Mud & Magnolias June July 2015

June.

October.

JulyNovember 2015 2013

&Magnolias

Mud

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Contents

&Magnolias

Mud

pg. 14

pg. 24

pg. 38

pg. 61

Features Editor’s Letter pg. 8 Fast Food pg. 11 An easy treat to beat the heat.

Home How-to pg. 21 The first installment of our “Home Spotlight” series is the perfect Southern porch.

Hit the Road pg. 29 A little more northeast and you find yourself in Hernando with plenty of fun activities to make a day trip worth the drive.

Cackleberry Farms • pg. 14

Homegrown and natural are the adjectives fitting this farm best. You can buy eggs and meat on sight and know exactly where each item was produced.

Toccopola Farmhouse • pg. 24

On a backroad, off the beaten path, sits a farmhouse left for dead until a man, and eventually his family, brought it to life.

A Local’s Guide to New Orleans • pg. 33

Who better to highlight the city of New Orleans than a resident? We have the spots you shouldn’t miss, but probably haven’t heard about.

Fact Sheet pg. 39 An engineer by trade, this man has had an integral hand in Baldwyn’s downtown revitalization and if you’re lucky, you may catch him in the spotlight.

In The Know pg. 58 This professor actively practices what he teaches with illustrations and graphic design.

Sounds Like Heat • pg. 38

Mississippi musicians are making a name for themselves in the music city.

A Life Full of Work, Study and Love • pg. 61

Her jewelry is in stores across the region and this is just the beginning.

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Editor’s Letter

Mud & Magnolias is approaching it’s fourth birthday (eek!) and we are constantly moving forward based on feedback from our readers and advertisers as well as industry research. So I’m excited to unroll a few new developments here.

1) More Accessible We’ve been working on a way to make Mud & Magnolias more readily available to north Mississippi residents. Since our beginning, we have primarily been distributed through our sister product, the Daily Journal. While we will still be distributed through the Journal in select counties, we are implementing what I call a free-standing copies initiative. We have nearly 350 distribution locations across the region. To find a location near you, please visit our website at mudandmag.com for a complete list.

2) Digital Presence Speaking of our website, we have stepped up our digital game to provide access to Mud & Magnolias through your computer, phone or tablet. You can now find a digital copy of our magazine on our website as well as the Daily Journal website. And once you get to our site, you can access stories and additional photos not published in the magazine. I’m obsessed with the clean design and the large photo displays our site offers. And finally, we have added Instagram to our other social media accounts. If you haven’t, follow us for updates. facebook.com/mudandmagnolias

@mudandmagnolias

Mud & Magnolias

@mudandmagnolias

3) Home Spotlight Series Our editorial staff is excited to announce a new series called “Home Spotlight.” This issue starts us off featuring a front porch made for the South and made for me to sip sweet tea and relax on (but it’s not mine, unfortunately). Turn to page 21 to see the Dunnam’s welcoming porch and tips on how to make your porch the same. And as you will see, the next space we will feature is a kitchen and we want your input! Do you know someone with a really great kitchen? Or is your kitchen your favorite room in the house? Tell me about it at editor@mudandmag.com.

If you have any thoughts about this issue, please email me at editor@mudandmag.com.

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THE STAFF’S FAVORITE NEW EXPERIENCE

Mud

&Magnolias

1242 S Green St. Tupelo, MS 38804 662.842.2611

Editor-in-Chief 2

3

4

Ellie Turner

Creative Director Ignacio Murillo

Associate Editors 5

6

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Photos by C. Todd Sherman, Lauren Wood and Thomas Wells 1 • Ellie: I live in a tiny apartment, but I wanted to try out my green thumb on some tomato plants grown in pots. I have two - one producing cherry tomatoes and one producing regular tomatoes. Y’all, I feel like I could take on the world because I managed to grow a few baby tomatoes. Tomatoes are probably the easiest plant to grow, but I’ve never planted and grown a vegetable or fruit by myself, so I’m on cloud nine.

2 • Shannon: After seeing and hearing about chalk paint, I finally tried it out by painting my dining room table and chairs. Love it!!! I may even be addicted. Look out old side table, you are

Amy Speck Shannon Johnson Missha Rogers Leslie Criss Lauren Wood

Featured Sales Consultants Ricky Kimbrell Leigh Knox Kim Surber Chelsea Spain June Phillips Phillip Wilburn Angie Quarles

next.

3 • Amy: My favorite new experience is reading the Harry Potter books with my son and daughter.

The first book was written before my oldest was born, and I have not seen any of the movies or read the books until I could go on this adventure with my kids. By the time this issue of Mud & Magnolias publishes, we will be starting the fourth book and hope to finish all seven by the end of the year.

4 • Leslie: Believe it or not, a favorite new experience for me has been removing wallpaper. It’s true. I stripped wallpaper from two rooms in my Dad’s house recently and I loved it. Maybe it was beginner’s luck; perhaps the paper was just ready to come down. But it was easy and fun. My hope is it will always be that easy because I’ve heard horror stories from others who’ve not found the task as satisfying.

Contributing Editors Carlie Kollath Wells Sandra Knispel Joseph Leray Natalie Richardson Riley Manning Ginny Miller Elizabeth Argo

Contributing Photographers Ann-Marie Wyatt Adam Robison Thomas Wells Elizabeth Argo

5 • Missha: I haven’t actually experienced it yet, but I’ll be parasailing in Key West this summer for the first time and I can’t wait!

6 • Lauren: I’m photographing a wedding for the first time as a lead photographer. I’m nervous, but the couple is super fun and I think it’s going to be a really awesome wedding. I’m so excited to capture all of their special moments on their big day!

7 • Sarah: I recently experienced Mexican food for the first time. How crazy was I not to try

subscriptions@mudandmag.com advertising@mudandmag.com info@mudandmag.com mudandmag.com This magazine is a bimonthly publication of Journal, Inc.

it before? I love the amazing decor, fun music and delicious food. I could eat chips and salsa by themselves, but I recommend the fajita chaquitas! mudandmag.com

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C ackleberry F arms

Life on the farm starts early,

and for John and Lovine Maxwell at

Cackleberry Farms, it starts with the chickens.

By Riley Manning

A “

bout 5:30 or 6 in the morning, we bring in two sacks of feed and check their water,” John said. “Around 3:30 or 4 in the afternoon, we gather the eggs.”

Situated between Aberdeen and West Point, in the no-man’s-land of Prairie, the chickens are precisely what make Cackleberry Farms unique.

The chickens, all laying hens, have a coop with openings allowing the birds to roam in and out as they please.

“We go natural as much as we can,” Lovine said. “I’d say very few

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commercial operations let their chickens outdoors. Most places who do let their chickens outside keep them in wire cages, and only move the cages when the chickens have eaten all the grass.”

In the shade of their coop, they cluck around in a group, save for a few snoozing in their roosts. John and Lovine, each in their 80s, delicately pluck eggs for an order of 90. The eggs look somehow tastier, varying shades of brownish-orange, some with freckles, and Lovine said unprocessed eggs keep longer than commercial

ones.

“I’ve tried to count them before, and it’s been up around 480 chickens,” Lovine said. “We sell the eggs to a few restaurants, but mostly customers who want them for eating.”

Cackleberry Farms is a subset of Prairie Mills feed and farm supply, owned and run by Lovine’s brother, Steve Schrock.

“Raising and eating natural is something that’s important to me, personally,” Schrock said. “I value my health, and I value the food I eat to maintain that health. Especially since

the damaging effects of processed food is a growing reality.”

Schrock started Prairie Mills in ‘87, after the row-cropping business went bust. He sold his equipment and land to get out of debt, but he found himself broke.

“The only machines I had left was one mill for mixing feed and one tractor,” he said. “We had no money to hire help, but we knew we had to do something different.”

