Bluffs & Bayous Sept/Oct 2022

September/October 2022

FOOTBALL FE VER FALL FESTIVAL S FABULOUS FOOD Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 1

FOR TICKETS: natchezballoonfestival.com MUSIC LINEUP SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15

Drive-By Truckers Tank and the Bangas Chapel Hart Nik Parr & The Selfless Lovers YZ Ealey

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14 The Molly Ringwalds

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13

Live At Five - Natchez Bandstand

— WE THANK OUR SPONSORS FOR SUPPORTING THE FESTIVAL —

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Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 3

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PUBLISHER/EDITOR Cheryl Foggo Rinehart

ANNIVERSARY

COPY EDITOR Jean Nosser Biglane GRAPHIC DESIGN Susan R. DeBusk Jan Ratcliff SALES STAFF Cheryl Rinehart Kari L. Blaney

OFFICE Cheryl Rinehart

Jean Biglane

Susan R. DeBusk

Jan Ratcliff

Kari L. Blaney

bluffsmag@gmail.com bbupandcoming@gmail.com www.bluffsbayous.com

PHOTOGRAPHERS Bill Perkins Lisa Whittington CONTRIBUTORS Beth Richard Alma Womack Sam Gwin

225 John R. Junkin Drive Natchez, MS 39120 601-442-6847

Bill Perkins

Lisa Whittington

Alma Womack

Sam Gwin

Beth Richard

FROM THE PUBLISHER

C

learly, this time of the year is one of my favorites with the beginning of football, numerous festivals, and Halloween on the horizon. The days become a bit shorter, and sometimes we may be blessed with cooler temperatures as we transition with the changing of the seasons. We move from lingering, idle days to academic structure and those sports that are entwined with academia.

We begin to rev up for our Friday night lights, our NCAA Saturdays, and those NFL Sundays. In this neck of the woods, football is a “big” thing”. We schedule our other events around this multi-level and multi-venue fall sport. Our summer days have been long, hot, and welcoming of all things summer, all things relating to water activities, beach times, vacations, family gatherings, and celebrating our nation’s birthday on the 4th of July. However, with the approaching Labor Day holiday, we turn away from those summer lifestyles and embrace the festivities that fall brings.

One of this issue’s features showcases area college schedules, a terrific guide to keep close to your television set if you begin Saturday mornings with ESPN’s Game Day and stay glued to your set until the last game of the evening. We also have featured several area festivals that are worth putting on your weekend agenda, and our Up & Coming events include many other festivals of interest for a day’s or weekend’s getaway. Another feature in this issue covers a charming football rivalry engagement party for a “house-divided” couple—Mississippi State and Ole Miss graduates Leslie Willis and Andy Clark (now Leslie and Andy Clark). The beautifully staged party beckoned guests to wear their alma mater clothing as they were welcomed to a themed party with football tailgating and décor relating to the rival Egg Bowl game on Thanksgiving Day. October and November are the harvest months for Louisiana’s sweet potatoes, the state’s official vegetable. We salute this ancient, delicious, sweet-tasting tuberous goodness used as a root vegetable on today’s tables. Recipes abound for this vegetable, but we focus on a couple of easy selections and an interesting collection of “Did You Know?” facts about this treat that you can eat all year long but especially freshly harvested locally during the October-to-November sweet potato season.

We have covered many social events in our Social Scene pages recapping recent spring and summer events. Our Halloween feature focuses on Nancy Burkhalter Whittington’s clever and creative costume design and headpiece and her over-the-top Halloween decorations.

From the Stacks articles in this issue tout a book review of G. Mark LaFrancis’s newly published book, A Song of Hope: A Spiritual Suspense Novel, and Beth Richard’s review of Confessions of A Southern Beauty Queen, a novel by Julie Hines Mabus.

May these two months bring you a full calendar of fun, football, food, festivals, and all that is good in our life along and beyond the Mississippi.

Frank L. “Lee” Smith, IV

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.

ON THE COVER

Pictured on the cover are Leslie Willis and Andy Clark (now Mr. and Mrs. Andy Clark) during their 2021 “Egg Bowl” rivals football engagement party. See coverage on pages 42-47.

Emily Plauché Maxwell

Russell Butts, Jr.

Stephanie Smith

John C. Bergeron

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Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 5

F E AT U R E S

24-28 FALL HOMETOWN FESTIVALS 42-47 TAILGATING RECIPES FOR FOOTBALL RIVALRY 55-61 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULES 2022

SOCIAL SCENES 10 12-13 19 20 21 22-23 32-33 34 40-41 51 52-53 54 54

75 YEARS OF FABULOUSNESS A FUNDRAISER FOR JUDGE DEBRA BLACKWELL TRIBUTE TO VETERANS AND BOOK SIGNING LINCOLN COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS’ ANNUAL WATERMELON CONTEST A GARDEN DEDICATION AMERICAN CRUISE LINE SYMPHONY ANNOUNCEMENT PARTY 92ND BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS BUDDING PHILANTHROPIST CHRISTMAS IN JULY COCKTAIL & FUNDRAISER PARTY CELEBRATING JOSIE CRAIG’S 103RD BIRTHDAY GRAND MARSHALL & LAKE ST. JOHN FLOTILLA CELEBRATION HEUCK RETREAT’S FIRST BAPTIST LADIES POTTERY CLASS WHITWORTH COLLEGE REUNION

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FAV O R I T E S

50 ALONG AND BEYOND HALLOWEEN MAGIC

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FROM THE STACKS

CONFESSIONS OF A SOUTHERN BEAUTY QUEEN

30 A SONG OF HOPE 21 LEGAL NOTES

ASSAULT RIFLE UNDER ASSAULT

36-39 SOMETHING SCRUMPTIOUS

LOUISIANA STATE VEGETABLE THE SWEET POTATO

70 SOUTHERN SAMPLER TREASURED TIMES OF STOMPING COTTON

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UP & COMING LOUISIANA MISSISSIPPI

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Page 8 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

OCTOBER 20-23, 2022

starring

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Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 9

THE

socialSCENCE

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

75 Years of Fabulousness

75th Birthday celebration was held in honor of Ginger Hyland at her home, The Towers, on July A 27, 2022, in Natchez, Mississippi. The bejeweled

event involved glitz, tiaras, and cocktail attire.

The cocktail hour, buffet dinner, and cutting of her birthday cake included champagne toasts for many more happy years of celebrations; and the occasion concluded with a musical presentation and sing-along with guests featuring lead-singer Hyland herself and musical accompaniment by Reverend Geoff Butler and Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson.

1 James and Ginger Hyland 2 Bejeweled birthday cake 3 Toasting the 75th Birthday event: Ginger Hyland, Sharon Blattner, Eugenie Cates, Reverend Geoff Butler, and Mike Blattner 4 James Hyland and Beau Bumgardner 5 James Hyland and Jennifer Smith 6 Charlotte Copeland and Elise Rushing 7 Jennifer and Bobby Smith 8 Mike Rinehart and Bobby Smith 9 Cheryl and Mike Rinehart, A. B. and Margaret Walters, and Donna and Tim Sessions 10 Cheryl Rinehart and Jim Lessley 11 Eugenie Cates and Linda Smith 12 Mayor Dan and Marla Gibson with Randy Smith 13 Mary Lessley, Valencia Hall, and Shirley Petkovsek 14 Jim Johnson, Paris Winn, and Beau Bumgardner 15 Elise Rushing, Mary Lessley, and Marla and Mayor Dan Gibson

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Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 11

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NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

A Fundraiser Party for Judge Debra Blackwell

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social gathering was held Thursday, June 23, A 2022, at The Burn in Natchez, Mississippi, honoring incumbent candidate Judge Debra

Blackwell, who is seeking reelection for Circuit Court Judge. Family, friends, and supporters gathered to show their support for her upcoming election.

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JaMar White and Joe Stone Fred Parker, Jane Gardner, and Jack Kelly Matt and Joanna Kidder Phillip Zuccaro, Judge Debra Blackwell, and Charles Zuccaro Pattye Wallace, Wanda Holder, Judy Strickland, and Linda Golden Betty Jo Krouse and Sue Goss Paige Blackwell with Mike and Brenda Hopkins April Colbert, Cheryl Peterman, and Audra Quin Mark Diamond, Kevin Preston, and Kevin Scott Stone Jack Kelly and Regina Charboneau Tony and Annette Byrne with Margaret Keyes Mike Cloy, Laura Lester, Susan Lester, and Sherry Kiser John Wilkinson, Libby Faircloth, and Ray Bradford

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“Serving The Area For Over 50 Years”

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Judge Debra Blackwell and Fred Parker Lillian Ross Ray and Andrea Bradford Terrel Williams, Judge Debra Blackwell, and Kevin Scott Stone

18 Judge Debra Blackwell and Philip Carby 19 Brenda Hopkins, Lewis Blackwell, Xan Arnett, 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Judge Debra Blackwell, Will and Stephanie Arnett, and Mike Hopkins Eileen Richardson, Linda Golden, Peggy Ballard, Brenda Hopkins, Judge Debra Blackwell, Wanda Holder, and Judy Strickland Judge Debra Blackwell and Walter Brown Jack Kelly and Judge Debra Blackwell Judge Debra Blackwell and Lillian Ross Annette Byrne, Judge Debra Blackwell, and Tony Byrne Judge Debra and Lewis Blackwell Sherry Kiser, Andrea Bradford, and Brenda Hopkins Susan Lester, Sherry Kiser, Judge Debra Blackwell, Laura Lester, and Mike Cloy

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Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 13

FROM THE STACKS

BOOK REVIEW BY Beth

Richard

Commemorating the 34th Annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration scheduled for Thursday and Friday, February 23 and 24, 2023, Bluffs & Bayous offers this review of a book integral to the conference’s presentations and discussions that explore its 2023 theme — “The Better Half? Fact, Fiction or Fable.”

Confessions of a Southern Beauty Queen

by Julie Hines Mabus

W

e first meet Patsy Channing in 1968 as she sits in the infirmary at Mississippi State College for Women, known today as the “W.” Healthy and clueless, Patsy is kept in the college’s infirmary for eight days without any visitors or any explanations about why she must stay there away from her classes and final exams before graduation. The mystery is revealed to us only as Patsy’s incredible true story unfolds through the remainder of the book.

Patsy’s drama in Confessions of a Southern Beauty Queen begins and ends in the infirmary at the “W”; but the unfolding story between the first and last chapters flows from interviews conducted by author Julie Hines Mabus with her friend Patsy. The interviews capture the first twenty-one years of a beautiful, but lonely girl from Memphis, Tennessee, who dreams of becoming Miss America. Raised by a troubled single mother, Patsy grows up a survivor of childhood trauma while experiencing the stress of navigating life in a South that is radically changing.

Through a close friendship with guitarist Steve Cropper, Patsy spends hours at Stax Records where she hears musical legends like Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Isaac Hayes record several of their biggest hits. The music of the late 1960s Memphis Sound helps set the backdrop for the changes facing the South and the shift in the traditions that are so deeply embedded in its culture, and these strains also add an interesting bit of history to Patsy’s personal story.

