On June 5, 2007, the Mississippi Renaissance Garden Foundation, Inc. presented its first ten awards to carefully selected sites on the Gulf Coast that met our selection standards.

In a ceremony hosted at the IP Hotel Resort Spa in their Royal Halls, recipients and their guests were wined and dined, compliments of the IP.

The program, a slide presentation, showed numerous photographs of the sites, including their landscaping, their clean sidewalks and curbs, and other nice aspects that caught the attention of the selection committee.

Recipients

Recipients were, from left to right: David Minkler, accepting for Mayor Connie Moran and the City of Ocean Springs; Andrea Osman of Mary Mahoney's Restaurant, Biloxi; John Gerleman, Postmaster of the Biloxi Main Post Office; Jaye Bryce, Office Manager for Pediatric Dental Clinic in Biloxi; Amanda Stubbs, Manager of McDonald's on Courthouse Road, Gulfport; Lamar Daley, Branch Manager of Region's Bank, Eisenhower Drive, Biloxi; Bud Ray, D'Iberville Car Wash; and Rae Anne Ryan, Travel Affiliates, Gulfport. Not able to attend the ceremony but also receiving awards were Rhonda Parker, Manager, Sonic Drive-In, Courthouse Road, Gulfport; and Christy Arnold, Manager, Classic Climate Controlled Storage, D'Iberville.

Reasons Each Site Was Selected

Mary Mahoney's - Biloxi
Came back & looking good early after Katrina, consistent with lovely landscaping before and after Katrina, courtyard is beautiful, well kept and peaceful, fountains and other amenities add charm, exemplifies Civic Pride in a grand way

Regions Bank - Eisenhower Drive, Biloxi
Extremely clean exterior, nice and ample landscaping & shrubs, clean curbs and sidewalks, manager Lamar Daley cares very much about civic pride and appearance, shining example next door to places that are much dirtier and much less appealing

Biloxi Main Post Office
An oasis of quality landscaping in Downtown Biloxi, much improved landscaping after Katrina renovations, crisp and clean appearance. A stellar example of what can be done in downtown Biloxi where buildings are surrounded by concrete; postmaster very pleased with improved landscaping and cares deeply about our environment and our trees

D'Iberville Car Wash - Coastal Car Wash of the South
Clean and well maintained, attractive appearance, inordinate amount of shrubbery for a car wash, green space well landscaped, other car washes by same owners equally attractive

City of Ocean Springs - Main Street and Environs
Civic Pride is evident throughout the town (Ocean Springs is the epitome of Civic Pride). Washington Avenue is landscaped in charming manner, eye-catching entry into city, outstanding city landscaping program, an arborist, a landscaper, and the city has a program for maintenance and upkeep, seasonal planting program, community involvement in decorating for Fall Festival and other holidays

Travel Affiliates - Courthouse Road
Large amounts of green space - large front lawn, nice landscaping, clean drives and parking spaces, litter-free, Rae Anne personally picks up cigarette butts every day,
attractive appearance

Sonic Drive - Courthouse Road
Ultra-large landscaped area, lush palms and shrubbery around entryway, clean curbs and sidewalks, topiary Sonic sign, looked nice during winter months

Classic Climate controlled - D'Iberville
Neatly landscaped, free from litter, attractive shrubbery, smart use of limited green space, stands out in D'Iberville as a cared for property where there aren't many well landscaped areas in D'Iberville proper.

McDonald's, Courthouse Road
Large amount of green space, clean and well groomed, flowers in winter, high landscaping standards, attractive appearance all year long, and McDonald's landscaping is not required by corporate headquarters according to Pat Descher (who owns the McDonald's on the Coast). In fact, all of the McDonald's are attractively landscaped, but this one had the most green space.

Pediatric Dental Office
Their determination to stay and rebuild after Katrina, new and improved landscaping, clean sidewalks and curbs, prudent use of green space, made the most of concrete and pavement surroundings, and has bold and eye-catching color scheme.

Beauty Award Links:

Bring Back the Beauty Award Information
Bringing Back the Beauty Award
First Ten Awards
2007 Awards
2008 Awards

Recommend a Bringing Back the Beauty site.

Click below for:
Bringing Back the Beauty Site Standard Criteria

Slogans to Adopt That Will Benefit Everyone
Site Selection Criteria
We Care Cleanup Project
Site Recommendation Form

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Hurricane Katrina Update 2007