OXFORD, Miss. – Due to the threat of inclement weather from Tropical Storm Cindy, the Governor’s Concert on Saturday (June 24) at the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration North will return to its original location, the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Mississippi.
“Safety is our priority,” Gov. Phil Bryant said. “The decision to move the concert indoors to the Ford Center will allow us to celebrate Mississippi’s bicentennial in north Mississippi as planned, despite the rainy forecast.”
Tickets originally issued for the Bicentennial Celebration North Governor’s Concert will not be valid at Saturday’s event. Through email notification, original ticket holders have a 24-hour advance window to claim new tickets, from noon today to noon Thursday. After that window, any remaining tickets will be available free to the general public through http://www.visitmississippi.org/200.
Doors at the Ford Center open at 6 p.m. Saturday, and the Governor’s Concert begins at 6:30 p.m.
Country and Americana legend Marty Stuart will headline the concert, appearing along with hit singer-songwriter Mac McAnally, Mississippi’s Music and Culture Ambassador Steve Azar and Shannon McNally.
“We Are Mississippi,” a salute to the state’s musical heritage conducted by Jay Dean, executive director of the Arts Institute of Mississippi, will lead off the festivities. The showcase includes Vasti Jackson, the Roots Gospel Voices of Mississippi, 2015 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest winner David Lee, the Mississippi Bicentennial Symphony Orchestra and the Mississippi Bicentennial Singers.
Other events during the Bicentennial Celebration North are also affected by the expected weather.
The “Thacker Mountain Radio” show’s live taping at 7 p.m. Friday (June 23) will move to the Lyric Theater, with seats available on a first-come, first-served basis, followed by the Mississippi Soul Singer Tribute Concert with Damein Wash.
Events scheduled for Sunday (June 25) in the Grove are cancelled, but Blackwater Trio will perform at 5 p.m. at the Powerhouse Community Arts Center in Oxford, with food trucks on site.
Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration events also are planned for Dec. 9 in Jackson during the grand opening of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.