Delta Magazine May/June 2025

Delta

MAY/JUNE 2025

m

a

Red Panther Brewing Co. Clarksdale’s new brew hub

g

a

z

i

n

e

Obsessed with Olives

5

RECIPES TO MAKE RIGHT NOW

Vicksburg at 200

Celebrating the Key City’s Bicentennial

Farmers’ Market Roundup MAY | JUNE 2025 deltamagazine.com $5.95US

05

Shade Garden Tips

from Jessica Milam

7

25274 24724

0

Your trusted source for vascular care since 1969

VEINS | VASCULAR | PROSTATE | FIBROIDS | IR ONCOLOGY Memphis/Southaven 901-747-1007 | vipdocs.com

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 1

2 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Financial solutions focused on your business needs.

Given today’s market challenges, working with a local dedicated team driven by a shared vision can make all the difference.

Regions Commercial Relationship Managers know that developing a strong understanding of your business and its unique operations helps us provide highly responsive, personalized solutions. Let us leverage our capabilities and create a comprehensive financial strategy to help guide and strengthen your business.

Commercial Banking | Treasury Management Capital Markets | Specialized Industries Ryan Strawbridge Commercial Relationship Manager 211 Front St. | Greenwood, MS 38930

regions.com/commercial-banking

© 2024 Regions Bank. Banking products provided by Regions Bank. Only banking deposit products are FDIC insured. All loans and lines subject to credit approval. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 3

Welcome to Mockingtrail Square—Cleveland’s first planned unit development. With fifty lots, the subdivision has a neighborhood feel and is conveniently adjacent to both the Cleveland Country Club Golf Course and Delta State’s Athletic Fields.

There are multiple floor plans to choose from, which are architecturally designed to model the upscale environment of Florida’s scenic 30A area, or have a custom design plan for your lot. Call us if you’re ready to take the next step!

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

SOLD SOLD SOLD

SOLD

SOLD SOLD SOLD

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

SOLD SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD SOLD D SOLD SOL

SOLD

SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD

CONTACT US Chris Collins, Managing Member Office: 662.843.5060 ccollins@roycollins.com roycollins.com

Partnership Properties, Realtor Office: 662.843.8850 partnershipprop@gmail.com partnershipprop.com

mockingtrailsquare.com 4 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Olde Towne Square | 120 West Jackson Street | Ridgeland, MS 39157 | 601.898.0513 | Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

kinkades.com

Delta m

a

g

a

z

i

n

e

Publisher: J. Scott Coopwood Editor in Chief: Cindy Coopwood Managing Editor: Taylor Armstrong 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, Terri Glazer, Sara Irby, Joey Lee, Sherry Lucas, Susan Marquez, Leanna Miller, Laura Beth Strickland, Jen Waller Photography: Austin Britt, Rory Doyle, Lisa Chudy Dyess, Anna Satterfield, Laura Beth Strickland, Jen Waller Account Executives: Joy Bateman, Melanie Dupree, Cristen Hemmins, Kristy Kitchings, 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 ©2025 Coopwood Magazines, Inc.

6 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 7

Magnolia Lighting HERNANDO · OXFORD · TUPELO · RIDGELAND

W W W. M A G NO L I A L I G H T I NG . COM

8 | MAY/JUNE 2025

from the editor

Signs of the Season s I write this letter, preparing to send this issue of Delta Magazine to the printer, it’s Wednesday night of Easter week. My daughter has just arrived from Nashville, and my attention is divided between finishing this note, catching up with her, putting away the groceries Walmart just delivered (because I never made it to the store), and trying to finalize our Easter weekend schedule and meals.

It also occurs to me that with this May/June issue, we’re already approaching the halfway mark of the year.

Unbelievable.

As spring slips into summer, there’s an unmistakable shift in the air—brighter mornings, longer evenings (thanks in part to Daylight Saving Time), and a certain anticipation that comes with the end of the school year, My absolute favorite new pasta salad planting our gardens, and planning summer travels. It’s combines two things I love—orzo and the season of screened porches and open windows—at olives! This was shared with me by one of least before the mosquitoes descend—the one we’ve all my best friends, Ann Morgan, of Cleveland. been waiting for.

In this issue, we celebrate the changing seasons with a roundup on page 74 of farmers markets in the Delta and beyond. This is when weekends start to revolve around Saturday mornings spent at local markets filled with fresh produce, local honey, handmade goods, and the cheerful hum of a community coming together.

It’s also that time when we’re freshening up our flower beds. At my house, that mostly means planting shade-loving plants. My yard gets either relentless sun—in places I mostly ignore—or deep shade where grass refuses to grow. Over time, I’ve come to love hostas, impatiens, caladiums, and the like. Jessica Milam of Fountain’s Green Grow-Cery in Greenville shares her top tips and favorite shade plants for beds and containers on page 114.

With a full lineup of spring holidays and seasonal gatherings, there’s no better time for a themed party. Cleveland native Lisa Dyess is known for her over-the-top style— Hostas are one of my favorite shade plants whether she’s decorating her own home, transforming a dorm room, or planning a and make me so happy when they show up celebration. You’ll be inspired by her Kentucky Derby birthday bash and a Wild Game right outside my door every spring! graduation party that any senior would be thrilled to have on page 64.

This year also marks the 200th birthday of historic Vicksburg—a true Mississippi treasure. The ever-evolving river town has never been more appealing for a day trip or weekend getaway, whether you’re a foodie, antiques enthusiast, or history buff. Its museums, restaurants, downtown shopping, and gaming options keep the Key City vibrant and relevant, all while honoring the rich traditions it’s built upon. Don’t miss our coverage of the exciting celebrations planned for this milestone year on page 82.

Lastly, I hope you’re as excited about the olive-inspired recipes in this issue as I am. Suffice it to say that if you love a dirty martini, then you’re in for a treat. From the trending Dirty Martini Dip to one of my new favorites—Olive Orzo Salad—these recipes on page 118 add a briny burst of flavor just in time for your summer menus.

So whether it’s a spring fête, Mother’s or Father’s Day, graduation, or Memorial Day—here’s to all the reasons to gather, to celebrate, and to savor.

A

DM Virginia Pampuro of Franklin, Tennessee kicks back to enjoy reading the 2025 Delta Magazine Wedding Issue.

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

10 | MAY/JUNE 2025

• MSGIFTS.COM • 1.800.467.7763 • 300 HOWARD STREET IN DOWNTOWN GREENWOOD, MS 38930 • 12 | MAY/JUNE 2025

More than dirt.

More than dreams.

Imanol Moreno didn’t just want to move dirt—he wanted to build something of his own. With a little savings, a lot of drive, and support from Planters Bank, he turned a childhood love of machinery into a respected business.

We believed in his vision, helped him build credit, and stood by him through each new chapter—from the first excavator to his first home.

At Planters Bank, we don’t just offer financial services. We invest in people.

Learn more at Planters-Bank.com.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 13

contents MAY/JUNE Volume 22, No. 6

114

departments

36 BOOKS Reviews of new releases and

101

RORY DOYLE

what Deltans are reading now

38 SHOPPING Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and graduation gift ideas

44 ART MICHAEL FOOSE Inspired paintings reminiscent of a lifetime in the Delta

50 MUSIC

JOE AUSTIN & THE TALLAHATCHIES Two songwriting friends coming together in a country-rock reunion

82 101 HOME

Southern with a Twist A contemporary Greenwood home

Tips for the best shade plants for pots and patios with Jessica Milam

56

features

56 Red Panther Brewing Company

Exceptional brews and a community hub in Clarksdale

64 Spring Party Inspiration

Cleveland native Lisa Dyess shares her over-the-top party planning tips

74 Farmers’ Market Round-Up A look at some of the region’s local produce markets 82 Celebrating Vicksburg’s Bicentennial

Two-hundred years of the history and culture of a Mississippi treasure

ON THE COVER: Old and New—Vicksburg’s twin bridges, one of the city’s most picturesque views, represent the past and future of this historic Mississippi town. Photo courtesy of Visit Vicksburg.

14 | MAY/JUNE 2025

RORY DOYLE

118

ANNA SATTERFIELD

114 SHADE GARDENS 118 FOOD Tiny, briny, and obsessed with oOlives

126 HISTORY THE DELTA’S FIRST SKYSCRAPER McWilliams Building in Clarksdale

in every issue 16 Letters 24 On the Road Where we’ve been, where we’re going next

28 Off the Beaten Path Roaming the real and rustic Delta

32 Hot Topics 134 Events 138 Delta Seen 144 The Final Word by Sara Irby

LETTERS many who were just interested in walking through a bit of Jackson’s past.

The proceeds this year go to support the renovation of Parham Bridges Park in Jackson.

Thank you for helping us spread the word across the state about this special event and raise funds to give back to our community!

Beth Graham Jackson, Mississippi

I want to thank editor Cindy Coopwood, Courtney Ingle, and the Delta Magazine team for the thoughtful and incredibly well put together article about me in the January/February issue. Courtney did a fantastic job telling the story of my artistic journey and I’ve been amazed by the requests for commissions and prospects for mural work I’ve received since the article came out. It has also aided in legitimizing my credentials when speaking with new clientele and has led to new clients across throughout the state such as Sunflower and Como Mississippi. Coincidentally when coordinating a proposal for Yazoo city, the new issue of the magazine had just released and a committee member presented it to the additional members along with my packet.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate being included in Delta Magazine. It has helped my business significantly—a copy now travels with me now when presenting work!

Gavin Bird Jackson, Mississippi

The Garden Club of Jackson and I personally send our great appreciation for including our garden tour as a “Hot Topic” in the beautiful March/April issue of Delta Magazine. This year’s tour highlighted some of the distinctive gardens surrounding heritage homes in the heart of north Jackson and was enjoyed by garden enthusiasts and

I always enjoy reading my Delta Magazine. You and your staff do an amazing job! I was so happy to read in The Edit enewsletter about the gallery reception in memory of Floyd Shaman at the Bologna Performing Arts Center. My husband and I stayed at Molly’s Bed and Breakfast in Cleveland many times, and became friends with Molly and of course Floyd. They were both wonderful, kind, and very talented people. Molly was actually friends with my Mother from Shaw, Amerina Biagioli Mei. What great memories!

Stella Mei Corley Chesterfield, MO I wanted to express my most sincere thanks to Editor Cindy Coopwood, and Jim Beaugez for the amazing article in the March/April issue of Delta Magazine, telling the story of the 11 African-American Soldiers serving in the U.S. Army’s 333rd Field Artillery Unit during the Battle of the Bulge of WWII, known as the Wereth Eleven. Three Mississippians—Cpl. Mager Bradley, of Bolivar County, Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Forte, of Jackson, and Pfc. Jimmie Lee Leatherwood, of Pontotoc were a part of that Unit. It’s the heartbreaking story of how the soldiers were captured by German troops, forced to march across the country to a POW camp, then managed to escape and found shelter, hiding with a local family in the town of Wereth. Once the soldiers were discovered, they were forced to an open field where German Soldiers tortured, mutilated, and then executed.

Unfortunately this story was never reported or brought to light in America, until recently.

Thank you for sharing this important story and bringing honor to the distinguished soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Kip Price Monongah, West Virginia

SEND COMMENTS AND LETTERS TO: editor@deltamagazine.com or Delta Magazine, PO Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732 16 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Y’all Said SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS @deltamagazine

We Asked...

Southern Grandmothers are known for their names— often unusual—and sometimes there is a story behind them! What do you call your Grandma?

My grandchildren call me Lilabet. My real name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Lisa. My grandparents were Mommie Bet and Pop. After my husband wanted to be called Pop, we searched for something similar to my grandparent’s names. After watching The Crown, my husband came up with Lilibet, but I changed the spelling to be closer to Lisa. – Lisa Milling My grandmother name is BoBo. My name is Billie.

When I was a child, my uncle called me Billie BoBo. As we were preparing for the first grandchild to be born I gave a list to the parents of names I would consider. They chose BoBo. – Billie Towles Before my first grandchild was born in 2015, my son Jess informed me that my “grandmother name” would be “Tootie.” It’s what my late father nicknamed me when I was a tiny one, and my mother continued to affectionately call me that, even up until her passing at age 93. I’d never realized that my sons had even noticed it, but I am now “Tootie” to Layden, William, Jack, and Andrew’s wee Emma. And I am honored! – Melanie Tucker My grandchildren call me GRANNA. When my oldest granddaughter was born my children called my Mother Granny. My children called my Mother-in-law Grandmother. Those names were already in use, so I became Granna. That’s the name I love. – Sue Dorrill Mamie. – Amy Cooper I called both my grandmothers Budder Budder because my older sister had a hard time saying Grandmother. – Kay Long Ammy. Because that’s what my brother Ray called me when we were little! – Amy Callahan Lollie. – Gary Ikerd Grandmother’s names- Marjorie Magruder from Indianola was called Himama- I was repeating my mother when she answered a phone call from her mother. Kate Otey Shaddock from Rosedale was called Momee. And I am called Mim- shortened from Mimmie when my grandson couldn’t say Millie.

– Majorie Millette GrandMary or GranMary. Children, Grandchildren, and half the town of Leland. – Mary Boteler Ouma meaning Grandma or Elderly Woman.

– Marilyn Cox I’m Honey to my grands. My grandfather would call my grandmother Honey. Sweet memories.

– Dianne Different DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 17

w w w. s o u th e r n h o tel . c o m

18 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 19

Standing Sentinel

PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT VICKSBURG

Since 1906, the Illinois State Memorial has been perched atop a gentle rise, overlooking the rolling green hills that once bore witness to one of the Civil War's bloodiest battles. The design was by W. L. B. Jenney, and the sculptor was Charles J. Mulligan, and is one of the many beautiful monuments showcased in the Vicksburg National Military Park. Renowned not only for its historical significance but also for its exceptional collection of public art, with over 1,300 monuments, markers, and sculptures, the park is a testament to the enduring power of memorial art. It is known globally to be one of the most densely monumented battlefields. DM

800 Manship St, JACKSON, MS

22 | MAY/JUNE 2025

THE GUITAR AND A CHANGING NATION

Explore the guitar’s influence on American history, culture and politics.

The guitar is one of the most enduring icons in American history. And the story of “The Crossroads” is one of America’s most enduring myths. The musician who sells their soul on a lonely country road for fame and wealth is a

legend that is uniquely American. Crossroads also define times of immense and wrenching change.

Come experience how that change evolved at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta where myth, music and history converge.

EXHIBITION RUNS MAY 31 THRU SEPTEMBER 2025 AND IS PRESENTED BY:

! ! !""! # $%&

ON THE ROAD

where we’ve been, where to go next

Feeling the love in downtown Cleveland with the newest sculpture on the green space. – DELTA MAGAZINE

A lone heron enjoys the bounty of a rice field in Coahoma County. – PAIGE DAUGHTERY

PHOTO OPS

Built in 1891, the old Bethlehem church still stands in south Bolivar County between Shaw and Choctaw. – ANNA REGINELLI Transporting agricultural and industrial products on the inland waterways of Mississippi offers stunning views. – YAZOO RIVER TOWING Instagram users, follow @deltamagazine

24 | MAY/JUNE 2025

The Mississippi Delta is the birthplace of the Blues and the Frog according to The Jim Henson Exhibit in Leland, which proudly touts it’s most famous resident, Kermit the Frog. – RORY DOYLE

A beautiful stretch of the Sunflower River as it winds its way through Clarksdale. – PAIGE DAUGHTERY

& FUNKY STOPS

The Windy City Blues House seems far from home in downtown Shelby.

– ANNA SATTERFIELD

The old Parks Baptist Church still stands out in Sunflower County near the town of Drew. – JOSH WILINGHAM

The old town jail in Shelby still stands in an empty lot near the main thoroughfare. – DELTA MAGAZINE Facebook users, follow @deltamagazine

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 25

26 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 27

OFF THE BEATEN PATH roaming the real and rustic Delta

CW ORGANICS APOTHICAIRE & TEA ROOM Ridgeland tearoom offers custom-blend teas and herbal infusions

C

W ORGANICS APOTHICAIRE & TEA ROOM IN RIDGELAND OFFERS MORE THAN JUST A CUP OF TEA—it also has an herbal apothecary with more than 250 herbs, blended teas, and holistic medicines.

Mismatched china rests atop tables handcrafted by owner Caroline Warner’s husband, while arrays of flowers decorate the tables and walls.

“I wanted everybody to feel welcome,” Caroline said.

“Whether you’re wearing your Sunday best or just rolled out in jeans and a sweatshirt, this is a place for you.”

So don’t think this is a traditional, stuffy tearoom—this place is cool. Caroline explained, “We’re not the ‘pinkies out’ kind of place but a cool, Mississippi, hippie vibe.”

The menu offers a Tea for Two service—a pot of tea and a generous sampling of your choice of tea sandwiches, scones, and biscuits. A Tea for One service and many a la carte options that change with the seasons are also CW Organics popular Tea for Two service offers a delicious variety of tea sandwiches, available for order. such as the B.L. Tea, scones, biscuits and more.