Into the saga of Patsy’s life, Mabus effectively incorporates the struggle for civil rights, escalating war in Vietnam, assassinations of John F. Kennedy and then Martin Luther King, Jr., the lure of valium, and readily available birth control pills along with Coca Cola and Aquanet hairspray; and in doing so, Mabus portrays a different world from Mayberry and the Andy Griffith Show many of us remember from the 1960s. One of the most significant social changes directly impacting Patsy is the changing roles of women in conflict with the traditional view of femininity and the ideal of the perfect southern belle.

Anything more about Patsy’s life leading to her stay in the infirmary would need spoiler alerts. Honestly, at first, I was not excited about reading this book. I enjoy reading a wide variety of genres, but a book about a would-be southern beauty queen did not appeal to me. However, once I started reading Patsy’s story, I was fascinated by a time in history that is just outside the edges of my memory. The snippet of Patsy’s life that is recounted in the book intertwines so perfectly with the 1960s southern world and its changes and challenges as they overshadow the life of a 21-year-old beauty queen from Memphis.

I enjoyed reading Patsy’s story, and I am also excited to hear from the book’s author, Julie Hines Mabus, who will be one of the outstanding featured speakers at the 34th Annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration the weekend of February 23-24, 2023.

Beth Richard is Director of Library Services at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Natchez Campus.

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LEGAL NOTES

BY

Assault Rifle Under Assault I

wrote an article years ago on the Second Amendment. However, my current commentary is on a Second Amendment issue that stays at the forefront of news and media, and there has been a lot more reporting on the subject since my last article All that being said, I want to look at the issue of “assault rifles” otherwise known as the AR-15. First, the term “assault rifle” is a misnomer. What is referred to as an assault rifle is not a true automatic rifle like a machine gun.

The trigger has to be pulled for every shot fired, so it functions just as any legal pistol, shotgun, or rifle.

I think that 100% of the reason it was given the nickname “assault rifle” is its appearance. The AR in AR-15 stands for “Armalite Rifle” and not assault rifle. (source Wikipedia).

The fact that you can apply a 20-30 round clip to an AR is also the source of controversy. However, you can apply a 30-round clip to a 22 rifle, a .17 cal., and a whole host of other popular hunting rifles.

I am certainly not lost on the fact that AR rifles have been used in the last several years to commit atrocities such as Sandy Hook, Uvalde, and Buffalo as well as others. These have been gutwrenching stories that stir up incredible sadness and heartbreak in any normal human being.

With these tragedies comes the famous mantra, “We must ban all assault rifles,” or even worse, we must ban “all guns.” Consider the issue of what homicides are being committed by “assault rifles” as compared to other causes of death in American lives every year and then how Americans tolerate these other causes of death.

You have heard the old adage, “There are lies! There are damn lies!

And then there are statistics!” Well, let’s look at some statistics that are mostly reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• An average of 380,000 people in this country die each year from tobacco-related causes. I have seen a family member die from having lung cancer, and it was torturous.

• There are 300,000 deaths every year in America due to obesity.

• An average of 95,000 deaths due to alcohol occur in America every year.

• There are over 100,000 deaths from prescription drugs every year in the United States.

• There are 43,000 deaths each year in the United States due to auto accidents.

• There are 45,000 deaths each year in the United States due to guns. Of this number, 24,000 are from suicide and 21,000 are from homicide.

The FBI does not break down the homicides by rifles and shotguns versus pistols very well. It is believed the majority of gun-related homicides are by pistols.

However, if we are talking of a mass shooting, the data is good for this. A mass shooting is defined as the death of four or more persons by shooting. As we know, the majority of mass shootings in the last several years were committed with ARs. Reader’s Digest just came out with a report on mass shootings, and the report states that “1449 people have been killed in mass shootings between 1966 and 2020.”

If you assumed this was the number for the last ten

Page 18 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

Lucien C. Gwin III

years (which is when most of the mass shootings have occurred), then you are talking 144 deaths a year by mass shooting and primarily with an AR. When I consider some of the above statistics, I have to think that the AR rifle is not nearly as much of a problem as other issues pointed out but not addressed by our government.

For example, we actually subsidize tobacco farmers to plant so they can kill 380,000 people a year.

Another factor that is never considered in all of the Second Amendment debates is this: Studies have conclusively shown that every year Americans use their guns to protect themselves from serious violence. Americans defend themselves annually anywhere from 500,000 to 1,500,000 times. The utility of guns, then, greatly outweighs the detriment.

Automobiles kill right at the same number of Americans annually, but the utility of vehicles greatly outweighs the detriment, so thus we continue their use. The same is true for guns.

Our founding fathers were truly brilliant men and knew exactly what they were doing when they incorporated into the Constitution of the United States that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The founders understood the nature of men and the nature of government run by men. To steal a little portion of a speech by Winston Churchill, “Never, Never, Never give up your right to keep and bear arms.”

Lucien C. “Sam” Gwin III was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1981 and has been practicing many aspets of the law at the firm of Gwin, Punches & Kelley in Natchez, Mississippi, ever since.

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NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

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Tribute to Veterans and Book Signing A

ir Force veteran and author G. Mark LaFrancis of Natchez, Mississippi, presented a tribute “In Their Boots: Voices of Our Soldiers” on July 24, 2022, at St. Mary Basilica’s O’Connor Family Life Center in Natchez.

The award-winning tribute is available for schools, civic groups, churches, and all nonprofit organizations through the Mississippi Humanities Council or by contacting LaFrancis at 601-442-0980. This recent presentation was sponsored by the local Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fellowship organization with patriotism as one of its core missions.

Also, this occasion noted the release of Mark LaFrancis’s tenth book, A Song of Hope, a novel set in Natchez with scenes from the basilica. Subtitled A Spiritual Suspense Novel, the book depicts the life of a fourteen-year-old who comes to discoveries about himself, life, and Christianity. LaFrancis personalized copies of this book and explained that it includes numerous Natchez references.

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Calvin Woodfork and G. Mark LaFrancis Calvin Woodfork and Steve Nielsen Darren and Ginger Cowart G. Mark LaFrancis and Eileen Maher John “Captain Jack” Kerwin Johnny Mason, Marcia Thompson, Eileen Maher, Charley Blaney, Pat Biglane, and Sonya Blaney 7 G. Mark LaFrancis with Darren and Ginger Cowart 8 Johnny Mason 9 Steve Nielsen and G. Mark LaFrancis 10 Reverend Aaron Williams and G. Mark LaFrancis

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 19

Vidalia • Ferriday,LA

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THE

socialSCENCE

BROOKHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI

Lincoln County Master Gardeners’ Annual Watermelon Contest

his past spring, the Lincoln County Master Gardeners’ provided approximately 600 fourth-grade T students in the Brookhaven and Lincoln County schools with seeds of the Congo melon to grow for the Master Gardeners’ annual contest. Students were to bring their heaviest melon to the Master Gardener

First-place winner Georgia Ann Roberts

Winning melon showing its weight and Roberts’ name

booth the final night of the Exchange Club Fair on the Saturday in August before school starts. The first place melon this year was grown by Georgia Ann Roberts of Brookhaven Academy; it weighed in at a whopping 59.8 pounds and earned a $125 prize. It is by far the biggest ever for this contest. Previously, the largest was 42 pounds.

Coming in second place was Harper Kyzar and in third place was Jacey Moore, both students at Bogue Chitto Elementary School. Bogue Chitto Elementary had the most participating this year perhaps due to the encouragement of science and social studies teacher Laken Van Norman, who really likes this program. The Master Gardeners encourage more students to plant and grow their seeds next year not only for a chance to win the contest but also to have homegrown melons to enjoy. Those who do this tend to continue planting year after year, and some add vegetables to their crop.

When the Lincoln County Master Gardeners initiated this contest years ago, they won first place for community programs initiated by Master Gardener chapters across the state of Mississippi.This contest is one of the many efforts Master Gardeners execute across the country to connect youth with gardening and agriculture. It can be duplicated by other chapters or organizations. One aspect to note is that only the Congo watermelon seed is distributed to the students. Why you may ask? Well, this melon is not found in stores or markets so must be grown not purchased. It is a delicious watermelon well worth the 90-day growing period from seed to table. It has unique lines on its skin distinguishing it from other species. Photography by Bill Perkins

Page 20 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

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BROOKHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI

A Garden Dedication ore than fifty people gathered on June M 22, 2022, at Silver Cross Health and Rehabilitation Center in Brookhaven, Mississippi, for the unveiling of a plaque commemorating a beautiful new garden dedicated to outstanding Willing Hearts Circle member Pat Duckworth.

This garden was her idea for creating a peaceful place where residents and their families may find solace. Photography by Bill Perkins 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Pat Duckworth Betty Spiller, Virginia Case, and Karen Behan Sylvia Campbell and Sharon Hughes Harriet Procter, Debbie Smith, Barbara Shed, and Katie Nations Fran Massengill and Sonya Foster Mary Lu Redd with Kings Daughters Medical Center Executive Director Alvin Hoover Pat Duckworth and Harriet Procter Fran Massengill and Harriet Procter Pat Duckworth with Phil and Emry Duckworth Jillian Sicks, Debbie Smith, and Karen Behan Ribbon Cutting

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2023 771 Brookway Blvd.

Brookhaven, MS 39601

November 15, 2022

601•445•4187

317 John R. Junkin Drive - Natchez, MS 39120

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 21

THE

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NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

American Cruise Line Symphony Announcement Party

T

he City of Natchez held a cocktail party at The Carriage House in downtown Natchez, Mississippi, on August 10, 2022, to publicly announce both the arrival of the new cruise ship Symphony, headed to Natchez for its christening on August 30, and to publicly reveal the city’s association with the vessel as the God Mother City of the Symphony. In 2025, Natchez will be the “Port of Origin” for the Symphony, the locale where cruises will begin and end.

Musical entertainment for the event was provided by Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson with commentary by Visit Natchez Director Devin Heath, Mayor Gibson, and The Natchez Garden Club and Pilgrimage Garden Presidents.

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Betty Ann Perkins and Mayor Dan Gibson Rusty Jenkins and Betty Ann Perkins Natchez Miss Hospitality Anna Simmons and Visit Natchez Director Devin Heath Sarah Sookraj, Ann Ward, and Sela Gaudé Cheryl Rinehart, Donna Sessions, Michael Boykin, and Carol Jones Jimmy and Carla Allgood, Sarah Smith, Pat McDonough, and Mayor Dan Gibson Sarah Sookraj, Jessica Cauthen, Devin Heath, and Julia Griffin Neifa Hardy, Betty Ann Perkins, Mary Lessley, Mayor Dan Gibson, and Myrtle Page Merritt Karen HIll, Chesney Doyle, Norma West, and Diane DuPont Andrea Bradford and Martha Salters Scott Kimbrell and Pat Burns Emily Williams with Hunter and Ginnie Rogillio Cathy Boutwell, Ann Ward, and Karen Hill Jimmy Allgood, Mamie Henry, and Steve Campo Bryant Cannon and Marsha Colson Chase and Sarah Lindsey Laukhuff Natchez Adams County Chamber of Commerce Director Lyn Jenkins and Cheryl Rinehart

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“Best of the Miss-Lou Furniture Store” “Best of the Miss-Lou Appliances”

506 Louisiana Ave. 524 Franklin St. Ferriday, LA 71334 Natchez, MS 39120 Mon-Fri 9-6 / Sat 9-3 Tue-Fri 10-5 / Sat 10-2 318-757-9227 • BrakenridgeFurnitureCo.com

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L L A F n w o t e HoFmestivals

THE 37 th ANNUAL NATCHEZ BALLOON FESTIVAL OCTOBER 14-16

Natchez, Mississippi

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Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 29

FROM THE STACKS

B

eginning writers are often told, “Write what you know.” The same advice holds true for veteran writers.

