32nd New York Mississippi Picnic set for June 11

You may have heard of the New York Mississippi Picnic, but we haven't, and we think it's a fine idea, so we're telling you about it. The 32nd annual picnic, a free event, will be held Saturday, June 11, from noon to 6 p.m. in Central Park (Center Road at 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue entrance, by the bandshell). Photo: Unidentified picnicker with shirt reading, "Mississippi: Hard to spell, Easy to love."

The picnic began in 1979, when a few native Mississippians living in New York "worked together to create an event that would highlight their state in a positive way," a news release about the event says. "The result was the annual picnic that brings thousands of Mississippians together every year in New York’s Central Park and the creation of the New York Society for the Preservation of Mississippi Heritage."

The theme of this year’s picnic is "Find Your True South," and it will pay tribute to blues musician Robert Johnson and playwright and author Tennessee Williams, in the 100th anniversary year of their births. Mississippi bluesman Eddie Cotton, Jr. will be among the entertainers, and Mississippi artists and authors will show, sign and sell their work. The menu: 500 pounds of Southern-fried catfish, 120 pounds of hushpuppies and iced tee, sweet of course.

“This picnic is a way for those residing in the New York City area to connect with Mississippi,” said Rachel McPherson, co-founder of the picnic. “Those who are from Mississippi can reconnect to those things familiar from home. Those who are curious about Mississippi can come to learn about the things Mississippians are most proud of—the food, the music, the culture and our people.” For more information, including a list of artists and authors that will be at the picnic, click here.