Ready for Ragtime

Ready for Ragtime

Lit by a spotlight, models in 1920s clothes walk down the Library stairs and work the runway at the base surrounded by the seated audience.
Photo by Megan Bean

February 28, 2020

Mississippi State's 14th annual Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival kicked off Thursday evening [Feb. 27] with the seventh annual 1920's-inspired Gatsby Gala fashion show at Mitchell Memorial Library. Pictured on the gala's runway is Jazzmin T. Butler, a junior fashion design and merchandising major from Nantucket, Massachusetts. The theme of this year’s festival centers around the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s passage, granting women the right to vote. On Friday and Saturday [Feb. 28-29], daytime museum tours, informative talks, silent films, “meet the artists” segments and educational seminars all will commemorate this theme and Black History Month. World-renowned musicians including multi-instrumentalist Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton also will perform Friday and Saturday evening concerts at McComas Hall's mainstage theater. Admission is free for ݮƵstudents. For other ticket and event information, .