By By Penny Randall / staff writer
June 22, 2003
About 100 folks will board Amtrak on Tuesday heading to the 37th Annual National Council of Meridianites Convention and Picnic. Among those traveling to East Elmhurst, N.Y., will be Meridian native C.E. Otis Jr., president of the Meridian Council of Organizations.
He says this year's picnic in New York will help pave the way for next year's, which comes home to Meridian. In fact, preparations are already under way for the event, scheduled for June 23-25, 2004.
The yearly convention and picnic rotates sites between five regions.
Otis said the economic impact on Meridian is substantial. He expects more than 3,000 people to travel to Meridian next summer. Many of the events will be held at Highland Park and Howard Johnson's Convention Center.
Otis, a former teacher and principal in the Meridian Public School District, gives his thoughts on the event, a longtime tradition, in an editorial board interview coming Monday in The Meridian Star.