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DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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Publisher: J. Scott Coopwood Editor: Cindy Coopwood Managing Editor: Pam Parker Director of Special Projects: Kelli Williams Contributing Editors: Hank Burdine, Maude Schuyler Clay, Lea Margaret Hamilton, Jim “Fish” Michie, Brantley Snipes, Roger Stolle Digital Editor: Phil Schank Consultant: Samir Husni, Ph.D. Graphic Designers: Sandra Goff, Maggi Mosco Contributing Writers: Jack Criss, Sarah Fowler, Sherry Lucas, Mary Lee McKee, Abbie Robinson, Angela Rogalski, Michael Hicks Thompson, Cal Trout, Amber Warren, Mary Margaret Miller White, Wade Wineman, Kelli Williams Photography: Austin Britt, Rory Doyle, Lyndsi Naron, Anna Satterfield Account Executives: Joy Bateman, Melanie Dupree, Cristen Hemmins, Kristy Kitchings, Wendy Mize, Ann Nestler, Cadey True Circulation: Holly Tharp Accounting Manager: Emma Jean Thompson 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 ©2023 Coopwood Magazines, Inc.

6 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

from the editor

Winter Memories t’s no secret that I love winter and all that comes with it. Even the cold, dark, dreary days— give them all to me. In fact, as I write this, I am preparing for a trip to New York in a few

I

ANNA SATTERFIELD

ANNA SATTERFIELD

days with my daughter, Travis, a junior at Ole Miss, and, having just checked the weather, it is currently snowing there. The high our first day is expected to be 38 degrees, and rain is in the forecast for the other days. I should be jumping for joy, although somehow, I’m not quite as excited about that prospect as I would be if it were here.

Thoughts of winter and cold weather conjure up many fond memories over the years.

Those that stand out most would have to be during the ice storm of 1994. It was such a surreal experience filled with many special moments that stand out in our early marriage. We had recently moved to Scott’s hometown of Shelby, and into the home his great-uncle left to him, right around the corner from where he grew up. We had been married about three and a half years when we moved, and it seemed like a grand adventure to me. Our friends in Jackson thought we were crazy, but I loved everything about it—the old house, the small town, and the new friends we were making as a couple—who are still our best friends to this day. By February 1994, we had settled into our Delta lives, with Scott traveling back and forth to Jackson, still publishing the Jackson Business Journal. I was pregnant with our first son, Thomas, and life was good. When the storm came through, we were stunned. I can remember hearing the trees snapping all that night in what literally sounded like explosions.

It didn’t take Scott long to assess the situation and when his friend Dean Nassar found generators for sale in Tuscaloosa, Scott asked him to pick one up for us as well. Needless to say it was a lifesaver.

Other memories from that time: Our dear friend the late Gertrude Conner, who was easily in her late 70s, and lived alone a block away, came to stay with us for the duration— until her electricity came back on twenty-one days later. There was a sort of excitement about the whole situation, at least at first. We watched the Olympics at night and followed the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding drama, Gertrude introduced us to Kahlúa milkshakes, (yum, but I only took a sip), and each day Scott either picked up food from David’s Diner, which thankfully still managed to prepare meals, or we cooked on a Coleman camp stove we’d rigged in the kitchen. This is also when I had a slight issue my doctor needed to check With Scott and Delta Meat Market Chef Cole Ellis out. So we climbed in Scott’s old Jeep CJ-5 and braved the icy roads to the hospital in after the Chef’s dinner in December at the Cotton Clarksdale, which was also running on generators. Thankfully everything was fine with the House in Cleveland. Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar baby. It was a little early, but while we were there Scott asked if they could tell us the gender in Oxford joined forces with Cole for a fabulous of the baby, and we were thrilled to hear we were having a girl! (Notice I stated earlier I was culinary evening in the Delta. pregnant with a son. I blamed that error on the ice storm.) Ultimately we all survived, the Delta rebuilt, and I had a baby boy a few months later.

Another snowy memory came a few years later when several inches of snow fell across north Mississippi. Real snow, not ice. Everyone packed up and went to the levee with all manner of makeshift sleds including old car hoods. Ours was the top from Thomas and Jordan’s little green turtle sandbox, turned upside down. Scott drilled two holes in it and tied it to the hitch on the back of his truck. They climbed in and it was a perfect for sliding all over the levee. Cold memories that warm my heart to say the least!

In closing, as we enter the cold month of January and kick off our twentieth year publishing Delta Magazine, I am especially grateful for all of our readers and supporters. During the year we’ll be taking a look back at some of our most memorable interviews, articles, photo shoots, and more as we celebrate this milestone.

It’s been a wonderful journey and there are many more Delta stories to tell!

Here’s to 2023 and many more years of celebrating the Delta! DM

Cindy Coopwood Scott with young sons, Thomas and Jordan, on a snowy day at the levee.

8 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Editor @cindycoopwood | editor@deltamagazine.com

DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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contents JANUARY/FEBRUARY Volume 20 No. 4

36

AUSTIN BRITT

departments

96 74

48

features

48 54 61

Savannah Engel

86

Greenville native taking the PR world by storm

Holy Man in the High Grass

BOOKS

36

ART

42

MUSIC

96

HOME

112

FOOD

138 DELTA URS DETO

Reviews of new releases and what Deltans are reading now

JENNIFER DRINKWATER: Blending Art and Community to Find the Good LIBBY RAE WATSON: Hippie chick from Pascagoula with deep Delta ties

MORE THAN A RENO: The incredible transformation of the Nelson family’s nearly century-old barn in Glen Allan

WINTER SOUPS: 3 hearty and heart-warming recipes to try right now

HISTORY DEER CREEK: The best land this side of the Nile

Delta minister finds second calling chasing game in South Africa

DM’S ANNUAL TOURISM SECTION Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Air and Rail Travel: From here to there, from there to here, page 62 Road Trips: Two Men and a Porsche, page 70 Road Trips for Delicious Sips, page 76 The World Famous Blue Front Café, page 82 Delta Detours Special Advertising Section, page 86

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2023 Health & Wellness Special Advertising Section: Start the new year off right with these healthcare providers Mental Health Check-up, page 118 Beauty within Reach, page 126

in every issue 12 Letters 20 On the Road Where we’ve been, where we’re going next

24 Off the Beaten Path Roaming the real and rustic Delta

28 142 146 152

ON THE COVER: Hearty white chicken chili is the perfect thing for a cold winter day. Photo by Rory Doyle.

10 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Hot Topics Events Delta Seen The Final Word

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I grew up in the Delta, but now live in Jackson. I recently went back for my Hollandale High School reunion and I just want to thank you for keeping the essence of the Delta alive with Delta Magazine, especially for those of us who have moved away.

I thoroughly enjoyed your holiday issue, and as I tore out pages with recipes and festive ideas, I realized I was tearing out the entire magazine! So, I just kept it on my kitchen island as an instant reference and holiday helper. I think my favorite was the cinnamon rolls with cream—they tasted homemade, plus they were so easy. They were definitely on my holiday brunch menu!

Thanks again for everything!

Linda Castleberry Showah Jackson, Mississippi

the Soul now from

holiday season. The 1905 Salad and Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream are now part of my “official” holiday menu and I’ll definitely make a few of the specialty cocktails.

This edition of Delta Magazine inspired me to take a quick road trip to the Delta including a stop in Merigold at McCarty’s Pottery to pick up a few quick Christmas presents. (Thanks to Stephen Smith, for your wonderful team and customer service.

It’s always a treat.) Then, on to Cleveland where I enjoyed great shopping downtown and a lovely evening at the Cotton House.

Some of my downtown favorites were Rosson Co., Mod & Proper, H Squared, and the brand new Magnolia Proper, where I stocked up on caramel cakes and gifts.

Oh, and the holiday lights were delightful!

Jodi Penn Rives Oxford, Mississippi MUSIC

Charlie Musselwhite standing in a field of cotton, from whence the blues sprung

RORY DOYLE

INSPIRATIONAL. UPLIFTING. EDUCATIONAL.

LETTERS

CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE “Blues Tells the Truth in a World that’s Full of Lies”

BY HANK BURDINE

PHOTO FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR. ALYSSA ELLIS KILLEBREW

novelmemphis.com

74 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

HISTORY

or your local book-

With pants and a pistol this eccentric Delta woman blazed her own trail

BY NANCY ARMSTRONG WITH DR. ALYSSA ELLIS KILLEBREW

178 | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022

Keeler Family Home, Perthshire, Mississippi

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n western Bolivar County at the turn of the nineteenth century, Frederick B. Keeler rose from humble beginnings and created one of the most prominent cotton plantations in the Mississippi Delta.

Located on a ten-thousand-acre estate near Perthshire, Mississippi, the family home was designed to resemble a Mississippi River steamboat. It was also one of the largest homes in the area and the tales about it and what took place inside are legendary. Often called “The Castle in the Cotton Field,” the grand Victorian boasted forty rooms and featured wraparound porches, a ballroom, and tennis courts. The house even had a padded room with constraints which contributed to its mystique.

In 1889, his daughter, Laura Maie, was born into this family of wealth. She grew into a beauty with great intelligence, talent, and Laura Maie seemed destined for a life of privilege and luxury.

However, at the young age of twelve, her father died unexpectedly.

Tragedy continued to plague the Keeler family, and by the age of twenty, Laura Maie had lost six of her seven siblings.

Then on June 27, 1917, at the age of twenty-eight, Keeler found herself facing a life-changing decision. Charles Keeler was Laura Maie’s brother and only living sibling. His ongoing struggles with alcoholism and mental illness caused their mother, Orlena, to bypass her son and leave Laura Maie the bulk of the family estate along with the responsibility of operating the plantation. Orlena Keeler’s will stated her daughter would receive the plantation in its entirety; however, there was one important stipulation. Laura Maie was

NANCY ARMSTRONG

Laura Maie Keeler

PHOTO FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR. ALYSSA ELLIS KILLEBREW

store/gift shop.

engaged to a Charles Brakefield at the time and Brakefield did not meet her mother’s approval. The will stated that if Laura Maie married Brakefield, she would forfeit the entire estate and receive only one dollar in exchange for her inheritance. After much consideration, Laura Maie decided to break off her engagement and she inherited the plantation and all its amenities.

Laura Maie earned a degree from Sullins University in Virginia.

She was an accomplished artist, avid horseman, and enthusiastic motorist.

In fact, her passion for cars took her into the world of automobile racing. She soon began competing in long-distance Prohibition Era races. With her 1921 Stutz Series K Bearcat, she set a number of speed records in driving competitions. And with her fortitude, persistence, and determination constantly pushing her, Laura Maie never lost a race.

As the years passed, she never married. Instead, Laura Maie became one of the very few female planters at the time in the Mississippi Delta. She took a hands-on role in managing the large estate and was directly involved in all facets of management. Highly respected by both her employees and community, Laura Maie was DELTA MAGAZINE 2022 | 179

Y’all had me with the cover photo— who doesn’t want to dive into S’mores Hot Chocolate? It’s hard to choose a favorite article this month. The article on the trailblazing Laura Maie Keeler by Nancy Armstrong and Dr. Alyssa Ellis Killebrew was well-written and intriguing. And, the recipes have been perfect inspiration for this

I rarely have time to fully read my favorite magazine, Delta Magazine, but Hank Burdine’s recent article about Charlie Musselwhite completely grabbed my attention. I’ve been lucky to hear Charlie play his signature “real blues” a couple of times, but I knew very little about him.

Hank’s article immerses the reader in the life and personality of this great blues performer and made me feel that he was an old friend.

Charlie’s blues from his heart is the real blues that has always had the most effect on a listener. Hank’s article should create many new fans for this “Mississippi Son”— appropriately the name of Charlie’s newest album!

Jack Coleman Rosedale, Mississippi

Joy Bateman Author, illustrator, publisher of the ‘The Art of Dining’ book series 12 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

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

Y’all Said

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS @deltamagazine

We Asked...

Are you a dog person or a cat person? And, why?

Definitely a cat person. Cats bathe themselves and they don’t have to be taken out in all kinds of weather and all times of the day or night to use the bathroom. It takes just a few minutes to train a cat.

You show them where the litter box is one time and they’ve got it. You can leave them alone for a few days when you go on a trip as long as you leave out enough food and a litter box. Plus, their purrs have been shown to have healing properties!

– Lainie Anthony Cat! – Kathy Brandt DOG!!!! They are loving and caring. A dog can seriously be a best friend!! Cats are just weird.

– Rita Johnson I am a cat person now because my kitten adopted me. He showed up one day, and has been with me ever since. I was a dog person for 28 years and would not have gotten a kitten. I sure am glad my kitten chose me, I have a new outlook on life now.

– Eddie Horton Definitely a Dog Person !!! They become companions whereas Cats Must Rule Your Life !!!!

– Ben Johnson Probably dog, depending on the breed. – Pete Fisher

Holidays are a great time to make memories and share stories with our families. What’s your favorite story about your grandparents?

As November rolled around, seemed I’d always find myself with my grandfather, uncle, and father out in the fields rabbit hunting. We had a great beagle named Chip who loved to hunt. After hunting most of the morning, my grandmother would put together lunch. She always was able to take whatever she had and turn it into a feast. Of course as Thanksgiving arrived, we were deer hunting. And once again come in for an outstanding Thanksgiving dinner. These were great times, and as I look back on it I realize just how lucky I was. – Mike Lucas I am 70 years young and my grandparents lived in Tchula, Mississippi! My granddad was a hunter and we always had either fried squirrel (my favorite) or venison roast and those special occasion dinners still live with me today! Awesome memories to this day! – Billy Fisher My maternal grandmother hand-made my Christmas stocking with my name and other sequin/beaded decorations on the stocking. Each year she made sure I had the biggest apple or orange in the toe of my stocking! – Leath Johnson DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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YOU WANT A BETTER COMMERCIAL BANKER. REGIONS IS WHERE YOU’LL FIND ONE. EXPECT BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE THAT GOES BEYOND THE BALANCE SHEET. There will come a moment when you realize your Regions Commercial Relationship Manager is someone who will bring you a lot more than just ways to raise capital. You’ll see we’re here to demonstrate our value to you as local, knowledgeable business consultants. You’ll find we ask smart questions, listen to your answers and deliver smart solutions for your business. You’ll know we’re true partners. In that moment, you’ll realize you made the right choice.

LET’S START THE CONVERSATION TODAY. Walt Stephens | Commercial Banking 662.433.6685 | walt.stephens@regions.com

Commercial Banking | Treasury Management | Capital Markets | Wealth Management © 2020 Regions Bank. All loans and lines subject to credit approval, terms and conditions. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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Horse and Hound

PHOTO BY BROOKE BALLENGER

Each year, horses are gathered and hounds are turned loose as the Longreen hunt gets underway. Longreen Foxhounds was started in 1957 with PennMarydel hounds brought from Maryland by Master of Foxhounds Bart Mueller, and was recognized by the national Master of Foxhounds Association in 1962. Located in Rossville, it remains one of Tennessee’s most prominent hunting organizations. The opening meet this year took place near Como, Mississippi, at Birdlands Plantation. Originally hunting only fox and the rare deer, the pack now pursues coyote in a territory stretching from Clarksdale to Blytheville, Arkansas, between the Mississippi River and the levee. Some of the generous landowners who donate the land ride along on their own horses joining in the gallop. DM

18 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

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ON THE ROAD

where we’ve been, where to go next

CLARKSDALE CLEVELAND

A salute to one of America’s great writers in downtown Clarksdale.

– VISIT CLARKSDALE

One of the Delta’s favorite eateries recently celebrated 30 years in business. – AIRPORT GROCERY FACEBOOK PAGE

YAZOO CITY

PHOTO OPS INDIANOLA

1800s Horse and buggy transportation in the gateway to the Delta. – VISIT YAZOO

ROSEDALE

Ode to a King—gone but never to be forgotten.

Winter scenery in the Great River Road State Park. – SEAN JOHNSON

20 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

– MISSISSIPPI MAIN STREET ASSOCIATION

GUNNISON

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Big green machines settled in for a long winter’s nap.

– MAGGI MOSCO

Mallard madness in the South Delta. – STEWART ROBINSON

& FUNKY STOPS GREENVILLE

The business district on Washington Street, circa 1940.

– TIMEPASSAGESNOSTALGIA.COM

GREENWOOD

Bird’s-eye view of a town with a history and culture as rich as the fertile alluvial soil. – JOHNNY JENNINGS

TUNICA COUNTY

One of Tunica County’s legendary attractions made famous by recording artist Marc Cohn in his song “Walking in Memphis.”

Instagram users, follow @deltamagazine

– CRISTEN CRAVEN BARNARD

DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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22 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Where education, research and patient care all come together for one reason.

You.

All for Your Health umc.edu/YourHealth

OFF THE BEATEN PATH roaming the real and rustic Delta

THE EDGE MOTOR MUSEUM Sports Car History

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HE EDGE MOTOR MUSEUM IN MEMPHIS HAS BEEN OPEN FOR THREE YEARS and

concentrates on preservation over restoration. That’s why history permeates the air when you walk in; the building itself is steeped in car culture, it used to be an automobile factory in 1920. The museum is many things, but what it’s not is a personal collection of automobiles. What it is though is a culturally significant education on the history of the American-built sports car.

Bob Watkins is curator of the museum— and laughingly says he came with the woodwork, and believes that the museum is an important asset for automobile history.

“Many people believe that the only American-built sports car is the Corvette, which is completely wrong,” he explains. “We go back through the history of the sports car, from basically WWII through the early ‘70s.

And these cars are on exhibit, along with many cars that are really here for fun, such as a 1950 Rocket 88, which ties in with Sun Studio and Ike Turner’s song; we have a car that belonged to Doris Day, a 1951 Muntz, which they only made 194 of. It’s just absolutely gorgeous. We have one of the original Tesla pre-production prototypes, so this was a Tesla before there were Tesla’s. And we have it sitting next to a 1913 Model-T Ford, which is a national first place winner, basically to show what 100 years of technology looks like.

“We also have a Glasspar in the museum,” he continues. “It was the first fiberglass body American-built sports car made in 1951. They only produced ten of them and we’ve been told there are only two in existence. So it’s a rare sight for sure.”

Located at 645 Marshall Ave. in Memphis, the museum is on the edge of downtown Memphis. “We’re 600 feet from Sun Studio,” Watkins adds. “This whole area is known as the “Edge” district of Memphis—hence our name.

The automobiles we exhibit really dovetail the music industry in this area. We really like to think that because we have a lot of information on our walls, we’re not just a car museum. We’re something that relates to everyone’s culture of the time.”

645 Marshall Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 901.441.CARS; edgemotormuseum.com 24 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

The Edge Motor Museum features a wide array of perfectly preserved historical vehicles, some dating back as far as 1913.

PACESETTER GALLERY Mississippi artists featured in Flowood

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ERI DAVIS, OWNER OF PACESETTER GALLERY IN THE DOGWOOD SHOPPING CENTER IN FLOWOOD, is an artist herself having been raised around it. In fact, this unique Mississippi-centric gallery is named in honor of Keri’s grandmother, herself an artist and art teacher.

“She had an art gallery in South Texas near San Antonio in which I practically grew up in,” recalls Davis. “When she first opened and was looking for work to display and sell, she found old cattle scene paintings by an artist named Melvin Warren that had been commissioned originally by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but he ended up not buying them all. My grandmother purchased two of those works, one of which was called ‘Pacesetter Cattle Drive,’ the Pacesetter Gallery, which has been open for nearly two years, feaures original art and unique name she used for her gallery and which I now use for mine. It was a way to honor my creations that are only Mississippi made. grandmother who taught me so much.

“I opened Pacesetter Gallery about a year and a half ago,” continues Davis, “and we feature only Mississippi artists and their work ranging from paintings to pottery and sculptures to handmade jewelry, as well as unique gifts. When I first opened we had 42 local artists represented here and now we’re up to 68.”

Davis says she hosts a lot of live art events at Pacesetter as well as other fun activities for patrons, including a recent “Louis Armstrong Day” in which a jazz trio played in the gallery.

“I work with local schools to get students in to work on unique and interesting art ideas and we also host regular scavenger hunts inside the story for children to come and find prizes and goodies hidden within the shop. For me, it’s all about promoting art education through such community events.”

Business has been good, reports Davis, and part of the reason why is because her goal is to make Pacesetter Gallery welcoming and enjoyable for customers, not intimidating. “And, again, we specialize in featuring only Mississippi artists and their work,” says Davis. “That’s important to me—showcasing all of the great talent we have in the state and displaying it for my patrons to see and purchase. We have a very wide range of mediums and styles to choose from.”

310 Ridge Way, Flowood 601.488.0345 pacesettergallery.com DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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Moonstruck antique flea market

150 NORTH ST CLEVELAND MS

662-444-3532 26 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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HOT TOPICS DELTA CIGAR COMPANY Smooth smokes and setting goes mobile “We’re a mobile cigar concierge company but we still retain all of the amenities and ambience of a traditional cigar lounge.” So says owner Darius Jenkins in describing his unique business, Delta Cigar Company, based in Drew.

“It’s all about providing an experience,” says Jenkins, whose day job is as a first responder. “And being mobile, we’re available for any event or get-together where people want to enjoy a fine, premium cigar in a relaxing setting.”

Jenkins says he started Delta Cigar Company last year during the pandemic because of his own love of a good cigar with a bourbon. “So many people were scared to get out and go anywhere,” he says. “And when I couldn’t go out to any lounge myself, I just thought, ‘How cool would it be to bring a cigar lounge out to the people--and take it anywhere?’

That’s how I started. I got an eight and a half by twenty box trailer and converted and furnished it into a cigar lounge. We go to private bookings and festivals and offer twenty different brands of cigars on hand, but can also usually special order whatever brand my customers request,” says Jenkins, “and people can BYOB, also. The costs vary on what folks want at their event.”

“We’ve been really busy and it’s exciting,” Jenkins says of the response to his mobile lounge—or “traveling man cave” as he calls it—thus far. “I can and will go anywhere, too, so we’re not limited by a specified coverage area. In fact, we’ve set up as far away as Raymond

1

and Tupelo. At some point, we’re looking at franchising, that’s in the five-year plan. The flexibility of being mobile is key and will allow us to grow.”

420 North Church Street, Drew 662.902.8009 Facebook and Instagram: @deltacigar

BUSH’S KOUNTRY CAFE Serving homestyle dishes in Leland Husband and wife Cedric and Lisa Bush opened Bush’s Kountry Cafe in December of 2021 and the “word” quickly got out. “Since we’re on the Blues Trail, we’ve had customers come in from places like Italy, Canada, France—all over the world,” says Cedric.

Specializing in traditional home cooking using unique recipes from their respective families, the Bush’s have become known for their “Smiley Cornbread,” which all guests get a free taste of when they come in. “It’s our signature cornbread recipe that we bring out in a skillet for folks,” says Cedric, “and the first serving is always on the house.”

