PICAYUNE – Music lovers are invited to relax and enjoy several bluegrass, country, blues and jazz performers in the Crosby Arboretum’s scenic outdoor setting.

The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune will host a six-part music series in fall 2010 and spring 2011. The fall lineup is as follows:

• Jesse Robinson and Band (down home blues and jazz) on Sept. 11 at 1 p.m.
• Latongya Garner and Band (jazz, blues and soul) on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.
• Hazel and the Delta Ramblers (bluegrass) on Nov. 13 at 1 p.m.

Also on Sept. 11 Mik Davis, a music aficionado from Hattiesburg, will present an overview of the birth of jazz and blues in the South. His 10 a.m. presentation will cover everything from the early blues pioneers who grew the style from African-American spiritual music and work songs to the eclectic New Orleans music mix. Members can attend this hour-long talk for free and the fee for nonmembers is $5. Those interested must register by Sept. 10.

The Oct. 9 event will coincide with the arboretum’s fall plant sale. The Nov. 13 concert will be held during the annual Piney Woods Heritage Festival.

Arboretum members’ price is $5 per performance and $3 for members’ children; $10 for nonmembers and $6 for nonmembers’ children. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Season tickets also are available, with a member ticket price of $25 and $15 for members’ children; the non-member adult ticket price is $50, and tickets for non-members' children are $30. To purchase season tickets, call (601) 799-2311.

The arboretum is located off I-59 Exit 4 on Ridge Road (between Wal-Mart and I-59).

The series is funded in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit http://www.crosbyarboretum.msstate.edu.

Writer: Karen Templeton