In his latest novel, G. Mark LaFrancis of Natchez, Mississippi, follows that advice with abundance. A Song of Hope: A Spiritual Suspense Novel is set in Natchez, where LaFrancis lives, and is filled with scenes inside St. Mary Basilica, the magnificent Roman Catholic Church in the heart of downtown. In fact, the church in a way becomes a major “character” in the story.

LaFrancis and his family have attended St. Mary Basilica since they arrived in Natchez in 1990. A Song of Hope is his homage to the church where he and his wife still serve as lectors. The book is dedicated in part to the late Reverend Al Camp, who once served as pastor of St. Mary Basilica A Song of Hope tells the story of fourteenyear-old Jesse Christopher, who lives in a modest home with his grandmother Thelma in the fictitious “Wrightside” neighborhood, nicknamed Troubletown because young men like Jesse are more frequently named in police reports than society pages. Wrightside is named after famed international author Richard Wright, who was the grandson of sharecroppers and who actually lived in Natchez for a brief time. Given the age of its young protagonist, this book appears to be written for early and middle teens; however, it provides an enjoyable experience for a wide range of readers.

Jesse’s talent is not writing, but singing; and he is mentored by the likeable music teacher Arwin Shelton, who has taken

BOOK REVIEW

Jesse under his wing. Jesse, though, becomes caught in a web of lies and misdeeds from which he can seem to find no way out.

Now, about the church. By accident, Jesse finds refuge in the church and is enthralled by the exquisite statuary, stained glass windows, and murals.

The church has an almost mystical magnetism for Jesse as evidenced in this passage: Jesse rubbed his eyes. Before him was a most magnificent sight: an expanse some sixty feet wide and onehundred-fifty feet long. The ceiling, some two-hundred feet from the floor, was like the sky, a canopy of blue with gold trim and painted stars. But this was no flat ceiling; it was a series of wide arches supported by eight great cream-colored columns. Intricately carved designs decorated the arches.

Woven throughout the story are the songs “Amazing Grace” and “Here I Am, Lord” that are important to Jesse because their lyrics inspire and intrigue him even though he has no religious training. For example, the last verse of “Amazing Grace” describes Jesse’s wonderment at the words: When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.

He did not know why, but he liked that final verse best; he surmised it had something to do with the first two lines: “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.” He had no clue to whom the song referred or where those people had been ten thousand years and why they should be bright shining as the sun, but the words had some sense of wonder and power.

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In addition to depicting St. Mary Basilica, LaFrancis also weaves into this tale Natchez’s importance in history, particularly African American history. For instance, when Mr. Shelton schools Jesse about how Richard Wright managed to escape the bonds of poverty and prejudice, he takes Jesse to the house where Wright lived and to the site of the Civil-War-era slave market “Forks of the Road” where Wright’s ancestors were brought as slaves and sold to area plantations. LaFrancis even references the great Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration which bestows the Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award every year to a noted author.

Jesse also experiences the fascination of the famous Natchez Bluff and the Mississippi River where cruise ships and commercial barges still travel.

Life for Jesse, though, becomes rough as his friend and nemesis Tony tempts him to join the “dark side” of Troubletown, further complicating the young teen’s struggles: Jesse always lived life on the edge; he had come to believe that was the way everyone lived. Life was supposed to be tough. Maybe that guy Richard Wright got out, but he was one in a million. As Tony often said, “The only people who fail are those who deserve to fail.”

To avoid a spoiler, suffice it to say that A Song of Hope has a big ending, the kind for which LaFrancis is known. He was strongly influenced by the books and movies of his formative years in the 1950s and 1960s, and he often says he tries to see the stories unfold like a movie as he writes. All five previous novels (which indeed are intended for young audiences) have the same literary treatment, and all are set in and around Natchez. Also, they are chapter books and fast-paced reads.

This structure allows experienced readers to breeze through the novels while giving lessadvanced readers confidence that they, too, can enjoy his work.

A professional film maker, journalist, poet, and teacher, LaFrancis strives to give readers satisfying, memorable stories.

A Song of Hope definitely fulfills that mission. For additional information about this novel, visit www.gmarklafrancis.com, Amazon.com/G. Mark LaFrancis.

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 30

Y OUR H OME L OAN S PECIALIST

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THE

socialSCENCE

MAGNOLIA/BROOKHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI

92nd Birthday Celebrations

A

lthough her birthday is July 16, Betty Ann Perkins enjoyed birthday celebrations of her turning 92 that began Friday, July 15, at the Creole Cottage Cafe in Magnolia, Mississippi.

Celebrations continued at lunch and dinner on Saturday, July 16, at her home, Woodleigh, in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Then, there was Sunday brunch with Mercedes Ricks and friends at La Mariposa in Magnolia. Birthday gatherings continued till the end of the month from Brookhaven to Lake Caroline. During recent years, multiple celebrations have become a tradition for friends and family to celebrate how young Perkins is. “And many more!” Photography by Bill Perkins

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Betty Ann Perkins at Adele’s On The Boulevard Betty Ann Perkins with floral arrangement Phyllis Spearman Eva Claire Snow Betty Ann Perkins and Mike Durabb Willie Vandenheuvel and Betty Ann Perkins Violetta Easley and Betty Ann Perkins Betty Ann Perkins with cake at the Creole Cottage Cafe 9 Betty Ann Perkins and Jimmy Harris 10 Sharon White, Betty Ann Perkins, and Deborah Richardson

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Barbara Davis and Linda Richardson Jim Harris and Ted Dear Betty Ann Perkins with cake at Woodleigh Martha Ann and Ralph Peeples, Linda Richardson, Betty Ann Perkins, and Bill Perkins Betty Ann Perkins and Mercedes Ricks at La Mariposa Tina Benge and Betty Ann Perkins Bobbye Baham and Betty Ann Perkins Sharon White and Rossi Johnson Front—Betty Ann Perkins, Sam Malvaney, and Bobby Lacoste / Row 2—Susan and Tom McMillan / Row 3— Cynthia Thomas and Ashley Lacoste / Back—Wayne Thomas and Ricky Turner Betty Ann Perkins Front—Betty Ann Perkins and Bill Boerner / Row 2— Merrie Boerner and Ted Dear / Row 3—Kay Calcote, Dan Gibson, and Kseniya Savelyeva / Back—Barbara Davis, Marla Toman Gibson, and Peggy McNeil Betty Ann Perkins, Donna DeLee, and JoAnn Bennett Betty Ann Perkins with Michael and Cecile Harris Theresia and Don Perkins with Betty Ann Perkins Natchez, Misississippi, Mayor Dan Gibson and Betty Ann Perkins

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The Natchez Garden Club .....where it all began 1927 3rd Thursday Supper September 15 • 5:30 pm

­

Balloon Festival Brunch October 15 • 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

for informations on local events

www.facebook.com/bluffsandbayous

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 33

THE

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NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

Budding Philanthropist

oung Caroline McKnight with the help of her mother, Ya lemonade Lisa McKnight, both of Natchez, Mississippi, set up stand for the public during the 4th of July

weekend and its concert on the Natchez Bluff featuring the band Alabama. Caroline’s purpose was to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. On her Facebook page, Lisa McKnight thanked the community for its support of Caroline’s project: “WOW!! THANK YOU to the MISS LOU and her visitors for making our 4th of July lemonade stand a SMASHING success! A special thanks to Joe and Sue Stedman at Crye Leike for letting us utilize your prime location for our benefit. Caroline McKnight has been talking about doing this fundraiser since the winter. We were finally able to make it happen and were able to donate $1304 to St. Jude!! I wish I could list everyone that donated but I’m afraid I will leave someone out. Please know we thank you from the very bottom of our full hearts!!”

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1 Caroline McKnight with her lemonade stand.

2 Haley Burnsed, Aubrey Oglesby, and Caroline McKnight.

3 Caroline McKnight in front with Lisa McKnight and visitors from Belgium

4 Caroline and Thomas McKnight 5 Dr. Geoffrey Flattmann with Caroline McKnight 6 Caroline and Lisa McKnight selling unique, homemade bookmarks made by Aubrey Oglesby and Caroline McKnight

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October is National Pet Wellness Month

Contact Us Today to Set Up Your Best Friend’s Wellness Exam Page 34 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

IN OUR TEAM WE TRUST!

All your need to make game day a winner!

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 35

LOUISIANA STATE VEGETABLE

The Sweet Potato

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SOMETHING SCRUMPTIOUS

L

ouisiana, designated the sweet potato as its official state vegetable in 2003. Sweet potatoes can be traced to the centuries-old B.C.E. life in Mexico, Central and South America, and the West Indies. Their botanical name (Ipomoca batata) was derived from the Native Americans of Louisiana, who were growing them in native gardens as early as 1540 and who referred to these potatoes as batatas.

Once sweet potatoes are gathered and sorted, they are taken to be cured. Curing is the process that helps sweet potatoes heal from any cuts, bruises, or places where the skin accidentally has been removed.

Sweet potatoes don’t get ripe like other crops.

They will continue growing as long as the plant has green leaves 120 to 150 days after harvesting.

It takes six-to-eight weeks after harvest for sweet potatoes to reach their peak sweetness when baked.

ONCE COOKED, SWEET POTATO SKINS ARE EASILY REMOVED BY PEELING AWAY.

Sweet potatoes are more nutritious if cooked with the skin on.

FRESH SWEET POTATOES SHOULD BE COOKED WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO OF BEING PURCHASED.

Fresh sweet potatoes can be stored for up to a month.

When using candied yams, add them at the end of the recipe because they are already pre-cooked.

WHEN GRILLING SWEET POTATOES, YOU MUST USE METAL SKEWERS BECAUSE THEY WILL COOK THE INSIDE OF THE VEGETABLE AND SPEED UP THE COOKING TIME. One cup of sweet potatoes = medium sized, cooked, fresh sweet potato

SWEET POTATOES SHOULD NOT BE REFRIGERATED UNLESS COOKED. STORE AT 55 DEGREES TO 65 DEGREES F.

Always use a stainless steel knife when cutting a sweet potato; using a carbon blade will cause the yam to darken.

SWEET POTATOES ARE ROOTS.

POTATOES ARE TUBERS.

Enslaved africans called sweet potatoes “nyami” because they reminded them of that starchy, edible tuber of the name that grew in their homeland. The senegalese word “nyami” was shortened to “yam.” The beauregard has a sweet, rich flavor, bakes well, and is disease-resistant.

In 1987, dr. Larry ralston, an entomologist with lsu agriculture center’s research branch, developed a more insect-resistant sweet potato and named it beauregard.

