Jackson Free Press

Maybe Jacksonians living under a rock, or a newcomer or visitor to Jackson, might not know by now that native Kathryn Stockett based her novel, "The Help," on tragic history right here in her hometown. When the film crew showed up, they brought retro styling back to "downtown" Fondren (actually, Jackson's first suburb), where "the strip" (as locals like to call the row of small, local businesses along North State Street near Duling Avenue), was transformed back to the 1960s all over again. (They even brought the "Coloreds" balcony back to the Pix/Capri.) Once the film crew left, Fondren went back to normal, with the old Shell returning to Butterfly Yoga and the Capri back to its sadly empty self. You can still see a few signs of the retro facelift, though, if you look closely.