Are you a finalist or winner? Need more information about the virtual awards ceremony? Email kimberly@ jacksonfreepress.com or call 601-362-6121 ext 11. 19 th annual
Best Arts Organization, Best Place to Get Married: Mississippi Museum of Art
Best Festival, Best Annual Event: Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade and Festival
With its series of constantly rotating exhibits and a substantial permanent collection, the Mississippi Museum of Art offers something for fans of nearly every artistic medium and period. For Director of Marketing Jana Brady, these varied stylings foster MMA’s aim: conversation. “Our hope for the local community is that you can see and experience art where you normally wouldn’t and to create a place where you can have comfortable conversations about art and about Mississippi’s past, present and future,” Brady says. This sense of comfort and familiarity have led many Mississippians to choose the museum as their wedding venue, and Brady believes that the space lends itself to such a choice. “The museum offers a wedding experience like no other,” Brady remarks. “There’s a beautiful indoor and outdoor space, and we have rotating collections, so they have their own entertainment by having (their wedding) at the museum.” Anyone who married at the museum during 2020 had the special privilege of having works from masters Van Gogh, Monet and Degas on display nearby in the galleries for their special occasion, as the museum has played host to an exhibit featuring the European artists and their contemporaries. The museum’s exhibits are open to visitors and members alike, with certain hours designated as “senior hours” to offset COVID-19 concerns. —Taylor McKay Hathorn
Thirty-seven years ago, Malcolm White and a group of his friends dressed as characters from various media—he was Colonel Sanders—to parade through Jackson’s streets. But what originally started out as lighthearted fun has now grown into one of Jackson’s most unique cultural events, now named after White’s late brother, Hal, who was an ardent supporter of the yearly festival. As the years went by, parade participants formalized into krewes, with many groups getting together every year to plan around that year’s theme or around an original idea they may have that they believe will contribute to the merriment. Described by parade enthusiasts as Mississippi’s “green Mardi Gras,” the event begins at Hal and Mal’s, circling past the Old Capitol Museum, the Governor’s Mansion and the Westin Hotel en route back to its starting point. This mid-Jackson celebration of the good work of UMMC’s Children’s of Mississippi hospital features Mississippi blues singers, along with a hearty helping of New Orleans-style brass music, which provides a soundtrack for the after-parties that continue long into the night. Although White cancelled the 2020 parade due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, plans for the 2021 parade are in full swing, with parade organizers planning to retain the previous theme: “Here’s Looking at RUDE, Kid” if they receive permission from the city, which is still pending. The upcoming parade will also feature last year’s grand marshal, Trace Alston, and is slated to take place on the fourth Saturday of March, with the usual 70,000-plus revelers expected to join in the fun. —Taylor McKay Hathorn
(380 S. Lamar St., 601-960-1515, msmuseumart.org)
Best Festival Finalists Bright Lights Belhaven Nights (August, brightlightsbelhavennights.com) / Cathead Jam (May, catheadjam.com) / CelticFest Mississippi (March, celticfestms.org) / Farish Street Heritage Festival (October, farishstreetheritagefestival.com) / Mississippi Anime Festival (March, msanimefest.com) / Mississippi Craft Beer Festival (June, fondren.org)
Best Place to Get Married Finalists Bridlewood of Madison (3024 Highway 22, Madison, 601-707-4024, thebarnatbridlewood. com) / The Cedars (4145 Old Canton Road, 601-366-5552) / Fairview Inn (734 Fairview St., 601-948-3429, fairviewinn.com) / First Baptist Church Jackson (431 N. State St., 601949-1900, firstbaptistjackson.org) / Ice House (251 W. South St., 601-398-3200, icehousevenue.com) / McClain Lodge (314 Clark Creek Road, Brandon, 601-829-1101, mcclain.ms)
Best Annual Event Finalists Bright Lights Belhaven Nights (August, brightlightsbelhavennights.com) / Cathead Jam (May, catheadjam.com) / Jackson Indie Music Week (January, jxnindiemusic.com) / Mississippi Comic Con (June, mississippicomiccon.com) / Mistletoe Marketplace (November, mistletoemarketplace.com)”601-362-9676, jacksonacademy.org)
(5406 Interstate 55, 601-9771001, balletmagnificat.com)
Founded in 1986 by husband-andwife team Keith and Kathy Thibodeaux, Ballet Magnificat! is an arts organization dedicated to celebrating the word of God through dance. The inter-denominational Protestant ministry tours the world as the first professional Christian ballet company. Ballet Magnificat’s School of the Arts offers dance classes for students as young as 3 years old through adult ages. Magnificat! Youth Ballet and MiniMag! often perform at local nursing homes, schools and churches, and the Sum-
mer Dance Intensive and Teachers Workshop bring hundreds of students from around the world to Jackson for a unique technical and spiritual experience. Ballet Magnificat! also started the Dance Program at Belhaven University, providing curriculum, faculty and facilities; it has now grown into a full Dance Major program accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance. The studio also helped Belhaven University start the school’s dance program. Most recently, the company has added Ballet Magnificat! Brazil, headquartered in Curitiba, which includes a trainee program and a performance company, and
COURTESY BALLET MAGNIFICAT!
February 3 - March 2, 2021 • jfp.ms
KRISTIN BRENEMEN
TRIP BURNS / FILE PHOTO
Best Arts Organization Finalists HeARTworks (1100 W. Capitol St., 601-353-2759, stewpot.org) / Mississippi Arts Commission (501 N. West St., Suite 1101A, 601-359-6030, arts.ms.gov) / Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (201 E. Pascagoula St., 601-960-1565, msorchestra.com) / New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St., 601-948-3533, newstagetheatre.com)
Best Dance Group: Ballet Magnificat!
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(March, halsstpaddysparade.com)
dancers from all over South and Central America proudly proclaim God’s word. “Our hearts’ desire … is to be faithful to our lord Jesus Christ and go where He wants us to go,” Keith says. —Michele D. Baker
Finalists: Dance Works Studio (1104 E. Northside Drive, Clinton, 601-720-1885, dwsms. com) / Dancing Dolls (1410 Ellis Ave., 770265-1111, dollhousedancefactory.com) / Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet (110 Homestead Drive, Madison; 601-853-4508; 106 Autumn Ridge Place, Suite 3 & 4, Brandon; 601-9929016; msmetroballet.com) / Montage Theatre of Dance (608 Hinds Blvd., Raymond, 601857-3460, hindscc.edu) / Prancing J-Settes (1400 John R. Lynch St., 601-979-2026, sonicboomofthesouth.com) / Xpress Dance Company (2160 Main St., Suite D, Madison; 601-853-0826; 155 W. Government St., Brandon; 601-954-6268; xdance.net)
