44th Anniversary Bentonia Blues Festival Recap The 44th-anniversary Bentonia Blues Festival was well attended. The crowd came from all over the United States and from across the globe to celebrate the unique Bentonia style of blues that can still be heard at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi, and on the Holmes farm on the 3rd Saturday each June. The week full of events included an album release party for Jimmy “Duck” Holmes new album, released by Blue Front Records, titled “It Is What It Is.” Musicians came from New York, Minnesota, Missouri, and New Orleans, to name a few, just to be able to perform for and jam with Yazoo’s own Jimmy “Duck” Holmes at the Blue Front Cafe. The line-up for the festival on the Holmes farm north of Bentonia was equally as impressive, with performances by Sean Ardoin + Zydekool, Ms. Pleschette, Roosevelt Roberts Jr., Bill Abel & Cadillac
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Yaz Summer Blast presented by the City of Yazoo City July 1 – July 3, 2017 Schedule of events: Saturday, July 1 10 AM – Main Street – Class Reunion Parade 7 PM – Wardell Leach Park – Live Music, Food Vendors, Fireworks & More Sunday, July 2 7 PM – Main Street – Live Music, Food Vendors, Fireworks & More Monday, July 3 7 PM – Main Street – Live Music, Food Vendors, Fireworks & More Featuring: Jessie Primer 601 Live Band Funchess Entertainment Jonte Mayon Steve Johnson Blues and Bridgette Shields DJ Ice Dog and MANY MORE! Don’t miss a minute of the FUN! This is a weekend that no one will want to miss. Come out, enjoy and have a SUMMER BLAST in Yazoo City! Yaz Summer Blast “All About the Music” July 4th Celebration Parade Saturday, July 1, 2017 Click here to download the Entry Form in
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10 Must-See Spots in Yazoo County, Mississippi Many people plan their visits to Yazoo County around our annual events. But Yazoo County is a great place to visit year-round for anyone who enjoys an off-the-beaten-path adventure, blues, architecture, shopping, ghost stories, outdoor activities including fishing and hunting, historic sites, natural wonders, or delicious food. Located just 35 miles north of the Mississippi capital of Jackson, Yazoo County is your first stop for a taste of the hospitality, culture, and unique stories that can only be found in the Mississippi Delta. Blue Front Cafe The oldest juke joint in Mississippi that is still in daily operation – possibly in the world – is located in the town of Bentonia in southern Yazoo County. The Blue Front Cafe was opened in 1948 by Mary and Carey Holmes and in its heyday was the spot for workers coming in from the fields for
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T.J. Huddleston, Sr. Yazoo City, Mississippi – June 1, 2016 – Today we remember the life and legacy of one great Yazooan, Thomas Jefferson Huddleston, Sr., born June 1, 1876. A great orator and salesman with a gift for captivating his audience, he started a chain of funeral homes in Mississippi. In 1924, T.J. Huddleston, Sr., founded the Afro-American Sons and Daughters, a fraternal organization in Mississippi and one of the leading black voluntary associations in the state. Organized in 1924, it had 35,000 members by the 1930s. In 1928, the association opened the Afro-American Hospital of Yazoo City, the first hospital for blacks in the state. Dr. Lloyd Tevis Miller (L.T. Miller), co-founder of the Mississippi Medical and Surgical Association (MMSA), the state’s largest and oldest organization representing African American health professionals, was recruited by Huddleston to serve as the facility’s first director. The hospital offered both major and minor
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Hallelujah Wang Dang Doodle A FREE Good-Time Event in Yazoo City Memorial Day Weekend May 26, 27, & 28, 2017 at Mary’s Happy Medium 123 West Broadway Yazoo City, MS Join Mary’s Happy Medium for a Hallelujah Wang Dang Doodle good time on Memorial Day weekend! Live music, DJ, and FREE FOOD while it lasts! Friday, May 26 – 7 pm – 8:30 pm – Inspirational Music and Soul Food! Music starts at 7 featuring Alfred Young and other local favorites! Saturday, May 27 – 8 pm – 10:30 pm – R&B Music and Seafood! Free Long Island Iced Tea (while supplies last). Music starts at 9 pm featuring Press Play 601 – Jackson’s #1 Party Band! Sunday, May 28 – 6 pm – 8:30 pm – Country Music and BBQ & Beer! Live music featuring local favorite Ricochet Cowboys! Presented by Mary’s Happy Medium. Sponsored in part by an
