Sounds of the Mississippi South

It�s true: Mississippi is the True South. It�s also true that Mississippi is the birthplace of America�s music. Country, blues, rock �n� roll .... they all started in Mississippi. 

�From the father of country music, Jimmie Rodgers, and the king of rock �n� roll, Elvis Presley, to the originators of blues like Son House, Robert Johnson and B.B. King, Mississippi is home to the ones who started it all,� said Mary Beth Wilkerson, director of the Mississippi Development Authority�s Tourism Division. �Come to Mississippi in May and experience our authentic musical heritage as we celebrate some of the finest musicians, festivals and venues in the world.�

The Mississippi Blues Trail continues its incredible journey of bringing to life the history of blues music all across the state. Blues Trail markers have been placed at sites where blues musicians lived and entertained. Others are situated at historic streets, train depots, blues clubs, cemeteries and even churches where blues musicians made their mark.

This month � May 8 to be exact � marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of one of the most famous bluesmen of all time, Robert Johnson. His life and legend have served as inspiration for musicians and storytellers around the world. 

Several Robert Johnson 100^th anniversary events are scheduled this year including the Official Centennial Concert from May 5 to 8 in Greenwood with free concerts and more to commemorate this historic year and musician.  

No musical journey to Mississippi is complete without a visit to the Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo and true fans of Elvis will want to be sure to attend the Elvis Festival in Tupelo during June 2 to 5 this year. 

For more information about top events in Mississippi take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi.  

To learn even more to help you plan your musical trip to Mississippi in May, go to www.VisitMississippi.org

Rockin� the Globe on Mississippi Gulf Coast

There�s a warm Aloha from Pass Christian on the Mississippi Gulf Coast as it hosts the 7th annual voyage of Rockin� the Globe on April 16.

This time revelers will will be traveling to the Pacific for a Hang 10 in Hawaii.

The event promises to top last year's Sojourn on the Serengeti, where a record-breaking 4,000 people attended, refreshed themselves from a bounty of over 100 restaurants and bars, browsed multitudes of auction items, moved to the sounds of more bands than ever, and hobnobbed with guests of all types, including a lion and some of her wild friends.

This year's luau promises even more excitement � over 125 restaurants, an actual surf board theme park ride, the Kahua Pig Hawaiian BBQ contest, and even more exciting auction items � including a live whole organic cow from Texas. A spectacular fireworks display ends the event.

In addition, there are a multiple of new bands, which include the Escalade Show & Dance Band, the Topcats, and the Tsunami Wave Riders, all jamming to the moves of thousands of partygoers.

The Topcats are famous for their win as the 2009 New Orleans Magazine's Best Local Band Award and their induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. 

So find your Hawaiian shirts and hula skirts and head for Pass Christian on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to join in the fun as money is raised for one of the country's oldest Catholic boarding schools, St. Stanislaus College in nearby Bay St. Louis, MS. 

For more information about top events in Mississippi take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi. 

For more information on events on the Mississippi Gulf Coast visit www.gulfcoast.org

Wisconsin Jazz Festival

Shades of Blue Kicks Off Wisconsin Jazz Festival

The 44th annual Eau Claire Jazz Festival from April 7 to 10, is a weekend packed with live entertainment, over a hundred Midwestern bands, interactive clinics and thousands of jazz enthusiasts. 

Guest artists this year include jazz saxophonist Eric Marienthal, Afro�Latin drumming sensation Bobby Sanabria, The Hornheads and The United States Air Force Band of Mid America � Shades of Blue. 

The jazz festival kicks off March 29 with a two-week community-wide celebration of jazz, culminating in the four-day festival in Eau Claire and Menomonie.

The United States Air Force Band of Mid America � Shades of Blue kicks off the festival weekend Thursday with a free concert at Memorial High School in Eau Claire at 7:30p.m. Headliner concerts on Friday at 7:30p.m. and Saturday at 7p.m. will feature Marienthal and Sanabria, along with award-winning UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble I, also at Memorial High School in Eau Claire. The Hornheads will perform in the finale concert, Sunday at 2p.m., at Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie, WI.

In addition to guest artists, education is a main focus of the festival. Middle schools, high schools, and colleges from a six-state area travel to Eau Claire to perform, be critiqued, and learn how to enhance their jazz skills. Students also have the opportunity to receive scholarships to Shell Lake and Birch Creek summer music camps and win instruments. Several free clinics are offered Friday and Saturday both for attending schools and community members. All clinics and master classes are free and open to the public.

For more information about top events in Wisconsin take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Wisconsin. 

For more information about the Eau Claire Jazz Festival visit www.eauclairejazz.com 

Mardi Gras in Fort Walton Beach

A little bit of New Orleans is coming to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, at its very own �Mardi Gras 2011� celebration on Saturday, February 12. Because it�s Valentine�s weekend, the theme this year will be �Love on the Island.� Sponsored by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce and its annual sponsors, �Mardi Gras on the Island� is a full day of activities, starting with the Mardi Gras Parade on Okaloosa Island at 11am.

There will be beads, treats, and even more beads as the colorful floats make their way down Santa Rosa Blvd. Stick around after the parade and enjoy a festive Block Party sponsored by Helen Back on Amberjack Drive. There will be games for the kids, vendors with exotic items, and food galore.  It�s a family-friendly way to make a day of it!

