MERIDIAN —
Sela Ward may have left Meridian when she was just 18 years old, but she didn't leave her hometown behind.
Ward, the nationally recognized actress who currently stars opposite Gary Sinise in the CBS crime drama, CSI:NY, left home in the '70s to pursue her passion for acting, but she continually makes it evident that she has another passion — Meridian.
Ward will grace the cover of this week's "Parade" magazine, but she makes Meridian the star of her story, which bears the headline, "Sela Ward: Where I'm From — The CSI:NY Star Talks About the Mississippi Town She Still Calls Home."
The magazine, which is distributed as an insert in more than 510 Sunday papers all over the United States, including The Meridian Star, has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of 74 million.
In the article, Ward discusses Meridian, especially growing up in the Lakemont neighborhood, located between Old Highway 45 and 22nd Avenue Heights, and fondly remembers long summer days playing and fishing at Lakemont's Echo Lake.
Ward talks heavily about how leaving Meridian has helped her learn to appreciate it, saying, "Sometimes you don't know what you have until you leave it."
Specific Meridian landmarks mentioned in the article include Weidmann's restaurant, which Ward helped re-open, the Grand Opera House, Lamar School, and the Meridian Little Theater, where Ward recalls silently mouthing the words to a song because she was cast in the chorus of a musical but couldn't sing.
The article also touches on Ward's part in helping to found Hope Village for Children, and Ward describes the service Hope Village provides to children who might otherwise be shuffled between foster homes.
The overwhelming theme of the article: Ward's intense desire to move away from Meridian when she was a girl, and the intense love she realized for her hometown once she had left and started a life elsewhere.
The story will be published in this week's "Parade" magazine, which can be found in your Sunday Meridian Star.
Local News
Sela Ward, Meridian featured in ‘Parade’
- Local News
-
-
New City Hall in full operation
The city’s move back into the renovated City Hall is now substantially complete, and the city held its first public meeting in the new third floor auditorium Tuesday night.
-
Loose Caboose Festival set for March 3
The City of Newton will hold it's popular Loose Caboose Festival this year on Saturday, March 3.
-
Stevens named MPSD CFO
Rebecca Stevens has been named chief fiscal officer of the Meridian Public School District.
-
Lauderdale Co. school officials investigating incident
An investigation by Lauderdale County School District officials is under way into an incident that reportedly occurred last week involving a youth and some bullets he allegedly brought to a campus.
-
Sen. Wicker to visit RCTA
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker will be at the Regional Counterdrug Training Academy on board Naval Air Station Meridian on Wednesday for an orientation visit.
-
Searching for hope
Many people who are experiencing tough times are able to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
-
Pancake Jubilee set for Tuesday
In 2010, Camp Eagle Ridge began to evolve from a dream to reality thanks in part to seed money provided by the Downtown Optimist Club of Meridian to Dan Fritts, the owner of the youth camp.
Recently, Fritts and the Optimist Club again teamed up when the community involvement organization donated $5,000 to Fritts to help fund the installation of water to the camp. -
Star Weather: This week’s weather outlook
One storm system after another has frequented East Mississippi and West Alabama for much of this month, and while we will still have rain chances this upcoming week it appears we may get a break from the prolonged heavy rainfall. As you might expect, we are running well above average on rainfall for the month of February and for the year so far as well as we sit nearly three inches above normal.
-
Star of The Week: Wendy Reed
Ever since Wendy Reed was a kid, she has been seeing the world through an artistic eye.
It is one thing to be able to see the nuances in images but it is entirely another to be able to put those images down on paper or canvas. Reed, a 1990 graduate of Meridian High School, has been able to do such things and it has been a burning passion inside her to turn her love of images and color into artwork everyone would embrace and enjoy. -
Promotions announced at Citizens National
- More Local News Headlines
-





