Delta Magazine January/February 2026

Delta

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Annual Tourism Issue ● ‘80s Rock Exhibit at Grammy Museum ● Antique Lovers Nashville road trip ● Mississippi to Maine: The Norumbega Inn

JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2026 deltamagazine.com $6.95US

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PLUS: Daddies, Daughters, and Ducks Jessica Ellington’s Poured Out Art A Valentine’s Dinner for Two

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Publisher: J. Scott Coopwood Editor in Chief: Cindy Coopwood Director of Production: Pam Parker Director of Special Projects: Arlette Thompson Contributing Editors: Maude Schuyler Clay, Lea Margaret Hamilton, Jim “Fish” Michie, Brantley Snipes, Roger Stolle, Kelli Williams Website: Gregory Braggs Consultant: Samir Husni, Ph.D. Graphic Designers: Sandra Goff, Denton Reed Copy Editor: Suzanne Durfey Contributing Writers: Jim Beaugez, Matty Bengloff Amy Conry Davis, Emma Ellard,Terri Glazer Lynne Jeter, Chatham Kennedy, Joey Lee Sherry Lucas, Robert McFarland Melissa Roberson Photography: Bill Connell, Jr., Rory Doyle, Karen Focht John Montfort Jones, Andrew Welch Anna Satterfield Account Executives: Melanie Dupree, Cristen Hemmins, Kristy Kitchings, Ashley Lucius, Wendy Mize Ann Nestler, Sherri Russell, Cadey True Circulation: Lyndsi Naron Accounting Manager: Holly Tharp POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to

Delta Magazine, PO Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732

ADVERTISING: For advertising information, please call 662.843.2700 Delta Magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials or photos and in general does not return them to sender. Photography obtained for editorial usage is owned by Delta Magazine and may not be released for commercial use such as in advertisements and may not be purchased from the magazine for any reason. All editorial and advertising information is taken from sources considered to be authoritative, but the publication cannot guarantee their accuracy. Neither that information nor any opinion expressed on the pages of Delta Magazine in any way constitutes a solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities mentioned. No material in Delta Magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publication. Delta Magazine is published bimonthly by Coopwood Magazines, Inc., 125 South Court St., Cleveland, MS 38732-2626. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, MS and additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Delta Magazine, PO Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732-0117. Delta Magazine (USPS#022-954)

Delta Magazine is published six times a year by Coopwood Magazines, Inc. EDITORIAL & BUSINESS OFFICE ADDRESSES: Mailing Address: PO Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732 Shipping Address: 125 South Court Street, Cleveland, MS 38732 E-mail: publisher@deltamagazine.com editor@deltamagazine.com

deltamagazine.com Subscriptions: $28 per year 4 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

©2026 Coopwood Magazines, Inc.

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from the editor

From My Delta Kitchen to Yours ith the arrival of a new year, I find myself especially excited about what’s ahead—

not just for Delta Magazine, but for my own culinary adventures. This year, I’m launching a new recurring feature in our food and recipe pages called “My Delta Kitchen,” and I cannot wait to bring you along with me.

For years, we’ve shared stories, dishes, and ideas from cooks and restaurants across our region, and we will continue to do so. But now I’m also excited to open the door to my own kitchen and invite you in—messy counters, last-minute inspirations, and all. I’ll offer my personal take on everything from simple dinner parties to cozy Sunday lunches, family weekends, and holiday celebrations. I’ll share my favorite recipes, the go-to entertaining tips I swear by, and perhaps most fun of all, the new (or old!) recipes I’ve somehow never tried before.

I’m kicking things off this issue with a cozy Valentine’s Dinner for Two planned— fireplace, candlelight, and all—with the help of my friend and best food sounding board, Cordelia Capps. For this one, I ventured into unfamiliar territory and made braised beef short ribs for the very first time. After studying countless recipes for boeuf bourguignon and short ribs, I came up with a hybrid version that keeps all the rich flavor while simplifying the steps.

And because we are who we are, and the Delta always finds its way into my kitchen, serving the ribs over creamy grits instead of mashed potatoes was an obvious choice— and trust me—it was delicious! I also put a Southern twist on a classic appetizer with shrimp cocktail featuring our family’s beloved Comeback Sauce in place of the usual cocktail sauce. The salad was one of Scott’s favorites—roasted beets—with greens included. And for dessert? A trending, shortcut-friendly espresso martini brownie that blends several viral online recipes into one decadent finale. It was fun, festive, and the perfect way to experiment with something new.

So follow along—I hope you’ll be inspired to join me in trying some new things this year. In fact, l will publicly declare that one of my New Year’s resolutions (which I usually don’t make) is to finally tackle some of the recipes I’ve avoided for far too long—homemade cheesecake, seafoam icing, and sourdough bread, to name few. The list is embarrassingly long, but the year is young.

As always, we’d love to hear from you. I’d love to know if you try any of our recipes—and send pictures. We’re all on this culinary journey together and we want it to be a shared adventure!

Owned by Will Tims, a Cleveland native, Norumbega Inn, in So, here’s to trying, tasting, learning, and sharing in 2026!

Camden, Maine is definitely on my bucket list. See page 88.

Happy Cooking! DM

Cindy Coopwood Editor in Chief @cindycoopwood | editor@deltamagazine.com

RORY DOYLE

My first time trying braised short ribs was a success, if I say so myself! See page 128.

Cutest little group of hunters I ever did see. Read about this special daddy-daughter duck hunt on page 60.

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JOHN MONTGORT JONES

HANNAH HOGGATT

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contents JANUARY/FEBRUARY Volume 23, No. 4

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departments 30 BOOKS

Reviews of new releases and what Deltans are reading now

34 ART JESSICA ELLINGTON’S A journey of faith and healing

40 MUSIC JOHN MONTGORT JONES

RAY CASHMAN Blues musician in search of the source

features

114 HOME

ELEGANT EVERYDAY LIVING Indianola’s stunning new Fontenot home

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RORY DOYLE

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128 FOOD

MY DELTA KITCHEN Recipes and tips for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at home

46 Through her Father’s Eyes Stella Connell shines a light on her father’s pioneering work 136 HISTORY 52 All in the Family WINGS OF VALOR The history of the Grisanti family restaurants of Memphis The story of Samuel Keesler, Jr. 60 Daddies, Daughters, and Ducks The Delta’s sweetest hunting tradition in every issue 66 Duck Duck Booze DELTA A culinary event to celebrate the end of the season Letters RS 10 U O T E D 18 On the Road 73 DM’S Annual Tourism Section Where we’ve been, Grammy Museum Mississippi: New ‘80s Rock Exhibit, page 74 Antique Lovers’ Winter Road Trip to Nashville, page 80 From Mississippi to Maine, The Norumbega Inn, page 88 Delta Detours Special Advertising Section, page 100

135 2026 Health, Beauty, and Wellness

Annual Healthcare Advertising Section, page 135 Rewriting the weight-loss narrative: Oxford’s Surgical and Bariatric Clinic, page 136

ON THE COVER: An espresso martini brownie makes a gorgeous finish for our romantic fireside Valentine’s dinner for two. Photo by Rory Doyle.

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where we’re going next

22 Off the Beaten Path Roaming the real and rustic Delta

26 Hot Topics 160 Events 170 Delta Seen 176 The Final Word

by Matty Bengloff

LETTERS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025

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Merry as Christm

I want to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Delta Magazine team, for producing such an excellent publication.

Delta Magazine beautifully captures the richness, diversity, and soul of the Mississippi Delta. Each issue offers captivating stories, stunning photography, and superb writing that bring the people, history, and culture of the region vividly to life.

Your dedication to preserving and sharing the Delta’s unique heritage shines through every page. Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence and for celebrating all that makes the Mississippi such a remarkable place. With gratitude.

The Turner home was built on some of the Fisk land Mr. Wineman wrote about. In fact, Johnny named her only daughter, the double name “Hattie Hiler” to honor her friend.

All of these folks have long since died, but their contributions to this heart of the Delta town, Belzoni, live on.

Betsey Warner Delray Beach, Florida I am writing to commend Cindy and Scott Coopwood on the wonderful job you are doing with your publications of both the Mississippi Business Journal and Delta Magazine! I congratulate you on the superior work. I have read both recent publications and marvel at your coverage of such a wide ranging field from the MEC to the beautiful musings on Christmas traditions and even the editor’s Ode to Nana. Congratulations to you both many times over. Even the ads in Delta Magazine are interesting and informative. Continued best wishes.

Maryanne S. Connell Oxford, Mississippi

John N. Palmer, U.S. Ambassador (Retired) Edwards, Mississippi

HISTORY

A Tale of Two Deltas: The Nile and the Mississippi The Story of Belzoni, Mississippi and the Adventurous Giant of Egyptology

From

the Delta to the STARS The Literary Journey of Amy Vincent

BEPPE CALGARO

BY BARBARA TRAVIS

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From the Mississippi Delta to ancient Egypt, the impact of Giovanni Belzoni has been well recorded in the annals of history.

Portrait of Belzoni; Jan Adam Kruseman, 1824, displayed at Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England.

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I love every issue of Delta Magazine— but I especially loved the recent September/October issue with the captivating article by Wade Wineman, Jr. about my hometown, Belzoni, Mississippi.

Thank you for publishing such a wonderful tribute filled with so much information.

Though I have lived in South Florida since 1972, I will always be a Mississippian! The article was particularly special to me because in 1978, my dear friend Johnnie Cerame also wrote a wonderful history of Belzoni.

She was a lifelong resident and dearest friend of Hattie Hiler Turner, Irby Turner, Sr.’s wife.

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The 2025 Holiday issue of Delta Magazine will, in our household, forever be known as the Vincent issue. Mrs. Barbara Travis did a great job with the article about our daughter Amy and her path from our little town of Marks to becoming a renowned writer of the Star Wars novels.

And, I will always appreciate the opportunity to contribute The Final Word editorial, with musings about the beloved Christmas traditions in the Marks community. Our family will truly always cherish this special issue.

Thank you so much for everything, and please know that you will always have an asset in the Marks—and that’s me.

Fred Vincent Marks, Mississippi

Y’all Said

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS @deltamagazine

We Asked...

Holiday Recap: We asked our readers what their favorite and least favorite Thanksgiving dishes are, and then asked if Santa fills ALL the stockings in their houses, whether old or young!

THANKSGIVING FAVES For me, nothing can ever top cornbread dressing.

The smell reminds me so much of my mother and it is even better the next day. – Karen Vincent Sweet potato casserole - FAVORITE, especially the Paula Deen recipe! Green bean casserole— LEAST FAVORITE, especially when made with Cream of Mushroom soup, canned string beans, and canned french-fried onions.

– Madge Marley Howell Least favorite—sweet potato pie. Favorite leftover—turkey sandwiches dressed with mayo, dressing, and cranberry sauce. – Ronnie Harper Most favorite Thanksgiving dishes: “Mother’s” chicken and dressing, slow-cooked enison Steak Fingers, Sweet Potato Casserole, Sweet Potato Pie. Least favorite—anything with Pumpkin Spice. – Billie Morehead My favorite Thanksgiving recipe is my mother-inlaw, Ruby Hilburn’s cornbread dressing. I followed her around the kitchen many years ago as she made it. She was a marvelous cook but never measured ingredients unless she was baking sweets. I measure everything! I have mastered the recipe, and everyone asks for it.

– Shirley Hilburn

Cook

WITH VIKING

STOCKINGS Absolutely! There are always full stockings on Christmas morning, and not just candy. Santa puts mandarin oranges in my daughter’s mixed right in with all things young women seem to want (gift cards, skincare jewelry). Our Santa brings 3 gifts and fills the stockings, so they are full of fun surprises! – Suzanne Barnette Of course, even the pets have a stocking!

– Leath Johnson Yes absolutely Santa fills ALL the stockings at our place! – Mike Lucas

SEND COMMENTS AND LETTERS TO: editor@deltamagazine.com or Delta Magazine PO Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732

318 Howard Street • Greenwood, MS 662.453.2114 • thealluvian.com

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Afternoon Quiet

PHOTO BY JOHN MONTFORT JONES

Graceful deer stand quietly in the Delta woods near Benoit, Mississippi, their coats glowing in the filtered afternoon light. This time of year the stillness feels ancient and sacred, a reminder of the beauty of nature in the timeless woods of the Mississippi Delta with every rustle of leaves and each footstep echoing the heartbeat of the land. DM

Independent Registered Investment Adviser P. O. Box 117 ∙ 1350 Sunset Drive, Suite F ∙ Grenada, MS 38902 (662) 229-0919 art.smith@barnespe ey.com kim.mcree@barnespe eycom william.ellio @barnespe ey.com

The right advice starts with a trusted relationship.

Art Smith, CFP®, Kim McRee, Sales Assistant, William Elliott, Branch Associate Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC Investment Advisory Services offered through Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors, LLC Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors, LLC is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification mark CFP® in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

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My mission: cut outages by 50% Superpower Mississippi is strengthening the grid at a lower cost to you Entergy’s Superpower Mississippi plan will invest 50% more in strengthening the grid to help reduce outages by 50%. You’ll see our teams installing stronger poles and clearing more vegetation to reduce outage risks. And, we’re using smarter technology that reroutes and restores power faster if there is an outage.

Entergy is making these investments to meet your growing energy needs while keeping rates well below the national average. And since Mississippi is our home, too, every Entergy employee is on a mission to fight outages and keep costs low. Learn how new, large customers like Amazon are lowering costs for you at entergymississippi.com/superpowerms.

More and better power at a lower cost – that’s Superpower Mississippi.

More and better power at a lower cost A message from Entergy Mississippi, LLC. | ©2026 Entergy Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

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ON THE ROAD

where we’ve been, where to go next

wintertime getaway COAHOMA COUNTY GREENWOOD

The Alluvian Hotel continues to be deeply intertwined with the character of this storied region. Known as the Hotel Irving back in 1917, the property was purchased and revitalized by Viking Range Corp. founder Fred Carl, Jr. Opened in 2003, the Alluvian is representitive of the Delta’s culture. – VISIT GREENWOOD

Dogs on the run—furry friends taking the scenic route to a destination unknown. - MARSHALL BLEVINS

PHOTO OPS

GREENVILLE

Waterfront Up Front This Delta town blossomed along the path where the Mississippi River once flowed. Today it is anchored by a vibrant waterfront, alive with boating, fishing, festivals, and a history defined by resilience. – MISSISSIPPI TODAY

DESOTO COUNTY Mississippi’s black bear population is growing, and one well-known bear—frequently spotted in the northern region—has earned the nickname “Pear Bear” for his regular appearances. – LAURA ATCHINSON

earlyngs beginni INDIANOLA

The Motor Mouse Motorcycle Club headquarters proudly housed in the historic White Rose Café building, a landmark rich in character, charm, and enduring local history. - LEE HARPER Facebook users, follow @deltamagazine

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The original Valley Bank location in 1902. – JACK COLEMAN

Instagram users, follow @deltamagazine

ROSEDALE

far and away CLARKSDALE

Myths, legends, and the blues, at Ground Zero—where soulful music fills the air, stories linger in every corner, and Clarksdale’s vibrant Delta spirit creates unforgettable nights for visitors from around the world. – DELTA MAGAZINE

NASHVILLE A salute to Mississippi in the Music City, honoring the state’s legendary artists, timeless influence, and powerful cultural spirit that helped shape America’s musical identity. – TRAVIS COOPWOOD

& FUNKY STOPS

delta tradition

Roaming the real and rustic Delta

all aboard WARREN COUNTY

GREENVILLE One of the River City’s most notable landmarks began welcoming guests in 1909. Since then, it has become one of Greenville’s oldest eateries known for its classic Southern breakfasts, homemade hot sauce, and walls filled with local history. – DELTA MAGAZINE

ALLIGATOR

Old, abandoned railroad tracks quietly fade into the landscape, carrying echoes of past journeys, forgotten towns, and the stories time left behind. – MARTY KITRELL

Nature and art collide in this tiny Delta town founded along Delta farmland that grew as a small railroad community shaped by agriculture, blues heritage, and generations of tight-knit residents. – LEE HARPER

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SPRING 2026 Season

Jan. Meredith Willson’s

Feb.

Apr.

Apr. Magic School Bus Into The Solar System

30 The Music Man 19

9 Kansas

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Mar. Blue Öyster Cult

5 Dwight Yoakam

Apr. Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band

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BUY TICKETS NOW! WWW.BOLOGNAPAC.COM | 662-846-4626 DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH roaming the real and rustic Delta

GREENVILLE’S HIDDEN GEM Southside Grocery is home of the Best Burger You Almost Missed YOU DRIVE PAST IT TOO FAST, YOU MIGHT MISS IFSOUTHSIDE GROCERY & DELI,

a white cement-block building sitting along a Greenville roadside—but patrons of the comfort-food restaurant say that once you’ve had a taste, you won’t miss it again.

This thirty-three-year-old hidden gem has a lot going for it. Southside Grocery has been voted Best Burger in Greenville several times. Over the years, the restaurant has built a loyal customer base and earned local prestige. It even welcomed then–Vice President Kamala Harris, who stopped in for a bite in 2022.

Owner Matthew Clark and his family know they have a big legacy to uphold. Luckily, their recipe has brought in customers for three decades: according to Matthew’s son Adrian, “local legacy, community support, and the Best Burger in Greenville with economical prices.”

Southside Grocery first opened its doors in 1992.

Back then, it was a small corner store and deli called Rhodes and Clark, named for its founders, Lee E. Clark Sr. and Dewayne Rhodes. Fifteen years later, in 2007, Clark took the helm, expanding the operation and renaming it Southside. Clark passed away in 2019, but his family continues to operate the business.

Southside Grocery’s menu is classic and hearty.

The restaurant serves fried fish and barbecued pork, slab ribs and chicken wings, brisket and hog maw.

Every dish—from its iconic turkey leg to its beloved burger—is served in white styrofoam and foil, often with generous helpings of rice or fries.

The food may be the standout at Southside Grocery, but some online reviewers say it’s the love behind the dishes that makes the difference. As much as they care about good food, the folks at Southside care about people. Their care shows even on their website, where customers are mentioned by name and a list of recommended brands is provided for home cooks.

“Oftentimes, customers that have moved away come back to visit and share that Southside is their first stop when they get to Greenville,” Adrian said.

A longtime community staple with deep Delta roots, Southside Grocery proves it doesn’t take a fancy façade to keep locals and travelers alike coming back for more.

Southside Grocery & Deli is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.

1209 Highway 82 West, Greenville; 662.334.6469 Facebook: southside-grocery.res-menu.com 22 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Southside Grocery and Deli is an under-the-radar local gem that locals know serves one of the best hamburgers around. Even Vice President Kamala Harris had to give them a try!

