"The rep told me that you don’t get service work," William Pride said last week as he watched the new Hyundai cars and SUVs rolled off an auto transport and onto the Pride Auto Sales and Service lot.

"They build them to last; they have to with that kind of warranty," he added.

The auto dealership on Highway 6 West this month became a dealer for new Hyundai vehicles which carry the industry’s longest warranty ? 100,000 miles.

"I sold my first one yesterday," Pride said. It was a Hyundai Sonata which, in a model line with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price starting at $17,898, compares with Chevrolet’s Malibu, Honda’s Accord or Toyota’s Camry.

"They [the Sonata] get up to 40 miles per gallon depending on how you drive them," Pride said.

The new car sticker on the window of the new Sonatas rolling off of the car transport May 19 stated EPA mileage estimates of 24 and 34 miles per gallon in city and highway driving, respectively, but accompanying smaller print allowed the higher average for prudent driving.

"They tend to understate instead of overstate," Pride said.

In addition to Sonatas, the Hyundai model line unloaded at the dealership last Friday included the Tucson and Santa Fe SUVs with MSRPs starting at $17,845 and $21,695, respectively.

Models also represented include the Accent, which starts at $12,455 MSRP, the Elantra with a $13,865 MSRP and the sporty Tiberon, which starts at $16,095 MSRP.

The full Hyundai model line represented at Pride Auto Sales will also include the Entourage minivan and the Azera, a luxury car which out polled the Lexus in the 2006 AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards, William Pride said ? with characteristic pride.

Car shoppers will surely hear about Hyundai customer satisfaction ratings and that warranty when they visit the Pride showroom. The first 60,000 miles of the warranty are wrap-around, bumper-to-bumper, Pride said. The 100,000 mile warranty is for the full powertrain, but bumper-to-bumper protection can be added with an extended warranty purchase, he added.

In addition to customer satisfaction, fuel economy and warranty, Hyundai manufacturer rebates are another reason to buy, salesman Jeremy Weldon said.

"If you’re upside down on your car, Hyundai’s rebates will help you get out from under it," Weldon said.

The observance began as "Decoration Day," a day when people brought flowers to decorate the graves of soldiers killed in the Civil War.

In 1971 Congress designated the last Monday in May as "Memorial Day," a national holiday to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The newly chartered Ladies Auxiliary of Post #4968 is working in conjunction with the VFW to host the celebration. The Ladies Auxiliary will be handing out small silk poppies as a remembrance of those who gave their lives for this country. On Monday at noon, the 35-minute celebration will include the posting of the colors by the South Panola AFJROTC color guard, the laying of the wreath at the Memorial monument, and the singing of the National Anthem

Lt. Colonel William G. Smith will deliver the keynote address. He served for 27 years in the US Air Force as a pilot. Smith served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

There will be special music and Nikki Reinemann, bugler, will sound "Taps." A row of American flags will honor those who have lost their lives in the wars in which Americans have fought.

"This celebration recognizes the importance of all veterans," Mary Lou Mitchell, president of the Ladies Auxiliary, said. "It gives them and the public the opportunity to remember and honor their fellow soldiers.

"We are asking for each citizen to put on the patriotic red, white, and blue colors or if you are a veteran, come in uniform or cap," Mitchell said. "The veterans are the reason we receive the blessings of freedom."
   

It will be performed in English Saturday night at 7 at the Northwest Community College Fine Arts Auditorium in Senatobia. A reception will follow.

The production will be directed by Stephen Eisenhard, a professional opera singer and director from Pennsylvania who has strong ties to Como. He is married to the daughter of N.R. and Trudy Sledge. (Stephen earlier directed the Guild production of "Barber of Seville.")

Saturday’s opera will mark the end of the Guild’s third season. "Pasquale" will feature the voices of Teri Ann Johnson, Michael Johnson, Josef McClellan, Daniel Brown and Chris Hanson.

Director Stephen Eisenhard has some real surprises in store for the audience as the characters inhabit El Paso, Texas for the classic tale of an older man’s pursuit of a young lady. Look for dancehall girls and other surprises.

Admission to the night performance is free for Guild members, for children and for students of all ages with I.D., while evening tickets for adult non-members will cost $20.

The Guild also is offering a briefer matinee production of "Pasquale" Thursday at 2 p.m. in the NWCC auditorium.

It is free for children, students and Guild members. Call 662-526-9191 or 662-404-1450 for further information, particularly for children’s groups for the matinee performance.