Though not as busy as the holiday heavy months of October through December, the Downtown Hattiesburg Association is gearing up to start the year off with a bang.
The first event to follow the New Year’s celebrations are a volunteer day at the Hattiesburg Community Arts Center Garden at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 8. Volunteers will help paint raised gardening beds and picnic tables. They will also help prepare the garden for the spring planting season.
The volunteer day is co-sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks’ Youth Participation Initiative Program.
Also on Saturday, the Plein Air Painting Club will meet from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for an open-air painting session at Duncan Lake. The club is free and open to all ages and skill levels. Participants should bring their own paints, easels, pencils or other art supplies. For more information, contact Emily Gallaspy at 601.620.6422 or email egallaspy@hattiesburgms.com.
There will be a second painting day at Duncan Lake on Feb. 5.
The Downtown Hattiesburg Association also recently announced the winners of A Downtown Christmas Story window display contest. Main Street Books and The Sage Den took home the top spots for their storefront displays.
“Thank you to all of the downtown merchants and artists who participated in A Downtown Christmas Story window display contest!” reads the winners announcement. “All of the window displays were beautiful and made downtown feel merry and bright during the holiday season.”
Finally, the association would like to remind interested locals of the monthly meetings at the Cultural Center on Main Street. Anyone interested in learning more about DHA’s activities or becoming a member is welcome to attend. More information is available at downtownhattiesburg.com.
