Visit Meridian, MDOT welcome visitors to Mississippi
May 25—Lauderdale County's tourism arm, Visit Meridian, joined forces with the Mississippi Department of Transportation Thursday to welcome visitors to Mississippi at the state welcome center near Toomsuba.
The event, which was held as part of National Travel and Tourism Week, featured live music, refreshments and an opportunity to hear from some of Meridian's historic characters as members of the Rose Hill Company of Players brought the icons to life through reenactment.
Brad Hampton, who assumed his role as Lewis Ragsdale, one of Meridian's founders, regaled visitors with the story of the city's origins and the feud between the two city planners, Ragsdale and John T. Ball. While Ragsdale sought to lay out roads using compass points, he said, Ball was determined to build the town in relation to the railroad that ran through the area.
More than 160 years later, the impact of the feud still lingers in the disjointed orientation of downtown streets, Hampton said.
Hampton was joined by fellow Rose Hill member and Meridian Railroad Museum Executive Director Anne McKee, who played the role of a woman living in Meridian in the early 1900s.
Marion Ivy, manager of the Mississippi Welcome Bureau, said Lauderdale County's welcome center sees some of the highest traffic of all the state's welcome centers. During the 2023 fiscal year, more than 1.6 million visitors stopped at welcome centers throughout the state, he said.
"This year's theme for National Travel and Tourism Week is, 'Travel powers the economy,'" he said. "That couldn't be more true."
Ivy said Lauderdale County's welcome center staff works hard to make sure visitors to the Magnolia State find the information and services they need to make their stay a success. Often, he said, that means helping between 1,500-1,700 visitors each month.
"They are amazing, and they make me look good," he said.
Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons, who represents Lauderdale County on the three-member commission, said tourism is one of the state's largest industries, and he and his fellow commissioners recognize the important role visitors play in local communities throughout the state. Having a strong transportation network is vital to keeping the stream of tourists flowing, he said.
"We feel like we are in a great spot with all the tourists you spoke of coming through," he said. "We know it would not be possible for them to come into Mississippi and spend all of the money that they spend if we did not put in place a good transportation infrastructure system."
Mississippi has a lot to offer, Simmons said, and even lifelong residents of the state can discover new parts of their home. There is plenty to do, see and learn in the Magnolia State, he said, and a lot of to be proud of.
"We have so much here in Mississippi that we can be proud of," he said. "It is unreal."
Contact Thomas Howard at thoward@themeridianstar.com
