第167届密西西比州博览会开幕：剪彩＋国民警卫队飞越，杰克逊展会持续至10月18日
第167届密西西比州博览会10月8日在杰克逊市密西西比州博览会会场正式开幕。开幕式于当天上午11点在会场1号门（阿米特街与杰斐逊街交汇处）举行剪彩仪式，随后由州农业与商务厅长安迪·吉普森（Andy Gipson）率领游行队伍走过中央大道。
剪彩仪式阵容隆重：执法部门官员、密西西比州 4-H 与 FFA（未来农民）州级干部、密西西比与迪克西全国牛仔竞技小姐代表、北美中途娱乐公司（North American Midway Entertainment）代表共同出席。杰克逊州立大学负责升旗仪式，辛普森县的埃德·梅多斯（Ed Meadows）演唱国歌；加洛韦纪念联合卫理公会副牧师布兰登·霍尔福德（Rev. Brandon Halford）与“重振杰克逊”的詹姆斯·霍普金斯牧师（Minister James Hopkins）带领祈祷。密西西比州国民警卫队还进行了开幕式飞越表演。剪彩结束后，吉普森驾驶他那辆1968年款雪佛兰 C-10 老爷皮卡，率领众人巡游中央大道。
本届博览会主题为“让自由之声响彻”（Let Freedom Ring!），展期为10月8日至18日，共11天。工作日每天上午11点至下午1点免费入场（10月12日哥伦布日除外）。完整活动日程可查官网 msstatefair.com。
据《克拉里恩纪事报》报道，开幕当天彩带剪下、笑脸处处，下午人流增至数千人，美食、游戏和宠物动物园最受欢迎。值得注意的是，吉普森在开幕致辞后与民众亲切互动——他正以州长候选人身份参选，被视为下届州长热门人选之一。
背景：密西西比州博览会是该州历史最悠久的年度盛会之一，每年吸引全州各地家庭前往杰克逊，被视为密州农业传统与社区文化的重要展示窗口。
167th Mississippi State Fair Opens: Ribbon Cutting and National Guard Flyover, Jackson Fair Runs Through Oct. 18
The 167th Mississippi State Fair officially opened on October 8 at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson. The opening ceremony featured a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. at Gate 1 of the fairgrounds, at the intersection of Amite and Jefferson streets, followed by a parade down the Midway led by Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson.
The ceremony drew a full lineup: law enforcement officials, Mississippi 4-H and FFA state officers, Mississippi and Dixie National Rodeo Queens, and representatives of North American Midway Entertainment. Jackson State University presented the colors, Ed Meadows of Simpson County sang the national anthem, and Rev. Brandon Halford of Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church and Minister James Hopkins of Reset Jackson led a prayer. The Mississippi National Guard conducted a flyover as part of the opening ceremony. After the ribbon cutting, Gipson led participants in a parade down the Midway in his 1968 Chevrolet C-10 pickup truck.
This year's fair, themed "Let Freedom Ring!", runs October 8-18 — an 11-day run. Admission is free every weekday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the exception of Columbus Day on October 12. A complete schedule is available at msstatefair.com.
According to the Clarion Ledger, ribbons were cut and smiles were everywhere as crowds grew into the thousands by afternoon, with food, games and the petting zoo proving popular. Notably, Gipson made the rounds with fairgoers after his opening speech — he is running for governor and is considered one of the leading contenders.
Context: the Mississippi State Fair is one of the state's oldest annual events, drawing families from across Mississippi to Jackson each year and serving as a showcase of the state's agricultural heritage and community culture.
图片来源：图：杰克逊密西西比体育馆——密西西比州博览会举办场馆。摄影：Michael Barera，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