BUILDING JOY, ONE BRICK AT A TIME How Bricks and Minifigs Brought a LEGO Wonderland to DeSoto County

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EVIN AND TAMMY THORN MAY HAVE OPENED MISSISSIPPI’S NEWEST BRICKS & MINIFIGS LAST YEAR, but the story behind the store began decades

Kevin and Tammy Thorn, below, strive to make Bricks and Minifigs more than just a retail stop—it’s a shopping experience in a magical and creative setting with the credo: reuse, rebuild, and reimagine.

earlier—with a single LEGO set. “I’ve been a lifelong LEGO enthusiast since 1979, when I got my first LEGO set,” Kevin recalls. His passion eventually evolved into professional practice: in 2016 he became a certified LEGO Serious Play facilitator, using brick-based storytelling to guide workshops for corporations, universities, and government organizations.

Both longtime AutoZone HQ professionals, the couple brought “over thirty years of retail experience” into their next chapter. When Kevin completed his doctorate in 2023—researching “the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional benefits of constructionism and the theory of play”—the vision became clear. “I wanted to build on what I’ve been working on by having a space of my own to offer workshops, camps, activities, and therapy,” he says. Bricks & Minifigs offered the perfect foundation.

The store, which officially launched January 11, 2025, centers on a simple credo: reuse, rebuild, and reimagine. Specializing in pre-loved LEGO sets, loose bricks, Minifigures, and third-party accessories, the shop keeps sustainability and affordability at the heart of its mission. “Rebuilding gives pre-loved used sets a second life,” Kevin explains, while reimagining “encourages a culture of innovation, play, and imagination without limits.” Customers can also sell or trade their LEGO, and yes—the store carries new, sealed sets as well.

Community response has surpassed every expectation. While most visitors are from DeSoto County, enthusiasts from across the tri-state area have made the pilgrimage.

“We strive to make our store a shopping experience rather than just a store that sells LEGO,” says Tammy.

Sculptures and playful displays create what the owners call LEGO “magic.” Every piece that enters the store is cleaned and sanitized, ensuring that bulk bricks and pre-loved sets feel “as clean as possible like when it was new.”

A dedicated party room hosts all manner of celebrations, events, and workshops ranging from stopmotion filmmaking to intro robotics. And once a month, Tammy leads a wildly popular “Ladies Night,” where women gather to relax, build, and laugh—“no boys allowed.” It’s truly a community space where imagination has no limits.

427 East Commerce Street, Suite 7, Hernando 662.449.9780; bricksandminifigs.com Facebook: Bricks & Minifigs Hernando Instagram: @bamhernandoms DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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NOW, I AM ABLE!

“I AM RELIEVED TO KNOW THAT I CAN FINALLY HAVE AN ACCOUNT THAT I CAN RELY ON TO SAVE” - HERBERT HUMPHREY

Starting January 1, 2026, individuals whose disability began before age 46 (up from age 26) will now be eligible to open an ABLE account. That means millions more people—including many veterans like Mr. Humphrey, can: • Save for disability-related expenses • Keep critical benefits like SSI and Medicaid • Enjoy tax-advantages

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HOT TOPICS GADDY DESIGN COMPANY Bringing Southern Charm from Marks to Como For thirty-five years, Craig and Peggy Gaddy have been curating Delta homes with simple sophistication and elevated Southern charm. The husband-and-wife duo owns and operates Gaddy Design Company, a full-service interior decorating company, complete with floral design services and antique curation. Their design work tends to feature rich, dark woods, classical Euro-styled patterns, and arrangements from elegant to eclectic.

As they move into year thirty-six, Craig and Peggy are shaking up their style. With an expanded business model and a brand new store in Como, Gaddy Design Company is bringing more than ever to the table.

Gaddy Designs began operating out of Marks, Mississippi in 2017. Their charming store on East Main Street carried finely detailed furniture and rustic decor, and it gave the Gaddys’ design dreams a brick-and-mortar home.

The Marks location has since shuttered its doors, but just this year, Gaddy Designs found new life when both the couple and the company moved north.

Just this November—and just in time for the holiday season— Gaddy Design Company opened on Como’s North Main Street, marking a new chapter for the designing duo.

The Gaddys still deal in design consulting and the sale of

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antiques: their new store is bedecked in solid wood, polished leather, and an impressive collection of ornate rugs. Their pair has brought in new wares, though, including gifts, clothing, and local art and pottery. The new store even has an in-house coffee shop and tearoom.

Shoppers can stop by Gaddy Design Company right next door to the Como Steakhouse.

To learn more about these Delta decorators’ big designs, visit the new Gaddy Design Company Facebook page.

207 North Main Street, Como Facebook: Gaddy Designs

THE RIVERSIDE HOTEL Harbor and haven The Riverside Hotel—an unassuming brick building with white trim and a weather-worn sign—may appear modest, but it holds big stories. Those stories earned it a place on the Mississippi Blues Trail and ensured its preservation more than eighty years after its grand opening.

Opened in 1944 during the Jim Crow era by Z. L. Hill, an industrious and resilient Black woman, the Riverside Hotel is without question one of Clarksdale’s most significant connections to blues history. The building originally served as a hospital; in its second life, it remained a harbor and haven for Black travelers, including many of the most influential musicians and creatives of the twentieth century. Sonny Boy Williamson II, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Sam Cooke, and Ike Turner all stayed under its roof.

Turner’s “Rocket 88”—widely regarded as the first rock-and-roll song—was, as legend has it, composed and rehearsed at the Riverside.

The hotel remained in continuous operation until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought local tourism to a halt. In April of that year, a severe storm caused a tree to fall on the building, inflicting significant structural damage. The following year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the Riverside Hotel among “America’s Most Endangered Places.”

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Last Fall, however, the building found new life. In October it was rechristened the Riverside Hotel Interpretive Center: the Living Blues and Civil Rights Museum, thanks to the dedicated work of Zelena Ratliff and Sonya Ratliff Gates—the hotel’s owners and descendants of Z. L. Hill. An updated Mississippi Blues Trail marker was also unveiled at the ceremony.

Restoring and preserving a historic landmark requires time, care, and sustained support. The Riverside has persevered and even blossomed in the four years since it was placed on the endangered list. Nevertheless, the building still bears the marks of storms, fallen trees, and age. Zelena and Sonya continue to seek donations and partnerships to ensure ongoing restoration.

They—and many other torchbearers of Southern history— remain committed to preserving the legacy of the hotel “where blues gave birth to rock and roll.”

615 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale riversideclarksdale.com

MISSISSIPPI PREPARES FOR AMERICA250 A Year of History, Art and Celebration As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Mississippi is stepping into a leading role in telling America’s story.

Through the work of the America250 Mississippi Commission and statewide partners such as Visit Mississippi, the state is preparing a full year of commemorations that honor its past, celebrate its creativity, and invite communities to participate in this milestone moment.

A major centerpiece will be “Mississippi Made,” held at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.

Opening in early 2026, the exhibit will highlight Mississippi’s influence on the American narrative— from civil-rights history and literary excellence to the music and cultural traditions that have shaped the nation. Another signature event, “United in Song: A Mississippi America250 Celebration,” scheduled for June 20, 2026, in Jackson at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Choirs from around the state are being recruited for the event that aims to honor the artistry and musical heritage that has shaped the nation’s culture.

Rochelle Hicks, director of tourism for Visit Mississippi and a member of the America250 Mississippi Commission, says the effort represents a major opportunity for statewide engagement. “A250 MS and participating partners across the state are creating dynamic cultural and educational programs and events that will draw

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travelers from across the United States,” Hicks has noted. “This is an excellent opportunity for visitors and residents alike to be wowed by what Mississippians have achieved.”

Across Mississippi, preparations are underway for communitybased events supported by an expanded network of America250 grants. The Mississippi Humanities Council is offering program grants and mini-grants for projects ranging from festivals and lecture series to oral-history initiatives.

The Mississippi Arts Commission is launching a special America250 Public Art Grant, dedicating $100,000 for murals, sculptures, and installations that reflect local stories tied to the anniversary.

Mississippi’s State Parks are planning a lively July 3–4, 2026, celebration weekend, complete with cookouts, concerts, fireworks, and familyfriendly outdoor activities at parks from the Gulf Coast to northeast Mississippi. Early reservations are recommended.

For Danielle Morgan, executive director of the Mississippi Tourism Association, America250 is about more than tourism. She has emphasized that tourism strengthens communities, supports local businesses, and helps Mississippi share its story “both with the world and with ourselves.”

For more information go to america250.ms

THE MATCHBOX New Venue lights up downtown Clarksdale blues and R&B artists play over the sounds of On historic Delta Avenue in Clarksdale, chatter and laughter.

Mississippi, a building with an orange façade faces Visitors can enjoy the sounds of the South while the street. By night, it lights up the block like sipping cocktails or sampling happy-hour bites. a struck match. Inside, the Delta’s newest Menu items include flatbreads, loaded fries, seafood speakeasy-style restaurant, bar, and music baskets, buffalo wings, and more. In addition to venue is open for business with live music, their current happy hour and dinner menu, starting good food and great vibes. this January, The Matchbox will be open for lunch The Matchbox opened last April every Wednesday from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. hosting a grand opening and ribbonThe Matchbox is a place where the party cutting, and just a week later, it served as lasts from open to close.

For the Thomases, a key venue for the 23rd Annual Juke though, the venue is more than just a great Joint Festival. spot for a night out; it is a dream realized.

Owner Wyoman Thomas and his “When the critics said Clarksdale wasn't wife, Alicen, designed The Matchbox as a ready, Alicen said, ‘We’ll make them ready,’” lively destination in downtown Wyoman continued. “And now, as the doors Clarksdale where people could gather, swing open and the laughter fills the air, I look at enjoy good food, share stories over drinks, and her and know we’re living proof that with love and listen to the music of the Delta. determination, anything is possible.”

“The Matchbox is more than just a The Matchbox hours are 4 p.m.–12 noon on restaurant—it’s a dream we built together,” Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4 p.m.–1 a.m. on Fridays Wyoman wrote in a social media post in Owners Wyoman and Alicen Thomas and Saturdays, and 2–10 p.m. on Sundays.

September.

Inside The Matchbox, low lights illuminate green walls and 311 Delta Avenue, Clarksdale exposed brick. The atmosphere is both rustic and ritzy. Most nights, Facebook: The Matchbox

4

DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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28 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

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BOOKS Buzzworthy Comments

The Most Powerful Word by Josh Clark and Judy Long (Nautilus Publishing) For more than two decades, writers and scholars Josh Clark and Judy Long have pondered the question: Why has Mississippi produced so much acclaimed literature? Their new book, The Most Powerful Word, attempts to answer that question. Clark and Long interviewed Donna Tartt, Richard Ford, Barry Hannah, Ellen Gilchrist, Larry Brown, Elizabeth Spencer, Ellen Douglas, Julia Reed, Al Young, Ralph Eubanks, Dean Faulkner Wells, Jim Dees, and dozens of other Mississippi writers about that very question.

The authors orchestrated these never-before-published interviews with many of the state’s most acclaimed authors—some living, many long gone—in a conversation revealing the secrets to becoming a Joshua Clark great writer. The result is a book rife with humor, horror, and hope.

This symphony of narratives captures Mississippi’s influence on world literature, showing how this complex and contradictory land has shaped the soul of storytelling like no other region its size in human history. (DM Staff )

Judy Long

I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (Random House) Those who love retellings of Greek mythology, get prepared for a novel you will not be able to put down. This origin story of Medusa will leave your heart aching and wanting more. But there are darker parts of the novel that could be triggering for some readers, as a warning. Meddy is just a girl who wants to escape the strict island life of her minor sea god parents. Athena notices her and invites her to train as a priestess in her temple. Jumping at the chance to go to Athens, Meddy leaves the island to make her own story. But in a collision of violence with Poseidon, she is condemned for a crime she did not commit, and filled with rage, she becomes a vigilante—and the mythological monster we know. A look at rage, injustice, friendship, and sisterhood, this novel is a character-driven emotional ride. (Liza Jones)

We asked Facebook friends and the Delta Magazine fan page group members to share what book they are looking forward to reading next year. o Susan Huff, retired Lexa, Arkansas

The Academy

by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham o Hunter Twiford, attorney Jackson, Mississippi

Ayana Gray

Run Over by the Grace Train

by Joby Martin Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal

by Joel Salatin o Deloris Mims-Green, retired

Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer (HarperCollins) Packer rightfully took her time to write this beautiful, moving novel about a couple reaching the end of their time together after decades of marriage. Eliot and Claire have plenty to show for their life together in a sleepy Connecticut town: two children, two grandchildren, a home, devotion, memories. When Claire is diagnosed with cancer, Eliot retired early to be her caregiver. Her dying wish, however, is a heartbreaking reckoning for him. Eliot is left to face his regrets, loss, and frustration after lifelong companionship with his wife. Deeply engaging, with a slow, meditative burn, this is a story of grief, loyalty, caregiving, friendship, and the complex dynamics of lifelong relationship. It is so raw and thoughtprovoking, it will stay with you and make you ask yourself a lot of questions about end-of-life autonomy. (Liza Jones)

Renova, Mississippi

Lessons From My Journey

by Dr. Andrea Moore o Jan Collins, executive director of the Madison Business League and Foundation Madison, Mississippi

Queen of Memphis

by Martin Hegwood o John Cox, attorney Cleveland, Mississippi Ann Packer

In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What it Means to Be a Man

by Tom Junod

For the Record Books Delta Magazine fans are currently reading o Marian Duncan Hollingsworth Shepherds for Sale

o Jason Whittington The Devils

by Megan Basham

by Joe Abercrombie

o Jimbo Richardson Stay Gone Days

o Terry Carlysle Meek Theo of Golden

by Steve Yarbrough

o Frances Turnage Empire of the Summer Moon

by S. C. Gwynne

o Eddie Sandifer Wilson Meet and Three

by Stafford Shurden 30 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

by Allen Levi

o Anita Grossman Horn A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

o Janet Bradley The Jakes

by Robert Hitt Neill

o Graham Clarke Jacktown USA

by Kamel King and Joe Lee

o Billy/Paula Logan Maines On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR

by Steve Oney

o Sherry Wilbourne The Widow

by John Grisham

How About Now: Poems by Kate Baer (HarperCollins) With her third poetry collection, Baer creates a sense of exigency with her words, as she bears witness to the delightful, sometimes painful, but always constant transformation of life onward into one thing after another.

Delving with quick but powerful punches, into motherhood, romantic love, aging, insecurity, domestic life, and society at large, these poems provoke a sense of shared humanity, a universal authenticity at the deepest level. “I walk into the great blue./There is nothing but blunt forgiveness./But what of hell?/What of fury?/What of good intention?/The great eye blinks./The great mouth yawns./As I swallow this,/so peace swallows me.”

Many are turning to poetry for its fast imagery, for its quick beauty, and Kate Baer is a big part of this literary trend, with many readers enjoying the pungency, humor, and deep compassion of her short poems. (Liza Jones) Pinchback: America’s First Black Governor by Nicholas Patler (University Press of Mississippi)

Born to a formerly enslaved mother and a white planter father, P. B. S. Pinchback (1837–1921) became the first African American governor in the United States. His tenure as governor of Louisiana was brief—a mere thirty-five days—but he remains one of the most prominent African American officeholders during the Reconstruction era. Yet despite being a pivotal figure in the post-Civil War South, attempts to tell his story have been incomplete.

This volume presents Pinchback’s story more fully and accurately, exploring the larger and more nuanced account of how Pinchback used strategy and skill to overcome obstacles, maintain power, and push an agenda of rights and equality during the Reconstruction era, often in the face of great adversity.

Pinchback worked feverishly to help create and nurture a democratized environment that made African Americans and Creoles the political and even social equals of white Louisianans. (DM Staff )

To Absent Friends by Julia Eichelberger (University Press of Mississippi) With over 350 complete or excerpted letters, most previously unpublished, To Absent Friends: Eudora Welty’s Correspondence with Frank Lyell forms an epistolary narrative of Welty’s writing life and her nearly fifty-year friendship with Frank Lyell, a friend from Jackson, Mississippi. Also included in the text are extensive annotations to explain the letters’ myriad, often telegraphic cultural references.

Early letters show both correspondents’ youthful exuberance as Lyell pursued graduate studies at Princeton and Welty, based in Jackson, visited New York whenever she could.

Letters from the 1940s discuss Welty’s work in progress, Lyell’s wartime service in the Army Air Forces Intelligence, and his teaching jobs in North Carolina and Texas.

In the 1950s, her mother’s health began to fail, and the civil rights movement and other world events hovered in the background of letters reporting on the Weltys’ challenging lives. As Welty’s fame grew, the friends continued to share gossip, descriptions of enjoyably bad movies, and reports on literature that moved them. (DM Staff ) DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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DELTA MAGAZINE ANNOUNCEMENT OPTIONS 1

ONE-PAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS

SALEM

3

TWO-PAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS

GOODMAN

DAVIS

Abbey McCulloch Goodman and William Brandon Hanks were

reception at the Historic Elks Lodge in Greenwood. Karyn Burrus,

united in marriage at half past six o’clock in the evening on

cousin of the bride, with Grapevine Catering provided the food.

February 11, 2023, at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in

Live music and entertainment were provided by Paul Brown

Greenwood.

downstairs during cocktail hour, and then upstairs by Dr. Zarr’s

The bride is the daughter of Tish Bowie Goodman of

Amazing Funk Monster. Grapevine Catering also created the

Greenwood and the late Paul Lumpkin Goodman. She is the

wedding cake and chocolate groom’s cake, which included a cake

granddaughter of Curtis Doty Bowie of Greenwood and the late

topper signifying his love for flying and their dog, Quiver.

Rose Marie Bowie, and the late Reverend and Mrs. Herbert Raymond Goodman of Tupelo.

Shelby and the late Carl Hayden Hanks. He is the grandson of Mr.

an engagement party held by Clarksdale friends at the beautiful home of Tony Clay and Kalynn Marley. The bachelorette party was

Floyd Hanks of Memphis.

a wonderful winter trip to New York City; the groomsmen enjoyed

The ceremony of Holy Matrimony with Eucharist was officiated

united in marriage at seven o’clock in the evening on Saturday, May

Tennessee. Dr. Kenneth Bruce Davis, junior, served as best man in

20, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle in downtown

spirit. Groomsmen were James Bellipanni, Will Edgecombe, Will

Jackson.

Brown, George Inmon, Andrew Ables, Jake Griffin, Nelson Duke,

The bride is the daughter of Nameh and Dawin Salem of Jackson. She is the granddaughter of Sharon Abide and the late Mr. George Victor Abide of Rogers, Arkansas, and the late Dr. and

On the Friday before the wedding, the bride was honored by her mother’s friends with a bridesmaid’s brunch at the home of Stick and Shawna Young. The groom was honored with a “BBQ

friend of the bride’s family. Scripture readers were Mari Brian Crick

& Skeet Shoot” lunch at Tallahatchie Flats by the bride’s uncle,

and Anne Craig Melton of Greenwood.

Mark Bowie.

Escorted by her grandfather, Abbey wore a Stella York classic

On the eve of the wedding, the groom’s grandparents and

gown with a sweetheart neckline and open back featuring a lace

bride’s mother hosted a rehearsal dinner at the Museum of the

and beaded bodice with a ballerina-inspired tulle skirt. The gown

Mississippi Delta also catered by Karyn Burrus of Grapevine

and matching veil were chosen at Amelia Grace Bridal of

Catering. Following the rehearsal dinner, a post toast after-party

Greenwood.

was held in the lobby of The Alluvian, where Stephen Pillow

Goldberg Bryant attended as matron of honor. Bridesmaids were

William Vaughn and Will Jarrett.

