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September CONTENTS 2019 • VOLUME 16 • NO. 9
features
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Mike Wolfe Treasures Small-Town America
Competing for the Arts In a Football World
Pecan Farms: Follow Your Nutty Heart
departments 16 Living Well Childhood Cancer
40 On the Road Again Columbus, Georgia
20 Notables Steve Azar
42 Greater Goods 68 Homegrown Redneck Foods
24 Exploring Art The Gourd Life
70 Southern Gentleman Hunting Safety
28 Exploring Books Rush by Lisa Patton
74 Southern Harmony KANSAS Carries On
30 Southern Roots Pumpkins
78 In Good Spirits The Peabody’s Collins
32 Table Talk Penny’s Pantry 36 Exploring Destinations Great Delta Bear Affair
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80 Exploring Events 82 Reflections Taking Turns
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editor’s note | SEPTEMBER
Finding Fall’s Treasures As I approach my “downsizing” years, I have a few things that I refuse to part with – most notably my old Underwood typewriter and my only real antique. This circa 1920s typewriter is similar to ones that writers Ernest Hemingway and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings used. When I saw it as a young journalist in the early 1980s, I knew I had to have it. The heavy machine still works and can be useful when the power goes out. Mostly, though, I just like to look at it and treasure its past. I’m a big fan of “American Pickers,” the History Channel’s hit television series starring the affable Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz. The discarded items they find often end up in Wolfe’s Antique Archaeology store in Nashville, Tennessee, proving the adage “one man’s trash is another’s treasure.” Wolfe also believes America’s small towns should be treasured. In an exclusive interview, he met with DeSoto Magazine contributor Pam Windsor in Columbia, Tennessee, where he owns four buildings, to talk about how he and the locals are working to revitalize the town. The fall season offers some treasures of its own. Pecans, of course, are one but they are getting harder to find. Writer Karen Ott Mayer tells us where to get fresh pecans across the South and how the industry is changing.
SEPTEMBER 2019 • Vol. 16 No.9
PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Adam Mitchell PUBLISHER & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paula Mitchell MANAGING EDITOR Mary Ann DeSantis
Attending college football games is a priceless experience for many, but the real treasures are not in the stadiums but in college-owned museums. Writer Verna Gates describes how fine art and football have made winning combinations at campuses across the South. Finally, it’s not too late to register to win a DeSoto Getaway at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in the Florida Panhandle. The lucky winner will enjoy a 3-day, 2-night stay in luxurious accommodations, daily beach set ups, spa treatments for two, and dinner at the Marina Bar and Grill. Look for the registration form on page 14 and return it to DeSoto Magazine before the Sept. 30th deadline. A winner will be announced in our October issue. Happy reading!
Mary Ann
ASSISTANT EDITOR Andrea Brown Ross ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Bridgett Jordan CONTRIBUTORS Robin Gallaher Branch Cheré Coen Amy Conry Davis Polly Dean Mary Ann DeSantis Jackie Sheckler Finch Verna Gates Karen Ott Mayer Andrea Brown Ross P. Allen Smith Karon Warren Kevin Wierzbicki Pam Windsor PUBLISHED BY DeSoto Media 2375 Memphis St. Ste 208 Hernando, MS 38632 662.429.4617 ADVERTISING INFO: Paula Mitchell 901-262-9887 Paula@DeSotoMag.com
on the cover
Writer and photographer Pam Windsor traveled to Columbia, Tennessee, to meet with American Picker Mike Wolfe for this month’s cover story.
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DeSotoMagazine.com ©2019 DeSoto Media Co. DeSoto Magazine must give permission for any material contained herein t o b e re p ro d u c e d i n a n y m a n n e r. Any advertisements published in DeSoto Magazine do not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser’s services or products. DeSoto Magazine is published monthly by DeSoto Media Co. Parties interested in advertising should email paula@desotomag.com or call 901-262-9887. Visit us online at desotomagazine.com.
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• 3-day, 2-night stay in a beachside one-bedroom (Luau) • Dinner for two at Marina Bar & Grill • Beach chairs for two each day • Couples Swedish massage and couples pedicure • Two (2) complimentary 4-hour bicycle rentals each day of your stay • One hour of free kayak rentals and one hour of boogie boards, weather permitting • One hour of free tennis court time • Free access to Sandestin Fitness Center • Free seasonal transportation tram service • Preferred beach parking Based on availability. Black-out dates: 3/15-4/28, 5/23-8/11, 8/29-9/2, 10/10-10/14 and 12/29-1/2 Register to win by returning the entry form below to DeSoto Media, 2375 Memphis Street Suite 208, Hernando, MS 38632 or by visiting DeSotoMagazine.com and clicking on the DeSotoGetaway link. Limit one entry per person. Deadline to enter is Sept 30, 2019. Drawing will be held on October 1, 2019. Must be 21 years or older. By entering you are agreeing to receive marketing communications from Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
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living well | CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Gabby Salinas
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Celebrating Hope and Progress By Robin Gallaher Branch Pictures of Gabby Salinas by Cory Dugan of Christian Brothers University; all other photos courtesy of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
A childhood cancer survivor inspired by the professionals at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital pursues her dreams of a health care career. Gabby Salinas, now 31 and a three-time cancer survivor, praises St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She knows it well, both as a patient for 16 years and a research assistant for eight. “First, St. Jude gave me a chance to live. I would not be alive today without St. Jude,” she begins. “Second, I grew up with scientists and they mentored me.” September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which was officially designated in 2012 to bring awareness to childhood cancer – the leading cause of death by
disease for children under the age of 15. Between 180,000 and 240,000 children are diagnosed each year with cancer. Survivors like Salinas and their families celebrate with joy and much thanksgiving. St. Jude treats children regardless of race, color, creed, or a family’s ability to pay. Its motto, “Finding Cures. Saving Children,” summarizes its mission. “St. Jude treats children diagnosed with a catastrophic disease of childhood, including cancer, HIV, and sickle cell disease,” summarizes Dr. Daniel Mulrooney, a specialist in the late effects of childhood cancer. DeSoto 19
Between 180,000 and 240,000 children are diagnosed each year with cancer.
ST. JUDE’S WALK/RUN
Salinas and her family came to St. Jude from Bolivia. Young Gabby, then seven, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a bone cancer; radiation and chemo therapy proved successful. However, cancer returned twice, at ages 15 and 19, as thyroid cancer. How is her health now? “I am doing well,” Salinas answers. “I have no evidence of disease.” St. Jude began as the dream, vision, and prayer of Danny Thomas, the beloved American actor and comedian. Some 9,000 attended its opening on Feb. 4, 1962, near downtown Memphis. Its scope grew nationally and worldwide – but always stayed personal. For more than 50-plus years, St. Jude’s groundbreaking research has helped push the survival rate for childhood cancer from 20 percent to more than 80 percent. Although childhood cancer is rare, its warning signs (including fever, bleeding, and swollen lymph nodes) parallel those of common childhood illnesses. “The difference is that the symptoms persist,” Mulrooney explains. Salinas remembers that as a child she pestered her medical caregivers. She asked questions as blood was drawn, tests were administered, and her body fought to live. She was curious. Doctors, nurses, and researchers explained their work. Their replies fascinated her and changed her life. Everybody encouraged her. Years later when a chance came to work in a St. Jude lab as a bio-chemistry undergrad from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, she took it. Professionally it has been “a dream come true to work alongside people who are leaders in their field,” she says. Salinas describes St. Jude “the crown jewel of our country. It’s such a point of pride! It’s wonderful to have it in the South and in Memphis.” 20 DeSoto
She is now working toward her Ph.D. in pharmaceutical science at the University of Kentucky. Salinas ran for the Tennessee State Senate in 2018 from District 31 but lost by 1,418 votes, only 1.7 percent. Her platform was the need for affordable health care. “I certainly know about that,” she says with a smile. ST. JUDE’S WALK/RUN & THE MEMPHIS MARATHON
The fifth annual St. Jude Walk/Run, a nationwide fundraiser, is scheduled for Sept. 28 in more than 60 communities nationwide. There is still time to register for the event, which hopes to raise $960,000 this year. The single-largest, one-day fundraising event, however, is the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend. Scheduled for Dec. 7, in Memphis the goal is to raise $12.5 million for the children of St. Jude. General registration is open now for the marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and kids marathon. Fundraising events, donations, and grants are crucial to St. Jude because families never receive a bill from the hospital for treatment, travel, housing, or food. The philosophy is that the only thing a family should worry about is helping their child survive.
stjude.org
Robin Gallaher Branch, a Fulbright scholar, teaches adjunct courses in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Christian Brothers University in Memphis. She writes for magazines and newspapers.
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notables | STEVE AZAR
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A Delta Soul By Karon Warren Photography courtesy of Steve Azar and John Keen
After two decades in Nashville making his mark on the country music scene, Greenville native Steve Azar is all in when it comes to promoting his home state. When he was writing songs at age 11 in Greenville, Steve Azar had no idea his music would expand his world far beyond the Mississippi Delta. In fact, throughout much of his time as a student at Delta State University, he was a pre-med major, before earning a business management degree in 1987. That change in studies also led to another change: a commitment to a career in music. “In the music business, you have to be all in,” Azar says. “You can’t be like, ‘I have a three-year plan.’ It’s a forever thing.”
