Bluffs & Bayous October 2012 by Bluffs & Bayous Magazine

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From Your Publisher . . .

an you recall the sounds, smells, and related sensations of the month of October from your childhood? Many times these are the catalysts behind my emotions as I anticipate autumn and Halloween and all that the month of October portends—gazing at a less bright, softened blue sky; basking in the warm sun, bathed by cool breezes, watching leaves fall from their branches and later shuffling through these leaves in treks around the yard, and catching whiffs of smoke from the chimneys of nearby homes’ first fires of the season. Recollections of these summerinto-fall sensations from childhood always rekindle an excitement that makes me eager to celebrate October. Throughout this month, life along and beyond the Mississippi offers countless events, many traditional and some new,

that infuse and enrich our October 2012 experience. County and state fairs, pilgrimages, festivals, football games, homecomings, reunions, and Halloween all promise exciting opportunities to replace the routine of our days with the robustness of both planned and impromptu participation in events that are educational, inspirational, and outright fun! Along with these events are those home-and-heartstrings sights of many neighborhood houses’ front steps, stoops, porches, and doorways decorated with bright and colorful mums, orange pumpkins, wispy cattails, dried cornstalks, and beautiful wreaths in autumn’s oranges, golds, and greens, beckoning guests to embrace October’s ambiance. Conveying many facets of that ambiance, Bluffs & Bayous’ features this month include the Great Mississippi River Balloon

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Race in Natchez, Mississippi, as well as one of the oldest celebrated holidays— Halloween. In addition, our guest columnist Ellis Nassour salutes Glen Ballard, accomplished and nationally renowned musician, Grammy winner, and Natchez native. Johnny Bowlin writes about our New Orleans Saints football team, and our friends and readers have submitted a wide variety of recipes ready to complement the myriad events that October offers. Add to this mix our historical, legal, outdoors, southern-sampler, and dining-around-town articles, and we have enticements that will keep our readers returning to Bluffs’ pages—hard copy or online—time and time again. And, don’t forget to check out our “Up & Coming” calendar; it’s chock-full of events—absolutely something for everyone this month! May the quickening pace of autumn as it steps into cooler days and approaches the drama of “the holidays” inspire you to pursue October’s fascinating opportunities and satiate your yen for festivals, pilgrimages, reunions, and Halloween happenings as you embrace life along and beyond the Mississippi. Happy Fall and Happy Halloween!

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C o n t r i b u t o r s Johnny Bowlin serves as pastor at Meadville Baptist Church in Meadville, Mississippi. He has had editorials published in ESPN the Magazine, The Birmingham News, and The Desoto Times. He has also written two youth devotionals entitled The Real World and Teenagers God Uses and was a contributing writer for the New Orleans Zephyrs newsletter Bleacher Creature. A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and of New Orleans Baptist Seminary, he is married to Melinda, and they have one daughter. Harold Clark Burkett was employed by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for over twenty-six years as an historian at Washington, Mississippi’s Historic Jefferson College where he coordinated most of the site’s living history programs. Burkett is a member of the Mississippi Humanities Speakers Bureau and has presented several scholarly papers ranging from “The Bowie Sandbar Fight” for the Mississippi Folklore Society in 1988 to the “Union Occupation of Jefferson College” for Virginia State University’s 2005 Conference on African Americans and the Civil War. He also has had articles published in popular magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals. Columnist Mary Emrick is the owner of Turning Pages Books & More in Natchez, Mississippi.

Robert Ferguson, a resident of Jackson, Mississippi, for most of his life, received his degree in horticulture from Mississippi State University in 1973. Interested in orchids since the age of 13, he owned Ferguson Orchids from 1973 to 2002 where orchids were cloned, grown from seed, and sold. Ferguson is a Life member of The American Orchid Society, has garnered four American Orchid Society Awards for his orchids, and has won three American Orchid Society Exhibition Trophies for Best of Show.

Jennie Guido is a graduate of Delta State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Master’s Degree in English Education. Having lived up Highway 61 in Cleveland, Mississippi, she recently has returned to Natchez, her hometown, to pursue her professional career.

Lucien C. “Sam” Gwin III, a native of Natchez, Mississippi, was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1981. Since then, he has been practicing at the law firm of Gwin, Lewis, Punches & Kelley, LLP, in Natchez. His practice includes general litigation, real estate law, divorce, contract disputes, eminent domain, products liability, personal injury, medical matters, and some estate work. Ellis Nassour, a Vicksburg native, is an arts journalist and veteran of The New York Times. He wrote the best-selling biography Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline and hit revue Always, Patsy Cline. For Bravo TV, he co-anchored The Voice with k.d. lang. At MCA/ Universal Studios, he helped introduce Elton John and Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar and worked closely with Neil Diamond, Bill Cosby, The Who, Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, and Conway Twitty. Ellis authored Rock Opera: The Creation of Jesus Christ Superstar. He worked with Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim. He was contributing editor of Oxford University Press’ American National Biography. Ellis donated the Mamie and Ellis Nassour Arts & Entertainment Collection, in memory of his parents, in the University of Mississippi’s J.D. Williams Library. Ellis is featured in the book Mississippians. Columnist Alma Womack lives on Smithland Plantation on Black River, south of Jonesville, Louisiana. In addition to her duties as maitresse des maison, she is the keeper of the lawn, the lane and the pecan orchard at Smithland.

on the cover Brandae Miller and Lisa Flattmann welcome guests at the front entrance of the Flattmann home during Lisa Flatmann’s Silpada Spooktacular Extravaganza. See related story on pages 28 to 32.

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publisher Cheryl Foggo Rinehart editors Jean Nosser Biglane Cheryl Foggo Rinehart graphic designers Jan Ratcliff Anita Schilling media coordinator Adam Blackwell staff photographers Van O’Gwin Elise D. Parker Jennifer Ratcliff Cheryl Rinehart sales staff Cheryl Rinehart Donna Sessions JoAnna Sproles

Adam Blackwell

Jean Biglane

Van O’Gwin

Elise D. Parker

Jan Ratcliff

Cheryl Rinehart

Anita Schilling

Jennifer Ratliff

Donna Sessions

JoAnna Sproles

Bluffs & Bayous is published monthly to promote the greater Southern area of Louisiana and Mississippi in an informative and positive manner. We welcome contributions of articles and photos; however, they will be subject to editing and availability of space and subject matter. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited! Return envelopes and postage must accompany all materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Bluffs & Bayous are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Bluffs & Bayous strives to insure the accuracy of our magazine’s contents. However, should inaccuracies or omissions occur, we do not assume responsibility.

office

423 Main Street, Suite 7 | Natchez, MS 39120 601-442-6847 | fax 601-442-6842 info@bluffsbayous.com | editor@bluffsbayous.com sales@bluffsbayous.com www.bluffsbayous.com

October 2012 FEATURES Spooktacular Extravaganza ................................................................................. 28-29 Lisa Flattmann’s Ghoulish Silpada Party ............................................................. 30-32 The Mystique of Halloween ................................................................................ 34-36 Let’s Do the Time Warp Again! ................................................................................ 37 The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race: A Unique Natchez Tradition ........... 38-41 Natchez Native and Music Icon Glen Ballard: Music Man in the Truest Sense ....................................................................... 42-45

FAVORITES

Spooktacular Extravaganza pages 28 - 29

Events October Premier Events Up & Coming! .............................................................. 66-68 October Up & Coming! ........................................................................................ 68-78

From the Stacks A New View of Novelist Edith Wharton .................................................................... 9

In the Garden Our Favorite Orchids ................................................................................................. 12

In the Kitchen . . . Cheryl’s Friends, Family, and Readers.................................................................. 60-64

Legal Notes Law Along the Mississippi......................................................................................... 26

Something Scrumptious The Carriage House, Natchez, Mississippi ........................................................... 18-20

Southern Sampler Felix Huston ............................................................................................................... 79 The Little Guys, the Canines . . . and Our Country ............................................. 82-83 I Left My Heart in Thibodaux ................................................................................... 90

The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race: A Unique Natchez Tradition pages 38 - 41

THE social SCENE

Vicksburg Chamber Business After-Hours................................................................ 10 Pike County Chamber Breakfast............................................................................... 11 Benefit for Wanda Caruthers .............................................................................. 22-25 Pike County Arts Council Membership Party ...................................................... 48-49 Vicksburg Museum Celebrates Opening.................................................................. 50 Football Fashion 101 ................................................................................................. 51 Angel Brooks Celebrates 16th Birthday ................................................................... 55 Natchez-Adams County Chamber After-Hours .................................................. 56-57 Sub Deb Mother-Daughter Tea ........................................................................... 84-86 Crown Club Tea ......................................................................................................... 87 Cathedral School’s New Parents Get-Together ........................................................ 88 United Way Hosts Jambalaya Cook-Off ................................................................... 89

THE wedding SCENE

Engagement Gala for Hall and Brown................................................................ 14-16 Bridal Luncheon Honors Katie Cutrer ...................................................................... 27

Natchez Native and Music Icon Glen Ballard: Music Man in the Truest Sense pages 42 - 45 Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 7

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From the Stacks review by Mary Emrick

A New View of Novelist Edith Wharton The Age of Desire: A Novel by Jennie Fields

he Age of Desire by Jennie Fields evolves out of the close relationship of Edith Wharton and her lifelong nanny, secretary, and friend Anna Bahlman. These ladies are from two different stratums—Anna Bahlman, a member of the service class, and Edith Wharton, an accomplished author and a member of the aristocracy—yet dearest friends. Edith is the dominant, controlling friend while Anna is the friend always needing to please. The friends for differing reasons in their psyches have become totally dependent on the other. Jennie Fields begins The Age of Desire when Pulitzer Prize winning author Edith Wharton is forty-five years of age. She is married to Teddy Wharton who is twelve years her senior. From the author’s depiction, Teddy appears to be bipolar, an illness that progresses throughout the novel. Their marriage has never been intellectually or sensually satisfying for either partner. In their early years of marriage, travel and gathering with friends filled the voids; but in The Age of Desire, there is little, if any, love shared between the two. In this historical biographical novel by Fields, readers will visit with actors and authors of the era and venture to the literary and art salons of Paris and New York City. It is the gilded age of opulent homes, luxurious clothing, entertainment, and excess for the privileged class. It is in a Paris salon that Edith is drawn to the handsome young journalist Morton Fullerton, who is in Paris for “The Times of London.” Immediately, a scandalous affair begins between the two. Edith’s deceitful life creates a rift in her best-friend relationship with Anna. To be relieved of Anna’s harsh and uncharacteristic judgment, Edith sends her employee-friend away to visit relatives in Germany. Using Wharton’s letters and diaries, Fields provides an intimate view of Edith’s private affairs, adding a dimension to Wharton never before known by

her fans. Readers will want to reach into the pages of the novel, grab Edith by the shoulders, shake some sense into her, and swipe the veil from her eyes. Can’t she heed the warnings of her friends and see that she is entangled with a cad, a leech? This is how emotionally involved readers will become with Fields’ novel as, through the intricately described settings, they step into the first decade of the twentieth century and take a walk through history definitely to be enjoyed. Jennie Fields received an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The author of the novels Lily Beach, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, and The Middle Ages, she spent twenty-five years as an advertising creative director in New York and now lives with her husband in Nashville, Tennessee.

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THE social SCENE | Vicksburg, MS | Vicksburg Chamber Business After-Hours

Vicksburg Chamber Business After-Hours The Vicksburg, Mississippi, Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business After-Hours gathering, honoring the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Scott Robbins Physical Therapy Center. The event took place at the center on July 11, 2012.

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Ashley Lawson, Scott Robbins, Mayor Paul Winfield, and Kelsey Artman Francine Nosser, Annette Kirklin, Barbara Cashman, and Mac Varner Linda Fondren, Annette Kirklin, Ruby Green, and Bill Seratt Will Furlong, Jamie and Cassie Key, and Ava Bliss Amanda, Jane, and Wyly Paris

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Cherry and Scott Robbins Doug Kamien and Christy Kilroy Mike Curtis, Bobby Odom, and Allan Hudspeth

Pike County Chamber Breakfast | McComb, MS | THE social SCENE

Pike County Chamber Breakfast The Pike County Chamber of Commerce held its monthly Chamber Business Breakfast on Tuesday, August 14, 2012, at St. Andrew’s Senior Center in the McComb, Mississippi, Historic District. John Phillips, Vice President of the Southwest Mississippi Realty Association, presented a program to over 50 guests on the advantages of investing in real estate in today’s market. Photos by Elise Parker

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3 Sandra Carr-McGhee, Reverend Leon Moore, and Eliece Rayborn Jeremy Threlfall, Nan Miller, Robert Hensarling, and Ed Griffin John Phillips, Seth Touchstone, and Noggin Wild Dorothy Thompson, Noggin Wild, Seth Touchstone, Mayor Whitney Rawlins, Melissa Bond, Dr. Steve Bishop, John Phillips, and Matthew Thompson

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In the Garden story and photos by Robert Ferguson

Our Favorite Orchids

n the past, orchids were grown only by the wealthy. They could only be propagated by division (Cattleyas) of the original plants, and these only grew one or two pseudobulbs annually. Kings & Lords would send plant hunters into the tropical jungles of Central and South America, Southeastern Asia, Africa, Malaysia, etc., in search of these fabulous orchids. Some hunters were so unscrupulous as to find specific orchids and then burn the jungle to insure all possible seedlings were killed. Many of these orchids were brought back and housed in greenhouses called Stovehouses. The growers thought that, since the orchids grew in the hot and steamy jungles of the tropics, they would duplicate this environment with hot and steamy Stovehouses. Needless to say, most all orchids perished. Orchids that did survive and flower were treasured, and divisions were sold to other people of wealth for thousands of dollars. As more plant hunters were sending orchids back for domestic cultivation, proper growing conditions were discovered; and they began making hybrids. Orchid seeds were sown on the surface of the mother plants in hope of germination. However, this method failed more than it succeeded. About 1917, a young plant physiologist—Dr. Lewis Knudson from Cornell University in New York—was growing terrestrial plants in artificial media, using no micro-organisms. He discovered that a fungus in nature and some plants were growing together in a symbiotic relationship with the fungus supplying the sugar compound for proper growth. He then decided to try this artificial media on orchid seed. Over the next many years, he improved upon his media and technique, and eventually published his experiment.

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This break-through changed orchid-growing tremendously. So many people around the world began growing orchid hybrids that Fred Sanders of London, England, started registering these worldwide orchid hybrids. This orchid hybrid list is now known as Sander’s List of Orchid Hybrids and is now the work of the Royal Horticultural Society of England. From the more than 29,000 species of orchids that have been discovered in the last 100-plus years, hundreds of thousands of hybrids have been made and are still being made worldwide. Most people do not have a clue about how available orchids are and how easy they are to cultivate. Without the dedication of Dr. Lewis Knudson in the early years, though, none of us would be growing our favorite orchids for the price of $19.95 at our local grocery.

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THE weddingSCENE | Brookhaven, MS | Engagement Gala for Hall and Brown

Engagement Gala for Hall and Brown A wedding engagement gala for Madeleine Hall and Dr. Jason Brown was hosted at the home of Charles and Bette Dixon near Brookhaven, Mississippi, on Friday, August 3, 2012. Madeleine is the daughter of Dr. James and Val Hall of Brookhaven. Dr. Brown is the son of William and Anne Cooke of Starkville, Mississippi. The wedding was held August 18, 2012, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Brookhaven with a reception that followed at the home of the bride.

