The New York Mississippi Picnic was started in 1979 as the brainchild of a handful of native Mississippians living in New York City. The group joined together to create an event to highlight Mississippi’s attributes and help change the perceptions others had about the state as well as New York City. The first picnic attracted some 500 individuals, and that number has steadily increased over the years; the 2009 picnic is expected to attract more than 2,000 picnic-goers! In addition to the picnic, the hard work of this group of individuals resulted in the creation of the New York Society for the Preservation of Mississippi Heritage.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, the state’s lead economic development ambassador, will be joining this year’s festivities. In fact, every Mississippi governor since the picnic’s inception has attended this exciting event! Representatives from the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), the state’s lead economic development agency, and economic development and tourism officials from Jackson, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Oxford, Vicksburg and other cities around Mississippi, will also be present. And aptly so, as the event has proven to be a great tool for Mississippi officials to network with executives from some of the country’s leading business organizations. The picnic also serves as a vehicle for MDA to promote the state as a viable place to live and do business, increase tourism and recruit potential retirees. And since New York is recognized as the “media capital of the world,” the picnic affords the Mississippi delegation the opportunity to talk with a number of print and broadcast journalists via telephone prior to the actual event.

Mississippi’s universities and alumni associations also benefit from attending the picnic; they have coordinated alumni gatherings at the event and used it as a means to recruit in the Northeast. Additionally, the picnic gives the schools the opportunity to hold fundraisers while in the “Big Apple.”

According to Rachel McPherson, one of the founders of the New York Mississippi Picnic, the picnic provides an opportunity for the mutual cultural education of both New Yorkers and Mississippians. “This is an event that can guarantee good publicity for Mississippi, promote tourism and retirement destinations to the state and educate the public about specific regions of the state,” she said. “Word of the event’s success has spread, and now other southern states such as Arkansas and Alabama are trying to do similar events in the New York area.”

“The picnic is definitely a wonderful opportunity to showcase our state and share Mississippi’s culture and hospitality with the people of New York,” added Gray Swoope, MDA Executive Director.

SOUND LIKE A GOOD TIME?

It is! So bring a blanket, stock your picnic basket with your favorite southern treats, and prepare to kick back and “Celebrate Mississippi!” There is no admission for the event, but donations for catfish lunches, tea and soft drinks are gladly accepted and greatly appreciated. All proceeds from the New York Mississippi Picnic benefit the New York Society for the Preservation of Mississippi Heritage. Lunch plates are $10 and beverages are $1.

For more information about the picnic, please contact Rachel McPherson at (718) 788-2988, or e-mail NYMSPicnic@yahoo.com.

Hope to see ya there!

*In case of rain, the event will be held at the Arsenal Gallery 830 Fifth Avenue NY, NY

Photos By: Gil Ford Photography and Elwin Williams