By Jodi Marze

Lifestyles Editor

The Pearl River County Tourism Council Board met for their June meeting at Country Shabby Chic in Picayune on Thursday, where they elected new board members from both Poplarville and Picayune to serve in their efforts to advance Pearl River County as a destination location and promote tourism.

 Current officers are Bill Edwards, President; Tammy Campbell, First Vice-president; Marcelle Tims, Second Vice-president; Reba Beebe, Treasurer, and Carol Fitzwilliam, Secretary.

 Newly elected board members are: Joanne Favaloro, Rochelle Holliday, Jodi Marze, and Barbara Pullen. The new members have experience in marketing, arts, and media; they share the desire to be advocates for the county’s offerings of culture, history, and traditions to maximize tourism potential.

 After elections, the new Board met with Sara Sheldon, Curator/Chairman of the Hilda Hoffman Memorial Archive, and Don Wicks, secretary of the Hilda Hoffman Memorial Archive. The pair gave a presentation on progress and new developments in their organization.

Hilda Formby Hoffman’s lifetime ambition as a nationally recognized, local Historian and genealogist was to have a place dedicated to genealogy, housed in Pearl River County, and open to the public.

The Board adjourned with their agenda for July set, in which one topic for discussion will be “top 10” attractions in the County for promotional tourism brochures.