Thacker Mountain Radio Receives Mississippi Arts Commission Grant

The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour of Oxford has been awarded a $17,400 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC). This grant is a portion of the $1.3 million in grants the Commission will award in 2017-2018 and will be used to celebrate and document the diverse sounds of an evolving south through live performances, radio broadcasts, an online archive and other multi-media platforms. The grants are made possible by continued funding from the Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the
Arts.
“Arts organizations throughout the state of Mississippi play a pivotal role in sharing the
power of the arts with people from all walks of life,” said Malcolm White, Executive Director of MAC. “The arts are for everyone, and the Mississippi Arts Commission is pleased to support arts organizations committed to growing the presence of the arts in their communities.”
Thacker Mountain Radio Hour began in 1997 as the “Words and Music” show at Blind
Jim’s, a former Oxford bar (now The Summit Lodge Bar). The show featured an author reading and music by a visiting band as well as songs by the house band, a format that continues today.
The show now records some 32 live shows a year, 12 in the spring and 12 in the fall as well as 7- 8 on the road in various cities across the state. Its Oxford home is now Off Square Books at 129 Courthouse Square, with occasional shows at the nearby Lyric Theater. In 2001, the program went statewide after being picked up for broadcast by Mississippi Public Broadcasting which now airs the show every Saturday night at 7 pm on the radio and online. The show is approaching its 20th year anniversary in October.
The Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, serves the residents of the state by providing grants that support programs to enhance communities, assist artists and arts organizations, promote the arts in education and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. 
Established in 1968, the Mississippi Arts Commission is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and other private sources. The agency serves as an active supporter and promoter of the arts in community life and in arts education.

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Courtesy of Kate Teague, ED/Producer of Thacker Mountian Radio