Page 84 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2021

Gulfport’s
URBAN MAIN STREET
Gulfport’s Urban Main Street is planning for a busy year ahead! We have been working with our community leaders and our volunteer board members to regenerate activities in the Gulfport Main Street District. We support a mixed-use environment, with special events, retail, residential, and commercial entities all in one district.
We welcomed the Historic Quarters into our community district in late November 2020. This area extends from 17th
Street to 22nd Street, 29th Avenue to 35th Avenue. We are eager to be part of the rejuvenation to this area. The great community spirit of the Historic Quarters has made this area into the viable community it is today, and we are excited to see what the future brings!
We are celebrating Gulfport’s Big Weekend of events beginning Friday, October 1, starting with food, fun, and bright lights! Produced by Mississippi Aquarium, the Hancock Whitney Sea of Stars will feature 500 drones launched over Jones Park. Choreographed to
a soundtrack of classic and modern favorites, the night sky will be lit with
three-dimensional displays. The evening culminates with a brilliant firework show at 8 p.m.
Attendees can purchase food from one of 20 food trucks lining Jones Park, presented by the Gulfport Chamber
of Commerce. Food truck vendors will open at 5 p.m. and be accompanied by live music. Admission to the Jones Park event is free for families, groups, and individuals. We encourage everyone to bring blankets and lawn chairs to watch the show.
Gulfport Main Street Association
is bringing back View the Cruise®, celebrating our 12th anniversary with two fun-filled days in downtown Gulfport. On Saturday, October 2, we’ll kick off the weekend with the Cardboard Cruiser Parade at 4 p.m., where we’ll watch our cute mini-cruisers show off their skills in creating cardboard cruisers of their own!
Saturday evening beginning at 7 p.m., attendees are invited to join a FREE concert on the big stage featuring Amanda Shaw & The Cute Guys, and Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters! Both events can be found at 14th Street
and 28th Avenue in Downtown Gulfport. Sunday morning brings a brand-new
event Cruising for Christ at 9 a.m.
at the Barksdale Pavilion in Jones Park. This non-denominational church service is being produced by the First United Methodist Church. Everyone is invited to attend this wonderful new event!
And we’ll wrap up the weekend Sunday, October 3, with classic cars filling downtown Gulfport, vying for that just-right parking spot to show off their show-stopping cars. The day will be filled with music, great food from our many restaurants, arts and crafts vendors, and the gathering of old and new friends. Admission is free to all of Gulfport Main Street’s events on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information, contact Laurie Toups at 228.236.6724 or ltoups@ gulfport-ms.gov.
story and photo courtesy of
Gulfport Main Street
84 | August 2021
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