Almost $100,000 in college scholarships will be awarded tograduating high school seniors from around Lincoln County Mondaynight at the fourth annual Mississippi Scholars Banquet, theculmination of the program’s most successful year to date.

Fundraising Chairman David Culpepper said 52 of the 202 seniorsscheduled to attend the banquet will divvy up $92,500 inscholarship money, a record total raised over the last four monthsfrom college, corporate and individual donations.

He said all 202 of the seniors – who represent approximately 42percent of all graduating seniors in the county – will also havethe chance to see and be seen by college recruiters from theUniversity of Mississippi, Mississippi State University and severalother institutions.

“Hopefully, (college officials) will get a great snapshot ofwhat we have to offer here in Lincoln County as far as potentialstudents,” Culpepper said.

The banquet begins at 6:15 p.m. at Easthaven Baptist Church andappears to be on track to set a new county record in terms ofattendance, said Scholarship Committee Chairman Kenny Goza.

“We’ve got 437 people registered to attend, and to ourknowledge, this is the largest banqueted event ever held in LincolnCounty,” he said. “The only other thing we’ve ever had to compareit to is the chamber banquet, and the chamber has never exceededthe 400 mark.”

Goza said the banquet would also be broadcast live online atwww.easthaven.net.