Published: September 10, 2008 11:15 pm      

Merry Meridian to feature six days of holiday events

Six days of holiday merriment – including a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, a live nativity play, music and other traditions of the season – will make this year's Merry Meridian the largest holiday celebration in East Mississippi.

Presented by the Meridian Downtown Association, the holiday celebration will be held over a six-day period, beginning Nov. 20 and continuing Dec. 2, 4-7 in downtown Meridian.

"This year promises to be a great one for Merry Meridian," said Stacy Davis, chairman, at Tuesday's press conference at Dumont Plaza.

"This is absolutely the best time to bring your family to Meridian's historic downtown and enjoy the ambiance of the holiday season," Davis said.

"An Old Fashion Christmas" is the theme for the downtown festivities which, according to organizers "officially usher in the holiday season," with each event building toward a celebration with the Merry Meridian Market and Christmas Parade. An added bonus this year will be performances of Meridian Little Theatre's "A Christmas Carol," the Temple Theater's "Great Russian Nutcracker Ballet," Meridian Symphony Orchestra's "Many Moods of Christmas" and "The Tillis Family Christmas" at the MSU Riley Center.

Kicking off the six-day holiday event will be Merrehope's 40th Annual Trees of Christmas Anniversary Event on Nov. 20. Presented by the Meridian Restorations Foundation at Meridian's only remaining antebellum home, the tour highlights a series of trees decorated in various themes.

Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be available, and carolers will fill the mansion with the sounds of the holidays. Merrehope is located at 905 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. For more information, call (601) 483-8439.

On Dec. 2 the city of Meridian will host its traditional tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at Dumont Plaza. In addition to the sounds of the season performed by revelers singing holiday carols, a live nativity play will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the plaza. The play will highlight the nativity story featuring a variety of scenes, church choirs and musical ensembles.

"This is an event you will not want to miss," said Michelle Pearson, a Merry Meridian coordinator. "The whole family will thoroughly enjoy it."

Immediately after the pay, a community-wide church service will be held. On Dec. 4, Meridian Little Theatre will kick off a series of performances of the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol." Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith will once again star as the selfish and miserly protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge. Shows will be presented Dec. 4-10 at the Highway 39 North playhouse. For information, call (601) 482-6371.

The Miss Merry Meridian Pageant will be held Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Family Life Center at Highland Baptist Church. In addition to being featured in the holiday parade, the winner also will be the official spokesperson for Merry Meridian 2009. For more information and applications, visit the Web site www.meridiandowntown.com or call Lorie Anderson and Connie Joyner at (601) 616-8980.

On Dec. 5 at 8 p.m., the Meridian Symphony Orchestra will present "Many Moods of Christmas," at the MSU Riley Center.

Several events and activities are slated for Dec. 6, the final day of Merry Meridian. Beginning that morning at 8:30, the 5K Jingle Bell Run is scheduled. The event will include hundreds of Meridian athletes competing in the 5K run through downtown. The day will kick off at 8 a.m. with a 1-mile fun run for children. For more information, call Melissa Estes at (601) 479-0888.

And from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., one of the main highlights of the holiday extravaganza will be the Merry Meridian Market at Dumont Plaza. The market will feature outdoor holiday shopping, entertainment from a variety of local talent, kids' activities, food, Christmas goodies and more. More than 100 vendors from across the Southeastern United States will be on site.

"There will be all types of vending, all types of businesses, crafts, food and more," Davis said. "There will be an array of unique items for sale – holiday and home decor, gift ideas, art, clothing, toys, jewelry and so much more."

In addition to holiday shopping, there also will be a Children's Playground and "plenty to do all day long during the event," she said.

And to make sure the men don't feel left out, a Big Boy Toyland will be set up from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Showcasing the year's newest designs in autos, golf equipment, ATVs, RVs, motorcycles, entertainment, recliners and hunting and fishing, the toyland also will feature hunting and fishing demonstrations, prize giveaways and the latest models of trucks and cars on display.

"If you are looking for a perfect gift for the man in your life, this is absolutely the place to be," said Pearson. For more information or to be a vendor, call Pearson at (601) 482-6699.

A Downtown Merchants' Holiday Open House, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., will feature several downtown retail stores – decked out for the holidays and offering special incentives on unique gift ideas.

"There will be prizes, refreshments and entertainment during the evening," John Few, coordinator said. "It will be a great opportunity to experience downtown shopping at its best."

In addition, several stores will participate in a holiday window display contest, and a student art exhibit will be held in many of the windows of downtown's office buildings. For more information, contact Few at (601) 357-0653. For information about the window display exhibits, contact Pearson at (601) 482-6699. An unveiling of the exhibit will be held Dec. 2 at 7 p.m

At 3 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Moscow Ballet's "Great Russian Nutcracker" will return to the Temple Theater stage. In addition to its award-winning corps of dancers, the "Nutcracker" also will feature Meridian youth dancing alongside the Moscow cast. As part of its outreach program "Celebrate Children: The Arts Can Make a Difference," the ballet auditions children from each city where they perform. Sixty children from Meridian and the surrounding communities will be featured in the performance. For information, call the Temple Theater at (601) 693-5353.

Concluding the day's Merry Meridian activities will be the annual Christmas Parade featuring well-known TV personality Walt Grayson as the 2008 Grand Marshal.

"We're very pleased, excited and fortunate to have Walt Grayson as our Grand Marshall," said Jeremy Campbell, coordinator. "Walt was born and raised in the Delta, started in radio and has been entertaining Mississippians with his program 'Look Around Mississippi' on WLBT-TV in Jackson."

Beginning at 5 p.m., the parade will feature 150 entries, many lighted, winding through downtown Meridian, Campbell said. The entry for the parade is $30. For more information, contact Campbell at (601) 482-8001 or visit the Web site www.meridiandowntown.com

Continuing the holiday fest will be country music sensations Mel Tillis and Pam Tillis in "A Tillis Family Christmas" on Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., at the MSU Riley Center. The Tillises have celebrated Christmas on stage, individually and as a family, for more than 20 years. Former Entertainer of the Year, award-winning comedian, Hall of Fame songwriter and sometimes movie star Mel Tillis and his two-time Grammy award-winning daughter, Pam, are guaranteed to present a night of fun and poignancy – from the silly to the sacred.

Mel will release his first Christmas album, titled "Snowflake," and Pam will showcase songs from her 2007 Christmas release, "Just In Time for Christmas," along with their chart-topping country hits. Joining them on stage will be Pam's brother, Mel Tillis Jr., and baby sister, Carrie April Tillis. Mel Jr. has written songs for Ricky Skaggs, Reba McEntire and others, including a No. 1 hit by Jamie O'Neal. For information, call (601) 696-2200 or go to the Web site www.msurileycenter.com

And Dec. 11-13, Highland Baptist Church will present the annual Singing Christmas Tree. Now in its 24th year, The Singing Christmas Tree features more than 75 voices together in song, accompanied by a full orchestra and actors.

The choir will stand inside a 35-fot steel lighted Christmas Tree that stretches across the sanctuary. Assembled each year by church members, the tree is decorated with more than 2,000 twinkling lights, red velvet bows, garland, golden jeweled finials and gold, red and purple glass balls. Four thousand feet of wiring and 13,000 watts of electricity is required for the lighting of the 21,000-pound structure. Tickets are free. For more information, call (601) 482-0191 or visit the Web site www.highlandbaptist.net.