Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

Vietnam Memorial Wall Replica Veteran’s Park

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

An Introduction from the

Mayor

Welcome to Tupelo!

On behalf of the city, let me encourage you to explore all that Tupelo has to offer, from the smallest federal park on West Main Street to the birthplace of the King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley.

We are proud of our city, its attractions, arts, culture and shopping. With more than 160 restaurants in Tupelo, you have plenty of choices, ranging from Southern cuisine to a hamburger in the booth at Johnnie’s, where Elvis ate many meals.

We also invite you to take a walk around our city, especially our downtown, where you’ll find shops and art galleries, the city’s oldest department store and the hardware store where Elvis bought his first guitar. During that walk, you’re likely to hear the music of the South coming from one of the many open-air, free concerts hosted by Tupelo Downtown Main Street Association on Tupelo’s Front Porch – Fairpark.

We have splash pads aplenty, parks, and a stateof-the-art aquatic center for those who crave some outdoors. Try disc golf on one of our courses in Veteran’s Park or in Ballard Park. And if you want to know more about us, visit the Oren Dunn City Museum.

Again, welcome to Tupelo. We hope you enjoy your visit.

Sincerely,

Jason Shelton

Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

Index Of Advertisers Food

Connie’s Chicken.......................................4 D Casa Mexican Restaurant............... 6 & 7 Divine.........................................................4 Eat With Us Group..................................23 Holland’s Country Buffet........................13 Homer’s Steak & More............................20 Kent’s Catfish...........................................20 Kinfolks........................................... 14 & 15 Mt. Fuji.....................................................24 Papa John’s..................................... 10 & 11 Queen’s Reward Meadery.........................5 Ray Rays...................................................20 Renegade Kitchen.......................... 18 & 19 Scarlet’s Donuts.......................................15 Tellini’s.....................................................21 The Lost Pizza Co.....................................12 Which Wich..................................... 16 & 17

Shopping

Mall at Barnes Crossing...........................25 MLM.........................................................28

Entertainment and Leisure

Big Oaks Golf Club..................................31 Malco 10..................................................26 Oren Dunn City Museum........................32 Tupelo Automobile Museum..................31 Downtown Main Street Association......29 Gameday Haircuts...................................30

Stories of Note ‘The Most Perfect Memorial’....... 8, 9 & 14 All Fixed Up Birthplace Expansion...............................27

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

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Fo n a c i x e Featuring the Best M

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lo! e p u T o d in

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‘THE MOST PERFECT MEMORIAL’ Tupelo dedicates replica of Vietnam veterans wall

All photos by Thomas Wells.

By CALEB BEDILLION DAILY JOURNAL In his hands, he held a photo album of full-color snapshots. Before him, he faced a stark, harsh gash of black and white, a different kind of memory inscribed into stone.

The sky was overcast, threatening rain, crowds around him were thick, but Jerry Smith of Saltillo was resolute. He came to see two names, two names out of more than 58,300, two Saltillo men, two soldiers killed in Vietnam.

Those men were Charles Elbert Finney and Larry Edward Hand.

Smith knew them in Saltillo before the war. All three entered the armed forces. Smith was drafted and served in the U.S. Army in 1969 and 1970, most of that time in Vietnam.

He came back, and still lives in Saltillo. Finney and Hand did not.

But memory, gratitude and honor – these things persist.

“It’s long overdue,” said Smith, Thursday at Veterans Park in Tupelo, standing before a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall – a wall inscribed with the names known of those killed or missing in action in Vietnam.

Smith was among crowds of local veterans, community members and elected officials that convened Thursday morning in Tupelo to dedicate this replica monument and to recall the memory of Vietnam’s veterans, both the living and the dead.

“The combined private effort and public support mean we will never forget,” said Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton. “In Tupelo, Mississippi, we will never forget.”

This theme resounded across the remarks of officials, including state leaders Speaker of the House Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.