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Back Home Again Event May 26-28, Memorial Day Weekend Join us for lots of FREE fun Yazoo City featuring Grammy Award-Winner Grady Champion! 3-on-3, Freethrow, 3-point, and Slam Dunk Contest Yazoo City Olympics Best Of Cook-Off: Barbecue Friend Fish Fried Chicken Wild Game Cakes and Pies Homemade Ice-Cream Car and Bike Show Live Entertainment Events Kids’ Talent Show DJs Gospel Stage Mr. & Mrs. Back Home Again Talent Show National Acts FOR Yazoo Back Home Again INFO PLEASE CONTACT through the Event Page on Facebook (click to visit). Stay tuned here and on the event page on Facebook for updates. Back Home Again Event Schedule Friday, May 26, 2017 beginning at 8 pm Mississippi Renaissance – Yazoo Night of the Arts Art, Book Signings, Soul Damage film preview, Artist Q&A at the Yazoo City Community Complex 516 East Canal Street Yazoo City, Mississippi hosted by Cyrus Webb – author, radio personality Featuring Jamie Maximus
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Delta National Forest Hosts Trail Day Celebration Hiking. Biking. Birdwatching. Those are some of the activities waiting for visitors in Delta National Forest. Come and visit Delta National Forest on Saturday, June 4 and participate in its 1st National Trails Day event at the Blue Lake Recreation Area. “We want people to get outdoors, to visit their ‘national forest,’ and to participate in this day that is dedicated to connecting youth and the surrounding community to this great treasure,” said District Ranger Valencia Morris. The National Trails Day event, which begins at 9 a.m. with registration and a safety briefing, celebrates America’s 200,000 miles of trails that allow us access to the natural world for recreation, education, exploration, solitude, inspiration, and much more. “During the first part of the day, we will work on trails maintenance, sign rehab, and installation, and overall area clean-up,” Morris said. “Lunch will be provided
Read More... →Pre-Employability Skills Workshop FREE! WHEN: Thursday, May 5, 2016 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon – Resume Prep Class 1:00 p.m. – Dress for Success Workshop WHERE: Yazoo County Economic Development & Education Center 637 E. 15th Street, Yazoo City, MS 39194 NOTE: For the Resume Prep Class, please have your work history information written down and bring it with you! For more information, contact Daniel Haralson at 662.590.5996 This is a GREAT way to prepare for the 2016 Yazoo County Area Job Fair, May 10, 2016 in Yazoo City. Employers will be hiring at the job fair! If you are looking for a job in or near Yazoo, do not miss the Yazoo County Area Job Fair!
Read More... →Yazoo County CVB Receives 2015 Constant Contact All Star Award Recognized for achievements using online marketing tools to drive success YAZOO COUNTY, MISS — March 30, 2016 – Yazoo County Convention & Visitors Bureau,the official Destination Marketing Organization for Yazoo County, Mississippi, has been named a 2015 All Star Award winner by Constant Contact®, Inc., the trusted marketing advisor to hundreds of thousands of small organizations worldwide. The annual award recognizes the most successful 10% of Constant Contact’s customer base, based on their significant achievements leveraging online marketing tools to engage their customer base and drive results for their organization. Yazoo County, Mississippi, winner of a Readers’ Choice Award from Convention South Magazine in 2015, Delta’s Best Tourism award in 2014 from the Mississippi Delta Strategic Compact, 3-time winner (2012, 2013, 2014) of CVB of the Year from the Mississippi Tourism Association, and 4-time winner (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) of
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Two Yazoo County attractions included in the recently published “Top 40 Places to Visit in the Mississippi Delta” The Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi, opened in 1948, making it the oldest juke joint in Mississippi that is still in operation. The site draws thousands of blues fans from all over the world each year to the tiny town of Bentonia to hear the ‘real-deal blues’ from owner and operator Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, the last of the Bentonia blues men. Yazoo City’s Glenwood Cemetery, a favorite stop for visitors to the area of all ages, includes the grave of the infamous “Witch of Yazoo,” as well as a mass Confederate grave. The Cemetery took home the title of runner-up in a 2012 poll on HuffPost Travel of the “Spookiest Cemetery in the US.” Perhaps most significant, Glenwood is the final resting place of the famed Mississippi author whose tales of
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