So he supplied feed for his neighbors, mostly dairy farmers, and that kept him afloat. Over the next three years, the business grew and he was able to accumulate more tools and help.

“In the winter, we’d do great, but the summertime was tough,” he said.

“There would be grass for the animals to eat, so they wouldn’t need feed.”

The whole time, however, he’d kept a few chickens and harvested their eggs for himself, and every now and again, as a gift to his feed customers.

“Even then, I was keen-minded for natural food,” he said. “I thought, ‘This is what we need.’ That’s where the name came from. One of my dairy farmers would come by and say, ‘Hey, you got any cackleberries?’ meaning eggs, of course.”

Thus, Cackleberry Farms was born in ‘98.

The mill is still the bulk of Schrock’s business. The process of mixing feed is surprisingly complex, and orders are placed in units of tons and half-tons. Everyone who comes into the small supply store to place an order seems to have their own recipe of minerals like nitrogen and magnesium. For instance, dairy cows need a different mixture than beef cows, not to mention poultry. Schrock tends to customers from behind the counter, keeping track of prices and receipts by hand.

“One day we’re going to get a computer in here and get all this organized,” he said.

But you can tell he likes doing things by hand, the old-fashioned way.

Most farmers do. The store is the hub of the whole operation. Described as a “redneck Walmart” by one customer, the store carries basic tractor oil, dog food, ratchet straps, and honey from an apiary in the area.

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“How you doing?” people ask.

“Just right,” Schrock responds.

For Schrock and his customers from as far away as Alabama, it’s all day work. But like Lovine and John, they wouldn’t trade anything for it. Lovine and John had a dairy farm in John’s native Kansas that went under, which led them to Cackleberry.

“If we’d have made more money, I would have enjoyed it, even if we’d just broken even,” Lovine said. “We had four places we could have gone when we decided to leave Kansas, and I told John I wanted to go to whichever one had a farm.”

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Schrock likes having Lovine close, along with his other sister and his wife.

“I think people love the farm life for the freedom,” Schrock said. “They can’t stand to be tied up, locked up.”

His only family that doesn’t live on the farm is his son, who kicked the Prairie mud off his boots and moved to New York City as soon as he could.

Schrock grins wryly to talk about him.

“I’d rather run rabid with the hounds and pick dirt with the chickens than live up there,” he said.

“But I’ve been to visit him. Last time, this haggard-looking Puerto Rican guy

drove us to the airport and I struck up a conversation with him. He said he was getting ready to retire, to go home where he could see the sunrise and hear the rooster crow, and I said, ‘Me too, brother.’” M

On the Farm

John and Lovine Maxwell gather eggs on a Friday afternoon. Steve Schrock helps customers at the store on site. Photos by Lauren Wood

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HOME SPOTLIGHT: This will be an on-going series featuring different spaces that make a house a home.

THE PERFECT SOUTHERN PORCH NEW ALBANY, MISSISSIPPI On East Bankhead, a house sits a bit more cozy than the rest. What sets it apart? Our guess is the front porch with unique fixings and a haint blue ceiling, of course.

MEET THE OWNER: LAURA DUNNAM Was your current front porch complete when you moved in or did you do some renovations?

No, the porch was not complete when we moved here. The shutters are the only element that were here.

To complete the outdoor “room,” we added everything else. We needed to define space with the curtains and rug.

Then adding all the accessories, it has certainly been a work in progress.

What makes the perfect front porch?

My definition of a “perfect porch” is a

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space that is inviting and comfortable, while giving visitors interesting views, and reflecting the personality of the homeowner.

Where should you splurge and where should you save when creating a great porch space?

Nice quality furniture is where I would splurge. It will be the anchors of the space. Everything else can be replaced and updated more easily. Think outside the box on the accessories! Outdoor pillows are not usually luxurious, but my porch is well protected, so I was able to use nicer interior fabrics. A quick update I did was using an inexpensive paint drop cloth to wrap chair cushions.

What advice would you give someone who is looking to upgrade his/her porch?

My advice is to be original. Use items that you love. My porch has evolved since we moved here almost eight years ago. Next year it may be better if I find more things I love.

Up Next: In our August issue we will feature a kitchen in our “Home Spotlight” space. Did a great kitchen just pop in your mind? Let us know at editor@mudandmag.com. M Photos by Lauren Wood

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TOCCOPOLA FARMHOUSE

Eleven years ago, Josiah Coleman was determined to work in Oxford one day.

A young lawyer in Tupelo at the time, Coleman’s inner compass drew him westward, back to his alma mater. So, when it came time to buy a house he decided to buy something halfway in-between.

By Sandra Knispel

I

t was supposed to be a means to an end,” he confesses.

The now 42-year-old stumbled across a little, one-story farmhouse in Toccopola, surrounded by some 125 acres of meadows and fields, across from a small, white clapboard Methodist church. Both lay abandoned.

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Built in 1895, the Wingo House, as it is locally known, lacked running water, heating and cooling. What it did have was a “wonky foundation,” a 6-inch slant that could make a marble run the length of the bedroom.

“The inside was a wreck. All the plumbing was busted out. All the wiring

was the original wiring from probably the ‘30s or ‘40s,” then-bachelor Josiah remembers.

Effectively, the house had stood empty for decades. It soon became clear remodeling would take a while, at least at his pace. So, a tree became his makeshift bathroom. Josiah installed an

outdoor hot water spigot from which he ran a hose to a wild cherry. He even hung a shower curtain, should someone unexpectedly come wandering along the small country lane.

“Josiah was roughing it, to say the least,” Ashleigh, his wife of five years recounts.

While renovating the kitchen, living in the house became an ongoing camping trip. “The floors were torn out. It was winter. There was no heat and he was sleeping in a sleeping bag, covered with a thick comforter,” Ashleigh says, chuckling. This all happened before they were married and before she moved in.

“Several times he would wake up to find his water bottle frozen solid,” she says.

A lawyer by day, Josiah became a builder by night, reading DIY books on how to turn this old house around. Off came the wallpaper and muslin that had been nailed to the walls, revealing wooden boards. He copied the 12inch baseboards used throughout and rebuilt them for the den. He ripped out flooring and put down slate tiles in the kitchen, crawled underneath the house to install new plumbing, even did a lot of the electrical wiring. A true autodidact, he read along as he worked, remodeling for seven long years.

“I really enjoyed doing this,” Josiah says.

“Wiring, as I discovered, has a lot to do with math.” Most of all, he enjoyed the carpentry.

Ashleigh joined the fray in 2010, and immediately began to sand, stain and paint.

In 2012 the couple needed a nursery. With a modest 1,400 square feet to play with, they still managed to find a corner large enough to frame and partition with French glass doors.

And voilà! A compact, yet light-filled nursery was born, finished a scant week before baby Merrimac arrived.

Behind the 120-year-old house stands a derelict barn, which the Colemans cannibalized. The barn’s weathered boards became the wood siding for the wall that separates the corridor from the nursery. Its old tin roof was repurposed for the ceiling of both the nursery and corridor.

Ashleigh, a Virginia-native raised in South Carolina, holds a degree in Art History and English from the University of South Carolina. After graduating she worked for four years at an art gallery and ended up as one of her best customers. Now a mother of two, the 31-year-old has turned photographer, often shooting weddings on weekends.

The house, meanwhile, is filled with Ashleigh’s art purchases: classic motifs hung side by side with challenging modern art, like the large black and white collage with charred dentures above the sofa in the den.

The art here is not a decorative afterthought;

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it claims center stage.

“We moved furniture all around the den in order to find the right spot,” Ashleigh says.

Interspersed are antiques, like the polished mahogany sideboard and an oak dining table, the latter inherited from Josiah’s maternal grandparents. On the bedside table reside three signed volumes of Shelby Foote’s The Civil War. They once belonged to Josiah’s paternal grandfather, the late J.P. Coleman, governor of a segregated Mississippi in the 1950s, who had served a brief stint on the state’s Supreme Court.