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Dr. Jim and Val Hall, Madeleine Hall, Dr. Jason Brown, and Anne and Bill Cooke Dr. Jason Brown and Madeleine Hall Bruce Groth and Don Perkins Bette and Charles Dixon Dr. Chad and Anna Smith with Liss and Brad Boerner Betty Ann Perkins, Laura Groth, Betsy Bailey, Kseniya Perkins, and Derek Sparger Betty Ann Perkins, Derek Sparger, and Kseniya Perkins Carline Stribling and Martha Ann Peeples

Engagement Gala for Hall and Brown | Brookhaven, MS | THE weddingSCENE

9 Charlene Elliot and Val Hall 10 Bill Boerner, Dean Snider, and Dennis Valentine 11 Bill Perkins, Betty Ann Perkins, Derek Sparger, and Kseniya Perkins

12 Ellen Mathews, Pam Womack, Roberta Barnett, and Jimmy Sistrunk

13 Debra and Dr. David Strong 14 Dr. Bill and Anne Cooke 15 Bill Phillips and Tom Corkern 16 Karen and Bill Behan 17 Patti and Dr. Ed Moak 18 Dr. Russell Burns with Steve and Susie

Fitzsimmons

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THE weddingSCENE | Brookhaven, MS | Engagement Gala for Hall and Brown

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Val Hall, Don Hall, and Mary Dee Corkern Pat Cornacchio, Dr. London Branch, Don Gros, Lloyd Cambre of Patâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jazz Combo, and Bill Perkins Val Hall, Sam Hall, and Francis Brady Tom Corkern, Bill Phillips, Becky Corkern, and Susan Fitzsimmons Patti Moak and Ralph Peeples Peter Swalm and Jim Elliot Sloane Smith and Carla Snider

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Something Scrumptious story and photos by Jennie Guido

The Carriage House Natchez, Mississippi

omething that I have always loved about growing up in Natchez is the tradition that you can find around every corner. Whether it is the annual early morning in mid-October, craning your neck upwards to find a hot-air balloon, or the “harum scarum” of spring with pilgrimage and such, Natchez is the home of many traditions. For the locals and many tourists, The Carriage House Restaurant on the grounds of the antebellum mansion Stanton Hall has been one of those traditions for Sunday lunches for several decades. Started in the late 1940s by Helen Jenkins and Katherine Miller, along with the help of Mrs. Miller’s husband, Balfour, The Carriage House provided a way to entertain the many tourists beginning to frequent the area to see our historic homes and lush gardens. The first year of the Pilgrimage in 1932 was led by the local garden club, making Natchez the first city in America to have a nationally publicized pilgrimage to benefit the restoration and preservation of the gems of the Old South. That first year, club members dressed in their mothers’ wedding dresses to show off our fabulous homes to the many women in town for a convention. Eventually, the costumes changed into the period fashions that complement the homes on tour today.

Above—The Carriage House Restaurant and Lounge is located on the grounds of Stanton Hall. Right—Roasted chicken, French-bread dressing, and crispy asparagus provide the perfect Sunday comfort dish.

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Left—Such a spacious dining room is perfect for so many functions and maybe even your next event

As Gail Healey, Mrs. Jenkins’ daughter explained about the opening of The Carriage House Restaurant, “This partnership was started after those first few years of the garden club’s annual pilgrimage as a way to entertain guests as well as create a place for the women of the club to gather throughout the week and enjoy lunch.” In the beginning, The Carriage House offered only ham and chicken with several aspics; a famous frozen fruit salad; and, of course, those phenomenal biscuits. “I would have to say,” Healey surmised, “that the biscuits are the main thread that has stayed to same throughout the years of The Carriage House.” Today, under the direction and deft culinary talents of Chef Bingo Starr, The Carriage House is a place to enjoy interesting new dishes as well as the comfort foods that we all know and love. A few years after Hurricane Katrina, Starr, who had once worked with Emeril Lagasse, moved to the area to find a new challenge. When I sat down with Starr, he explained, “I wanted to have a contemporary take on the Southern style of cooking. I feel like our menu pays respect with a fresh and modern spin on tradition.” Of course, the tried-andtrue favorites such as the warm, buttery biscuits and crispy fried chicken are still at the top of the list of favorites among locals; however, some of Starr’s new dishes have joined the ranks of these traditional dishes. “With our fresh seafood, Fridays have transformed to feature whatever I

have fresh in the kitchen. Throughout the week, I feature fresh vegetables from local farmers, as well,” Starr said. As far as I can tell, all of these changes have been welcomed additions to this Natchez landmark. With an added breakfast and brunch feature on Saturdays and Sundays and the “Blue Plate Specials” throughout the week, The Carriage House continues to maintain its status within the community and among tourists. One lunch item in particular, the Ultimate BLT, is

among the best out there with its thick, homemade bacon; shredded brie cheese; juicy tomatoes; and mixed greens. One bright and crisp Sunday morning, the entire Guido clan headed downtown for a fantastic treat at The Carriage House. For starters, those biscuits oozing with a homemade marmalade quickly could have satisfied the venture; however, the menu was filled with such tasty options that our stopping by for brunch could easily have turned into a day-long excursion. The featured roast for that particular Sunday was a chicken roast complete with a side of French-bread dressing with gravy and asparagus, taste-tempters my dad dived right into. Mom enjoyed the fried chicken liver dinner, and my sister sampled the delectable fried Lake Des Allemandes catfish.

Right—This chocolate tart with fresh whipped cream and juicy strawberries is the only way to end a fantastic meal at The Carriage House. Below left—The Queens’ Salad is the perfect pick for any Southern salad lover. Below right—The Ultimate BLT with homemade chips and a refreshing Mint Julep

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As for me, I ordered the Queens’ Salad Plate—The Queens’ Room, an intimate luncheon and small banquet wing of The Carriage House, doubles as a gallery of portraits of the past Historic Natchez Pageant Queens. My selection featured an array of salads including a creamy chicken salad, an interesting beet salad, and a seafood salad that would wake any groggy foodie right up. With a side of the most outstanding cheese grits I have eaten to date, my lunch was fabulous; and the entire table was filled with super-satisfied customers. As far as deserts for our brunch, the acclaimed chocolate and lemon tarts were just divine, and the lemon tarts comprise one of the scrumptious recipes Starr shares with us below. The Carriage House also boasts an array of popular beverages to complement its excellent fare, making each visit there more of a dining soiree that a mere meal. Chef Bingo Starr explained, “I’m trying to create the idea of the ‘three-hour lunch’ with the Mimosas and Bloody Marys on our menu.” One thing is for sure: an outing to The Carriage House will remind you of just what you love about Natchez and this Grande Dame of Southern Cities’ timeless traditions.

Carriage House Biscuits 2 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening ¼ to 1 cup cold milk Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the shortening in with 2 knives until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the milk, ¼ cup at a time, until you have sticky dough. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, knead as little as possible, and roll lightly to a ¼ inch thickness. Cut biscuits with a small (2-inch diameter) biscuit cutter or a clean, small, open tomato-paste can. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick baking spray or grease lightly with shortening. Place the biscuits with edges not touching on the prepared pan. Brush tops with milk. Bake at 400 degrees until the biscuits are puffed and slightly golden. Remove immediately; split and butter while hot.

Carriage House Lemon Tarts 1 can condensed milk 4 egg yolks ½ cup lemon juice 10 small tart shells Pre-bake tart shells until golden brown. Combine remaining 3 ingredients and mix well. Pour into tart shells. Bake in 350-degree oven until filling sets, approximately 15-20 minutes.

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S H O P

M C C O M B g S H O P

M C C O M B

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THE social SCENE | Vicksburg, MS | Benefit for Wanda Caruthers

Benefit for Wanda Caruthers A Cancer Benefit Fundraiser for Wanda Caruthers was held on July 19, 2012, at the Vicksburg Country Club in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Patrons enjoyed dinner and a silent auction featuring works by local artists.

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6 Robert Rials with Wanda and Mike Caruthers Reeves Sadler Booth, Mark, Reed, and Judy Buys Martin Pace, Connie Wooley, Anna Grigsby, Stacy Rollison, and Kim Pace Julie Carr and Paula Davis Frances Jowers with Dr. and Mrs. Charles Marascalco Bobby and Helen Burks Diana Horton, Kayo Dottley, and Don Horton Jennifer Stennett and Beth Kistler John and Tami Milazzo and Charlotta Ferguson Shannon and Anna Katherine Hoben

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Benefit for Wanda Caruthers | Vicksburg, MS | THE social SCENE

12 Sidney Meacham and Trey Smith 13 Addyson Smith and Kathryn Loyacono 14 Steve Caldwell 15 Corey Jones, Miller Rials, Austin Barber, and Jared Soverns

16 Holly and Will Hood, Bill Fulcher, and John Duett

17 Heath Slocum and Wanda Caruthers 18 Becky Jabour with Lauren and David 20

Coulon

19 Jackie and Glenn McKay 20Kayo Dottley and Jimmy Ball 21 Leslie and Richard Marcus 22Dr. Charles Marascalco and Logan Peay 23Patty and Chelsea Duett

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THE social SCENE | Vicksburg, MS | Benefit for Wanda Caruthers

24 Bill Harris and Miller Rials 25 Wanda Caruthers and Mark Buys 26 Bob Alverado, Mike Curtis, Bill Fulcher, John Duett, and Will Hood

27 Patrick and Bradley House with Kathy Ross

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Benefit for Wanda Caruthers | Vicksburg, MS | THE social SCENE

28 Cindy Keyes, Wanda Caruthers, Louise McDonald, and Cari Landers

29 Tristan Jamison, Blake Caruthers, and Cooper Jamison 30 Jeremiah Jamison, Tristan Jamison, Blake Caruthers, Tiffany Jamison, and Danny Prince

31 Josh and Rusty Geter, sons of Wanda Caruthers 32 Tom Caruthers and Tim Hunter 33 Nina Ricconi and Kayo Dottley 28

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Legal Notes by Lucien C. “Sam” Gwin III

Law Along the Mississippi Moving Children of Divorce: Even in divorces where the parties have joint custody of a child or children, one parent will have primary physical custody, making that parent the custodial parent. One of the most heart-wrenching things that attorneys and judges sometimes go through is the issue of a custodial parent’s leaving the state or the area with the child or children of the divorced couple and relocating a long distance from the non-custodial parent. The question arises -- can the non-custodial parent either prevent the move or gain custody of the child or children due to the anticipated move? While some exceptions do apply, the general rule is that, unless the non-custodial parent can show that such a move will have a “dangerous” impact on the child’s emotional or mental health, the non-custodial parent can neither stop the move nor have custody changed. In other words, if the sole basis for seeking to change custody to stop the child from moving is based only on the fact of the move, the Mississippi Courts have repeatedly held that the child must go with the moving custodial parent. This can literally become a nightmare for a parent, especially when small children are involved. A child in Mississippi cannot pick which parent he or she wishes to live with until the child is twelve years old. Even then, the Court is not always bound by the child’s wishes. Once the child is fourteen years of age, then his or her choice of living with one parent or another becomes legal unless drastic circumstances are involved. My Take: Some states have laws that do not allow custodial parents to leave the state or even the area with the children unless there is a showing of very compelling circumstances. A divorcing couple in Mississippi today, however, may go to court and have a judge drop a gavel, ordering custody to one parent or the other and leaving the non-custodial parent with very few options should the ex-spouse later decide to leave with the children. On the other hand, if the divorcing parents can settle their divorce before a trial, they will enter what is known as a Property Settlement and Child Custody/Support Agreement. It would be advisable to put language into the Child Custody Agreement that the parties agree that it is in the best interest of the child/ children to remain within so many miles of the current area, and that for the custodial parent to remove the child/children could be highly detrimental to the emotional and mental health of the said child/children. Page 26 { October 2012 { Bluffs & Bayous

While I have not seen this language tested by a Mississippi Court, it at least gives a non-custodial parent leverage, especially when that parent knows he or she is unable to relocate.

Respect Your Elders: Be careful in the workplace when you address an elder coworker by anything other than Mr. or Mrs. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that age discrimination had occurred when a manager at a Mississippi plant kept referring to a 65-year-old employee as “pops,” “old timer,” “old man,” and a few other choice phrases that I cannot mention here. The employer refused to transfer that 65-year-old employee to a different department. The employee then filed an EEOC complaint against the company, claiming a hostile work environment based on his age. The Court found for the 65-year-old and awarded him damages. My Take: Sometimes there can be a fine line between kidding around with an employee and crossing the line into insulting and inflammatory speech and gestures. This is the one area of the law where courts in Mississippi seem to be ruling more for the employee than the employer when this kind of conduct is involved.

Drunk Driving and Kids Never Mix: There is a new statute in Mississippi that now makes it a separate crime to be driving while intoxicated and have children in the car. Not only will the driver be prosecuted for the DUI, but he also will be charged with child endangerment. If a child is injured or killed by a DUI driver, the driver will further face mandatory jail time of up to 25 years. My Take: With pardons having become a hot-button issue, I can see many DUI convictions in the future not being granted an early release.

Bridal Luncheon Honors Katie Cutrer | Jackson, MS | THE weddingSCENE

Bridal Luncheon Honors Katie Cutrer A Bridal Luncheon at The Fairview Inn in Jackson, Mississippi, on September 1, 2012, honored Katie Cutrer, daughter of Eugene and Suzanne Cutrer, of Osyka, Mississippi, and bride-elect of James Petty of Petal, Mississippi. The hat-and-glove event was hosted by senior leaders of the Mississippi State Society Children of the American Revolution.

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Mary Elizabeth Stringer, Katie Cutrer, and Emily Lambuth Connie Lambuth, Carla Stringer, Susan Jones, Katie Cutrer, Suzanne Cutrer, Kathy Henry, and Virginia Carlton Connie and Emily Lambuth with Katie and Suzanne Cutrer Susan Jones, Carla Stringer, Kathy Henry, Suzanne Cutrer, Connie Lambuth, and Katie Cutrer (seated) Katie Cutrer, Kathy Henry, and Phoebe and Rachel Carlton Kathy Henry and Katie Cutrer Katie Cutrer

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Lisa Flattmann’s

Spooktacular

This page Left—The large foyer with its staircase leading to the second floor provides an imposing venue for Halloween’s floor-to-ceiling presence in the Flattmann home. Right—Every nook and cranny of the house savors a splash of Halloween spirit. Opposite page Left—The area above the second-floor railing provides a spacious habitat for an imposing monster spider as she weaves her wicked web. The busts, ‘bloodied’ candles, and goblets below seem to pay homage to her power. Right—Creepy coffins appear throughout the house, catching visitors unaware. Bottom—Bewitching corners arrest guests at every turn and seem to cackle, “This way, dearie!”

or many years Halloween Fever has been Lisa Flattmann’s obsession. When living in New Orleans, Louisiana, to celebrate Halloween, Lisa made the evening a memorable occasion for her husband, Geoff, and their young children with spirited decorations and food as well as festive entertainment. A Jazzercise specialist there in the Big Easy as well as later, when she moved to Natchez, Mississippi, Lisa also extended Halloween merriment to her classes, having her studio decked out in Halloween garb and alive with Halloween-themed workout music for her October sessions. She even hosted an end-of-the-month Halloween party for her Jazzercise patrons who worked out in Halloween dress-up and left with Halloween treats—healthy ones, of course! This energetic ball of fire absolutely loves the Halloween season, and she seizes every opportunity to celebrate it. “Halloween does not carry the emotional stress that Thanksgiving and Christmas do,” said Flattmann. This event offers good energy and atmosphere that I like to embellish with my family and in my home.” One element of this embellishment is Lisa’s Halloween celebration tradition with sister, Jennifer Mashburn, Jennifer’s husband, Mark, and their son, Marcus. Every year, when they come for Halloween, Lisa pointed out, “We have a candlelight dinner and

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dress in costumes . . . and Geoff himself has been known to cook a ‘monstrous feast’ with a menu ‘to die for’.....MEMORIES.....that’s where and how it all started!!! This will be our fourth annual and counting!” Lisa along with Geoff and children, Zoe, Zach, Zia, and Zeke, all participate in their home’s transformation, in the donning of costumes, and in the always imaginative and intriguing Halloween-related events, for they all are in Halloween mode throughout the trick-or-treats month. Lisa admits, “I am truly blessed that I share this amazing life with Jeff: He is my Prince Charming, and I am one lucky girl! How many men would allow their wives to turn their homes into a ‘freak show’! I don’t ask for much, just Halloween decorations to create memories for others to last a lifetime!” Lisa and her family’s Halloween mania, however, begins months before as Lisa explained, “We start our ‘countdown’ in August... until my sister arrives from Georgia, and we begin our Thriller Weekend.” Last year for this Thriller Weekend, Lisa opened the doors of her home to one of her largest ever Halloween parties, her Ghoulish Silpada Party. Having offered to host a Silpada Jewelry party at that time for her friend Brandae Miller, Lisa poured all of her energy into decorating her home to look like a mansion of eerie delights that had been closed up for one-hundred years. She conjured a setting that transcended the clichéd haunted house

