Coming Centennial Events and Activities
Monday, September 8, 2008 (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.)
Parade, Centennial Kickoff Festivities & Picnic
Patterned after the parade and picnic that celebrated the laying of the cornerstone of the
original building, PRCC will begin the Centennial celebrations with a parade featuring
district bands, school and civic floats, and dignitaries. A celebratory rededication ceremony
with local and state dignitaries will be followed by a picnic on the Poplarville campus. |
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Homecoming, Reunions, Dobie Holden Bronze Statue Dedication,
Luncheon, A Focus on Athletics
The day will begin with the dedication of the new Dobie Holden Statue at Dobie Holden
Stadium and recognition of the Sports Hall of Fame honorees. Class and Athletic team
reunions will be followed by the Annual Alumni Banquet. The Homecoming game will
recognize the 2008 PRCC Homecoming court, the day's honorees, and will feature Wildcat
football at its finest. |
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Military Recognition Day
Honoring those PRCAHS, PRJC and PRCC alumni who have served their country, the day
will begin in the Centennial Courtyard at 10:30 a.m. with a display of close-order drill on the
Mall provided by district high school ROTC units. Vintage military vehicles and military
reinactments will surround the courtyard supplying the visitors with a glimpse of the
equipment used in all the wars since PRCC's founding. Guest speakers will honor all those
alumni who served in the Armed Forces since PRCC's founding, followed by a reading of
the names of PRCC alumni fallen and missing-in-action, beginning with World War I up to
the war in Iraq. |
| December 2008: No Events will be held during the month of December |
January 2009
College and Community History Month
College and Community History wil be a month-long series of storytelling on PRCC's
campus. The event will be held in the PRCC Centennial Pavillion next door to the Alumni
House if weather permits. All storytellers will be focusing on those stories which relate to
Pearl River College from 1909 to present. |
February 2009
Music of the Decades
Concerts highlight Music Through the Decades as the college's Department of Fine Arts
and Communication presents concerts and special events throughout the month of
February. |
Friday & Saturday, March 27 & 28, 2009
Our Agricultural Roots
Modeled after Pearl River Community College's historic "Summer Folk School" program,
attendees will experience what life was like in Mississippi 100 years ago. Events included
are audio-visual presentations of the lumber and tung oil industries, demonstrations of
soap-making, quilting, and other home crafts, a working Centennial Farm on campus, arts
and crafts exhibits, and live music by nationally recognized Bluegrass bands including a
Bluegrass music workshop. |
Friday & Saturday, April 24 & 25, 2009
Centennial Finale
The final centennial event will begin Friday with a golf tournament at the Bridges Golf
Course in Bay St. Louis at 9 a.m., followed by a Centennial Celebratory Dinner and concert
at the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis at 7 p.m. (Tickets will be available throught the
PRCC Development Foundation office) On Saturday, an afternoon tailgating party will
begin at 5 p.m. followed by an outdoor concert in Dobie Holden Stadium on the Poplarville
campus. |
Note: Although planning for most activities is still incomplete, committees are currently working on these. Ideas for activities include (but are not limited to) a celebration honoring PRCC graduates who served in the military, horticulture demonstrations (for those of you with a green thumb), concerts, speakers, and more. Be sure to make your plans to attend several of these events and take part in the celebration. If you would like to volunteer your help for some of the planned activities, click here. If you would like to help sponsor the centennial, click here. |
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A letter from the Centennial Steering Committee:
During the summer of 1908 plans were formulated to construct Pearl River Agricultural High School in Poplarville, MS. Political and business leaders of south Mississippi workeddiligently to make this educational institution a reality. And now almost 100 years have passed since that summer of visionary thoughts to bring us to our celebrated institution known as Pearl River Community College. Over the course of these many years a storied history of excellence in education and great individual and group achievements has been documented in the archives of Pearl River Community College.
The leadership of our college is now preparing to enter into a time of recognition and celebration of all that the Pearl River College family has experienced through the challenges and achievements of our past. Over the course of the next twelve months many activities and events will be planned by the Centennial Steering Committee of the college. Preliminary work on our Centennial Celebration has already identified three major events to take place during the 2008-09 school yearaccompanied by activities to take place during the months that do not have a major event scheduled.
Kickoff for the Centennial Celebration will be held on Monday, September 8, 2008 in Poplarville and on the main campus of the college. The days events will image those activities that took place on the same date in 1908. It will be a celebration that includes parades and dignitaries from throughout the state of Mississippi and surrounding areas. We anticipate thousands of Alumni and community supporters in attendance for this kickoff. Memorial dedication ceremonies will take place in our newly constructed Centennial Courtyard on the main campus.
Our second major event will take place in October of 2008 and will be in conjunction with the college’s Homecoming festivities. This event will showcase reunion groups from all areas of the college. A focus will be to highlight the lifestyles and experiences from each decade as they were lived out at Pearl River. This will be a fun week of experiencing a walk through the past with the students and faculty of today.
Our third major event will be held in April of 2009. This will be the culmination of all that we have recognized over the course of our year of celebration. We plan to have major entertainment, food, fun, and fellowship like never before. It will be a time that we honor our history and also enter into our next century of service to the people of our state and region.
A fifteen member Centennial Steering Committee was established in June of 2007 to begin work on our year of celebration. As you have seen presented, many plans have already been formulated and work is underway. Our steering committee is under the leadership of Mrs. Mary Lynn Smith and Mr. Berlon Lee.
Beginning next September the spotlight will be on Pearl River Community College through these many planned events and activities. We need those who have been a part of our greatheritage in education to help us present our story. The Finance Committee of our Centennial Celebration would ask you to consider taking part in this presentation by serving as a financial sponsor of our “Century of Excellence” Celebration. A sponsorship proposal is included in this presentation. Please help as you can by investing in this program that thousands of Mississippians take part in. Thank you for supporting Pearl River Community College in this endeavor.
Sincerely,
Verlene Cole/Dr. Elton Raby/Dr. Rebecca Askew/ Ernie Lovell/Dr. William Lewis/Maude Parish/Dr. John Grant/Ann Morris/Chuck Abadie/Dr. Cecil Burt/Berlon Lee/Mary Lynn Smith/Ronn Hague/Frances Herrin/Frank Ladner/Herbert Ray Nobles
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