This year the Southwest Mississippi Ole Miss Alumni Association is including the entire family in our annual celebration of Ole Miss. Bring the young Rebels with you to the Main Street Marketplace, 613 Main St., from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14 to find out what the University of Mississippi has planned for this next year. Tickets are $25 per adult, and include a delicious dinner of grilled steamboat rounds, baked potato casserole, salad and rolls. Homemade appetizers and desserts will round off a wonderful meal.

Ole Miss has always been a family tradition, and we want to welcome all our alums and their children. Hot dogs will be served to the kids, and babysitters and entertainment will be provided. Children’s entertainment will include large and small jumpers and face painting.

In order to raise money for our scholarships, raffle tickets will be available for sale. You could win tickets to an Ole Miss game, local restaurant gift certificates, jewelry and more. You will want to meet our scholarship recipients, Geoffrey Martin, a Cathedral graduate, and Christopher Hawkins from Woodville. These gentlemen continue to uphold the high academic standards of which Ole Miss is so proud.

For you baseball fans, you will be able to meet former Ole Miss player, Matt Mossberg. He currently coaches the outfielders and works with team batting. If you have attended any of the games, you have seen him as the first base coach. He can answer any of your questions, and may even be able to give us some insight into what Coach Nutt is planning in football, or Coach Kennedy has scheduled for basketball.

This fall Ole Miss will host the first of three presidential debates on Sept. 26. Over 3,000 journalists from all over the world will be on campus to watch the debate on domestic issues. Speculation is high that this debate will be the most media watched event in television history, and we are proud that Mississippi will be represented by our university. Ole Miss has been selected because of the literary, scientific, political and cultural contributions our students and alumni have made to the United States. Check out www.debate.olemiss.edu for all the information about this historic event.

Whether you are a friend or alumnus of Ole Miss, or are interested in finding out more about the University of Mississippi, we would like to see you on Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Marketplace Cafe. Just give our Alumni President, Lindsay Devening a call at 601- 445-5907 to let her know you are coming. You and your family are always welcome at Ole Miss.