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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.

It’s July, folks, which means that summer is already well on its way. So grab your friends, a breeze-inducing fan (or two), some tasty food and ice-cold libations to reclaim your backyard for a mod, urban grill-out. Because, who are we kidding? There’s no way to escape the heat so why not just embrace it? In the summer, in the city…

[Click on photos below to view slide show of shopping guide.]

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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.