For Azar, that “forever thing” turned out to be a great thing. He moved to Nashville, and, like most singer-songwriters, worked his craft and performed in clubs whenever he could. Finally, in 2001, he released a debut album, “Waitin’ on Joe,” which spawned two hit singles and took Azar’s career to a new level. “I hit my career as a hit record guy at 37,” the 55-yearold says. Azar would go on to write songs for other top artists, including Reba McEntire, and Danny Gokey. He toured with DeSoto 23
the likes of Bob Seger. He wrote songs for such major motion films as “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” and “Here Comes the Boom.” In 2011, though, Azar’s life took another turn. He and his wife, Gwen, decided to move back to Greenville to raise their family – two sons and a daughter – before the kids graduated high school. “I wanted them to experience this place that gave me a backdrop for most of my songs and gave me a career,” Azar says. “Watching them grow up, that’s been the most rewarding thing for me.” Between raising kids and his career, Azar kept busy. In 2012, he founded The Delta Soul Celebrity Golf & Charity Event. He was competing in 12-to-15 charity golf tournaments a year, and wanted to do “our version of it down here because we felt like it would be unique [to] celebrate every inch of our culture.” However, Azar couldn’t escape his musical destiny. In 2013, he co-founded the Mighty Mississippi Music Festival, which has hosted such names as Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris and Ashley McBryde. In 2017, Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Azar as the Music & Culture Ambassador of Mississippi. “It’s really been an honor,” Azar says. “It’s a position just to go out and celebrate our arts. Gov. Bryant said he felt like nobody else could represent that better, which was a great compliment to me because I wear Mississippi on both sleeves. It’s in my heart, and it gave me a career.” 24 DeSoto
But the new role as music ambassador didn’t slow Azar down. In 2018, he started hosting “In a Mississippi Minute with Steve Azar,” his own radio show and podcast on the SuperTalk Mississippi radio network. And in February of this year, he cofounded the Mockingbird Music Series, a bimonthly musical dinner series. “It’s become like an exclusive club where I’m bringing in a lot of my hit songwriting buddies,” Azar says. “I feel like they’re the best storytellers, they’re the wittiest and they’re characters. With the songwriter, it’s another level because the song was born within that person. Mockingbird Music Series showcases the whole music and culture of who we are. It’s like this perfect night of food and music.” Launched in Greenville, the Mockingbird Music Series also performs dates in Oxford and Hernando with plans to expand to Madison and Meridian. In October, the state of Mississippi will honor Azar with the placement of his own Country Music Trail Marker in Greenville. He admits he was both honored and humbled when he got the call. “I was going like, ‘Why am I being included in this?’” he says. “It was pretty cool and humbling. I’m going to put it here in front of Jim’s Café [in Greenville] on Washington Avenue where part of my ‘Waiting on Joe’ video was shot. That video put me on the map. And I decided that was the perfect place, and they were thrilled.”
And, of course, Azar continues to write, record, and release new music. ‘My goal is to never stop doing it,” he says. “I want to be writing songs into my 80s and keep doing it.” Look around Greenville, and you may spot Azar…at the grocery store, in Jim’s Café, walking along the river. He may be searching for inspiration, or he could just be enjoying life. Regardless of which, know that he’ll be living life in Mississippi. “I’m based in heaven,” he says. “The Delta is heaven to me.” steveazar.com
Karon Warren is a freelance writer based in Ellijay. Georgia. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Karon also writes for FamilyVacationCritic.com as well as her blog, ThisGirlTravels.com.
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exploring art | GOURD ART
Gourd Vase
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Enjoying the Gourd Life By Mary Ann DeSantis Photography courtesy of Mary Ann DeSantis. Artists photo by The Gourd Place
Gourds have been used creatively for thousands of years, but two Georgia women have taken gourd art to a new level of elegance. It all started with two plastic bags filled with gourds in 1976. Priscilla Wilson and Janice Lymburner were school teachers at the time although Priscilla was already thinking about another career. “Janice said ‘let’s buy some gourds and make a planter for my mother’,” she remembers. Neither had any experience carving gourds, but it didn’t take long before Priscilla decided that a gourd life could become the good life. She left her teaching job in the summer of 1976 and began making gourd crafts full time. The next spring, she and Janice rented a plot of farmland in northeast Georgia where they could harvest their own gourds.
More than 40 years later, their vision of a sustainable business grown from gourds is a reality. The Gourd Place in Sautee, Georgia, near the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, is not only a popular storefront for their creations but also a museum featuring more than 200 historic gourd items from around the world. “I was open to a fun idea for a business and I didn’t think anyone had used gourds as an art form,” she says. “Little did I know at the time that people had been doing it in Peru for 3,000 years.” Although pumpkins, cucumbers, and squash are classified as gourds, the term usually refers to the fruit of plants DeSoto 27
Owners with gourd cash register
in the Cucurbita genera and to their hollow, dried-out shells that have been used for thousands of years as food vessels, tools, musical instruments and art. Priscilla taught herself the craft and by 1982 was participating in prestigious shows, including the Pink Palace in Memphis, Tennessee, the Coconut Grove Art Festival in Miami, Florida, and the Kaleidoscope Festival in Beaumont, Texas. After Priscilla and Janice opened their first storefront in 1983, they didn’t participate in many festivals, focusing instead on making the business a success. In 1991, they moved to their current location on Highway 384 near the tourist town of Alpine Helen, Georgia. “Our busiest time of the year is the fall, because we get a lot of leaf lookers,” says Janice, who runs the retail side of the business while Priscilla focuses on the art. “Our best advertising is done by others who have already been to our place and tell others.” Visitors indeed have a lot to see and admire in the cottage-like store. The Gourd Place offers something for everyone, from whimsical animals like “Gourdo the Guard Dog,” intricately designed gourd lamps and vases, and unique pottery known as Gourd Impressions, which Priscilla patented in 2006. “The idea [for Gourd Impressions] itself was a gift,” explains Priscilla. “We needed a new idea to keep business growing and going. Once it hit, I became obsessed with making it happen.” 28 DeSoto
Gourd Pottery
To make the elegant pieces, she pours liquid clay into a gourd mold that has been carefully prepared to preserve the delicate veins and textures inside the gourd. The resulting pot is glazed and fired. “Our Gourd Impressions pottery is now, by far, our biggest draw and most of what we sell,” adds Janice. Priscilla describes the pieces as having a mystical connection to past gourd artists. “I love that the pottery can be used in everyday life, just as in the past gourds were used in everyday life,” she says. “It became clear from the beginning that this was going to catch on.” In addition to the items Priscilla creates, the shop carries quality gourd crafts from other artists as well. Although the road to a gourd life has not always been easy, the women strive to make it fun whether it’s organizing gourd-gathering events, trying on gourd heads for visitors, or even adding quizzes about gourds to their Facebook page. “I like to think of the gourd life as a metaphor for a life of peaceful and creative pursuits, a life lived in love and respect for all people,” Priscilla says. gourdplace.com
BASIC GOURDCRAFTING TIPS Janice Wilson set aside a room in The Gourd Place, called “Gourd Intentions,” for visitors who want to learn more about making their own gourd crafts. She offers the following tips for getting starting: Cleaning – Soak the gourd or put it outside on a rainy day. The outer skin will get soft but not the shell. When the skin is saturated, you can scrape off most of it. Decorating – Burning and carving are the traditional methods, but some people paint with acrylics or oil. Others drill or cut the designs. Cutting – Cut the gourd only if you want it to be functional. Gourds are much like wood and need to be cut with a saw rather than a knife. Cleaning the inside – Pull out as much of the seed and pulp as possible by hand. If some pulp clings to the shell, scrape it with a knife. Wear a mask while cleaning out gourds and do it outside. Finishing – Gourd items to be used with food should retain a natural finish. Finishes, such as paste wax, polyurethane, lacquer, or tung oil, can be used for a desired appearance or to preserve artwork or outdoor items. Caring for your gourds – Gourds may crack if dropped on hard surfaces but otherwise will last indefinitely when kept dry. Outdoor gourd birdhouses will last several years if finished with exterior paint or varnish. Wipe regularly with an oil preservative.
A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Mary Ann DeSantis serves as the managing editor of DeSoto Magazine.
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exploring books | RUSH
Lisa Patton’s
Writing Journey By Jackie Sheckler Finch | Photography courtesy of Lisa Patton
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Memphis native Lisa Patton’s latest novel tackles a serious subject with heartfelt emotion. When Lisa Patton was a little girl, she wanted to grow up to be an actress. That would be a good job to use her vivid imagination, the child thought. “I told myself and actually believed that there was a witch who lived next door,” Patton says. “I wrote a story about her when I was about nine.” That childhood story might have been a foretelling for the path Patton follows today. Using her creative imagination and fascinating gift with words, Patton has become a talented writer whose newest book is already delighting readers. Written with humor and love, “Rush” invites readers to glimpse what happens behind the doors of sorority recruitment at the University of Mississippi. In the school’s fictional Alpha Delta Beta house, the newest pledge class tackles the unjust and long-accepted treatment of their house staff. When they discover that their African-American housekeeper has been denied a promotion due to her race, they stage a walk-out to support her. To pay health insurance and retirement benefits for their housekeepers, handyman and cook, the sorority sisters raise money. However, their efforts are blocked by a powerful conniving woman. An epilogue appears in the paperback version of “Rush,” which was published in August. The new information reveals what happens to the villainous woman as she confronts her own generational prejudice. It’s a surprising heart stopper. A native of Memphis and an alumna of the University of Alabama, Patton says it was a toss-up whether to place her novel at the University of Alabama or Ole Miss. But during her writing process, an exciting event helped her make a choice. “Eli Manning, former quarterback for Ole Miss, had just been nominated for the Walter Payton Humanitarian of the Year Award,” Patton says. “That told me so much about him as a person and using him as a bit character fit perfectly within the context of my story. And since the book is partly set in Memphis it made sense since so many Memphians attend Ole Miss.” As for the inspiration to write “Rush,” Patton says it came from the best of all places – personal experience. “Back in 2015 I was in Tuscaloosa for the ribboncutting of our new multi-million-dollar sorority house,” she says. Introducing herself to the current sorority housekeeper, Patton and the woman began talking. “When I asked her how long she’d been working at the house she told me it had been 15 years. I then asked if everyone on staff had been working at the house that long and she took me by the hand and led me down the long marbled hall to the current composite (a large picture with small oval heads of all the sorority members) and pointed to one African-American head.”
Bursting out crying, the housekeeper said the woman in the photo had been her best friend and had died the year before of cancer. The sonority girls had honored her memory by including the woman on the composite. “When I asked if the cancer had been aggressive, she hesitated for quite a while, then finally told me the cook had not seen a doctor because she had no health insurance,” Patton says. “That split my heart in two pieces. I had never even thought about it.” When she returned home, Patton says she looked into the situation and discovered that lack of staff benefits existed not only at her alma mater but on campuses all over the South and probably at most large Greek houses in the country. “It was then I decided to write a book called “Rush.” If I included the lack of staff benefits as a plot point perhaps I could open the door for discussion, and perhaps those discussions could ultimately lead to change,” Patton says. Patton is very familiar with change. Along with being a writer, she was a long-time manager in the music business, as well as promotion director for FM 100 radio and for WMC TV 5 in Memphis. In her 30s, Patton was an innkeeper in Vermont. “I lasted three long sub-zero winters before I came speeding back down South in 1995,” she says. “Those jobs directly influenced my Dixie series.” The Dixie series includes “Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’Easter,” “Yankee Doodle Dixie,” and “Southern as a Second Language.” Today, Patton and her husband Stuart live in Nashville. “I have two sons, Michael and Will, four bonus [stepchildren] children, and 11 grandchildren.” Currently at work on four new novels, Patton says she starts writing “shortly after my eyes open” around 7 a.m. “I write until noon, take a break and start back up again. When I’m under a deadline I sometimes write 18 hours a day.” Although she can’t share the subjects of her next works, Patton says “I always set my books in the South and probably always will.” “The South is my home – I was born and raised in Memphis – and I feel most comfortable writing about our rich characters,” Patton says. “After all, we are a lively bunch, are we not? I don’t have to look very far to find plenty of drama.”
