Fall 2025 Magnolia and Moonshine

EST. 1967 — MAGNOLIA GREENE

MAGNOLIA EST. 1967 - MAGNOLIA GREENE

MOONSHINE

THE BRETT BOYER FOUNDATION • STEEPLECHASING IN THE SOU TH • A GUARDED BREED OF GUNDOG

FALL 2025

DISPLAY UNTIL NOV. 30, 2025

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Fall 2025 | 1

Tailgates, touchdowns, and the bold Southern flavors you love—make your football cookout unforgettable this Fall with Gesus Palomino. Whether you're firing up the grill or setting up a gameday spread, our handcrafted lineup—from candied jalapeños to bold dressings and seasoning blends—brings sweet heat, Southern style to every bite.

AVAILABLE IN STORES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST! FOLLOW US @GESUSPALOMINO FOR RECIPES, PAIRINGS & SOUTHERN FLAVOR INSPIRATION.

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B ALA AMA

FAULA EU

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• Artists • • Designers • • craftsmen • • Makers of Great Things •

For more than 40 years, EufaulaFest, formerly Indian Summer, has drawn visitors to our “Lake City” in early October. Nestled in the Seth Lore Historic District under majestic live oaks, discover talented artisans, local entertainment, and delicious food.

Join us this year for a vibrant celebration of art and community at EufaulaFest! www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

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Elevate occasions big and small with our stunning collection of monograms for print, embroidery, and more. www.ShulerStudio.com 4 | Fall 2025

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PUBLISHER ’S NOTE

Publishers: Katie Waldrep & Leslie Anne Jones Executive Editor: Cara D. Clark Content Editors: Leslie Anne Jones & Joan McLendon Budd Layout & Ad Design: Haylie Rivera Advertising Sales: Taylor White, Suzy Brown, Kay Oswalt Web Design: Lacey Skinner Contributing Writers, Photographers, & Stylists Cara Clark Morgan Duke Liz Godwin Mary Dansak Jennifer Kornegay Lauren Finney Harden Alan Clemons Brit Huckabay Eliza Daffin Tanya Ackerman Andrew Welch Allison Ramirez Sheryl Nance-Nash Kat Privet Sally Ann Sessitte Marion Carache

As the crisp breezes of fall return, so does the familiar rhythm of life at Magnolia Greene Farm. Dove and quail hunting season begins, football fills our Saturdays, and the gardens gradually go to seed. In the fields and forests, wildlife stirs with renewed energy. It’s a season of reflection — one that brings to mind our heritage and cherished memories of our grandfather, Roy Greene, or Papa to us, the visionary who founded this farm and helped shape our earliest days.

This edition celebrates that legacy through stories rooted in home and tradition. We look at the time-honored sport of steeplechasing across the South, including the beloved Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

We attended with Papa for years, until his last Steeplechase at the age of 95, watching magnificent Thoroughbreds thunder across the course — memories that grow more meaningful with time.

This issue pays tribute to the enduring spirit of steeplechase in Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina and the passionate individuals who keep the sport alive for horse riders and spectators alike. We also collaborate with Georgia interior designer Liz Godwin to craft the perfect equestrian-inspired tablescape, ideal for race day gatherings.

Like the racehorses we admire, this issue covers great distances. We are humbled to share the inspiring work of the Brett Boyer Foundation, created in memory of a beautiful baby

girl whose brief life continues to create lasting change, thanks to the devotion of her mother, Ellen Boyd, and aunt, Caroline Bryan. In Texas, designer Elizabeth Ryan offers insights into how thoughtful use of color reveals the soul of a home. From Alabama, we spotlight the remarkable Large Munsterlander dogs of Artemis Run Kennels — a rare German breed with extraordinary field skills.

We explore the culinary rise of Madison, Georgia, a charming small town turned foodie haven, and escape into the luxury of glamping on a Southern Safari. In Lexington, Kentucky, we step into The Apiary, where hospitality visionary Cooper Vaughan has cultivated a team of artists to create immersive dining experiences inspired by themes like Havana nights, Mardi Gras, and the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

From North Carolina, we meet topiary artist Mike Gibson, who began sculpting hedges as a child, and Alex Matisse, the great-grandson of Henri Matisse, who channels his artistic heritage into the craft of East Fork Pottery. We also speak with Alexandra Dillard, whose family’s department store legacy in small-town Arkansas stands as a living tribute to her entrepreneurial grandfather.

Throughout this issue, we invite you to journey with us through the deep-rooted traditions and evolving stories of the South — a region where heritage runs deep, and every chapter is worth savoring.

Sam Hearn Brenda Black Wade Payne Stephen Cook Sean Piecuch Fall 2025 • Volume 4, Number 3 Magnolia and Moonshine is a product of Magnolia Greene, Inc. in Seale, Alabama.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @magnoliaandmoonshine Email story ideas to: Contactus@MagnoliaAndMoonshine.com Join the mailing list by scanning the QR code.

On the Cover: Wonderbird Spirits in Oxford, Mississippi, set out with a mission to perfect one spirit, gin, using locally-sourced rice to give it a distinctive personality. Photo by Andrew Welch www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

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STEEPLE TO STEEPLE On the proving ground of the Steeplechase circuit in the South, bold jockeys and powerful Thoroughbreds thunder over hill and dale across challenging courses in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and more.

FEATURED CONTENT 36 42

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In a Houston, Texas home, interior designer Elizabeth Ryan paints a portrait of the homeowner’s personality through a thoughtfully crafted, expressive color palette.

South Carolina topiary artist Mike Gibson wields his shears like a sacred brush, honoring a “God-given” gift to sculpt nature’s beauty and transform the world into a living masterpiece.

Passing through Madison, Georgia, developer Preston Snyder was struck by a eureka-like inspiration to transform the square into a warm haven of hospitality.

At The Apiary in Lexington, Kentucky, hospitality blossoms as owner Cooper Vaughan weaves together flavor and fellowship, crafting gatherings that hum with life, laughter, and the sweetness of shared moments.

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H E D G I N G YO U R B E T S In steeplechasing, the first to cross the wire cannot be foretold, yet a railside table provides a fitting place to savor the refined beauty of an alfresco autumn.

FA S H I O N F O R WA R D From childhood, Alexandra Dillard carried the family’s flair for fashion, weaving her grandfather’s legacy into the enduring fabric of Arkansas-based Dillard’s.

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A L E G AC Y O F L OV E Ellen Boyd and Caroline Bryan turned heartbreak into hope, founding the Brett Boyer Foundation to raise awareness for Congenital Heart Defects and Down syndrome.

SPECIAL SECTIONS 70

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French artistry meets the dinner table at East Fork, a North Carolina pottery house with roots entwined in the expressive spirit of Henri Matisse.

Spirits' owners 84 Wonderbird turned to a Mississippi agricul-

The Large Munsterlander, a distinguished and rare breed in the U.S., has become the refined heartbeat of an Alabama sporting estate — blending elegance, instinct, and tradition in every stride.

Crow Medicine Show’s 88 Old Ketch Secor embarks on a solo

Mississippi oyster farmer Thomas Piecuch turned passion into production when he began the business of Holy Ground.

tural staple in building the best gin, Southern style.

tour.

90 A Southern Ouroboros 92 Southern SASS: Cheat Sheet:

Back to School Southern Edition

the Muscadine Vine: Giv94 Under ing Thanks

96 Southern Essentials

S O U T H E R N S A FA R I

Georgia Safari Conservation Park was designed with two things in mind — unforgettable wildlife adventures and cozy, comfortable glamping — ideal for families seeking passportfree education and relaxation. www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

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Steeple to Steeple On the proving ground of the Steeplechase circuit in the South, bold jockeys and powerful Thoroughbreds thunder over hill and dale across challenging courses in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and more.

Story by Cara Clark

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AIKEN STEEPLECHASE www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

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I R O Q U O I S S T E E P L E C H A S E /S A M H E A R N

The 2025 Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens, “Racing for the Arts,” is scheduled for November 15 in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

The 2025 Aiken Fall Steeplechase will be held on November 22, beginning at 8 a.m. in Aiken, South Carolina. The Spring event is on March 21, 2026.

The 85th running of the Iroquois Steeplechase — a heralded “Rite of Spring” — is scheduled for May 9, 2026, at Percy Warner Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

I

t began with a steeple in the distance. In 18th-century Ireland, thrill-seeking riders would challenge each other to wild cross-country races, galloping from one town to the next with nothing but open fields — and a church spire on the horizon — as their guide.

There were no tracks, no grandstands, just hedges, ditches, stone walls, and raw determination. These impromptu contests, equal parts endurance test and daredevil spectacle, became the earliest form of what we now call the steeplechase.

The first recorded race thundered across the Irish countryside in 1752, from Buttevant to Doneraile in County Cork. And while today’s version may look more refined, the spirit remains the same. Watching sleek, powerful horses launch themselves over barriers at nearly 40 miles an hour still feels like a beautiful kind of madness — controlled chaos in motion.

From the rolling hills of Tennessee to the pine forests of Georgia and the historic streets of South Carolina, steeplechasing is far more than a sporting event in the South — it’s a living tradition, a celebration of community, and a tribute to equine excellence and Southern culture.

The horses themselves are a special breed. Many are retired flat-track racehorses, given a second career in jumping. They come from across the United States — South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia — and overseas from Ireland and England. Their jockeys, too, are an international mix.

H O O F B E AT S T H R O U G H H I S T O R Y The Southern steeplechase circuit is grounded in a lineage of passion

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and purpose. In Pine Mountain, Georgia, where “the air carries the scent of autumn and the echoes of hooves thunder across the landscape,” the Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens is a vibrant celebration of sport, heritage, and philanthropy.

The forerunner of the Steeplechase at Callaway, the Hardscuffle Steeplechase, was founded in 1974 by Race Chairman Mason Hardaway Lampton’s father, Mason Houghland Lampton. The Callaway race, which he started in 1985, was envisioned as a sporting event and a cultural cornerstone for Columbus, Georgia, and the surrounding area.

“He believed strongly that the arts are critical in making a city attractive for families and businesses,” Mason explains. “As a native of Louisville, Kentucky, he brought with him a passion for both horses and culture. I’m proud to carry on his legacy.”

But the story doesn’t begin there. Steeplechasing runs deep in the Lampton bloodline. Mason’s grandfather, Dinwiddie Lampton, rode Rockmayne, the winner of the first Iroquois Steeplechase in Tennessee. This passion for the sport — an exhilarating test of speed, strategy, and endurance over fences — has become a personal tradition and a regional spectacle.

A T R I U M V I R AT E O F T R A D I T I O N Steeplechasing has flourished across the South for generations, creating its distinctive circuit where elegance and endurance meet. In Aiken, South Carolina, the sound of pounding hooves has echoed since the 1930s. The Aiken Steeplechase, founded by equestrian icons like Thomas Hitchcock and Temple

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Gwathmey, remains a cherished event on the Southern sporting calendar.

“The Steeplechase is deeply rooted in the rich history of the South's sporting life,” says Jessica Miller, event director. “Especially in Aiken, which is known to have been a winter colony resort.”

Miller herself is a product of that legacy: “My grandparents began attending in the late 1960s and later passed their tailgate spot down to my parents. The races have been a family tradition for as long as I can remember.”

In Nashville, Tennessee, the Iroquois Steeplechase gallops through history every second Saturday in May, hosted in the natural amphitheater of Percy Warner Park. Since 1941, it has been a highlight of the city’s social and sporting calendar.

“Generations have gathered. .. creating memories with family and friends,” says Autumn Eklund, the event’s chief marketing officer. “Whether you come for the sport, the style, or the camaraderie, you’ll leave with memories that last a lifetime.”

T H E S P O R T B E H I N D T H E S P E C TAC L E

I R O Q U O I S S T E E P L E C H A S E / B R E N DA B L A C K

Steeplechasing is a trial of grit, grace, and precision—a race that pits horse and rider against fences, water jumps, and undulating terrain.

“In the equine industry, steeplechasing is a true test of both speed and stamina,” says Autumn. “Watching a horse and jockey clear a fence in perfect rhythm is a moment that never loses its thrill.”

Mason agrees, especially at Callaway, where the course was purpose-built with hills to challenge horses in a way flat tracks never could. “It’s become a proving ground,” he says. “We’ve seen horses that were underwhelming on flat tracks become superstars in the steeplechase circuit.”

Aiken's Jessica adds that the sport demands courage as well as fitness. “Steeplechasing requires a unique combination of elements ... agility and bravery displayed by both the jockeys and the horses.”

These horses are often retired flat-track racers — older, stronger thoroughbreds transitioning into second careers.

“In steeplechase, speed alone isn’t enough — horses must also navigate jumps with precision,” Mason says.

A C O M M U N I T Y A F FA I R Across these Southern meets, steeplechase culture is defined as much by its people as its ponies.

In Georgia, the Callaway event is woven into the fabric of family and civic pride.

“We’re now seeing a third generation of families making memories here,” Mason says. “Many of today’s volunteers grew up watching their parents devote themselves to the event.”

The same is true in Aiken, where race day feels more like a reunion than a competition. “The steeplechase community is tightly connected,” Jessica says. “We frequently travel to each other’s events to show our support, as we are all working towards the same goal of keeping the sport alive and thriving.”

That spirit of camaraderie also beats strong in Nashville.

“We share ideas, work to promote the sport collectively, and celebrate each other’s successes,” says Autumn.

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S T E E P L E C H A S E AT C A L L AWAY

AIKEN STEEPLECHASE

M O R E T H A N A R AC E All three events — Callaway, Aiken, and Iroquois — operate as nonprofit organizations, directing proceeds to charitable causes and community enrichment. Mason shares the race’s philanthropic roots at Callaway: “This is about more than horses. It’s about what those horses help us build — stronger communities, vibrant cultural institutions, and lasting memories for families.”

In Aiken, the focus has expanded to include new family-friendly traditions like corgi races, live music, and vendor villages, ensuring that the next generation finds joy in the tradition. In Nashville, Autumn emphasizes that the race supports local nonprofits while honoring the legacy of the sport. Fashion and festivity are part of the draw, too.

“It’s our own spin on fall weekends in the South,” Mason says.

“Instead of football, it’s food, fashion, and fast horses.”

Elegant tailgate spreads create an atmosphere as rich as the races themselves. Together, these three events form a vibrant network of tradition, competition, and community spirit. From the thunder of hooves in Nashville to the cheering crowds in Aiken and the rolling hills of Callaway Gardens, the heart of Southern steeplechasing beats strong.

Or as Mason puts it: “There’s nothing like watching these incredible animals do what comes naturally — running and jumping in a herd, trying to be the leader. It’s raw, beautiful competition.”

In the modern South, steeplechasing isn’t just a sport — it’s a way of life. And its story, rich with heritage and hope, continues to gallop into the future — hoofbeat by hoofbeat.

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S www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com T E E P L E C H A S E AT C A L L AWAY

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Horse Sense: An Owner's Story

By Cara Clark

T

he best vantage point for watching the Aiken Steeplechase Association competitions each fall and spring is the James Stainbrook Overlook, affectionately known as The Tower. It was built thanks to a generous donation from the financier, steeplechase horse owner, and consummate equestrian whose name it bears.

It’s easy to spot James at the course — he’s the gentleman in morning coat and top hat, formal garb required when he was privileged to be invited into the esteemed Royal Enclosure at Ascot Racecourse in England for the 2015 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

James’s story begins the way all good horse stories do — on the other side of a fence, staring longingly at something just out of reach.

“When I was 5, we lived behind a horse farm. I’d sit on the fence post every day with a pocket full of sugar cubes, trying to convince the farmer to sell me a horse for 37 cents or whatever I had in my pocket. He never did.

Then we moved and moved again — eight times before I went to college.”

There were no barns in the backyard or ponies waiting after school. But even as a child, James was captivated by the power and poetry of horses. His early obsession never entirely faded — it simply waited for the right moment to return.

FROM BAL ANCE SHEE TS TO BRIDLES Before James found himself immersed in the world of foxhunts and finish lines, he was making his name in finance. He began his career as a CPA with Price Waterhouse in Ohio before earning a Master’s of Tax degree and relocating to the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia, just as the city was beginning to boom in the 1980s.

It wasn’t long before he made the leap from accounting to wealth management, eventually becoming Southeast Regional Director at Prudential-Bache Securities. He later founded his own financial firm, which he sold before retiring at age 50. Along the way, a windfall put a dream deferred in reach.

“I went to Wall Street, and my first bonus was three times my annual salary. I’d have been brain-dead not to take that opportunity.”

Rather than spend that check on cars or condos, he made a choice that would alter the course of his life: he went to Argentina, learned to ride by playing polo. At that time, he was matched against a talented 12-year-old, Adolfo Cambiaso, now a polo pro and breeder and possibly the biggest name in the sport. Even then, his skills were impressive, James recalls.

“I stayed long enough to learn to ride and play. Then I came back and joined the Atlanta Polo Club,” he says.

That decision — part romantic impulse, part calculated risk — recon-

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nected him with the passion that had stirred in him decades earlier on that fence post. On his return to Atlanta from Argentina, he bought a string of polo ponies, deepening his horsemanship skills by riding them bareback.

He boarded his horses at a farm owned by John McClure, who was heavily involved in foxhunting with the Shakerag Hunt. One morning, James caught sight of something unexpected — and irresistible.

