DeafFest Mississippi is a festival that was created for the deaf and hard of hearing community in August 2010; the festival showcases many talented performers that are deaf and hard of hearing to illustrate that success is possible for anyone and everyone. Hearing individuals are encouraged to attend the event as an educational experience to see what the deaf and hard of hearing community has to offer.

DeafFest 2013 will be host to many performers and artists from all walks of the entertainment industry. Some musical acts that will be taking the stage are Sean Forbes and Warren Snipes with Sign Like You Know IT (SLYKI). Sean Forbes is known best for his endeavors to try to bridge the gap between the music industry and the deaf community.

“The world is run by those who show up,” said Sean Forbes. “And I’m showing up!”

SLYKI are famous for their hip-hop as well as their inspirational message of “There are many deaf and hard of hearing talents to be seen and heard.”

The stage is not limited to just musical talent. On Friday, May 3, John Maucere and Paul Raci will rock the stage with Keith Wann and Wink for a night of American Sign Language (ASL) comedy. Admission is $20 at the door, and voice interpreters will be on site.

A kids area will be available and will feature a rock climbing wall, space jumps and reptiles from the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.

Admission on Saturday is free, and concessions will be available on site. For more information, visit the DeafFest Mississippi website at www.deaffestmississippi.com.

The festival is expected to draw more than 800 participants including dancers, teachers, choreographers and observers from 18 member companies in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia to study their craft, celebrate  achievements and perform works selected through an adjudication process. 

At the festival, participants will benefit from three days of classes and seminars taught by master teachers and three evenings of performances, which offer them the occasion to dance for peers and members of the dance community as well as professional companies and recruiters from universities. The three performances will take place at Thalia Mara Hall, and classes will be held at the Downtown Jackson Marriott Hotel and the Jackson Convention Complex.

USA International Ballet Competition 2002 Silver Medalist Sarah Lane will appear at the Festival as a special guest, and she will perform at Thursday evening’s Opening Celebration. Lane is also a soloist with American Ballet Theatre and was Natalie Portman’s dance double in the recent film “Black Swan.” Lane will also conduct question and answer sessions with all the young RDA/SERBA Festival participants on Thursday, May 2. 

Tickets are available to the public for the Gala Concert Performance, which begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 4 at Thalia Mara Hall. Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet will open the performance in the classical ballet piece “Overture di Ballo.” Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling 601-853-4508. Individuals wishing to observe festival classes, attend the seminars, and experience the three evenings of performances may purchase a “Festival Kit” for one, two or three days. For more information about Festival Kits, contact Festival Coordinators Jennifer Beasley or Crystal Skelton at 601-853-4508 or visit www.msmetroballet.com/serba.

To compete, athletes must register online at www.meetmaker.com/meet details and pay the registration fee. The fee for each Level 9 and Level 10 athlete is $100.

“We congratulate all of the athletes, their families and coaches attending this year’s championship. We realize the immense dedication it took them to make it to Jackson, and we are honored to have them as our guests,” said Meet Director, John Williams. “We are making every effort for our athletes to feel comfortable in their surroundings on championship day.”

Ticket information is as follows:

Adults 13-59 - $15 per day

Senior adults 60 and over – $10 per day

Children 5-12 – $10 per day

Children under 5- free

 Weekend passes will also be available, and the prices will range from $20-$35. Food and beverages will also be available for purchase.

For more information about the competition, call Meet Integrity at 888.779.9106, or email them at info@meetintegrity.com.

New Jerusalem Church is hosting it’s “Take Me to the King Easter Celebration” Sunday, March 31, 2013 at the Jackson Convention Complex. The City-Wide, Come As You Are celebration begins at 10:00 am and Everyone is invited.

“The Heart of SMG”

Growing up in a traditional southern household, the importance of giving back was instilled in me at an early age. “Each One Teach One” is a theme that was repeated at many stages of my youth and adolescence.

I consider myself fortunate to have worked in the events and entertainment industry for over 20 years in different parts of the country. During that time, I have always tried to find ways to be a positive and contributing member of the communities where I lived and worked. For me, it is that mantra of “Each One Teach One” that guides the focus of my community service energies. For that reason, over the years, I have involved myself with groups such as Big Brothers Big Sister, Junior Achievement, the Boys & Girls Club and other informal programs, such as simply volunteering to mentor school kids in at risk communities.

With support and encouragement from SMG and the Capital City Convention Center Commission, we, the Jackson Convention Complex, have taken steps to formalize our community outreach efforts. These efforts are designed to ensure that not only are we providing a positive economic impact to the community but that we are also providing a positive societal impact. These efforts have resulted in the development of The Heart of SMG program.

Born in 2007, The Heart of SMG was designed to be an employee recognition program paying tribute to the men and women who make SMG special by making a difference in the 200 plus communities in which we manage public assembly facilities. Here in Jackson, we decided to take a different twist on the program. Rather than focus on the many individuals amongst us who freely give of their time to various community efforts, we have decided to use The Heart of SMG as a brand for our team focus on community outreach programs and activities.

Towards the end of 2012, we formalized our program and developed specific community outreach goals for our team. Two of those goals are focused on the theme “Each One Teach One”.

The first goal was to develop an internship program focused on providing opportunities for Jackson area college students. In our initial efforts, we reached out to three local institutions and engaged them in discussions about our program. Jackson State University, Hinds Community College and Tougaloo College have all signed on as partners in this effort, and we have had an outstanding response from the student bodies. We will be welcoming our first class of interns this summer.

The second goal was to adopt a local high school culinary or hospitality program. As we met with various business and community leaders to get input on how to best accomplish this goal, we determined that we would have a much broader impact by partnering with Jackson Public School’s Career Development Center (CDC). The objective of the CDC is to provide students the opportunity to participate in a rigorous and relevant career and technical education program that has established pathways for obtaining lifelong learning and an education and empowers students to achieve success in a global economy. As the student body of the CDC comes from all Jackson Public Schools, we are able to cast a much wider net in our efforts to reach out to area high school students.

The CDC offers 19 different programs. We have partnered with two of these programs, the Culinary program and the Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management program. As part of this partnership, we have participated in various programs at the CDC campus and have provided students with opportunities to experience our industry in action by shadowing our team.

Frederick Douglas is quoted as saying, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

Through The Heart of SMG program, we are committed to making a positive impact on the youth of the Jackson area by doing our part to build strong children.

Kelvin D. Moore, CMP
General Manager

Friday, March 8: 12p.m.-8p.m.

Saturday, March 9: 10 a.m.-8p.m.

Sunday, March 10: 11 a.m.-5p.m.

The Mississippi Boat and Sport Show will feature a variety of boats from five major area dealers. Customers will have their pick from wakeboard boats, pontoon boats, bass rigs and more.

“This is the best time of the year to buy a new boat,” said Bill Dunnavant, President of B K Productions. “The dealers will be offering huge discounts, and there will be large factory incentives and low financing available.”

On Saturday, from 11 a.m.-5p.m., the event will be hosting two very special and popular guests, Mountain Man from A&E’s hit television series Duck Dynasty and Glen Giest from The History Channel’s hit television series Swamp People. Also, free rod and reels for children will be given away as long as supplies last.

 Admission for the event will be $9 for adults and children 12 and under will get in for free. For more information, visit www.bkproductions.biz/mississippi.