Today in Mississippi August 2017 Pearl River Valley

News for members of Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association

STUDENTS TOUR NATION’S CAPITAL Ally Ratliff Hattiesburg

Periodical postage (ISSN 1052 2433)

Kori Miles Columbia

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Time traveling on the Natchez Trace

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Electric co-ops send 70 students to Washington

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Exploring Oxford’s historic Lamar House

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August 2017

Youth Tour teaches students incomparable civics lessons eeping 70 high school juniors entertained, safe and on schedule during a week’s tour of Washington, D.C., is quite a challenge, but worth every effort.

Electric cooperatives sponsoring students to the annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour feel strongly that the program pays immense dividends to both students and their communities. Young people emerge from the program with a deeper understanding of leadership—why it matters, ways to develop it and how to use it in their young (and adult) lives.

The Youth Tour is a part of the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi Youth Leadership program. Since the program’s inception 31 years ago, hundreds of deserving Mississippi students have participated in this unique, enriching experience.

Each student earns his or her way into the program by demonstrating initiative and leadership potential through a competition at their local electric cooperative. The competitive process seeks to identify students who not only excel academically but are eager for self-improvement opportunities.

This year’s Youth Leadership participants first met a few months ago at our three-day leadership workshop in Jackson. They came from every region in the state, from backgrounds as diverse as Mississippi itself. By the time they departed for the Youth Tour in June, each one had 69 new friends.

For most, the tour was their first trip to Washington. During one very busy week, tour buses whisked the students to museums, monuments, memorials, historic sites and even a pro-baseball game. They walked through Arlington National Cemetery, toured the U.S. Capitol and explored the Smithsonian museums.

The tour sites were chosen to give the students a broad, eye-opening education on how America works. The lessons touched on history, government, military service, civil rights, science, religion and culture.

Throughout Washington, the Youth Tour students saw American values communicated through iconic memorials to war veterans, and monuments to

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On the cover Participants in the 2017 Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi Youth Leadership program recently spent a fun and educational week at Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. Each of the students won the trip through a local competition sponsored by their electric cooperative. Meet these outstanding students on page 6.

presidents and civil rights leaders.

At the Newseum, they learned about the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.

Touring Arlington, they saw sobering reminders of many who lost their lives fighting to protect these freedoms, or while serving their country in other ways.

They respectfully watched the elaborate Changing of the Guard ritual at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and viewed the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial.

The Washington My Opinion National Cathedral, one of Michael Callahan the largest cathedrals in the Executive Vice President/CEO world, underscored the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi theme of religious liberty. It was built over the course of 83 years to be the nation’s “house of prayer for all people” regardless of faith. There the students saw the pulpit where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his last Sunday sermon before his assassination in 1968, the tomb of President Woodrow Wilson, as well as the cathedral’s great organ with more than 10,000 pipes.

I can’t imagine any young person returning from Youth Tour without a newfound appreciation for his or her country. Judging from years’ worth of past participants’ comments, we believe the entire Youth Leadership program makes a life-long impression.

Electric cooperatives continue to support the program because it succeeds in motivating students to become better prepared for (and understand) the duties of citizenship in a free, democratic society.

I’m sure these students will remember and benefit from their Youth Tour experience well into adulthood. I hope it makes them more appreciative of being an American. It’s still a great nation.

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Today in Mississippi

Our Homeplace

While we’re all wilting from the heat, it’s nice to see something that thrives in it. These bold sunflowers soak up summer sunshine in a backyard garden in Washington County.

Mississippi is There are many things I treasure about our state, beginning with what we call “old-fashioned, good places to eat country food.” Mississippi is known for church-going people who have a history of old-time revivals and lake baptisms. I treasure those memories.

I left Mississippi as a young man headed off to military duty in 1974 and was drawn back by the Lord, I believe in 2003, to help spread the love of God in the state where my earthly birth, as well as my spiritual birth, took roots. I embrace and love the waves through the windshields of our cars and trucks when meeting strangers and neighbors from all walks of life on the county roads.

–Eddie N. Young Jr., Olive Branch After spending 70 years of life in Louisiana, my husband and I find ourselves living in lovely Mississippi.

The “great flood” of 2016 took our home in Baton Rouge and most everything in it (like so many others). Something really good came from something really bad. Thanks to a kind and generous man in the Poplarville area, we are renting a home in a lovely place, with the use of everything here: fishing lakes, trails, wildflowers, lightning bugs and clean air.

We have never seen so many wildflowers, nice people and so few red lights. We always passed through Mississippi to go to North Carolina on vacation and always thought we would like living here. It took the flood to open our eyes and take a chance on living in the country. It kind of made retirement like it’s meant to be. We were truly blessed to get what we wished for!

–Carolyn and Thomas Gilmore, Poplarville

What’s Mississippi to you?

What do you treasure most about life in our state? Send your thoughts to Today in Mississippi, P.O. Box 3300, Ridgeland, MS 39158, or to news@ecm.coop. Please keep your comments brief. Submissions are subject to editing for length and clarity.

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Time Traveling on the

Natchez Trace Parkway

By Debbie Stringer In contrast to the spectacular mountains and canyons found in some of America’s national parks, the Natchez Trace Parkway is a hushed, intimate landscape of woodlands, swamps, farm fields and prairies.

With many sections of the parkway walled in by dense forests, modern society is held at bay as the blacktop winds 444 miles from Natchez to Nashville, Tenn.

Melanie Sander, a park ranger at the Tupelo Visitor Center, sees the parkway’s ability to help travelers escape commercialization as one of its great assets. “You could be in the middle of nowhere, when in reality the park itself is only an average of 800 feet wide.”

Yet the Natchez Trace offers far more than a scenic cruise. As a U.S. Registered Historic District, the parkway encompasses historic sites of national importance, including many still considered sacred by Choctaws and Chickasaws.

“There is significant importance to this travel corridor that warrants our respect,” Sander said.

The Natchez Trace preserves and commemorates the general route traveled by American Indians, European explorers, traders, post riders, soldiers and frontier pioneers. Boatmen traders, known as “Kaintucks,” floated goods by flatboat from the Ohio River Valley down the Mississippi River to markets in Natchez and New Orleans. They sold their boats and walked homeward on the trail, until steamboats made travel upriver easier and faster.

