A weekend of celebrating musicians and songwriters kicked off Friday with performances by three talented songwriters during a Brown Bag Lunch at The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience. The two-hour performance, which was free and open to the public, was the first of several weekend events planned as part of the Mississippi Songwriters Festival.

 

Musicians Shelby Anderson, Teena May and Sean Gasaway took part in the lunch, playing some of their original songs for Meridian workers and shoppers while they dined on lunch from local food trucks or nearby restaurants.

 

The Brown Bag Lunch will be followed up with a youth songwriting workshop with Gasaway from 1-5 p.m. From 7-11 p.m. more than two dozen songwriters will perform in venues throughout downtown Meridian before gathering at Brickhaus to end the evening.

 

The Mississippi Songwriters Festival will resume Saturday with a songwriting workshop led by musician Clay Mills from 10 a.m. to noon.

 

A grand finale performance will cap off the festival with Mills, Gasaway, Stephen Lee Veal and Lack Thornton among the featured musicians from 6-9 p.m. at The MAX.

 

For more information about the festival or other upcoming events at The MAX, visit msarts.org.