Kellum, cousin of the bride, of Grapevine Florals. Matthew Moore

The groom is the son of Mary Anna Davis and the late Dr.

and Nell Salem and Sharron Ritarose Abide served as the flower

McKenzie Amis, and Laine Wilson Vandevender. The proxy bride

of Third Bird Films was the wedding videographer and Patrick

Kenneth Bruce Davis, junior, of Cleveland, Mississippi. He is the

girls. Father Joe Tonos, of Saint Richard Catholic Church in Jackson,

was Mary Shelton Bond. The bridesmaids wore floor-length

Remington served as photographer for the weekend. Décor was

grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bruce Davis of

officiated the wedding Mass.

dresses of various styles, each in a different shade of blush,

provided by Details of Oxford. Angie Cole was the live painting

champagne, and pewter, and all individually chosen.

artist at the reception.

Texarkana, Arkansas, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus Jones Attending the bride as matron of honor was her sister, Marjorie Salem Houff of Spring Hill, Tennessee, with Catherine Blake Jernigan of Nashville, Tennessee, serving as maid of honor. Bridesmaids were

Following the ceremony, the reception was held at The Capital

Lyle Dilworth served as his grandson’s best man. Groomsmen

Following the wedding, the couple enjoyed a week’s stay on

eve of the wedding at Char Restaurant in Jackson. After a two-week

included Tony Clay Marley, Caleb Dodson, Gage Long, T.J.

the island of St. Lucia. Mr. and Mrs. Hanks reside in Greenwood

honeymoon in London, England, and Sorrento, Italy, the couple is

Russell, Jon Walhood, Rod Freeman, Seth Vance, Trippe Pilgrim,

where Abbey is the marketing director of The Mississippi Gift

Barrett Johnson, Cody Britt, and Bo Armstrong.

Company and Brandon continues to farm in the Doddsville area.

Club in downtown Jackson. The rehearsal dinner was held on the

Kaela Smyth LeDoux, Natalie Smyth, Mary Catherine Morrison,

at home in Jackson’s Belhaven neighborhood. The bride works in

Malorie Luckett Salem, Rachel Wirtz Salem, Emma Crosby, Lexie

medical device sales with Intuitive Surgical, and the groom is an

Hill Grisanti, Catherine Wohner, Allie Jones, and Gabby Cannon

attorney with Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush, P.A.

Up to 900-950 word write-up

The coordinator for the wedding weekend was Pryor Hackleman of A Pryor Engagement. Flowers were created by Kim

Bunch, Jane Mortimer Nicholson, Elizabeth Costa Farris,

Davis, junior, of Marion, Alabama.

Four horizontal photos

provided entertainment.

Shelby Malouf Barret, Neely Young Ellis, Merritt Belk Harris, Kaitlin

Robert Salem and David Houff, junior, served as ring bearers,

Mrs. Yacoub Salem of Amioun, Lebanon.

photos

a fishing trip in Cabo San Lucas.

Caroline Colquett. Music was provided by organist David Williamson, along with vocalist Cissye Meeks Gallagher, a lifelong

Mary Holly Lott attended the bride as maid of honor, while Erin

Marshall Fratesi, Patrick Salem, and Jacob Salem. Ushers were

Two vertical

Greenwood friends at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta, and

and Mrs. Lyle Dilworth of Shelby, and the late Mr. and Mrs. William

by the Reverend Don Chancellor. The ceremony was directed by

Attending the groom as best man was Michael Oleis of Nashville,

FORMAL

The couple was honored with several parties prior to the wedding including a New Year’s Eve engagement party held by

The groom is the son of Ms. Belinda Dilworth Pinckard of

Anagrace Sharron Salem and Kenneth Bruce Davis III were

HANKS

Episcopal Church of the Nativity • Greenwood • Patrick Remington Photography

Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle • Jackson • Patrick Remington Photography

Following the ceremony, the bride’s mother hosted the

McDonald.

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198 | MARCH/APRIL 2024

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Formal: One vertical photo Two horizontal photos Up to 450-500 word write-up

4

ANNOUNCEMENTS

BROCK

BROOKS

First Presbyterian Church • Greenwood • Mackenzie Rue with Taylor Square Photography

2

ANNOUNCEMENTS

KINNEY

MARTIN

VISUAL

Miramar Beach • Miramar Beach, Florida • Photography by Miranda Stallings

Three vertical photos Five horizontal photos Anne Darrington Brock

Katherine Ann Kinney Wedding Date Bride’s Parents Groom’s Parents Wedding Gown Wedding Planner Reception Venue Floral Design Catering Wedding Cake Entertainment Bride’s Hair and Makeup Invitations and Stationery Honeymoon Location

& John Madison Brooks IV

Wedding Date Bride’s Parents Groom’s Parents Wedding Gown Wedding Planner Reception Venue Floral Design Catering Wedding Cake Grooms Cake Entertainment Bride’s Hair and Makeup Bride’s Makeup Invitations and Stationery Honeymoon Location

& William Clayton Martin

December 16, 2023 Mr. and Mrs. Henry Donald Brock, junior Mr. and Mrs. John Madison Brooks III and Mr. and Mrs. John Miller Bush II Monique Lhuillier from Elle James Bridal Pryor Hackleman, A Pryor Engagement The Historic Elks Lodge A Pryor Engagement, Mississippi Flower Co. Sookie’s Catering Ellen Cookies Grapevine Cakes, Catering and Floral Compozitionz The Collective Salon Rivers Countiss Keyes Rebekah Caraway Design & Paper St. Lucia

Vendor details

168 | MARCH/APRIL 2024

September 29, 2023 Mr. Wesley Kinney and Mrs. Carol Kinney Mr. and Mrs. Russell Martin BHLDN RaeBird Weddings + Events Gray Whale, Miramar Beach Forget Me Knot Event Florals & Rentals Artistic Catering Sweetly Sisters B-Boy Productions Kendra K Beauty Minted Oyster Bay, Jamaica

DELTA MAGAZINE 2024 | 189

Visual: Two vertical photos Two horizontal photos Vendor details

5

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SHEPPARD

MILLER

The Peabody Memphis • Memphis, Tennessee • BN Creative Photography

VISUAL

Announcement information can be found online at deltamagazine.com/weddings. Chosen form will provide prompts to upload announcement or details (Word, Pages, or PDF) and all photos. Please provide high-resolution images. Screenshots of write ups or photos will not be accepted. Each announcement will have the option to upload an additional 25 photos for the wedding showcase feature. Please read the instructions carefully!

Three vertical photos (Specify which photo to be full page)

Two horizontal photos Mimi Abbott Sheppard Wedding Date Bride’s Parents Groom’s Parents Wedding Gown Reception Venue Floral Design Catering Wedding Cake Bride’s Hair Bride’s Makeup Invitations and Stationery Honeymoon Location

& J Grady Pacifici Miller

Vendor details

June 10, 2023 Mr. and Mrs. William Merritt Sheppard Mrs. Theresa Pacifici Biro and Mr. Eric Dodd Miller Theia from Maggie Louise Bridal Charlie Vergos Rendezvous Michelle Sheppard and Cissye Gallagher Charlie Vergos Rendezvous PattiCakes Bakery Angela McCaleb from Salon Haven Elizabeth Gallagher Ménage Fine Stationery & Gifts Rosemary Beach, Florida

200 | MARCH/APRIL 2024

For questions or assistance contact 662.843.2700 or weddings@deltamagazine.com

ART

Poured Out Art Jessica Ellington’s Journey of Faith, Music, and Healing

BY SHERRY LUCAS PHOTOGRAPHY BRANDALL LAUGHLIN

Oxford artist Jessica Ellington turns instruments of music into instruments of art in her stunning multimedia works.

34 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Thrifting finds and passalongs provide instruments for inspiration. Stranger on the Shore (left) was inspired by the Acker Bilk song. Emotion and innovation also inspire Ellington, as in her painting Scars (right).

L

ight and dark blues and a contrasting bronze coat the canvas of Jessica Ellington’s abstract painting, with several jagged cuts across the surface.

“Yes, I stabbed that thing,” the Oxford artist says of Scars, inspired by a song by Nate H about trust, honesty, and healing.

“We all have trust issues, but it’s when we expose ourselves to one another—that’s when we can really grow and bond and move forward…and connect as human beings.

“So, I really tried to do that in paint,” says Ellington. True to the action in her business name, Poured Out, she poured out paint onto her canvas—light blue on one side, dark blue on the other, with bronze through the middle. She pulled colors from one side across to the other. When it dried, she slashed it with a box cutter, then poked holes to make even more scars.

The epoxy resin she uses on all her pieces moved into the painting’s gashes, blending some together “almost like a healing wound,” she says. Others remained raw and open.

Ellington knows scars.

The unimaginable grief of losing her husband, Matt, and two children—Evangeline, 6, and Lincoln, 4—in a 2021 traffic accident in Oxford upended her world in an instant.

Faith and connections helped her heal. Art, a love since childhood, was a refuge.

She thought back to her first introduction to art as a child in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and the art lessons and community classes her mother always took her and her sisters to—painting, pottery, weaving, and more. She took piano lessons, too, for a decade. “Anything creative was really fostered in our home, but what drew me to painting was my grandmother,” she says, remembering the way her father’s mom excelled in oils, painting landscapes and portraits of everybody in the family.

“She could paint anything. I just loved watching her pieces evolve and come to

Embellished charcuterie boards are also part of Ellington’s artistic output.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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Solo cups, acrylic paint, and gravity are tools of the trade for Ellington’s Poured Out Art.

life.” Ellington had no formal training beyond the summer and community classes of her youth, but a passion for painting remained steady, pulled in more abstract, inspiration- and emotion-driven directions. “It’s just looking at something, thinking, ‘I like that, I think I could do that,’ or ‘I want to try that.’”

She continued exploring the creative realm as a vocal major in college at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. “I’ve always loved all things artistic—musically, visually,” she says.

Musical skills and deep faith now dovetail in her role singing and playing piano on the worship team at her church, Christ Presbyterian of Oxford.

She wed Matt Ellington after college. His U.S. Forest Service job took them to California for an eightand-a-half-year stretch that included the births of their children. In 2017, his job transfer to Oxford brought them back, closer to family—his in Ackerman, Mississippi, and hers in Missouri.

Ellington followed in her family’s footsteps with her children. “We were constantly doing creative things,” she says, 36 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

from painting and collages to noodle and pretzel project fun at the kitchen table.

When the little artists needed a nap, she needed a break.

“I would sneak upstairs and paint just for me, just as an outlet. I would just pour

out some paint on a canvas and see what happened, for my time and my sanity as a mom with young kids.

“I destroyed the carpet upstairs,” she says with good-humored candor. “It’s completely ruined. It’s covered in paint, even though I put down tarps and tried to be neat. I try to be neat, but there’s going

to be paint or glitter on me somewhere. It’s just who I am.

“I didn’t have the mental capacity to do technical, brushstroke painting. I just needed a release.” She would mix up bright colors, pour them out on a canvas, and move it around with hands covered in the hues. It dripped everywhere. “It’s just messy, but it’s really therapeutic, even back before the accident.”

Ellington started her painting business, Poured Out, in 2018, selecting a name that encapsulated both her process and her strong Christian faith.

Following the tragic accident and loss, “For the first few months, I was just processing everything. I had to relearn how to think and live and exist as a single person now, not as a member of a family—just figuring out how to be by myself.” A Christian grief counselor was helpful, as were Bible studies and women’s support groups through her church.

“Since I was a stay-at-home mom, I didn’t have anything to do. I was like, ‘What am I going to do with my time?’

‘What do I do with my hands?’ because my hands were used to being constantly busy.”

Answers came in the same tactile process she had loved for years.

“I really poured myself into painting. It gave me something to do. It occupied my hands. I would have music going, and I would occupy my mind. And it all came together.

“I poured myself into my faith as well.

And I don’t know how to say it other than, the Lord just really supported me through the whole thing. He carried me through.

Because losing a husband and two kids is something that is not easy to keep walking through afterwards. …God led me and surrounded me with wonderful friends, a wonderful church family that supported me in every way possible.”

Ellington wrote a book about that first year after her loss—about her background and how faith sustained her and grew and strengthened in the process. She included tips for those with loved ones going through grief and hardship and is now pursuing publication.

Her round kitchen table, once the creative spot for her kids’ projects and where she tried poured painting for the first time, is still where she creates her art, bathed in light from the big bay window that looks out onto woods in the back.

“It’s really bright and peaceful,” she says.

“That’s where our dining room table was, where we would have all our meals as a family and do all our creating, and now it’s still where I am happiest and most at peace, painting.”

A member of the Oxford Artists’ Guild, Ellington includes paintings in their shows.

A couple of her works are on view at the Oxford Community Center in January.

The Cotton House Hotel’s Fontaine Gallery in Cleveland hosted her first solo exhibition this past May. Ellington liked to hang back and watch viewers take in the art, get closer to it, and figure out the hows and whys behind it.

“That’s what I like to see, just people being drawn to it.”

Music shows up vividly in mixed media works that breathe new life into old musical instruments—channeling songs’ words and rhythms into energetic bursts, waves, and swirls of color.

Those explorations began with a couple of really cheap guitars from Amazon and some thrift-store finds, says Ellington. Then people’s old band instruments found their

An artistic slant elevates these serving boards.

way to her. There’s even an old accordion stashed under a bed, waiting for her to figure out how to get that heavy thing on a canvas. “I have a treasure trove of instruments ready to do pieces with,” she says, just as soon as inspiration strikes.

Each piece has ties to a specific song or artist, such as Eric Clapton’s “Layla,” Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” or a work inspired by Kingfish.

Though she gravitates to the acoustic singer-songwriter field, her musical tastes run the gamut, including songs in French, Italian, and Spanish, and South African worship songs. She has a jazz line of saxophone pieces. “I always have music on when I’m painting. I can’t paint if it’s quiet—it just feels way too weird.

“Every once in a while, something will just hit me, or a line will have a visual, as with “Layla.” It’s just fire,” she says, picturing paint as flames coming out of the guitar. “I like blending auditory and visual arts in fun ways.”

The marks of life’s journey make their way onto canvas, too. Her Scars painting “turned out really cool,” she says, with its combination of healed and open “wounds” and connections through colors.

“I stood it up in front of a window, and you could just see the light shining through all the scars in it.” That was exactly what she wanted. Now, it’s hanging at home, fairy

Swirls and movement are key visual draws.

lights behind the canvas to illuminate those scars, baring their vulnerability, drawing attention to them, inviting connection.

“That’s one of my very favorite pieces.”

Find out more about Ellington’s art on Instagram,@poured_out_art, Facebook Poured Out Art, and online pouredout.art. DM

DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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38 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

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MUSIC

In Search of the Source East Texas native Ray Cashman began visiting Clarksdale twenty years ago. Now, he’s a part of the Delta’s incomparable musical lineage

BY JIM BEAUGEZ • PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAY CASHMAN

40 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Ray Cashman, a seasoned blues musician, basks in Delta sunlight on the front porch of his home in Coahoma County. He has embraced the Mississippi Delta where every the horizon hums with inspiration.

T

HE DELTA HAS LONG ATTRACTED MUSICIANS AND AFICIONADOS WHO ARRIVED IN SEARCH OF AUTHENTICITY IN THE BLUES. The prospect of discovering a new local talent, one perhaps endowed with the originality and grit of Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters, is a romantic notion some visitors find difficult to suppress.

But other folks, inspired by those same iconic artists and the music still reverberating from nightspots like Red’s Lounge and Ground Zero Blues Club, take it a step further and decide to settle among the fields and flatlands.

Sixty-year-old Texas native and blues musician Ray Cashman is among those lifers who visited over and over, and then eventually made the move permanent.

“I’ve been coming to Clarksdale since 2005,” says Cashman. “I was living in Memphis and started coming down on

the weekends and started getting a bunch of gigs. I was playing in Mississippi way more than I was playing anywhere else.”

One afternoon on a drive through the countryside, he saw a house for sale in the Sherard community. “We ended up buying it and moved all our stuff down here.”

The musical community he found in the Delta shows up in force on his new ten-song album, Redemption Road, which he recorded at Clarksdale Sound Stage with engineer and bassist Gary Vincent.

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Cashman performing at the Hambone music festival.

Cashman’s discography reveals an intentional swing between gritty, acoustic “down-home Southern blues” and fuller, electrified blues-rock. Across his albums, he deliberately shifts his sound to explore different sides of American roots music.

On the second album he’s tracked with Vincent, Cashman shows another side of his artistry through collaborations with locals like Reverend Robert Reynolds, Guitar Frenchie and a drummer who goes by the moniker BE. “The last one was called Delta Sound, and it was basically just him and me,” he says. “But for this one I had all my friends play, so it’s a full band on every song. It just went out to radio, and so far I’ve gotten a lot of good responses.

“It’s very convenient to know so many really good musicians in one small town,” he says. “These guys are as good as 42 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

anybody, and they just want to help friends out. It’s a tight-knit community, and even the non-musicians are very supportive. They come out every night when you’re playing. It’s a really good music town. I think it’s a really good town, period.”

Cashman’s career has grown steadily across the blues circuit in the U.S. and Europe, where he’s toured annually for the past twenty years, building an audience through the network of blues festivals and clubs. But his love of the blues goes back to his Texas roots, where Lightnin’ Hopkins, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown

and Albert Collins cut their teeth.

In the mid-1990s, though, while living in Houston, he dove into the Hill Country blues of Mississippi. Cashman lived across the street from KPFT, a longrunning community radio station, and would stop in to promote his gigs when they’d have him. “I would hang out there and every now then when I had a show, I’d ask the DJs if I could promote it,” he says. On one visit, he learned about a show featuring artists from Fat Possum Records, the Oxford-based home of legends like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough.

“They said, ‘Hey, there’s a show coming called the Fat Possum Caravan, and we’ve got a couple of tickets if you want to go check it out,’” he recalls. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll go.’ And it was T-Model Ford, Paul ‘Wine’ Jones and Robert Belfour. I was blown away.”

Those performances shifted the course of his life. The music stayed with him, and so did the artists. “I became friends with T-Model and Robert Belfour,” he says.

Later, while living in Nashville, his home became a stopover for his Mississippi friends. “T-Model would be trying to head back to Greenville from somewhere, and he would stop at our house and spend the night. We’d hide all the whisky.”

As his circle expanded, Cashman was careful about how he shaped his own sound. “I didn’t want to just copy anyone,” he says. “Along the way I met so many Kimbroughs and Burnsides, and

you can’t really compete with them.

They’ve known the music forever. And I’ve always been interested in other types of blues and roots American music, anyhow—I might have one song that’s Hill Country and another that’s maybe almost like a Cajun-style song or Americana music. I like all of it.”

That approach carries into his songwriting process, as well. “Almost anything can be an inspiration,” he says.

