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From classics like funnel cake to unusual dishes such as donut burgers, the Mississippi State Fair has made a tradition of offering a wide range of food in its 165-year history.

On opening day of the 2024 Mississippi State Fair, the Clarion Ledger took two downtown restaurant owners and chefs to try out some of midway's vendors. Michael Longo and Ashley Davis, owners and chefs at the well-loved Jackson deli Steve's, tried several dishes from classic to unusual.

Here's what they recommend:

Smoked ribs

A staple of any Southern state fair is barbeque. For their first dish, Longo and Davis were instantly drawn to the smoky aromas wafting through the midway coming from the Memphis Que smoker.

Longo and Davis opted for a rib plate complete with baked beans and fries. The chefs praised the tangy, smoky sauce and the tenderness of the meat. The sauce, Davis said, was similar to a sweet baby raised sauce and while not as vinegary as she normally likes, was delicious.

The only critique the pair had was a lack of unique flavor on the baked beans. Both agreed some onions and peppers added to the side dish would have made the entire meal perfect.

Longo said if you want ribs at the fair, Memphis Que was "the place to get them."

Sweet and spicy pickles

As a quick walking snack, Davis opted for some pickle samples from Louisiana-based company Bayou Best Pickles.

She tried the sweet pickles, calling them "almost like candy" with a sweet taste that hits the back of the tongue. Davis also sampled the spicy pickles which she said had a nice, classic dill pickle taste as the base.

Owner Alvin Ray said Bayou Best Pickles offers a variety of styles and ships all over the globe.

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Beef sundae

The next dish was certainly a unique twist on traditional fair food: a beef sundae. The dish served up by Beef Barn combines the nostalgic feelings of a classic ice cream sundae with the savory, smoky flavors of meat.

Beef, gravy and shredded cheddar cheese are piled on top of mashed potatoes. A cherry tomato on top completes the sundae aesthetic.

As for the chefs' initial thoughts? Longo said the beef sundae is "not what you would typically consider fair food, but I would definitely make this a stop." The dish, Longo added, is pretty heavy, so make sure you have a bottle of water at the ready before you start eating.

Both chefs were wowed by the dish's creativity and said the sundae was a nice twist on a classic shepherd's pie like the one they serve at Steve's.

"(The beef) just kind of spreads apart in your mouth," Longo said. "Whatever gravy's on there, that brown gravy, is to die for. This is exactly what we would serve at Steve's."

The biscuit booth

No taste test at the Mississippi State Fair would be complete without a stop at the biscuit booth.

For decades, Mississippi fair goers have enjoyed warm buttery biscuits filled with sweet maple syrup at the free booth sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture.

Growing up in Brandon, both Longo and Davis are very familiar with this Mississippi State Fair favorite.

"You can't help but not smile," Davis said as she took the first bite.

Longo agreed, adding that the smells and tastes make the biscuit a nostalgic dish reminding him of his childhood coming to the Mississippi State Fair.

Local vendors

The midway food options include a host of local vendors. Longo and Davis made a stop for some street tacos at Jackson's own Green Ghost Tacos.

Longo and Davis chose three tacos — pork, chicken and carnitas. The pair are already fans of Green Ghost, and Thursday's tacos did not disappoint. Longo's only criticism was he would have like more meat on the carnitas taco.

Other local vendors found on the midway include Mr. Turkey Leg, J and D Blueberry, Malone's Taffy and more.

Funnel cake

Lastly, to round out the afternoon taste test, Longo and Davis grabbed a fair classic: funnel cake.

Thursday marked the first time Davis, who bakes sweets at Steve's like cookies and chess squares, had ever tried funnel cake.

"It's like a beignet, it's really light," Davis said after her first bite. "It makes you smile."

Get ready:Mississippi State Fair: what to know before you go

"This is what I also ate growing up," Longo said. "It brings me back."

