.....The Mississippi Braves will focus on Fondren at their September 4 game with the Tennessee Smokies by offering $1 pre-ordered tickets in lots of 10.

.....The Sunday game starts at 6:05 with Fondren restauranteur Robert St. John throwing out the first pitch!

.....To take advantage of the special $1 tickets, use the email link below and type Fondren Night in the subject line. Tickets much be pre-ordered with a $10 minimum. (Photo by Peggy Hampton)

.....Boards of both the Fondren Renaissance Foundation and the Fondren Business Improvement District voted last week to support our Jackson restaurants in their encouragement to elected officials to resolve the city's water woes.

.....Last Monday 46 Jackson restaurants, including many in Fondren, sent a letter to city, county and state elected officials asking them to work together to solve the city's water issues. As the letter states, the back-to-back city-wide boil water notices impact the quality of life for the citizens of Jackson, health care facilities, schools and the business community.

....."But perhaps no sector is more affected than restaurants," the letter states, noting that some restaurants were spending as much as $500 a day to mitigate the absence of clean water.

....."Fondren is counting on our leaders to work together to restore this city to a place where quality of life, safety and security are all priorities," said Rebecca Garrison, representing both Boards.

....Letters are being drafted to send to elected officials.

.....To check Fondren's walk score (or any other neighborhood's score) go to: www.walkscore.com .

.....By comparison, here are scores of other Jackson metropolitan areas: Belhaven - 38; Downtown Jackson - 52; Eastover - 4; Madison - 47; Ridgeland - 41; Pearl - 49; Brandon - 49; and Clinton - 36.

.....This year's Fondren holiday parade will fall on Veteran's Day, November 11, and we would like to honor our Fondren veterans during the parade, either as part of the parade or in a special review area.

.....Please help us identify Fondren veterans. A veteran is anyone who has served a minimum of 24 months of active duty or anyone who has become disabled during any period of active duty service.

.....The husband and wife team of Mary Sanders Ferriss Cavicchi and Damien Cavicchi are the new owners of Campbell's Bakery.

....."It's an honor to be a part of the longstanding history of Campbell's Bakery," Mary Sanders said. "As those who love Jackson and its people, this responsibility is more than just a job. It's a legacy."

.....Damien has an extensive culinary career that includes executive chef duties at the historic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. He currently serves as the director of culinary operations and executive chef at the Country Club of Jackson.

.....Mary Sanders is the owner of Ferriss & Company, a Jackson-based interior design and branding development firm.

.....The Cavicchis plan to temporarily close the bakery in January for renovations of the restaurant's interior.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Fondren is partnering with our neighbor UMMC and Children's of Mississippi to raise awareness and donations. Watch for details in the next newsletter.

.....An initiative by the Fondren Business Improvement District (BID) intends to preserve the history of Fondren and its people and structures.

.....Led by Ron Aldridge and Erica Speed, the effort will begin by identifying people who would like to contribute their time and/or historical knowledge of Fondren's history, it's people and businesses, past and present.

.....If you would like to help in any way with this project, please let us know by clicking on the below link.

.....The Fondren Business Improvement District will holds its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, September 14 at The Capri Theater. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m.

.....Officers and Board Members will be elected at the meeting. All property owners are encouraged to attend. The meeting is open to the public.

.....The much anticipated redevelopment of the former McRae's site was feature last week in the Clarion Ledger under the headline: The reason Gabriel Prado is spending $60 million on lofts at the north edge of Fondren.

....."I really have seen what an empty building does to a place and an entire neighborhood," Prado said in the article. "I used to drive by that building many times and used to think that if this building would change, it could change the entire area. Over the years, no one has really put their money there because it is high risk."

.....Prado goes on to say that the project represents a huge opportunity.

....."I believe this project will help redevelop the entire northern end of Fondren, and I am putting my money where my mouth is to the tune of $60 million," Prado said.

.....Prado's company is headquartered in Fondren and is a private, family-owned company. He serves on the FRF Board of Directors.

.....Click here to read the entire article.

Neighbors on Kings Highway (top photo) and Buckley Drive (second photo) participated in Fondren's Neighbor's Night Out last week.

Become a partner with JPD in solving neighborhood crimes!

Virtual Neighborhood Watch signs are now available to deter people from entering your property to commit a crime. For a donation of $10, FRF will deliver a yard sign to your property. You can relocate the sign, once it is received.

.....Whether you have a sign or not, you can upload video and photos from your home security camera directly to JPD's Precinct 4 with this link: Send video to JPD.

..... The sign is just a deterrent to those who may be trespassing, informing them that their images may be sent to Precinct 4 and used as evidence.

Renaissance Society Members 

 "foundation of the foundation"

Helen Boone