Jackson Free Press

The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (222 North St.) in Jackson will offer free admission to health care workers, teachers, law-enforcement officers, fire fighters, and others on Tuesday, Nov. 17, in honor of their work saving lives and serving their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guests will not need to provide identification to receive free admission. Safety precautions at the museums include wearing masks and observing social distancing guidelines. Masks are available on-site.

The Two Museums said in a release that all of their public spaces have been sanitized and that thorough cleaning will continue every day. Hand-sanitizing stations will be available on-site and staff will ensure that guests follow social distancing guidelines. The museums will also limit the number of visitors allowed inside at one time.

Visitors can purchase tickets online at tickets.mdah.ms.gov. The maximum number of people per group is twenty. Regular museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, email [email protected].

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Downtown-Coliseum Hosting Holiday Donation Drives

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Downtown-Coliseum (310 Greymont Ave.) hotel in Jackson is hosting two community drives in November and December as part of a new program called "We Care."

The first event is a canned food drive running through Friday, Nov. 20, on behalf of the Mississippi Food Network. MFN aims to collect food donations before Thanksgiving and distribute them to needy families in the Jackson community.

Holiday Inn Express is also hosting a Toy Drive through Friday, Dec. 11, on behalf of Toys for Tots. After the drive is finished, Toys for Tots will distribute the toys to needy families in time for Christmas.

Anyone can make donations to the food and toy drives, even if they are not a hotel guest. For more information, call 601-948-4466 or visit holidayinnjackson.com.

Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area Celebrates 650th Build

Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area will hold a ceremony to commemorate the construction of its 650th house on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 10 a.m. The build is the 13th home that Nissan-Canton helped fund construction for.

Located at 4644 Meadow Ridge Drive, the home features an open plan with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, a release from HFHMCA says. The homeowners are Twanza Payne and JaMichael Sanders and their four children, who were previously living with relatives before the build.

The build is part of the Broadmoor neighborhood revitalization initiative that HFHMCA launched in 2019. The Broadmoor revitalization will impact 100 houses in the neighborhood over five years, whether the organization rebuilds or demolishes them. Habitat is selling all of the revitalized homes in the Broadmoor neighborhood based on a 30-year, zero-interest mortgage for each owner. To date, HFHMCA has completed rehabs of six homes, built four new homes and demolished three derelict homes in the Broadmoor area, the release says.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Nissan-Canton was unable to put employees on-site to volunteer as it has with previous builds. However, Nissan-Canton donated funding for the construction of the home and donated four Nissan vehicles to HFHMCA to support its efforts.

For more information on HFHMCA, call 601-353-6060 or visit http://www.habitatmca.org/.