“I saw a group of guys tear out of the woods yelling ‘Tally ho!’ with a flask in one hand and reins in the other. I said, ‘Whatever that is — I’m in.’”

From there, he fell hard for foxhunting. He used his polo ponies — most of which weren’t bred for jumping — to follow the hounds across the Georgia countryside. Not all of them were up for the task, but one stood out.

“Only one of them could really jump, and that one saved my life more than once,” he says.

Foxhunting introduced him to a new network of horse people — trainers, owners, breeders — all of whom had some connection to steeplechase racing.

It didn’t take long for him to get swept up in it.

FA L L I N G F O R T H E C H A S E James first tried steeplechase by leasing a horse from a well-connected friend in Camden, South Carolina.

“I’d go down, ride out, help condition horses. Then I bought my first horse. That was 35 years ago.”

One horse turned into two, then into more. He eventually purchased a farm in Alpharetta, Georgia, which was still rural enough to offer good riding country at the time. And with work, he was able to stay in Atlanta with his horses and only had to go to New York a few days each month.

“I could hunt four days a week back then. All my friends in the hunt field

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were involved in steeplechase. That’s how it starts. You spend enough time watching timber races and you say, ‘Why not me?’”

It was a gradual shift that grew from community, passion, and the thrill of watching a good horse fly over a timber fence. He was building a lifestyle.

After years of living the dual life of businessman and horseman and a stint traveling the world, James made a more permanent move in 2017. He relocated to Aiken, South Carolina, a town with deep equestrian roots and a thriving steeplechase culture. There, he threw himself fully into the sport.

“Two years ago, I said, I’m going to take this steeplechase seriously.

Last year’s Aiken Spring Steeplechase had 35,000 people. It’s the largest sporting event in South Carolina outside USC football. It’s bigger than anything else within 200 miles — except the Masters Golf Tournament.”

But for James, it wasn’t just about the crowds or the spectacle. It was about the horses and what the sport could offer them.

“We have 20,000 thoroughbreds born every year. Very few of them make it on the flat track. Steeplechasing gives them a second chance. They go from six furlongs to two miles. And if they’re still sound after that, timber racing — four miles and up, over stone walls and telephone poles.

If they can do that, they can carry a flask without spilling a drop. That’s a good horse.”

B E T T I N G O N J OY James now owns six horses spread across Aiken and Camden in South Carolina and in Maryland and Virginia. Most recently, he bought into his first racing syndicate — a leap into the world of young prospects and longterm dreams.

“Buying a yearling is a leap of faith. But I did it so I’d have an excuse to spend mornings at the training track here in Aiken. I wanted to sit on the clocker’s stand, sipping coffee, watching them work through the fog. Then go to the Track Kitchen and lie to each other. That’s the dream.”

It’s not about trophies or earnings. It’s about ritual and the satisfaction of watching a Thoroughbred exercise in the morning, emerging from the mist on an early morning on the track. It’s about the time-honored tradition of equine activities. James's racing silks come with a history — and a little royal flair.

“My first trainer, Gerald Oxley, was English. He won the Queen’s Cup five times. He calls me one day and says, ‘A friend — some duke or other — died without an heir. His silks are being retired. Do you want them?’ They were hunter green with white seams. Simple. Elegant. I said yes before he even finished describing them.”

Of all the horses James has owned, none had quite the impact of Famous Amos — a horse that taught him how to take a jump and trust his partner in the field. If Amos couldn’t jump a fence, he would climb it — a testament to the horse’s dedication to the sport.

“He belonged to Jim Henderson, a hunt master in Atlanta, who had to retire. Amos was in his teens, but he became my hunt horse. He never refused a jump — not once. I closed my eyes going over some fences, but he got us there. I had him until he was a week shy of 35.”

Being deeply involved in the horse world is about the relationships with these extraordinary creatures, who are simultaneously powerful, fragile, and costly. Some might ask why James invests in a sport that rarely pays back in cash. His answer is simple.

“Nobody makes money in horses,” he says. “You know the old joke: If you want to make a million in racing, start with two. But that’s not the point. I do it because it gives me joy. I love being around horses. I love watching them move. That’s enough.”

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HEDGING YOUR BETS In steeplechasing, the first to cross the wire cannot be foretold, yet a railside table provides a fitting place to savor the refined beauty of an alfresco autumn.

Story by Cara Clark, Photos by Morgan Duke

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PHOTO BY VICTORIA QUIRK 18 | Fall 2025

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G

eorgia-based designer Liz Godwin of Liz Godwin Interiors brings a refined Southern sensibility to the steeplechase field, blending equestrian charm with heirloom elegance in a daytime table setting that feels both curated and deeply personal. A crisp, luxurious tartan tablecloth sets the foundation, while richly textured pheasant feather place mats add an outdoors element to blend with the autumn equestrian theme.

Each place setting features Liz’s own antique ironstone lusterware plates paired with heirloom Fairfax silverware by Gorham, radiating timeless elegance. The signature Southern tradition shines through with Presidential Sterling silver mint julep cups by Wakefield-Scearce, alongside sparkling Taganov wine goblets.

With Carolyn Shuler Bettin as race director of the Steeplechase at Callaway this year, it's appropriate that the table includes beautifully embroidered Shuler Studio napkins accented with antique horse brasses from Liz’s grandmother, adding layers of family history and bespoke equestrian detail. Scattered throughout the table, blue and white antique vases, also inherited from her grandmother, hold delicate clusters of fresh garden blooms.

A striking centerpiece of seasonal flowers — hydrangeas, magnolia, eucalyptus, sea thistle, delphinium, and St. John’s Wort berries — is arranged in a gleaming silver goblet passed down from her father-in-law, anchoring the table with both beauty and sentiment. The flicker of Amanda Lindroth votives adds warmth to an inviting, sunlit gathering.

A stylish hat adds flair to the steeplechase experience, and with the Pursona Hat Contest — sponsored by the mother-daughter team of Candy Lucas and Gracie Shadix — fashion will be highlighted.

For a more casual tailgating vibe at the steeplechase, Liz incorporated three hand-painted Woodford Reserve bourbon bottles by the Steeplechase at Callaway’s artist-in-residence, Jennifer Keim, and her beautifully hand-painted cocktail napkins. Two charming horse topiaries from Villa Topiary on Etsy added playful equestrian flair, while the tablecloth in the car portion of the tailgate was a practical yet stylish online find — perfectly blending casual comfort with curated style.

Liz, who is designing the 2025 Guarantor’s Tent for the Steeplechase at Callaway, brings more than just an eye for design — she brings a legacy. Growing up in Middleburg, Virginia, one of the nation's premier horse capitals, Liz was immersed in eques-

trian life from an early age.

"Just being from Middleburg and having my family in the horse world, I’ve collected so many equine-themed items that are so fitting for a setting like this," she explains. "I grew up show jumping, but my grandparents both had racehorses.”

That deep-rooted connection infuses every element of her tablescape with authenticity and heart.

Even the smallest details carry personal meaning. "An interesting note — the glasses with the jockey wearing racing silks — burgundy and white — were actually my grandmother’s," she shares.

"She had them custom-painted. Those were the racing silks for her farm."

This reverence for heritage is evident throughout Liz’s design. From heirloom silver and antique brasses to family vases and custom glassware, each piece tells a story — one grounded in generations of Southern equestrian tradition.

Reflecting on the Steeplechase at Callaway, Liz adds, "It’s quite an event. It’s so wonderful to see how the horses have such power to do these amazing things.”

Through design, Liz captures the sport’s spirit, strength, and elegance — crafting a table that’s as meaningful as it is beautiful.

P H OTO B Y DA N X E L L E R A S S I S T E D B Y WA L K E R AT S H E M C R E E K B OAT R E N TA L S

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US FOR THE JOIN

28TH ANNUAL

LINWOOD RAMBLE OCTOBER 16TH|4PM

Culinary Columbus HISTORIC LINWOOD CEMETERY

Join us for food, drinks, live music, and a shared desire to celebrate the historic Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia. This special evening — part of Culinary Columbus — will highlight history, heritage, and the stories of individuals resting at Linwood who helped shape how Columbus eats today.

“Great night! Beautiful place, interesting p ro g ra m , a n d wo n d e r f u l food , m u s i c , a n d d r i n k . ” — Elliott Waddell, HLF Board Member 706.321.8285 www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

VISIT WWW. LINWOODCEMETERY.ORG/LINWOOD-RAMBLE

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A LEGACY OF LOVE Ellen Boyd and Caroline Bryan turned heartbreak into hope, founding the Brett Boyer Foundation to raise awareness for Congenital Heart Defects and Down syndrome.

Story by Cara Clark, Photos by Brit Huckabay

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Fall 2025 | 23

“Someone sent me that quote: ‘Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly — but nobody told the bumblebee, so it does anyway.’

That was Brett. She flew.”

— Ellen Boyd

I

n a beautifully crafted barn in the heart of Tennessee — surrounded by rescued animals and everlasting love for a little girl named Brett — Ellen Boyer, Caroline Bryan, and their families have found purpose and peace after profound loss. What began as a personal tragedy has blossomed into a far-reaching mission, transforming how families navigate congenital heart disease (CHD), Down syndrome diagnoses, and grief.

Their bond is more than family. After Ellen married Caroline’s brother, Bo Boyer, the friendship between the two, often mistaken for sisters, became immediate and unshakable. That closeness deepened when Ellen and Bo’s daughter, Sadie Brett, was prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome and later with congenital heart disease. Though Brett lived only seven months, the inf luence of that short time now stretches far beyond their family — each memory a blend of joy and heartbreak.

BUILDING BRETT’S LEGACY Grief isn't something you overcome. It transitions into a sort of state of coexistence, but this family proved that while they can't alter the past, they can use that ever-present pain to change the status quo in the most positive way.

“There were so many things about her diagnosis we wish had been different,” Ellen says. “When you deliver a Down syndrome diagnosis, the first words should be ‘Congratulations.’ Parents should hear about the incredible community, the support, and the joy. But often, all they’re told is what their child won’t do. It’s devastating — and it’s wrong. There’s a great community that is ready and waiting to welcome them with open arms. They have all of the resources available to them about children with Down syndrome living the most fulfilling, wonderful lives. That picture is not painted when you're given a Down syndrome diagnosis. When you tell someone something like it's the end of the world, they feel like it's the end of the world. We'd like to see that changed so that people realize children with Down syndrome live amazing lives.”

That is one of the beliefs that drives their work. Through the Brett Boyer Foundation, they aim to reform how medical professionals deliver diagnoses, starting with education. Their own experiences have shown them that the way hospital staff work with a family can make a tremendous difference in expectation and outcome, particularly in delivering a Down syndrome diagnosis.

“We’re talking to medical students — before they even pick a specialty — and saying, ‘Look at our lives. Talk to us. Please don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t.”

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With celebrity support from Caroline’s husband, country music icon Luke Bryan, and stars such as ESPN’s Tim Tebow, the foundation now supports both Down syndrome advocacy and Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) research through fundraising, education, and a heaping helping of heart.

“Celebrating Brett’s Down syndrome diagnosis was the easy part,” Ellen says. “There’s so much joy there. We always say her Down syndrome doesn’t need a cure — it is a cure. For us, we're focused on funding congenital heart disease research that makes prenatal diagnosis better earlier so that people can get better care, but also to fund better interventions that are less invasive and improve outcomes. And then we're invested in trying to help support families while they're inpatient, while they're still pregnant, and then afterwards, after they get home, the whole gamut of the lifespan of a CHD diagnosis.”

Their most significant push today is funding cutting-edge CHD research and raising awareness of the disease's prevalence. Every 15 minutes, a family in the U.S. receives a life-changing diagnosis of congenital heart disease.

“I think God puts us in circles we are supposed to be in to share the message about how common this is,” Ellen says, noting that 50% of children with Down syndrome have CHD. “It's one in every 100 births that carry a CHD diagnosis. So many people come to our fundraisers,

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THE HEART OF THE HIVE E l l e n B o y e r, r i g h t , a n d C a r o l i n e Br yan are on a mission to honor a beloved Queen Bee with the Brett Boyer Foundation. www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

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Bill and Mary Stone, owners of Stones Throw Farm in Naples, recently hosted a heart felt fundraiser at their beautiful property to support the Bret t Boyer Foundation. Known for their strong sense of community and dedication to meaningful causes, the Stones transformed their farm into a vibrant gathering place for friends, neighbors, and supporters.

not knowing what they're there for. And then they realize, you know, my cousin didn't have CHD, but he had open heart surgery as a child. Well, that is CHD. We’re focused on studies that can impact care within five years. Especially valve research — most kids with CHD have valve issues.”

Brett’s surgeon, Dr. Bret Mettler, helped the foundation form a medical advisory board. The board receives submissions for project funding from around the nation, including requests for higher-quality treatment research or earlier detection.

“My prayer is that we can continue funding these meaningful projects,” Ellen says. “When we see the criteria for us to fund this research project, we want to know that it's able to get to the bedside within five years, that it's translational, that it's something that could make a difference — whether it's improving

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infection in the ICU setting or creating a less invasive procedure.”

One project they helped fund, the partial heart transplant, has already saved more than 35 children’s lives. Ellen credits the leaps forward, in part, to having Luke and Caroline's celebrity behind the efforts.

“We funded the partial heart research project in 2020. By the following year, a little boy had his life saved because of it. His valves are still growing with him — it's unheard of. Caroline and Luke carry so much of the weight of getting the foundation where it is. They wear many hats in what we do, but using their reach and the people they know has everything to do with the success we have had. And with that, allowing the foundation to reach more people, it's fantastic.

The foundation has funded more than 25 research projects in 18 institutions since 2021.

When a patient benefits from a procedure the foundation has made possible, it brings a measure of solace from devastating loss.

“I feel like it's such a blessing that they get to know that it was our love and grief and Brett's legacy that literally made it possible,” Ellen says. “A lot of bereaved parents ask why for the rest of their lives. And that is certainly something I don't have to do, and I'm very grateful.”

Their work has earned national recognition, further advancing their cause on the world's stage.

“Seeing our name on Good Morning America — I watch that show every morning,” Caroline says. “It was surreal.”

THE HEALING POWER OF THE BARN Perhaps Brett’s legacy lives most visibly in the barn, a haven of rescued animals and quiet comfort.

It started with two ponies, Kilo and Bumble, and has grown to include a herd of colorful personalities, each with a special place in Caroline and Ellen's hearts.

Though not open to the public, Brett’s Barn has hosted events for children from Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and other organizations.

“When Brett was born, I joked to my brother, ‘I’m gonna get her a white pony,’” Caroline says. “Later, a friend called and said, ‘We just rescued a white pony and a little brown one.’ I said, ‘I want them.’”

From that moment, the barn was born — and with it, a place for healing.

“There's been animal therapy at hospitals for years and years, but we never truly understood how real it is until you see children and parents get to come out here and just breathe and finally smile and play after months and months of being in the hospital,” says Caroline, whose favorite is unquestionably an opinionated llama, Pekka.

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The animal f lips her ears forward when she sees her person, Caroline, and leans out for a kiss. If someone else gets close, those ears pin back, and the likelihood of being spat upon increases — unless there are treats. The barn is a passion project for Caroline — one she privately funds. No donor funds to the Brett Boyer Foundation go toward the barn. The medley of animals is simply respite therapy and mascots for the foundation, and the barn is a place to hold Brett dear.

“It’s therapeutic,” Ellen says. “Sometimes it’s hard to talk about trauma, but when you’re petting a donkey or watching a llama act goofy, it breaks the ice. It brings joy. Seeing a child playing after months in the hospital is everything.”

One donkey, Valentine, has a gift for comfort. “She knows when someone’s having a hard day,” Caroline says. “She’ll rest her head on their shoulder and just stay there.”

Most of the animals are rescues, many with their own trauma.

“Some don’t like men in hats,” Ellen says. “You can tell they’ve been through something. But over time, they become part of the healing.”

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SUPPORT One of the foundation’s most tender efforts began in the most painful moment.

“When Brett passed, she was so swollen I didn’t have clothes that

fit her,” Ellen says. “I didn’t want to say goodbye in a hospital blanket.”

Caroline and family rushed to a local boutique, Plaid Rabbit.

“We were crying, grabbing anything that might fit,” she remembers. “They just said, ‘Take whatever you need.’ No charge. Just love.”

That moment inspired Code Queen Bee — a program that discreetly provides burial outfits to grieving families.

“We started at Vanderbilt. Now we have Queen Bee closets in hospitals nationwide — Johns Hopkins, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Boston Children's, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Cincinnati Children’s, Duke Children’s, and most recently, Alabama Children’s,” Ellen says. “No parent should have to shop in that moment.”

The Brett Boyer Foundation is more than research funding or resource lists. It walks alongside families, assisting with funeral costs, hotel rooms during hospital stays, offering meal payment cards, mental health support, and moments of relief.

Still, the work takes a toll. “Some days it doesn’t feel fast enough,” Ellen says. “Yesterday, we paid for another funeral. And you think — how are we still here?”

But she also knows she’s on the right path and was set there with intention by a higher power. “When I look back at how far we have come, I think I should have dreamed a little bigger,” Ellen says. “My aspirations have grown as the foundation has grown. But, when we first started, we just had these traumatic, lived experiences, and we turned that into the energy and ability to make things better for people while they're inpatient.”