Like his grandfather, Josiah was drawn to public office. Since 2013, he has been one of Mississippi’s nine Supreme Court Justices, and at 42, the youngest of the group.

When I arrived to interview Ashleigh 26

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at the farmhouse, she and the kids greeted me barefoot.

“I didn’t pack any socks when we drove up from Jackson,” shrugs Ashleigh with a grin. “We have so little space here, I just grab the essentials.” While we talk, 3-year-old Merrimac hammers away on a play workbench on the columned front porch, and 1-year-old Russell toddles over to cuddle and nurse.

Ashleigh’s latest project is to rent the house out for short-term stays. She’s posted it on Airbnb.com. Of course, being a professional photographer, she didn’t just upload beauty shots. In her pics you’ll find a floating head (her daughter’s), surrounded by a shock of hair, drifting aimlessly in the clawfooted iron bathtub. Look closely and you’ll see tiny Russell in another

photograph, tucked motionless into a chair in a corner of the dining room.

So far, she’s had only one renter. But it’s just a matter of time until budding writers, artists and maybe wanna-be Supreme Court justices discover this little piece of quirky tranquility. It’s tucked away in Toccopola, a mere whiff of a town with about 250 souls, some 20 miles southeast of Oxford and about 40 miles west of Tupelo.

Shhhh! Keep the secret. M Photos by Lauren Wood

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NEW ENGLAND

(September 30 – Oct. 11 , 2015) 12 Days Price Per Person: Single $3745.00, Double $2630.00, Triple $2330.00, Quad $2120.00

TOUR INCLUDES: * Lancaster, PA * Tour of Amish Farmlands & Homes * Tour of Hershey, PA – Chocolate World * In-Home Amish Dinner * Dinner at Good n’ Plenty Restaurant * ”Joseph” at Sight & Sound Theater * Guided tour of Newport, RI * Admission to Marble House * Admission to The Breakers * Dinner at Atlantic Beach Club * Harbor Cruise / Newport * Dinner at the Pier Restaurant * Shopping/Free time in Newport * Guided tour of Kennebunkport ME * Lobster Dinner in Kennebunkport * Picture Stop at the Portland Headlight Lighthouse * Lunch at DiMillo’s on the Water * Franconia Inn * Kancamagus Scenic Byway * North Conway NH * Woodstock VT * Guided Tour of Niagara Falls, ON * Dinner at Skylon Tower / Niagara Falls

NEW YORK CITY

(October 18-24, 2015) 7 Days Price Per Person: Single $2910.00, Double $2070.00, Triple $1735.00, Quad $1570.00

TOUR INCLUDES: * New York City Tour * 2 Broadway Plays * Circle Line Harbor Cruise with close up view of the Statue of Liberty * Top of the Rock Observation Deck * Free day in New York City to Explore on your own. * 4 Nights in New York City * 2 Nights in Wytheville VA (1st night & last night)

662.534.5203 | BARKLEYTRAVEL.COM

141 WEST BANKHEAD STREET | NEW ALBANY|

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M& M New Albany Shop When every detail matters...

121 West Bankhead Street • New Albany • 662.538.5984 612 Wick Street • Corinth SOCO District • 662.872.3244

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M-F 10-5 Sat 10-3 117 West Bankhead • New Albany • (662) 534-3784

M

Hit The Road

Arkabutla Lake

Bon Von

HOME SWEET

HERNANDO

You might have heard Hernando was the inspiration for the setting of several Grisham novels or that the Southern jam band, North Mississippi Allstars grew up in Hernando, named their sixth album for their hometown, and even used a photograph of the 1925 Hernando water tower as the album cover.

B

ut all of the Hernando hype is for good reason. It really is the quintessential, Southern small town. Hernando is a place of harmony and hospitality; it’s quaint and quiet- about 25 miles south of the bright lights of Beale, and it has been home to seven generations of my family.

Hernando has nearly tripled in population since the mid-1990s.

Now, close to 15,000 people live in

By Elizabeth Argo Hernando. Even with fresh faces and newly built structures, there are some things that remain the same about the 176-year-old town. The heart (and the hub) of Hernando is, and always has been, the charming historic district that includes the Square that surrounds DeSoto County’s courthouse. The courthouse lawn, adorned with heirloom azaleas and magnificent magnolia trees, is where folks get together for picnics and

parades, and it’s home to seasonal events like the annual A-Fair, the “Sunset on the Square” summer concert series, the Water Tower Festival, and the top-notch Hernando Farmers’ Market that happens every Saturday from April through October.

Market-goers peruse the produce stands and admire the work of the local artisans, then take a Saturday sidewalk stroll around to all the shops of the Square. But as much as mudandmag.com

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I love shopping, I like to put a line in the water, too. I got that from my grandmother who always boasted that the best fishing in the Southeast could be found at Arkabutla Lake, which is home to several species of native fish, like largemouth bass, bream, and catfish, but the lake is particularly known for producing huge crappie.

Arkabutla Lake has campgrounds, swimming beaches and playgrounds, too. But you can’t hit the lake all day without a good Hernando breakfast.

The most popular breakfast stop in Hernando, particularly with my three little boys and a lot of Hernando kiddos, is Hernando Doughnuts, a cheery shop that starts serving ‘em up at sunrise. There’s a drive-thru window or you can take a seat inside, in one of the sunny, orange Formica booths.

However, a lifelong Hernandoan can’t talk breakfast without mentioning the breakfast tradition, Coleman’s BBQ. It’s Hernando’s version of the sitcom, “Cheers,” except instead of beers, the regulars have rounds of coffee. Hernandoans have sipped and socialized, over the sound of sizzling bacon, every morning at Coleman’s since 1971.

Next stop, the DeSoto County Museum. Although the museum is tiny, it has a lot to offer when it comes to Hernando’s history, including Native American artifacts, paintings of the Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto, Civil War documents, and an area dedicated to civil rights icon James Meredith, who was shot just south of Hernando on June 5, 1966, by a wouldbe assassin from Memphis. Meredith was en route to Jackson, as he led the March Against Fear. After Meredith recovered from his injuries, he was joined by Dr. Martin Luther King in Hernando to continue his pilgrimage and by the time they had reached the Capital, the march was 15,000 strong.

When it’s time for lunch, Hernando, has a lot of restaurants that are hidden treasures. One of them is hidden, literally. It’s underground.

Chef Chris Lee, whose restaurant the Underground Café, formerly the Memphis Street Café, has been featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The café, which is located under the shop Accents on the Square, features walls

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Bon Von

full of eclectic and funky local art and signature menu items like banana bread French toast, shrimp and grits, gumbo, and five different kinds of po boys.

Another uniquely Hernando hot spot is the historic Von Theater, a circa 1940 picture-show building.

The Von showed movies, produced live stage shows and it’s said to have been the venue for performances from legends like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, before they hit it big. The structure is now home to two unique boutiques.

Bon Von, offering classics like local pottery, silver, and many Mississippithemed treasures, and Keepsakes by Melony, a cute shop with everything from jeans to jewelry, owned by Hernando fashionista and elementary school librarian, Melony Brooks Hudson.

A trip to Hernando isn’t complete without a trip to “The Dip.” The walkup ice cream stand is actually named the Velvet Cream, but Hernandoans never call it that. “The Dip” got its nickname from Hernando teenagers in the 1960s and is the oldest, continuously run restaurant in Desoto County. The restaurant opened for business in 1947 in a 400-square-foot building. Over the years, “The Dip” has added to the building and to the menu, and now offers more than 250 frozen treats, gourmet burgers, and anything else you can think of — served deep fried. You’ll see everybody from baseball teams to business people sitting on tailgates, waiting on their

orders and watching the cars go by on Highway 51.

There may be a little more traffic these days, but Hernando still feels very much like a small town. It’s the perfect mix of old and new.