Extravaganza and, instead, amidst Halloween décor galore, basked in haunted motifs and exuded with fun. With this, her first party of such magnitude, her goal was to host a party where her guests felt the excitement of the season; enjoyed the spirited company of friends; and, if they so desired, treated themselves to some special piece of jewelry. From all accounts, she succeeded. One guest texted her following last year’s party: “You decorate like Disney! To this text, Lisa replied, “So you had a good time?” And the guest responded, “Yes, so much so, that I bought something to remember the party by!” Lisa’s intent is not so much to please herself as it is to share her love of the magic of Halloween with others. “If you put 100 percent into your efforts, you’ll receive 100 percent back,” she remarked. And her efforts to spread the magical mystique of Halloween so all her family and friends are lured and ‘tranceformed’ by its charm are always 100 percent plus. In orchestrating her month-long celebration and Halloween party, spectacular decorations are paramount, but they are complemented by equally striking lighting effects and poignant music to create an intriguing backdrop for her Halloween activities. Her preparations for this celebration begin in July, and all the Flattmann siblings are actively involved in the planning, creative design, and presentation. For example, Zack dressed as the Grim Reaper and helped park cars during last year’s party. As October gets underway, Lisa Flattmann is at it again, already scurrying throughout her home, stringing spider webs, setting up stations for life-sized creaking coffins, suspending flying bats, and embellishing scenes with flickering candles. The brilliance of the house on the inside beckons guests approaching from the outside to enter—at their own risk and for their own enrichment—and embrace the delightful, mystical, hauntings of a memory-filled Happy Halloween! Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 29

THE social SCENE | Natchez, MS | Lisa Flattmann' s Ghoulish Silpada Party

Lisa Flattmann' s Ghoulish Silpada Party

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Lisa Flattmann and Jody Upton (front to back background ladies: Lisa Wilson and LouEllen Stout) Cynthia Reynolds, Brandae Miller, and Fayla Guedon Monica Mayo and Jody Kelly Geoff Flattmann, Zoe Flattmann, Brandae Miller, Zach Flattmann, Lisa Flattmann, and (front) Zia and Zeke Flattmann Jennifer Mascagni and Liz Farmer Front to backâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Simmons Huber, Lisa Falkhenheiner, Emily Carpenter, and Betsy Mosby Amy Roach, Janice Matt, Renee Adams, and Barbara Allred Beth Foster, Shannon Lofton, Jackie Mardis, Lisa Flattmann and Debra Colston

Lisa Flattmann' s Ghoulish Silpada Party | Natchez, MS | THE social SCENE

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 14

Dianne Simpson, Katrina Tarver, and Louridean Hendricks Michelle Skates, Jennifer Beach, Chelsea Cavin, and Madison Stampley Emily White and Robyn Gregg Tammy Trisler and Lisa Flattmann Francis McManus and Kim Johnnese Christie Monticello and Phylis Lee-Ray Lisa Sandel and Lisa Flattmann Renae Adams, Lisa Flattmann, Zeke Flattmann, and Margaret Perkins Maya Helbling, Kristen Starr, Brandae Miller, Lisa McKnight, and Lisa Flattmann

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THE social SCENE | Natchez, MS

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Jackie Mardis Angie Waller and Julie Timm

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The Mystique of Halloween S

uperstition, magic, and mystery are the elements that make Halloween one of our most intriguing holidays. Halloween seems to date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. To link this festival with Christianity, in the eighth century Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints Day, a time to hallow or honor all saints and martyrs. This holy day was incorporated into the Samhain tradition that was then given the name All Hallows’ Eve, the day preceding All Saints Day. The formal moniker All Hallows’ Eve eventually became our celebrated Halloween. In early America, the celebration was limited to colonial New England because of rigid Protestant beliefs and customs. Maryland and the southern colonies celebrated the holiday with “play parties,” public events held to celebrate the harvest. Neighbors gathered at these events to tell stories about the dead, read each other’s fortunes, dance, and sing. These rituals of Halloween soon transposed into ghosttellings and mischief-making. It was during the second half of the nineteenth century, 1846, when Irish immigrants came to America and brought their Irish and English traditions, that their dressing up in costumes on All Hallow’s Eve and going house to house to ask for food or money began what is today’s tradition of trick-or-treating. At the turn into the twentieth century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the popular method of celebrating. These parties focused on games, foods of the season, and festive costumes as the superstitions and frightening aspects of Halloween began to diminish. By the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween celebrations became more of a community-centered holiday with parades and town-wide parties. Vandalism eventually crept onto the scene; but by the 1950s through school Page 34 { October 2012 { Bluffs & Bayous

and family-focused events, vandalism began to diminish; and the practice of trick-or-treating was revived. It was an inexpensive way for the entire community to share the holiday. Therein, a new American tradition began and continues to delight the young and young-at-heart today. Currently, Halloween is the country’s second largest commercial holiday according to history.com. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a child growing up in Natchez, Mississippi, I planned my costume/character for the entire month of October. My mother, not a seamstress by craft, took us to the local dime store where Halloween costumes were on display; and we went through the racks to see if any fit our expectations and, unbeknownst to me, her budget! After selecting our costumes, we took them home and tried them on continuously. Many times, we tore up the cheaply made costumes; and she carried us back to select other ones. During the late 50s and early 60s, the local Kiwanis Club hosted an annual Halloween Carnival at Liberty Ballpark (behind my neighborhood in Etania subdivision) that included carnival rides, game stalls, and food booths. After an early evening of trick-or-treating the neighborhood, we trekked to the Halloween Carnival where each person was issued a square card ticket with numbers around its edges. For each game, ride, or food option we chose, a Kiwanis Club member punched the corresponding number on the ticket. After all our card numbers were punched, it was time for us to go home. Once inside the house, we ran to our rooms, emptied our candy-filled plastic pumpkins on our beds, and separated our cache according to hard, chocolate, or taffy candy—or, heaven forbid, some tiny game, paper note, or box of raisins. I am sure my parents were ready for us to go to bed after their exhausting day of dealing with work, trying to tame our excited behavior about the prospect of trick-ortreating, and then taking us from booth to booth at the carnival. Halloween for us all was a huge community event; and from throughout the town and county, hundreds of families showed up for the Kiwanis Club carnival. In reminiscing about my childhood Halloweens and reading about Halloween traditions and beliefs, I came across some rituals that focused on the

future instead of the past and on the living instead of the dead. Some of our creative readers may want to revive or reinvent these customs. One such ritual of centuries past was to assist young women with identifying their future husbands. In eighteenth-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook would bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the person who found it. In Scotland, fortune-tellers would recommend that an eligible young woman name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes rather than popping or exploding represented the girl’s future husband. However, another version states that the nut that burned away symbolized a love that would not last. Yikes! Here in the South, we could toss pecans into the fireplace if we are confident in what the ashes foretell . . . or forebode! Another ritual held that, if a young lady ate a sugary concoction of walnuts, hazelnuts, and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night, she would dream of her future husband. Some believed in the custom involving a young woman’s tossing apple peels over her shoulders— the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of her future husband’s initials. Other Halloween celebrants tried to learn about their futures by peering at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water: the successful egg-yolk-bobber would be the first to marry. Still others seeking that firstto-marry status resorted to chest-nut hunting: the first one to find a burr on a chestnut during this hunt would be the first to marry. Enjoy your Halloween no matter where you are or what your intriguing customs might be that capture the mystique of this holiday. If you keep your houselights on, be sure to have plenty of candy or healthy, happy treats for those keepers-of-the-customs and revelers-in-therituals—your neighborhood trick-or-treaters. If you host a Halloween party, try some of the following recipes, and be sure to try some of Halloween’s rituals for fun! I always like to serve chili or pumpkin soup for Halloween, and the white grilled cheese sandwiches are to die for! Happy Halloween, Y’all!

Edible Eyeballs Carrots Cream cheese Pitted black olives (sliced) Peel and slice carrots into 1-inch thick chunks; top each with a blob of cream cheese and one half of a pitted black olive. Place on a favorite Halloween platter and serve. From spoonfull.com /recipes/edible-eyeballs Leggy Spider Black string (16-inch) licorice, cut into 1-inch lengths OREO CAKESTERS Soft Snack Cakes Red decorating gel Insert 4 licorice pieces into opposite sides of each snack cake for the spider’s legs. Use red decorating gel to make the eyes. Create a spider web platter and place the Leggy Spiders artfully on the webbed platter and serve. From www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/ leggy-spider Strawberry Ghosts 30 fresh strawberries 8 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped 1 teaspoon shortening 1/8 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips Wash strawberries and gently pat with paper towels until completely dry. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate and shortening at 50% power; stir until smooth. Stir in extract. Dip each strawberry in chocolate mixture; place on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet, allowing excess chocolate chips into coating for eyes. Freeze for 5 minutes. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip a toothpick into melted chocolate and draw a mouth on each face. Yield: 2½ dozen. From www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/ strawberry-ghosts Abracadabra Hats 1 package crescent dinner rolls (8 rolls) 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (optional) Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 35

16 turkey pepperoni slices 3 - 4 salami sticks, cut into 2-inch pieces 2 cups pizza or marinara sauce (the dip for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;hatsâ&#x20AC;?) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate dough and place individual pieces on work surface. Gently shape each piece into long triangle. Sprinkle triangles evenly with basil if desired. Cut pepperoni pieces into crescent shapes, using a small cookie cutter or knife. (Each slice will make 2 crescents). Place 1 salami stick piece along base of each dough triangle. Partially roll up dough to cover salami and create brim of hat. Place 2 pepperoni crescents on top part of each hat; place on ungreased, nonstick baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown at edges. From TLC recipes.howstuffworks.com/ abracadabra-hats-recipe Pumpkin Soup 3/4 cup water 1 small onion, chopped 1 8-ounce can pumpkin puree 1 cup unsalted vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup fat-free milk 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 green onion, green top only, chopped In a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of water over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Do not let onion dry out. Add remaining water, pumpkin, broth, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in milk and cook until hot. Do not boil. Ladle into bowls and garnish with black pepper and green onion tops. Serves 4 White Grilled Cheese Sandwich Wheat, rye, or multi-grain bread (Try French bread for a different taste.) White cheeses such as provolone, Swiss, mozzarella, fontina, goat cheese, blue cheese, or brie (I like to use a mixture of three cheeses, mixing a tart, a creamy, and a nutty taste.) Infused olive oil (Garlic is my favorite.) Brush the outside of one bread slice with the infused olive oil, and place three different cheeses on the inside. Place another bread slice on top and brush with the oil. In a warm skillet, brown on both sides. Serve with the pumpkin soup for a Halloween supper.

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Let’s Do the Time Warp Again “Oh, Rocky!” If you’ve seen this show, you’ll recognize that ecstatic warble, and you’ll understand the “hair on your arms standing up” anticipation leading up to the chugging rhythm, signaling the frenetic release of The Time Warp. The Westside Theater Foundation’s production of The Rocky Horror Show here in Vicksburg, Mississippi, has become a much anticipated yearly event. It runs for the last two weekends of October, ending with a Halloween show and party. WTF first put on this show in 2010 and sold out every performance for the scheduled run. There has been a cult following for this show ever since its inception in 1973. Even though it may lie dormant in its underground hideaway for long periods, awaiting the next opportunity to rise up, put on the ghoulishly gaudy makeup of a Transylvanian, and step out in tails and spats, it’s out there. Rocky fans are everywhere, in every walk of life. Riff Raffs are in the bank and the mall, Magentas are in the schools and doctors’ offices, there are Eddies and Columbias and more than a few Dr. Frankenfurters, and there are Transylvanians by the thousands. You can’t see them, but they’re there. Drop one line from the show into a conversation; and you will see the mischievous gleam of recognition come over them, a glimpse behind their facade. They may answer with another line; or they may just tuck it away, pleased in the knowledge that they’ve made another “Rocky connection.” It’s like being in a secret society that communicates through song lyrics and movie quotes. During its heyday, the movie was so popular that some theaters showed only it and nothing else, placing the weight of their businesses squarely on the hunched back of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It became its own industry with fans attending again and again, dressing as characters from the cast and interacting with the movie. Today, this production has become such an institution that the interaction is expected; audience participation is a huge part of the Rocky experience. Fans throw playing cards and toilet paper; they bring newspapers and confetti, they scream at the screen (or in this case, the stage); and, yes, everyone does The Time Warp, again and again. The Rocky Horror Show was a stage play before it became The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is the name that the film goes by. It opened on June 19, 1973, in London at the Royal Court Theatre and was a hit with audiences and critics alike. A few venue changes were necessary to accommodate the growing audiences, winding up at the 400-seat Kings Road Theatre

where the play ran until 1979. It made its American premier at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles in 1974 and played to full houses for nine months, resulting in a film adaptation in 1975. The film is still in limited release and has the longest running theatrical release in film history. When it became a midnight movie hit in 1977 and the audience began interacting with the film, it became something bigger. Like some radioactive monster from a wonderfully bad movie, it grew beyond its creator’s expectations. It became such a pop-culture icon that people who had never seen it could quote lines from it: “Dammit, Janet.” It was even featured in one scene in the movie Fame, when it was used as a vehicle for a withdrawn character to come into her own and leave her shyness behind. The Rocky Horror Show is a musical parody of the old science fiction and horror B-movies that were staples of drive-in theaters in the 50s and 60s. The story opens at a wedding with some ominous foreshadowing. On the way home from the wedding, a young couple’s car breaks down in a storm, and they wind up stranded at a mansion populated by some of the most bizarre characters you will ever find outside of Bourbon Street on Halloween. A twisted butler and an equally twisted maid; a mad scientist; a biker; a tap-dancing, lovesick nymphet; the singing undead; some space aliens; and a host of indescribably strange guests. The couple find themselves unwillingly drawn into the activities which are unfolding as it is quite a special night at the mansion. It is a comedy played as though it were supposed to be a thriller which accidentally winds up being hilarious. It is also a celebration of alternative . . .er . . . life forms. If you’ve never seen The Rocky Horror Show and you decide to experience it for yourself, be prepared. It is not for the faint of heart and will challenge you on many levels, as art should. You may never be the same again. The Rocky Horror Show is staged in the Coral Room at the Vicksburg Hotel, located at 801 Clay Street in Vicksburg. The Coral Room, which is on the hotel’s mezzanine level, seats about eighty people comfortably. The Westside Theater Foundation is in the process of renovating the historic Strand Theater, quite a costly undertaking. A non-profit organization promoting the performing arts in Vicksburg, WTF welcomes patrons and donations, which are tax-deductible. Contact Jack Burns at 601-618-9349 for more information. Call the box office at 601-636-8313 for show times, reservations, and ticket information. So, come up to the lab and . . . see what’s on the slab. Time is fleeting; let’s do the Time Warp again! It’s just a jump to the left...

Oh, Rocky!

by Keith Browning Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 37

The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race: A Unique Natchez Tradition

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Origins and History

The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race began in 1986 in Natchez, Mississippi, as an idea bounced around during a lunch conversation among James Biglane, Cappy Stahlman, and Ron Riches. According to Natchez Historic Foundation Executive Director MiMi Miller, “James and Cappy told Ron about their experiences in ballooning and commented that it would be wonderful if Natchez had a balloon race. Along with his agreement, Riches suggested that the Historic Natchez Foundation would be the perfect organization to undertake the project.” With the support of United Mississippi Bank, the Foundation decided to try it; and with six weeks lead time, the first Balloon Race of the new weekend event, with its twenty entries registered to take off from the parking lot of the Natchez Mall, became a reality. However, only two balloons of the twenty entries actually flew in the race, for the day was too windy for the balloons to fly safely. James Biglane in the United Mississippi Bank hot-air balloon, however, could not stand to disappoint the crowd and flew anyway. Bill Cunningham, Balloon Meister for the 2012 Great Mississippi River Balloon Race, followed. In the United Mississippi Bank’s basket was the late Alice Feltus, the first Natchez sponsor to fly in the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. “Instrumental in the success of the first race were foundation board member Shields Brown and UMB employee Sammy Porter. Between the two, they secured a $600 sponsorship for each of the twenty or so balloonists that agreed to come. This was not easy,” Miller explained, “since neither Sammy nor Shields nor the foundation, much less the sponsors, hand any real idea of what they were actually sponsoring.”

