Presidential Hills neighbors come out for a day of fun

1presidentialhillsthree — Powell Middle School drummers “Petey” and Cashon participate in the parade. PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE R. JONES

By Stephanie R. Jones

Contributing Writer

Presidential Hills-Natchez Trace Community Development Association celebrated its annual Family and Community Day Aug. 27, to bring positive awareness to the neighborhood and the families who call “The Hills” home.

The theme of the event was “Family-Community Spirit Day 2016: Catch the Spirit!” Neighborhood kids were all in the spirit with their bags to grab candy they knew would be tossed during the parade. The parade, which started on Presidential Drive and headed down John F. Kennedy Drive onto Lyndon B. Johnson Drive to Flag Chapel Road, featured bands from schools neighborhood children attend – Northwest Jackson Middle School, Powell Middle School and Provine High School.

Also lined up in the parade were members of the Jackson Police Department who patrol the neighborhood, the Jackson Fire Department from the neighborhood station, riders on horses and the Corvette brigade. The parade ended at the Vergy Middleton Community Center at one of the neighborhood parks with a cookout and open swimming pool. The neighborhood teens seemed to really love playing in the pool. They go to the pool every day when it’s open during the summer.

The day ended with an auction of prizes headed by neighborhood association members Johnny Crisler, Samuel Mitchell, Grace Smith and Luther Bates. Crisler said the event was planned to bring families out in a show of neighborhood camaraderie. Crisler, a long-time resident of the neighborhood built around 1970, said the gathering of neighbors shows the power of the community, which list approximately 1,100 homes and 5,000 residents. When it comes to getting city services such as pothole repairs and paved streets he said, “The power of our community is based on the actions of the people.”

The Presidential Hills community is more than the negatives often reported by the media, said Crisler. There a lot of children, teens and young adults in the neighborhood who need positive experiences and influences, he said. “What children need to see is the positive in our neighborhood,” Crisler said. “These children are all our children. If we don’t look out for the general well-being of our children, who is going to do it?”

Stephanie R. Jones can be reached at srjones13@gmail.com.