The 83^rd annual meeting of the Delta Council, the Delta’s regional business and agriculture organization, will be held Friday, June 1, at the Bologna Performing Arts Center – Delta State University, Cleveland, Miss.

George King, a producer from south Washington County, Miss., and current president of the Delta Council, will preside.

“We are always excited to announce our meeting and look forward to highlighting and celebrating the regional cooperation that exists through the Delta Council,” says King.

“In addition to the traditional activities, we are also looking forward to having a high-profile, cabinet-level member of the Trump administration join us to offer the keynote address.”

Activities will begin at 9 a.m., with the 15^th annual Salute to Delta Honor Graduates event on the lawn of the BPAC. Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr., president, Alcorn State University, and commissioner-elect for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Education, along with Mississippi State Senator Briggs Hopson, vice-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and a member of the Universities and Colleges Committee, will both welcome the graduates, their families, and school officials before presenting the graduates with engraved certificates.

“This event was started to bestow a special honor upon exemplary students from public, parochial, and private high schools throughout the Mississippi Delta region,” says King.

The top Honor Graduate, selected by higher education officials across the Delta, will receive a $2,500 scholarship and be recognized on stage during the Delta Council’s business session.

The 2018 Good Middling lady, a tradition of the Wear Cotton contest, will be recognized at 10:30 a.m., after the inaugural presentation of colors, God and Country. “Most of the men and women who attend the annual meeting are dressed in the latest cotton fashions,” adds King.

Following the recognition, a special tribute will be given to recently-retired U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran for his 45 years of service. “Sen. Cochran is a beloved friend and advocate for the Delta region,” says King.

The business session will also highlight Delta Council activities and initiatives, as well as the 2018-19 Delta Council officers and Good Middling recipient.