Bank of Holly Springs
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Courtesy photos
From left are Amy Verdon and Robert Kimbrough Sr., The Kimbrough Festival; Jim Buchanan, Chickasaw Project; Charles Williams, Social Justice Weekend; Mary Cates Williams, Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Alliance; Tyrisha Battle, interim director of the Holly Springs Tourism and Recreation Bureau; Christy Owens and Marsha Taylor, Holly Springs Blues Alley Music Series (Main Street Chamber).

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Robert Kimbrough Sr. is pictured in front of a Hill Country Blues tribute.

Local projects receive grants

The Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Alliance announced its FY18 community grant winners last week at the Mississippi Hills Exhibit Center in Tupelo.

Marshall County was one of the biggest winners – receiving a total of $47,500.

Community grants go to:

• The Kimbrough Festival (Holly Springs). It is a  three-day music festival celebrating the life and musical legacy of North Mississippi Hill Country Blues musician David “Junior” Kimbrough. The amount is $2,500.

• Holly Springs Blues Alley Music Series. It consists of free events downtown featuring Hill Country music. The amount is $5,000.

 • Social Justice Weekend (Holly Springs). Funds will be used for the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Social Justice weekend, a three-day event highlighting the life of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, one of America’s most renowned social justice pioneers. The amount is $20,000.

 • Chickasaw Project (Holly Springs). This grant will highlight the culture of the Chickasaw people who lived in this area up until the Great Removal and help fund the creation of a park focused on conservation, recreation and interpretive sites. The amount is $20,000.

 In total, 31 grants impacting 13 counties within the 30-county Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area were made public during the awards ceremony.

Mary Cates Williams, executive director of the MHHAA, said, “We are very excited to see the growth in our grant program as we have nearly doubled the grant amount given out this year. We look forward to working with each of these organizations.”

 Total grant money awarded to all counties was $259,305.

 It was noted that there were 35 submissions and those which did not receive approval were mostly due to a lack of clarity concerning a clear connection of the project to the Hills management plan themes or uncertainty as to how a 50 percent match would be provided. Both the connection to the management plan and the 50 percent match are federal requirements.

 Williams added that even if a grant request does not gain approval on first submission due to failure of a federal requirement, it can be re-submitted during a later grant round once corrected.

Holly Springs South Reporter

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Holly Springs, MS 38635
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