It’s familiar but fresh, and most importantly, hip, yet humble. M Photos submitted

ith Shop W ! y a Us Tod

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Where Cool Things Are

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Tupelo

1715 McCullough Blvd.

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CREATIVETOUCHTUPELO.COM

St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square

A LOCAL’S GUIDE TO

NEW ORLEANS Many people think they’ve seen New Orleans, but what they’ve really seen are a few blocks of the French Quarter. The Quarter is the heart of the city, but there’s so much more to explore in the metro area.

By Carlie Kollath Wells

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Organic Banana

FIRST-TIME VISITORS If you haven’t been to the Crescent City before, you need to cross a few things off your list first.

Head to Cafe du Monde (800 Decatur St.) in the French Quarter for beignets and a cafe au lait. This cashonly place is open 24 hours and you seat yourself. If you see a dirty table, sit at it and a server will clear it and take your order. Make sure to ask your server for a commemorative hat.

Get a muffaletta – a meaty Italian

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sandwich – from Central Grocery (923 Decatur St.). Try a classic French Quarter drink - a Hurricane from Pat O’Brien’s (718 St. Peter St.), a Hand Grenade from Tropical Isle (600 Bourbon St.) and a daiquiri from Fat Tuesday (633 Bourbon St.).

Wander the streets of the French Quarter with your drink in a go-cup.

Watch the street performers on Royal Street and explore the galleries. Listen to the brass bands at Jackson Square.

Enjoy the architecture. Take your time – you are in New Orleans.

EXPLORE OUTSIDE THE FRENCH QUARTER Make your way to Frenchmen Street, an area packed with clubs showcasing live music. It’s also home to the Frenchmen Art Market (619 Frenchmen St.), a bustling night market for local artists. A short walk away, you’ll find the Allways Lounge (2240 St. Claude Ave.). Entertainment varies widely at the lounge, with everything from burlesque shows to drag bingo.

Cafe du Monde

New Orleans City Park

A few blocks past the Allways Lounge is the brand-new St. Roch Market (2381 St. Claude Ave.). It’s a large food court with options such as craft cocktails, raw oysters, fresh pastries and Korean entrees. The New Movement (2706 St. Claude Ave.), New Orleans’ improv troupe, is nearby and is guaranteed to make you laugh. Keep exploring the Marigny and Bywater and you’ll find colorful homes, one-of-a-kind shops and tasty restaurants. One of those restaurants is Bacchanal. With its outdoor dining

District Donuts

and live music, this local favorite is a popular place to share a bottle of wine and a cheese board with friends.

SHOPPING Head to Magazine Street for several miles of local shops and restaurants from the Lower Garden District to the Audubon Zoo. You’ll find clothing boutiques, antique stores, specialty shops, stunning homes and neighborhood bars. Buy a $3 transit day pass and you’ll be able to hop

on and off the Magazine Street bus that runs from the French Quarter to the zoo. The pass also works on the streetcar and can be purchased on the bus or streetcar.

In addition to Magazine Street, you’ll find local shopping and eating options on Oak Street (between South Carrollton Avenue and Eagle Street), Maple Street (between Cherokee and Short streets) and Freret Street (between Napoleon and Jefferson avenues).

Looking for a statement piece for

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District Donuts

Storyland in New Orleans City Park

Storyland in New Orleans City Park

your home? Check out The Bank (1824 Felicity St.), an architectural salvage warehouse packed with goodies. Want to take the party home with you? Grab your cooler and head to Westwego for fresh seafood from the shrimp lot (100 Westbank Expressway). It’s like a farmer’s market for seafood. Tell the vendors you are traveling and they will pack your cooler with extra ice.

FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN Traveling with children? Visit the Audubon Zoo (6500 Magazine St.) and bring swimsuits. The Cool Zoo, a

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Superior Seafood

small waterpark on the zoo grounds, added a 750-foot lazy river and two sand beaches this year. Plus, there’s a new ropes course. The train, the carousel and the petting area also are popular things to do at the zoo.

New Orleans City Park (1 Palm Drive) is another destination enjoyed by many New Orleanians. This 1,300acre park includes the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Bestoff Sculpture Garden, City Putt (a miniature golf course), hiking trails and bike paths.

Plus, Storyland features 25 largerthan-life fairy tale scenes perfect for photos and climbing. Think Captain Hook’s pirate ship and Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. Storyland is next

to the Carousel Gardens, a small amusement park with child-size rides.

If the weather is nice, head to the Big Lake and rent a boat or a bike.

Whatever you choose to do during your trip, you can’t go wrong.

New Orleans is a place where you can see something new daily. Each neighborhood has its own character and charm and there’s a festival, second line or street performance popping up daily. M If you need help planning your trip or the festival schedule, visit http:// www.neworleansonline.com.

Photos submitted

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Traceway Retirement Community

Celebration. Innovation. Hope.

...Serving older adults in the spirit of Christian love.

Mitchell Center

Assisted Living R E C E N T LY R E N O VAT E D Offers private studio apartments with assisted living care to promote the independence of residents while providing individualized service. Residents enjoy many choices while receiving 3 meals a day, medication monitoring, daily housekeeping, and assistance with bathing and grooming.

662-844-1441 • www.mss.org/traceway 2800 W. Main St. Tupelo, MS 38801

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Fact Sheet

Q & A

CLARK RICHEY

A man of many talents, Clark has his hands in a little bit of everything.

Which is why you may see him behind a desk at his engineering firm or on a stage at the local theater.

How long have you lived in Baldwyn?

Since September 30, 1964. I was born in Baldwyn. With the exception of my college years, I have always lived here.

Baldwyn, both historically and currently, has been a great producer of high-achieving individuals.

Whether it’s in our genes or our water, we seem to turn out more people of accomplishment per capita than is reasonably possible. And yet we remain somewhat Mayberryesque. We get along. We are pretty much balanced racially, but we work together here. Maybe it’s because we’re so small – we’re not separated.

I think we are a little microcosm of what the South should be.

What is the theme song of your life?

Unfortunately, I’d say “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” but I guess that’s the attitude that keeps me going.

What is your all-time favorite movie?

Raiders of the Lost Ark

What is the last book you read?

Not counting theatrical plays and comics, I don’t really read that many books. The Hunger Games Trilogy, I guess.

What advice would you give to your 23-year-old self ?

Love everyone a little bit more.

Don’t be selfish. Work harder, but not at the expense of your family. Oh, and here’s a list of the people you shouldn’t put your trust in during the next 27 years. Right behind it is a list of the worst things you are going to do in the next 3 decades. Don’t do those.

What does a perfect day with your family look like?

All together – at the zoo, at the beach or at a ballgame. Most importantly, all together.

What’s your favorite summer treat?

I told my wife Rothann I was going to answer “her in a bikini” (which is probably true), but my official answer is homemade ice cream.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Hot wings from Lamar’s Barbeque, among a host of others.

What brought you to your current profession?

Clearly, I was provided a career as a mechanical engineer and small business owner by Divine Providence.

I look back 25 years and know, without any doubt, that there is no way I would have had success without God having guided and coerced me in directions that I would not have gone otherwise. As a result, I believe I have purpose.

What do you do to relieve stress?

Sing.

What’s been the most rewarding part of having a hand in revitalizing Baldwyn’s downtown area?

To see the pride in my friends and neighbors. To know that I have been allowed by God to play a part in making our community hopeful.

What’s your favorite thing about the South?

Hospitality. Friendliness. Genuine love of life and other people. mudandmag.com

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M& M Corinth Shop Summer Fun Starts at...

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Cory Taylor Cox / by Jonathan Pfahl

SOUNDS LIKE HEAT:

MISSISSIPPI MUSIC IN

NASHVILLE

M

By Joseph Leray

y grandmother always sang in church, so I picked up music at a young age,” Mallory says. “I saw her doing it and I wanted to be like her.”