Cedric and Lisa, both Leland natives who have been cooking for years, saw the opening of their restaurant as something they could do to revitalize their hometown—and offer some great food in the process.

2

“All of what we cook comes from recipes that have been handed down for generations, spanning over fifty years,” says Cedric, “so it has our own unique and delicious spin on even the most traditional dish like catfish, fried chicken, ribs or one of our five specialty hamburgers. We love offering dishes we grew up on that we can now share with our customers.”

Cedric says he’s had customers almost in tears because they say that the “food for soul” Bush’s Kountry Cafe offers is just like their mother’s or grandmother’s. “You can’t get any higher praise than that!” he laughs.

Bush’s Kountry Cafe offers jazz and blues music on the weekends, as well. More information can be found on Bush’s Kountry Cafe can be found on their Facebook page or by calling.

Hours are Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

117 East 3rd Street, Leland 662.822.2472 or 662.378.7563 Facebook: @Bush’s Kountry Cafe

28 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

GADZOOKS—A SWEETACULAR EXPERIENCE Serving tasty treats to suit any palate There’s a new candy shop in downtown Cleveland called Gadzooks. If you think the name is whimsical and fun, you’re going to love the sweet treats the shop has in store for you which are just as fun. The shop carries Jelly Belly beans in forty-eight different flavors and M&M’s in twenty-one different colors, as well as many other delectable treats.

Cleveland resident Avvy Capapas is the owner and proprietor of the candy shop which just opened this past October.

“We carry Turkish Delight candies that are actually from Turkey and nougat that comes all the way from France and Austria,” added Capapas about some of the more rare delights at Gadzooks. “We also carry sixty different flavors of cotton candy like pickle-flavored, mimosa and margarita and fun sodas that are hard to find and complement the other sweets for sale in the new store.

“At Gadzooks we also have a wonderfully sweet treat called Marshmallow Gooey’s that you can either store at room temperature or in the freezer and they come in pint-sized containers,” adds Capapas. “If you put them in the freezer, they remain gooey and you eat them like ice cream.”

Capapas says that of the forty-eight different Jelly Belly flavors Gadzooks has, cocktail flavors have been really popular. “We have martini, rosé, champagne, and others,” she says, “but of course, they are non-alcoholic. We have Taffy Town saltwater taffy in twenty different flavors, such as chicken and waffles and maple

3

bacon. We also sell wine gummies from the Netherlands that are delicious and of course, they are non-alcoholic as well.”

Gadzooks also sells fun sodas that complement its sweet experience. “We carry the Totally Gross brand sodas which come in many different flavors and are made with real cane sugar and naturally pure well-water,” she says. “They have interesting flavors like Swamp Juice and Monster Mucous. We also have the Wild Bill brand sodas which is a veteran-owned and operated company that makes craft and fun beverages.”

307 Cotton Row Plaza, Cleveland 773.844.6318 Facebook: @gadzookscandiesandsodapop

STORY BOOKS—A STORY WORTH TELLING A dream realized for one couple Bringing her love of books and reading to fruition, Brittany Meador of Cleveland recently opened Story Books, when the perfect spot became available on Sharpe Avenue in the town’s historic downtown. “I’ve been a high school English teacher, both here in Cleveland and also in Edinburgh, Scotland,” says Meador. “My passion is children’s books and I have long wanted to open a store like Story Books that catered more to youngsters and that would provide them a fun space to explore.”

In keeping with her desire to also be a community space, Meador says that homeschool and other groups have held meetings in Story Books and that will continue to be a major part of her store’s mission. She also plans to offer the space for pop-up events from time to time that bring in other businesses.

Story Books’ inventory is all new, with half of it dedicated to children’s books, says Meador. “We also stock the educational Usborne and Kane Miller books, which are somewhat difficult to

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find,” she notes. Additionally, Story Books carries unique toys--such as Hape, a classic German brand, puzzles, Hohner musical instruments and other assorted games for younger children. Meador also plans to continue a “story and song” event on the first Saturday of every month for kids and their families. “My husband leads that since he plays guitar,” she laughs, “and we also host other story times that we post on Facebook.”

With a focus on children and young families, they are excited to round out their offerings for all ages, especially in a bustling town like Cleveland where there are numerous downtown events and festivals.”We also just got our beer license approved,” says Meador. “This will allow parents to make a purchase and be able to carry their beverage around while shopping downtown or to accommodate book groups that meet here and would like to have an adult beverage.”

158 North Sharpe Avenue, Cleveland 662.400.3014 Facebook: @bookshop.org/shop/storybooks DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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BOOKS

Buzzworthy Comments

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry (Ecco) Dr. Imani Perry recently accepted the National Book Award in nonfiction for South to America. It is truly a journey state by state, area by area into our region, relaying the history, culture, problems, beauty, landscape, quirks, and heroes. Perry’s overall argument is that we need to look honestly, sharply, and compassionately at the South in all its context in order to comprehend how our past informs our future and how caring for the South is caring for the whole of America. As a native Alabamian, she offers stories from her own ancestors, various Southern communities, Imani Perry along with compelling research to display the South both in its glory and in its truth, with respect to how the typical American views the South. This masterful work of nonfiction is like a spiritual road trip, full of hope and constantly moving the reader toward unconditional love for this magnificent region of our country. (Liza Jones) Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra (Random House) Anthony Marra’s newest novel, Mercury Pictures Presents, is fascinating, demonstrating the give-and-take between life and art and what it means to be an artist. Maria Lagana emigrates from Italy to Hollywood after her father is arrested. She becomes an associate producer at Mercury Pictures where she fights the good fight of balancing her career and private life. The production studio is going broke just before World War II, but an onslaught of refugees fleeing the war in Europe brings new talent and new dreams to the studio. It’s a wonderful cast of characters, but Maria’s life is a precarious structure. Everything is threatened with the arrival of a stranger from her father’s past. Marra weaves history, social critique, and subtle humor into an epic yet warm story that opens and pleases the heart at every turn. (Liza Jones)

We asked Facebook friends and Delta Magazine fan page group members to share with us what book are you looking forward to reading in 2023? o Kim Wilson, Walmart associate Panther Burn, Mississippi

Boys From Biloxi by John Grisham. I love his books and enjoy reading them because he is a Mississippi native and his books are mostly based somewhere in the state. o Frazier Riddel, owner at Small Town Music Canton, Mississippi

Alora Young

And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

by Jon Meacham (Random House) A president who governed a divided country has much to teach us in a twenty-first-century moment of polarization and political crisis. Hated and hailed, excoriated and revered, Abraham Lincoln was at the pinnacle of American power when implacable secessionists gave no quarter in a clash of visions bound up with money, race, identity, and faith. In him we can see the possibilities of the presidency as well as its limitations.

This book tells the story of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier in 1809 to his leadership during the Civil War to his tragic assassination in 1865: his rise, his self-education, his loves, his bouts of Jon Meacham depression, his political failures, his deepening faith, and his persistent conviction that slavery must end. In a nation shaped by the courage of the enslaved of the era and by the brave witness of Black Americans, Lincoln’s story illustrates the ways and means of politics in a democracy, the roots and durability of racism, and the capacity of conscience to shape events. (Special/DM Staff )

Happiness Is a Serious Problem by Dennis Prager. Right off the bat this book made the point that happiness takes work, and it is just as important for others as it is for ourselves. I am looking forward to any positive insight the book may offer. If this books pans out in the end as good as it started, I’ll consider other books by this author. o Diane Nunley, retired Laurel, Mississippi

Reckoning by Catherine Coulter. A lot of my friends are giving it rave reviews. o Kathleen Blackwell Jenkins, retired educator Madison, Mississippi

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.

My book club has chosen this book as our January read.

For the Record Books Delta Magazine fans are currently reading o Patsy Holloway Williams The Reagan Diaries

by Ronald Reagan

o Melba Cunningham Detlefsen Dying to Be Me

by Anita Moorjani

o Brenda Myers The Big Dark Sky

by Dean Koontz

o Van VanZan Riders of the Purple Sage

by Zane Grey

o Maude Schuyler Clay Deer Creek Drive

o Tonya Satterfield Hendon Mission Critical

by Beverly Lowry

by Mark Greaney

o Melissa Hughey The Myth of Normal

o Polly Anne McMath McKaskle The Retreat

by Gabor Maté

o Jimmy Caden The Tennis Handsome

by Barry Hannah

o Lee Ann Moore The Nix

by Nathan Hill

by Sarah Pearse

o Sherry Bailey Red Handed

by Peter Schweizer

o Beverly Mayo Browning Verity

by Colleen Hoover

32 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Brand Disloyalty by William Dunlap (Blue Mule Publishing ) The ten stories in Brand Disloyalty, William Dunlap’s third gathering of short stories relate to “Short Mean Fiction” and “Lying and Making a Living” in a number of ways. Serious and not so serious territory has been staked out for future development. Stories began in other publications are finished here. As with the other two collections, fiction often tells a greater truth than fact (Special/DM Staff ) Heritage and Hoop Skirts: How Natchez Created the Old South

by Paul Hardin Kapp (University Press of Mississippi) For over eighty years, tourists have flocked to Natchez, Mississippi, seeking the “Old South,” but what they encounter is invention: a pageant and rewrite of history first concocted during the Great Depression. In Heritage and Hoop Skirts: How Natchez Created the Old South, author Paul Hardin Kapp reveals how the women of the Natchez Garden Club saved their city, created one of the first cultural tourism economies in the United States, changed the Mississippi landscape through historic preservation, and fashioned elements of the Lost Cause into an industry.

Beginning with the first Natchez Spring Pilgrimage of Antebellum Homes in 1932, such women as Katherine Grafton Miller, Roane Fleming Byrnes, and Edith Wyatt Moore challenged the notion that smokestack industries were key to Natchez’s prosperity. These women developed a narrative of graceful living and aristocratic gentlepeople centered on grand but decaying mansions. In crafting this pageantry, they created a tourism magnet based on the antebellum architecture of Natchez. Through their determination and political guile, they enlisted New Deal programs, such as the WPA Writers’ Project and the Historic American Buildings Survey, to promote their version of the city. (Special/DM Staff ) Going Up The Country: Adventures in Blues Fieldwork in the 1960s

by Marina Bokelman and David Evans (University Press of Mississippi) At the height of the blues revival, Marina Bokelman and David Evans, young graduate students from California, made two trips to Louisiana and Mississippi and short trips in their home state to do fieldwork for their studies at UCLA. While there, they made recordings and interviews and took extensive field notes and photographs of blues musicians and their families. Going Up the Country: Adventures in Blues Fieldwork in the 1960s presents their experiences in vivid detail through the field notes, the photographs, and the retrospective views of these two passionate researchers. The book includes historical material as well as contemporary reflections by Bokelman and Evans on the times and the people they met during their southern journeys. Their notes and photographs take the reader into the midst of memorable encounters with many obscure but no less important musicians, as well as blues legends, including Robert Pete Williams, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Al Wilson (cofounder of Canned Heat), Babe Stovall, Reverend Ruben Lacy, and Jack Owens. (Special/DM Staff ) DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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DELTA

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

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

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ART

Jennifer Drinkwater Blending Art and Community to Find the Good

BY MARY LEE MCKEE PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA SATTERFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY

36 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

W

hat’s good in your community? Does the question surprise you? Are you more accustomed to discussing what’s wrong? What’s NOT good or what’s NOT working? Jennifer Drinkwater has a question. “What’s good?” But

more than that, she wants to know what would happen if “What’s good?” was the question we asked more often than “What’s wrong?”

Drinkwater recently loaded up her car and traveled from her home in Ames, Iowa, to Cleveland, Mississippi. Born in Greenville where she lived until second grade and was then raised in Jackson, she was happy to head south for a two-week artist-in-residency at Jx Farms. The onetime horse farm was repurposed by the Jacks family to provide temporary residence, respite, and reinvigoration for artists and makers, an artist-in-residency program (AIR). Drinkwater is passionate about AIRs. “Without fail, major turning points in my art practice have followed my stints at AIRs.” AIRs provide artists with a refreshing break from work and other demands and the space and resources necessary for a time of special focus on creating without interruptions. “It’s hard to create in the throes of daily life. It’s been nice to be quiet and have a little mental breathing room.”

A few of Drinkwater’s goals for the residency were to take photos, finish writing a community toolkit for pop-up exhibitions and experiences, and explore a few Delta sites for her entrepreneurial venture, the

What’s Good Project. She created the What’s Good Project to celebrate what is good in communities, to sell her art, and to give portions of what she sells back to those communities. It’s the culmination of her work as a community art specialist, her love of people and places, of stories and storytelling, and her desire to challenge the habitual tendency of critical thinking to be based in negativity.

Ames is the home of Iowa State University, where Drinkwater has a joint appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Visual Culture and as a community art specialist for the Community and Economic Development unit for ISU Extension and Outreach. It’s a mouthful. You could say she is an artist teaching art with a passion for helping communities use art for the betterment of all. “I talk to people. A lot.”

After acquiring her MFA in painting, Drinkwater was hired by ISU to teach drawing and painting, which she did for seven years. Meanwhile, her personal work became more community oriented. She wrestled with the question, “How does art

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move beyond the studio and into communities and lives?”

With the creation of a new position that combined faculty and community outreach, Drinkwater’s personal and professional callings began to align. “Now I’m teaching classes I wish I’d had in grad school—like how to be an artist in the world. I’m in the College of Design versus a school of art. Think landscaping, planning, architecture. How can art be useful? How do we use art and design to build community?” At this point, she pauses and makes a thoughtful assertion: “The South gets this.” Taking into consideration her very inclusive view of art that includes 38 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

many expressions, such as culinary arts and folk traditions, she offers examples: “The idea of Southern supper clubs is on point: gathering together to eat, often thematically.

Or the way New Orleans came back after Hurricane Katrina was largely because the arts and culture created such a strong social fabric, like the Mardi Gras Indians and Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs.”

In her role at ISU, she helps communities use art to build relationships and economic development opportunities, as well as bring diverse groups within the community together.

“Art is becoming more widely accepted in the community and economic

development space, and it is encouraged that artists have real roles in communities, to use art for community development.

And that means whatever the community wants it to mean. I’ll show up in a community, and they want a mural project.

I can guide them through the process. I’ve produced toolkits for that.” In 2012, she assisted a mural project in Clarksdale with middle school students to address “what this place is and what it could be.”

Art and design, creativity and culture working to promote community, to bring people together, to build social capital—is it really a thing? And is it something the South inherently gets, as Drinkwater believes? “The South has a culture of celebration. Maybe it’s the warm weather.

In the Midwest, life is built on the backs of family farms; it’s very hard-working.

Southern culture is more laid back, full of food and party and family and celebration; it’s different. The storytelling, porches, waving to your neighbors…that creates something. People just enjoy life more.” If the South gets it, the Delta, perhaps the most Southern place on earth, gets it even more. “There’s no excess like there is in the Delta.”

She reminisces about growing up in the Delta, returning to Greenville from Jackson each summer through high school. When she was older, she perceived that Greenville was…different.

“My dad is a great storyteller. He used to describe the difference like this: the dinner party in Greenville versus the one in Jackson. The one in Greenville, you have cocktails ‘til eleven, then you finally eat.

Then you dance all night.” Place.

Storytelling. Places have their own, unique stories. Drinkwater loves to find those stories, especially the good stories, and bring them to light. “Storytelling and folklore are hugely important in Mississippi communities, and the best storytellers I know are Mississippi Deltans.” This perfectly describes the mission of the What’s Good Project: combining storytelling and art to showcase what is good in a community. It grew naturally out of her work at ISU. “The cool thing about my role at ISU is helping communities identify their assets and then figuring out how to leverage and grow those assets and make the community stronger. Focusing on the negative doesn’t help. That’s a death spiral.” Conversely, finding the assets is actually the beginning

of addressing the challenges. Gratitude becomes the driving force for change. Not condemnation. “This isn’t Pollyanna.

Research shows it works.” And yet, Drinkwater is by no means advocating for sweeping problems under the rug.

“The people and communities I’m drawn to are where normal people are acting in courageous ways in the face of civic challenges or injustice. They are showing strength and courage and character and acting positively in spite of those things.”

In 2019, backed by funding from ISU and the Puffin Foundation, Drinkwater officially launched the What’s Good Project with a focus on communities in Iowa and the Mississippi Delta. She began in Benoit and interviewed her way through nine Delta counties. “When I started I was deliberate about not interviewing the PR people in the community. At first I had a script then developed natural conversation.

People do share.” They share about their lives and their lives in their communities.

One of her favorite interviews was with Velma Benson-Wilson of Marks, the first and current Quitman County Economic and Tourism Director. “She’s an amazing woman with an amazing story.” Her love for Marks and its assets led her to help found the Mules and Blues Fest in 2017 and to succeed in acquiring an Amtrak stop after a twenty-year community effort, a tremendous feat and asset for a town of 1,400. Her interview with Benjamin Saulsberry was very helpful to the What’s

Good project. “He’s from Sumner and a professional gospel singer and the education director at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center. He had such great insight into all the good work happening in Sumner.” The stories and paintings that resulted from Drinkwater’s interviews in the Delta, including Marks, Sumner, and Rolling Fork, are archived on the What’s Good Project website.

“There’s so much good and history and potential that exist in these places,” she contends. “Art is a vehicle to help people share their lives and their stories. I’m more of an ethnographer, trying to contribute to that shifting narrative of what’s happening.”

She continues, “Surveys of small towns under ten thousand have found that the highest indicator of quality of life is social capital: a feeling of belonging, local civic

engagement. When you get involved in your community and feel like you belong, you are more likely to get involved because you feel like you can help.” Her voice rises.

“People make effort when they feel good.

You have value and can add value!” And that’s a secret, yet-oh-so-obvious, ingredient to community development. Drinkwater’s mission with What’s Good is to elicit the storytelling from people that reveals what is good and beautiful and worth celebrating in their communities and draw people into that celebration. “I’m definitely not interested in using art to interrogate my own personal pain. I want to contribute to something bigger than myself.” Her paintings, like the stories she records, evoke a sense of celebration without compromising the complexity.

“I paint in layers. I didn’t consciously think of this, but it speaks to layers of history, culture, complications, building up pieces in our community and individual lives.” She begins with layers of bright colors because she is intimidated by the white canvas. But the colors seem to convey positivity and celebration. “I love the process. I don’t get rid of the layers. I like what’s under the surface, to let it show.

Seeing the evidence of the mark, of the process.” Just like the communities she paints about. DM If you visit the What’s Good Project website, whatsgoodproject.com, you can sign up for a biweekly newsletter, and you will receive a personally written postcard from Drinkwater. You may also follow her on Instagram @thewhatsgoodproject.

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MUSIC

Libby Rae Watson Hippie chick from Pascagoula with deep Delta ties

Libby Rae Watson with her 1931 Duolian National guitar

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PETER LEE

BY HANK BURDINE

“Sam, I just can’t play like you…”

LIBBY RAE WATSON COLLECTION

“Lil’ Podnuh, you ain’t supposed to play like me, ’cause you ain’t me. You are supposed to take that song and do it like you do it. You take that song and make it yours.” And through the years, Lil’ Podnuh, Libby Rae Watson, has been playing more like Sam Chatmon and performing his, and her own, blues most all of her life. And she is on a mission to continue performing and promoting the blues not only in Mississippi but all over the world.

And she is doing a jam-up fine job of it.

Libby Thompson grew up down on the Gulf Coast in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her daddy was a dentist, and she was the youngest of three sisters and three brothers. Libby’s mother died when she was five years old, and the whole family was raised by their father. She started piano lessons in the third grade and was Stonewall Mays and Libby Rae jamming on the porch given a classical guitar by the sixth grade and learned three chords. in Coldwater, Mississippi.

(A lot of music can be played on only three chords!) In high school Libby started listening to the Allman Brothers Band, Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan and others, trying to understand and figure guitar, and they started playing and singing. She played a few out the blues. Once she realized what the blues really were, the songs that brought tears to his eyes because his mama used to sing repetitious rifts, the calls and responses, the soul and those songs to him. Libby Rae put a metal slide on her little finger, mournfulness of the real blues, she was hooked. She dug into the and she and Big Joe Williams sat in the shade in his car and played blues of Muddy Waters, listening, learning, and trying to figure the blues. A young white gal from the Coast picking a National out what the songs really meant, how to truly understand them guitar while Big Joe Williams sang the blues was pure nirvana. and how to play them. She had grown up on the Mississippi Gulf Boys and girls, it just don’t get much better than that. Take Coast in an established, comfortable lifestyle and in an my advice, pull up the song written by Libby Rae affluent neighborhood. What did she know about Watson called “Big Joe.” You will end up with the blues? She had never picked cotton, plowed a tear in your eye and a smile on your face. a mule, hand pumped water from a pitcher A young white gal But it was not until Libby Rae came to pump out back. She didn’t know the cold from the Coast picking a Hollandale and met the legendary Sam and lonely, muddy path to the hog pen or to the privy, but her mother had died National guitar while Big Joe Chatmon, an original member of the Mississippi Sheiks, that she met her when she was five years old and that’s the Williams sang the blues zenith. She came into his living room after blues! She was just a cute little hippie chick meeting him one day with five guys, all with from down on the Coast who liked the blues was pure nirvana. their guitars, to play with and learn a little from and was wanting and searching to know more the great bluesman. After a while, Sam told the about them. It didn’t take her long. boys to just “get on out of here; I’m gonna show her In 1973, while attending dental hygienist school in something.” Sam Chatmon started playing “Whiskey Blues.”

Jackson, Libby met Bobby Ray Watson from Pleasant Hill, When Sam told Libby Rae Watson to take those songs and “make Mississippi. Bobby Ray had grown up in the North Mississippi them your own,” he basically gave her permission to do just that. hill country around R. L. Burnside, Mississippi Fred McDowell, “Lil’ Podnuh, one note with feeling gives you more satisfaction Johnny Woods and others. He played the guitar and the than all the technique.” She had been told by Big Joe Williams to harmonica. There Libby heard a different kind of blues from the play with finger picks to make the music loud in the Northeast traditional Delta blues. The young aspiring couple were immersed Mississippi hill country style, while Sam Chatmon told her to use in the hard driving, pulsing Northeast Mississippi hill country no picks but to play with her natural fingers for a natural sound. blues, unlike the slow and mournful wails of the Delta blues. In Libby Rae Watson had crawled up into the lap of the elder Memphis they met Memphis Piano Red, Mose Vinson, and Furry statesman of the blues, a gentleman and a gentle man. She would Lewis. Together their young, searching hearts were exploding with listen and learn, and she would carry his music and his rollicking the remnants and the vestiges of the last of the great bluesmen. finger picking style, along with her own music and songs, all over Some were still performing, and some had come back from the world. I also had met Sam Chatmon back then, and I can obscurity to play once again during the blues resurgence of the truthfully say that without Libby Rae’s love and devotion for this 1960s at folklife festivals and music gatherings. great bluesman, a lot of his music and his aura would be lost. She While traveling in Northeast Mississippi, Libby Rae had heard is carrying it on wherever and whenever she plays. about Big Joe Williams. She found him sitting in his car on top of a hill under a big shade tree. She got in with her National

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LIBBY RAE WATSON COLLECTION

LIBBY RAE WATSON COLLECTION

Libby Rae and Big Joe Williams sitting in his car playing the blues. Libby Rae plays her National with her slide while Big Joe sings the blues.