While the tearoom is relatively new—opening last November—it builds upon Caroline’s decades of herbal experience. Her background adds depth to the tea offerings, allowing her to craft unique blends that are both delicious and purposeful.

Blended teas come from a specialty company in North Carolina, with Caroline adding specific herbs and flavors to make them her own. She makes the holistic teas herself, designing them to help with everything from sinus problems to inflammation. She also creates custom blends. If you tell her what ails you, her twenty-five years of studying herbs allow her to create a blend to help.

Her blended teas vary from fruity blends like white strawberry and cran-apple to more sophisticated flavors, including lavender-lemon and Earl Grey with vanilla.

The handcrafted product line goes far beyond tea and herbs, featuring therapeutic soaps and body butters— designed to address specific conditions like eczema and body aches—unique tinctures, and herbal salts.

Caroline’s favorite moments are watching generations interact—grandmothers and granddaughters sharing stories, friends reuniting after years, and little girls in their princess dresses enjoying a special afternoon.

“I feel like I’ve won,” Caroline said. “Because I’ve created something for people to do they can’t do anywhere else—a place to truly connect and be present.”

CW Organics offers a sanctuary for those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world. It’s not just about the tea—it’s also about the moments shared, the conversations started, and the memories created.

103 West Washington Street, City Market Suites B4, Ridgeland 601.707.7253; cworganicsherbalapothecary.com Facebook: CW Organics; Instagram: @cw_organics_ms 28 | MAY/JUNE 2025

THE PAINTED PETAL Where Art and Elegance Bloom

S

TEP INSIDE THE PAINTED PETAL IN LAKE PROVIDENCE, LOUISIANA, and you’ll find yourself

The Painted Petal offers a broad selection of unique gifts, along with custom home linens that feature Catherine’s original designs.

immersed in art rather than merely viewing it. Owner Catherine Oswalt has poured her heart and soul into this unique fusion of art studio, gallery, and gift shop, and it shows.

Catherine’s path to The Painted Petal began as a personal escape. “I started on a whim,” she explained. “I needed a studio to get my artwork off my dining room table.”

The shop reflects her artistic passion. “It’s a collection of everything I love,” she said. It’s a mix of gallery and boutique, showcasing her freeform, nature-inspired artwork alongside unique specialty items.

In addition to her artwork, the store carries an exquisite selection of candles, jewelry, and other one-ofa-kind gifts, making it a go-to destination for those seeking something special.

Her latest addition is the custom home linens— everything from table runners to tea towels to bed linens—all featuring her original designs.

This year, she’s made it a mission to contribute personally to every piece in the shop. “Everything in the store has something I’ve painted or printed on it,” she said.

Customers can expect a warm and welcoming experience. “A friendly face, artistically designed displays, and a little bit of everything,” Oswalt said, describing the atmosphere she has cultivated.

Her background—a blend of art and business—gives her a unique perspective. Originally an art major, she later transitioned to accounting before returning to her first love. “I was a tax accountant before I opened my store,” she laughed. “But this is what I was meant to do.”

In 2019, she expanded the business, opening a location in Natchez.

The shop also hosts special events, including kids’ art classes, open houses, and pop-up galleries around Lake Providence. She’ll also have private painting classes, offering a way for visitors to try their hand at creating a masterpiece.

Oswalt has created something truly special by blending artistry, elegance, and her personal touch.

Whether you are looking for a statement piece for your home or a thoughtful gift, you will surely find those at The Painted Petal.

324 Lake Street, Lake Providence, Louisiana 401 Main Street, Natchez, Mississippi 601.431.4814; the-painted-petal.myshopify.com Facebook: The Painted Petal; Instagram: @thepainted_petal DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 29

Curved, Custom & Standard Mouldings • Door & Bath Hardware Cabinet Doors & Hardware • Cabinet Organizers Cabinet Posts & Legs • Corbels • Mantels • Mirrors Woodcarvings • Ceiling Medallions • Dovetail Drawer Boxes

601-992-5546 • LAKESIDEMOULDING.COM • LAKELAND DRIVE • FLOWOOD, MS

30 | MAY/JUNE 2025

GOELDORADO.COM DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 31

HOT TOPICS JERRY LEE LEWIS RANCH EXPERIENCE Tour the late musician’s home in Nesbit Legendary Mississippi singer, songwriter Jerry Lee Lewis was known as “rock ‘n’ roll’s first great wild man.” Lewis’s piano style became synonymous with rock and roll, having influenced generations of piano players, and now fans and music lovers can walk through the place the wild man called home.

Lewis, who was an incendiary showman who often played with his fists, elbows, feet, and backside, sometimes climbing on top of the piano during gigs and even apocryphally setting it on fire. He was awarded a dozen gold records in rock and country. He won four Grammy awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Lewis was inducted into the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and he was also a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2022. Lewis was the last surviving member of Sun Records’ Million Dollar Quartet which also included Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Presley.

The Jerry Lee Lewis Ranch Experience in Nesbit, Mississippi— where Jerry Lee lived from the mid-1970s until his passing in October 2022—is now open to the pubic. The late singer’s home of over forty years is a blast to the past where The Killer kept his piano,

1

gold records, and more—and the house has remained exactly as it was years ago.

Musician Todd Allen Herendeen and his wife, Angel, worked closely with Jerry’s widow, Judith Lewis, and son, Jerry Lee Lewis III, to bring this vision to life.

Visitors will be able to see Lewis’s home, gold grand piano, personal bedroom, clothing, awards, amazing grand piano swimming pool, car and more.

The Jerry Lee Lewis Ranch Experience is a beautiful property and is a must-see for music-lovers. Located just 18 miles south of Graceland and the Memphis music scene, it’s a perfect add-on to a Memphis trip.

For more information or to book tickets for a group, visit thelewisranchexperience.com Facebook and Instagram: @thelewisranchexperience

BENTONIA BLUES FESTIVAL Historic Festival brings unique blues sounds at the Blue Front Cafe Plan your trip to the Bentonia Music Festival this summer to experience the unmistakable bass lines of live Bentonia-style country blues with your friends and family where it all began. This year’s lineup features artists from around the world, including Japan, Argentina, Bolivia, Boston, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Ohio, with performances by The Rusted Strings, RL Superbad, Ray Cashman, Tomoyuki Ishi, Dallas-Ponce, Nico Mavrich, Eddie “Shawdy” Hinton, Phillip Savell featuring Shake Down, Ryan Lee Crosby, Libby Rae Watson, Ben Levin, Jimmy Duck Holmes, and the Kent Burnside Band, Nick Wade, Chris Gill & the Sole Shakers, and Bobby Rush featuring Mizz Lowe.

The annual festival is a grassroots effort coordinated and headlined by proprietor of the Blue Front Café, Grammy award winning musician, Mr. Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, known as the last of the Bentonia bluesman. As a young man, Holmes learned the local style from Bentonia Blues musicians such as Henry Stuckey.

Boasting an over 50-year history, the very first Bentonia Blues Festival took place in 1972 on a farm near to its current location. In 2006, the

2

32 | MAY/JUNE 2025

festival was moved downtown and now takes place annually in front of the Blue Front Café, home of the Bentonia Blues, and the oldest surviving juke joint in Mississippi. Holmes took over the café from his parents in 1970 and he continues to operate the old cinderblock building as an informal, down-home blues venue that gained international fame among blues enthusiasts. The Blue Front Café is one of three official stops in Bentonia on the Mississippi Blues Trail. The small venue sits in Yazoo County on Highway 49, and played an important role in the development of that haunting and raw Mississippi juke-joint blues sound.

The festival has grown from an attendance of a couple hundred to several thousand some years, attracting blues fans from all over the world, who want to experience the magic of the Bentonia blues ringing out in the open summer air–right where the sound originated.

Facebook and Instagram: Bentonia Blues Festival visityazoo.org; 662.746.1815

ANGIE’S PRODUCE MARKET Local store bringing organic products to the Delta With the growing interest in organic food options, locally owned Angie’s Produce Market in Cleveland is right on trend, offering specialty organic products once not found in the Delta. The sign may read, “Angie’s Produce Market: Produce-Seed-Feed, Animal Health & Garden Center,” but, Angie’s offers much more. Shoppers can walk into Angie’s and leave with everything from ready-made items for a quick supper, to milk, ice cream, and Delta favorites such as Vito’s salad dressing. You’ll also find homemade items like spiced peaches by the jar, as well as beautiful ferns for your front porch. Need catfish food? Dark chia seeds? Angie’s has got you covered.

But one thing that sets Angie’s apart is their growing line of organic offerings. There are choices including milk, produce, meat, eggs and even homemade tallow that are all antibiotic free and grown naturally. A true farm-to-table operation owners Johnna and Michael Harris are happy to travel across Mississippi and state lines to their network of farmers to meet the needs of their loyal customers.

One of their biggest organic sellers is their fresh, whole milk from Brown Family Dairy out of Oxford, Mississippi. They also offer a selection of meats that is farm-raised, hand processed, and hand-delivered by farm families across Mississippi. A few of their farming partners are Falkner Farms Ground Beef, 5th generation farmer Tackett Beef out of Ruleville, Home Place Pastures in Como, and Riley Family Farms in Holly Springs supplying hand processed chicken that is raised on pasture, fed 100 percent nongmo feed; kept free of antibiotics, and all harmful additives; hand processed and delivered. “Our customers have taught us and made

3

us aware of so many good farmers that are within a thirty minutes to a two and a half hours drive that are 4th and 5th generation farmers. They grow all natural, and they are right here in our state!” says Johnna.

Johnna estimates they sold almost 3,000 cases of homegrown tomatoes alone last year. And with summer coming they’ve got you covered with tomato varieties like Big Boy, Better Boy, Beefsteak and many more. They’ll also have plenty of fresh purple hull peas, pinto beans, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, and plenty of fresh squash for summer. And let’s not forget watermelons, coming from across the South.

If you’re in search of healthy, fresh options, it’s worth the drive to Cleveland to explore the vast selection of locally sourced offerings for which Angie’s has become known.

662.846.6340; Facebook: Angie’s Produce; Instagram: @angiesproduce

THE BOBALOWS RELEASE THIRD ALBUM Band is receiving positive reviews on latest effort The Delta based band, The Bobalows has recently released their fourth album Resonator, a followup to the previous releases, Flatlands (2021) and Sojourner (2023).

“Resonator is a collection of songs that are drawn from our experiences of living in the Mississippi Delta,” says vocalist Clayton Moulder. “It’s not a blues album.

Interestingly, some reviewers have called the music ‘Americana.’ In fact, one music critic who reviewed the second album said that ‘The Bobalows’ music is a cross between the Foo Fighters colliding into R.E.M., so I guess that is a good thing!”

The album was recorded and mixed at a private recording studio in Cleveland by well-known recording engineer Mike Iacopelli. Originally from Detroit, Iacopelli landed in the Delta to be part of the first team that built the Delta Music Institute at Delta State University along with famed producer, Norbert Putnam. Iacopelli’s recording credits include Parliament, Aretha Franklin, Funkadelic, David Ruffin, George Clinton, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, just to name a few.

Resonator is being distributed in a CD format and can also be

4

downloaded from iTunes, Spotify, and all music social media platforms.

According to Moulder, four more albums are ready for release, having already been completed and printed. They will distributed every other month for the remainder of 2025.

“We had a window of a couple of months where we just wrote the songs and recorded almost endlessly,” says Moulder. “These new songs are somewhat of a departure from the first and second album in that they were all written on acoustic guitars and thus that is the driving sound of these records.

“Standout songs on Resonator include, ‘Fields of Gold’ which is about growing up in any small town in Mississippi and how those towns were once vibrant and perhaps now they are not what they used to be,” says Moulder. “Another song that’s garnering attention in reviews is, ‘The Water’ which is about complicated relationships. ‘End of the Line’ is about how many people we love often leave us too soon and we didn’t have the chance to say goodbye.”

662.843.3432; thebobalows.com DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 33

34 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 35

BOOKS Into the Ice: The Northwest Passage, the Polar Sun, and a 175-year-old Mystery by Mark Synnott (Dutton) Extreme adventurer and author Mark Synnott is known for his daring journeys to seek out answers to history’s explorer mysteries. His newest memoir, Into the Ice, is told from a different point of view on the sea as Synnott takes on treacherous sailing instead of climbing.

The Northwest Passage, weaving around the top of Canada from Maine to Alaska, is a voyage not many have chosen for its perils, but Synnott is determined to learn what happened to Sir John Franklin and his large crew who tried the voyage one hundred seventy-five years prior and never came back. Sailing the Passage on a fiberglass-hulled boat called the Polar Sun, Synnott unfurls profound research on the mystery while colorfully delivering his nailbiting adventure following the same route.

Mark Synnott Endlessly interesting, this page-turning travelogue studies risk-taking and questions why it’s impossible for some to resist the pull of adventure and exploration. (Liza Jones) Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (Knopf) Anne Tyler’s newest novel, Three Days in June, will absolutely delight readers who appreciate the richness and magic of the ordinary but not-sonormal.

Due to her social awkwardness, Gail loses her job the day before her daughter’s wedding, only to come home and find her ex-husband with a random cat at her house. From there, the weekend progresses with its human dramas and intense moments. A revelation about her daughter’s fiancé forces overthinking Gail to revisit her past, sending her into a spiral.

What is so great about this novel is the way it energizes the mundane and how it lacks a big, thematic message. It is simply an enjoyable story. Readers will love the engrossing detail of this little world, the personalities of these characters, and Tyler’s warm, masterful style. (Liza Jones) The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff (Simon & Schuster) It is hard to believe that The Bright Years is Sarah Damoff’s debut novel.

This multi-generational family drama has been lovingly built with honesty and emotion.

At the center of the story are Lillian and Ryan, a couple with everything ahead of them, and their daughter, Georgette. Like any love relationship, it starts full of promise, except that both Lillian and Ryan have secrets and childhood traumas they have not revealed to each other.

Spanning several decades, with three different compelling points of view, we are given an intimate view into the life of this almost-real family, how they handle shame, how they navigate addiction, and how they endure through loss. This is a grounded, lovely novel with insights into how families stop cycles of harm and addiction. It’s a brave book and a beautiful one too.

Buzzworthy Comments

We asked Facebook friends and the Delta Magazine fan page group members to share the the one book you have ever read you can’t stop thinking about? o Robert Skrmetta, photographer and digital creator Gulfport, Mississippi

The Accidental Super Power

by Peter Zeihans o Kelly Connell, speech pathologist Clarksdale, Mississippi

Broken Country

by Clare Leslie Hall Anne Tyler

o Abbey Hanks, marketing director at Mississippi Gift Company Cleveland, Mississippi

The Boyfriend

by Freida McFadden o Anna Satterfield, photographer Merigold, Mississippi

Tom Lake

by Ann Patchett o Kevin Cox, RCI Radio, owner Cleveland, Mississippi

America in the King Years

by Taylor Branch Sarah Damoff

(Liza Jones)

For the Record Books Delta Magazine fans are currently reading o Ruthie Mitchell Daughter of God by Lewis Perdue Normal Women by Philippa Gregory o Leslie Smith Shellman All the Colors of the Dark

by Chris Whitaker

o Jerry Ferguson Tristan and Isolde

by Jake Jackson

o Frances Turnage The Devil’s Hand

by Jack Carr 36 | MAY/JUNE 2025

o Sandra Perry The Great River

by Boyce Upholt

o Karen Maily The Favorites

by Layne Fargo

o Pam Vaughn Cross Down

by James Patterson

o Susan Huff Is This Tomorrow

by Caroline Leavitt

o Vernon Shelton The Friends of Eddie Coyle

by George V. Higgins

o Lee Brigham Aylward Theo of Golden

by Allen Levi

o Terry Holmes Reasons Sunrise on the Reaping

by Suzanne Collins

o Carlisle Parsons Wood The Paris Novel

by Ruth Reichl

The Musicals of Cole Porter: Broadway, Hollywood, Television

by Bernard F. Dick (University Press) In The Musicals of Cole Porter: Broadway, Hollywood, Television, Bernard F. Dick presents a critical study of Porter’s Broadway and movie musicals, and his one foray into live television, Aladdin—covering the period from his first failure, See America First (1916), to the moderately successful Silk Stockings (1955), which ended his Broadway career. Taking a chronological approach, interspersed with chapters on Porter’s “list songs” that owe much to such operas as Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville; his love songs, often bittersweet and bleakly poignant; and, above all, his love of figurative language, Dick discusses in detail the various literary sources and cultural reference points that inspired the lyrics to Porter’s numbers.

The first volume of its kind exclusively dedicated to exploring the extensive body of work by this influential twentieth-century songwriter, The Musicals of Cole Porter is a compelling resource for readers interested in the craft of a great composer-lyricist. (DM Staff ) The P-38 Lightning and the Men Who Flew It by Wolfgang W. E. Samuel (University Press)

The P-38 Lightning was one of the fastest operational fighters of World War II, famous for its successes in North Africa and the Pacific.

