Street Talk
Main Street Market Festival Just A Week Away
By Mickey Howley
The weather last weekend was just fabulous; The Relay for Life and the Double Decker could not have had better weather. As we all know at this time of the year, good weather is pure luck.
There are a couple of other events in the near future where weather luck will play a role. The Main Street Market Festival downtown on May 9 certainly could use some sunny mild weather. We need it not only for the day of the festival and for the evening fireworks show, but also for our farmers who have crops to sell at the market.
Really needing good weather this weekend is the kick off concert for the Chamber of Commerce’s Friday evening music series in Railroad Park. Outside Saturday, May 2, at sunset there will be another Movie On Main at the corner of Panola and Main. Sean Connery stars as Agent 007, James Bond, in Ian Fleming’s “From Russia with Love”.
The Bond films, while they are a bit campy at times, are the longest running most profitable film series in the English language. Maybe we should not consider the implications of that. I watch Bond movies for the chase scenes and the occasional Bond girl.
A friend of mine is a total James Bond freak. He is an architect by trade, and in all of the streetscape renderings he draws, if there are automobiles, an Aston Martin DB5 is somewhere in it. He throws a birthday party every year on James’s birthday (Nov. 11).
Sometimes these parties were a bit elaborate, at one a Marine Color Guard entered the room and behind them was Lois Maxwell, the actress who played Miss Moneypenny. She pulled out a sword and dramatically sliced a big Union Jack cake and said, “Happy Birthday James and Let’s Party”. That was 24 years ago and Ms. Maxwell has since died, but I still like the films and they still are a hit. So if you are a Bond fan, come this Saturday and see one of the early films starring the first of six actors who have since portrayed Agent 007.
The most important event needing good weather and coming up soon is the election on Tuesday May 5. There will be a total of 14 candidates vying for six positions. You can only vote for three positions, mayor, alderman at large and the alderman in your district. Since there was no public debate between candidates, I read the candidate responses to questions from the public with great interest. I was really looking for who has a vision of where this town should be going in the next four years.
I was very disappointed that three candidates chose not to respond. Perhaps they had their reasons. At best that shows a nonchalant apathy to public political discourse. Frank and open public discussions of where Water Valley is headed, what our challenges are and how we should meet them are in every citizen’s best interest. Please vote next Tuesday, all votes count equally and remind your fellow Vallians to vote as well.
Last week’s poll had horseshoes tied with sack racing as the most favorite festival games. Visit www.watervalleymainstreet.com to vote on who is your favorite Bond. There are six, see if you can name them all before you look. See www.movieonmain.com for more movie details.