And there are moments that renew them. It can be transformative when a child visits the barn and finds the joy of the outdoors and the comfort of an animal’s soft snuff le.

“Owen (who had CHD) was here last year,” Caroline recalls.

“His dad was throwing him in the air, carefree, after everything they’d been through. That joy — it’s everything.”

THE QUEEN BEE WHO REFUSED TO BE DEFINED Despite her strong name, Brett was Ellen’s “dainty little princess.” That Halloween, dressed as a bee, she became the symbol of a mission. “Someone sent me that quote: ‘Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to f ly — but nobody told the bumblebee, so it does anyway,’” Ellen says. “That was Brett. She f lew.”

Yellow became her color — bright, joyful, persistent. Bees began to show up in everyday life, like signs.

“After I painted the barn yellow, bees were all over the wildf lowers. It felt like she was there,” Ellen says.

But behind those cheerful symbols lies a deeper mission. Caroline recalls their first experience in the cardiac ICU. “We expected a quiet space. Instead, there were 40 beds, all full.

CHD can sometimes seem to be invisible — you’d never know what these kids endure," Caroline says.

Families, especially siblings, often feel isolated.

“We’ve seen parents lose jobs. Siblings wonder why everything changed,” she says. “It’s a ripple effect.”

That’s why the foundation now funds mental health services, including a full-time psychologist on the cardiac f loor at Vanderbilt.

“We don’t want families to meet their support person only in a crisis,” Ellen says. “They should feel held from the beginning.”

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In partnership with the Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation, they also offer trauma-informed counseling for CHD families in Tennessee and Georgia, therapists who understand the journey without needing every detail explained.

THE FLIGHT CONTINUES Ellen and Caroline know the emotional weight of their work. Even as they speak of it and of Brett, tears well, and it takes a moment of quiet strength to finish a sentence.

“You can’t live in the grief, or you lose yourself,” Caroline says.

Ellen says, “There’s no ‘other side’ to grief. But you can keep smiling. Keep honoring your child’s life. We want families to know that you can find joy again.”

They offer meaningful but straightforward touches: gift cards for meals or manicures. They are reminders to breathe, connect, and feel human again.

They are also a cue to appreciate the people silently soldiering to make a difference in the lives of those going through hospital trauma every day. The foundation relies on social workers and others to notify them of need.

“I do not envy the job of a social worker, because they get no credit, and they get their hearts broken every single day,” Caroline says. “They are an unsung hero that rarely gets any credit, but so much of what we do would not be possible without them doing the difficult work of making sure that they find out where the need is the greatest.”

Their mission is grounded in family and loss.

Caroline and Luke now raise their nephew after he lost both parents.

“We’ve faced a lot of tragedy,” Caroline says. “But that pain has given us purpose.”

Ellen said the deep well of grief their families know too intimately helps them identify with the suffering others face.

“We want families to know they’re not alone — that someone understands,” she says. “Even when everything feels impossible, there’s a path forward.”

The bumblebee f lies, not because it should, but because no one told it otherwise. That’s Brett.

Her legacy lives on in every creature at the barn, in every Queen Bee outfit, in every hospital room where a family no longer feels alone.

“We should’ve dreamed bigger,” Ellen says. “But maybe we just couldn’t see it yet. We just knew we wanted to make it easier for the next family.”

And they have. Like the bumblebee, Brett defies expectations — and continues teaching the world how to f ly anyway.

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Fashion Forward

From childhood, Alexandra Dillard carried the family’s flair for fashion, weaving her grandfather’s legacy into the enduring fabric of Arkansas-based Dillard’s.

Story By Cara Clark, Photos by Morgan Duke

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"Alexandra’s journey through family, fashion, and forward thinking makes her appreciate her grandfather's legacy: “I'm amazed that a small-town boy from a little bitty place no one's ever heard of in Arkansas was willing to take that kind of risk and go after these big department stores."

B

y the time Alexandra Dillard Lucie and her twin sister began crafting and selling cardboard sandals as children, the spirit of entrepreneurship was already taking root. It was less about the money and more about the instinct — to create, to adapt, and to sell.

“We would take cardboard, cut out the shape of our foot, and staple rubber bands to it to make sandals to sell,” recalls Alexandra, now vice president and general merchandise manager of Dillard’s, Inc. “I feel like my twin sister was the most entrepreneurial of all of us. We would sell lemonade, and we would sell our McDonald's toys on the playground. We even sold my little sister’s toys to our friends. It was terrible. We convinced her to let us sell them.”

These were no ordinary childhood imaginations at work — they were the foundation of an entrepreneurial spirit fostered by a tightly knit, hardworking family. Alexandra credits her twin sister, Annemarie Jazic, now Dillard’s chief information off icer, as “the really clever one,” always spearheading childhood sales strategies. That early energy — creative, ambitious, and scrappy — remains alive today with in many aspects of Dillard’s, where Alexandra is a key f igure in guiding the iconic department store through a changing retail landscape.

Alexandra carries a unique perspective: simultaneously a torchbearer and an innovator, she balances reverence for the past with an eye f ixed f irmly ahead. Much of that is due to the scope of her journey, which didn’t begin at the top. Like many ambitious young professionals, she wanted to carve her own path — even if it meant temporarily stepping away from the family fold.

“I always thought I knew more than my parents. Of course, at times in my life, I wanted to work in the hottest, coolest places, so I worked for BCBG in LA for about four years,” she says. “That was an incredible experience. BCBG was a big vendor and partner for us at the time, but they were also the leaders of the contemporary space; they created the concept of contemporary sportswear. Max Azria was just an incredible visionary. I wanted to be in that action. I thought that was cooler than my family department store.”

That chapter ended when her husband, journalist Craig Lucie, was offered a top broadcast anchor position in Florida. Alexandra considered what it might mean to come home to Dillard’s. That transition became a turning point she treasures.

“It just led me to where I am today.”

S O U T H E R N R O O T S , G LO B A L P E R S P E C T I V E Family is not just a value at Dillard’s — it’s the infrastructure.

Alexandra’s mother was a buyer for Neiman Marcus, and her grandfather, William Dillard, spent time working for Sears & Roebuck before opening his f irst retail store in Nashville, Arkansas, in 1938.

The tight-knit family’s business legacy is both tradition-bound and boundary-pushing.

She grew up next door to her grandparents, in a town where cous-

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ins, uncles, and aunts lived just minutes apart. “Every single day, when my dad got home from work, we would go next door, and that was like a meeting point,” she said. “It was always about current business. They weren't big reminiscers... they were very proactive, forward thinkers in the moment.”

That family history remains with her — and her pride in her grandfather’s legacy is palpable.

“I'm amazed that a small-town boy from a little bitty place no one's ever heard of in Arkansas was willing to take that kind of risk and go after these big department stores,” she said. “I can't imagine the chances he took, the risk he took, and how unnerving it had to be at times. He had tremendous conviction in who he was and what he thought we could be. I feel incredibly honored to be able to work for a legacy like that. Very few people get that experience. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve appreciated it even more … I feel like the luckiest person on the planet to be still watching my father, uncle, and family lead this company.”

Despite Dillard's generational weight and national footprint, Alexandra describes a low-drama, high-functioning family operation. Roles are clearly def ined, communication is open, and everyone is aligned on a singular mission: long-term success.

“We all want Dillard’s to thrive for many generations to come,” she said. “Ultimately, our goals are aligned. Everybody stays in their lane.

We network with one another. If I meet a great brand, but it's not an area within my management, I'll call my cousin Bill and tell him, ‘Hey, I've got this great brand. You need to take a look at it.’ And his team will. And we have found great vendors that way.”

It’s a modern take on the old-fashioned family business — deeply personal, but highly professional.

T H E I N C U B AT O R M O D E L : I N N O VAT I O N O N T H E F LO O R Alexandra's passion lies in product — not just buying and selling, but creating. She’s intimately involved in product development, manufacturing, and the process of discovering emerging designers.

“A large portion of what we sell is in-house brands,” she explained.

“A lot of people call them private label, but ours are a different proposition. Most people's private label is the lower tier of what they sell, and our exclusive brands are the nicest products on our f loor. We push the needle and try to put the best make behind them, the best fabrics behind them, the best designers.”

She remembers going to markets with her father, interning with vendors, and even spending a summer in Hong Kong and China, where she learned the gritty details of sourcing and manufacturing.

That immersion gave her a rare understanding of both sides of the fashion business — buying and creating.

One of Alexandra’s signature initiatives has been The Coterie Shop, based on the connections made at the Southern Coterie, an institution that connects like-minded businesswomen intent on entrepreneurial success. In Dillard’s department stores, the Coterie section has become an incubator for small designers with enormous potential.

“We went to that conference for the f irst time and came across an abundance of talent. We met a few young, aspiring designers, and said, ‘Wouldn't it be cool if we took a chance on these designers that normally wouldn't have an opportunity within a large department store setting or wholesale,’” she says. “So, I said we're going to create this

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RETRO REFLECTIONS Dillard's founder William Dillard, dreamed big and passed that trait on to his children a n d G r a n d c h i l d r e n . A b o v e : b a c k i n t h e d a y, the store' s modeling campaigns were on the cutting edge of fashion.

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incubation room where we nurture some smaller companies and help them understand what it's like to work with a department store. Once they hit their stride, we grow them out.”

Designers like Abbey Glass and Buru are two successful partnerships that are being stocked in stores nationwide.

“It’s been great for us. It’s been great for them,” she says of the initiative, which is about more than products. It’s about mentorship, longevity, and sustaining creativity in retail — values Alexandra holds dear.

what we wore to many different important parts of our lives.”

For Alexandra, the work is personal — not just in legacy, but in vision. And it’s about the long game.

“We want something long-term, and we all feel that way,” she said.

“We haven't changed hands. That's kept us in a very stable place and able to move forward and stay forward.”

LO O K I N G A H E A D W H I L E K E E P I N G PAC E

“My kids do it, too,” Alexandra says as she recalls playing with her siblings on the clothing racks of Dillard’s growing up. “They were using our Z bars, which are like rolling racks, like jungle gyms. They were playing hide and seek in the racks … It was chaos.”

That chaos is familiar — it’s the memory of childhood shaped not just by toys, but by garment bags, vendor meetings, and weekends spent on store visits.

Alexandra splits her time between work and family, often f lying back and forth between markets, corporate headquarters in Arkansas, and her home in Atlanta.

She f inds peace exploring the Georgia countryside with her husband and two equine-enthusiast children, a trait she shared as a youngster.

“We’re always looking for cute little restaurants or one-off stops to grab a tea, dessert, or lunch. We love a small town, a farmer’s market.

That’s where I’m happiest,” she says.

When asked whether her children might follow in her footsteps one day, Alexandra hopes their journey will be joyful and fruitful.

“I would give anything for them to have a life that I've had,” she said.

“I felt very, very blessed, and it hasn't come without really hard work.

But I think what helps you succeed in the real world — in anything you do — is to be hands-on and an active participant, not a passive participant.”

In other words, whether she's crafting cardboard sandals or curating couture, Alexandra’s creative spirit is unstoppable.

From humble beginnings in Arkansas to becoming one of America’s most respected department store brands, Dillard’s has remained philosophically rooted. Its leadership has remained constant, looking longterm for generations to come. That consistency has helped the company avoid the fate of giants like Sears, where Alexandra’s grandfather once worked.

Amid seismic shifts in retail, Alexandra sees Dillard’s not as a relic, but as a model uniquely positioned to succeed — because of its consistency.

“There was this question of department stores and where they are going … are they dinosaurs? For a while, everybody felt shopping should become an experiential moment,” she says. “I think the best experience is an eff icient experience. When a consumer comes into our store, they can f ind what they're looking for, or they're inspired quickly to buy things they're excited about.”

As the department store evolves, visual merchandising, thoughtful product curation, and a deep understanding of the Southern customer remain central.

“Our consumer loves to dress for an occasion,” she said. “She wants to go shopping when she's approaching spring break or Easter, or she's going to a Mother's Day gathering or a wedding. And what you wear is how you remember, oftentimes, what you did. I think we all remember

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GROWING UP IN THE AISLES OF DILL ARD’S

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ALRE A DY

With 17 miles of sun-bathed beach, endless trails to explore, and relaxing places to stay, this is where people with too much going on go to forget about it all. And for the foodie in you, The Second Annual Coastal Catch Restaurant Month is returning this October. So, if you’ve been looking for your happy place, Relax, you’ve found it.

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Fall 2025 | 35

In a Houston, Texas home, interior designer Elizabeth Ryan paints a portrait of the homeowner’s personality through a thoughtfully crafted, expressive color palette.

Empathy & Instinct Story by Cara Clark

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I

n a quiet Houston, Texas, neighborhood, beneath vast skies and graceful oaks, sits a home that doesn’t shout for attention — but speaks in textures, colors, and thoughtful conversation. It’s not simply decorated. It’s designed with intention. And at the heart of that process is interior designer Elizabeth Ryan of Dallas-based Elizabeth Ryan Interiors, whose vision, empathy, and instinct turn everyday living into an art form.

Elizabeth didn't always know she’d become a designer. In fact, she almost didn’t.

“In college, I was actually going to be an engineering major,” she says, her voice calm and assured, “and my brain works really well with math and scale. My dad was in the military, so we were overseas for a lot of my childhood, and my parents were really keen on just taking us everywhere to see everything. So I was just around a lot of great examples of architecture and art growing up. That was part of it.”

But it took one challenging class — and one joyful one — to show her where she truly belonged.

“I had a tricky intro to engineering class and a really lovely art history class,” she laughs. “And I was like, I think my brain wants to be more artistic.

I want to do more enjoyable things, and this is more enjoyable to me. I made sure that TCU had an interior design program so I could stay at my beloved school — and thank goodness they did.”

Though she found her way into the field, her style didn’t arrive overnight.

“The program was really technical at first,” she explains. “It helps that what they’re teaching you in school is how to be proficient. So it does stay very

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technical for a while — it’s a splurge, at least in design school, to get to look at finishes and talk about paint, like, it’s very minor. That portion of it — the aesthetic part — honestly evolved through being in the profession, being surrounded by other talent, and learning something new on every job.

I think my aesthetic grew with confidence, and seeing what worked together and what was successful,” That patience, paired with deep curiosity, informs how Elizabeth approaches every space — and perhaps more importantly, every person. She recalls her first independent project, a turning point she hadn’t expected.

“I wasn’t even meaning to start on my own,” she says. “I was going to stay home with my kids. But a friend asked if I would help his recently divorced friend — he really wanted his own style in the house. He’d only ever had a home with his ex-wife and he wanted it to feel like him. That was a lovely challenge because I wanted to give him that respite, that place to heal and move on to his next phase. And I learned to ask a lot of personality-based questions. Like, ‘Tell me about you. How will this space feel more like you and less like your former unit?’ It made me realize how personal a space needs to be. A home should feel like home to the person living in it.”

That same gentle curiosity and reverence for personality led Elizabeth to this expressive Texas home. From the outside, the elegant house on its charm-laden, treelined street gives little away. But inside, it’s a masterclass in layered color, emotional storytelling, and harmonious contradiction.

Nothing screams, yet everything sings.

An example is the living space, which Elizabeth refers to as the “long room.” Originally chopped up by architectural columns and undefined

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spaces, it’s now an elegant, intuitive flow that stretches from the front door to the backyard.

“The space goes all the way back to the sitting area with the windows,” she says. “It had intermittent columns, and we removed them all to open it up. There are just pilasters now (flat columns on the wall.) But about six inches out from each of those, there used to be a full column. Space planning was crazy. It kept defining these rooms, but we needed a larger dining room, so we put the dining room where it made sense, and then essentially created two sitting areas on either side.”

One sitting area is anchored by golden velvet sofas; another by a rug layered with sculptural touches.

“We created a space where, at the end of the day, they actually sit down — just for a minute,” Elizabeth says. “It’s meant to be that place where your friends are over, dinner’s not quite ready, folks are still in the kitchen. You’re not ready to go to the table, but let’s have a drink right here.”

In this house, every color has a reason, texture, and feeling. The pool room, painted head-to-toe in a moody shade of blue called Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball, pulls the eye and wraps the room in intensity.

“I was so excited she let me paint that room top to bottom in Hague Blue,” Elizabeth says. “We started with the flying ducks wallpaper — her husband is an avid hunter — and that was our springboard. The wallpaper is this classic motif, but how we paired it with color gave it this more modern saturation. This home has so many classic lines, and it was important to honor those, but also to let it

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feel alive.”

Throughout the house, color is both grounding and surprising. A coral table rests atop an antique eland hide rug, found in a Dallas shop on a rainy day. Raspberry club chairs pull the eye near the chinoiserie wallpaper and traditional buffet. And over the dining table hang two sculptural white chandeliers that float like quiet punctuation marks in a richly edited sentence.

“The room is so long — it needed the heft of two,” she says. “And they’re funky-modern, but we chose white so they’d feel subtle against the trim. There’s so much traditionalism going on — the chinoiserie paper, the buffet — so we put that juxtaposition right in the middle. It’s a balancing act. It would have felt off if we’d only done one chandelier.”