Sweet potatoes were grown in Peru as early as 750 B.C.E.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE FIRST U.S. PRESIDENT, WAS A SWEET-POTATO FARMER. APPROXIMATELY 4.2 POUNDS OF SWEET POTATOES ARE CONSUMED ANNUALLY IN THE U.S. In 1910, the U.S. Census Bureau’s agriculture statistics showed that there were more than 55,000 acres planted with sweet potatoes in Louisiana. In 2004, there were approximately 20,000 acres.

A BAD CROP OF COTTON TURNED FARMERS IN SOUTH LOUISIANA TO SWEET POTATOES AS A CASH CROP IN THE 1930S.

Louisiana sweet potato farmers started using the term “yam” several decades ago as a national marketing tool to help distinguish their variety from those grown on the East Coast.

NATIVE AMERICANS ALREADY WERE GROWING SWEET POTATOES WHEN COLUMBUS ARRIVED IN THE AMERICAS IN 1492.

BOTH LOUIS XV’S AND EMPRESS JOSEPHINE’S FONDNESS OF THE SWEET POTATO ENCOURAGED TWO SHORT PERIODS OF POPULARITY IN THE LATE EIGHTEENTH AND EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURIES.

Sweet potatoes have been growing in the South since as early as 1648.

IN 2004, 98,300 ACRES OF SWEET POTATOES WERE PLANTED ACROSS THE NATION.

FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL POTATO LOVERS MONTH! Sweet potatoes are stored in temperature- and humidity-controlled warehouses that extend the shelflife for the entire year. The season for fresh sweet potatoes is 12 months.

From sweetpotato.org

LOUISIANA PRODUCES 20.3% OF THE ANNUAL U.S. PRODUCTION OF SWEET POTATOES.

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 37

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Hasselback is a potato cut part of the way through into small slices and then baked in an oven with some oil or butter.

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 10-12 ounces each) Kosher salt and black pepper ½ stick butter

½ teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons finely chopped sage 1 shallot, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon Cane Maple Syrup

3 garlic cloves, chopped Heat oven to 425ºF with rack set in middle position; place a large cast-iron skillet on middle rack while oven preheats. Wash and thoroughly dry potatoes.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; then place cut side down on a cutting board. Working with one half at a time, arrange wood skewers or chopsticks along length of potato half. Cut ⅛-inch slices crosswise (top to bottom) nearly all the way through the potato (about 80% of the way through), stopping before you cut through the bottom. (The wood skewers should act like bumpers and keep your knife from slicing all the way through.)

Carefully remove skillet from oven and drizzle 1 tablespoon oil in pan; swirl to coat. Gently arrange sweet potato halves, cut side down, in a single layer; drizzle ½ teaspoon oil over each potato half and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Return skillet to oven and bake sweet potatoes 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; stir in 1 teaspoon salt, garlic, nutmeg, and syrup. Cook until fragrant and bubbly, about 30 seconds.

Turn off the heat; stir in sage.

Remove sweet potatoes from oven, and separate slices using a fork or knife. Fit a few slices of shallot between sweet potato slices (3 or 4 per potato); spoon butter mixture evenly over potatoes.

Return skillet to oven and bake potatoes 10 minutes more. Turn oven to broil, and broil potatoes 2-4 minutes until edges are crispy and charred.

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The large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots of the sweet potato can be prepared in a variety of ways including baked, Frenchfried, and candied.

The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens.

Best Sweet Potato Fries Ever Serving Size 4-6

The baking times are approximate; they depend on how thick you cut the wedges or rounds of sweet potatoes. Try to cut them evenly so they all cook at about the same rate. For best browning results, bake only one sheet at a time. For extra caramelization, sprinkle fries with a little sugar before putting in the oven. For extra flavor, try swapping out half of the oil with melted butter.

2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 3 large) 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 to 2 tablespoons spice or spice combination of your choice: chipotle powder, smoked paprika, Chinese five-spice, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, Cajun seasoning, etc.

Preheat oven to 450°F. (For more crispiness, preheat your oven to 500°F.) Place a roasting pan or heavy duty baking sheet (one that can take high heat) in the oven to preheat.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and then, if they are very long, in half crosswise. Cut each piece into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick wedges.

Alternately, you can slice the peeled sweet potato into disks either with a mandoline or a sharp knife. Toss with oil, salt, and spices.

Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl, and add the oil. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with salt and spices of your choice. Use your hands to mix well so all pieces are coated with oil and spices.

Remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven. Carefully spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on the baking sheet. (Watch out, the pan is hot!)

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and use tongs to turn over all of the sweet potato pieces. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 15 minutes, or until they are well browned.

Cooking time depends on the temperature of the oven (500°F will need less cooking time than 450°F) and the size and thinness of the sweet potato wedges.

The browner they are, the crispier they will be; but there is a fine line between browned and burnt beyond edibility. Even if they get really dark, they should still be good because of the natural sugars of the sweet potatoes caramelizing. So watch carefully. When ready let the fries cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Visit the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission website sweetpotato.org for a plethora of recipes using sweet potatoes as well as for sweet-potato-related activities for children: Below is a “healthy” option recipe for sweet potato fries from the commission’s website and Louisiana-known author and cook Holly Clegg. Visit Holly Clegg’s website thehealthycookingblog.com.

The Healthy Cooking Blog Holly Clegg sweetpotato.org Serving Size 4-6

4 sweet potatoes

Chopped parsley (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Nutmeg to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or line with foil. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch thick lengthwise strips; toss with oil. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet; bake 15-20 minutes. Turn potatoes over; bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown all over.

Season to taste; sprinkle with parsley.

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 39

THE

socialSCENCE

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

Christmas in July Cocktail & Fundraiser Party T

he Christmas in Natchez Committee held its annual fundraiser July 28, 2022, at Dunleith Historic Inn in Natchez, Mississippi. Guests enjoyed sampling passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while joining in the bidding for silent auction items donated by area merchants.

Dunleith’s exterior was festive with holiday garlands and red bows while the grounds displayed the new Christmas décor—the themed Twelve Days of Christmas and nursery rhyme decorations to be purchased for the town’s Memorial Park, and a Christmas backdrop of colorful Christmas tree lights to be placed on the bluff for everyone to use for photos. Lending a hand on the decorations were Tim Fitzpatrick and daughter Kelly from Christmas Depot, who decorated the downtown for Christmas during the filming of the Hallmark movie in 2021. On hand for musical entertainment were guest artists Amy Allen and Mayor Dan Gibson.

1 Kari Blaney, Christy Williams, Stratton Hall, and Patricia Cothren 2 Marc and Sissy Blackwood, Karen Hill, and Patricia Duffy 3 Kim Chauvin Graves and Lisa Whittington 4 Kippy and Kari Blaney 5 Amy Allen 6 Christmas in Natchez Committee: Curtis Moroney, Stratton Hall, Sarah Lindsey Laukhuff, Patricia Cothren, Jaki Robinson, Mamie Henry, and Kari Blaney 7 Tim Fitzpatrick and Kelly Fitzpatrick 8 Sarah Lindsey Laukhuff and Caurie Norris 9 Rusty Jenkins, Ritchie Montgomery and Debbie Willson 10 Steve Campo, Robin and Scott Christian, and Suzanne and Scott Landers 11 Sue Burkhalter, Brad Yarbrough, and Sally Fink 12 Marla and Mayor Dan Gibson, Tracy McCartney, and Richard Hess 13 Devin and Janice Heath with Katie and Bubba McCabe 14 Elizabeth and AB Walters 15 Dianna Glaze, Steve Campo, Mamie Henry, Diane Dupont, Jason Dauphin, Devin Heath, and Debbie Germany 16 Jeanne Lanneau and Helen Smith 17 Tracy McCarthney and Mayor Dan Gibson

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s e p i c e R g n i t a g il a T for In Mississippi, football rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State during the Egg Bowl means as much to Mississippi as the Iron Bowl rivalry between Alabama and Auburn means to football fans in Alabama. Sportswriter Blake Toppmeyer claims that the State-versus-Ole Miss game “is usually good for a fight, or an infamous moment during the Egg Bowl.” Countless households around the state sport competing team colors in their door, porch, and yard decorations and on the rally flags they fly during football season; and parents draw their children into the rivalry, seeking to influence them to sport one team’s (and not the other’s!) football jersey or cheerleader outfit on any given Saturday during football season.

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 43

A festive example of such competitive, football-team loyalties occurred late in Football Season 2021, when college rivals Leslie Willis and Andy Clard were celebrated with a “tailgate engagement party” at the home of Taylor Clark in McComb, Mississippi. Here, they share some of the recipes for their party fare that would be perfect for your tailgate gathering, whether on campus or at home, with friends and family supporting your favorite team and cheering those gridiron guys on to victory.

Hot Chicken Dip

--Lisa Loper

grated cheese. Bake until hot and bubbly. Serve with pita chips

“Offensive” Olive Dip --Nancy Smith

8 ounces cream cheese 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 cup chopped olives 1/2 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons olive liquid juice Dash pepper Paprika

Mix well all but the paprika.

2 cans chicken breast in water, drained, Sprinkle with paprika just before or rotisserie chicken serving with crackers.

1 can cream of chicken soup 1 medium onion, sautéed in butter to soften 2 packages cream cheese, softened ½ cup mayonnaise Onion powder, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes to taste Mix ingredients, place in a large casserole, and top with

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Football Chipped Beef Cheeseball

-- Carla Stringer

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese 1 jar dried beef 4 small onions, diced very small 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Finely chopped pecans 1 bell pepper Soften cream cheese and place in mixer with next four ingredients.

Once well combined, form the mixture into the shape of football; and roll/cover the outside in finely chopped pecans. Cut strips of bell pepper to create the white stitching of a football. Serve with wheat crackers. Perfect for any tailgate!

Mississippi in May Lemon Cookies

--Sarah Delee

1 cup sugar 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs Zest of one lemon 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup pecans, finely chopped Powdered sugar, optional

Seafood Jambalaya --Tony Stringer

2 pounds shrimp (or 1 pound each of shrimp and crawfish) 1 can Rotel tomatoes 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped 4 stalks celery, chopped 4 cups uncooked Uncle Ben’s converted rice 1 can French onion soup plus 1 tablespoon water 1 can cream of mushroom soup plus 1 tablespoon water 1 1/2 sticks butter 1 pound sausage, sliced 1 box chicken broth Thaw shrimp and crawfish. Slice sausage, cook in pan, and drain grease. Sauté Rotel tomatoes, bell pepper, green onions, and celery in butter; and then add shrimp/ crawfish and sausage to vegetables. Add rice, soups, chicken broth, and water; and mix well. Pour all ingredients into a greased 9 x 13 Pyrex dish and cover with foil. Place in the oven and bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Serve with French or garlic bread.

Beat butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add grated lemon rind and lemon juice; then blend. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Divide into three equal portions; roll each portion on wax paper to a 12-inch log. Cover and freeze. Cut each log into ½-inch slices, and place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Roll in powdered sugar while warm.

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 45

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Email: contact@rhvnlaw.com Best Practices Certified

Downtown and All Around Our City...Vicksburg

Vicksburg

, MISSISSIPPI

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8 @ 8:00 A.M. Proceeds to benefit: The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation

Online Registration

Musical entertainment, fun and refreshments for all runners, walkers and volunteers will follow the race in the Ameristar Delta Point parking lot.

Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation 1302 Adams Street, Vicksburg, MS 39180

601-631-2997

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 49

Halloween Magic Nancy Burkhalter Whittington of Madison, Mississippi, loves to embrace the holidays but none more than Halloween. She and her husband Dr. Alex Whittington have hosted Halloween parties in the past before Covid. Halloween 2021 found Nancy organizing her Livingston Neighborhood tent party in their home’s cul de sac. Tents were decorated for the outdoor social gathering, and the evening concluded with a hayride for the trick-or-treaters. Nancy spent three weeks creating the headpiece for her Medusa costume, an original design. We are sure she was a hit among the Halloween revelers.

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Bank of Franklin – We’ll Get You There.

We at Bank of Franklin are committed to seeing you through the big moments in life. Whether you’re planning for that once in a lifetime celebration or saving for that long-awaited dream house, Bank of Franklin cares about the financial needs of our customers. For 110 Years, Bank of Franklin has provided the best in banking services to bring peace of mind to you and your family.

bankoffranklin.com | Meadville | Brookhaven | McComb

THE

socialSCENCE

NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

Celebrating Josie Craig‘s 103rd Birthday (Dolly) Craig celebrated her 103rd Jin osie birthday on May 8, 2022, at Katie’s Ladies Natchez, Mississippi, where she still loves

her beautiful clothes. “Ms. Josie,” a resident of Concordia Parish, Louisiana, says she is a miracle having never smoked, drank, or taken medication. She is a member of First Baptist Church and The Natchez Garden Club and is a faithful bridge player meeting once a week for this challenging card game. She loves her family and great grandchildren. Katie’s Ladies’ girls look forward to Ms. Josie’s 104th celebration in 2023.

1 Jimmy Lou Vasser and Josie Craig Vickie Mergner, Shirley Booth, and Jean Marie Richard Sherrill Sasser, Joy Irving, and Josie Craig Shanda Graves, Crystal Rodriguez, and Josie Craig Judy and Jerry Herring with Josie Craig Josie Craig, Kimberly Boothe, and Jean Fairbanks Paula Joseph, Ann Rabb, and Nan New with Josie Craig Josie Craig with Barbara Persons Dianne Jordan, Angela Gibson, Tanna Davis, and Katie McCarstle with Josie Craig 10 Kim Brown and Josie Craig 11 Jean Fairbanks, Josie Craig, Penny Gregg, Lollie Hammett, and Dorothy Chauvin

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Lake St. John Flotilla Grand Marshal and Lake St. John Flotilla Celebration

FERRIDAY, LOUISIANA

In celebration of the Fourth of July, a Grand Marshal Party was held at The Oxbow on Lake St. John near Ferriday, Louisiana, on Friday, July 1, 2022, to honor all the past Lake St. John Flotilla Grand Marshals, kings, queens, and their families and friends. The Grand Marshal for 2022 was Kathy Cook. On July 2, the Lake St. John Flotilla got underway with the traditional Blessing of the Fleet as the large procession of decorated boats began it caravan around the lake passing by judges stationed at various piers to determine the best-decorated boat. The day’s events also included a contest for the best pier decorations and an at-dusk fireworks display that ended the holiday’s celebration. The winner of the best theme-decorated boat was Top Gun. 1 Grand Marshal Float with GM Kathy Cook 2 Grand Marshal Friends & Family: Front—Angie Pace, Matthew Guidry, Barbara Pace, Jordan Guidry, and Delaney Guidry / Row 2—Coye Pace, Halie Guidry, Lori Cowart, Kathy Cook, Tammy Terrio, and Mark Turner / Row 3—Jeremy Rowzee, Mike Cook, Hannah Cook, Randy Cowart, and Abby Kahrs / Back—Hunter Cook, Brett Cook, Jillian Cook, and Justin Bonura 3 Mary Catherine and Milton Rawles 4 Refreshment table with sponsor banner 5 John Bennett Fudickar, Johnny Fudickar, and Marvin Bossett 6 Flotilla Winner, Top Gun 7 Christy Farmer and Jimmy Riley 8 Drew David 9 Grand Marshal Kathy Cook with Mike Cook 10 Glen Wisner and Cameron Harris 11 Nancy and Andy Anders with Richard Alwood 12 Barbara and Coye Pace 13 Flotilla Committee Kari Blaney, Richard Alwood, Mandy Wisner, and Susan Harris (not pictured Wesley Steckler) 14 Mary Ruth Caldwell and Mandy Wisner 15 Grand Marshals, past and present: Kippy Blaney, Andy Anders, Steve Kaiser, Kathy Cook, Mary Catherine and Milton Rawles, Kay Kilen, Richard Alwood, Richard Prescott, and Johnny Fudickar

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BROOKHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI

Whitworth College Reunion

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n July 16, 2022, the alumni of Whitworth College O met on its former campus, currently the home of the Mississippi School of the Arts, in Brookhaven, MIssissippi,

at 10:00 A.M. for the sixth annual reunion. Held in the Mary Jane Lampton Auditorium, the event was hosted by Whitworth alumni Willie Harrell and Brianna Moore-Christa, author of Theatre of War, the early history of Brookhaven and Whitworth College.

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Brianna Moore-Christa and Dwight Ramsey Darlene Gerald-Johnson and Harry Johnson David Peavey and Marcus Peavey Dorothy King-Sellers, Rhoda Everett, and Andrea Dawson-Fortenberry Dwight Ramsey and Gay Everett-Fuller Dwight Ramsey, Gay Everett-Fuller, and Aubrey Everett Esther Drummond and Zelma Gordon Jerry Brown John Burnett, Wayne Sellers, Willie Harrell, and Aubrey Everett Josie Summers and Roger King Marilyn Durr, Anita Durr, and Mike Durr Nancy and Harry Johnson John and Carolyn Riggs Dorothy and Sayne Sellers Richard Rodgers and Jessica Amber Applewhite

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WESSON, MISSISSIPPI

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Heuck’s Retreat First Baptist Ladies Pottery Class his past spring, Renee Cotton led a special T ceramics class at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi, for the ladies of

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Heuck’s Retreat Baptist Church. Cotton inspired them to further pursue this endeavor. All enjoyed the experience immensely! Photography by Bill Perkins 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Oakleigh Tull and Courtney Owens Allison Wallace Samantha Grissom and Nay Thornhill Anna Lee Angela Ritchie and Mollie Goldman Dianne Hathorn Sherra Smith Courtney Myers Allison Wallace Courtney Owens, Front—Sidney Bilbo, Samantha Grissom, Courtney Owens, Oakleigh Tull, and Betsy Guerry / Back—Sherra Smith, Angela Ritchie, Allison Wallace, Holli Henry, Nay Thornhill, Dianne Hathorn, Courtney Myers, Mollie Goldman, Suzanna Dunaway, Paige Britt, and Anna Lee

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

2022

Editor’s note: The following football schedules were up to date at press time. Please consult respective college and NFL websites for any changes should they occur.

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 55

C

WISHING ALL STUDENTS & STAFF A HAPPY & HEALTHY SCHOOL YEAR!

Dr. Kenneth Stubbs

Internal Medicine 46 Sgt. S. Prentiss Dr. | Natchez, | MS 601.446.2084 Page 56 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

LSU TIGERS Sept. 4 . ...........vs Florida State Sept. 10 ............. vs Southern U Sept. 17 ..................vs MS State Sept. 24........... vs New Mexico Oct. 1.......................... @ Auburn Oct. 8 . .................vs Tennessee Oct. 15........................ @ Florida Oct. 22 ...............vs Mississippi Nov. 5 ..................... vs Alabama Nov. 12................... @ Arkansas Nov. 19............................. vs UAB Nov. 26............... @ Texas A&M

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE Sept. 3 . ............................. vs Utah State Sept. 10....................................... @ Texas Sept. 17............................. vs LA Monroe Sept. 24 .............................vs Vanderbilt Oct. 1..................................... @ Arkansas Oct. 8................................ vs Texas A&M Oct. 15............................... @ Tennessee Oct. 22.................................. vs MS State Nov. 5 .............................................@ LSU Nov. 12.............................. @ Mississippi Nov. 19 . ...........................vs Austin Peay Nov. 26.................................... vs Auburn

FLORIDA GATORS Sept. 3.......................................... vs Utah Sept. 10................................ vs Kentucky Sept. 17........................ vs South Florida Sept. 24............................. @ Tennessee Oct. 1................................ vs Eastern WA Oct. 8 . ...................................vs Missouri Oct. 15........................................... vs LSU Oct. 29.................................... @ Georgia Nov. 5 ...............................@ Texas A&M Nov. 12....................... vs South Carolina Nov. 19................................ @ Vanderbilt Nov. 25 .......................... @ Florida State

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS Sept. 3.................................. vs Memphis Sept. 10................................... @ Arizona Sept. 17 ..........................................@ LSU Sept. 24..................... vs Bowling Green Oct. 1................................. vs Texas A&M Oct. 8................................... vs Arkansas Oct. 15.................................. @ Kentucky Oct. 22 ..................................@ Alabama Nov. 5 ...................................... vs Auburn Nov. 12 . .................................. vs Georgia Nov. 19 . ............................. vs East TN St Nov. 24............................. @ Mississippi

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS Sept. 3................................ vs Cincinnati Sept. 10..................... vs South Carolina Sept. 17 ......................vs Missouri State Sept. 24 .........................@ Texas A & M Oct. 1..................................... vs Alabama Oct. 8 . ....................................@ MS Sate Oct. 15 ............................................@ BYU Oct. 29 .....................................@ Auburn Nov. 5 .......................................vs Liberty Nov. 12........................................... vs LSU Nov. 19................................... vs Ole Miss Nov. 25 .................................. @ Missouri

AUBURN TIGERS Sept. 3 . ....................................vs Mercer Sept. 10 ..................... vs San Jose State Sept. 17 .............................vs Penn State Sept. 24................................. vs Missouri Oct. 1 . ............................................ vs LSU Oct. 8 . .....................................@ Georgia Oct. 15 .............................. @ Mississippi Oct. 29 ................................ vs Arkansas Nov. 5.................................... @ MS State Nov. 12 . ............................vs Texas A&M

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

GEORGIA BULLDOGS Sept. 3..................................... vs Oregon Sept. 10 ................................. vs Samford Sept. 17 .....................@ South Carolina Sept. 24............................. vs Kent State Oct. 1 . .................................... @ Missouri Oct. 8 . ..................................... vs Auburn Oct. 15 ................................vs Vanderbilt Oct. 29...................................... vs Florida Nov. 5................................. vs Tennessee Nov. 12.................................. @ MS State Nov. 19 . ................................@ Kentucky Nov. 26 .........................vs Georgia Tech

MISSOURI TIGERS

Sept. 3................................ vs Miami OH Sept. 10.................................... @ Florida Sept. 17........................ vs Youngtown St Sept. 24........................... vs Northern IL Oct. 1 . ............................... @ Mississippi Oct. 8 . .......................vs South Carolina Oct. 15.................................. vs MS State Oct. 29............................... @ Tennessee Nov. 5..................................... @ Missouri Nov. 12................................ vs Vanderbilt Nov. 19.................................... vs Georgia Nov. 26................................. vs Kentucky

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

Sept. 1..................................... vs LA Tech Sept. 10 ....................................@ Kansas Sept. 17 .........................................vs ACU Sept. 24.................................... @ Auburn Oct. 1......................................... vs Florida Oct. 8...................................... @ Georgia Oct. 22................................ vs Vanderbilt Oct. 29....................... @ South Carolina Nov. 5 ...................................vs Kentucky Nov. 12............................... @ Tennessee Nov. 19................................. vs NM State Nov. 25................................ vs Arkansas

Sept. 3 . ........................vs Georgia state Sept. 10 ................................@ Arkansas Sept. 17 .................................. vs Georgia Sept. 24................................ vs Charlotte Oct. 1...................................... vs SC State Oct. 8.................................... @ Kentucky Oct. 22.............................. vs Texas A&M Oct. 29 ..................................vs Missouri Nov. 5 .................................@ Vanderbilt Nov. 12 . .................................... @ Florida Nov. 19............................... vs Tennessee Nov. 26.................................. @ Clemson

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 57

OLE MISS REBELS Sept. 3 . ...........................vs Troy Sept. 10.............. vs Central AR Sept. 17 ..........@ Georgia Tech Sept. 24......................... vs Tulsa Oct. 1 . .................... vs Kentucky

Looking Forward to a Great 2022 Football Season!