In The P-38 Lightning and the Men Who Flew It, Wolfgang W. E. Samuel shares the stories of the young men who climbed into the cockpits of the P-38 to fight for freedom, and of those who created, tested, and deployed these fearsome machines.

Focusing on the men who flew this challenging aircraft and the men who designed and decided how to deploy it, Samuel shares stories of bravery and ingenuity alongside an aviation history long neglected. The P-38’s deployment is covered in some detail, including the actions of Richard Bong, who became the US forces’ ace of aces. In the Pacific skies, the P-38, its pilots, and designers made the heroic history captured here. (DM Staff )

Bless Your Heart by Landon Bryant (Running Press) “Let’s discuss…” These two words began the viral sensation that is @LandonTalks, led by the sharp-witted, down-home, Mississippi-born Landon Bryant. If there’s one thing Landon knows, it’s the South. His anthropological dissections of customs and traditions celebrating all things Southern are a mix of humor, history, and head nodding.

In his debut book, Landon discusses everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the South, including why they say the things they say, why they eat the things they eat, and what it really means when someone says, “Bless your heart.” Every step of the way, Landon infuses his faux field guide with warmth, whimsy, nostalgia, and his trademark down-to-earth personality with equal measure humor and practical information. If you’ve ever wondered why Southerners are always clutchin’ their pearls or what their affinity is for pecan pie or peanuts and Coke, then this field guide is for you.

Chapter by chapter, Landon uses his signature style to study the common Southerner through a voice-driven, heartwarming lens, all the while sending the same message of unity and come-as-you-are hospitality that has made him the indisputable Southern sweetheart of social media. (DM Staff ) DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 37

SHOPPING

2.

Mother’s 1.

Day Make Mother’s Day memorable with thoughtful gifts mom will truly love

3.

1. Tea Towel Little Birdie, Calhoun City Instagram: @shoplittlebirdie littlebirdiehome.com, 662.628.4172

2. 14 Karat Yellow Diamond Necklace Van Atkins, New Albany, Oxford, and Tupelo Instagram: @vanatkinsjewelers vanatkins.com, 662.236.5012

3. Petunia Earrings and Straw Evening Bag Kittie Kyle, Memphis Instagram: @kittiekyle kittiekyle.com, 901.452.2323

4. Copper Roof Bluebird House Wild Birds Unlimited, Memphis Instagram: @wildbirdsunlimited wbu.com/memphis, 901.681.9837

5. Luzia Collection Jumbo Basket Bag Mod + Proper, Cleveland Instagram: @modandproper shopmodandproper.com, 662.400.3111

4.

6. Pink Pool Bag and Straw Hat Lavender Lane, Indianola Instagram: @lavenderlaneindianola lavenderlaneindianola.com, 662.452.5131

5.

7. Chanel Coin Statement Necklace Gilbows, Cleveland Instagram: @gilbows gilbows.com, 662.843.1151

8. Etta B Bloom Bowl Mississippi Gift Company, Greenwood Instagram: @themississippigiftcompany themississippigiftcompany.com, 662.455.6961

38 | MAY/JUNE 2025

The must-have bag for summer!

Be cool at the pool with updated accessories!

6.

7.

So versatile—perfect for salads or as a tabletop floral container.

8.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 39

Father’s Day

1.

Functional gifts to honor dad and granddad on their special day!

1. Johnny O Polo

For the outdoorsman on your list!

Kinkade’s, Ridgeland Instagram: @kinkadesfc kinkades.com, 601.898.0513

2. William Henry Lancet ‘Blue Nile’ Knife Van Atkins, New Albany, Oxford, and Tupelo Instagram: @vanatkinsjewelers vanatkins.com, 662.236.5012

2.

3. Trail Camera

3.

2nd Amendment Outdoors, Corinth Instagram: @2ao_archery 2ndamendmentoutdoors.com, 662.594.8687

4. Golf Lover’s Flask Louie’s Pharmacy, Hernando Instagram: @louiesfamilypharmacy louiesfamilyrx.com, 662.469.9055

5. Yeti Backpack Cooler The Sportsman, Greenville Instagram: @the_sportsman_inc facebook.com/thesportsmaninc/, 662.335.5018

4.

6. Men’s Toiletry Bag

Mimi’s on Main, Senatobia Instagram: @mimisonmain mimisonmain.mylocalshop.com, 662.562.8261

7. Gentlemen’s Treats Gift Box Mississippi Gift Company, Greenwood Instagram: @themississippigiftcompany themississippigiftcompany.com, 662.455.6961

5.

6.

7.

40 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Graduation

1.

9 great gift ideas for the graduates on your list

1. Judd Cabinet Finley Lane Designs, Memphis Instagram: @finleylanedesigns lisamallorydesign.com, 901.452.5575

2. Swig Cooler Tote Mimi’s on Main, Senatobia Instagram: @mimisonmain mimisonmain.mylocalshop.com, 662.562.8261

2.

3. 14 Carat White Gold Earrings with Sapphires Van Atkins, New Albany, Oxford, and Tupelo Instagram: @vanatkinsjewelers vanatkins.com, 662.236.5012

4. Velvet Travel Jewelry Case

3.

Lavender Lane, Indianola Instagram: @lavenderlaneindianola lavenderlaneindianola.com, 662.452.5131

4.

5. Samuel Stadium Bag Jane, Oxford Instagram: @jane_oxfordms facebook.com/jane, 662.281.8711

Stadium approved for girls headed to college and football games!

6. Game Day Hats

5.

Abraham’s, Cleveland Instagram: @abrahamsclothingcleveland abrahamsclothing.com, 662.843.4541

7. Turtlebox Speaker Kinkade’s, Ridgeland Instagram: @kinkadesfc kinkades.com, 601.898.0513

8. Old School Camo Wallet Mimi’s on Main, Senatobia Instagram: @mimisonmain mimisonmain.mylocalshop.com, 662.562.8261

6.

9.

9. Archipelago Candle Mod + Proper, Cleveland Instagram: @modandproper shopmodandproper.com, 662.400.3111

7.

8.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 41

42 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 43

ART

Michael Foose Inspired paintings reminiscent of a lifetime in the Delta

CHERYL COLE PHOTOGRAPHY

BY SUSAN MARQUEZ

44 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Bee Lake 1541

Bluebills

Deer at the Base of Mississippi Levee

Impression – Belzoni

he Delta shaped my perspectives, my passions, and certainly the way I paint,” says artist Michael Foose. He grew up in about as “Delta” a place as you can get, in the Bee Lake community near Tchula, Mississippi, on a farm made famous by British author Richard Grant in his best-selling book, Dispatches from Pluto.

“T

Foose now lives at Little Bluestem Farm, a cut flower farm in Leake County.

However, he adds, “I still go back to Holmes County a good bit.”

But Foose is well-known in the Yazoo City area for much more than his skill as an artist—he was also the town doctor for many years. He attended medical school at University Medical Center in Jackson.

After graduating and completing his residency, he began a family practice in Yazoo City. Ten years later, he began what became a long career in emergency

medicine, retiring from the Choctaw Health Service in 2023. He has cared for generations of Delta families, and his gentle, straightforward manner always put his patients at ease.

A self-taught artist, Michael Foose draws much of his inspiration from the landscapes of the Mississippi Delta of the 1950s. “I had a few drawing lessons, but I’m basically self-taught.” Always a keen observer, Foose sketches scenes he wants to paint and sometimes takes photographs, then goes into his studio and

Lara DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 45

Little Horseshoe

Homing

Paradise Valley 46 | MAY/JUNE 2025

starts the process. “I’ve never been a plein air painter,” he explains. “I may have a photograph or sketch for reference, but I’ll modify it in my head, and the finished product rarely looks anything like the photograph.”

Working with oils on board, Foose’s images derive from sturdy compositions and a limited palette. His principal influences have been American tonalist painters of the past two centuries, such as Winslow Homer and James Whistler. “I am heavily influenced by the work of contemporary American landscape artist Russell Chatham,” who spent most of his career in Livingston, Montana, but also painted in California. “I have studied his work at length and am always inspired by it.” Foose recounts, “Chatham’s book, One Hundred Paintings, was published in 1990, and while on a book tour, he came to Jackson for a book signing at Lemuria Books. That’s where I met him and had the opportunity to talk with him. He generously answered a lot of questions about technique for me that have been very helpful over the years.”

Foose shares that he is also inspired by the artist Thomas Aquinas Daly. Daly grew up in upstate New York and studied graphic design in school. Foose first discovered Daly’s paintings in Gray’s Sporting Journal in the 1980s—and the art and writing in Gray’s have continued to shape his art through the years.

Foose now paints at the farm he shares with his wife, Beth, near the Natchez Trace. Little Bluestem Farm is as picturesque as one might imagine a working flower farm to be—with beautiful rolling hills where cows and sheep graze and flower fields where

CHERYL COLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Foose looking out from a favorite spot—on the porch at Little Bluestem Farm.

CHERYL COLE PHOTOGRAPHY

chickens range freely. The Foose family hosts a farm-to-table seasonal supper series, twice in spring and twice in the fall, called “Plenty.” Additionally, an Airbnb on the property, The Loft at Little Bluestem Farm, gives the family an opportunity to welcome guests into life on the farm.

Foose exhibits his paintings at the farm twice a year, usually in October and April.

His first show was held in Fall 2023. The rustic farmhouse is built in the vernacular dogtrot style, with a long porch running right through the heart of the house, creating an ideal gallery for displaying art.

His paintings hang side by side at eye level. Guests enjoy the natural sunlight and the breezes on the porch while they look at each painting. Hospitality abounds, and Foose invites guests into the house to sit and visit and get a complete sense of the evolution of his work.

“I was surprised at the reception I got at the first show,” he says. “So we decided to continue.” His next show was held in Spring 2024 and was also very well received. The show was titled Thirty Paintings, which was exactly what it was —a collection of thirty oil paintings ranging from a thunderstorm unleashing rain across a stark field to a tornado forming in the distance. In contrast, there was a painting of a simple scene of a lone buffalo on a Wyoming plain with a bright yellow sky and another featuring a searing New Mexico sunset.

Foose also paints portraits in a variety of styles, some very detailed, while others are more graphic. From muted earthy colors to vivid saturated palettes, Foose’s talent leaps off the board.

The most recent show, Thirty Paintings, New and Selected, was held in April, and plans are already being made for a fall 2025 show.

It’s not like Foose doesn’t have anything else to keep him busy. Working on the farm requires a good portion of his time.

“There is always something that needs to be done,” he reports.

While time to sit on the porch is a rarity, Foose takes a moment to muse as he looks at Little Bluestem Farm from the porch and says, “I’m still most inspired by the landscapes around Holmes County and the scenes I remember from my childhood in the Delta, but this is really a beautiful place.” DM

Little Bluestem Farm

Yazoo Backwater DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 47

Over 120 Years of Combined Experience!

Welcoming our new provider, Lauren S. Mize, FNP-C

Meet our team!

Katie W. Sartin, CFNP • Shani K. Meck, M.D. Lindsey M. Turner, M.D. • Michelle Taheri, M.D. Missy J. McMinn, M.D. • Donna G. Breeland, M.D. Sharon K. Brown, CFNP 48 | MAY/JUNE 2025

EastLakelandOBGYN.com | 601.936.1400

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 49

MUSIC

Joe Austin and the Tallahatchies: Brian Sherwood, Wesley Graham, Austin and Jon Harrison.

A Country Rock Reunion After decades of playing music on their own, two old songwriting friends came together to form Joe Austin & the Tallahatchies

BY JIM BEAUGEZ • PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOE AUSTIN

I

t’s been said that music finds its audience at the right time—like those poignant moments when the radio dial seems to have a direct line to what you’re thinking and feeling, and then serves up the exact song you need to hear in that moment.

50 | MAY/JUNE 2025

TAYLOR ARMSTRONG

Sherwood and Austin with songwriters Natalie Robertson and Luke Fisher at the Blue Canoe in Tupelo.

And just like that, out of what seems like the randomness of the universe, something meaningful happens. Like when a chance meeting of Paul McCartney and John Lennon at a church garden party in 1957 led to the formation of the Beatles. And how out of 400,000 hippies, future Aerosmith members Steven Tyler and Joey Kramer somehow found each other at Woodstock and put together one of the best-selling rock bands of all time.

But serendipity happens all the time.

Take the Oxford-based country and blues band Joe Austin and the Tallahatchies, which might not exist if not for one night in 2018 when Austin walked into a bar in his hometown of Pontotoc and saw his old friend, a Delta-raised guitarist and singersongwriter named Brian Sherwood, performing in the corner.

“I’m playing and all of a sudden Joe walks through the swinging doors with a 10-gallon cowboy hat with a feather, long beard, long haired,” says Sherwood. “I was like, ‘What are you doing here?’”

Turns out, both of the musicians were looking to start something new. Austin was at the tail end of a sojourn to Texas and ready to get back to his Mississippi roots and make a record. With Sherwood at his side, the pair formed Joe Austin and the Tallahatchies and set about creating their debut record, the recently released 3711.

Led by Austin’s plain-spoken songwriting and Chris Stapleton-esque vocal power, Joe Austin and the

Tallahatchies is a formidable new talent in country music. Stylistically, the group has more in common with the story-song troubadours of the 1970s Texas scene and modern red-dirt country outfits than with what’s coming out of Nashville in 2025.

But ask any Heartbreaker or E Streeter what makes a good band great, and they’ll probably say it comes down to how well the musicians mesh with each other.

“The reason we have such great chemistry is we have lived very mirrored lives, even though he’s from North Mississippi and I’m from the Delta,” Sherwood says of Austin. “We both grew up in musical families, and from the time I was really little, all I would want to do was play. I never had a desire for anything else.”

Austin’s exposure to country music and guitar playing began early thanks to his grandfather, James Ladell Turner. One of the earliest crop dusters in Mississippi, he would come home in the evening after spraying the fields and pull out a Fender acoustic guitar and play fingerstyle.

Sometimes he hosted informal guitar pulls with his buddies and passed around the guitar.

“That was how he would unwind,” Austin says. “He’d grab his guitar and play Chet Atkins or something. Those are some of my first memories.” Turner also set up Austin with his vinyl collection and introduced him to Merle Haggard and other country artists.

Inspired by Haggard and Keith Whitley, Austin began writing his own DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 51

TAYLOR ARMSTRONG

The band performs at Hopson Plantation as part of the annual Juke Joint Festival.

The band at Shack Up Inn, Clarksdale.

songs when he was 18. He attended Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville and played with the school’s Campus Country group. After a few years, though, he made his move to Nashville, working as a hand on a horse farm while playing at clubs on Lower 52 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Broadway. Ironically, Nashville finally expressed some interest in Austin by way of the group Crossin Dixon, the band he joined after coming back to Mississippi, and signed them to a recording contract.

“It was my first glimpse behind the curtain of how the music business actually

works,” Austin says. “Here I was this green kid thinking we’re gonna go up there and be able to make the music we want to make, and then when I was told all these stipulations and everything that we had to do, I realized that it wasn’t quite the thing I had pictured all these years.”

Austin headed west for the fertile reddirt country music scene of Texas and Oklahoma, where bands like Turnpike Troubadours were building grassroots followings and recording careers outside of Music City. He quickly found his footing in the more organic scene, playing clubs in Dallas and opening for heroes like Billy Joe Shaver and Chris Knight.

Meanwhile, Brian Sherwood, a guitar player and Austin’s main songwriting partner in the Tallahatchies, grew up deep in the Delta in Cleveland and took a similar route as his future bandmate by moving to California to pursue acting, then pulling his own stints in Texas and Nashville. It’s possible he and Austin unknowingly passed each other on Broadway for years as they both hustled gigs at clubs like Tootsie’s and Robert’s Western World.

Like Austin, Sherwood also grew up around music. It was common to hear records by singer-songwriters Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and Roger Miller spinning at the family home. After all the years he spent pursuing a dream of playing music, by the time Austin walked into that bar, he was eager to just play music for its own sake.

“We just got tired of doing what everybody does, chasing fame and success,” Austin says. “We decided we were going to make music that we believed in and cared about, and that’s where it started.”

In 2018, Austin moved back to Mississippi and settled in Oxford, where he and Sherwood began playing music together, building the band’s repertoire and finding their own sound. As they demoed their songs and worked out the guitar, vocal and fiddle arrangements, the duo turned into a band, adding Memphian Jon Harrison on drums.

Wesley Graham, whom they met while cutting demos at Sam Phillips Recording Service, joined on bass.

Instead of recording 3711 at one of the city’s famed studios, though, they set up in a southeastern Memphis house and recorded straight to analog tape. In search of the best recording tones, they stuck the drums in the living room and electric guitars in the kitchen. One of the bedrooms became a vocal booth.

“We were getting better sounds out of that little house than we were getting from some of the studios we were trying out,” Austin says. “Plus, the vibe there was just so much more chill and you didn’t have the meter running on you.”