RANDY MAGEE

SIEGFRIED A. CHRISTMAN

Libby Rae and Big Joe Williams with a young Bob Dylan backstage at a concert in Jackson.

Libby Rae Watson and her mentor, Sam Chatmon. Sam took young Libby Rae under his wing and led her in the ways of the blues.

And her story begins…

Throughout all her travels in Northeast Mississippi, Memphis, and extensively in the Delta, Libby Rae had met and befriended a number of original bluesmen. In 1978, she partnered with MACE out of Greenville and helped coordinate and put together the lineup for the very first Mississippi Delta Blues Festival held at Freedom Village out in the country south of Greenville. Celebrated musicians like Big Joe Williams, Eugene Powell, Son Thomas, Furry Lewis, and Sam Chatmon, along with others, made up a stellar crew of performers. She knew them all, but “the one that really changed my life and the one I cherish the most as far as friendship was Sam Chatmon. We just hit it off really well.” Every chance she got, while working a regular routine in Pascagoula as a dental hygienist in her daddy’s dental clinic, she was up in the Delta, hanging out with Sam Chatmon, learning and listening, absorbing the style, the rifts, the feelings of Mr. Sam’s blues. She learned deep and well, with love and affection for not only the music but for the man himself. And it was at Sam Chatmon’s funeral in February of 1983 that Libby Rae Watson was asked by 44 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Libby Rae with her Gibson Black Special #2. She had bought the plastic rose to put in Sam Chatmon’s grave, but her emotions took hold and the grave was closed before she realized it hadn’t gone in the ground. That rose goes with her everywhere she and her guitar go.

the family to play the world-renowned Mississippi Sheik’s blues song, written by Sam and his brother Bo Carter, “Sitting on Top of the World.” She was laying a friend, her mentor, and loved one to rest. I had been asked to be a pall bearer for Mr. Sam along with his Bar-B-Que Boys from Canada that he played with. Three white men and three black men toted Mr. Sam down. As Libby Rae cradled her Gibson Black Special #2 and began strumming and singing, there wasn’t a dry eye anywhere. I don’t know if it was Libby’s tears or not dripping off, but I believe I saw that guitar cry.

Maybe I was just blinded by my own tears.

“Now when I’m dead and in my grave, no more women’s will my poor heart crave. Yes, I’ll be gone, but don’t you worry, I’ll be sitting on top of the world.”

Years before, while working as a dental hygienist, Libby had heard of a 1931 Duolian National guitar. She drove over and looked at it, strummed it, and timidly asked how much it was.

Four hundred dollars was a lot of money for a guitar, but those

LIBBY RAE WATSON COLLECTION

guitars had a soul of their own. All you needed to do was pick it up, put a slide on your finger, and the music came to life. She borrowed the money, and the next weekend brought it home. Later on, Libby Rae was in Nashville at the Old Time Picking Parlor and spied the Gibson Black Special #2 that she later played at Sam Chatmon’s funeral. She paid two hundred dollars for the guitar and forked over fifty dollars for a hard case. These two guitars were sitting on top of the bed in her home during hurricane Katrina.

When the surge waters came into her house, those two guitars just floated right up to the ceiling and then floated right back down unscathed as the flood receded. It was as if someone had just reached down and protected those two guitars. She lost ten other guitars during the storm. Regarding the National Watson says, “This guitar and I have been roommates for forty-two years. It carries the blues mojo from the hands of Furry Lewis, Johnny Woods, Big Joe Williams, Sam Chatmon, and many more blues greats.”

LIBBY RAE WATSON COLLECTION

Libby Rae and Sam Chatmon, student and the master. Sam Chatmon, original member of the Mississippi Sheiks puts some love and blues soul into her Gibson Black Special #2.

Young Bobby Ray and Libby Rae in a cotton field in search of the blues.

LIBBY RAE WATSON COLLECTION

She Shimmy in 2020. In an article reviewing the music, Brenda Germany says, “Libby Rae Watson’s inimitable voice, storytelling, and fingerpicking guitar style that reflect her deep talent and true love of what she does make this collaboration with seasoned bluesman Bert Deivert irresistible.”

Libby Rae has won numerous awards and was the Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola Blues Challenge 2014 and 2015 winner, Her Own Legend finalist with Wes Lee at the In the early 1990s, Libby Rae began International Blues Challenge in performing publicly starting off at the Memphis and 2014 and 2015 Rainbow Coffee House in Bay St. semifinalist. Libby Rae can be found Louis, Mississippi. She and several playing at music festivals in Sweden, friends started a band called The Switzerland and Canada and in blues Liberaetors and developed a strong fan festivals such as the King Biscuit Blues base along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Festival in Helena, Arkansas, Juke Joint The Liberaetors released two CDs of Festival and Deep Blues Festival in original music, Saltwater Blues and Spur Clarksdale, and the Sam Chatmon of the Moment, during their nine years Blues Festival in Hollandale. together. In 2013, she released her solo I can see Mr. Sam very proudly album Sweet ‘n’ Salty and in 2016 Author Hank Burdine and Lil’ Podnuh at the First released Times Ain’t Now Like They Used Annual Burdine Blues and Greens Festival at Shack looking down at his Lil’ Podnuh from his perch “on Top of the World” with to Be with the group Jericho Road Show Up Inn. his long lanky legs all splayed out and with friends and fellow musicians his guitar in his lap just smiling at his dear friend and purveyor of Rambling Steve Gardner, Wes Lee, and Bill Steber. In 2017 she his, and her, blues. He smiles and just says . . . “Aw, SHUCKS!” released along with Wes Lee as the duo Sweet ‘n’ Salty the album I Done Told Ya. Libby Rae duoed and Bert Deivert, she released DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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COURTESY OF BFA

SAVANNAH ENGEL Q.

Swapping alluvial plains for high-rises, and a slowsteady pace to life in the fast lane, Greenville native Savannah Engel is taking the PR world by storm, and never lets people forget her deep Delta roots.

BY KELLI WILLIAMS

Q.

Was a career in fashion PR always your goal?

A. Dressing Jill Biden for the Inauguration. Doesn’t matter what party you vote for. Dressing ANY First Lady for the inauguration in Fashion PR is the single most important moment you can have as a publicist. The day was surreal, and our team was humbled and honored to have been a small part of American history.

A. It was absolutely never my goal. My goal was to work in human rights, which is where I focused much of my early career. I worked with several human rights NGOs, was a Fulbright finalist, and even applied and was accepted to a few law schools. My mother worked in fashion, so some part of me always knew that I would likely end up here as well.

Q.

Q.

Q.

Who inspired or encouraged you the most as you began your career?

A. I began my career in fashion with Michael Kors in 2009, and he has always been such an inspiration to me! It was an incredible opportunity and learning experience to be a part of the Michael Kors team during the company’s transition from a small private brand into a publicly traded company. Julia Reed is another one of my inspirations. She was the queen of the Delta; I always admired her and everything she did for the Delta.

How did you get into this line of work? What led you to New York?

A. I knew at five years old (and proclaimed as much to my mother) during my first trip to New York City that I would one day live here. The opportunity to intern 48 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

What has been the biggest accomplishment of your career?

What do you miss most about the Delta living in New York?

A. Oh goodness, what DON’T I miss! I love the Delta so much. I mean the food… lord, the food…. I sure do miss my Hardee’s drive-through breakfasts and the occasional Gino’s catfish sandwich…or a burger from Fratesi’s. I miss the conversations where I can just let go and talk for hours, the sunsets, the river…I even miss the mosquitos! The people: there is nothing better than Delta people. at Michael Kors came about through a SMU college friend’s sister who was working on their PR team at the time. We were having a VERY good time during homecoming weekend together and that is when she offered me an internship. I jumped at the chance to get back to the city.

Q.

Have you met many Mississippi expats in your journey?

A. I cannot describe how excited I get when I meet anyone from Mississippi or even just the South in general; I just wish it happened more often! The other day I heard someone with a Southern accent walking down the street and almost tackled

COURTESY OF BFA

Fall/Winter Michael Kors show at Spring Studios.

MORIAH ZIMAN

Prepping for the PatBO show at Surrogate’s Court in New York.

Engel works out seating and other details for the Badgley Mishka show.

MORIAH ZIMAN

COURTESY OF BFA

Front row at the PatBO show.

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COURTESY OF BFA

TAMMY B

Working backstage to make sure things run smoothly.

Engel worked the Michael Kors show at which model Bella Hadid walked the runway.

them to the ground; I mean I get feral, y’all.

I got so excited! I do everything I can to support them and “collect them.” And when we have interns apply from the South…they are hired on the SPOT, SAY LESS!

At the Art Production Fund Gala in New York City.

OBTAINED FROM DIGITAL MEDIA SOURCES

COURTESY OF BFA

Q.

A career highlight so far was dressing First Lady Jill Biden in an iconic ensemble by Markarian for the inauguration.

Who has been your biggest mentor in your profession?

A. Anne Waterman my first SVP at Kors. She was then and still is my ‘work mom.’ I still to this day do not do anything in my career without running it by her.

Also, my first work friends, Jessica, Mikey, Julie, Kate, and Kelly. You always have to love your first work friends. We talk weekly, and they will never ever escape me!! Jess and I worked together on the MET BALL dressing Aerin Lauder in Markarian this year, and Mikey and I were running around the Mark Hotel together the day of the Met Ball from celebrity room to celebrity room—helping each other to get everyone dressed.

Q.

How has being from the Mississippi Delta impacted your business?

Engel and her mother, Jan, at a rooftop Markarian event.

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Engel in New York City in the months following 9/11.

A. I think it has definitely made me more memorable! Everyone I know from New York to LA to London to Paris, Milan, and beyond knows me as Savannah Engel from the Mississippi Delta, and I don’t let them forget it! I mean…I like to think I’ve made the Delta even more famous. There really isn’t anyone else from the Delta in my industry excluding Julia Reed, and no one can ever live up to her legacy.

TAMMY B

Engel talking with Nikki Hilton before a show.

Q.

How have you utilized social media to spread awareness of your company and promote clients? I do see that Ray’s is a client of yours… featured on Deuxmoi quite a bit. How has the game changed with sites like this and publicity?

A. Social media has changed the entire landscape of media as a whole. It is a completely different world than when I first started out. Social media is so powerful, and I think the fact that my company has always been ahead of the curve in terms of working with influencers on different platforms and urging our clients to explore those different mediums has been one of the keys to our success. Traditional press is phasing out, and social media promotes and carries messages in a way that takes on a life of its own in the best way possible when done correctly.

Deuxmoi gave Ray’s a whole personality which was so wonderful and wild to watch.

Q.

What advice would you give others who are interested in fashion PR as a career?

A. Get to NYC, Paris, London, or Milan. It is where fashion PR is strongest.

You will get the best experience and be pushed to your limits, but that’s how you become great. The industry is hard, but that makes the fun parts all the more rewarding!

There will be days where you’re schlepping fifty pounds of garment bags around the city at all hours of the day (in heels)—we’ve all done it. But the most important thing to remember is to have a great attitude, and when you finish one task, take initiative and ask for the next one. And never be afraid to stand out from the crowd. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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52 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

FINANCIAL CONFIDENCE YOU CAN TRUST

BEGINS WITH AN ADVISOR YOU CAN TRUST Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Community Bank and Community Wealth Management are not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Community Wealth Management, and may also be employees of Community Bank. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, Community Bank or Community Wealth Management. The LPL Financial Registered Representatives associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, MT, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are:

Not Insured by FDIC or Any Other Government Agency | Not Community Bank Guaranteed | Not Community Bank Deposits or Obligations | May Lose Value Your bank (“financial institution”) provides referrals to financial professionals of lpl financial llc (“lpl”) pursuant to an agreement that allows lpl to pay the financial institution for these referrals.

This creates an incentive for the financial institution to make these referrals, resulting in a conflict of interest. The financial institution is not a current client of lpl for brokerage or advisory services.

Please visit https://www.lpl.com/disclosures/is-lpl-relationship-disclosure.html

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Sunrise over Sofala.

Holy Man in the High Grass A Delta minister finds second calling chasing game in South Africa

BY CAL TROUT • PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICHARD WIMAN

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A happy hunter with his Cape buffalo.

everend Richard Wiman watched helplessly as the Cape buffalo careened through trees, brush, and brambles toward four men he both respected and loved. Only a moment ago they were tracking the wounded bull through the bush of Sofala. Armed with a .375 bolt action, a .458 bolt action, and a Nitro .470 double rifle, all three had fired, but two of the rifles jammed.

R

The Cape buffalo is arguably the most dangerous large animal to hunt on the planet. They kill nearly two hundred people a year. A full-grown bull weighs over a ton.

They are not in possession of a sweet demeanor. Fully undomesticated, they care not for human contact and would just as soon run you over as they would chew on a baobab leaf. Wiman, a longtime Presbyterian minister, had prayed often, almost daily, for the men about to be dispatched by the heavy-horned, hardheaded beast.

Wiman didn’t start his hunting career chasing such dangerous game. He began as a 9-year-old boy holding his older brother’s 12 gauge shotgun, pointed, with wavering accuracy, towards a squirrel in a tree in his

Wiman’s trophy room

yard. This was in Brandon, Mississippi, in the mid-sixties. Once he pulled the trigger and killed the squirrel, he had to extricate himself from the bark of the red oak against which he was braced. Not long after that experience, a friend loaned him a more suitable .410 for a dove hunt. Wiman noted, “I may not have killed many doves, but I was hooked on hunting.”

Two currents parallel through Wiman’s life: a love of the Creator and a love of His Creation. As the Tallahatchie and Yalobusha

Rivers conjoin to create Yazoo, so do these two loves form the context of his life’s best relationships.

Two years after becoming a Christian at sixteen, his friends started suggesting he become a minister. A natural introvert who always, by dent of his last name, sat at the back of the room, he couldn’t see it. After joining the FCA, the picture clicked into focus. With a BA in history and another in religion and philosophy, then a Master of Divinity later, by 1976, Wiman found DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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Wiman and grandson, Louis, with Louis’s trophy kudu.

Wiman and family with his sable.

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himself at a church in Smith County. He learned a thing or two while there about reaching his parishioners on their own terms as he realized “when November came around, most of the men in the church were nowhere to be found.” He was soon advised that they were at deer camp. So, he decided if that was where the “members, visitors and hopeful-to-reach” were, then he would have to be there with them.

Once he started bringing hunting stories home to his wife, Dorothy, she suggested he write a book. When, in 1981, they moved to Belzoni, the stories took on a different texture and tone. “The Mississippi Delta is like no where else on earth,” said Wiman. “When I first got the call from the church in Belzoni, I hung up and looked at my wife and said, ‘I just spoke with someone from Gone with the Wind.’ “ What really interested him, though, was how along with linguistic differences from different areas of the state, cultural differences mirrored the different accents.

The way Delta life—especially during autumn, winter, and spring—centered on being out in God’s creation hunting and fishing suited Wiman.

After several years of absorbing the ethos of the Delta and getting to know her people and, finally, becoming a Deltan himself, Wiman began collecting stories into the book that would become Tired Tubes and Ten-Speed Turkeys. Published in November of 1995, its first run sold out very quickly.

Later, it took third place in “Best Outdoor Humor” from the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association. On the heels of this success he also published Long Shots from the Flatlands, Around the Bend and Up the River, and a one hundred year history of the First Presbyterian Church of Belzoni, Mississippi.

So how did a Presbyterian minister with a knack for writing about the outdoors become the U.S. Agent for Sofala Safaris in South Africa? “Thanks to God’s providence,” admits Wiman. His daughter, Joy, attended Delta State and met her future husband, Louis Steenkamp, who was there on a tennis scholarship from South Africa.

Once married, they worked for a while, Joy as a pharmacist and Louis as a counselor.

After a few years, Louis’s grandfather, Louis Oupa, passed away and left around six thousand acres of prime land, replete with plains game and very little cattle. Louis sold the cattle and Sofala Safaris was born.

Upon his first trip some eighteen years ago,

Several of Wiman’s trophies on display in his home.

Wiman was more like a “child at Christmas who just walked into the most fascinating toy store” than an experienced outdoorsman. While the animals were totally unknown to him, he did take an impala on his first trip and a tremendous eland cow, which even today hangs in his trophy room.

The Limpopo Region of South Africa offers the perfect context for hunters to encounter a wide variety of game. Limpopo is divided into two distinct regions: the Lowveld (low grasslands) and the Highveld (high grasslands). The Lowveld is characteristic of Africa. Existing below one thousand meters above sea level, its climate is subtropical. The landscape is punctuated by broad-leaf trees and thorny bushes. In the Highveld, the terrain changes gradually until it becomes more mountainous.

Throughout the region, there are at least a dozen distinct languages spoken. Like going from the Delta to South Mississippi, Wiman notes, with every different way of speaking, there’s a different way of seeing and experiencing the world, a different culture. And culture is always defined by language, geography, and ecology.

“Where we are in the eastern part of the Limpopo Province, that’s on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, which means everything

Wiman with his son-in-law and grandson at the gate of Sofala Safaris.

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let your exploration begin!

(Formerly known as the Pink Palace)

sticks, pricks, bites and stings,” said Wiman.

The snakes are low and the grass is high.

This means, of course, a certain degree of toughness is required to hunt the area. In the last two decades, he has encountered everything from the black mamba, which kills you with their bite before you can take two steps, to a Cape buffalo in his death charge towards Wiman’s friends and family.

Over the last twenty years, Wiman has learned a great deal about the game they chase in South Africa. It has become, perhaps not an obsession, but certainly a love. “When we get to the gates that say Sofala, I’m the first one out of the truck to open them; and I’m the last one out of the gates when we leave.”

He’s had the honor of watching his grandson take a fine kudu with the same rifle Louis’s grandfather sent him into the bush with at ten years old to take his. He has been present on many trips wherein old friends, new clients, and old clients who became new friends have had life-changing experiences engaging game on one of God’s last great free places.

Wiman talks often of the interrelational connection between Sofala and its animals and people. He knows well that the experiences enjoyed in this part of the world are as timeless as creation itself. He believes it so much, that he intends to become an inextricable part of it himself one day. “It wouldn’t bother me if I ended up like Dr. Livingstone (a Scottish missionary). He died in Africa, and his two faithful Africans knew this was where his heart was, so they buried it here before sending his body over one thousand miles back to Westminster Abbey.”

For now, Wiman doesn’t have to worry about that. Nor did he have to watch that Cape buffalo run over his friends and family, for Louis, with his grandfather’s .470 double rifle without a second to lose, finished the animal within five yards of where they stood.

The adrenaline, the danger, not being atop the food chain…that’s what makes this hunt, this life, worth living. That and having good friends with whom you can enjoy it all. Coming here, he says, “It’s not about killing animals or a commercial hunt; it’s about experiencing something you never have before. Therefore, it becomes more about that whole experience than the success of the hunt.” DM For more information check out www.sofalasafaris.com

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TOURISM

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

AIR AND RAIL TRAVEL IN THE DELTA Delta Road Trips

A Cross-Country Adventure plus our Curated Brewery & Distillery Trail DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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PLANES & TRAINS An Amtrak train pulls into the Marks, Mississippi, station.

From Here to There, from There to Here Whether by air or rail, travel in and out of the Delta has never been easier, and comes with some significant perks

BY SARAH FOWLER

While the only direct routes from Mississippi either go to Chicago or New Orleans, Amtrak can take riders across the continental United States and into Canada.

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Steve Martin struggles to get home to his family for the holidays. Stuck with John Candy, hilarity ensues as the pair bumble their way through a series of unfortunate events that take them across the United States via every mode of transportation imaginable. In short, it’s a travel nightmare.

Luckily, getting in and out of the Mississippi Delta is a smoother ride. Literally and figuratively.

Whether you’re hopping a train down to New Orleans or heading north to Chicago, Amtrak offers a direct trip without the headaches of driving there yourself. If you’d rather take to the skies but don’t want to deal with the hassle of getting to a large airport in Jackson or Memphis, boutique air travel has you covered—and for less money than you might think.

Both options make it easier to get away and are there to carry you back home.

PHOTOS OBTAINED FROM DIGITAL MEDIA SOURCES

In the 1980s classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles,

Margaret and Carolyn Dent along with friend Michaella Bartlemay, center, took the Amtrak from Yazoo City to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl last year.

Looking for an easier, smoother option to get down to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl, Carolyn Dent, daughter Margaret, and family friend Michaella Bartlemay hopped on an Amtrak. Cooler in hand, they boarded in Yazoo City and quickly made their way to the scenic car with a roof of windows.

“It was beautiful,” Carolyn said. “The train rode by where we turn off onto our country road.”

Carolyn, who makes the drive into Jackson daily, said, “It was cool to see everything from a different perspective too.

The train tracks are completely different from the road.”

The train made stops at various stations along the way and more Ole Miss fans got on, all headed down to the Sugar Bowl.

They had drinks and snacks they had brought with them, talked with the other passengers, and at one point, even all “did the Hotty Toddy.”

Once they arrived in New Orleans, they took “a $10 Uber” to their hotel and that was that; the ease of a direct flight without having to be at an airport hours before the flight and go through security. Plus their own wine.

“I get so stressed driving; that was probably my favorite part is that I didn’t have to worry about the road or driving,” she said. “It was as simple and stress-free as travel could be,” Carolyn said.

“The three of us just had a lovely time.”

Mary Claire Hayes, pictured here, and her sister Kate recently took the train from Marks to New Orleans for a wedding.

Amtrak dining car.

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A crowd gathers at the opening of the Amtrak station in Marks.

Paige Hayes of Clarksdale, and her daughters, Kate and Mary Claire, have also utilized Amtrak services but separately.

They’ve all taken advantage of the newest Amtrak station located in Marks. The girls have taken it down to New Orleans and Paige used it coming back to the Delta after helping her mother relocate in Louisiana, boarding in Hammond and getting off in Greenwood.

Traveling on a Monday, the train “wasn’t crowded at all.” Paige settled in with a book and a bottle of wine.

“It was great,” she said. “Just a few stops and basically the same amount of time as driving the car.”