Good Luck, Rebels!

From the Southwest Mississippi Chapter

Page 58 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

Oct. 8 . ..................@ Vanderbilt Oct. 15....................... vs Auburn Oct. 22............................. @ LSU Oct. 29 ...............@ Texas A&M Nov. 12.................... vs Alabama Nov. 19................... @ Arkansas Nov. 24................... vs MS State

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS Sept. 1.................................. vs Ball State Sept. 10 ................................ @ Pittsburg Sept. 17 ......................................vs Akron Sept. 24 ................................... vs Florida Oct. 8 . ............................................@ LSU Oct. 15 ...................................vs Alabama Oct. 22................................ vs TN-Martin Oct. 29 .................................vs Kentucky Nov. 5 ......................................@ Georgia Nov. 12 . .................................vs Missouri Nov. 19 . .....................@ South Carolina Nov. 26 ...............................@ Vanderbilt

ALCORN STATE BRAVES Sept. 3 . ..........................................vs SFA Sept. 10 ..................................... @ Tulane Sept. 17 ...........................@ McNeese St Sept. 24........................ vs AR-Pine Bluff Oct. 8................................... @ MS Valley Oct. 15.............................. @ Southern U Oct. 22........................... vs TX Southern Oct. 29.......................... @ Grambling St Nov. 5............................... @ Prairie View Nov. 12......................................... vs B-CU Nov. 19 . .......................vs Jackson State

DELTA STATE STATESMEN Sept. 3.................. @ Kentucky State U Sept. 10............................ @ McKendree Sept. 17..................... @ MS Valley state Sept. 24 .........................@ West Florida Oct. 1 . .........................vs Valdosta State Oct. 8...................... @ North Greenville Oct. 15........................ vs West Alabama Oct. 22..................................... @ Shorter Oct. 29.............. @ Mississippi College Nov. 5........................... vs West Georgia

TEXAS A&M AGGIES Sept. 3 . ...............................vs SAMHOU Sept. 10 ...............................vs App State Sept. 17................................. vs Miami FL Sept. 24 .............................. vs Arkansas Oct. 1..................................... @ MS State Oct. 8 . ....................................@Alabama Oct. 22....................... @ South Carolina Oct. 29.............................. vs Mississippi Nov. 5........................................ vs Florida Nov. 12...................................... @ Auburn Nov. 19...................................... vs UMass Nov. 26.......................................... vs LSU

BELLHAVEN BLAZERS Sept. 1..................................... @ Millsaps Sept. 10.................. vs Southwestern U Sept. 24 ..........@ Huntingdon College Oct. 1............................... @ Methodist U Oct. 8 . .......... vs N. Carolina Wesleyan Oct. 15 .............@ Greensboro College Oct. 22 .............vs Southern Virginia U Oct. 29................. vs Lagrange College Nov. 5 ......................@ Brevard College Nov. 12 . ................vs Maryville College

GRAMBLING STATE TIGERS Sept. 3...................... @ Arkansas State Sept. 10 .....................................@ NW ST Sept. 17........................ @ Jackson State Sept. 24 ...................................... @ B-CU Oct. 1 . ............................. vs Prairie View Oct. 8 . ........................@ Alabama A&M Oct. 15 ........................... vs Florida A&M Oct. 29 ...........................vs Alcorn State Nov. 5............................ vs AR-Pine Bluff Nov. 12 . ..........................@ TX Southern Nov. 26 .............................vs Southern U

VANDERBILT COMMODORES Aug. 27...................................... @ Hawaii Sept. 3........................................... vs Elon Sept. 10 ..........................vs Wake Forest Sept. 17............................ @ Northern IL Sept. 24................................. @ Alabama Oct. 8 . ..............................vs Mississippi Oct. 15.................................... @ Georgia Oct. 22 .................................. @ Missouri Nov. 5 ........................vs South Carolina Nov. 12 . ................................@ Kentucky Nov. 19 . .................................... vs Florida Nov. 26 ..............................vs Tennessee

COPIAH LINCOLN WOLFPACK Sept. 1 .....................@ East Mississippi Sept. 8 . ............................. @ Miss Delta Sept. 15 .......................vs Jones College Sept. 22 ............................ @ Southwest Sept. 29............................... vs Coahoma Oct. 6 . ............................... vs Gulf Coast Oct. 13 ...............................@ Pearl River Oct. 20............................. @ East central Oct. 27........................................ vs Hinds

HINDS COMMUNITY EAGLES Sept. 1 .........................vs Northeast MS Sept. 8 . ......................vs Northwest MS Sept. 15.......................... @ East Central Sept. 22............................. vs Pearl River Sept. 29....................... vs Jones College Oct. 6.......................... @ Southwest MS Oct. 13................................. @ Itawamba Oct. 20 ................vs MS Gulf Coast CC Oct. 27 . .....................@ Copiah Lincoln

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 59

HOLMES COMMUNITY BULLDOGS Sept. 1......................... @ Pearl River CC Sept. 8 . ...................@ East Central CC Sept. 15 ...........................vs East MS CC Sept. 24 ....................... @ Coahoma CC Sept. 29 ...............vs Northeast MS CC Oct. 6............................ @ Itawamba CC Oct. 13........................... vs MS Delta CC Oct. 20 ............... @ Northwest MS CC Oct. 27................. vs Southwest MS CC

JACKSON STATE TIGERS Sept. 4........................... vs Florida A&M Sept. 10 .................................vs TN State Sept. 17......................... vs Grambling St Sept. 24 ..............................vs MS Valley Oct. 8.......................... @ Alabama State Oct. 15 ......................................... @ B-CU Oct. 22................................. vs Campbell Oct. 29.............................. vs Southern U Nov. 5 .............................@ TX Southern Nov. 12........................ @ Alabama A&M Nov. 19 . ..........................@ Alcorn State

LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS

MILLSAPS MAJORS

Sept. 1 ................................... @ Missouri Sept. 10 ..........................................vs SFA Sept. 17 .................................@ Clemson Sept. 24 ................... @ South Alabama Oct. 8 . .........................................vs UTEP Oct. 15 .............................@ North Texas Oct. 22 .......................................... vs Rice Oct. 28 ............................................ @ FIU Nov. 5.............................. vs Middle Tenn Nov. 12 . .......................................@ UTSA Nov. 19.................................. @ Charlotte

Sept. 1............................... vs Belhaven U Sept. 10 ............................ @ McMurry U Sept. 17 ...........vs SW Assem of God U Oct. 1..................................... @ Sewanee Oct. 8 . .....................vs Hendrix College Oct. 15................ B’ham-Southern Coll Oct. 22..................... vs Rhodes College Oct. 29 ........................ @ Berry College Nov. 5..................................... vs Trinity U Nov. 12 . .....................@ Centre College

NORTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY DEMONS

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY JAGUARS

Sept. 3................................... @ Montana Sept. 10 ..................vs Grambling State Sept. 17 .........................................@ USM Sept. 24..................................... vs Lamar Oct. 1....................................... vs Nicholls Oct. 8......................... @ Eastern Illinois Oct. 15..................... @ Houston Baptist Oct. 22.............. vs Southeast Missouri Nov. 5 ... @ Texas A & M – Commerce Nov. 12................... @ Southeastern LA Nov. 19...................... vs Incarnate Word

Sept 3 . ..................vs Florida Memorial Sept 10 ...........................................@ LSU Sept 17...................... @ Texas Southern Oct 1............................. vs Ark Pine Bluff Oct 8............................... vs Prairie View Oct 15................................... vs Alcorn St Oct 22 .............. vs Virginia-Lynchburg Oct 29................................ @ Jackson St Nov 5............................. @ Florida A&M Nov 12......................... vs Miss Valley St. Nov 26............................... @ Grambling Superdome

Page 60 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

LOUISIANA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY WILDCATS Sept. 3 . ...........@ SW Assem of God U Sept. 10........................... @ Stetson Uni Sept. 17............. vs Arizona Christian U Sept. 24................ @ Ottawa U Arizona Oct. 1............... @ Okla Panhandle St U Oct. 8 . .............. vs Ark Baptist College Oct. 15 ................vs Wayland Baptist U Oct. 22................. vs Texas Wesleyan U Oct. 29 .............................@ Langston U Nov. 5 ........................... vs Lyon College Nov. 12......................... @ Texas College

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE CHOCTAWS Sept. 3 . ......................... @ Albany State Sept. 10 .................vs Keiser University Sept. 17................... vs North Greenville Sept. 24................................ @ McNeese Oct. 1............................. @ West Georgia Oct. 8 . ................ vs Shorter University Oct. 15 ........................@ Valdosta State Oct. 22............................ @ West Florida Oct. 29 ............................. vs Delta State Nov. 5.......................... @ West Alabama

SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI BEARS Sept. 1................................... vs MS Delta Sept. 8.......................... vs Coahoma CC Sept. 15............... @ MS Gulf Coast CC Sept. 22 ............................ vs Co-Lin CC Sept 29.................... @ East Central CC Oct. 6................................... vs Hinds CC Oct. 13 ..................................@ Jones CC Oct. 22........................ vs Pearl River CC Oct. 27 . ............................ @ Holmes CC Oct. 30 ............... @ MS Gulf Coast CC

TULANE GREEN WAVE

UNIV OF LA @ LAFAYETTE RAGIN’ CAJUNS

Sept. 3............ vs Univ. Massachusetts Sept. 10..................................... vs Alcorn Sept. 17......................... @ Kansas State Sept. 24........................................ vs USM Sept. 30 ................. @ Univ. of Houston Oct. 8................. vs East Carolina Nniv.

