The Best of Brookhaven shopping campaign has organized a retailevent for businesses and females throughout the community.

     “Girls’ Night Out” will be held next Thursday from 5 p.m.to 8 p.m. at participating retailers in Brookhaven.

     “This will be a fun event for women and girls to come outand support local businesses, and do what we do best,” said Chamberof Commerce Program Director Kay Burton.

     The event is being promoted with the help of the chamber ofcommerce, and people like Burton think it is shaping up to be abeneficial event for not just the citizens but also theretailers.

     “I think this promises to be a great idea for localmerchants to get special attention after their normal businesshours,” Burton said.

     According to Burton and Chamber of Commerce Executive VicePresident Cliff Brumfield, nearly 200 tickets have already beensold, and they expect more advance sales and sales the night of theevent.

     Any woman who purchases a ticket will receive a sandwichplate and drink from Broma’s, a T-shirt, a shopping guide and achance to enter her name in a drawing for a prize.

     Participants will also receive a Best of Brookhavenkeychain, a treasure of the Brookhaven shopping community,according to Burton.

     The keychain is comparable to a rewards card. Every month,Best of Brookhaven businesses have discounts on their merchandiseavailable only to shoppers who have the special keychain.

     Burton said that on the night of the event, retailers willhave special deals on merchandise and other incentives for ticketholders to enter their stores.

     “Let’s just say it will be a special night,” Burtonsaid.

     Angie Warren, owner of Expectations, helped bring the ideato the attention of other businesses around the area to see ifthere was any interest.

     “We had some friends who visited Denham Springs, La., wherethey did something similar to this,” Warren said. “I loved the ideaand checked into it to see how they ran it over there. Then Ipresented it to other merchants here, and 20 of them said theywould definitely be interested in participating.”

     Warren explained that this time of year can be a slowertime for local businesses, and that an event like this can helppick up the slack.

     Many of the businesses are using this as an opportunity tokick off their summer sales, like at Warren’s Expectations, whichwill start a half-off sale.

     “This gives people who participate in ‘Girls’ Night Out’ achance to be the first ones to have a look at what the stores’sales are going to be,” Warren said.

     Organizers hope to build on the event in the future.

     “We want people to see that they don’t have to make specialtrips to Jackson or Hattiesburg to get what they want,” Warrensaid. “They can find what they’re looking for right here inBrookhaven.”

     Those participating in “Girls’ Night Out” will meet at theBank of Brookhaven at 5:00 p.m. next Thursday night to get theirmeals, T-shirts, and shopping packets. Afterward, they can proceedto any of the participating retailers to shop.

     The event will end with an ice cream sundae social at 8p.m. at Brookhaven Monument Company, where ticket holders will havea chance to get $64 gift cards to the company in celebration of its64th anniversary in business.

     Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the night of the event.They can be purchased at the chamber or at any of the 21participating retailers.