Hey friends! Dropping in really quick to give you an amazing Save The Date... Next Saturday, August 17th, is the Mississippi Book Festival! This will be the fifth year for this incredible event and each year just gets better and better. Thousands of people make it out to the "literary lawn party" to hear from panels and hundreds of contemporary authors (national, regional, and local). There's music, food trucks, book signings, booksellers, Capitol tours, family friendly activities and even a kid's corner for young readers. 

To see the amazing lineup, view the panelists, read about the activities and ALL that you can expect from this year's Mississippi Book Festival, head to their website at: ​http://msbookfestival.com/. It's open to the public, free admission, free parking and happens from 9:00am to 5:00pm at the Mississippi State Capitol.

Hey friends! Happy happy Friday! We wanted to let you know about a fun event for the kiddos (and adults, too!) happening tomorrow, Saturday, from 10AM to 1PM. We can't think of many things better than blue bell ice cream, summer days and zoo animals. This will be the 25th annual ice cream fundraiser for the zoo! There will be over 20 delicious flavors to choose from and Pepsi will be supplying Mug Root Beer for the Float Your Boat station. That's not all; there are TONS of stations and cool things to do and see Saturday. It will be held at The Jackson Zoo; 2918 W Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39209. Tickets are on sale here and everything benefits the animals at the zoo!! 

Good morning, friends! One more sleep until Friday and the weekend! YAY!! We want to share some quick info for keeping your skin at it's very best this summer, and maybe some things that you didn't even know about!

     Amy and David Lancaster were prepared to serve as missionaries anywhere God took them, even if it meant moving overseas. The pair were surprised when they felt their hearts pulled towards making a life in the heart of downtown Jackson. Initially, We Will Go Ministries operated out of the Lancaster family home on Congress Street. Eventually, the program outgrew their original location and expanded outwards, deeper into the downtown community. "Our woodshop and coffee shop both operate on Farish Street, as well as our basketball ministry, after-school program, and food and clothing ministries." says David.

     We Will Go Arts, a branch of the ministry, provides a safe space for creative expression and creates amazing art pieces available for the public to purchase. Inspired by the belief God wants to restore and renew the things that have long been forgotten, artists at the ministry handcraft pieces from locally sourced wood that would otherwise be thrown away. "Using this reclaimed wood to create beautiful art illustrates our Creator's heart for the restoration and redemption of our lives," smiles Amy Lancaster.  In order to provide real employment opportunities for those in the area, the art pieces are made by both missionaries and local Jackson residents. More than just a job, employment at We Will Go Arts means the promise of working in a positive work environment and the opportunity to receive discipleship and mentoring. These art pieces would make the perfect gift for someone you love or an excellent addition to any room in your home.

     To purchase the We Will Go Arts pieces you can head over to the Urban 'Sip coffee shop, another extension of the ministry. All proceeds from both the sale of We Will Go Arts products and from the operation of the Urban 'Sip coffee shop go towards furthering the reach of the We Will Go Arts Ministries in Jackson. You can also purchase their amazing pieces online by heading to the We Will Go Arts Etsy Shop or from the ministry's website www.wewillgo.org/shop. We Will Go Ministries encourages everyone to come downtown and see what positivity is taking place right here in the local community.
     The Urban 'Sip is located in downtown Jackson, Mississippi at 806 N Farish Street.

 Ahhhh, we're back again!! Coming 'atcha hot with some rather interesting and cool hidden facts about Mississippi. Which one is your favorite? Should we do another edition of this in next years magazine? We'd love to hear from you! (Don't forget to grab a copy of our magazine around town to see the rest of the facts this year.)