The 2014 Picayune Main Street, Inc. collectible Christmas ornament has arrived and will be available for sale in various locations throughout town.
This year’s design is titled “Cruisin’ the Boulevard,” and honors the 1960s teenage rite of passage which included cruising Goodyear Boulevard, honking car horns at friends and participating in drag racing, Picayune Main Street director Reba Beebe said.
“This ornament is exciting not only for myself but also members of the community who remember what it was like to cruise Goodyear Boulevard,” Beebe said.
The first Main Street Christmas ornament was introduced in 2000, Beebe said. It began as a fundraiser by the historic committee to pay for historic projects.
Each ornament is unique and pays homage to a particular historic tradition, building or business in Picayune.
The first ornament depicted historic city hall, one of the oldest buildings in Picayune.
There have been 14 ornaments since the unveiling of the first collectible.
The designs include:
• Shay Engine, which was a wood burning locomotive used by Crosby Forest Products Company in the early 1960s.
• Ritz Theater, a movie and community theater from 1946 to 1977.
• Picayune High School, built in 1923, was a two-story brick building that was demolished in 1974.
• Bank of Picayune, built in 1904, the original building is still located at the corner of Canal and Highway 11.
• Zesto’s Café, built in 1956, was a hotspot for hamburgers, hotdogs and homemade chili for 30 years.
• Frostop, built in 1951, is still known for their homemade chili, roast beef po-boys and the Lot-O-Burger.
• St. Barnabas Anglican Church, built in 1928, is the oldest church in Picayune and was designed by world-renowned architect Wilfred Lockyear, who designed the chapel in the Titanic.
• Picayune Drug Company, established in 1903, was the first business in Picayune.
• WRJW, Picayune’s radio station which has been broadcasting since 1949.
• Pearl River County courthouse, completed in 1920, has monuments honoring veterans surrounding the building.
• First Baptist Church on Goodyear Boulevard, built in 1966, features six 32-foot tall columns containing 32,000 bricks each.
• Intermodal Transportation and Tourism Center, built in 2008, is known as the Depot and is home to the Lower Pearl River Valley Museum and Amtrak station.
• Centennial Celebration at First United Methodist Church, the present sanctuary was dedicated in 1956 and is located at North Haugh and Fourth Street.
Beebe said that all of the ornaments are in stock and for sale at the Intermodal and Tourist Center. All ornaments are $12 except for Historic City Hall, WRJW and Cruisin’ Goodyear Boulevard which are $15. People can purchase a set of ornaments for $105.
Cruisin’ the Boulevard ornaments can be found in local businesses including Melinda’s (both locations), Glass Porch, April’s, Barze’ Place Antiques, WRJW and Bre’s Clothing and Accessories, Beebe said. All profits received from ornament sales will be utilized to fund historic projects.
Learn more about Picayune Main Street, Inc. at picayunemainstreet.com or by phone at 601-799-3070