The Big Buzz - February 2015

This month -  New engine tested at Stennis, Mockingbird Cafe in running for Best Burger in State, Hancock Chamber Annual Meeting and Trapani's adds brunch menu!

New Engine Type Tested at Stennis on January 9th

From Universe Today:

NASA’s goal of sending astronauts to deep space took a major step forward when the first engine of the type destined to power the mighty Space Launch System (SLS) exploration rocket blazed to life during a successful test firing at the agency’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

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The milestone hot fire test conducted on Jan. 9, involved igniting a shuttle-era RS-25 space shuttle main engine for 500 seconds on the A-1 test stand at Stennis.

A quartet of RS-25s, formerly used to power the space shuttle orbiters, will now power the core stage of the SLS which will be the most powerful rocket the world has ever seen.

Read the full article here.

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The Best Burger in State?  The Mockingburger's in the TOP TEN!

Our own Mockingbird Cafe's famous Mockingburger has just become famous across the state!   The Mississippi Beef Council recently announced the top 10 finishers in their Mississippi's Best Burger Contest.

The Mockingbird Cafe is the only restaurant on the coast that made the finals.

The council will now send "expert" judges to visit the restaurants anonymously to determine the winner.

Each of the Top 10 will receive a recognition plaque and the winning restaurant will receive a $1,000 local advertising package, complements of Mississippi’s 17, 000 cattle producers through their beef checkoff program.

In addition to the advertising package, the winner will be honored during the Beef Night performance of the Dixie National Rodeo on February 17 - which is Mardi Gras Day in our neck of the woods.  So Bay St. Louis might have another reason to celebrate! 

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Hancock Chamber Elects Mark Henderson 2015 President
Clay Wagner receives Jody Compretta Person of Passion Award

Clay Wagner of Hancock Bank passed the presidential gavel to Mark Henderson of Lazy Magnolia during a standing room only meeting of 300 members of the Hancock Chamber of Commerce on Friday, (January 30) at the Diamondhead Country Club for the 90th Annual Meeting.

During the meeting, the Chamber announced that Clay Wagner was selected as the 2015 Jody Compretta Person of Passion for his leadership in coast-wide initiatives and for his service on numerous boards and commissions throughout the region.  “I have been blessed to have great mentors like my parents, Virginia and Fred Wagner.  I know my mother is looking down on me today and saying, you work is not yet done.  I still have more for you to do.” he said. 

Wagner also expressed appreciation to his father, retired architect Fred Wagner.  “I was taught that if a community gives you a great place to work, a great place to raise kids, a great place to educate these kids as well as a great place to play…you have a moral obligation to give back to that community. “ 

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Trapani's Adds a Brunch

Fried Green Tomatoes and Eggs Benedict. Heaven.

From Lisa Monti's Notebook:

Trapani’s Eatery rolled out its Sunday Brunch menu in January - it's available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. upstairs in the Blue Marlin Bar.

Choose from three fabulous Eggs Benedict dishes with your choice of crawfish, fried green tomatoes or oysters. Also on the brunch menu are Tony’s famous Grillades & Grits plus Grits Cakes topped with Shrimp or Soft Shell Crab. Mercy.

Did I mention the Bloody Marys and Mimosas? Yes. Those, too.