“Katrina +10,” the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art’s multi-media exhibition marking the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, has its ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, with free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Jerry O’Keefe, the former Biloxi mayor who envisioned the beachfront museum, will cut the ribbon Saturday at 11 a.m., signaling the official opening of the six-month retrospective that features the award-winning work of the Sun Herald and WLOX, and the inspirational post-Katrina efforts of Mississippi Power, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, and Hands on Mississippi, representing hundreds of thousands of volunteers from across the country.
The exhibition – billed as “Katrina +10: You’ve seen the storm. Now see the recovery.” – is sponsored by Hancock Bank. Others providing support are Biloxi Regional Medical Center, C Spire and Walmart.
“K10” will be open daily and will feature nearly 50 special events over six months, including luncheons (“Hancock Bank Katrina Cafe”) with community leaders from across South Mississippi, panel discussions, community projects, and evening conversations with such key figures as former Gov. Haley Barbour, former Sen. Trent Lott, and award-winning journalist Kathleen Koch, a Bay St. Louis native and former CNN correspondent.
Today, on its opening day at the museum, the Hancock Bank Katrina café in the Ohr welcome center featured WLOX Meteorologist Carrie Duncan, who traced the origins of the monster storm until it made landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Each Friday, the museum will present community speakers in a luncheon forum, for $10, which includes lunch and entrance to the exhibits.
An audience of nearly 70 viewed the presentation and then toured the exhibits in two galleries (Mississippi Power in one, and WLOX and the Sun Herald in the other) and in two of the iconic beachfront pods (MDOT and Hands on Mississippi).
“We’re looking forward to big crowds on Saturday and through the weekend,” said Kevin O’Brien, executive director of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. “These exhibits are each special in their own way, and they’re not mired in the destruction of Katrina. They advance the story, from the destruction to the inspirational recovery that is still continuing to this day.
“Everyone has a Katrina story, and ‘K10’ is our collective Katrina story.”
See the Katrina +10 website
See photos on the K10 Facebook page
Elsewhere this weekend: CoastCon and more
CoastCon, the annual science-fiction-fantasy convention, takes place this weekend at the Coast Coliseum and Convention Center. You’ll also find weekend performances by Loretta Lynn, Elgelbert Humperdinck, Miranda Lambert, The Guess Who and Tracy Lawrence. There’s also the big home and garden show taking place at the Coliseum and Convention Center.
See the complete weekend lineup
Planning OKs downtown property revision
By Jerry Creel, Community Development Director
This week in economic development, the Biloxi Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve
the subdivision of a lot in the downtown area for a “to be announced” commercial development. The
approval recommendation will now go before the City Council for final consideration.
Also this week, the Development Review Committee reviewed the parameters of the proposed vacation
of right-of-way for a section of Anglada Street. This step will be necessary for the IP Casino to move forward with the next phase of their permanent parking lot to be located on the south side of Bayview Boulevard.
The building permit valuation for the week (so far) is $1.07 million. Sales tax revenues for the month of February were $829,121, which was a $73,087 increase over February 2014. The monthly revenue total was also the first February since 2007 to exceed $800,000.
News and notes
Webcasting: “City Desk” soundman and all-around showman William Sackett gives his take on “Katrina +10” and David Nichols speaks to other issues in this week’s webcast. To listen to the 13-minute program, click here.
City Council: The Biloxi City Council next week is scheduled to hear updates on MGM Park and the on-going infrastructure work in city. To see the complete agenda and supporting documents for the Council meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, click here.
DRC agenda: Three cases are on the Development Review Committee agenda for next week: two RV parks and a supply office. Â To read the agenda, click here.
