Pat Starnes

So, you want to gather with friends after work or dine out after an especially challenging day? One of my favorite places to go in the Jackson Metro area is Char, which is located off I-55 at Northside Drive in Highland Village.

Char is well-known for their mouthwatering steaks and seafood. While the food at Char is scrumptious, my favorite spot is in the Piano Bar, where patrons can listen to smooth jazz by talented musicians. The décor is rich wood, high top tables, and a beautiful Steinway baby grand. The atmosphere is cozy, relaxing, and the service is superb. Listening to jazz and socializing with friends is a fantastic way to spend the evening.

Char offers an authentic New Orleans Jazz Brunch on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They also have private dining rooms suitable for private parties, meetings, etc.

If you've never experienced Char, you are in store for a pleasant surprise. Char may just become your new favorite place to be!

Char Restaurant, 4500 I 55 Frontage Rd N Jackson MS 39211

Written by Pat Starnes, McIntosh and Associates

If you are looking for something fun and educational to do with your family, why not take an afternoon and spend it at the neighborhood zoo? This weekend my best friend and I loaded up the grandkids, four girls under the age of nine, and headed for the Jackson Zoo. The weather was nearly perfect, a little on the warm side for late September. Fortunately there were enough trees to offer some welcome shade along the way.

We saw the usual lions, tigers, and bears (oh, my!) along with giraffes, zebras, elephants, turtles, poisonous frogs, a plethora of snakes, peacocks, and a flock of flamingos! At the Jackson Zoo, there is a playground, a carousel, and a concession stand with plenty of seating if you need to take a break and cool off. The girls were fascinated and everyone had a pleasant afternoon.

The Jackson Zoo is open daily until 5:00 p.m. and discount packages are available. For more information, visit http://www.jacksonzoo.org/index.html

Written by Pat Starnes, McIntosh and Associates http://PatStarnes.com

Calendar of Events

Metro Jackson, MS

September 2008

September 15-21 - Viking Classic

Mississippi's PGA Tour, happening NOW at Annandale Golf Club, Madison, MS. Check the leader board and get other info at http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments Annual attendance totals over 50,000.

September 26-28 - Fall for Clinton

Visit downtown Clinton for a weekend of family fun, arts, and activities. Visit http://www.clintonms.org/

September 28 - Celebrate Choctaw Day

See talented artisans of the MS Band of Choctaw Indians perform traditional dances and weave baskets and make jewelry. 12p.m.-5p.m. Mississippi Craft Center, 950 Rice Rd., Ridgeland, MS Visit http://www.mscrafts.org/

September 27 - WellsFest

This annual festival will be held at Jamie Fowler Boyll Park, next to Smith-Wills Stadium on Lakeland Drive (Highway 25), Jackson. Lots of games and activities for the entire family. Visit http://www.wellschurch.org

October 4 - Kidney Wellness Walk fundraiser 9:00 a.m.

The National Kidney Foundation of Mississippi will hold it's fourth annual Kidney Walk in the Fondren/Woodland Hills (Jackson) neighborhood. http://www.kidneyms.org Ten lucky walkers will receive $100 each.

Written and Published by Pat Starnes, Broker Associate, McIntosh and Associates, LLC 434 Katherine Drive, Flowood, MS. 601-278-4513 (cell) Info deemed to be accurate at time of printing.

I just read Pat Kennedy's post about the high price of fuel in D.C. Apparently it's happening everywhere, not just in the southeast.

Last night at a family gathering, a slightly different problem was discussed, one of gas rationing and the ensuing panic caused by Hurricane Ike. Unfortunately, my son and I have experienced more than our share of hurricanes.

Several days before Ike hit Texas, I stopped to fill up. There was an 8x10 notice taped to the pump asking patrons to only buy 10 gallons to avoid shortages. Good idea, I thought, and complied. Later, I heard others mention "they filled up anyway".

My son said last night several of the stations in Jackson, MS were out of gas, and one station marked their supply up to $5.39. He mentioned he didn't have enough gas to go to work Monday morning, unless he could find fuel.

As I drove home, I passed the Texaco and Chevron stations. Their gas was reasonable priced at $3.69, and a tanker was there! Yeah! Fuel for another day had arrived.

This country is fuel dependent, and until a solution is implemented, when there is a national emergency, please be mindful of those directly impacted by the disaster. Most of us can tolerate a little inconvenience.

Thanks, and have a great day!

UPDATE: November 11, 2008

My purpose for this post was to call to the reader's attention that Mississippi has a wonderful resource in the near-center of our state, the Ross Barnett Reservoir. I felt that potential clients searching for listings might not find this area because if searching by zip code, they would miss out on a wonderful lifestyle and place to live. Following is my original article: ~Pat Starnes

We may be missing some quality properties when searching by zip code in our MLS system, but more importantly, buyers may be missing US! Not all agents put the correct zip code into MLS, and most buyers don't know the zip codes in the outskirts of town. For instance, my office is in zip code 39232 (Flowood), my home is in 39047(Brandon), but none of these show up in the 33 zip codes listed for Jackson, MS.

The Ross Barnett Reservoir is a 33,000 acre man-made lake managed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. Homes on the Reservoir show up in 39047, 39110, and 39157. The 17,000 acres surrounding the waterway is leasehold property, but not all property in this zip is leasehold.

The views of the Reservoir are truly spectacular. You can read about the waterway at http://www.rossbarnettreservoir.org.

My point is two-fold. First, to encourage Realtors to explore all zip codes and ensure the properties are listed correctly in MLS. Secondly, look what you'd be missing if you overlook 39047.

This is an actual photo, non-enhanced.

Have I interested anyone in relocating?