An award-winning journalist, Jackie Sheckler Finch loves to take to the road to see what lies beyond the next bend.
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southern roots | PUMPKINS
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Pumpkin-mania By P. Allen Smith | Photography courtesy of Jane Colclasure
Pumpkins are a versatile way to decorate from September to beyond Thanksgiving. Garden expert P. Allen Smith shares tips for decorating with pumpkins throughout your home and making them last longer. Pumpkins stir the inner child in all of us. That’s certainly the case for me. When autumn arrives, my creativity is sparked and I’m inspired to discover amusing ways to use these jolly symbols of the season at Moss Mountain Farm in new and different ways. If you look beyond the classic New England pumpkin pie, you’ll soon find that their range of shape, size, and colors is quite phenomenal. This exuberant spectrum and their tough durability make pumpkins ideal for long-lasting festive decorating. We use them at the farm in a myriad of ways from September until Thanksgiving and beyond...yes, beyond. While early in the season they are decorative, by Thanksgiving we begin using them in the kitchen, a practice that will take us well through the winter. The flavors range as widely as their forms. I find them delicious roasted or puréed, as well as in soups and desserts. These big winter squash store well when placed in a cool, dark and dry place. Any overage or pumpkins with signs of decay are used as winter treats to our livestock and poultry. The pièce de résistance at Moss Mountain is our annual tradition of creating the “Pumpkin House.” Usually, it takes just shy of 1,000 pumpkins to assemble this whimsical little house and a lot of time ‘knitting’ them together to create the walls. The result is a tapestry of color that intensely reflects the autumn hues of the surrounding landscape, and a wacky little house meant to delight and amuse. Our fall visitors to the farm love it as a photo-op, and we challenge them to guess the exact number of pumpkins required to assemble the house. We use pumpkins in other ways too. How can you resist, right? We stack them, make votive candle holders with them, and use them as vessels and vases for cut flowers or fall planters. The smallest of the adorable little mini pumpkins are strung together with an ordinary fish stringer to create garlands. An easy trick we use to make pumpkin garlands last longer is to dip an ice pick into any ordinary kitchen disinfectant, like PineSol, before piercing the pumpkin. I’d be remiss without including the more useless but equally delightful member of the pumpkin family, the gourd. I love to grow them, all forms of them, which are often named for their intended use or shape, such as a birdhouse, snake, dipper, etc.
Planting gourds is a childhood tradition for me that I continue to delight in. You can almost watch as the vines stretch and grow toward the sun before your very eyes. One can sense the pulse of life in their outstretching tendrils and enthusiastic growth. At the farm, we encourage them to grow over arbors and hoops, which results in an abundance of hanging gourds you can walk through for an otherworldly experience. They, too, adorn the Pumpkin House, covering the roof and creating a lacy silhouette of foliage along its roofline. I find most people don’t think they have the time or space in their gardens to grow pumpkins or gourds for themselves. However, they are easily grown from seed and can be a thrilling experience for children. Over the years, I’ve learned that to have success growing pumpkins in our Zone 8b garden, one should plant them late (early July) and provide water to the roots via occasional hand watering or a drip system. The point is to avoid overhead watering. Too much water will cause disease and rot. I also like to make sure the pumpkins themselves are not exposed to direct sun as youngsters, as the foliage keeps them from blistering until they are mature enough and have developed a tough resilient skin. I welcome you to plan a visit to Moss Mountain Farm this fall to witness my enthusiasm for all things autumn and experience the Pumpkin House. Before you know it, you’ll be dreaming up your pumpkin-inspired creations!
P. Allen Smith, an author, television host, and conservationist, is one of America’s most recognized gardening experts as the host of three national award-winning television shows. Smith uses his Arkansas home, Moss Mountain Farm, as an epicenter for promoting the local food movement, organic gardening, and the preservation of heritage poultry breeds. Tours of his farm may be booked at pallensmith.com/tours.
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table talk | PENNY’S PANTRY
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Penny’s Pantry By Andrea Brown Ross | Photography courtesy of Anna Grisham and Audrey Sowell.
Penny’s Pantry in Senatobia, Mississippi, has been serving homemade food for almost 20 years. Known for its award-winning chicken salad, Penny’s Pantry offers a delicious lunch menu with plenty of palatepleasing options to take home for dinner. “Our chicken salad is definitely our biggest lunch seller,” says owner Lisa Sowell. “Everything is homemade, like Grandma’s kitchen.” Served as a sandwich or on a bed of lettuce, the chicken salad is served with a choice of side items, including pasta salad, potato salad, strawberry fluff, and soup. “One of the most popular comments I get from customers is that they like the fact our food is homemade and tastes homemade. We provide consistent quality and our food doesn’t taste like a chain brand,” Sowell explains. So, just how much chicken salad does Penny’s Pantry serve a day?
“We cut up almost 80 pounds of chicken with scissors the days we’re open,” shares Sowell. Employees begin cooking and baking at 7 a.m. and continue until 6 p.m. In addition to on-site dining, customers can buy chicken salad in pints and quarts to go as well as frozen casseroles and desserts to take home. Gluten-free casseroles are also available by special request. “Our top casserole seller would have to be our poppy seed chicken. Our chicken Rotel, chicken pot pie, and chicken enchiladas are also very popular,” says Sowell. Penny’s Pantry has freezers in multiple locations throughout the Mid-South including Ultimate Gifts in Southaven, Commerce Street Market in Hernando, and Angela’s Flowers in Tunica. Sowell has plans to expand to other locations as well. Customer satisfaction is always a priority. For DeSoto 35
example, when a vendor doesn’t have an item in stock, Penny’s Pantry will deliver it to the vendor if a customer calls and requests it. Sowell remembers when a Gatlinburg, Tennessee, couple made a special trip to her restaurant and took home coolers filled with casseroles. “They had heard about us. On their return trip home, they routed their trip to stop in Senatobia,” she says. “They had brought two coolers with them to stock up with our casseroles. to take home!” Other menu favorites include the daily soups, including the best-selling cheesy chicken soup, which is served on Thursdays. Potato soup, a close second, is served on Wednesdays. Taco soup, Italian tortellini soup, black-eyed pea soup, and squash bisque are also customer favorites. Soups are rotated on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays with the daily menu posted on the Penny’s Pantry Facebook page. When it comes to desserts, what takes the cake is a white-wine cake. Customers have a hard time choosing from among a variety of cakes, including coconut cake, Mississippi Mud, and even an “Elvis” (pineapple) cake. Specialty-layered cakes are also available. Pies are also popular, including pecan, chess, and lemon ice box. “We’re working on sugar-free desserts for the near future,” Sowell shares. For customers looking for something sweet to take back to work or home, they sell pick-up desserts in four-piece servings or as a dozen. These desserts often include chess 36 DeSoto
squares, apple cake, brownies and Hello Dolly bars that are made with pecans, chocolate chips, and toasted coconut. “During the college football season, we have quite a few orders to be picked up on Saturdays for tailgating. Our chicken salad finger sandwiches, ham and swiss rolls, and sausage rolls are popular. Several customers also order our dips, including a “Mississippi Sin” dip, artichoke and parmesan dip, and spinach dip,” she says. Platters and dips should be ordered several days ahead to ensure availability and can be picked up during Saturday business hours. Penny’s also offers traditional home-cooked menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas. “We advertise a few weeks before each holiday. An advance order must be placed for the seasonal menus,” explains Sowell. If customers stop in on Tuesdays, they will likely find the local women’s bridge club eating there. They’ve been coming to Penny’s for more than 15 years. Next fall, the restaurant will celebrate 20 years in business. “We love Senatobia. It’s a great community. They’ve been good to Penny’s Pantry, and we truly appreciate them and care about the community,” she continues. Penny’s provides sack lunches each May for the National Day of Prayer attendees at the local park. “My husband and I purchased the restaurant from the original owner and cousin, Penny Hawks Frazier, in 2012. I was a stay-at-home mother homeschooling my 3 girls in
high school, and I worked here a few days a week,” remembers Sowell. “As Penny and her husband began growing their family to include a young daughter, it all kind of fell into place for us to buy it.” Sowell’s two younger daughters are now in college and help out as their schedules allow. Her parents also pitch in. And while the restaurant is a family business, Sowell credits her faith and staff for their success. “We have a wonderful working environment. This has been the Lord’s will, his business. He’s been faithful in providing to us. And our staff is like family. We journey through life together. It’s been a blessing that way,” she says.
Andrea Brown Ross lives in Como and serves as the assistant editor for DeSoto Magazine.
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exploring destinations | GREAT DELTA BEAR AFFAIR
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Great Delta Bear Affair By Andrea Brown Ross | Photography courtesy of Great Delta Bear Affair
The Great Delta Bear Affair festival, scheduled for Oct. 26, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, has a “beary” unique claim to fame. Each October in this Mississippi Delta town, the population of approximately 2,000 swells to more than 6,000. Festival goers make the journey to rural Sharkey County to commemorate what didn’t happen there in 1902: President Theodore Roosevelt’s legendary refusal to kill a black bear. Inspired by Roosevelt’s commitment to conservation, the festival was initially created in 2002 to bring awareness to the plight of black bears, which were disappearing. It was estimated that fewer than 20 bears were in the state at that time, and the Louisiana black bears were found only in the lower two-thirds of the state. That was also the same year teddy bears became the official state toy for Mississippi.
