MPA/MPS Summer Convention

PRESS Camp 2008 for tots and toddlers promises to be fun and entertaining during this year’s 142nd Annual Convention. The two days of activity and entertainment is open to children whose parents are attending the MPA event at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi.

Click here to download information, including a permission form and agenda.

This year’s PRESS Camp counselors are familiar to kids and parents who have taken part in the fun during recent conventions in Biloxi.

Chelsea Fortenberry worked for the Fun Factory for two years. She is a 2006 graduate of Biloxi High School where she played in the band and was on the Flag Team. During the summers, Chelsea volunteers at Camp Sunshine, a facility for physically and mentally challenged individuals. She just finished her second year at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where she is a cheerleader and is working on her major in Elementary Education and Special Education.

Ashley Brown just finished her sophomore year at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where she is currently working on her major in Deaf Education. Ashley has worked with the Fun Factory as an employee and camp counselor for about a year. During the summers, Ashley also volunteers as a camp counselor at Camp Sunshine.

The PRESS Camp agenda includes an off-site movie on Thursday, visits to Miramar Park and Chuck E. Cheese on Friday, and a visit to Lynn Meadows Discovery Center and swimming on Saturday.

For more information on PRESS Camp, contact Kimberly Haydu.

The cutoff date to reserve rooms at the Beau Rivage under the MPA group rate is June 3, next Tuesday. For more information or to make reservations, click here.

Pop and rock icon Tom Jones will perform at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino June 26, the opening night of the MPA 142nd Annual Convention. Showtime is 8pm and follows the MPA opening reception from 6-7:30 p.m.

MPA has blocked a limited number of tickets on behalf of members. Contact Kimberly Haydu if you are interested.

According to allmusicguide.com, Jones became one of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the British Invasion. Since the mid-’60s, “Jones has sung nearly every form of popular music — pop, rock, show tunes, country, dance, and techno, he’s sung it all.”

Some of his best known hits include “It’s Not Unusual,” “What’s New Pussycat,” “Without Love,” “Green, Green Grass of Home,” and a cover of Prince’s “Kiss.”

When visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the MPA Convention next month, be sure to explore the area for great dining, shopping and recreation. Check out these statistics for the continuing recovery of the area, provided by the Gulf Coast Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Thursday evening, June 26 is “Dinner on Your Own,” so choose wisely from the area’s many terrific restaurants.

Make your reservations for the 142nd Annual Convention at the Beau Rivage before June 3. Click here for hotel contact information and rates, or to reserve your room online.

For decades, rural areas had three great advantages in recruiting and retaining jobs: Low taxes, low land costs and low wages. The first two are not as big as they were, and the third one has largely been eliminated by economic globalization, so many rural communities are suffering economically. The Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues believes that newspapers should not only help their readers understand these issues, but look for proper opportunities to guide the economic future of their communities. That future includes the future of newspapers, so this is an area where good journalism can also be good business. But it can also present special challenges. Al Cross, director of the Institute, will talk about how to turn such challenges into opportunities.

Cross is director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky, which seeks to help rural media define the public agenda in their communities and report on regional issues. He is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications at UK, in the Extension Title series, and says his short job description is “extension agent for rural journalists.”

He was the elected national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, the nation’s oldest, broadest and largest journalism organization, from October 2001 to September 2002, after holding several other leadership positions in SPJ. He is a member of the Ethics Committee and a director of SPJ’s Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

Cross became the Institute’s first staff member in August 2004, after more than 26 years as a reporter at The Courier-Journal, the last 15½ as chief political writer. He still writes a twice-monthly column for the Louisville paper. His awards include a share of the Pulitzer Prize won by The C-J staff in 1989 for coverage of the nation’s deadliest bus crash.

Cross was born in Knoxville, Tenn., and grew up in Albany, Ky.

Attend Al Cross’ session over continental breakfast the morning of Saturday, June 28 at 8 a.m.

The MPA Golf and Tennis Tournaments will be held again this year Friday afternoon of convention, beginning at 12:30 p.m. The Golf Tournament will be held at the beautiful Fallen Oaks Golf Club in Saucier.

Named “One of the Best New Courses in America” by Golf Digest, the 7,487-yard Fallen Oak was designed by famed course architect Tom Fazio. Lunch is included at the club for those who sign up for the tournament.

If you intend to play in the MPA event, please contact MPA or golf tournament co-chairman Pat Brown of The Magee Courier to pre-register for the event. Team assignments will be made before the date of play. Board member Skippy Haik of the Hattiesburg American is co-chairing the event.

This year’s tennis tournament will be held at the Bayou Bluff Tennis and Recreational Club in Gulfport. Lunch is included for tournament participants. The event is co-chaired by board member David Hampton of The Clarion-Ledger and Suzette Carlson of the Sea Coast Echo.

Download the registration form for the 2008 convention. Send it in before June 6 and deduct $15 from your total registration fee.

Last day to register is June 23. After that, late registrations will only be handled at the convention desk in Biloxi beginning June 26. Questions? Contact Kimberly Haydu or call 601-981-3060.