The 2016 Preservation in May program will have a bonus presentation this evening to help launch this weekend’s 87th annual Biloxi Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet.
The bonus event, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Sinking of the Emma Harvey, will begin at 5 p.m. at the St. Michael Parish Life Center, adjacent to St. Michael Catholic Church, 177 First St. The program will tell the story of Capt. George Duggan and his crew, who were lost at sea during the 1916 shrimping season. The account of the Emma Harvey was first showcased at the 2011 Biloxi Cemetery tour. The program will focus on the tragedy and the Hurricane of 1916.
“Back then, we did not have radar or television to inform us and update us of the hourly weather like we do now,” said Downtown Services Assistant Laurie Rosetti, who helped organize tonight’s program. “It was beautiful in Biloxi when the crew left but by night, a hurricane was in the area.”
The crew departed Back Bay on a shrimping trip to Chandeleur Island on the morning of July 4, 1916. By afternoon, a Category 3 hurricane hit the area, claiming the lives of the captain and crew. A 39-day search ensued, ending in Santa Rosa, Fla. where the Emma Harvey was found capsized, with no sign of the crew.
Tonight’s program will feature local historian Edmond Boudreaux and cultural heritage boards created by the shrimp queen pageant contestants. A Mass will be celebrated in memory of local fishermen, including the crew of the Emma Harvey, who have been lost at sea. The Mass is actually the first event of the 87th annual Biloxi Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet, which continues with the Fais-Do-Do at Point Cadet on Saturday and the actual Blessing of the Fleet south of the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor on Sunday afternoon.
See the flyer
See information about Blessing of the Fleet
News and notes
Sports Hall of Fame nominations reminder: Nominations are being accepted throughout the month of June for the Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame. The nomination deadline is 4:30 p.m., Thursday, June 30. For details and to print an nomination form, click here.
Bingo Night: The Friends of Hiller Park holds another Bingo Night fundraiser on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Biloxi Elks Lodge on U.S. 90. Players must be must be at least 18 years old. To see more information, click here.