Taking the pressure off helped the band turn out focused performances on the 13 tunes on 3711. On the bluesy “Baby Lay Down” and “Shoulda Never Gone,” Sherwood picks guitar solos steeped in the tones of his Delta upbringing. “Bye Bye Birmingham” is their “Wagon Wheel,” an anthemic crowd pleaser that finds Austin answering his own melodies with fluid fiddle playing.

For guest spots, the group brought in Memphis regulars like keyboardist Rick Steff of the band Lucero, who works as a

Austin, who has played fiddle since childhood, performs live with the Tallahatchies.

Sherwood and Austin perform at the Blue Canoe.

session player in local studios and has appeared on recordings by Cat Power, Gin Blossoms, Luther Allison and Todd Snider.

With 3711 now available through streaming music platforms, Joe Austin and the Tallahatchies are planning a lot of gigs in 2025. Spending so much time in close quarters, it’s convenient that the chemistry

Austin and the band show on record is real, too.

“All my favorite bands are like brothers,” Sherwood says. “Lynyrd Skynyrd, they were all brothers — they had that nucleus. And that’s where it is with us. We’re friends, man. We sit out in the parking lot on breaks and talk and laugh.” DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 53

54 | MAY/JUNE 2025

GOOD VIBES FOR ALL .....

Discover one-of-a-kind attractions, festivals and more.

FIVE THINGS TO DO IN MERIDIAN: 1. Catch some live music at one of our local spots.

2. Unleash your imagination at the Children’s Museum.

Follow The Music

3. Discover Mississippi Legends at The MAX. 4. Explore the trails at Bonita Lakes.

5. Take a spin on the Dentzel Carousel.

VisitMeridian.com

Red Panther Brewery Co.

Head brewer, Amos Harvey, brings a world of creativity, experience, and knowledge to the brewing company, creating unique and flavorful beers.

PHOTO OBTAINED FROM DIGITAL MEDIA SOURCES

Clarksdale’s new brew hub is serving up bold, locally inspired brews that are drawing in curious travelers and thirsty locals alike

56 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Red Panther Brewing Co. owners, Amos Harvey, Chuck Rutledge, Ann Williams, and Ned Silverman.

BY JOEY LEE • PHOTOGRAPHY BY AUSTIN BRITT

ocated in a historic building in downtown Clarksdale, Red Panther Brewery Co. fermented from a simple yet powerful vision: to create a gathering place that celebrates the unique essence of the Mississippi Delta. Ann

L

Williams and Chuck Rutledge founded the brewery, inspired by an unlikely source—a magazine article about what makes small rural communities thrive.

“We read about how successful small towns share certain characteristics,” Ann explained. “And surprisingly, a local craft brewery was one of them.” This, along with constant questions from travelers about local beer, inspired them to create a brewery that would serve exceptional brews and act as a community hub.

Williams recalled, “Travelers come here from all over the world and ask what our local beer is.”

The name Red Panther is a tribute to the Delta’s heritage.

Clarksdale is in Coahoma County, a name that comes from the Choctaw words “kowi homma,” translating to Red Panther.

This connection to some of the Delta’s original residents is central to the brewery’s identity. As Head Brewer Amos Harvey emphasized, “An important part of Red Panther is where our name came from; it’s important to us to help people DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 57

PHOTO OBTAINED FROM DIGITAL MEDIA SOURCES

Red Panther’s tap room has quickly become the place to be in Clarksdale.

Happy customers enjoying the courtyard at Red Panther Brewing Co. 58 | MAY/JUNE 2025

learn about those who came before us and had the land before us.”

Harvey is a Mississippi native with a background as eclectic as it is impressive. In his twenties, Harvey’s passion led him from Water Valley to Boise, Idaho, where he cut his teeth at the Bighorn Brewing Company.

His path then meandered to Abita Springs with Abita Brewing Company and saw him managing tours for bands like LCD Soundsystem and TV On The Radio. But the call of brewing was relentless, and he returned to the hops. After helping establish Yalobusha Brewing in Water Valley, Harvey was tapped to lead Red Panther’s brewing operations.

Ann Williams serving tasty brews to customers, David Huggins and Ward Magnusson.

Their beer lineup is a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation. Their flagship brews, the Delta Kölsch and Clarksd’Ale, have quickly gained fame among beer lovers. The Delta Kölsch, a German-style ale, is light, crisp, and perfect for our sultry Delta afternoons. The Clarksd’Ale, an extra pale ale, offers a balanced bitterness with aromatic hops, making it a favorite among hop enthusiasts.

The taproom serves as a playground for experimentation with a one-barrel pilot system, allowing Harvey and his team to flex their creative brewing muscles, crafting unique offerings like the juicy Elani Haze Hazy IPA, a distinctive Black Rice Lager and variations like Lemon and Blueberry Kölsch.

Harvey’s globetrotting has heavily influenced his brewing philosophy. He noted, “In my travels and touring all over the world, I’ve come across really great beers. .... The styles that speak to me I remember, research, and try to make my own.”

If you want to bring your kids to the taproom, or you’re the designated driver, Red Panther offers homemade ginger and root beers. Harvey shared, “I’ve been told the root beer is world-class by more than one person.” These non-alcoholic options ensure that everyone feels welcome, regardless of their beverage preference.

The Red Panther taproom reflects Clarksdale’s soul— unpretentious, warm, and inviting. It has a cozy living room setup, complete with couches and chairs and a jukebox boasting the best of New Orleans and Memphis R&B and blues. It’s a space that allows visitors to relax and stay awhile.

The adjoining courtyard, adorned with seasonal plants from Williams’s other business, Collective Seed, offers an outdoor experience that’s hard to beat.

Amos giving a tour, explaining the brewing process.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 59

A selection of Red Panther’s signature beers, Blueberry Kölsch, Black Rice Lager and Delta Kölsch.

Amos with what he describes as “The best jukebox in north Mississippi, filled with regional blues and R&B.” 60 | MAY/JUNE 2025

The taproom isn’t just about beer; it’s about community engagement. Plans include hosting weekend food trucks, trivia nights, brewery yoga sessions, and live music events. Ann envisions it as a gathering place, “I love this community, and my favorite thing about the brewery is the opportunity it presents to bring people together.”

Since brewing its first batch in April 2023, Red Panther has been on an upward trajectory. Their beers are now distributed in seventy to eighty bars and restaurants across North Mississippi, with plans to expand further. You can even find their two signature beers in cans in select retail outlets.

As they continue to grow, the commitment to honoring Mississippi’s people and land remains unwavering. Whether sourcing local ingredients or creating brews that tell a story, Red Panther Brewing Co. is more than a brewery—it’s a testament to Clarksdale’s rich tapestry and a beacon for its bright future.

That magazine article about thriving small towns needing great local breweries? Nailed it. Clarksdale’s future is looking bright. Stop by the taproom, and you’ll see Red Panther’s not just serving great beer; it’s serving up a taste of what makes this Delta town special, with plenty more good things brewing on the horizon. DM

JOIN US EVERY TUESDAY IN JUNE FOR

MOVIE NIGHT Gabbert Park | Downtown Senatobia MOVIE STARTS AT DARK!

• JUNE 3 • JUNE 10 • JUNE 17 • JUNE 24 Member FDIC

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 61

Cook

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

62 | MAY/JUNE 2025

WITH VIKING

GREAT SKIN NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE

Free Gift with SkinCeuticals Purchase of $250+ The Skin Institute 2525 Highway 1 South Greenville, MS 38701 SHOP ONLINE

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 63

SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS

From a Kentucky Derby soirée to a guy’s graduation gathering, veteran party planner Lisa Dyess brings fresh ideas and festive tips for throwing unforgettable springtime parties.

•

•

BY SHERRY LUCAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOLLY JEROME (KENTUCKY PARTY) AND ASHLEE BRITT (GRAD PARTY)

64 | MAY/JUNE 2025

M

ore is more in the partyplanner playbook of Lisa Dyess Designs (but with creative restraint, Dyess is quick to add). In her head, fun ideas rain down like droplets in a spring thunderstorm.

Occasionally, the rain comes down like that, too. “We had a tornado monsoon,” Dyess said, eyes wide at the memory of a flooded backyard, standing water a yard high, floating tables, chairs, inflatable horses, and more the day before a big Derby Day party in Madison last year.

The fire department and their pumps helped drain the backyard, and she praised Great Southern Events for moving the tent closer to the house and dry land.

It all worked out. Sunshine beamed down that Saturday. Kids jumped in bounce houses, and grownups did, too.

Roses, ribbons, trophies, balloons, bugles, and especially horses popped up everywhere—toy horses spray-painted gold, a rideable little carousel, horse and pony rides, a vintage kiddie mechanical horse ride, and large and small bouncy horses for races in the yard.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 65

Attention to detail amps up the race-themed excitement, and the marquee letters of Alpha-Lit Jackson light up the night at the Cooleys’ party.

The Kentucky Derby-themed party thrown by J.D. and La’Toyia Slay Cooley celebrated La’Toyia’s and their daughter Laila’s birthdays as Laila turned two. Dyess’s mission: entertain adults and two-year-olds at the same party—a guest list of 120, with lots of family due in—from afternoon into the evening.

“I had to make sure the decorations not only looked good in the day, but they 66 | MAY/JUNE 2025

would look good when the nighttime came,” she said. Alpha-Lit Jackson’s ombre marquee letters added an after-dark glow and lit the tent at night. With the Derby on TV inside and the kids at play outdoors, Dyess decorated inside and out, carrying the theme from the front door to the back tent. Photo ops abounded, including a hand-painted race-themed cutout and plenty of dress-up fun—top hats, bourbon,

bow ties, and cigars for men; pearls, gloves, and fascinators for women; horse heads, jockey hats and toy bugles for boys; and jewelry, scarves, and parasols for girls.

“It was just very well thought out— every single detail,” La’Toyia Slay Cooley said. “She was able to plan a party for a thirty-five-year-old and a two-year-old and make an event where everybody truly had a good time!”

Helpers contend with wind and rain the day before the festivities.

Lisa Dyess hand painted a race-themed mural that folded into the Derby Party decor.

J.D., La’Toyia, and Laila Cooley enjoy a family moment at the party.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 67

SIX SHOOTER

Chef David Crews (left) put a gourmet spin on game for Guy’s Game Night, which combined hunting and fishing passions with Las Vegas-style fun. Honorees (below) were all smiles at the party.

68 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Deer Pong, taxidermy, decoys, fake cash, poker chips, Alpha-Lit Jackson marquee letters, and more provided a fun, highly festive setting for the graduation party.

Wild Game Night Mamie and Trey Herron wanted a Wild Game Night for their son Will’s graduation party in the barn at their Madison home. In an inspired wordplay spinoff, Dyess layered in a Las Vegas-style game night/out-doorsman mash-up that brought in dealers and poker and hailed Six Shooter, their hunting camp in Drew.

David Crews, executive chef at Six Shooter, known for his wild game gourmet, handled the meal with tasty game harvested from the Herrons’ adventures. Dyess handled decor and coordinated activities.

“To mix in Las Vegas and ducks was probably the most fun I’ve ever had,” Dyess said. She used the Six Shooter logo for party favor T-shirts and for casino chips she had made. Vintage duck decoys, rubber ducks, duck calls, shotgun shells, lanterns, moss, deer sheds, inflatable deer, Elvis sunshades, inflatable guns, rubber fish, dice, camo netting, green dealer visors, cattails, playing cards (giant and hand-sized), a fishing boat to hold canned drinks, fake cigars, real taxidermy, vintage hunter’s toile, feathers, and phony money all rolled into the fun. Red trash cans were pressed into service for giant “Deer Pong.”

“They played it all day,” Dyess said.

Players turned in chips for prizes from a stash compiled by the boys’ moms—a cooler, a hundred bill blanket, a Hotty Toddy Western belt, and more. When stored appliances and furniture against the wall needed to be hidden, Dyess draped it in camo netting and turned it into a hunting mountain, topped with a turkey mount and a bear on the side and festooned with branches and moss for a natural look. She DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 69

Event planner Lisa Dyess

called on Alpha-Lit Jackson for letters to make the scene a party backdrop.

Mamie Herron chuckled to recall clever decor that mixed treasures with trinkets, “like a stuffed raccoon smoking a cigar and holding a toy fish, fancy taxidermy mixed with cheap poker visors. … It went from so authentic to not at all, and the kids just loved it!”

Born and raised in Cleveland, Dyess credits her mom—”always a wonderful decorator”—and the limited number of small-town stores setting as early influences for her design pursuits. Delta State University art professor Pat Brown and the rest of the DSU art faculty brought out more of her creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Set design work in Los Angeles developed a passion for interiors. She’s long been drawn to blues, juke joints, and folk art. She taps all of it for her event work. “I would not give up growing up in the Delta for anything.”

Lisa’s TIPS

for spring parties: ✦ Ten days before the event, start watching the weather and getting your backup plan in place if there is a hint of wind or rain.

✦ Mississippi’s weather is unpredictable—for outdoor parties, you may want a backup rain date.

Dyess plunges into party planning, pretending it will rain. “That way, I’m always covered, and it’s not a 70 | MAY/JUNE 2025

catastrophe last-minute.” Decorate and stage indoors, too, as part of the backup plan. “You never want guests to feel like it’s an afterthought.”

✦ Prepare for wind by securing things with stakes and zip ties. Flower arrangements and food containers should be weighted. Got a backdrop? Make sure there are slits for the wind to blow through and that it’s sufficiently staked so it will stay upright.

✦ Consider a sturdy tent for outdoor parties, to provide cover from showers and shade from the sun and the heat.

✦ Never bite off more than you can chew when the time comes. People may be unable to help at the last minute, so consider how you can get things done on your own.

✦ To save time, blow up balloons two to three months in advance if you have a place to store them. Latex and mylar balloons take a lot of time to blow up and that’s time you could spend decorating. Also, Dyess warns that the sun will pop latex balloons if they are new and overfilled. “The older the balloon is, the less likely it is to pop.” Fill balloons only three-quarters of the way (they expand in the heat) and push them down to a round, circular shape for the best balloon art.

✦ Tap onsite resources for flowers and greenery to use in decor. “I use a ton of clippings and greenery out of yards, off the side of the road, from a field …” Dyess says.

✦ It’s OK if every table is not identical.

“I do every table different. It just adds interest,” she says. “You’re using the same decorations but not putting them out the same way.”

✦ On a budget? Trim costs that provide minimal impact by nixing items such as personalized napkins and cups. “That is not something guests will remember as a highlight of the party.”

✦ Consider scheduling a graduation party in the fall or winter to dodge the crowded party circuit at the end of the school year. Bonus: October tends to be drier. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 71

You deserve every beautiful Blume

A DELTA DESTINATION DRIVING TO

worth

OPEN FOR DINNER Tuesday-Saturday 5-9 pm O P E N F O R L U N C H TO - G O Tuesday-Saturday 11:30am -1:30pm Pick-Up and DoorDash Only

@serios_greenwood

662-453-4826 • 506 Yalobusha Street • Greenwood, Mississippi

seriosrestaurant.com

72 | MAY/JUNE 2025

This Mother’s Day, show the women in your life how much you love them by encouraging them to schedule an annual mammogram.

BETH’S MISSION...BREAST HEALTH

662-390-6488 DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 73

RORY DOYLE

Fresh Starts From vibra nt veggies to handcrafted goods, the

Delta’s farmers’ markets are back in full swing

T

here’s nothing quite like the abundance of fresh produce farms markets offer in spring and summer. And, let’s be

honest, picking up veggies at the grocery store just doesn’t compare to chatting with a local farmer and sampling homemade goodies under the Saturday morning sun. If you look forward to farm-fresh fanfare, artisanal finds, live music, and the friendly buzz of small-town markets, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a roundup of must-visit farmers markets across the Delta and beyond.

74 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Cleveland Farmers’ Market

Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. | 2025 Season: June 7 to mid-August Website: linktree/clevelandmsfarmersmarket Instagram: @clevelandfarmersmarket Facebook: Cleveland, MS Farmers Market

RORY DOYLE RORY DOYLE

The Cleveland Farmers’ Market features fresh, locally grown, and produced fruits, vegetables, eggs, honey, nuts, baked goods, jams and jellies, pickled vegetables, and other unique Mississippi Delta items.

Conveniently located on the green strip in the heart of downtown Cleveland, it is surrounded by various neighboring boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops, and more.

Officially known as the Cleveland, Mississippi, Farmers, Bakers, and Makers Market, the endeavor began twenty years ago in 2005 and has grown tremendously since that time. The 2025 season kicks off Saturday, June 7. There is a summer season, which will run from June until mid-August, and an occasional fall market as well. Market hours are Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Farmers’ markets provide many benefits to small towns. They are an outlet for small-scale farmers and artisans to sell their products directly to consumers. Other benefits of farmers’ markets are that sales stay within the community, support local jobs, and foster economic growth.