Construction of the paved Natchez Trace began in 1937; the last sections were completed in 2005. The parkway preserves some of the original trails, called the Old Trace, as well as American Indian mounds and village sites, historic structures and archeological sites— not to mention thousands of plant and animal species inhabiting seven different ecological regions and 40 forest types.

Terry Wildy, the parkway’s chief of interpretation, has worked years to develop new interpretive panels and audio for wayside exhibits at several sites relating to American Indian prehistory.

Illustrated with photography, graphics and artwork, the panels’ content was created in partnership with members of the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations in Oklahoma.

“They were critical for making sure we got the story right,” Wildy said. “They had a lot of very important information to share, and we wanted these exhibits to be historically accurate and culturally sensitive.”

Both Chickasaws and Choctaws faced forced removal from their Mississippi homelands in the early 1800s under land-cession treaties with the US government.

“When we talk about removal from the homelands, that is definitely an area where we want to understand what that perspective is from our tribal partners,” Wildy said.

The new interpretive display relating to Choctaw removal at the Upper Choctaw Boundary site in Madison County is one of three so far that include interpretive audio. “Visitors will push a button and actually hear tribal members talk about the significance of these sites to them, so you are hearing the voice of the people that are associated most closely with these sites,” Wildy said.

Melanie Sander, park ranger New interpretive panels have also been installed at Emerald Mound, located 10 miles north of Natchez. The mound was used for some 500 years as a ceremonial center by the Natchez Indians, starting around 1200. Covering eight acres, the flat-top earthen mound is the second-largest of its kind in the country.

Although many Indian burial and ceremonial mounds throughout Mississippi have been lost to erosion, development and farming, many are preserved and protected along the Natchez Trace. The oldest is Bynum Mounds, a burial and village site between 1,800 and 2,100 years old.

The eight burial mounds and village site at Pharr Mounds, located 23 miles north of Tupelo, were built between 100 BC and 100 AD. Distributed over an 85acre field, the mounds make up one of the largest Middle Woodland period ceremonial sites in the Southeast.

“Pharr Mounds is my favorite,” Sander said. “I feel like I can immerse myself in the landscape as if [I were] with the Woodland Period Indians that would have called it home.”

Content for the parkway’s new interpretive panels was created to help visitors understand the relevance of mounds to today’s tribes. “For the American Indians, these mounds have an important cultural connection and a spiritual connection. They want people to understand that and to help treat them that way,” Wildy said.

Mount Locust, a four-room, furnished farmhouse built in 1780, is a historical highlight on the southern end of the parkway. Located a day’s walk from Natchez, the farm served as an inn for the traveling Kaintucks, who slept overnight on the porch or the grounds. After the Mississippi Territory was formed in 1798 the inn’s owner erected a two-story annex to accommodate an increasing number of travelers.

The house is also significant as an African American heritage site. Enslaved families worked in the cotton fields at Mount Locust. A cemetery on the property holds the remains of 43 enslaved workers, and a marker lists the names of some who may be buried there.

Beginning this month, visitors and school groups can watch a team from the Southeast Archeological Center conduct ground surveys and excavations at Mount Locust. The goal is to learn more about the lives of the slaves by examining the area where their cabins once stood, according to archeologist Chris Smith, the parkway’s cultural resources specialist.

Archeologists will use ground-penetrating radar and other methods to detect buried objects from Aug. 6–12. Based on findings, they plan to excavate from Aug. 28–Sept. 15. Project updates will be posted on both the Natchez Trace Parkway and Southeast Archeological Facebook pages.

Educating the public about all aspects of the parkway’s resources—whether recreational, natural or historical—is Sander’s mission. She oversees ranger-led

August 2017

Far left: • Visitors can walk a section of the Old Trace at milepost 41.5 near Port Gibson.

Called the Sunken Trace, its deep erosion is due to centuries of use by humans and animals, and the loess soil. NPS photo Left, from top: • Mount Locust, a farmhouse built in 1780, served as an inn for Trace travelers before the steamboat era. The site includes a cemetery where the plantation’s enslaved African American workers were buried. NPS photo • The Pharr Mounds site comprises eight mounds on 85 acres in Tishomingo County. NPS photo • Emerald Mound, located north of Natchez at milepost 10.3, was built by the Natchez Indians over the course of some 500 years, starting around 1200. NPS photo

educational programs tailored for all ages at the Tupelo Visitor Center, including school field trips.

She encourages students’ “emotional and intellectual connections” with the parkway, thus helping to preserve and protect it for future generations.

“There’s something more to it than a road, and there’s something special about why this road was put where it was,” Sander said.

For more information, news and updates, visit the Natchez Trace Parkway on Facebook and at www.nps.gov. Download a visitor’s guide at www.ScenicTrace.com.

Below right: • The new interpretive exhibit at Chickasaw Village, located south of Tupelo, includes artwork and audio recordings describing the tribe’s history and daily life. A nature trail features plant species used by the Chickasaws.

The Natchez Trace Parkway ranks among the top 10 most-visited National Park Service sites in the country. In August 2016, the parkway attracted more than 536,000 visitors, up from 492,000 in August 2015, according to the National Park Service.

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Mississippi’s participants in the 31st annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour meet with Rep. Gregg Harper on the steps of the United States Capitol building.

Seventy of Mississippi’s finest high school juniors spent part of their summer vacation exploring the nation’s capital and making new friends, courtesy of their local electric cooperative.

As participants in the 31st annual Mississippi Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, the students visited many of Washington’s most significant historical and cultural sites during the weeklong trip. They also took part in special events with more than 1,800 participants from 44 other states as a part of the national electric cooperative program.

A highlight was a visit to the U.S. Capitol, where Rep. Gregg Harper took the Mississippi students to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Harper also personally took the students onto the inaugural balcony that overlooks the Washington Mall. Each student had the opportunity to visit the office of his or her congressman.

Rep. Gregg Harper gives the Youth Tour students a tour of the United “This program educates young leaders on the qualities, val- States Capitol building, beginning in the National Statuary Hall, which ues and skills that we will most definitely need to be leaders,” is devoted to sculptures of prominent Americans throughout history. said participant Chris Brown, of Olive Branch.