Although removed recently from the Federally Threatened Species list, they are still classified as Endangered under Mississippi law. Today, the festival continues to celebrate conservation and camaraderie. “The festival is a one-day, multi-faceted, familyfriendly event held on the fourth Saturday in October,” shares Meg Cooper, festival coordinator. The 2019 festival will be Oct. 26. With a “wildlife slant,” the GDBA hosts vendors of all sorts from wildlife education to arts and crafts, food vendors and, of course, teddy bears. Special guest presentations will include retired archeologist Sam Brooks, who will give tours of DeSoto 39
the local Indian mounds, and herpetologist Terry Vandeventer, who is known as the Mississippi Snake Man. Dayton Scoggins, a Mississippi native and chainsaw wood carver, will spend the day creating a 12-foot statue carved from a cypress stump. “Festival goers love to sit and watch him as he carves,” shares Cooper. “We even have a tour planned of his other 18 statues, all of which are within walking distance of the square and festivities.” The most sought-after photo opportunities are with living historians Case Hicks as Teddy Roosevelt and Ollie Morganfield as Roosevelt’s hunting guide, Holt Collier. These festival “celebrities” mingle with the crowd and answer questions about the historical event. “Our Teddy Roosevelt is busy the week preceding the festival,” explains Cooper. As a part of the philanthropic arm of the festival, Roosevelt (Hicks) visits the local nursing home and Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children in Jackson giving away teddy bears and visiting with patients and residents. The Friday before the festival has become a popular field trip for area fourth graders. Youth Festival Day promotes conservation awareness with interactive booths and presentations from living historians and wildlife professionals. While Cooper acknowledges that the festival’s mission is not about making large sums of money, proceeds in the past have benefitted area youth organizations as well as the local library, hospital, and police department. “This year, all admission money will be donated to the South Delta Disaster Recovery Fund for victims of the 40 DeSoto
Backwater Flood. I am thrilled that the festival will be making a contribution to help flood victims repair and rebuild homes that have been damaged or lost because of the water,” says Cooper. GDBA does not charge parking fees, but they do request a $3 donation per person. Held rain or shine, the festival’s schedule of events is online. “I’m so excited about this year’s music line–up,” shares Cooper. While guests are sure to love a variety of musical artists, they may also enjoy seeing the Chuckburger Eating Contest. “Chuck’s Dairy Bar is famous in Rolling Fork. They’ve been around 50 years,” Cooper says. “Contestants compete eating Chuck’s famous chili and slaw burger.” The festival ends with a fireworks display from a professional fireworks company. “Some of our locals don’t have an opportunity to travel and see elaborate fireworks,” she explains. “We hope everyone will stick around this year and help us end the festival with a bang!” greatdeltabearaffair.org
A Great Sportsman In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt came to the Mississippi Delta to hunt black bear. Holt Collier, a well-known bear hunter and guide, was hired to assist the president. Several versions of the bear-hunt stories have come down through history, but the one shared by the organizers of the Great Delta Bear Affair goes as follows: On the first morning of the hunt, the dogs hit upon the scent of the bear and the hunt was on. Collier told President Roosevelt where to wait for the bear to reappear. The president and his companions waited but they could tell that the dogs were going in a different direction and decided to return to camp for lunch. Not long after they had left, the bear turned again and eventually came out of the woods almost exactly where Collier said it would, but the president was not in position to get his shot. The dogs cornered the bear, which in its fury grabbed Collier’s favorite dog, Jocko. Collier jumped from his horse and clubbed the bear with the stock of his gun, stunning the 250-pound bruin. He then threw a rope around the semiconscious creature and sent for the president to shoot the bear. When the president arrived, he was disappointed to see the addled bear at Holt’s feet. Despite encouragement from the crowd of hunters, President Roosevelt refused to shoot the injured bear stating that it would be unsportsmanlike. As the news of the hunt spread across the country, Morris Mitchom, a New York toy shop owner, wrote the president asking to name the stuffed toy bears in his shop “Teddy’s Bears.” Before long, all stuffed bears were known as Teddy Bears. Although he was an avid hunter, President Roosevelt worked tirelessly to preserve nature and the great outdoors, according to the National Park Service. During his time in office, he established five national parks, created 51 federal bird sanctuaries and four national game reserves, and dedicated over 100 million acres of national forests. Andrea Brown Ross lives in Como and serves as the assistant editor for DeSoto Magazine.
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, s u b Colum gia
on the road again | COLUMBUS, GA
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9:00 Plucked Up Chicken and Biscuits is a great way to start the day. Enjoy their perfectly fried chicken and fluffy, golden-brown biscuits. The atmosphere is causal with exposed brick walls and funky décor. They also serve lunch. Open Monday through Saturday 7:00am - 3:00pm. 10:00 Hit Uptown Columbus for shopping and sightseeing. The area is very pedestrian-friendly and offers something for everyone including a playground and a splash pad for warmer weather, public art, greenspaces, historical architecture and birding. 1:00 Lunch at Smoke Bourbon and BBQ. This casual spot showcases the only rooftop patio on Broadway and is known for creative barbecue and Southern fare. Order pimento cheese wontons, brisket tacos topped with pineapple cilantro slaw and pickled onions, brisket gnocchi or the Pig Mac, a pulled pork sandwich topped with homemade mac-n-cheese, house-made sauce all on a toasted brioche bun. After lunch be sure to stop by the Angel Wings Selfie Spot for a photo-op. Created by Kelsey Montague--the artist known for her interactive artwork of wing paintings-- the installation is featured at 11th Street and Broadway near the Smoke Bourbon and BBQ building. 2:00 Take in some historical perspective with a visit to the National Civil War Naval Museum. Here guests can see the USS Chattahoochee, which was sunk in the Chattahoochee River intentionally to keep it out of the hands of the opponent. The museum also offers many artifacts and a timeline exhibit which takes you month by month through the war showing naval events. 3:00 Stop by My Boulánge for a coffee and sweet treat. The bakery offers traditional French pastries like tarts, Napoleons, croissants and macarons. 3:30 Being outdoors is a way of life in Columbus. The city’s marquee attraction is the Chattahoochee River and the world’s “longest” urban whitewater course. If whitewater rafting is too adventurous for you, take in the views along the banks at the Chattahoochee RiverWalk. The RiverWalk features miles of hard surface trails and is ideal for walking, cycling and jogging. The city’s newest recreation offering, The Dragonfly Trail, features a network of off-road greenway trails created for recreation, transportation and interaction. 7:00 Dinner at trendy 11th and Bay just steps from the Chattahoochee River. Whether dining indoors or out this spot offers great sunset views. The culinary team is inspired by Southern hospitality and fresh creative Southern cuisine. Local products help to create the seasonally-driven menu which changes often. Dishes include fresh fish, aged beef and in season vegetables. Save room for a mouth watering dessert like creme brûlée or banana fosters cheesecake.
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To plan your visit:
visitcolumbusga.com uptowncolumbusga.com pluckedupchickenandbiscuits.com smokebourbonandbbq.com portcolumbus.org myboulange.com 11thandbay.com
Act like a local on your visit to Columbus, GA by enjoying these great events: Market Days on Broadway Uptown Columbus’ Market Days on Broadway take place every Saturday morning, yearround from 9:00am until Noon. The Market features many local and organic farmers selling produce, along with soap vendors, home goods, jewelry vendors, and baked goods. Bites of Uptown Food Tour March - December Put on your walking shoes for a fun, delicious way to learn about Columbus, GA. You’ll discover the best local restaurants and stores in Uptown Columbus. For more information call 706-315-8824 or visit columbuseatsfoodtours.com. Uptown Happy Hour Tour April - December Start your weekend off right! Visit different bars and hangout in Uptown to try signature cocktails and beer! Visit columbuseatsfoodtours.com. Uptown’s Friday Night Concerts 7:00pm Join us on Friday, September 6th on Broadway, as we kick-off the Fall Concert Series with the DNR Band in the heart of Uptown Columbus. Concerts are FREE and open to all ages. Visit uptowncolumbusga.com. DeSoto 43
greater goods | TEAM SPIRIT
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1. Let’s day drink dispenser with stand, Merry Magnolia, 194 E Military Road, Marion, AR 2. Cowbells, Bon Von, 214 W Center Street, Hernando, MS 3. T-shirts, The Bunker, 2631 McIngvale Road #106, Hernando, MS 4. Tigers door hanger, Crossroads Vendor Market, 8804 Caroma Street Ste. 140, Olive Branch, MS 5. Razorback necklaces, The Speckled Egg, 5100 Interstate 55, Marion, AR 6. Collegiate tumblers, Bon Von, 214 W Center Street, Hernando, MS 7. Delta State hat and hand towel, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Road E, Southaven, MS 8. Handmade Razorbacks frame, Merry Magnolia, 194 E Military Road, Marion, AR 9. Tailgating Favorites, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Road E, Southaven, MS 10. Nora Fleming napkin holder with football attachment, Paisley Pinapple, 6542 Goodman Road, Olive Branch, MS 11. Etta B Platter, Mimi’s on Main, 432 Main Street, Senatobia, MS
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greater goods | TEAM SPIRIT
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1. Clear bags Against the Grain Mercantile, 880 US-64 Marion, AR 2 Ole Miss T towels, Cynthia’s Boutique, 2529 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS 3. State T towels, Cynthia’s Boutique, 2529 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS 4. Door hangers, Against the Grain Mercantile, 880 US-64 Marion, AR 5. Savvy Gourmand dips and Mudpie tray, Cynthia’s Boutique, 2529 Caffey Street, Hernando, MS 6. T-shirts, Mimi’s on Main, 432 Main Street, Senatobia, MS 7. Bibs, Mimi’s on Main, 432 Main Street, Senatobia, MS 8. Tennessee Vols pillow, Mimi’s on Main, 432 Main Street, Senatobia, MS 9. U of M t-shirts, Ultimate Gifts, 3075 Goodman Road E, Southaven, MS
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Fans of “American Pickers” tune in every Monday night to watch Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz set off across the country in search of hidden treasure. As the show nears the 10-year mark, Wolfe says he’s grateful their travels have allowed him to see much of rural America up-close because it’s slowly slipping away. Despite what some experts say, he believes it’s not too late to save small-town America, and he’s proving it in Columbia, Tennessee.