“A lot of times I just listen to people talk, and they’ll say something and it just strikes me and I’ll write it down. I have a book of quotes that I hear or read. People will say things that are very peculiar and it’ll strike you. You’re like, hey, that could be a song.”

For many years, Cashman’s music existed alongside other forms of work. He became a carpenter at age 17 and kept that trade in his rotation well into adulthood, even as he and his wife bought and flipped houses, living in each one for several years before moving again. “I don’t know how many jobs I quit because I’d be like, ‘Well, I have a tour coming up,’” he says. “Then I started buying homes and flipping them, and we would live in them for four or five years and sell and move. We moved quite a few places. I just kept doing that. But since COVID, I’ve just been doing music.”

After finally settling in Coahoma County, the only move he plans to do next involves touring to play the blues.

Cashman’s touring life continues to revolve around Europe, where he’s built a reliable audience. This spring, he will

return to the U.K. for a run of performances in Scotland and England.

When he’s in town, though, he enjoys walking dirt roads through the fields near his home, talking with neighbors who farm and work the land where the music he loves took root.

While working to become a Delta music institution himself, Cashman has also uncovered stories that further plant him in the alluvial soil he walks daily. The circa 1920 home he bought traces back to the Sherard family, who arrived in 1874 and operated a large pecan orchard that once supplied much of the country. Most of the orchard is gone, replaced by corn and soybeans, but one curious, historic

link to the Delta’s past remains.

Across the road from his home sits the former Sherard Commissary, where Alan Lomax recorded Muddy Waters in 1941, according to the folklorist and blues historian’s 1993 book, “The Land Where the Blues Began.”

“No one really talks about it here,” he says, “but there’s a huge part of blues history directly across the street from me now.”

Today, Cashman not only walks in the shadows of these giants—he also treads the same ground that raised an American artform that changed the world. It’s as close to the source and authentic as anyone can get. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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Bill Connell and daughter, Stella, taking pictures at the Egg Bowl at Mississippi Memorial Stadium in Jackson on November 24, 1979. The Rebels defeated the Bulldogs 14 to 9 that day.

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Through Her Father’s Eyes How Stella Connell has shined a light on her father’s pioneering work

Bill Connell (circa 1971) was a pioneer of modern outdoor portraiture in the late 1960s and was widely recognized as one of America’s leading photographers in the field. By the time of his death in 1982, his portraits graced homes in forty-two states.

BY MELISSA ROBERSON • PHOTOS COURTESY OF STELLA CONNELL

he name “Connell” has long been a familiar name around the Mississippi Delta, especially when it comes to farming, banking, and law.

However, with Bill Connell, Jr., a creative new talent was added to the family’s list of accomplishments—pioneering photographer.

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The library at Rowan Oak, William Faulkner’s home in Oxford, March 1973.

In 1923, twin brothers Willis and Bill Connell started Connell Brothers, a cotton merchant business in Clarksdale when they were just 19 years old.

They sat directly across from one another at a bankers table and vowed never to enter into any agreement unless they both felt certain the transaction would be beneficial. Willis married Georgia Peacock, and Bill married Tankie Baugh. Each had three children.

The oldest of the brothers’ children, Bill Connell, Jr., received a camera as a

Christmas gift when he was around seven years old. By the time he was nine, he had photographed his first wedding. He went on to attend Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, and was immediately sent to Denver as part of the Army Air Corps in 1945 to make maps for the U.S. during the end of WWII. Eventually, he returned home and attended the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and, for many years, was associated with Phi Delta Theta at the national level.

Sparky Reardon, Dean of Students at Ole Miss from 2000 to 2014, and bestselling author of The Dean, remembers.

“When I moved to Oxford in 1976, I joined Bill as one of the early Clarksdale expats who would come to Oxford,” says Reardon. “He knew I was a Phi Delta Theta and, as only Bill Connell could, let me know that I would join him in working with the fraternity. I’ve been involved ever since and often think of him when dealing with the undergraduates and alumni.”

Bust of Don Quixote by Venezuelan artist Marcelino Pen gifted in April 1961, to Faulkner. Library, Rowan Oak, March 1973.

Faulkner’s desk and typewriter in his study at Rowan Oak, March 1973.

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A portrait of William Faulkner by his mother, Maud Butler Faulkner, in the library at Rowan Oak, March 1973.

Bill farmed the Baugh and Connell properties in the Delta until 1966, when he became a full-time professional photographer and moved his family to Oxford. He pioneered modern outdoor informal portraiture in the late 1960s and was recognized as one of the top American photographers in this field.

By the time of his death in 1982, from complications with cancer, his portraits hung in homes across forty-two states. He is still survived by his wife, Mary Ann Strong Connell, and his four daughters—

Elizabeth, Stella, Mary Ann and Jane.

Stella, his second daughter, took an interest in her father’s profession at a young age, learning to develop film, and printing black and white photographs in their home darkroom. She would often assist her father at Ole Miss athletic events, and served as a yearbook staff photographer beginning in junior high school, both photographing her friends and developing the photos at night in the home lab.

“We all learned how to take and develop photos,” she says. “My sisters and I even

used to put salad dressing in those film canisters when we packed our lunches for school!”

Stella’s interest in photography continued well into her adult years, through college, and into her publishing career in New York.

“I took a number of photography classes at the New School, which was just across the street from my apartment in New York,” says Stella. “I mainly took the classes to have access to their lab for my prints. I could develop the film in my bathroom.”

Kitchen, fireplace, and work table, Rowan Oak, March 1973.

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Outline of A Fable on the wall in Faulkner’s Study, March 1973.

Jill Faulkner’s Bed, Rowan Oak, February 1974.

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Post Oak Barn, Rowan Oak, September 1974.

Stable, West Lawn Rowan Oak, August 1975.

Slave Dwelling-Detached Kitchen, North Lawn, March 1973.

Boxwood Alley leading to Front Gate, March 1973.

Bill’s illustrative and commercial photography of the Mississippi Delta region and Rowan Oak, the home and grounds of William Faulkner, the Nobel Prize-winning writer, have been published in many national magazines and textbooks.

“Jill Faulkner Summers, the only child of Estelle and William Faulkner, sold the property to the University of Mississippi in 1972,” said Stella. “For a few years, the property remained relatively undisturbed.

During this time, my father photographed the home and grounds extensively from 1973 to 1975.

“For years, I intended to try and do something to celebrate him, and also give the public the opportunity to buy one of his photos, but I never got around to it,” she says. “Then, I learned of the Staff Creative Residencies program at Ole Miss that John T. Edge was spearheading.”

Staff Creative Residencies promote the work of UM staff by funding opportunities to pursue innovative projects. The program acknowledges that Ole Miss staff engage in creative pursuits beyond their formal roles, spanning photography, woodworking, novel

Stella Connell, Manager of Marketing and Communications at the Ole Miss Business School, was a 2025 recipient of a Staff Creative Residency, a program that provides selected UM staff members paid time off to work on a creative project of their choice.

writing, video game design, and music composition.

The residency program is available to Ole Miss staff members who have worked for UM for at least five years. Conceived

and managed by the Mississippi Lab at Ole Miss, the program provides selected staff members with eight days of paid creative time plus an eight hundred dollars stipend for travel and supplies.

As the Manager of Marketing and Communications for the Ole Miss Business School, Stella was eligible to apply.

“So, I reached out to John T., and he encouraged me.”

“The Mississippi Lab leverages the deep creative power of UM staff, driving cultural enterprise and economic progress,” says Edge, Director of the Mississippi Lab. “Stella’s curatorial project, to shine new light on these important photographs, is an ideal example of the work we support and celebrate.”

Stella’s residency work has culminated into a photography exhibit called “Rowan Oak Fifty Years Later: The Photography of Bill Connell” to be shown at Southside Gallery on the Oxford Square in January 2026. However, as much as an exhibit, it’s also the fulfillment of a daughter’s desire to honor her father’s legacy. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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David Grisanti, in the kitchen preparing his famous chicken piccata—an exclusive Grisanti’s recipe that has been a favorite at his family’s restaurants for generations.

All in the Family

For 117 years, Grisanti family restaurants have been the cornerstone of Italian cuisine in and around Memphis

BY TERRI GLAZER • PHOTOS BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT

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Big John and Dolores, opening night of Grisanti’s on Airways and Lamar, 1962.

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he Grisanti name has been synonymous with Italian restaurants in and around Memphis for well over a century. Any list of the

Bluff City’s most beloved dishes would be incomplete without the family’s contributions. Perennial favorites like Italian spinach, Miss Mary’s Salad, and the Elfo Special are hallmarks of the local dining scene. The tradition continues today, as third- and fourth-generation members of the Grisanti clan still own and operate eateries in the area.

Delta Magazine recently sat down with chef David Grisanti and his wife, Robyn, owners of David Grisanti’s on Main in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tennessee, to talk about history and the food that made the family name a household word.

It all began when Rinaldo “Willie” Grisanti left his ancestral home in the Tuscan village of Valdottavo in the early 1900s. He found his way to Memphis, as did some of his siblings, and in 1909 he opened what would become the first of a long line of family restaurants: Grisanti’s on Main, across from Union Station. Along the way, Willie married Miss Mary Gusi, and the couple raised a large family. Two of their children, sons Elfo and John—whom Memphians knew as “Big John”—joined their father in the business, learning to cook authentic Tuscan cuisine and becoming an integral part of the operation by the 1950s.

After a fire on Main Street, the restaurant moved briefly into historic Ashlar Hall on Central Avenue, a location that later gained notoriety when Robert Hodges, a.k.a.

Prince Mongo, operated a nightclub there in the ’90s.

In 1962, Big John opened his own place, the Original Grisanti’s Restaurant, at Airways and Lamar. It was a fixture of Memphis dining for more than thirty years, known as much for the larger-than-life personality of its owner as for the delicious cuisine. “It’s been almost thirty years since my dad passed away, but we still get customers coming in who talk about him. They remember his jokes—just funny stuff. He loved people, and he loved being in the front of the house with his customers,” says David.

Big John continued the tradition his parents had established on Main Street, using their time-honored recipes to create dishes customers had come to love. He employed many family members through the years, including Elfo’s sons Ronnie and Frank. In time, his own children—John Anthony, Dolores, and David—began to lend a hand at the restaurant. The experience was a central part of their upbringing and profoundly instrumental in shaping each of their lives. John Anthony became a chef and manager there and went on to own his own restaurant for a time.

Dolores graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York and was featured with Big John on the cover of his book Wining and Dining with John Grisanti. She and her husband, Peter Katsotis, also a graduate of ICE, had their own restaurant in Memphis for a time before pursuing other food-related careers.

David’s experience with his father not only taught him the mechanics of running a business but also sparked the creativity that allows him to produce new recipes as executive chef at his own restaurant.

In addition to his masterful Italian cooking, Big John was also a groundbreaker in marketing and public relations, says Robyn. “His presence in the restaurant was huge, and he also came up with lots of innovative ideas that people weren’t doing much back then,” she explains. “The tables had rose vases with his silhouette featured on them, custom ashtrays, matchbooks, and there was even a clock featuring a caricature of Big John on the face.”

David recalls that his father was a great supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in its early days, telling the story of

Big John with the 1822 Château Lafite Rothschild bottle of wine he purchased at auction for $31,000 in 1980, placing him in the Guinness Book of World Records that year.

Later, a dinner was held where each guest tasted the wine, with all proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

David’s grandparents, Rinaldo (Willie) and Mary Gusi Grisanti.

A young Frank Grisanti.

Big John, with sons David (left) and John (right) in the late 1980s.

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David and Robyn Grisanti.

David’s dad, Big John, standing outside the old homeplace in Lucca, Italy, 1979. The house is pictured in the mural above on the wall in the restaurant.

how in 1980 at a New York auction he paid $31,000—a world record at the time—for an 1822 bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild.

He later held a benefit dinner for St. Jude at which each attendee got to taste the valuable vintage. Big John was also instrumental in starting the Great Wine Race on Beale Street and the Memphis Italian Fest.

Memphians, as well as food lovers from far and wide, kept the restaurant busy. An array of celebrities dined there over the years, including Danny Thomas, Danny Glover, Tom Jones, and a host of other

notable names. Author John Grisham was a longtime friend and even featured the restaurant in a scene in his novel The Chamber. David remembers that one evening Tom Cruise came in while he was in town filming the movie version of Grisham’s bestseller The Firm. He shares, “There was a long table full of kids having dinner before a high school prom. They were all dressed up. He said, ‘I want to take care of this.’ And he sure did—picked up the whole tab for all of them.”

The restaurant’s run came to an end

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shortly after Big John passed away in 1995, but the family stayed in the business. Over the years, both Ronnie and Frank owned popular Italian restaurants, and their sons have kept the Grisanti name at the forefront of the Memphis dining scene with their own establishments. Memphians fondly remember Frank Grisanti’s, Spindini, Elfo’s, Bol a Pasta, and Wild Mushroom. In addition to David’s restaurant, other family members currently own Elfo Grisanti’s (owned by Alex Grisanti) in Southaven, Mississippi; 9 Dough1 Pizza Truck; and Go

David Grisanti’s on Main, the newest iteration of the legendary Grisanti family restaurants.

A vignette of memoribilia including a photo of Big John with Danny Thomas, the (empty) 1822 bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild and one of the special pieces of china designed specifically for the St. Jude dinner event.

Grisanti in Germantown, Tennessee. Italian Nights at Marshall Steakhouse in Holly Springs, Mississippi, feature Judd Grisanti as chef. A cousin, Mario Grisanti, owns Dino’s Grill in Midtown Memphis, a classic Italian eatery that has been in business for over forty years.

David Grisanti’s on Main honors the family heritage in a number of ways. The décor tells the family story, from a mural of the homeplace in Tuscany to a myriad of photos and keepsakes from the Main Street and Airways days. Tradition also shows up on the menu: the kitchen uses the authentic, passed-down recipes for the Italian spinach as well as the meat sauce, manicotti, and lasagna.

One particular item came to be on the menu thanks to David’s father’s love for the dish. “My dad loved the prime rib at the old Victoria Station. After that place closed, he came to me in the kitchen on Airways and said, ‘Son, I want you to make a prime rib.’

So I had to dig in and just play with recipes until I finally got it right. And then it was a big hit. Every Friday and Saturday we’d go through several whole prime ribs.” David continues the tradition every Saturday,

Memphians, food lovers, and an array of celebrities dined there over the years, including John Grisham, Tom Cruise, Danny Thomas, Danny Glover, and a host of other notable names.

Remnant of the wallpaper from the original Grisanti’s on Main Street in Memphis from the 1950s.

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GRISANTI’S CHICKEN PICCATA Always a favorite, chicken piccata pairs nicely with risotto and steamed broccoli or broccolini, and is a signature Grisanti’s dish. We are proud to be the first to share this exclusive recipe on our pages!

4 chicken breasts, skin removed 1 cup milk 2 eggs 2 cups panko 4 tablespoons olive oil ⅔ cup butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken on cutting board, cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and pound chicken using a mallet to a half inch thickness.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. In another small bowl, place panko crumbs. Dip chicken into egg mixture, coating on both sides and then dip chicken into panko and coat on both sides, pressing gently on each side. Place chicken in a sheet pan. In a large stainless steel or non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and ⅓ cup butter in the skillet on medium heat.

Once butter starts to sizzle, place 2 chicken breasts in the pan. Cook until golden brown

and flip to other side. Once golden brown on both sides, place on a sheet pan. Repeat for remaining two chicken breasts. Once all chicken is golden brown, put sheet pan in oven and bake at 400 degrees about 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Sauce 3 tablespoons chopped shallots 1 tablespoons chopped garlic 1 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup white wine ½ cup chicken stock ⅓ cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon flour 1½ tablespoons capers 1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a large sauté pan, sauté shallots, garlic, and olive oil on medium heat for two minutes until heated through. Add white wine and chicken stock and continue to cook, stirring frequently until reduced in half. Add heavy cream and butter, reduce heat to low, and stir, using wire whisk until butter is melted. Add flour and continue to stir until blended. Add capers and lemon juice, turn off heat. Taste to see if salt is needed.

Makes 4 servings.

ITALIAN SPINACH Italian Spinach is a favorite side at all Grisanti locations.

2 10-ounce packages of frozen spinach ¼ cup olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 eggs white pepper to taste salt to taste

Thaw spinach, squeeze all water out. In medium skillet, heat olive oil and garlic. Do not brown it. Add spinach, sprinkle with white pepper and salt, and stir. Once heated through, reduce heat and add eggs and stir with a spatula until eggs are scrambled. Taste to see if more salt or white pepper is needed. Place in serving dish and top with grated aged parmesan cheese.

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David preparing Seafood Lasagna, another of Grisanti’s signature dishes.

preparing the same version he used to make at his father’s place.

While he feels a sense of loyalty to the classics, he calls on his personal talents to create fare that appeals to modern diners’ food preferences. “I’m into healthier food, so I do a lot of fresh fish. I love cooking fish, and I love making all kinds of new recipes,” he says.

Italian food lovers in Memphis and beyond can rest assured that the Grisanti legacy is in good hands. With respect for the culinary inheritance they received, this generation of restaurateurs is carrying the family name and cuisine into the future in capable and talented hands. DM

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The hunt for the right gear is over.

Now, get out there for the REAL hunt.

Indianola, MS 58 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

MISSISSIPPI DEPA RTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES, & PA RKS INVITES YOU TO

For nearly a century, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks has played a major role in preserving the state’s culture through its natural resources— becoming the heart of Mississippi’s every outdoor experience.

We are the first cast on the water, the evening sun across a dove field, iconic outdoor places, and experiences that make up some of our fondest, most cherished memories.

We are these and much, much more.

For more information, please visit MDWFP.com

DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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Daddies, Daughters, The Delta’s Sweetest and Ducks Hunting Tradition

BY JOEY LEE • PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN MONTFORT JONES

Left to right: Ann Latham VanLandingham, (at top), Liza Stock, Sarah Taylor Retzer, Maggie Stock, Kathleen Ayres, and Mollie Jones.

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Left to right: Bea Ayres, Grace VanLandingham, and Ann Latham VanLandingham, Mollie Jones, and Kathleen Ayres; Dads: Brian VanLandingham, Will Ayres, and John Montfort Jones.

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here’s something special about the bond between daddies and daughters. Some

royalty and give them a weekend that showed just how much they’re loved and valued.

For Will, the idea resonated from the start. “My friends’ sons would say it’s almost as strong as the bond between naturally get more chances to hunt than the girls do,” he says. “We daddies and—duck hunting. And there’s one local crew of wanted to create something special just for the girls, something they can look forward to every year.” His girl dads who are strengthening that daughters, Bea, 13, Kathleen, 9, and bond by sharing their passion for haven’t missed a trip yet.

Brian, father to Grace, 12, and Ann duck hunting with their daughters.

Latham, 10, feels the same. “I’m just Each year, over the first weekend of thankful for the opportunity to spend February, these dads gather their girls for a time with my daughters and create weekend built on time together, laughter, memories,” he says. “I feel like that strong memories, and a little duck hunting. bond gives them a backbone for The annual Daddy–Daughter Duck challenges later in life.”

