Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Errick Greene announced on Friday, May 29, that Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, has provided 1,500 distance learning kits to the City to provide JPS students with continuous learning opportunities amid COVID-19-related school closures.

The City of Jackson reached out to Sesame Workshop in April after learning about their teaching resources designed to help parents and young children during the pandemic as part of their Caring for Each Other initiative, a release from Mayor Lumumba's office says. The learning kits will also enhance the City’s Ready to Learn Universal Pre-K program.

The learning kits contain books and activity booklets for children up to 6 years old. Programs include "Talking is Teaching," which helps children express their thoughts and learn about the world around them; "Book Buddies," which teaches reading and building basic vocabulary skills; and the "Brave, Strong, Resilient Family Guide," which focuses on providing love and support to children to help them build confidence and overcome challenges together as a family.

Sesame Street learning kits are available for daycare providers, teachers, parents and children and are part of Sesame Workshop’s Sesame Street in Communities program, which provides resources to children, parents and caregivers. Additional digital resources for learning at home are available at SesameStreet.org/caring. For more information, visit sesamestreetincommunities.org.

Babalu Reopens Renovated Dining Room with New Menus

Babalu (622 Duling Ave.) in Jackson officially reopened its dining room at 50% capacity on Saturday, May 16. To protect guests, the restaurant has eliminated all communal items from tables, is distributing single-use paper menus and is requiring all employees to wear protective masks, a release from Babalu says.

Customers can still order curbside pickup online at eatbabalu.com. Babalu also uses the Heartland Guest app, which allows customers to pay their tab and tip their server using a QR code printed at the bottom of their receipt to minimize contact between servers and guests. Customers can also place takeout orders through the app, which is available through the Apple app store or Google Play.

Babalu has also released an updated food and drink menu, which includes new items such as shrimp ceviche cocktails, tequila-glazed burgers, Cobb salad and more. The new menu also includes items such as "OMG Cookies," which are triple chocolate chip cookies topped with whipped espresso cream and strawberries, from Babalu's sister restaurant La Crema Tapas & Chocolate in Rosemary Beach, Fla. Other items include the "50 Shades of Earl Grey" cocktail from Babalu's Overton Square location in Memphis, Tenn., and "Rum Smash" from the Babalu location in eastern Memphis.

While its dining room was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Babalu also made a number of renovations to its interior, including repainting the dining room, renovating the bar area, installing new booths and light fixtures and more.

For more information, call 601-366-5757 or visit eatbabalu.com.

The Fresh Market Offering Online Father's Day Meal Orders

The Fresh Market (1000 Highland Colony Pkwy. Suite 1001, Ridgeland) is offering an online special on Father’s Day meals for four now through Thursday, June 18, at 2 p.m. Customers can place their orders online at thefreshmarket.com and pick up their meal at the store from June 19 through June 21.

Entrees include four 10-ounce New York strip steaks, four 7-ounce Atlantic salmon fillets or the option to order two steaks and two fillets. Each meal also contains four veggie kabobs, one pound of broccoli cranberry slaw with almonds, four twice-baked potatoes and a chocolate decadence bar cake.

Prices range from $49.99 to $59.99 depending on entree selection. For more information, call 601-856-2866 or visit thefreshmarket.com.