Come try for yourself

These dishes are just a fraction of the cuisine offered at the Mississippi State Fair.

If you want to come try these delicacies for yourself, head to the fair grounds. Most of the food vendors are set up along the midway.

The fair is open from Oct. 3 to Oct. 14.

If you want to come try food without the added admission fee, make sure to arrive weekdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Admission is free during these weekday hours every day of the fair's run except for Columbus Day, Oct. 6.

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

Editor's note: This is the first of two stories looking at Jackson street resurfacing.

In October 2023, the City of Jackson began Phase 1A of the "Street Resurfacing Project," endeavoring to resurface and repave 31 total streets, including curbs and gutters, in Jackson by the end of spring 2024.

A year later, only 22 of those 31 streets are finished, according to the updated list sent to the Clarion Ledger by Jackson Spokesperson Melissa Payne. The full list can be found below.

After the Jackson City Council's approval in October 2023, the goal was to finish the streets before paving season ends and weather temperatures dropped in the winter. Phase 1B of the project was to start after the spring of 2024, but those streets have yet to be worked on. A list of those streets, as well as the ones picked for Phase 1C can be found here. The council also amended the contract for a completion date of March 31, 2025.

"As a city, we’re proud of the significant progress we’ve made in paving our streets, improving accessibility, and enhancing the quality of life for our residents," Payne said in a statement. "However, we recognize that there are still many roads in need of attention. We remain committed to continuing this vital work, ensuring that every neighborhood benefits from these improvements. There’s more to do, but we’re moving forward together, and we won’t stop until every street is up to the standard our citizens deserve."

The first phase cost the city just above $5 million and is funded through the One Percent Sales Tax Commission, which was created to fund key infrastructure projects. The city earns approximately $13 million per year from the tax, which was approved by more than 90% of voters in 2014.

Jackson roads lead to lawsuits:Jackson MS unsafe roads led to 13 lawsuits, including 2 wrongful death lawsuits

Construction company Dickerson and Bowen, Inc. and engineering firm Neel-Schaffer are overseeing the project.

The streets for the first phase were picked after a survey was sent to various homeowner associations in Jackson who identified the worst streets in their neighborhoods. The 31 streets were also chosen to consolidate the project, so construction workers wouldn’t have to travel all over the city.

Here is a list of the 22 completed streets of Phase 1A:

Nine more streets of Phase 1A have yet to be completed, including:

On Sept. 24, the Jackson council approved amending Phase 1A to add 10 streets to be resurfaced, for an additional cost of $145,000 to Neel-Schaffer. Those streets are:

All in all, the city has 18 streets to finish before work begins on the project's next phases.

According to city documents, these 10 streets were originally intended to be a part of the first phase, but because of anticipated "water and sewer line work to be performed by JXN Water, they were removed from the project."

For nearly three hours after the polls closed Tuesday night, Ward 2 candidates, their supporters and the media sat in a meeting room at the City of Jackson's office building across from City Hall, watching two officials hand feed paper ballots into vote counting machines.

People swiveled in their chairs and had conversations with each other, a majority of which were about how long it was taking; some ordered food. And in the end, most left not knowing who received a majority of the votes in Tuesday's special election that decides the winner of the Ward 2 seat on the Jackson City Council.

There were six candidates vying for the Ward 2 seat: Catherine Robinson, Marcus Cheatham, Celestial M. Gordon-Griffin, Brian Mozee, Montyne "Tina" Clay and Cheryl Matory.

The seat was open after former Ward 2 councilwoman Angelique Lee pled guilty to bribery charges in August.

As people tiredly shuffled out of the office Tuesday night, Jackson's Municipal Clerk Angela Harris and Sandra Griffin McCall, the city's Ward 3 Election Commissioner, kept repeating that the election results were unofficial, as they still have to count absentee and mail-in ballots. The special election has to be certified by the Secretary of State's office by Wednesday, Oct. 9, Harris said, so it could take up to one week until official results come in.

