When
the DBJ focused on Oxford in last month’s issue,
civic and business leaders reported a great deal of activity
and growth. The level of activity is even higher in the
fall—a busy, bustling time in Oxford. Students are
returning to Ole Miss, and football weekends fill the
town with people and events. The shops on the Square show
off their newest merchandise, welcoming back-to-class
shoppers and preparing for the coming holiday season.
Truth be told, Oxford is a bustling town in every season.
While perhaps on a slightly smaller scale, Oxford has
become much like its neighbor to the north, Memphis—a
hub for educational opportunities, sophisticated health
care capabilities, cultural and entertainment events,
dining and shopping.
Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi is one of
five hospitals operated by Baptist in the state. A new
emergency room and new surgery suites allow the Oxford
campus to provide an elevated level of service to the
area, says Jim Ainsworth, vice president and Mississippi
Market Leader.
“Oxford is a state-of-the-art surgical arena for
this part of the country,” he states, “both
in imaging and in operating room support. We feel that
the entire community benefits from the presence of this
kind of facility and the technology it makes available.”
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recently accredited
Baptist North Mississippi’s Sleep Disorders Center,
Ainsworth reports, making it the first in north Mississippi
to earn this distinction.
Enrollment at the University of Mississippi has approached
record levels for the fall semester, including a record
number of African-American students, according to university
new releases. Admissions director Beckett Howorth says,
“We expect this class to be even better than last
year’s in the number of new students from Mississippi,
the size of the first-year class, the degree of diversity,
and the number of National Merit and Achievement scholars.
“It’s great to see that students are continuing
to recognize the high value of a University of Mississippi
education,” he adds. “It’s an exciting
time to be at Ole Miss.”
One of Oxford’s most anticipated venues for cultural
and entertainment events was the Gertrude Castellow Ford
Center for the Performing Arts at Ole Miss. The 88,000
square foot, six-story, multi-event facility seats more
than 1,200 people in its main hall. University Communications
Director Jeff Alford says the Center is a tremendous addition
to the area.
“Since its completion in December, the Ford Center
has already hosted numerous nationally known performers,”
he comments. “It has brought new amenities to our
campus performing arts facilities and placed them for
the first time under one roof.”
Actor James Earl Jones and singer Art Garfunkel are just
two of eight performers to be featured in the Center’s
inaugural series, which begins in September and extends
into the spring of 2004.
The University is one of the things that makes Oxford
one of today’s most desirable retirement locales,
says Christy Knapp with Oxford’s Retiree Attraction
Program. “In addition to good health care and reasonable
cost of living, retirees are looking for a wide array
of amenities, and university towns like Oxford offer the
educational and cultural opportunities they’re seeking.”
By choice or necessity, some retirees look for part-time
employment, and Knapp says Ole Miss provides many opportunities
for them to continue making use of their job skills. “Oxford
is a town which embraces new people and their skills—those
skills and experience are valued and appreciated here.”
“Fall is a big planning time for us,” says
Pam Tullis, assistant executive director of the Oxford
Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. “We’re working
on a lot of our projects for the spring. We’ve also
just put out new city and county maps, and our new business
and membership directory.”
A lot of current Chamber planning is for the Leadership
Lafayette program, Tullis reports. The seven-month program,
which will begin in January, gives community business
people the opportunity to learn more about Oxford and
further develop their own leadership skills. “We’re
in the process now of lining up the speakers for the program,”
says Tullis.
The city sees an influx of visitors and newcomers in the
fall, she adds. “A lot of people are coming in to
our office for information about the area, including new
students and parents and family members who are visiting.
Tourism in general also increases at this time of year.”
Tullis says Oxford is experiencing a good deal of growth,
especially along the Jackson Avenue corridor. “There
are several new restaurants and strip shopping centers,
as well as a Home Depot. And there is major road construction
on Jackson Avenue as well, with a lane expansion project
currently underway.”
With the growing number of retirees locating in Oxford,
the Chamber receives numerous inquiries from senior citizens.
“Not only are some of them getting information to
help start new businesses, by many are continuing to use
their job experience in home-based businesses,”
Tullis comments.
The football season and its annual boost to Oxford tourism
comes after a busy summer, says Kelley Norris, executive
director of the Oxford Tourism Council. “We’ve
just finished our Summer Concert Series, held in conjunction
with Ole Miss and the Arts Council,” she relates.
“In June, we held our first Oxford Film Festival,
which was very successful and which we plan to make an
annual event.” The festival featured an independent
film competition and celebrated film in general, Norris
says, but had a special focus on screenwriting because
of Oxford’s literary heritage.
Fall and Ole Miss football bring an estimated 100,000
people to town on game weekends, she reports, with area
hotels booked a year in advance. The Tourism Council sponsors
a series of concerts before home games, part of its effort
to get visitors to extend their stay in Oxford.
A coming event is the planned spring opening of the Powerhouse
Community Arts Center. “It will have office space
as well as performance space, and will complement the
Ford Center as a performing arts attraction. Powerhouse
will be located in our old electric building, which is
being renovated.”
Oxford in the fall means football, to be sure—-but
for commerce, education, health care, and entertainment,
Oxford is a year-round attraction. DBJ
