I have long wanted to make an extended visit to Meridian. In college, I spent the majority of a day photographing modern works of architecture throughout the city as part of an exhibition that we created featuring modern architecture in Mississippi. The three-foot building was still a hope and a dream, as was the Meridian Police Department building. But City Hall had just been renovated, and word was circulating about the upcoming MAX. Since then, I had only ever stopped at Chick-fil-A on my way through or looped through downtown – if I had some extra time – to see if much had changed.

But this trip to Meridian (and Decatur and Newton) has convinced me that Meridian is a top weekend getaway for me. There is so much happening in Meridian and so much to do!

So, picking up where we left off from the trip to Decatur and Newton, I joined Ada and Mike McGrevey for dinner with MAC Commissioner Julie Martin, her husband Bruce, and their longtime friend, Representative Charles Charles Young Jr., at Weidmann’s. The food was spectacular, and the conversation was even beyond that. They made me feel like an honorary Meridian local. Afterward, I dropped my things in my room at the newly renovated and breathtaking Three-Foot Hotel and joined Julie, Bruce, and Chuck for some time at The Boxcar rooftop bar at the hotel. It was wonderful because Bruce, Chuck, and I could look over downtown and dream about the city’s future. But soon, it was time to turn in because it had been quite the whirlwind of a day.

I joined Ada and Mike for breakfast at the restaurant within the Three Foot Hotel – delicious! For the day’s visits, I began at the Jimmy Rodgers Museum, run by MAC Teaching Roster Artist Leslie Lee. Leslie graciously met me in the morning despite it starting in the middle of the Jimmy Rodgers Festival festivities – which she also oversees. But this temporary home for the museum was delightful. Small but mighty and primed for a more permanent home when the time comes. One of the items in their collection is the Jimmy Rodgers guitar – the most valuable guitar in the world.

Next, I stepped into the lobby of the MSU Riley Center. I recorded a video clip of encouragement to send to Edward Wilson, who was announced to move on to the finals for the National Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington, D.C. – and went on to place 2nd!

The Riley Center was as stunning as I remembered (I once saw Jars of Clay perform here while I was in college). I joined my Meridian hosts with the most, Carra Purvis and Kayla Fuentes of the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, for the tour. Carra and Kayla rolled out the red carpet for me in Meridian and had every single thing thought of for me to experience and see. But it was great to see all the parts of the facility, learn all about the varieties of wallpaper, and experience it through the lens of now having run a performing arts center in my career. The details were remarkable, and the wallpaper could have had its own reality TV show, to be honest. There are somewhere between 20 and 30 unique designs, and one of them had to be hand-stenciled! And, do y’all have your own theories about who the woman painted on the curtain is?

After the tour of the Riley, I walked a few blocks over to the Meridian Museum of Art to visit with Kate Cherry. Kate oversees the wonderful museum, which is also home to the public art entity for the city, and had the Dolly mural commissioned in Philadelphia. Dolly and Martin unveiled the mural and sang an impromptu version of “Wildflowers” there on the spot. What a moment! Great work by Kate and her team’s efforts to bring dynamic public art to our communities!

Kate and I joined Sharon Pratt (long-time arts supporter and board member to just about every arts organization around – simply put a legend) and Tim Allred (Board President for the Museum, local contractor, and an artist himself!) for lunch at Weidmann’s, where we saw Bruce again, naturally. Over lunch, we discussed lots of great ideas for the Museum and its future.

Once we finished lunch, Kate showed me some of the murals they had commissioned downtown before I headed to a meeting at the Mississippi Children’s Museum – Meridian Campus. I met with Senator Jeff Tate and Greg Hatcher, Executive Director of Soule Steam Works, to discuss ways that the museum might be able to apply for our grants. After our meeting, I was able to tour the wonderful Children’s Museum, which is right on par with the level of excellence of the one here in Jackson – definitely worth the visit if you have kids. We headed to the Soule from there to tour its facilities, which not only showcase Mississippi’s industrial heritage but also are home to wonderful special events for organizations like the Meridian Symphony Orchestra for their UnTuxed Series.

After a long day of engagements and meetings, I was able to reset before joining some of the crew from the day for dinner.

On my second day, I began with some sweet treats from Lee’s Donuts and made my way to the Meridian Little Theatre (also a site for the Untuxed Series). Tiffany McGehee, Stacey Hutcheson, and Sidney Covington toured me through the theatre, and we discussed ways they are re-evaluating their auditions, as well as the response they have seen from new members of the community joined productions as a way to connect post-pandemic.

I headed back downtown to meet up with Carra, Kayla, and Zena for a TROLLEY RIDE! The Meridian Symphony Orchestra team had worked their magic to arrange for Mr. Glenn, the trolley operator, to pick us up and drive us around downtown and throughout town. Several other arts community members joined us along the way. We went to the gravesite of the Queen of the Gypsies, drove down almost every street downtown, made a stop at Merrehope, and peeked our heads in at the carousel before dropping Carra and me off for lunch at Jean’s.

At Jean’s, Carra and I met up with Mark Tullos, former Executive Director of the MAX (Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience), and Laura Hester, current interim executive director of the MAX. You really can’t beat a good blue plate in Mississippi.

After lunch, we walked to the MAX to get the official tour. I had yet to visit the MAX and was blown away at the cutting-edge technologies implemented to bring the story of Mississippi in the arts to life. They place visitors right into the heart of the creative process on every level – from pottery to painting to cooking to recording music.

My final stop was the legendary Temple Theatre with a tour from the owner, Roger Smith. Although it is rough around the edges, the Temple is a stunning historic ornate theatre that has a world of possibility awaiting its front doors.

And with that, it was time to head home. The trip to Meridian really opened my eyes to the breadth of offerings that the city has, not only for its citizens but also for visitors. Meridian is a must-do weekend trip for every Mississippian. There is something for everyone to enjoy. And so much of that revival and renaissance is driven by the local arts community that has invested in the vision for a vibrant and active downtown while supporting and uplifting the communities and assets throughout the whole city.

Next stop: Rolling Fork, MS!