Ron Stewart, senior vice president of the Electric CooperaChris was selected during the Youth Leadership Workshop tives of Mississippi. “The Youth Leadership Program continuin February to represent Mississippi on the national Youth Leadership Council. The workshop and Youth Tour are compo- ally inspires these students year after year to become leadnents of the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi Youth Leader- ers in their communities. We believe that giving these stuship Program. Participants are chosen through a competitive dents the opportunity to see the political process and the inner workings of our government first-hand is instrumental process sponsored by their electric cooperative.

“The electric cooperatives have a strong belief in educating in their success. This program impresses the need to set and supporting the youth in the communities we serve,” said goals and work hard to achieve them.”

2017 Mississippi Youth Tour delegates and their sponsoring electric cooperatives are Alcorn County EPA: Carter Chandler, Katie Beth Newcomb; Central EPA: Jayasri Mitch, Alexia Smith, Gracey Wilcher; Coast Electric: Allie Estorge, Victoria Feazelle, Richard Springer, Jayde Toncrey; Dixie Electric: Jess Cooley, Kameron Cooley; East Mississippi EPA: Jamal Kelly, ZaColby Smith; 4-County EPA: Charlie Brand, Tyler Dickerson, Noah Methvin; Magnolia Electric Power: Konnor Battle, Nick Brumfield, Abby Griffin, Precious Thompson; Natchez Trace EPA: Ry Warren, Anna Claire Watkins; North East Mississippi EPA: Eli Able, Annemarie Fetter, Jacob Harrill, Mary Clark Hayward, Hogan Linzy, Aubrey Kate Merrell; Northcentral EPA: Zac Bobbitt, Charley Brinkley, Chris Brown, Matthew Carlile, Mackenzie Dodds, Aggie Doddridge, Sarah Flowers, Kelly Holt, Bailey Jones, Kailey Nixon, Rahmon Rutherford, Adam Stone, Amber Terry, Caden Walker; Pearl River Valley EPA: Kori Miles, Ally Ratliff; Singing River Electric: Austin Baldwin, Kenley Cochran, Noah Moran, Morgan Rich; Southern Pine Electric: Makenzie Downs, John Mark Huff; Southwest Electric: Morgan Baskin, Ke’Shawn Brinkley, Donavan Leonard; Tallahatchie Valley EPA: Seth Barnett, Lillian Francis, Justin Gammill, Christine Gibson, Justin Hudson, Tyler Reed, Justice Taylor; Tombigbee EPA: Jessica Barrett, Owen Bennett, Logan Bishop, John Taylor McFerrin, Brady Hood; Twin County EPA: Carsen Mansour, McKenzie McDavid; Yazoo Valley EPA: Devin Ammons, Sarah Elizabeth Hardy, Qwinnetta Stokes; Cooperative Energy sponsored a student representing Magnolia Electric Power.

August 2017

Tough assignment:

Stories of the Delta

The Mighty Mississippi River at Rosedale. Photo: Walt Grayson

he photograph that accompanies this article was snapped almost as an afterthought. It is of the Mississippi River at Rosedale. Jack Coleman had taken me to this particular spot to point out the historic attributes of the river here. North of town the White River empties into the Mississippi from the west, and south of town the Arkansas River joins the Mississippi.

Historically, Marquette and Joliette explored down the Mississippi to the mouth of the Arkansas before they decid-

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ed the Mississippi probably emptied into the Gulf of Mexico and not into the Pacific as they had hoped. They turned around here and went back to Canada.

Jack grew up in Rosedale on the Mississippi River, and I grew up not all that far south, at Greenville. As I was telling Jack the first thing my Daddy told me about the Mississippi, Jack joined in and said it along with me, “Stay away from that river, boy. It will kill you.” Obviously, that piece of river wisdom got passed around a good bit.

Jack and I had met a week or so before my visit to Rosedale at a Delta party in

Greenville. At the party Jack was telling all of us about his plans for a new business venture at Rosedale. A distillery.

Mississippi According to Seen Jack, the distillby Walt Grayson ery, along with related retail stores and restaurants and everything else that goes with it, will occupy several of

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the old empty stores in downtown Rosedale and will employ a number of local residents.

I was intrigued by all this because I have agreed to produce a half-hour “Mississippi Roads” show for next season about the Delta by myself. I am excited about doing the show. But when it comes to having to narrow down a topic as complicated as the Delta into just a half-hour of television time, I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

Think about it. The Delta really just started hitting its stride in the early years of the 20th century. There had been white settlers there as long ago as before the Civil War. After the war the Delta was popular with former slaves seeking to buy land to start farming on their own.

The huge cotton plantations didn’t appear until the late 1800s and especially into the early 1900s.

All that to say, in the course of just a 150 years, with most of it happening in the past 100, the Delta has gone from swamps and canebrakes to drained acreage thriving on cotton for decades, meanwhile growing cities and towns and villages that also thrived for a long time.

But now, most of those cities and towns and villages are in decline to one extent or another. Not one of them is the way we remember them from when we were young.

We’ve also experienced decades of people leaving the Delta, and factories packing up and leaving, and even such venerated institutions as Greenville’s once huge tow boat industry falling by the wayside.

Thirty different tow boat companies at its height—none now.

So to hear Jack being excited about what could happen in Rosedale is obviously counter to the mainstream of what has been happening in the Delta lately.

But for me to tell the stories of all the different cultures in the Delta and their combined blended culture is way more than a half-hour of television will allow.

And then to also find people like Jack Coleman excited about new things soon to happen there easily makes this Delta show a much harder task.

Walt Grayson is the host of “Mississippi Roads” on Mississippi Public Broadcasting television, and the author of two “Looking Around Mississippi” books and “Oh! That Reminds Me: More Mississippi Homegrown Stories.” Contact Grayson at walt@waltgrayson.com.

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August and the passing of days The surprise happened just this morning. It should have been no surprise, and I suppose it wasn’t in the purest sense of that word, for I knew the structure was there. But the surprise occurred when, in subliminal tones, the old building virtually called my name.

Stopped me in my tracks, it did. It was an old cotton house, weathered and crumbling and festooned with vines and saplings and disuse. I stood mesmerized, wondering how and why this aged structure had somehow captured me at such a moment.

The episode began while I was busy about what I have come to call my heart attack walk. Since that sobering event now one year past, I have become increasingly diligent about this basic exercise regimen. Always active, I was, prior to that unkind prodding, a dedicated jogger and practitioner of martial arts. I kept fit. But still the heart issue paid an unwelcomed visit.