Farmers’ markets also contribute to the vibrancy of communities and serve as incubators for entrepreneurship, offering an entry point for new businesses to test products and build a customer base.

The Cleveland Farmers’ Market has been a launching pad for several local businesses, exemplified by establishments like Leña. Initially selling bagels at the market, Leña has now grown into an established restaurant, highlighting the market’s role in fostering entrepreneurship and providing a platform for small businesses to start. The example of Leña―and other businesses that started at this market―points to the potential of farmers’ markets to support local economic development and nurture new businesses.

The Cleveland Farmer’s Market enhances the vibrancy of the downtown area on market days by drawing traffic to nearby stores.

According to a survey by Mississippi State University, 71 percent of Cleveland’s attendees indicated they were planning to shop in neighboring stores in the downtown area, primarily mentioning purchases of coffee and food from local restaurants around the farmers’ market. So, if you’re in Cleveland on a Saturday this summer, join the crowd and head downtown!

RORY DOYLE

PHOTOS OBTAINED FROM DIGITAL MEDIA SOURCES

CLEVELAND

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 75

Downtown Clarksdale Farmers’ Market CLARKSDALE Downtown Clarksdale Farmers’ Market is a weekly summertime market in the best little town in the world. Look for fresh, healthy, and handmade items from local growers and artisans. Join us Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.—the Farmers’ Market kicks off in June.

The first hundred families to attend each week’s market will receive ten dollars in produce vouchers! Each market this summer will have a game center featuring a rotation of cornhole, life-sized connect four, life sized Jenga, giant yard pond, and giant kick darts.

The market is located in the courtyard at Collective Seed & Supply Co., 145 Delta Avenue, in downtown Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Last year, the Downtown Clarksdale Farmers’ Market partnered with Delta Rootswell, in an effort to increase the affordability, accessibility, and visibility of locally grown produce. The Rootswell partnership brought important upgrades to the downtown market: produce vouchers of ten dollars per family per market, and a “farmers’ resilience fund” used to purchase any unsold produce, which was donated to local food banks and charities.

For more information on becoming a vendor or to stay updated as a customer contact the Downtown Clarksdale Farmers’ Market follow us on social media.

VENDORS INCLUDE: • Uptown Brown Farm (peas, corn, cantaloupe, watermelon) • Chicken Scratch Farms (amazing variety + fresh-cut floral arrangements) • Sweet Tooth Teddy (amazing sweets/pastries) • Joey Young (eggs, produce, artwork) • Fred Lane (variety) • James Langley (tomatoes) • Cary Hayes (blackberries, peaches, muscadine) • Jeri Holdeman (baked goods) • Emily Litwiller (baked goods) Thursdays 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. | 2025 Season: Starts June 5 Website: locallyharvest.org/clarksdale-farmers-market-M36229 Instagram: @visit_clarksdale Facebook: Downtown Clarksdale Farmers Market

76 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Hernando Farmers’ Market HERNANDO The Hernando Farmers’ Market is located on the quaint historic town square and is open each Saturday from April through the end of October. The market features locally grown fruits and vegetables, fresh local milk, pork, pasture-raised eggs, local honey, canned and preserved items, nursery plants, baked goods, cut flowers, herbs, fresh salsa and guacamole, and homemade crafts. Throughout the season, enjoy live music, free fitness classes, and special events that will take place during market hours.

On the last Saturday of each month, the Children’s Day Power of Produce (POP) program is held on the front of the courthouse lawn from 10 a.m. to noon. Free children’s activities are offered by local organizations, free books and POP Bucks are given to the first hundred children who arrive. POP Bucks are also available at one of the organization’s booths, but kids must find which vendor has them! Valued at five dollars, the POP Bucks are accepted at any of the produce vendors at the market and allow the child to purchase their favorite fruit or veggie to encourage eating healthy at an early age—and to teach the value of a dollar! Senior Days are also scheduled monthly. As a Mississippi Certified Market designated by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce, you can be assured of fresh local food and products.

The Hernando Farmers’ Market was voted Mississippi’s Favorite Farmers’ Market and 13th favorite in the nation by American Farmland Trust. Encouraging and promoting access to fresh local foods, they offer a program whereby credit cards and SNAP/EBT may be redeemed at the farmers’ market table for tokens to be used at vendor booths—and thanks to a grant from the Double Up Food Bucks Mississippi program, SNAP recipients also receive additional tokens (double) for free fruits and vegetables.

Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

2025 Season: April 26 to October 25 Website: cityofhernando.org/services/farmers-market Instagram: hernando_farmers_market Facebook: @HernandoFarmersMarket

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 77

Vicksburg Farmers’ Market VICKSBURG The Vicksburg Farmers’ Market is a project of Vicksburg Main Street Program, dedicated to supporting local growers, artisans, and in their vibrant community.

The 2025 Vicksburg Farmers’ Market starts soon and is bringing the best of local flavor to Washington Street Park at 1000 Washington Street in downtown Vicksburg! Don’t miss this year’s first market on May 31st from 8 a.m. to noon, and kick off your weekend with fresh finds and lively vibes.

Stroll through the market while enjoying live music, and explore a variety of just-picked produce like ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and fragrant herbs. There is also a wide variety of homemade breads, canned goods, and handcrafted items—all made by local growers and artisans.

Insider tip: If you want first pick of the freshest produce and most popular items, plan to arrive early. This gives you a chance to get ahead of the crowd and choose from the full spread! Bring your reusable bag, grab a friend, and spend the morning soaking in the flavors and sounds of Vicksburg’s homegrown goodness.

Saturdays 8 a.m. to Noon | 2025 Season: Starts May 31 Website: vicksburgfarmersmarket.com Instagram: @FarmersMarketVicksburg Facebook: @VicksburgFarmers’Market

78 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Greenwood Farmers’ Market GREENWOOD For live entertainment, free art activities for the kids, monthly food demos and more, visit the downtown Greenwood Farmers’ Market. With vendors bringing fresh locally grown produce, baked goods, honey, crafts, and fresh, eggs, to name a few, it is definitely a worthy excursion on a Saturday morning this summer!

The core values of the downtown Greenwood Farmers’ Market are sustainability, economic development, community engagement, health and wellness, economic vitality, and fairness and authenticity. The Greenwood Farmers’ Market is located at Rail Spike Park Pavilion, at the corner of Main and Johnson Street in downtown Greenwood. Managed by the City of Greenwood, it is a Mississippi Certified Farmers Market. The market starts Saturday, May 31, and is open every Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. through the end of September.

Saturdays 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

2025 Season: May 31 to September Website: greenwoodms.com/living-here/farmers-market Instagram: @downtowngreewoodfarmersmkt Facebook: @DowntownGreenwoodFarmersMarket

Greenville Farmers’ Market GREENVILLE The Greenville Farmers’ Market was established to provide the residents of Greenville and surrounding areas access to the freshest fruits, vegetables, and homemade baked goods.

It’s a great opportunity for local vendors to share their produce and products! The Greenville Farmers’ Market is open 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Wednesdays and Saturdays, from June through September. It is located at 734 Washington Avenue, downtown Greenville. Items offered at the market include farm fresh fruits, veggies, and homemade baked goods.

NOW - OCTOBER Saturdays from n a.m. to £ p.m.Ê in Hernando, Mississippi Named one of the 12 best farmers markets in the South to visit by Southern Living!

Wednesdays and Saturdays 8 a.m. to Noon 2025 Season: June to September Website: mainstreetgreenville.com Instagram: @mainstgreenville Facebook: @MainStreetGreenville DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 79

80 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 81

Vicksburg at 200 WHERE HISTORY RUNS DEEP, AND THE RIVER KEEPS FLOWING

icksburg, Mississippi, has always been more than just a dot on the map. Perched high on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, it earned its storied nickname—“The Key to the South”—not from a travel campaign but from President Abraham Lincoln himself. During the Civil War, he famously declared, “Vicksburg is the key,” recognizing the city’s strategic importance in shaping the future of the Union.

V

But long before the battles and the proclamations, Vicksburg’s story began in 1811 as a modest settlement on the high ground above the river. Officially incorporated in 1825, the city took shape where the river offered both promise and peril—a place where commerce could flourish but where floods and conflict would also leave their mark. Named after Newitt Vick, a Methodist minister who envisioned a community rooted in faith and opportunity, Vicksburg quickly grew into a bustling port town and cultural crossroads. As steamboats crowded its shores and settlers from around the world passed through, the city became a vital hub for trade, ideas, and—ultimately—history.

Now, two centuries later, Vicksburg is marking its bicentennial—not just by looking back but by inviting people to experience everything that continues to make the city unforgettable.

Vicksburg’s twin bridges are a nod to the future and the past.

82 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Vicksburg’s Old Courthouse Museum was originally built in 1858.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 83

84 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Built in 1928, the Old Vicksburg Bridge, also known as Mississippi River Bridge, is a cantilever bridge now used only as a railroad bridge, carrying one rail line across the Mississippi River.

A City Shaped by the River The Mississippi River is more than a backdrop—it’s the city’s beating heart. It has had a foundational impact on Vicksburg’s history, a powerful body of water that has been a constant companion and a source of awe and inspiration. From the towering 300-foot bluffs, Vicksburg boasts one of the most commanding views of the majestic river from its headwaters at Lake Itasca to the mouth of the river just south of New Orleans. One of the most iconic rivers in the world, the river has been a lifeline for industry and tourism alike, fueling both commerce and creativity. Life in Vicksburg is constantly shaped by the water. It is an integral character in Vicksburg’s history and the backdrop for unforgettable dining, riverwatching, kayaking, and fishing excursions.

86 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Layers of Culture, Carried Through Generations Vicksburg's story isn’t just one of battlefields and bluffs. It’s also a patchwork of cultures that have left their mark on everything from music, history, and storytelling to its vibrant food heritage, worship, and the visual arts, creating many of the city’s enduring traditions. Over the years, Lebanese, Jewish, Irish, Italian, French, Native American, and African American communities have all made homes here— each adding a layer to Vicksburg’s complex identity. The array of museums, art galleries, murals, and downtown shops are prime examples of the town’s cultural and artistic heritage sites that draw people to explore Vicksburg.

The local food scene is a living expression of that heritage. The Tomato

The USS Cairo gunboat, a powerful ironclad, was sunk by a torpedo in 1862 and salvaged in 1964.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 87

88 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Now proudly pr epar ing

Melba’s Caramel Cake!

Produced from Mrs. Melba Williams’ family recipe given to “Miss Joyce” Clingan at Walnut Hills to perpetuate this legendary delicacy!

601-638-4910 WalnutHillsMS.com 1214 Ada ms Str eet, Vick sburg

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 89

Great eats with a view at 10 South Rooftop.

Place, a quirky roadside café and produce stand, started as a collection of fruit stalls and grew into a must-stop spot for locals and visitors alike. Solly’s Hot Tamales, which is included on the Mississippi Hot Tamale Trail, is one of the best locations to experience river delta cuisine in the city, while Walnut Hills is an endearing Southern eats establishment that features old-fashioned round table dining and the area’s best fried chicken, all in a historic home. Main Street Market cafe has a relaxed menu that changes weekly and 10 South Rooftop offers elevated courses on Southern classics paired with cocktails like no other—all with panoramic rooftop views of the Mighty Mississippi. It’s a must-visit for a sunset beverage. Just down the way is Key City Brewery, a local gem known for its craft beers that reflect the rich history and culture of the area, offering visitors a unique blend of flavors 90 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DID YOU KNOW? Fun Facts about Vicksburg • The Old Vicksburg Bridge, built in 1930, is a cantilever bridge that once carried both rail and automobile traffic. While no longer used for vehicles, it's still used for rail and is a historic landmark overlooking the river.

• The Miss Mississippi Pageant, a preliminary of Miss America, has been hosted in Vicksburg since 1958.

Bally's Vicksburg Casino and Hotel

• Vicksburg is where Coca-Cola was first bottled in 1894. Local candy store owner Joseph Biedenharn did it in his candy store with a soda fountain hose, bottling Coke by hand with a foot-powered machine.

• In the 19th century, Vicksburg had a thriving Jewish population and was home to Mississippi’s first synagogue, Anshe Chesed, built in 1870. The community played a significant role in the city's cultural and economic life.

• During the Siege of Vicksburg, residents dug into hillsides and lived in caves to escape constant bombardment. These "bombproof" caves are part of the reason the city held out so long.

• The USS Cairo was the first ship ever sunk by an underwater mine and was forgotten under the mud of the Yazoo River for over 100 years. When rediscovered in the 1960s, it was raised like a time capsule, and now its remains are on display at the Vicksburg National Military Park.

• The McRaven House in Vicksburg is often called the most haunted house in Mississippi. With ties to the Civil War and several tragic deaths, it’s a popular ghost tour destination.

• The quote “The Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg” was made famous by author David Cohn, a native of Greenville, Mississippi, in his 1935 book God Shakes Creation.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 91

92 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 93

The Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum The Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum

and a welcoming atmosphere. Above the eatery, there is live music and magnificent views of downtown Vicksburg at The Roof at 1311.

Even the historic bed & breakfasts have some of the region's most sought-after dining opportunities, such as the Inn at Cedar Grove and Anchuca Historic Mansion & Inn, whose dining rooms are packed with community members and travelers alike partaking in high-end cuisine surrounded by 19th-century architectural elegance.

Ameristar Casino and Hotel

94 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Where the Past Lives On The echoes of history in Vicksburg aren’t just heard—they're seen, touched, and lived in. It will forever be remembered as the place where the pivotal campaign unfolded just outside the city during the American Civil War. The Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates the campaign on its 1,800 acres. There are more than 1,400 memorial monuments

The Corners Mansion Inn

A cannonball from the Siege of Vicksburg still sits embedded in a wall at the Inn at Cedar Grove.

Through it’s vast collections of artifacts, exhibits, and personal stories, the Vicksburg Civil War Museum offers a fascinating glimpse into the pivotal events of the war that brings the past to life.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 95

96 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Popular for its ghost tour, the McRaven tour home first opened to the public in 1961.

for soldiers from both sides of the Civil War, twenty miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks, 141 cannons and carriages, and the salvaged ironclad vessel that was sunk by a torpedo in 1862—the USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum. Additionally, the public art showcased in the park is valued at over $4 billion.

The park provides one of the most vivid portrayals of the Civil War anywhere in the country, drawing visitors from all over the world to explore the past and stay in one of the beautifully preserved historic homes, which now operate as bed and breakfasts. Many of those homes also bear the scars and stories of their past. At the Inn at Cedar Grove, a cannonball from the Siege of Vicksburg still sits embedded in a wall. Anchuca Mansion and Duff Green House have visible damage left from the Civil War’s Siege of Vicksburg.

Vicksburg’s history extends far beyond the Vicksburg Campaign. Just next door to Cedar Grove, The Corners Mansion is a great example of architecture unique to Vicksburg, featuring the pierced columns that are the city’s signature. The Baer House and Bazsinsky House offer stories of Vicksburg’s rich Jewish history. A more modern option is Oak Hall, with its original stained-glass windows, rooms inspired by Vicksburg culture, and fascinating history as a widow’s home.

The Inn at Cedar Grove

Museums With a Personal Touch Vicksburg’s museum district boasts five museums in the downtown district, all within walking distance. It allows visitors to easily explore the city's rich history and cultural heritage in a single stroll but is rich enough to spend days discovering.

The Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum, where their soda was first bottled in America, highlights the history of Coca-Cola’s origins and its connection to the town.

The Catfish Row Museum has found unique ways of telling the diverse history of Vicksburg through exhibitions and culinary demonstrations featuring Vicksburg’s local culture, art, and the influential figures who shaped the community's history.

The Old Court House has seen it all, having been built in 1860, and now serves as the area's best Vicksburg history museum, connecting the city’s Civil War

past to the 19th- and 20th-century South and beyond.

The Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum is a great place to discover the history and science of the river through many interactive displays, an aquarium, a flood model, and the decommissioned towboat, the Motor Vessel Mississippi IV. The Vicksburg Civil War Museum is a must-visit for history enthusiasts, offering a fascinating glimpse into the pivotal events of the Civil War through artifacts, exhibits, and personal stories that bring the past to life.

The Old Depot Museum in Vicksburg is a fascinating destination for history lovers, offering a glimpse into the city’s role as a major transportation hub during the Civil War, with exhibits displaying railroad history, local artifacts, and compelling stories from the past.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 97

• December 31: As a grand finale to the bicentennial year, there will be a New Year’s Eve celebration featuring a drone show over Vicksburg’s riverfront. This will wrap up the birthday year of events, closing the book on the bicentennial with a hightech nod to the future!

The Miss Mississippi Pageant is held each year at Vicksburg Convention Center. This year’s pageant will be June 11–14.

A Year of Celebration: The Bicentennial Events To celebrate 200 years of all that Vicksburg was, is, and will become, Vicksburg is hosting five major “pillar events” throughout 2025, each one highlighting a different facet of the city’s identity.