Kate Hayes, 28, currently lives in New

City of New Orleans pulling into town.

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York City and has used Amtrak twice to travel to weddings when she’s visited home—once to Jackson and once to New Orleans.

Sitting in the observation cart, she was “blown away” by the experience, from the helpful staff to the scenery.

“It was gorgeous, even on a rainy day, to be in the middle of the trees,” she said.

She and her younger sister, Mary Claire, traveled down to New Orleans and the two were able to read, get some work done, and even pop a celebratory beer when they passed into Louisiana to “start the weekend early.”

Paige is hoping her mother will be able to use the train as well when she comes up to visit.

Map of Amtrak stops from New Orleans to Chicago.

“It’s so easy,” she said.

While the only direct routes from Mississippi either go to Chicago or New Orleans, Amtrak can take passengers across

the continental United States and into Canada. In touting their routes and the places reachable by train, Amtrak Vacations touts National Parks in Utah and Maine, Muir Woods in California, Music City and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee, Whitefish, Montana, and Key West, Florida, just to name a few.

“We go to some really gorgeous places,” said Marc Magliari, senior manager, public relations for Amtrak. “People need to see some of these places; there’s a lot of great places out there.”

Offering an example, Magliari said passengers in the Delta could take the train down to New Orleans and then hop another train to Big Bend National Park in Texas. Or, going the opposite direction, head to Chicago and be in Glacier National Park by the next evening.

“Once people see how good it can be and we’re working harder to make the current service better and to add more service,” Magliari said, “it’s not a hard sell to have repeat business.”

He argued that highways and airports almost make the case for him.

“Have you driven I-55 or I-10,” he asked. “The number of bad drivers, big trucks, drivers holding the phone or shaving or putting on makeup or reading and sending texts, all of those make it clear there’s a better way to travel.”

As far as train travel versus commercial airports, “Generally speaking, we don’t get to know what color socks you have or if they match unless you’re going to a private room,” he said.

“We’re less intrusive. We’re certainly a more laid-back environment.”

The convenience once you arrive at your destination is unmatched, he said.

“If you go to New Orleans, the streetcar goes right to the station. If you go to Memphis, the streetcar goes right to the station. Chicago, you’re right downtown.”

Carolyn Dent agreed.

“It takes us thirty minutes to get to the store, so it was lovely driving twenty minutes to get to a modern-day transportation system and end up in a place as great as New Orleans from little old Yazoo City.”

If you like the convenience of train travel but would prefer to get to your destination a little sooner, booking a flight may be the answer and there are several options worth exploring.

Haley Kelly, of Cleveland, frequently

Courtney Ayres and friends recently flew Contour to Nashville for a getaway. Pictured front to back: Will and Courtney Ayres, John Montfort and Jessica Jones, Drs. Sarah and Larkin Mitchell, Blake and Anna Holder and Win and Melissa Cadenhead

travels to Dallas for market to buy for her downtown clothing store. She now uses Contour, a boutique airline which flies out of nearby Greenville and because of the early morning and late afternoon flights, can get two days’ worth of work done in Dallas while only having to spend one night. That simply wouldn’t be possible if she drove or flew commercial.

“It’s very seamless,” she said. “It’s super, super easy and, once you get there, you just grab your bags off the plane and head on to wherever you’re going. Instead of me driving seven and a half hours to market, it’s a little over an hour there and back.

“It’s so wonderful, so great, so easy and inexpensive.”

Danielle Morgan, a Greenwood native and Executive Director of Mississippi Tourism, said her niece frequently flies into Greenwood from her home in Nashville on the boutique airline, Contour. When she meets her at the airport, Morgan makes a

point to notice the license plates in the parking lot.

“You see people from all over,” Morgan said. “It’s a great way to access the state in an inexpensive way and you can reach some of those rural areas, like the Delta.”

Courtney Ayres flies Contour for both work and fun, including a recent trip to Nashville to celebrate a friend’s fortieth birthday. The group of ten flew out of the Greenville airport and arrived in Nashville an hour later. She notes that while the flight there is a breeze, it’s the coming home part where flying locally “really comes in clutch.”

“Going on a trip is fun; it’s the coming home. Everybody is exhausted it’s all planes, trains, and automobiles and then you have to drive two and a half hours home. Ugh. You just want to be home. It’s just a whole ordeal that we at this point have exed out of our travel.”

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Nicholas Air in Oxford provides national and international flights with top-notch customer service.

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experience—depending on the time your flight leaves, it can sometimes be a two-day trip just to go on the actual trip. Flying local saves her on the gas it takes to get to the airport, fees to park in the garage and, in some cases, a hotel room. And then there’s the physical toll, especially traveling with children.

“With kids, you schlep them in the car for two and half hours. They’re asking, “Are we there yet.” Even a two-and-a-half-hour car ride is draining. It’s physically exhausting.”

Growing up, Ayers traveled extensively with her family, and it is important to her for her children to have those same experiences—to be able to explore outside the area where they’re from.

With two flights a day into Dallas, Ayers pointed out that you can then go anywhere in the world.

“You can be in Dallas at 8:30 in the morning. That gives you the pick of the litter of any flight anywhere. It’s the easiest, cheapest thing ever and you only have to get to the airport an hour in advance. In Memphis, you’re paying $150 to park your car at the airport for the week.

“We use it all the time. You can’t beat it.

For $55 to $95 a leg, it’s a no-brainer for us.”

For traveling to and from, Mississippibased Nicholas Air offers the speed of flight with service custom-tailored to individual needs.

Luke Chamblee, of Oxford, has flown Nicholas Air for the last four years. In the hotel industry—including the Cotton House Hotel in Cleveland—Chamblee is a frequent flyer. The customer service offered

by Nicholas Air is second to none, he said.

“Just like you have service at a restaurant, there’s a service aspect to flying,” Chamblee said before ticking off a long list of positive attributes.

“It’s timing, it’s customer service, the quality, it’s on time, it’s clean. The pilots are very welcoming—they greet you when you come on with your family. The aircraft are overly maintained; their safety record is phenomenal.

“Everything you could think about related to customer service is top-notch.

They’re the best of the best of the best.”

Chamblee, who has used Nicholas Air to fly to New York, Park City, Utah, Mexico, Miami, and other destinations, noted that whenever he calls the airline “you’re talking to a person based in Oxford, Mississippi.”

Haley Kelly frequently uses Contour Airlines for trips to market for her Cleveland boutique, H Squared. Pictured with store manager Anne Barton Field.

“We ought to be proud that this company is in Mississippi,” he said.

“What makes us different is the fact that our company is so rooted in the customer service side of the business as much as we are about the quality of the aircraft,” said Nicholas Air President Peder von Harten.

Providing national and international flights, Nicholas Air has become a trusted favorite among celebrities, CEOs, and local families who prefer to fly without the rigamarole that comes with flying commercial, all from the convenience of their local airport.

“Time is our most valuable resource,” von Harten said, noting that what could be an hour flight quickly becomes an hourslong affair with the time it takes to drive to the airport, get there the recommended two hours early, and go through security. Then there’s the wait of retrieving bags once you land. That time is saved when flying private, giving you back hours of your life to spend elsewhere, on more enjoyable experiences.

“Yes there’s a cost to that,” he said, “but for the business traveler, to be out and back in the same day, able to be home with the family, to go to the birthday party, go to the football game, those are things people have reprioritized.”

“In the Mississippi Delta, in lieu of an hour or a half drive (to a commercial airport) they can fly out of Clarksdale, they can fly out of their own communities,” von Harten said. “On any given day you’ll see a Nicholas Air red tail at airports in Florida, the Caribbean, the Mississippi Delta, and everywhere in between.” DM

Nicholas Air fleet at the ready to travel.

Interior seating in a Nicholas Air Citation Latitude.

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upcoming events 2023 • 1/27-29 – Clarksdale Film Festival & Music Events • 4/13-16 – Juke Joint Festival & Related Events • 4/16 – Cat Head Mini Blues Fest • 5/6 – Caravan Music Fest • 5/19-20 – Women in Blues Festival • 6/17 – B.A.M. (Birthplace of American Music) Festival • 8/11-13 – Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival • 9/2 – Red’s Lounge Old-Timers Music Fest • 9/22-23 – Mighty Roots Music Festival • 10/1 – Bad Apple Blues Guitar Festival • 10/12-14 – 31st Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival • 10/12-15 – Deep Blues Festival • 10/26-29 – Hambone Festival • 10/28 – Cruzn The Crossroads Car Show • 12/29-31 – Clarksdale’s New Year’s Eve Blowout Weekend (various venues)

Download the app!

In Mississippi, we’re just 75 miles South of Memphis.

MUSEUMS LOCAL TOURS HISTORY MARKERS CANOE TRIPS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Listen to the “BLUES TRAIL REVISITED” PODCAST available on our website.

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ROAD TRIPS

Devils Tower National Park in Wyoming.

Two Men and A Porsche Departing from the Mississippi Delta, Bobby Hardin and Tommy Goodman’s road trip of a lifetime 70 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

BY SHERRY LUCAS

hen the open road beckoned, Tommy Goodman had just the answer. And the car. And the companion. And the catalyst.

W

Goodman, who built a successful career as an architect in Jackson and in Birmingham, retired to Carrollton in 2006.

This was 2014, and Bobby Hardin of Jackson, his one-time Ole Miss roommate and Pi Kappa Alpha frat buddy from a half century prior, had

just retired from his livelihood as a commercial mortgage investment banker.

They’d long talked about an extended adventure someday, and if not then, when?

“We kind of looked at each other and said, ‘We’re getting old as hell, and we’re still in good health…so why don’t we take ourselves a road trip?’” Goodman says. They didn’t have anything else to do. The general idea was go wherever they wanted and come back whenever they wanted.

With no set plan on the horizon, no map on the dashboard, no destination in mind, and no reservations—hotel, motel or otherwise—they jumped in Goodman’s silver 2002 Porsche 911 Targa convertible and took off from Carrollton.

“We said we were going west, and westward we went,” Hardin says.

With a quick check of the records, Goodman adds, “Something like 10,381 miles later, we were back here” in Mississippi.

The pair cruised through Kansas City, Kansas; Rapid City, South Dakota, and the Badlands; Glacier National Park touching the edge of Canada; Portland and Eugene in Oregon; the northern tip of California all the way through Los Angeles and Big Sur on the iconic Pacific Coast Highway U.S. 101, and on through San Juan Capistrano; Winslow, Arizona, and on to Texas through El Paso, San Antonio, and Austin.

“There were many, many little places in-between,” Hardin says. “We didn’t have a single reservation anywhere, anytime, anyplace. If we liked something, we stopped to see it and mess around and whatever.”

Their modus operandi: Stop wherever they felt like it for the night, as long as they found a motel that cost sixty dollars or less.

“If you get there after midnight, you can talk the price down,” Goodman says.

“As you can imagine, this was not the Ritz Carlton,” Hardin jumps in. “We specialized in Super 8 and Motel 6.” They packed light—a duffle bag each, stuffed with two pairs of shorts and some jeans.

“We had two sleeping bags my sons insisted we buy—insulated and weather-proofed,” Goodman says, “but we never saw a tree” as they blew through Kansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

“I’ve never been in a state as bleak as Kansas.”

They were on the road in the quintessential sports car for thirty-one days without a single speeding ticket They came close, though, blowing through rural Nebraska at night with nothing but cornfields on either side of the road. “It was 9:30 or 10 at night. There wasn’t a light on the horizon. You couldn’t see a manmade light anywhere, no houses, no nothing—totally devoid of humans,” Goodman says.

“It was a two-lane road, and I was hauling ass. And damn if there wasn’t a highway patrol after us.”

They pulled over and had a talk. “We had fun with him a little bit,” Goodman says, chatting up the road trip of “Two Old Farts in a Porsche” (as their Facebook page dubs the pair), all the way from Mississippi. “Bob asked him how he even spotted us. He said, ‘I was asleep in that cornfield, and y’all went by me so fast, it shook the car and woke me up!’” They all had a good laugh over that, and the trooper let them off with a warning.

Custer State Park in Custer, South Dakota.

One of the deserted roads in Chaco Canyon in Nageezi, New Mexico.

Overnight camping under the redwoods at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in Big Sur, California.

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Avenue of the Giants in Scotia, California.

Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Coast of Salem, Oregon.

Ontario, Canada

That “Westward Ho” adventure might have been the trip of a lifetime, if they hadn’t done it all over again two years later, heading north and east on that jaunt.

Goodman had a new car—a silver Porsche Cabriolet. Just the thing for cruising to Chicago. Then, on to Mackinac Island and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; Buffalo, New York, and Niagara Falls; New York State’s Finger Lakes Region; Quebec City and Nova Scotia; Bar Harbor, Maine; Cape Cod where they spent a night out on the cape; New Hampshire; Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s Amish country; Charlottesville and Lynchburg in Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia.

They had the rest of the East Coast, then back along the Gulf Coast in mind.

But in Savannah, twenty-four days out, 2016’s road trip came to a screeching halt when Hardin incurred “a minor physical injury,” as Goodman describes it (though the head stitches look a little scary in that Winslow, Arizona Facebook post about it). “He had a fight with a piano and lost.”

After a night in the emergency room, they had to head back home, logging 9,100 miles total on trip two’s journey. The

traveling bug laid low until July 2022, when Goodman’s brandnew Porsche 911—this one a sleek aventurine green—begged to hit the road.

“We picked up where we left off,” Goodman says, starting in Savannah and then heading south down the Atlantic Coast, through Florida—St. Augustine, Cape Canaveral, Daytona Beach, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale and down to Key West and back along the Gulf Coast.

Their Key West stop coincided with a Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. “The place we stayed has six of them… . It’s pretty cool to walk out to the swimming pool and everybody you saw was a Hemingway!”

On the travels, they’d try to drop in and catch up with old acquaintances, and the Florida leg was no different, in one of Goodman’s favorite tales. Their target was an old fraternity brother they hadn’t seen since 1964. He had a home in Florida, and they called to see if he’d be there when they blew through his town. “He told us no. We put the address in our GPS and drove by the house anyway and gave him another call.” Their friend said he’d been there but left.

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Niagara Falls, New York

West Glacier National Park in Montana.

Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico.

“We didn’t believe him.” They drove up to the address, Billie Joe.’ Of course, we could relate to that real well!” prowled around the darkened house and yard, peeked through Their advice for cross-country travel is simple. “Pack light,” the windows, knocked on the door, and out their friend came, Hardin says, “and don’t be afraid to backtrack and take your caught in his lie. “I thought he was time.” going to shoot us!” Hardin says.

Take a good traveling companion, What else was there to do but too. Goodman chuckles. “I can’t kidnap him for drinks at a bar? The drive two blocks with my wife outing was good enough; he wound without her telling me I’m speeding up hosting them for the night. Trip or a better way to get there. We didn’t three wrapped as a ten-day and have that problem.”

2,631-mile excursion.

“Get off the beaten path,” Geological wonders and Hardin urges. “There’s so much to unexpected finds rated among see that most of America never sees.” highlights of their drives across the There’s plenty more out there country—Devils Tower, northern still, just waiting for next time. On California’s breathtaking coastline, that first trip west, the California Avenue of the Giants, Chaco curves of Highway 101 wore out the Canyon, the Pony Express Museum, tires on Goodman’s Porsche, and the the historic hotel Château Frontenac Six Pence Pub in the Historic District of Savannah, Georgia. order of a new set was flubbed twice in Quebec City (“We were so on their way back through Texas. impressed by it, we took our wives “We decided we could not swing back a year or so later,” Goodman says). down to Big Bend,” Goodman says of the famed national park There were small-world moments, too, like the one they known as Texas’ Gift to the Nation. No worries, though. And no encountered at Half Moon Bay, California “That night we were fears of backtracking. looking for some of our favorite cheap quarters and found a place “We’ve got a fourth trip in the near future,” Goodman says. to stay,” Hardin says. “It had a cafe and bar beside it, and we walk Big Bend, here they come. DM in at 8:30 or 9 that night, and what’s on the juke box but ‘Ode to DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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F RY STIR BA

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ST EA R B

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Exquisite Flavors With

If you leave Greenwood hungry, you only have yourself to blame.

Come taste the amazing flavors at our Greenwood restaurants, including the featured dish above from James Beard Award nominee Taylor Bowen-Ricketts of Fan & Johnny's.

Come experience unexpected culinary delights infused with Delta Spirit in our charming southern town.

225 HOWARD STREET | GREENWOOD, MS 38935 | 662-453-9197 | VISITGREENWOOD.COM

SCI_Greenwood_Southern_Cast_Iron_7.125x9.indd 1

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Road Trips for Delicious Sips From new techniques to age-old traditions, come with us as we feature some of the region’s coolest libation creations

BY KELLI WILLIAMS

Across Mississippi and beyond, tastemakers are popping up to deliver an extra special guest experience with a delicious dose of liquid courage.

These destinations are helping to cultivate a different way to view the typical road trip stops, by incorporating tastings and a front row seat into how they hone their craft and products. Many of these breweries and distilleries use fresh local ingredients such as Arkansas Delta sweet potatoes, Tupelo honey, and Mississippi Delta rice.

So whether you are a wine lover, a beer enthusiast, or have a taste for something with a healthy dose of spirit, there is a pit stop for you right here in our neck of the woods.

Delta Dirt Distillery, Helena, Arkansas Farm to table takes on a whole new meaning when it’s poured in a glass, such as the case with Delta Dirt Distillery in Helena, Ark. Purveyor Harvey Williams came up with the idea of the distillery when he heard about some guys in North Carolina doing a sweet potato vodka, and became intrigued enough to do a deep dive into what it would take to open his own distillery since the family grows a lot of sweet potatoes, and seemed like a great way to continue the legacy of the operation doing something unique and innovative.

Currently, there are two spirits, the Sweet Blend Vodka and Tall Cotton Gin, with a Delta Blues Bourbon set to be released soon. According to the distillery, the Sweet Blend Vodka is the current favorite with tasters and buyers because of its unique flavor profile and the fact that it is made from local sweet potatoes.

Delta Dirt Distillery opened in 2021, and in April they will celebrate their two year anniversary. The tasting room is open Friday–Sunday, and tickets can be purchased on their website in advance. deltadirtdistillery.com 870.662.5709

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Fertile Ground Beer Co., Jackson Not only does Fertile Ground strive to serve some of the best brews in the business, but their mission also serves a more collective purpose—fostering a growing community. Not just a community that is bonded by love of an ale, but also a common positive experience. You will often find events to inspire people to gather together whether it is an athletic event such as Lagers & Joggers every Thursday night, to live music events on the patio.

At Fertile Ground, every member of the staff has gone through some degree of Certified Cicerone training in order to equip them with knowledge of the brewing world, and to help both seasoned drinkers and those just stepping a foot into craft brews.

With main core beers such as a pilsner, IPA, pale ale, and lager, to seasonal favorites including saisons, sour beers, and stouts, there is really something for every palate. Since they are open 7 days a week, there is plenty of opportunity to experience Jackson’s newest hot spot. fertilegroundbeer.com 601.914.2766

Key City Brewing and Eatery, Vicksburg Nestled along the picturesque downtown streets of Vicksburg sits its only brewpub, Key City Brewery. Head Brewer Zack Erickson was first inspired by the Belgian beers during his honeymoon, and returned home where he went from experimental brewing on his home stovetop, to attending UC San Diego’s Brewing program and working with some of the best breweries in the area.

A calling and family brought him back home to Vicksburg where he has continued to hone his craft.

In 2018, Key City opened and launched their first staple beer, Mississippi Queen, which continues to be the favorite today. Along with the signature brew, now it includes an extensive menu featuring sours, stouts, Old World-style beer, and more. For those wanting a taste of several brews at a time, flights are available. Key City Brewing is open 7 days a week, and also is home to an in-house restaurant. keycitybeer.com 601.445.9924

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Mississippi Ale House, Olive Branch What began in 2017 as a craft beer bar with the goal of giving locals a place to experience brews outside of the chain restaurants has grown in to a staple for both locals and visitors alike. In the beginning, The Mississippi Ale House and Backwater Brewing were right next door to each other, with Backwater producing local ciders and beers that were sold at the Ale House until they were finally combined in to one business.

In 2022, the Ale House began to make its own line of beers—twenty-two to be exact—and it has been taking off ever since. With a hefty pour of 35 thousand pints of their signature beers sold so far, it’s safe to say this community-oriented establishment continues to expand and educate the local patrons and visitors on different types of ales and a one-of-akind experience in North Mississippi. mississippialehouse.com 662.420.7538

Wonderbird Spirits, Taylor Hailing as North Mississippi’s first distillery, Wonderbird Spirits in the small town of Taylor, tucked just outside of Oxford, is a not-so-hidden gem in the world of delicious gins. Using Mississippi Delta rice as the base of the spirit just adds even more of a local Mississippi touch, and not only is the gin sold throughout the region, but it’s slowly growing to cover the United States.

The award-winning gins from Wonderbird include the Highway 61 traditional gin, along with a Cask Finished Gin, where the 61 Gin is aged in a bourbon cask, and an experimental Magnolia Gin that actually includes distilled magnolia blossoms to capture the flora of Mississippi.

Tastings and tours are available by appointment, and the retail space is open Monday–Friday. wonderbirdspirits.com 662.205.0779

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Old South Winery, Natchez The Old South Winery, was founded in 1979 by Scott O Galbreath Jr, DVM, and his wife, Edeen. Dr. Galbreath, known as Doc, remembers helping his Grandmother Vic make muscadine wine when he was a teenager; right across the street from the winery’s present location.

Growing up, Doc and his cousin, Louise, went to the woods, shook the vines and brought them home to learn at the feet of their German grandmother.

Many years later, Doc decided to drink wine for his health and remembered how good Grandmother Vic’s muscadine wine tasted. Edeen encouraged him to start another career in the city and come home from the farms, so they decided to open a winery that specialized in muscadine wines.

Currently, visitors can expect to taste some of the finest muscadine wine in the region, and also take a tour of the winery if they would like to see the inner workings of the establishment. Tastings are available Monday–Saturday, and with the price customers can keep a souvenir glass as a memento. oldsouthwinery.com 601.445.9924

Queen’s Reward Meadery, Tupelo When Tupelo-resident Jeri Carter decided to give homemade wine making a try, she didn’t fathom that it would turn in to a flourishing and growing business. She realized that Mississippi might not be well known for the best wine-making grapes, it is known for amazing local honey. After finding and honing the perfect recipe, Mississippi’s only meadery was born, and will be celebrating its fifth anniversary this May. The Queen’s Reward Meadery allows visitors to purchase mead by the glass, a sample of five different flavors, or even the fan-favorite mead slushies that are popular all year long. The libations can be enjoyed inside or out on the patio, which is pet-friendly and features games such as cornhole and giant Jenga.

