 @-@ born stars to the Walk of Fame ; names mentioned include Morgan Freeman , Jimmy Buffett , Elvis Presley , Conway Twitty , and others .   Another location in the city used for large productions is the Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater . The Temple Theater houses a 778 @-@ pipe Robert Morgan organ , one of two Theater Organs still in their original installations in the state . With seating for 1800 persons , the silent movie era was a prosperous time for the Temple . At the time , it was one of the largest stages in the United States , second only to the Roxy Theater in New York City . Today , seating 1576 persons , the Temple is used year @-@ round for area events , live stage shows , plays , concerts , Hamasa Shrine functions , and public screenings of classic movies .   Highland Park houses a Jimmie Rodgers museum which displays the original guitar of " The Singing Brakeman " and other memorabilia of his life and career , as well as railroad equipment from the steam @-@ engine era . In addition to the museum building itself , there are outside memorials , and a vintage steam locomotive on display . A Mississippi Blues Trail historic marker has been placed in Meridian to honor the city as the birthplace of Jimmie Rodgers and emphasizes his importance to the development of the blues style of music in Mississippi . The city was the first site to receive this designation outside the Mississippi Delta . Also , a Mississippi Country Music Trail marker was placed in Oak Grove Cemetery in honor of Rodgers on June 1 , 2010 . Each year since 1953 , the city has held a festival during May to honor the anniversary of his death .   The park is also home to a 19th @-@ century carousel manufactured around 1895 by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . Highland Park Dentzel Carousel has been in operation since 1909 , is a National Historic Landmark , and is the world 's only two @-@ row stationary Dentzel menagerie in existence . Its house is the only remaining original carousel building built from a Dentzel blueprint . Around Town Carousels Abound is a public arts project of 62 carousel horses , representing the historic carousel . Sixty @-@ two pieces have been sponsored by local businesses and citizens , and design of the horses was conceived and painted by local artists . They are placed throughout the city and county .   = = = Recreation = = =   The city contains several recreational parks , including Highland Park , Bonita Lakes , and Okatibbee Lake . Highland Park contains picnic shelters , swimming pools , tennis courts , a baseball field , softball fields , and a playground , all open year round to visitors . Bonita Lakes is a city @-@ owned , 3 @,@ 300 @-@ acre ( 13 km2 ) park including three lakes . The park also includes the Long Creek Reservoir and Lakeview Municipal Golf Course , along with nature trails , a jogging and walking track , biking paths , horseback riding trails , pavilions , picnic facilities , boat ramps , paddle boats , concessions , and fishing . Along with the lakes , the Bonita Lakes area includes Bonita Lakes Mall , Bonita Lakes Crossing , and Bonita Lakes Plaza . Okatibbee Lake is a 7 @,@ 150 @-@ acre ( 28 @.@ 9 km2 ) establishment containing a 4 @,@ 144 @-@ acre ( 16 @.@ 77 km2 ) lake which offers boating , fishing , swimming , water skiing , picnicking , hunting , hiking and camping . Splashdown Country Water Park , a 25 @-@ room motel , and cabins are located on the lake .   Since 1992 , Meridian has been a host of the State Games of Mississippi , a statewide annual multi @-@ sport event modeled after the Olympic Games . The organization is a member of the National Congress of State Games , which is affiliated with the U.S. Olympic Committee . In its first year 1 @,@ 200 athletes competed in twelve sports , and since then over 70 @,@ 000 athletes have participated in the Games . In 2009 , more than 4500 athletes participated in 27 sports . All competitors in the games can compete in the Southeast Sports Festival while medalists may move up to the bi @-@ annual State Games of America .   Originally the games were held in one weekend in June , but as more sports were added , the event was expanded to two weekends . Opening ceremonies always begin on the 3rd Friday of June in downtown Meridian . The games are held at several sports parks , including Northeast Park , Sammie Davidson Complex , and other various fields throughout the city . Northeast Park is an 85 @-@ acre ( 34 ha ) park on Highway 39 that contains ten tennis courts , four softball fields , three soccer fields , an asphalt track , and a large picnic pavilion . The Sammie Davidson Sports Complex includes six tennis courts , four softball fields , and a half @-@ mile track . Other sports fields include the
Ġ@ - @ Ġborn Ġstars Ġto Ġthe ĠWalk Ġof ĠFame Ġ; Ġnames Ġmentioned Ġinclude ĠMorgan ĠFreeman Ġ, ĠJimmy ĠBuffett Ġ, ĠElvis ĠPres ley Ġ, ĠConway ĠTw itty Ġ, Ġand Ġothers Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠAnother Ġlocation Ġin Ġthe Ġcity Ġused Ġfor Ġlarge Ġproductions Ġis Ġthe ĠHam asa ĠShrine ĠTemple ĠTheater Ġ. ĠThe ĠTemple ĠTheater Ġhouses Ġa Ġ7 78 Ġ@ - @ Ġpipe ĠRobert ĠMorgan Ġorgan Ġ, Ġone Ġof Ġtwo ĠTheater ĠOr gans Ġstill Ġin Ġtheir Ġoriginal Ġinstallations Ġin Ġthe Ġstate Ġ. ĠWith Ġseating Ġfor Ġ1800 Ġpersons Ġ, Ġthe Ġsilent Ġmovie Ġera Ġwas Ġa Ġprosperous Ġtime Ġfor Ġthe ĠTemple Ġ. ĠAt Ġthe Ġtime Ġ, Ġit Ġwas Ġone Ġof Ġthe Ġlargest