Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Delta State's Delta Music Institute holds ribbon cutting ceremony

As a part of Delta State University’s Delta Music Institute grand opening weekend, an official ribbon cutting ceremony was held Sunday, March 9, at the front of the Whitfield Building on the campus.

Pictured are, from left, Malcolm White, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, Hartley Peavey, founder and CEO of Meridian-based Peavey Electronics Corporation, Fred Carl, founder and CEO of Viking Range Corp., Tricia Walker, director of Delta Music Institute, Mary Peavey, Dr. John Hilpert, president of Delta State University; Eddie Willis (background) campus minister of Wesley Foundation; Bill Luckett of Rock River Foundation; Dr. L. Stacy Davidson, Jr., Board Member, Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning; and Judson Thigpen, executive director of Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce and president of DSU Foundation Board. Not pictured: Marsha Bryan, who with husband George are major donors to the Delta Music Institute.

 

The Delta Music Institute began with a generous donation by Fred Carl of the Viking Range Corporation in 2003. The focus of the DMI is to provide students with a broad and thorough education in the technological, business, and creative areas of the music industry.

 

Students in the DMI program pursue career aspirations through an innovative Interdisciplinary Studies degree, allowing them to combine two or three concentrations of study. The result is a broad entrepreneurial approach to the music and entertainment industries.

 

 

 

 

 

Delta Literary Tour 2009

The Mississippi Delta Literary Tour, set for March 22-26, will again travel across the Delta countryside exploring the region's rich literary, culinary, and musical heritage. Visit this McCormick's Book Inn website for a complete schedule. Some of the scheduled events are open to the public. http://www.mccormickbookinn.com/delta_lit_tour_2009.htm

Monday, March 9, 2009

Willie King, RIP

Bluesman Willie King has passed away from a heart attack at 66. Scott Barretta shares some memories at ://www.highway61radio.com/ .

Highway 61 South Blues Trail Marker Ceremony

The Mississippi Blues Trail Marker Ceremony for Highway 61 South will take place on Thursday, March 12, 2009. At 11:00 a.m., MDA Tourism Heritage Trails Program, the Mississippi Blues Commission, and the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau will conduct the ceremony. Email info@indianolablues.org if a map is needed.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Thacker Mountain Radio Show to broadcast live from the DMI studio at Delta State

The acclaimed Thacker Mountain Radio Show will be broadcast live from DMI Studio A in the Whitfield Building this Saturday, March 7 at 3 pm. on the Delta State University campus.

The public is invited to come be a part of the studio audience for this free event to help celebrate the Grand Opening of Delta Music Institute.

Pictured in Studio A are Delta musician Duff Dorrough, Viking Hospitality Group President Carol Puckett, DMI Director Tricia Walker, and Thacker Mountain Radio Producer Carol Mockbee.

 

Delta State's Delta Center to host Gear Up Delta Heritage camps during the summer

Rising eighth graders across Mississippi will have the opportunity to discover the rich heritage of the Mississippi Delta during a series of camps at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS this summer.

 

The Mississippi Delta Arts & Heritage Summer Experience, now in its fifth year, combines heritage workshops and arts instruction to increase awareness of the Delta’s history and culture among youth.  The program is divided into three residential camps, each serving 20 students and exploring a different aspect of the Delta: the Blues, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Mississippi River.

 

Delta State’s Delta Center for Culture and Learning received a $25,000 grant from Gear Up Mississippi to run the camps.  The arts component of the camp is led by Camp Director Pat Brown, who also teaches in the Delta State Art Department.

 

The first camp session will be May 31 to June 5. Campers will immerse themselves in issues related to the Mississippi River.  They will visit the Tunica River Park, learn about the Flood of 1927, and get a taste of local ethnic cuisines and construct exciting art projects.

 

The second camp will take place June 21 to June 26, and will focus on the Blues.  Campers will experience live performances by local musicians as well as visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola and the Highway 61 Blues Museum in Leland. Campers will learn about how the Blues grew out of the Mississippi Delta.

 

The third camp, which will examine civil rights issues, is scheduled for June 28 to July 3.  The week will include a fieldtrip to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis as well as an intensive focus on local events and leaders of the grassroots movement in the Delta.

 

Participants must attend schools sponsored by Gear Up Mississippi.  A division of the Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning, Gear Up promotes higher education to students in low-income school districts throughout the state.

 

For more information, contact the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at (662) 846-4311 or e-mail LaKendra V. Jones at ljones@deltastate.edu.