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Finding Treasures in Small-Town America Story and photography by Pam Windsor
Mike Wolfe
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“Every community has a story. You have to search out that story and once you find it, you have to present it in a way people will want to come and experience it.� 48 DeSoto
Mike Wolfe spends much of his time traveling the back roads of America. For nearly a decade, he and co-star Frank Fritz, have taken television viewers into some of the most remote places in the country. They search through junkyards, old barns, houses, basements, then sift through shelves, boxes and drawers as they look for antiques and collectibles. “American Pickers” debuted in 2010, but Wolfe was crisscrossing the country long before the TV show. “I’ve been in the antique industry for 30 years,” he says. “I would literally drive for hours on gravel roads. There are no street signs on gravel and you often don’t know where you are, but you just keep going. I knew when I was close to a town because I’d see a water tower. I’d drive towards the water tower, go into a town, look around in alleys, and talk to people.” He loved exploring lesser-known parts of America and soon began looking for a way to share his experiences with others. “I found myself with this burning, uncontrollable desire to tell these people’s stories. The places I would go, the people and things I would experience in the middle of nowhere. So, I bought a camera and just started filming myself.” Wolfe, who was living in Iowa, began gravitating toward Nashville. It was there he got the guidance he needed to pitch a TV show. “I learned a lot from my friends here in Nashville who were in music production and video. They told me what a ‘treatment’ was. They said if you’re going to pitch a show, you need to write a ‘treatment.’ They helped me with a ‘sizzle reel’ and what it needed to look like. That was our connection and why we ended up moving to Nashville. And also, a lot of our really close friends back home were moving away.” Wolfe now calls Tennessee home. He and his family live in Leiper’s Fork and he has an Antique Archaeology store in Nashville that sells many of the items he “picks” for his TV show. (He also has a store in Le Claire, Iowa). “American Pickers” keeps Wolfe on the road about two weeks out of every month. When he’s home, he often pops into the Nashville store where he approves every item on display. Antique Archaeology has become quite a tourist attraction. DeSoto 49
“Economists are saying let it die because they have no solution. But when you let something like that die, you’re letting the history of our country just literally go to dust.” 50 DeSoto
“People come here from all over the world,” says Manager Lauren Wray Grisham, “And I often hear them say they’re on their second or third visit because we always have new stuff. I don’t know of many places where you can come in and find something you saw on television. It’s kind of a like a hands-on museum/TV set.” While the store in Nashville draws big crowds, that’s also true of the Antique Archaeology in Le Claire. Grisham says people who watch “American Pickers” feel a special connection to Wolfe and the people and items they see on the show. “Everybody has something they collect, something they love. And Mike is such a great storyteller. I think people can really relate to him and how he presents things and values the collectors and people selling them.” Wolfe’s relatability has a lot to do with his deep appreciation for rural America. He grew up in a small town and through his travels has been able to explore so many of the places that once helped build this country. Sadly, though, they’re slipping away. “They’re all literally disappearing,” he says. “Rural America is getting smaller and there’s no middle class anymore. I spoke at the Los Angeles Travel Show about five years ago and I told everybody, ‘If you want to see small town America and visit these places, you’d better get out and experience them now because they’re quickly going away.’” Many of those towns were once thriving manufacturing communities, but as businesses and jobs moved on, so did the people living there.” “Economists are saying let it die because they have no solution. But when you let something like that die, you’re letting the history of our country just literally go to dust,” he says. Wolfe believes saving small town America will require a different way of thinking. “If there’s no industry, whether it’s because the job has been replaced by a robot or the job has been replaced by going overseas to China, what brings these people back into these communities? He believes the answer is to build a future on the past. “Every community has a story,” he explains. “You have to search out that story and once you find it, you have to present it DeSoto 51
in a way people will want to come and experience it. People are interested in exploring their country and learning about it.” Wolfe has seen it work. He helped the small town of Le Claire successfully showcase its past and he’s working to do the same in Columbia, Tennessee. (Columbia is about 45 miles outside Nashville.) While the two vary in size, Wolfe says – like so many small towns – they each have unique stories. “For example, in LeClair, Iowa, Buffalo Bill lived there. The riverboat industry was there, the clam fisheries were there, they had button factories there. Great stories to tell!” he says with enthusiasm. “It’s the same with Columbia. It has great architecture, it was the county seat, the (President James) Polk house is here, there were shirt factories, the phosphate industry was here, but it was also Muletown. The breeding of mules in this community was above and beyond anywhere else in the United States. Look at the old photographs of mule auctions, they would pack the town square.” To honor that part of its heritage, Columbia hosts an annual Mule Day festival every April. Wolfe currently owns four buildings in downtown Columbia. He’s restoring them to house retail stores and Airbnbs. He’s using his own collectibles to personally decorate his Two Lane Guest Houses set to open later this year. One of his structures is a former auto dealership built just after the end of World War II. Wolfe plans to bring it back to the way 52 DeSoto
it looked in old photos, complete with curved glass windows. It currently houses the automotive shop where many of the vehicles he finds for “American Pickers” are repaired or brought back to their former glory. He’s part of a dedicated group working to revitalize the downtown area. “We formed a marketing alliance similar to one we had in Iowa,” he says. “It’s called Grow Columbia where people are working to promote this corridor.” During a walking tour of the downtown area, Wolfe pointed out the growing number of attractions for both locals and tourists. “We have great places for food including a Thai restaurant, we have music venues, an antique mall, a record store, a bookstore, a bicycle shop, a health food store, a sporting goods store, we’ve got Taps on Main, and more. We’ve got a children’s museum and the Duck River for canoeing and kayaking.” He says small towns can also offer business opportunities young entrepreneurs could never afford in bigger cities. “We did a show with a guy in Kansas who had just graduated from a college that was teaching him automotive restoration for antique cars. He needed like 50,000 square feet because he was going to sell antique car parts, but he
also needed to work there. He chose this small town in Kansas where he could buy this 50,000 square foot building for around $30,000. And since 90 percent of his sales were online, he didn’t need foot traffic.” Wolfe says he’s drawn to Columbia, in part, because it reminds him of his hometown, and so many other small towns across the country. He sees a lot of potential here. “Columbia’s got everything going for it. The flame was always there, it was just people fanning the flame, feeding it, and giving it fuel.”
Pam Windsor is a full-time freelance writer based in Nashville.
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Follow Your
Nutty
Heart By Karen Ott Mayer Photography courtesy of B&B Pecan Co.; Florence, SC Convention & Visitors Bureau and uga.edu
The freshest, tastiest pecans are found at the source, but local shops near the orchards are the next best thing.
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Nutty Facts
More than 1,000 different pecan varieties exist. It takes 7-to-10 years for a pecan tree to produce its first crop; but then it can continue producing for 100 years. Pecans are the only nut tree native to North America. Georgia is the leading pecan-growing state, followed closely by Texas. (source: uspecans.org) 56 DeSoto
Southerners and pecans go handin-hand, much like bacon and greens. Generations of farmers across the Southeast have planted pecan trees, the only native tree nut that grows naturally in North America. Discovered and named by Native Americans, the pecan tree became a source of food for tribes. What may be less known is the effort behind the result. A pecan tree can take up to 10 years before it actually produces a crop. While annual crops like peanuts can start over each year, pecan growers invest decades – even generations. With the succession of hurricanes within the last few years, the pecan industry has taken the brunt. Just like the resilient growers who began clearing the debris and planting new groves, loyal pecan lovers follow tradition when visiting a roadside store, pecan grove or retail store to buy gift tins, stock freezers or simply make a pie from fresh pecans. Moreover, the pecan is enjoying a creative renaissance in the South as chefs and breweries take the humble nut to new heights. What about a pecan pie martini or a sweet potato cheesecake with pecans? While roaming about this fall, stop at the cinder-block roadside stand or head to the newest urban eatery to get your pecan fix. The season only comes once a year, but the tradition lasts a lifetime, so here are a few ideas to get you started. B&B Pecan Co. Fairhope, Alabama pecangifts.com Clarence and Sandra Bishop typify the nature of Southern pecan growers. More than 60 years ago, the young couple planted five acres so Sandra could stay home with their new daughter, Mona. Decades later, the Bishops are still selling pecans and giving tours to those who stop by. “We are a small orchard with about 100 acres now,” says Mona Barfield, their daughter. Along with her brother, Doug Bishop, she helps keep the family business alive. Barfield well remembers how hurricanes can affect groves. “I remember I came home from college and my dad was so happy over the crop. It was a bumper crop and he said they had been waiting 10 years for it. On Sept. 12, 1979, Frederick hit and they lost DeSoto 57
Victors Pecan Pie Martini
Rebel Pie Danish Pizza
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the whole crop. At that point, they had to reinvent themselves.” And so they did, focusing on a new retail shop where they could package candied pecans while the trees matured. Today, B&B sells several varieties of pecans including Desirable, Cape Fear, and Stuart at their retail shop located just outside of Fairhope on Highway 98. October to December is the busiest time of year as the Bishops also have a national gift business, selling tins to individuals and businesses. “The trend is definitely candied pecans rather than just pecans,” says Barfield. B&B has a pecan board that is 40-to-50 years old, which helps visitors understand all the varieties. Her parents are still active in the business at ages 83 and 87. “Mom does the books and Dad loves to talk to customers and take them to the farm,” she says. Ironically, Barfield says the two questions they get most often are, “Where is the old guy and is the dog still here? The dog, Annie, still graces the shop despite her advanced age.” Indianola Pecan House Indianola, Mississippi Pecanhouse.com In the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the Timbs family has been buying and selling pecans for 30 years at the Indianola Pecan House, the state’s largest pecan retailer. Their retail shop features every pecan imaginable from salty-to-sweet, candied, praline, and even Jack Daniel’s pecans. The company has both online and retail shops. If your trip takes you farther south to Flowood or over to Tupelo, you can still find Indianola Pecan House retail products. Retail pecan operations have dwindled as Mississippi’s pecan industry has changed over the last 50 years, largely due to hurricanes. Peaking in the 1960s at about 39 million pounds, three decades later only 1.5 million pounds were produced. As a comparison, Georgia once produced 120 million pounds of pecans and projects half that amount in 2019, also due to hurricane damage. Max Draughan, president of the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association for the last seven years and owner of Bass Pecan Nursery – the largest pecan tree DeSoto 59
nursery from Georgia to Texas – explains how nature has taken its toll. “Starting with Hurricane Camille, then Fred, and Elena, we lost a lot of trees.” Combined with stagnant pricing, many established growers simply let mature groves languish or chose not to invest in new trees. Today, however, the pecan industry is on the upswing due to China’s entrance into the market and better prices. Mississippi’s strength lies in the small, rather than large. Although the state doesn’t have one commercial sheller, there are many 5-to-10-acre growers, pecan accumulators (people who buy pecans from all kinds of sources), and one large retailer, Indianola Pecan House. Likewise, interest has grown. “In 2012, we had 13 members. Today, we have more than 79 members,” says Draughan, who encourages Mississippians to seek out local pecans, noting fresh pecans far outrank their grocery store counterparts in quality and flavor. Because of local activity, it’s possible to find someone who cracks pecans or an accumulator who buys pecans. Or pick pecans up for later. “Pecans freeze beautifully because they are mostly oil, not water. And you can also refreeze pecans without affecting the taste or quality,” adds Draughan. To plan your pecan roadtrip, visit the newly redesigned mspecans.org site which lists pecan sources across Mississippi. We’re Nuts/Ellis Bros. Pecans, Vienna, Georgia werenuts.com Travelers along Interstate 75 from Florida to Atlanta, can’t miss the “We’re Nuts,” billboards. It’s hard to resist stopping in the small town of Vienna – about half-way between the Florida state line and Atlanta – just to check out what makes these folks so nutty. Another family-owned operation, the farm boasts more than 2,500 acres of pecans with 20 different varieties. The newest nut variety coming to “We’re Nuts” is extra special. Known as the “Ellis” variety, it has recently received an official patent and is being propagated at select nurseries. Visitors can try before they buy as samples of all the pecan varieties are placed throughout the retail store, which is located on a blacktop road that runs 60 DeSoto
through the orchards just off the interstate. And anyone needing a snack for the rest of the trip might want to take one of the fresh pecan log rolls. The farm also sells peaches from its own orchard. Elliot Ellis, who now runs the farm with his sons, recommends his mother Irene’s famous Pecan Brittle as a starting point, although their retail shop is filled with gourmet and gift items. And if you need a sweet boost for the rest of the drive, be sure to try to the fresh ice cream, especially the peach. We’re Nuts also sells its pecan products online. South Carolina Pecan Trail Florence, South Carolina visitflo.com/sc-pecan-trail If you’ve ever heard about needing a passport to cross the Mason-Dixon line, it might just be true. In this case, we’re talking about passports and pecans in the most interesting light. In Florence, South Carolina, Holly Baumier, executive director with the Florence Convention & Visitors Bureau recognized just how popular pecans were in town. “She noticed that there were many locally-owned restaurants using pecans in unique ways,” says Ashley Hopwood, marketing communications manager with the CVB. In 2016, the organization established the South Carolina Pecan Trail, which is a culinary trail entirely devoted to the pecanaficionados. With more than 20 locations on the trail, visitors can enjoy a White Russian Pecan Pie at Julia Belle’s or sip a pecan pie martini. Young’s Plantations Pecans, another site on the trail, was once the largest pecan sheller in the U.S. with the farm dating back to the 1920s. To participate in the Pecan Trail fun, pick up a passport at any participating business, collect stamps, and return to the friendly folks at the CVB. Besides enjoying a new pecan dish, visitors can also earn t-shirts, mini-pecan pies, and even a nutcracker. One last piece of information may prove helpful on any nutty journey. Pee-can or pah-cahn? “They’re both right!” says Hopwood. Writer and editor, Karen Ott Mayer, celebrates 20 years as a commercial copywriter in 2019.