One of Elizabeth’s most subtle successes might be the primary bedroom, which achieves a rare calm despite its many layers. Tonal wallpaper and drapery patterns play gently across the space, and a tall, elegant four-poster bed makes a quiet statement.

“My client — she’s just a very dynamic, stylish individual,” Elizabeth says.

“But in bedrooms, we want it to be soothing and calm. So we stayed tonal but layered our patterns. The wallpaper has this soft, scalloped texture. And the drapes are tonal too, but if you zoom in, there’s a tiny bit of fluorescent yellow and hot pink in the flowers. Just a tiny amount. That’s her personality, represented quietly.

Layered. Serene. But still her.”

In the end, that might be what defines Elizabeth’s work most clearly: it’s not just about beauty. It’s about feeling understood.

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"Yes, you’re going to be informed by trends and what people are putting out there, but only so much of it is going to be the perfect fit, Lean into your favorites."

“You want to surround yourself with things that feel like you,” she says. “Yes, you’re going to be informed by trends and what people are putting out there, but only so much of it is going to be the perfect fit. Lean into your favorites. And when you do, it’ll start to evolve into something that’s really yours.”

She pauses for a moment, then adds, “I’ve had clients come to me after they’ve over-colored their houses — just too many bold choices, too many layers — and they need help dialing it back without losing who they are. That’s why we always start with a color palette and a design direction. We want something balanced to follow room to room.”

Elizabeth’s style isn’t just custom — it’s deeply intentional. It’s design that listens before it speaks, and feels before it decorates.

And in this Texas house, filled with elegance, texture, and rooms that invite you to stay awhile. It’s a place that feels like home.

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Making the Cut South Carolina topiary artist Mike Gibson wields his shears like a sacred brush, honoring a “God-given” gift to sculpt nature’s beauty and transform the world into a living masterpiece.

Story by Sheryl Nance-Nash, Photos by Tanya Ackerman

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W

hile most kids were glued to cartoons, topiary master Michael P. Gibson was wandering the halls of a fine arts museum in Youngstown, Ohio, studying the works of Monet and Renoir alongside his father.

“Early on, I knew I wanted to be an artist like my father, I just didn’t know what the medium would be,” says Mike, who taught himself how to draw by checking out books from the library.

Unbeknownst to him, the path had already been paved.

“As soon as I was walking, I was working in the yard with the rest of the crew — my three older sisters,” he recalls. “We had duties like holding the dustpan, keeping the bag open for dad, and putting tools in the garage.”

By the age of 7, Mike was strong enough to wield garden shears and quickly became familiar with the rhythm of pruning.

“I was determined to perfect the craft,” he says. “My father taught us to do things right the first time, so we didn’t have to do it again. He taught me how to prune.”

What began as a childhood chore soon became a passion.

“By 10, I loved it,” he says. “I kicked my sisters out. I told them, I’ll plant the flowers and cut the grass. I did the entire property.”

His skills sharpened so quickly that he started maintaining neighbors’ yards as well. From those early roots blossomed his lifelong calling: topiary — the art of sculpting trees and shrubs into living works of art. Today, Mike is owner of Gibson Works Property Art in Columbia, South Carolina, and a self-taught property artist and topiarist with more than 30 years of experience. He’s completed more than 700 topiary pieces across the United States while fulfilling his mission, “to use his God-given gift to beautify the world with topiary.”

“The art Michael creates is like none other. Each piece has an underlying meaning. He will not settle for less than perfection. He has an incredible ability to see the art in his mind before making it come to life,” says Katrina Quint, a horticulturist who recently collaborated with Mike on a project.

the artist-in-residence at the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden in Bishopville, South Carolina.

“He is my hero,” Mike says.

Inspired by Pearl’s example, Mike dedicated the year 2014 to focus exclusively on topiary, beginning his business the year after.

“I took a year to concentrate on it and see if I could get clients. I did, and started my business,” he says. That year, he also committed to creating 330 sculptures to help revitalize his hometown of Youngstown, a number correlating to the city's area code. He achieved that goal. By 2019, with his phone ringing nonstop, he left his job at Staples.

“I wanted to do what I loved. I started my business full-time and never looked back.”

BECOMING A LEGEND Mike’s reputation grew quickly. In 2017, he received the Beautification Watch Award from Youngstown CityScape for “exemplary work

LIVING ART Nicknamed “Gibby Scissorhands” or “Gibby-Siz” for his ambidextrous pruning skills —reminiscent of Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands — Mike never lost his love for greenery. He honed his talents while working for companies like TruGreen and even while holding a job as sales manager at Staples. But in 2014, he experienced a turning point.

“Although I learned a lot, I was tired of doing door-to-door sales for TruGreen,” he says.

That same year, Mike’s father introduced him to the work of legendary topiary artist Pearl Fryar. “He does phenomenal work. I thought I was the only Black man doing this work.”

Pearl transformed his yard in Bishopville, South Carolina, into a world-renowned garden, using shears and imagination to shape trees into stunning, abstract sculptures. This proves that art can flourish anywhere, even from humble beginnings.

Not only did Mike meet Pearl, but he also became his mentee. He eventually relocated from Youngstown to Columbia in 2021 to serve as

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helping to beautify the community.” In 2021, Mike appeared on HGTV’s “Clipped” with Martha Stewart. In 2023, the American Public Garden Association named him a Garden Scholar. He now travels across the country offering lectures, demonstrations, and therapeutic topiary workshops, which are widely praised. In these workshops, participants create their own living sculptures.

“Therapeutic workshops allow me to help people heal through gardening activities,” Mike says. “I want to spread the knowledge so that others will create art. I want that to be part of my legacy: I taught others who will come behind me.”

While teaching people the topiary art form of pruning and shaping a plant, Mike also emphasizes his personal journey into the world of topiary.

He connects with his audience and meets participants “where they are” in terms of their energy and skill level.

“He brings out people’s creativity,” says John Henkels, vice president of Grounds at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Lauren Brown, executive administrator to the president and CEO of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Osprey, Florida, calls Mike’s March workshop a “peaceful escape into the art of sculpting living plants”. She was so impressed with his workshop that she invited him back as the keynote speaker for their Spring Lunch in the Gardens, where he wowed an audience of 200 guests. Despite his growing acclaim, Mike remains grounded.

“To go from being a small-town Black kid from a rough neighborhood to HGTV is a huge milestone. Where I come from, people don’t end up on

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HGTV,” he says.

Raised in an area riddled with crime — crack houses, gangs, and drug dealers — Mike focused instead on his living art.

“I kept my head down, working in the yard with my headphones on. I focused on what was in front of me,” he says. School was a struggle. He was often suspended, diagnosed with ADHD, and dubbed the class clown.

“The yard was my escape, nature calmed me,” he explains.

SCULPTING THE FUTURE Today, Mike is thriving. One project he’s particularly proud of is a custom topiary created for the Credit One Charleston Open tennis tournament.

“Mike created a unique piece incorporating color from our glass trophy by using florals. The result was amazing. It truly looked like our trophy but was larger than life,” says Bryan Richard, director of facility services and special projects for Charleston Tennis. “Mike researched our tournament, conducted multiple site visits in advance, researched trees, and made a 400mile trip to find the right tree. He engrossed himself in his artistic process, and it showed in the result.”

Mike’s inspiration often comes in dreams or at first glance of a particular tree or shrub.

“My mind considers all possibilities. I see patterns,” he says.

His designs are thoughtful, considering everything from client needs to how the plant will grow over the next decade.

He developed his own five-step process: the “Gibson Method.” First, he

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crafts a story tailored to the client and space. The second step is “Sacred Geometry” in which he researches shapes that provide harmony and balance. “For example, you have to think through how something will connect to everything else. You want it to seem like the topiary was always there,” he explains.

Third is Niwaki — the Japanese pruning style that enhances airflow, light, and the illusion of movement. Fourth is directional trimming, brushing in one direction.

“When you stick in one direction, it looks so smooth you question whether it’s real.” The final step is illusion. “Look one way and see one thing, like a heart, and another, two people hugging. I want you to see different things from all views.”

Though he can work with any plant, he favors evergreens, particularly Ilex, which has more than 1,000 varieties.

“Ilex is like sculpting stone,” Mike explains. “I chip away. It can take eight hours or two days to make a sculpture, depending on the size of the tree or shrub.”

One of the toughest parts of the job? Cleaning out mature trees.

“You have to remove everything that doesn’t belong, but you don’t want to cut it wrong. Once inside a tree, it may be different than what you thought. You adjust on the fly,” says Mike, who draws a comparison

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between topiary and music. He also plays bass guitar and tailors his playlist to the mood of his work — Bootsy Collins and Parliament for playful projects, classical or jazz for more technical pieces.

G R O W I N G A L E G AC Y Outside of his craft, Mike enjoys chess, reading, and time with his wife, Brittanny, their 15-month-old son, Nassir, and daughter, Paisley, 6, who’s already training to follow in his footsteps.

“I’ve been teaching her since she was 2 or 3 with small scissors. When we’re driving, she’ll look at the trees and ask me what I see. She’ll be ready to hang with me when she’s 7 — that’s when I was able to handle shears,” he says.

Looking ahead, Mike dreams of designing a piece for the White House. His vision? Topiary in every community.

“Topiary puts peace and love in spaces,” he says of his lifetime commitment to the art. “It has a positive impact. When all is said and done, I want people to have learned from me that all things are possible. I was this guy who was flunking out of school, dropped out of college, and I’m considered one of the best topiary artists in the world. You can do anything.”

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A Flavorful Renaissance Passing through Madison, Georgia, developer Preston Snyder was struck by a eureka-like inspiration to transform the square into a warm haven of hospitality.

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n the heart of Madison, Georgia, a quiet revolution is unfolding — one that blends Southern charm, chef-driven dining, and historic preservation into a singular vision of modern small-town life. That vision belongs to Preston Snyder, a real estate developer, historic preservationist, and founder of MAD Hospitality, a growing group of restaurants and venues breathing new life into Madison’s picturesque downtown square.

“Madison has always had this undeniable magnetism, but it took me a while to really see its full potential,” Preston says. “I grew up in Milledgeville, so towns like this were part of my DNA. But for years, Madison was just a beautiful detour. Then, one day, I looked a little closer — and that changed everything.”

Just an hour outside Atlanta, the town is rich in history and charm and is now experiencing a remarkable resurgence. Founded in 1809, Madison’s historic downtown is one of the best-preserved antebellum districts in the country, boasting more than 100 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With elegant Greek Revival mansions, brick sidewalks, and a classic town square, Madison was once known as the “Queen of the Piedmont” and remains a living museum of Southern history and architecture.

At the heart of this revival is MAD Hospitality, a fast-growing hospitality company focused on creating unique, stylish, chef-driven culi-

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nary experiences in beautifully restored historic spaces. In that mission, MAD Hospitality has breathed new life into Madison’s Downtown Square through a collection of restaurants, event spaces, and residential lofts housed within meticulously preserved buildings.

Among these gems are The Dining Room, Betty Gene’s Pop Up at Buggy Works, Hart & Crown Tavern, The Sinclair, and The Patisserie on Main. Each venue offers outstanding cuisine and a tangible connection to the town’s rich past. The New South Motor Inn, which opened in 2024, adds to the mix, seamlessly blending history with modern hospitality under the Preston Thomas Real Estate umbrella.

A S LO W- B U R N I N G ' E U R E K A' M O M E N T Unlike the lightning bolt moments you hear about in startup folklore, Preston’s decision to focus on Madison happened slowly — over years of observation, family conversations, and backroad drives.

“It was more of a slow-burning eureka than a lightning bolt moment,” he reflects. “I’d had Madison on my radar for years. Its proximity to Atlanta, access to the airport, and its rich architecture — all of that made it feel like a hidden gem with real potential. But life got busy. I moved to Atlanta and focused on that world for a long time.”

Everything changed when Preston took a spontaneous look at a his-

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toric home on the edge of town.

“I called my wife, Cindi, after the showing and said, ‘I think I just found our next house,’ even though we weren’t even looking. A few weeks later, she came to see it, and immediately said, ‘I get it.’ That was the beginning.”

Soon after, Preston exited his longtime restaurant partnership in Atlanta.

With a fresh chapter in front of him, he began investing in downtown Madison, one historic building at a time.

“We knew from the beginning that if we were going to restore these buildings, they couldn’t just sit there looking pretty — they needed to be alive again,” Preston explains. “Restaurants are the heartbeat of a downtown. They bring people in, keep them lingering, give them a reason to explore the streetscape. It was never just about food — it was about restoring rhythm and energy to the town.”

Madison’s history runs deep, from its early days as a thriving cotton and railroad hub in the 19th century to its near decline after the Civil War and into the 20th century. The town has survived and flourished thanks to a committed preservation movement in the 1960s, when residents rallied to save Madison’s historic buildings from demolition. Today, this dedication is evident in the town’s vibrant streetscape and cultural life, making Madison a sought-after destination for history lovers and travelers seeking authentic Southern charm.

Preston’s vision for MAD Hospitality is deeply rooted in long-standing relationships and a shared passion for culinary excellence.

One of Preston’s first calls was to Chef Edouard Fenouil, a longtime friend and pastry chef whose career includes stints at JOËL by Joel Antunes and St. Germain Bakery in Atlanta.

The two met through mutual friend Chef Shaun Doty during Preston’s early days at The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. They later reconnected through Preston’s wife, who worked alongside Edouard at Mumbo Jumbo and Mid City Cuisine.

“We go way back — Edouard and I first bonded on the soccer field, not in the kitchen,” Preston says. “He’s one of those

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rare talents who blends precision with passion. When we reconnected about MAD, it just clicked. He moved to Madison to help build something completely new.”

Today, Edouard is the executive pastry chef behind The Patisserie on Main, which opened in May 2023. His desserts and breads combine classical French technique with ingredients and flavor profiles native to Georgia’s Piedmont region.

The Patisserie introduces a refined selection of desserts and breads that blend classic French technique with Georgia's Piedmont region's fresh, local ingredients and flavors.

Preston says, “Edouard’s pastries perfectly reflect our commitment to quality and local sourcing — they’re rooted in tradition but feel fresh and unique to Madison. Bringing someone of his caliber to a small town was a bold move, but it’s exactly what this community deserves.”

Olivia Simpson, who started her journey with MAD Hospitality three years ago as a barista at The Sinclair, paints a vivid picture of the town’s transformation and Preston’s vision.

“When I first came on, the only things open were the coffee shop and a taco place called Mad Taco. Preston, with his real estate eye, saw untapped potential everywhere. I remember coming here as a kid, and this side of the street was empty, nothing but silence. Now, it’s alive with businesses that

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didn’t exist before, places that bring people together,” Olivia says.

Preston elaborates on his approach to revitalizing Madison’s historic core, saying, “I didn’t want to just fill vacant buildings or open another chain.

This is about restoring a sense of place, a connection to history, while creating something new and exciting. I grew up in Atlanta’s fine dining scene, worked alongside chefs and sommeliers at the Dining Room in Buckhead — bringing that experience to Madison and uniting that team here was a natural fit. We’re not here to compete; we’re here to complement and enhance what Madison already offers.”

This commitment to exceptional hospitality extends beyond food. Olivia reflects on the rarity of finding fine dining in such a small town: “People are often surprised. Madison is either a stopping point or a meeting place for folks traveling between bigger cities. But here, you can have a completely different culinary experience at each restaurant. And even at Betty Gene’s, which is casual breakfast, we strive to offer the same quality of service you’d expect from fine dining. It’s about bringing back the dinner table as a special place — where people savor food and conversation,” Olivia says.

Preston speaks to the importance of community in the town’s resurgence, emphasizing, “This isn’t just about business — it’s about people. Madison’s spirit is rooted in community, where everyone supports one another. When the fire happened downtown, it wasn’t about competition; it was about help-

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ing each other, protecting what we’ve built together. That sense of togetherness is the foundation for everything we do.”

Madison’s charm lies not only in its hospitality but also in its steadfast preservation of history. Olivia shares her admiration for how the city balances growth with maintaining its historic identity: “The city does an incredible job keeping downtown small and charming. Many buildings date back to the 1930s or earlier, and the homes around here are just stunning. It’s a story all its own — to see so much history preserved while still growing in the best way possible,” Olivia says.

Preston’s leadership style reflects the care he brings to both his business and the people who make it possible. He explains, “We’re committed to creating a work environment where employees feel valued — full health benefits, 401(k) matches, paid vacation. Hospitality can be tough, but when you invest in your team, they invest back in the community. That’s how we’ve been able to grow and thrive in Madison.”

Preston isn’t just opening restaurants — he’s building momentum for something bigger. He believes great food and design can jumpstart economic development and community revitalization.

“Food draws people in — it always has,” Preston says. “Given my background in restaurants and my love for that world, creating a hospitality group started to make sense. If we could build multiple strong concepts and

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do them well, Madison could evolve into a true culinary destination — one that drives visitation, investment, and pride. I think we’re starting to see that take shape.”

The group also provides opportunities for young culinary talent, including students from the local high school’s culinary program, to learn alongside seasoned professionals.

“We’ve got kids from down the street plating desserts next to a guy who’s cooked in Paris, New York, Atlanta — that exposure is priceless,” Preston says. “It shows them just how big the world can be, even if you come from a small town.”