No longer do I jog or practice martial arts. I’d

by Tony Kinton guess a 5K run would consume 45 minutes today. My high kick, though still adequately efficacious, would more likely land on the

Outdoors Today

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The old cotton house that called my name, reminded me of August and the passing of days, and allowed me to revisit a time more than 50 years back that shaped my being. Photo: Tony Kinton

kneecap rather than shoulder high on a six-foot opponent. So these days I walk.

That is what I was doing, and it was not until I retired to my office and the miserable machine on which I type these words did the full impact of that serendipitous meeting sink in.

Cotton houses were common things in my youth. A community of poor-dirt farmers, we all in the area grew some cotton; consequently, cotton houses were essential. At least one to every farm, additional shacks were required if fields were separated by more than a few hundred yards. They were the most basic of buildings, just a floor, walls, wide door and tin top. Within the confines of these, cotton was placed, emptied from long sacks and held there until a minimum of one bale was ready for transport. That bale in those days was something approaching 1,200 pounds, if memory serves me. While sitting and

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thinking in my office, the crevices of recall that become more wrinkled with living began a slow and deliberate release of remembering.

Picking cotton was a latesummer/early-autumn affair. It was also arduous. If we picked our own cotton, the pay we received came when that cotton was ginned and sold. But all boys (and some girls) my age and older also picked for others. It was a method of generating additional income. I well remember when we would hire out, sacks dragging dusty middles and gradually filling with that glorious, fluffy fiber.

Pay for a first picking, when opened bolls were thick and generous, was 2 cents per pound. That’s $2 per 100 pounds! I never managed that magic mark in any single day.

The price generally went up to an astronomical 3 cents a pound during second pickings, or scrapping as it was

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known, when bolls were scarce and scattered. A cotton shirt is more fully appreciated after one experiences a day in the field acquiring raw materials that make up said shirt.

That old cotton house was bringing to life an overflow of memories, and it suddenly dawned on me that those memories were pleasant. They were not so much of sore knees and tired backs and sun-scorched arms as they were of family and laughter and companionship, and a sense of accomplishment and the enjoyment of full contentment. Of course, we younger ones were not burdened with the reality of paying bills and securing provisions. The tasks at hand were simple and clearly laid out, so we went about the business of doing what we must do and finding great pleasure in that doing.

And since cotton picking was in late summer and early fall and all males involved were squirrel hunters, we talked and planned and daydreamed of a cool morning soon to come when we would be in the woods—perhaps just friends, perhaps fathers and sons. We would be squirrel hunting then, not picking cotton. But those red, paper-hulled shells used on that hunt would have been purchased by and as a direct result of that cotton picking.

Then another memory surfaced, this probably the best of them all. It was that memory of us crawling onto a freshlypicked and loaded bale of cotton on the back of a wagon or battered pickup with wooden side frames for a ride to the cotton house or gin. No softer and more comfortable platform exists, and nothing in this cluttered world of modernity smells as soothing and inviting as a load of sun-warmed cotton that moments before was growing on a stalk in those ragged and now-ancient fields. This one reward was worth a great deal more than the labor that brought about its nurturing elements.

I think I shall visit that old cotton house again soon. The walk, and the memories, will do well for my heart.

Tony Kinton has been an active outdoors writer for 30 years. His newest book is “Rambling Through Pleasant Memories.”

Order from Amazon.com or Kinton’s website: www.tonykinton.com.

August 2017

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L.Q.C. Lamar House exhibits EXPLORE MISSISSIPPI’S CIVIL WAR ERA

By Nancy Jo Maples policy,” Brian Wilson, president of the L.Q.C. Lamar played in nearby Tupelo.

On a quiet, tree-lined street near the heart of down- Foundation, said.

Now serving as a museum, the house is located at town Oxford lies a nugget of Mississippi history—the “He brought in the cavalry to police the parks and 616 14th St. and is within easy walking distance of the L.Q.C. Lamar House. reclaimed 80 million acres that had been taken by cor- Oxford Square. A spacious gravel lot accessible from In the late 1800s Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus porations and railroads,” Wilson said.

16th Street offers free parking to guests arriving by automobile. An uphill trail leads to the house and Lamar served as a U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, Yellowstone National Park, the first national park, Secretary of the Interior and an associhad experienced difficulties in its early three-acre grounds. ate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Each room of the home’s interior features an exhibit days trying to protect the resource Lamar served in both chambers of giving details about Lamar’s life and the influence he while also making it available to the Congress and is one of few people wielded. Professionally designed educational displays public. Some visitors killed wildlife, who have served in all three branches provide valuable information about Lamar’s life within collected souvenirs from the geotherof government. He is the only the context of the Civil War era and explore the polimal features and camped wherever Mississippian to become a U.S. they pleased. At the time, Lamar tics of slavery, secession and reunion.

Supreme Court justice. was Secretary of the Interior under While there are few pieces of Lamar’s furniture Lamar was known for being a Grover Cleveland and placed the U.S. inside the house, there are some interesting personal dynamic orator and for encouraging Army in charge of park supervision. effects such as the traveling trunk he used during trips the mending of relations between the The Lamar River and the Lamar to Washington, D.C. His work desk is also on display, North and the South after the Civil Valley, both in Yellowstone National as is wife’s silver collection.

War. One of Lamar’s historically Park, are named for him.

Owned by the City of Oxford, its Historic Sites important orations occurred in a eulo- L.Q.C. Lamar is depicted in a life-size statBorn Sept. 17, 1825, in Eatonton, Commission manages the property. The L.Q. C. ue created in bronze by Lafayette County Ga., Lamar attended Emory College gy he delivered during the Lamar Foundation partners with the city to assist with artist Bill Beckwith.

