Bebop Bakes and Berates
1609 N 3rd Ave Laurel, MS 39440
Bakery
1
Local Recommendations
About Us
I make decorative and infused layer cakes as well as offer private dining/personal chef and party catering, leading with authentic Creole and Cajun cuisine. (more)
707 S 16th Ave Laurel, MS 39440
504.666.4064
Visit Website
Facebook Page
Mother’s Day Blues Festival
Promotion ended on May 9, 2021
707 S 16th Ave Laurel, MS 39440
I will be vending at the festival. Come check us out!
Long-running Mother's Day Blues Festival
at Fairgrounds moves to Hattiesburg
after charges increased by nearly $20K
For the first time since 1987, an annual festival that brings thousands to Jones County will be hosted in Hattiesburg.
The Mother’s Day Blues Festival, which has become a tradition at the Magnolia Center in Laurel, will move to the Forrest County Multipurpose Center because the price at the previous venue tripled, the organizer said.
John Reid, owner of JTR Productions, said the festival would have been a $1 million weekend for Jones County economically. But instead of the Magnolia Center, the Mother’s Day Blues Festival will be in Hattiesburg.
“I’m devastated that I can’t host it in Laurel,” Reid said. “This is my home. The Mother’s Day Blues Festival has become synonymous with Laurel.”
The festival is usually hosted at the Magnolia Center, which charges a fee of around $8,000 for a deposit and rental of the venue, but because of a new policy, the price increased to a $25,000 initial cost that includes all services needed to host the event. JTR productions usually pays for outside security through the Laurel Police Department or the Jones County Sheriff’s Department, ambulance services, parking attendants and other services, but the new contract includes these services and the price of security from a contracted security company through the South Mississippi Fair Commission.
The South Mississippi Fair Commission Executive Director Carrie Byrd said that the new contract comes after the South Mississippi Fair Commission Board passed a new policy and approved a new contract with the promoter to have the services are rendered through them.
“In this case, there is always a potential for a refund if some of the services are not used that we are providing through the contract,” Byrd said. “In this way we collect a fee on the front end and the deposits are refundable as well for the venue. It’s unfortunate that the festival will move to Hattiesburg.”
The fair commission must get approval from the fair commission board for new contracts. The commission board does not negotiate the terms of the contract but can vote for new contracts. Lee Donaldson, Fair Commission Board president, said the board voted unanimously for the new contract between the South Mississippi Fair Commission and JTR Productions for the festival.
“I’m highly disappointed that it moved to Hattiesburg,” Donaldson said. “While I cannot comment for the fair commission as a whole, a resolution would have to be in agreement between both parties.Ijust have one vote for the board.”
Reid went to the Forrest County Board of Supervisors to see if he could move the festival to Hattiesburg. Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker said Forrest County and the city of Hattiesburg have a long history of working together.
“In this case, Supervisor Rod Woullard reached out about bringing the concert to Hattiesburg in 2022,” Barker said. “As Hattiesburg is a dynamic backdrop for festivals and concerts of all types, we welcome any opportunity to continue growing those offerings.”
Donaldson said he could not comment on the particulars of the contract between the commission and JTR Productions.
Contract changes
The contracts for the event from 2021 state an $8,000 fee that has tripled to more than $25,000 for the upcoming 2022 festival. However, Byrd said that this is just providing services to JTR productions that he would normally pay for outside of the South Mississippi Fair Commission’s venue.
“We are just trying to do the right thing to protect the interests of the South Mississippi Fair Commission, the Jones County Board of Supervisors, the citizens and everyone involved,” Byrd said. “The Fair Commission Board made a decision to pass the new policy that we handle the security of events so that we had enough law enforcement available to handle the public safety aspect of any event. We’ve had situations in the past where we’ve had difficulty with public safety for some events.”
While last year the fees listed for 2021 requested $6,000 for rental and $2,000 for cleanup of the property for a total deposit of $8,000, the fees increased by approximately $17,000. This year, the fairgrounds is requesting $4,000 for rental, $4,000 for a deposit, $3,000 for cleanup and about $14,740 for parking lot usage, rental fees and service fees, including parking attendants, armed security, dedicated ambulance and dumpster fees.
“All of this came about because of their private securit company,” Reid said. “They charged me $15 over the actual contract price with the fairgrounds with the South Mississippi Fair Commission.”
Reid filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get the contract between
SMFC and Protec Security and discovered that he had been overcharged by $15 per hour, per man.
“Some statements are going around that I don’t want to pay the security, but here’s the thing — since 1987, I’ve paid all bills and left no one in the city or state owing a dime,” he said. “I’ve been a great tenant.”
Byrd said that the disagreement was not between the SMFC and JTR productions but a contract between Protec and JTR Productions.
“LPD did not have enough officers to cover last year’s event, so John had to use Protec for the event,” Byrd said. “To my knowledge, Protec charged the same per hour rate that LPD and the sheriff’s office charges to which there was a dispute. However the SMFC had nothing to do with that contract; it was between him and Protec.”
Reid said that since 1987, he has paid Laurel Police Department and Jones County Sheriff’s Department, with 12 officers manning the event.
“They want to double the cost and double the amount of security that LPD has seen fit 12 officers could handle,” Reid said.
Byrd said that the SMFC communicates with both LPD and the Jones County Sheriff’s Department to see how many officers are needed to service an event.
“If we don’t use as many of the officers for the event as stated in the contract, there would always be a potential for a refund,” Byrd said.
Getting the festival to stay
The city council, especially Councilwoman Shirley Jordan-Keyes Ward 7, attempted to get the festival to stay in Laurel. While the council does not have authority over the fair board or Reid’s contract, the city attempted to get the parties to come together to find a resolution, she said.
“We scheduled at least three meetings so the parties could meet to negotiate to come to a resolution, but there were scheduling conflicts,” Jordan-Keyes said. “The citizens of Laurel need to know that we reached out to them and (did) what we could do and not ignore our constituents who have voiced their concerns and opinions.”
Byrd said that for the South Mississippi Fair Commission Board to meet, they have to publicly advertise the meeting because they are subject to open meeting laws. Many of the board members’ schedules and other public officials did not line up for a group meeting, so it was canceled several times.
“We could bring a few reps to come to a meeting but with all of the public officials schedules’ involved, we could not get it nailed down,” she said. “We are still open to having a meeting to negotiate this for 2023 to get the festival back here in Laurel. This is the 35th year and we were hoping to have it here but wish John the best for his event.”
The meetings were canceled and rescheduled three times. Reid said he made a point to be present for the meetings before they were canceled. Jordan-Keyes said the festival is something that’s become a tradition for Laurel and that people from other states bus in for the event.
“We are still willing to come to the table and host a meeting before it’s moved to Hattiesburg,” Jordan-Keyes said. “We have tried to come together to negotiate a solution.”