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DeWain Valentine’s sculpture in the exhibition “Color, Form and Light.”
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Competing for the ARTS in a Football World By Verna Gates Photography courtesy of University of Mississippi Museum, Georgia Museum of Art and Auburn University
While celebrated football teams battle inside the stadiums, their campus art museums compete to acquire the works of the legendary artists. DeSoto 63
Alexis Bittar, Ole Miss
Visitors to the museum in the galleries. Image courtesy Georgia Museum of Art.
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Andy Warhol cuts to the left, tosses a soup can. Claude Monet catches light on the right. Edvard Munch screams down to the finish line. These “players” are tops in their field, but they are not playing on the gridiron. Instead, they are competing for fandom in Southern university art museums. While the nation looks to the South for great football, the region was known for its arts long before the gridiron dominated the time of falling leaves. The rich culture of the South has created some of the best art, literature, music and food that is recognized world-wide. The fine art museums dot campuses across the region, bringing in works from not only Southern culture but also global cultures. When the noise and revelry get a little overwhelming – and even if you like noise and revelry – take time to explore these noteworthy and highly regarded museums only a short distance from the stadiums. They are always winners even when your team loses.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
The helmet is covered in pink, blue and green flowers, a design by Alexis Bittar, a name more likely to be recognized by a football wife than a football player. It is one of three helmets owned by the University of Mississippi Museum, bought from Bloomingdale’s Fashion Touchdown. These items join the other 20,000 art treasurers found in the museum, including the 2,000 pieces of Greco Roman art, a nationally-known collection. In a can’t-beat-them-join-them attitude, the museum prides itself on its good relationship with the athletics department, which has supported them with sponsorships. “When we bought those helmets, we got to meet with the athletics director. They must have made his head spin around. We are a good case of partnering with athletics,” said Robert Saarnio, Director, University Museum and Historic Houses. This October, stroll two blocks from The Grove to the museum for an exhibit featuring famed Mississippi photographers Maude Schuyler Clay and Langdon Clay.
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
Egypt dominates the Art Museum of the University of Memphis, honoring DeSoto 65
Peter Aaron, “Court of the Mosque of Abraham, Aleppo Citadel,” 2009.
Claude Monet
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the first Memphis, so named by the Pharaoh Menes in 1550 BCE. The mummies are back in a brand-new installation. Since Egypt sits on the African continent, the museum features an extensive collection of Sub-Saharan art. As an American city, Civil Rights also exerts an influence and, in the fall, a collection of Art Shay, Time Life photographer, will be on display. “He talked his way into the room at the Lorraine Motel and into the funeral parlor where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was taken. He photographed celebrities, events and sports – just amazing photographs of amazing times,” said Jennifer Draffen, Assistant Director.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
“Our vibrant art scene is right up there with the Gatorade legacy,” said Jessica Berube, Communications Specialist with the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida, considered the top contender in the SEC art museum scrum. Wi t h i n t h e 4 0 , 4 0 0 f e e t o f exhibit space, the Harn Museum hosts works ranging from a Monet to Korean landscapes to Kehinde Wiley, Obama’s presidential portraitist. While attending the most American of pastimes, you can browse through Asian, African and Oceanic art, just for the change of scenery. Or stick with the Gatorade legacy with Florida artists. This fall, an Andrew Kertész show takes you off-center with the groundbreaking work that revolutionized modern photography. Or, you can shamelessly pop into the gift shop for the most unique Gatorthemed jewelry and gifts.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
An impressive team line up with muscular artistic names such as Warhol, Picasso, Gauguin, Renoir, Manet, Rodin, Cassatt, Durer, Matisse, Dali, and Klee puts the Georgia Museum of Art at University of Georgia in the museum ballgame. Founded in 1945, this museum serves the entire state with its massive collection. While it can hoist the Old Masters on its shoulders, it also indulges in quirky exhibitions, such as the upcoming Food Ways exhibit. Thomas Jefferson wanted Georgia to grow olives, which is now becoming a reality. Along with the silver olive spoon on display, is a pair of silver fried chicken tongs – dating back to a time when that tailgate favorite was a delicacy. DeSoto 67
Bulldog fans have something special to look forward to this fall. “We have a cool, giant pot representation of the first football game, played against Yale,” said Hillary Brown, Director of Communications, who also suggested paying homage to the “lovely air-conditioning” on sweltering game days.
Fragonard, Picasso and Dali. The fall exhibit, “She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World” will question tradition, change, and perceptions of the Arab identity.
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Auburn University may eternally struggle against instate rival, but its art museum ranks steadily in the top 10. From the peaceful landscape of a Georgia O’Keefe to the tortured image of Edvard Munch of The Scream fame the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art challenges the mind with 2,500 works of art. “Creative Cadences: Works by Roger and Greg Brown” features works by the Opelika brothers. Roger is considered one of the most important contemporary artists to come from Alabama.
From a Gainsborough portrait to a world-class Chinese jade collection to Louisiana ceramics, the LSU Museum of Art in downtown Baton Rouge competes in national and regional art arenas. With Tiger pride, it focuses much of its collection on local artists and presents wide-ranging exhibits. As testosterone pounds the football field, the “Public/ Private/Shared Self ” exhibit explores masculinity and gender fluidity, along with femininity and the intimacy of domestic life. A contemporary jewelry collection, “Adore/Adorn,” combines sculpture with fashion and a ceramic artist pushes materials and forms to the verge of collapse.
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
THE REST OF THE PACK
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
In Nashville, Vanderbilt University fields its art gallery with Old Masters, Renaissance paintings, ancient art from Greco Roman to Mesoamerican, along with Asian, African and American art. The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries Fine Art Gallery features one of the broader assortments of arts found on SEC university walls. A Symbols and Archetypes exhibition brings together images through a variety of eras and areas to connect shared symbolism.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
The neighbor to the east, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, won a hard-fought court battle to receive the bequest from William Ackland’s will to found the Ackland Museum. The estate invested wisely in what is now more than 18,000 works of art. The museum is known for its Asian collection, art on paper, and North Carolina pottery. An impressive list of master works features major artists such as Delacroix, Dürer, 68 DeSoto
Some universities, such as the University of Alabama, focus on natural history. The University of Tennessee has its McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, focuses on music with a GRAMMY Museum celebrating the Delta’s rich musical heritage. Often free and open to the public on game day, campus galleries offer all sorts of art, history and cultural exhibits – from presidential papers to medical devices to Southern history and more. While you are cheering on your team, take a moment to toast the talented artists who contribute to a different kind of campus culture. Perhaps before or after game day, you can walk among the other champions awaiting you on campus. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Verna Gates is a freelance writer and a self-proclaimed “sports agnostic.” On game day, you can find her scouting out Old Masters in the art museum. She is the author of 100 Things to Do in Birmingham Before You Die.
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homegrown | REDNECK FOODS
Preserving History By Amy Conry Davis | Photography courtesy of Adam Mitchell
When the first pass is thrown at football games, the jams and salsas created by Vicksburg’s Dan Bristow also fly off store shelves and tailgater’s plates. Bacon Ranch Dressing. Hot Okra. Green Tomato Pickles. This is just a small sample of Dan Bristow’s daily bounty. Based in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Bristow runs Redneck Foods, a homemade salsa, jam, and relish business. His products are based on small-town, Southern recipes from the turn of the century as well food he grew up eating as a kid in Arkansas. The name of his company, in fact, is a tribute to the industrious farmers and gardeners of that by-gone era. Bristow was inspired by a simpler time when home gardens and small farms were commonplace and meals were made from scratch with uncomplicated ingredients. “When you worked in the garden, picking those vegetables, planting them, and doing the work,” Bristow says, 70 DeSoto
“the back of your neck would always be red...some people may take [the name] resentful...but I took it as a fellow that had to work really hard on his vegetables so he could have good food to eat.” Most of what he knows of this way of life, Bristow learned from the older generations in his family and community. In small towns, especially, sharing homemade food was just what you did. It made for close-knit neighbors and in turn, a close-knit community. “Years ago, people would go to social gatherings, usually after church. If someone had a really good salsa, for instance, then everybody would share the recipes and that’s how the recipes came about,” Bristow says. The base for his
salsa came from what his mother called “tomato gravy” and served over biscuits and eggs for breakfast. All of this started five years ago after a car accident left Bristow unable to return to his job in construction. As he recuperated, he made salsa, jelly, and the like, at home in his carport. Initially, it was just for fun, to share with his family, but at the advice of a friend, he decided to try his hand at selling it. The Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza in Jackson was Bristow’s first foray into the commercial world. Four years later and his jars are on the shelves at Kroger and Piggly Wiggly stores all over the state. Bristow continues to attend public events, nearly every weekend, to sell his goods. He hits hunting shows, flea markets, craft shows, and festivals all over Mississippi as well as Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Arkansas. For the most part, Redneck Foods is still a fairly small operation, but it seems to be working just fine for Bristow. Like his products, he keeps things simple and relies on word of mouth and regulars who tend to follow his schedule. He doesn’t use social media but he does take orders via the online shop on his website. Or people can get in touch with him the “oldfashioned” way. “We have a number on every jar, so they can call that number and it’ll ring right here in my pocket,” Bristow says. Bristow believes the popularity of his products is due to the fact he continues to make them as if he’s making for friends and family. The batches are small but filled to the brim with the good stuff – not fillers – just the way you would make it at home. Whenever possible, he uses fresh, local ingredients. Aside from food-safe yellow dye in the pickles (black pickles are
hard to sell, Bristow adds), they’re all-natural ingredients. Even the glass jars are from a company out of Arkansas. Bristow continues to experiment with these timehonored recipes by putting his own modern twist on them for today’s generation. As a result, some pretty unique blends have come of it like his FROG (fig, raspberry, orange, and ginger) and Strawberry Jalapeño Jams. Or the Sweet Baby Beets. And don’t forget the Hot Chow-Chow that an out-of-state restaurant uses as a secret sauce in one of their dishes. The list goes on but Bristow says in general his best-sellers are the Mild Salsa, Raspberry Jalapeño Jam, and Apple Butter. With tailgating season upon us, Bristow has plenty of suggestions for football parties. “When the first football flies, all my products start flying off the shelf,” Bristow says. His top recommendations include Raspberry Jalapeño Jam served with cream cheese and crackers or brushed over grilled meat as a barbecue sauce. The Cajun Candy Relish is excellent over red beans and rice, hot dogs, or burgers – even mixed into deviled eggs. Depending on your taste, either mild or hot salsa works well with oven-baked chicken. For extra heat, the Hot Okra can be cut up and fried or used as a spicy accompaniment to a Bloody Mary. redneckfoods.net Currently based in West Point, Mississippi, Amy Conry Davis works as a writer, photographer, and content creator. She lives full-time in an Airstream and travels throughout the U.S. Her website is www.gypsypye.com.
