August 22 2006

August 22, 2006

WCG Chefs to participate in March of Dimes Auction

Mike McElroy, Owner/Chef and Hoyt Tanner, General Manager/Executive Chef

Signature Chefs Auction scheduled for Thursday, August 24

WCG Owner/Chef Mike McElroy and General Manager/Executive Chef Hoyt Tanner

Area chefs will cook some of their favorite dishes during the fifth annual March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 at Lake Terrace Convention Center. Jill Conner Browne of Jackson, author of the "Sweet Potato Queens," book series, will be the guest speaker at the event. "We wanted to have someone from Mississippi, someone who was creative and artistic," said Kay Daneault, division director for the March of Dimes. "Our theme is 'A Culinary Masterpiece.' "

The event annually attracts about 400 diners, Daneault said. Tickets are $60 for an individual or $100 for a couple. Deadline to reserve tickets is Monday. To order, call the March of Dimes office at (228) 896-0886. Participating chefs will include Tom White of 206 Front; Fran Ginn of The Back Door Café and In Good Taste Catering; Joseph Lott of Chesterfield's; Danielle Sypher-Haley and Michael Ball of Gordon Creek Deli; Michael Gordy of Keg and Barrel; Frederick Conner of Lake Terrace Convention Center; James Hinton of The Pastry Garden; Hoyt Tanner and Michael McElroy Jr. of Walnut Circle Grill; and Paul Hernandez of Wesley Medical Center.

Added to the entertainment is a live auction with auctioneer Don Monroe of Petal. Presenting sponsors are Forrest General Hospital, Hattiesburg Clinic OB/GYN, Wesley Medical Center and Women's Pavilion of South Mississippi.

According to the March of Dimes Web site, www.marchofdimes.com/mississippi, 137 babies are born preterm (before the 37th week of gestation) each week in Mississippi, 25 are born very preterm (less than 32 weeks), 89 are born with low birthweight (less than 5 1/2 pounds) and 18 are born with very low birthweight (less than 3 1/3 pounds). The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacer sano.org.

Learn more about the event

Chris Cortez performs Friday night

Chris Cortez

Upscale jazz is on tap in the Courtyard!

Chris Cortez returns to WCG Friday night as he continues a 'mini-tour' from his new home state of Texas! Joining him will be Lowery Hicks on bass, Sam Bruton on keyboards and Jeff Mills on drums.

Hugely popular, the Guitarist/Vocalist's newest solo CD, 'Mum is the Word', delivers a blazing set of acoustic, straight ahead jazz and follows the success of his 2004 release, 'Hold It Right There', a straight ahead session of standards.

He also produced, performed, and wrote many of the songs on Groovopolis, another previous smash smooth jazz release. Prior to that his two solo CDs, the latin jazz and fusion project, Talamasca, and his first solo disc, Territorial Imperative also garnered rave reviews.

Chris Cortez has become an active and influential force in jazz. He performs solo, leads his own groups and backs up many national artists. You can hear music from many of our artists in the Virtual Lounge on our website!

More about Chris Cortez

Brady Roberts performs Saturday night

Brady Roberts

Come and hear great acoustic Southern rock!

Brady Roberts is locally known as one of the best guitarist/vocalists in the area. With his entertaining mix of blues and Southern rock, audiences love him! His music setup makes it hard to believe there is just one musician on the stage.

His musical setlist includes a broad range from Southern rock to folk and blues. Artists he covers include: Jimmy Buffett, Van Morrison, the Eagles, Rod Stewart, Cat Stevens, America, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, James Taylor, Jerry Jeff Walker, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Gin Blossoms, Dave Mason, Jeff Healy, Willie Nelson and more. And that's only a partial list.

Brady has been performing professionally for over 25 years and currently performs around the state on a weekly basis. Come out and show some love for this consumate gentleman/musician/vocalist/entertainer and sit back and enjoy the show he delivers. You won't be disappointed.

View our upcoming entertainment

Southern Miss Symphony Kicks Off 86th Season

Southern Miss Symphony 86th Season

Season tickets are now on sale!

In honor of the Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra's 86th Season, 206 Front, Chesterfield's, The Purple Parrot, Brownstone's and Walnut Circle Grill proudly add the Symphotini and Symphonic Tea throughout the summer and through their gala concert with Sir James Galway on October 10 , 2006.

The SYMPHOTINI is a refreshing blend of citron vodka, cointreau, cranberries, lime and amaretto to down the thermostat on your summer heatwave. SYMPHONIC TEA is your favorite hot or iced tea with a twist - literally a twist of orange and lime to harmonize your taste buds.

New to our symphony family or have questions? Call the ticket office to set up an account and purchase season tickets today!

The 2006 Season promises to be one of the most exciting ever and features a variety of productions including Godspell, Sir James Galway, Out of This World, Holiday Choral Spectacular, Future Stars, Tango Valentino, Divine Indulgences, Charley Pride, Carmen and United in Song, featuring the infamous Patti LaBelle and Dionne Warwick.