Today, 18 years later, Mallory is a professional songwriter, part of a growing community of Mississippians making music in Nashville.

“Honestly, I think everybody plays in church growing up,” says Desmond Smith, a guitarist and guitar technician from Tupelo. “If you’re growing up down South, you most likely do.”

Spiritual music has a rich history is

The First Baptist Church in Okolona is a massive building fronted by wide, white stairs and towering columns, a big brick bookend to a once-thriving Main Street. On nice days, sunlight streams into the sanctuary where Jordyn Mallory started her music career: She sang her first church solo at 5 years old.

Mississippi, of course, but as a practical matter, aspiring artists have few other choices. “In Booneville, really the only place to play music is in school, in the marching band, or in church,” says Cory Taylor Cox, a musician and promoter working in Nashville. “So I grew up playing in church.”

Cox started drumming in church bands in middle school - encouraged by his father, also a drummer - before eventually joining the Mississippi All-State Baptist Youth Choir. “That’s when I learned what singing was,” Cox explains. “I didn’t understand harmony and melody, or that the voice could make a chord. It opened my eyes to

singing in parts.”

“A lot of people think church music’s easy, and some church music is easy,” says Smith. “But it woke up this thing in my heart. Playing in church will help you realize that music is a universal thing.

Anybody can be moved by the sounds of music.”

“Playing in church definitely had a huge impact on my life,” he says. “But I really like being in a rock and roll band.”

Getting to Nashville is straightforward for some artists - head straight up the Natchez Trace till you hit the Loveless Cafe. mudandmag.com

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Cory Taylor Cox / by Jonathan Pfahl

“From the time I was 12, I knew that Nashville is where I wanted to be,” says Mallory. In the ninth grade, she started taking online and correspondence courses in order to graduate early. By the time she was 17 years old, she had moved to Nashville by herself and moved into an apartment above someone’s garage.

“When you love something, your heart can’t get away from it,” she says. “I just had the itch.” Now 23, Mallory has been in Music City for five years.

Dayton Swords, 22, is another guitarist from Tupelo. His grandfather bought him his first guitar at age 10. After he graduated from high school, Swords negotiated an agreement with his parents: Go to college for one year, and then do whatever you want.

“I always wanted to play music,” he says, matter-of-factly. “What else was I gonna do?” In 2012, after one semester, what he wanted was to move to Nashville.

For others, the route is more circuitous.

A combination of higher education and music industry jobs allowed Cory Cox to make the circuit of Southern music hotspots: a stint in Florence and Muscle Shoals, Alabama; back to Oxford for school; a year in Memphis.

“I moved to Nashville because if you’re going to work in the music industry and live in the South, Nashville is more or less

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the place to be,” says Cox. “There’s Austin, but Texas really isn’t the South that I know.” Cox settled into East Nashville in 2011.

Desmond Smith’s career path was even more serpentine.

“I really struggled in high school. I didn’t do very well, I didn’t make very good grades,” explains Smith. “There wasn’t anything about it that really interested me.

I was a nice guy and everything, but I think I had a problem with authority.”

Smith opted for a high school equivalency certificate and, ironically, joined the Navy. He was assigned to the Medical Department aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during the onset of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I went overseas, I traveled around the world, I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and somehow, some way, I was always able to carry a guitar with me,” says Hospital Corpsman Smith. “It was like a companion.

Everywhere I went I had one with me.”

After a five-year deployment, Smith says he was “hell bent” on going to college and soon enrolled at Ole Miss. While in Oxford, he met other musicians, cut a few records and went out on tour. Crucially, he started learning how to repair guitars.

He says he spent hours watching YouTube videos, reading manuals, and learning how to solder.

After graduating in 2011, he decided to move to Nashville, “with the same kind of dreams that a lot of people have.”

“Everybody in the music industry, more or less, has a side hustle somewhere,” says Cory Cox. The side hustle is a slippery concept. On the one hand, Nashville abounds with opportunities to be creative beyond the scope of a “normal” job; on the other, working two or three jobs is an economic reality for most young musicians.

Cox splits his time between his day job at BMI, one of the nation’s largest music rights companies, his band, and an independent publishing group he founded two years ago. He describes his brand of indie rock as “a little dirty,” with “pop sensibilities.” “It’s going to be good, but it’s going to get weird,” he says.

He hopes to have a new album out later this year, and his small business is bringing in revenue, but it’s not enough yet, especially since he recently got married and bought a house in East Nashville. “I want to pull my own weight, I want to be able to provide for my family,” he explains. “If I were to go out on a limb and quit my job and just play shows in bars, that’s not going to pay a mortgage.”

When Dayton, the guitarist, first arrived in Nashville, he worked nights at The UPS Store. When he started playing regularly

around town, he had to quit and took a job at a kiosk in the Opry Mills shopping mall. Now, he works at an engine parts warehouse.

“It’s really stressful,” he says. “Back home, you know everybody, and it’s really easy to get gigs. But up here, I didn’t really know anybody, so those opportunities weren’t there. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”

“I know that it takes forever to get plugged into the music industry here,” he continues, “but that doesn’t make it any easier. It’s really tough.” Swords’ first gig in Nashville was a country show at Rocketown, a local venue known for hosting all-age punk concerts. He generously estimates there were 14 people in attendance.

“The first year was a real challenge,” says Mallory. “It was tough, and I was naïve.” At the time, she was working for her aunt and uncle’s lamp company: She designed and sold lamps to furniture stores.

“Mississippi girls tend to be naïve, just sweet and Southern,” she explains. “You don’t realize there are bad things out in the world. But mostly, I just missed my mama.”

Smith’s arrival to Nashville wasn’t particularly auspicious, either. “You get here and, real quick, you find out that the cream of the crop that no one’s ever heard of is here trying to do what you’re trying to do,” he says. “It gets intimidating fast.”

Smith got a job as a bar-back in a honkytonk on Lower Broadway. In between 12-hour shifts, he found few opportunities to play. He met lots of people - notably members of The Apache Relay, a local rock band - but after a year, his “perceptions about music, about people, about what it takes to succeed in Nashville were totally ruined.”

Later, Smith says he came to realize “there’s a certain sacrifice that you have to make when you are trying to take your dreams and turn them into reality. A lot of times, that sacrifice involves being poor.”

“I wasn’t ready. I had unrealistic expectations and my lifestyle was unrealistic,” he explains. Discouraged, disgusted, and in debt, Smith moved back to Tupelo. “I left disappointed. I left with a bad taste in my mouth. I left thinking Nashville was a bunch of bullshit.”

It’s no secret that who you know is a big part of being successful in Music City.

Everybody is somebody in Nashville: “I bet you know somebody’s brother, or

Desmond Smith / submitted

somebody’s babysitter, or whatever,” jokes Cox. In Dayton Swords’ case, it was a cousin.

Swords’ first roommate in Nashville was a music producer whose cousin is friends with a country group from Arkansas. When the group - the Gable Bradley Band - came to Nashville to record a song, Swords was invited to play with them.

“After a while, circles start to get smaller,” he says. “You go from seeing some country singer on TV to knowing her guitar tech. You start way outside the circle, and things slowly move inward - you make friends, you know people.”

The recording session with Gable Bradley went well, and Swords is going on tour with them later this summer, the first of his career.

Back in Mississippi, Desmond was, as he put it, “rough around the edges.” “I was playing a bunch of shows. I was delivering flowers a few days a week for a florist in Tupelo. I was 32 years old, not knowing what the hell I was doing.”

He made it a point to go see his old

friends, The Apache Relay, play at Proud Larry’s in Oxford in early December 2014.

In the makeshift green room downstairs, Smith tinkered with the band’s guitars. He says the fixes were “minor,” but the group was impressed enough to invite him to be their guitar tech for a New Year’s Eve concert in Nashville.

“The next day, the craziest things in the world started to fall into place,” Smith says.