A Name for the GMRBR

In taking on this project, the Historic Natchez Foundation with Ron Miller as Executive Director at the time decided on a name for the event that would capture the uniqueness of the event itself. It was designated The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race, based on the historic 1870 riverboat race— The Great Mississippi River Steamboat Race—between the Robert E. Lee, commanded by Captain John W. Cannon, and the Natchez, commanded by Captain Thomas P. Leathers. Now, Captain Leathers was a showy individual who boasted that his boat, the sixth Natchez, was the fastest boat on the Mississippi River. Nobody had proven him wrong by 1870. Captain Cannon also boasted his Robert E. Lee was the fastest boat on the river; and while the Robert E. Lee had been around a little longer, Cannon did not take to having his boat labeled second best. Therefore, a race was inevitable! The race was set to start on June 30, 1870, at 5:00 p.m. in New Orleans and end in St. Louis, Missouri. Although the Lee steamed ahead most of the race, it hit a sandbar just past Cairo, Illinois, enabling the Natchez to gain tremendous momentum on the Lee. At this point, it was anybody’s race. Sometime after midnight, a fog settled on the river; and Captain Leathers, considering the safety of his passengers and freight, tied along the bank until the fog lifted. He thought Cannon would do the same. Meanwhile, Captain Cannon with only his crew aboard steamed slowly and stealthily through the murky, pre-dawn darkness. On July 4 at 10:00 a.m., the Robert E. Lee was welcomed to St. Louis by ringing church bells, cannon shots, and locomotive whistles as thousands cheered her on. Six hours and thirty-six minutes later, Captain Leather, his crew, and the Natchez arrived in St. Louis to a similar reception. Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 39

The Second Year and Beyond In addition to James Biglane, Cappy Stahlman, Ron Riches, Sheilds Brown, Sammy Porter, and Ron Miller, others who played important roles in the early history of the race included Dr. Robert Barnes, David Steckler, Betty Lou Hicks, Ed and Laura Godfrey, and the balloon sponsors that made it all possible. The $600 sponsorship defrayed the cost of bringing a balloon to Natchez by covering prize money, fuel, and hotel accommodations. Ballooning is an expensive sport and balloonists have to be enticed to participate in ballooning festivals. “In the early years,” Mimi Miller recalled, “balloonists were actually given show-up money to entice them to Natchez.” “I think the Natchez community as a whole,” Mimi continued. “has always had the misconception that the balloon race was a money maker from the very beginning. In reality, with the exception of a few years, the race produced only minimal profits and actually lost money during the early years. The optimistic volunteers never gave up; and through their efforts, the event is the great festival that it is today. The Historic Natchez Foundation always adopted the attitude that it wanted to be involved with the balloon race, even if it was not profitable for the foundation, because it was good for Natchez and its historic district.” Today, the total cost of orchestrating the annual balloon race is about $230,000 with sponsorship for balloons at $800. Major expenses include entertainment, site set-up with sound stage and booths, insurance, publicity, security, costs related to housing and hosting balloonists and officials, and site clean-up and repair. With its notoriety as an exciting destination weekend continuing to grow, the GMRBR enjoys and depends on local support to make each year successful. Non-profit groups such as the Natchez Adams County Humane Society, the Natchez Association of Afro-American History, the Natchez Music Festival, and the Vidalia Women’s Club, all volunteer to work at different stations throughout the festival’s events.

2012 GMRBR October 19 - 21

Noted by champion balloonists as one of the most unique and popular competitions, the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race will kick off its 2012 festivities with the traditional Media Balloon Flight on Friday, October 19, at 7:30 a.m., followed by the annual Balloon Glow that evening around dusk, 6:00 p.m., at the festival site—the Rosalie Bicentennial Gardens on the south end of Broadway Street in downtown Natchez. Huge crowds will fill these historic grounds and line the Natchez Bluffs to see the night sky light up with balloons and thereafter view a spectacular fireworks show, staged from the middle of the Mississippi River and sponsored by the sister cities of Vidalia, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi. From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., live music by The Walrus, a Beatles Tribute Band, will thrill the hundreds surrounding the site’s main stage from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday, October 20 7:30 a.m.....................................Competition Balloon Flight 11:00 a.m. ..................................Gates Open 12:15 p.m. .................................Lil Poochie & Hezekiah Early 1:45 p.m. ...................................The Revivalists 3:30 p.m. ...................................Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes 4:30 p.m. ...................................Sponsored Balloon Flight & Key Grab Competition 5:30 p.m. ...................................The Lowrider Band 7:30 p.m. ...................................Anders Osborne 9:30 p.m. ...................................North Mississippi Allstars Page 40 { October 2012 { Bluffs & Bayous

Sunday, October 21 WQNZ 95 Country Sunday 7:30 a.m............Balloon Flight 12:00 p.m. ........Gates Open 1:00 p.m. .......... Concordia Parish Talented Music Program 2:45 p.m. ..........Benton Blount 4:30 p.m. ..........Afternoon Fun Flight 4:30 p.m. ..........Pat Green One of the Historic Natchez Foundation’s major sources of income to help fund The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race is the sale of T-shirts, seats, denim shirts, posters, caps, visors and other items that this year sport an official balloon-race design created by Kaye Browning. Visit www.natchezballoonrace.com for price and purchase information. Also included on the website are tabs listing the event’s musical entertainment, schedule, past photos, ticket prices, detailed map of the festival site, sponsors and contact list for the volunteer staff that spearhead this event. The festival also has Facebook and Twitter pages. There is no excuse NOT to know all the details about this exciting event. Of course, all scheduled balloon-race flights take place “weather permitting.” On Saturday and new to the Balloon Race this year is The Great River Chevrolet-GMC Key Grab! On Saturday afternoon a 50-foot pole will be erected on the fairgrounds. At the top of the pole will be a key, and any pilot who can get close enough and grab the key wins a brand new truck from Great River Chevrolet-GMC! Be sure to be onsite Saturday for this 4:30 p.m. race! Also be on hand at the traditional Sports Bar Tent that will be open for Saturday College Football and Sunday NFL Football. Hosting two balloon flights each day, along with music, food, and carnival rides for the kids, the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race weekend provides the perfect venue for family outings and friends’ reunions; and for thousands it has become a traditional trek to historic and “happening” Natchez on the Mississippi each October. You’ll want to be part of this excitement—make plans to attend this year! Background on the Great Mississippi river Balloon Race is based on information from Mimi Miller, Executive Director of the Historic Natchez Foundation.

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Natchez Native and Music Icon Glen Ballard:

Music Man in the Truest Sense by Ellis Nassour

ith six Grammy Awards, sales of nearly 150 million records and #1 hits (pop, rock, jazz, country, and rhythm and blues), Natchez, Mississippi, native Glen Ballard ranks as one of music’s most acclaimed songwriter-producers. He has been honored with numerous awards, including ASCAP’s annual citations for radio’s Most Performed Songs. Ballard has been “steamrolling” since the early 90s. In 1997, he was named Songwriter of the Year by ASCAP and the National Academy of Songwriters. Billboard magazine saluted him with a 2001 tribute issue, marking his milestone of penning and/or producing records selling more than 150,000,000 copies worldwide. “No way!” he replies when asked if he has been able to absorb such success. “It still feels surreal. I didn’t know what to expect when I came West. I’ve been very lucky.” In 2010, after years of working with a Who’s Who of superstars from A (Christina Aguilera, and Aerosmith) to W (Jack Wagner), Ballard entered the rarefied arena of musicals. With Dave Stewart of the top-charted Eurythmics, he wrote music and lyrics for the stage adaptation of the 1990 Oscar-nominated, romantic classic Ghost,

which starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg, who won for Best Featured Actress. Joel Rubin, who won an Oscar for his screenplay, wrote the musical’s script. Ghost premiered in London in July 2011. The Broadway opening followed with much ballyhoo in April 2012, and the production now plans to tour. Ballard, a confessed workaholic, found the process so fulfilling that he is developing four more stage works. In theater, Ballard found that the director is the “ultimate decider. He has enormous power. Dave and I served the interests of the piece by putting forward lots of tunes to choose from. It broadened my horizons. I feel any job does that. However, going forward, I’ll make the decisions. I want to follow my muse.” Ballard, the consummate musician, producer, and writer-composer has proven, at great personal expense, he is that rare breed who can do it all. He loves working solo and also thrives on collaborating. With Oscar-nominated composer Alan Silvestri, a former band guitarist who has scored 120 films (among them Forest Gump and Who Killed Roger Rabbit?), documentaries, and TV series, Ballard wrote and produced songs for the hit motion-capture IMAX 3D feature The Polar Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 43

Express, including the Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning “Believe,” performed by Josh Groban. “Alan’s not only a genius but also a generous genius,” Ballard relates. “I learned from him. From director and producer Robert Zemeckis (Oscarwinner, Forest Gump) down, we worked with the best of the best and were always treated with respect. Robert’s artistic vision empowered us. He helped us shape the tone and dynamics of the score, and we had fun. Fun’s essential. Greatness doesn’t grow out of torture, but out of joyful hard work.” Ballard’s amazing career includes working with show business’s biggest and best artists, record producers, musicians, and writing partners: Earth, Wind & Fire, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Van Halen, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Annie Lennox, Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Nicks, Teddy Pendergrass, Katy Perry, the Pointer Sisters, Lisa Marie Presley, and Barbra Streisand are among those he’s written for. His songs have achieved not only Gold (sales of 500,000 units) but also Platinum (a million units) and multi-Platinum status. allard’s accomplishments had their roots in his youth in Natchez where he was born in 1953, son of Basil and Sallie Ballard. He grew up in a spacious Victorian-era home with four siblings—a brother and three sisters. His father, who passed in 1998, was owner of St. Catherine Ready-Mix Concrete; his mother, still vigorous and active at 86, is a Junkin, one of Natchez’s rooted and most respected families.

Ballard began playing piano soon after he could crawl and eventually added guitar to his repertoire. He wrote his first song before his tenth birthday and was a familiar face in local rock bands from the fifth grade into his upperclassmen years at South Natchez High. “My band mates and friends,” he says, “were pretty good about enduring the fact that we didn’t do a lot of covers of popular songs. Half of the sets were my original songs.” A local influence was Baton Rouge’s “blue-eyed soul, Cajun swamp pop musician” John Fred Gourrier of John Fred and the Playboys, who had hits with “Shirley” and “Judy in Disguise.” Ballard recalls, “They were a big band with horns, guitars, organ, and singers and put on a great show that would have everyone dancing.” Between ages 12 and 16, he figures he saw them 50 times, admitting, “I was mesmerized at how professional and soulful they were. I learned what a show was from them.” Ballard was also a fan of other musicians: Jerry Lee Lewis, a native of nearby Ferriday, Louisiana, whom Ballard saw perform once; the “Soul Queen of New Orleans,” Irma Thomas; Memphis soul great Al Green; and New Orleans blues and jazz artists. Then, from afar came a new influence, the Beatles. Following high school, Ballard studied English, political science, and journalism at the University of Mississippi. However, he did not consider his studies a back-up career should his music dreams not come true. “I studied literature and poetry,” he points out. “It was an advantage to take in so much great work and be around instructors who appreciated good writing.”

Top—A young man and his music— Glen Ballard, high school years, early 1970s Middle—Sofa time on South Commerce Street in Natchez, Mississippi—Home for Christmas, 1985 Left—Siblings Dix Ballard Nord, Donna Ballard Maselli, Wensel Ballard Conroy, Glen Ballard, and John Ballard gathered in New York City (Sallie Ballard, their mother, was with them, too.) in 1990 when Glen won his first Grammy for “Places You Find Love,” a song in Quincy Jones’ album.

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Ballard with cast of stage production Ghost

While at Ole Miss, Ballard recorded his first and only solo record, a self-titled album that sold well regionally. “I knew my voice wasn’t cut out for stardom,” laughs Ballard. “I was, however, very intent on a career as a songwriter.” So much so that he turned down fellowships to both graduate and law schools. “A week after graduating [with honors in 1975],” he recaps, “I packed my bags and headed West. Music was in my blood, and I was just itching to make a go of it.” In 2009, the University of Mississippi Alumni Association recognized Ballard’s success in the music world, honoring him along with author John Grisham and TV anchor Shepard Smith. anding in Los Angeles, Ballard first got to know the city. That paid off handsomely. “I did very little in the way of odd jobs to keep afloat,” Ballard notes. “I didn’t know the business, but I made myself useful to a lot of folks. The British invasion was big. There were a bunch of Brits who didn’t know L.A., and I helped them make good decisions buying real estate. I got the business side under my belt. In the process, I learned how deals were made and about music publishing.” In a stroke of good fortune, Ballard was hired for an entry-level position at Elton John’s music company where he played piano for Kiki Dee. During his three years there, he was busy writing songs. In 1978, he had his first chart single when Dee recorded “One Step.” That led to a songwriting position with MCA Music where he earned $100 a week. His relationship with MCA continues to this day; and through this association, The Glen Ballard Songbook, a sheet music collection containing 11 of his tunes, was published in 1999 by Hal Leonard Publishing (available at Amazon.com). Spurred by his success, Ballard went independent, penning George Strait’s “You Look So Good in Love,” which became a #1

Country hit and was named Country Song of the Year in 1986. He followed this with “Man in the Mirror,” produced by Quincy Jones with Ballard doing the synthesizer arrangement and playing keyboards for Michael Jackson’s album Bad, which went eight times Platinum. His golden touch continued with Paula Abdul’s 1988 “State of Attraction.” It was Ballard’s work with then-unknown Alanis Morissette on Jagged Little Pill that catapulted them to national prominence. It became one of the biggest albums of the 90s, selling in excess of 30 million copies; was voted Billboard’s Album of the Year; earned Ballard three Grammys; and remains the #3 best-selling album, best-selling solo album, and best-selling debut album of all time. “In my approach to songwriting,” explains Ballard, “I don’t have a song in mind to send to an artist. I must get to know the voice, the real voice. On a recording, you don’t really know what you’re hearing. Once I hear him or her, one to one, I can grow something that’s a perfect fit.” Ballard grudgingly admits he works all day, every day, and has had only two days off this year. “The last 35 years, that’s been my life,” Ballard recounts. “I’ve gotten married, had kids, divorced; people were born, died; shows have opened and closed. Once I start working on something, I’m fully engaged because people have a huge expectation. To my great regret and at the expense of friendships, I’ve missed so many things. Work is my life. That’s my excuse.” Ballard, laughing, says that his biggest success “is that I’m still here. It’s astonishing and overwhelming.” But there are regrets. “To my friends and loved ones, whom I miss and love,” he affirms, “I hope, at least, they get to hear some of what I do that makes me tick.” Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 45

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THE social SCENE | McComb, MS | Pike County Arts Council Membership Party

Pike County Arts Council Membership Party The Pike County Arts Council along with Retriever of Jackson hosted the council’s annual membership party, dubbed “State of the Art and Art of the State,” on August 16, 2012, at The Caboose restaurant on Front Street in McComb, Mississippi. The night included dinner, a silent auction, a cash bar, and Jamey Hewitt and Jeromy Spiers playing the blues. Photos by Elise Parker

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Linda Wallace and Terri Barnes Nancy Felder, Sylvia Goldberg, Anna Roberts, Cindy Quayle, and Pat Randall Tanner Willis, Barbara Willis, and Colleen Parker Robbin Daughdrill, Jackie Bankston, and Jeff Daughdrill Mary Emma Lansing, Susy Sanders, Ann Mapp, and Becky Izard Mack and Patti Brabham with Bonnye Huffman

Pike County Arts Council Membership Party | McComb, MS | THE social SCENE

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 9

Nancy and Bob Hensarling Dierdre Reynolds with Don and Caroline Jackson Bud and Kim Doherty Carol Rawlings and Noggin Wild Norma and Levonghn Hamilton Lloyd and Dionne Kinchen Ann Mapp and Dale Gibson Glenn and Jennifer Sanders

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THE social SCENE | Vicksburg, MS | Vicksburg Museum Celebrates Opening

Vicksburg Museum Celebrates Opening The Lower Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Site in Vicksburg, Mississippi, celebrated its opening on August 24, 2012. Focusing on life surrounding the lower Mississippi River, the museum houses a variety of unique displays and interactive centers. Guest speakers for the opening included Colonel Jeff Eckstein, Commander of the Vicksburg Engineer District; Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield; and Mississippi Senator Briggs Hopson of District 23.

