Day 5 of the MS Bar Convention brings the specific section meetings, alumni lunches and the family Beach Bash.

Sections meetings, i.e. Family Law section of the MS Bar, are used to elect new officers, report to the members and gain an additional CLE hour or two. This meeting is well attended by family law attorneys and chancellors and is not a stuffy meeting. Other sections have their meeting as well.

Next comes the alumni lunches. The various law schools have there lunch of generic banquet food and talk about how great things are going…never better. We persevere through it.

Friday afternoon brings on the Build-a-Bear Workshop. This is a GREAT benefit of the Bar. Hundreds of children descend to claim their bears, dogs, cats, bunnies and whatever the popular character-of-the-moment is. The animals are complimentary, the accessories are not. Good luck escaping without a suitcase of accessories.

Friday brings on the President’s reception. The newest installed bar president shakes hands and takes pictures with the member. There is music and h’ors doevures, somewhat of a repeat from Wednesday night, but still good and still fun. There’s usually a chocolate fountain that ends in a huge mess of cake pieces, strawberries and a few chocolate covered build-a-bears, accidently!

Friday night culminates in the Beach Bash. Glow necklaces are your admittance ticket for crab hunting, limbo and the coveted hula hoop contest. Prizes for the most, biggest and smallest crab insure everyone has a chance. Limbo includes children and adult categories. And the hula hoop contest rounds out the night. Usually 2-3 heats and 3-4 rounds. This isn’t just standing and hula hooping. It’s on one leg, now hop, squat down, turn around hula hooping.

The night culminates in a booming, echoing show of fireworks that would make any 4th of July jealous. They are shot off of the beach and because of the height of the buildings the sounds resonate. There is no early bed time on Friday night.

Matthew Thompson is a family law attorney in Mississippi and looks forward to Fridays at the Bar Convention. His daughter just might be the three-time reigning hula hoop champion as well.