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PAUL:
Jackson's annual holly jolly shopping and events good time is making “all things bright” this season.

Hey, it's Paul Wolf with a front-row seat to conversations on culture from Jackson, Mississippi. We call our podcast Soul Sessions. It's the people, places and events that make the City With Soul Shine. On today's show, Douglas Strahan Lofton and Carter White Hood are the steering committee chair and co-chair of Mistletoe Marketplace, a Junior League of Jackson project now in its 43rd year. They've raised countless dollars for projects all over the city, especially for children. And this year, the aim is the same with a few updates and upgrades to make the event even better.

The history of this event and the legacy of this event here in Jackson is really something special.

DOUGLAS:
It is. It's such a unique thing that we have here in Jackson. And I feel like so many people look forward to it to kind of kick off their holiday season. And just an added bonus is that all of the funds we raise go straight back into the community. So it's really something kind of a treasure in Jackson, I feel like.

PAUL:
Yeah. It's not just shopping, a holiday revelry. This really is for a good cause.

DOUGLAS:
It's a unique and just a really special kind of fundraiser.

PAUL:
Tell me over the years who have the funds gone to or some of the projects maybe that Mistletoe has helped to fund.

DOUGLAS:
The Junior League of Jackson has over 30 issue-based community projects throughout the Jackson metro area. Some of them are long-standing projects that we have done year after year for a long time. And then some change year to year kind of based on needs. Some are a one-time project where we would go in and say, renovate a playroom at a, you know, a hospital or something like that. And once it's finished, it's finished. And then there are some that are ongoing that we do year after year.

A very popular one that now has become one of our sustainer projects is the Rockin' Mamas that go rock the little Nicky babies at bats. And we have several other projects throughout the Children's Hospital.

PAUL:
Let's bring you in Carter. How about some of your favorite projects?

CARTER:
Some of my favorite projects that the Junior League has been fortunate enough to partner with the Mississippi Children's Museum, which was a project of the Junior League, the museum itself. And so we have several summer projects that happen there. One of which is helping, kids with reading, helping pass a third-grade reading test, or spruce up their skills to be able to pass that test. do lunch, they get a camp, they get to play in the museum. We all have a lot of fun with projects like that, where we get to, you know, be with the kids and help them.

PAUL:
So many great events all throughout Jackson that start off as something really fun for the average consumer. And then you realize there's so much more behind it, but folks say, what about all the good fun that we get to have in November? I think holidays, I don't necessarily think Christmas in early November, but this is a tradition, right?

DOUGLAS:
It is. It's super special to me. I've been going since I was a child. I grew up here in Jackson. I've always loved going to Mistletoe. It truly has kind of kicked off the holiday season for me. I feel like after Mistletoe, I'd want to go home and put up my Christmas decorations. It's just a lot of fun. There are eight special events throughout the course of the three and a half days, basically for all ages. We have events for children, tween, ladies, the preview gala, and obviously the Friday night party. That's more casual and just a lot of fun. So it truly has something for everybody.

PAUL:
Yeah. The gala, the Friday night party, the breakfast. There's so many things that happen over the course of those four or five days of Mistletoe. we're going to put all the details in the show notes, but tell us really quickly the dates and what ticket prices are for shopping for general admission so we can get in and buy those Christmas gifts.

DOUGLAS:
Yeah. The dates are November 6th through the 9th. And all of this is found on our website, mistletoemarketplace.com. The general admission shopping prices are $15 for adults, $5 for children and $10 for seniors 60 and above. November 6th is the gala so no general shopping then. General shopping starts Thursday at 11.

PAUL:
Yeah, I mean, what a bargain to get you in, in front of all of these amazing vendors that come from not just Mississippi, not just the Southeast, but really all over the country.

DOUGLAS:
All over the country. And it's really special, I think, to get to have all of that because I mean, it's, you know, you can shop online and shop from somewhere way far away, but you don't get to see it and touch it and feel it and knock out a bunch of your shopping for the holidays. So it really is great. We have about 160 merchants. There is no shortage of good things to shop for.

PAUL:
Okay, Carter, I'm going to go to you and ask you about some of your favorite vendors at Mistletoe. Now I know you're probably getting, still getting familiar with the list because you have so many, but you certainly have your favorites from the years that will be probably back at this year's edition.