In Madison, the resurgence of a small Southern town isn’t just about economic growth or trendy restaurants. It’s about the connectedness of history, community, and vision — a reminder of how rare and precious such places are. Olivia’s reflections echo a broader truth about Madison’s renaissance: “I left at 18, like most do, thinking I wouldn’t come back. But seeing what’s happened in just a few short years, I have a whole new appreciation for my hometown. It’s amazing to witness something so beautiful growing here, rooted in history but blossoming with new life,” Olivia says.

In a world where small towns often fade or lose their identity, Madison stands as a testament to what’s possible when preservation, passion, and community come together. Through community commitment, Madison

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is not just surviving — it’s thriving, offering visitors and residents alike an unforgettable Southern experience.

ADVICE TO OTHER SOUTHERN TOWNS As Madison becomes a model of small-town revitalization, Preston is often asked what other towns can do to spark their own resurgence. His answer is both hopeful and clear-eyed.

“First and foremost: believe it’s possible. That mindset shift is everything.

Then, you have to attract the best people you can find — creatives, builders, entrepreneurs — and support them relentlessly.”

Preston says small towns should realize they don’t need to become a city to compete with one. In fact, the quality of life is often far better. Today’s workforce can live and work from anywhere. Southern towns have the charm, the architecture, and the story. When paired with broadband and bold ideas, it’s a winning recipe.

“What really sets towns like Madison apart is community. That deep, grounded sense of connection. And when you pair that with modern experiences — great food, cultural offerings, meaningful design — you don’t just make a place livable. You make it magnetic.”

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M A D I S O N E N C O U R AG E S V I S I TO R S TO S E T A S P E L L F o r v i s i to r s l o o k i n g to e x te nd th e i r s tay, M ad i s o n o f f e r s a r a n g e o f c h a r m i n g a c c o m m o d a t i o n s t h a t p e rfectly complement its historic and culinary appeal. The recently opened Georgia Safari provides a unique experience for nature lovers.

In contrast, just a short drive outside town, The Farmhouse Inn, owned by Jim and Leslie Cantrell, provides a delightful rural retreat. Situated on 100 acres i n G e o rg i a’ s s c e ni c L ake C o u nt r y, th e i nn i s a q u i nte s sential country escape balancing boutique luxury with rustic-chic charm. Days can be spent hiking, fishing, birding, and antiquing, while evenings invite guests to chase lightning bugs under starry skies or unwind in peaceful comfort.

Preston Snyder describes the farm as “a fabulous property that perfectly captures the spirit of this region — timeless , welcoming, and ef for tlessly beautiful.”

Images by Stephen Cook

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Southern Safari Georgia Safari Conservation Park was designed with two things in mind — unforgettable wildlife adventures and cozy, comfortable glamping — ideal for families seeking passport-free education and relaxation.

Story by Cara Clark

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T

he red clay of Georgia takes on a new richness when stirred by the hooves of antelope, addax, Asian water buffalo, eland, kudu, nyala, impala, zebra, Southern white rhinos, and graceful giraffes. Under their rhythm, the land transforms — its ochre tones mirroring the wild heart of Africa, while vast blue skies stretch endlessly above, and the rolling hills whisper of a continent half a world away.

Settled into the gentle countryside of Madison, Georgia, this unexpected dream comes to life at Georgia Safari Conservation Park. In this 530-acre sanctuary, the spirit of the African savanna has been lovingly reimagined.

Since opening its gates in June 2024, the park has redefined wildlife tourism in the American South, driven by a singular, audacious vision: to bring Africa to Georgia, without ever compromising its commitment to conservation, education, and awe-inspiring adventure.

It’s not unusual to lock eyes with a giraffe from just a few feet away or watch a herd of impala streak across the horizon — wild, free, and thriving in a setting that feels startlingly untamed. It’s where the line between visitor and wild observer begins to blur — and the animal kingdom's majesty takes hold.

construction, we partnered with the best talent locally, across Georgia, and worldwide. Every detail, whether it's our custom safari vehicles, luxury safari tents, The Giraffe Suite, or our 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Giraffe and Rhino Barn, was built with care. Our world-class animal care team has been essential, enabling us to welcome remarkable species."

Inspired by real African reserves, the founders worked with experts in animal husbandry, ecology, and environmental design experts to create an ecosystem where animals could thrive in expansive, enriched habitats. The result is a seamless blend of safari adventure and Southern charm — where visitors don’t just view wildlife from afar, but feel immersed in the landscape itself.

“Our mission is to inspire a deeper appreciation, understanding, and connection to the natural world. In addition to creating unforgettable experiences, we’re dedicated to real conservation by partnering with like-minded organizations to help inspire and educate future generations about the importance of conservation,” Jessica says.

A VISION BROUGHT TO LIFE

The mix of animals at the park was carefully selected by an expert animal care team, working in consultation with zoological and conservation specialists.

“Our goal was to choose species that could thrive in Georgia’s climate, adapt well to the habitats we’ve created, and align with our mission of conservation education,” Jessica says. “We considered factors such as the animals’ natural behaviors, social needs, and the opportunity to share their stories with guests in ways that inspire a deeper understanding of wildlife and environmental stewardship.”

Georgia Safari Conservation Park was born from the vision of Chief Development Officer Bill Killmer, who spent more than ten years making the idea a reality.

“Georgia Safari Conservation Park was a labor of love for over a decade,” says Jessica Malloy, director of marketing. “During that time, countless individuals have poured their expertise and passion into bringing the park to life. From navigating regulatory hurdles to tackling complex design and

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T H O U G H T F U L LY C U R AT E D W I L D L I F E

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Here, a Southern white rhino may trot lazily across a sunlit field while curious emus and ostriches pace the safari trail, peering at passing guests or pecking the rich earth for tasty snacks. Herds of exotic hoofstock graze beside American bison. A lone giraffe cranes its neck for a tasty leaf. With wide open spaces and natural behavior of the park’s inhabitants, it’s easy to forget for a time that where you're geolocated.

Georgia is the sixth most bio-diverse state in the U.S. It can differ from Africa's environment, but some areas in Africa are not dissimilar from Georgia. The result is an ecosystem where native and exotic species blend seamlessly — and where guests can experience the wonder of seeing these creatures not through glass, but out in the open, behaving as they would in the wild.

GL AM MEETS THE WILD The park's accommodations are anything but traditional. Elevated canvas tents with sweeping savanna views and modern amenities redefine what it means to go glamping. These spaces bring comfort and spectacle into perfect harmony. The Honeymoon Hideaway offers a romantic escape with a soaking tub and candle-lit veranda, while the Giraffe Barn Suite is a finely appointed, one-bedroom apartment attached to the park’s giraffe and rhino barn.

Each stay offers the rare intimacy of waking up with wildlife just outside the door. Morning coffee takes on new meaning when a kudu strolls by or when a zebra curiously gazes at visitors from across the deck.

Each element — from the handcrafted furniture to the expansive decks — has been curated to connect guests to the land, the animals, and the conservation work.

AN E XPERIENCE WITH PURPOSE Georgia Safari offers much more than a place to stay — it offers a mission-driven experience rooted in education and stewardship. Guests can participate in behind-the-scenes animal care, observe enrichment sessions, and learn directly from keepers and conservationists. From the moment of arrival, visitors become part of the story — and part of the solution. Every visit helps fund animal care, habitat enrichment, and outreach programs to build empathy and action around endangered species and wild places.

“All of this was built with heart — and with the belief that connecting with animals can change people.

It can inspire action. It can build empathy. It can even shape how we treat the planet moving forward,” says Jessica Georgia Safari is more than a destination — it’s a journey into the heart of the wild.

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A Southern white rhino may trot lazily across a sunlit field while curious emus, ostriches, and zebra pace the safari trail, peering at passing guests. Herds of exotic hoofstock graze beside American bison. A lone giraffe cranes its neck for a tasty leaf. With the wide open spaces and natural behavior of the park’s inhabitants, it’s easy to forget this is Georgia.

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BARTON-CLAY Fine Jewelers Mountain Brook, Alabama www.bartonclay.com 205.871.7060 330 Rele Street in Lane Park

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At The Apiary in Lexington, Kentucky, hospitality blossoms as owner Cooper Vaughan weaves together flavor and fellowship, crafting gatherings that hum with life, laughter, and the sweetness of shared moments.

HIVE MENTALITY Story by Cara Clark

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n a fast-moving world, Kentucky native Cooper Vaughan — the creative mind behind The Apiary — has chosen a different path: to slow down with intention, grace, and generosity. What began as a pandemic-era experiment has blossomed into something more profound: a sensorial celebration of food, beauty, community, and gathering.

Tucked behind unassuming stone walls in Lexington, Kentucky, The Apiary has quietly become one of the region’s most coveted venues for weddings, private dinners, fundraisers, and curated culinary events — a place where time stretches, and every detail invites you to savor it.

A CULINARY IDEA BORN FROM CRISIS “We’re just trying to f igure out how we can make things better with whatever we’ve been given,” Cooper says. “That’s really the heart of it — taking our skills, creativity, desire to bring people together, and asking, ‘What can we do with this? How can we make something that matters?”

That spirit of service and creativity revealed itself in the earli-

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est days of the pandemic, when everything in the hospitality world ground to a halt. For Cooper and his team, it was a moment of deep uncertainty and renewal.

“Post-COVID, for me, was a wake-up call,” he continues. “It was the f irst time in years I paused to consider what hospitality is, at its core. The shared table, the quiet rituals of a meal, the way conversation opens when you feel safe and nourished — it all started to feel essential again. And we had this opportunity to focus on something real. Something good.”

What began as a stopgap — a weekly culinary club — quickly became a lifeline for a community longing for connection. Customers picked up beautifully packaged meals from The Apiary’s kitchen every Friday and brought them home to share with friends and family, often virtually.

“Mea, my wife and partner, redesigned everything each week — the colors, the paper, the f lorals,” Cooper recalls. “We packed each box like it was a gift: seasonal arrangements, hand-tied menus, a handwritten quote, something thoughtful. The food was just one part of it. The bigger thing was: we wanted people to feel something. To

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remember that beauty and care were still out there.”

This wasn’t just takeout — it was a ritual — a reason to gather, even while apart.

As the world began to reopen, the care and intentionality that shaped the culinary club began to infuse the venue itself. The Apiary — already admired for its aesthetic — grew into a place def ined not only by its atmosphere but also by the meaningful experiences it hosted.

“We realized quickly that if we could create food experiences that people remembered, they’d start to see The Apiary as more than just a location. It would become a part of their story. A place where life's big, important things happen — and stay with you.”

And that’s precisely what unfolded. Stepping through The Apiary’s iron gates feels like crossing into another world. Hidden in the heart of Lexington, the venue feels secretive and lush — a walled garden rich with old-world charm, original stonework, f lowering vines, and a deep sense of quiet elegance.

“People walk in and just stop. You see it on their faces — this sense of discovery,” Cooper says. “It’s like, ‘Wait, what is this place?’ We’ve had guests say it feels like walking onto a movie set, or into a garden in the French countryside. That sense of surprise is part of the magic.”

Each space within The Apiary tells its own story: the glass-ceilinged Greenhouse, drenched in natural light; the antique-f illed dining room; the stone courtyard, ideal for warm evening receptions; and the hearth-centered kitchen, where guests can gather around the f ire or join in the making of a meal.

“Our goal was always to make it feel like someone’s home, but elevated. Beautiful, but never stiff,” Cooper says. “It should be the kind of place where people feel free to laugh, spill a little wine, cry during a toast, dance barefoot in the courtyard. We want it to hold real life.”

That sense of warmth and rootedness is why so many return to The Apiary to mark life’s most signif icant moments: weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, nonprof it galas, and family reunions that span generations.

Each Omage dinner is a temporary universe. One night might channel Havana, with vintage cars outside, a live salsa band, daiquiris in the courtyard, professional cigar rolling, and small plates passed by candlelight. Another evening might draw on the mystique of Morocco — cushions on the f loor, tagines and spice-laced air, Turkish coffee brewed in hot sand.

“It’s about immersion,” Cooper explains. “We want people to feel the story, not just hear it. To experience a meal the way they’d experience a movie or a dream. That’s when it becomes memory, not just dinner.”

But Omage is also fuel for the guests, but especially for the team.

“If you want artists to stay, you can’t bore them,” Cooper says.

“These dinners are creative f ire. They keep the team inspired— and that energy f lows into everything else we do.”

A P L AC E M A D E B Y H A N D The Apiary’s beauty isn’t an accident — it was forged slowly, intentionally, and with care. The building, once a burned-out printing press, was transformed into a living work of art by artisans and visionaries, not contractors.

“When we found it, it was a shell. Just concrete blocks and some old f ire damage,” Cooper says. “But there was something about it — this raw potential. You could almost see the place it wanted to become.”

From the very beginning, it was a family effort. Cooper’s

O M AG E : T H E S O U L O F A P I A R Y While private events form Apiary’s everyday rhythm, its soul is perhaps most clearly expressed through Omage, a public dinner series that blends food, story, and atmosphere to create transportive experiences.

“To say, ‘Let’s open a new restaurant every week ’ — that would’ve been chaos,” Cooper laughs. “But Omage became this elegant solution. We created a format that allowed us to honor something — an era, a place, a person, a feeling — and then build an entire world around it. And that gave us a kind of freedom I didn’t expect.”

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mother, a designer, played an integral role in shaping the space.

“She was there from day one. Every texture, every material — she touched all of it. There’s so much of her in these walls.”

Instead of high-end f inishes or f lashy trends, they pursued authenticity.

“We brought in local craftspeople — masons, woodworkers, metal artists — and said, ‘Make this your best work. Don’t follow trends.

Make something lasting. Something with soul.’”

The result is a place that feels both grounded and dreamlike: reclaimed stone, centuries-old beams, hand-forged iron, vine-covered brick — a space that feels like it’s always existed —e ven if it took years to build.

T H E H I V E M E N TA L I T Y The name The Apiary — a home for bees — was no accident. It’s a metaphor for the kind of culture Cooper hopes to create.

“Bees nourish the world,” he says. “They work together, not for recognition, but because it’s in their nature to contribute to something larger than themselves. That’s the kind of team I want to be part of — where everyone is vital, where each person’s role matters, and where beauty and community are the byproducts of doing the work well.”

Cooper doesn’t see himself as the center, but as a steward.

“My job is to care for the hive — to protect it, to create the right conditions so everyone inside it can do their best work," he says. "That’s how the good stuff happens — not through control, but through trust.”

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That ethos f lows through everything at The Apiary, from how the food is plated to how guests are greeted to how the staff feels about showing up every day.

THE GOLDEN SKEP: A HOME WITHIN THE HIVE In recent years, The Apiary introduced The Golden Skep, a membership offering for those who feel a deeper connection to the space. The name draws from the traditional woven beehive — a skep — an ancient symbol of care, craftsmanship, and community.

“A skep isn’t just a structure,” Cooper explains. “It’s something built by hand. It protects and shelters the hive. It felt like the perfect metaphor for what we were trying to create with this membership — something intimate, something made with intention, something that holds people.”

The Apiary logo, too, echoes that same spirit — elegant, handdrawn, and timeless — a subtle nod to the skep and to the bees who inspire the entire endeavor. It’s a mark that ref lects the space itself: rooted in tradition, made with love, quietly profound.

With The Golden Skep, members receive early access to Omage dinners, exclusive Thursday pop-up invites, and the ability to book the venue for private moments.

“It’s not about exclusivity,” Cooper says. “It’s about belonging. A couple might get married here, return for their anniversary, then bring their child to their f irst celebration. That’s the dream. That’s what we’re building — a place that holds your story.”

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PERMISSION AND PRESENCE At its heart, The Apiary is more than a venue — more than a kitchen.

It is a container for presence — a space where beauty, ritual, and connection are allowed to take root.

“We just needed permission,” Cooper says. “Permission to slow down.

To be generous. To create beauty for its own sake. Not everything has to be eff icient or scalable — some things are worth doing simply because they make people feel alive. Once we gave ourselves that, everything else unfolded.”

In many ways, Cooper is not just the founder of The Apiary — he is its beekeeper. Like a keeper tending to the hive, he works quietly behind the scenes: observing, protecting, nurturing the conditions for harmony to thrive. He doesn’t direct the activity of every bee, but he ensures the environment is healthy, balanced, and full of purpose.

A good beekeeper doesn’t control the hive. They listen to it. They notice the temperature, the rhythm, the hum. They make minor adjustments to protect what’s working and to support what’s struggling.

“That’s how I try to lead here, not by being at the center, but by paying attention,” Cooper says.

That humble, intentional stewardship is the thread that ties everything together — from the meals to the architecture, from the events to the people who create them. It’s a quieter kind of leadership, but one that sustains everything.

And in that slow, steady care, The Apiary has become what it was always meant to be: A home for celebration, a stage for memory, and a refuge in the city's heart.

As the season turns, The Apiary embraces the spirit of Thanksgiving by of fering thought fully prepared take-home dinners .

Rooted in local ingredients and seasonal flavors , these meals are craf ted with the same care and attention that fills their dini n g r o o m y e a r- r o u n d .

Their chefs blend tradition with subtle crea t i v i t y — r o a s t e d t u r k e y, r i c h s i d e s , a n d familiar favorites — each dish reflecting the bount y of Kentuck y’s harvest.

