Dear Olive Branch Residents,

It's been a great month to jump into Summer in the City of Olive Branch! We've had the opportunity to add a new exhibit to the City Museum, participate in elementary field trips, and incorporate new technology and practices for City Staff to help keep residents and staff safe.

Dog Tags of James Henry Taylor rest beside a photograph.

James Taylor Exhibit

The City of Olive Branch has unveiled a new exhibit in the City Museum honoring the life of James Henry Taylor and the United States Army soldiers of Flying Tiger Line Flight 739. James Henry Taylor was a resident of the City of Olive Branch and was one of 93 United States Army soldiers, 11 civilian crew members, and 3 Vietnamese nationals on board Flying Tiger Line Flight 739. On March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 departed on a secret mission when it disappeared from radar between Guam and the Philippines or Saigon; launching the largest search ever made in the Pacific Ocean. After 8 days, the search was called off. No wreckage has ever been recovered. You can view the story of James Henry Taylor inside the City Museum. It is located on the first floor of City Hall and is open during business hours.

Mayor Ken Adams greets students of Olive Branch Elementary during their Trip to Town Field Trip

OBES/Chickasaw Elementary Field Trip

This past month, it was my honor to welcome the students of Olive Branch Elementary (OBES) and Chickasaw Elementary for their "Walk to Town" field trip. This trip is always a highlight for City Staff and I. Students walked with volunteers of the Wesson House to visit Blocker Cemetery, the City Court Building, City Hall, Olive Branch Fire Station #1, the Mural in Old Towne, and of course, the Wesson House. Special thank you to our volunteers for sharing our history and day to day operations in Old Towne and to the officers of the Olive Branch Police Department who helped keep students safe.

2025 Farmers Market at City Hall starts June 7! I am excited to share that thanks to community support, our market has grown to 46 vendors. The City of Olive Branch Farmers Market is an Associate Member of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture's Genuine Mississippi Program. To continue this status, the City of Olive Branch Farmers Market must consist of Mississippi farmers selling Mississippi agricultural or artisanal products. The Olive Branch Farmers Market is open Saturdays, June-September from 8 am till Noon. It is located in the parking lot of City Hall at 9200 Pigeon Roost Road. Come out and support these vendors and shop local! We will also be debuting our opening whistle this year! This program invites different non-profits and community services to help us open the market each weekend. To learn more, please send an email to info@obms.us.

Olive Branch Hall of Fame

The nomination period is now open for the 2025 Olive Branch Hall of Fame. The general public is asked to participate in the nominating process by completing the form found on page 5 of the Spring newsletter. You can find the Spring Newsletter in the Rotunda of City Hall or online at https://www.obms.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/88

You may enter anyone you think that is worthy of the honor, by mailing or hand-delivering the form to City Hall by Friday, July 25, 2025. Please have this nomination marked with: "Attention Hall of Fame". Anyone receiving at least one vote from last year's nominees has been carried forward for 2025 and, as such, does not need to be nominated again this year. The 2024 nominees carried forward are:

Phil Lachaussee

Forest Langston

Harold Nichols

Ken Reid

Gartha Wallace

The deadline for nominations is Friday, July 25, 2025. T0 learn more about the Olive Branch Hall of Fame, please visit https://www.obms.us/308/Hall-of-Fame

Image of Flock Camera. This camera is mounted on a black pole with a solar panel that powers the camera.

OBPD Technology: FLOCK

For the last few years, the Olive Branch Police Department has utilizes special traffic cameras. Flock Safety helps communities stay safe by using smart technology that watches over neighborhoods, schools, and businesses. They use special cameras and software to help police catch bad guys faster and prevent crime. Flock Safety uses cameras that don't record videos but take pictures of vehicle license plates. These cameras are powered by the sun and can be installed quickly without digging or wires. When a vehicle passes by, the camera captures a photo and sends it to the cloud (like a big online storage) where police can check it. We're happy to share one of our most recent success stories:

On March 3, 2025, officers utilizing these cameras for license plate readers software received a license plate reader hit on a felony vehicle near Highway 305 and College Road. One of our OBPD officers began searching the area of Highway 305 and observed a vehicle matching the description. This officer ran the plate through dispatch and received a National Crime Information Center hit which advised the vehicle was associated with a carjacking in Marshall County and that the subjects were armed. The officer relayed the information to other officers. A felony stop was made on the vehicle and three occupants were detained without incident. A subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle led to the seizure of drugs and weapons. All information of the occupants and the stop were passed on to investigators in Marshall County / Holly Springs Police Department who advised it will advance their investigation of numerous felonies allegedly committed by the occupants.

Safety begins with you!

This Summer at the City of Olive Branch, we have 19 Capital Investment projects. (Learn more about those here: https://www.obms.us/Blog.aspx?IID=18#item). It is our commitment at the City of Olive Branch to do our best to keep all residents AND City Staff safe. It is the responsibility of all City Staff to create a safe, working environment. This Summer, you'll see City Staff wearing high visibility vests, shirts, or rain gear. As you encounter this, we ask that you slow down or move over to give City Staff a safe space to work. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Events & Meetings

Looking for fun events this Summer or wanting to stay in the loop with City News? Here are just a few upcoming dates that are happening in #MyCityofOB in June:

06/03: Board of Aldermen Meeting, City Court Building at 6pm

06/06: Bucking in the Branch, Magnolia Park at 10136 Magnolia Drive, Gates Open at 6pm; event starts at 8pm.

06/07: Opening Day of the Olive Branch Farmers Market, City Hall, 8am to Noon

6/10: Planning Commission, City Court Building at 6pm

6/12: Board of Zoning Adjustment Meeting, City Court Building at 6pm

6/14: OBHS Alumni/Wright Way Foundation at the Farmers Market, City Hall, 8am to Noon

6/17: Board of Aldermen Meeting, City Court Building at 6pm

6/21: Olive Branch Outdoors, Farmers Market at City Hall, 8am to Noon

6/28: The ARC of Northwest Mississippi Day at the Farmers Market, City Hall 8am to Noon

7/4: Light the Way **FREE CONCERT**, City Park

7/4: July 4th Fireworks City Park

To view our full event calendar, please be sure to visit www.obms.us/calendar

Stay In Touch

Thank you for reading the latest edition of our City's newsletter, From The Mayor’s Desk. I hope to see you at an upcoming community event and encourage you to visit City Hall and attend Board of Aldermen meetings to be heard and stay connected.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Mayor. If you have a special interest topic you would like to see covered in a future From The Mayor's Desk publication or questions about a certain topic, please send an email to info@obms.us. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kenneth (Ken) R. Adams

Mayor of the City of Olive Branch

ken.adams@obms.us 662.892.9201