Ġstages Ġin Ġthe ĠUnited ĠStates Ġ, Ġsecond Ġonly Ġto Ġthe ĠR oxy ĠTheater Ġin ĠNew ĠYork ĠCity Ġ. ĠToday Ġ, Ġseating Ġ15 76 Ġpersons Ġ, Ġthe ĠTemple Ġis Ġused Ġyear Ġ@ - @ Ġround Ġfor Ġarea Ġevents Ġ, Ġlive Ġstage Ġshows Ġ, Ġplays Ġ, Ġconcerts Ġ, ĠHam asa ĠShrine Ġfunctions Ġ, Ġand Ġpublic Ġscreenings Ġof Ġclassic Ġmovies Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠHighland ĠPark Ġhouses Ġa ĠJim mie ĠRodgers Ġmuseum Ġwhich Ġdisplays Ġthe Ġoriginal Ġguitar Ġof Ġ" ĠThe ĠSing ing ĠBra ke man Ġ" Ġand Ġother Ġmemor abilia Ġof Ġhis Ġlife Ġand Ġcareer Ġ, Ġas Ġwell Ġas Ġrailroad Ġequipment Ġfrom Ġthe Ġsteam Ġ@ - @ Ġengine Ġera Ġ. ĠIn Ġaddition Ġto Ġthe Ġmuseum Ġbuilding Ġitself Ġ, Ġthere Ġare Ġoutside Ġmemorial s Ġ, Ġand Ġa Ġvintage Ġsteam Ġlocom otive Ġon Ġdisplay Ġ. ĠA ĠMississippi ĠBlues ĠTrail Ġhistoric Ġmarker Ġhas Ġbeen Ġplaced Ġin ĠMeridian Ġto Ġhonor Ġthe Ġcity Ġas Ġthe Ġbirthplace Ġof ĠJim mie ĠRodgers Ġand Ġemphasizes Ġhis Ġimportance Ġto Ġthe Ġdevelopment Ġof Ġthe Ġblues Ġstyle Ġof Ġmusic Ġin ĠMississippi Ġ. ĠThe Ġcity Ġwas Ġthe Ġfirst Ġsite Ġto Ġreceive Ġthis Ġdesignation Ġoutside Ġthe ĠMississippi ĠDelta Ġ. ĠAlso Ġ, Ġa ĠMississippi ĠCountry ĠMusic ĠTrail Ġmarker Ġwas Ġplaced Ġin ĠOak ĠGrove ĠCemetery Ġin Ġhonor Ġof ĠRodgers Ġon ĠJune Ġ1 Ġ, Ġ2010 Ġ. ĠEach Ġyear Ġsince Ġ1953 Ġ, Ġthe Ġcity Ġhas Ġheld Ġa Ġfestival Ġduring ĠMay Ġto Ġhonor Ġthe Ġanniversary Ġof Ġhis Ġdeath Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġpark Ġis Ġalso Ġhome Ġto Ġa Ġ19 th Ġ@ - @ Ġcentury Ġcar ousel Ġmanufactured Ġaround Ġ1895 Ġby ĠGustav ĠDent zel Ġof ĠPhiladelphia Ġ, ĠPennsylvania Ġ. ĠHighland ĠPark ĠDent zel ĠCar ousel Ġhas Ġbeen Ġin Ġoperation Ġsince Ġ1909 Ġ, Ġis Ġa ĠNational ĠHistoric ĠLand mark Ġ, Ġand Ġis Ġthe Ġworld Ġ' s Ġonly Ġtwo Ġ@ - @ Ġrow Ġstationary ĠDent zel Ġmen ager ie Ġin Ġexistence Ġ. ĠIts Ġhouse Ġis Ġthe Ġonly Ġremaining Ġoriginal Ġcar ousel Ġbuilding Ġbuilt Ġfrom Ġa ĠDent zel Ġblueprint Ġ. ĠAround ĠTown ĠCar ou sels ĠAb ound Ġis Ġa Ġpublic Ġarts Ġproject Ġof Ġ62 Ġcar ousel Ġhorses Ġ, Ġrepresenting Ġthe Ġhistoric Ġcar ousel Ġ. ĠS ixty Ġ@ - @ Ġtwo Ġpieces Ġhave Ġbeen Ġsponsored Ġby Ġlocal Ġbusinesses Ġand Ġcitizens Ġ, Ġand Ġdesign Ġof Ġthe Ġhorses Ġwas Ġconceived Ġand Ġpainted Ġby Ġlocal Ġartists Ġ. ĠThey Ġare Ġplaced Ġthroughout Ġthe Ġcity Ġand Ġcounty Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠRecreation Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġcity Ġcontains Ġseveral Ġrecreational Ġparks Ġ, Ġincluding ĠHighland ĠPark Ġ, ĠBon ita ĠLakes Ġ, Ġand ĠOk at ib bee ĠLake Ġ. ĠHighland ĠPark Ġcontains Ġpicnic Ġshelters Ġ, Ġswimming Ġpools Ġ, Ġtennis Ġcourts Ġ, Ġa Ġbaseball Ġfield Ġ, Ġsoft ball Ġfields Ġ, Ġand Ġa Ġplayground Ġ, Ġall Ġopen Ġyear Ġround Ġto