Marathon, Smith Family in town this weekend

The inaugural Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon, spanning from Henderson Point to MGM Park, takes place Saturday, after a whirlwind of activities this evening, and, meantime over on Lee Street, you’ll find “A Smith Family Christmas,” helping usher in the holiday at Biloxi Little Theater. The two events highlight this weekend’s entertainment lineup.

Events connected to the marathon actually began this morning with the opening of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon Expo at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center. The expo, open to the public, runs through 7 this evening and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

But the big deal, of course, is the marathon itself. The athletic activities take place throughout the weekend with a poker and beer mile run this evening  in Bay St. Louis, 5K and kids marathon on Saturday in Biloxi beginning and ending at the Point Cadet Plaza, and a half and full marathon on Sunday.  The full marathon’s route will run from Henderson Point in Pass Christian to the MGM Park in Biloxi and the half will go from Jones Park in Gulfport to the MGM Park in Biloxi.

Registration for all athletic events is open online on the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon website and late registration will be available at the expo unless the race sells out.

Now, about the Smith family at BLT: Theater President Leonie Johnston expects a capacity crowd for the family holiday musical, which begins at 3 p.m.  Theater traffic should approve the theater from the south end of Lee Street to avoid road construction at Lee and Division.  The theater, by the way, will be showing off its newly paved parking lot. For Smith Family ticket information, click here.

Elsewhere this weekend: Lonestar performs at the IP Casino Resort & Spa, Martina McBride will be at the Beau Rivage, and you’ll find professional bullriders at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
Visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon website
Read how the event caught Forbes’s attention 
See a complete lineup of weekend events

 

Youngsters can learn with Santa on Saturday

Biloxi Excel by 5 will host its annual holiday event, “Come Learn with Santa,” Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon at Lopez School 140 St. John Ave. and the

Santa Claus will be on site to take pictures, read and sing with children up to age 5.  Holiday craft making will also be part of the Christmas event.  

“Come Learn with Santa” is a free event, sponsored by Biloxi Excel by 5, the City of Biloxi, Biloxi Public Schools, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, and IP Casino Resort Spa.
See the flyer
See a complete list of holiday events in Biloxi

 

News and notes

Weekend work: Contractors on two city projects — Oscar Renda Contracting on east Biloxi infrastructure and subcontractor Ruiz Solutions on the Holly Bluff-Cedar Lake sewer work — plan to work this weekend to catch up from delays caused by rain earlier this week. To see the Traffic Update column, a look at roadwork citywide, click here.

Forrest Avenue paving: Oscar Renda Contracting, the contractor on the massive east Biloxi infrastructure project — paid for temporary paving on the west side of Forrest Avenue today, to correct damage caused by the rains earlier this week. The new paving, which covers southbound lanes, is from Bayview Avenue to south of Division Street and includes the heavily traveled Keesler gate at Meadows Drive. To see photos the paving work, click here.

Council agenda: The Biloxi City Council faces and agenda of 16 measures and 12 code enforcement cases when its meets Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Among the measures: formal approval of the existing ward lines for the 2017 municipal elections, approving an engineering firm for the new Keesler gate, and approving tax-increment financing to fund the road into the Walmart  Neighborhood Market on Popp’s Ferry Road. To read the agenda and supporting documents, click here.

Podcasting: You’ll hear a review of the city’s big Christmas on the Water weekend and an update on a host of other city issues in this week’s City Desk podcast. To listen to the program, click here.

Streets and baseball: The city’s Public Affairs manager appears on “WLOX News This Week” to discuss the infrastructure work in east Biloxi and the issues surrounding the city’s lawsuit with Biloxi Baseball and Overtime Sports. The program airs Sunday morning at 8:30 on WLOX ABC.