Shiloh Battlefield hosts Kid’s Fun Day
Tippah County School mourns loss of band director
Tishomingo County Local company makes river gates
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Friday July 8,
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Vol. 120, No. 164
Museum features late POW
• Corinth, Mississippi • 18 pages • Two sections
Major League Eating
Ex-resident to headline festival BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
BY JEBB JOHNSTON
tard and onions – as possible. Joining Chestnut, the No. 1 ranked eater in the world from San Jose, California, are Geoffrey Esper from Oxford, Massachusetts, Josh Miller from Aurora, Colorado, Nathan Biller from Keller, Texas, and Matt Cohen of Maryville, Tennessee. Local competitors include Jeff Stark, and the contest’s only two female contestants, Hope Bain and Taylor Coombs. “Visiting Corinth and not enjoying a slugburger or two
Prince Damons still knows the way home. The Corinth High School and University of North Alabama graduate also hasn’t forgotten how to put on a good show. Damons, 36, is getting the chance to do both as he headlines the W.C. Handy Festival Kick Off on Saturday, July 23 in Florence, Alabama. It’s the second straight year for Damons, who sold out the event last year, to be the featured performer. “It is going to be an amazing show,” said Damons. “I have a pretty good following in the area and I want them to come see me do my thing.” Damons, who currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area, is a noted producer, singer/ songwriter and accomplished musician. He has worked with legendary artist Archie Bell, and other industry notables such as Goapele, E40, Dwele and Too Short. The local artist is the music director for Lenny Williams, from Tower of Power, and produces all Williams’ songs. “The audience is going to see the producer, musician and songwriter side of me during the show,” said Damons. “There will be a lot of audience participation … I am at home on stage and will have fun with it.” Howard Hewett, lead singer of Shalamar, and Latimore & The Midnighters are also slated to perform at the festival. The show is set for The Shoals Theater with tickets being $25 in advance and $35 at the door.
Please see EATERS | 5A
Please see DAMONS | 5A
jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
The story of a Corinthian and his fellow sailors who spent time in a POW camp in Germany was recently featured at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s World War II weekend in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was part of Memorial Day weekend activities at the museum. Troy Winters, who died in February 2013, was a member of the SS Carlton’s gun crew. The Carlton was part of Convoy PQ17, also known as the “Suicide Convoy.” Locally, Winters was an auto parts salesman who worked for Moses for more than 30 years. Researcher Gayle Ann Livecchia, who designed the exhibit, described Convoy PQ17 as one of the war’s most bitter events. “I suspect Hollywood never told the story because of the negative light it cast on the British, although the BBC did a documentary on it in 2014,” she said. “The men were heroes. They never spoke much about it, which was the attitude of the Navy.” The Carlton sank on July 5, 1942, and the surviving members of the crew were taken to a POW camp in Milag, Germany, where they were imprisoned for 33 months. It was a camp for Navy prisoners operated by the German Navy. Items that Winters saved were used to tell the story of the ship’s crew and the camp through their own words. Livecchia also used information declassified between 2004 and 2007. “The Red Cross inspector’s Please see POW | 10A
Staff photo by Mark Boehler
Major League Eating emcee Sam Barclay will return to Corinth on Saturday for the annual World Slugburger Eating Contest, held in conjunction with the 29th Annual Slugbuger Festival at the Corinth Depot.
12 eaters to chow down at festival BY ZACK STEEN zsteen@dailycorinthian.com
Less than four days after he downed 70 hot dogs and took the top prize in the Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, Joey Chestnut will return to Corinth on Saturday to defend his slugburger eating title. Once again sanctioned by Major League Eating, the annual World Slugburger Eating Championship will be held at 4 p.m. at the Corinth Depot in conjunction with the 29th Annual Slugbuger Festival.
“This will be the fifth year we’ve held the World Slugburger Eating Championship and I am excited to welcome Joey Chestnut back to Corinth,” said Brent Johnson, Main Street Corinth director. “Last year, Joey ate 33 slugburgers for the win, and many think this powerhouse eater will set a new record this year.” A free event to attend, the 10-minute contest will feature Major League eaters from around the country who’ll be challenged to eat as many dressed slugburgers – complete with pickle, mus-
Local resident featured at Artist Guild Gallery
People of the Crossroads Greg Puckett, Iuka Photo by Opal Lovelace
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
It didn’t take Judy Chelmowski long to find her muse. Despite picking up the paintbrush just two years ago, she has filled a room at the Corinth Artist Guild Gallery as this month’s featured artist. The gallery will host an opening with the Corinth resident on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibit will continue through the end of the month. While the desire to paint was always in the back of her mind, Chelmowski said she was simply too busy raising a family and working to dig into art. She was a nurse at Amory’s Gilmore Memorial Hospital for 15 years and is
Musician Greg Puckett writes his own songs, most of which are based on his childhood in Iuka and Tishomingo County. “Growing up in Iuka during the ’60s and ’70s was so much fun,” said the 58-year-old. “It gave me a lot of material to write about.” Several songs on his new CD are about his “adventurous days of sports, jumping hills on Chicken Run Road, hanging at the waterfalls, drag racing in Dexter Bottom and experiencing the chalk mines for the first time.” A truck driver by day, Puckett often can be seen performing at events and festivals around Tishomingo County. Married to Shelley, the couple have three children — Travis, Carson and Jolene.
now retired. “I first saw her paintings a year ago at the library,” said Guild President Sonny Boatman. “I found many of them very charming, as is often the case with self-taught artists. Sometimes the more naive the painting, the more enjoyable it can be.” The collection diverts from the usual gallery fare with a few entertainment-themed pieces including a profile of Elvis Presley, a twirling Johnny and Baby from the movie “Dirty Dancing,” and Clint Eastwood as a gritty Western character. Several paintings reflect a trip she and her husband, Please see GALLERY | 5A
25 years ago
10 years ago
Area residents experience a unique event as a solar eclipse is visible in the region.
The Magnolia Classic Walking Horse Show returns to the Crossroads Arena for its 18th year.
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