Tours of the facility can be made by requesting them in advance, and the tasting room is open Tuesday–Saturday. queensreward.com 662.823.6323

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The Oldest Remaining JUKE JOINT The World Famous Blue Front Café

BY MICHAEL HICKS THOMPSON • PHOTOS DELTA MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

My life has been intertwined with the blues.

Growing up so close to the haunting sound of the Bentonia School of Blues was not something I imagined ever appreciating; but I do.

It was a privilege not many white boys could ever have, night after night listening to the blues from an upstairs bedroom window, no more than two blocks from the slatted double doors of the Blue Front Café in Bentonia, Mississippi.

This modest structure built from painted cinder blocks has become world famous without argument and is perhaps the most important sight on countless pilgrimages.

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Thought to be the last remaining continuously operating juke joint anywhere, Carey and Mary Holmes opened the Blue Front Café in 1948 as a place to feed and entertain the local Black population. Like so much of the Deep South, it has evolved into a multi-racial, multinational oasis of brotherly harmony—human beings simply enjoying each other’s company and the tall tales we tell. Imagine a Norwegian, or even a Mississippi boy, talking smack with Jimmy “Duck” Holmes. Thank goodness Jimmy accepted the mantle and kept the joint going after Carey and Mary passed. But

even he’s getting up in age. He’s seventyfive now.

Something else unique was born out of Bentonia—a strain of blues that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s known by blues aficionados as the Bentonia School of Blues.

Here’s how music writer Jim Beaugez explains it in his September 2021 article for Smithsonian magazine: “Its unsettling sound hinges partly on a guitar player’s spidery fingerpicking, which frequently requires the use of all ten fingers. Perhaps most important, the Bentonia style is played in a minor-key

The Black Keys, led by Dan Auerbach, right, recorded and performed at the Blue Front Cafe last year.

I vividly remember peeking over the side of her dark wood casket perched in the bay window of her dining room. The memory of her colorful cheeks will always haunt me. The mortician must’ve recently restocked his red rouge.

Auntie was the widow of William Puffer. Look closely at the façade of the feed and seed store, and you’ll see W.M. Puffer’s name at the top.

If you’re looking for our downtown Bentonia home, it’s the first one on the left as you leave town to the east. But it’s in shambles now.

It’s amazing how the Blue Front Café retained its fervor while so many of the surrounding buildings crumbled into dust; perhaps showing the contrast between brick and mortar constructed by men and a place of music built by legends. It seems only natural that this storied venue would be memorialized as a vital landmark of the Mississippi Blues Trail.

To locate the Blue Front Café historic blues marker, exit east off Highway 49 between Yazoo City and Jackson. You’ll soon arrive in downtown Bentonia, such as it is. You can’t miss the marker, or the café tucked to the left of a large gravel parking lot—the same old spot where cotton ginners used to park their trailers before earning a day’s wages.

Bentonia is proud to hold not one but two official Blues Trail markers.

I was a sophomore in college when my second cousin, Jon Foose from Pluto, a DAWN DAVIS

tuning, making it sound tense and dark, Daddy was the only son in the family, so with repeating motifs and ringing open he became the designated farmer. After the strings plucked without a hand on the war, with two boys already in the nest fretboard. The result is a droning, hypnotic (Frazier III and Will), they settled outside character. And unlike the comfortingly of Bentonia to tend the fertile land my predictable twelve-bar blues most people great uncle had named Egypt. It was no are familiar with—think of “Hound Dog” plantation, but the cotton and corn

by Elvis Presley or “The Thrill Is Gone” by provided a good living.

B.B. King—Bentonia blues has a loose structure. There is no chorus, no set number of times to repeat a musical pattern. The overall effect is “spooky in a way, but really beautiful,” says Dan Auerbach, frontman for the blues-rock group the Black Keys, whose Nashvillebased recording label Easy Eye Sound produced Holmes’ 2019 album Cypress Grove, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.”

And to think, from age five I grew up absorbing it many nights, never knowing how celebrated it would Jimmy “Duck” Holmes become.

But before my family moved into the Mama adapted to farm life in a 1,400“village” of Bentonia—thought to be square-foot home with four boys and a named for a Native American princess— husband. She had her own sheep, which we lived on a farm two miles from town. she sheared every year and sold the wool.

We always assumed a Yazoo tribe lived on She had chickens, including a hen house the land. Over the years the four of us where she gathered fresh eggs most Thompson brothers uncovered dozens of mornings and cooked breakfast for her unblemished arrowheads from the plowed men. That’s when we all lived on the hill dirt. two miles out of town. My brother Walter and I were born in that house.

From City to Country When I was five, we moved down the My mother was a city girl from Jackson road to Bentonia, population about four who married a fearless WWII Army pilot, hundred, in 1954 after Florine “Auntie” Frazier Thompson, from Yazoo County.

Puffer passed.

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MICHAEL HICKS THOMPSON

Dr. Will Thompson helping Bud Spires (“Blind Red”) with harmonica set up

MICHAEL HICKS THOMPSON

fine musician in his own right, told me about another famous blues musician living near Bentonia, “Captain” Jack Owens. “You should find him and record his music,” Jon said. “He plays an aluminum guitar.” I was not aware of any Jack Owens.

In the sixties there was no reliable directory and certainly no internet. So I needed a way to locate this prominent blues guitarist and capture his unique style on tape. Daddy was no help. He told me to stay away from Jack Owens. But I was determined and came up with a plan.

Home for the summer, I gathered several articles of clothing and opened a temporary used clothes shop, selling my shirts, trousers, shoes, anything I could find in my closet, for fifty cents or a dollar.

I found a vacated little office in downtown Bentonia for what, in retrospect, might’ve been the first “pop up” in Mississippi. I asked every customer who came in, “Do you know Jack Owens? Would you tell him I’d like to meet him?” This went on for days.

Some afternoons later, a stocky, fivefoot-seven-inch man wandered in wearing a black leather riverboat captain’s cap— the kind sporting the little brim in front.

“Hello,” I said.

No reply. Instead, he walked to a rack of clothes opposite me and with his back to me, asked, “You Mr. Frazier’s boy, ain’t

John William Thompson performing.

you?” referring to my father. His voice was gruff and cigarette rich.

“I am.”

When he walked over, I noticed a second something about him. Whiskey breath.

Odorous. “What ‘chu you want with me?”

“I’d just like to hear your music and record it if it’s okay with you.”

“Been ripped off too many times by

folks coming to my place. They sold my music.”

I explained that I only wanted to record him for my own personal entertainment; but he wanted to confirm my heritage.

“You Mr. Frazier’s boy, right?”

“I am.”

There was a proudness in his voice which I later discovered was the reason my daddy didn’t much care for him. My daddy was respected, maybe even feared, by many a man in Yazoo County. “Captain” Jack Owens must’ve figured that if Frazier Thompson’s boy sold his music, he would be able to do something about it, instead of needing to deal with some Los Angeles music crooks.

We arranged to meet at his house on Rose Hill Road. He wanted me to pick up “Blind Red” (a.k.a. Bud Spires) on the way so he could accompany with harmonica. I knew Bud and knew where he lived, but Bud didn’t know I was coming. He must’ve recognized my voice at the door. “You Mr. Frazier’s boy, ain’t you?”

I explained why Jack wanted him there, and he didn’t hesitate. I led him to my pickup, and we left. About a mile later, I turned north onto Rose Hill Road—an unpaved dirt and gravel-rutted disaster.

We traveled for a mile or more with only the sound of loose rocks banging the

The Second Official Blues Trail Marker You’ll find the second Blues Trail marker chronicling the life of Jack Owens on Highway 433 at Rose Hill Road. It stands proud in a big right-hand curve two miles east of town. Ironically, the trailhead for Rose Hill Road begins directly across the road to the fenced cattle gap and gravel driveway leading up to our old homestead where the cows, horses, chickens, pigs, and sheep lived, and us for a time.

[Our little house on the hill was demolished by the new owner after we sold Egypt in 2019. A sad day. The new owner renamed the land “Marblehead.” You can’t miss the big sign announcing it as you leave town.]

If you do travel on an adventure to Bentonia, be sure to tell “Duck” that you read this story, and he’ll welcome you with open arms and a cold beer.

Nothing’s free, of course.

Jimmy knew all of us and especially loved my brother Will. Will was not only his Yazoo City doctor, but Will always attended the annual Bentonia Blues Festival, which still attracts people the world over—Ireland, Norway, England, Belgium, Australia, you name it—all looking for a piece of blues history and its current state of affairs. Well, it’s alive and well in Bentonia, Mississippi.

Go to Bentonia, enjoy some history of our Mississippi Blues heritage, and experience the new indelible harmony produced by the raw music that brings us all together. DM MICHAEL HICKS THOMPSON

bottom of my truck, until Red said, “It’s the next dirt road to the right.” He must’ve been here a bajillion times.

The path was indeed all dirt, but not many would be so generous to call it a road. In fact, it was nothing but inches of dust, with a curvy, uphill ride between cotton stalks on both sides leading to a shack at the top of a hill. Jack Owens had farmed his own little patch of heaven. He was his own man. He ginned his cotton, same as everybody else, at the Bentonia cotton gin next to the Blue Front Cafe.

Jack and Bud sat in chairs while I took up space on the edge of the porch with my tape recorder, hippie clothes, and long hair. Yard dogs underneath the boards kept wandering out to sniff around and “Lack I told ya, I been recorded by coming right back to escape the sweltering Hollywood folks comin’ here to record my heat. The flies never ceased. I sweated like music.

Here’s one of their albums.” He all Southerners do on hot and sticky days. handed it to me. It was genuine Jack But the music, oh the unique sounds Owens written all over it. “I never received coming from this man’s aluminum guitar a dime for that.”

His attitude came and Bud’s harmonica, was an hour of live through loud and clear.

“What ‘cha gonna music I will never forget. You must do with that tape you have?”

Google him or Skip James, the true “I’ll never sell it; I can promise you “Father of the Bentonia School of Blues,” that.

I’m just gonna listen to it who taught Jack Owens and Jimmy Holmes’ father to play the unique twangy Bentonia sound, and listen to it yourself. Even better, visit the Blue Front Café on a Saturday.

Ms. Owens (I assumed) after three or four suspicious peeks at me from the curtains—wondering no doubt what this white boy was doing on her porch—eventually disappeared never to return. When I ran out of recording tape, Jack asked if I wanted to come inside. “Yes, I would, thank you.”

Inside, we sat at a small spare round Jack Owens kitchen table, with no Ms. Owens in whenever…I can,” I stammered. I had no sight. And no electricity. A large print of plans to sell it, but I couldn’t help but feel Jesus hung on one wall. Close by was an empathetic because other people stole his opening in the roof where the woodmusic. burning potbellied stove pipe entered the I paid them. I can’t remember how ceiling, offering me a mystical view of a much, honestly, but I remember him crescent moon. Jack reached behind and nodding in appreciation, along with Bud. grabbed a pint of no-label whiskey from a We had a few more swigs. I thanked the shelf. He twisted open the top and took a “Captain” then left and dropped Bud off swallow, sat the bottle down between us, at his place. and didn’t utter a word—just stared at me.

That night I put the tapes in our I looked down at the amber bottle for kitchen drawer. I don’t know why I did maybe three seconds, grabbed it, and took that.

Two days later they were gone. as much a swallow as he had taken. He Forever.

I don’t know what happened to grinned for the first time. I held back a them, but I surmised that Daddy didn’t grimace. It was my first time for care much for the blues.

Or Jack Owens. moonshine.

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TUPELO

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Live Music Scene Home to 13 unique live music venues, feel the beat almost every day of the week in Tupelo. Visit tupelo.net/events to check out all of the city’s live music events.

Explore the home where Elvis Presley was born, a museum that chronicles his life, and the original church where he was in昀uenced by gospel music.

Elvis

Food & Dining Tupelo is home to over 200 restaurants with a little something for everyone. Visit tupelo.net/food-drink to see all of the scrumptious options.

Follow #tupelofoodie on Instagram and let your mouth water.

With three distinct shopping districts, Tupelo is a true shopper’s paradise. Visit Downtown, Midtown, and the Barnes Crossing District and shop ‘til’ you drop.

Shopping Districts

Natchez Trace Parkway One of America’s top ten national parks, the Natchez Trace Parkway is headquartered in Tupelo and includes a visitor center with interactive exhibits about this historic byway.

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NATCHEZ

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Natchez Trails: Museum of the Streets.

Explore miles of architectural treasures and interesting history about this fascinating town. Natchez is also home to several markers on the Mississippi Blues Trail and the Mississippi Mound Trail.

Visit Natchez - 601-446-6345 www.visitnatchez.org/business/natchez-trails-and-walking-tour

Grand Village of the Natchez Indians Longwood Built in 1861, Longwood is the largest octagonal house in the South and one of Natchez’s most iconic historic museum homes.

140 Lower Woodville Rd. 601-442-5193 www.visitnatchez.org/business/longwood-historic-home

Ancient stories live on at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. Explore the original Natchez at this important mound site through interpretive signs and virtual experiences.

400 Jeff Davis Blvd, Natchez 601-446-6502 www.mdah.ms.gov/explore-mississippi/grand-villagenatchez-indians

This lively converted juke joint is one of the best places to 昀nd live music in Natchez!

319 N Broadway St., Natchez. www.visitnatchez.org/business/smoots-grocery

Smoot’s Grocery Under the Hill District Home to one of the oldest bars on the Mississippi River, Under the Hill offers some of the best food and views Natchez has to offer.

More information at Visitnatchez.org 601.446.6345 or 1-800-647-6724

800-647-6724 • WWW.VISITNATCHEZ.ORG

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HARDIN COUNTY, TENNESSEE

PICKWICK LANDING STATE PARK

DELTA DETOURS

The Lodge Fully remodeled lodge with 119 rooms each with a picturesque view of the lake. Outdoor and indoor pools for all guests. The Lodge has a restaurant, lounge, gift shop, laundry facilities, and exercise rooms. The Lodge offers 6,000 square feet of 昀exible event space to accommodate conferences, weddings, and group events.

120 Playground Loop, Counce, TN 38326 www.tnstateparks.com/lodges/pickwick-landing

Golf Featuring Champion Bermuda greens and 419 Bermuda fairways, this course is almost always in championship condition and playable year-round.

Driving range, practice green, onsite lodging, snack bar/grill, and club rental. Lessons are available.

60 Win昀eld Dunn Lane, Pickwick Dam, TN 38365 www.tnstateparks.com/golf/ course/pickwick-landing

Cabins

Pickwick Landing cabins lie on the shores of Pickwick Lake near the Tennessee River.

Seven premium cabins offer 昀rst-class comfort and modern conveniences. Guests can enjoy views of the lake while relaxing in the living room or out on the patio . Each cabin has WiFi, a gas grill, patio table and chairs, cable TV, central heat and air, and a gas 昀replace. The park also offers 10 standard cabins located in a secluded woodsy setting.

116 State Park Lane, Pickwick Dam, TN 38365 www.tnstateparks.com/parks/cabins/pickwick-landing

Marina

Located at mile marker 208, along the south bank of the Tennessee River near Pickwick Dam . For more than 40 years the marina has served the recreational and tournament 昀shing needs of the community. Kayak, canoes, paddle boards, and pontoon boats are available to rent. All types of boats are allowed at Pickwick Landing. There are two public boat ramps in the park, each of which is available free of charge.

116 State Park Lane, Pickwick Dam, TN 38365 www.tnstateparks.com/parks/marina/pickwick-landing

Camping

Pickwick Landing State Park Campground is a beautiful wooded campground featuring 48 sites, each equipped with a table, a grill and electrical and water hook-up. Bathhouse and dump station are centrally located. Open year-round. The park also offers a primitive campground located north of Pickwick Lake with 33 primitive sites.

116 State Park Lane, Pickwick Dam, TN 38365 www.tnstateparks.com/parks/campground/pickwick-landing

WWW.TOURHARDINCOUNTY.ORG

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RIDGELAND

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Premier Shopping Ridgeland’s retail districts offer some of the 昀nest shopping in Mississippi. Boutiques, galleries, and antique stores are located from one end of the city to the other. Stroll the old-world style streets of Renaissance at Colony Park and the new urbanist Township at Colony Park, then explore Jackson Street and the Bill Waller Craft Center gallery.

Water meets wonderful along the 33,000 acres of the Barnett Reservoir.

Featured as a stop on the Mississippi Crappie Trail, “the Rez” provides a haven for boaters, kayakers, skiers, anglers, paddle boarders, picnickers, and birdwatchers. Bring your own gear or schedule a rental from Main Harbor Marina or Pearl River Kayaks.

Barnett Reservoir

Parks & Trails Ridgeland is Mississippi’s ultimate cycling destination, and it’s not just for the historic Natchez Trace Parkway that runs through the city. Multi-use walking and biking trails, BMX tracks and year-round cycling events attribute to Ridgeland’s status as an ABA Bronze Level “bikefriendly” community.

Year-Round Events Foodie Flavors

With over 140 restaurants, Ridgeland is a food lover’s dream. From southern cooking family-style to 昀ne fusion cuisine, the city is bursting with locally sourced 昀avors. Try CAET seafood + oysterette by chef Derek Emerson, or one of the eateries that earned Ridgeland the reputation of Steakhouse Capital of Mississippi.

Live music fans enjoy the annual Township Jazz Festival and regular Twilight Concert Series shows. Art, Wine & Wheels weekend in the spring features three of Ridgeland’s signature events, and the fun continues throughout the year with the Celebrate America Balloon Glow, Euro Fest, Chimneyville Arts Festival, and more.

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DESOTO COUNTY

DELTA DETOURS

Events Landers Center in Southaven is leading into the future while remaining rooted in community with its massive expansion set to break ground in 2023. The expansion includes a convention center, full-service hotel with more than 200 rooms and a free-standing restaurant.

Boutiques Locally owned boutiques are plentiful in DeSoto County! Find adorable kids’ items at Southaven’s Aiden + Ollie, home decor at Olive Branch’s The Wooden Door and new out昀ts at SoCo or Saint + Social on Hernando’s Town Square.

Restaurants With all the family owned establishments and popular national brands DeSoto County offers, you certainly won’t be hungry here. Put Southaven’s Elfo Grisanti’s, Hernando’s Buon Cibo and Olive Branch’s Pinks Coffee House on your list.

This charming outdoor development in Southaven includes restaurants, sweet shops, boutiques, salons and more. Don’t miss the hand-painted murals.

They make for great photo backdrops!

Silo Square

Outdoor Activities Visit Hernando DeSoto River Park in Walls to take in views of the Mississippi River while you bike, walk or 昀sh along its banks. Or, visit Snowden Grove in Southaven for a round of mini golf and a friendly tennis match.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.VISITDESOTOCOUNTY.COM.

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HELENA/PHILLIPS COUNTY

DELTA DETOURS

www.VisitHelenaAR.com

King Biscuit Blues Festival

The King Biscuit Blues Festival, founded in 1986, is one of the nation’s foremost showcases of blues music.

Held for three days annually in October, tens of thousands of blues enthusiasts converge on historic downtown Helena, Arkansas to hear stirring and uplifting performances of an American art form on the banks of the Mississippi River.

‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.’ James Baldwin. This Memorial honors those who died in the Massacre of 1919 in Phillips County, AR.

Elaine Massacre Memorial

Delta Cultural Center The Delta Cultural Center museum features exhibits on the Civil War, the settlement of the Delta region, and a live radio studio where King Biscuit Time is broadcast every weekday at 12:15pm. King Biscuit Time is the longest running blues radio show in the country.

Mississippi River Mark Twain once described the town of Helena, AR as “one of the prettiest situations on the Mississippi.” Come and experience the Mighty Mississippi right from the banks of the Helena River Park. Camp out or Canoe right from Helena boat landing. Visit our website and 昀nd out more of what folks like Bill Dance have to say about the river and Helena!

Delta Dirt

Delta Dirt Distillery is a family-owned craft distillery located right here in the Arkansas Delta.

Master Distiller Thomas Williams has produced a hit with his Sweet Blend Vodka from local sweet potatoes and corn. Come discover the special blend of family history and hospitality in our tasting room on Cherry Street in Helena, AR!

Scan and Learn More

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VICKSBURG

DELTA DETOURS

There are plenty of indoor attractions in historic Vicksburg, Mississippi, but what about those sun-drenched days best spent outside? If you’re looking to soak in some fresh air throughout your Vicksburg adventures, you’re in luck – the region offers a host of parks and other outdoor recreation areas perfect for birding, cycling and casual tourism.

Explore

Dine Even a brief exploration of Vicksburg will reveal a seemingly endless range of delectable eateries offering cuisine from every corner of the world. Whether you’re hoping to sit down and savor an upscale meal with the family or seeking a quick bite before the big game or a show, there’s something in Vicksburg that will strike your fancy, including local haunts and world-renowned chain restaurants alike.

Tour

Tourists and history buffs can explore museums that dive into the history of our great city. From the Vicksburg Civil War Museum’s historical exhibits to the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum’s displays on the beloved soft drink, there’s a museum for everyone in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Dining and shopping opportunities await you in Downtown Vicksburg. From eclectic boutiques to antique shops, it’s easy to 昀nd Vicksburg souvenirs unlike any other. While you’re shopping and touring museums downtown, grab a bite to eat at a locally owned restaurant.

Downtown

Stay No Vicksburg visit is complete without comfortable accommodations, which can be found at plenty of local hotels, lodges and bed and breakfast inns. Options range from luxurious suites to affordable guest rooms. Come stay and be our guest!

WWW.VISITVICKSBURG.COM

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PANOLA PARTNERSHIP

DELTA DETOURS

Batesville Mounds A Journey of Time & Nature: Step into the Past - Take a Tour • View Native American Mounds from the Woodland Period • Trek wilderness trails in the historic Mississippi Delta region • Watch for birds, butter昀ies, deer, and all of nature’s creatures • Watch for trains on the Grenada Railway • Take photos, learn, exercise, write, rest, re昀ect, & create memories

Panola Playhouse The Panola Playhouse, founded in 1962, is one of the longest, continually-running, live theatres in the state of Mississippi. This unique, 120 seat theatre has been host to hundreds of wonderful performances over the last 昀fty-two years. The Panola Playhouse season includes comedies, dramas, musicals, and children’s shows.

McIvor Shooting Facility Drive through the 5 miles of African Safari Roads in your own car and interact and feed animals as you make your way through the wilds of Africa. After your journey return to the Foot Safari. An experience you will never forget, Africa at your back door.

Como Safari Wild Animal Park

Mallard Pointe Golf Course Voted one of the “Best Places to Play”

by Golf Digest in 2004, this 18-hole Championship Golf Course is just off the beaten path near Sardis Lake and Marina. Mallard Pointe offers golfers a full beautiful course, as well as a total practice facility with a fairway bunker, and target, putting and chipping greens. Carts included. Play for the day or purchase a membership.