“Two weeks later, I was moving back to Nashville. I had a place to live, I had a New Year’s Eve pro-level tech gig.” The event which closed off most of Broadway - also featured Lady Antebellum and attracted over 120,000 people. It was partially broadcast as part of NBC’s New Year’s Eve coverage.

Six months later, Smith is in a band called Heathen Sons, whose song “Futures” has seen regular play on local radio. He’s got an apartment full of other people’s guitars to fix. He’s on a summer-long tour, teching for Ben Rector, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, and Needtobreathe. “Those guys in The Apache Relay have been the mudandmag.com

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You know when you’re onto something different and cool, and you run with it. I love that feeling.”

Even in success, doubts linger. Dayton Swords will have to quit his job in order to go on tour this summer, a headfirst swan dive into professional musicianship.

“It’s daunting. I probably should be more worried,” he says.

“I’m afraid of, 10 years from now, looking back and wishing I’d worked harder or tried harder,” says Mallory. “I’ll never be truly happy with my life if I’m not making music every day, and that scares me.”

She once met Dolly Parton, who gave her a pair of old boots, which Mallory now keeps in a shadowbox in her bedroom. “I see them every day, and I tell myself, ‘Get your butt up and be the best you can be.’”

Working in a cubicle isn’t Cory Taylor Cox’s ultimate goal either, but neither his band nor Sons of Old Town are enough yet. “I have thought maybe it’s time to grow up, maybe it’s time to get real,” he says. “I think about that pretty regularly, considering how much money I make.”

“But I take a lot of pride in making music, in helping other people make music, in playing music for fans. If my legacy is a box of records, I’m going to be satisfied with that.”

Jordyn Mallory / submitted

best people in the world to me, and I don’t really know why,” he jokes. “I’ll be forever grateful.”

Cox has built a career by knowing lots of people: It helped him get a job at BMI and spurred him to create the Sons of Old Town Collective. Founded two years ago, Sons of Old Town is a small business that is equal parts publishing, branding, promotion, and administration.

“When I lived in Florence, I had a backup band. When I moved, the guys in my backup band made new bands,” he explains. “Then one band became three bands, and now there are more offshoots.

I made Sons of Old Town to draw a spider web between all these bands, to write the history of bands that no one would know about.”

Cox spends his free time recruiting new bands, booking shows, and using the knowledge gained from working at BMI to help up-and-coming musicians navigate the pitfalls of licensing fees, royalties, and touring.

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“It’s good to have fans, it’s good to have friends, and it’s good to have both,” Cox says, the rare bon mot that serves both as a celebratory pleasantry and useful music industry advice.

Jordyn Mallory is ambitious: “‘Making it’ is having a number one song on the radio,” she says. Commercial success seems a minor feat, though, compared to clawing country music back from so-called “bro country,” a pop genre laser-focused on trucks, beer, and women.

Mallory rattles off a list of female singers who inspired her, from Reba to Faith Hill to Shania Twain. “I hope that the radio stations make more room for female singers,” she says. “I really hope that changes.”

She calls the ascendancy of bro country and the relative dearth of female superstars the “unsolved mystery of Nashville.”

“Songwriting is my job,” she explains. “I write songs every day. You have good days and bad, but when it’s right you know it.

It’s strange to leave home, especially when you grew up in a place as maligned, fairly and unfairly, as Mississippi. Feeling the burden of history and ambassadorship, you’ll bristle at others’ remarks. But most importantly, there’s a certain ineffable Mississippi quality that may never leave you.

“There’s a Mississippi vibe, a Mississippi feel, that people tend to love,” says Mallory.

“Faith Hill had it. I hope I have it.”

“Mississippi blues is that swampy sound,” says Smith. “It’s in my blood.”

“It sounds like heat to me. Delta blues music sounds like big thunderstorms rolling over the Delta and over the North Mississippi hills. It’s got a certain swagger to it, and it sits back behind the beat. It’s a little slow, in the way it gets to where it’s going. It sits back in the pocket.”

“Any time I’m playing the guitar, there’s something about home that’s in the back of my mind somewhere.” M

In-Home Care Services “ I am thankful for the two years of

service with Comfort Keepers, because it has allowed me to be taken care of in my own home.

“”

- Ms. Virginia Taylor 91 years young

(662) 841-8477 ComfortKeepers.com Screened, Trained, & Bonded Staff • Call for a free in-home assessment.

An international network of independently owned and operated offices. ©2009CK Franchising, Inc.

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M& M Guide Buyer’s Tri County Auto Repair

Make Your Home...

Family Owned & Operate Japanese & Domestic •Complete Automotive Repair •Air Conditioning •Brake Service •Tire Repair Service •Computer Diagnostics •New/Used Tires

Nick Hazel & John B. Hazel

157 Hwy 178 • Tupelo 662-841-2204 (south of Sherman city limits)

1st Name in Vacuums That Last

907 Varsity Drive | Tupelo

842.3342

LAVASTONE INDUSTRIES Stone Sales and Installation for Homes, Chimneys, Columns and Fireplaces

ORECK XL® CLASSIC LEGENDARY PRICE, LEGENDARY VACUUM!

Incredibly lightweight at about 9 lbs.1 102 mph of powerful airflow

Fireplaces • Stoves Gas Logs 4115 West Main St • Tupelo (662) 844-5178

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Soft outer bag & low profile design for vacuuming under furniture.

1-year limited warranty2

Unique Items for Your Home Shelia Hall & Anita Sandlin Sisters & Founders

662.365.2120 & 662.365.2121

103 B East Main St. Baldwyn, MS

crossroadspottery.com FOOD • MICROWAVE DISHWASHER • OVEN SAFE

4340 Mall Drive • Tupelo • 662-840-0006

Wheel-Thrown & Hand-Built Stoneware

M&M Buyer’s Guide Everything for your antiques and repurposing

MEN’S & WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE Make an appointment for a spray tan, manicure, or pedicure for SPRING!

Tues.-Fri. 9-5 • Sat. 9-1 New Location: Entrance on Euclattuba Rd., Saltillo, MS 662-869-7115

Sale

$495

Red Door Antiques

Linda Hale 1447 Coley Rd., Tupelo, MS 662.321.3070 Thurs. - Sat. 11-5 • Mon. - Wed. Chance or Appt. reddoorantique@comcast.net www.reddoorantiquestupelo.com

Located in Downtown Fulton on the Corner of North Cummings & Main Street Open Monday – Friday 10 AM – 6 PM Saturday 10 AM – 4 PM

662-891-0625 SHOP ONLINE AT JWESTFULTON.COM Find us on Social Media at @JWESTFULTON

REPEL We Book Parties!

PESTS

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“Specializing In Meeting Your Needs”

Floral Designs N’ More

Pottery • Candles • Willow Tree Angels Floral Designs • Tapestries • And Much Much More!

907 Varsity Drive | Tupelo | 842.3342

388-A Mobile St • Saltillo • 869-3620

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M& M Guide Buyer’s COMFORT ENGINEERING for cooking & entertaining

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL HEATING • AIR CONDITIONING • VENTILATION

YOUR HOMETOWN CARRIER DEALER SINCE 1936

Glass Shield Co. Residential, Commercial, Industrial Coating for shingles and metal roofing.

•

Protection from tornadoes, straight-line wind, hail.

Bridal Registry/Gift Certificates Cookware/Bakeware/Tableware Linens/Gifts/Outdoor Entertaining Oil Paintings, Jewelry and Pottery

by Mississippi Artists

SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATION

404 South 11th, Oxford, MS

824 NORTH GLOSTER • TUPELO, MS

662-638-3520

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FEMA • OSHA

•

10 colors plus warranty

662-842-1602

t our Come check ou th in or C w ne location!

