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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.

The fair’s here! Get ready to ride these fantastic attractions.

County Line Road Bumper Cars

Inhale exhaust fumes and be late for work as you take a wild ride through a dystopian wasteland of dead and dying chain retail stores.

The Clarion-Ledger House of Horrors

Spend 10 minutes in this Gannett employee simulator, and you’re guaranteed to have nightmares for the rest of your life.

Candidate Funhouse

Step into this hall of wacky mirrors, and your ego will appear so inflated and distorted that you may almost think you’re qualified to hold elected office.

Election Whack-a-Mole

Just when you think you’re done with elections for a while … surprise! Here comes another.

The MAEP Spin Machine

Be pinned against the wall as the floor drops out, alongside GOP lawmakers spinning myths every which way but loose to keep from following the law and adequately funding education.

The Pothole Drop Tower

Does what it says. Drops you into a pothole. Enjoy.

“It’s a Small Budget for Us All”

Test your grit against growing obstacles and shrinking budgets!

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.