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“What a great example of courage, community and sacrifice,” Gunn said Thursday, addressing his remarks directly to veterans.

“We are here today to honor you. We are proud of you.”

With construction complete and ceremonies concluded, Tupelo’s Veterans Park is now officially home to a replica 60 percent the size of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, located in Washington D.C. Constructed out of granite, the Tupelo memorial features two walls that form a wide angle, chronologically inscribed with the names of the 58,318 veterans known as of Memorial Day 2017 to have been killed or gone missing in Vietnam.

So-called traveling walls have toured the country before, but John Rowan, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, was on hand Thursday and called Tupelo’s monument the first full replica he has seen.

The approximately $1 million project received significant funding of $750,000 from the state of Mississippi, with the remaining money supplied in about equal parts from private donors and the city of Tupelo.

Even so, Shelton underscored that the monument was born from the vision and initiative of private citizens, primarily a group of dedicated volunteers from neighboring Itawamba County.

One of these volunteers, Janie Alexander, tried hard to avoid the spotlight Thursday, but it found her anyway.

Credited locally as a key figure behind the initial idea and the success of early fundraising, Alexander called Thursday’s ceremony one of the happiest days of her life but sought to deflect attention away from herself.

“It’s about the names, the stories,” Alexander said.

Continued on page 14

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VOTED BEST ITALIAN,LAD A BEST PIZZA, & BEST S www.lostpizza.com

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

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eXCLUDES SATURDAY

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Lunch $8.99 MON-FRI 11:00A - 4:00P $9.99 SAT 11:00A - 4:00P $10.99 sun 11:00a - 4:00p

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

‘The Most Perfect Memorial’ Continued from page 9

Those very stories poured out as crowds huddled, gathered and drifted along the length of the wall.

A good friend of Alexander’s pointed out the name of a man, a Mexican immigrant to the United States, killed in front of her husband.

A retiree who now resides in Myrtle hunted after the names of two men he knew growing up in Chester, Pennsylvania, men he knew primarily by their nicknames of “Butch” and “Dinky.”

Some talked easily. Others stood in silence. For many, tears said all that needed to be said.

The wall beckoned many to touch it, some with hesitation, some lingering.

Others pulled out tracing pads, repeating a ritual long familiar at the Washington D.C. monument, rubbing pencil over paper to produce physical tokens of frail presence signifying great loss.

All this, from nothing more than a wall of names, a replica of a monument Rowan described as “the most perfect memorial,” a monument of stark equality: citizens alongside immigrants, privates alongside those of high rank, all branches of services together, with no distinction.

“It personalized the war,” Rowan said. “It’s all of America on that wall. Everybody.”

N E P O NOFOW R E N N I D R 9PM

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

Offer valid for 15% OFF any order at regular menu price. Limit one per guest. Not valid with any other offer or online. Valid only at Tupelo location. 3999-B N Gloster St. No Cash Value.

Expires 08/31/2019

Offer valid for 15% OFF any order at regular menu price. Limit one per guest. Not valid with any other offer or online. Valid only at Tupelo location. 3999-B N Gloster St. No Cash Value.

Expires 08/31/2019

Offer valid for 15% OFF any order at regular menu price. Limit one per guest. Not valid with any other offer or online. Valid only at Tupelo location. 3999-B N Gloster St. No Cash Value.

Expires 08/31/2019

Offer valid for 15% OFF any order at regular menu price. Limit one per guest. Not valid with any other offer or online. Valid only at Tupelo location. 3999-B N Gloster St. No Cash Value.

Expires 08/31/2019

Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019 17

3999-B N. GLOSTER ST. (662) 205-4219

TUPELO

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

Neon Pig was voted Best Burger in

Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

America by our patrons on thrillist.com

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for voting us as the 2017 best

Catfish • Seafood

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

Voted Tupelo’s Best Italian Food In 2015, 2016, & 2018 & One of the Top 3 Best Italian Foods in 2017 Daily Journal Readers’ Choice

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VOTED Best BURGER in the Daily Journal

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

837 Kings Crossing Dr., Suite 1 Tupelo, MS • 662.680.5688 www.mtfujitupelo.com

Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

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All fixed up:

Elvis Birthplace expansion complete

Photo by Thomas Wells.