Reconstruction Era for U.S. Sen. and became a lawyer. After a brief informing schools and clubs about Lamar’s life and the Charles Sumner of Massachusetts. In the tribute, given stint in the Georgia state legislature, 1853-1854, he museum. in 1874, Lamar famously said, “Countrymen, know moved to Oxford where his father-in-law was There is no admission fee, and in 2016 the museum one another, and you will love one another.” president of the University of Mississippi. Lamar was rated as the greatest free attraction in the state of At a dedication of the Lamar house in 2008 follow- served as a professor there while he also worked as a Mississippi by Money Magazine. The home is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. ing its restoration, U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran said of lawyer and statesman. and Friday through Sunday from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Lamar, “His speech to honor Sumner was seen as the Built in 1870, the Lamar House was designated a Group tours are available on advance notice by calling first step on a road to recovery. Lamar was a multi-tal- National Historic Landmark in 1975. A bronze lifethe Lamar House at 662-513-6071 or Visit Oxford, ented public servant at a time when our nation needed size statue of Lamar stands just outside the home’s the city’s tourism bureau, at 662-232-2477. leadership the most.” front entranceway. The statue was created by Lamar is also credited with saving national park Lafayette County artist Bill Beckwith, who also creatAward winning journalist Nancy Jo Maples lives in Lucedale and is lands; yet his influence in conservation is not widely ed the life-size sculptures of William Faulkner disthe author of “Staying Power: The Story of South Mississippi Electric known. “He has not received his due in conservation played on Oxford Square and of Elvis Presley disPower Association.” She can be reached at nancyjomaples@aol.com.

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August 2017

PRVEPA Contact Information Columbia: 601-736-2666 Hattiesburg: 601-264-2458

Purvis: 601-794-8051 Wiggins: 601-928-7277

To pay bills or report outages:

855-2PRVEPA (855-277-8372)

Member owned. Locally operated. That’s the cooperative difference.

Members to again receive annual refunds Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association members will once again be receiving annual patronage capital refunds in August.

Patronage capital, or capital credits, represents members’ investment in their not-for-profit electric cooperative. Each year, rates are set so that the Association has enough funding to operate throughout the year, and any year-end revenue above operating expenses is assigned to members as margins based on their share of electricity usage. A portion of those margins is then refunded to members each August. This year, Pearl River Valley Electric’s board of directors has authorized $2 million be returned to members.

In addition, Cooperative Energy, our wholesale power provider which is a cooperative owned by PRVEPA and 10 other electric power associations, began returning capital credits last year. Those credits, totaling $419,064.94, will be returned to applicable PRVEPA members, increasing the total amount

Visit us online at www.PRVEPA.com

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returned for 2016 to $2,419,064.94.

“This is one of the many benefits of being a member-owner of a notOF P e a r l for-profit electric provider,” said R iv er Val le y El ec tri c P o we r As s o Randy Wallace, general manager. c ia ti on “Our members share in the cost of doing business as well as the returns. While investormemowned utilities return a portion of any profits back to ber will receive their refund as their investors, electric cooperatives assign excess marcredit applied to their power bill mailed in August. For gins to member-consumers as capital credits and pay inactive members who qualify, checks will be mailed in them when the co-op’s financial condition permits.

September.

“Pearl River Valley Electric remains very sound In addition to patronage refunds for members, Pearl financially,” Wallace continued. “This is now the 54th River Valley Electric began returning accumulated year that we have returned a portion of our margins credits to the estates of deceased members in 1988, a back to members, totaling more than $45 million over- program that has now returned nearly $13 million. In all. That’s one of the best records of any rural electric 2016, more than $672,000 was returned through this cooperative in the nation, and we’re very proud of it.” program. The Association also began returning capital Members receive a share of the patronage returns credits to former members in 2016, with more than based on their annual electric use. Each qualifying $14,500 being distributed.

TO THE ORDER OF

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MEMBER S

General Ma

nager

Considering installing Solar Panels at your home or business? Call us first!

Solar energy systems are becoming more popular in our region, but there are numerous safety issues and regulatory compliance requirements to understand before installing a solar generation system, regardless of its size. Private solar generation systems attached to Pearl River Valley Electric’s distribution lines are considered to be the equivalent of any other standard generation facility. Therefore, prior to installing solar generation at your home or business, PRVEPA members must contact the Association concerning installation, operation and safety requirements.

Call us. We can help answer any questions you might have.

Home Electronics Loss Prevention SurgeHELP protects your budget from the unexpected expenses of damage from lightning strikes.

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August 2017 Today in Mississippi

11

Youth Tour OFFERS UNIQUE VIEW OF WASHINGTON, D.C. Each year, Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association sponsors two high school juniors on a tour of Washington, D.C., in June. They join other students representing hundreds of cooperatives from Mississippi and across the United States.

The delegates are all likeminded students who are motivated to succeed and become leaders in their communities. More than 1,800 students from 44 states participate annually.

This year, Kori Miles and Ally Ratliff joined 68 of Mississippi’s brightest young students. They were chosen through an application and interview process. Kori is the daughter of Latashia and Derrick Owens of Columbia and will be a senior at Columbia High School. Ally will be a senior at Forrest County Agricultural High School and is the daughter of John Ratliff and Thelma Keith of Hattiesburg.

The weeklong trip featured visits to the major monuments and memorials, including the World War II Memorial, FDR Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“I didn’t believe them when they said my life would change,” said Kori, “but I have grown, I’ve changed, and I will never be the same.”

A trip to the Marine Corps War Memorial was one of the first stops on the tour, followed by a trip to the Air Force Memorial on the grounds of Fort Myer near The Pentagon. Later in the week, the students attended the popular Sunset Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial and enjoyed a performance by the U.S. Marine Forces Reserve Band. While visiting Arlington National Cemetery, the students watched the changing of the guard and visited the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy The participants were able to visit the Smithsonian Museums, including the museums of Air and Space, American History, Natural History and the National Gallery of Art. Other popular events on the tour were stops at the Newseum, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and an evening cruise down the Potomac River.

In addition to sightseeing, the students also spent a day on Capitol Hill, which began with a special tour of

the U.S. House Floor graciously hosted by Rep. Gregg Harper. While in the Capitol building, the students enjoyed a panoramic view of the Mall from the speaker’s balcony. After the tour, Kori and Ally joined a smaller group to visit with Rep. Steven Palazzo in his D.C. office. The congressman spoke to the group about what it takes to be a leader and the importance of setting goals and striving to achieve them.

During the visit to Capitol Hill, students also had an opportunity to meet with Sen. Roger Wicker.

“The 2017 Youth Tour was not only an amazing learning opportunity, but it was also an opportunity for us kids to see that our community supports us and encourages us,” said Ally. “I am forever thankful.”

“This tour is memorable, not only because these young people are able to visit their nation’s capital, but they also make lifelong friendships that benefit them well into their adult years,” General Manager Randy Wallace said. “We are proud to take part in this program, which not only gives students an opportunity to learn about the cooperative business model and our nation’s history, but also helps to instill leadership in the students and impresses upon them the importance of participating in their government.”

