Page 28 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2019

COASTNOTES
GULF COAST HEART WALK
story by Lynn Lofton
photo courtesy of Gulf Coast Heart Walk
story by Lynn Lofton
The downtown streets of Ocean Springs will be filled with music September 19-22 with the Mississippi Songwriters Festival. It began in 2010 under the direction of the non-profit Mississippi Songwriters Alliance and has grown each year. The festival will kick off at the Mary C. Center September 19 at 7 p.m. with a songs
and stories night. Performers will entertain throughout the weekend at various venues in Ocean Springs and Gautier.
“Mississippi has a strong songwriting base and there wasn’t a festival here,” says Alliance President George Cumbest. “We have a lot of Grammy winners who start here.”
Well known songwriter Paul Overstreet will be inducted into the Mississippi Songwriters Hall of Fame, a new festival feature this year.
Tricia Walker, former director of the Grammy Museum in Cleveland, Mississippi, will be the official educator of the festival.
“We expect 3,000 plus to attend, including several industry people such as publishers and producers,” Cumbest said. “It’s a good time to network, and we’ve had several members get work this way.”
With the Ambassadors Program, Alliance members visit local schools to speak with students about music. “We want to keep the music culture alive,” Cumbest said, “and our members donate their time to do this.”
228.217.0155 or 601.766.5300 | www.mssongwritersfestival.com
28 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • September 2019
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The Gulf Coast Heart Walk, an event to benefit the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association, will take place September 28 beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Jones Park in Gulfport. Approximately 2,000 participants are expected.
Chairing this year’s event is Anthony Wilson, president and CEO of Mississippi Power. Sponsors include Mississippi Power; Keesler Federal Credit Union; Blacklidge Emulsions; Memorial Hospital at Gulfport; Encompass Health; Hancock Whitney Bank; The Port
of Gulfport; AnderCorp; Balch and Bingham; Bancorp South; BXS Insurance; Coast Electric Power Association; DSV; Machado Patano; Merit Health; Yates Construction; Alpha Media; and WLOX.
“Your participation can have a profound impact in ensuring the American Heart Association is able to fund scientific innovation, medical treatments, community programs and education that will save lives,” Wilson said. “The momentum and excitement for this major event continues to build.”
Last year’s walk raised $340,000 and this year’s goal is $375,000. Through events such as this, the Heart Association strives to reach its impact goal: By 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent, while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent.
228.604.5308 jessica.bilotta@heart.org www.gulfcoastheartwalk.org