Tourism director predicts big political crowd

Mississippi's State Tourism Director, Craig Ray, spoke to Neshoba community leaders as part of National Tourism Week. In addition to other draws like the casino resorts, local events, and the Blues Trail, Ray spoke about the Neshoba County Fair. The Neshoba Democrat article about his talk also mentioned that the Heart O'Dixie (which ends on the Fair Grounds each year during the Fair) Triathlon is the second oldest event of its kind in the Country. The oldest triathlon is the Iron Man in Hawaii

Ray said his first visit to the Fair was in 1984 when he was a field representative for the Reagan-Bush campaign.

"My assignment was to go to the Neshoba County Fair and campaign for President Reagan," he said. "That was my first experience to be here in Philadelphia and it was an unbelievable, overwhelming experience for a kid right out of college."

Ray predicted that this summer's Fair would draw higher numbers of visitors with a U. S. Senate and two House of Representative seats on the November general election ballot along with the presidential race.

"I feel like, again, the Neshoba County Fair, will be in a national spotlight and we are looking forward to assisting and helping promote the Fair," he said.

Read the Full Story: Tourism $28.4M industry outside Pearl River Resort

Off The Fairgrounds cabins

The Neshoba Democrat is reporting the development of off-Fair-grounds but nearby private "Fair" cabins.

Acreage southeast of the Neshoba County Fairgrounds is being developed privately with cabins. So far, about four cabins have been built and the state Health Department has given approval for up to eight, officials said.

The land, accessible from County Road 414, has been in the family of Janelle Ozborn for generations and she said putting Fair-style cabins on the property is something she and her husband have always wanted to do.

Kenneth Breland, president of the Neshoba County Fair Association, said the board has nothing to do with the development and won't allow the cabins to be connected to the Fair's water and sewer system because infrastructure is already near capacity.

Two of the cabins are a few feet off the Fair's fence line east of Greenleaf Hollow near County Road 414. Another three-story cabin sits up on a hill behind those two. A fourth cabin sits right off the fence line in the northeast curve of the racetrack along a creek. All of the cabins resembled those on the grounds and are about the standard size of a Fair cabin, 16-feet wide by 30-feet long.

The last time the Fair Association allowed cabins to be built was in the late 1980s. Breland said there are no immediate plans to allow any new cabins to be built within the grounds. The association is, however, adding 119 camping spots this year, he said.

Ozborn and her husband, Kenneth, have been working on their cabin, the one by the racetrack, for the past year. They own two cabins nearby within the Fairgrounds.

"This land has been in my family since forever," said Ozborn, a former Miss Neshoba County now living in Decatur. "My father, Percy Johnson, was born and raised here and passed the land down to me. Building this cabin is something we have always wanted to do."

Ozborn said she was approached by individuals about building cabins outside the grounds. "The people who have purchased lots from us wanted a cabin they could use year round," Ozborn said about the project. "The Fairgrounds are open from April to August. This way, we and the people that bought lots can use their cabins anytime they want."

Longtime Fairgoer and cabin owner Hugh Thomasson is skeptical. "It is their land and of course, they can do with it as they please, but I don't think it is a real plus for the Fair," Thomasson said. "They will be outside the fence, so if people at those cabins want to get into the Fair, they will have to go around to the main gate."

Read the full story here: Off-grounds Fair cabins being promoted for sale