By By Kristi Mueller/The Meridian Star
July 18, 2001
Organizers set May 10 through 12 as the tentative dates for next year's Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival and are considering expanding the music lineup to include pop and rock.
Members of the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation Board of Directors discussed the festival Tuesday night. They also created 16 committees to study such issues as festival publicity and sponsorship.
The Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival, an annual event in Meridian for almost 50 years, honors the memory of country music legend and Meridian native Jimmie Rodgers. The last festival's length was reduced from a week to three days and included blues and rock.
Gospel music will continue to be a part of the festival, as will the golf tournament and the talent contest. Foundation members, though, discussed several possible format changes Tuesday night.
Another idea the board discussed was the possibility of letting one ticket admit guests to every event. Adkins said that proposal "is not set is stone, but it is something that we are discussing."
New board members include Betty Lou Jones, Laura Davis, Gary Wilkinson, Hardy Graham Jr., and Art Matthews. Executive board members are Todd Adkins, president; Van McCarty, vice president; Faye Bruner, secretary; and Carolyn Smith, treasurer.