High school juniors living in PRVEPA’s service area can apply to participate in next year’s program beginning in October. More information can be found at www.PRVEPA.com.

“I didn’t believe them when they said my life would change, but I have grown, I’ve changed, and I will never be the same.

-Kori Miles Columbia, Miss.

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August 2017

Old purslane has new value in summer heat urslane has long been regarded as a garden weed, and it’s no wonder: A single plant can produce more than 50,000 seeds.

I’ve seen purslane growing in coarse gravel and cracks in concrete. If the area is moist, you can find purslane, and I have removed many as weeds.

But I’m having a change of heart. Purslane is one of the older plants I’m interested in adding back to my coastal Mississippi landscape and garSouthern den. It’s a succuGardening lent that thrives

by Dr. Gary Bachman in high summer temperatures, and that makes it a perfect flowering annual for our hot and humid summers.

Purslane’s summer-loving qualities make the improved selections perfect for the landscape.

Purslane is a larger and more robust version of its relative, moss rose, a popular bedding plant. Here’s how to tell the difference: Moss rose has leaves that are cylindrical-shaped, and purslane has flattened, teardrop-shaped foliage.

Some of the better-flowering purslanes—and there are many to choose from—include the colors rose, scarlet, apricot, orange, yellow and white. They

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Purslane such as this Mojave Mixed selection thrive in patio containers and hanging baskets that take advantage of its spreading and trailing growth characteristics. Photo: MSU Extension/Gary Bachman

have a tropical look and put on a show with flowers up to 2 inches wide. The bright-yellow stamens are fairly long and move with the gentlest touch, adding more interest.

Purslanes are generally low-growing and spreading flowering annual plants.

The stems are purplish-green, and the leaves are bright green. They grow up to

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8 inches tall and spread to 18 inches, so space them 12 to 15 inches apart in the landscape.

One of my favorite ways to grow purslane is in patio containers and hanging baskets. These choices take advantage of the plant’s spreading and trailing growth characteristics. Be sure to keep containers a little on the dry side.

Regularly pinch off long stems and spent blooms to keep purslanes dense and full. Purslanes are heavy feeders that require adequate nutrition throughout the season for best flowering and growth.

It is important to allow the soil to dry out moderately between watering. I water with a water-soluble 20-10-20 or 20-2020 fertilizer, always following label instructions. As temperatures begin to

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drop in the fall, keep the soil a little dry, and the plant will reward you with blooms into the fall.

In addition to liking the summer heat and humidity, purslane likes full sun. I find it fascinating that the flowers close in late afternoon and early evening, as well on cloudy days and when the plant is under stress.

An interesting fact is that purslane is considered a culinary herb in many parts of the world. The leaves of this plant are rich in iron and can be eaten raw when young. I’m even growing purslane as microgreens and adding this super food to my diet.

When it gets older, purslane can be cooked with other leafy vegetables like spinach. It is commonly found in Italian, Greek, Central American and Middle Eastern cuisines.

Purslane is a beautiful, old plant with many uses that is worth trying in every Mississippi landscape today.

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Dr. Gary Bachman is an associate Extension and research professor of horticulture at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. He is also host of “Southern Gardening” radio and TV programs.

August 2017

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Don’t fall for the latest trend s I continued my spring cleaning this summer, I found a large Sears catalog dated 1984 fall/winter, with the statement on front: “Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back.”

The cover picture was Cheryl Tiegs, a popular model during those years. She was pictured on several pages of their latest designs. The most expensive item she modeled was $30 and the others were $22 or below. Her outfits were skirts and blouses, slacks and jeans. All blouses were tucked in except for a few pull-over sweaters. She didn’t wear low-cut blouses, or full tops that fell over her hips, nor did other models in the magazine.

I crawled out of the hall closet, went outside with the catalog looking for my up-to-date husband. He was across the field where our homegrown Christmas trees once stood. He waved and drove his

A

tractor toward me. His Bermuda shorts were shredded, stained in white, yellow and purple paint. His shirt was a holey tee, but I could still read the faded print: Azalea Trail Run 1990.

I pulled out my phone and clicked a pic of him. “This will interest my women’s Bible study class tonight. I doubt that anyone will remark that ‘Roy always looks neat,’ when they see this.”

He wiped his brow. “You’ll be sorry,” he called as I ran back through the field.

Oh, dear! He may know where all my small catalogs are stored. The ones that come in threes, several times a week. I went directly to one of my huge plastic containers I’d hidden. I began to think about each book and why I didn’t throw it away.

After I’d checked out the small catalogs my thought was: How can I deprive folks who read “Grin ‘n’ Bare It” the opportunity to order their own copies

free? If they don’t have the catalogs already. Of course, the variety of items are “priced to entice.” But then again, they are delightfully tempting. A tiny voice in my head says, “All I plan to do is look. Right?”

There are Grin ‘n’ more catches Bare It than one. When

by Kay Grafe I find an item I like and plan to order … I sometime forget which book.

That’s a heartbreaker.

I hope you are disciplined; if not, read no further. Don’t blame the results on me.

• Catalog 1. NorthStyle (priced low) • Catalog 2. Soft Surroundings (not

priced low, but beautiful) • Catalog 3. Improvements (unusual outdoor goodies) • Catalog 4. The Vermont Country Store (oldies but goodies for country folks like us).

By the way, you really don’t need to order but one catalog. Once my name was on the hit list they multiplied, then I resorted to hiding them. My husband is typically agreeable. Otherwise, some husbands like mine become disagreeable.

Stacks of books, papers or catalogs are not their favorite things.

Back to Sears. We received three or four each year for a small fee, but these new little devils come in by the hundreds … free.

To be honest, I miss my Sears.

Kay Grafe is the author of “Oh My Gosh, Virginia.”

To order, send name, address, phone number and $16.95, plus $3.50 S&H to Kay Grafe, 2142 Fig Farm Road, Lucedale, MS 39452.

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August 2017

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos 3 to 4 large boneless chicken breasts 1 medium onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 tsp. minced garlic 2 chicken bouillon cubes 1 cup water

1 Tbsp. chili powder 1 Tbsp. cumin 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. paprika ½ tsp. each salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in slow cooker, and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Shred chicken and serve with tortillas and all the fixings.

