Two seasonal events are coming up this weekend: Halloween at Hiller Park, and the award-winning cemetery tours at the old Biloxi City Cemetery.
Halloween at Hiller, which runs from 5:30 to 7:30 this evening, will feature a costume contest, hayrides and fire truck rides, trick or treating with local businesses, chidlren’s games and attractions, and capped with the dusk showing of the movie “Hotel Transylvania.” The entire event is free, but no outside food or ice chests are allowed since a concession stand will be operating.
On Sunday afternoon, the annual tour of the old Biloxi City Cemetery will showcase graveside re-enactments from some of Biloxi’s most colorful characters of yesteryear. The free, non-stop continuous tours take place Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and repeat again on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m.
This year, you’ll meet musician Raymond “Red” Egers, Greek immigrant and candymaker Leonidas Eleuterius, war hero Peter Ott, Biloxi zookeeper Joseph “Dinka” Lamas and Gladys Lamas, shrimper Thomas Schultz and Ophelia Schultz, impresario Walter “Skeet” Hunt, Slavic immigrant Nikola Skrmetta hoteliers Walter White and Cora Enochs White and former Biloxi Mayor Capt. John Walker.
See your weekend entertainment lineup
Meet ‘Skeet’ Hunt, Biloxi’s Mr. Mardi Gras
The irrepressible “Skeet” Hunt, a legendary Biloxi figure who guided Gulf Coast Carnival for generations and was one of the city’s original casino entrepreneurs back before gambling was legal in the area, comes to life in this week’s “City Desk” program. Hear his tale, along with news from Biloxi Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols, in this week’s webcast.
Listen to “City Desk” now
Upscale hotel in the works for Santa Maria
By Jerry Creel, Community Development Director
This week in economic development, the big news was the announcement that the old Santa Maria Del Mar senior housing structure on Beach Boulevard is being sold to the Barrington Group. The Barrington Group is the same developer who restored the White House Hotel. Possible uses proposed for the property include an upscale resort hotel. The existing structure is one of the remaining blighted buildings in Biloxi.
Also this week, the building construction plans were received for the new Hyatt Place Hotel to be located on Beach Boulevard, next to the Hampton Inn. The newly proposed hotel is designed to be 6 stories in height, and have 114 rooms. Additionally this week, we received building construction plans for a new medical office building and ambulatory surgical center for Dr. Michael Diaz, to be located on Tommy Munro Drive.
News and notes
City Council agenda: The Biloxi City Council meets on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. The agenda, which is expected online later this evening, will include measures involving board appointments and on-going infrastructure work. The agenda will be posted in the council agenda section of the city web site. To go there now, click here.
DRC agenda: The Development Review Committee, which oversees new development in the city, has one case on its agenda next week. A business on Iberville Drive is adding U-haul service. To see the DRC agenda, click here.
Trees in the ground: Mississippi Power Co. volunteers planted five oaks and helped spruce up the campus at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art today. To see dozens of photos about the ongoing Ohr project on the city’s Facebook page, click here. To find out why Mississippi Power Co. was involved, click here.
