Merrehope hosts open house Sunday

Published 9:30 am Thursday, August 11, 2022

A local historical home plans to open its doors to the community to recap a full year of events and projects.

The Friends of Merrehope open house and annual meeting is set for Sunday, August 14, at Merrehope, located at 905 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in Meridian. The meeting will be at 2 p.m., followed by the open house where the public is invited to attend.

The newly elected foundation board of directors, led by president Kim Waters, is excited about activities held throughout the past year and the recent progress made in restoration efforts.

“Everyone is invited to this open house,” said Waters. “We are so excited to share a little about this past year at Merrehope and the exciting plans for the future.”

The event will cover:

• The successful launch of Friends of Merrehope in August 2021 and its function.

• There will be new special events including Mimosas at Merrehope, Spirits of Christmas at Merrehope, and Christmas Yoga at Merrehope.

These holiday events led to one of the most successful Trees of Christmas celebrations in its 53 year history.

• The first-ever Masquerades at Merrehope, a fun filled evening excitedly embraced by the community.

• The success of the Trash and Treasures Sale by Merrehope.

• The Raise the Roof for Merrehope Benefit Concert by Steve Forbert and George Naha. This entertaining reunion was made possible by one of Steve Forbert and sponsors.

• Build and Learn at Merrehope, which was launched at the 2022 Maker Faire Meridian and continued with an afternoon camp at Merrehope in July.

Students throughout Meridian and Lauderdale County learned about local architecture and the importance of historic preservation. After that, they then went on to design and build their own cardboard mini-structures, putting their skills to the test.

The collection of structures was presented at the Merrehope Village Unveiling and will remain on exhibit at the Open House.

Along with tours, special events, photography sessions, new furniture, a variety of holiday exhibits, and the enhancement of The Eugenia Gift Shop, it has been a busy year for Meridian’s Neoclassical Revival Mansion—Merrehope, circa 1858.

“We are so thankful for the many volunteers and donors who have stepped up to keep the doors open to this Meridian treasure,” Waters said.