• January 29: The city kicked things off with a week of ceremonies, a 200 Gala, an Official Proclamation, and a 200 Parade, celebrating the city’s official incorporation in 1825.

• April 26: The Bicentennial Music & Culture Festival was held, celebrating many of the musical talents that call Vicksburg home, as well as showcasing diverse culture and local 98 | MAY/JUNE 2025

talent, food, art, and fashion unique to Vicksburg.

• July 4: America’s Independence Day also marks the day of Vicksburg’s surrender during the Civil War, and the town is known for having the longest fireworks display in the state of Mississippi. This year will also feature Vicksburg’s own country music artist William Michael Morgan. The bicentennial celebration will expand on the existing festivities to further showcase the city’s patriotism.

• October 4: There will be a Fall Family Fair in Key City Park, centered on fellowship, community connection, and activities scheduled for cross-generational fun.

In addition to the pillar events, other festivals and fairs are being planned to round out the 200th anniversary celebrations: 601 Day is planned for June 1, 2025, featuring live music and a barbecue competition.

The Vicksburg Historic Art Festival, on September 26–28, 2025, will bring in amazing artistic talents from all over the country to showcase their works against the vibrant, hip, and historic backdrop of downtown Vicksburg.

Voices From the Hills is scheduled for October 16–18, 2025, at Cedar Hill Cemetery, featuring living history characters from Vicksburg’s past.

A Place That’s Always Becoming At its core, Vicksburg is a city in motion—rooted in history but constantly redefining itself. From the music emanating from festivals and rooftop bars to the unique foods and flavors passed down through generations to the quiet reverence of battlefield trails. And as the city marks its 200th year, Vicksburg isn’t just commemorating the past. It’s inviting everyone—whether history lover, foodie, artist, or adventurer—to come and see what the future of the South looks like through the eyes of a city that’s seen it all. DM

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 99

HOME

100 | MAY/JUNE 2025

With the help of Rebecca Touchstone, owner of Greenwood’s Howard & Marsh Exchange, Amye and David Hill translated their love of eclectic New Orleans style into their new home.

Southern with a Twist This Greenwood home is an eclectic blend of dramatic color and interesting collections, with a heavy dose of charm and comfort

BY TERRI GLAZER PHOTOGRAPHY BY RORY DOYLE DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 101

The home’s covered front porch and balcony call to mind those in classic Garden District homes in New Orleans.

“W

e call Amye’s taste Southern contemporary because it’s definitely Southern, but it has a little bit of edginess about it,” decorator Rebecca Touchstone says of her client Amye Hill. A native Mississippian, Amye grew up steeped in traditional Southern style. She and her husband, David, make frequent visits to New Orleans, though, and are inspired by the aesthetic and culture of the Crescent City.

After residing in Calhoun City, where Amye served as mayor for four years, the Hills decided to move to Greenwood in 2021 to be closer to family. They discovered their soon-to-be home through word of mouth, fell in love with it, and before long found themselves moving into the two-story Greek Revival-style house in one of the town’s long-established neighborhoods.

Amye is quick to point out, that the place was already beautiful. Built in 2011, it features a modern floor plan perfect for the way the Hills live. No major renovation work had to be done to bring the home into the 21st century.

Its French country aesthetic, however, didn’t reflect Amye’s love of color, pattern, and a touch of the unexpected. As serendipity would have it, she soon found the perfect partner to transform 102 | MAY/JUNE 2025

the house into a Southern contemporary showplace. After meeting Rebecca through a mutual friend whose home she had designed, Amye knew they had an immediate connection. “We just clicked,” she says. She scheduled a design consultation, and when the two met at Howard & Marsh Exchange, the downtown Greenwood home decor shop Rebecca owns, it was off to the races.

Rebecca recalls, “She was throwing ideas out and I started getting so excited. We kind of fed off of each other, and then we started choosing things from the ground up.” Literally. A beautiful and vibrant Hariz rug the Hills already owned became the foundation for the project’s color palette. Next came paint colors.

“We knew we didn’t want white walls. We wanted color, drama,

Lush details fill the keeping room, creating a space that is a feast for the eye as well as a comfortable gathering space for the homeowners and their guests.

some excitement. That’s more Amye’s personality,” she explains.

“Color is coming back in the design world after years of neutral.

Color makes us happy; we need color in our lives!”

The home’s front entry is as gracious and Southern as they come—a covered front porch with a herringbone brick floor, a haint blue ceiling, and a porch swing. Lush ferns in urn-shaped planters flank the six-lite French doors.

Upon stepping inside, the owner’s flair is immediately apparent. Lining the front stairway wall is a unique collection that masterfully blends elegant and eclectic—traditional with a twist DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 103

Amye’s beloved collections of vintage silver and antique oyster plates look right at home alongside more contemporary pieces.

104 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Brought from their previous home in Calhoun City, the Hills’ collection of traditional Oriental rugs fit perfectly into the kitchen in Greenwood.

New acrylic and brass barstools at the island keep the mood modern.

The family room flows into the beautiful open kitchen. Only minor changes—new lighting, cabinet hardware, and a coat of paint on the island—were necessary to give the formerly French country look a more Southern contemporary feel.

and a definite nod to the Big Easy. “Rebecca and I have had hours of conversation and years of collecting to try to figure out exactly how it was going to come together,” says Amye. First came the gilded mirrors, some vintage, some new, and in a variety of shapes and sizes. Rebecca kept them in storage while the two waited for the perfect finishing pieces to come their way. Eventually, they did: a pair of double-arm sconces with fabric barrel shades and two John Richard carved panels.

Acquiring all the elements took a while, but both Amye and Rebecca agree the finished product was worth the time. “Patience is a virtue,” says Rebecca. “I think people sometimes rush into things because they just want their house filled, but a home is a collection, and in order to get it right, you have to wait for the right thing to come along.”

The drama continues on both sides of the foyer. To the right DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 105

“It has been such a fun journey to do this house,” says decorator Rebecca Touchstone. “Amye and I are both very detail-oriented. We’re all about the little things and getting it all pulled together.”

106 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Brass, gold, and silver accents exemplify the decorator’s love for mixing metals. “People may think everything has to match, but it doesn’t. It makes it so much more interesting when you overlap golds and silvers,” she says.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 107

Rather than a complete redo in the primary bath, Rebecca decided to work with and around the existing travertine and granite. Elegant wallpaper and new window treatments with classic Greek key trim help create a spa-like ambiance.

108 | MAY/JUNE 2025

The primary bedroom’s white velvet headboard and bedding pop off the gray walls. Saturated paint colors tend to recede, says the decorator, allowing furnishings and accents to take center stage.

is a gem of a space that serves as a keeping room/game room/home office for the Hills. Bathed in Benjamin Moore Dragon’s Breath, the walls set the moody tone, giving the room an intimate, but not dark, feel. Rebecca anchored the decor around pieces the couple brought from their previous home, a zebra hide rug and a pair of Bergere chairs upholstered in leopard print. “I knew I wanted green velvet somewhere,” says Amye of the handsome button-tufted sofa. Rebecca selected a set of panels that pair the look of classic toile with more contemporary gilding.

Continuing the unique theme, the room’s other furnishings range from a bust of the Greek god Apollo displayed on a pedestal to a chrome and wood bar etagere to a whimsical black swan light sconce that hangs above the desk.

Across the entryway, the dining room is a seamless blend of sophistication and comfort that was a must for Amye. “I wanted it to be comfortable and large enough to seat several guests. I love nothing better than cooking for people and enjoying food together. We stay in there for hours.” Saturated color on the walls creates a cozy atmosphere and a perfect backdrop for the room’s decor centerpiece, a striking stylized portrait titled Golden Muse.

Paired with a more traditional gold and crystal chandelier, the brass-legged dining table and t-back chairs prove that classic and contemporary can coexist beautifully.

Situated in the rear of the home, the kitchen and family room flow together in an open concept. Vibrant color takes center stage in the main living area, beginning with the rug that inspired the project. Twin armchairs in burnt orange leather punched up with tiger-striped accent pillows make a bold statement. “I had that color leather in my other home, and I hated to leave it behind, so we incorporated it here,” says Amye. The furnishings reflect the homeowner’s affinity for Chinoiserie. “I think it’s just so timeless.

My mother’s house had a lot of Oriental inspiration, so I guess I grew up with it, and I love it,” she says.

Between the living room and kitchen, Rebecca used clever furniture placement to create a cozy keeping area. Plush velvet armchairs reprise the orange theme. They sit alongside a chest inscribed with a classic white willow motif. The tableau faces the kitchen island, facilitating conversation with the cook when guests come for dinner. A single pendant in brilliant brushed gold hanging over the island brings the drama. Across the room, an DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 109

From vintage to mod to Chinoiserie, the Hills’ home holds an eclectic blend of styles curated over time. Amye says patience is a must when searching for just the right piece to complete a room.

110 | MAY/JUNE 2025

In back of the home, a covered porch repeats the traditional Southern design of the one on the front facade. Cranes in the artwork and garden statuary speak to Amye’s love of all things Asian in decor.

antique Victrola topped with part of Amye’s beloved silver collection lends a decidedly Southern element.

Bold hues give way to more muted ones in the primary suite, but lighter doesn’t equate to dull. Benjamin Moore Dolphin on the walls establishes a serene feel and blends with luxurious neutrals, metallics, and a touch of deep pink to evoke a cloudlike environment. Neutrals in warm and cool tones give the adjoining bathroom a luxurious ambiance. The designer and client decided to work with and around existing travertine rather than mounting a complete redo. Elegant Thibaut wallpaper that blends the creams of the tumbled marble with the grays of the bedroom ties

the two spaces together expertly. A patterned rug and new drapes with stately Greek key trim complete the room’s renovation.

Amye admits her eclectic Southern contemporary style might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it suits her perfectly, and Rebecca interpreted that vision impeccably. “She knew exactly what I wanted. She got it.”

It’s clear that this homeowner is thrilled with her finished project—almost finished, that is. “We still have a few things to do when the right thing comes along,” she says with a laugh.

“When we see it, we’ll know it,” adds Rebecca. And indeed, they will. DM

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 111

Building a stronger grid And a brighter future These are exciting days in Mississippi. New industries and new jobs are moving to our state along with record investments.

Entergy is already hard at work to stay ahead of increasing power demands in our growing communities.

We’re not only adding more power generation, but diversifying our energy sources with cleaner and more efficient power generation. This diversified mix will help ensure long-term affordability and reliability for all of our customers.

Scaling up the grid also gives us the opportunity to upgrade infrastructure and technology throughout our system – ensuring a stronger and brighter future for Mississippi. Learn more at entergy.com/brightfuturems.

A message from Entergy Mississippi, LLC ©2025 Entergy Services, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

112 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 113

GARDENS

Made in the SHADE

FROM TALL FERNS TO TRAILING BEGONIAS, DESIGN STUNNING BEDS AND CONTAINERS USING LOW-LIGHT-LOVING PLANTS THAT THRIVE IN SHADE BYJESSICA MILAM OWNER, FOUNTAIN’S GREEN GROW-CERY

Explaining Light Needs You’ll see many different light requirements on plant tags when shopping. Here are the basics for light needs for shade and part-sun plants.

◼ FULL SHADE: This means a spot never gets direct sunlight or only a very short amount of mild morning sunshine.

◼ PART SHADE: This means about 4 hours of sun—but still mostly morning sun, not blazing-hot afternoon sun.

◼ LAYER FOR INTEREST: Whether you are planting in a bed or container, think of creating layers with your choices. I’ll break it down with some of my favorite plants for shade based on height.

◼ PLACEMENT: First, if you are planning a design for a garden bed, be sure to check if the plants are shrubs and perennials when deciding where to place them.

◼ TALL PLANTS: In the tall family, I love to use Kimberly Queen ferns, fatsia, hydrangeas, and azaleas.

◼ MEDIUM PLANTS: For a middle layer,

“I love the cascading begonias in the vintage McCarty. It’s one of my favorite shade planters this spring,” says Milam. This container includes a mix of caladiums, begonias, and diamond frost.

hile most people are first drawn to the showy blooms of full sun plants, shade plants can hold their own when it comes to creating texture and interest in containers and your landscape,” says

“W

Jessica Milam of Fountain’s Green Gro-Cery in Greenville. It’s true that when it comes to garden design, the focus is often on the bright, dramatic allure of sun-loving plants. But don’t let lower light fool you—shade gardens or beds can be every bit as lush, layered, and colorful. Jessica shares her favorite shade-loving plant varieties and tips for incorporating them to create layers of texture that will bring depth and beauty into your landscape or patio.

114 | MAY/JUNE 2025

◼ LOWER-LEVEL PLANTS: Hostas create some of the most interesting texture for lower-level plantings, along with hellebores, impatiens, heuchera, begonias, splash plants, and fuschia.

“One of my favorite plants to use right now is a double-blooming begonia that has cascading blooms. I don’t know about you, but as a container designer, when I hear the words double bloom and cascade, I am sold!”

PHOTOS OBTAINED FROM DIGITAL MEDIA SOURCES

JESSICA MILAM

caladiums, perennial ferns like woodland and autumn, foxgloves, and any dwarf variety of hydrangeas.

In addition to the prolific foliage, hostas produce a tall, spiky bloom that is wonderful to include in arrangements.

Fatsia, above, and hydrangeas, below, are excellent options to anchor a shade garden or bed.

Kimberly Queen ferns, above, are a great “thriller” to add height to a container. Below, a window basket is filled with caladiums and impatiens.

Impatiens, hostas, and hydrangeas make a beautiful border along a brick path.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 115

A great example of a container using the “thriller, filler, spiller” method that includes caladiums, ferns, and Creeping Jenny.

Arranging Container Plants Follow these simple steps when planting your containers! ● Arrange plants and design the placement while they are still in their plastic pots so they may be easily moved around to see what looks best. ● Fill container about ¾ of the way with soil, and start by adding the thriller first, then spiller, and finally fill in with the filler. ● After placing plants, check for spaces that need some extra soil and fill in as needed. Be sure you keep the soil level 1 to 2 inches from the rim of the pot. ● Once you’ve finished potting your plants, give them a good drench so they can settle in the pot.

Shade Container Options “While the possibilities for creating a design in a garden bed are endless, I tend to focus more on containers, says Jessica. In shade containers, I still use the “thriller, filler, spiller” method. This means placing something taller and showy in the center or back, filling in around the base, and then choosing something that will cascade or “spill” over the edge of the pot as it grows.

Thrillers: Something taller, such as Kimberly ferns, tall grasses, Coleus, or hydrangeas Fillers: Impatiens, caladiums, hostas Spillers: Ivy varieties, double blooming begonia, Creeping Jenny DM For more gardening tips follow along on Facebook: Fountain’s Green GrowCery or Instagram: @shopfountains 116 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Blooms in Full Beauty The nursery at Brussel’s is alive with vibrant blooms in every size, shape, and color.

Quinces, pomegranates, azaleas, and the sweet scent of gardenias make thoughtful gifts for any special occasion—Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and everything in between.

We welcome you to visit us in person or conveniently shop online.

! " !# " $ % " #&& ' $ # &(' $ &&$ $ )

***+ +

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 117

FOOD

Obsessed with Olives Packed with flavor, olives are having a moment and turning up in new ways on menus everywhere

BY CINDY COOPWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA SATTERFIELD

118 | MAY/JUNE 2025

T

here’s been a flavorful surge in olive-based recipes recently, and it’s all thanks to the bold, briny punch olives bring to the table. Their salty, tangy bite adds depth to everything from classic egg and olive salad to the wildly popular dirty martini dip. No longer just a cocktail garnish or antipasto staple, olives are taking center stage everywhere, from church potlucks to happy hour— proving that their pungent charm is anything but subtle, and we can’t get enough!

DIRTY MARTINI DIP This recipe brings together all the classic cocktail elements in a dip that blends the flavors of blue cheese and olives. Perfect with dipping pretzels, crackers, or your favorite dippers!

8 ounces cream cheese, softened 8 ounces sour cream 1 to 2 tablespoons finely grated onion, to taste 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ cup blue cheese crumbles ½ cup green olives, chopped 1 tablespoon olive brine

Garnishes: chopped green onions, extra chopped olives, and blue cheese, if desired

Add cream cheese and sour cream to a large bowl and mix by hand or with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add the grated onion, lemon juice, and garlic powder. Mix to combine. Then, add the blue cheese crumbles, chopped olives, and olive brine using a spoon to fold the ingredients to combine. Cover, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, top with optional garnishes and serve with pretzels, Frito scoops, pita chips, or chopped vegetables of your choice.

Tip: Delicious along side grilled meats, or tossed with cooked shrimp.

OLIVE ORZO SALAD This will be your new go-to this summer! A refreshing take on pasta salad that offers the bright flavors of lemon, feta cheese, and briny olives, all perfectly blended with orzo. It’s delicious!

1 16-ounce package orzo ¼ cup olive oil 3 tablespoons mayonaise 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons Cavender’s Greek Seasoning 2 to 3 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped 1 can black olives, drained and chopped 1 8-ounce package Feta cheese

Cook orzo according to package. Drain, cool, and add to a large mixing bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste.