Tomato Cups

COLUMBUS CO-OP COOKS UP

Relay For Life fundraiser When employees of 4-County Electric Power Association set out to raise money for their cooperative’s 2017 Relay For Life campaign, they decided to put their favorite recipes to work.

The result is a 120 pages of time-saving recipes for busy home cooks.

Convenience ingredients, such as canned items and rotisserie chicken, make the recipes suitable for people who want to put quick meals on the table without a lot of fuss.

All proceeds from cookbook sales go to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. To order the combbound cookbook or get more information, call Becky Canull or Jima Branning at 800-431-1544. Price is $15.

Firecracker Saltines 2 sleeves saltine crackers 1 cup canola oil 1 packet ranch dressing mix

3 Tbsp. crushed red pepper 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder

Pour crackers into a 1-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Whisk oil and seasonings together in a bowl; pour over crackers. Seal bag. Turn bag to coat crackers well with mixture. Continue turning every 15 to 20 minutes for several hours to evenly coat and season the crackers. Let sit overnight and serve the next day.

Southwestern Corn and Walnut Dip 2 (8-oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened ¼ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup lime juice 1 Tbsp. ground red chili pepper 1 Tbsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. salt 1 (15-oz.) can corn, drained 1 cup walnuts, chopped ¼ cup minced onion

With a mixer, blend cream cheese, oil, lime juice, red chili pepper, cumin and salt until smooth. Stir in corn, walnuts and onion. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with corn or tortilla chips, or crackers.

1 can buttery, flaky grand biscuits ½ cup mayonnaise 1 cup shredded cheese, Cheddar and mozzarella mixed 1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained 1 tsp. dried basil or 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh

basil ½ onion, chopped 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (may substitute ½ cup bacon bits) or 1 lb. mild sausage, cooked and crumbled

Separate biscuits into 3 layers. Spray regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.

Press 1 separated biscuit layer into each muffin cup. Combine remaining ingredients and place a spoonful into each muffin cup. Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until browned.

Apple Crescent Dessert 1 can apple pie filling 1 stick margarine 2 cans crescent rolls 1 cup sugar 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 cup confectioners’ sugar 2 to 3 Tbsp. milk Cinnamon sugar, to taste (recipe follows)

Spray bottom and sides of a 9-by13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Roll out flat 1 can of crescent rolls and place on bottom of prepared dish. Combine sugar and cream cheese in a bowl; spread on top of flat crescent rolls. Spread apple pie filling on top of cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Lay second can of rolls flat on top of pie filling. Melt margarine and pour on top. Bake at 350 F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until desired brownness. Let cool 5 minutes before icing. To make icing, combine confectioners’ sugar with milk. Good served with ice cream.

Cinnamon Sugar: Combine ¼ cup sugar with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (or to taste). Store leftover mixture in an airtight container.

Oreo Balls 1 (16-oz.) pkg. Oreo (or store brand) cookies 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened ¼ cup powdered sugar

24 oz. white chocolate bark 6 oz. chocolate chips (optional)

Crumble cookies in a food processor. Mix crumbled cookies with cream cheese and powdered sugar. Roll into 1-inch balls and chill 30 minutes. Melt white chocolate bark according to package directions. Use a fork or toothpick to dip balls into white chocolate, and place on wax paper to dry.

If using chocolate chips, melt according to package directions. Spoon melted chips into a small zip-top bag and close; cut a tiny hole in the corner and drizzle chocolate on top of the balls.

Notes: If melted bark is too thick, thin by adding a small amount of shortening; microwave the mixture a few seconds to melt shortening. Oreo Balls freeze well.

Experiment with different Oreo cookie flavors. May substitute Candy Melts for bark.

August 2017

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Tired of struggling on the stairs?

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For many people, particularly seniors, climbing stairs can be a struggle and a health threat. Some have installed motorized stair lifts, but they block access to the stairs and are hardly

an enhancement to your home’s décor.

By contrast, the Easy Climber® Elevator can be installed almost anywhere in your home. That way you can move easily and safely from floor to floor without struggling or worse yet… falling.

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Marketplace

Today in Mississippi

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August 2017

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Type or print your ad clearly. Be sure to include your telephone number.

Deadline is the 10th of each month for the next month’s issue. Rate is $2.50 per word, 10-word minimum. Mail payment with your ad to Today in Mississippi, P.O. Box 3300, Ridgeland, MS 39158-3300. Have any questions?

Phone 601-605-8600 or email advertising@ecm.coop.

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August 2017

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Today in Mississippi

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Next ‘Picture This’: Kids being kids Who knows what kids will do next—but you can show us! Submit your photo of kids being kids for our next “Picture This” reader photo feature.

Selected photos will appear in the October issue of Today in Mississippi. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 11.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES • Photos must be in sharp focus.

• Photos must be the original work of an amateur photographer (of any age).

• Photos may be either color or black and white, print or digital.

• Digital photos must be high-resolution JPG files of at least 1 MB in size.

• Please do not use photo-editing software to adjust colors or tones. (We prefer to do it ourselves, if necessary, according to our printer’s standards.)

• Photos with the date appearing on the image cannot be used.

• Each entry must be accompanied by the photographer’s name, address, phone number and electric power association (if applicable). Include the name(s) of any recognizable people or places in the picture. Feel free to add any other details you like.

This issue will reach over 418,000 homes and businesses

• Prints will be returned if accompanied by a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. We cannot, however, guarantee their safe return through the mail.

HOW TO SUBMIT PHOTOS Attach digital photos to your email message and send to news@ecm.coop. If submitting more than one photo, please attach all photos to only one email message, if possible. Please be sure to include all information requested in the guidelines.

Mail prints or a photo CD to Picture This, Today in Mississippi, P.O. Box 3300, Ridgeland, MS 39158-3300.

Photographers whose photos are published are entered in a random drawing for a $200 cash prize to be awarded in December.

Question? Contact Debbie Stringer, editor, at 601-605-8610 or news@ecm.coop.

Advertise in the

MARKETPLACE

3rd Annual Artists Watercolor Workshop October 17-20, 2017, McComb, Mississippi featuring Artist Instructor Judi Betts, AWS, of Baton Rouge, LA; for details and registration contact Susy Sanders at 601/684-9995 or Bonnie Wimberly at bonniewimberly@bellsouth.net

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August 2017

Events MISSISSIPPI

Want more than 418,000 readers to know about your special event? Events open to the public will be published free of charge as space allows. Submit details at least two months prior to the event date. Submissions must include a phone number with area code for publication. Mail to Mississippi Events, Today in Mississippi, P.O. Box 3300, Ridgeland, MS 39158-3300; fax to 601-605-8601; or email to news@ecm.coop. Events are subject to change. We recommend calling to confirm details before traveling.

