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Daily Corinthian Vol. 117, No. 78
• Corinth, Mississippi •
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30 pages • Two sections
Liquor by the drink returns to Corinth Restaurant marks first sales under new law BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
It’s a rainy Saturday afternoon in Corinth and the bar is getting busy at Ruby Tuesday — the first restaurant in town to sell liquor by-the-drink since voters overwhelmingly chose to allow the sale of liquor in the city limits. Behind the bar Chloe Barnett blends together the ingredients for a Ruby’s Relaxer, a house specialty drink that consists of cranberry and pineapple juice, vodka, coconut rum and a slice of orange on top served on the rocks in a tall glass. Her hands move quickly and precisely as she measures and mixes, working that seemingly-haphazard alchemy utilized by professional bartenders the world over. And make no mistake about it, Barnett is a pro. She has worked at Ruby Tuesday for only a couple of weeks, but behind that is two years tending bar in the New Orleans French Quarter — a community that
takes a special pride in its bartenders. This year’s change in local liquor laws spelled out an opportunity for Barnett. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to find a job here,� she said, while mixing a customer’s patriotic-colored Star Spangled Margarita. “Then the law changed. I feel like I got lucky.� As a bartender in the first liquor-selling establishment in town, Barnett is a witness to Corinthians enjoying a newly gained freedom. Liquor by the drink and mixed drinks are new in this town, and it takes people a while to learn what’s all on the menu. So, what does this mean for the bartender? “Margaritas,� she said. “I’m constantly making margaritas. It seems like if people don’t know about different kinds of mixed drinks they’ll always order a margarita.� Business has definitely picked up since Ruby Tuesday began selling liquor on March
18, especially on weekdays, Barnett pointed out, when business travelers are passing through and staying at the nearby motels. It also gets busier around the restaurant’s version of happy hour, two time-slots — 4 to 6:30 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to close — when cocktails go for $5. “We’re up at least 20 percent in sales,� said store manager Jessica Duncan. “We get a lot of out-of-town business, people staying at the hotels who are glad they can get a drink with their meals. We’ve got a lot of regular travelers who come through, and they’re really happy they can get a drink now.� Before the liquor laws changed for Corinth the Ruby Tuesday staff would regularly have to tell disappointed customers that they couldn’t buy a mixed drink, Duncan recalled. Following the change in laws, the restaurant began the process of hiring and training
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Bartender Chloe Barnett mixes the house special — a Ruby Relaxer — in Ruby Tuesday, the first restaurant in Corinth to begin selling liquor by-the-drink. a week working hand-in-hand with prospective bartenders,
able bartenders like Barnett. Trainers from the Ruby Tuesday office in Jonesboro, Ark., journeyed to Corinth to spend
Please see LIQUOR | 2A
Biggersville FCA leading by faith BY DONICA PHIFER dphifer@dailycorinithan.comÂ
BIGGERSVILLE — High school has been identified as a lot of things - a prison, a party, a punishment - but others see it as a mission field. Those others are the 'Fellowship of Christian Athletes' — specifically the Biggersville Chapter which averages 100 students in each weekly meeting. The FCA formed in Pittsburgh, PA in 1954 as the brainchild of Don McClanen. In their mission statement, the group and all of its chapters seeks to teach others about Jesus and bring his Word to schools through the voices of athletes. “They are often the most recognizable people in the school,� FCA Area Director Mark Boren said. At Biggersville High School, FCA President Blake Stacy falls into the category of familiar faces. This school year, Stacy has taken snaps as the starting quarterback for the Lions football team and played on the Class 1A State Championship basketball team. “I was elected president at the end of ninth grade,� Stacy
said, noting that he has held down the job for three years. In his time with FCA, Stacy has seen a number of inspiring stories as a result of the work of the group - one being a quiet girl who stepped up and asked to speak at their meeting and another who questioned another officer about salvation between classes. “She came on in after that and gave her life to the Lord,� Stacy said. The group leads by example, holding weekly meetings during the high school break on Thursday mornings and recently they have began taking on small projects. “We've done volunteer days at churches, we've cooked for the teachers as a 'thank you' for all of their work, and we have our Bible project,� Stacy said. The 'Bible Project' consists of the FCA chapter gathering donations from individuals and local churches, and using the money to purchase Bibles for every student at Biggersville High School. After a year of fundraising, the group will distribute Bibles Please see FCA | 2A
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Light rain couldn’t put a damper on the fun at the Community Egg Hunt on Saturday at Crossroads Regional Park.
Drizzle can't dampen spirits during community egg hunt BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
Hundreds of Corinth’s youngest residents and their families braved the wet weather Saturday for the Community Egg Hunt at Crossroads Regional Park. Organizer kept a close watch on the weather in the hours leading up to the hunt. As the time neared for kids to line up and begin the hunt a light drizzle moved in — but the activity was spared the
Index Stocks......8A Classified......4B Comics Inside History......1B
Weather......9A Obituaries......6A Opinion......4A Sports....10A
kind of deluge many feared was on its way. “We know for a fact the Good Lord is watching,� said organizer J.C. Hill. “Every weather prediction in the Southeast was going for rain, but it didn’t rain Friday or leading up to this event. I’m overwhelmed by the feeling we’re going to pull this off. I’m so excited I get butterflies in my stomach.� Organizers had lined up a substitute venue for the event in case
of rain, but all was well at Crossroads Regional Park. The kids divided into groups, organizer Dana McLain gave the word and they were off, scattering throughout the park with Easter baskets in hand on a quest for thousands of brightly colored eggs. Alcorn County residents Andrew and Rachel Johnson brought their three children Please see HUNT | 2A
On this day in history 150 years ago General-in-Chief Henry Halleck writes to Gen. Grant about the advantages to be gained by enlisting runaway slaves into the Union army. This policy will result in the raising of the 1st Alabama Regiment of African Descent in Corinth. 1(:
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