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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

BBQ on the Boulevard, Oct. 7, Clinton Plaza Shopping Center (224 Clinton Blvd., Clinton)

If you love barbecue, this is the event for you. Churches, organizations, businesses and restaurants will compete to see who makes the best barbecue in town. The event, which is $5, will also have live music and children’s activities. BBQ on the Boulevard is Saturday, Oct. 7, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit mainstreetclintonms.com.

Burgers & Blues Stands With Ashley Lewis, Oct. 7, Burgers & Blues (1060 E. County Line Road, Ridgeland)

Cancer treatment is expensive, but having a community behind you can help. Burgers & Blues General Manager Ashley Lewis is undergoing chemotherapy for stage 3 breast cancer, so the restaurant is throwing a fundraising event to aid her and her family in the expenses. The event, which is from noon to 9 p.m., will have a hot dog-eating contest, cornhole tournament, music, silent auction, raffles and more. For more information, find the event on Facebook.

An Evening in Tuscany, Oct. 8, The Chapel at Livingston (116 Livingston Church Road, Flora)

The Mississippi Opera Guild’s latest fundraiser combines celebrity sightings and fine dining. “An Evening in Tuscany” features dinner from County Seat head chef Jeremy Enfinger and Katie Dixon, who was a finalist on season seven of Food Network’s “MasterChef.” Dixon also recently opened her own restaurant, The Birdhouse Cafe, in Hattiesburg. The event is $150 per person, and includes a silent auction, wine bar and live entertainment. For more information, visit msopera.org.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.