Hone your shotgun skills, become more pro昀cient with your bow, or site in your new ri昀e at this 300- acre state of the art shooting sports facility.

Located near Sardis, MS on the Charles Ray Nix Wildlife Management area, it is a hidden gem for any shooting enthusiast.

Magnolia Grove Monastery To visit the world-renowned, yet quaint Magnolia Grove Monastery, you would think you’ve stepped into a faraway land. Nestled in the woods on 120 acres and just a short 4-mile drive from Batesville sits this beautiful Buddhist residential monastery, established by the late Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn. Magnolia Grove is host to mindfulness retreats, days of mindfulness, dharma talks, mindfulness walks, and more. This is the perfect spot take a breath of fresh air.

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CARROLLTON

DELTA

VISIT CARROLLTON Step back in time with a visit to Historic Carrollton, Mississippi.

Organized in 1834, the Town became a bustling community that prospered until the early 1900s.

Once listed as an Endangered Site by the Mississippi Heritage Trust, Carrollton is now thriving in the 21st century. Download the free Walking Tour of Carrollton, MS app from The App Store or Google Play.

DETOURS

Pioneer Day Festival Pioneer Day Festival honors the founding of Carroll County in 1833 with this annual arts and crafts festivals, as well as educational opportunities. The 2023 Pioneer Day Festival will be held on October 7. It is part of the annual Pilgrimage.

662.392.4810 | VisitCarrolltonMs.com

Merrill Museum The Merrill Museum tells the story of Carroll County, from Indian days to the present. Exhibits include antique bottles, arrowheads, Joy’s Toys, and family items from the John S McCain family and author Elizabeth Spencer. It is open during the annual Pilgrimage and for group tours by appointment.

Call 662-237-6910 for group tour info.

The Community House was born out of the Great Depression and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. It is the site of A Taste of Soup and Art Exhibit the 昀rst Saturday in February. Tickets are $10; available by calling 662-392-4810.

For information about renting for an event, call Carrollton Town Hall at 662-237-4600.

The Carrollton Community House

Annual Tour of Historic Homes and Churches Historic homes in Carrollton range in date from 1828 to 1936. A selection of these family homes will be open for tours during the annual Pilgrimage. The 2023 Prilgrimage Home Tour will be held October 6 - 7. Group tours can be scheduled by appointment. www.VisitCarrolltonMS.com or 662-392-4810 email: CarrolltonMsTours@gmail.com

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VISITCARROLLTONMS.COM

GREENVILLE WASHINGTON COUNTY

DELTA DETOURS

Steaks at Doe’s Eat Place Around 1941, a partial recipe for hot tamales was given to Dominick “Doe” Signa and his wife, Mamie, which marked the beginning of Doe’s Eat Place. Once its storefront was a honky-tonk, but they’ve been serving up fabulous steaks, grilled shrimp and specialty salads, along with unmatched hospitality for decades now. In 2007, it was honored by the James Beard Foundation, with the America’s Classic Award.

502 Nelson Street • Greenville, MS • 662-334-3315

Hot Tamale Capital of the World Welcome to the Hot and Soul of the Delta. We’re home to the best hot tamales in the nation, as documented by the Southern Foodways Alliance in their Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail. Greenville has been proclaimed as the “Hot Tamale Capital of the World.” The annual Delta Hot Tamale Festival is a fun-昀lled threeday event that celebrates local and regional artists, musicians, and tamale makers as well as some of the South’s most in昀uential chefs and writers.

504 Central Street • Greenville, MS • 662-378-3121 mainstreetgreenville.com

True Blues In the heyday of the blues, over 150 bluesmen lived within a 100mile radius of here.

The Highway 61 Blues Museum chronicles the story of the Delta Blues and the musicians who helped make it famous and features memorabilia from B.B. King, James “Son” Thomas, Eddie Cusic, and many others.

Greenville-Washington County is also home to eleven sites on the Mississippi Blues Trail. See live blues music at Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival, the longest running blues festival in America.

If you’re a guy and just want to get away with your buds, we’ve got the answer. Fishing, hunting, dining, nightlife, Delta Blues, festivals, 昀yways, the Delta Man-cation has it all. Come see why our area was named one of the top 200 places to live for sportsmen. Trails abound in Leroy Percy State Park and the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge. These wetlands projects offer great hunting, 昀shing, birding, wildlife viewing and hiking. Lake Ferguson and Lake Lee combine to offer more than 6,000 acres of choice largemouth bass, crappie, cat昀sh and bluegill 昀shing.

Take a Man-cation The Birthplace of Kermit the Frog Long before a certain pig karate-chopped her way into our hearts, Muppet creator Jim Henson was born in Greenville and played on the banks of Deer Creek in Stoneville, just west of Leland. It was here that Henson created the character of that very famous frog. A visit to Henson’s birthplace is 昀lled with the fun and creativity that produced some of the world’s favorite Muppet characters.

415 South Deer Creek Drive E • Leland, MS • 662-686-7383 frogbirthplace.com

WWW.VISITGREENVILLE.ORG • 1-800-487-3582

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HOME

More than a Reno The incredible transformation of the Nelson family’s nearly century-old barn in Glen Allan

BY SHERRY LUCAS • PHOTOGRAPHY BY AUSTIN BRITT

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Original cypress walls and supports set the tone for a renovation that turned this Glen Allan barn from worn-out to wonderful.

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A spiral staircase to the former hayloft/now bunkhouse saves space and adds visual appeal. Butter churns, once tools of Barbara Nelson’s grandmother, now occupy a cozy place of honor in the kitchen.

T

he old barn at Tommy and Barbara Nelson’s Glen Allan farm had served the family faithfully for generations, as a hay loft, truck and grain equipment shed, room for the mules’ oats and storage for random junk.

But, as the hulking, weathered structure edged toward the end of its useful lifespan, a single question hung in the air above its rusting tin roof: Resuscitate it or put it out of its misery?

“It was either tear it down, or do something with it,” as Barbara puts the choice.

That “something” became a complete reimagining and renovation of the barn Tommy’s grandfather built, into a breezy family getaway and magnet for the grandkids—all rustic charm intact and enhanced.

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A farmhouse sink and tractor stools fit right in with the renovation that breathed new life into an old barn. A dish rack shelf and kitchen island/breakfast table pull double duty with functional, attractive storage.

“At first, we weren’t really thinking about doing all this,” Tommy says. But Barbara had her own vision of what she wanted, and the sweet-talking skill to grease the wheels.

Now, the barn’s front porch beckons with big rockers and blooming flowers. Just inside, Tommy’s office occupies a cozy front room, with a desk that catches window light and a big, brown leather sofa that conveys a cushy welcome. A large painting by Noel Webb of Canton catches Tommy during corn harvest, and sets the scene. So do mule collars, a tobacco cutter, saw blade, and other old relics that salute the barn’s and the farm’s past. Above the window hangs an old wooden sign that was in his grandfather’s office in the farm’s sawmill days. A bit of spelling is amiss, but the message is clear: “All lumber strictly cash unless aranged for E.G. Nelson.”

Next, panel doors open into a big room perfect for big family gatherings—just the sort of prime communal space that their home, built by Tommy’s grandparents and just across the driveway, is missing.

“Our house was built in the thirties, but the way it was built, every room is kind of singled off,” Barbara says. “We really couldn’t entertain over there—and, then we ran out of bedrooms. We have four children, and now, they’re all married but the youngest. There wasn’t enough room for everybody over there.” Now, they’ve got a place where all can stay together, including their four grandchildren, and there is plenty of room for the next two are due any day.

The Nelsons did the work themselves, with the help of carpenter Randy Albritton whose daily labor kept the project on track when Tommy was harvesting and farming. “I said, there’s no way anyone’s going to come in and take on such a …” Barbara pauses for the right word, “a wreck.”

“But Randy jumped on it. He had always wanted to do something like this. We were very fortunate to find him to help us,” she says. He wasn’t the only lucky find. “We found all kinds of different little treasures when we cleaned the barn out.” Three shadow boxes above a doorway display Tommy’s father’s and uncle’s DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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Built-in berths upstairs make sure the grandkids will be all tucked in and comfy to boot, with a lamp, a fan, a shelf, outlet and USB ports.

military uniforms. “I couldn’t get rid of them. They had too much history,” she says.

Barbara handled painting and staining the unfinished cabinets and learned to grout while installing the kitchen and partial wall’s ceramic tile. Tommy broadened his skill set, too, scoring the new concrete floor and plumbing showers with exposed copper pipes and fittings. He also made most of the interior cypress doors, each unique, that seamlessly fit right in, and he fashioned a cypress railing for the spiral staircase by hand. The original railing was cut away when it was removed from another home, leaving it short for the Nelsons’ needs. By then the company had gone out of business, and Google searches came up empty.

“I saw on YouTube how somebody could make one. … That’s my theory: If one man can do it, another man can, too,” Tommy says. So, he did.

The spiral staircase is an interior space-saver up to the second floor—a hay loft turned bunkhouse, with nods to past and present.

A metal staircase, installed outside around back, provided a straighter path for moving in the furniture. Its rail, too, had to be removed for the haul home, but together, Barbara and Tommy made one to replace it and finish the look.

“Anything—Tommy could pretty much build it,” Barbara says.

“If he’s got his mind set on it, he can do it.” Their son, Robert “Little Boots” Nelson, lent a hand with door-making duty when he was home from Mississippi State.

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Clever, practical touches include: tin ceilings from the barn’s old roof; a pie safe turned linen cabinet; parents’ old bedroom suite nabbed from storage and pressed into service; a chest repurposed into a vanity DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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A farmhouse sink in the downstairs bathroom is one of two Barbara Nelson found on Facebook Marketplace. Tommy Nelson plumbed the showers with exposed copper pipes. The couple liked the barn’s transformation so much, they’ve claimed the downstairs bedroom as their own.

each corner. The kitchen runs along one wall, and the dining table occupies the other side. A den anchors another corner with sofas and a big round coffee table. A kitchen island doubles as a breakfast table, with tractor seat stools that add a fun touch. Paver bricks on the walls complement the original cypress.

Two mason jar wagon wheel chandeliers are good fits, too— one in the den and another in the dining room. A light-wrapped ladder is the kitchen fixture. All were made by a friend’s son. “He worked on a pipeline in Pennsylvania, and these are actual Amish wagon wheels,” Barbara says. “He wired them for his wedding, and after his wedding, he didn’t need them anymore, so we ended up with them.”

Tommy fashioned a clock from the huge circular blade that once hummed in his grandfather’s sawmill—perhaps the very blade that cut the boards for the barn. The roof ’s old corrugated tin came inside for ceilings. Another Noel Webb painting in the dining room celebrates the old round barn that still stands down the road in Chatham, an iconic structure that Barbara has always loved.

The two-year renovation added a downstairs bedroom and bath, another bedroom and bath upstairs, and the upstairs bunkhouse for six. “We’ve already said this is ours,” Barbara says about the downstairs bedroom. “We stay here as much as we do at home.”

“Coming over here, it’s a different world,” Tommy says of the airy open concept and easy flow.

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Wagon wheel chandeliers with Mason jar lights are right at home here, as is Noel Webb’s painting of another favorite barn, just down the road.

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The rail for this spiral staircase had to be removed when it was moved from its original location, so Tommy Nelson made this new one for it.

Panel doors can separate Tommy’s office and the open living space with style.

“And it’s just across the driveway!” Barbara adds with glee.

Both staircases, wall panel doors, old farm sinks in the kitchen and bathroom, and much of the furniture, Barbara found on Facebook Marketplace. “I shopped and shopped—wherever it was, if was affordable and what I wanted, we went,” she says about travels to Corinth, Vicksburg, and Mobile. Family storage also held a stash of furnishings to outfit the barn, from her parents’ first bedroom suit to a dining table originally bought for their daughter’s apartment.

Area rugs warm up decor and help define the spaces. Touches of turquoise add pops of color in throw pillows, lamps, a painted sideboard (a thrift store score), and a darling high chair in the kitchen corner. Barbara’s grandmother, now 105, once churned butter in the butter churns that now offer another element of authentic decor.

Upstairs, the hay loft-turned-bunkhouse combines kid comfort and clever storage with three single bed berths along each wall with drawers underneath. Each cubby has a light and dimmer switch at the head, a long built-in shelf with outlet and USB port, a small antique fan at the foot, and repurposed tin (from the original exterior roof ) for the slanting ceiling. A window replaces the door through which hay was once pitched, and macrame swing chairs look inviting in the afternoon sunshine that filters through. Little bean bag chairs cozy up in a grouping on the other side, and a game 104 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Tommy Nelson made most of the new interior doors, keeping each a little different for interest.

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The Nelsons’ barn was at a point where the choice was tear it down or do something with it. The transformation involved a bit of the former and lots of the latter, with a new roof, concrete flooring and a closed-in pass-through.

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The just-finished barn is a magnet for visiting family and grandchildren.

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A large screened-in porch stretches the entire length of the back of the barn, and outdoor heaters keep it cozy even through the winter months.

table is ready for play. A cross beam is wired with a remote-control, retractable screen. “The kids can lie in bed and turn it on for a movie,” Barbara says. Sleeping accommodations can expand if needed, with plenty of open floor space for sleeping bags or blowup mattresses.

“I just wanted something that would entice them a little better, to come see us,” Barbara says of their grandchildren.

In the upstairs bedroom, an old pie safe finds new purpose as a cute linen cabinet, with towels and all the sundries visiting family might need. A chest Tommy made from cypress pulled from an old barn, is repurposed for the bathroom vanity. Other practical 108 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

touches include a washer and dryer upstairs and a big closet to stash Barbara’s holiday decorations.

An airy, screened-in porch holds plenty of roomy rockers and extends the entire length along the back of the barn. Early on, Tommy thought he’d have a covered spot at one end to park his Jeep. But that wasn’t Barbara’s vision. “I said, ‘Let’s just go all the way with it,’ and I finally sweet-talked him into extending it all the way,” she laughs. The screened enclosure now sports a bar for entertaining, a patio heater at either end, and a panoramic view of farm fields.

String lights along the ceiling beams can change color,

Tommy Nelson claimed this big leather sofa for his office, where another Noel Webb painting, this one of the farmer at harvest, salutes the work done onsite. His relatives’ military uniforms, once in storage in the barn, now have a place of honor. A sign over his desk in the office reaches back generations in his family, and back to the site’s sawmill days.

programmed via a phone app, and they have fun putting an occasional holiday spin on the hue (orange and white on Halloween and red and green for Christmas). The fire pit just outside with Adirondack chairs in a tidy circle of limestone gravel, provides yet another good gathering spot. Adding visual interest are ceramic wind chimes and an old candle chandelier repurposed

by Barbara into a hummingbird feeder that looks like it could handle a whole flock. Seeing the idea on Pinterest, “I pulled a Tommy—’I can do that!’” she says.

Tommy’s mother’s old wheelbarrow makes a charming planter out front, and his grandmother’s big iron washtub (turned on its

side to hide a broken spot) now spills forth flowers on the porch’s other side. An antique baby bathtub holds blooms, too—just another homey touch for a barn that’s now more useful than ever.

It’s a transformation that amazes Tommy’s father, Thomas “Boots” Nelson, now ninety-three, who lives nearby and remembers playing in the barn as a child. “Every time he comes over, he’ll say, ‘I never thought this could be what it is,’” Barbara says.

Then, evoking his late wife, Tommy’s mother, he’ll often add, “Carolyn would be so proud of you.” DM

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FOOD

Winter Soups 3 hearty and heart-warming recipes to try right now

BY CINDY COOPWOOD • PHOTOGRAPHY BY RORY DOYLE

W hen the weather turns cold and gray outside, and you want to stay warm and cozy inside, we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up three of our favorite hearty winter soup recipes that will hit the spot. From a bright tomato to a rich tuscan stew, there is something for everyone—plus the most delicious melty, cheesy, garlic pull-apart bread to serve alongside.

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Tip About 3 to 4 thick slices Italian loaf should equal 2 cups of cubed bread. Day old or slightly stale bread is best.

TOMATO AND BREAD SOUP 2 4 5 2 3 2 2

cups diced yellow onion tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided cloves garlic, minced 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes bay leaves cups chicken stock cups cubed rustic bread, cut into about ½-inch cubes 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste freshly grated Parmesan, additional croutons, and chopped basil or parsley, for garnish

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on medium heat in a large thick-bottomed pot.

Add the diced onions and cook slowly until softened and beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook only another minute or two.

Add tomatoes to the pot with the onions, crushing and breaking them up by hand as you put them in the pot. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, and dried oregano. Bring to a rolling simmer, then reduce heat to maintain a low simmer.

Cook for about 20 minutes.

Prepare the bread croutons while the soup is simmering. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cubed bread to the pan. Toss to coat with the oil spreading the cubes out in a single layer. Leave croutons on one side until that side is golden brown, then use tongs to turn over to another side.

Remove from heat, when at least two sides have browned and set aside.

Once the soup base has cooked for 20 minutes, add 1½ cups of the croutons (reserving some for garnish) to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

When ready to serve, remove the bay leaves. Use an immersion blender or upright blender to roughly purée the soup, leaving some chunky bits.

Garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped herbs and croutons.

Tip This is also delicious served with marinara sauce as an appetizer!

CHEESY GARLIC PULL-APART BREAD 1 1 6 2

round loaf of crusty rustic bread stick salted butter, melted cloves garlic, minced tablespoons parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1½ to 2 cups cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut bread diagonally in each direction, crisscrossing to make a grid. Make sure not to cut all the way through. Place it on a paper lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, minced garlic and parsley. Brush the bread all over with the melted butter mixture, making sure to get inside crosshatches. Stuff each crevice with the cheese. Wrap in foil and bake the loaf for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly, and browning on top! Garnish with more chopped parsley and Parmesan. Pull apart and enjoy!

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HEARTY TUSCAN SOUP WITH SAUSAGE AND SPINACH 5 1 1 5 2 4

strips of thick cut bacon pound Italian sausage medium onion chopped cloves garlic minced cups chicken broth cups water

4 ¼ 1 ½

large red potatoes, unpeeled and diced teaspoon Italian seasoning cup heavy whipping cream bag of spinach, coarsely chopped Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the bacon into small pieces and add it to a large pot. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat to give the bacon a bit of a head start before adding the sausage to the pot.

Allow the sausage and bacon to get nicely browned and crispy, stirring occasionally.

If there is an excessive amount, spoon some out, but be sure to leave some of the fat or drippings in the pot for extra flavor. Stir in the onions and garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, water, potatoes, and Italian seasoning to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat to simmer.

Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add in the cream and spinach, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. The spinach will wilt quickly. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

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CHICKEN CHILI WITH WHITE BEANS 2 1 4 2 2 1 ½

tablespoons olive oil medium yellow onion, chopped cloves garlic, minced poblano peppers, seeded and chopped teaspoons ground cumin teaspoon smoked paprika teaspoon chili powder salt and pepper

1 4 to 6 4 1 ½ 1 ½

pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cups chicken broth ounces cream cheese, room temperature can white cannellini beans cup salsa verde cup shredded cheddar cheese cup fresh cilantro, chopped avocado, cheddar cheese, and yogurt, for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, poblano peppers, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the chicken, then stir in 4 cups broth. Season with more salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Soften cream cheese in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.

Remove chicken from mixture, set aside and shred when cool enough to handle. Stir cream cheese into soup mixture, until fully incorporated, then stir in the shredded chicken, white beans, salsa verde, and cheddar cheese. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. If needed, thin with additional broth.

Ladle the chili into bowls. Top with sour cream, extra cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions as desired. DM

Tip A rotisserie chicken or other leftover chicken may be used. Simply shred and add along with cream cheese and other ingredients.

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I AM ABLE! OUR SERVICES Thousands of Mississippians depend on public benefits for healthcare, food and housing. To receive these benefits, they can’t have more than $2,000 in their name. With an ABLE account they can save for the future without losing elgibility for the much needed benefits they rely on every day.

CONTACT US (888) 609-3469 mississippiable.com

Income earned in the account is not taxed if spent on qualified disability-related expenses.

Contributions can be made to an account by anyone and may qualify for a state tax deduction.

The account can be used for daily transactions and for long-term savings.

A Member of the National ABLE Alliance • Administered by the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services 116 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

2023 Health & Wellness he holidays have come and gone, and New Year’s resolutions have been declared—promising to lose weight and return to a healthy lifestyle. Physical fitness is usually the focus this time of year, but our

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mental health is equally important. In fact, the two are closely intertwined and the warning signs of distress are often overlooked. We hope the tips and coping skills we’ve included in our mental checklist will help you begin the new year with a fresh perspective. In the following pages, familiarize yourself with the vast healthcare services and facilities available throughout the region, in addition to newly available aesthetic procedures offered locally. Have a healthy and Happy New Year!

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Mental Health CHECK-UP

BY ABBIE ROBINSON AND AMBER WARREN

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he new year is a time for reflection and resolutions focused on selfimprovement, and we all need to remember that mental health is vital to our physical health. The term mental health can sound scary, but it is a natural part of

the human condition, and even the soundest individuals will experience a mental health struggle at some point. Since Covid hit in 2020, we have collectively experienced a trauma which has greatly increased the global prevalence of anxiety and depression. Social isolation, fear of sickness or death, financial stress, opposing political views, and changes to work environment are just some of the current stressors causing this increase. Thankfully, we are realizing that it’s okay to admit that we are not okay and the stigma of seeking counseling or medication management is shrinking. So now is a great time to check in on yourself and address your own mental and emotional well-being.

WARNING SIGNS At any stage of life, experiencing some of the following feelings or behaviors can be a warning sign of deteriorating mental health: • Eating too much or too little • Difficulty sleeping at night or sleeping too much in the day • Withdrawing from people or activities that you normally enjoy • Having low or no energy • Feeling numb or like nothing matters • Unexplained body aches or gastrointestinal issues • Feeling hopeless for the future • Increased smoking, drinking, or drug use • Feeling unusually forgetful, irritable, angry, stressed, worried, or scared • Increased conflict with family and friends • Experiencing mood swings that cause problems in your work or relationships • Having persistent or intrusive thoughts and memories that you cannot stop • Hearing voices or believing things that are not true • Thinking of harming yourself or others • Struggling to perform daily tasks

If you or a loved one are experiencing one or more of these issues, it would be beneficial to schedule an appointment with a counselor to identify and process underlying causes. You could also speak with your primary care provider to see if medications might be beneficial.