Part of the chatter throughout the room was about the city's decision to not use Hinds County voting machines at the polls, as they do in regular elections. Last November, during the statewide general election, Hinds County election commissioners faced criticism after at least nine Hinds County polling stations experienced ballot shortages. This caused long lines, forced some voters to not vote at all and resulted in legal challenges into the evening.

Instead, voters in the Ward 2 election selected their candidates using a pen and paper, then dropped their ballots in blue boxes, which were sealed after the polls closed at 7 p.m.

"They're going to seal the poll box once the poll closes at 7 p.m.," said Ward 4 Election Commissioner Linda Sanders Tuesday afternoon. "They'll record that seal, then bring the boxes downtown, and we'll be at the HUD building across the street from city hall. Two machines will do the processing of the ballots."

Harris said county voting machines weren't used as a "cost efficient measure." The municipal clerk's department had only budgeted for next year's 2025 mayoral election, and did not have enough funds to secure more voting machines.

A little after 8 p.m., city election commissioners started hand feeding the ballots into the two county voting machines. In total, 2,545 votes were cast in the Ward 2 special election. Ward 3 Election Commissioner McCall said it was "a low turn-out."

After what seemed like an eternity, all six candidates eagerly awaited as the results of 9 out of 10 of Ward 2's voting precincts were printed. Precinct 98, which is at Tougaloo College, was the one precinct that wasn't counted.

Those who vote at Precinct 98 are registered in Madison County, but "they can vote in a municipal election for the City of Jackson" because "it's technically a part of Jackson, but it's on the border," Harris said.

"So they register to vote in Madison County, but they can vote in a municipal (City of Jackson) election. Madison County will send us the poll books, so whoever's on the poll book will be counted," she said, adding that "it's only about 10 ballots."

The results were printed on two long, white, receipt-looking papers, sort of like the ones shoppers always seemingly find themselves receiving once they leave a CVS Pharmacy. Two papers were printed, as two machines were used for counting, then the election commissioners taped the results on a white pillar in the middle of the room. Those joined two other white tickets that were already printed and taped to the pillar before the officials started counting to show that every candidate started with zero votes.

Candidates, some visibly upset, and the media, were forced to get close and take pictures as only the results from each precinct were printed. They then had to count them up to find out how many total votes they received. It was reminiscent of high-school athletes crowding up to a bulletin board to see if they made the team or were cut.

The Clarion Ledger independently calculated each of the votes that were cast at the nine precincts based on the results printed from the voting machines. According to those numbers, Tina Clay and Marcus Cheatham are the frontrunners if there is a run-off election, which would be held on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Celestial Gordon-Griffin is a close third.

A run-off election is held between the top two candidates, if no individual candidate gets a majority of the vote, or 50% plus one.

Here are the unofficial results as independently reviewed by the Clarion Ledger, not counting absentee or mail-in ballots:

Adding all those up, you would get 2,545, which is the number city officials gave as the total voter turnout Tuesday in the Ward 2 special election.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Hurricane Helene made landfall four days ago, leaving more than 130 people dead and thousands without homes.

Disaster response agencies from Mississippi are on the ground assisting victims in the impacted areas.

“This is gonna be a new experience,” said Josiah Outerbridge.

He is with the Salvation Army and arrived in Douglas, Georgia, Tuesday morning.

The 24-year-old from Jackson has been with the agency for two years. This is his first disaster response mission.

“Some people’s properties were littered with a bunch of like pine trees and stuff like that to the point where they couldn’t get out,” said Outerbridge. “Some trailers, they were heavily damaged. Trees on roofs and stuff like that. It’s a lot of devastation in the area.”

Outerbridge and the team will be distributing meals to the community for the next 14 days.

Salvation Army Headquarters in Jackson is the staging area for canteens being dispatched to disaster areas.