Later that evening, the Chamber will host the Mardi Gras Ball at the Emerald Coast Conference Center from 8 pm to Midnight.  Come in costume or come in your favorite gown - this is the time to bring out your Mardi Gras finery, enjoy the sounds of the �Swingin� Dick Tracys,� and sample food items provided by Chamber-member restaurants.  

�Mardi Gras 2011 � Love on the Island� is sponsored by the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, A to Z Security and Sound, the City of Fort Walton Beach, Cox, Cumulus Broadcasting, Emerald Coast Tourism Development Council, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, Golden Corral-Fort Walton Beach, Helen Back, Image Printing and Digital Services, Northwest Florida Daily News, Qantum, ResortQuest, and White-Wilson Medical Center. 

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida. 

For more information visit www.fwbchamber.com/mardigras. 

Tampa Bay � A Festival Destination

In Tampa Bay, any excuse to celebrate will do and locals break out the fireworks, parade floats and live entertainment for the city�s fantastic line-up of festivals.

The cool and breezy months of January through March draw the largest concentration of festivals. Right now, until January 22, Tampa Bay is celebrating its heart and soul and ethnic diversity at the Black Heritage Festival. There are events all over the Tampa Bay area.

The Gasparilla Children�s Parade and �Piratechnic� Extravaganza on January 22 is part of Tampa�s annual series of pirate-themed Gasparilla activities. This alcohol-free family event is held each year on the Saturday before the colorful Gasparilla Pirate Fest Invasion and Parade of Pirates.

The 106th annual Florida State Fair from February 10 to 21 will feature freebies with your paid admission.

The streets of Channel District and Ybor City come ablaze on February 12 for the Sant' Yago Night Parade; and Tampa's historical Ybor City showcases its ethnic roots with Fiesta Day on February 26.

From March 3 to 13 the Florida Strawberry Festival celebrates the bountiful harvest of the strawberry that has made Plant City, Florida, the �Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.�

Discover an enchanted realm of wizards and warriors amongst gourmet treats and entertainment every weekend from February 26 to April 17 (plus Friday March 11) at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival located at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI).

The annual Apollo Beach Manatee Arts Festival on March 11 and 12 is a major arts and crafts show that promotes the visual and performing arts as well as awareness and preservation of the endangered Florida manatee.

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.


For a comprehensive list of activities in and around the Bay area, visit Tampa Bay at www.VisitTampaBay.com

Winter Activities in Alaska

Alaskans have always embraced winter, and are increasingly encouraging travelers to do the same with a lineup of participation-required activities around the state. Yukigassen � a team snowball fight tournament that will be held for the first time in the United States in Anchorage � is the freshest 2011 offering.

Drawing thousands of spectators every year in Japan, Yukigassen will be the newest program addition to the 76th annual Fur Rendezvous, a winter celebration in Anchorage held from February 25 to March 6. Called "Fur Rondy" by the locals, the festival is known for its wacky, family-friendly events, and Yukigassen shouldn't prove any different. 

Originating from the town of Sobetsu in Japan, "yuki" translates to snow, and "gassen" to battle � and an epic snow battle it will be. Two teams of seven follow strict game regulations enforced by Yukigassen officials on a rectangular court with chateaus, shelters and flags.

Visitors are encouraged to get involved in a Yukigassen team, as well as in other hands-on activities throughout the state. The possibilities range from skiing to dog mushing and snowmobiling:

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race draws spectators from around the world to Alaska each year. This winter, PAWS for Adventure not only will teach guests to drive their own team of sled dogs on multi-day tours out of Fairbanks, but also will host them overnight at the company's newly acquired Tolovana Roadhouse, the first transfer point in the original lifesaving serum run to Nome, which the Iditarod celebrates.

For more information about top events in Alaska take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Alaska. 

To plan a trip to Alaska visit www.TravelAlaska.com

Saint Paul Winter Carnival Celebrates 125th Anniversary

The Saint Paul Winter Carnival, the oldest winter festival in the United States, has brought family-friendly events and community pride to Saint Paul and the Twin Cities metro area, Minnesota, since 1886 and this year the �Coolest Celebration on Earth�� celebrates its 125th anniversary from January 27 to February 6.

In honor of the sesquicentennial celebration, the Saint Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation Winter Carnival organizers have strived to create and promote 125 events under this year�s festival umbrella. All events take place in the City of Saint Paul and are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

In addition to its traditional events, the 2011 calendar of activities also includes numerous outdoor athletic events, supports the Saint Paul arts scene and rallies behind the U of M Golden Gophers in a variety of sports.

Most events will take place in Downtown Saint Paul in and around Rice Park and Landmark Center, Lake Phalen, the Como Park area, as well as the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Its traditional events include the Ice Carving Competition (in addition to the spectacular ice carvings, Rice Park will host live music from local artists daily), snow sculptures, historic winter carnival displays, fireworks, and the Royal Coronation. With the help of the Carnival�s legendary characters � King Boreas and the Royal Family, Vulcanus Rex and his Krewe, and the Royal Order of the Klondike Kates � the Saint Paul Winter Carnival will be 11 days of excitement and entertainment for all ages.

Among the new festivities for 2011 is the Winter Carnival Talent Contest.

For more information about top events in Minnesota take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Minnesota.

For the most current information on the 125th Saint Paul Winter Carnival visit www.winter-carnival.com