Category: News

Scotty McCreery will bring his latest music from his fifth studio album, Same Truck to the Historic Saenger Theater on November 20^th.  Tickets for the performance go on sale September 27^th and are available on the Historic Saenger Theater’s website, www.hattiesburgsaenger.com or  by clicking here.  Ticket prices range from $35 to $60.  Doors open and a Block Party will be held at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8:00 p.m.  Sponsors for the show are Stokes Distributing.

The North Carolina native achieved new heights in the last few years by earning three back-to-back No. 1 hits from his most recent album Seasons Change, the RIAA Gold-certified project which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album chart: the RIAA Double Platinum-certified “Five More Minutes,” the RIAA Platinum-certified “This Is It,” which stayed at the top of the charts for two weeks, and RIAA Gold-certified “In Between.” McCreery co-wrote all 11 songs on Seasons Change, which Rolling Stone named as one of the “40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2018.”

All four of his albums have debuted at No.1 on a Billboard Albums chart, with current combined sales surpassing 3 million copies. He’s earned one Double Platinum, four Platinum and two Gold singles; won the 10th season of “American Idol” in 2011; was named the ACM New Artist of the Year in 2011; won the CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year (“The Trouble with Girls”) in 2012; American Country Awards for New Artist of the Year in 2011 and Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2013; BMI Awards for writing One of the Top 50 Country Songs of the Year three times (in 2015 for “See You Tonight,” in 2018 for “Five More Minutes,” and in 2019 for “This is It”); a Carolina Beach Music Award for National Dance/Shag Song of the Year (“Barefootin’”) in 2018; and the NSAI Nashville Songwriter Award for One of the Top Ten Songs I Wish I’d Written (“Five More Minutes”) in 2018. McCreery released his first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream, in 2016; it was re-released in paperback in 2020.

McCreery launched his recording career by making history in 2011 as both the first country artist and the youngest male artist of any genre to debut his first studio album, the Platinum-certified Clear as Day, at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.”

For more information about the Scotty McCreery Concert, follow the Historic Saenger Theater’s Facebook and Instagram pages for up-to-date information, and the latest news on upcoming shows and entertainment. 

The Historic Saenger Theater will host the 2^nd Annual Hattiesbark Pet Parade and Block Pawty on October 16, 2021 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The first Pet Parade and Block Pawty was held in 2019.

The Pawty will be fun for humans and pets of all ages.  There will be beverages for purchase and music and games that will be enjoyed by the entire family.  

All participants, including humans, are encouraged to don a costume for the event.  There will be two competitions during the afternoon including a costume contest and a trick contest at a cost of $10 per entrant, per competition.  The trick and costume competitions begin at 1:00 p.m., and prizes will be awarded to the winner of each contest.  

The Pet Parade will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will follow a route around the Historic Saenger Theater.  There is no fee to participate in the parade.  Every pet must be on a leash throughout the entirety of the event, and we ask that pet owners bring baggies to clean up after their furry, scaley or feathered family members.  

The Theater will have restrooms open for human participants.

Who is ready for nine nights of Spooky Family Fun at the Hattiesburg Zoo?  The annual Zoo Boo Halloween Party will take place nightly from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. beginning Thursday, October 22 and running through Saturday, October 30.  Tickets are available for all ages 2 and older at a cost of $13 in advance, and $15 at the gate; however, there will be a nightly ticket capacity limit and ticket availability is not guaranteed at the gate.  Tickets can be purchased at the Hattiesburg Zoo website or through this link https://hattiesburgzoo.systems9.com/module/_zoo/events.html?t=20211022.  There is no admission fee for children under the age of 2, and annual passes do not apply for Zoo Boo. 

The Spook-tacular Express and Carou-Spell will be running all night for our ghoulish guests to enjoy, and rides are included in the admission price.  The Creepy Cantina and Goblin Grill will be open and offering regular menu items with some Spooky Specials, and Devilish Drinks that everyone will enjoy.  

The Haunted High-Ropes Adventure Course will be open each night of Zoo Boo.  Sky-Trail tickets cost $10 and Sky-Tykes tickets cost $5 and can be purchased by the course upon arrival.  Eerie Animal Shows and Alarming Animal Encounters will take place multiple times each evening, and the Petrifying Petting Zoo and Wicked Wallaby Walkabout will be open for guests throughout the evening.  Our little ghosts and goblins can gobble on roasted marshmallows at Crawly Camp Capybara.  

The Monster Mash Dance Party will be spinning the Spookiest of Songs for children and adults to Boo-gie Down to.  Chilling Cabanas, offering a front-row view of the Monster Mash Dance Party, can be rented on a first-come-first-served basis each evening of Zoo Boo for $75.