“We’ve got disaster crews in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. So they’re all over the place,” said Salvation Army Makor Timothy Delaney. “I mean, if you’ve looked at the news, you know that there is devastation unlike any other.”

Flooding and wind damage have taken their toll from Florida to Georgia and the Carolinas, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

“Just a couple of weeks ago, we responded to the hurricane in Saint Francis (Louisiana) that came through Mississippi,” added Delaney. “They came back, and just a week or so later, here we are, sending another team to respond.”

“We’re professional hope dealers,” said Outerbridge. “That’s what I like to call it, as well as providing meals and spiritual and emotional care.”

Three teams with the American Red Cross are also deployed to Northern Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

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Though voter turnout was sparse as of mid-afternoon Tuesday, Jesse Samuel, a poll manager at Precinct 80, said he was just waiting for the after-work rush.

"You know, the after-work hours, we're going to get a real influx of people in then," Samuel said as he was standing at the entrance of the precinct, which is the Tougaloo Community Center.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. for Ward 2 residents. There are 10 precincts throughout the ward. At five of those precincts, supporters for the candidates stood outside with signs, waving them at cars and pedestrians passing by.

Samuel, a Jackson native, has helped out at the polls throughout the city for 24 years. He said Precinct 80 had 88 people so far vote and decide between the six candidates in Ward 2's special election. Those candidates include Catherine Robinson, Marcus Cheatham, Celestial M. Gordon-Griffin, Brian Mozee, Montyne "Tina" Clay and Cheryl Matory.

But just south on North State Street, then taking a right on East Beasley Road, voter turnout at Precinct 81, Aldersgate United Methodist Church, was thriving. Charlene Cunningham, the poll manager since 2019, said over 400 people had voted at the church. As she was talking, about 10 more people walked through the door.

"This precinct is always busy. All the time, for special elections, regular (elections), always busy," said Cunningham, a Jackson native and lifelong Ward 2 resident.

Valerie Berry, another poll worker at the church, explained that when residents come to vote they give their first and last name and their identification, then she will find their name on the registered voter roster each precinct has. Once they've been identified, the resident signs their name in a book to keep track of who has voted.

"Once they've signed the book, then we will (the poll workers) sign the voting ballot with a red pen and then they'll go to the table to make their choice," she said. "We have a ballot box that they put it in after they make their choice. We don't touch the ballot box until the end of the night."

The Jackson Election Commission, which is made up of a commissioner from each ward, decided not to use Hinds County voting machines for the special election. Instead, they opted for the old fashioned way: a pen and paper. After the polls close, the blue ballot boxes will be taken to the HUD building across from Jackson's City Hall to be counted.

"They're going to seal the poll box once the poll closes at 7 p.m.," said Ward 4 Election Commissioner Linda Sanders Tuesday afternoon. "They'll record that seal, then bring the boxes downtown, and we'll be at the HUD building across the street from city hall. Two machines will do the processing of the ballots."

Sanders said she is hopeful they will have an unofficial count by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

"That's the unofficial count. We have to wait until we get all the absentees and mail-in votes, too," Sanders said. "After the election, we have to wait until those votes come in. After that, we have up to five days to allow the rest of the absentee votes to come in, then after that we have two days to get it to the Secretary of State's office to get it certified."

Sanders said the election commission has until Wednesday, Oct. 9, to get the election results certified.

In the November 2023 statewide general election at least nine Hinds County polling stations experienced ballot shortages causing long lines, forcing some voters to not vote at all and resulting in legal challenges into the evening.

Both Samuel and Cunningham, as well as Edna Bent, the poll manager at Green Elementary School, Precinct 41, said ballot shortages were not an issue.

"Oh no, none of that," Samuel said. "I've got a surplus of ballots!"

The Ward 2 seat became vacant in August after former councilwoman Angelique Lee resigned, then pleaded guilty in federal court of receiving nearly $20,000 in bribes. Lee will be sentenced in November. It was her first full term as a councilwoman.