Hunt began in 2023, when four friends— The weekend begins with an afternoon John Montfort Jones, Gene Stock, Will of side-by-side rides, scouting, and playing Ayres, and Brian VanLandingham— around camp. They also play games, listen decided to take their daughters hunting to Gene’s steady stream of jokes, and during the youth weekend. watch John Montfort make sure every “Usually when people come up with piece of gear is in perfect shape. ideas, they never happen,” John Montfort, “Each dad brings something unique,” father of Mollie, 8, says. “But Brian and I Will says. “It’s a true team effort, not just were like, ‘We’re going to make this for our own daughters but for every girl happen.’” And they did. on the hunt.”

With waders, guns, and gear in place, They have a big dinner and gather the dads set out to treat the girls like Gene Stock with daughters Maggie and Liza.

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Gun safety and ear protection are taught at every step.

62 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

around the fire for s’mores. The girls stay up late talking and laughing while the dads soak in these moments, aware of how quickly childhood moves and how rare this kind of uninterrupted time is.

The tradition has strengthened their friendships as well. “All four of us share the same passion for hunting and the outdoors, and we all grew up together,” Brian says. “In today’s world, it means something knowing those other fathers are looking out for your daughter.”

The boat rides have become a favorite part for the kids. “Our children feel like it’s almost a Disney World ride as we go to each hunting spot,” Gene says. His daughters, Maggie, 11, and Liza, 9, light up every time the motor cranks.

“They really don’t care whether we kill ducks or not,” John Montfort says. “They just enjoy spending time with each other and with me.”

Nine-year-old Kathleen Ayres loves “being with my friends and my dad and duck hunting. And getting all suited up is fun.” Slow hunts don’t faze her. “Last year we didn’t kill any ducks; we couldn’t find any,” she says, giggling.

Her sister, Bea, loves the social side just as much as the hunt.

“We listen to music in the blind and play games while we wait on the ducks,” she says. Some of her favorite memories involve the dads, too. “One time we got all the dads to sing Taylor Swift songs,” she says. “That was fun!”

For these fathers, the time outdoors changes the dynamic in a way that nothing else does. “Out there, the girls are laughing, having fun, fully in the moment,” Will says.

“No screens, no distractions. Just making memories.” Brian

A legendary duck hunter, the late Bubba Tollison compiled “5 Rules for Killing Ducks” which the girls proudly embrace.

Kathleen, Anne Latham, and Mollie strike a pose.

A gaggle of girls in the duck blind.

Kathleen wrangles a bag of decoys.

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agrees. “It’s the small things you remember from your dad or someone special,” he says. “That trust, that bond—you build it in moments like these.”

“We want the girls to love being outside and love the time with their dads, but we also want them to learn gun safety and why it’s important,” John Montfort explained. “We teach things like muzzle awareness, trigger discipline, being sure of the target and wearing eye and ear protection. Safety skills help them become confident and capable outdoorswomen, ready for any adventure!”

As the girls have grown, so has their confidence. When the hunt first started, most of them were too small to handle a gun. Now they’re learning to shoot, call ducks, and understand the love of being outdoors.

For Gene, that’s what he hopes lasts. “I hope they remember their dad teaching them how to hunt and how to be outdoorswomen,” he says. “How to shoot their shotguns and enjoy being outside.”

For Brian, the hope reaches further. “One day they’ll appreciate the time and effort their daddy took to give them that opportunity,” he says. “Just the memories we make being outdoors together— that’s what I hope sticks.”

There’s a lesson here for all dads: share your passion with your daughters. All it takes is a little planning and a commitment to making memories. It doesn’t matter what you do—duck hunting, fishing, anything you’re passionate about. The important thing is to show your daughter she’s worth your time, that she’s worth showing up for.

“You just want your daughter to know that she’s your absolute world,” John Montfort says. “And this is one way we show them.”

DM

John Montfort Jones with daughter, Mollie.

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Your next great waterfowling adventure is just a step away.

Get outside and go hunting.

Nature’s greatest sunrises are in the

MISSISSIPPI DELTA ducks.org

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An End-of-Season Feast

In the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the Stovall Store hosts a culinary event blending wild game, rare wines, and Southern hospitality

BY CHATHAM KENNEDY • PHOTOGRAPHY BY RORY DOYLE

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the Mississippi Delta, January is defined by the crackling fire that warms hands made frozen from a day spent in the duck blind. The month is marked by the crunching of leaves underfoot and the distinct boom of a shotgun clipping a duck on the wing.

In

As the holiday season comes to a close, opportunities to gather under the same roof are spread few and far between. The social schedule enters into a kind of hibernation that only seems to break once the azaleas begin to bloom. In 2025, husband-and-wife duo Baylor and Howard Stovall wanted to establish a new Delta event for hunters to close the season with food and fellowship. With a love for duck hunting and a knack for hosting, the couple combined their passions to throw a unique dinner event at their Stovall Store venue to commemorate the end of duck season.

After relocating from Memphis to Stovall, Mississippi, seventy miles south of River City, Baylor and Howard renovated the old farm commissary, the Stovall Store, into an entertainment space arguably in likeness to a juke joint. With an empty building longing for use in the winter months, the Stovalls brought their talents and antique china to the forefront to create an elaborate culinary event eloquently titled Duck Duck Booze. Howard, who has a background deeply rooted in the music industry, helped curate the music for the evening’s festivities, while Baylor, who has worked in event planning and

stationery design, perfectly assembled the tablescapes. “We shared the idea, and then I built the plan,” says Baylor. “Truly, we are a collaborative team in all of these events… it’s fun to be nurturing this exciting venture as a couple!”

The combination of their skills helped set the stage for their inaugural event.

For years, conversations around hosting an extravagant dinner party echoed throughout the family’s home. However, on January 31, 2025, their conversation gave way to reality as the Stovall Store opened its glass doors and greeted forty guests from across the South. While the dinner party is open to the public, tickets sold out within the first twelve hours, making Duck Duck Booze a highly coveted event. As partygoers arrived, they were greeted by fire pits and hors d’oeuvres. Attendees wore everything from dresses of great colors to hunting pants from a day spent in the blind. Blues music bled through the walls of the redbrick building. Guests enjoyed a miraculous sunset, watching various shades of orange and pink melt below the horizon. Drinks were poured, laughs were shared, and attendees gathered around the serving tables for appetizers.

During the dinner, musical artist Will

Antique fine china, treasured cutlery, and linen napkins cleverly adorned with feathers and twine were used in the stunning tablescapes for the event.

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Floral arrangements consisting of moss, lichen, and fresh berries bring the tablescape to life.

Pleasants shifted the evening’s tune from emotive blues to a more somber melody. Guests gaped at the ornate tablescapes, which were set with Scottish and English game-focused china and antique stag steak knives. “It is so fun to bring out all of this wonderful, treasured cutlery,” says Baylor as she reflects on the hand-painted wild duck plates. Napkins adorned with feathers wrapped in twine acted as place card holders. The tables were enveloped with tartan tablecloths and lit by candlesticks. Baylor’s mother, Mary Margaret Holmes, created the flower arrangements out of moss, lichen, fresh berries, and pinecones. Wooden, silver, and ceramic ducks adorned serving tables throughout the commissary, a subtle reminder of the reason behind the evening’s festivities.

The menu paid homage to Chef Ryan Robertson’s hometown of Austin, Texas, highlighting barbecued favorites from the Lone Star State. In partnership with Jimmy Tharpe of Baylor and Howard Stovall greet their guests.

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Guests relish in the camaraderie of Duck Duck Booze.

Plates full of the chef’s favorites.

Grapevine Liquors in Southaven, each course had the option to be paired with a French Burgundy wine presented by sommelier Wes Taylor, owner of Burg Wine Limited. For the starter, guests enjoyed a charcuterie spread as well as an inhouse-cured Atlantic salmon with fresh dill, whipped cream cheese, house-pickled red onion and fennel, and capers. The chef cooked a Santa Maria–style beef tri-tip over oak coals, serving the dish with homemade sourdough crostini, pico de gallo, and sour cream for the main course. Sides included roasted baby potatoes and a Mediterranean-style couscous salad. The meal was made complete with a rustic bread pudding topped with caramel sauce and served with an old-fashioned cocktail.

After the final fork was set down, the dance floor opened, and music once again started to ricochet off the concrete floor as the evening’s festivities continued. “Seeing our little corner of the world come alive during a really quiet time is Sommelier Wes Taylor, owner of Burg Wine Limited, kept the wine flowing all evening.

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A wooden duck adorns the table, reminding guests of the reason behind the event.

Music by Will Pleasants set the tone for the evening.

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A variety of French wines were served throughout the night.

The appetizer table displays a beautiful charcuterie.

Various patterns of antique china from England and Scotland were used throughout the evening.

Chef Ryan Robertson prepares barbecued favorites from the Lone Star State.

really special,” says Baylor, who looks forward to hosting the second annual Duck Duck Booze on Friday, January 23, 2026. This year’s dinner menu will be focused on wild game paired once again with rare French wines. Chef Stewart Robinson, founder of Delta Supper Club and owner of Delta Overland, will champion the dinner menu.

For those wanting to join the 2026 Duck Duck Booze, tickets will go on sale at the end of December. Follow the Stovall Store on social media to see more about tickets and other events.

Each year, Baylor and Howard look forward to welcoming guests to the corner of Highway 1 and Stovall Road. The unique atmosphere blends elevated intimacy with Delta favorites and Mississippi finery. In the middle of the cotton fields, surrounded by the crisp January air, guests are reminded of the beauty of the Magnolia State and the time-honored treasure of sharing a meal together. DM

Candlelight provided special ambience for the evening.

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explore dining 72 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

2026 TOURISM SECTION

HANNAH HOGGATT

’80s Rock Exhibit at the Grammy Museum • Antique lovers’ road trip to Nashville Maine’s Norumbega Inn (owned by a Delta native) • Delta Detours

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’80S ROCK

The Wildest Decade in Music Explodes at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi

BY JOEY LEE • PHOTOS COURTESY OF GRAMMY MUSEUM MISSISSIPPI 74 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

detonated it, gut-punching the disco and glam rock of the ’70s into extinction.

As a teen in the ’80s, I witnessed firsthand how these bands defined a generation of headbangers and redefined what it meant to be a rock star. So when I heard that GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Cleveland had launched its new exhibit, ’80s Rock: The Wildest Decade in Music, this metalhead couldn’t get there fast enough.

Brittany Hill, senior marketing and development manager, explained, “It’s an era worth spotlighting, celebrating the music that didn’t get the respect that it deserved at the time it exploded. These bands had some of the most loyal fan bases in music. We’re excited to showcase their history through all of 2026.”

Although I have to admit, it stung a little—walking in and seeing pieces of my youth behind glass displays and thinking, “Wait, this wasn’t that long ago. How is it in a museum already?”

A Celebration of the Underdog Despite their massive tours, charttopping albums, and sold-out arenas, most ‘80s metal bands were overlooked by critics in their prime. Hill says that visitors are often surprised to learn just how little recognition these groups earned at the time, despite their colossal impact.

The new exhibit, curated by a team led

by Jack McWilliams, aims to correct that oversight. It highlights the artistry behind the spectacle—the musicianship, the songwriting, and the enormous liveproduction innovations that shaped the entire touring industry. It shows that beneath the teased hair and spandex were bands that built a worldwide movement with hooks, riffs, and undeniable charisma.

A collage of photos and ’80s memorabilia welcomes visitors to the exhibit.

he ’80s, the decade of decadence, ten glorious years when everything was big, bold, and unapologetically over the top. Fashion was wild, hair was huge, and music? Music got louder, sharper, flashier.

T

It was the era of Mötley Crüe, Poison, Def Leppard, Ratt, and Twisted Sister, bands that didn’t just play rock—they

Where Sound Meets Spectacle Right out of the gate, the exhibit delivers a truly iconic piece: the iron mask from Quiet Riot’s early—’80s smash album Metal Health. The same mask that glared from millions of album covers and dominated MTV screens. I was instantly transported back to the moment I first cranked up “Bang Your Head.”

And things just get better from there.

They have a guitar from Ozzy’s iconic guitarist Randy Rhoads, as well as instruments used by Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Poison, and many others. There are stage outfits, set lists, daily tour schedules, and all kinds of artifacts that tell the story of a

Jacket worn by Twisted Sister band member.

genre that remains larger than life.

For die-hard fans, these pieces are a time machine. For younger visitors, they’re proof of the sheer scale and dominance of these bands.

The walls are lined with bold photography, much of it donated by legendary ’80s rock photographer Mark “Weissguy” Weiss. His images capture everything from backstage chaos to arenasized swagger and form a core component of the exhibit.

Interactive touchscreens, artist interviews, and video installations round out the experience, along with photo-op stations featuring backdrops like the Sunset Strip and the famed Whisky a Go Go. A Bridge Between Generations One of the surprises of the exhibit is just how many younger visitors connect with the music. Hill explained that many of them—herself included—grew up listening to it with their parents, much like my daughter is doing now.

Hill shared a moment that sums up the exhibit’s cross-generational pull: a mother and daughter visited together but for DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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Beaded coat worn by Ozzy Osbourne.

Kiss lead singer, Paul Stanley’s, signature star guitar.

totally different reasons. The daughter had come for the museum’s Taylor Swift exhibit. The mother? She was there for ’80s Rock.

“That contrast was really cool,” says Hill. “Both left talking about how much fun they had.”

MTV, Makeup, and the Magic of the ‘80s To understand the dominance of ’80s rock, you have to talk about MTV. Launched in 1981, the music video revolution turned metal bands into icons.

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Big hair, bold makeup, leather jackets, motorcycles, smoke machines—they all became part of the identity.

The exhibit dives into this with archival footage and displays that show how MTV didn’t just promote ’80s rock—it created an entirely new playground for it. Videos became mini-movies, and image became inseparable from sound.

Walking Out with the Volume Turned Up to 11 Although it hurts my heart a bit that the music, fashion, and attitude that still

feel so fresh in my memory are now considered historical artifacts, it also made the experience that much richer. But you certainly don’t have to be a child of the ’80s to enjoy it. ’80s Rock: The Wildest Decade in Music is more than nostalgia. It’s a celebration of a misunderstood but massively influential genre. It’s a reminder of how joyfully outrageous music can be. It’s a chance to relive a time when rock was big enough, loud enough, and brash enough to take over the world.

“It’s the magnitude of the tours, the size of these concerts, and just how fun this generation was,” Hill told me. “People leave thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this was wild.’” DM

Downtown

ABERDEEN, MISSISSIPPI EXPLORE HISTORIC HOMES AND ARCHITECTURE

WALK THROUGH ABERDEEN MAIN STREET

Aberdeen is renowned for its stunning antebellum and Victorian homes. Stroll through downtown to admire the architecture, or visit during the annual Pilgrimage Tour of Homes for an exclusive look inside private residences and historical landmarks.

Downtown Aberdeen's Main Street is a hub of activity with charming storefronts, murals, and a welcoming atmosphere.

It's the perfect spot for a leisurely stroll and soaking up the local environment.

SHOP LOCAL BOUTIQUES AND ANTIQUES Browse through unique shops featuring everything from vintage finds to handcrafted goods. Aberdeen's downtown boutiques and antique stores are treasure troves for one-of-a-kind items.

DISCOVER ABERDEEN’S MURALS Discover 18 vibrant murals along Aberdeen's Self-Guided Mural Art Trail, each one a standout piece of public art by local and regional artists.

RELAX BY THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER

For more information, visit ABERDEENMS.ORG

Explore the scenic Tombigbee River, where you can kayak, enjoy tranquil views, settle in for a peaceful picnic, or simply relax by the water.

PHOTO BY RORY DOYLE

Spend a Weekend At the Crossroads!

Hear Live Blues every night In clarksdale, ms Experience over a dozen festivals every year

UPCOMING EVENTS 2026 • 1/23-25 – Clarksdale Film & Music Festival • 4/9-12 – Juke Joint Festival & Related Events • 4/12 – Cat Head Mini Blues Fest • 5/9 – 19th Clarksdale Caravan Music Fest (Cat Head/Bad Apple Blues Club/Bluesberry) • 5/9 – Pinetop Boogie & Crawfish Boil. Ground Zero Blues Club, benefiting Pinetop Perkins Foundation • 5/16 – Women In Blues festival • 5/22–23 – Ground Zero Blues Club Anniversary • 5/23 – Tater Superbad Blues Festival • 5/24 – 6th annual Bad Apple Blues Festival • 5/28-30 – Son House Tribute Festival

• 6/19-21 – B.A.M. Fest (Birthplace of American Music) • 8/7-9 – 38th Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival • 8/7-9 – Cat Head 24th Anniversary Weekend • 9/5 – 8th Red’s Old-Timers Blues Fest (MLK Park Stage) • 9/26 – 3rd Jessie Mae Hemphill Hill Country Blues Festival at Crossroads Cultural Arts Center • 10/ 2026 TBD – Mighty Roots Music Festival (Stovall Farm) • 10/8-10 – King Biscuit Blues Festival (Helena, Arkansas) • 10/2026 - TBD – Hopson Pumpkin Pickin’ Festival w/music, kids’ activities and more

• 10/11 – Clarksdale Super Blues Sunday: Including: Cat Head Mini Blues Fest, Bluesberry Café, Delta Blues, Ground Zero Blues Club, Pinetop Perkins Homecoming, Levon’s, Hooker Grocer, Red’s and more!

• 10/15-17 - 34th annual Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival • 10/17 - Clarksdale Crossroads Blues Festival • 10/29-11/01 - Hambone Festival • 10/31 - Cruz’n The Crossroads Car & Truck Show • 12/31 - Celebrate New Year’s at the Crossroads w/multiple shows around town

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Timeless Treasures TAKE A WINTER ROAD TRIP TO

THE ANTIQUES & GARDEN SHOW OF NASHVILLE

The 2025 show featured over 150 world-class exhibitors, offering a curated selection of exquisite antiques, fine art and visionary garden displays.

BY AMY CONRY DAVIS • PHOTOS COURTESY OF PARTHENON PR

T

he adage “out with the old, in with the new” appears routinely this time of year, but why not flip the script for 2026 and dedicate a weekend to all things vintage instead?

Lauren Bush Lauren and David Lauren, the keynote speakers, will discuss the “Living Legacy and Classic American Style of Ralph Lauren.”

80 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

The Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville offers the perfect excuse for a designfocused, close-to-home adventure that will inspire both serious connoisseurs and hobbyists alike. The four-day event, held January 9–11 at Music City Center, brings together top designers, horticulturists, and dealers from across the South. And between filling trunks with prized finds, there is plenty of time to explore Tennessee’s famed city of honky-tonks and hot chicken.

This year’s theme, American Elegance, is highlighted by keynote speakers David

Lauren and Lauren Bush Lauren, who will kick off a weekend of lectures, book signings, parties, live music, and pop-up shops. Attendees can also explore three on-site garden showcases and 150 vendor booths. Exhibitors are carefully selected through an application process and offer a wide array of textiles, furnishings, plants, garden tools, and more. They come from across the country—and sometimes internationally—including several Mississippi and Delta-based businesses.

