Hello readers,

Summertime fun is here! Beautiful weather at the time of this writing!

Bicentennial Park has turned the water on, and the kids are having a blast. The new lighting added to the walking trail makes it easy to walk well into the evening! A new handicap ramp has been added with new seating and lots of fresh flowers and plants. We are so very proud of the upgrades to help make our community better.

The O foundation is sponsoring summertime fun to get in shape! A great big thank you to our elected officials Chief Bobby Bell and Sen. Sally Doty for attending our first meeting held at Polly’s Restaurant on last Monday.

We will sponsor two 5k walks. The first, named by the Chief, “See Where We Are At Run and Walk,” will be a Saturday morning daytime walk.

Teams will be formed and team captains will have five weeks to get their teams ready for the 5k to be held June 27. Chief will mark the route through the Community.

We are asking you to form a team or ask someone you know to form one. Each adult team is asked to sponsor a  youth team ages beginning at 5 years old and up! It’s all about getting the kids active.

Chief Bell has signed up the police department as the first team. Siloam community has signed up the first youth team.

There is no fee.

The second 5k run and walk will be held Aug. 15. A night run called Glow Run. This will be held in a contained area so as not to block city traffic. This is a first.

The deadline to register teams is May 31. After that, train for the walk. We also talked about music and barbecue and games, for the Glow Run and Walk.

The next meeting is May 26 at 4:30 p.m. at Polly’s. All team captains are asked to attend! Donations are welcome to make the event spectacular! An account is set up at Bank of Brookhaven.

We are selling “Praying for Free” T shirts and are asking sponsors to place your name on shirt for a low price of 50.00. Custom ads are $100.00. Let’s get our kids up and moving!

My family came together with six, yes six, generations to celebrate my grandmother’s, Cora Smith, 94th birthday. It was a fun event held at the Golden Coral in McComb. Sis Edna Woods came to keep us in line. The party was hosted by my Aunt, the Rev Frankie Chandler. She led us in a number of gospel songs. The waitresses stuck their head in our private dinning room and said they heard the good singing. My mom Lillie Brown made remarks about how well my grandma lived her life for God. The Rev. Shelby Mitchell gave a speech on how it has been a pleasure to be her son in law and a part of our wonderful family.

Pictures were taken of three, five and six generations. My baby brother, Tommy  Tyrone Jenkins, came all the way from Los Angeles to help us celebrate, along with his son, Chris, and grandson, Jaden, and Jada. Grandchildren took pictures along with great, great and one picture taken by her first great-great-great-grandchild Casey! Rev. Sam Collins her pastor spoke on how important it is for family to be close. Family can come together and solve most of its financial problems! I thought to myself why are we at The Golden Coral?

I call it a pleasure to serve you here in Brookhaven at Polly’s Restaurant for 11 years. I have had some health issues, but now the restaurant is back open Monday through Friday for lunch! I also have a new neighbor on the other side of the Stal Urban Building called Two Sisters Kitchen. I am sure if you take the drive to one of the restaurants will have something to entice you!

I want to take a moment to wish all the best to my good friend Mrs Stella Smith, who also celebrated a birthday, on the home going of her granddaughter Ximena. Stella is a retired teacher from the Wesson school district. She and her husband, Monroe, would come by the restaurant and fill me in on how her granddaughter was suffering from a rare cancer. Early twenties, new husband, new baby – he’s two now – honor graduate from Jackson State, looking forward to becoming a great citizen was all cut short. We watched her go through the illness on Facebook. Good days or bad days she would post a picture to say I am still here y’all! Even now the tears flow down my own cheeks as I write this story. What answers do we have? Stella nor her grandaughter ever wavered. Stella told me a story about how she asked her why? Her only response was a testament from God and only he has the answers. I am sending prayers from Ole Brook to the family.

I want to send out happy birthday wishes to Cheryl Cammeron, Mahundas Brice, my great-grandchild’s daddy AJ Tune Darnell Herring (and check out his barber chair at Byron’s Barber Shop), Angela Gearing, Gwen Dillon, Deborah Hawkins Hill, Rev Shon Blackwell and happy anniversary to Angelo Haygood and his wife.

Have a blessed Sunday, and see you for chicken pie tomorrow at Polly’s.

If you have any Brookhaven area news to report, contact Rosemary Jenkins at 601-833-0922.