May be served immediately, but allowing to sit for a few hours will give the flavors time to blend well.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 119

Tip: Peel the eggs under cold water to help the shells come off more easily.

EGG AND OLIVE SALAD If you love being able to take a few simple ingredients and whip up something delicious, nothing fits the bill quite like humble egg and olive salad.

6 hard cooked eggs, peeled and chopped ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup sliced green olives stuffed with pimentos, sliced 2 tablespoons onion, minced or grated 1 teaspoons olive brine, or to taste 1 teaspoon yellow mustard salt and pepper to taste dash of hot sauce to taste

Boil eggs and plunge into an ice bath. When cool, peel the eggs and roughly chop them. Place eggs in a medium bowl. Add chopped green olives, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

For sandwiches, simply spread on bread—we prefer white, crustless—and enjoy!

The brininess of the olives elevates any classic egg salad recipe, making it perfect for a quick lunch served on its own, as an appetizer, or spread on a sandwich.

120 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Tip: If using a block of Parmesan, pulse in a food processor to grind to the desired consistency.

OLIVE PARMESAN BITES These baked Parmesan bites are simple to make, full of flavor, and a great companion for your cocktail menu!

6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese ¾ of an 8-ounce jar Castelvetrano olives 1 tablespoon chili paste or tomato paste 1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Spread in quarter sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Top with the remaining olives and another sprinkle of Parmesan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until well-browned. Allow to cool and cut into crisps.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 121

NIÇOISE TAPENADE A versatile Mediterranean spread, olive tapenade could not be easier to make—and is so much more than an appetizer. Serve it on grilled fish, stir into pasta, stuff mushrooms, or mix it with goat cheese and spread on crostini bread—the options are endless!

1 cup pitted Niçoise or other quality black olives 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 1 tablespoon capers, drained 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 can (3¼ ounces) tuna packed in oil, drained Juice of half a lemon

In a food processor, combine the olives, garlic, and capers and process to form a paste. Slowly add the olive oil, blending well. Then, add the tuna and lemon juice and continue processing until smooth. Serve with crostini. Enjoy! DM

122 | MAY/JUNE 2025

CORINTH’S DESTINATION LOCATION FOR ALL

YOUR FISHING AND APPAREL NEEDS

2804-A HWY. 72 WEST CORINTH, MS 38834

662.594.8687

STORE HOURS: MONDAY-SATURDAY | 8 AM - 6 PM DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 123

By L. Frank Baum With Music and Lyrics

by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg Background Music by Herbert Stothart

June 5-8, 2025 Davis Auditorium 400 Cotton St., Greenwood, MS Tickets: greenwoodtheatre.com THE WIZARD OF OZ is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com

124 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 125

HISTORY

The Delta’s First Skyscraper The historic McWilliams Building located in Downtown Clarksdale

BY JEN WALLER

126 | MAY/JUNE 2025

The current owner of the McWilliams Building, Bob Ed Wright, purchased the structure in 2009 with the late Bill Luckett. Their dream and vision was to transform the historic structure into a multi-purpose space and include professional office spaces, spacious apartments, and a rooftop garden space.

t eighty-nine feet to the eave and seven stories tall, the McWilliams Building in Clarksdale became the Mississippi Delta’s first skyscraper when it was completed on New Year’s Day in 1917. According to its current owner, Mr. Bob Ed Wright of Starkville, it basically kept that title until they started building casinos in Tunica in 1994.

A

Wright—who purchased the building around 2009 with then-planning and development partner, the late Bill Luckett—said their hope was to save an aging, historic building and renovate each floor one by one as part of a larger, downtown development plan that would transform Clarksdale.

With plenty of blues music, tourism traffic, and folks like Academy Awardwinning actor Morgan Freeman and music icons like Robert Plant and Billy

Gibbons enjoying the Clarksdale vibe somewhat regularly, Wright thought: “Why not? Maybe we could renovate the building, return some of the lower floors to professional office space, and turn the upper floors to spacious apartments.” He said he could even see that top floor becoming a rooftop garden again, maybe with a New Orleans-style balcony that would give residents and visitors alike a wonderful downtown view.

R.N. McWilliams

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 127

Developer R.N. McWilliams began construction on the building in 1916 and completed it in 1917. Delta Bank & Trust Company, of which McWilliams was President, was housed on the entire first floor.

The Original Downtown Dreamer R.N. McWilliams

In the late 1800s, a wide variety of folks moved to the Delta from all over the country.

There seemed many opportunities for growth; if they were willing to work hard and stay focused, they could usually climb the ladder to success. Robert Nesbit McWilliams (R.N. McWilliams) was one of those men. Born in Montgomery County, Mississippi, in 1863, McWilliams did a short college tour in Northwestern Texas and then decided to return to Mississippi. He and his wife, Kate Cartledge McWilliams, moved to Coahoma County near Stovall Farms in 1894.

According to a book called The MidSouth and Its Builders, published in 1920 by the Thomas W. Briggs Company in Memphis, Tennessee, McWilliams only had a little over six dollars in his pocket when he arrived in Coahoma County. But with hard work and determination, he 128 | MAY/JUNE 2025

The year after the completion of the “bank building” as it was generally called, McWilliams built the adjoining theater and a three-story department store. The Marion Theatre, named for McWilliam’s daughter (pictured above), offered seating for 1,000 as well as a $7,000 pipe organ. The building was destroyed by fire in 1921 or 1922. To this day, the carved signage for the venue remains over the Paramount Theater in downtown Clarksdale.

The McWilliams Building was the most impressive structure in the entire state for years after its completion. Above, this colorized postcard (circa 1919) features the side view of the building.

became the farm manager at the Oasis Plantation for Dr. James Carson.

He worked there for three years, and by 1897, he was able to lease a portion of the Humber plantation in Farrell, clear and cultivate over one thousand acres, and then start investing in other property.

Within ten years, he owned around nine thousand acres, including much of the Humber land and the Burkes plantation, some of the most productive land in the Mississippi Delta. During this time, he built a beautiful home for his family with the most modern conveniences, including an artesian well and beautiful landscaping.

He began to prosper, so he decided to invest in a considerable amount of real estate in Clarksdale.

McWilliams began working on his Clarksdale skyscraper in 1916, completed it in 1917, and on the first floor housed the Delta Bank & Trust Company, which he helped organize. According to a news article in the Memphis Commercial Appeal dated May 16, 1919, McWilliams, president of the Delta Bank & Trust Company, was one of the leading businessmen of Mississippi. It stated that McWilliams had done more to aid in the development and growth of Clarksdale as a commercial center than perhaps anyone else in Coahoma County.

He invested $175,000 in the property, consistent with Clarksdale’s growth and

prosperity at the time. The McWilliams Building was constructed during one of the largest building booms that Clarksdale ever experienced.

The modern office building had six stories plus a rooftop garden on the seventh floor that became a cabaret and dancing pavilion for at least the first eight months of its life. Apparently, it closed due to cold weather and a coal shortage, and it is unclear at this point reopened.

The bank building structure, as it was generally called in those early days, was designed by Memphis architect John Galsford and constructed by Nichol, Langsford and Johnson of Louisville, Kentucky. According to the Clarksdale Daily Register, work began on May 16, 1916. Over the next seven months, the Daily Register followed its progress closely.

The next year, McWilliams built the adjoining theater and three-story department store. He named the theater building The Marion Theatre in honor of his youngest child, Marion, who wanted to be an actress. In the early years, it was a grand theater with musicals and shows that toured around the country. It later began showing motion picture movies and ultimately became the Paramount Theater that focused solely on picture shows.

The Marion Theatre Building was recently donated to a non-profit afterschool program in Clarksdale called

Noted cotton trader Jake Fink, whose business was housed in the McWilliams Building, married Freda Woolbert in 1913, and together, they lived a prosperous life in Clarksdale until the stock market crash of 1929.

GRIOT. The organization has secured a number of grants and donations to renovate the space. Program leaders hope to return the one hundred-plus-year-old theater building to its golden age of glory.

It sounds like a revival is coming.

R.N. McWilliams died in 1938 at the age of seventy-five. He is buried in Clarksdale in the Oakridge Cemetery. He had plans to build a million-dollar hotel on Yazoo Avenue, but a house fire in 1927 and the stock market crash of 1929 halted those dreams as the country went into the Great Depression. It lasted until 1939.

R.N.’s last surviving grandchild, Mrs. Betty McWilliams McMurchy, inherited those architectural plans and had them hanging on her wall in the Flowers Manor assisted living facility for years. But she determined it was best to move to the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Oxford a few years ago, and the family filed them away.

Another Interesting Dreamer Jake Fink Cotton Factory

The McWilliams Building dominated the Clarksdale skyline for years. It became a wonderful model for beautiful postcards during the golden age of letter writing.

One especially attractive colorized postcard showing a side view of the McWilliams Building, most likely produced in or around 1919, reveals a DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 129

Through the years, the 109-year-old McWilliams Building was home to over one hundred different professional businesses.

company name at the very top of the building on the frieze: Jake Fink Cotton Factors.

Born in Vilna, Poland in 1886, Jacob Fink arrived in Shelby, Mississippi, in 1902 at sixteen. He had traveled from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by train to the Deep South to seek his fortune. By 1910, Fink had opened a mercantile store in Duncan, Mississippi. He worked hard in the retail business until, one day, he overheard two men talking about cotton futures on the train to Greenville. When he got off the train, he went straight to the cotton exchange and, acting on the tip, bought cotton futures on margin.

He was hooked. He felt that real money could be made in cotton.

Fink continued his merchant life in Duncan but also began working for Fisher Cotton Company out of Greenville. As he bought cotton for Fisher, he would buy cotton for himself as well. As his retail 130 | MAY/JUNE 2025

store prospered and his cotton business grew, he purchased land to farm between Duncan and Alligator and decided to build his own cotton gin.

In 1913, Jake Fink married Freda Woolbert in her parents’ home at 116 Oakhurst in Clarksdale. They had met at a dance. She was well-educated, an accomplished violinist, and the daughter of prominent Jewish merchants in Clarksdale. In 1917, Fink built a grand home at 226 West Second Street and moved his family to Clarksdale.

According to that same article quoted earlier from the Memphis Commercial Appeal, dated May 16, 1919, the Jake Fink Cotton Company was established in 1918. The article stated that the growth of his firm was so remarkable that they moved into the entire top floor of the skyscraper McWilliams Building in Clarksdale. It also noted that the company did a twenty-five-thousand-bale business

that year and were still forging ahead. The firm’s policy was different from most cotton factors in that they did not confine themselves to the Delta market alone.

They did business in all parts of the country. They had sales offices in Memphis and New Orleans and connections in the Carolinas and the East.

By 1920, Fink was counted among the dozen or so millionaires in Clarksdale (population 7,552). This was the time of dollar cotton, and the Wall Street Journal reported in an article published on March 26, 1920, that Clarksdale was the richest agricultural city in the United States in proportion to its population.

That same year, the Fink cotton business occupied the entire top floor of the McWilliams Building, replacing the rooftop garden space when it opened in 1917. However, according to the 1923 Clarksdale city directory, the Fink Cotton Company had moved to the Fink

Remnants and reminders of former businesses are still preserved in the McWilliams Building today.

Building at 311 Yazoo Avenue. The seventh floor was being used by the Clarksdale Cotton Sales Company owned

by B.F. Powell.

Jake and Freda settled into a comfortable life in Clarksdale. They raised three children, were active in the Beth Israel Congregation, and continued to buy and sell land and cotton until the stock market crash of 1929. They lost the cotton business and their house on West Second

but quickly recovered because the 1933 Clarksdale city directory shows that they moved to 310 School Street and had opened a grocery business on Delta Avenue called Delta Wholesale Company.

Sometime around 1940, Freda and Jake moved into the Alcazar Hotel in Downtown Clarksdale, across from the McWilliams Building. According to their grandson, Dr. Edwin Shackeroff of Long Beach, California, his grandparents took

a large three-room suite in the beautiful hotel and lived there for the next forty years. Jake Fink died in 1961 and Freda Woolbert Fink died in 1987. They are both buried in the Beth Israel Jewish cemetery in Clarksdale.

Over the years, the 109-year-old McWilliams Building probably housed over one hundred different professional businesses. It went through at least five owners before the current one. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 131

132 | MAY/JUNE 2025

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 133

EVENTS

Monster Jam, May 2–4

The Wiggles: Bouncing Balls Tour, June 14

FESTIVALS, MUSIC & FUN THINGS TO DO May 1, 7:30 p.m.

Memphis

May 9, 7:30 p.m.–9 p.m.

Chris Isaak

Pops 3: Pepsi Pops

Graceland Soundstage graceland.com

Old Trace Park msorchestra.com

May 1–June 4

Memphis

May 9, 7:30 p.m.

Jane Bonady Brackin Art Exhibit

Bonnie Raitt

Playhouse on the Square playhouseonthesquare.org

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

May 2, 7 p.m.

Brandon

May 10

Ridgeland

Memphis

Clarksdale

Gavin Adcock

Clarksdale Caravan Music Festival

Brandon Amphitheater brandonamphitheater.com

Cat Head visitclarksdale.com

May 2, 8 p.m.

Jackson

May 10, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Logan Crosby

Mississippi Makers Fest

Duling Hall dulinghall.com

Two Mississippi Museums visitjackson.com

May 2–3

Leland

May 10, 8 p.m.

Dwight Yoakam with The Mavericks and 49 Winchester, May 30

May 16–17

Jackson

Ellis Theater msafestival.org

May 17, 12 p.m.–5 p..m.

Jackson

Downtown Clarksdale womeninblues.org

Dirty Streets with Special Guest Jombi

May 17, 7:30 p.m.

Downtown Leland lelandchamber.com

Duling Hall dulinghall.com

Treaty Oak Revival

Southaven

May 10, 8 p.m.

Clarksdale

Women In Blues

Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Festival

May 2–4

Cleveland

Mississippi Songwriters Festival

Tunica

Brandon Amphitheater brandonamphitheater.com

Monster Jam

Timothy Wayne

May 17

Landers Center landerscenter.com

Horseshoe Casino caesars.com/tunica

Optimist Club of Hernando A’Fair

May 3, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

Leland

May 12–September 30

Greenwood

Brandon

Hernando

Downtown Hernando cityofhernando.org

33rd Annual Leland Crawfish Festival

America at the Crossroads

May 17, 7:30 p.m.

Downtown Leland lelandchamber.com

Museum of the Mississippi Delta museumofthemississippidelta.com

Rob Schneider–You Can Dooo It! The Tour

May 3, 4 p.m.

Memphis

May 13, 8 p.m.

Memphis

Graceland Soundstage graceland.com

Alton Brown Live: Last Bite

311

May 23, 7 p.m.

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Graceland Soundstage graceland.com

Doug Stone: Farewell Tour

May 3, 7:30 p.m–9:30 p.m.

Ridgeland

May 15

Canton

Aiming for Ag Clay Shoot

May 23, 8 p.m.

The ARC at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School santesouth.org

Turcotte Range killebrewfoundation.org

The WannaBeatles

May 6, 7:30 p.m.

May 15, 8 p.m.

Tunica

Gold Strike Casino goldstrike.com

Memphis

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas

Lil’ Weezyana Presents Lil Wayne with The Hot Boys

May 23–24

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

FedEx Forum fedexforum.com

Inn at Ole Miss oxfordms.com

134 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Memphis

Halloran Centre orpheum-memphis.com

The Santé South Wine & Food Festival

Memphis

Memphis

Landscaping Camp Grand Finale

Oxford

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, May 6

Bonnie Raitt, May 9

Chris Isaak, May 1

May 23–24

Clarksdale

The Wizard of Oz, June 5–6

Ground Zero Blues Club Anniversary Ground Zero Blues Club visitclarksdale.com

May 31

Memphis

June 7, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Jackson

Memphis Dragon Boat Festival

2025 Mississippi Pickle Fest

Water Lantern Festival

Shelby Farms Park shelbyfarmspark.org

Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum visitjackson.com

Shelby Farms Park shelbyfarmspark.org

May 31, 7 p.m.

May 24, 5:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.

Memphis

Brandon

June 9, 7 p.m.

Rick Springfield: I Want My 80s Tour

Miss Mississippi Parade

Peyton Aldridge

Brandon Amphitheater brandonamphitheater.com

Downtown Vicksburg downtownvicksburg.org

Horseshoe Casino caesars.com/tunica

May 31, 7:30 p.m.

May 24, 8 p.m.

Tunica

Memphis

June 12, 1 p.m.–6 p.m.

Beatles vs. Stones–A Musical Showdown

Oxford Pitch Competition

Symphony at Sunset

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Oxford Conference Center oxfordarts.com

Vicksburg National Military Park friendsofvicksburg.org

June 5–6

May 24, 7 p.m.

