In an effort to bring Mississippi arts and artists to life for residents and visitors to our state, the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) is forming the Young Art Patrons organization.

The Young Art Patrons will engage young professionals and their families by providing unique culturally enriching programs to support The MAX’s mission.

The first Young Art Patron fundraising event will be a unique team competition titled Wine Down. The Wine Down contest will be held Dec. 8, from 6-9 p.m. The host venue will be the Elegance Ball Room – 2208 Front St. in downtown Meridian – and the competition variety is Cabernet Sauvignon.

To compete, guests should organize a team of one to three members. Each team registers for $25 and should arrive at the Wine Down event with three identical bottles of cabernet. No other varietals will be accepted.

On the night of the Wine Down the teams check in and two of their bottles are bagged for anonymity and given a team number. The third bottle is placed in “the pot.” Each team member is provided a scorecard, a complimentary “The MAX” wine glass, and the blind tasting and scoring begin. At the end of the contest, the scores are tallied and the team with the highest total score wins the entire pot. The team with the lowest score will have their bottle returned.

The event is open to the public and all attendees must be age 21 year of age or older. Teams can register on Eventbrite.com or visit msarts.org. Questions: info@msarts.org or call 601-581-1550

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About the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience

The new Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will be a revolutionary museum experience showcasing Mississippi’s global legacy, honoring our legends, and inspiring tomorrow’s artists to follow their own creative dreams. There are two main objectives behind the creation of this new cultural attraction. First, The MAX will provide educational opportunities for youth and families and create a sense of pride about our great state and its people; second The MAX will be a new cultural economy asset attracting not only interstate tourists but also visitors from international markets.