By Ida Brown

ibrown@themeridianstar.com

The downtown holiday extravaganza Merry Meridian just keeps on getting merrier.

"We've added several more events since our initial announcement; it starts off a fun week Tuesday and it goes most of the week," said Stacy Davis, chairman of East Mississippi's largest holiday celebration, which gets into full swing beginning Dec. 2.

Presented by the Meridian Downtown Association, Merry Meridian spans over a six-day period. "An Old Fashion Christmas" is the theme for the downtown festivities which, according to organizers "officially usher in the holiday season," with each event building toward a climactic celebration with the Merry Meridian Market and Christmas Parade. An added bonus this year will be performances of Meridian Little Theatre's "A Christmas Carol," the Temple Theater's "Great Russian Nutcracker Ballet," Meridian Symphony Orchestra's "Peppermint Pops" and "The Tillis Family Christmas" at the MSU Riley Center.

The holiday event kicked off on Nov. 20 with Merrehope's 40th Annual Trees of Christmas Anniversary Event. Presented by the Meridian Restorations Foundation at Meridian's only remaining antebellum home, the tour highlights a series of theme-decorated trees, mantel displays and Christmas collections at Merrehope as well as the Victorian F.W. Williams Home.

Tours at both dwellings will continue through Jan. 3, 2009. Hours are Monday-Saturday, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The homes will be open this Sunday and on Dec. 21, from 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Merry Meridian will officially get under way on Dec. 2 with the city of Meridian hosting its traditional tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at Dumont Plaza. In addition to the sounds of the season performed by revelers singing holiday carols, a live nativity play sponsored by 103.3 The Light and Bible Bookstore will begin at 6:30 at the plaza. The play will highlight the nativity story featuring a variety of scenes, church choirs and musical ensembles. A community-wide church service will be held immediately after the play, .

Also on that evening, entries for the Second Annual Holiday Window Art Exhibit and Display Contest will be unveiled. Participating schools have decorated the windows of several downtown businesses along the Christmas parade theme.

Holiday windows and contest participants are: The Vise Building, corner of 4th Street and 22nd Avenue – Northeast Middle School Art Quest; Joyce's Etc., Seventh Street and 22nd Avenue – Russell Christian Academy

Art Class; East Mississippi Business Journal, corner of 23rd Avenue and Fifth Street – West Lauderdale Elementary Talented and Gifted Students; Business Technologies Group, 2211 Front St. – Southeast Middle School Art Quest; Jean's Restaurant, Front Street –Clarkdale Elementary Art Quest; and the Old Peavy Building, 22nd Avenue (by First State Bank) – West Lauderdale Middle School Art Quest.

According to Michele Pearson, Holiday Window Contest chairman, each school will win an award in one of several categories, such as "Most Creative Space," "Best Use of Color" and "Best Theme."

A "Best of Show" also will be awarded from votes cast by the public from Dec. 3 until noon on Dec. 6 at the following locations: Around the Corner, Aimee's Linens, Paint and Pen, Saxon's Florist and Joyce's Etc. The awards ceremony will be held on Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. in Dumont Plaza during Merry Meridian.

On Dec. 4, Meridian Little Theatre will kick off a series of performances of the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol." Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith will reprise his role as the selfish and miserly protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge. Shows will be presented Dec. 4-10 at the Highway 39 North playhouse. For information, call (601) 482-6371.

The Miss Merry Meridian Pageant will be presented Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Family Life Center at Highland Baptist Church. This year's competition will include more than 50 contestants.

"It's going to be big this year, and really pretty, too, especially in Highland's Family Life Center," Davis said.

In addition to being featured in the holiday parade, the winner also will be the official spokesperson for Merry Meridian 2009. Admission is free to the pageant.

Also on Dec. 5, the Meridian Symphony Orchestra will present "Peppermint Pops" at the MSU Riley Center at 8 p.m..

Several events and activities are slated for Dec. 6, the final but, as described by Davis, "big, big" day of Merry Meridian. Beginning that morning at 8:30, the BankPlus 5K Jingle Bell Run. Sponsored by the Meridian Athletic Association, the event will included hundreds of Meridian athletes competing in the 5K run through downtown. The day will kick off at 8 a.m. with a 1-mile fun run for children. For more information, call Melissa Estes at (601) 479-0888.

And from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., one of the main highlights of the holiday extravaganza will be the Merry Meridian Market at Dumont Plaza. Sponsored by BankPlus, the market will feature outdoor holiday shopping, entertainment from a variety of local talent, kids activities, food, Christmas goodies and more. More than 100 vendors from across the Southeastern United States will be on site.

"We will have vendors from all of Mississippi, as well as New Orleans, Florida and Georgia," Davis said.