TIPS FOR GROWTH Not everyone requires or is willing to seek out professional services to improve mental health, but anyone can take steps on their own using everyday strategies such as: • Connecting with others and building healthy relationships • Challenging your own perspective to find positives in negative circumstances • Getting physically active • Spending time outdoors • Focusing on others to take a break from your own struggles • Having a healthy sleep routine • Developing personal coping skills for emotional distress • Finding humor in everyday life • Creating activities or hobbies that give pleasure

COPING SKILLS TO DEVELOP EMOTIONAL REGULATION Emotions, left unchecked, can feel beyond our control; however, emotional maturity is gained when we are able to freely experience our feelings without letting them dominate our behavior. First things first, you are a whole person—body, mind, and spirit. You MUST regulate distress in the same way. Your whole self is involved in the process.

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◼ Learn to breathe: Surprisingly, you might be doing it wrong. When you inhale, your RIBS should be expanding, NOT your chest. When you exhale, your ribs/abdomen should just contract back to normal.

Consciously changing the way that you breathe sends signals to your nervous system telling your body that you are safe and slows the fight, flight, or freeze instincts. It also increases blood flow to the thinking parts of your brain so that you can problem-solve more effectively.

◼ Get enough sleep: It is impossible to remain emotionally regulated without proper sleep. Your mental, emotional, physical abilities and health are all dependent on sleep. Neuroscience shows that while we sleep, our brain resets itself by flushing out toxins that have collected during waking hours and shrinking synapses between neurons so that we have mental space to process new things the next morning.

◼ Understand boundaries: It is important to understand that we are responsible for our own actions, words, behaviors, efforts, mistakes, etc. We are NOT responsible for other people’s actions, words, behaviors, efforts, mistakes, etc.

We often must set limits in relationships to return responsibility to others for their own lives and restrict the impact that we let them have upon our own well-being.

◼ Understand emotions: We are often aware of our basic emotions such as happy, sad, or angry; however, true emotional intelligence goes deeper to identify underlying complex emotions such as insecure, overwhelmed, inadequate, fulfilled, respected, indifferent, vulnerable, or ashamed.

Building a strong feelings vocabulary increases our ability to identify and verbalize our complex feelings to others. Looking past the initial emotional response to find the deeper feeling will lead to improved mental health and stronger relationships.

◼ Learn to regulate: We can often feel flooded by emotion as if a wave has just rolled over our bodies, and we lose control. However, a simple technique called “grounding” can help realign our minds and bodies to bring them back into a state of rational functioning.

Grounding starts with engaging your five senses to the present moment.

One technique is mentally listing five things that you see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste to slow emotional reactions and get the brain back online.

If you struggle to engage the senses, then create sensory opportunities such sipping a cold drink, rubbing a soft blanket, chewing gum, humming a song, or smelling the fabric softener in your shirt. Remember that grounding and regulation are NOT intended to “stuff” or “squelch” or ignore your feelings/experiences. The idea is that when we become emotionally dysregulated, we must first regulate— return to a state of being able to think clearly and coherently—before we are able to process and express ourselves in healthy ways.

◼ Learn to process: AFTER you have regulated back to a place of feeling levelheaded and calm, processing what occurred when you became dysregulated is the next step in developing emotional regulation.

Many times, once we are calm then we can reflect over our responses and identify the cause to find solutions.

However, if you fear becoming overwhelmed again, it may be best to wait until you can talk with a trusted friend or therapist or mentor. The goal is not to just vent your emotions, but to gain wisdom to help you process your feelings and experiences to make changes and improve functioning.

CONCLUSION Life is hard. Strong mental health is needed to manage the stages and changes of life. Asking for help shows strength, not weakness. Taking the time to check in with yourself to manage your own emotions will increase overall well-being. We are physical, mental, and emotional beings so we must take responsibility to care for ourselves in each of these areas.

LOCAL RESOURCES AND CONTACTS Delta Counseling 662.390.6554, deltacounselingservices.com Trio Counseling 662.400.3009, triocounseling.com Leland Medical Clinic 662.686.4121, lelandmedicalclinic.org Life Help Mental Health Center Crisis Line Call 866.453.6216, a 24/7 crisis line sourced locally via Life Help Mental Health Center which has locations in Greenwood, Cleveland, Indianola, Greenville, and Rolling Fork. The regional office can be contacted at 662.453.6211 during business hours to schedule an appointment.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 and be linked with a live person 24/7 to talk with you in a moment of suicidal crisis or emotional distress. DM Abbie Robinson is a licensed therapist with the Mississippi State Board of Examiners and has a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Mississippi. She is the owner of Delta Counseling Services located inside The Atrium in downtown Cleveland, MS. She has worked in the MS Delta as a community counselor since 2016.

Amber Warren is a graduate of Delta State University and has a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She works at Delta Counseling and uses a variety of therapeutic techniques including a trauma-informed approach to counseling.

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12 retirement communities with one mission...

1. HERNANDO WESLEY MEADOWS Independent Living and Assisted Living Phone: 662-429-2070 2. CLARKSDALE FLOWERS MANOR Cottage & Independent Living and Personal Care Phone: 662-627-2222

...to serve older adults in the spirit of Christian love.

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3. TUPELO TRACEWAY Cottage & Independent Living, Assisted Living, Supportive Living Green House® Homes, and Short-Term Rehab Phone: 662-844-1441

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4.WEST POINT DUGAN Supportive Living and Short-Term Rehab Phone: 662-494-3640

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5. WEST POINT THE HENRY CLAY Independent Living Phone: 662-494-1079 6. COLUMBUS TRINITY PLACE Independent Living, Personal Care, Supportive Living and Short-Term Rehab Phone: 662-327-6716 7. YAZOO CITY MARTHA COKER Supportive Living Green House® Homes and Short-Term Rehab Phone: 662-746-4621 8. RAYMOND RIGGS MANOR Garden Homes & Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Support Green House® Homes Phone: 601-857-5011

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www.mss.org 9. MERIDIAN ALDERSGATE Cottage & Independent Living and Assisted Living Phone: 601-482-5561 10. HATTIESBURG WESLEY MANOR Independent Living Phone: 601-264-8847 11. LEAKESVILLE TURNER-DUVALL Independent Living Phone: 601-394-2621

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12. GULFPORT SEASHORE HIGHLANDS Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Support Apartments & Memory Support Green House® Home Phone: 228-831-7000

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS BETH’S BLESSINGS • Amerigroup Mississippi • Bayer • James Ceranti Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Nissan • Jill Flowers • Refuel Market • Dr. Theresa L. Skelton - TLS Smiles • South Delta Planning & Development Dist.

• TROP Casino Greenville • Wade Incorporated LEGACY OF HOPE • Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company • Dean & Gwin Cumbaa • Delta Area Crop Insurance • Delta Democrat Times • Delta Group • Delta Health Alliance/Leland Medical Clinic • Dowdy Dental Clinic • Dr. Jeffery Doolittle • Gresham Petroleum Co. • Harlow’s Casino • Greenville Hem-Onc • McDonald’s • Mississippi Marine Corporation • Planters Bank and Trust Co. • Rotary Club of Greenville • South Ridge Storage • Kim and Gary Taylor • Marla and Jamie Bell Tennis Unlimited, Inc. • Margaret Walker Hays CIRCLE OF PROMISE • 2 Cute 2 Pop • A & A Mastectomy Boutique • Agricultural Asset Services • Avritt Medical Equipment • Bolivar Medical Center • W L Burle Engineers P.A. • Calvary Episcopal Church • Crossley Axminster, Inc. • Cypress Hills Tennis Club, Inc. • Delta Lodging Group • DeltAg • Dental Group of Greenville • Becky and Andy Dixon • Farmers Grain Terminal

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Guaranty Bank & Trust Co. Shelby Hall Hollister Horn Research Jo Parker Terri and William Lane Cindy & Lee Miers Mr. & Mrs. Timothy McCann Drs. Larkin & Sarah Mitchell Greenville Animal Clinic & Hospital Nutrien Ag Solutions, Inc. Drs. Susan and Hilton O’Neal RC Construction Red Leaf Pottery Regions Bank Renasant Bank Southern AgCredit Stop N Shop Leland & Hollandale Dr. Neal Suares Family Medicine Sun昀ower Diagnostic Center/North Sun昀ower county Hospital Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Terracina Dana & Bobby Warrington Washington School Student Council Campbell DeLong, LLP Dr. Lakeisha Richardson Riverside Realty LLC Cindy & Bill Boykin

PASSIONATELY PINK • Susan & David Allen • Robert Burford, CPA, PA • Elmertha Burton, M.D. • CB&S Bank • Charter Medical of Greenville • Chicot Irrigation • Chillie’s Package Store • City Drug Store • Dottie Collins - Collins Real Estate • Dr. and Mrs. Rob Curry • Delta Center Stage • Drs. Renia and Wayne Dotson • Lynn & Woods Eastland • Docia and Perry England • The Tea Rose Foundation • Jobyna France • Thomas D. & Nancy P. Fugett • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. • GT&T Farms • Joe Tonos Jewelers • Lagniappe • Lake Tindall, LLP

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M & B Lawn Service Mr. & Mrs. Claude Marchesini Mosow Real Estate Hair Depot Bob & Paula Provine Dr. Walter Rose Salon Sarah Elizabeth Southern Bancorp Linda and Ken Stewart Jane & Gene Stock Dana and Rusty Stubbs Myrtis S. Tabb The Clint & Ellen Johnson Foundation Twin County Electric Power Association Whitney Turnipseed Willerton Picture Perfect Custom Frames Grace Community Hospice Merrill and Thomas Greenlee Jones, Jessica & John Montfort Jones Park Avenue MedSpa Dr. Douglas E. Bowden Shudco Limited

FRIENDS HELPING FRIENDS • 2020 Eye World • 9.15 Floral Designs & Gifts • Dr. & Mrs. Andrew Abide • Abraham’s-Indianola • Dr. & Mrs. Jim Adams • Betsy Alexander Realty • Chris & Corey Auerswald • Lee B. Aylward • Gwen & Steve Azar • Baird and Stallings, CPAs, PA • Bank of Anguilla • BB King Museum • Dr. Jimmy Beckham • Anita Bologna • BPAC • Bridgers, Goodman, Baird & Clarke, PLLC • Melissa Cadenhead • Cicero’s • Dr. Mike Cirilli • Jimmy & Ellen Clayton • Cleveland State Bank • Coleman Eye Center • Dr. & Mrs. Robert Corkern • The Country Gentleman • Carol Meyer • Cumbaa Design • Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Cunningham • Delta Rental LLC • Dirty Delta Handmade Soap • Doe’s Eat Place • Downtown Butcher & Mercantile • Emery Lee Boutique • Dr. and Mrs. Lee Engel • Farmers Inc. • Nan and Billy Fountain • Fountain’s Green GrowCery • First Presbyterian Church Potters • Fratesi Grocery

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Caroline Laudig Gaines Gino’s Hamburgers & Cat昀sh Grammy Museum Mississippi Greenwood Le昀ore Hospital Groounded Sister Coffee Shop Hannah Bariola Heartland Cat昀sh Anna & Blake Holder Home Insurance Agency Indianola Twentieth Century Club Beverly and Jim Bell Janitor’s Supply & Paper Company JJ Ferguson Joe Reed & Co. Dr. Ned & Paula Kronfol Lillo’s M/M/ Lawrence Long Dr. Bill Maddox Malouf Furniture MarSu Interiors Mary Weldon Hobart Art Dr. Michael Bradley May昀eld Dr. & Mrs. Hamilton McGee Rachel McIntire Mr. & Mrs. Bill McPherson Mississippi Roots Montage Marketplace Cynthia Morgan New South Marine Laurie & Richard Noble Becky & Billy Nowell Oakes Toyota Catherine Oswalt Parker’s Filling Station Kenner Patton Pea Soups Joyce and Pete Poole Rick & Aletha Scott Poole Quality Steel Randy & Nan Randall Valerie Rankin Art Renew Delta Aestetics & Wellness LLC Dr. Barbara Ricks River City Rehabilitation Taylor Ross Sayle Sandifer & Johnson LLP Shelter Insurance Sherman’s @ South Main Shipley Donuts Shipp Family Eyecare PLLC So Delta Allen & Sherry Spragins Bee and Dudley Stewart The Crown The Image Specialist of MS Frances & Jim Tims Tindle Family Dentisty Jed & Amanda Turner Vito’s Marketplace Mr. and Mrs. William Watts, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Nott Wheeler White Leopard Dr. Tom & Susan Wiggins Eustace & Lamarr Winn III

DONATE TODAY: www.deltacottonbelles.org | 662-390-6009

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Sub-Specialized Care. Better Results.

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FOOT & ANKLE

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© 2022 MSMOC

Beauty within Reach SEVERAL YEARS AGO, Delta folks had to travel outside of our region to find the latest and greatest aesthetic treatments.

However, local businesses offering lasers, facials, injectables and infrared treatments have been popping up all over, helping to give locals the best variations in new technology for those wanting to stay fresh and looking their best. We’ve reached out to a few of these establishments to give us their recommendations on effective options.

EPAT Non-invasive treatments One of the WAE Clinic’s most successful new technology offerings is a non-invasive acoustic pressure wave treatment for any connective tissue disorders. The treatments can decreases the appearance of cellulite, tighten and tone muscles, help sculpt the body, improve facial wrinkles and give an appearance of a ‘lift’, and it even works great for the relief of chronic pain.

How it works is a coupling gel is put on the treatment area to enhance treatment effectiveness. After these preparations, acoustic pressure waves are released via the applicator and moved over the entire treatment region, which can include the face, upper arms, stomach, glutes and thighs. The sessions take around 30 minutes, and normally 8-12 sessions are necessary to have the desired results.

WAE Clinic, Cleveland thewaeclinic.com 662.545.4599 126 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Riverside Wrinkle Relaxing Facial with Red Light Therapy Discover the gentle, yet potent, side of retinol in this signature anti-aging facial featuring a Professional Retinol Peel System with Dr. Dennis Gross’ proprietary combination of Ferulic Acid and Retinol work synergistically to reverse signs of aging, repair sun damage, fade dark spots and reduce the appearance of pores – with no downtime. The fan-favorite “Faceware Pro” by Dr. Gross is included in this facial.

“Our new Dr. Dennis Gross facial, The Riverside Wrinkle Relaxer, gave my skin an instant glow, reducing in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around my forehead, eyes and mouth,” said Kelly Castle, manager of the Alluvian Spa. “My skin felt immediately firm and smooth and absorbed the serums and cream completely with no sticky residue that you sometimes feel with rich moisturizers that are included in antiaging facials. After a week of using the skincare regimen recommended by my esthetician, my skin started to show a significant decrease in the texture I have recently started to develop around my cheek and chin area of my face.”

Alluvian Spa, Greenwood thealluvian.com 866.728.6700

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Hydrafacial with Dermaplaning “My favorite and most popular service is the HydraFacial. This all-inclusive facial deep cleanses, exfoliates, and hydrates all in one,” says Amber Truitt of Park Avenue Med Spa. Another favorite is Dermaplaning which removes peach fuzz and dead skin. A dermaplane can be paired with a HydraFacial if desired. Both of these procedures increase the absorption of topical products, exfoliate the skin to diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation, and create a healthier more radiant skin appearance.

The wonderful thing about a hydrafacial is it has fast results not only with smaller pores but gives an instant glow.

Park Avenue Med Spa, Greenwood dr38930.com 662.453.5939

Carbon Peel The only thing better than a laser treatment that helps with acne, enlarged pores, oily skin, and uneven skin tone is the fact that there is minimal to zero downtime. This revolutionary treatment is completely painless, and can be used on the face, neck, hands and décolletage. It also stimulates collagen production, which creates firmer, plumper skin and helps with fine lines and wrinkles.

The Skin Institute, Greenville theskininstitute.com 662.335.1103 128 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

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Stuckey Family Dentistry is proud to serve Greenwood and the Delta for 30 Years in family dental services.

Beautiful results and a healthy mouth are a few appointments plan for a healthy mouth together.

Call us today!

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Over 120 Years of Combined Experience!

Schedule an appointment today!

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

EastLakelandOBGYN.com 134 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

601.936.1400

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HISTORY

Creek at Metcalfe

DEER CREEK

BY WADE WINEMAN

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WADE WINEMAN

“The Best Land This Side of the Valley Nile”

he name, Deer Creek, is relatively commonplace in the U.S. and is familiar to all Delta residents—at least those who relate in some way to agriculture (is there a Delta resident who doesn’t?). Deer Creek’s name is thought

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relatively young soils. Young soils are those that have not been “weathered” for enough time to reduce the amounts of internal nutrients they contain. Soil weathering occurs due to “leaching,” a process by which soil nutrients are depleted over time, as water percolates downward into lower soil horizons or layers.

In 1820, following the Treaty of Doak’s Stand and the cession of to have been derived from the Choctaw word, isi okhina, which Choctaw lands in the southern Delta, European settlers began means deer creek, or deer river. It is also thought that this Indian drifting into the region. Mississippi’s climate was ideal for cotton word is the origin of the name for Issaquena County, Mississippi. production, and the cotton gin had recently been invented. These According to Wikipedia, in addition to our Deer Creek, there factors, along with the development of the Petit Gulf cotton hybrid, are at least 25 streams across the nation with the identical name, as piqued the interest of those seeking land for cotton production. For well as 15 towns, 14 townships, and numerous other features, such optimal cotton production, settlers sought land endowed with as hot springs, geological formations, dams, and reservoirs. Juliet productive, well-drained soil types, hoping to replace the eroded, might ask, “What’s in a name,” and with so many different worn-out soils they had previously cultivated in the eastern U.S. topographic features carrying the name, Deer Creek, it could also The soils along Deer Creek were precisely what early pioneers be asked, “What’s so special about were looking for. To identify the a creek?” But our Deer Creek— best cotton-producing ridges, the stream located in our they looked for hardwood sites on Yazoo/Mississippi Delta—is so which stood species such as well-known in its region that sweetgum, American elm, when you simply mention the pawpaw, sassafras, and certain words, “the creek,” everyone oaks, as well as sites overgrown understands what you are talking with native switch cane, all about. indicative of high elevation and Our Delta Deer Creek well-drained soil types. Cane possesses a characteristic that ridges were particularly attractive distinguishes it from all the other since they required less effort to Deer Creeks in the U.S.: soil— convert to cultivation. that friable matter composed of Settlers quickly discovered that mineral particles, organic matter, these arboreal indicators were water, and air. common along Deer Creek.

The soils deposited by Deer Before the influx of settlers in the Creek are widely regarded as early 1800s, many of these sites among the most productive in the had been cultivated by Indians, entire world. It can be said that primarily to grow maize. Indians the Creek’s soils are, “the best land utilized the highest natural levees this side of the valley Nile”—as along streams because those sites Delta soils are described by the not only had the best soils but character, Big Daddy, in the play, also were less vulnerable to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Some flooding. locals go even further, facetiously Cane areas in the Delta were referring to the Creek’s soils as, not difficult to find. One early “ice-cream dirt,” or, “monkey Confluence of Williams Bayou and Deer Creek at Forkland settler described seeing, “vast dirt,” soils so productive that stands of cane.” According to the “even a monkey could make a good crop.” book, This Delta, This Land, by Mikko Saikku, Major A. G. McNutt Deer Creek runs a total of 159 miles, through five counties in made the following observation in 1836, “[A] great portion of the the western Delta: Bolivar, Washington, Sharkey, Issaquena, and [Deer Creek] tract is cane land...better adapted to the culture of Warren. The creek originates at Lake Bolivar, in Bolivar County, and cotton than any other in the southern country.” In the Papers of the terminates five miles north of Redwood, Mississippi, at the point Washington County Historical Society, A. J. Paxton described a where it runs into the Sunflower Diversion Canal, near its former stand of cane he found in 1847 on Deer Creek, stating that the tract confluence with the Yazoo River. “was three miles wide and thirty miles long.”

Deer Creek was originally a distributary stream (a stream carrying Another factor contributed significantly to Deer Creek’s flow directly from an active river) and carried large sediment loads— settlement: its proximity to riverboat traffic. With the advent of the especially before levee construction. This era of active distribution steamboat era in the early 1800s, newcomers tended to settle in areas resulted in huge deposits of high-quality, coarse-grained soils (known located reasonably close to navigable streams, and many locations locally as “sandy loam”) being laid along the creek. According to along the creek were little more than ten miles from the Mississippi Rachel Stout Evans, USDA soil scientist, Deer Creek soils are indeed River. Farmers on the creek had access not only to the Mississippi— some of the most fertile in the world, primarily because they are when road conditions allowed—but also to the creek itself, which DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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Deer Creek. The Panic of 1837, however, ended the idea, and construction was never begun.

It is difficult to precisely estimate when the geologic origin of Deer Creek occurred. For several thousand years following the Ice Age and deglaciation, the Delta experienced a gradual accretion of land due to annual flooding and alluvial deposition by the Mississippi River. According to Rachel Stout Evans, Deer Creek most likely began when a crevasse occurred in the natural levee of an active river channel during a period of severe overflow. The crevasse developed at the point where the creek presently connects to Lake Bolivar, an ancient oxbow lake located at Scott, Mississippi, in Bolivar County. This event probably occurred nearly 1,000 years ago, when the present-day Lake Bolivar was either an active river channel or was still connected by an active chute to the main river channel.

was navigable by steamboat as far upstream as the sites where the towns of Leland and Stoneville would be located. According to Washington County WPA historical records, a small steamer appropriately named, Deer Creek, made regular landings in the vicinity of Stoneville during periods of high water.

Due to its natural and economic advantages, the Deer Creek area, along with the Lake Washington area, was one of the earliest areas settled in Washington County, rapidly progressing from a remote wilderness to a populated area. Early landowners on the creek in Washington County were represented by the following names: Dixon, Lee, Courtney, Carter, Miller, Hood, Buckner, Bourges, Percy, Yerger, Taylor, Metcalfe, Lonsdale, McNutt, and Hebron.

With the increase in settlement, cotton production along the creek expanded to such levels that a railroad line was envisioned to bring the crop to the Mississippi River for steamboat transport.

Reaching the river from Deer Creek had been problematic because wagon transportation was often impeded by the notorious clay soils and often impassable roads of the Black Bayou/Steele Bayou basin lying in between. A railroad line could solve the problem; consequently, The Lake Washington and Deer Creek Railroad and Banking Co. was incorporated in 1836. The objective of the railroad company’s organizers was to construct a line in Washington County from the river town of Princeton to Lake Washington, then east to 140 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Two miles below its source at Scott, Deer Creek branched into two separate streams, as it still does today. The western stream would become known as Deer Creek and the eastern as the East Branch of Deer Creek. The western branch joined Williams Bayou one quarter-mile south of the present Bolivar/Washington county line, just west of the tiny community of Priscilla, Mississippi, and where the renowned Forkland Plantation would later be located. The East Branch joined the two just over a mile to the east, and from that point south, the united stream would simply be known as Deer Creek.

Williams Bayou originated near Choctaw Bend on the Mississippi River, just across the river from Arkansas City, Arkansas.

