Show to Go On Without Sweet Potato Queens

As a resident of Ridgeland since 1969, I can tell you we ain't sho' we can handle the Sweet Potata Queens' Parade in Ridgeland. It's too many of them by now and we don't have a downtown area to accommodate them. A better fit for them is Madison, an arrogant and good good for nothing little city that has lots of empty spaces, places and faces.

I wish the Sweet Potato Queens the best and admire their comraderie or comradeship and fundraising efforts. I would even donate money to their fundraising activities if asked, even though I'm broke, hard to provoke and am blowing smoke.

RANDOM!!! there must be more to this story than is being reported... anyone?

"A better fit for them is Madison, an arrogant and good good for nothing little city that has lots of empty spaces, places and faces".

Same architect too. That last strip mall rendering, I thought they had converted Grand Central Station into a Dick's Sporting Goods (it's circulating all over atlanta right now thanks to Moi). Do they know how ridiculous that place is starting to look? All that stucco granduer on each side of the Ditch Banks. Looks like an old Hollywood Ben Hur Backlot....

There's always more to the story. Let them get tight and cackle themselves to death in Madison. The sun will still rise and the Paddy Faithful will continue to line the streets of downtown Jackson.

OK, folks, no need to be vicious. Different people have different tastes.

good point and the mix makes for a very interesting cityscape!

Will people really attend two parades on back to back weekends? With disposable income for entertainment being squeezed it just seems like bad timing to have another parade the very next weekend.

I think that yes, people will either attend both or that a number of people may go to one or the other - new people. Someone posted earlier about Mardi Gras in New Orleans...I have been to the official day there - a wild, crazy insane party, and I have also been there 1-2 weeks before Mardi Gras where there are scores of smaller, more local parades with people on bicycles, boom boxes, etc. I joined one and ended up dancing for hours at a concert where the parade ended. I think that there's room for more events, it means our lovely Jackson is growing bigger & bigger. I see their need to have more space dedicated to themselves, and am happy some events are still going to be in Jackson. The one part which doesn't make sense to me is the parading through a shopping mall - it seems an odd location for a parade, but then again, why not??? Maybe it will be fabulous.

Jill & crew were on the news from Renaissance Mall at Colony Park in Ridgeland last week. So they've obviously formed some sort of relationship/agreement with them, which was attractive enough for them to want to expand.

I heard Jill on an interview on Q105.1 yesterday afternoon, but I came in on the middle of it. I didn't hear what her explanation for moving to Ridgeland was.

At least the SPQs are not totally abandoning Jackson, as they will continue to stay at the Hilton and have other events in the city.

I heard the same interview with Jill on Q105.1. They are NOT parading through Renaissance, and it is not a connection with Renaissance. It's the City of Ridgeland's event that will be on Highland Colony Parkway. The Queens are taking part in the Ridgeland parade ... it's not their (the SPQ's) parade.

I think having two parades is awesome! The opportunities for raising money for Blair E. Batson at both events is wonderful.

And, finally, Jill is a treasure to this State and should be treated with respect and admiration. She does SOOOO much for the "chirren," as she says. She does not deserve the treatment she's getting from certain factions who are quite emboldened in their anonymity on other sites.

I agree, Bonnie. Like I said, they didn't totally abandon Jackson. But whether the parade is here or Cucamonga, it'll still benefit a good cause.