Betty Lewis of Lina’s Antiques in Leland one of the Delta’s beloved and

PEYTON HOGE

New Year,

The event space at Music City Center was blooming with intricate, English-inspired gardens complete with floral sheep.

JESSICA AMERSON PHOTOGRAPHY

time-honored antiques store, has been a dealer at the A & G show since 2016. She and her parents, Patty and Terry Gibbs, the store’s owners, consider it an excellent opportunity to reach new clients, especially during a slower season. Plus it’s just a great time.

“The fantastic gardens built on the show floor are a bright spot during the dreary winter months,” says Lewis. “The antique dealers offer a variety of specialties

JESSICA AMERSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Patty and Terry Gibbs of Lina’s Interiors of Leland.

The stage was beautifully curated for the last year’s moderated talks with Brooke Shields, Sheryl Crow, and others.

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Erica Eason Hall and Hayden Hiter Guest at the 2025 show.

Cheekwood Estate & Gardens is one of the primary beneficiaries of the A & G Show. It is distinguished as one of the leading Country Place Era estates in the nation.

Priscilla Wright and Baylor Pillow of Oxford with London decorator Rita Konig, center, at last year’s event.

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and unique items, and the speakers are exceptional each year.”

Oxford-based interior designer Baylor Pillow—originally from Greenwood—is also a repeat attendee. He has visited four times on behalf of his firm, Beep Design, and continues to draw valuable insight and take full advantage of the show’s resources and expertise.

“The show is, of course, a great buying trip for our projects,” says Pillow. “It is much easier and more cost-effective to bring items back myself or have them shipped from Nashville. You also always discover new sources and dealers. Plus, I’m a furniture nerd and always pick up interesting tidbits about different pieces.

It is a great place for people to go and learn about the history, construction, and quality of pieces, which helps inform your sense of value when you are out shopping in your day-to-day life.”

“The show is always beautiful,” he says.

“Even if someone had no money to spend, walking around to see the decorations, the exceptional items for sale, and talking with dealers makes it worth the trip. Plus, Nashville has so much to do in general, so you can pop in and out of the show as you’d like and enjoy the city!”

Hayden Hiter Guest of the Lounging Hound in Taylor agrees that anyone with an eye for beauty will leave inspired. “The

show appeals to anyone who appreciates design, interiors, and old things,” says Guest. “There are so many lovely vignettes—even if you don’t purchase anything, it will definitely get your creative juices flowing.” While there, Hiter maximizes her Nashville visits by including local shopping excursions as well. She often stops at GasLamp (and GasLamp Too) Antiques and Decorating Mall, Paloma Vintage Goods, and Hall Pass Vintage.

Clarksdale native, Erica Hall, now an antique seller and artist in Taylor adds, “The Nashville Antique & Garden show was a perfect winter weekend road trip.

The timing is just right to get away after the holidays and start the new year on an inspiring note!

It is so well-done! They perfectly straddle the line of Southern hospitality and decorative arts and the attention to detail for the whole show is stunning by way of paint colors, staging, styling, added millwork of prop designs, florals, food and beverage.”

Now in its thirty-sixth year, the event continues to attract record crowds nearing 20,000 people. For newcomers, event director Amy Albright recommends a few tips to navigate the extensive schedule and large crowds.

“First-time guests can expect a vibrant weekend of shopping, design inspiration, and educational opportunities,” says Albright. “Reviewing the show floor map

Vendors from all over the world display their unique collections, art, and antiques of all kinds.

in advance and planning which booths or lectures to prioritize makes navigation easier. Comfortable shoes are essential, and purchasing lecture or special-event tickets ahead of time is the best way to secure a spot.”

She also recommends putting the Preview Party and the Bourbon Party at the top of the must-see list. Overall, whether the trip is for business or pleasure, there is something for everyone.

“For out-of-state travelers—especially those driving from Mississippi—The

Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville offers a rare combination of high-caliber antique dealers, immersive garden design, and nationally recognized speakers under one roof,” says Albright. “Its scale and curation make it one of the South’s premier events of its kind.”

General admission is $35 in advance and $40 the week of the show. For tickets, information about speakers, or details on hotels and service animals, visit antiquesandgardenshow.com. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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DEEP ROOTS: EVOCATIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI BLUES BILL STEBER:

Artist/Photographer Opens January 22 “This exhibit is the culmination of my multi-layered desire to preserve, honor, and celebrate the people, music and culture of Mississippi through photographs and sacred objects.” – Bill Steber

1608 US-82, Greenwood, MS 38930 / T: (662) 453-0925 / museumofthemississippidelta.com

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HANNAH HOGGATT

TRADING SPACES

BY JIM BEAUGEZ

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Cleveland native Will Tims sets his Delta roots in Midcoast Maine, where he renovated and reinvented a historic inn with a story of its own

HANNAH HOGGATT

The front porch feels like a step back in time as guests enter “The Castle by the Sea.”

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And that’s exactly why the home caught the discerning eye of Will Tims.

“Architecturally, it’s just so distinctive and different from literally almost everything else you find on the coast of Maine,” says the Cleveland, Mississippi native, an architect by trade who purchased and renovated the mansion with partner Brett Haynie in 2022.

And the duo’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed—Travel + Leisure readers voted the Norumbega their favorite inn in the continental U.S. for 2025, after the magazine’s editors ranked it as No. 4 in the 2024 World’s Best Awards.

Tims developed his eye for aesthetics and design from the back of a family station wagon on cross-country family vacations. “As much as my parents wanted us to appreciate where we were from, they also wanted us to have our eyes open to the world,” he says.

During summers, his parents took the family on road trips across

HANNAH HOGGATT

ust inland from Penobscot Bay on the rugged central coast of Maine, a turreted stone mansion rises among the hills along state Route 1. Long regarded as a local curiosity by residents and visitors of the picturesque New England town Camden, the property known as Norumbega has been a visual outlier since it was built in 1886.

The dining room is appointed with luxurious, velvet-upholstered furniture.

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HANNAH HOGGATT

The Norumbega’s library suite was a favorite retreat of Joseph Stearns, the designer and original owner of the house

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HANNAH HOGGATT HARRY HODSON

Nestled along a lush, scenic stretch of Route 1 overlooking Penobscot Bay, Norumbega is one of America’s most distinguished hotels.

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HANNAH HOGGATT HANNAH HOGGATT

the United States, and later, their travels abroad exposed Tims to environments both classical and exotic.

He took that broadened scope into the field of architecture during his studies at the University of Virginia, surrounded by buildings designed by Thomas Jefferson. He then pursued a master’s degree at Yale before decamping to New York City, working first at small architecture firms and later as a design consultant for real estate developers. He eventually earned his architectural license and managed large-scale projects in Chicago

92 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

and at Disney World. But despite the prestige of the projects he worked on, Tims began to feel constrained by the limits of clientdriven architecture.

“I slowly but surely started feeling like there’s certain aspects of architecture that I love and I will always love, but the more I was working as an architect, the more I started to think maybe this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he says. “As the architect, you’re focused on client service, and ultimately they are the decision maker. I wanted to figure out a way that I could still be involved in architecture and design but have more control over the decision-making process. And so I slowly transitioned into real estate.”

For more than sixteen years, Tims worked as a consultant and later as a design director for a real estate developer to help bring major residential and hotel projects to life. Working through the COVID pandemic and into 2022, he had completed some of his most ambitious projects. “Honestly, once I had finished those projects, I felt like I had accomplished what I had set out to do, and I felt burnt out by it,” he says. “I didn’t want to just keep doing the same thing over and over again.”

That restlessness led to his discovery of Norumbega. Built by Joseph Barker Stearns, the inventor of the double telegraph, the 13,000-square-foot manse—known locally as simply “the stone castle by the sea”—stands on a four-acre plot in the Appalachian foothills. Stearns, who declared Camden the most beautiful place in the world, had hired New York architect G.B. Jennings to

HANNAH HOGGATT

The millwork and craftsmanship in the parlour is juxtaposed with a mix of modern velvet sofas and streamlined occasional tables.

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HANNAH HOGGATT

Will Tims, seated, and Brett Haynie

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AARON SNOW PHOTOGRAPHY

Sections of kilim rugs carpet the circular staircase.

design the residence. He equipped the house with the latest innovations of the day, including electric lights and steam heat, and its design drew inspiration from the grand properties Stearns visited while selling telegraph licenses in Europe.

“Western Union sent him to Europe to sell licenses of the invention, and when he was there, he was staying in manor houses and estates, and I believe he took that inspiration and brought it back,” Tims says. “He was very much influenced by the architecture in Europe.”

Tims and Haynie looked at properties across Maine, but Norumbega immediately stood out. Its Queen Anne Victorian style, characterized by intricate millwork of pre-Industrial craftsmanship, spoke to Tims’s own design sensibilities. “It was built during a time when designers were doing a lot of stuff just for the sake of beauty. The millwork in the house is incredibly ornate, and there are flourishes in the work you wouldn’t necessarily find in a house built 30 years later. The level of craftsmanship is very high.”

When they acquired the home, Norumbega was structurally sound but had grown “tired” over the decades. Furniture dated to the 1980s, interiors needed updating, and mechanical systems required modernization. Tims applied both his architectural expertise and his eye for aesthetics to complete a comprehensive renovation. All guest rooms received new bathrooms and heat pumps, the kitchen and bar were rebuilt, the terrace roof replaced, and the entire interior was refurnished.

HANNAH HOGGATT

Every room has been reimagined with a contemporary vision of style and comfort to complement the classic foundation of luxury.

“We took a little inspiration from Stearns,” Tims says. “I loved this idea that he traveled to Europe and that clearly influenced the design of the house he built. We liked that idea that the muse for the design was a global traveler who had an appreciation for interesting things you could pick up all over the world and bring back to this special place in Maine. It gave us permission to bring in all these different influences.”

That eclectic approach is central to the guest experience at Norumbega. Tims mixes Mid-Century Modern pieces with antiques, Asian and Italian influences, and Maine-sourced vintage rugs and art. The goal is a layered, curated feel, one that communicates history and personality rather than sterile perfection.

“I’m a very visual person, so I believe in the power of beauty and making something that lasts a long time,” he says. “But I’m also very practical. I like things that work and function the way they’re meant to. And also, I think I’m a problem solver at heart.”

With just 11 rooms, today The Norumbega Inn provides guests with a boutique-getaway experience, and Tims made design choices that preserved autonomy while fostering a sense of community. Coffee machines are placed on each floor rather than in individual rooms, encouraging guests to move through shared spaces. Homemade cookies are served in the lobby rather than delivered to rooms, inviting small social interactions. These decisions are practical but intentional, reinforcing a Mainish sensibility of independence, hospitality and thoughtful service.

Tims sees this attention to design and detail as inseparable from the guest experience. “The design sets the emotional tone and defines how guests relate to a place,” he says. He balances worldly influences with a strong sense of Maine character, ensuring the inn feels luxurious yet grounded. Every vintage rug, light fixture and piece of art contributes to a narrative that is both curated and lived-in.

Under Tims’s guidance, Norumbega has transformed from merely a restored historic property into a revitalized institution.

The restaurant and bar, now fully developed with a full-time chef and beverage director, draw both local and visiting patrons.

Seasonal pop-up dinners and curated food events extend the inn’s presence into the community, while weddings, Thanksgiving dinners, and other gatherings reinforce the property’s role as a social hub.

The rebirth and success of the curiosity on Route 1 as The Norumbega Inn is a testament to Tims’s upbringing in Cleveland.

“My parents had always tried to steer us in a practical direction,” he says. “They didn’t want us to go to college and end up not knowing what we were going to do when we got out.”

Fortunately, the interest in architecture they instilled in him blossomed, and preserving and reinventing Norumbega is a way of paying it forward.

“They encouraged me to explore architecture, and I just ended up loving it.” DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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Let the good times roll...

In Indianola, there are plenty of good times to be had, starting at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. Honoring the undisputed King of the Blues, here you’ll 昀nd the perfect mix of energizing music and poignant 昀lms that will give you an intimate glimpse into B.B.’s life. The museum is not just a tribute; it’s an immersive experience where you will explore captivating exhibits that tell compelling stories, showcase intriguing

artifacts, and offers fun and educational interactive displays. You’ll get a chance to see B.B.’s recording studio, tour bus, and even visit his 昀nal resting place, making for a truly unforgettable experience.

VISIT

Indianola

MISSISSIPPI

400 Second Street, Indianola, MS • bbkingmuseum.org

The good times continue as you make your way through town where you’ll 昀nd fabulous meals from unique restaurants as well as locallyproduced gourmet food items. There are shops and historic sites to explore, rounding out a trip where you’ll discover that Indianola knows hospitality like no other place.

VISIT

Indianola

MISSISSIPPI This project is supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number ARPA-1017 awarded to The Indianola Tourism Commission by the U. S. Department of the Treasury.

GREENWOOD, MISSISSIPPI

Feel The Heartbeat Of Hospitality

At the literal “heart” of the Mississippi Delta is Greenwood, a soulful town where powerful civil rights landmarks, blues history and boutique charm come together.

Wander locally-owned shops and galleries, savor bold Delta flavors, and explore 300+ experiences tailored to your interests with our interactive map. From romantic escapes to history-filled adventures, Greenwood is your perfect home base to stay and stray into the Delta. Find Your Beat From the Heart of the Delta and plan your getaway at VisitGreenwood.com.

GREENWOOD CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU VISITGREENWOOD.COM

: @travelgreenwood

• PH: (662) 453-9197

: travelgreenwoodms

Trace the rhythms of the Delta with our interactive map at: VisitGreenwood.com/Map

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PANOLA PARTNERSHIP

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VICKSBURG

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YAZOO COUNTY

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GREENVILLE WASHINGTON COUNTY

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NATCHEZ

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TUPELO

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HARDIN COUNTY

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GRENADA

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COLUMBUS

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CARROLLTON

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03.20 22.26

CHEF CHAIR NICK WALLACE (FULL WEEKEND JACKSON, MS)

CHEF BRITTANNY ANDERSON (SATURDAY RICHMOND, VA)

CHEF EVELYN GARCIA (SUNDAY HOUSTON, TX)

CHEF CHRIS VIAUD (SATURDAY MILFORD, NH)

CHEF HUNTER EVANS (FULL WEEKEND JACKSON, MS)

CHEF CHAZ LINDSAY (SATURDAY & SUNDAY JACKSON, MS)

N O W T H R E E D AY S O F T O P C H E F S , M I C H E L I N - D E S I G N AT E D R E S TA U R A N T S , A N D J A M E S B E A R D F I N A L I S T S

F R I D AY F E A S T MARCH 20, 2026 S AT U R D AY & S U N D AY G R A N D TA S T I N G S | M A R C H 2 1 - 2 2 , 2 0 2 6 T O S E E T H E F U L L L I N E U P A N D T O P U R C H A S E YO U R T I C K E T S , V I S I T J X N F O O DA N DW I N E .CO M

Saturday, April 11

Alon Shaya James Beard Award–winning chef and former judge on Top Chef

Event sponsorships and tickets available at sippandsavor.com

Sip cold beers, fine wines, and handcrafted cocktails while savoring irresistible bites from the South’s top chefs, including Alon Shaya, whose New Orleans restaurant Saba recently received Michelin recognition.

Experience the culinary tradition of the South like you never have before at The MAX in downtown Meridian.

Downtown Meridian | msarts.org

HOME

ELEGANCE FOR EVERYDAY LIVING

A carefully crafted Indianola home blends refined architectural touches with comfort and function

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BY TERRI GLAZER • PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW WELCH

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A graceful curved staircase was a must-have feature in the dream home Gayle Fontenot envisioned.

ayle Fontenot knew exactly what she wanted. After forty-four years living in the small community of Murphy, she was ready for a new house and, perhaps most importantly, a neighborhood. Her long-held wishes came true last year, when she and her husband Stephen moved into the beautiful home they built in Indianola.

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The Fontenots purchased an in-town lot that had been an open horse pasture in a well-established neighborhood and began the process of constructing the dream home that Gayle had kept in her head and in a notebook for years. With the team of architect Mike Thompson, designer Anna Allen, and contractor Mac Long, the couple’s vision became reality. Their new place is not only beautiful inside and out, it is filled with the custom touches that were important to them, and suits the way they live to a tee.

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Allen credits Thompson for making the very best use of a somewhat oddly shaped plot of land. “The lot dictated the layout,” she says, “But Mike was very creative.”

The Flowood-based architect drew an exterior elevation that exudes the grand look and feel the clients desired, yet retains a sense of casual elegance. Being part of the design process from the planning stage allowed Allen to choose finishes that stayed with the theme. “We used Benjamin Moore Gray Mist on the outside.

It has a cool tone to it, a little more earthy than pure white. And for the shutters, we went with a tone-on-tone effect in a slightly darker shade. I feel like all that really makes the architecture stand out,” she says. Custom additions like brick on the front walkway, steps and porch floor, and gas lanterns provide classic Delta charm, an aesthetic Allen knows well.

“I wanted it to feel like a true Indianola home. My family is

The sunroom just off the primary bedroom is as elegant as it is cozy. Architectural elements, including an arched entry and custom French doors, pair with rich embroidered draperies, a classic daybed in green velvet, and an antique chandelier designer that Anna Allen had imported from Europe.

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Southern elegance reigns in the dining room, where the angular Louis XVI chandelier, draperies, and rug play up the rich wood of the Fontenot’s traditional table and chairs.

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Detailed custom millwork is the finishing touch in every room of this Indianola residence.

from Indianola; my grandfather lived on that same street. I grew up around all the Indianola homes, and they all have elements to them that make me think of the Delta,” she says.

The interior floorplan is elegant and livable at the same time.

Elegance is evident first, from the initial step inside the front door.

Anchored by a beautiful checkerboard floor in white and dark gray marble, the two-story foyer boasts a sweeping curved staircase with a wood and wrought iron railing. The stately feature is a long-time desire and was a must-have on Gayle’s list of inclusions when building the home.

In the entryway, as throughout the house, custom millwork elevates the look. “Mac Long is a yes man when it comes to doing specialty trim. He was on site and hands-on. With all the paneling in the foyer, Gayle and I told him our vision and Mac figured all that out. You can’t draw that out on 2D paper. He made our ideas come to life,” says the designer.

The carpentry magic continued into the dining room just off the entry, where a built-in china cabinet adds a time-honored look and holds part of Gayle’s large collection of silver and china.

Perfectly appointed for gracious entertaining, the room is one of two in the home where Allen recommended wallpaper. The paper had to be neutral to complement the checkerboard floors in the foyer and to work with the decor in the rest of the downstairs since the floor plan is somewhat open, says Allen. It also needed to work with the cool-toned color palette Gayle wanted to use throughout the home. She adds, “That wallpaper is really special. I had just gotten the sample in my office. Gayle saw it and loved it so we just had to use it!” An angular Louis XVI chandelier hangs like an

A special pair of antique pocket doors from the estate of Stephen’s late sister in San Francisco leads to the butler’s pantry.

