The Miss-Lou saw dozens of good ideas in 2004, in all areas of our community &045;&045; ideas that made our lives easier, made our economy stronger, improved our quality of life.

In our annual year in review, we take a look back at those good ideas. They are projects undertaken by government, by business, by volunteers. They are the ideas that we believe will prevail in 2005 and beyond.

Some are not new ideas; they are ideas that finally took flight in 2004. Some are new ideas from longtime groups, that will likely become traditions in the years to come. One is an idea on which engineers labored for years in secret, until a local company got federal approval and was able to partner with a major national retailer.

Here is a brief look at the bright ideas that shaped the Miss-Lou in 2004:

Industry

Innovation and an enterprising attitude have helped create &uot;the future of our company&uot; for Mississippi River Corp., company officials said.

In November, the Natchez-based company announced a partnership with Starbucks to provide recycled-paper beverage cups &045;&045; the first of their kind to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approval.

MRC Executive Vice President George Matthews said the new material &045;&045; the result of years of testing &045;&045; will help extend the company’s product line and customer base.

The announcement of MRC’s partnership with what may be one of the most recognized brands in the country was great news from Natchez’s economy &045;&045; and great news for the promise of local talent and ingenuity.

Tourism

It was an idea that had been discussed for several years, but this fall the Natchez Board of Aldermen adopted a partnership with Natchez Pilgrimage Tours to allow NPT to sell Pilgrimage tour tickets at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center.

City and tourism officials say this will be more convenient for tourists, giving them a one-stop-shop when they come to the city to visit.

Beginning with fall Pilgrimage in 2005, tickets will be available at the visitors center.

Natchez Board of Aldermen

The city put some teeth into beautification efforts at the end of the year, adopting new policies in December toward education about and enforcement of ordinances to help keep the community clean.

In addition, the city will be funding new efforts at keeping the tree wells downtown clean and maintained.

Longtime beautification volunteers &045;&045; many of whom are serving on two city beautification committees &045;&045; applauded the new policies.

Vidalia

Capitalizing again on its riverfront development, the Town of Vidalia partnered with a company to put up a special Christmas lights display along the Mississippi River.

For just $8 per carload, visitors can tour through more than a million lights in the shapes of snowflakes, Santa and his reindeer and other holiday displays.

Vidalia is splitting the proceeds of the new holiday event between the United Way of the Greater Miss-Lou and the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce. Organizers hope the event becomes an annual tradition.

Business

Callon Petroleum has quietly maintained a strong position in the oil business for years, but 2004 was a particularly good year for the Natchez company.

In May, Callon reported to stockholders that the company has seen &uot;significant increases in production and cash flow.&uot; Callon is focusing on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, following a careful plan that has sustained the company since many in the oil industry felt a tight squeeze in the 1980s.

Longtime chairman of the board John S. Callon stepped down this year, turning over the reins to Fred Callon, who has been president and CEO since the late 1990s.

Churches

New Hope Baptist Church spent a week this past spring meeting ministers of various faiths.

Each night for one week, New Hope invited a minister from a different church &045;&045; from Catholic to Church of God &045;&045; along with members of other congregations to gather for a worship and celebration.

The idea, New Hope pastor Stanley Searcy said, was to show that &uot;we are serving the same God.&uot;

Searcy said the special week could help bridge gaps and end divisions in the community.

Entertainment

Two long-standing Natchez traditions &045;&045; the Natchez Opera Festival and Natchez Little Theatre &045;&045; made greater efforts this year to reach out to the community and to tourists.

The Natchez Opera Festival has changed its name to the Natchez Festival of Music, hoping to attract more fans of different kinds of music.

And Natchez Little Theatre has expanded its offerings, even staging a &uot;Natchez Christmas Carol&uot; this year, a production that was broadcast on Mississippi Public Broadcasting this month.

And both groups have reached out to arts fans of all ages, making special performances for schoolchildren and others in the community.

Concordia Parish

The Concordia Parish Police Jury last spring approved renovations to the Vidalia library, and plans are still being developed for the changes, Library Director Amanda Taylor said this week.

The library board is saving the money for the project, and construction could start in summer 2005. Taylor said architects and designers are looking to create a water theme for the library, since it is close to the Mississippi River.

A garden and fountain, cool colors and etched glass will help echo the water theme, Taylor said.

Education

In a partnership everyone is bragging about, two Natchez-Adams schools opened their doors to after school Boys and Girls clubs that offer tutoring to students in need.

Before the clubs at McLaurin Elementary and Morgantown Elementary even opened the waiting list to get in was growing. Both clubs have since expanded to more than 100 students.

Students spend time working on homework and receiving extra help from teachers who stay on as tutors before they go to the fun centers for art, games and physical education.

The local Boys and Girls Club was able to expand upon its existing Thompson School club through a $371,237 grant.

Both schools’ principals have pointed to the clubs as something they expect to have a positive effect on standardized test scores, and club officials continually praise the schools for their cooperation.

Adams County

Coordinated through the office of Emergency Management, volunteer teams of individuals received emergency training to handle everything from terrorist attacks to house fires.

The Community Emergency Response Teams attended training courses to learn how to set up triage centers and administer basic first aid.

The training was funded by grant money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Each CERT team member received an emergency kit with bandages, protective gear and tools that may be needed in case of an emergency.

A team from Copiah-Lincoln and Alcorn State University’s Natchez campus were the first to receive the training, followed by a group of Natchez-Adams School District employees.

Emergency Management wants to train several more teams, including downtown business people and several county communities.