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Jeff Hellings, Brad Brady, and Steve Davis Richard Stuart and Rusty Larsen David Blackledge and Louis Logue Kristen Meehan and Rosa Parker Amy Haygood and Lynn Foley Hilton Dyar and Joe Loviza Kim Hopkins and Laurence Leyens Adrienne and Adam Eckstein with Major Rob Woffenden Colonel Jeff, Adrienne, and Adam Eckstein

Football Fashion 101 | Brookhaven, MS | THE social SCENE

Football Fashion 101 A Football Fashion101 fashion show was held Saturday, August 11, 2012, at the new King’s Daughters Medical Center’s training facility in Brookhaven, Mississippi. As the ladies were educated about the game from local refs and coaches, they were also treated to a game-day fashion show from Macy Taylor’s and Expectation’s.

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Madison Warren, Courtney Henderson, Hayley Hall, and Mattie Rials Courtney Henderson and Brooke King Macy McDaniel and Blaze Furr Tiffany Henderson, Brittany Moore, and Jordan Beeson Leigh-Taylor Smith and Cianna Brewer Hayley Hall Angie Warren, Anne Brantley Warren, and Madison Warren Laura McDaniel, Jordan Beeson, Mattie Rials, Courtney Henderson, Madison Warren, Tiffany Henderson, Hayley Hall, Brittany Moore, Brooke King, and Robyn Smith

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Angel Brooks Celebrates 16th Birthday | Natchez, MS | THE social SCENE

Angel Brooks Celebrates 16th Birthday On Good Friday, April 6, 2012, a rodeo at the Adams County Equestrian Center in Natchez, Mississippi, honored Angel N. Brooks, daughter of Angela and Ronnie Brooks, on her sixteenth birthday. Hosting the event for the Natchez High School junior were Angela and Ronnie Brooks, her parents, along with her cousin Jonathan “Pokey” Johnson and his cousin Lionel Brown. Cowboys and cowgirls came from the local Natchez area, southwest Mississippi, and parts of Louisiana and Texas to compete in Break-Away, Calf-Roping, Team Roping, Barrel Racing, and Goat Roping. To the strains of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday,” Angel on horseback was escorted into the arena, decorated in her favorite purple and western motifs. Guests and participants, many dressed in purple and western attire, enjoyed grilled hotdogs and hamburgers, baked beans, cake, and punch.

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Angel Brooks and Yana Hunt Angel, Angela, and Ronnie Brooks Kenya Davis, Erica Strauder, Rosa Williams, Keosha Smtih, Alexis Baldwin, Philicia Wimley, Jasmine Strauder, Angel Brooks, Chalsie White, Sheneka Ford, Ash-Leigh Brooks, and Lexus Scott; front— Jeremy Johnson and Jalisa Scott David and Keilah Ford, Linda Baker, Angela Brooks, Davion and Derrion Ford (front), Tracie Sams, Angel Brooks, Ash-Leigh Brooks, Jilinda Baker, and Jimmie Baker Ursula Nelson, Angela Brooks, Angel Brooks, and Jalisa Scott Davion Ford

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THE social SCENE | Natchez, MS | Natchez-Adams County Chamber After-Hours

Natchez-Adams County Chamber After-Hours A Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce After-Hours gathering, hosted by Natchez Community Hospital and Monmouth Plantation, was held on September 11, 2012, at Monmouth. Special honorees were Warren and Nancy Reuther, new owners of Monmouth Plantation; Eric Robinson, Chief Executive Office of Natchez Community Hospital; and Bryan Lewis, Chief Financial Officer of Natchez Community Hospital. Guests enjoyed special entertainment and a variety of hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres.

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Warren and Nancy Reuther, Jenny and Eric Robinson, and Bryan Lewis John Holyoak, David Gardner, and Debbie Hudson Monica and Jason Lynch, Lloyd Trisler, and Jimmy Dickey Dr. Beverly Love and Dr. John Wright Kelly Dore and Agnes Holloway Claire Cothren and Mandy Powell Faye and Bob Weatherly Ida Whetstone and Ashley Junkin

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Natchez-Adams County Chamber After-Hours | Natchez, MS | THE social SCENE

9 Mitzi and Jake Middleton 10 Tammi Gardner and Carol Ann Riley 11 Sue and Joe Stedman 12 Donnie and Agnes Holloway

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Depot District

Mid-Town

The Fig Tree McComb Electric Gulf South Gallery Graphics Etc/Moon Pie Designs Soiene Studio Rogers Western Store

Alford’s Flowers & Gifts Japonica Gallery/Signatures Edgewood Interiors Pineapples Gifts & Accessories Debecs/Sew Be It Pinwheels Dazzin’ Dancewear

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Veterans & Hwy 51 N

Summit

Friendgirl Things District 51 Holmes Stationers & Gifts

Accessory Outlet Shop Rustic Charm Vendor Gallery Frolic Boutique Girls Gone Junkin’ Sweet Tooth Café Peaches & Pearls Southwest Vendor’s Mall Shooters Discount Wizard Electronics

Chamber Monthly Business Breakfast Tuesday, November 13th at 8:00 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Senior Center 104 S. Front Street, McComb

“Night of Lights”

Saturday, December 1st at 10:00 a.m.

Monday, December 3rd at 6:00 p.m.

Magnolia Christmas Parade Friday, December 7th at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 25th at 7:17 p.m. Lighting of the community Christmas Tree at Depot Pavilion Sponsored by McComb Main Street Assn.

McComb Christmas Parade

Summit Christmas Parade

Osyka Christmas Parade Saturday, December 8th at 2:00 p.m.

Chamber Business After Hours

Tuesday, December 18th at 5:00 p.m. at Selman’s Jewelers 1311 Delaware Avenue, McComb Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 59

In the Kitchen...

Cheryl’s Friends, Family, and Readers

his month’s taste-tempting recipes come from readers and friends of Bluffs & Bayous. October offers fall bounty for the table and sometimes cool nights. This month’s recipes offer a variety of choices for entrees, sides, and desserts. Many are easy for busy cooks who need something delicious but quick to whip up for a week-night supper. We invite our readers to submit more of their favorite treasures from the kitchen for next month’s issue. Until then, enjoy the delicious choices we have for you this month.

Vicci Anderson Vicksburg, Mississippi Originally from West Memphis, Arkansas, Vicci Anderson and husband Bob moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi, four years ago. Bob Anderson is public affairs officer with the Mississippi Valley Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Vicci works part time as a paralegal for Ellis, Braddock & Dees law firm. Vicci loves and has embraced living in Vicksburg where “people are more polite” than other places they have lived; and she agrees that Vicksburg is a

great mix of people, those native born and the many transplants due to various Corps’ offices, Grand Gulf, and other national or regional entities. Her work support, neighborhood, and First Presbyterian Church reflect that great mix of welcoming folks that make Vicksburg a very hospitable city. Vicci has loved cooking since she made her first cake as a Girl Scout in fourth grade with a little mom help. Of course, good cooks run in her family. Bluffs & Bayous’ request for recipes forced her to write down some of her family favorites so that the recipes may be passed on to her married daughter in Arkansas and her son and daughter-in-law (and two grandsons) in Virginia. She shares with us five family favorites.

Black Forest Cheesecake Black Forest Cheesecake is Vicci’s husband Bob’s favorite dessert and is usually made for birthdays and Christmas.

Vicci Anderson with her Black Forest Cheesecake

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Crust 1 brownie mix (I use Ghirardelli.) 1 stick butter 1 egg Filling 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 3 eggs Cooking spray 1 can cherry pie filling Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine brownie mix, melted butter and egg, and mix with a spoon until well combined. Press into bottom of pan and set aside. Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl, and beat well with an electric mixer. Break eggs into a small bowl and lightly beat with a fork or whisk. Add eggs to cream cheese mixture and beat lightly with electric mixer—just barely incorporate the eggs. Pour filling on top of brownie crust and bake in preheated 325-degree oven for 45 minutes. Cool cheesecake for 1 hour at room temperature and then finish cooling in the refrigerator. When cheesecake is completely cool, top with a can of cherry pie filling. Before serving, unlock springform pan and lift sides straight up. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Store in refrigerator.

Glazed Pork Loin Glazed Pork Loin is a family fall and winter favorite, which Vicci often serves at dinner parties. In fact, one of the guests who had eaten this treat before said he had “dreams about it.” 3- to 4-pound boneless pork loin Extra virgin olive oil BBQ dry rub Cloves of garlic, peeled 1 can whole cranberry sauce 1 jar (approximately 16 oz.) peach preserves The amount of vegetables is up to you: 3 medium white potatoes, quartered 3 medium sweet potatoes, quartered Carrots, quartered or about a cup of baby carrots Salt and pepper to taste Cornstarch Rinse roast, cut a dozen or so shallow slits in top of roast, and stuff each slit with a peeled clove of garlic. Rub down entire roast with olive oil. Then, lightly coat entire roast with dry BBQ rub. Place roast in a roasting pan 3 to 4 inches deep to hold vegetables and be covered. Mix together cranberry sauce and peach preserves. Gently spoon half of the mixture on top of roast and freeze the rest for next time. Insert meat thermometer, cover roast with roaster lid or wide foil, and bake in a 325-degree oven until internal temperature is 170 degrees, approximately 2½ hours. Approximately 1 hour before roast is done, add quartered white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots around roast. Salt and pepper vegetables and continue to bake. Drain meat juices into a sauce pan; then thicken for gravy with cornstarch and cool water. Makes 6 servings

Chunky Green Beans While visiting her husband’s family in New York fifteen or more years ago, Vicci noticed her sister-in-law sautéing green beans. Having grown up in the South, Vicci was used to the traditional “boil the devil out of them”; but she took to the “new” method and thought, “I think I’d like onions with that,” and then, “I think I’d like mushrooms,” which eventually evolved into this colorful tasty recipe for Chunky Green Beans. 12 ounces (approximately) fresh, clean green beans 1 medium fresh onion, cut into chunks 1/2 small carton fresh mushrooms, cut into quarters

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil (or oil from the sun-dried tomatoes) 1/4 cup water Salt and pepper to taste In a nonstick skillet on medium heat, pour in oil and sauté green beans and onions for a few minutes. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, and sauté until lightly browned. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and ¼ cup water. Immediately cover and simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until desired tenderness. Serves about 4.

Italian Cheese Ball Vicci’s Italian Cheese Ball evolved through her love for basil pesto. Although she does grow and use herbs from her garden, basil included, she usually purchases prepared basil pesto for this party recipe. “And the longer it sits, the better it is,” says Vicci. 24 ounces cream cheese, softened 8 ounces light sour cream 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings blend 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Accent 3/4 of an 8.5-ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil (approximately) 3/4 of an 8.1-ounce jar of basil pesto (approximately) * This recipe works best when divided into 2 smaller cheese balls. Line two (16-ounce or larger) bowls with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of wrap to fold over and cover the top. Blend softened cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, Italian seasonings, cayenne pepper, and Accent. Divide mixture in half and set aside. Dip out sun-dried tomatoes from the jar and finely chop them. (I used a small electric chopper.) They will be juicy. Set aside. Use the first half of the cream cheese mixture and spread 1/3 of it into one of your bowls. Spread a layer of pesto over that (enough to cover well); then spread 1/2 of remaining cream cheese on top of pesto layer; then spread a layer of chopped sun-dried tomatoes (enough to cover well); then spread the last layer of cream cheese to finish up. Fold over plastic wrap and lightly press/pat the layers. Chill well. * You will do the above for each of the 2 cheese balls. I do this the day before, but the longer the cheese balls chill, the better the flavors develop. You may even mix up two days before serving; as ingredients merge, they become more flavorful. Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 61

Sarah Underwood with her Taco Soup

Italian Pinwheels Vicci makes and freezes ahead this family favorite, which she pulls out to thaw in the refrigerator Christmas Eve night for use as breakfast Christmas morning while opening gifts. You may split this recipe and make two smaller rolls. 3 cups Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings blend 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk 1 pound raw Italian sausage Cooking spray Combine baking mix, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, and cheese. Stir in buttermilk and knead several times until the dough feels slightly firm. On a floured surface, roll out dough into roughly a 12” x 18” rectangular shape. Spread all of the raw sausage onto dough leaving an approximate 1-inch border. Gently roll up the dough and form a long roll—dusting with flour or baking mix as needed. Tuck under the ends. Dust roll with flour or baking mix. Roll up into wax paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.* If not freezing, chill thoroughly—overnight is best. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Remove waxed paper, and slice roll into ½-inch slices, using a serrated knife. The slices will be approximately the size of a large biscuit. Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. *If you freeze the roll for later use, use aluminum foil after you roll the wax paper. You may freeze the raw roll for up to 3 weeks. Defrost before cutting.

Mrs. D. E. Covington McCall Creek, Mississippi Mrs. D. E. Covington from McCall Creek, Mississippi, submitted one of her favorite treats. “It is not a too-sweet dessert but a salty and sweet dessert,” she explained, “perfect for sharing with family and friends. I love the creamy taste. It is a light dessert to prepare at any time.” Thank you for your letters, Mrs. Covington, and we appreciate your sharing one of your favorites.

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk 1 teaspoon soda, salt, and ginger spice 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg 2 tablespoons shortening 2 cups flour Mix all together and place in large baking pan. Bake in 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes or until done. This moist cake is better when 2 days old. Cover top with blackberry or strawberry preserves. Top with whipped cream. This cake is great warm or cold. During the holiday season, add pecans or walnuts for added flavor.

Sarah Underwood Brookhaven, Mississippi JoAnna Sproles took my picture last night making this soup from a recipe given to me many years ago by Mrs. Jimmie Sistrunk, also of Brookhaven. It is a favorite to take to the office or to make for “Girl’s Night Out” at my house. I’ve also taken it to youth events at church where it’s always well-received. It’s easy because you have most of the ingredients on hand since they are mostly canned items, and it’s a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. You don’t have to be exact, and you just about can’t mess it up. You could probably dump everything except chips and cheese in a crock pot in the morning or on your lunch hour for it to be perfect for supper, but I’ve never done that.

Taco Soup 4 cans chicken-with-rice soup (or 2 Family Size cans) 3 soup cans water (or chicken stock/ broth – use 1½ soup cans if you use the bigger cans) 1 can Rotel tomatoes 1 can whole kernel corn, drained

A Simple, Soft-Texture Cake 1 egg 1 cup sugar 1 cup molasses Page 62 { October 2012 { Bluffs & Bayous

12 ounces chopped turkey or chicken 1 can beans (kidney, pinto, or black – drained or undrained) 1 tablespoon cilantro 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste) 1/2 cup salsa Mix all ingredients. Heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over tortilla chips and grated cheese. Approximately 10 servings

Truus Van Ryswyk Vicksburg, Mississippi Truus Van Ryswyk and husband Benno have lived in Vicksburg 22 years, the longest they’ve lived in one spot in their fifty years of marriage, celebrated last March. In fact, they’ve lived in California, Florida, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Alabama, just to name a few places where Shell Oil has sent them. And although Vicksburg is considered home now, none of their three children have lived here. The children and the five grandchildren — ranging from 7 years to a senior in high school — are scattered from coast to coast — El Dorado Hills near Sacramento and Los Altos, California, to Charleston, South Carolina. Every two years Truus and family rent a beach house in South Carolina to gather everyone together in one location for a family fun-filled week. Mrs. D. E. Covington’s Soft-Texture Cake

Benno emigrated to the United States in 1958 from the Netherlands at a time when, Truus says, “There were no jobs in Europe.” In post-World-War-II years, the Netherlands had to cope with poverty, housing shortages, and high birth-rates. The Dutch government actively promoted the emigration of Dutch citizens; hence, large numbers moved to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. In July 1958, Benno arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, where a brother was living. By late August, he was inducted into the United States Army and headed to France. Due to immigration quotas, Truus arrived a couple of years later, and they were married in Phoenix in 1962. Both soon became naturalized United States citizens. Truus has retired from Hill City Oil where Benno continues to work half days. She stays extremely busy with various clubs and activities and her church—Openwood Garden Club, Warren County Master Gardeners, First Presbyterian Church, a book club, a knitting club, various volunteer activities. Truus is a very busy lady! As a mom and grandmother Truus understands the need for busy moms to have a storehouse of quick and easy meals to prepare, so we’ve included two of her slowcooker meals.

cream, and guacamole or with any condiments that you prefer.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry For a busy night meal Truus likes to serve this with steamed brown rice and a green salad. She thinks that bone-in thighs give a little more flavor than boneless chicken. 10 chicken thighs, skin removed 1 16-ounce jar mild chunky salsa 1 medium onion, chopped 2 tablespoons curry powder 1 cup light sour cream Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine salsa, onion, and curry powder; pour over chicken. Cover with lid. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 5 hours. Remove chicken to serving platter; cover to keep warm. Add sour cream to slow cooker; stir until well blended. Serve over the chicken.