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The cool tones loved by homeowner Gayle Fontenot give the kitchen and casual dining area an airy feel. Full-length windows allow light to fill the space.

exquisite piece of jewelry over the mahogany Chippendale table and chairs. Timeless silk draperies, a Venetian glass mirror and a pair of antique French urn lamps complete the room’s classic appeal.

Situated on the back of the home, the living room, casual dining area and kitchen all flow together, yet each space retains its own feel. Light is the star of the show here, provided via a double stack of rectangular windows that make up its rear wall and continue around the corner. From the comfortably furnished spot the Fontenots have full view of the lovely backyard and pool, yet retain privacy; Thompson situated the room so can’t be seen from the street.

The spacious kitchen wraps around a massive island, another of Gayle’s most wanted features. The feature is topped by a beautiful natural stone, as are the perimeter base cabinets. Its movement and variety of Gayle Fontenot warm and cool tones give the countertops enough pizzazz to be the visual centerpiece of the kitchen. The stone continues up the backsplash, combining function and beauty. Custom touches abound; the most notable may be the cabinet height. Rather than the standard 36 inches, Gayle 120 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

requested her base cabinets have two inches added so she and her family members, all of whom are tall, could work more comfortably in the kitchen.

Nearby, a pair of antique pocket doors leads to the butler’s pantry. The unique pieces came from the estate of Stephen’s late sister, who owned a condominium near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. More showplace than storage room, the scullery is a fitting setting for more of Gayle’s crystal and dinnerware.

“This was Anna’s inspiration,” says Gayle of the handsome cypress paneling in the rear entry hall. Indeed, Allen admits that when she began to consider the aspects of a classic Delta home, a room with cypress walls was essential. “I didn’t want the place to feel too brand new,” she says. “And the warm wood tones balance all the platinums and grays in the house.”

Just outside the back door, an inviting porch leads to a perfect spot for Gayle to watch while her three young grandsons who live in town ride bikes. The boys also enjoy a batting cage cleverly tucked into the backyard, a request from their grandfather, a former college baseball player and long-time

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The stately primary suite is a perfect blend of beauty, comfort, and practicality built for the homeowners’ current and possible future needs.

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“

Everything we went through had something creative to it.

That made it really fun and stretched us all.”  DESIGNER ANNA ALLEN DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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Two upstairs guest suites provide comfortable and stylish accommodations for out-of-town family members.

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Madison-based designer Anna Allen, whose family hails from Indianola, sees cypress walls as a defining characteristic of a Delta home. She suggested the handsome paneling for the rear entrance hall.

coach. A graceful porte cochere spans between the house and one of the garages, providing covered access as well as an attractive architectural feature.

The wing is balanced by a corresponding one of the other side of the home; this one holds the primary suite. Bathed in a tranquil light seafoam shade, the bedroom is a relaxing retreat. Here, Allen paired the Fontenots’ classic furnishings, including a French carved armoire also from Stephen’s sister, with a neoclassical style upholstered bed and relaxed linens in neutrals, blues, and greens.

The melange reflects her clients’ desire to blend some of their collected vintage items, antiques, and family heirlooms with the many new pieces she selected specifically for the new home.

Those tones reappear in a charming sunroom just off the

bedroom. Gayle fell in love with an antique daybed Allen had imported from France and knew just the spot where it would go.

Allen chose lush embroidered fabric for the draperies that surround the space, creating a perfect venue for reading or relaxing.

Luxury is the name of the game in the primary bath. Gayle’s vision was opulent—white marble, intricate tile work, a fabulous chandelier over a soaking tub, stately cabinetry and brass accents.

She also had practicality in mind, and incorporated functional details that insure the couple can age in place into the beauty quite subtly. The doorway, as are all the portals in the home, is wide enough to be wheelchair accessible. The large shower is zero entry and outfitted with a handheld sprayer.

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family in mind. Since two of their grown children and their families live out of town, the Fontenots wanted to make sure they had comfortable and beautiful accommodations in the new place when they come to visit. Two upstairs bedrooms feature king-sized beds; one includes an attached bunk room in place of a walk-in closet. An upstairs lounge area was also designed with the grandchildren in mind. “We promised our boys a video game place,” says Gayle.

From top to bottom, this home is the realization of its owner’s long-held dreams. Inspiration pictures kept in a notebook Gayle calls her home “bible” and ideas she fine-tuned for years shaped the house. Her creativity and love for detail provided the extra beauty and interest. Her tenacity ensured that the custom features she had long dreamed of were included. After more than four decades, she truly got what she wanted—a neighborhood, and so much more. DM

Landscape architect Bill Heimer designed the pool, adding a cleverly hidden curved slide the Fontenot’s grandchildren love.

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PEARLY PEACOCK DESIGN | Residential and Commercial Design 424 South Lamar, Suite 21 | @pearlypeacockdesign | pearlypeacockdesign.com | 662.701.0908 DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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FOOD

My Delta Kitchen

Set a romantic Valentine’s table with bold red layers, starting with a modern textured red placemat, gleaming gold accents, and a charming heart-shaped dish at the center. A ribbon-tied napkin and ruby-hued drinks complete the warm, fireside-ready setting—perfect for an intimate dinner for two. Placemat and gold heart dish, sourced at Rosson Co., in Cleveland.

Fireside Valentine’ s DINNER FOR TWO A romantic table for two sets the stage for a Southern-kissed Valentine’s menu RECIPES BY CINDY COOPWOOD TABLE STYLED BY CINDY COOPWOOD AND CORDELIA CAPPS PHOTOGRAPHY BY RORY DOYLE

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An antique marble bust tied with a whimsical heart gives Cupid vibes and makes a unique centerpiece.

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or this cozy Valentine’s Dinner for Two, we pulled a small table right up to the fireplace, draping it in candlelight, rich red accents, and a touch of old-world romance. The intimate setting becomes the perfect backdrop for a

menu that blends comfort with a little Southern charm—Comeback Shrimp Boats to start, melt-in-your-mouth braised short ribs over creamy grits, a jewel-toned beet salad, and a simple yet stunning espresso brownie martini to finish. It’s a fireside feast made for lingering, savoring, and celebrating your special someone in the warmest way.

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RED WINE-BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS This recipe is a hybrid of classic boeuf bourguignon and simpler short rib recipes.

Serving over creamy grits adds a delicious Southern nod.

5 pounds beef short ribs 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch dice 2 large carrots, cut into ½-inch dice 1 large yellow onion, cut into ½-inch dice 5 medium cloves garlic, smashed 2 tablespoons tomato paste ½ bottle dry red wine 1 quart beef stock 4 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper slurry made from ½ teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon water (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Season short ribs generously with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add short ribs (working in batches) and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Place browned ribs on a platter.

Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat and return Dutch oven to the heat, adding celery, carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer; lower heat if needed.

Add red wine and beef stock, scraping up any browned bits from bottom and sides of pot. Bring to a simmer.

Return short ribs to pot including any accumulated juices, nestling them into braising liquids. Add herbs and cover, then transfer to oven, and cook until beef is forktender, 2 to 3 hours.

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Carefully remove short ribs from pot and transfer to a platter. Tent with foil.

Skim accumulated fat from surface of braising liquid and discard. Strain braising liquid over a large bowl, preserve vegetables if desired.

Return strained braising liquid to Dutch oven and bring to a gentle simmer, adjusting heat to maintain simmer. Simmer until braising liquid is reduced to 2 cups, about 1 hour. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If needed, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and bring to a simmer until thickened slightly.

Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Return short ribs to Dutch oven, spooning the thickened sauce over and around them to glaze and allow to rewarm.

Serve over creamy grits or mashed potatoes!

NOTE: Ribs and liquid may be refrigerated for several hours at this point, allowing the to harden. Remove the fat, and slowly reheat the ribs and broth.

CREAMY CHEESY GRITS A few special ingredients make these grits extra creamy and flavorful—a perfect complement for the ribs, shrimp and grits, or as a rich addition to a special breakfast menu.

3 cups chicken broth 2 cups half and half 1 teaspoon coarse salt 4 tablespoons butter 1 cup stone ground or old fashioned grits 4 ounces shredded cheddar or gouda cheese, or to taste salt and pepper to taste

Add chicken broth, half and half, salt, and half the butter to a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once it just starts to simmer, turn to low.

Whisk in grits and stir well. Cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, especially in the beginning, until grits are fully cooked.

Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter and cheese, mixing to combine and melt the cheese. Before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper as needed.

A classic Kir Royale is the perfect cocktail for the occasion. It’s simply a ratio of 1 part crème de cassis to 5 parts Champagne.

Garnish with raspberries and enjoy!

COMEBACK SHRIMP BOATS Shrimp cocktail—but make it Southern.

Substitute traditional cocktail sauce with Comeback sauce and assemble in individual lettuce boats for a beautiful appetizer. ½ pound boiled shrimp, peeled and deveined Comeback dressing baby romaine lettuce leaves, washed and separated paprika for garnish

To assemble, layer 3 to 4 shrimp on an individual lettuce leaf. Drizzle with Comeback sauce and arrange on platter.

Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

COMEBACK SAUCE A Coopwood family favorite!

1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 2 ¼ 2 2

cup mayonnaise cup chili sauce cup vegetable oil cup ketchup teaspoon black pepper teaspoon dry mustard tablespoon Worcestershire sauce teaspoon horseradish teaspoon paprika cloves pressed garlic medium onion (or to taste), grated tablespoons water tablespoons sugar

Mix well, chill, and serve.

Red flocked garland (repurposed from Christmas decorations) is draped across the mantle and accented with a preserved boxwood heart.

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ROASTED BEET AND BEET GREENS SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE AND HONEY-DIJON VINAIGRETTE This roasted beet salad is sweet, tangy, creamy, and crunchy, and is great for winter dinner parties. Mixing in the beet greens adds a depth of flavor and beautiful color that takes it to the next level.

Vinaigrette 2 tablespoons honey 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1½ tablespoons shallots, minced ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salad 2 cups mixed greens of choice 1 to 2 cups beet greens, torn About ½ pound roasted beets ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 3 ounces goat cheese

To Roast Beets Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub beets well with a vegetable brush under running water. Peel if desired, but it’s not necessary. Slice off the base and top of each beet and cut into chunks of about ¾ inch in size. Place beets on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until the beets are evenly coated, then arrange them in a single layer across the pan. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway, until fork tender. When ready, adjust seasonings and serve.

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For Vinaigrette Simply add all the ingredients to a jar, cover with the lid, and shake vigorously to blend. Adjust seasonings to taste.

For Salad Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette, and toss just to combine. Add as much of the remaining vinaigrette as desired and toss again. Arrange the greens on a large platter or divide onto plates, then top with beets, walnuts, and goat cheese. Serve immediately

Store-bought two-bite brownies are perfect for this recipe!

1.

2.

BOOZY BROWNIE ESPRESSO MARTINI You may fool the eye, but you won’t fool your tastebuds with this chocolatey, boozy, decadent dessert. Just the right finish for a special Valentine’s dinner, the stunning presentation makes its simplicity even more difficult to believe!

Premade brownies—these may be made from scratch, a mix, or store-bought. You will need 1 to 2 brownies per serving if making in a martini glass or champagne coupe

Coffee flavored liqueur—such as Bailey’s Original Irish Cream or Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur

Coffee flavored ice cream, softened Cocoa powder

3.

4.

Crumble brownies into a bowl and drizzle with your liqueur of choice. Mix until the brownies are damp and moist.

1. Fill glass with brownie mixture, about ¾ full and smooth out the top.

2. Place a generous scoop of coffee ice cream on top of brownie mixture.

3. Using an offset spatula, spread the ice cream and smooth over the top, making even with the rim of glass.

4. Garnish with a sprinkle of coca powder and coffee beans if desired. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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2026 Health, Beauty, and Wellness START THE NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT WITH THESE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS

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The surgical team of Dr. Walker Byars, left, and Dr. Robert McAuley, right, at Oxford Surgical and Bariatric Clinic provide renownded technical skill as well as comprehensive long-term care through the innovative “university” program.

Beyond the Food Noise How One Mississippi Clinic is Rewriting the Weight-Loss Narrative

BY LYNNE JETER

hen Lynzi Coleman looks in the mirror today, she sees someone she never imagined possible. At 22 years old and 162 pounds, the Mississippi schoolteacher has shed more than half her body weight—dropping from 380 pounds in just over two years.

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“If you really sit there and think about it, that’s three whole people,” she wrote in a recent note to her care team. “I used to think I would be big forever.”

Coleman’s transformation didn’t happen through willpower alone or the latest injectable medication. It happened at Oxford Surgical and Bariatric Clinic (OSBC), where Family Nurse Practitioner Carah Walker has built something 136 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

revolutionary: a comprehensive “university” program that treats obesity not as a character flaw but as the complex chronic disease it truly is.

“This isn’t a January 1 resolution,” Walker emphasizes. “This is a lifetime resolution.”

Walker brings unusual authority to her role as OSBC’s bariatric coordinator. At 61, she has maintained her weightloss for 26

years following her own Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery at age 35. That personal journey—losing 110 pounds while learning to navigate life’s celebrations and sorrows without using food as medication—shapes every interaction with her patients.

“I tell them we’re no different from an alcoholic or a drug addict,” Walker explains candidly. “They’re not drinking because they’re thirsty. We’re not eating because we’re hungry. The difference is, an alcoholic doesn’t drink, period. With food addiction, you still have to eat to stay nutritionally stable. You have to learn to eat this much and only these foods. It’s the hardest thing.”

Today’s patients benefit from significant surgical advances. While Walker’s Roux-en-Y required a weeklong hospital stay and six weeks of recovery, the vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) that OSBC specializes in is performed robotically, with just a 24-hour hospital stay. Patients typically return to normal activities within two weeks.

A Different Kind of Education OSBC University isn’t just clever branding. It is a carefully structured program that Walker developed in 2023 to address what she saw as a critical gap in bariatric care.

Patients progress through orientation and numbered courses (101 through 401), complete a two-week “intercession” preop diet, then “graduate” on surgery day.

When they reach their goal weight, they earn a “master’s degree.” Maintaining that weight for a year earns them a “PhD,” complete with printed diplomas and a celebration.

“Success comes from preoperative education on what it takes to have longterm success,” Walker notes. “Surgery is just one tool in our armamentarium to fight obesity.”

The program’s insurance approval rate stems from Walker’s meticulous approach.

She guides patients through every requirement—from nutritional and psychological evaluations to cardiac clearances—ensuring nothing is left to chance. Unlike many programs that require initial weightloss to qualify, OSBC University accepts patients as they are, even working with those above the typical BMI 60 surgical limit to help them reach eligibility.

The Surgeons Behind the Success Leading the surgical team are Dr. Walker Byars and Dr. Robert McAuley, both Mississippi natives who have practiced for more than 15 years. Byars, who opened OSBC in 2009, is recognized as Mississippi’s leading robotic surgeon and among the nation’s top robotic surgeons. McAuley joined the practice specifically to focus on bariatrics, drawn by the opportunity to provide comprehensive, lifelong care.

“What keeps me passionate is how efficient and technically rewarding these procedures have become,” Byars shares.

“But what really makes it meaningful is

Lynzi Coleman, 22, has lost 218 pounds working through Oxford Surgical and Bariatric Clinic’s “university”program.

A busy wife and mom, Jessica Stephens started the OSBC program at 315 pounds and has lost 175 pounds with the help of their bariatric team.

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the long-term relationship I build with patients. Watching them regain their health, confidence, and energy—seeing their true personalities emerge as they shed the physical and emotional weight— is incredibly fulfilling.”

Both surgeons emphasize that recent data from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery show surgery outperforming popular GLP-1 injections by significant margins. After two years, surgical patients lost an average of 58 pounds, compared with only 12 pounds for those using injectable medications.

Beyond Physical Transformation The program’s impact extends far beyond weightloss. Andrew Basinger, who started the program three times before committing fully, has lost more than 200 pounds since his surgery. His resting heart rate dropped from 100–110 beats per minute to a healthy 52–60. Most remarkably, the man who once dreamed of running but couldn’t walk comfortably completed the Double Decker 5K, jogging every step.

For Coleman, the transformation was

138 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

“This isn’t a January 1st resolution.

This is a lifetime resolution.”

– Carah Walker, Director Oxford Surgical and Bariatric Clinic

equally profound. “At first, I’m not going to lie, I thought [Walker] seemed mean,” she admitted. “But really that was my anxiety, knowing she would tell me I just have to put the work in.”

The Journey Continues Walker understands the ongoing challenges intimately.

“Even at 61, do I still struggle?

Absolutely,” she admits. “You get up every morning and make choices. When things get overwhelming, you have to stop and think: Is that noise, or am I hungry?”

That “food noise”—the constant mental chatter about eating—is something OSBC University addresses through education, compassion, and lifelong support. The clinic follows patients indefinitely, recognizing that obesity is a chronic disease requiring ongoing management.

“We meet you where you are and walk with you toward your goals,” Walker promises. “There’s no judgment here— just a family atmosphere where we love on our patients and support them through every step.” DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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HISTORY

WINGS of Valor The story of Samuel Keesler Jr.

BY ROBERT MCFARLAND, JR. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ALLAN HAMMONS & ASSOCIATES

148 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

A 24th Aero Squadron Salmson 2A2 believed to be the type of aircraft Keesler was flying at the time of his loss.

the thick haze of World War I, where courage was often forged in the skies, a young man from Greenwood, Mississippi, would make his mark— not through the longevity of his service, but through the depth of his sacrifice.Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr. was born on April 11, 1896, into a respected family in Greenwood where his father was mayor of Greenwood and also a Commander in the National Guard.

In

Keesler, Jr. was known for his sharp mind and a strong sense of duty, he pursued his education at Davidson College in North Carolina where he studied science with the intent to become a

The Keesler home in Greenwood.

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physician. However, in 1917 when the United States entered the World War I, like so many others of his generation, Keesler set aside personal ambition for national service.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army and soon joined the Army Signal Corps’ fledgling Air Service. Aviation was still a relatively new military frontier, and the role of aerial observers, those who would fly in two-seater aircraft and direct artillery fire, scout enemy positions, and gather intelligence, was critical and dangerous. Keesler was assigned as an aerial observer with the 24th Aero Squadron, part of the American Expeditionary Forces.

By September 1918, the war was entering its final and bloodiest chapter. Keesler and his pilot, 1st Lt. Harold Riley, were flying over enemy territory in France near Verdun, conducting a reconnaissance mission in their DH-4 aircraft. The mission was vital: map German troop movements and direct artillery against heavily fortified positions.

The photo of the Keesler family at the dedication of Keesler Air Force Base. Ethel Keesler Garrard (second from left), would later lose her husband in World War II when his B-24 Liberator bomber was shot down. Top left photo, Ethel receiving her husband’s Air Medal at Greenwood Army Air Field in April 1944.