By DENNIS SEID DAILY JOURNAL TUPELO – After more than four years and more than $7 million, the renovation and expansion of the Elvis Birthplace and Museum is complete.

No other plans are in the works, but executive director Dick Guyton said, “Now it’s time to maintain it.”

The third and final phase of the renovation was centered around the lake and surrounding area. The work added a water fountain, a new paved walkway around the lake, several benches along the path and replacement of the old bridge.

The lake was drained and filled for the work.

“But what we don’t have is a lot of water,” Guyton said. “It’s about 10 inches below normal, so we could use some rain.”

The first phase of the project, unveiled in August 2012, added a new 126-seat theater and a 75-seat outdoor amphitheater.

The theater is part of an event center that includes a conference room, display area, exhibit hall, green room for entertainers, administrative offices and a smaller entertainment area.

The second phase of expansion, completed last year, added two Elvis statues, a memorial wall and pavilion, a separate picnic pavilion and a winding walkway from the amphitheater to the overlook and a new parking lot.

About 80,000 people visit the Birthplace and Museum annually, with about 45 percent of the visitors coming from overseas.

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ONE REGULAR PRICED ITEM

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

Haircuts MEN’S CUT: $20 BUZZ CUT: $16 KIDS 10 & UNDER: $16 LADIES’ CUT: $30 MASSAGING SHAMPOO WITH STEAM TOWEL UPGRADE: $5 BEAR TRIM (PER 5 MIN.): $5

SPA SERVICES GAMEDAY SIGNATURE SPORTS MASSAGE 1 HR $80

Our sports massage is specifically designed to provide a deep tissue massage to the entire body, as well as target specific muscle groups that enhance an athlete’s performance & address rehabilitation after injury.

GAMEDAY CLASSIC MASSAGE: 1 HR $70 /30 MIN $45 / 90 MIN $100 This relaxing massage addresses the entire body. The Swedish technique provide comfort while relieving stress & inducing profound relaxation. This is an excellent choice for your first massage experience.

HOT STONE MASSAGE: $120

This massage combines the permeating warmth & the ritual healing energies of smooth basalt stones with warm therapeutic oils to create a tension-melting massage for ultimate relaxation.

BAMBOO MASSAGE: $80

This luxurious massage will help melt away all stress & tension throughout the body. The use of warm bamboo sticks allows the therapist to get deep into the muscle to relax tension.

STRESS LESS EXPRESS MASSAGE: 30 MIN $45

Would you like to unwind, but don’t have the time. This Swedish style massage focuses on the upper body & is great for headaches & neck tension.

“TIME OUT” FOR YOUR FEET: 30 MIN $45

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Tupelo Traveler 2018-2019

One of the Premier Places to Play in & Around North Mississippi Semi Private Golf Course Banquet Room 18 HolesLarge Champion Bermuda Driving Range Greens 7 Days Bermuda a Week Greens 18 HolesOpen Champion a Week Large Club Open House7•Days Pro-Shop • Bar & Grill Large Club House • Pro-Shop • Bar & Grill Semi Private Golf Course

662-844-8002 3481 Big Oaks Boulevard Saltillo, Mississippi www.bigoaksgolfcourse.com

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a visit to the Oren Dunn City Museum is worth a billion!

Relive the history of Tupelo and Northeast Mississippi and see for yourself why Tupelo was named the “All-America City.”

Text ORENDUNNMUSEUM to 22828 to receive event information 689 RUTHERFORD ROAD • LOCATED IN BALLARD PARK

(662) 841-6438 Monday - Friday: 8-5 Oren Dunn City Museum

Oren Dunn City Museum