CARTER:
Yes. So one of my very favorites is an original. Was with us our very first year of Mistletoe. It's Unlimited Ducks, Melissa Ridgeway. has vintage duck decoys. She has lots of antiques. You can find a lot of good Christmas presents, know, price range low to high in her booth. One of our newer merchants, he came last year for the first time. He's from right outside Oxford, Mississippi, but he makes his own boots, his own cowboy boots. And they, I'm telling you, I'm not just saying this: I wore them walking like 10 miles one day. My feet never hurt. And he taught himself how to handmade boots. He's Double B boots. So he'll be there. You know, we have lots of kids stuff, toys, clothes. You really can make a good dent in your Christmas list at Mistletoe.

PAUL:
Yeah, we do every year. My wife and I go, we always pick up those cocktail mixers and the soup mixes. We love to get those. Who are some of your new vendors this year that you're looking forward to?

DOUGLAS:
One of our new vendors is called Light Boots, and they are also out of Mississippi. And it's more of like an outdoor kind of work boot. And they have boots for men and women, which is great. And they have, you know, knee high boots, ankle boots, and they're a really good price point. Great gift for ladies to get them in in their lives. So that's a new one that we're excited about.

CARTER:
We've got LeFleur's gallery is coming back this year. They were a merchant, you know, years past, but they're coming back this year and they're going to spotlight McKinsey Child's serving pieces, plates, accessories, that kind of stuff. I'm really excited about that booth, selfishly.

DOUGLAS:
Me too.

PAUL:
Tell me about the food and drink options that we'll find while we're shopping Mistletoe during the general shopping.

DOUGLAS:
Yeah. So we have a food pavilion that has four food vendors in it that like have meal type foods. It'll be for, you know, lunch and dinner. And there we have Green Ghost Tacos, Lost Pizza, Penn's Restaurant, and Rosemary and Thyme.

And that's our City With Soul food pavilion. Thank y'all! And then out in the foyer, we have what's called our common area vendors, which are more kind of pickup foods. have Campbell's Bakery doing cookies and think pastries, things like that. Hal & Mal’s will actually be out there. That's another meal option. The Daily Scoop, which does like ice cream and then Rolling Beans Coffee. And we also have our Spirits Bar in Center Court where you can go get cocktails throughout the day as well.

PAUL:
We are proud to be a sponsor of the food pavilion at Mistletoe and proud to be a sponsor of this event. As you have told us does so much for the community. I do understand too, you're going to make it a little easier on us this year to find our way around?

DOUGLAS:
Yes, we do have a brand new mobile app this year, which is super exciting. And it is in Android, Google, iOS, all the app stores now. And it has everything you need to know. It has all the food vendors listed. Has a merchant map that you can zoom in on. So you can actually see like the booth name and the numbers. It has all of our sponsors. The magazine is in there that you can look at. It has literally everything you need to know. You can buy tickets through it, everything. So that's super exciting. And we'll send out push notifications for important things, you know, that are happening. And so you can stay in the know.

PAUL:
Anything you'd want to say to people who are listening to this episode and are on the fence, maybe about coming or haven't made their plans yet?

DOUGLAS:
Yes, you should definitely come. It really is so much fun and we're just we're so thankful for all the people that come year after year to come support the Junior League and have fun. And it's just a really special event. And tickets are almost sold out for all the special events. All the events except for three are sold out and those three are very close. So if you're thinking about it, get your tickets today.

PAUL:
That's Douglas Strahan Lofton and Carter White Hood from the Junior League of Jackson. We couldn't possibly talk about every single mistletoe event, ticket cost, and time frame at this year's multi-day event, so we've made the info really easy to find. Get links in our show notes at VisitJackson.com/SoulSessions. Our podcast is produced by Visit Jackson, the destination organization for Mississippi's capital city. Our executive producers are Jonathan Pettus and Dr. Ricky Thigpen, and I'm our managing editor.

You want to know more about the great events that are going on in town and all of the great things we're doing to help shine a light on the city with soul? You can find those at VisitJackson.com.

I'm Paul Wolf and you've been listening to Soul Sessions.

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