I t ’ s a c e l e b r a t i o n o f h e r i t a g e , c o m m u n i t y, and food made with love.

APIARY CORN PUDDING Yield: 1 large baking dish (about 12 servings) Baking Time: 55–65 minutes Oven Temp: 325°F Ingredients Cake flour – 2 ½ Tbsp Baking powder – ½ tsp Kosher salt – ¾ tsp Granulated sugar – ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp Butter, melted – 2 tsp Heavy cream – 3 cups Whole eggs – 6 large Fresh corn kernels – 4 ½ cups (from 6–8 medium ears) Nonstick spray or butter (for greasing dish) Method 1. Preheat oven to 325°F . Grease a 9×13-inch (or similar) baking dish with nonstick spray or butter.

2. Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

3. Combine wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk melted butter, heavy cream, and eggs until smooth.

4. Make batter: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients; whisk until smooth and lump-free.

5. Assemble: Spread corn kernels evenly in the prepared dish. Pour batter over corn and smooth the top.

Bake 55–65 minutes, until the center is set and the top is lightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean Rest & serve: Let stand 15 minutes before serving warm.

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TRÉS MAGNIFIQUE French artistry meets the dinner table at East Fork, a North Carolina pottery house with roots entwined in the expressive spirit of Henri Matisse.

Story by Ann N. Yungmeyer

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t 18, Alex Matisse left Massachusetts for the red clay hills of North Carolina, drawn by the quiet allure of pottery. As the great-grandson of the legendary modernist Henri Matisse (1869–1954), Alex apprenticed in the ancient craft of shaping earth by hand into art. Eventually, he settled on a former tobacco farm in the misty folds of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he built a wood-fired brick kiln to bring his handthrown vessels to life.

Fate soon introduced him to Connie, his future partner in both life and craft. Together with fellow potter John Vigeland, they shaped a shared vision. In 2009, from the union of f ire, clay, and kinship, East Fork Pottery was born.

“Before we had stores and a website, we had pottery sales on the farm,” Alex recalls. Over time, through many changes, the company grew into a nationally recognized brand headquartered in Asheville, offering a full lineup of pottery, tableware, and home accessories.

Recently, East Fork launched the Matisse Collection — a line of mugs, plates, and platters that celebrate the works of Alex’s great-grandfather, blending f ine art with functional ceramics.

“I didn’t want the name of the company I was building to constantly remind people of someone else, even if that someone was one of the most famous painters in the world,” Alex explains. “As East Fork took shape, no one had any idea that beneath those colorful pots lay a connection to the stern and famous Frenchman on my father’s side of the family.”

The f irst subtle nod to this lineage came with the creation of a bright red glaze named “Henri’s Red,” honoring Henri Matisse’s painting The Red Studio, which hangs in New York ’s MoMA. Three years later, the Matisse Collection debuted, bringing together a bold and vibrant blend of artistry, craftsmanship, and heritage.

SKIRTING THE SHADOW OF THE “STERN A N D FA M O U S F R E N C H M A N ” Growing up in an artistic family deeply rooted in the legacy of his great-grandfather — a pioneer of modern art known for his expressive use of color — Alex was determined to forge his own path.

When founding East Fork Pottery, Alex named it after a small creek f lowing through the mountain community where he built that f irst wood-f ired kiln on the old tobacco farm. The name “East Fork ” held a sense of mystery and inspiration, ref lecting the place where he honed his craft. From the outset, the company established its own identity, distinct from the Matisse family name.

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B R I N G I N G A R T I N T O E V E R Y DAY R I T UA L S The Matisse Collection highlights Henri Matisse’s diverse artistic forms, including his cut-outs, aquatints, and signature blue color.

Designed as functional collectibles, these pieces are equally suited for everyday use or as artful displays. Their elegant yet simple style makes them perfect for serving at the table or decorating walls. After all, why not enjoy your morning coffee and croissant while gazing upon a French master’s work?

The Dinner Plate Set of four features f igures from Matisse’s iconic 1952 Nu bleu, I–IV (Blue Nudes) cut-out series, where color and the human form merge in striking harmony.

The Serving Platter, Le Platane, showcases a 1951 brush-and-ink drawing inspired by the majestic plane tree — France’s most beloved tree — visible daily from Matisse’s apartment window. This piece is part of a larger commissioned series.

A set of Side Plates highlights Matisse’s expressive aquatint portraits, a printmaking technique using acid-etched lines to capture raw emotion. Each face reveals subtle shades of contemplation, serenity, or introspection.

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The playful Cake Plate Set draws from La Perruche et la Sirène (The Parakeet and the Mermaid), featuring frond-like cut-outs from Matisse’s vibrant large-scale collage.

East Fork ’s signature cylindrical Mug becomes a canvas for Femmes et singes (Women and Monkeys), a lively series of gouache cut-outs evoking Matisse’s time in Tahiti. The f igures dance playfully around the mug, bringing motion and whimsy to each piece.

To accompany the Matisse Collection, East Fork introduced a brilliant new glaze called La Sirène — a bold, electric blue paying tribute to Matisse’s unmistakable, iconic hue.

B R I D G I N G T H E FA M I LY L E G AC Y Using ceramics as their canvas, East Fork Pottery brings to life some of Henri Matisse’s most celebrated works. In developing the Matisse Collection, and to preserve the integrity of the original art, East Fork collaborated closely with Héritiers Matisse, the family foundation that licenses the late artist’s work.

Alex and his family carefully selected specif ic pieces by Henri Matisse that would suit pottery and the meticulous decaling process,

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which involves silk screening, transferring, coloring, and multiple f irings to create a permanent, crisp image on each ceramic piece.

This lengthy creative process captured every detail — from ink splatters to precise shades of blue — ensuring East Fork ’s pieces faithfully ref lect the originals.

“In the early days, we used a lot of surface decoration on our work,” Alex recalls. “As East Fork grew, that faded, and color became our primary form of expression. This collection marks the f irst time we’ve brought surface decoration back through decals.”

Honoring Henri Matisse’s storied works, the Matisse Collection also represents a pivotal step toward expanding East Fork ’s artistic range.

“For a long time, my family’s legacy felt more like a shadow than something to celebrate,” Alex ref lects on his journey and East Fork ’s vision for the collection. “But with time, it feels like a natural progression to honor my great-grandfather’s legacy this way. I hope it reignites that early spirit and serves as a launching point for new

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collections and creative expressions.”

The early days of East Fork laid the groundwork for the company it is today — a Certif ied B Corporation based in Asheville, North Carolina. Rooted in traditional craft and driven by core values, East Fork pottery is still made by skilled hands with the ergonomic aid of machines, using clays sourced from the American Southeast. Their durable pottery is trusted by home cooks and professional chefs alike.

East Fork employs more than 100 people at its Asheville headquarters, with additional stores in Atlanta, Georgia, and Brooklyn, New York.

Henri Matisse once said, “Creative people are curious, f lexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.”

Alex carries forward his great-grandfather’s legacy — not with paint, but with clay — shaping each vessel in the spirit of curiosity, persistence, and playful exploration that Matisse described as the heartbeat of all creative lives.

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GERMAN PRODIGIES The Large Munsterlander, a distinguished and rare breed in the U.S., has become the refined heartbeat of an Alabama sporting estate — blending elegance, instinct, and tradition in every stride.

Story by Alan Clemons, Photos by Eliza Daffin

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ach autumn, one of the South’s oldest traditions awakens anew, as quail hunters and their loyal bird dogs step into the crisp dawn.

Mornings brushed with dew carry the quail’s delicate scent, lingering in the cool air, allowing the dogs to sniff, detect, trail, and finally, point with unwavering focus. Then comes the hunter’s quiet moment — a breath held, a scene savored — before the f lush, the shot, and the hope of witnessing a f lawless retrieve of a fallen bird or two.

Today, most quail are born from careful hands at preserves. Wild quail, once abundant across Southern landscapes, have faded over the past five or six decades due to myriad reasons, including land development, a decline in trapping, protections for raptors, clear-cut commercial farming instead of patchwork plots, and a rise in the money-makers, the whitetail deer.

Quail hunting is nostalgia’s heartbeat — a link to a past when grandfathers walked these lands. Preserves nurture plump quail, train eager dogs, and offer paying guests a chance to dance with this timeless ritual.

Most hunters follow the steady rhythm of pointers and setters, sometimes a spaniel’s eager trot. But at The Reserve at Lakeside Farms, some 25 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama, autumn’s story includes the bounding Large Munsterlanders — floppy-eared, eyes bright with curiosity and soul. Hunting dogs carry character like a coat: obedient, headstrong, submissive, adventurous, faithful. The Large Munsterlander holds them all, a burst of energy capable of going from zero to full throttle in a heartbeat.

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O.G. and Kristina Banks run Artemis Run Kennels at The Reserve. He was raised in the Florida Panhandle; she was from north-central California. Nashville was their recent home — him a songwriter and musician, her navigating corporate corridors. Together, they trained hunting dogs in city parks, but destiny had other plans. When the opportunity arose to take the helm of the kennels and the Reserve, the neon lights of Broadway were traded for the twinkling stars of rural Alabama.

After exploring many breeds, they chose the Large Munsterlander, a German breed with a storied past.

“We kind of fell into this breed and fell in love with it,” Kristina says. “We have a friend who breeds Small Munsterlanders, and that's his breed. They’re a bit more known in the Southeast since they’re smaller by about 20-25 pounds. There are several (small) breeders, but we’re the only Large Munsterlander breeder south of Pennsylvania.”

The Banks belong to the Large Munsterlander Association, guardians of bloodlines and breeders across the United States. Originating in Lower Saxony and Westphalia, northwest Germany, their lineage traces back to English and Spanish hunting hounds. The association keeps a firm hand on breeding, placement, member support, matching mates, and finding homes for dogs when life’s paths diverge. Kristina sometimes surprises hopeful buyers — be they wealthy CEOs or seasoned hunters — when she refuses a pup if the fit is wrong.

“We went from like, ‘Wow, these people are hardcore,’ but it's because, you know, once you see the standard they're expected to stick to, we try to make sure that our

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dogs meet that standard, and especially when we breed,” Kristina says. “To be able to breed these dogs, they must pass certain tests. They have their hips and elbows X-rayed to make sure that they're free of any dysplasia. It's very much a closely guarded breed, which is the reason that the association members love it.

“I think if you're going to breed dogs, you need to keep a certain level of standards, and that's one of the things that I like,” she adds. “We will take a dog back. None of our puppies will ever end up in a shelter. The (association) breeders try to make sure that no dogs end up in a bad situation. If it's not a fit, the breeder or the association will help re-home it.”

The Reserve spans 450 acres, cradled by a high fence, safe and managed. The dogs hunt within a hundred yards or so, staying close — visible and vigilant beside O.G. and his clients. They burst over rolling hills, noses deep in earth and brush, searching, sniffing, and pointing. O.G. cherishes this style of “hunting close,” where dog and hunter move in harmony, where points come near enough to touch, safe and thrilling. The quail, sensing the presence, hunker down instead of scattering into the wind.

From the moment O.G. releases his Large Munsterlanders from their kennels until the hunt ends, they are relentless — full speed, no pause.

They race like black-and-white arrows through the air, until a whistle, a command, snaps their focus back to him, their eyes sharp, their spirits obedient. Watching them is a joy, beginning as early as 12 weeks of age. The breed’s versatility is renowned: to hunt, point, flush, retrieve on land or water, and even track deer. Some excel on earth, others in streams; some master pointing better than retrieving. Such is the nature of hunting dogs — each unique, each vital. But a well-rounded dog is the treasure of the field.

“I always tell people that they're driven for a purpose, and so if you don't give them that purpose, they're going to find something to keep themselves occupied with,” O.G. says. “They're very intelligent. But that's the problem. On one hand, people love it. But it can also be very difficult, because they're going to do stuff that German Shorthairs won't do. They'll learn to open doors.

They will do tricky things, almost like a child, or maybe be a little manipulative. If you teach these guys at about 12 weeks old to start pointing, tracking, use launchers, use pigeons ... they'll be good for the rest of their life. You have to hold their hand at the beginning. But after that, you have the most reliable dog.”

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The Large Munsterlander Association is guardian of bloodlines and breeders across the United States . Originating in Lower Saxony and Westp h a l i a , n o r t h w e s t G e r m a n y, t h e i r lineage traces back to English and Spanish hunting hounds .

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THE WORLD IS HIS OYSTER Mississippi oyster farmer Thomas Piecuch turned passion into production when he began the business of Holy Ground.

Story by Jennier Kornegay

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n oyster farmer’s love of oysters comes as no surprise.

But as much as Thomas Piecuch enjoys eating the briny bivalves he grows on his leased plot of water near Deer Island off the coast of Ocean Springs in Mississippi, more than oysters’ taste appeals to him. Everything about the shellfish f loats his boat.

“They are such incredible creatures, so resilient, and they do so many cool, positive things for our water and the ecosystem,” he says.

“They are a keystone species.”

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In 2021, he started Holy Ground small, the name a nod to local history accounts that say the waters of his site were once called “holy ground” by Native Americans. He worked the farm nights and weekends for two years, took on the title “full-time farmer” in 2023, and this year's goal is to raise half a million oysters. Since founding the farm, Thomas has gained much first-hand knowledge, and he relishes passing it along on social media. He treats the farm’s Instagram followers to his “Weekly Shuck” video series, where he dishes out fun oyster and oyster-farming facts and dispels common oyster

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myths, often with the help of his dad, Sean, who works with him on the farm.

“We both work hard, but we love to joke around too,” Thomas says. “And he’s a great cameraman.”

While the content is often as entertaining as it is informative — “I like to get a chuckle out of people; I call it learn and laugh,” he says — Thomas shares some serious science, too. This is also no shock, since the University of Alabama grad studied marine biology and came to oyster aquaculture after working as a scientist in fisheries management in Alaska and then Mississippi for a decade.

But he also shares actual oysters (called Lillies, after his young daughter), selling his harvests direct to local folks and to some of the South’s hottest restaurants and oyster bars. Holy Ground oysters are often found at Josephine’s in Houston, Luke and Sidecar in New Orleans, The Hummingbird Way in Mobile (Thomas’s hometown), as well as White Pillars in Biloxi and Vestige in Ocean Springs.

Diners and chefs praise Holy Ground oysters for their salinity, which results from the specific stretch of water in which they are grown.

“We have a unique setup,” Thomas says. “We don’t have a strong dominant freshwater outflow, so we have a bit higher salinity and a more consistent salinity, which is unique to anywhere around us. We’ve gotten great feedback about that, and it has helped us get on the map.”

The salinity notes contribute to Holy Ground oysters’ distinct “merroir,” a concept analogous to a wine’s terroir, meaning elements inherent to their environment influence their flavor. Using off-bottom aquaculture methods — still a relatively new industry in Southern U.S. waters — Thomas can

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also influence how Holy Ground oysters turn out, but oyster farming differs from raising livestock on land. While farmers control some aspects of their “crop,” they aren’t feeding or medicating them. They’re simply protecting them as they grow.

Cultivating oysters starts with seed, tiny baby oysters collected from mature oysters after they spawn in facilities called hatcheries. Once in the hands of an oyster farmer, these still-growing oysters go into coastal bays and inlets, either in baskets strung from lines attached to pilings or in anchored floating cages — Holy Ground uses floating cages. At this point, each farmer uses his own specific methods to tend to his oysters. They may rest in different depths of water, which can impact taste thanks to ranges in salinity and available food sources.

Farmers turn the baskets or cages at various intervals to manipulate the oysters’ cup size (the depth of the shell), which influences the shape of the meat inside and its texture. Moving the baskets also allows farmers to keep the shells free of barnacles and other pests that can, at worst, harm the oysters, and at best, take away from the shells’ natural, unblemished beauty.

Holy Ground’s location takes some of the labor other oyster farmers exert out of the equation. “Because we’re in the open, there’s a lot of wave action, which naturally tumbles our oysters and gives us a nice deep, manicured cup without as much effort as some other farmers might have to give,” Thomas says.

But like any farming, oyster farming is fraught with risks and hurdles.

The more open-sound location, providing the benefit of bouncing Holy Ground oysters around, also means the farm site faces storms head-on.

“Weather is our main challenge,” Thomas says. “We have really no pro-

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"Because we’re in the open, there’s a lot of wave action, which naturally tumbles our oysters and gives us a nice deep, manicured cup without as much effort as some other farmers might have to give." tection, and it is a four-and-a-half-mile boat ride to the farm, so when it is blowing, it is really blowing on us.”

Still, the rewards outpace the challenges Thomas and his family face.

“It’s hard work; I can’t be gone from the farm for more than a week a year, but I love it,” he says. “Being my own boss is great. And I love working on the water; that’s what I always wanted and why I went into marine biology.”

The pride he feels raising food for people — and food people enthusiastically enjoy — provides another plus. Yet Thomas's favorite aspect might be working alongside Mother Nature to nurture oysters from seed to plate.

“I have a weird love of watching them grow,” he says. “As we check them throughout the process, it’s so fun to see them develop and to play some part in that.”

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True In-GIN-uity Wonderbird Spirits' owners turned to a Mississippi agricultural staple in building the best gin, Southern style.

