The Southern Mississippi Summer Fair is an annual event that takes place in Gulfport, Mississippi. It is a great opportunity for people of all ages to enjoy a variety of attractions, food, games and other fun activities. The fairgrounds have eight regular-sized football fields, three permanent outdoor stadiums, and 46 motorhome sites with 26% water and electricity. It also has an indoor stadium.
This area was occupied by indigenous cultures for thousands of years, culminating in the historic encounter between the Choctaw and the first European explorers in the area. Through the Indian Expulsion Act of 1830, the United States completed treaties to extinguish the land claims of the Choctaw and other tribes and transferred them to Indian territory, now Oklahoma. During this period, the other four of the Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeast were also eliminated, making way for white settlers to seize land and develop it for agriculture, especially cotton. On March 19th or George M. Foote announced that the Andrew Carnegie Foundation was going to help build a Carnegie library in Gulfport.
The city had agreed to provide counterpart funding for construction, as well as to commit to providing operational funding. In the 20th century, the city became an important port; having railroads from the interior, it stimulated the city's growth by providing a way to bring products to markets. In December 1993, the city annexed 33 square miles (85 km) north of Gulfport, making it the second largest city in Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina damaged more than 40 Mississippi libraries, destroying the Gulfport Public Library on the first floor and shattering windows on the second floor with no possibility of repair. Although Katrina's damage was much more widespread, it wasn't the most ferocious hurricane to hit Gulfport. Katrina, a Category 3 storm when it made landfall, was overshadowed by Hurricane Camille, a Category 5 storm which hit Gulfport and neighboring communities on August 17th 1969 with sustained winds of 175 mph compared to Katrina's 120 mph sustained winds. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 64.2 square miles (166.4 km), of which 56.9 square miles (147.4 km) are land and 7.3 square miles (19.0 km) (11.40%) are water.
The Gulfport Formation is limited to a 1 to 3 km wide belt of discontinuous barrier ridges that borders the continental coast of the Gulf. It usually overlaps the Prairie Formation (alluvium) inland and the Biloxi Formation (platform deposits) near the coast. It slopes upward from poorly classified to moderately classified coastal sands to beach sands and dunes. From its beginnings as a logging port, Gulfport became a diversified city with nearly 6.7 miles (10.8 kilometers) of white-sand beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. Gulfport has become a tourist destination largely due to its casinos on the Mississippi coast. It has hosted popular cultural events such as Cruisin' The Coast (a week of classic cars), “Black Spring Break” and “Smokin' The Sound” (speedboat races).
Gulfport is also home to Island View Casino one of twelve casinos on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Coastal Transit Authority offers bus service to the region with fixed-route and paratransit services. Major highways and highways serve Gulfport including Interstate 10 which runs east to west through its central section. The Gulfport Police Department has 160 sworn officers and 80 civilians with assistance from U. S Coast Guard which operates 9 ships from Gulfport Harbor including 4 patrol boats. The station has 110 members including active reserve and Coast Guard assistants who respond to an average of 300 search and rescue cases per year. In addition to attractions food and games in between, this year's fair will also feature a variety of events and attractions such as Porkchop Review Extreme Illusions and Escapes and Pirates of The Colombian Caribbean as well as musical group Chapel Heart performing on Tuesday night. The average length of this fair is one week but can vary depending on weather conditions or other factors such as special events or holidays.
