Raymond News

R by Kara Culp A little over 9 years ago right before Virginia Rose was born, a big wind took down our backyard fence that divided our yard and the Beall’s vast property. It was one of the best things that ever happened to our family. God blessed us mightily with our neighbors, Jim and Ouida Beall, and after the fence came down, our daily lives became naturally and beautifully intertwined. For nearly a decade, our children have run between the two yards flying kites, chasing chickens, collecting berries, and truly living a childhood dream. Watching Ouida and Jim love my children as if they were their own is a gift that only God could have given from that big N ole wind storm. Then a few months ago while I was too darn old and pitiful? cooking supper on a Or did God have another bright sunny day, I plan for us? heard a huge crash right Earlier this outside my kitchen winmonth, while my girls dow. It was rather were playing in the backalarming because the yard, they noticed new weather was perfect and neighbors moving into the wind was calm. After the rental home next accounting for all the door. It turned out to be children, I looked out the a pair of sweet sisters in back window and saw their 20s named Mallory that a huge tree decided and Natalie from it was time to come down Clinton. My girls were and, once again, took giddy with excitement to out the fence that dividmeet our new neighbors ed our yard and the and decided to write rental property to our them a letter. Virginia right. Was the fence just Rose found an old popE A - L ECTU John T. Edge, host of the Emmy Award-winning television program “TrueSouth” and author of “House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home,” will deliver the 49th Sue Price Lipsey Lecture at Mississippi College. The presentation, sponsored by the Department of English and World Languages at MC, is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, March 16, in the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall in the Aven Fine Arts Building on the Clinton campus. A reception will precede the lecture at 5:30 p.m. Edge will discuss “Writing Home: From Backyard to Broadcast,” a conversation with Anthony Thaxton, cofounder of the Institute John T. Edge, host of for Southern Storytelling Smoke: ASoutherner G at MC, that will include a discussion of “House of Smoke” and the Ocean Springs episode of at the event. Edge’s television series. Kristi Melancon, Copies of Edge’s book MC professor and will be available for sale department chair of If you move plea know so we can cha address. So you don Ga week of the LMA-PA t c b p 8 a r f T s F C F t K W b e o f o R H e T G p No fences make good neighbors. e G t t ? corn tin and placed her each other. My girls r letter on top of the tin write about their favorite C followed by a red brick to hobbies and foods and a s keep the wind from ask the big girls about R s blowing it away. They their favorite colors and N - placed the tin on the birthdays. I don’t think l w property line were the life can get any more b o fence once stood and wholesome than that a t waited for the girls to and I cannot wait to see W e find it. After school one how their friendship 2 n day, the girls found a blossoms. f y response letter under Something else is 1 m the red brick and the blooming in Raymond – R e most precious pen pals the “Tiles in Bloom” c o were born. Mahjong event coming to a s For several weeks The Raymond Venue on e now, the girls write back Saturday, April 18th. ( a and forth and even leave Tiles in Bloom will feap - little candy happies for ture fabulous TV WINNING HOST TO URE AT ISSISSIPPI OL t i s d t “ l S i a i w l E i l t s h C n p M A t F W “TrueSouth,” will sign copies of his book, “House of f Goes Searching for Home,” after delivering the Lipsey W Lecture at MC on March 16. t M d English and philosophy, “His work com- G , called Edge the “perfect bines the personal with R d choice” to deliver this the cultural, and demon- w f year’s Lipsey Lecture. strates for students how t ase let us A DVERT ange your n’t miss a B USINE azette. 60 S tablescapes, friendly it) provides access to competition, food, cash developmentally approbar, and open Mahjong priate educational play from 5:00 p.m. to resources, referral sup8:00 p.m. Registration port, family engagement and $50 entry fee activities, and more! required. This event is Don’t miss this comefor all levels of play. and-go opportunity to Tablescapes will begin explore the lending set up at 4:00 p.m. library, maker space, Follow the Raymond and more! For more Community Collective on information call 662Facebook for a registra- 325-7839 or email msction link – or contact crr@ext.msstate.edu. Kathy Rankin or Kim A burn ban is in Williams directly. effect for Hinds County This is going to from March 2 through be an elegant and fun April 1, 2026. Burn evening to socialize with bans are in effect for at other Mahjong folks least 15 Mississippi from communities all counties as dry condiover the state! Mayor tions increase wildfire Randall Harris and Kim risk, according to the Hathhorn Williams were Mississippi Forestry even on WJTV 12 News’ Commission. The Daily Sip with Walt The ban proGrayson last week to hibits outdoor burning promote this exciting of any kind. County event. The Raymond boards of supervisors Garden Club will judge request burn bans, and the tablescape competi- the Forestry tion. How cool! Commission approves The Raymond them. All burn bans Chamber of Commerce expire at midnight on and the Mississippi LIFT the listed end date. Resource & Referral Burn bans are no Network (R&R) Raymond joke! I witnessed firstlocation will host a rib- hand how quickly a bon cutting ceremony brush fire could spread and open house on along the Natchez Trace Wednesday, March 11, a few weeks ago. 2026. The open house is Hopefully this next week from 2:00pm-4:00pm at of rain and storms will 126 West Main Street in help ease the fire risk. Raymond. The ribbon And maybe some wind cutting ceremony will be will knock down a fence at 2:30pm. or two. The LIFT Center (or the magical play Be kind and sufplace as my children call fer well. L LLEGE to use their craft of writ- Writing and Rhetoric. He ing to tell stories and to is married to artist Blair share culture across Hobbs. diverse media and situa- The longest contions,” Melancon said. tinuous lectureship at “He masterfully puts MC, the Lipsey Lecture language to his promotes scholarship in Southern experience. the field of humanities to “We at MC inhab- stimulate intellectual it a space with both real curiosity and to allow and imagined particular- students a glimpse of the ities that, too, impact academic world outside who we are and how we of Mississippi College. live. Learning from Mr. The lecture series Edge can help us to sim- was established in 1971 ilarly give words to our as the Mississippi lived experiences here so College Humanities that we can more readily Lectureship. In 1974, share them with others.” the lectureship was Recipient of an renamed in honor of Sue honorary doctorate from Price Lipsey’s 28 years of Centenary College, win- service as an English ner of the nonfiction professor at MC. prize from the This year’s lecMississippi Institute of ture will also serve as Arts and Letters, and the launch event for the twice winner of the MFK merged Department of Fisher Distinguished English and World Writing Award, Edge is a Languages (formerly the fellow in the Georgia Department of English Writer’s Hall of Fame. At and Philosophy and the the University of Department of Modern Mississippi, he leads the Languages). development of the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency and serves as writer-in-residence for the Department of BEST! HAS S 1845! 01-783-2441 LMA-PA