.....At its August meeting, the FRF Board voted to add Gabriel Prado as a board member.
.....Prado was recently named a "Top 50 under 40 in MS". He is also the Chairman and President of the Board of The Latin American Business Association.
.....Prado currently serves as Economic Development Director for the City of Clinton. His family owns properties in Fondren.
.....Prado has also worked for the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) where he served as Protocol and Special Projects Officer. Prior to service as Protocol Officer, Prado served as Latin America Trade Manager. He hold a Masters degree from Harvard and a Masters degree from Belhaven.
....."FRF is extremely fortunate to have Gabe on board," said FRF President Mary Linley Sweat. "He is passionate about helping others and has the experience and expertise to help Fondren realize its bright future."
Record Shop coming to Fondren
.....The End of All Music, an independent record store with roots in Oxford at The Square, will open in Fondren on October 1 at 3011 North State Street.
....."I've always been an advocate for music and art in the community, and I am beyond excited to continue that through The End of All Music," said store manager Hayden Boyd, a Jackson resident.
.....The store will carry old and new vinyl records, CDs and LPs, as well as turntables and audio gear.
.....In 2016, USA TODAY listed The End of All Music as one of the 10 great record stores in the United States.
September's Fondren Live canceled
.....Due to the resurgence of COVID, Fondren Live is canceled for September.
.....FRF hopes to return to its regular calendar of events by November with three days of Fondren UnWrapped, presented by Trustmark, featuring a parade, special open houses and events, November 11 - 13.
.....New to the Fondren calendar is Caroling with Cathead, a holiday version of Fonden Live with specialty drinks created with Cathead products on December 2.
Homewood Suites General Manager Lewis Formby
Formby receives appointments
by Jackson Mayor, City Council
.....At the August 3 meeting of the Jackson City Council, Fondren's Lewis Formby was appointed by the mayor and approved by the Council to the Capital City Convention Center Commission and the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau as the Hotel Community representative.
.....A native of Mississippi, Formby's career in hotel management has taken him to properties in Beverly Hills, Palm Springs, Scottsdale, Sacramento, West Palm Beach, Rancho Mirage and Mackinac Island.
.....Formby became General Manager of Fondren's Homewood Suites shortly after the hotel opened in 2020.
"Mr. Fondren" can be seen on North State Street.
Fondren Public Art featured
.....The August edition of the Jackson Free Press Magazine highlighted the following Fondren public art:
.....Birdhouse Gardens Located on Avondale Drive, this private residence sports dozens of unique birdhouses in the owners' front yard and garden.
....."Mr. Fondren" (Pictured above) Richard McKey, owner of Fondren Art Gallery and Framing, created the sculpture and placed it in front of his State Street gallery to welcome guests inside.
.....The Bean Alley Murals Located in the alleyway next to The Bean, a local coffee shop, this collection features four murals. The artworks depict Scott Allen, Justin Schultz, Erica Flannes and Scott Sorenson.
.....Scott Allen Murals Found on Morgan Place behind Corner Market, the murals showcase the stylings of Fondren artists Scott Allen, who has also painted other artworks in the area.
.....Frances Fortner Mural Located on the side of Fondren Corner, across from Green Ghost Tacos, this mural honors Jackson Academy senior Frances Fortner, who was tragically killed in May, 2018. The mural's inspiration came from a self portrait of Fortner.
.....Go Get Em Tiger Fondrenmural Scott Allen of A Plus Signs and Creative painted this mural behind the Fondren District's Cups on Old Canton Road.
Sponsor tables now available for
Symphony at Sunset, Sept. 16
.....A limited number of sponsor tables (13) are now available for Symphony at Sunset, sponsored by BankPlus, scheduled for September 16.
.....Should the event be canceled, funds will be returned. A decision will be made by August 27 and will take into consideration the current rate of COVID spread and condition of our local health care system.
.....Sponsor tables seat 8 and include a box dinner prepared by Walker's Drive In, special parking passes and access to the Magnolia Lounge.
.....Sponsor table cost is $1,500 and a portion of the proceeds make possible FRF's support of the Fondren community. Use the link below to reserve your table. You can pay by credit card or reserve a table and send a check.
.. .....Become a partner with JPD in solving neighborhood crimes!
Virtual Neighborhood Watch signs are now available to deter people from entering your property to commit a crime. For a donation of $10, FRF will deliver a yard sign to your property. You can relocate the sign, once it is received.
.....Whether you have a sign or not, you can upload video and photos from your home security camera directly to JPD's Precinct 4 with this link:Send video to JPD.
.....The sign is just a deterrent to those who may be trespassing, informing them that their images may be sent to Precinct 4 and used as evidence.
