Meridian Community College’s production of the Tony award winning Broadway show “The Color Purple” opens Thursday night, April 25, and runs through Sunday in the McCain Theater.

The performance is the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel.

The gripping score features blues, jazz, gospel, ragtime and African music. The story follows the life of Celie, a poor girl from Georgia, as she faces an abusive father and exploitative husband while enduring a separation from her sister and friends. Celie endures it all to discover her own self-worth and dignity.

Showtimes are 7 p.m. nightly and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10, $5 for students, and may be purchased at the door one hour before the show or by calling MCC box office at (601) 484-8696. MCC is located at 910 Highway 19 North. 

The show may not be appropriate for children under the age of 13. 

Events at The Max

The Mississippi Arts + Entertaining Experience will present MAXEats: Jazz Your Grits with Chef An Howard Hill from 6-8 p.m. Thursday. Hill’s  cooking demonstration features Mississippi’s culinary heritage with grits from Sciple Mill in Kemper County.

Sciple Mill is a 220-year-old, seven generation mill as 72-year-old Ed Sciple continues to operate the 1600 pound grinding stone, offering corn meal, grits, whole wheat flour and fish fry mix. The mill, also, is a tourist attraction.

The MAX is located at 2155 Front St., Meridian. The fee for this event is $40 for members and $45 for non-members.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at The MAX,  learn encaustic painting from Terrell Taylor. He will teach basics of encaustic painting in this half-day workshop. Also known as hot wax painting, encaustic uses melted and pigmented beeswax. Class size is limited to 12. Registration is required and may be done online at msarts.org. The cost is $40 for members and $45 for non-members. This event is for ages 16 and up.

Music options

The Allman Betts Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Mississippi State University Riley Center for the Performing Arts, located at 2200 5th St. Admission is $33 and $39. Enjoy a night of Southern rock, blues and soul. Sons of three members of The Allman Brothers Band, this is their first tour.

Broadmoor Baptist Church will host The Lefevre Quartet gospel music concert at 7 p.m. Thursday. Admission is free and a love offering will be taken. The church is located at 5426 Highway 39 North.

Christian music performer and song writer Nathan Sheridan will be in concert at 7 p.m. Friday at the Ellis Theatre in Philadelphia. The concert is free and is being hosted by the Philadelphia First Assembly of God.

“We are excited to be able to bring a Christian music artist of the quality of Nathan to this area,” said Rev. Austin Bishop, pastor of Philadelphia First Assembly of God. “The community responded well to the Seventh Day Slumber concert we hosted in the fall and it encouraged us to keep bringing this type of music, worship and testimony to the area.”

The Sandy Ridge Bluegrass Park Saturday will host a day of fellowship, food, picking and grinning. Bring a covered dish for supper at 6 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (601) 644-3701.

Shrimp boil

Poplar Springs Drive United Methodist Church will host its Spring Festival shrimp boil from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday. Enjoy a generous portion of boiled shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob and mushrooms. Baked and frozen goods will be for sale.

Proceeds from the festival go to benefit local missions including Wesley House, Care Lodge and Relay/Cancer Benevolent Fund. Tickets are available by calling the church at (601) 485-5598, extension 122. The church is located at 3937 Poplar Springs Drive.

Choctaw culture

If you enjoy cultural experiences, take the short drive to Pearl River Resort outside Philadelphia and visit the Chahta Immi Cultural Center located on the Choctaw Indian Reservation. The center was developed to showcase and provide cultural education through exhibits on Choctaw art forms and includes the archives collection and the Institute of Chahta Immi.

See the beautiful Choctaw pottery and the revitalization of this art form as well as all the art forms of the Choctaws.

A gift shop is onsite to purchase various original art pieces. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. General admission is $5 and seniors and children under five are free. The center is located in the Choctaw Shopping Center, Highway 16 West, Pearl River. For more information, call (601) 650-1687.