The Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library will host an event celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of the state of Mississippi, along with its culinary history.

“We will have food and refreshments for everyone,” Brenda Emmons of the Pearl River County Welcome Center said. “We will be handing out brochures and booklets, as well as answering everyone’s questions and teaching everyone little facts about Mississippi.”

The event will take place Oct. 22 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the library on Goodyear Boulevard.

The library will have several displays featuring items from Mississippi, Emmons said.

“We will discuss many facts that people might not know about the state of Mississippi,” Emmons said. “I want everyone in the community to come to our event and ask us as many questions as possible, we might not know the answer to every question, but we will find the answer for them.”

Some of the facts to be discussed include how blues music was born in the state of Mississippi and how the first blues group came from Mississippi.

Other interesting facts include that the first heart and lung transplant in the state took place in 1962 in Jackson, the state of Mississippi had more paved roads than New York at one point and there were more millionaires in Mississippi in the 1800’s than anywhere else in the country, Emmons said.

“This will be our third year hosting this event and everyone is invited to learn fun-facts about Mississippi,” Emmons said. “The library has been open for 41 years and people can come here and even hold a picnic, if they decide to do so. Our goal is to give everyone a nice and pleasant first impression of Mississippi.”