The bayou originally joined the river near the place where the famous Mound Landing Crevasse would later occur, in Bolivar County. This crevasse was the point where the largest breach in the levee occurred at the beginning of the Great Flood of 1927, and it is generally still regarded as the largest levee crevasse ever occurring along the entire length of the Mississippi River. Before levee construction, Williams Bayou, like Deer Creek, overlaid its banks with heavy deposits of sandy loam soil. Its origin as a distributary stream of the Mississippi appears to have begun at about the same time as Deer Creek, nearly a thousand years ago.

In Deer Creek’s first few miles above the Washington/Bolivar line, the bands of sediment deposited by both of its upper branches are not only of slightly lower productivity but are also more narrow than those deposited farther south, most likely because these sections of the creek’s branches are located above the creek’s confluence with Williams Bayou. Below the confluence, the combined stream historically began carrying greater sediment loads. South of the spot

where the town of Metcalfe would later be settled, it began spreading its bounty of highly-productive sandy loam soil in the wide swaths for which Deer Creek is famous.

Below Metcalfe, the creek’s sandy loam deposits reach widths of one-to-two miles or more on either side of the stream. Primarily due to the presence of these broad deposits, Delta Branch Experiment Station, an agricultural research station, was established in 1904 on Deer Creek at Stoneville, Mississippi, a few miles below Metcalfe. The station has since grown to become one of the nation’s leading research facilities.

From Stoneville south to Anguilla, in Sharkey County, sandy loam deposits on each side of Deer Creek generally remain one to two miles or more in width; however, farther downstream, near Rolling Fork, the deposits are noticeably more narrow. At Cary, seven miles below Rolling Fork, deposits average a half-mile or less. At the town of Onward, six miles below Cary, the creek’s sandy loam soils lay in bands that are generally a quarter-mile wide or less, narrowing even more as the stream approaches its southern terminus, just above Redwood.

Deer Creek’s narrower deposits below Rolling Fork most likely resulted from the creek’s flow being diverted east into Rolling Fork Creek at the town, especially at high-water stages. Rolling Fork Creek fed into the Sunflower River system and eventually the Yazoo River south of Satartia.

In addition to its agricultural fame, Deer Creek is known for its involvement in the Civil War, resulting from military action occurring at both its lower and upper ends. At its southern end, the creek was a conduit for Union troops during the Steele Bayou Expedition, an alternate Union strategy to capture Vicksburg by encircling Confederate lines and accessing the Yazoo River northeast of the town. The Union plan was carried out by Admiral David Porter’s gunboat crews, supported by Major General William Sherman’s infantry forces, and was to follow a circuitous route, up Black Bayou, Deer Creek, Rolling Fork Creek, and the Sunflower River. The expedition failed when it was repelled by Confederate troops at Rolling Fork. Hill’s Plantation, near Deer Creek at Onward, was the staging ground for Union infantry and was Sherman’s headquarters throughout the expedition.

Deer Creek was also involved in the war near its northern end. Frequent attacks by Confederates on passing Union warships near Greenville resulted in General Grant directing Union land forces to the area. After landing at Greenville in February 1863, Union troops under Gen. Stephen Burbridge marched toward a Confederate camp near Leland, on Deer Creek. The forces were repulsed by Confederates under Gen. Samuel Ferguson, at Fish Lake Bridge, between Greenville and the creek. The site was near present-day Old Leland Road, east of Greenville.

That would not be the end of the Union occupation of the area, however. Over the following weeks, Gen. Burbridge would send his forces on several raids from the river

Soil map showing Deer Creek in the vicinity of Hollandale, Mississippi.

Areas shaded yellow indicate superior soils. Areas in blue are generally considered to be less productive. The width of the deposits of superior soils as shown on the map is particularly noteworthy.

to Deer Creek and along the creek, searching for bands of Confederates and any property he could find, such as livestock, cotton, and various supplies. The only significant encounter between the opposing forces during this period was a brief skirmish near the creek, at Arcola.

In the weeks following Vicksburg’s surrender on 4 July 1863, Confederate sniping continued along the Mississippi. A few weeks later, when Confederate sympathizers again fired on a passing Union gunboat near Greenville, the patience of Union forces was finally exhausted. The ship landed and Union ground troops burned the entire town of Greenville, sparing only two houses.

This concludes our account of the Delta’s Deer Creek, one of more than 50 locations or topographic features across the nation which are identically titled. Mississippi Delta residents staunchly believe that their stream is the most distinguished member of the group. To ask these locals our initial questions, “What’s in a name?”, and “What’s so special about a creek?”, would likely arouse an overwhelming display of swagger, as they assert deeply held feelings about their creek—Deer Creek, The Creek, Our Creek. DM DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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EVENTS Jeff Dunham, January 15

FESTIVALS, MUSIC & FUN THINGS TO DO January 5 - 8

Memphis

January 14, 10:30 am

Germantown

2023 Elvis Birthday Celebration

Peanut Butter & Jam: Songs by Jake

Graceland graceland.com

Watkins Studio Theater gpacweb.com

January 6, 6:45 pm

Memphis

January 14, 7:30

WWE Friday Night Smackdown

Mike Super 2.0

Fedex Forum fedexforum.com

Halloran Centre orpheum-memphis.com

January 12, 7:30 pm

Jackson

Memphis

January 14, 7:30 pm

Jackson

The Be Funny Tour with Comedian Nate Bargatze

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s Mozart By Candlelight

Thalia Mara Hall thaliamarahall.net

Belhaven University Center For the Arts msorchestra.com

January 13

Germantown

January 14, 8 pm

Germantown

Tommy Emmanuel

Stacey Kent

Duncan-Williams Performance Hall gpacweb.com

Duncan-Williams Performance Hall gpacweb.com

January 13 - 15

Memphis

January 14, 8:30 pm

The Long Goodbye: A Rock Opera

Take On Me: 80s New Wave

Theatre Works at the Evergreen

Minglewood Hall minglewoodhallmemphis.com

Wanda Sykes, January 20

The Milk Carton Kids, January 21

January 15, 3 pm

Southaven

Jeff Dunham: Still Not Cancelled Memphis

Landers Center landerscenter.com

January 15, 8 pm

Jackson

Mike Epps and Friends Jackson Convention Center visitjackson.com

January 16

Memphis

Race For Reconciliation Autozone Park r4r.one

January 16, 7 pm

Jackson

Voices of Freedom: A MLK Day Celebration Duling Hall operams.org

Mike Super 2.0, January 14

142 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

January 17, 7:30

Legally Blonde Thalia Mara Hall thaliamarahall.net

Jackson

Cirque Zuma Zuma, February 3

Blue Man Group, February 7

January 19, 7:30 pm

Cleveland

Menopause The Musical

January 20, 8 pm

Memphis

Rusted Root Revisited with Michael Glabicki and Dirk Miller

Bologna Performing Arts Center bolognapac.com

January 20

Memphis

Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center michaelglabicki.com

AI Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & The Machine Museum of Science and History moshmemphis.com

January 23 - 29

Wanda Sykes

January 21, 7:30 pm

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Cody Johnson

Clarksdale Film Festival & Music Festival

Landers Center landerscenter.com

Downtown Clarksdale clarksdalefilmfestival.com

January 20, 7 pm

Germantown

Southaven

Jazz in the Box: Joel Frahm

January 21, 8 pm

Duncan-Williams Performance Hall gpacweb.com

The Milk Carton Kids

International Blues Challenge

Duncan-Williams Performance Hall gpacweb.com

Blues Hall of Fame Museum blues.org

January 22 - May 6

Germantown

January 24 - 28

Clarksdale

Memphis

Memphis

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Shen Yun, January 31

The McCrary Sisters, February 24

February 2

Cleveland

Delta Thunderchickens Lyric Hotel West End visitcleveland.com

February 3

Memphis

Cinderella’s Tom Keifer Graceland Soundstage graceland.com

February 3

Tunica

America Horseshoe Casino caesars.com/tunica

February 3

Memphis

Cirque Zuma Zuma Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center zumazuma.com

February 3, 8 pm

Jackson

Frankie Valli Thalia Mara Hall thaliamarahall.net

Dancing with the Stars, Febuary 23

February 4, 8 am

Lake Village

Mississippi River Marathon msrivermarathon.raceroster.com

January 27, 5:30 pm

Cleveland

Grape Expectations Rocks The Library Benefit Gala

January 29, 7 pm

Memphis

Livingston Taylor Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center livingstontaylor.com

Robinson-Carpenter Memorial Library bolivar.lib.ms.us

January 27, 8 pm

January 30

Memphis

Destroy Lonely Minglewood Hall minglewoodhallmemphis.com

Memphis

February 4

Halloran Centre orpheum-memphis.com

The Glen Miller Orchestra

February 4

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Rickey Smiley and Friends

January 30 - February 4

Memphis

Memphis

Comedian Poundcake 10 Hilarious Commandments

Memphis

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

The Underground Summit

February 4, 8 pm

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s Unbeatable Beethoven

Underground Summit Records undergroundsummitrecords.com

Neko Case with Indigo Sparke

Thalia Mara Hall thaliamarahall.net

January 31, 7:30 pm

January 28, 7:30

January 28, 8 am

Jackson

Germantown

Cars & Coffee Germantown Performing Arts Center gpacweb.com

January 28 - 29

Shen Yun Cannon Center for Performing Arts shenyun.com 144 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Duncan-Williams Performance Hall gpacweb.com

Shen Yun

February 7, 7:30 pm

Thalia Mara Hall shenyun.com

Blue Man Group

February 2 Memphis

Jackson

Memphis

Germantown

Cleveland

Bologna Performing Arts Center bolognapac.com

Frankie Valli Greatest Hits

February 9, 7 pm

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

The Acting Company: Romeo and Juliet Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall starkville.org

Starkville

February 9, 7:30 pm

Germantown

February 18, 10 am

Cécile McLorin Salvant

PBR: Bluff City Classic

Duncan-Williams Performance Hall gpacweb.com

Fedex Forum fedexforum.com

February 10

Memphis

An Evening with Don Bryant and the Bo-Keys Halloran Centre orpheum- memphis.com

February 18, 1 pm

Memphis

Thalia Mara Hall thaliamarahall.net

Olive Branch

1st Annual Mardi Gras Parade

February 25

Old Towne Olive Branch Main Street visitdesotocounty.com

Soul II Soul Tour Jackson

Siudy Garrido Flamenco Dance Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center siudyflamenco.org

Thalia Mara Hall thaliamarahall.net

February 11, 7 pm

February 19 - May 21

Jackson

Kerwin Claiborne: Theeese Folks Crazy Tour

February 11, 8 pm

Germantown

Pilobolus

Memphis

Extending the Potential: The Art and Techniques of Bill Helwig

February 12

Memphis

Black Love Concert Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

February 13, 6 pm

Cleveland

Home From School (Free Film)

February 21

Jackson

Future Stars of the Stage

LITERARY EVENTS

February 21, 7:30 pm

Cleveland

Ode to a Nobody

Bologna Performing Arts Center bolognapac.com

January 7, 1 pm: Novel, Memphis Writing Workshop and Book Signing novelmemphis.com

February 23

Memphis

Dancing with the Stars

Alexandra Nolan

The Unconventional Entrepreneur Memphis

Niko Moon

Memphis

TINA - The Tina Turner Musical Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

February 15, 7 pm

Sun Keep Rising Memphis

Warren Zeiders: Pretty Little Poison Tour

Jackson

February 24

Memphis

Taylor Tomlinson - The Have It All Tour

Thalia Mara Hall thaliamarahall.net

January 24, 6 pm: Novel, Memphis Book Launch novelmemphis.com Alex Hitz

Graceland Soundstage gracelandlive.com

The Glenn Miller Orchestra

January 12, 6 pm: Novel, Memphis Book Launch novelmemphis.com Kristen R. Lee

February 23, 8 pm February 14 - 19

Caroline Brooks Dubois

The Guess Who

Minglewood Hall minglewoodhallmemphis.com

Duling Hall operams.org

Germantown

GPAC Youth Symphony Program Rocks featuring Briarcrest Soundscape

Memphis

February 23, 8 pm February 13, 7 pm

February 26, 4 pm

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Bologna Performing Arts Center bolognapac.com

Jackson

64th Mississippi Gem, Mineral, Fossil, and Jewelry Show

Duncan-Williams Performance Hall gpacweb.com

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Duncan-WIlliams Performance Hall gpacweb.com

February 25 - 26

Mississippi Trade Mart missgems.org

Metal Museum metalmuseum.org

Thalia Mara Hall thaliamarahall.net

Southaven

Landers Center landerscenter.com

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s Nothin’ But the Blues

Memphis

Jackson

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s Jazz Redefined

February 18, 7:30 pm

February 10, 8 pm

February 25, 7:30 pm

Orpheum Theatre orpheum-memphis.com

Occasions to Celebrate: Cooking and Entertaining with Style January 26, 5:30 pm: Square Books, Oxford Book Signing squarebooks.com Brad Taylor with Mark Greaney

February 15, 8 pm

Memphis

February 24

Colter Wall

The McCrary Sisters

Minglewood Hall Minglewoodhallmemphis.com

Halloran Centre orpheum-memphis.com

February 16 - 25

Starkville

February 25, 8 am

Memphis

January 28, 2 pm: Novel, Memphis Book Launch novelmemphis.com

Germantown

Terms of Endearment

Cars & Coffee

Starkville Community Theatre starkville.org

Germantown Performing Arts Center gpacweb.com

February 17, 6 pm

Cleveland

February 25, 10:30 am

The Devil’s Ransom

Germantown

2023 Children’s Benefit Ball

Peanut Butter & Jam: Pop Goes Strings

Bolivar County Expo Center clevelandja.org

Watkins Studio Theater gpacweb.com

Mark Greaney

Burner (Gray Man) February 25, 2 pm: Charlie Vergos’ the Rendezvous, Memphis Book Launch novelmemphis.com

DM

DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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DELTA SEEN

Ava and Ashley Scott

Chris McQueen Gregory

and

Blake Magee and Debra Adams

Matthew

ArtPlace Mississippi Garden Party in Greenwood on November 3 Photos by Andy Lo

Brad and Lauren Tackett

Buster Norris with Megan and Powell Litton

Courtney and Frank Kimmel

Danielle and Brent Morgan

Debbie and Hope Brooks

Dezarae Leto and Douglas Bowden

Eleanor Braswell, Nancy Johnson and Dana Gary

Eunice Barrera and Rachel Goldberg

Hank Reichle and Mac Howard

James and Lainey Harreld

Jennifer Lovelady and Whitney Wise

JP and Shelley Walker

Katie Mills and Erin Mulligan

146 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

DELTA SEEN

Kim Pillow and Brian Finnegan

Leigh and Richard Macy with Bob Morgan

Preslee Magee, Tish Goodman and Cary New

Walker and Allie Culver with Bob Provine

Meagan Howard and Kim Geney Galey and Megan Morgan and Isaac McCaleb Pillow Litton

Mary Neff Stewart, Swayze Hicks, Amanda Bush and Beth Williams

Stephen Pillow and Kola Sue Bowden

Susie Tackett Provine

and

Paula Margaret and Meredith Allen

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Melanie Bowman, Polly Henson, Pam Powers and Sykes Sturdivant and Mary Ellen Winborn Yolande van Heerden

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DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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DELTA SEEN

Dylan Matthews, Kelly Cardelli, Danyale Havens, Laney Aldridge, Jamey and Gary Gainspoletti with Rivers and Russell Gainspoletti

Jamie Smith, Gwen and Steve Azar and Mary Helen Varner

Alex Janoush and Mari Micci Brianna and Wendy Mabry Bramuchi

Anna and Patrick Weems with Lynn Shurden

148 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi’s 2022 Gala, “The Great Ball of Fire” in Cleveland on November 17 Photos by Lyndsi Naron

Allyson and DD Hardy

Colby Spradling and John Paul Alford

Mary McKay Griffith, Jamie Lee, Haley Kelly and Robin McKnight

Brittany and Tyler Cannon

Carmen and Chet Oguz

Mary Parker and Ryan Reddit with Robert Ming

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DELTA SEEN

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and

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Mary Beth and David Crews

Drs. Shawn and Teresa Mackey

Mason Honnoll and Christina Alford

Colby and Kelsey Spradling

Wyatt and Kristi Jacobs-Waters

Will and Kate Hood with Karen and Ike Brunetti

Jamie and Kirk Lee

Judith Lewis and Scott Coopwood

Lauren and Michael Boulanger

Murat and Ashley Gur

Nat and Robin McKnight

Stephanie and Delahoussaye

Elizabeth Heiskell and Amanda Turner

Vincent

Stephanie McGarrh, Lori Morris and Audrey Saia DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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DELTA SEEN

Special Guest Chef Dinner on December 3 at the Cotton House Hotel in Cleveland Photos by Anna Satterfield

Amanda Turner with Roane and Libbi Logan Lauren Caston and Lauren Powell Chefs Vishwesh Bhatt and Cole Ellis Gary and Beverly Fioranelli

Rebecca and Matthias Fischer with Blake and Clare Moore

The Chef’s dinner staff helped make the evening even more special. Pictured front, left to right: Mikee O’Dell, Lacie Pearson, Jess Harrison, Blake Campbell; Back: Carrigan Berry, Ashley Steadman, Lindsey Smith and Bryce Wimberly

Dr. Hugh and Diane Smith with Suzette Matthews and Matty Bengloff

Micol and Ricky Davis of Blue Mother Tupelo 150 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

Price Rosson, Clare Moore and Lauren Powell

Chef Vishwesh Bhatt and Jed Turner

Jodi Rives and Cindy Coopwood

Lisa and Joe Ellis

Rachel Carson McClellan

with

Katie

A Collection of Photos from Delta Magazine Readers

Anna Satterfield and Lynn Flint

Kelli Cardelli and Dylan Matthews in New York City

Marisol and Rory Doyle in New Orleans

DELTA SEEN

Tara, Nancy, Anna, and Tori Satterfield

Stuart Ware, Carolyn Goodman, Susan Denton and Anne Koonce

Delta Magazine was recently awarded the 2022 Best Overall Traditional Media award at the MS Tourism Association Conference. Visit Mississippi Director Craig Ray, Mississippi Development Authority Deputy Director, Laura Hipp, and MTA President and President and CEO of Visit Ridgeland, Chris Chapman, and Delta Magazine Editor Cindy Coopwood

Steve and Gwen Azar with Neal and Paige Suares

Katherine Patterson, Chris Blaine, and JoJo Hermann at Crawdads in Merigold

Andrew Belvedresi and Maggi Mosco with Keith, Shaun Leigh, Rod, and Ashley Freeman at Porch & Parlor in Memphis.

Mary Catherine Roark, Gabe Lee, Price Rosson and Claire Winn at the 2022 Otherfest Festival

Landon Bagley and Morgan Parker in Aspen, Colorado

Litton Mohammed, Jacob Mosco, and George Wade Mohammed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.

DELTA MAGAZINE 2023

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Thefinalword

MELANIE THORTIS

The Mississippi Winter Months That Made Me

Mary Margaret lives in the Fondren neighborhood of Jackson with her husband, Barry, and two daughters, Weezie and Dorothy.

She is the CEO of Mississippi Today, the state’s flagship nonprofit newsroom. More of her personal essays can be found at livingmississippi.substack.com or on the cooking blog, Grab the Corkscrew.

“S

ummertime in Mississippi,” was the phrase silk screened on my daddy’s favorite t-shirt. He wore it with his “holy jeans” on Sundays after church, the ones with the back pockets threadbare, a small rectangular outline of his wallet molded into the weathered cotton.

My parents drank Scotch almost exclusively. Daddy would have a PBR on the Fourth of July, and mama treasured a champagne toast on New Year’s Eve. But some Sundays, they’d make Old Fashioneds and sip them, literally for hours, while they deadheaded perennials or repotted plants.

When the cocktails had been consumed, they’d give me and my brothers the bourbon-soaked cherries and orange rinds that had flavored their drinks. To this day, I can’t smell brown liquor and not think of 152 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

BY MARY MARGARET MILLER WHITE

those long afternoons on our brick patio in Drew.

Both of my parents are gone now, and I ache for them…not so much on holidays and special occasions, but at quiet times like now, in the stoic, cold months of winter.

My mother loved the Delta in winter.

We’d take a long drive from home to some other Delta town where we had business or shopping to tend to, the soft sounds of PRM’s “Midday Classical” beaming from the car radio. She’d point out the white silhouette of a sycamore against a slatecolored sky. She’d remark on the fiery tips of a sumac, perched on spindly branches like birds prepared for flight. Bright green plots of turnip greens in a garden otherwise grown dormant.

Daddy kept a disposable camera on the bench seat of his single cab pickup for the singular purpose of bird watching in winter. He’d pull to the shoulder of Highway 8 near Minter City to take pictures of ducks flying in formation, or in later years, geese flocked like snow on the icy water of a flooded field. He’d have the film developed at Eckerd’s in Greenwood and we’d lovingly review the blurred images of black and white flecks on 4x6 glossy prints.

We moved to Greenwood from Drew in January of 1993, a year before the epic ice storm hit the Delta. We never lost power and our new house became a respite for our Sunflower County friends. Hot coffee and hot showers on constant rotation. Although we’d only moved forty miles from our home in Drew, Greenwood seemed like a big, foreign city to this smalltown twelve-year-old. Seeing my old friends and their parents was a salve for our family, as I realize now that we were all

grieving the fact that we’d left our family home there on the Quiver River. No one more than my mother, who loved the south-facing windows that let in the winter light, or my father who’d never lived outside of five miles of that little square of alluvial soil on Route 1 in Drew.

When the ice began to melt, an artillery of chainsaws and power tools, along with an army of able-bodied high school boys took to the streets of Greenwood to begin the arduous work of cleaning up after the storm. We met our neighbors in short order and quickly cemented friendships through those simple acts of service. I can still drive through Greenwood today and point out the houses where my brother and his friends hauled limbs and branches from front yards to bonfire pits in the fields beyond Money Road.

It would be years before I experienced my own teenage bonfires in the Delta. On crisp Saturday afternoons, we’d build a tower with wooden pallets and Christmas trees and watch the lingering strands of tinsel sparkle in an orange and purple sunset before the mountain of brush was set ablaze. We’d lean in to warm our hands and jump back when our jeans got so hot they seemingly scorched our legs.

Now, when I see a friend break open a bag of firewood they bought at Whole Foods, or even more, load the kindling into a smokeless fire pit, I laugh a little inside and think of the smoldering smell of bonfire that would linger in my car for a week after the flame. I think of my father when the ducks begin to fly, even over my crowded neighborhood in Jackson. I’m easy to weep at the sight of a sycamore tree, and for that reason I’ll always love the stoic, cold months of winter. DM

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