Luscious “Cream Puffs” These are “so good” for when the ladies are over for coffee or a garden club event. 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17.3 ounce package) thawed overnight in refrigerator

Practice Night Chicken Tacos The first one she has shared with a friend in Memphis who does the soccer practice run with her own grandsons. It was such a hit the friend has shared the recipe with all the other soccer moms on the team. “This is by far the easiest and tastiest recipe I’ve come across in a long time,” says Truus, “and young and old alike seem to like it!” 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 16-ounce jar mild chunky salsa (I use Pace.) 1 envelope reduced sodium taco seasoning 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin (optional— but really gives it that Mexican flavor!) Flour tortillas Grated cheese, sour cream, guacamole, or condiments of choice Lay chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker. Mix salsa, taco seasoning, and cumin (if using) until blended. Pour over chicken breasts, and cook on high for 4 hours or low for about 6 hours. (It depends on how thick your chicken breasts are so check for doneness.) Take chicken breasts out and shred, using two forks and using some of the sauce. Warm the flour tortillas. Fill with chicken, grated cheese, sour Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 63

1 cup cold milk 1 package (4-serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding 1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip 1 square Baker’s semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface; roll out to 10” square. Cut into 9 circles with a 3” cookie cutter; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack; cool completely. Meanwhile, pour milk into large bowl, add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cut baked pastry circles in half horizontally. Spoon pudding evenly in bottom halves of pastry; cover with tops. Drizzle melted chocolate, back and forth, over the tops. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. You may substitute any pudding flavor for the vanilla. The next three recipes are some of Truus’ additions to Recipes from the Openwood Plantation Garden Club, 40th Anniversary Edition cookbook published in early 2009.

Lentil & Feta Salad This Lentil & Feta Salad has a very Mediterranean flair and is often taken to potluck meals with garden club or for salad-supper nights at church. 1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved lengthwise 1 bay leaf 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1 small red onion, diced 1 small red pepper, roasted and peeled (may use from jar), diced 1 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 ounces (about 1 cup) feta cheese, coarsely crumbled Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 3 heads baby lettuce for garnish or any other lettuce 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8 inch slices Bring medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add lentils, garlic, and bay leaf. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Don’t overcook! Drain and rinse lentils under cold water. Discard bay leaf and garlic. In a large bowl, combine lentils,

celery, onion, pepper, parsley, and rosemary. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and olive oil. Drizzle over lentil mixture. Add feta; stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on bed of lettuce and garnish with cucumber slices.

Tiered Omelet Ranchero Truus states, “This recipe looks complicated but really is not. It looks great on a table for breakfast or brunch. You can make the omelets ahead of time and refrigerate. I’ve made this recipe for over 30 years.” 8 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Butter or margarine 2 tablespoons milk 1 8-ounce jar mild, thick, and chunky salsa 1/2 cup sour cream 1 large avocado, seeded, peeled and sliced Lemon juice 1 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Blend thoroughly. Heat 1 to 2 teaspoons butter or margarine in a 6-inch skillet or omelet pan. Pour a scant 1/2 cup egg mixture in bottom of pan. Tilt pan so that it spreads evenly over bottom. As it begins to set at edges, lift with spatula so uncooked mixture flows underneath. Cook until eggs are set and bottom is browned lightly. Invert on waxed paper. Repeat with remaining mixture to create 4 omelets. Heat salsa over low heat until warmed. To assemble, place first omelet, browned side up, in an 8-inch round glass pie plate. Spread 1/2 to 2/3 cup of warm salsa on top. Set aside 1 tablespoon of sour cream. Spread remaining sour cream on

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Truus Van Ryswyk with her Almond Skillet Cake

top of second omelet, and place second omelet on top of first omelet in pan, cream side up. Dip 3 avocado slices in lemon juice and set aside. Arrange remaining slices on top of sour cream-topped omelet in pie plate. Top with another omelet. Spread 1 cup of cheese on top. Place last omelet, browned side up, on top of stacked omelets in pie plate. Cover with foil and bake 30 to 35 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Uncover and top with remaining cheese, salsa, sour cream, and avocado slices. Cut into wedges and serve hot. For a lighter version, use egg substitute and light sour cream. Makes 6 servings

Almond Skillet Cake You MUST use a 10.5” iron skillet for this cake to turn out right! 1 1/2 sticks butter 1 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups sifted flour 2 eggs Pinch of salt 1 to 2 teaspoons almond flavoring (I use 2.) Shaved almonds Melt or soften butter and cream with sugar in mixer. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add salt, flour, and flavoring. Mix well. Pour batter into a 10.5” foil-lined large iron skillet. Let foil spill over sides. Sprinkle shaved almonds on top, and sprinkle with a little sugar, also on top. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden at 350 degrees F. Cool and lift out of pan with the foil acting as handles. Remember: You must use an iron skillet for this cake to turn out right!

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Through October 14 Natchez Fall Pilgrimage Natchez, Mississippi Visiting Natchez during fall is an additional treat with the Fall Pilgrimage. Open for two weeks are historic, privately owned antebellum homes where costumed actors and tour guides share family stories of the homes’ unique people, places, and events. Many tours are interactive to convey an even more vivid sense of place. Daily scheduled tours with private guides are available for individuals and groups. In addition to daytime historic house tours, Natchez Fall Pilgrimage provides

October 5 - 6 Ole Brook Festival Brookhaven, Mississippi Old-fashion fun awaits the entire family during the annual Ole Brook Festival. Friday night is the kickoff for the festival, running from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., with food booths, carnival events, and music. On Saturday from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., the Ole Brook Marketplace will host over 200 vendors. In Brookhaven’s historic downtown The Kids Zone will offer inflatables, a kids’ train ride, bungee rides, rock climbing, a mechanical bull, face painting, and more.

evening entertainment. Natchez Little Theatre’s (www.natchezlittletheatre.org) performance of Sordid Lives is staged on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. in the theatre on Linton Avenue; and on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings, Amos Polk’s Voices of Hope, spiritual singers, perform in the Carriage House Restaurant on the grounds of historic Stanton Hall. This latter event includes a traditional plantation dinner that begins at 6:45 p.m. with the performance at 7:30 p.m. For tickets to all of these events and your visit to Natchez, contact www.natchezpilgrimage.com or 800-674-6742.

Entertainment during the day will be provided by art students’ music, dance and other

October 6 - 14 NYCity Slicker’s “Mississippi Home” Mississippi The NYCity Slickers, an eight-piece New-York-City-based bluegrass band, will begin its “Mississippi Home” tour beginning October 9. The NYCity Slickers are excited to have Millsaps College as a Presenting Sponsor of the “Mississippi Home” tour, and they will be performing at the Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series on October 9. Other tour performance venues include Hal & Mal’s on October 6 in Jackson; gospel concerts at First United Methodist Church in Canton on October 7 and at OxfordUniversity United Methodist Church in Oxford on October 14; the Tupelo Link Centre Concert & Jam on Thursday October 11; and Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale on October 12. For more information, call 212-265-0260 or visit www.NYCitySlickers.com. Page 66 { October 2012 { Bluffs & Bayous

genres. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, a live concert by Francesca Battistelli, the Dove-Award-winning, contemporary Christian artist. She is the first contemporary Christian artist in ten years to receive a gold album. Performing alongside her are the Sidewalk Prophets, Andy Cherry, and City Harbour. The concert is free to the public. Bring lawn chairs. In case of rain, the performance will be held at the First Baptist Church. For more information contact the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, 601-833-1411, www.brookhavenchamber.com.

October 13 2012 Woodville Deer & Wildlife Festival Courthouse Square Woodville, Mississippi The 2012 Woodville Deer & Wildlife Festival celebrates the cultural, culinary, and artistic heritage of Mississippi’s Woodville and Wilkinson Counties, including attractions such as art, live music, family fun, local food, and children’s activities, in an attempt to engage local citizens in building community pride and enhancing the cultural life of the community through art. The event is set for October 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $5; children 5 years and younger get in free. For more information, visit www.deerandwildlifefestival. com or call 601-888-3998.

PREMIER EVENTS up October 13 Summit Fall & Food Fest Summit, Mississippi Summit, Mississippi, is proud to host its 29th Annual Summit Fall Fest – Arts & Crafts Festival. The cool mid-October weather is perfect for this exciting family outing! Last year, the crowd was large, the atmosphere relaxed and friendly, and the selling profitable. The Summit Rotary Club will host its annual pancake breakfast beginning at 6:00 a.m. with the festival running from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Several new categories highlight the festival this year: an “Author’s Alley”; a Yard Sale area (no yard-sale clothes allowed); an Antiques and Collectibles area; an area for children’s activities, arts and crafts, and yard-and-garden interests; and, of course, the popular food section. Vendors should address these categories as they describe their merchandise on the application. For more information, contact David Feldman at 601-248-8980, 601-276-7179, or david-feldman@att.net. October 18 Guild Celebrates 40th Anniversary Mississippi Craft Center Ridgeland, Mississippi Since 1973, the Craftmen’s Guild of Mississippi has provided Mississippians with fine art crafted from the state’s own valuable natural resources and by the hands of its own talented citizens. This month, the Guild continues this enrichment with its release of I am a Craftsman: 40 at 40 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi and spotlight 40 of its exhibiting members. With over 160 color images, this volume celebrates Mississippi’s finest craftsmen, specifically forty of the Guild’s resourceful artisans who fostered change in the way people perceive craft and have elevated craft to fine art. I Am a Craftsman: 40 at 40 shares their stories and remarkable talents. A Reveal Party to announce the 40 talented artisans featured in the book will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on October 18, 2012, at the Mississippi Craft Center at 950 Rice Road in Ridgeland. The University Press of Mississippi will distribute the books that will be available at Amazon, independent bookstores across the United States, the galleries of the Mississippi Craft Center, and online at www.mscrafts.org. For more information or tickets, call 601-8567546 or visit www.mscrafts.org.

& coming! OCTOBER

October 19 - 21 Great Mississippi River Balloon Race Rosalie Bicentennial Gardens Natchez, MS Every October, the residents of Natchez, Mississippi, open wide their arms of welcome and hospitality to visitors from along and beyond the Mighty Mississippi for the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. Hosting two balloon flights every day, weather permitting, the Balloon Race seems to take over Natchez each year. Everyone rushes out of their homes or into town to watch as the pilots sail overhead in their elaborate balloons. From 8:00 p.m. Friday night until 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon, the Races host numerous musicians, singers, and bands with a wide variety of sounds and genres. Some of the entertainment includes the North Mississippi All Stars, Pat Green, The Lowrider Band, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, Anders Osborne, The Revivalists, Benton Blount, and Lil Poochie & Hezekiah Earl. Games, rides, music, and great food—there is no better place to immerse yourself in such a plethora of excitement and entertainment than the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. Ticket prices vary. For more information, call 601-446-1352, visit www.natchezballonrace.com, or email Babs Price at bprice@callon.com. November 7 - 10 35th Annual Antiques Forum Natchez, Mississippi The Pilgrimage Garden Club (PGC), Natchez, Mississippi, proudly announces the 35th Annual Antiques Forum “Antiques and War Times: The Spirit of 1812,” set for November 7 to 10, 2012, in historic Natchez, Mississippi. Mimi Miller, Executive Director of the Historic Natchez Foundation, recently stated, “Natchez is the perfect milieu for a symposium with a material culture focus. The city is nationally famous for its wealth of architecturally significant buildings and grand interiors, preserved as evidence of the opulent life of the city’s planting society during the first two-thirds of the nineteenth century.” This year’s champion antique-and-art-history event includes scholarly lectures by renowned experts such as repeat contributor Wendell Garrett, Editor at Large, The Magazine Antiques; Betty Monkman, Curator of the White House, Retired; and Daniel Brooks, Director of Arlington Historic House, Retired. Other presenters include Robert Leath; James Birchfield, Ph.D., and Natchez’s own Elizabeth Boggess, Ph.D. In addition to this year’s series of lectures at the Natchez Convention Center, the PGC is excited to announce the inclusion of a day-long tour of local historic homes along the Natchez Trace as well as a Milk Punch Tour at Historic Auburn, Cocktail Reception at National Historic Landmark Stanton Hall, and sunset Cocktails and Cochon de lait at Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 67

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Historic Brandon Hall. The Pilgrimage Garden Club 35th Annual Antiques Forum continues to create a quintessential learning environment to educate and arouse all patrons with a love of history, art, and antiques both local and national. The event

is sponsored by the Pilgrimage Historical Association with assistance from members of the Pilgrimage Garden Club. Ticket price: $275.00 per person. Some events are available separately. For a full price list, brochure, reservations, or more

information, contact Forum Registrar Jan Scarborough at 601-445-7479 or www. natchezantiquesforum.org, or Natchez Pilgrimage Tours at www.natchezpilgrimage.com.

November 8 - 10 Angels on the Bluff Natchez, Mississippi On November 8, 9, and 10 the Natchez City Cemetery Association invites you to join us for the thirteenth anniversary of our annual fundraiser, Angels on the Bluff. The beautiful City Cemetery will serve as the stage for dramatic vignettes and musical performances that bring to life some of the city’s most interesting residents from years past. The evening begins at the Natchez Visitor Center (640 South Canal Street) where you will board a bus at your reserved ticket time. Our enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides will accompany you to your destination where they will share interesting facts about our historic cemetery as they lead you along candlelit avenues under moonlighted oaks to each character’s presentation. Tickets went on sale August 1, 2012, at the Natchez Visitors Center. Plan to purchase your tickets early since they sell out quickly. Call the Center at 601-446-6345 for tickets or go online to www.visitnatchez.org for more information.