“Pieces and Strings” Quilt Exhibit, through Aug. 27, Jackson. Quilts from Mississippi Cultural Crossroads 30th Annual Quilt Contest and Exhibition. Free. Mississippi Museum of Art. Details: 601-960-1515; MSMuseumArt.org.

Beginning Horsemanship Lessons, August-September, Gulfport. Twice-weekly 30-minute lessons in Western, dressage and hunter jumper. Bienvenue Acres. Details: 228357-0431.

30th Annual Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival, Aug. 11-13, Clarksdale.

Featuring Charlie Musselwhite, Eternal Light Singers and others. Free admission. Delta Blues Museum and other venues. Details: SunflowerFest.org.

Lower Delta Talks: Holt Collier and the Delta Film Institute, Aug. 15, Rolling Fork.

Presenter: James Mathews; 6:30 p.m. Free.

Sharkey-Issaquena County Library. Details: 662-873-6261; LowerDelta.org.

Mississippi Book Festival, Aug. 19, Jackson.

Author panel discussions, live C-SPAN broadcast, book vendors, children’s activities, Capitol tours, music, food, more; 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free admission. State Capitol. Details: 769-717-2648; MSBookFestival.com.

46th Annual Gospel Singing Jubilee, Aug. 19, Magee. Featuring The Inspirations, Tim Frith & Gospel Echoes, Faithful 4 QT, Carolyn Norris; 6:30 p.m. Admission. Magee High School auditorium. Details: 601-906-0677, 601-720-8870.

Sounds of Summer Festival, Aug. 19, Byhalia. Interactive artisan area, Kid’s Zone, Healthy Lifestyles tent, car exhibits, live music.

Details: 662-838-8127, 662-291-0505.

Pine Belt Women’s Expo, Aug. 19, Hattiesburg. Learn about businesses and services for women; 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Lake Terrace Convention Center. Details: 601-270-2756; PineBeltWomensExpo.com.

15th Annual Tri-State Blues Festival, Aug. 19, Southaven. Featuring Bobby Rush, Pokey, JWONN, Terry Wright, more; 6:30 p.m.

Admission. Landers Center. Details: 662-4702131; Ticketmaster.com.

Horn Lake Food Truck Festival, Aug. 19, Horn Lake. Food truck vendors, arts, crafts, more; 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Latimer Lakes Park.

Details: 662-393-9897.

Memphis Kennel Club Dog Show, Aug. 1920, Southaven. All-breed AKC show, owner/handler and puppy classes, vendors, more. The Arena. Details: 901-463-0649; MemKennelClub.org.

“John Lee Hooker: King of the Boogie,” Aug. 22 - fall, Cleveland. Exhibit celebrating centennial of bluesman John Lee Hooker, featuring rare recordings, photos, guitar, performance outfits, more. Admission. Grammy Museum Mississippi. Details: 662-441-0100; GrammyMuseumMS.org.

Old Man River Quilt Fest, Aug. 23-26, Vicksburg. Quilt exhibit, vendors, classes; admission. Vicksburg Convention Center.

Details: 601-634-0243; OldManRiverQuiltFest.com.

Shape Note Singing, Aug. 26-27, Sebastopol. A cappella congregational singing of early American hymns in four-part harmo-

ny; 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Free admission. Antioch Primitive Baptist Church. Details: 601-9401612; home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/miss.html.

“Cars in Art II,” Aug. 22 - Oct. 21, Biloxi.

Photographs, paintings and sculpture based on car images or parts. Admission.

Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. Details: 228-374-5547; GeorgeOhr.org.

“Cycles: The Art of Steve Prince,” Aug. 29 - Oct. 28, Biloxi. Linoleum cut prints.

Admission. Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. Details: 228-374-5547; GeorgeOhr.org.

18th Annual Hummingbird Migration and Nature Celebration, Sept. 8-10, Holly Springs. Guest speakers, live animal shows, kids’ activities, arts, crafts, native plant sale, hummingbird banding. Admission. Strawberry Plains Audubon Center. Details: 662-252-2515; StrawberryPlains.Audubon.org.

Pelahatchie Baptist Church D-Vine 5K, Sept. 9, Pelahatchie. Run/walk 7:30 a.m.; kids fun run 8:30 a.m. Admission. Pelahatchie High School. Details: 601-854-8809.

Bogue Creek Festival, Sept. 9, Duck Hill.

Sponsored by Duck Hill Lions Club. Vendors, food, rides, entertainment, live music; 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Free admission. Lancaster Pecan Grove.

Details: 662-565-2434, 662-417-0961.

26th Annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues and Heritage Festival, Sept. 9, Pascagoula.

Music, classic cars, food, craft vendors; 12 p.m.

Admission. Sponsor: Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues Commission. Details: 228-282-0591.

Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi Foundation awards

Engineering Scholarships JUBILEE CENTER

Retreat and multi-use facility with sleeping accommodations for 46.

Heritage United Methodist Church, D'Iberville, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Contact us at 228-392-4288 or

heritageunitedmethodist1@gmail.com

The Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi (ECM) Foundation recently awarded $2,500 engineering scholarships to Raygan Necaise, Dalton Williams, Caleb McBride and Jose Luis Dominguez. These young men have served as co-op student interns at local electric cooperatives in Mississippi.

Pictured from left are Jim Compton, CEO, Cooperative Energy; Necaise, son of Maurice and Stacey Necaise of Kiln; Randy Carroll, CEO, East Mississippi Electric; Williams, son of Pat and Laurie Williams of Collinsville; Michael Callahan,

CEO, ECM; McBride, son of Tim and Cindy McBride of Winona; David O’Bryan, general manager, Delta Electric; Dominguez, son of Jose Dominguez and Loyda Maeda of Meridian; and Darrell Smith, general manager, Magnolia Electric Power. All four recipients are electrical engineering students at Mississippi State University.

The students were recognized at a recent luncheon for their academic achievements, dedication to excellence and work performance at their sponsoring electric cooperatives.

I

August 2017

Today in Mississippi

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