SOSO - Soso will get two new attractions Thursday: The Soso Museum and a Family Dollar Store open their doors at 9 a.m.

The Soso School collection is ready for exhibit, according to Connie Powell, unofficial curator of the museum.

"We're opening one of the two rooms of the museum for now," Powell said. "We'll open the home life part of the exhibit later when it is complete."

The museum is opening the same day as the grand opening of Soso's first general merchandise store since the town had general stores decades ago.

Mayor Mike Moore said he is excited about the prospects of more people visiting Soso to see the museum.

"It's going to be a thing people will enjoy," Moore said. "It is Connie's idea to have people come and (demonstrate making) cultured items unique to our town. About every quarter, we will have folks who may be interested in setting up in the park (adjacent to the museum) come and show their craft and their products."

The school exhibit includes antique school desks set up classroom style with shelves of books well-worn by students whose names are scrawled inside the books' covers. Photos of some senior classes of Soso High School during its 1901 to 2000 history line the walls.

Powell is still looking for many items she said she is interested in having donated to the museum.

"Old newspaper pictures of sports and other events, old school annuals, graduating class pictures, trophies of extracurricular events and pictures that include the school or gym" are among the items Powell would like to include in the museum.

People who would like to donate any of those items may contact Soso City Hall at (601) 729-2958 or Powell at (601) 729-2482.

The museum will be open intermittently, according to Powell. People interested in making an appointment to visit the museum may call the City Hall or Powell.

The museum is located at the north end of the old school property on Soso Elementary Circle near the Soso Community Center, formerly the Legion Hut. Family Dollar is located on Mississippi 28 North near the Soso Post Office.