150 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

On September 14, 1918, their plane came under attack by a formation of four German fighters. Despite being outnumbered, Riley and Keesler fought back, engaging in a fierce dogfight. The DH-4 was not designed for combat like the nimble pursuit planes, but Keesler, manning the rear gun, held his position. In the course of the encounter, Keesler was hit multiple times in the chest. Though gravely wounded, he continued to return fire and protect the aircraft as pilot, 1LT Harold W. Riley tried to evade their attackers. Riley eventually lost control of their badly damaged plane and they crashlanded behind enemy lines. The airmen were captured by German ground troops and because they were unable to receive immediate medical attention, Keesler died the following day, September 15, 1918, at the age of just 22.

The story of Samuel Keesler’s bravery spread among the ranks. His unwavering courage and refusal to give up, even in the face of overwhelming odds and mortal wounds, symbolized the spirit of American Sam’s father, Samuel airmen in the First World War. He was Keesler, Sr. was a posthumously awarded the Distinguished Brigadier General in the Service Cross, the second-highest military Army National Guard. award for extraordinary heroism.

However, the Greenwood native’s legacy didn’t end there.

In 1941, as the United States prepared for involvement in another global conflict, the War Department established a new Army Air Corps base in Biloxi, Mississippi. When it came time to name the installation, they honored one of their own: Keesler Field, in memory of Samuel Keesler Jr. Over the years, Keesler Field—later renamed Keesler Air Force Base—grew into one of the most

important technical training centers in the U.S. Air Force, specializing in electronics, cybersecurity, and advanced aviation training.

To this day, airmen from across the country pass through Keesler, learning the skills necessary to protect the nation and carry forward the legacy of those who came before them. Samuel Keesler’s sacrifice serves as a quiet reminder throughout the base—not just of bravery in war, but of selflessness, commitment, and honor.

Though his life was short, Samuel Keesler Jr.’s story has endured for over a century. In the skies over France, he gave everything. And in doing so, he became more than a soldier—he became a symbol.

One of a generation who fought for ideals beyond themselves. One whose name will forever be spoken in reverence by those who wear the wings of the United States Air Force. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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EVENTS

The Outsiders, January 20–25 The Choir of Man, January 29

FESTIVALS, MUSIC & FUN THINGS TO DO December 10–January 4

Jackson

Journey To The North Pole

Oxford

Sipp For a Cause: Benefitting Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Mississippi Children’s Museum mschildrensmuseum.org

January 9-25

January 22, 6 pm

The Sipp on South Lamar thesippms.com

Memphis

Children’s Entrepreneur Market, January 31

Sex/Work

January 23, 8 pm

Playhouse on the Square playhouseonthesquare.org

Don Was & the Pan Detroit Ensemble

January 29–February 1

Highland Capital Performance Hall gpacweb.com

Disney on Ice

January 13-17

Germantown Southaven

Landers Center landerscenter.com

Memphis

International Blues Challenge 2026

January 23-24

Cigar Box Scott songkick.com

Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville

January 30, 6 pm

Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center operamemphis.org

Creative Arts Ensemble: Music Conversations with Iris Collective

A Conversation with Kamala Harris

January 23-25

Watkins Studio Theater gpacweb.com

Thalia Mara Hall thaliamara.live

16th Annual Clarksdale Film & Music Festival

January 15

Stone Pony clarksdalefilmfestival.com

January 14, 7 pm

Jackson

Memphis

Memphis Songwriters Series Halloran Centre orpheum-memphis.com

January 16

Memphis

Clarksdale

January 30, 7:30 pm

Jason Aldean

The Lyric Oxford thelyricoxford.com

Memphis

Jagged Little Pill

January 30, 7:30 pm

Playhouse on the Square playhouseonthesquare.org

Meredith Willson’s The Music Man

January 25

Harlem Globetrotters: The 100 Year Tour

January 30, 7:30 pm

January 16

Landers Center landerscenter.com

Live Rich Die Poor

Tunica

Southaven

January 26, 7:30 pm

Airspace, Chamber Ensemble

January 30–February 15

January 17

Gertrude C. Ford Performing Arts Center fordcenter.org

Job

Southaven

Oxford

January 29, 7:30 pm

The Choir of Man

January 31, 11 am

January 20–25

Gertrude C. Ford Performing Arts Center fordcenter.org

Children’s Entrepreneur Market

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

152 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Memphis

January 29

Memphis

Playhouse on the Square playhouseonthesquare.org

Landers Center landerscenter.com

The Outsiders

Memphis

Halloran Centre orpheum-memphis.com

Gold Strike Casino Resort goldstrike.com

Rodeo of the Mid-South

Cleveland

Bologna Performing Arts Center bolognapac.com

Cadence Bank Arena cb-arena.com

One Night in Memphis

Oxford

Sam Barber – The American Route Tour

January 23–February 22 Tupelo

Germantown

Oxford Memphis

Women’s Exchange of Memphis kidsmarkets.com

Germantown

Vijay Gupta

January 31, 7:30 pm

Highland Capital Performance Hall gpacweb.com

NE MS Championship Rodeo Cadence Bank Arena cb-arena.com

Tupelo

Blue Öyster Cult, February 1

January 31, 8 pm

Parker McCollum, February 5

Germantown

February 5, 7:30 pm

Withers to Wonder – Celebrating the Songs of Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder

Parker McCollum

Highland Capital Performance Hall gpacweb.com

January 31

February 6, 10 am

Oxford

Blue Öyster Cult

February 6, 5:30 pm

February 5

Patrick Lawton Lobby gpacweb.com

Carol Roark Artist Reception Memphis

Memphis

Graceland Soundstage gracelandlive.com

Oxford

Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts fordcenter.org

Bologna Performing Arts Center bolognapac.com

February 12

John Mulaney

Ken Waldman & The Wild Ones Cleveland

Oxford

The Lyric Oxford thelyricoxford.com

49 Winchester

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

February 6, 8 pm

Pecos & The Rooftops

February 5, 8 pm Memphis

The Lyric Oxford thelyricoxford.com

Kiana Krall

Oxford

Sandy and John Black Pavilion parkermccollum.com

Southern Soul Lovers Tour: Anthony Q’s Birthday Edition

February 1, 7:30 pm

49 Winchester, February 5

Germantown

February 13, 8 pm

Oxford

Vincent Mason – There I Go Tour The Lyric Oxford thelyricoxford.com

February 13

Tunica

Rumours ATL: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute Gold Strike Casino Resort goldstrike.com

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

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Dixie National Rodeo, February 13–16

Carol Roark Artist Reception, February 6

February 13–16

Memphis

Valentine’s Day Dinner & Music Cruise Memphis Riverboats memphisriverboats.net

February 13–21

Memphis

The Rellik Casino & Hotel: A Soulfull Murder Mystery Halloran Centre orpheum-memphis.com

February 26, 7:30 pm

Memphis

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Graceland Soundstage gracelandlive.com

Jackson

Dixie National Rodeo

February 16

Mississippi Coliseum visitjackson.com

February 13, 7:30 pm

February 15

Memphis

WWE: RAW Memphis

FedEx Forum fedexforum.com

February 26, 7:30 pm

Memphis

Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’ Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Rickey Smiley and Friends Valentine Comedy Show

February 16, 7:30 pm

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Gertrude C. Ford Performing Arts Center fordcenter.org

As You Like It: Adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery

February 17–22

Edward and Bernice Humphreys Theatre memphis.edu

February 14, 9 am

Memphis

Couple Shuffle

The Sound of Music

Greenbelt Park- North Mud Island Parking Lot runsignup.com

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

February 14, 8 pm

February 21, 6 pm

Memphis

Cary One: No Hard Feelings Tour Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Oxford February 26–March 1

Tango After Dark

Memphis

February 27, 8 pm

Olive Branch

Gold Strike Casino Resort goldstrike.com

March 6, 8 pm

Memphis

Katt Williams: The Golden Age Tour

Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce visitdesotocounty.com

FedEx Forum fedexforum.com

February 21, 6:30 pm

Arlington

2026 Masquerade Ball

March 6

Tupelo

Winter Jam

Southern Grace Weddings & Events alphaomegaveterans.org

Cadence Bank Arena cb-arena.com

Memphis

B2K & Bow Wow: Boys 4 Life Tour FedEx Forum fedexforum.com

Tunica

Keith Anderson

Miss Olive Branch 2026 The Emerald Crown

February 21, 8 pm

Memphis

March 6–7

Southaven

Mid-South Military & Civil War Show Convention Hall landerscenter.com

WWE: Raw, February 16

LITERARY EVENTS Christine Riccio

Thirty, Flirty, and Forever Alone January 9, 6:00 pm: Novel, Memphis Gabriella Saab

The Star Society January 10, 12:00 pm: Lemueria Books, Jackson W. Ralph Eubanks

When It’s Darkness on the Delta January 13, 5:30 pm: Off Square Books, Oxford January 15, 5:30 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson

The Sound of Music, February 17–22 154 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Jennifer Moorman

The Charmed Library January 14, 6:00 pm: Novel, Memphis January 15, 5:30 pm: Off Square Books, Oxford Deborah D. Douglas

U.S. Civil Rights Trail

Statement of Ownership, management, and circulation for Delta Magazine. Publication No. 022-954 as of October 10, 2025. Six issues published bi-monthly for a subscription rate of $28 at P.O. Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732.

The names and address of the publisher and editor: Publisher and Owner, Scott Coopwood, PO Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732; Editor, Cindy Coopwood, PO Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732.

January 19, 5:30 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson

Average No. of Copies Actual No. of Copies Each Issue During Single Issue Published Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date

Total no. of copies printed

Freida McFadden

Dear Debbie January 27, 6:00 pm: Novel, Memphis Elise Smith and Judith Page

Southern Women, Southern Landscapes January 29, 5:00 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson Kristina Joy Carlson

Outrageous Kindness January 29, 5:30 pm: Off Square Books, Oxford Alice Faye Duncan

Blues Boy: The BB King Story January 31, 2:00 pm: Novel, Memphis Julian Sancton

Neptune’s Fortune February 4, 5:00 pm: Lemuria Books, Jackson February 5, 6:00 pm: The Powerhouse, Oxford

Paid circulation through mail Paid circulation through dealers and carriers, street vendors, and counter sales Paid circulation by other classes of mail through the USPS (First-Class, Priorty) Total paid distribution Free distribution through mail Free circulation by other classes of mail through the USPS (First-Class, Priorty) Free distribution outside mail Total free distribution Total distribution Total Percent paid Paid electronic copies Total paid print copies and paid electronic copies Total print distribution and paid electronic copies Percent paid

9,000

9,000

5,689

5,603

734

733

40

40

6,463

6,376

1,366

1,524

25

25

704 2,095 8,558 9,000 75.52% 35

649 2,198 8,574 9,000 74.36% 27

6,498

6,403

8,593 75.62%

8,601 74.44%

I certify that the statement made by me above is correct and complete.

(Signed) Scott Coopwood, Publisher

Jenny Tinghui Zhang

Superfan February 12, 6:00 pm: The Powerhouse, Oxford Alison Lyn Miller

Rough House February 17, 5:30 pm: Off Square Books, Oxford February 19, 6:00 pm: Novel, Memphis Mark Greaney

The Hard Line February 21, 2:00 pm: Novel, Memphis Beth Ann Fennelly

The Irish Goodbye February 24, 5:30 pm: Off Square Books, Oxford Jonathan Miles

Eradication February 26, 6:00 pm: The Powerhouse, Oxford Lisa Patton

Kissing the Sky

SCAN QR CODE FOR MORE INFORMATION + PURCHASE TICKETS

February 28, 2:00 pm: Novel, Memphis

DM

DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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DELTA SEEN

Annual Christmas on Deer Creek in Leland on December 5 and 6.

Photos by Faith Barnett

Jason Morris, Beth Mansour, Barry Bays, and Maria Weber

Cameryn Burch, Sherry Smythe, and Justin Burch

Sherry Wilbourne, Grant Egley, and Paige Smith

Payton and Patti Livingston

Eliza and Calli Cole

Mary Catherine and Whitley Brooks

Sandra Jordan, Diane Giachelli, and Tori Downs

Stacy Wiggins, Emma Sanders, and Pam West

Linley Cox, Tatum Cane, Ellen, and Helen Durst

Chris Livingston and Mike Slaton of the band Brisket and Delta Sun

American Blonde performed during the event.

Christina Morris, Chrissy Nix (manager), and Natalia Morris

Sherry and Ricky Smythe

156 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Laura and Lauren Sullivan

DELTA SEEN

Crescent City to the Crossroads Gala at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi in Cleveland on October 30

Sarita Simmons, Myrtis Tabb, Lydia Chassaniol, Robin Robinson, and Amy Whitten

Vance and Avery St. Columbia with Lauren and Michael Boulanger

Stephen and Amy Smith, Hall Warlick, Angie Kent with Jenny and Jamie Smith

Jay Ragan and Mary Beth Smith

Lisa Cooley, Allyson Lofton, Shawn Marchant, Tammy Glorioso, Mary Elizabeth Jeffries, Holly Sanders, and Presley Lee

Brooke Zeringue Nokes and Paden Dawkins

David and Maribeth Crews

Libbi Logan and Shelley Tibbs

Eric and Haley Kelly

Hannah Bishop and Caroline Alderson

Kim Pillow and Kris Prewitt

Jason and Lori Morris

Jamie Smith, Trombone Shorty, and Jenny Smith

Gary, Jamey, and Russell Gainspoletti with Presley and Andy Lee DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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DELTA SEEN

Preview party for the launch of the “I love the Delta - A Collection of Landscapes and Abstracts by Tommy Goodman exhibit at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta in Greenwood on November 25.

A selection of photos by Delta Magazine readers

Preslee Magee, Allison Pillow, and Gene Galey

Jimmy Lott, Gary McDonald, Bob Morgan, and Lydia Chassaniol

Former Shelbians recently got together at Airport Grocery in Cleveland.

George Barefoot, Wayne Butler, John Denton, H.L. Dilworth, Louis Radicioni, Joseph Radicioni, Glenn Radicioni, Tippy Olivi, H.E. Wilkinson, and Bob Wilkinson 158 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

Ken Simmons, Tommy Goodman, and Allison Simmons

Betty Van Meek and Lisa Melton

Actor and writer Andrew McCarthy (center) recently visited Clarksdale to participate in the Tennessee Williams Festival. He is pictured here with Paige Daugherty, Jennifer Levingston, Rivers Humber, Boyce Robbins, McCarthy, Jenn Mohead, Amanda Crumley, Kelly Connell and Jackie Dean

A selection of photos by Delta Magazine readers

DELTA SEEN

A group of Cleveland friends recently celebrated their Fiftieth High School reunion: Front row, left to right, Gloria Steele Cocilova, Suzanne Meriweather Bean, Lisa Hubbell Houston Back row left to right, Wendy Leigh,Donna McKnight Grafe, Mandy Walker Maddison, Barbara Fletcher Kent,Beverly Parks Kelly and MaryKate Griffith Walhood Top row: Caroline Mumme, Hollie Carver, Frances Schaffer, Macy Johnson, Chloe Richardson, and Emily Thigpen. Bottom row: Sarah Dantone, Kelly Carver, Glenda Otts, and Kamryn Chambers at the Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas

Will, Avery Carter, Cathy, and Harrison Ike and Karen Brunetti at Andrea Bocelli Live in Concert in Howarth Lexington, Kentucky

Joannah Taylor, Lauren Caston, Katie Boykin, Kristen Crow, Emily Melton, Haley Kelly, Lisa Cooley, and Jordan Langston at the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis on December 6.

Frances Scarborough, Lucy Tierce, and Stacy and John Kaiser in Budapest, Fish Michie Hungary

Jenny Long and her family, Wolf, Damian, and Max Augsberger

Left to right: Sandra Cirilli, Mikelle Perry, Lea Margaret Hamilton, Jen McGehee, and Susie Morgan at the Mississippi State Capitol decorating the Governor’s capital office

Landon and Morgan Bagley, Ashton and Alex Ouzts with Pam and Mike Parker in Alys Beach, Florida DELTA MAGAZINE 2026

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Thefinalword

Rites of Passage

Matty Bengloff is a recovering Yankee who has made the Delta his home for going on twenty years. He owns and operates Delta Dairy with his wife Suzette Matthews in downtown Cleveland.

Matty has been to every Double Quick and still really misses Vince’s in Leland.

160 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

BY MATTY BENGLOFF

Our beloved dog, Tchula, crossed the rainbow bridge last fall. We knew it was coming. Tchula was just a month shy of her fourteenth birthday, and for a sixty-five-pound Lab/Weimaraner/mutt mix that survived Parvo as a puppy, we also knew it was a great run. The next day I posted an “obituary” on Facebook because I wanted to celebrate her life. When people began to make comments about the post, and asked about Tchula, it prompted me to think more about why I wrote it in the first place.

A couple of years back, I was at the Delta Council event in Leland the night before their big program at Delta State, and I found myself talking to one of my favorite Deltans, Woods Eastland. He asked me how my wife, Suzette, and I were doing, and I shared that we’d just lost my father-in-law to a heart issue and one of our best friends to cancer in the matter of a couple of months. I was still very much in my feelings, and his response initially took me by surprise. Most people upon hearing the news had shared how sorry they were and the condolences we all come to know and expect.

I have to paraphrase here, but Woods looked right at me and, in a kind yet frank way, said: “Matty, I’m sorry to hear that. Those are two rites of passage that are very hard to deal with at the same time.” We talked a while more about different chapters of life, the happenings of the Delta, and our families, but the beginning of that conversation and Woods’s words have stuck with me over the years.

When I thought about rites of passage prior to that conversation, I’d only thought of those rituals or ceremonies we have growing up— you know, the good stuff like when I had my Bar Mitzvah, the first time I was allowed to ride the subway by myself, going off to college, graduating college, etc. Looking back on those events now, not all of it was positive, and they also marked the end of some special times.

When I was little, my mother would walk me to school past the familiar bodegas and barber

shops, and I would hide figurines in the park to pick back up on the walk home. When I was able to ride the subway by myself, I gained so much freedom, but it ended that chapter with my mom. College was so much fun, but I also lost touch with a lot of friends and teachers from some wonderful high school years. Graduating college was an accomplishment I was very proud of… but working full time and having to pay all my own bills? I didn’t love it all that much.

What Woods said to me pushed me to think about how thankful I was to have all those wonderful years with my father-in-law, and while still crushed by the loss of him and our good friend, I also found myself taking peace and comfort in how we were able to help and be there for her during her last two years of life. I can feel those two, or three, or four conflicting feelings at the same time, and that’s okay. To me, that is the rite of passage because you take those experiences and enter a new stage of life.

So, why did I decide to write that obituary for our sweet girl, Tchula, and put it up on Facebook? I grew up in a small apartment in New York City where pets were not allowed. I bounced around the Delta for several years after college, moving rental houses almost every year, before I finally bought a home and settled here in Cleveland. A couple of years later, I was dating Suzette, and on my 27th birthday we drove to Forrest City, Arkansas, to adopt a “Weimaraner puppy” from the shelter so I’d have a running buddy. I think Tchula and I went running three times.

I’m so sad that she’s gone, but I’m more thankful for all the wonderful memories and laughs—how much joy she brought to others—how she never left Suzette’s side during the year she battled cancer.

This is another rite of passage, and I needed to write that to process my feelings, to celebrate and to mourn, and to take all of that onto the next chapter. DM

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