Thursday, February 8, 2018

Smith Park perks up

The rehabilitation of Smith Park moves forward.  Check out these photos that were shot at the end of January.













34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool, not a vagrant to be seen!

Anonymous said...


MORE OF BEN ALLEN'S BULL SHIT !!!!!

What a waste of money....that money should have been spent on the store fronts on Capitol Street in the form of grant money to each property owner.

Get the "FELLON" off DJP's payroll. What a F..K up !!!!

Anonymous said...

They should throw around a few mattresses for the bums to sleep on.
And how about a porta pottie so they will not be making a mess on the streets.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry 2:29 they'll be back.

Anonymous said...

How much has been and will be spent on this project. I guess it is more important to have this park than water and sewage service. How will people be able to get there without tearing up their autos on the crumbling streets?

Friends of Smith Mark memeber said...

This project was funded completely by DJP. The board voted unanimously to fund phases one and 2 at a cost of a little over $130,000. There is absolutely no city funding in this project, but the city has been a pleasure to work with. Phase 3 will hopefully begin in the next 2 years. The park will not be recognizable from the nasty concrete mess the city has endured for years.

Anonymous said...

I swear for the life of me I cannot understand so many of the people that frequent and opine on this website/blog. People trying to actually help the city and are bombarded with senseless criticism. Geez. Happens here like clockwork on anything positive regarding Jackson.

Friends of Smith Park member said...

https://www.facebook.com/pg/FriendsofSmithPark/photos/?tab=album&album_id=531789233854477

Anonymous said...

3:19, most of the time the criticism is warranted. This does not appear to be one of those times.

Anonymous said...

2:57 when is the last time you were downtown? People won't tear their tires up there as all the streets have been repaved....Now getting TO downtown....at your own peril!

Anonymous said...

Ahhhhhhh....rearranging the deck chairs on Titanic. Same end result!

Anonymous said...

So....if the citizens of Jackson don't do something to help improve the city, they are criticized worthless layabouts.

And if they band together to do something, they get heckled from those who watch from the bleachers.

The park looks great, and after many years, has a group committed to supporting it.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7-it-is-not-the-critic-who-counts-not-the-man

Anonymous said...

LOL, @3:42

Anonymous said...

It does not matter if you spend $3,000.00 for a paint job on a 1974 Ford Pinto, it is STILL a 1974 Ford Pinto.
While it may be a worthwhile effort to help Jackson, it is still Jackson.
Until the criminal element is contained, it's pretty much lipstick on a pig.


Anonymous said...

I don't see a narcotic injection facility. Nor a safe needle disposal bin. I thought they were doing these improvements for those who use the park the most.

Anonymous said...


IT'S LIKE PUTTING LIPSTICK ON A PIG !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't care where the money came from...if they would fund the remodeling of the dilapidated store fronts and fix the sidewalks on Capitol Street it would help spur the growth of Downtown. The city needs to step up and tear out the parking lot in front of the Convention Center and landscape and put in a new parking lot or parking garage....somehow DJP misses the point regarding redevelopment....I blame that on their leader "MR.FELLON" aka "THE DREAMER". He has no clue !!!!!

Anonymous said...

How dare you people poke fun at this wonderful project....this has been much needed since the glorious days of Smith Park's being a playground for cruising in the 70's. The choices there since the mid 80's have been horrendous. One can only hope that this brings some peace of mind to the locals who like to relish in all that Smith Park has to offer: picturesque views, scenic landscape, natural aromas, and so forth. Why, the other day, I played a friendly game of chess there on a board made from a pizza box using acorns and dried squirrel droppings as chess pieces. Winner got to pee on the good side of the pavilion.

Anonymous said...

One of my most cherished memories of Smith Park is watching the children play in the vile water fountain during Gumbofest. The abnormally large parasites basking in the sun painted a glorious picture. I believe it was the Summer of 2014. Endless Bummer

Anonymous said...

How can anyone look at Smith Park and not want it to progress?!?! It is a relic of history, it deserves some TLC. It has earned it! Come back to me in 100 yrs when some rinky dink park in Madison or Pearl is not a parking lot...then we'll talk.

Anonymous said...

4:33. "Fellon" is spelled "felon". JPS grad?

Anonymous said...

