By Staff
Meridian Picnic to convene in St. Louis
The 35th Annual National Council of Meridianites Convention and Picnic better known as the Meridian Picnic will be held in St. Louis June 20-23.
The featured speaker this year will be Sidney L. Moore, a graduate of T.J. Harris High School, class of 49, and a native of Meridian.
A highlight of the picnic will be the 4th Annual National Council of Meridianites/Jacquelyn Sweetner Caffey Scholarship Foundation Luncheon, which is becoming the "centerpiece" of the convention.
The Foundation currently awards a $2,000 scholarship to the winner of its national essay contest. The 2000 scholarship recipient was Latasha R. Perrien, a graduate of Meridian High School, now studying psychology at Grambling State University.
The headquarters hotel will be the St. Louis Airport Marriott, I-70 at Lambert Airport; the picnic will be held at the Spanish Lake Park-Manny Broadway Shelter.
All cities carry and wear their special colors to the picnic. Meridian's colors are maroon and gold, the school colors of the former T.J. Harris High School-Junior College.
Singley attends dentistry session
Meridian dentist Dr. Dan H. Singley recently attended the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry's 17th Annual Scientific Session. The event, held in Boston May 22-27, featured some of the nation's most renowned speakers in the area of aesthetic dentistry.
Singley, a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, is also a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and holds memberships in the Southeastern Academy of Prosthodontics, the American Dental Association, the Mississippi Dental Association, the Third District Dental Society and Meridian Area Dental Society.
In addition to cosmetic and restorative dentistry, Singley is qualified in general and preventive dental care, dental implants and gum therapy.
Elks to meet in Meridian
The Mississippi State Association of Elks will hold its 77th annual state convention beginning Friday at Howard Johnson's in Meridian.
Registration will begin Friday at 4 p.m. The convention will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday with four full days of professional workshops and business sessions.
Youth programs include competitions in music and orations giving young members a chance to win scholarships. Other activities include a parade that will run from the Council of Organizations building to Metropolitan Lodge No. 551 located at 1423 34th Ave.
For more information, call Dave Carter at 483-7089 or Laura Jordan at 483-7848.
Dental society honors Lancaster
The Meridian Area Dental Society will make a donation to Relay for Life in memory of Dr. Leo Lancaster, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who served Meridian for more than 30 years. He died last year after a battle with cancer.
Silver Star honored
The Silver Star Hotel and Casino in Philadelphia received six awards in a recent Casino Player's 2001 "Best of Gaming" readers' survey. The annual "Best of Gaming" issue of Casino Player, which features all of these awards, comes out in the July.
Thousands of Casino Player readers voted for their favorites in many categories and Silver Star took first place in: Best Video Poker, Best Dealers, Best Gourmet Restaurant, Best Coffee Shop, Best Hotel Bar and Best Wine Bar/Wine List.
The Casino Player is a monthly magazine headquartered in Las Vegas. Silver Star at Pearl River Resort is owned and operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Not much rest for weary mayor
With his knuckles still sore from knocking on more than 12,000 doors, Mayor John Robert Smith has decided to take a few days off before beginning a three week summer course in government at Harvard University.
The day after his landslide reelection, Smith said he will head to New Orleans for a few days of relaxation before leaving Sunday to begin a course at the Kennedy School of Government.
Smith said he was selected as one of the 75 students from around the nation to attend the school, which allows public officials to interact with scholars from the university in problem solving techniques. He said he received a full scholarship to participate in the program, which normally costs $9,100.
Ben Alexander