May 25

Vicksburg

Clarksdale

Greenwood

The Wizard of Oz

Bad Apple Blues Festival

Davis Auditorium greenwoodtheatre.com

Sean Bad Apple Club visitclarksdale.com

June 6, 6:30 p.m.

June 12–14

Greenville

Greenville Golf & Country Club steveazarsaintceciliafoundation.org

Brandon June 12–15

Thacker Mountain Radio Live Broadcast

Brandon Amphitheater brandonamphitheater.com

Museum of the Mississippi Delta thackermountain.com

BAM–Birthplace of America Music Festival

June 6–7, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

May 30, 7 p.m.

Greenwood

Memphis

Dwight Yoakam with The Mavericks and 49 Winchester BankPlus Amphitheater bankplusamphiteater.com

Cathead Jam Cathead Distillery visitjackson.com

Oxford

Steve Azar Delta Soul Celebrity Golf & Charity Event

Hank Williams Jr.

May 29

Vicksburg

Jackson

Clarksdale

Downtown Clarksdale visitclarksdale.com

June 13, 6:30 p.m.

Memphis

Kansas & 38 Special with Jefferson Starship BankPlus Amphitheater bankplusamphiteater.com DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 135

Peyton Aldridge, May 24 Treaty Oak Revival, May 17

June 14

Hudson Westbrook, June 20

Glen Allen

6th Annual Straight Off the Lake Music Festival

LITERARY EVENTS Jaz Brisack

Paul Love Jr. Park visitgreenville.org

Get on the Job and Organize

Juanita Tolliver with Diana Townsend

A More Perfect Party May 15, 6 p.m.: Novel, Memphis

May 1, 5 p.m.: Lemuria Books, Jackson

Kevin Wilson

The Wiggles: Bouncing Balls Tour

Robert Hall and Sandy Grisham

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Badge Unbroken

May 16, 6 p.m.: Novel, Memphis

May 2, 5:30 p.m.: Off Square Books, Oxford

Sherry Cothren

Hudson Westbrook

Malia Logan & Olivia Omega

May 17, 12 p.m.: Lemuria Books, Jackson

Graceland Soundstage graceland.com

Through Her Eyes

June 14, 6 p.m.

June 20, 8 p.m.

Memphis

Memphis

May 3, 4 p.m.: Lemuria Books, Jackson

June 20, 8 p.m.

Jackson

Akeem Ali: The Good Looking Tour

Martha Park with David Waters

Duling Hall dulinghall.com

World Without End: Essays on Apocalypse and After

June 21

Jackson

May 6, 6 p.m.: Novel, Memphis

Annual Juneteenth

Nadia Alexis

Farish Street Historic District visitjackson.com

Beyond the Watershed

June 21, 6 p.m.

May 8, 5 p.m.: Lemuria Books, Jackson

Vicksburg

Star-Spangled Night Run Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation visitvicksburg.com

June 21, 7:30 p.m.

Memphis

Ledisi

Memphis

Kimberly Akimbo Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

June 26, 6 p.m.–10 p.m.

Greenwood

Park Between the Bridges greenwoodmschamber.com

136 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Martha Park

World Without End

Jackson

Gadfly Bob Furniss

On to Blue May 22, 6 p.m.: Novel, Memphis Rickey Fayne

The Devil Times Three May 24, 2 p.m.: Novel, Memphis Michael Farris

Lay Your Armor Down May 27, 5:30 p.m.: Off Square Books, Oxford Michael Farris Smith

Lay Your Armor Down May 31: Cathead Distillery, Jackson Lauren Rhoades

Split the Baby June 3, 4:30 p.m.: Lemuria Books, Jackson

Gwendolyn J. Tucker with Dotty Summerfield and Shelley Kemp

Robert Busby

Called to Lead

June 3, 6 p.m.: Novel, Memphis

Bodock: Stories Robert Busby & Ace Atkins

Tom Spencer

Bodock

The Mystery of the Crooked Man

June 5, 5:30 p.m.: Off Square Books, Oxford

May 14, 5 p.m.: Lemuria Books, Jackson

2025 Mississippi Invitational: Call Home Mississippi Museum of Art msmuseumart.org

May 10, 10 a.m.: Lemuria Books, Jackson

May 12, 6 p.m.: Novel, Memphis

Annual Stars and Stripes Festival

June 28

Do Butterflies Make Butter

May 12, 5:30 p.m.: Off Square Books, Oxford

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

June 24–29

Brandall Laughlin

Run for the Hills

Bishop Barlow

Andrew Weist

Look in the Mirror

Dogwood

June 14, 2 p.m.: Lemuria Books, Jackson

May 14, 5:30 p.m.: Off Square Books, Oxford

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 137

DELTA SEEN

2025 Cotton Ball Queen Anne Craig Melton and King David Bush

68th Annual Charity Cotton Ball in Greenwood on February 22 at the Leflore County Civic Center. Photography by Andy Lo

Abbey Hanks and Merritt Harris

Amanda and Benjamin Nelson

Will and Michelle Adams with Tabatha and Ryan Andrews

Story Jacobson, Mary Lee Sam Nicholson and Caroline Nicholson

Stella Britt, Radchel Goldberg and Ashley Tillman

Sloane and Josh Fair with Claudette and Brad Hawkins

Sara Grace Long, Hannah Cox, Mary Shelton Bond and Madeline Kirk

Morgan Clark, Mary Hooper Harris, Erin Bryant and Maggie Alderman

Barbara Stone and Becky Bates

Mary Kathryn Cox and Julianna Gillespie

Mary Evelyn Stonestreet Heather Williams

Garrett Brown and Payton Selby

Lane and Paul Lyon

Morgan McCaleb, Ann Claire Fandel, Meredith McCarill, Machaela McDonald, Lainey Harreld and Kylee Marshall

138 | MAY/JUNE 2025

with

Lola Ricketts and Claire DeSouza

2025 Junior Auxiliary of Cleveland Children’s Benefit Ball on February 21 at the Bolivar County Expo in Cleveland. Photos by William Powell Photography

Front Row: Madeline Dye, Mary Earl Wilson, Tracy Dye, Myrtis Tabb, Collins Tabb, Preston Tabb, Meg Cochran Back Row: Jerry Wilson, Graham Scoville, Jacob Dye, Randy Dye, Bill Ryan Tabb, Arliss Swindoll, Jacob Willow, Annsley Tabb, Leslie Tabb and Drew Wilson

Front Row (L to R): Korlie Norquist, Brody Langston Back Row (L to R): Matthew Mestayer, Scott Addaman, Nora Mestayer, Wade Caston, Ella Langston, Marlene Caston, Butch Caston, Fin Langston, Rivers Langston, Sam Langston, Martee Langston, Colby Norquist, Kellie Mestayer, Jake Mentz and Maddie Langston

Katelyn and Joey Lamb

Kim Buering, Lacey Jennings, Cindy Grittman and Mitzi Garrett

DELTA SEEN

2025 Queen, Myrtis Tabb and King, E.E. “Butch” Caston

Children’s Benefit Ball Chair Brittany Cannon and Co-Chair Sarah Taylor

Holt Davis, Mary Clelon Davis and Capps Sledge

Karen and Ronnie Mayers

Katherine Patterson and Chris Blaine

Daniel and Mari Micci Shannon

Vance and Avery St. Columbia, Michael and Lauren Boulanger, Carley and Rob Brown with Shelby and Tyler Kitchings

Ferris Capocaccia, Maggi Mosco, Laura Grittman, Allie Blackwood and Alex Janoush

Junior Auxiliary of Cleveland’s 2024-2025 Provisionals: Anne Marie Mangialardi, Ana Parker Arbuckle, Sarah Willford, Brooke Morris, Anna McClain Sykes and Rebekah Arant

Olivia Tims, Blaire George, Lucy Mullins, Anna Reese Bradham, Ryder Willford and Sarah Hardin Makamson DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 139

DELTA SEEN

Gallery Reception for The Floyd Shaman Exhibit at the Bologna Performing Arts Center in Cleveland on February 25. Photos by William Powell Opening reception for the Greenville Arts Council’s 11th Biennial Invitational at the E.E. Bass Cultural Center in Greenville on March 21.

Photos by Mary Catherine Brooks

Molly, Lawrence, and Clover Mellen with Chris Shaman

Bill and Diane Arnold

Artist William Brown and Kaitlyn Thompson, who is featured in the portrait above 140 | MAY/JUNE 2025

Debbie and Lauren Powell with Suzette Matthews

Bob Ragan and Amber Kincaid

Neva, Wally and Tasha Huerta

Randy Jolly and Lee Wilson

Guy Hall, Sarah Ozbun, and Jack Jackson

Krystal, Camille and Lawson King

Randy Jolly and Jamie Tate

DELTA SEEN

Junior Auxiliary of Greenville Annual Charity Ball at the Greenville Golf and Country Club on February 22.

Photos by Charlie Lamb

2025 Queen Susan Shamoon and King Steve Azar

Andy and Sarah Ozbun

Kori Thigpen, Steve Azar, Susan Shamoon, Catherine Weaver and Casey Nelson

Katherine Shamoon, Susan Shamoon and Emily Shamoon

Lee, Jan and Alexa Engel

Landon and Livie Fratesi with Noell and Jeffery Tonos

Barry Schuster and Holly Wade

Ashley Corban, Courtney Zepponi and Faith Austin

Cecilia Azar with Steve and Gwen Azar

Kathy Bullard and Brinkley Farmer

Evelyn Edwards and Guy Hall

Jacob Venuti with Eleanor and Michael Shaifer

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 141

DELTA SEEN

2025 Juke Joint Queen Tate Fleming with friend Amelia Freeman

EG Fyfe, Rhodes Shaffett, Beth Johnson, Rachel Cirilli, Cindy Hubbard and Val Agostinelli

Bob Metcalf and Buddy Pierce

142 | MAY/JUNE 2025

2025 Juke Joint Baby Clark Biggs

Anna Catherine and Laken Smith

Jeff and Michelle Talley with Rod Freeman

Bailey Matthews, Ginny Matthews and Mallory White

Bo Armstrong and Tony Clay Marley

Shaun Leigh Freeman and Wendy Hood

23rd Annual Juke Joint Festival held in downtown Clarksdale on April 12.

LeAnn Flowers, Kristy Byrd and Val Agostinelli

Val Agostinelli, Grace Young, Olivia Johnson and Kate Seibert

Jen Waller and Paul Pearson

Wright Thompson and Richard Lewis with Jason Roberts

A selection of photos of Delta Magazine readers enjoying trips during Spring Break.

Katherine and Philip Sandifer with Sydney and David Fields in Jackson Hole, WY

Courtney and Cody Maxey with their daughters Sykes and Miller at Walt Disney World

Buck and Paula Clarke are at The Masters, in Augusta, Georgia

Nathan, Thomas, Libbi and Roan Logan in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C.

Brian, Hayden, Hailey and Heather Robinson in Versailles, France

Hank Bennett, Nathan Deacon, Mac Hamilton, Noah Ramey, Whitefish, Montana

DELTA SEEN

AnnElise Hughes and Temple Hughes with Lee Ellen Weathers and Mary Paxton Weathers in New York City

Jake and Ann Morgan at Brennan’s in New Orleans

Rick and Amy McKissack in Kamuela on the big island of Hawaii

Ethan Peyton, Meredith Whitworth, Kimberly Whitworth, Tayln Whitworth and Conner Whitworth in Honduras

Back row Allison Britt, Georgia Britt, Anna Brittain Martin, Georgia Antici, Gabby Antici. Front row Lucy Parker Britt and Liam Antici in Orange Beach, Alabama

Farrar Kathryn, Suzannah, Kate Hood & Jana Hargrave at the Houston Rodeo, Houston, Texas

Ethan Peyton and Meredith Whitworth in Cozumel, Mexico

Glenn and Beth Stevens at Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountains

DELTA MAGAZINE 2025

| 143

Thefinalword If You Love a Fly Fisherman

Sara Irby loves the Lord and her people. Her two favorite fly fishermen are her husband, Wayne, and their son, Jay, no qualifiers needed. They live in Taylor with two sweet and constantly shedding golden retrievers. She has been writing and teaching high school students literature for almost thirty years.

f you love a fly fisherman, there are a few things you will need to learn to love as well. That is, if you love him, and enjoy traveling, and actually want to spend time with him.

Let’s start with bugs. It’s a good place to start because bugs are super important, and it’s impressive if you are able to identify (or, really, just point out) what is currently skimming the water or what might be flying around (self-propelling of course—don’t pull a rookie move and identify floating seeds from a cotton tree) as your fisherman considers flies to cast.

The takeaway? You cannot be afraid of or dislike bugs.

They are part of the show, folks.

Walking to remote places. Rivers, streams, waterfalls, and trails will inevitably be littered with the poop of elk, deer, geese, rabbit, etc. Some of which you would rather not think about the animal from whence it came. Above all, the hope is NOT to see bear scat.

And while we are on the subject of bears—have you ever read a can of bear spray?

It actually includes these instructions: “Depress trigger with thumb...This should be

I

144 | MAY/JUNE 2025

BY SARA IRBY

done as the attacking bear is charging toward you and is about 40 feet away, 2 to 3 seconds from reaching you.”

WHAT? There is not even a qualifier included along with this. You know, a “we know this is concerning, but your safety...blah, blah, blah...” Bears do hate this “deterrent,” and it will work if you live long enough to grab it, arm it, and spray it.

Note: If the safety pin breaks in your truck— the spray will release, cause havoc, and eat through a pair of waders.

Tall grass. So lovely to look at as you pass fields on the highway. Leaning softly in the wind... sunshine glinting off dewy fields—a sea of stems.

But, wading through tall grass to get to a river? Nope. It is a high-steppin’ stressful exercise in “avoid the aforementioned poop” and “dodge the snakes.”

Snakes are mostly not there, but you know they are THERE. State Fish and Wildlife rural public restrooms. Often cleaner than you expect (but hold your breath, folks).

You are going to have to go at some point—there’s no avoiding it. Be thankful for these concrete loos.

Winding mountain roads and “fallen rock” signs. Why not “fall-ing?” Well, the point is, folks, that rocks have fallen, are in the road, and are a hazard to you. If rocks are fall-ing, it’s too late.

Winding mountain roads, part two.

Sometimes, they are edge-of-the-mountainplummet-to-your-death-switchbacks that inspire panic and have you crawling out of the passenger seat. Not for the faint of heart.

Do NOT look to your right. Fortunately, my fly fisherman is a rock-star driver.

The gear. Not the cost, really. I have no room to complain about costs of things we love to do. It’s the preparation required to flyfish. I mean, once you arrive at your location, there’s no popping out of the truck and just starting your journey to the river.

There are STEPS, folks, STEPS. So, patience.

The actual fish. Generally, trout. If you can identify these as well, excellent! Go you.

Why isn’t this listed first? Because when you are a sideline player, you don’t have to handle the ball or make plays. Your fisherman will tell you what he’s caught—with many details—as you take the obligatory picture or video. The fish really ARE beautiful. So, take your camera, smile and nod, and listen.

Listening. You will hear all the details and learn the lingo about...rivers, water levels, temperature, pools, shade, fish, nymphs, hatches, caddis, flies (dry and wet), casting, drift or drag, lines, rods and reels, wader issues, and more. This can sometimes be trying. Patience and grace, for “the opposite of love is indifference.”

In the end, you might actually love the fishing. If so, brilliant! Do it! Catch some winners. If not, take a book and a chair, sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray, bear spray, adventure sandals, hiking shoes, socks, clothing layers, water, alcohol—and I do not mean isopropyl—snacks (I know the trend is granola or something healthy, but really folks, chips), toilet paper, a hat, chapstick, quickdrying towel, headlamp, your phone (for photos—not a chance in hell of cell service) and cram all of this in your cool backpack.

What are the beautiful things that are not hard to love?

Crystal clear rivers, river rocks, the sound of rivers flowing over those rocks. Mountains, mountain lakes, valleys, canyons.

Wildflowers and wildlife (anything not trying to eat you). Cool nights and low humidity.

Sunrises and sunsets. “The heavens declare the glory of God...”

Montana—yes, the entire state.

And, of course, your fly fisherman.

And this is not the same love.

“It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both...ask, and receive, from God.”  C.S. LEWIS DM

Now the best room of your home... is outdoors Imagine having a transitional living space to enjoy the best of the outdoors in your own backyard. With Phantom Screens, it’s possible. Fully customizable and professionally installed, Phantom Screens appear at the touch of a button providing fresh air and shade from the sun without worrying about the bugs. They preserve your home’s design and won’t get in the way of your view by retracting completely out of sight when not in use.

Increase natural air flow

Eliminate unwanted bugs

SouthernScreens.com

•

Reduce UV rays and solar heat

901-758-2121

Hassle-free installation included

•

Life insurance can be the cornerstone of your family’s financial plan.

Let us show you the promise life insurance offers, a promise that protects

LCAD00225

your family’s future.

' ( ) ) * ) ) +, ( +) - . / 0 1 ) 2 3