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southern gentleman | FIREARM SAFETY
Releasing quail on a public dog-training area can be a fun way to introduce young adults to safe hunting practices.
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The author practicing her marksmanship during the off-season. (FYI – the firearm I am practicing with is a .223 Semi-automatic that is good for hunting coyotes, furbearers/varmints and hogs if a good shot) Photo courtesy of Polly Dean.
Stay Safe this Hunting Season Story and Photography by Polly Dean
Though the upcoming hunting seasons vary in length from just a few weeks to several months, preparation and firearm safety is a year-round endeavor. In the South, we are passionate about our hunting. Whether sitting motionless waiting for a buck to cross our path, yelping to entice a gobbler, or shadowing our dogs as they sniff out upland birds, we pursue our sport with not only knowledge and appreciation, but with a sense of obligation. We are responsible for our game, that it shall be taken fairly and not wasted. We also bear the responsibility of protecting our natural resources to ensure that wildlife populations and their habitat continue to thrive. And we carry the responsibility of making sure that our children and grandchildren have the same opportunity. No matter one’s hunting preference, the use of a firearm is likely involved. Whether it’s a shotgun for birds or small game, or a rifle for deer, hogs or bear, we are required by
law and good hunting ethics to know how to use and possess that firearm in a safe manner. If you haven’t reached the mid-century mark in age, you likely have already or will need to complete a hunter safety course to obtain a license. States vary greatly in their requirements. In Mississippi, those born after Jan. 1, 1972 must complete the course to obtain a license. The date is Jan. 1, 1969 in Tennessee. Youth and Hunting At what age should children be introduced to hunting? In many households, youngsters have been “introduced” or exposed to the sport from the day they were born. Growing up with someone who hunts allows a child to be familiar with the DeSoto 73
concept of firearms and harvesting food for the table. It is a way of life. However, whether there is a correct age for a child to begin shooting or hunting with a firearm, is much more difficult to answer. In truth, it can vary from 8-to-18 years of age. Maturity and familiarity with the sport, along with growing up with a parent or mentor who hunts, all factor into this decision. The good thing is that it is never too late to pass along the gift of hunting to a young man or woman. “Learning how to shoot requires discipline, self-control, hand-eye coordination and concentration. Required safety training instills respect, responsibility, teamwork and sportsmanship. The quick success beginner shooters often experience gives them a sense of self-esteem and confidence. In young people, these are all important qualities that affect many other aspects of life,” says Joe Bartozzi, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Many of the hunting seasons for various species, such as deer, turkey or waterfowl, offer a brief “youth season.” On these days only youngsters may hunt while under the supervision of a licensed adult. This provides a great opportunity for young hunters to harvest an animal before the season opens to the general public and an even greater opportunity for a young guy or gal to enjoy a positive experience in a sport that will bring enjoyment for years to come. Safety Firearm safety is always a priority. Basic safety rules for guns apply whether the gun is in use, or stored out of sight. Three basic rules are (1) always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use; (2) always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction; and (3) always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. Hunters apply these rules to every situation whether in a deer stand, walking in the field or sitting in a blind. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. Wear ear and eye protection. These measures become habits the more they are practiced. And don’t hesitate to remind those less familiar with hunting of these rules when out in the field. Always store firearms safely so they are not accessible to those unauthorized to use them. Organizations such as The National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Rifle Association are dedicated to training and education and offer a wealth of information on safety and proper storage of firearms. Where To Shoot Numerous public and private shooting ranges are available for practicing safe marksmanship. “Recreational shooters in Mississippi are the beneficiaries of the newest public-private partnership. The McIvor Shooting Facility recently opened in Sardis, adjacent to the Charles Ray Nix Wildlife Management Area,” Bartozzi says. “It offers wing shooters, as well as rifle and pistol marksmen, a chance to shoot at a state-of-the-art public range that’s safe and accessible.” Memphis is home to the Memphis Sports Shooting Association. The MSSA grounds offer multiple pistol and rifle ranges, trap fields, sporting clays and archery ranges. The facility is dedicated to the training of its members in the safe and proper use of firearms for sporting purposes. Providence Hill Farm in Jackson, Mississippi, is another property dedicated to the sporting life, offering an assortment of ranges for the various shooting sports. Additionally, the department of natural resources and park services in most states is likely to have a shooting range not too far away.
After two decades in the art department of Game & Fish Magazines in Georgia, Polly Dean began a second career as a freelance outdoor writer, specializing in fishing, small game hunting and outdoor adventure.
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southern harmony | KANSAS
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Far Beyond the Wheat Fields:
KANSAS Carries On By Kevin Wierzbicki Photography credits: On stage shots: Mark Schierholz, group promotional shots: EMily Butler
Southern connections run strong for the classic rock group KANSAS who are still touring after 40 years. All we are is dust in the wind. For KANSAS, the band that popularized that phrase with their massive 1977 hit single “Dust in the Wind,” there’s gold in that dust, and platinum too. For the band’s longtime fans (affectionately known as Wheatheads), the song about the fleeting nature of life holds something more valuable than precious metal: 40-plus years of cherished memories.
“Dust in the Wind” is one of those songs that doesn’t just stimulate a sing-along; it triggers an instant introspection, a sort of “taking stock” of where one is at on the wheel of life. “Dust in the Wind” has so far been the only KANSAS song that’s cracked the Billboard Top 10 chart, and as one of the most-beloved songs of the classic rock era, it always has a place in the set list at KANSAS concerts. To honor the song’s recent DeSoto 77
40th anniversary, KANSAS has been playing Point of Know Return, the album the song comes from, in its entirety during their current KANSAS Classics tour. While Topeka, Kansas is their original hometown, KANSAS has been based out of Atlanta, Georgia, for decades, and their connections to the South are strong. They’ve recorded a couple of albums in bayou country in Washington Parish, Louisiana; they’ve been inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame; and bass player Billy Greer and violinist David Ragsdale hail from Tennessee and Georgia respectively. KANSAS drummer and band founding member Phil Ehart remembers a solemn moment the band once experienced in Memphis, Tennessee, one of the group’s favored tour stops. “Decades ago, I remember our tour bus passing by Graceland,” relates Ehart. “The bus driver slowed down as we passed, and it had an effect on all of us to see the home of Elvis, a man who had a musical impact on our early lives. Nothing was said; we just stared at it and then drove on.” Like many touring performers do these days, KANSAS often offers a VIP experience at their concerts, giving Wheatheads a chance to meet the band. While little could be more rewarding for the guys than the standing ovations they get for their live performances, Ehart says that the fan meet-andgreets come close. “Probably the most memorable times are the ones where the fans stand in front of us and share what the music of KANSAS has meant to them over the years,” says the rock icon. “They tell us about how our music has helped them
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through illness, divorce, the loss of loved ones, funerals, etc. It always makes a huge impact on us.” Unlike with the aforementioned Elvis Presley, fans of KANSAS generally show their appreciation for the band at shows and VIP experiences and not out in a more public setting. “Members of KANSAS have never been ‘mobbed,’ ever,” says Ehart. “People will recognize us at airports and restaurants, but they are usually very respectful and are generally nice people who just want to say hello.” While their well-known hits like “Carry on Wayward Son,” “The Point of Know Return,” “Dust in the Wind” and “People of the South Wind” are probably best defined simply as classic rock, KANSAS has always been a progressive, or prog rock band. The songs that Wheatheads first heard, long before the whole world got hip to the band, were lengthy and complex prog cuts like “Song for America” and “Journey from Mariabronn.” Ehart will be the first to admit that the band’s canon holds lots of songs that are not the easiest to reproduce live, and that holds true in the playing in its entirety of the groundbreaking Point of Know Return. “Album cut ‘The Spider’ is a difficult instrumental to play for all the guys in the band,” Ehart says. “There are a lot of notes and quite a few time signatures to play accurately. That being said, it’s also a lot of fun!”
You might think that being a band with such impressive laurels to rest on that KANSAS would do just that. But that’s not the way the group operates; they already have live shows scheduled through February 2020 and there’s new music in the works too. “We’ve set aside six-to-eight weeks this year to record new music, which we write on time off from the road,” Ehart says. “We are very much looking forward to another new album.” Besides Ehart, Ragsdale and Greer, the members of KANSAS are original guitarist Richard Williams, keys man Tom Brislin, singer and keys player Ronnie Platt and guitarist Zak Rizvi. kansasband.com
Music writer Kevin Wierzbicki had no idea what his future would be back in 1974 when he drove to Duluth, Minnesota, from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to see KANSAS perform live.