I commend Ben and the Dittos for getting this project going and appreciate their hard work. Now if we could just convince Galloway to change their methods it would really clean the park up.

Anonymous said...

9:01. AMEN AND AMEN.

Anonymous said...

Those making jumping to false conclusions and who don't know what is or isn't an analogy are making yourselves look like pigs trying to put on lipstick!

If you think a problem can't be solved , it won't be solved.

Either do or suggest something positive and constructive to improve Jackson, or stay away and out of the way and shut up.

If we want to " waste" our time and money trying to do something we hope will be worthwhile in the long run, I would remind you that it's OUR money and OUR time and NONE of your business.

Here's a more appropriate old saying: Can't never did do nothing.

Anonymous said...

We'll be down there shortly feeding the homeless. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

9:30. Please do. We welcome you, just be sure you get a permit.

Anonymous said...

I hope they filled in the tunnel to the Governor's mansion that Bill Allain had installed back in the 80's

Anonymous said...


Let me explain why Allen and Ditto were pushing this project so hard...particularly Ditto. Ditto owns the multi story building exactly across the street (corner of Amite and Congress) and to be exact he owns most of that square block. Ditto is not fooling me, he was hoping that the revitalized park would help him get his mostly vacant building leased. Allen has always been a lap dog for Ditto !

As I've said many times "IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT THE MONEY". No one donates anything without a motive even if it's an act to ease a guilty conscience. Allen and Ditto are two peas in a pod.

Anonymous said...

Antar Lumumba is not going to create any impediments to feeding the poor at Smith Park. Permit or not. Not going to happen just as the homeless are not going to be stopped from frequenting the park.

Anonymous said...

I don't see what would be wrong with having a solid canopy of trees, to be viewed from surrounding buildings. If the homeless want to live beneath those trees, more power to them! Nobody else loiters in parks, anyway. I cannot even imagine having the time or the inclination to do so.

The new "plan" is as ugly as was the old "plan". But I assume there was an ORIGINAL PLAN (part of the original layout of the city). Why can that original plan not be followed, with the resultant system of walkways running through dense plantings of trees?

All we need, is a pretty green backdrop for the buildings. The new "plan" does not provide that. Take a look at Grammercy Park, in NYC. It's a huge asset to the surrounding neighborhood, even though few people actually go inside. Grammercy Park is wonderful to see, from a window, from a passing car, or from the surrounding sidewalk. And look at Forsyth Park, in Savannah. Again, it's the TREES that make it beautiful. The last thing Jackson needs, is another expanse of ugly, toxic, SWELTERING, grass lawn.

Anonymous said...


@ February 8, 2018 at 9:01 PM

It is too profitable for "Galloway to change their methods." Poverty-pimping, in the name of Jesus, is a multi-million dollar business, especially in Mississippi. Galloway, like a few others, needs the homeless population to stay relevant in order to collect a check. This is the reason for the charitable organization's existence after all. Want to get rid of Galloway, get rid of the downtown homeless population. Want to get rid of the downtown homeless population, gentrify downtown Jackson and its city center. Until then, poverty-pimping is hard work, someone (Galloway) has to do it!

FYI, Downtown Jackson Partners is a joke!

Kingfish said...

So you gripe about white money leaving Jackson yet when a honky invests money in Jackson and doesn't run for the burbs, you still gripe. Got it.

Downtrodden Partners said...

The last five mayors have allowed the downtown area, including the entirety of Capitol Street, to become a haven for recalcitrant ne'er-do-wells, assorted soup kitchens, boarded up windows, sidewalk hustlers, hookers, churches converted to flop-houses and other once vibrant blocks we're now scared shitless to traverse via sidewalk of roadway.

If all the buildings downtown that are over two stories high were magically sliced down to one story, ground-level, every business would immediately desert the area because of concern for their employees' safety. Working above the second floor of a building gives this magical illusion of safety.

The Jackson Zoo is about ten blocks to the west and all the animals are caged. Do we really need a branch of the zoo at Smith Park?

Anonymous said...

The outbreak of non-sequitur JJ comments continues unabated.

Anonymous said...

Who's gonna cut and maintain it? The city?


Recent Comments

Search Jackson Jambalaya

Subscribe to JJ's Youtube channel

Archives

Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
.