They used to say it never rains on Delta Council Day. That saying about the annual meeting of the Stoneville, Miss.-based Delta Council was proved wrong a couple of times in recent years, including 2015 when it rained right up until the time of the catfish luncheon on the Quadrangle at Delta State University.

This year the rains held off throughout the annual meeting -- much to the chagrin of area farmers who could have used an inch in a slow, steady drizzle. In fact, the opportunity to try to finish field work before it did rain again may have had an impact on the attendance.

The Delta wasn't short on the honor graduates of area high schools who attended a ceremony honoring them prior to the annual meeting. Glenn Boyce, commissioner of the Institutions of Higher Learning in Mississippi, and Mississippi Sen. Willie Simmons, who represents Bolivar, Sunflower and Tallahatchie Counties, spoke during the ceremony,

Other speakers during the annual meeting included Nathan Gonzales, editor of the Rothenberg and Gonzales Political Report; Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas; outgoing Delta Council President Al Rankins and incoming president Harry Simmons of Indianola, Miss.

For more information on the Delta Council, visit www.deltacouncil.org.