Through October 5 Girl Scouts: A Centennial Anniversary Display West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, LA 845 North Jefferson Avenue Ticket prices vary. 225-336-2422 ext. 17 www.westbatonrougemuseum.com Though October 13 Natchez Little Theatre Presents Sordid Lives Natchez Little Theatre Natchez, MS 319 Linton Avenue Mon., Wed., Fri., & Sat. / 7:30 p.m. / $15 601-442-2233 natchez@bellsouth.net / www.natchezlittletheatre.org Through October 14 2012 Fall Pilgrimage Various Historic Natchez Locations Natchez, MS 9:00 a.m. - 12 p.m. / 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 800-467-3742 www.natchezpilgrimage.com

Through October 20 Improvisations in Time: Eugene J. Martin and the Masur Museum of Art Masur Museum of Art Monroe, LA 318-329-2237 www.masurmuseum.org Through November 4 The Great Gatsby New Stage Theatre Jackson, MS 1100 Carlisle Street Time and ticket prices vary. www.visitjackson.org / www.newstagetheatre.com Through November 24 Trailer McQuilkin: An Uncommon Beauty Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art Biloxi, MS Tues. - Sat. / 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 228-374-5547 curatorofcollections@georgeohr.org www.geargeohr.org

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Through November 24 Geoff Mitchell: Chaos at the Confessional Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art Biloxi, MS Tues. - Sat. / 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 228-374-5547 curatorofcollections@georgeohr.org www.geargeohr.org Through November Hollywood Comes to Natchez: A Civil War Film Series Natchez Visitors Center Theater Natchez, MS Every second Saturday 4:00 p.m. / Free 601-446-1289 www.colin.edu/nlcc/fim-series Through December 1 The Art of Eugene Martin: A Great Concept Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art Biloxi, MS Tues. - Sat. / 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 228-374-5547 curatorofcollections@georgeohr.org www.geargeohr.org

up & coming! OCTOBER Through December 2 “Mardi Gras Shipwreck: Recovered Cache c. 1812” West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, LA 842 North Jefferson Avenue 225-336-2422 / 888-881-6811 www.westbatonrougemuseum.com Through January 13 To Paint and Pray: The Art & Life of William R. Hollingsworth, Jr. Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, MS 380 South Lamar Street Prices vary. 601-960-1515 www.msmuseumart.org

October 2 Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon Ministry Center - United Methodist Church Brookhaven, MS South Jackson Street 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. / Doors open 11:30 a.m. Free / Advanced tickets recommended 601-823-5326 www.kdmc.org October 3 - 14 Mississippi State Fair Mississippi State Fairgrounds Jackson, MS 1207 Mississippi Street 601-961-4000 www.mdac.state.ms.us

Through January 13 Artists by Artists Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, MS 380 South Lamar Street Prices vary. 601-960-1515 www.msmuseumart.org October 1 - 2 Cupcake Decorating with Jody Hoff Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Wesson Campus Anderson Food Lab Wesson, MS 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. / $20.00 601-643-8713 www.colin.edu October 2 Co-Lin College Community Art Series Puppet Arts Theatre Peter & The Wolf Rea Auditorium Wesson, MS 7:00 p.m. Free

October 4 Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company of Salt Lake City River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts Baton Rouge, LA 220 St. Louis Street 7:30 p.m. Tickets $25 - $30 Nicole Naquin or Leigh Phillips: 225-766-8379 nicole@batonrougeballet.org leigh@batonrougeballet.org

October 5 - 6 38th Annual Ole Brook Festival Historic Downtown Brookhaven Brookhaven, MS 601-833-1411 / 800-613-4667 www.brookhavenchambercom info@brookhavenchamber.com October 5 - 6 Robeline Heritage Festival Robeline, LA Fri., 5 - 9 p.m. / Sat., 10 a.m. 318-332-4968 Theresa Gibson: tfgibson45@hotmail.com www.robelineheritage.org October 5 - 6 17th Annual Downtown Vicksburg Fall Festival 17th Annual Fall Fest / Bricks & Stokes Vicksburg, MS Downtown - Historic Washington Street Fri., 7:00 p.m. / Live music Sat., 8:00 a.m. / 10-mi., 30-mi., 50-mi. bike rides 601-634-4527 www.downtownvicksburg.org www.visitvicksburg.com October 5 - 7 Gretna Heritage Festival Gretna, LA Downtown Tickets vary. / Available online Fri., 4 - 11 p.m. / Sat., 2 -11 p.m. / Sun., 1 - 9 p.m. 504-361-7748 info@gretnafest.com / www.gretnafest.com

October 4 - 30 Brookhaven Trust Art Exhibit Brookhaven, MS Lincoln County Library Various Mixed Media Art Exhibit www.lincolnlibrary-bookworm October 5 Eden Brent Bowie’s Tavern Natchez, Mississippi 100 Main Street 6:00 p.m. / $15 advance / $20 door 601-431-6149 Bluffs & Bayous { October 2012 { Page 69

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October 5 - 7 Tour de Teche Canoe Race Bayou Teche New Iberia, LA Nicole: info@tourduteche.com 337-394-6232 www.louisianatravel.com October 6 Clinton Market Day—Pumpkin Painting McKnight Park Clinton, MS Downtown 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Butch Hooge: 225-719-1047 www.felicianatourism.org October 6 Out of the Darkness Community Walk for Suicide Prevention Vidalia Riverfront Vidalia, LA 9:00 a.m. Registration / 10:00 a.m. Walk Charlotte Felter Bland: 601-431-8827 facebook.com/groups/400597343330714/ October 6 Town Creek Arts Festival Mississippi Museum of Arts Jackson, MS The Art Garden 10:00 a.m. 201 East Pascagoula Street www.msmuseumart.org October 6 Osyka’s 32nd Fall Fest & Chickin Fixin’ Railroad Avenue Osyka, MS 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Debbie Crawford: 985-229-8053 osykacivicclub1969@yahoo.com October 6 Town Creek Arts Festival Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, MS 380 South Lamar Street 10:00 a.m. 601-960-1515 www.msmuseumart.org / www.visitjackson.org

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up & coming! OCTOBER October 6 - 13 Red River Revel Arts Festival Festival Plaza Shreveport, LA 101 Crocket Street Tickets vary. Sun. - Wed. / 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Thurs. - Sat. / 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Mr. C. L. (Kip) Holloway: 318-424-4000 www.redriverrevel.com / rrr@redriverrevel.com October 6 & 13 An Evening with Jeff Davis & Varina Howell BriarView on the grounds of The Briars Natchez, Mississippi Dinner 6:00 p.m. 601-653-0017; 888-609-1127 October 7 - 14 16th Annual Cruisin’ The Coast Mississippi Gulf Coast Registration / Cruise Central / Gulfport Highway 90 888-808-1188 / 228-385-3847 cruisinthecoast@cableone.net www.cruisinthecoast.com October 8 Old Time Gospel Singing Rocky Springs Church Rocky Springs, Mississippi Noon—Dinner on grounds Off Natchez Trace between Port Gibson and Utica 10158 Old Port Gibson Road 228-466-4782 pnholman@yahoo.com October 9 Music in the City Mississippi Museum of Arts Jackson, MS Trustmark Grand Hall 5:15 p.m. / Hors d’oeuvres & Cash Bar 5:45 p.m. / Program Free 201 East Pascagoula Street www.msmuseumart.org

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October 11 Business after Hours at the HAVEN Brookhaven, Mississippi Membership Party 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. www.haventheatre.org smathis67@yahoo.com October 11 Rotary Club Golf Tournament Co-Lin Golf Course Natchez, MS Lunch 11:30 a.m. / Shot Gun 1:00 p.m. Berl Bratton: 601-669-4017 Darrell Morse: 601-990-3023 October 11 Art Exhibit Reception Brookhaven Trust Brookhaven, MS Lincoln County Library Vernon Room 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.. modestyann@aol.coom October 12 - 13 Octoberfest Cleveland, MS Downtown / Cotton Row 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Ann Dillworth: 662-843-2712 www.visitclevelandms.com anne@clevelandmschamber.com October 12 - 13 Southern Garden Symposium Afton Villa Gardens & Hemingbough St. Francisville, LA 9047 Highway 61 & 10591 Beach Road Fri., 9:00 a.m. / Sat., 5:00 p.m. www.southerngardensymposium.org www.stfrancisville.us October 12 - 13, 19 - 20, 26 - 27 Wesson Chamber of Commerce Haunted House Wesson, MS Old Sunflower Building / Highway 51 7:00 p.m. - Midnight melissameredith@bellsouth.net

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up & coming! OCTOBER October 12 - 14 Festivals Acadiens et CrĂŠoles Convention & Visitors Commission Lafayette, LA 1400 Northwest Evangeline Throughway Free 337-232-3737 info@festivalsacadiens.com / lafayettetravel.com October 12 - 14 Voice of the Wetlands Festival Southdown Museum / Plantation Grounds Houma, LA Fri., 6:15 p.m. / Sat., 12:10 p.m. / Sun., 12:00 p.m. Rueben M. Williams: 985-226-1004 rwilliams@voiceofthewetlands.org www.voiceofthewelands.org / www.louisianatravel.com October 13 Art on the Bluff Bluff Park Natchez, MS Broadway Street 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Yvonne Murray: 601-238-8325 murray@bellsouth.net / visitnatchez.org October 13 2nd Saturday Downtown Natchez Natchez, MS Open Galleries, Shops, Live Music, Wine & Cheese 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 601-238-8325 October 13 5th Annual MS Valley Black & Blue Civil War Living History Historic Jefferson College Natchez, MS 16 Old North Street 11:00 a.m. 601-442-4719 forksyaroads@aol.com / visitnatchez.org

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October 13 Hollywood Comes to Natchez â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Civil Way Film Series: The Horse Soldiers Natchez Visitor Center Natchez, MS 640 South Canal Street 4:00 p.m. / Free 601-446-1208 / 866-296-6522 NLCC@colin.edu / www.visitnatchez.org

October 15 Emily Herring Performance Underground 119 Jackson, MS 119 South President Street 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. / Art & Wine 7:30 p.m. / Performance Tickets vary. 601-960-2300 www.msopera.org

October 13 Phatwater Kayak Challenge Under-the-Hill Saloon Natchez, MS 25 Silver Street / Free Keith Benoist: 601-431-1731 keith@kayakmississippi.com / www.visitnatchez.org

October 16 Unburied Treasures: Greatest Hits Mississippi Museum of Arts Jackson, MS Trustmark Grand Hall 5:30 p.m. / Cash Bar 6:00 p.m. / Program 201 East Pascagoula Street www.msmuseumart.org

October 13 2012 Woodville Deer & Wildlife Festival Courthouse Square Woodville, MS Downtown Admission $5 / Free - 5 years & younger 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. www.deerandwildlifefestival.com 601-888-3998 October 13 Harvest Festival French Camp Academy French Camp, MS Cain-Patterson Gymnasium 662-547-6482 www.frenchcamp.org

October 18 Lebanese Cooking with Lana Southern Cultural Heritage Center Vicksburg, MS 1302 Adams Street 5:30p.m. - 8:00 p.m. $30 / SCHF members; $35 / non-members Reservation required 601-631-2997 info@southernculture.org / www.visitvicksburg.com

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October 18 Junior Auxiliary 25th Annual Shrimp Dinner Brookhaven Recreation Department Brookhaven, MS 689 Old Highway 51 Northeast 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Tickets vary. Valarie Oglesby: 601-754-4249 601-833-3791 www.brookhavenrecreation.com October 18 International Crochet: French Tunisia and Crochet Rolland Golden Gallery Natchez, MS 419 Main Street 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. / $25.00 Carrie Golden Lambert: 985-273-9090 lambert_carrie@yahoo.com October 19 Patty Griffin in Concert Shaw Center for the Arts Baton Rouge, LA 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets on sale 225-344-0334 manshiptheatre.org

up & coming! OCTOBER October 19 Lyman Hardy Day Auburn Natchez, MS 400 Duncan Avenue 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 800-647-6742 visit@natchezpilgrimage.com www.visitnatchez.org

October 21 - 28 Jackson County Fair Jackson County Fairgrounds Pascagoula, MS 2902 Shortcut Road Times vary. / Spectators free Jim Hart: 228-217-1667; 228-762-6043 Jim_Hart@co.jackson.ms.us www.co.jackson.ms.us / www.gulfcoast.org

October 25 Ghost Tales around the Campfire Historic Jefferson College Natchez, MS 16 Old North Street 6:30 p.m. / Free 601-442-2901 info@historicjeffersoncollege.com www.visitnatchez.com

October 19 - 20 Boo at the Zoo Jackson Zoo Jackson, MS 2918 West Capitol Street 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. 601-352-2580 www.visitjackson.com / www.jacksonzoo.org

October 23 9th Annual “Celebrity Dinner & Auction” Brookhaven Animal Rescue League Lincoln Civic Center Brookhaven, MS 5:30 p.m. Doors Open / 6:00 p.m. Events $25 Lu Becker: 601-754-2000 BARL: 601-757-4367; info@barl.net

October 25 Book Celebration & Signing: Choctaw Gardens Hilda Stuart Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, MS 380 South Lamar Street 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. / Signing 7:30 p.m. / Performance 601-960-1515 www.msmuseumart.com

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October 26 - 27 South Louisiana Blackout Festival & Cook-off Acadian Village Lafayette, LA 200 Greenleaf Drive Thurs., 8 p.m. / Fri., 5 p.m. / Sat., 10 a.m. Tickets vary. booking@blackpotfestival.com blackpotfestival.com October 26 - 31 The Myrtles Halloween Experience The Myrtles Plantation St. Francisville, LA 7747 Highway 61 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. 225-635-6277 www.stfrancisvillefestivals.com / www.stfrancisville.us October 27 Natchez Festival of Music Presents Die Fledermaus Margaret Martin Performing Arts Center Natchez, MS 64 Homochitto Street 7:00 p.m. / $25.00 601-445-2210 www.natchezfestivalofmusic.com / www. visitnatchez.org October 27 9th Louisiana Book Festival State Library of Louisiana Baton Rouge, LA 701 North Fourth Street / Free 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. www.louisianabookfestival.org October 27 - 28 Yellow Leaf Arts Festival Parker Park St. Francisville, LA Commerce Street 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 225-635-3665 www.yellowleaf.uniquelyfeliciana.com www.stfrancisville.us

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up & coming! OCTOBER October 27 - 28 75th Anniversary Inaugural Ceremony for Natchez Trace Eola Hotel Natchez, MS Natchez Trace Ball & Dinner Brandon Hall Plantation Barbeque Special Tour www.natchezpilgrimage.com 601-446-6631 October 29 Delta Day Festival Tunica, MS Downtown 9:00 - 5:00 p.m. Lyn Arnold: 662-363-6611 www.tunicmainstreet.com

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OCTOBER up

& coming! October 29 - 31 Brookhaven Little Theatre presents A Grimm Fairytale Haven Theater Downtown Brookhaven, MS 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. shows $5 at the door Purchase season tickets at Ole Brook Fest www.haventheater.org

October 29 Walking Tour Forsythe Park & Garden District Mansur Museum of Art Cooley House Foundation Monroe, Louisiana 10:00 a.m. / $25 318-329-2237 www.cooleyhouse.org October 29 Broadway Bash Chili Cook-Off Broadway on the Bluffs Natchez, Mississippi Entertainment, dunking booth, costume contest, space jump Sponsored by Natchez Rotary Doug Wimberly 601-660-4671 Suzanne Steckler 601-442-8171 dwimberly@jksllc.com s_steckler@bellsouth.net

October 29 Longwood Halloween Carnival Antebellum Longwood Natchez, Mississippi Hayrides, Games, Haunted House, Food, Drink, Tailgate Tent with TV Sponsored by the Pilgrimage Garden Club 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. $5 adults; $3 children 3-12 Free for children under 3 Tickets at gate Ask about our $20-wristband Cara Serio 601-304-1602 Susan Graning 601-807-3068

October 30 Vicksburg Orchestral Society Halloween Spooktacular Southern Cultural Heritage Auditorium Vicksburg, MS 1302 Adams Street 7:00 p.m. / Free 601-631-2997 www.southernculture.org annette@southernculture.org October 31 JTEC Spook-tacular Ghost Walk Clinton, MS Corner of College & Charter 6:00 p.m. Cynthia: 225-721-1514 www.felicianatourism.org November 3 Clinton Market Day â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Main to Main Clinton Courthouse Clinton, MS Carol Shirley: 225-603-9003 www.felicianatourism.org November 10 Magnolia Hall Antiques Yard Sale Natchez, MS Grounds of antebellum Magnolia Hall Refreshments, raffle, and sale 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Doug Mauro: 601-446-2500 Be sure to confirm details of the events should changes have occurred since events were submitted.