121 121 WestWest Bankhead StreetStreet • New•Albany • 662.538.5984 Bankhead New Albany • 662-538-5984 612 612 WickWick Street • Corinth SOCOSOCO DistrictDistrict • 662.872.3244 Street • Corinth • 662-872-3244

121 Wes48t Bal nkhemudandmag.com ad Street • New A lbany • 662-538-5 612 Wick Stree 984

Est.1974

Great Selection of Styles & Colors to Choose From for Women & Men!

West Main Shopping Center, Tupelo • 844-8400 Store Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9am-6pm; Sat. 9am-5:30pm

Must-Have Accessories

Obessions: camel heels $32.95 // Owl Bee: gold bracelets and leopard sandals, prices upon request // Southern Roots: ABjewels pearl bracelet $18$24 // Between Sisters: Hobo clutch $118, Victoria Lynn bracelets $42-$96, Earth Grace bracelets $84$128 Southern Charm: gold and silver bangles $10, Ronaldo bracelets $90-$115, Jane Marie charm necklace $20; Ronaldo bracelet $60, single stone cuff $21, large stone bracelet $23, mint stone bracelet $18 mudandmag.com l 49

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POOLSIDE

IN STYLE POOLSIDE Southern Charm in Baldwyn: floral tank $30, white skinny jeans $35, coral wedge $27 // white fringe dress $32, mint lace bralette

• We do custom yard & lawn maintenance • We are a full-service, all occasion florist

• We carry mulch, fertilizer, topsoil • We feature local artists in our gift shop

YOUR HOMETOWN NURSERY & GARDEN CENTER

A chalk and mineral based paint designed especially for DIYers!

We have a large selection of succulents. Let us teach you how to grow.

Hanging pots in beautiful colors

Grow the biggest & best with Gardener’s Special

Fresh Floral Sympathy Tributes.

“Come Grow With Us”

Beautiful ferns for sale or rent for that special occasion

1400 Highland Drive • Amory, MS 38821 • 662-256-5707

Beautiful mixed containers. Let us make one for you or let us help you select plants that will be perfect for your deck or patio.

Between Sisters in Pontotoc: Mudpie dress $49.99

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Obsessions in New Albany and Corinth: turquoise scalloped shorts $36.95, white top $34.95, blue necklace $18 // Owl Bee in Mantachie: white shorts, white top, camel belt, prices upon request

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Southern Roots in Tupelo: white fringe romper $40, leather and pearl jewelry $20$40 // embroidery top $38, linen shorts $30

Put Some Spring In Your Yard.

WAXING • MANICURE PEDICURE • HAIRCUT BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TODAY GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE

1004 Commonwealth Blvd.

Tupelo | 662.205.4683 Open Tuesday - Friday Saturday by appointment

Landscape Design, Installation and Maintenance Call now for a free estimate!

662-501-0181

JASON TUBB owner/designer www.cornerstonelandscapesms.com

Need Extra Storage This Summer?

CALL US!

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JONATHAN CUMBERLAND Comic books were an easy source of inspiration for Columbus artist Jonathan Cumberland when he was honing his craft.

“

W

hen I was young, I knew I liked to draw and make things,” Cumberland said. “I had to emulate as best I could, rendering existing drawings. I was most fond of SpiderMan. Comics is how I started. I’m still a big fan of them.”

That fascination eventually turned into a career for Cumberland, a freelance graphic designer and

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By Ginny Miller illustrator. The 28-year-old is also an assistant professor at Mississippi University for Women, where he teaches graphic design, typography and Web design.

His interest in art never wavered, even when he left Caledonia High School to play football at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba.

“I was a tight end,” he said. “I was

the one football player who was taking all the art classes while everyone else was taking PE.” After his time at EMCC, “I had a few Division II offers, but I kind of wanted to focus on my degree more,” he said, which led him to Columbus.

Cumberland majored in graphic design at MUW, graduating in 2009.

“I worked for a little while at a sign shop,” he said, before heading to the

Savannah College of Art and Design for the master of fine arts he earned in 2011.

“It’s kind of funny,” he said. “After graduate school I was in Georgia.

I was actually at Mississippi State before I came here. It was an adjunct position for two years. The stars kind of aligned perfectly and a position opened up here at The W.” As a college student, Cumberland was drawn into visual communication.

“After my first couple of illustration classes in college, it triggered something,” he recalled. “Whether it’s personal work or an assignment, I’m always looking at ways to synthesize complex issues in simple ways using visual metaphors. No matter what the subject, I find the creative process the most exciting part.”

One issue Cumberland tackled was fertility, which he depicted in “Maternal Clock Ticking Away.” It features a woman gazing with longing at a dying flower on her belly.

“Coincidentally, my wife and I were trying to start a family,” Cumberland said, when he created the piece based on an article in The Atlantic Monthly about the timing of motherhood.

“It was a personal project of mine,” he said, noting he and Lyndsay are now the parents of 8-month-old Olivia. “I was just inspired by the subject matter.”

A poster with a powerful message was Cumberland’s contribution to the “End Gun Violence” campaign sponsored by the American Institute

of Graphic Arts. On a red background, it shows the black shadow of a gun cast from a tombstone, which the artist said serves as a reminder of the victim’s demise.

Color is key in a piece like this, Cumberland said.

“I think about the context of the story, like gun violence,” he said. “Black, white and red are very aggressive colors. With the subject matter, it’s kind of related.”

Of all his work, which Cumberland creates in his third-floor studio in MUW’s Art and Design Building, there’s never just one favorite.

“For me, it’s always the most recent work that I’ve done,” he said.

Currently, that’s “Battle of the Bulge,” an illustration that shows a seated boxer with his arms hanging on ropes that are actually icing on a three-layer cake.

“I’m working with a class that is doing screen printing on posters,” he explained. “The theme for the class was sabotage. Exercise and dieting and food and sweets, that’s where this idea was from.”

Cumberland shares his visual messages in illustrations for Catfish Alley magazine, Bay State Parents magazine and Charleston magazine.

“I’ve also illustrated for OmniBus Publishing,” he said, noting his work has been exhibited by the Columbus Arts Council, Hinds Community College, the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, and the Eugenia Summer Gallery on the MUW

campus. Cumberland also has an original poster hanging permanently in the office of MUW President Dr. Jim Borsig.

“One Long Blue Line” was commissioned by the Lowndes County Chapter of the MUW Alumni Association as an inauguration gift, said Borsig, who was appointed as the 14th president of MUW on Nov. 30, 2011.

“It captures the life of the university from its founding in 1884,” Borsig said. “Most visitors to my office ask about it and, through this artwork, I have an opportunity to tell the story of The W.” “One Long Blue Line” features hand lettering, which Cumberland said he dabbles in, and blue-tinted photographs.

When he draws, it’s also by hand, but with a digital tablet and not the pencils and paper of his childhood.

And even though he didn’t grow up to be a comic artist like those whose work he once emulated, “The process in which I work today is very similar to a lot of comic artists,” Cumberland said. “I always scan in a finished inked drawing that I then digitally color in Photoshop. This process is much more flexible when selecting color, and it allows my hand to be seen in the finished illustration.”

Cumberland has also developed a new style with a flat, graphic look that is concept-based and less grainy.

“I’m happy where I’m going with it,” he said. M

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Tupelo Small Animal Hospital “We treat them like they’re our own.”

2096 S. Thomas St. • Tupelo • 662-840-0210 Stephen K. King, D.V.M; Glenn S. Thomas, D.V.M

CAMP TUPELO BOARDING

SPECIALTY

HEALTHCARE

NURSING AGENCY “ We Treat Patients Like Family ”

™

Welcome

TO SPECIALTY HEALTHCARE NURSING AGENCY

Optimum medical services for those seeking medical assistance in their homes, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. We accept most insurance, including Medicaid.

Specialty Healthcare is a healthcare agency that provides optimum medical services for those seeking medical assistance in their homes, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. We have an excellent medical staff that can assist with many medical needs. With over eleven (11) years of medical experience, we also provide sitting services for the elderly and patients with special, but unique needs.