Story by Allison Ramirez, Photos by Andrew Welch

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n a world where speed and efficiency reign, Wonderbird Spirits has built a business by doing things the hard way. Tucked into the rolling countryside outside Oxford, Mississippi, the gin distillery treats every bottle as a handcrafted work of art, drawing on Japanese fermentation traditions, Mississippi agriculture, and a willingness to slow down.

Co-founder Chand Harlow once lived a very different life. After growing up in South Mississippi with parents who were passionate cooks and gardeners (his father also wrote about wine for newspapers and magazines), he left for

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college in Washington, D.C., then headed to New York for a career in finance.

Realizing that wasn’t what he wanted to do forever, he left the industry to make bourbon at Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn — New York City’s oldest and largest whiskey distillery. After 10 years away from home, Mississippi called him back.

Chand returned to Oxford for its culture, food scene, and lifestyle. By 2017, he and friends Robert Forster and Thomas Alexander had a plan: to open a distillery that reflected both their love of Japanese culture and their pride in Mississippi’s land. In the spring of 2019, Wonderbird Spirits officially

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opened its doors, focusing on just one spirit: gin.

“We wanted to be really good at one thing,” Chand says, and gin offers creative freedom and flexibility.

Unlike bourbon, it doesn’t need years of aging, and it’s a perfect canvas for expressing terroir through botanicals.

I T A L L S TA R T S W I T H R I C E From the beginning, the team knew they wanted their base spirit to be uniquely Mississippi. “Agriculturally, your options are corn, sweet potatoes, or rice,” Chand explains. Drawn to the natural florality of sake, they gravitated toward rice. A nearby farmer sent them samples of different varieties — basmati, wild, black rice, and jasmine. After testing them all, jasmine rice won out for its buttery, silky texture and fragrant character.

The decision made Wonderbird an outlier: theirs is the only rice-based gin made in the U.S. and likely the entire Western Hemisphere. But it also meant committing to one of the most labor-intensive processes in spirits.

D O I N G I T T H E H A R D WAY Most gin distillers start with a neutral spirit they buy in bulk. Wonderbird begins with raw rice and builds everything from scratch. First, they cultivate koji — a food-safe mold used to make miso, soy sauce, and sake — by soaking, rinsing, and steaming the rice.

Over time, the grains transform into a chalky white substance as the mold produces an enzyme called amylase, which converts starch into simple sugars.

“It smells like a mushroom cave,” Chand says. Flavor-wise, it’s simple and comforting — reminiscent of amazake, a traditional Japanese drink with notes of brown sugar and oatmeal.

While typical sake fermentation runs anywhere from 20 to 80 days, they adapted the method to be more efficient for gin production, shortening it to about a week. The result is a sake-like rice beer, which they distill into a base spirit, moving from 13% alcohol to 45% (“low wines”) and finally up to 95% alcohol by volume (ABV). Only then does the gin-making begin.

Unlike many distilleries that steep all their botanicals together, Wonderbird distills each botanical individually before blending by weight. Over the years, they’ve built a flavor library of more than 40 botanicals, but each of their three gins uses a different set. The award-winning GIN No. 61 — Wonderbird’s flagship, and most complex gin — features ten botanicals, including red clover harvested at the distillery, Meyer lemons from California, lemongrass, coriander, rosemary, angelica, juniper berries, black peppercorn, piney Loblolly needles also from the property, and more. It’s balanced — floral and herbaceous, with citrus and

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Fall 2025 | 85

spice. It’s so buttery smooth, “you can sip it on a rock with a twist,” Chand shares, which isn’t typical of most gins.

The No. 97 Magnolia Experimental Gin pares down to five botanicals for a softer, floral profile, and their Wonderbird Dry Gin leans more juniper-forward with eight botanicals. Like the flagship, each can be sipped neat, over ice with a twist, or in classic cocktails.

B E YO N D T H E B O T T L E The distillery itself is part of the draw. Visitors to Oxford can stop by the tasting room for tours, flights, and house cocktails — Negronis, martinis, gin & tonics — or join Thursday night cocktail service (weekly, 5 to 8 p.m.), when the team experiments with seasonal and some weirder, more unusual recipes. The gift shop offers bottles to take home, and for those farther afield, Wonderbird is available in liquor stores across the South. They can also ship to about 30 states nationwide.

For Chand, the distillery is about more than making gin — it’s about reshaping perceptions. “Mississippi isn’t known for spirits, or for sake fermentation,” he says. Before Wonderbird, the state had only one other distillery, and still only has a handful today. Food here is synonymous with blueplate specials, fried catfish, collard greens, and black-eyed peas, with Cajun touches from neighboring Louisiana and unexpected Delta traditions like

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tamales. But a growing food-and-beverage scene is starting to change that.

“We want to put Mississippi on the map for something it’s not known for, and make the state proud.”

W H AT ’ S N E X T True to that goal, Wonderbird keeps innovating. A fourth gin — a cask-finished series aged in freshly emptied barrels that once held everything from apple brandy to tequila — is ever changing. These special releases are often made in collaboration with restaurants and liquor stores, with each barrel yielding a unique expression. “They’re never the same twice,” Chand reveals. A fifth gin is in the works for next year, though details are still under wraps.

They’re also developing smaller 100 ml bottles, perfect for hotel minibars and simple, travel-friendly cocktails. Several high-end properties in New Orleans and Atlanta are planning to stock Wonderbird for their guests.

Today, Chand handles production while Robert focuses on sales — a divide-and-conquer approach that keeps the small team agile. At the end of the day, they’re just friends who wanted to make something world-class, without skipping steps or making it easy just to make it easy. They’ve pursued the most challenging approach, and so far, it’s brought the richest reward.) •0S •H

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WONDERBIRD MARTINI (O N T H E C O V E R) 2 oz Wonderbird Spirits Dry Gin, No. 61, or Magnolia Experimental 0.25 oz blanc vermouth (be sure its fresh; we prefer Lustau or Mata) Combine ingredients with ice in stirring beaker, stir for 30 Mississippis, strain into chilled coupe, garnish with olives or twist

S PA N I S H G &T 1 oz Wonderbird Spirits No. 61 Gin 0.25 oz blanc vermouth 0.25 oz Lairds Straight Apple Brandy or Apple Jack 5 drops Bittermens Tiki bitters 1.5 oz Fever Tree light tonic Garnish with lime wheel and any other spices or fruit you like and serve on ice.

Hot tip: Most do not know, but vermouth should be kept refrigerated! After roughly 2 months it will begin to oxidize and develop an off flavor.

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Fall 2025 | 87

ROOTED IN STORY Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor embarks on a solo tour.

Story by Lauren Finney Harden

I

t all started in the fourth grade, when Ketch Secor picked up a juice harp from the Monticello gift shop. That simple mouth harp — and the discovery that it could produce a variety of musical tones — opened the door to a deep fascination with music and the powerful messages it can convey.

“I’d write little diddies for my sister about her pushing me down the slide aggressively, or the election between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis,” he says.

He picked up a harmonica, a penny whistle, and eventually his mother’s guitar. His world exploded when he discovered storytelling through song, such

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as through the music of Bob Dylan and John Prine.

“By 15, I had really gotten into old-time music, and my songwriting jumped into a deep study of what comprised the music of the 1920s,” he says.

He now plays eight instruments proficiently, all self-taught. In his formative teen years, Ketch diligently studied music structure, the roots of country music, and more.

“I thought, ‘How are they built?’ ‘How can I modify them?’ It was the beginning of how I write Old Crow songs, a reappropriation of the older form.

There’s the hero, the bad man, the desperate person … Desperation is a common theme in the music of the 1920s,” he says. “So I had to think, ‘How can I

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"Traditional American music is rich stuff. It’s the byproduct of all our shared humanity, the ways that we as people got together and didn’t get together; the ways we rubbed and yet didn’t mix." make a song that feels modern but has echoes in which the roots show?’”

His curiosity has paid off with his band Old Crow Medicine Show, which has been telling stories through song for over a quarter of a century.

For the uninitiated, the sound is a mix of traditional American music with a dash of punk; it’s high-energy, high-spirited, and filled with commentary. There are banjos, harmonicas, fiddles, and more. Iconic hits from the band include “Paint This Town,” “Tennessee Bound,” and the mega hit “Wagon Wheel,” which was born from a Bob Dylan demo.

“The sound of Old Crow has evolved throughout the years, but it’s primarily driven by the fiddle and the banjo, with varying degrees of production value,” Ketch explains. “Underneath those two, there’s always harmony; there’s always a group singing. It’s always a band, and not a sole proprietorship.”

Every album from the band has multiple lead singers, rooted in folk music themes.

“Our songs are about people and place, and historical events. They’re topical songs, party songs, dance songs,” he says.

The band is often quoted as one of the best examples of modern traditional American music. Ketch muses on the moniker.

“Traditional American music is rich stuff. It’s the byproduct of all our shared humanity, the ways that we as people got together and didn’t get together; the ways we rubbed and yet didn’t mix, whether it’s race or class or religion or ethnicity,” he says. “That rub has a beautiful result in artistic forms, and it can result in sociological efforts like the creation of the world’s first middle class … and people who concocted the American Dream experience together, whether for better or worse. One of the results of that friction between us all has been a lasting presence of our musical output, the arts, the letters, the songs, the words, the paint. It’s the way that the American experience is made.”

Now, Ketch is out on his own, sharing his personal story through song.

Released in July, “Story the Crow Told Me” is a 12-track deep dive into the infancy of Old Crow, featuring bandmates like Critter Fuqua, icons like Marty Stuart, and collaborators like Molly Tuttle. He describes it as having “more of an indie rock undertone,” despite still having traditional elements like the fiddle as a throughline. Electric guitar and percussion beats ground the music, but his Americana sound is still there, as is his talent for storytelling.

“My solo record is very meta. It’s a song cycle about the infancy of Old Crow. It feels more like a libretto-type approach; it’s operatic. I’m trying to tell a story with each song in chronology, beginning to end, and bring the listener into a three-year period of time from 1998 to the early 2000s.

From Beach Mountain, North Carolina, to Nashville, Tennessee, with a whole lot of stops along the way,” he says.

The album was developed during a time of personal reflection. “I’ve been in this band for more than a quarter century. When we hit that 25-year mark, there were so many forces causing me to look back on what we had accomplished. What the experience was like. We hit (that milestone) right around the pandemic. It was a time of reckoning,” he explains.

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That reflection caused him to “bury the hatchet with a bunch of old pals,” says the Grammy winner.

“What we did (in the band) was stressful and hard, and it left a residue of moderate bitterness between us all for what happened and how it happened. Being 22 (years old) was actually slightly traumatic, running as hard as we were, doing as many savory or unsavory and impractical things,” he says.

The isolation of the pandemic helped Ketch realize that he wanted to “love on everybody and grow. It was a growth spurt. Now, I can just be grateful. There was a bloom of gratitude.”

As if promoting a solo record wasn’t enough, Ketch’s dance card has stayed full. He played with Mumford & Sons over the summer and helped Grammy Award-winning bluegrass artist Molly Tuttle write and make music for her new album, “No More Little Miss Sunshine.”

Ketch lives and breathes music, but he says it’s only about 50 percent of what he does. In 2016, he opened the nation’s newest Episcopal school, the Episcopal School of Nashville. It’s a culmination of many different efforts and a long history of community involvement, such as with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, Big Brother Big Sister of Middle Tennessee, aftercare programs, tutoring and mentorship programs, and more. He’s no longer chairman of the board — ”doing it from a tour bus for five years was brutal” — but he’s still heavily involved in the school.

He’s also now a host on Nashville Public Television as the new face of “Tennessee Crossroads,” a 30-year-old travel show.

“It’s the most watched locally-produced show on PBS. I’m welcoming viewers to the things that make Tennessee regionally distinct from other places in the South and across the continent,” he says.

The multi-talented musician is also a children’s book author. His book, “Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang The Storm Away,” has been turned into a puppet show for school children in Nashville, combining his love of music, literacy, and storytelling.

After the Covenant School shooting in Nashville in 2023, Ketch was moved to write an op-ed for The New York Times focused on an alternative bipartisan approach to gun reform.

“I wanted the answer to ‘Can the buck stop here?’ ‘Can this be the last coffin of a child that we bury from a tragedy like this?’ I’ve learned we can’t, or aren’t, but the fight continues,” he says. He, along with others, including Old Crow Medicine Show, put together a 2024 documentary called Louder than Guns, which he calls a “blueprint for communities to have similar discourse” to the conversations had in the film. It will appear next at the Nashville Film Festival in September. (The band also has a song by the same name.)

“The power is in our hands to change the current trajectory,” he says.

He recalls a quote from the film: “When’s the best time to plant a tree?

The answer is 100 years ago. The next best time to plant a tree is now. This is my sapling for peace and civility. It’s a vitally important thing to do to send out some tendrils and roots right now.”

Fall 2025 | 89

A Southern Ouroboros

By Kat Privett

T

he day that I stopped removing snakes from my property was not a sunny one. Our farm had just shaken off the grip of a late freeze, recovering in swaths of mush that threatened to upend my journey to the high tunnel. It was the walk of trepidation that any gardener would know, holding onto hope with every step that something, anything, had survived. But of course, not much had done so.

The fall before, we had snuggled in beds of lettuces, garlic, and onions, and these were the warriors holding up the frost cloth along my trek. Forgotten pepper plants stood watch, twisted against each other in their last dance as if in memory of summer rain. Between the beds, a blanket of hay lined the walkway in a vain effort to smother blackberry vines and crabgrass. It crunched beneath my boots, shimmering in paper-thin sheets of ice against the gray morning light. And that’s where I found her.

Her little head startled me at first, right before it broke my heart. It was just a Dekay’s snake, still curling against the dying of the light, somehow fierce in her last reach for the sky. I had learned about these miniature critters just a year before and knew that they retreated to the same hibernation shelter year after year. And I knew that their supper of choice was comprised of slugs and snails, the very pests that plagued my crops and munched away its precious harvest. Despite their prevalence in a garden, I had not happened upon her kin as a beginning farmer. Yet here she was, and here she had probably been, since her birth.

It had been her only home, and that realization changed everything for

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me.

It wasn’t my first dance with a snake, but it was the one that led to a reprieve for many. As a native Alabamian, I had experienced surprisingly few snake encounters in my life before moving to the country. Yet, family legends of near-death confrontations were regaled every summer throughout my childhood: the time my grandma nearly stomped a rattler to death, how my great-uncles would search out cottonmouth dens with sticks, and tales of copperheads lying in murderous wait of a misplaced foot. Alabama has six native venomous snakes, and according to legend, all were on a malicious mission from the first bloom of spring until frost. And so, a deeply rooted fear wormed itself into my childhood, and there it remained.

As an ophidiophobic adult, I made the questionable decision to move far from the orderly lawns and sidewalks of town in my forties. Our new home was nestled in the woods, draped in muscadine vines and wayward wisteria, and I remember how mystical it was to watch fireflies sparkle and disappear to the chorus of tree frogs and cicadas in the dark. There were no streetlights breaking the sky, no drone of vehicles against asphalt, and what remained was seductive, sweet, and primal. And somewhere, everywhere, the monster I most dreaded was uncoiling to go on a late-night hunt.

Cacophonic insects are a favorite midnight snack, it turns out. I hadn’t yet made the connection, but soon the underbelly of an Alabama farm would incite me to find my own vocal accompaniment to that summer song. Yet, reclining on my porch in those early months, the hum of it all was deceptively comforting. Here was a simple, quiet life, unhindered by the roar of town. I

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The Ouroboros is an ancient and enigmatic symbol, most of ten rendered as a serpent or dragon consuming its own tail, forming a perfect and infinite circle. It is more than mere image — it is a whisper from the deep past, a mirror of the eternal. Within its graceful curve lies the essence of cyclicalit y: the endless return, the quiet rhy thm of creation and destruction entwined.

could not yet fathom the decibel to which I, myself, could scream.

But I would assuredly find out.

From there, it’s all a blur. Rat snakes brazenly raided our chicken coops, dropped from oak branches, and (upon occasion) scurried across my hardwood floors on their way to the attic. Copperheads curled under wood piles, congregated along cicada-encrusted cedars, and hurried about their business in tall grass on humid July evenings.

Ringnecks, garter snakes, and the occasional redbelly nested under strawberry beds after a hard rain. Alongside every serpentine appearance there hovered a throaty and mortified holler that erupted from somewhere in my body, regardless of any real or impending threat to my safety.

That impulse, my friends, never went away.

Some things cannot be unlearned.

At first, we dispatched these native snakes, a useless and inhumane impulse that I now deeply regret. After all, we had moved onto their stomping grounds, and their numbers were formidable.

Years later, a herpetologist friend would point out that Eastern King snakes often enjoy a meal of copperhead, a lesson that would resonate only after removing that apex predator from our farm. It would be even longer before our house, feed shack, and garden recovered from the surge of rodents reveling in the void created in the removal of our rat snake guardians. But over time, a balance was struck: woodpiles were moved to the periphery of the property, walking spaces became meticulously maintained, and I became adept at the ancient art of paying egg tax. (One or two slung to the woods does, indeed, quench the hunger of egg thieves.) Eventually, I would find that fragile, frozen Decay’s snake in my high tunnel and consider the weight of such a life in service of a farm and its harvest. It would occur to me then, perhaps begrudgingly so, that snakes belong in a healthy, thriving ecology and that education was key for all parties to remain safe and harmonious. Over time, all of that would make sense.

