My Ocean Springs: 2007 in Pictures

The Red, White, and “Blue-Berry” Festival was held on one of the hottest days of 2007 at the L & N Depot parking lot in downtown Ocean Springs. The Chamber of Commerce, Main Street & Visitor’s Center, and Ocean Springs Fresh Market co-hosted the festival which included blueberry products, recipes to exchange, and live music. Culinary specialist, Diane Claughton, was brought in to create one of her blueberry specialties for festival-goers.

The Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church began in 1891, and by the year 1895 it had established itself on the corner of Weed and Vermont Streets, serving the African-American population of Ocean Springs. In 1968, the Reverend Doctor Jesse L. Trotter, Sr. became the church’s pastor, and he has enjoyed popular acclaim in that role for the thirty-nine years since. From a pastor standpoint, Dr. Trotter is particularly noted for rising up future pastors from his congregation. From a community perspective, Dr. Trotter is recognized as the first black alderman, elected in 1981 after eighty-nine years of municipal government. In the picture, Dr. Trotter pauses after a huge celebration in June, 2007, honoring him for his thirty-nine years as pastor at Macedonia.

Brandy surfs the internet and enjoys one of her favorite drinks at Coffee Fusion on Highway 90 while musician, Robert Killen, entertains the Saturday night crowd in the background. Adam Flinchum opened Coffee Fusion in October, 2003, and his dream of becoming THE hangout place in Ocean Springs soon became a reality. Coffee Fusion moved to its present location in April, 2005, and even opened a second store in D’Iberville in 2007. Coffee Fusion bills itself as a bubbletea café, offering a large variety of unique flavors in addition to its wonderful coffees, sandwiches, and desserts. The hangout’s popularity is enhanced by offering itself as a Wi/Fi hotspot, along with free internet computers, and there is also live music every weekend along with an open mic night every Tuesday.

The Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center for Arts and Education is an ongoing effort by community activists to restore the 1927 Ocean Springs School building and to create an environment for artistic activities, including music, visual and performing arts, and education. Friends identify Betty Magee as the heart and soul of the effort that now features seven beautiful rooms (highlighted by the Senator Trent Lott Performing Arts Theatre). There is much more on the way to “the Mary C.”, however, including four more rooms, a café, and the City of Ocean Springs Museum.

With beautiful weather to enjoy year around, Phil Deperro fills a unique niche with his business, Garden Gate / BP Flags, on Government Street. Garden Gate offers garden art, patio accessories, porch paintings, fountains, bird feeders, and a wide selection of flags. The popular downtown store can even take a personal picture and transform it into a full-size flag!

The parking lot of the L & N Depot is the place to be on Saturday mornings to find the best produce in South Mississippi. As one of the local vendors at the open-air food and plant market, Wess Jones of Latimer stands by his home-grown products claiming, “If I don’t grow it, I don’t sell it.” The Ocean Springs Fresh Market is open on Saturday mornings year-round, featuring Mississippi-grown organic and conventional produce.