Our services include: • • • • • • • • • • • •

573 Highway 51 North, Suite B Ridgeland, MS 39158 Phone: 601-613-2666 Fax: 601-857-0075 Email: K.Manning@shnams.com Web: www.shnams.com ©JPC2015

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In-home Respite Services Patient Care Assistance (PCA) Staffing doctor’s offices with RN’s, LPN’s & Medical Assistants Trachea Medication Administration N-G tubes Peg Tubes Ventilators IV’s & ADL’S Sitting Services Community Support Service ID/DD Waiver NOW OFFERING Driving Services

210B West College Street Booneville, MS 38829 Phone: 662-728-0055 Fax: 662-728-0073

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LIFE FULL OF WORK, STUDY

AND LOVE

For the owner and designer of the successful jewelry line, ABjewels, life is just getting started.

By Natalie Richardson

A

lex Bowen divides her office into two parts. Piles of nursing books and IV tubes are stacked on one side, while on the other are boxes and boxes of beads, wires and jewelry tools. Technically, the multipurpose space has a third part because scattered on top of and somewhere in between are the notes for her wedding in November.

It’s a jumble of organized mess, for sure, but this studio-office-study room is actually a good picture of her life, she said.

While Bowen finished her nursing degree in May and hunts for homes to begin a new life with her fiancé this winter, she is also hard at work filling constant orders for her jewelry line, ABjewels.

Her wire-based jewelry is a mainstay for 62 boutiques from Tupelo and New Albany to shops in Missouri, Florida and Texas. Her style goes from “boho to bling” featuring anything from dainty freshwater pearl bracelets to edgy quartz arrowhead necklaces. And while she easily makes 1,000 pieces each week, each and every mudandmag.com

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item is personally handcrafted by her.

It’s one of the reasons she loves her brand, she said, and one reason she’s having a hard time deciding what to do in the future.

She certainly plans to work as a nurse.

After all, she spent four years at Ole Miss majoring in biology and another two for nursing, but jewelry has been right there along with her for the past six years as well.

Bowen began making jewelry during her freshman year in college. She was working at Reed’s in Tupelo when her manager Martha Gunner asked her to give it a try. Jewelry-making was never something she would have started on her own initiative, she said, but Reed’s gave her the opportunity and has carried and sold her creations ever since the beginning.

“At Ole Miss I’d have a book in my lap and be making jewelry,” she said.

During her semesters as a nursing student, she would move back and forth between the two sides of her office,

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studying her books for a while then switching over to make jewelry.

“If I don’t do both at the same time, one will lack,” she said. “I want both to work.”

Bowen certainly succeeded at making both work. She finished her degree at Ole Miss and slid smoothly into nursing school. At the same time, she grew her jewelry line from just one store in Tupelo to 62 in eight states. While she had to make cold calls and visits to boutiques in the beginning, now the shop owners come to her. And despite her full schedule, she has never declined to add a new store.

Perhaps it’s this busyness of balancing life and work that are part of what makes both nursing and jewelry attractive to Bowen. She grew up around it with her parents and grandparents working at Peoploungers, a furniture company her grandfather, the late James Muffi, started himself in 1979. Keeping track of orders and inventories came easily for Bowen, who

grew up learning the ins and outs of business. Working as a businesswoman is just a part of life.

“Seeing my parents,” she said, “That’s just how I grew up, just to work hard.”

It’s almost like she’s walking in her grandfather’s shoes, she said. It’s something she knows would make him proud.

Thankfully, her fiancé Blake McCoy loves the business as well, although it’s sometimes hard to fit in their time together.

“Bless his heart, he must love me,” she said, smiling.

But to give him credit, McCoy offers his ideas and time for ABjewels. While he’s not the one who wraps the gold and silver wires around glittery druzy stones or Swarovski crystals, he helps tag and bag all the pieces and has suggested ways to grow the brand. While he’s currently training in the police academy, it seems he has a bit of a business lean, as well.

But it will be a puzzle to figure out

how to continue to fit ABjewels into their life together, Bowen said. Although an extra room dedicated just to jewelry is a requirement for the couple’s new home, it looks like the image of her current office will remain a good picture of her future life: one where nursing and family and ABjewels are all together.

To find ABjewels online, go to www.facebook.com/abjewelscollection or visit her Instagram at www.instagram.com/abjewels. tupeloms. M Photos by Lauren Wood

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M&M

Dining Guide Home of the Doughburger

nt “The Oldest Restaura in New Albany”

LATHAM’S HAMBURGER INN

Southern Cooking in a New York Minute!

106 Main Street • New Albany

1155 South Gloster Street • Tupelo, MS • 662.840.1919 Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. • Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Under NEW

Los Compadres Mexican Restaurant

Management

Roasted Fresh

2 FOR 1 Margaritas

Roasted Local

Monday - Friday

Buffet $7.99

Let Us Supply Your Home or Office.

Sunday Only 11-2 Drink included

Kay Pittman 662-491-0936

st Be ted k in o V ea !

St lo, MS e Tup

825 West Jefferson Street Tupelo, MS 38824

662-260-5072

l

exp. 5/31/15

2546 MS - 145 | Saltillo, MS | (662) 869-3411

www.mybrotherscup.com

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3.00 off

$

HOURS: WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM mudandmag.com

M&M

Dining Guide Family Restaurant

Hwy 145 N. • Booneville 662-728-1460 Mon-Thurs 11-9 • Fri 11-10 Now Open On Saturdays 4-9:30

Check Out Our Daily Specials!

We Bring The Coast To You!

Steaks l Burgers l Salads l Sandwiches & More Historic Downtown 106 W. Bankhead l New Albany 662.539.7005

HOMEMADE DESSERTS

Fish & Steak www.fishandsteak.com

1907 Shiloh Road 665-7910 Corinth, MS • (662)Center) (Next to the Bowling

ay Open Tuesday - Saturd

218 Carter Ave. Historic Downtown New Albany, MS

662.539.7025

Thursday, Friday & Saturday 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Fish • Ribeyes • Grilled Chicken and Pork Chops • Frog Legs • Shrimp • Oysters

Agnew’s Restaurant

Make us your lunch date!

Hours: Mon-Sat 6 am to 1 pm • Thurs, Fri & Sat 4:30 pm to 9 pm Breakfast served Monday-Saturday 6am to 10 am • Plate Lunch served Mon-Fri 11 am to 1 pm

2154 Hwy 370, Baldwyn, MS • (662) 365-5571

Smoked Ribs • Hamburger Steaks • Salad Bar • Appetizers • Homemade Desserts

Delicious Meals For Your Family!

Ready-made casserole • Desserts • Famous sweet tea • Chocolate Cobbler 499 Midtown Pointe, formerly Gloster Creek Village • Tupelo • 662.891.9992 Open: Monday-Friday 10:30-1:30 p.m.

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BACKYARD BLUEBERRIES Container gardening is a trend worth noting.

For those with little yard space or commitment issues concerning gardening plots, this may be the route for you. Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers…there are plenty of edible plants that grow successfully in a pot. Byron Fellows at Midsouth Nursery in Tupelo said blueberries may not be the first thought when considering a container plant, but they actually do well in a pot and having a blueberry plant yields several benefits. “They are a high antioxidant fruit and they add an ornamental quality to landscapes that is kind of neat.,” he said.

To bear fruit, you must plant two different bushes in the same pot or close proximity in order for them to cross-pollinate. Here we planted two different Rabbiteyes, one Climax and one Woodard in the same pot. Fellows said all the things remaining equal, planting in two separate containers may be easier to keep adequately watered. The plant will grow and as it does, you will need to move it to a larger pot.

Do this instead of beginning with a large pot so the plant doesn’t get too dry.

Optimal Conditions: sunny area, adequate water, soluble fertilizer or slow time release fertilizer and acidic soil.

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