This Friday evening, as a hush grows over the dark grounds of Rosalie Mansion, a stately antebellum home overlooking the Mississippi River, children and their parents will anxiously await the kick-off of The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race.  Suddenly, a loud voice will shout, “1…2…3…GLOW!” while 30-40 hot air balloons hit their burners simultaneously.  The soft glow of colorful balloons will beautifully light the skies over Natchez. 

Held in downtown Natchez, the 29th annual Balloon Race is a wonderful, family-friendly event to enjoy all weekend.  From sunrise flights to fireworks and live music, the festival is filled with three magical days you will not want to miss.  Here are a few highlights:

Friday, October 17th
As you head to work in the morning in Natchez, be sure to look up!  The sky will be painted with hot air balloons, taking flight with local media stations and reporters.  At 7:00pm, Rosalie Mansion opens its gates, and will be a particularly wonderful evening for children.  After the spectacular balloon glow, brilliant fireworks will erupt over the Great Mississippi.  Once the show is complete, Ben Lewis & Co. will hit the stage while families dance the night away.

Saturday, October 18th
Another early balloon flight begins at 7:30am.  You can be anywhere in the city and have an excellent view of the floating colors in the sky.  Throughout the afternoon on the grounds of Rosalie, bands will play every few hours, and the balloons actually fly right over the festival around 4:30pm.  Rachel Price Lott, who serves on the Publicity Committee of the Race, says, “Flock to the festival sight in the afternoon, because you are guaranteed to see a balloon!  They are everywhere – it is almost surreal.  Then Irma Thomas, The Revivalists and Soul Asylum will treat the crowds to fantastic music.” 

Sunday, October 19th
The last competitive flight soars over Natchez early in the morning.  The gates of Rosalie open at noon, and country acts will perform throughout the day, including hits by Hannah Belle and Josh Thompson.

Over the weekend, a children’s carnival will be open adjacent to the balloon races, as well as an impressive assortment of local cuisine.  Rachel says, “Every type of regional food you could absolutely imagine is served.  All of the food is amazing!  Of course, we have your basic cotton candy and funnel cakes, but the rest of the restaurants serve ridiculously good food.”  Also, for those who prefer to stay glued to the football games all weekend, there is a Sports Bar Tent complete with flat screen TVs, showing college football on Saturday, and the Saints game on Sunday!  

Rachel says, “The Balloon Race is such a fun time.  We try to think of everything and make it a great event for all ages.  We are praying for beautiful weather and hoping for a wonderful, memorable weekend!” 

Tamisha Thomas has created the perfect fitness studio in Jackson.  After giving birth several years ago, Tamisha was frustrated with the excess pounds weighing her down.  She tried working out in gyms, but the monotony of the machines and intimidation factor pushed her away.  Discouraged and still searching, she stumbled upon a strengthening pole class.  Tamisha was hooked.  She began taking barre, yoga, Pilates and TRX Suspension classes and fell completely in love.  Her body was changing dramatically and so was her attitude.  Today, a beautiful Tamisha simply glows with kindness, and you can’t help but notice her incredibly fit physique.

Though she was seeing results with all of the unique classes, there was a minor problem.   She couldn’t find a studio that offered all of these extraordinary classes in one location!  Tamisha says, “I wondered how many other women were feeling the way I was.  So, I decided to create something exciting, vibrant and new. ”

Tamisha opened Epic, a dance and fitness studio that offers all of the most creative and effective workouts.  With her motto, “enter as strangers, leave as friends,” Tamisha has designed a comfortable environment with no intimidation.  Studio walls are accented with a bright, cheerful pink, and each guest is treated to a personal training experience in a completely relaxed setting.  

Tamisha’s staff is equally impressive.  With each boasting CPR and training certifications, Tamisha’s teachers “are instructed to do three things: keep God first, offer impeccable customer service, and make sure our guests have the time of their lives.”

Aside from their wonderful roster of weekly classes, Tamisha has built a calendar with the busy mom or dad in mind.  Epic brilliantly offers late-afternoon traditional children’s dance classes (such as ballet or jazz) in one studio, while parents enjoy a Zumba or Epic Power Hour Class next door.  Children and their parents leave with strengthened bodies and refreshed minds.  Their newest class, Parent and Child Creative Movement, takes place Sundays after church, and is the perfect opportunity for a parent and their small child to take dance lessons and most importantly, bond.  Moms can also swing by the studio for Lunch Break with Epic, and experience a great hour-long workout before picking children up from school.  Tamisha wants parents to feel comfortable, get a great workout, and relieve stress while working out with Epic.

Check out Epic’s inspiring and unparalleled list of classes:
    Epic Power Hour – This is a low impact workout utilizing light to medium weights.  Each muscle group is worked
    then stretched to not only strengthen, but also lengthen the muscles.  The result?  Longer, leaner legs, firm thighs and
    seat, stronger abs, a defined upper body and a boosted metabolism!

    TRX Suspension – The TRX Suspension Trainer is the original workout system that leverages gravity and your body                weight to perform countless exercises.  You are in control of how much you want to challenge yourself in each                    exercise!  TRX helps build a rock-solid core.

    Kangoo Jump – This high-energy, fun class runs 45 minutes and impressively burns 20 calories per minute!  Kangoo            reduces up to 80% impact on your joints, and is recommended by doctors and physical therapists for safe                           rehabilitation of sports injuries.   This class is offered for both adults and children.

    Barre – a 55-minute full-body workout that targets hips, thighs, seat, abs and arms.  This class is low impact and                extremely effective!

Click here to view a full listing of Epic classes.