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in good spirits | PEABODY ANNIVERSARY COCKTAIL
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Cheers to a Memphis Landmark By Cheré Coen Photography courtesy of Peabody Memphis
A toast to The Peabody Hotel should include this special cocktail in honor of its 150th anniversary. Mississippi author and historian David Cohn once wrote that the “Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of The Peabody Hotel,” a massive open-air gathering place he likened to the “Paris Ritz, the Cairo Shepherd’s, the London Savoy.” Cohn wrote that “if you stand near its fountain in the middle of the lobby…ultimately you will see everybody who is anybody in the Delta.” Presidents and dignitaries have graced the historic hotel’s lobby since the hotel’s inception in 1869, in addition to sports stars, pop singers, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and numerous movie stars. Blues musicians recorded at the Peabody in the 1920s and early 30s, and Memphis’ own king, Elvis Presley, frequented the hotel. Big bands performed in the Skyway and on Plantation Roof, including Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk. And, of course, the lobby draws daily crowds as the Peabody ducks march into the fountain each morning and back to their rooftop home in the afternoons. The ducks have been a tradition since 1933, when General Manager Frank Schutt returned from a weekend hunting trip in Arkansas and left three English call ducks in the fountain as a joke. Bellman Edward Pembroke taught the lobby ducks to march into the lobby and thus began the daily “Peabody Duck March” that continues today. The “South’s Grand Hotel” with its elegant lobby and fountain, 13 floors of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture, high-end retail stores and 464 recently renovated guestrooms turns 150 this year. The Peabody Memphis has another reason to celebrate as well: USA Today readers recently voted it the #1 Best Historic Hotel in the popular Readers’ Choice Awards sponsored annually by the media giant.
With so many reasons to celebrate, now is a good time to stop by and have a drink. From now until the end of this sesquicentennial year, the hotel celebrates its anniversary with Peabody Meddling Duck craft beers from Meddlesome Brewing Company of Cordova, Tenn.; Peabody Sesquicentennial Wine from Bliss Family Vineyard; and a commemorative bottle of Dom Perignon with the hotel’s 150th logo printed on the collectible box. In addition, the Peabody puts a spin on a classic cocktail for its 150th anniversary. The “John Collins” is based on the Tom Collins, which was created the same decade as when The Peabody first opened its doors. So, kick back in the Peabody Lobby Bar, known to many as the “living room of Memphis,” and offer a John Collins toast to the Grand Hotel on this auspicious occasion. The Peabody 150th Anniversary John Collins
1 1/4 ounce Bols Genever 1 1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice 1 1/4 ounce simple syrup Club soda or sparkling water Lemon wedge for garnish
Directions: Shake together the Genever, lemon juice and simple syrup, then pour over fresh ice in a Collins glass. Garnish with the lemon slice. Cheré Coen has deep Mississippi and New Orleans roots but the food and travel writer now lives in Cajun Country. She is the author of “Exploring Cajun Country” and Southern-based novels under the pen name of Cherie Claire.
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exploring events | SEPTEMBER Delta Fair & Music Festival Through September 8 AgriCenter International Memphis, TN Rides, daily attractions, live music, special events, livestock shows, educational expo, theme days and more. For more information visit deltafest.com.
Hernando Farmer’s Market Through September 29 Courthouse Square Hernando, MS 8:00am-1:00pm The Hernando Farmer’s Market is ranked number 1 certified farmer’s market and ranked 30th in the nation by the American Farmland Trust. For more information, visit cityofhernando.org/farmersmarket or call 662-429-9092.
Hummingbird Migration & Nature Festival September 6 - 8 Strawberry Plains Audubon Society Holly Springs, MS Live Hummingbird band & release, kids area & activity zone, live animal presentation, artisans and vendors, plus biologists and expert wildlife presenters. For more information call 662-252-1155 or visit strawberryplains.audubon.org. DeSoto Arts Council 20th Anniversary Celebration September 6 Arts Council Hernando, MS 6:00 - 9:00pm Champagne, food and music by Mississippi Greystone. Free Admission. For more information visit desotoarts.com or call 662-404-2465. Bear Creek Festival & Car Show September 7 Belmont, MS For more information call 662-454-3381. Zoo Rendezvous September 7 Memphis Zoo Memphis, TN 7:00 - 10:30pm Put on your dancing shoes for this year’s Zoo Rendezvous: Zoodio 54. The Zoo’s largest fundraiser of the year and the hottest ticket in town! Zoo Rendezvous will have fare from more than 70 Mid-South restaurants and bars, as well as entertainment on four stages. 21 and up. For more information call 901-333-6757 or visit memphiszoo.org. 82 DeSoto
2nd Delta Conversation featuring Archie Manning September 11 GRAMMY Museum Cleveland, MS Noon The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi is honored to host Archie Manning as the keynote speaker for the 2nd Delta Conversation. For more information or to purchase a ticket to Delta Conversation, go to CFNM.org/events or call 662-449-5002.
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour September 13 BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove Park Southaven, MS 6:00pm For more information visit livenation.com
Classic Music Festival September 13 Landers Center Southaven, MS 8:00pm Featuring Keith Sweat, Joe, and Tamia. Tickets can be purchased in person at the LANDERS Center Box Office, online through Ticketmaster.com, or through the Ticketmaster mobile app.
FIGHT ON Cycle, Run, Walk September 14 Shelby Farms Memphis, TN Fight on to beat cancer! 20-40-60 mile cycle, 5k run, 1 mile walk and post race party. For more information visit westfighton.org.
Cooper Young Festival September 14 9:00am - 7:00pm Cooper Young District Midtown Memphis, TN Guests will enjoy an appealing mix of art, music and crafts presented by over 435 artisans from around the country. The Cooper Young Festival is a true celebration of the arts, people, culture and Memphis heritage. For more information visit cooperyoungfestival.com.
Live at the Garden Presents Brett Young September 14 Botanic Garden Memphis, TN Picnic baskets, law chairs and coolers welcome! For more information visit liveatthegarden.com.
Baddour Center’s 40th Annual Fashion Show and Auction September 16 Hilton Hotel Memphis, TN Featuring fashions by Kitty Kyle and Betty Hays. For more information call 662-366-6930.
The Great Oxonian Exposition September 19 - 20 The Power House Oxford, MS Presented by Artworks Foundation. Free admission. The Great Oxonian Exposition will feature stellar works of art in metal, glass, clay, wood, and fiber, as well as jewelry, sculpture, paintings, photography and more. For more information visit GreatExposition.org.
The Mid-South Fair September 19 - 29 Landers Center Southaven, MS Enjoy tons of rides, music every night, concessions, petting zoo, pig races, and more! For more information visit midsouthfair.com or call 662-280-9120.
29th Annual Delta Rice Tasting Luncheon September 20 Wyatt Gymnasium Cleveland, MS 11:00am - 1:00pm Delta Rice Promotions, Inc. is hosting the 29th Annual Rice Tasting Luncheon at Wyatt Gymnasium on Delta State University campus.There will be over 300 different rice dishes prepared by Delta area residents and restaurants. There will also be goody bags, door prizes, and exhibits. Tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased from Bolivar County Extension office by calling 662-843-8371. Tickets will also be sold at the door.
Paw Patrol LIVE! The Great Pirate Adventure September 20 - 22 Landers Center Southaven, MS Tickets can be purchased in person at the LANDERS Center Box Office, online through Ticketmaster.com, or through the Ticketmaster mobile app.
An Evening of Blues in the Faulkner Garden September 26 Union County Heritage Museum New Albany, MS 5:00pm - 8:00pm Stroll through the Faulkner Literary Garden and the Union County Heritage Museum enjoying a mixture of jazz and blues by GMC, food and beverages by Tallahatchie Gourmet, and the unique exhibit, Cast of the Blues. Tickets available from Heritage Museum, 662-538-0014 or Mainstreet office, 662-534-3438.
Tallahatchie Riverfest September 26 - 28 New Albany, MS River run, arts market, food vendors, entertainment, family fun, pet parade, art activities, carnival and free Saturday night concert with Thompson Square and Natalie Stovall. For more information call 662-538-3438 or visit www.visitnewalbany.com.
Bukka White Blues Festival October 4 - 5 Non-stop blues on the banks of the Tenn Tom Waterway. Blues festival with Ribs On The River BBQ Contest, Bob Tartar exotic Animal show, Gator Bait Kayak Race, kids activites, arts & crafts, great food and fun! For more information visit bukkawhitebluesfestival.com.
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reflections | TAKING TURNS
Taking Turns By Karen Ott Mayer | Photography courtesy of Karen Ott Mayer
“It’s my turn!” A familiar refrain shrieked from a child’s voice. Having four children in six years, my mother led a stair-step gang of lively, ever-moving small bodies that was either rolling in laughter or crying in frustration. I was talking with one sister the other day who made an offhand comment about a particular word that stuck with me. “I am so tired of hearing the word equitable,” she said. With more than 35 years of teaching under her belt, she is one of those professionals who has watched the classroom go from being a place of intellectual integrity to a mimicry of learning due to the false premise that everyone is the same and feelings should be spared. If that were the case, my mother would have long ago given up on teaching us certain known principles. Life isn’t fair. We don’t always get our way. And here’s the shocker: Hurt feelings are a natural part of living. If we kids weren’t physically whacking one another or pinching an arm, we were jockeying for that verbal advantage as most kids do. “Well, he got to watch his TV show last time, so it’s my turn now!” “She sat in the front seat yesterday, so it’s my turn now, Mom.” And Goodness loves the mother who does her best to keep that playing field level. “When one of you kids was acting particularly awful, we’d single you out for more attention.” I don’t really believe people are born equal; I believe people want equal opportunities to be heard or seen. My parents 84 DeSoto
knew that in our pack, so they gave the troublemaker a leg up, a chance to be heard. Part of that unspoken contract was that we’d reciprocate with better behavior or feel somewhat grateful for our turn and gain some insight into our own feelings. As I type, my mom has been struggling with her health for months. Needing more care, my siblings and I have had to figure out how to take turns between work, family and the distance between Memphis, Mississippi, Nashville, and Chattanooga. We are all still wildly different with distinct belief systems and lifestyles. Oh, and opinions. But I think it’s the first time we’ve had to figure this out for an endless stretch of time. Are you free next weekend? Who can spend the night or drive dad to his doctor’s appointment? Our road hasn’t been without bumps or tears or hurt feelings, yet I’ve watched an interesting thing unfold 40 years later. My brother tended to some house repairs. One sister took over finances. I weeded part of the yard. My teacher-sister created a medication system that could work for one of her kindergarteners. Even the in-laws have taken a turn, driving dad somewhere or grilling food. Is it perfect? Heavens, no. Does it work? As well as it did when the four of us took turns as children. Only this time, mom doesn’t have to tell us. Karen Ott Mayer, a freelance copywriter and editor for 20 years, writes from her farm located in Como, Mississippi.
Autumn’s best colors are way off the road.
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