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Southern Sampler by H. Clark Burkett

Felix Huston

n the mid 1830s, many men in the South became obsessed with going to help Texas fight for independence against Mexico. One of the most ardent of these men was Felix Huston. Born in Kentucky in 1800, Huston, a planter and Whig politician, was practicing law in Natchez, Mississippi, when the Texas Revolution began in 1835. In April 1835, Huston bought a slave market at the Forks of the Road from a John Toumey but was not able to complete the sale. Toumey still retained ownership at the outbreak of the Civil War. Huston raised troops and money in Mississippi and Kentucky for the Texas cause. He himself incurred a personal debt of $40,000 in order to equip the men he was recruiting, a factor that may have contributed to his being unable to finalize the purchase of the slave market. According to The Handbook of Texas Online, Huston left Natchez on May 5, 1836, for Texas with an estimated 500 to 700 volunteers. Among those

who accompanied him was Rezin P. Bowie, the brother of James Bowie, the famous knife fighter and one of the martyred defenders of the Alamo. Huston and his men marched across Louisiana and arrived at the Texas army headquarters on July 4, 1836, but they were too late to participate in the Texas revolution. However, the President of the Texas Republic, Sam Houston, appointed Huston to the rank of brigadier general in the Texas army and made Huston its temporary commander-inchief on December 20, 1836. Dunbar Rowland states in his Mississippi, Volume I A-K that Samuel and Felix were half brothers. However, they were not related and spelled their last names differently. Huston’s first command consisted of 2,000 men, whom he described as adventurers with little discipline. Among his men, he acquired the nickname “Old Long Shanks” or “Old Leather Breeches” which may have been a term of honor for him (like Andrew Jackson’s moniker “Old Hickory”), but it seems more likely to reflect a lack of respect they had for him. Huston feared that Mexico would invade again and that the city of San Antonio and the nearby historic Alamo mission could not be defended. For the good of the defense of Texas, he felt it would be better if the town and mission were burned and gave the order to do so. However, Colonel Juan Sequin, the Texas commander of San Antonio, was able to intervene and persuade Huston not to burn the city or the mission. Early in 1837, Sam Houston appointed West Point graduate Albert Sidney Johnston the senior brigadier general and permanent commander-in-chief of the Texas army. Huston considered this an insult and challenged Johnston to a duel. The two men fought on February 7, 1837, and Johnston received a wound to the right hip, but Huston emerged from the duel unscathed.

In August 1840, 500 Comanches, under their war chief Buffalo Hump, attacked and plundered Victoria, Texas, and other nearby towns. Huston led a force of 200 men in pursuit and caught up with the Comanches at Plum Creek, Texas; and on August 12, 1840, he attacked the tribal war party. The Texans claimed that 87 Indians were killed in the fight but that the survivors were able to get away with most of the plunder. The Texans themselves lost only one man in the battle. That fall, Huston left Texas and started a law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1844 he became a major campaigner for the annexation of Texas to the United States and by the 1850s was a prominent secessionist. By 1857 he was back in Natchez and died that year. He is buried in nearby Washington in an unmarked grave in the Rodney Burying Ground. Though Huston is not very well known to most students of Mississippi history, he is a familiar figure to many students of Texas history. The late Eugene C. Barker, a prominent Texas historian, stated that Huston was “a typical military adventurer” whose “actual personal service in Texas was more obstreperous than effective; nevertheless, he was a true friend of Texas.”

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Southern Sampler by Alma M. Womack

The Little Guys, the Canines . . . and Our Country

e were lucky this time, for Hurricane Isaac was a not a major problem for our area. We did get a goodly bit of rain and some high winds, but the damage from both was much less than what we had feared. Some cotton that had been defoliated was blown on the ground but not enough to cry over. Probably our milo got the worst damage, for the days of moisture made some of the kernels sprout, a condition that leads to deductions in price from the elevators. And there was a goodly portion of green pecans on the ground; but overall, damage was not much worse than a big thunderstorm. We had Holly’s two children here for the hurricane week since their schools were closed, Coty was working, and Holly was on call at the hospital. I told her to tell the head doctor that, when a hurricane was

coming, my daughter was supposed to be here on Smithland, not in harm’s way. She said that wouldn’t go over too well with her boss; she’d just better show up to help whoever came in. Liza and Drew came on Monday night; and Tuesday, we all went to the cotton fields where the pickers were trying to get the defoliated cotton picked before the storm hit. Of course, Woodrow was with us, too; so there was some real activity on the sidelines. The boys got to ride in the boll buggy tractor with Larry Crouch for a while, and then they rode the pickers with Clarence Duncan and Sammie Mills. Woodrow does this all the time, but it was Drew’s first time to ride on something that large. Drew insisted on calling the pickers “combines,” and Woodrow couldn’t stand it. He’d say, “Drew, a combine cuts milo

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and wheat and rice and soybeans and corn. A cotton picker picks cotton, and these are cotton pickers.” It was to no avail. Woodrow finally asked Mr. “Warry” if he would please tell Drew that they were watching cotton pickers, not combines. That didn’t work, either. Drew left talking about the combines, and Woodrow continued to roll his eyes heavenward at his city cousin’s confusion. While the boys were in between rides, they loaded up the back of my old Excursion with cotton that had dropped on the ground around the modules. They had it thick enough that it made a good bed for them to ride on while we were in the fields. I had a hard time convincing Drew to get in his car seat for the ride to Bude on Friday evening to meet his dad because he wanted to lie in the cotton. That cotton was just very special; and as I type, it is still in the truck for Woodrow to sit in as we make our rounds. When the picking starts again, I will quietly dump it in the module builder and be cotton free until Woodrow realizes it is gone. Since Isaac left, I have spent as much time on the lawn mower and the tractor as I can. The grass is just growing so fast that I can’t keep up even though I am working mightily every day. On Wednesday, I was finishing up the orchard when Woodrow came to ride with me for a while. He has been riding in the tractor since he was just a baby in my lap. Now, he has a pillow seat by my seat so that he can help me look for things while mowing. We were driving along; and he reached over and put his little hand on my shoulder; and I thought to myself, “There is nothing in the world that can compare to the loving touch of a little guy’s hand.” Woodrow helps to look out for the big rats in the grass and the white egrets that follow the trail of the mower. He has as much fun spotting the rats as the dogs do, and he loves to count the birds that follow us. Woodrow is a good mowing companion. Speaking of dogs, there are five here that I feed every day and that follow me around every step that is made outside. All but Archie, the French mastiff who is really Claire’s dog, came here as puppies. Every

puppy has always been allowed to eat inside to keep the big dogs from stealing his supper. Each time I have added a puppy, I have continued to add another feeding pan inside. Now, I have four inside pans and one outside pan to fill every night. I have been mightily ridiculed by certain family members as to my method of feeding dogs. Each dog has a spot and knows his spot. When I let them in, they dutifully go to their pans, eat, and then go back outside. It is very orderly but, unfortunately, easily can go awry. If Woodrow is here, the two smaller dogs get confused as to what they’re supposed to do and run back outside. When they come in the first time, they go straight to their pans; but if they go out before finishing their food, they will stand at the door and furiously wag their tales; and they won’t come in for love, money, or food. I have to banish Woodrow to Buster’s TV room to get the dogs calmed down. Isabelle, the chocolate Lab, has to eat outside, for she tries to steal the other dogs’ pans even while they are eating from them. She will march over, pick up their pans one at a time in her mouth, and take them out to the yard to eat someone else’s supper.

Rocco pays none of them any mind since that puppy is now about 120 pounds and is not intimidated. Archie, too, minds his manners; but he is in a separate room so that he and puppy Rocco won’t fight. When I was gone one night recently, Jorie decided that she would feed all those dogs outside where dogs are supposed to be fed. First, she placed all the pans outside, but the dogs didn’t know which ones were theirs, and they ran around in confusion. Meanwhile, Isabelle politely picked up all the pans and took them to her spot outside and wouldn’t let the others come close. Jorie just gathered up all the pans except Isabelle’s and took them back inside to their appointed spots, the dogs came in and ate, and all was well......finally. The moral of the story is this: do not mess with someone else’s training system even if it is crazy. What works, works. This will be my last article to run a full month before the super important election on November 6 when we will choose either the path of tyranny or liberty, not only for the next four years, but possibly forever. Since this is not a political magazine, I won’t do my usual campaigning; that will be saved for the newspapers. Instead, I will

ask you all to search your hearts and vote for the person who can best lead America out of the dreadful mess that we are in. It is so important that people look at the characters of the people involved, their leadership abilities, and their own personal accomplishments when going in to the voting booth to select the officials who will be leading this nation for the next four years. Vote based on sound principles, not “feelings.” Decisions based on feelings are for teenagers, not adults. Adults should be able to view the information with an open mind and vote for what is best for this nation, not best for their own little group. The one question you should ask yourself is this: Is the country better off than it was four years ago? Your answer will be your vote. As the world situation worsens, please remember our young servicemen who are defending this country in some very unpleasant places. Their young lives are between our country and our enemies, and they do a marvelous job in protecting our nation. Please support them in every way that you can, especially with your prayers for their safety. May God bless the young defenders of freedom, and may God Bless America.

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THE social SCENE | Vicksburg, MS | Sub Deb Mother-Daughter Tea

Sub Deb Mother-Daughter Tea The Sub Deb Social Club in Vicksburg, Mississippi, kicked off its new year with a MotherDaughter Tea on August 12, 2012, at the home of Robert and Marion Murphy. The Sub Deb Social Club is an organization for high school senior and junior girls; its members are voted in by their peers.

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6 7 8 9

Cathy and Abigail Walters Paige and Kim Bowser Camille Bexley and Weesie Biedenharn Katie and Pat Humphries with Denise Franco Madison Heggins, Grace Franco, Amanda Paris, and Julie Mabry

5 Michelle and Brooke McGrew with Kristen and Diane Pennington Joan and Mary Hannah Campbell Sub Deb Sponsors Lacey Lee and Bonnie Henry Hannah and Lynn Stuckey

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Sub Deb Mother-Daughter Tea | Vicksburg, MS | THE social SCENE

10 Emily and Kim Fuller 11 Ginny and Carly Beth White 12 Madison and Anita Lumbley 13 Ann Garrison and Dani Kay Thomas

14 Clara Grace and Renee Turner

15 Marion Murphy and Ginny White

16 Ann Garrison Thomas, Mary Hannah Campbell, and Blaklee Palmertree

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THE social SCENE | Vicksburg, MS | Sub Deb Mother-Daughter Tea

17 2013 Sub Deb Seniors 18 Camille Bexley, Julie Mabry, and Grace Franco 19 Renee Turner, Jane Paris, and Weesie Biedenharn 19

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Crown Club Tea | Brookhaven, MS | THE social SCENE

Crown Club Tea The Junior Auxiliary of Brookhaven, Mississippi, hosted its annual Crown Club Tea in July 2012 at Dr. Chad and Anna Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home in Brookhaven. Crown Club members are tenth-grade and eleventh-grade girls who participate in service projects with children in the community.

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Katie Nations, Glenda Hux, and Anna Smith Tonya Stewart with Caroline Stewart Tonya Stewart, Leah Smith, Katie Nations, Shannon Miller, Stephany Smith, Glenda Hux, and Kelly Cruthirds Back: Ashton Rials, Marlee Watts, Erin Farmer, Audrey Montalva, Hillary Wilson, Elizabeth Craig; middle: Caroline Stewart, Anna Carollo, Jordan Jackson, Kennedy Hudson, Nikki Rowells, Flynn Phillips; front: Alyson Barry, Destiny Allen, Madison Warren, Katie Grace Culpepper, Anna Kathryn Smith, Andie Netherland, Sarah Rice Warren, Anna Gardner, and Renee Kakadia Leah Smith, Katie Nations, Anna Smith, and Shannon Miller

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THE social SCENE | Natchez, MS | Cathedral School' s New Parents Get-Together

Cathedral School' s New Parents Get-Together Cathedral School in Natchez, Mississippi, held its annual New Parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Get-Together, honoring the parents of all new students attending Cathedral for the 2012-2013 school year. The reception was held August 17, 2012, at the home of Shannon and Clay Bland. New parents enjoyed a meet-and-greet buffet luncheon as they were welcomed into the Cathedral Family by school staff and parents of returning students.

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6 7 8

Karri Simpson, Susie Pyron, and Cara Serio Christina Smith, Christie Franklin, and Cheryl Givens Clay and Shannon Bland with Mark and Sarah Carey

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Sarah Meriwether, Kathryn Nutter, and Emily Maxwell Melanie Kennedy and Brittany Kennedy Ledford and Pilar Britt Gwen Massey, Shay Gay, Marcie Carlton, and Kristen Jordan Cara Serio, Stephanie Smith, and Lisa McKnight

United Way Hosts Jambalaya Cook-off | Natchez, MS | THE social SCENE

United Way Hosts Jambalaya Cook-off The United Way for the Miss-Lou held its annual Jambalaya Cook-off on August 24, 2012, in Natchez, Mississippi, with teams from the Miss-Lou area competing for the best jambalaya. This project kicks off the United Way contribution season with proceeds funding United Way services.

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Concordia Bank Team: Cheryl Cummum, Sharon Huff, Debbie Wiggins, and Julie Wagoner Natchez Regional Hospital Team: Teresa Cole, Amy Campbell, Shane Seyfarth, Barbara Willis, Sherri LeMay, Kay Jenkins, Kay Ketchings, Todd Gartner, Dana McGivaren, and Bill Heburn Callon Petroleum Team: Jeremy Bofman, Carol Anders, Carl Knight, Lindsey Butler, Tammy Rouse, Pam Middleton, Dee Newman, and Suzan Hogue The Markets Team: Don Lamana, Callye Hayles, Wendel Melton, Lynda Hayles, and Chuck Parker Community Hospital Team: Gerald Jackson, Sue Loy, Sharon Snow, Kathrine Green, Tammy Johnston, and Julie Hogan

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Southern Sampler by Johnny Bowlin

“I

I Left My Heart in Thibodaux

will not become a Saints fan. They have never been any good.”

These were my words to my Birmingham, Alabama, coworkers before moving to New Orleans in the spring of 2000. You can’t find two more different football cultures than Birmingham and New Orleans. Birmingham is college football with the Tide and the Tigers. Birmingham has had some professional teams like the Fire (World League), Stallions (USFL), Barracudas (CFL), and Vulcans (WFL), but college has been and always will be king. Now, this is not to say football fans don’t like the NFL, but no one team dominates the landscape. The Dirty Nerds, I mean Birds, from Atlanta never have really cornered the Birmingham market. The Titans have some fans, but the loyalties vary. I had, prior to 2000, adopted the Cleveland Browns as my team, a loyalty which would have broken the heart of my Steeler-fan Granddaddy. In 2000, my wife and I moved off to seminary in New Orleans. I can remember that summer going to Lakeside Mall where I went into a sports store and found a Saints hat for like $4.00. I bought it to blend in, it looked good, and it was cheap. We soon

found, though, that the Saints dominate the news all year long in New Orleans. August rolled around, and we saw on TV and heard on the radio that the Saints were having the Black and Gold Game at Nicholls State in Thibodaux. This trip was the beginning of the end of sanity when it comes to the Saints. My wife and I believe that Thibodaux is the hottest place on the planet. I mean, the devil would carry a pocket fan in Thibodaux. It was awesome to see NFL players in person. This was a new experience. Those guys are built like refrigerators and run like deer. We had a blast and the addiction to the Black and Gold began. How bad was it? The first item purchased when we found out my wife was expecting—a Saints infant-sized one piece. I wore a white Saints hat to the hospital the day my wife gave birth. I was late to church in 2000 from sitting in my truck listening to the Saints and Forty Niners. I had people whisper to me “Did we win?” in church that night. I kicked Tickle Me Elmo across our apartment in 2001 after the Saints lost and opened the door for the blasted Falcons to get in the playoffs. I would not recommend kicking Tickle Me Elmo across the room in front of your wife and one-year-old. Not good.

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I have scratched my head at Aaron Brooks and his boneheaded decisions. I got tired of defending Jim Haslett. I cried when the great radio legend Buddy D passed away. I never did like drafting Reggie Bush. We cheered wildly from Birmingham in 2006 as the Superdome reopened and the Saints beat the Falcons. I still blame my brother-in-law Chris for jinxing the Saints in 2006 before the Bears playoff game. We traveled to Millsaps College in 2007 and 2008 to watch the Saints at their summer training camps. We got to meet Drew Brees and get an autograph at the 2008 camp. What else can you say about 2009? I have to admit that this bounty scandal took some of the wind out of my sails this off-season, but my batteries are recharged after a trip to Nawlins Sports in Baton Rouge. I purchased my “Free Payton” T-shirt, and I am ready to go for this season. It has been a strange and never boring trip since 2000 when I ate my words like a beignet. Who Dat!

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