HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – Pine Belt golf cart enthusiasts gathered at Town Square Park Saturday to celebrate their four-wheeled vehicles and raise money to help a local teenager.
The highlight of the first-ever Hub City Golf Cart Festival was a parade through downtown Hattiesburg.
The grand marshal was 13-year-old Jacola Youngblood.
She’s battling a rare form of leukemia.
“(Being grand marshal) makes me feel like, loved and like, I’m not just going through this by myself, I’m going through this with everybody and they’re with me,” Jacola said.
After the parade, Jacola was presented with two $500 checks from Hattiesburg-Area First Responders and City Cruisers Golf Cart Club.
They were co-sponsors for the festival.
“To see her, you would never know she’s going through something she’s fighting this disease, but she’s fighting it, we’re going to fight it with her the best we can,” said Chad Young, festival coordinator.
Young says the festival was also an educational and safety event for golf cart owners.
Hattiesburg became a “golf cart friendly” city in 2022, when a city ordinance was passed allowing golf carts and low-speed vehicles on city streets.
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