All types of vending, businesses, crafts, food and other specialties will feature an array of unique items for sale – holiday and home decor, gift ideas, art, clothing, toys, jewelry and more.

The Children's Playground with offer "plenty to do all day long during the event," Davis said, including: jump toys, slides, a train that will travel around the downtown area, cotton candy, face painting, balloon animal making, Christmas ornament painting and gingerbread house making.

And what holiday event would be complete without an appearance by "The Fat Man in the Red Suit?" Santa will make an early appearance at Dumont Plaza from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

"Parents can bring their cameras and take their children's picture with Santa – for free," Davis said.

A Big Boy Toyland will be set up from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Showcasing the year's newest designs in autos, golf equipment, ATVs, RVs, motorcycles, entertainment, recliners and hunting and fishing, the toy land also will feature hunting and fishing demonstrations, prize giveaways and the latest models of trucks and cars on display.

A Downtown Merchants' Holiday Open House, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., will feature several downtown retail stores "decked out" for the holidays and offering special incentives on unique gift ideas.

At noon, an Outback Steakhouse 40-ounce Feast Steak Eating Contest will be held. Participants will vie for the best time in eating a 40-ounce steak.

Vance Moore took home a trophy and $200 Outback Steakhouse gift card in 2006 for finishing off the giant steak in 5 minutes. Moore, an arson inspector for the Meridian Fire Department and a repeat competitor in such events, was deemed "The Machine" by the crowd of onlookers who marveled at his speed.

"Eating is my thing," the titleholder commented at the time on his winning secret.

A $30 entry fee is required; applications are available at Outback or on the day of the competition.

When organizers of Merry Meridian say it is a family event, they aren't woofing. Even man's best friend can get into the day's festivities.

A Big Dog Competition will begin at noon and will feature a retrieving contest. Participants will jump from a 40-foot dock into a pool of water to retrieve a rubber duck.

"They will be timed on how far they go out to get it and how fast they get it," Davis said.

This event is open to big dogs only; trophies will be presented to first-, second- and third-place winners. Participation is free; sign-up is on the day of the event.

Local food vendors will be set up in Dumont Plaza and, according to Davis, will sell everything from chili to fried Twinkies.

Free tours will be held during the day at the MSU Riley Center at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and all day at Merrehope.

At 3 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Moscow Ballet's "Great Russian Nutcracker" will return to the Temple Theater stage. In addition to its award-winning corps of dancers, the "Nutcracker" also will feature Meridian youth dancing alongside the Moscow cast. As part of its outreach program "Celebrate Children: The Arts Can Make a Difference," the ballet auditions children from each city where they perform. Sixty children from Meridian and the surrounding communities will be featured in the performance.

Tickets for the 3 p.m. show are sold out, however tickets are still available for the 8:30 p.m. performance. For information, call the Temple Theater at (601) 693-5353.

Concluding the day's Merry Meridian activities will be the annual Christmas Parade at 5 p.m., featuring well-know TV personality Walt Grayson as the 2008 Grand Marshal.

Continuing the holiday fest will be country music sensations Mel Tillis and Pam Tillis in "A Tillis Family Christmas" on Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., at the MSU Riley Center. The Tillises have celebrated Christmas on stage, individually and as a family, for more than 20 years. Former Entertainer of the Year, award-winning comedian, Hall of Fame songwriter and sometimes movie star Mel Tillis and his two-time Grammy award-winning daughter, Pam are guaranteed to present a night of fun and poignancy – from the silly to the sacred.

Mel will release his first Christmas album, titled "Snowflake," and Pam will showcase songs from her 2007 Christmas release, "Just In Time for Christmas," along with their chart-topping country hits. Joining them on stage will be Pam's brother, Mel Tillis Jr., and baby sister, Carrie April Tillis. Mel Jr. has written songs for Ricky Skaggs, Reba McEntire and others, including a No. 1 hit by Jamie O'Neal. For information, call (601) 696-2200 or go to the Web site www.msurileycenter.com

And Dec. 11-13, Highland Baptist Church will present the annual Singing Christmas Tree. Now in its 24th year, The Singing Christmas Tree features more than 75 voices together in song, accompanied by a full orchestra and actors.

The choir will stand inside a 35-foot steel lighted Christmas Tree that stretches across the sanctuary. Assembled each year by church members, the tree is decorated with more than 2,000 twinkling lights, red velvet bows, garland, golden jeweled finials and gold, red and purple glass balls. Four thousand feet of wiring and 13,000 watts of electricity is required for the lighting of the 21,000-pound structure. Tickets are free. For more information, call (601) 482-0191 or visit the Web site www.highlandbaptist.net.