Ġvisitors Ġ. ĠBon ita ĠLakes Ġis Ġa Ġcity Ġ@ - @ Ġowned Ġ, Ġ3 Ġ@ , @ Ġ300 Ġ@ - @ Ġacre Ġ( Ġ13 Ġkm 2 Ġ) Ġpark Ġincluding Ġthree Ġlakes Ġ. ĠThe Ġpark Ġalso Ġincludes Ġthe ĠLong ĠCreek ĠReserv oir Ġand ĠLake view ĠMunicipal ĠGolf ĠCourse Ġ, Ġalong Ġwith Ġnature Ġtrails Ġ, Ġa Ġj ogging Ġand Ġwalking Ġtrack Ġ, Ġbiking Ġpaths Ġ, Ġhorse back Ġriding Ġtrails Ġ, Ġpav il ions Ġ, Ġpicnic Ġfacilities Ġ, Ġboat Ġramps Ġ, Ġpaddle Ġboats Ġ, Ġconcessions Ġ, Ġand Ġfishing Ġ. ĠAlong Ġwith Ġthe Ġlakes Ġ, Ġthe ĠBon ita ĠLakes Ġarea Ġincludes ĠBon ita ĠLakes ĠMall Ġ, ĠBon ita ĠLakes ĠCrossing Ġ, Ġand ĠBon ita ĠLakes ĠPlaza Ġ. ĠOk at ib bee ĠLake Ġis Ġa Ġ7 Ġ@ , @ Ġ150 Ġ@ - @ Ġacre Ġ( Ġ28 Ġ@ . @ Ġ9 Ġkm 2 Ġ) Ġestablishment Ġcontaining Ġa Ġ4 Ġ@ , @ Ġ144 Ġ@ - @ Ġacre Ġ( Ġ16 Ġ@ . @ Ġ77 Ġkm 2 Ġ) Ġlake Ġwhich Ġoffers Ġbo ating Ġ, Ġfishing Ġ, Ġswimming Ġ, Ġwater Ġskiing Ġ, Ġpic n icking Ġ, Ġhunting Ġ, Ġhiking Ġand Ġcamping Ġ. ĠSplash down ĠCountry ĠWater ĠPark Ġ, Ġa Ġ25 Ġ@ - @ Ġroom Ġmotel Ġ, Ġand Ġcab ins Ġare Ġlocated Ġon Ġthe Ġlake Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠSince Ġ1992 Ġ, ĠMeridian Ġhas Ġbeen Ġa Ġhost Ġof Ġthe ĠState ĠGames Ġof ĠMississippi Ġ, Ġa Ġstatewide Ġannual Ġmulti Ġ@ - @ Ġsport Ġevent Ġmodeled Ġafter Ġthe ĠOlympic ĠGames Ġ. ĠThe Ġorganization Ġis Ġa Ġmember Ġof Ġthe ĠNational ĠCongress Ġof ĠState ĠGames Ġ, Ġwhich Ġis Ġaffiliated Ġwith Ġthe ĠU . S . ĠOlympic ĠCommittee Ġ. ĠIn Ġits Ġfirst Ġyear Ġ1 Ġ@ , @ Ġ200 Ġathletes Ġcompeted Ġin Ġtwelve Ġsports Ġ, Ġand Ġsince Ġthen Ġover Ġ70 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġathletes Ġhave Ġparticipated Ġin Ġthe ĠGames Ġ. ĠIn Ġ2009 Ġ, Ġmore Ġthan Ġ4 500 Ġathletes Ġparticipated Ġin Ġ27 Ġsports Ġ. ĠAll Ġcompetitors Ġin Ġthe Ġgames Ġcan Ġcompete Ġin Ġthe ĠSoutheast ĠSports ĠFestival Ġwhile Ġmedal ists Ġmay Ġmove Ġup Ġto Ġthe Ġbi Ġ@ - @ Ġannual ĠState ĠGames Ġof ĠAmerica Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠOriginally Ġthe Ġgames Ġwere Ġheld Ġin Ġone Ġweekend Ġin ĠJune Ġ, Ġbut Ġas Ġmore Ġsports Ġwere Ġadded Ġ, Ġthe Ġevent Ġwas Ġexpanded Ġto Ġtwo Ġweekends Ġ. ĠOpening Ġceremonies Ġalways Ġbegin Ġon Ġthe Ġ3 rd ĠFriday Ġof ĠJune Ġin Ġdowntown ĠMeridian Ġ. ĠThe Ġgames Ġare Ġheld Ġat Ġseveral Ġsports Ġparks Ġ, Ġincluding ĠNortheast ĠPark Ġ, ĠSam mie ĠDavidson ĠComplex Ġ, Ġand Ġother Ġvarious Ġfields Ġthroughout Ġthe Ġcity Ġ. ĠNortheast ĠPark Ġis Ġan Ġ85 Ġ@ - @ Ġacre Ġ( Ġ34 Ġha Ġ) Ġpark Ġon ĠHighway Ġ39 Ġthat Ġcontains Ġten Ġtennis Ġcourts Ġ, Ġfour Ġsoft ball Ġfields Ġ, Ġthree Ġsoccer Ġfields Ġ, Ġan Ġasphalt Ġtrack Ġ, Ġand Ġa Ġlarge Ġpicnic Ġpav ilion Ġ. ĠThe ĠSam mie ĠDavidson ĠSports ĠComplex Ġincludes Ġsix Ġtennis Ġcourts Ġ, Ġfour Ġsoft ball Ġfields Ġ, Ġand Ġa Ġhalf Ġ@ - @ Ġmile Ġtrack Ġ. ĠOther Ġsports Ġfields Ġinclude Ġthe