Still, nothing had prepared me for Winifred.

Our first impromptu meeting began the way these things always have: a scream uncurls itself from my spine, something in my hand gets thrown into the air (I’ve lost many a coffee mug in this manner), and the ground beneath my feet becomes sand. She, on the other hand, held her head in gracious decorum, considering my theatrics before scooting into the green bean thicket and waiting out my intrusion. Not to be dissuaded, Winifred awaited my arrival to the garden every morning,

all five feet of her stretched out along the water hose and glimmering in the sun. It was a decidedly uppity attitude, especially for a rat snake, this tenacious insistence that we would be southern about the whole thing and eventually exchange pleasantries. Much to my chagrin, Winifred won that battle one June evening on the porch.

As I sat in the dark, chatting away on the phone, I felt a tickle on my cheek. And there she was: extended an incomprehensible length in the air, smelling my skin. After the requisite launch of my wine glass (and of course, the battle cry of my slither-phobic people), we squared off for a time in silence. Here she was, my monster. But more, here I was, assuredly her own monster, the one who had banished her ancestors to live far from their rightful home — or worse, beheaded without a second thought. What an egregious legacy it all was, especially knowing how long these creatures could live. It suddenly and quite inconveniently occurred to me that she might be harboring a grudge. Even so, she curled upon herself and settled on a tattered chair, unencumbered by instinctual fear and unrattled by my own. In that moment, Winifred taught me more about Southern hospitality than any casserole-wielding church lady has ever done.

And now, when I hear the croak of a toad over the crackle of crickets, I chuckle at the thought of her out there, sliding in the dew towards dinner.

We continued to meet for coffee and the requisite scream over that summer, and I hope she’s doing well. Perhaps, she has regaled her children with stories of the crazy farmer lady who named her after a Halloween movie. Anything is possible, especially on a farm.

As fall sets in with its blaze and crunch, my mind wanders back to the tiny snake that searched for warmth in the high tunnel so long ago.

I wonder, was she happy here? Even at that size, her species could live up to nine years, long enough to recognize my voice. Did she hear me as I wandered through the garden, watering my peppers and singing to the green of it all? Did her offspring trust that ground, under those quilts of hay, to keep them warm? I wonder as I lower the walls over the lettuces and brassicas, tucking it all in to keep them safe as the sun lets go of summer and I retreat to my own sanctuary of wood and light.

Perhaps I’ll ask Winifred about it in the spring.

1 . D e k a y ’ s s n a k e s ( S t o r e r i a d e k a y i ) a r e v i v i p a r o u s (r a t h e r t h a n l a y i n g e g g s , t h e y g i v e l i v e b i r t h) .

2 . Rat snakes , aka Pantherophis alleghaniensis , can live 10 -15 years in the wild and 20 years in captivit y.

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Fall 2025 | 91

S out h e r n s a ss

Cheat Sheet: Back to School Southern Edition Hashtag momlife is a lot, no matter where you are. Hats off to all moms who are surviving — maybe not thriving — at the end of the summer doing the absolute most and working hard to make it to that first full day of school. No surprise that Southerners — especially Southern moms — are doing a little extra. Here are a few specifically Southern ways we do back-to-school down here

By Sally Anne Sessitte Sneak-a-peek: You thought you were just running up to the school in leggings and a ponytail to pop in and sign some school forms? Oh no, ma’am, sneak a peek in the South is a full blowout and sundress social event. August is when the Southern Alpha moms line up volunteers for every school fundraiser, PTO event, and class party. Don’t know what you’re doing at 8 p.m. on March 13 of next year? Don’t worry: the room mom does. You’re making 28 gluten-free, no-red-40 cupcakes with icing in school colors. Don’t forget a side of vegan fruit leather for the child of the yoga mom. Don’t worry — the Alpha moms have already lined yoga mom up to sage the classroom and give the teachers a free private yoga session during teacher appreciation month.

You’ll need a gift for the teacher. Plan ahead — as soon as your principal tells you which teacher you got, you’ll need to get her initials so you can get that order in for monogrammed stationery or personalized classroom décor in her classroom theme. This is given by your child at the sneak-a-peek. Don’t worry, you’ll get a Venmo request from the Alpha moms that will say, “This is all you need to do.” Spoiler alert: This is not, in fact, all you need to do.

Don’t say you heard this from me, but if you’re a Beta mom coming in on two wheels with kids wearing damp swimsuit bottoms instead of underwear and mismatched flip flops, and you’ve forgotten to plan ahead, a small bottle of something strong and a mixer absolutely works. Bonus that this also makes it clear that you’re not a regular mom, you’re a cool mom, and she can expect your child’s projects to be done by — your child — and that you generally won’t be competing in the mompetition for best snacks, costumes, theme apparel, or Valentine cards. Will there be a child who gives out personalized Valentine cards with hand calligraphy on linen cardstock with a personalized friendship bracelet, and a ticket to Taylor Swift’s next show on the back? Every year. Go ahead and set the expectation that your child will roll in with a pack of CVS Bluey Valentines. This will save everyone a lot of, “Do you want to handle the fruit kabobs for the class party” text messages.

Note: A mid-to-large-sized bottle is recommended if you’ve got a child who is wide open, spirited, a handful, all-boy, or “a mess.” Make sure it’s tucked way down into that gift bag, and make sure the note says, “You know you can text me any time,” which is Southern for, “Let’s not get the principal involved.”

I cannot stress this enough: Coach the children on what to say, and more importantly, what not to say. They’ve already been taught ma’am and sir, and not

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to interrupt adults. Consider adding these to the NO list: Do not repeat anything you have heard your mama say to her Mahjong friends about the teacher. We love our teacher, and this is definitely the exact teacher we wanted. Mama was just joking when she said she would quit the school if we ended up in this little dingbat’s class. Do not ask the teacher how old she is or if she has a baby in her tummy. If the teacher happens to be offering Blow Pops, take one and say “thank you,” but do not tell her these are the exact thing they give out to kids at the Midtown Package Shop drive-through window.

Back to School Photo Shoot: Your porch fall display may not be up yet, and it may be 100 degrees in the shade, but the annual photo shoot is not optional. If your socials are not pinging all day, showing off porches, kids, and signs, you’re probably not in the South. The sign needs to be customized, extra points for cute lettering, or a quick humble brag. Angle those kids so you get the best side of the planters, and make sure your caption includes something sentimental about how fast they grow up. If you are organized enough to whip out that porch photo from the first day of MMO and to have made a photo-worthy “back to school breakfast” on the good china, this is your time to shine. This is also a great way to communicate that you are the mom who can be called upon to run the register at the PTO fundraiser and keep up with all the auction paperwork.

Carpool Cry Lane: Carpool drop off is a contact sport, and under normal circumstances, slow it down at your own peril. Seriously — your school’s traffic pattern is required reading. Learn it well if you don't want to be the topic of many group texts. But that first day — at every single grade from MMO all the way up — it is a time-honored tradition to have yourself a little come apart at drop off. You may feel alone wiping your eyes, but you’re not.

We don’t all do momlife the same way in the South. But we do all know and understand that same dropoff day feeling. That proud, sad, stressed, tired, how did we get here, first-day-of-school mom stomachache.

Whether you are heading to a moms-only-mimosas back-to-school brunch or straight to a long day of work after dropoff, know that it is your right as a Southern mama to pull that car over and have yourself a little come apart. Then, you do what we do down here — put a little color on your lips, take a deep breath, and move to the next thing on the list.

Share your thoughts and suggestions with SASS at SallyAnne@magnoliaandmoonshine. com.

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Fall 2025 | 93

Under the Muscadine Vine: Giving Thanks

By Marian Carache

E

very October when morning and evening temperatures finally started to dip, Mama would happily announce, “I can feel Fall in the air.” And sure enough, signs of autumn would slowly start to show themselves.

She preferred autumn because, she said, soon there wouldn’t be grass to mow, weeds to pull, or a garden to pick. She added that the mosquitoes, flies, and fleas would leave for warmer climates, too. I, on the other hand, felt dread every August because, for me, fall meant starting back to school, riding rickety yellow Blue Bird school bus #8, cold in the winter and hot in the summer and filled with loud children, for 15 miles to the prison-like atmosphere of the long brick public school building I’d be hemmed up in until 3:00.

There was a plus side to fall, though.

Peanut farmers, busy in their fields with peanut diggers and combines, both of which we referred to as “peanut-picking machines,” soon would invite neighbors to help themselves to what their machines had left behind. That meant a peanut boiling in a big iron wash pot in our back yard.

Posters started appearing on telephone poles all up and down the highway advertising The Chattahoochee Exposition — an event that promised not only rides, cotton candy, and fresh fries with vinegar and mustard, but sideshow performers displaying various oddities.

Mama deemed the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Ferris Wheel, the Roller Coaster, and most other rides as “death traps” because she said, “They take those things apart and put them back together too fast for them to be safe.” The rides held little attraction in comparison to the human curiosities starring in the sideshows up and down the midway.

The stars of these shows ranged from people who chose to make themselves different by means of excessive tattoos, piercings, or other physical alterations to those who were biological rarities, such as Lobster Boy who was born with pinchers for hands and feet other anatomical wonders such as the World’s Tallest Man, the Bearded Lady, and the Dog-faced Boy. Boiled peanuts, the fair, hayrides, and piles of burning leaves were a perfect lead-up to my favorite holiday, Halloween, not so much for the candy as for the excuse to dress up in a costume. To this day, I have closets filled with thrift store and estate sale finds that include fezzes, saris, capes, and a few uniforms. I improvised many home-fashioned costumes over the years. One of my favorites was when I put on Daddy’s old Army cap, found a cigar, and drew on a mustache for a Fidel Castro look. I also had access to the kimonos and smoking jackets Daddy had brought back from Japan, so dressing as a geisha was another option.

As an adult, I was amused to learn that an acquaintance traced her adult insecurities back to the childhood trauma of her mother buying her petite sibling a princess costume but choosing Zorro for the sister I knew. Never underestimate the power of a costume.

Though I had to be dragged kicking and screaming from Halloween, it

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gave way each year to Thanksgiving, perhaps the blandest of all holidays.

While a huge fan of gratitude, I am not food-oriented, so the practice of gathering people, who are all talking at once, around an over-loaded table of food never rated high on my list when I was a child.

Add to that scenario televisions blaring parades and then ballgames in the background, uncles and cousins arguing about which ball team is better, and the rest of group defending, year after year, the virtues of dressing over stuffing. The day inevitably ended with bloating and a headache for most of those involved.

As an adult, my own Thanksgiving tradition is quiet. Every year I enjoy reading Alabama author Truman Capote’s “The Thanksgiving Visitor.” No television, no turkey.

Long before Capote’s talent and wit made him the darling of New York society, he was a sensitive little boy in rural Alabama, living among elderly aunts and an asthmatic uncle after his parents went their separate ways, abandoning him to relatives. Perhaps because of his imperfect childhood, his gift of imagination and mastery of language are unsurpassed. With words, Capote can cast a magic spell over the dullest of things and make them glow.

In his Thanksgiving story, his shy childlike guardian, Aunt Sook, invites Odd Henderson, the schoolyard bully who has been tormenting Buddy, the Capote figure in the semi-autobiographical piece, to join their family for Thanksgiving dinner.

As might be expected the author meticulously lists the menu for the special event: “a cousin twice removed, Harriet Parker from Flomaton, made perfect ambrosia, transparent orange slices combined with freshly ground coconut; Harriet’s sister Alice usually arrived carrying a dish of whipped sweet potatoes and raisins; the Conklin tribe, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Conklin and their quartet of handsome daughters, always brought the delicious array of vegetables canned during the summer.” And Buddy’s own favorite was “cold banana pudding,” a guarded recipe of the ancient aunt who, despite her longevity … took the secret with her when she died” at 105.

Capote weaves some inarguable truths into his lyrical masterpiece.

Among descriptions of characters, food offerings, and chrysanthemums “as large as lions’ heads,” the author subtly and meticulously shares wisdom of what Thanksgiving should really mean. Timid Aunt Sook, considered “dim” by some of the adults in the house, delivers a perfect Thanksgiving message when she describes the shame she feels “for all of us who have anything extra when other people have nothing” and sums up her understanding of humanity when she teaches Buddy that “there is only one unpardonable sin … deliberate cruelty,” adding that “all else can be forgiven. That never.”

Her words are a feast for the soul, far more nourishing than what’s on the dinner table.

Autumn is a beautiful tapestry of color and light to wrap ourselves in before the inevitable arrival of winter.

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Fall 2025 | 95

T H E E D I S TO OY S T E R K N I F E B Y WILLIAMS KNIFE More than a blade — it’s a Southern rite of passage.

Forged from CM154 steel and fitted with a durable G-10 handle, the Edisto Oyster Knife is a handcrafted heirloom made for generations of oyster roasts. Elegant yet rugged, it slices through shells and sparks conversation around the shucking table. $199

B R I S TO L D R I V E R C A P B Y O R V I S Straight from Yorkshire and stitched by a family-run hatmaker, the Bristol Driver Cap is a masterclass in classic British tailoring. With a gently curved peak and deep back, it offers a flattering fit and timeless tweed appeal. $36.75

D R A K E C A M P D E C K B O OT The Drake Camp Deck Boot is your all-weather ally, built for muddy trails, camp chores, and backyard mornings. With pull-on ease and 100% waterproof protection, it’s tough where it counts — without compromising comfort. $100

Y E L LO W H A M M E R S H OA L S D E N I M S H I R T B Y B U TC H A N T H O N Y X B I L LY R E I D A Southern icon reimagined. This limited-edition shirt features Billy Reid’s beloved Shoals silhouette — crafted from rich, durable denim — finished with artist Butch Anthony’s signature mirrored yellowhammers — equal parts utility and art. $498

V E R T I C A L F I R E P L AC E G R AT E S B Y G R AT E WA L L S O F F I R E Vertical Fireplace Grates by Grate Walls of Fire More heat, less hassle. These innovative vertical grates transform your fire experience with a self-feeding design that reduces smoke, maximizes warmth, and adds sculptural flair to your hearth. $169

Our team shares their Fall finds. Scan our QR code to shop.

Southern Essentials 96 | Fall 2025

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T H E H U L K E N B AG – L A R G E , B L AC K Redefining the grocery run, the Hulken is a fold-flat, rolling tote with unbreakable handles and a 66-pound weight capacity. It’s sleek, sturdy, and shockingly spacious — perfect for farmers market strolls or city hauls, without sacrificing style or sustainability. $138

S H A R K TO OT H N E C K L AC E B Y HOUSE OF JONES From Florida’s coastline to your fall wardrobe, this oneof-a-kind necklace transforms a natural shark’s tooth into a striking accessory. Accented with a diamond and set in 18k gold, it balances earthy edge with refined elegance — an instant classic by Vicki Maunz Jones. $650

C H A M PAG N E S TA N D B Y VA R N I S H C O L L E C T I O N Make your fall celebrations sparkle with this stunning wicker champagne stand. Handcrafted by artisans and available in a range of semi-custom colors, it blends timeless charm with modern entertaining.

A stainless steel bucket insert completes the look — ready for bubbles, anywhere. $550

F I E L D & F E AT H E R D R E S S B Y HOUSE OF MBR This dress embodies the charm of country estate life and the rich traditions of autumn hunts. The toile print tells a vivid story of a quail hunt, complete with energetic retrievers in the field. Set against a vibrant country green, accented with navy and royal blue, this timeless design captures both elegance and heritage. $335 www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

FA L L P E C A N S A M P L E R B Y S U P E R I O R P E C A N S Nothing says fall like the comforting crunch of fresh pecans. This engraved pine-lid box — featuring festive turkeys or pumpkins — is packed with four decadent flavors from Superior Pecans in Eufaula, Alabama: Roasted Salted, Caramel Salted, Praline, and Cinnamon Spiced. It's a tasteful gift or indulgent treat to usher in the season. $35

S O M E P R O D U C T S F E AT U R E D M AY I N C L U D E A F F I L I AT E L I N K S .

Fall 2025 | 97

Moore's Mill (334) 759-7211

4137 Moore's Mill Rd.

Auburn, AL 36830

TWO LOCATIONS FOR ALL YOUR GARDEN NEEDS ANNUALS • SHRUBS • TREES • HOUSEPLANTS

North College

(334) 209-0144 4300 HWY 147 N.

Auburn, AL 36830

YOU DESERVE PERSONAL SERVICE Share the Latest Seasonal Offerings or Fulfill Your Order with Merle Norman Cosmetics Visit Us: 1912 Opelika Road, Phenix City, AL Hours: Mon–Fri 10–6 | Sat 10–3 FREE Shipping across the Southeast on orders $100+

Let our staff recommend products tailored for you.

98 | Fall 2025

CALL 334-321-9950 OR VISIT THE STORE TODAY!

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Christmas After Christmas After Hours Hours at at Shorter Shorter TO TO FOLLOW FOLLOW AT AT 5:00-6:30 5:00-6:30 P.M. P.M. www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

Fall 2025 | 99

YOUR TRUSTED DESTINATION FOR INDOOR & OUTDOOR LIVING brooksandcollier.com • 256-534-2781 100 | Fall 2025

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