Oct. 15............... @ Univ. South Florida Oct. 22....................... vs Univ. Memphis Nov. 5............................ @ Univ. of Tulsa Nov. 12 . .......... vs Univ. Central Florida Nov. 17 .......................................... vs SMU Nov. 26 ................@ Univ. of Cincinnati

UNIV OF SOUTHERN MS GOLDEN EAGLES Sept. 3 . ....................................vs Liberty Sept. 10 ......................................@ Miami Sept. 17 ............vs Northwestern State Sept. 24 .................................... @ Tulane Oct. 8 . ............................................@ Troy Oct. 15 ...................... vs Arkansas State Oct. 22 .............................@ Texas State Oct. 27 . ..........................................vs ULL Nov. 5 ..........................vs Georgia State Nov. 12.................... @ Coastal Carolina Nov. 19 . ....................vs South Alabama Nov. 26...........................................@ ULM

Sept. 3...... vs Southeastern Louisiana Sept. 10................ vs Eastern Michigan Sept. 17.......................................... @ Rice Sept. 24......................................... @ ULM Oct. 1......................... vs South Alabama Oct. 12................................... @ Marshall Oct. 22...................... vs Arkansas State Oct. 27........................... @ Southern MS Nov. 5 ............................................ vs Troy Nov. 10................. vs Georgia Southern Nov. 19........................... @ Florida State Nov. 26............................. @ Texas State

UNIV OF LA @ MONROE WARHAWKS Sept. 3 . .......................................@ Texas Sept. 10.................................. vs Nicholls Sept. 17.................................. @ Alabama Sept. 24.......................................... vs ULL Oct. 1........................... @Arkansas State Oct. 8 . ......................vs Costal Carolina Oct. 15...................... @ South Alabama Oct. 22 .........................................@ Army Nov. 5 ...............................vs Texas State Nov. 12......................... @ Georgia State Nov. 19 . ..........................................@ Troy Nov. 26......................................... vs USM

COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP BOWL GAMES! COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP DEC. 3 BOWL ACC CHAMPIONSHIP - CHARLOTTE, NC GAMES! DEC. 3 SEC CHAMPIONSHIP - ATLANTA GA BOWL GAMES! DEC. 3 SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP – TBA

JAN. 9 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP - INGLEWOOD, CA

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS Sept. 11 @ Atlanta Falcons 12:00 PM CDT Sept. 18 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12:00 Sept. 25 @ Carolina Panthers 12:00 PM CDT Oct. 2 vs Minnesota Vikings 8:30 AM CDT (London) Oct. 9 vs Seattle Seahawks 12:00 PM CDT Oct.16 vs Cincinnati Bengals 12:00 PM CDT Oct. 20 @ Arizona Cardinals 7:15 PM CDT Oct. 30 vs Las Vegas Raiders 12:00 PM CDT Nov. 7 vs Baltimore Ravens 7:15 PM CST

Nov. 13 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 12:00 PM CST Nov. 20 vs Los Angeles Rams 12:00 PM CST Nov. 27 @ San Francisco 49ers 3:25 PM CST Dec. 05 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7:15 PM CST Week 14 BYE Dec. 18 vs Atlanta Falcons TBD Dec. 24 @ Cleveland Browns 12:00 PM CST Jan. 01 @ Philadelphia Eagles 12:00 PM CST Jan. 08 vs Carolina Panthers TBD

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 61

Get In line, Online! gosouthstar.com Care That Is Personal 4319 Carter Street Vidalia, LA 71373

www.instagram.com/bluffsbayous

(318) 414-2190

Page 62 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO ENROLL AT SOUTHWEST September 20th : 4 - week online classes begin October 18th: 8 - week online classes begin November 15th: 4 - week online classes begin

CALL TODAY!

Up & Coming LOUISIANA

louisianatravel.com A great site for everything Louisiana ALEXANDRIA / PINEVILLE alexandriapinevillela.com rapidessymphony.org riveroaksartscenter.com lagniappetheatre.com themuseum.org Every Tuesday through September Alexandria Farmers Market 2727 Jackson St. 3-6 pm September 10 & October 8 2nd Saturday Free Admission Alexandria Museum of Art 10 am-4 pm themuseum.org October 13-16 Farm to Forest Plein Air Festival farmtoforestpleinair.com BATON ROUGE visitbatonrouge.com lsumoa.org rivercenterarena:baton-rouge.ticketscenter.com batonrougeballet.org

October 28 Live After Five Amanda Shaw & The Cute Boys Davis S. Rhorer Plaza 5-8 pm / Free 225.250.7474

Red Stick Farmers Market Breada.com September 30 Live After Five Michael Foster Project Davis S. Rhorer Plaza 5-8 pm / Free 225.250.7474 October 5 The Beach Boys River Center Performing Arts Center 7:30-9:30 pm ticketmaster.com October 14 Live After Five The Mixed Nuts Davis S. Rhorer Plaza 5-8 pm / Free 225.250.7474

October 31 Boo with the Krewe Festival Scotlandville Plaza 4-7 pm / Free scotlandsaturdays@gmail.com CLINTON / JACKSON louisianasteamtrain.com

October 21 Live After Five Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Davis S. Rhorer Plaza 5-8 pm / Free 225.250.7474 October 23, 29 & 31 Boo At the Zoo 9:30 am-4:30 pm 225.775.3877 brzoo.org

October 29 Louisiana Book Festival State Library of Louisiana 9 am-4 pm / Free 225.219.9503

FERRIDAY concordialibrary.org deltamusicmuseum.com MONROE / WEST MONROE monroe-westmonroe.org September 15-18 & 22-24 Annie Get your Gun Strauss Theatre Center 318.323.6681 strausstc.com

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 63

Up & Coming September 30-October 9 Ark-La-Miss Fair Monroe Civic Center arklamissfair.com October 7-8 & 14-15 Molly Howard Is No More Dinner Theatre Strauss Theatre Center 6:30-8 pm 318.323.6681 strausstc.com October 15 Fall Celebration Black Bayou Lake Free monroe-westmonroe.org October 23 Scarecrows in the Garden Biedenharn Museum & Gardens 3-8 pm 318.387.5281 bmuseum.org October 28-30 & November 5-6 Hamlet Strauss Theatre Center 7 pm & 2 pm 318.323.6681 strausstc.com

NATCHITOCHES natchitoches.com September 3 Can River Zydeco Festival Downtown Riverbank 1-10 pm 318.332.7455

October 15 Good Ole Days Festival Marthaville 8 am-10 pm natchitoches.com

September 16-17 Meat Pie Festival Downtown / Free meatpiefestival.com

October 15-16 Melrose Fall Festival 9 am- 5 pm Sat. 10 am-5 pm Sun. natchitoches.com

October 7 “Crows on the Cane” Scarecrow Contest Historic Business District 8-11 am 318.357.3822

October 29 Witch Way to Main Street Farmers Market & Live Entertainment 9-11 am 318.357.3822

At Region 8 Mental Health, we offer comprehensive individualized treatment of the highest quality for those in need of mental health, intellectual developmental disabilities, and drug and alcohol services.

We provide the following: • INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENTS • COUNSELING • • MEDICAL, NURSING AND PHARMACOLOGY SERVICES • • COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES • • CHILDREN’S THERAPEUTIC DAY TREATMENT • • ALCOHOL AND DRUG INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT SERVICES • • SUPERVISED LIVING PROGRAMS • • ADULT PSYCHOSOCIAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS • • CRISIS PREVENTION, INTERVENTIONS AND ASSESSMENTS • • 24/7 EMERGENCY ON-CALL SERVICE •

Page 64 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

NEW ORLEANS neworleansonline.com neworleanscvb.com ogdenmuseum.org nola.org FB: nolajazzmuseum/live newcombartmuseum.tulane.edu nobt.org neworleansfilmsociety.org neworleanscitypark.com neworleanszombierun.com

Custom Order Upholstery is Back Select from hundreds of fabrics and styles from Craftmaster, Mayo & Bassett

September 24 Beignet Fest City Park Festival Grounds 10 am-6 pm beignetfest.com September 24-25 & October 1-2 Oktoberfest Faubourg Brewing Company 11 am-8 pm 504-867-4000 October 14-16 Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival Lafayette Square Park Free 504.558.6100 jazzandheritage.org October 22-23 Treme Fall Festival St. Augustine Catholic Church 10 am / Free tremefest.org PORT ALLEN westbatonrouge.net September 10 Billie Holiday @ Sugar Hill Exhibit West Baton Rouge Museum 225.336.2422 WestBatonRougeMuseum.org FB: The WBRM September 11 Old Time County Open Jam West Baton Rouge Museum 3-5 pm / Free 225.336.2422 WestBatonRougeMuseum.org FB: The WBRM September 16 Live: One Night w/Billie & Ella Concert West Baton Rouge Museum 6-8 pm 225.336.2422 WestBatonRougeMuseum.org FB: The WBRM September 18 Cajun Jam West Baton Rouge Museum 3-5 pm / Free 225.336.2422 WestBatonRougeMuseum.org FB: The WBRM

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285 Sgt. Prentiss Dr. - Natchez, MS - 601-445-5601 ST. FRANCISVILLE audubonstatehistoricsite.wordpress.com explorewestfeliciana.com/events.html FB: St. Francisville Farmers Market stfrancisvillefestivals.com Every Sunday in October Angola Fall Rodeo & Arts Angola Prison 12:30 pm angolarodeo.com October 14-15 Southern Garden Symposium thesoutherngardensymposium.org October 28-30 Revolutionary War Living History Audubon State-Historic Site 225.635.3739 October 29 Music on The Mound Catholic Hill 5-9:30 pm / $20 / Cash Bar eventbrite.com October 29-30 Yellow Leaf Arts Festival Parker Park 10 am-5 pm

VIDALIA cityofvidaliala.com concordialibrary.org Every Wednesday Farmers Market Old Court House N. Spruce St. 9 am-1pm September 22 Operation Grits Bless the Blue Community Fish Fry Vidalia Pavilion 10:30 am-2 pm First Responders Free / Public $10 601.807.6470 October 13 Chamber Golf Tournament Panola Woods Country Club director@concordiachamber.com October 14-15 Vidalia Flea Market Levee Grounds October 15 Chamber Awards Dinner Vidalia Convention Center 6 pm director@concordiachamber.com

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 65

FERNWOOD fernwoodcc.com GREENVILLE visitgreenville.org October 13-15 Hot Tamale Festival Downtown 9 am-5 pm mainstreetgreenville.com JACKSON dulinghall.com msmuseumart.org visitjackson.com jacksonfreepress.com/calendarmsnla.org craftsmensguildofms.org balletms.com msmetroballet.com September 24 Jackson WellsFest Jamie Fowler Boyll Park 9:30 am-4 pm October 6-16 Mississippi State Fair State Fairgrounds MississippiFairgrounds.com October 22-23 Fall Gun Show MS Trade Mart 9 am-5 pm Sat. 10 am-5 pm Sun.

Up & Coming MISSISSIPPI

visitmississippi.org hikinginmississippi.com BROOKHAVEN facebook.com/VisitBrookhavenMS visitbrookhavenms.com brookhavenrecreation.com brookhavenlittletheatre.com Linclib.org/events Through September Farmers Market S. Whitworth Ave. & W. Chickasaw St. Tues. 3-6 pm / Fri. 7 am-Noon September 18-25 BARL’S Barks & Bids Online Auction barl.net September 22 Canines, Cats & Corks Brookhaven Bldg.