Children are encouraged to wear costumes, and adults are welcome to join in the fun.  We do ask that adults not wear masks unless it is for health reasons, with the mask only covering the nose and mouth.  Any mask designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is welcomed for the use of patrons.  

All ticket sales are final.  Zoo Boo is a rain or shine event so please be prepared for the weather the day of your visit.      

Hattiesburg, MS (September 22, 2021) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Downtown Hattiesburg will be buzzing with activity on Saturday, October 2.  The Hattiesburg Pocket Museum will be hosting its fair share of fun with a slate of activities for families of all ages to enjoy.  The schedule includes: 

October 2, 2021 – Hattiesburg Pocket Museum Great Downtown Duck Hunt (and other fun)!

• 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – find a rubber duck hidden in downtown Hattiesburg, and redeem it for a prize from one of the merchants.
• 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – The Hattiesburg Zoo-mobile will be providing downtown transportation
• 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – The Historic Saenger Theater will be open and have t-shirts available for sale
• 11:00 a.m. – Milo’s belated birthday bash.  First 300 people receive a free treat from Brady’s Snow Shack
• 11:15 a.m. – Splish-Splash a performance by On Your Toes Petite Dance Company

Hattiesburg, and Alley artist, Lissa Ortego will be in the alley throughout the day working on a new installation.  There will be a new exhibit in the Pocket Museum and a new Flick showing at the Pocket Theater.  And check out the newest addition to the Alley, the Hattiesburg Pocket Art Gallery, which will be open to the public beginning September 24th.

The Historic Saenger Theater, which showed its first movie on Thanksgiving Day in 1929, will light up the big screen with the Disney Classic Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus on Friday, October 15^th.  

Hocus Pocus features the Sanderson Sisters, three wild witches returning from seventeenth-century Salem for a night of wicked fun and comic chaos. After being conjured up by unsuspecting teenagers, the tricky trio sets out to cast a spell on the town to reclaim their youth before sunrise.

A Bewitching Block Party will begin at 6:00 p.m. in front of the Theater, and the show begins at 7:00 p.m.  Costumes are highly encouraged, so show off your best Winifred, Sarah, Mary, Dani or BINX! Come, we fly!

General admission ticket costs are $5 and can be purchased on the Saenger Theater’s website www.hattiesburgsaenger.com or through the ticket link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hocus-pocus-tickets-174730562817.  Follow the Historic Saenger Theater’s Facebook and Instagram pages for up-to-date information on this show and breaking news regarding upcoming entertainment.

The Hattiesburg Convention Commission is pleased to add the Hattiesburg Pocket Art Gallery to the already bustling alley that boasts the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum and Hattiesburg Pocket Theater as well as other pieces of large interactive art. 

The Art Gallery, described as the “Tiniest Art Gallery in Mississippi” is actually a renovated newspaper stand, fitting in with the theme of the downtown alleyway.  The idea of the gallery came from inspiration given by Seattle artist Stacy Milrany, who opened the Free Little Art Gallery (FLAG) in December 2020 in an effort to “shed light, levity and beauty on a heavy year”.  Miss Milrany encouraged other communities to start a similar gallery, and following her lead, the Hattiesburg Pocket Gallery encourages the public to “take a piece of art, leave a piece art or just have a look around”.   The tiniest art gallery in Mississippi boasts small gallery patrons and easels that give full attention to each and every piece of art that is placed in the gallery by the public.

“Our hope is that artists and people who love art can have a continual exchange of creativity and joy” said Rick Taylor, Executive Director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, which is responsible for the creation and management of the Pocket Gallery.  “If someone loves a piece and is inspired by it – it’s theirs to keep and perhaps that will inspire them to add a piece to the gallery”.

The rules of the gallery are simple:  Add a piece or take a piece and scan the QR code to let the museum know what you are leaving or a photo of what you are taking home so the artist can see where it goes!  Art can be abstract pieces, charcoal, water color, textile art, wire art, collages, clay or anything you can dream of!  Milo, the gallery owner, asks that you “keep it small” (less than 4”x6”) so that the gallery patrons can enjoy them!  Speaking of the gallery patrons, Milo asks that when placing your art, you leave the patrons and furnishings in place – they are his friends, of course, and he wants to ensure they stay in the alley and enjoy your art for a long time.

The Hattiesburg Pocket Art Gallery is open 24/7 for visitors and monitored by cameras for the “little people’s” safety.  It will be fascinating to see the interesting exchanges of creative art and joy as well as the new stories that will evolve from this additional downtown gem.