Governor Hailey Barbour will be the guest speaker at this year’s Greater Picayune Area Chamber of Commerce Police and Firefighters Appreciation Banquet on April 5.

The Governor will be accompanied by his wife Marsha, and MEMA Director David Womack will also attend.

The Chamber of Commerce holds the Appreciation Banquet annually to honor area police and firefighters for their dedicated service, and the highlight of the evening are presentations of the Policeman of the Year and the Firefighter of the Year awards by the Picayune Police and Fire Departments.

The event is funded through donations from Chamber member businesses and Police and Fire Department personnel attend the banquet as their guests. Area businesses also donate door prizes which are presented throughout the evening.

The Police and Firefighters Appreciation Banquet will be held Thursday, April 5 at 6 p.m. at Magnolia Columns, 217 South Curran Avenue, Picayune. Tickets for the event are $25.00 and can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce, 201 Highway 11 North, Picayune. The public is invited to attend.

In the face of the worst natural disaster in American history – Hurricane Katrina, which struck on August 29, 2005 – Governor Barbour took the lead early on helping Mississippians rebuild and recover. He and First Lady Marsha Barbour, his wife of 33 years, have worked tirelessly and innovatively with local, state and national leadership to tap into many resources of assistance for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

He created the Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal to develop a broad vision for opportunities to help South Mississippi rebuild bigger and better than ever. The Commission now has been folded into the Office of the Governor, where its work continues.

Governor Haley Barbour of Yazoo City was elected Mississippi’s 63rd Governor on November 4, 2003, in the largest turnout in a gubernatorial election in state history.