at the elegant Fairview Inn in Jackson, a one-night stay at the Devereaux Shields House in Natchez, and a glorious diamond ring from one of the state’s finest jewelers that is sure to add the sparkle to your relationship that you are looking for.  In addition, you will be provided with a rental car, round-trip airfare, and spending money for dining and fuel.

All entries must be received before midnight on February 14, 2012, so don’t delay!  Click here to enter and for official contest rules!

If you are traveling to Ocean Springs, Mississippi this weekend, you are in luck!  This Saturday, February, 4 will bring many out for the annual Ocean Springs Elks Mardi Gras Parade and the Art Market at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center of Arts and Education.

Traditionally the first Mardi Gras parade of the season on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Ocean Springs Elks Mardi Gras parade will begin at 1:00pm on Saturday.  There are currently at least 75 units set for the parade that runs its course through the streets of downtown Ocean Springs which is surrounded by more than 150 shops, galleries, restaurants, and museum.   This event is free for the public and great for people of all ages.

You will find a first class art market at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center of Arts and Education on Saturday from 10:00am- 4:00pm.  Artists will set up shop on the grounds and sell their original art.  This event is free to attend.

The weather is projected to be nice this weekend, so gather your friends and family and enjoy these wonderful events together!

Lights, camera, action! The second annual Clarksdale Film Festival will take place on January 26-29, 2012.  Join in on this 4 day festival and delight in great southern films, music documentaries and much more! 

The three different categories of entries include feature film, more than 30 minutes and less than 140 minutes; documentary, more than 30 minutes and less than 140 minutes; and short films, which are more than 3 minutes and less than 30.

Tickets are $5 per day or $10 for a weekend pass and are available for purchase at Delta Cinema.  Screening locations are at Delta Cinema and other venues around historic, downtown Clarksdale.  See the entire schedule listing here and make sure you don’t miss a film that is on your “must see” list!  In between films, check out some of the great local shopping!

If music and comedy are something you enjoy, then you won’t want to miss out on the performance of Forever Plaid by the Vicksburg Theatre Guild. 

Forever Plaid is a musical comedy of a “quartet of high-school chums, and their earnest dreams of recording an album, ended (symbolically, and even literally) in death, when their cherry red ’54 Mercury collided with a bus filled with Catholic schoolgirls on their way to see the Beatles’ American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The girls were fine. The play begins with the wondrous and wondering Plaids returning from the afterlife for one final chance at musical glory.”  21 songs will be performed. 

This musical comedy is written by Stuart Ross and directed by Paul Ballard at the Parkside Playhouse.  Show times are January 20-21, 27-28 at 7:30pm and January 22 and 29 at 2:00pm.  Tickets are $5 for children, $7 for students, $10 for seniors and $12 for adults.  Get your tickets here and enjoy a musical flashback to the 1950s!

On Saturday, January 28, 2012, “Appetite for Jackson” kicks off from 2-9 p.m., in The Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The inaugural food festival celebrates the City of Jackson and its cultural and culinary excellence.

The event will feature live music and showcase an array of local restaurants and their culinary delights, including Parlor Market, Underground 119, Peaches, Lumpkins Barbeque, the King Edward Grill, The Palette Café by Viking and many more. Live music from local bands will rock out The Art Garden throughout the day. Admission is free; food plates from participating restaurants are available for $5. Craft beer will be available for sale from Capital City Beverages.

The Travel Channel’s show, “Appetite For Life,” will feature the festival on an upcoming episode. The show’s host, Andrew Zimmern, will be appearing at the festival and at various VIP events.

Event sponsors include: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi, Mississippi Museum of Art, Downtown Jackson Partners, WLBT, Underground 119, Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau and Cathead Vodka.

For more information on this event, visit the official website, become a fan on Facebook or follow the event on Twitter.