As the summer comes to an end, I realize what a whirlwind the last few months has been. June began by Richard and I traveling to New Your City with the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau to participate in the Mississippi Picnic in the Park. We met so many people from MS living in NYC, as well as locals who have never left the city. Such a great opportunity to share some of what MS artists have to offer.
In July, we hosted a wine and art dinner with Park Heights Restaurant with special guests Norm Rush, who spoke about summer white wines, and Charlie Buckley, Tupelo artist. It was a huge crowd and we were fortunate to see one of Charlie’s works in progress, the Oxford Square. Charlie’s painting technique is incredible, with an example of his work, the Lee County Court House, still hanging in our front window.
In August, I was given the opportunity from the Tupelo CVB to attend the Southeast Tourism Society’s Marketing College. I was fortunate to win a scholarship to attend after participating in the Tupelo CVB leadership program. I spent a week with other retailers and attractions managers plus tourism staff members learning how to showcase what our local towns have to offer. Tupelo is so very fortunate to be way ahead of the game in marketing our community to the nation and world. Elvis may get visitors to Tupelo, but our local CVB staff shows tourists there are so many reasons to stay and see what makes Tupelo so special.
As August came to a close, we celebrated the gallery’s Fourth Anniversary. Thank you to our customers and community for helping us continue to offer art from Mississippi to the world. We had a great crowd show up and was another reminder why Tupelo is such a great place to live.