Wine Tasting 601.757.4367 barl.net/events info@barl.net September 24 1st Annual Peanut Boil Tom Land & Homes Live Music & Games Downtown / Free 5-9 pm

September 30-October 1 Ole Brook Fest Downtown 601.833.1411 brookhavenchamber.org October 20 JA of Brookhaven Shrimp Boil Lincoln Civic Center 3-7 pm 601.757.2976 October 20-30 The Addams Family Brookhaven Little Theatre 7:30 pm & 2 pm haventheatre.org CANTON October 13 Fall Flea Market Madison County Courthouse 7 am-4 pm cantonmsfleamarket.com CLINTON clintonms.org October 8 Clinton Fall for Clinton Market & Pet Parade Clinton’s Olde Town 9 am-1 pm clintonms.org

Page 66 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

October 28 Park after Dark MS Children’s Museum 5:30-8:30 pm mschildrensmuseum.org November 2-5 Mistletoe Marketplace MS Trade Mart mistletoemarketplace.com LAUREL October 1-2 Loblolly Festival Downtown 9 am-4 pm / Free loblollyfestival.com MEADVILLE meadvillems.com October 21-22 Homochitto River Festival Downtown homochittoriverfestival.org FB: Homochitto River Festival MCCOMB pikeinfo.com mccombarts.com mcrrmuseum.com FB McComb Farmers Marke t

Through September Thursdays McComb Farmers Market 113 Railroad Blvd.

7 am-1 pm September 10 Health & Wellness Fair Southwest Mental Health Complex 601.551.7564 October 6 Toast & Tails The McComb Mill 6-9 pm / $25 pikeinfo.com NATCHEZ Live Music Events Calendar visitnatchez.org/full-event-calendar visitnatchez.org kreweofphoenixnatchez.com natchezpilgrimage.com FB Downtown Natchez Farmers Market thetowersofnatchez.com natchezgardenclub.org natchezlittletheatre.com Saturdays through September Downtown Natchez Farmers Market 300 N. Broadway 8:30 am-Noon

Providing more

than care

We’re here to care for you when you need us, and we also contribute to the quality of life in the Miss-Lou Region by providing good jobs, paying taxes and through our community service.

Learn more about the benefits we bring to our community in our 2021 Community Benefit Report.

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There Is Merit In our community.

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 67

September 3 & October 1 1st Saturday Market MLK Triangle 5-10 pm September 3 1st Annual Aelex Washington Foundation Fundraising Gala 323 Liberty Road 5-10 pm / Formal Attire visitnatchez.org September 17 NAMI Walks your Way Bandstand 8 am-Noon / Free September 30 Live @ Five Karma & The Kill Joys Bandstand / Natchez Bluff October 1 Breast Cancer Gala Adams County Safe Room 7-10 pm / $25 checkout.square.site October 6 Live @ Five Big Al & The Heavyweights Bandstand / Natchez Bluff

October 6 Rossini, Rampal & Red Wine Natchez Festival of Music Carriage House 7-10 pm / $30 / Cash Bar 601.807.4442 natchezfestivalofmusic.com

October 15 Balloon Race Brunch Magnolia Hall Grounds 11 am-1 pm $20 Adult / $10 12 & under 601.443.9065 natchezgardenclub.org

October 7-8 Blues & Soul Super Bowl Bluff Park 5 pm / $40-$300 visitnatchez.org

October 20-22 Y’All Means All The Weekend 601.807.7759 yallmeansallnatchez.org

October 13 Live @ Five Chad Wesley Bandstand / Natchez Bluff

October 21 Live @ Five Black Cabbage Bandstand / Natchez Bluff

October 14-16 Natchez Balloon Festival Rosalie Bluff Downtown 601.446.5676 natchezballoonfestival.com

October 28 Live @ Five Mira. Got. Soul Bandstand / Natchez Bluff

October 14-16 Merry Market Natchez Convention Center 601.442.5880 visitnatchez.org

October 29 Fall Gospel Fest True Love Missionary Baptist Church $25, $30 / 5 pm 318.434.1599 October 29 Longwood Afternoon Music Fest Longwood Grounds 11 am-8 pm 601.442.5193 or 601.807.1595 longwoodafternoon.com FB: Longwood Afternoon Music Fest November 3-5 & 10-12 Angels on the Bluff Natchez City Cemetery $40 601.445.5051 tix.com/ticket-sales/natchezcitycemetery POPLARVILLE October 7-8 2nd Sweet Mississippi Tea Festival smteafest.com

James B. Hall, MD

O

ur clinic focuses on hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and chronic kidney disease prevention.

As a hypertension specialty clinic, we also focus on difficult-to-control blood pressure, secondary hypertension, and reno-vascular hypertension. Our full-time and covering physicians are nephrology-fellowship trained and board certified in nephrology. Dr. Hall is also trained and certified as a Hypertension Specialist. Our clinic fosters a compassionate and friendly atmosphere, and our main objective is to delay the progression of kidney disease through community outreach, peer education, kidney screening seminars, and health promotional classes. Remember, “Your health is the most important thin you own, second to your soul.”

REFERRALS ONLY

747 Industrial Park Rd | Brookhaven, MS 601.833.4111 | www.anointedneph.com

Check our our website for new & upcoming events!!

Page 68 { September/October 2022 { Bluffs & Bayous

PORT GIBSON FB: portgibson.chamber msculturalcrossroads.org MADISON/RIDGELAND visitridgeland.com madisonthecity.com ardenland.net mscrafts.org September 16-17 MS Science Fest LeFleur Museum District 9 am-4 pm mssciencefest.org September 30-October 1 Euro Fest Renaissance @ Colony Park All Day

w

Introducing Our

Vicksburg Team

Same Great Service From Familiar Faces In a New Place.

We invite you to stop by the bank to meet the Vicksburg team. Experience the technology you need and the service you deserve today!

MIKE CURTIS City President

ROSE HODGES Rose Hodges Vice President Branch Manager Loan Officer

FORBES GROGAN Senior Vice President Commercial Lender

PAM PUGH Asst. Vice President Loan Officer

601-630-8201 deltabk.com #26338998 DB MeetVicksburgTeam_BB7.625x4.875.indd 1

October 27 Trunk or Treat Freedom Ridge Park 6-8 pm SUMMIT pikeinfo.com

October 8 Summit Fall Festival Downtown 8 am-4 pm FB: Town of Summit Mississippi Fall Festival VICKSBURG southernculture.org visitvicksburg.com vicksburgartassociation.org tarawildlife.com vicksburgtheatreguild.com downtownvicksburg.org Every Saturday in September Farmers Market Jackson St./Washington St. 601.634.4527 vicksburgfarmersmarket.org Through September 4 Freaky Friday Parkside Playhouse Fri., Sat. & Sun. 7:30 pm & 2 pm 601.636.0471 vicksburgtheatreguild.com

4/7/22 1:07 PM

September 3 McRaven Ghost Hunt Investigation McRaven 8:30 pm-2 am / $75 Contact to schedule: 601.501.1336 manager@mcraven.com September 8 & 22 Coloring, Coffee & Conversation Vicksburg Public Library / Veto St. 10 am 601.636.6411

October 8 Over the Hill Run Old MS River Bridge 5-K Run & Walk $30 601.631.2997 raceroster.com October 13 Supper on the Sip Old MS River Bridge 6-8 pm / $35 unitedwayvicksburg.org/sip

September 10 2nd Saturday Downtown FB: Second Saturday

October 16 Princess & Pirate Party Vicksburg Convention Center 3-5 pm / $15 601.630.2929

September 24 Make a Holiday Wreath Vicksburg Public Library / Veto St. 10 am 601.636.6411 October 1 38th Old Courthouse Museum Fall Flea Market Around Old Courthouse 8 am-5 pm oldcourthouse.org October 1 Bricks & Spokes Downtown 601.634.4527

October 21-30 McRaven Candlelight Tours 7-9 pm / $25 / 12 yrs. and older 601.501.1336 mcraventourhome.com WESSON FB Wesson Chamber WOODVILLE woodvillems.org FB Woodville/Wilkinson County Main Street Association

Be sure to confirm details of the events should changes have occurred since events were submitted.

Bluffs & Bayous { September/October 2022 { Page 69

SOUTHERN SAMPLER BY Alma M. Womack

Treasured Times of Stomping Cotton

W

hile the fall is a time for football games, festivals, and other merry-making, it is also harvest time for farmers. After the expenses of planting in the spring and the follow-up expenses of protecting the summer crop from insects, fungi, and weather, harvest is the culmination of a year of work.

Harvest time has changed drastically from when I was a child. Where it once took many people to harvest corn, soybeans, and cotton, now relatively few are needed. Huge machines have replaced small machines and people, and are much more efficient in gathering the crops.

One activity that has gone by the wayside is stomping cotton. For those not familiar with this term, let me enlighten you. Once upon a time, long, long ago in the mid-twentieth century, cotton was harvested this way: cotton was picked by hand, dumped into the back of a pickup truck with wooden sides added to it, and pressed down by the repeated stomping of several people.

Later, with the advent of the one-row cotton picker, cotton was picked, then dumped into a metal trailer to be hauled to the gin. Said trailer would sit in line while waiting to be emptied to bring it back to the field to be loaded again. Before it went to the gin, the cotton was stomped down by several someones in order to get the maximum amount on the trailer.

The next improvement came with two-row pickers and a machine that mechanically stomped the cotton down. It was noisy and clumsy, but effective, and required just one man whose job was to operate the machine attached to a tractor.

Then came bigger pickers and the new method of getting cotton to the gin in modules that held generally 10-12 bales of cotton. The module builder had built-in presses that the operator moved up and down to press the cotton as much as possible.

Now, there are round bale pickers that pick, compress, and roll out round bales of cotton.

Four of these bales are the equivalent of one large module but much easier to move and to load on module trucks. One man is doing the work that it formerly took three men to do per module builder.

Automation, ain’t it grand.

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When my brothers and I were children, we would help stomp cotton in the trailers; or at least we considered ourselves helpers. There was always a man or two in the trailer, but we stomped and played and dug holes and had a load of fun every afternoon after school.

James Duncan was usually the man in the trailer; and besides us, he had a bunch of sons who would help him stomp, too. I remember one fall when the cows were turned into the cotton fields where the cotton had been picked but while the picker was on the next field. Cows being cows, sometimes they would get pretty close to the trailers filled with cotton. There was one mean Brahma cow named Eloise that did not like cotton pickers or trailers in her way. If she saw kids picking up spilled cotton by a trailer, she would charge in that direction. All someone had to do was shout “Eloise!” and kids would be clinging to the sides of the trailer quicker than you could believe.

After I went to college, some of my friends, especially Becki Merritt, would come here for a fall weekend where they got the chance to stomp cotton, a rare and special experience for them.

When I had children of my own, they, too, got to play in the cotton as we had done decades back.

Even after we switched over to the big modules, the youngsters could still get down in the cotton and play as kids had done for years.

When Miss Liza came along, she, too, was put in the cotton to play. She was most uneasy about that operation; and when her Aunt Jorie asked how she liked it, her little face, which showed absolute terror, replied, “Fun!” when she really was thinking, “Get me out of here!” After a bit, she learned that it was just a place to play for a while; and she began to enjoy the experience, too.

The fun of stomping cotton and the smell of the picked cotton were things that farm kids in the South used to take for granted, but that time has passed. Now, they’re just a memory of what life used to be, down on the farm at cotton-picking time.

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.

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