Epic classes are conveniently small and guests are seeing tremendous results.  Even new friendships are being made.  Tamisha laughs, “By the end of our first class, women were laughing, talking and exchanging phone numbers!  We love seeing our guests get a great workout and leave feeling great.  That is the Epic Experience.” 

For more information on Epic Dance and Fitness, please click here or call Tamisha at 601.398.0137.  We hope you all visit Epic to enjoy a class, and have a very happy Columbus Day!

I was recently perusing the floral section of a Whole Foods in Birmingham, AL, and became enthralled with the beauty of a delicate, vibrantly colored flower crown.  I noticed that the piece was handmade in Dennis, MS, at the Happy Trails Flower Farm.  With my curiosity brewing, I reached out to the Farm’s delightful owner, Tanis Clifton, to learn more about her business and of course, those exquisite flowers.    

With just four years in the commercial flower business, Happy Trails Flower Farm is quickly becoming known for their gorgeous, organically grown flowers.  Tanis laughs, “Our Business just kind of evolved.  I’ve always gardened…my parents always gardened…it’s in the blood, I guess!  We had an opportunity to get a large greenhouse and we started thinking, ‘what in the world are we going to do with this?’”

Tanis and her husband, Rick, traveled to a workshop in Crystal Springs, featuring lectures on vegetable, fruit, and flower production.  During the flower production talk, Rick briefly stepped out to his truck.  Upon returning, he was greeted by an enthusiastic Tanis who declared, “I know what we are doing – flowers!”

Tanis and Rick began cleverly growing lilies in December, knowing they would be in full bloom just in time for mother’s day.  The demand for their flowers grew, so Tanis and Rick added more flowers to their list and expanded their business.  They currently sell to several florists in the Tupelo area, as well as Whole Foods in Birmingham.  They even sell at the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market in Birmingham on the weekends.

As for those gorgeous crowns that caught my eye?  Tanis recently read an article about a woman in New York City who was making similar crowns.  “I decided to try it for fun one morning at Pepper Place in Birmingham.  I placed one on my head, and several young people said, ‘you should sell those!’  We were so inspired and business for the crowns began growing!” 

Tanis grows Straw flowers that already have a dry texture and rich colors.  She calls them the “everlasting flower” because they always remain fresh and bright.  She happily admits the crowns continue to be a hit.  “Mostly young girls comment on the crowns.  Their eyes immediately light up!  We always let them try one on, and they feel like a little girl again.  It is so much fun and such a feel-good thing for them!”

Though she admits that owning a small local business has it challenges (over 80% of the flowers in the USA are imported from foreign countries), she and Rick believe their business is very rewarding.  Tanis has become the regional director of the southeast region for the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, a wonderful networking organization for local flower businesses. 

Tanis’s positivity is infectious, and her flowers simply dazzling.  Check out the Happy Trails Flower Farm’s Facebook page here, or view their website here. 

{Tell us about the occasion for the event?}
It was the celebration of our daughter, Ava’s, first birthday – special time to bring family and friends together to celebrate our precious, spunky little girl.

{What inspired your event location and theme?}
I knew I did not want a truly ‘themed’ party, but when I came across the Kate Spade quote, “She is quick and curious and playful and strong, ” it was perfect description of our little girl.  The theme evolved from there; we took queues from the Kate Spade design aesthetic for the party.

{What’s your favorite event detail? Is there a story behind it?}
It is hard to choose, but the night before the party, my mom, sister and I were trying to figure out what to do with some paper lanterns and flowers.  Nothing was working.  Finally it came together late that night, among lots of tired giggles and exhausted sighs – it became the arrangement that hung above the high chair where Ava ate her cake. 

Secondarily, I would have to say the cake!  Dani at For Heaven’s Cakes immediately understood where I was headed and created a beautiful cake!

{What was your favorite part of the event planning process?}
It was fun putting together all the little details. Planning the party was a great creative outlet and since it was a small party for family and friends, it was really more fun than stressful.

{What was your favorite moment of the event day?}
Watching Ava light up each time someone she loved walked in the door.  

{Your favorite picture from the event day?}
There are so many that I love, but there was one outside before the party started of Ava walking to her dad.  She is so happy and she is looking up and smiling to me, as if she is saying, “look, my dad’s got me!”

{Cake Design} For Heaven's Cakes
{Photography} Mary Moment Photography

This Saturday, October 11th at 8:00am, the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation will host the 26th annual “Over The River Run” in Vicksburg!  This historic, scenic race takes place on the handsome Old Mississippi River Bridge.  Participants in the 5-mile race will enjoy sweeping views of the Mighty Mississippi as they cross the river into Louisiana. 

The striking landmark was built in 1930, but was closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic in 1988.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, the Old Vicksburg Bridge still proudly carries the Kansas City Southern Railroad across the river. 

Stacey Massey, Executive Director of the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation says, “You can participate in the 5-mile walk or 5-mile run, and we have a 1-mile fun run for the kids!  Crossing the bridge into Louisiana is spectacular; it is just beautiful running over the river.”

Following the run, a family-friendly party will be held in downtown Vicksburg.  Enjoy delicious refreshments, inflatable surprises for children, and live entertainment by “Slaphappy!”  The American Massage Therapy Association will also be on hand, relaxing sore muscles after the 5-mile race.

The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.  The non-profit was formed to preserve an entire block of historic buildings in downtown Vicksburg, and transform them into a cultural center.  Their mission is to continue preserving these gorgeous structures while offering wonderful events to the Vicksburg community. 

What a fantastic autumn event for the entire family to enjoy!  To register for the race, please visit southernculture.org, click here, or call 601-631-2997!